Morning “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” / Isaiah 54:17

 This day is notable in English history for two great deliverances wrought by

God for us. On this day the plot of the Papists to destroy our Houses of

Parliament was discovered, 1605.

 “While for our princes they prepare

 In caverns deep a burning snare,

 He shot from heaven a piercing ray,

 And the dark treachery brought to day.”

 And secondly–today is the anniversary of the landing of King William III, at

Torbay, by which the hope of Popish ascendancy was quashed, and religious

liberty was secured, 1688.

 This day ought to be celebrated, not by the saturnalia of striplings, but by

the songs of saints. Our Puritan forefathers most devoutly made it a special

time of thanksgiving. There is extant a record of the annual sermons preached

by Matthew Henry on this day. Our Protestant feeling, and our love of liberty,

should make us regard its anniversary with holy gratitude. Let our hearts and

lips exclaim, “We have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us the

wondrous things which thou didst in their day, and in the old time before

them.” Thou hast made this nation the home of the gospel; and when the foe has

risen against her, thou hast shielded her. Help us to offer repeated songs for

repeated deliverances. Grant us more and more a hatred of Antichrist, and

hasten on the day of her entire extinction. Till then and ever, we believe the

promise, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” Should it not

be laid upon the heart of every lover of the gospel of Jesus on this day to

plead for the overturning of false doctrines and the extension of divine

truth? Would it not be well to search our own hearts, and turn out any of the

Popish lumber of self-righteousness which may lie concealed therein?

Evening “Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” / Psalm 100:4

 Our Lord would have all his people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning

his blessed person. Jesus is not content that his brethren should think meanly

of him; it is his pleasure that his espoused ones should be delighted with his

beauty. We are not to regard him as a bare necessary, like to bread and water,

but as a luxurious delicacy, as a rare and ravishing delight. To this end he

has revealed himself as the “pearl of great price” in its peerless beauty, as

the “bundle of myrrh” in its refreshing fragrance, as the “rose of Sharon” in

its lasting perfume, as the “lily” in its spotless purity.

 As a help to high thoughts of Christ, remember the estimation that Christ is

had in beyond the skies, where things are measured by the right standard.

Think how God esteems the Only Begotten, his unspeakable gift to us. Consider

what the angels think of him, as they count it their highest honour to veil

their faces at his feet. Consider what the blood-washed think of him, as day

without night they sing his well deserved praises. High thoughts of Christ

will enable us to act consistently with our relations towards him. The more

loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the more lowly we are when bowing before

the foot of the throne, the more truly shall we be prepared to act our part

towards him. Our Lord Jesus desires us to think well of him, that we may

submit cheerfully to his authority. High thoughts of him increase our love.

Love and esteem go together. Therefore, believer, think much of your Master’s

excellencies. Study him in his primeval glory, before he took upon himself

your nature! Think of the mighty love which drew him from his throne to die

upon the cross! Admire him as he conquers all the powers of hell! See him

risen, crowned, glorified! Bow before him as the Wonderful, the Counsellor,

the mighty God, for only thus will your love to him be what it should.

Give thanks to him; bless his name!   Psalm 100:4

 Our Lord would have all His people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning His blessed person. Jesus is not content that His brethren should think poorly of Him; it is His pleasure that His people should be delighted with His beauty. We are not to regard Him as a bare necessity, like bread and water, but as a luxurious delicacy, as a rare and ravishing delight. To this end He has revealed Himself as the “pearl of great price” in its peerless beauty, as the “bundle of myrrh”1 in its refreshing fragrance, as the “rose of Sharon” in its lasting perfume, as the “lily” in its spotless purity.

As a help to high thoughts of Christ, remember the estimation that Christ has beyond the skies, where things are measured by the right standard. Think how God esteems the Only Begotten, His unspeakable gift to us. Consider what the angels think of Him, as they count it their highest honor to veil their faces at His feet. Consider what the blood-washed think of Him, as day without night they sing His well-deserved praises. High thoughts of Christ will enable us to act consistently in our relationship with Him. The more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the more lowly we are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly shall we be prepared to act our part toward Him.

Our Lord Jesus desires us to think well of Him, that we may submit cheerfully to His authority. High thoughts of Him increase our love. Love and esteem go together. Therefore, believer, think much of your Master’s excellencies. Study Him in His pre-incarnate glory, before He took upon Himself your nature! Think of the mighty love that drew Him from His throne to die upon the cross! Admire Him as He conquers all the powers of hell! See Him risen, crowned, glorified! Bow before Him as the Wonderful, the Counselor, the Mighty God, for only in this way will your love for Him be what it should.

1Song of Solomon 1:13, KJV

Family Reading Plan Hosea 11 Psalm 134

Psalm 119:57-59

The Bible records two kinds of promises from God–unconditional and conditional. An unconditional pledge is one whose fulfillment rests solely with the Lord; His commitment is independent of people and situations. An example would be God’s covenant never to send another flood to destroy the entire earth (Gen. 9:11). No matter how the world behaves, He will not take this action again.

The second type of divine promise is conditional. In other words, the Lord is willing to act under certain circumstances. It’s often written as an “if-then” statement and involves our cooperation. Let’s look at three conditional promises involving salvation, forgiveness, and wisdom.

Romans 10:10 tells us that salvation is pledged to those who confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus is Lord. We are saved when we genuinely trust in the Savior.

If we come to the Lord with sincere confession of sin, we have the assurance of divine forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). The Lord’s fulfillment of this vow depends upon our obedient action.

James 1:5-6 instructs us to ask God for wisdom without doubting that we will receive it. If we approach the Lord with faith, then He will give us understanding.

God will do exactly what He’s promised. But He requires our obedient cooperation before fulfilling His conditional pledges. To receive the stated blessing, we must satisfy the conditions He has set. If you are waiting for the Lord to fulfill His pledge, check to be sure you are carrying out your part.

There are several places in Scripture that speak of God’s abhorrence of “dishonest scales.” Having recently read an editorial that sought to expose what the writer deemed “the unfair scales” of our justice system, the phrase catches my attention. There is something within us that cries out at the sight of injustice; we long to find the place where life is fair. But what does it mean to measure our own lives with an honest scale?

As the Israelites emerged from their slavery in Egypt and the perils of the desert through mighty acts of deliverance, they were asked to remember the almighty hand of God. The great plagues that came upon Egypt, the triumphant parting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven—all were arguably unforgettable—and yet God specifically asked them to remember. Remember the great movement of God among you; remember the God who saw your misery and acted out in justice. Indeed, remember. For how easy it is to forget. How easy it is to forget that God not only sees the injustice of our situation, our yearning for help and crying for deliverance, but also the injustice we impose on others, our unwillingness to forgive, and our eagerness to tip the scales in our favor.

Through the prophet Micah, the LORD inquired of Israel, “Am I still to forget, O wicked house, your ill-gotten treasures and the short ephah, which is accursed? Shall I acquit a man with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights?”(1)

Used in ancient Israel, the ephah was a large vessel with which merchants measured out goods for a buyer. Likewise, the shekel was used to weigh out the silver with which the buyer paid for it. By shortening the ephah and increasing the weight of the shekel, the merchant found a way to sell less than he promised for more than he agreed. The practice of utilizing measures to get ahead in business was quite prevalent amongst merchants in the ancient world—perhaps as prevalent as it is today. In a poem titled “Song of the Devil” W.H. Auden voices a chorus familiar to the ages:  “Values are relative/Dough is dough.”

Yet as God declared through Micah and again through Hosea and Amos, dishonest dealings make a mockery of the one who set the values. The cry of the prophet for economic justice is the cry of the God who is just. And God who is just demands a careful commitment to all that God values: “You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a full and just weight; you shall have a full and just measure, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”(2)

Moreover, God who is just not only calls for justice in our dealings with others, but in our dealings with God. Here, the Christian story reports that we ourselves have been weighed on scales and found wanting. This is a difficult truth to accept, particularly where we want to measure the world with a sliding scale of tolerance. All the more difficult to comprehend, Christ’s death is said somehow to level the scales. Where we are lacking, where we are unjust, where we have tipped the scales dishonestly in our favor, where sin throws off the balance, and we carry our bag of false weights, Christ comes to restore our own value inasmuch as those we have slighted.  As the apostle Peter writes, “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God.” In Christ the scales are balanced; what is wanting is restored in him by the Spirit. Setting on both sides of the scale, he is our full and just weight.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Micah 6:10-11.

(2) Deuteronomy 25:13-15.

Morning “I am the Lord, I change not.” / Malachi 3:6

It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom

change cannot affect; One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow

mutability can make no furrows. All things else have changed–all things are

changing. The sun itself grows dim with age; the world is waxing old; the

folding up of the worn-out vesture has commenced; the heavens and earth must

soon pass away; they shall perish, they shall wax old as doth a garment; but

there is One who only hath immortality, of whose years there is no end, and in

whose person there is no change. The delight which the mariner feels, when,

after having been tossed about for many a day, he steps again upon the solid

shore, is the satisfaction of a Christian when, amidst all the changes of this

troublous life, he rests the foot of his faith upon this truth–“I am the

Lord, I change not.”

The stability which the anchor gives the ship when it has at last obtained a

hold-fast, is like that which the Christian’s hope affords him when it fixes

itself upon this glorious truth. With God “is no variableness, neither shadow

of turning.” Whatever his attributes were of old, they are now; his power, his

wisdom, his justice, his truth, are alike unchanged. He has ever been the

refuge of his people, their stronghold in the day of trouble, and he is their

sure Helper still. He is unchanged in his love. He has loved his people with

“an everlasting love”; he loves them now as much as ever he did, and when all

earthly things shall have melted in the last conflagration, his love will

still wear the dew of its youth. Precious is the assurance that he changes

not! The wheel of providence revolves, but its axle is eternal love.

“Death and change are busy ever,

Man decays, and ages move;

But his mercy waneth never;

God is wisdom, God is love.”

Evening “Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.” /

Psalm 119:53

My soul, feelest thou this holy shuddering at the sins of others? for

otherwise thou lackest inward holiness. David’s cheeks were wet with rivers of

waters because of prevailing unholiness, Jeremiah desired eyes like fountains

that he might lament the iniquities of Israel, and Lot was vexed with the

conversation of the men of Sodom. Those upon whom the mark was set in

Ezekiel’s vision, were those who sighed and cried for the abominations of

Jerusalem. It cannot but grieve gracious souls to see what pains men take to

go to hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally, and they are alarmed to

see others flying like moths into its blaze. Sin makes the righteous shudder,

because it violates a holy law, which it is to every man’s highest interest to

keep; it pulls down the pillars of the commonwealth. Sin in others horrifies a

believer, because it puts him in mind of the baseness of his own heart: when

he sees a transgressor he cries with the saint mentioned by Bernard, “He fell

today, and I may fall to-morrow.” Sin to a believer is horrible, because it

crucified the Saviour; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear. How can

a saved soul behold that cursed kill-Christ sin without abhorrence? Say, my

heart, dost thou sensibly join in all this? It is an awful thing to insult God

to His face. The good God deserves better treatment, the great God claims it,

the just God will have it, or repay His adversary to his face. An awakened

heart trembles at the audacity of sin, and stands alarmed at the contemplation

of its punishment. How monstrous a thing is rebellion! How direful a doom is

prepared for the ungodly! My soul, never laugh at sin’s fooleries, lest thou

come to smile at sin itself. It is thine enemy, and thy Lord’s enemy. View it

with detestation, for so only canst thou evidence the possession of holiness,

without which no man can see the Lord.

Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law.     Psalm 119:53

My soul, do you feel this holy trembling at the sins of others? For if you do not, you lack inward holiness. David’s cheeks were wet with rivers of waters because of prevailing unholiness. Jeremiah desired eyes like fountains that he might lament the iniquities of Israel, and Lot was deeply troubled by the conduct of the men of Sodom. Those upon whom the mark was set in Ezekiel’s vision were those who sighed and cried for the sins of Jerusalem. Gracious souls cannot help but be grieved to see what pains men take to go to hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally [experientially], and they are alarmed to see others flying like moths into its blaze.

Sin makes the righteous shudder because it violates a holy law that it is in every man’s highest interest to keep; it pulls down the pillars of the nation. Sin in others horrifies a believer because it makes him think of the baseness of his own heart: When he sees a transgressor he is reminded of his own frailty and vulnerability: “He fell today, and I may fall tomorrow.” Sin to a believer is horrible because it crucified the Savior; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear. How troubling it should be when the Christian learns to tolerate rather than shrink from it in disgust.

Each of us must examine his heart. It is an awful thing to insult God to His face. The good God deserves better treatment; the great God claims it; the just God will have it or repay His adversary to his face. An awakened heart trembles at the audacity of sin and stands alarmed at the contemplation of its punishment. How monstrous a thing is rebellion! How dreadful a doom is prepared for the ungodly! My soul, never laugh at sin’s fooleries, lest you begin to smile at sin itself. It is your enemy, and your Lord’s enemy: Learn to detest it and to distance yourself from it, for only then can you give evidence of the possession of holiness, without which no one can see the Lord.

Family Reading Plan        Hosea 8       Psalm 125

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

The Christian life rests on a foundation of God’s promises for today and for the future. We can trust everything that our heavenly Father has said because His Word shows Him to be…

Truthful. The Lord knows what is true and speaks honestly in all matters. We can be assured of this because He is holy; there is no sin in Him. He is also omniscient and understands everything (Heb. 4:12-13). His promises are based on His infinite knowledge and truthfulness.

Faithful. Scripture compares the Lord to a shepherd who “gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart” (Isa. 40:11 niv). What He has planned for us, He will bring to fruition (Rom. 8:28). Our heavenly Father does not waver in His intentions or will.

Loving. God’s love for us was demonstrated at the cross. He sent His Son Jesus to die by crucifixion and thereby take the punishment for our sins. The Savior experienced God’s wrath against iniquity so we might know only His love. This is the ultimate proof of His devotion to us.

All-powerful. Divine power created the world and raised the Savior back to life, so we know God has the ability to carry out all His plans. Our omnipotent Father can keep every one of His promises.

A promise is valuable only if the one making it has trustworthy character and the ability to carry through. Our heavenly Father is truthful, faithful, loving, and all-powerful. We can base our entire life on His promises, secure in the knowledge that He will do just as He has said

I remember getting into a cab outside a central London church. The cabbie took one look at my Bible and launched into his opinion of Christianity. He explained to me that belief in God is a crutch for weak, pathetic people who don’t have the strength to take responsibility for their own lives. When I answered, “Thank you very much,” with just a hint of irony, he blustered on with, “Well, I’m just saying it for your own good. A girl like you doesn’t need religion!”

This idea that Christian faith is a psychological crutch for needy people is a pervasive one, based on a number of assumptions. The first is that God is merely a psychological projection: he doesn’t actually exist in any real sense, but exists only in the minds of his followers, who have created him out of their own need—a need for a father figure or a need to give significance to their existence. The most famous proponent of this view was the Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). In arguing against the existence of God, Freud theorized that one’s view of God springs from the view one has of one’s father. When people grow up and find themselves thrust into the cruel, cold world, they look for a haven of security and protection from it. An adult can no longer look to parents for this protection, if he or she is to maintain dignity. Yet, Freud mused, we look for another “Someone” to do this job for us and this leads to the idea of a “Higher Power” or God.

From this perspective, God is merely a creation of the human mind, a projection emanating from human need and desire rather than a distinct reality. For Freud, God is made in humanity’s own image, the “ultimate wish-fulfillment,” the end product of human desire for a loving father.

Can God really be explained away so easily by one aspect of psychology? One obvious point to make is that the argument about projection cuts both ways. After all, isn’t it equally possible to say that Freud and other atheists deny the existence of God out of a need to escape from a father figure, or to argue that the non-existence of God springs from a deep-seated desire for no father figure to exist?

Clearly this doesn’t prove that God is real, but it does show that Freud’s arguments cannot prove that God does not exist while at the same time helping us tackle the question of projection. After all, dismissing God as a psychological projection while claiming neutrality in our own psyche is disingenuous at best and cannot be an adequate basis for rejecting God.

It also quickly becomes apparent that a Freudian belief in God as a human projection cannot provide us with an explanation for the Christian faith of converts such as C.S. Lewis or Alister McGrath, who would rather not believe but find themselves compelled by the evidence that Christianity is true and real.

In fact, we may go further by suggesting that a desire for a God who can fulfill our needs and provide moral order exists precisely because human beings have been created to desire him. The man floating on a raft at sea is unbearably thirsty, but he won’t get a drink of water simply by being thirsty. But the very existence of his thirst does show that a way for his desire to be satisfied actually exists: fresh water. As C.S. Lewis put it, “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists.” Ultimately for the Christian the important question is not whether I have a psychological need for a father figure, or a desire for a father figure not to exist. Rather, the question is about what actually exists: Is God really there? The way to come to any conclusions about that is to investigate the evidence for his existence.

The second assumption we encounter is that because belief in God provides the faithful with a crutch, this means it is somehow suspect. The skeptic implies that since the believer finds protection from the cruelty of nature and the evil of the world, the idea of God is like a talisman, an irrational superstition. But surely, if belief in God provides a positive moral framework that helps people to live constructively, that is not a reason to disbelieve. Similarly, if relationship with God enables to believer to find healing, wholeness, and comfort in the midst of human suffering, we should not be surprised.  After all, if God is real, God’s existence will have a massive impact on life and on the experience of life. It is only if God is not real that we ought to be worried about the “crutch” God provides.

Finally, the third assumption is that people who make use of this “crutch” of relationship with God, and find it practical, meaningful, and effective, must be weak or inferior. This is a rather strange idea, since surely it makes sense to access real sources of support and relationship that are there for us. If a God of love does exist, the rational thing to do is accept that love, to come to know it. Entering into that relationship will have a positive effect, and that does not make the person weaker than or somehow inferior to anyone else. On the contrary, it is the logical, reasonable response if God himself is real.

Amy Orr-Ewing is curriculum director for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and training director of RZIM Zacharias Trust in Oxford, England.

Morning “The church in thy house.” / Philemon 2

Is there a Church in this house? Are parents, children, friends, servants, all

members of it? or are some still unconverted? Let us pause here and let the

question go round–Am I a member of the Church in this house? How would

father’s heart leap for joy, and mother’s eyes fill with holy tears if from

the eldest to the youngest all were saved! Let us pray for this great mercy

until the Lord shall grant it to us. Probably it had been the dearest object

of Philemon’s desires to have all his household saved; but it was not at first

granted him in its fulness. He had a wicked servant, Onesimus, who, having

wronged him, ran away from his service. His master’s prayers followed him, and

at last, as God would have it, Onesimus was led to hear Paul preach; his heart

was touched, and he returned to Philemon, not only to be a faithful servant,

but a brother beloved, adding another member to the Church in Philemon’s

house. Is there an unconverted servant or child absent this morning? Make

special supplication that such may, on their return to their home, gladden all

hearts with good news of what grace has done! Is there one present? Let him

partake in the same earnest entreaty.

If there be such a Church in our house, let us order it well, and let all act

as in the sight of God. Let us move in the common affairs of life with studied

holiness, diligence, kindness, and integrity. More is expected of a Church

than of an ordinary household; family worship must, in such a case, be more

devout and hearty; internal love must be more warm and unbroken, and external

conduct must be more sanctified and Christlike. We need not fear that the

smallness of our number will put us out of the list of Churches, for the Holy

Spirit has here enrolled a family-church in the inspired book of remembrance.

As a Church let us now draw nigh to the great head of the one Church

universal, and let us beseech him to give us grace to shine before men to the

glory of his name.

Evening “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the

coming of the Son of man be.” / Matthew 24:39

Universal was the doom, neither rich nor poor escaped: the learned and the

illiterate, the admired and the abhorred, the religious and the profane, the

old and the young, all sank in one common ruin. Some had doubtless ridiculed

the patriarch–where now their merry jests? Others had threatened him for his

zeal which they counted madness–where now their boastings and hard speeches?

The critic who judged the old man’s work is drowned in the same sea which

covers his sneering companions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good

man’s fidelity to his convictions, but shared not in them, have sunk to rise

no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build the wondrous ark, are all

lost also. The flood swept them all away, and made no single exception. Even

so, out of Christ, final destruction is sure to every man of woman born; no

rank, possession, or character, shall suffice to save a single soul who has

not believed in the Lord Jesus. My soul, behold this wide-spread judgment and

tremble at it.

How marvellous the general apathy! they were all eating and drinking, marrying

and giving in marriage, till the awful morning dawned. There was not one wise

man upon earth out of the ark. Folly duped the whole race, folly as to

self-preservation–the most foolish of all follies. Folly in doubting the most

true God–the most malignant of fooleries. Strange, my soul, is it not? All

men are negligent of their souls till grace gives them reason, then they leave

their madness and act like rational beings, but not till then.

All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark, no ruin entered there. From the

huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all were safe. The timid hare was equally

secure with the courageous lion, the helpless cony as safe as the laborious

ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, art thou in him?

And they were unaware until the flood came, and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.     Matthew 24:39

The doom was universal. Neither rich nor poor escaped: the learned and the illiterate, the admired and the despised, the religious and the profane, the old and the young all sank in one common ruin. Some had doubtless ridiculed the preacher, but where were their merry jests now? Others had threatened Noah for his zeal, which they regarded as madness. What happened to their boastings and hard speeches? The critic who judged the old man’s work drowns in the same sea that covers his sneering companions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good man’s faithfulness to his convictions, but did not share them, have sunk to rise no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build the wondrous ark are all lost also. The Flood swept them all away and made no single exception. Even so, outside of Christ, final destruction is sure to everyone; no rank, possession, or character will be enough to save a single soul who has not believed in the Lord Jesus. My soul, consider this widespread judgment and tremble at it.

How incredible was the general apathy! They were all eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the awful morning dawned. There was not one wise individual upon earth outside of the ark. Folly duped the whole race: folly as to self-preservation, the most fooling of all follies. Folly in doubting the most true God: the most malignant foolishness. Is it not strange, my soul? All men are negligent of their souls until grace gives them reason; then they leave their madness and act like rational beings, but not until then.

All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark; no ruin entered there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the courageous lion, the helpless lamb as safe as the laborious ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, are you in Him?

Family Reading Plan        Hosea 7       Psalm 122

John 16:7-11

Jesus assured His disciples that it was to their advantage that He go away so that the Helper could come (John 16:7)–God sends Him to convict people of their sin. Since the Holy Spirit is unlimited by time or space, He can reach out to every individual on the planet. However, His work differs with regard to believers and unbelievers.

With regard to unbelievers, God’s Spirit penetrates the heart and brings awareness of wrongdoing. He reveals that according to God’s holy standard, they have sinned and stand condemned by their transgression. Unbelief is the greatest sin against God, so every prick of the heart is meant to point out their need for the Savior.

As for believers, the Holy Spirit deals with them on the basis of their relationship with Jesus Christ and convicts us of disobedience to Him. In other words, He makes us aware of specific sins and the Lord’s attitude about them. But He also prompts us to be accountable before Christ for our wrongdoing by confessing it and repenting.

Convicting believers of sin is an important part of the Holy Spirit’s job, but He is equally delighted to make them aware of the Lord’s approval. God commends righteous living, obedient actions, and loving acts done in His name.

While conviction is often uncomfortable for unbelievers and believers alike, it’s a beautiful demonstration of God’s love. He desires to bring us into the center of His will and keep us there for our good and His glory. The Holy Spirit’s work makes that possible, if we choose to follow His promptings

Common is the sentiment among recent college graduates: “I went in feeling like I knew so much, and leave realizing how little I know.” I remember what this felt like, walking down the aisle to accept my diploma, wondering at the might be, I am convinced that the thought is an important place at which to arrive.

Ravi Zacharias tells of being a graduate student when the new encyclopedia Britannica was released in its fifteenth edition. It was a massive work that had taken fourteen years to produce, and he remembers being fascinated by the statistics: two hundred advisors, three hundred editors, four thousand contributors, over a hundred thousand entries, thirty-four million dollars, forty-three million words. Even so, in the last pages of that work, one of the editors had the audacity to conclude: “Herein contains the entirety of human knowledge.”

In the stories in Scripture where God is encountered we find men and women who, having come in contact God, find themselves blown away by the notion that they didn’t know all that they didn’t know. As Jacob lay dreaming, he saw God appear above a great ladder where God was introduced as the God of his ancestors. Upon waking, Jacob’s his first words were filled with astonishment: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it” (Genesis 28:16). Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah, had a similar reaction after she encountered God in the desert. Having run away from Sarah’s abuse, Hagar was resting beside a spring when God spoke to her and told her to return. Scripture imparts that she was amazed: “And she gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the one who sees me’” (Genesis 16:13).

Whatever we see, there is almost always more. It is probably the one thing we can count on—and the one thing we do not. Christian philosopher Esther Lightcap Meek writes, “We labor under the misimpression that we see what we see, that seeing is believing, that either I see it or I don’t.”(1) Perhaps seeing is not always about 20/20, and seeing God is something else altogether.

Christianity and its stories introduce us to a God who makes known God’s surprising presence again and again, a God whose revelation is both piecemeal and profound. “O LORD,” proclaims David, “for your servant’s sake and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.  There is none like you, O LORD, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (1 Chronicles 17:19,20, ESV). God is well worth our efforts in learning to see. Whether in Jacob’s dream or in Hagar’s distress, God seeks to be known and seeks to gather. The Spirit seeks to surprise and comfort. The Son seeks to be near. Says the LORD, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

There is something relieving in knowing that there is much that we do not know. It keeps us grounded in reality. It keeps us with a grateful eye toward mystery and beauty and kindness. It keeps us looking to the one who wills to be known. When Job was confronted by God with the great thunder of 62 questions about the foundations of the world and the inner workings of life, he realized that he might have spoken out of turn. Confronting the reality of all that he did not know brought Job to a deeper certainty of God and himself. “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). There is no more grateful, honest cry before the God who sees.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Esther Lightcap Meek, Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2003), 99.

Morning “Renew a right spirit within me.” / Psalm 51:10

A backslider, if there be a spark of life left in him will groan after

restoration. In this renewal the same exercise of grace is required as at our

conversion. We needed repentance then; we certainly need it now. We wanted

faith that we might come to Christ at first; only the like grace can bring us

to Jesus now. We wanted a word from the Most High, a word from the lip of the

loving One, to end our fears then; we shall soon discover, when under a sense

of present sin, that we need it now. No man can be renewed without as real and

true a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s energy as he felt at first, because

the work is as great, and flesh and blood are as much in the way now as ever

they were. Let thy personal weakness, O Christian, be an argument to make thee

pray earnestly to thy God for help. Remember, David when he felt himself to be

powerless, did not fold his arms or close his lips, but he hastened to the

mercy-seat with “renew a right spirit within me.” Let not the doctrine that

you, unaided, can do nothing, make you sleep; but let it be a goad in your

side to drive you with an awful earnestness to Israel’s strong Helper. O that

you may have grace to plead with God, as though you pleaded for your very

life–“Lord, renew a right spirit within me.” He who sincerely prays to God to

do this, will prove his honesty by using the means through which God works. Be

much in prayer; live much upon the Word of God; kill the lusts which have

driven your Lord from you; be careful to watch over the future uprisings of

sin. The Lord has his own appointed ways; sit by the wayside and you will be

ready when he passes by. Continue in all those blessed ordinances which will

foster and nourish your dying graces; and, knowing that all the power must

proceed from him, cease not to cry, “Renew a right spirit within me.”

Evening “I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.” / Hosea

13:5

Yes, Lord, thou didst indeed know me in my fallen state, and thou didst even

then choose me for thyself. When I was loathsome and self-abhorred, thou didst

receive me as thy child, and thou didst satisfy my craving wants. Blessed

forever be thy name for this free, rich, abounding mercy. Since then, my

inward experience has often been a wilderness; but thou hast owned me still as

thy beloved, and poured streams of love and grace into me to gladden me, and

make me fruitful. Yea, when my outward circumstances have been at the worst,

and I have wandered in a land of drought, thy sweet presence has solaced me.

Men have not known me when scorn has awaited me, but thou hast known my soul

in adversities, for no affliction dims the lustre of thy love. Most gracious

Lord, I magnify thee for all thy faithfulness to me in trying circumstances,

and I deplore that I should at any time have forgotten thee and been exalted

in heart, when I have owed all to thy gentleness and love. Have mercy upon thy

servant in this thing!

My soul, if Jesus thus acknowledged thee in thy low estate, be sure that thou

own both himself and his cause now that thou art in thy prosperity. Be not

lifted up by thy worldly successes so as to be ashamed of the truth or of the

poor church with which thou hast been associated. Follow Jesus into the

wilderness: bear the cross with him when the heat of persecution grows hot. He

owned thee, O my soul, in thy poverty and shame–never be so treacherous as to

be ashamed of him. O for more shame at the thought of being ashamed of my best

Beloved! Jesus, my soul cleaveth to thee.

“I’ll turn to thee in days of light,

As well as nights of care,

Thou brightest amid all that’s bright!

Thou fairest of the fair!”

It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought.    Hosea 13:5

Yes, Lord, You did indeed know me in my fallen state, and You did even then choose me for Yourself. When I was loathsome and self-abhorred, You received me as Your child, and You satisfied my longings. Blessed forever be Your name for this free, rich, abounding mercy. Since then, my inward experience has often been a wilderness; but You have kept me still as Your beloved and poured streams of love and grace into me to gladden me and make me fruitful. When my outward circumstances have been at the worst, and I have wandered in a land of drought, Your sweet presence has comforted me. Men have ignored me, and I have been scorned; but You have known my soul in adversities, for no affliction dims the luster of Your love. Most gracious Lord, I magnify You for all Your faithfulness to me in trying circumstances, and I deplore the fact that I have at times forgotten You and been proud of heart when I have owed everything to Your gentleness and love. Have mercy upon Your servant in this matter!

My soul, if Jesus acknowledged you in your lowly condition, be sure that you own both Himself and His cause now that you are in prosperity. Do not be puffed up by worldly successes, and do not be ashamed of the truth or of the poor church with which you have been associated. Follow Jesus into the wilderness: Bear the cross with Him when the persecution heats up. He owned you, O my soul, in your poverty and shame; never be so treacherous as to be ashamed of Him. Let me know more shame at the thought of being ashamed of my best Beloved! Jesus, my soul cleaves to You.

I’ll turn to Thee in days of light,

As well as nights of care,

Thou brightest amid all that’s bright!

Thou fairest of the fair!

Family Reading Plan       Hosea 6       Psalm 119:145-176

Romans 8:1-4

Some believers are plagued by feelings of condemnation. Either they think they’ll never live up to God’s expectations for them or they’re nearly drowning in guilt over past sins. These men and women cannot seem to shake the sense that God is displeased with their puny efforts at being Christlike.

The book of Romans confronts this lie head-on: “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). When the Savior went to the cross on our behalf, He lifted the blame from our shoulders and made us righteous before God. Those feelings of condemnation do not belong to us; they are from Satan. He amplifies our guilt and feelings of inadequacy and then suggests that’s how the Lord feels about His “wayward child.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Our sins are wiped clean, and we are chosen and loved by God.

Condemnation is reserved for those who reject the Lord (John 3:36). Sin is a death sentence (Rom. 6:23). Anyone who chooses to cling to sin instead of seeking divine forgiveness must pay the penalty, which is an eternity separated from God. Two synonyms of condemn are ‘denounce’ and ‘revile.’ Those words certainly describe Jesus’ statement to unbelievers in Matthew 25:41: “Depart from me, accursed ones.”

There is no condemnation for those who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. The believer’s penalty for sin is paid, and he can stand blameless before God. Trust in the Lord’s love and let go of Satan’s lie. God’s beloved children are covered by His grace and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

 The recent death of Oglala Sioux actor and activist Russell Means brought brief but broad attention to the chronic issues plaguing Native American communities in the United States. Means, who was quite a controversial figure, brought national attention to the poverty and discrimination suffered by many in Native communities in the 1970′s and 1980′s. He is credited with reviving the warrior image of the American Indian through guerrilla-tactic protests against the United States injustice against its indigenous peoples.(1)

One tragic episode of injustice was called “The Trail of Tears.” This was the name given to the forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation from their home among the mountains of North Georgia to the plains of Oklahoma.(2) In one of the saddest episodes of the fledgling democracy of the United States, men, women, and children were taken from their land, herded into makeshift forts with minimal facilities and food, and then forced to march a thousand miles. Human loss for the first groups of Cherokee removed from North Georgia was extremely high. While records reflect differing accounts of casualties, some estimate that about 4000 Cherokee died as a result of the removal.

The story of Native American relocation is now a part of the history of the developing United States, where the North Georgia story is not unique. Russell Means and many other activists for Indian causes remind us that other trails of tears were forged in the land from east to west.  While there were minority voices protesting against these federal government policies concerning relocation, including Davy Crockett (better known for his failed stand at the Texas Alamo), they were few and far between.(3) The country that had swelled on a tide of freedom also had an undertow of injustice toward its Native peoples.

In human terms, the crucifixion of Jesus demonstrates a horrible injustice committed against him. While Christians believe that God was at work even in the midst of this act of injustice, Jesus had committed no crime deserving of this death reserved for the worst criminals. He was falsely accused, tortured, and nailed to the cross. Formal theology looks at the “injustice” of the crucifixion and seeks to explain the meaning of the event. Some theologians suggest that the atonement stands as the preeminent example of a sacrificial life in the face of injustice—an example which followers of Jesus are called to model in their own lives. Others see the Cross as the ultimate symbol of divine love or a demonstration of God’s divine justice against sin as the violation of his perfect law. Still others suggest the Cross overcame the forces of sin and evil, restored God’s honor in relation to God’s holiness and righteousness, and served as a substitution for the death we all deserved because of sin.(4)

While the meaning of the atonement may include a portion of all of these theories, I wonder about how the atonement might bring meaning to events like those suffered by Native peoples. And I wonder about how the atonement speaks to the personal injustices we all suffer, or commit against one another. Does the reality of the atonement give present meaning to the many injustices experienced and felt by many in today’s world?

The word atonement itself indicates that the willing offer by Jesus to absorb the injustices of the world creates the possibility to be at one, set right with God, and with one another. The apostle Paul indicates this in his second letter to the Corinthian Christians: “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Christians believe that the enactment of reconciliation by God even through the human injustice perpetrated against Jesus, enjoins them to a ministry of reconciliation and justice. And the word of reconciliation—namely, that God has not counted our trespasses against us—frees us to give   the ministry of reconciling forgiveness to one another. Forgiveness, then, paves the way for justice.

I wish Russell Means could have known about many of these reconciling ministries. While at a local church gathering, I was introduced to a ministry that works with urban-dwelling Native Americans. Most are homeless and many struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Like me, these individuals are far removed from the Trail of Tears. But like me, this organization wonders what meaning to assign to a tragic past. Clearly, all of us carry the events of our past into our present lives. In some cases, painful hurts and histories have ongoing repercussions. Cycles of violence, addiction, and despair are shaped, in part, by the meaning assigned to these past events. Therefore, this ministry seeks to reassign new meaning to difficult pasts through reconciliation and forgiveness.

In the same way, Christians who affirm the atonement of Jesus also affirm a God who enjoins them to do justice on behalf of others. The atonement gives meaning to the past that is redemptive for the present. Recognizing both our need for forgiveness and the need to offer forgiveness, we give meaning to those who need atonement today. Not simply an act of injustice perpetrated against Jesus, the atonement brings life, as surely as it binds us to give life to others.

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Seattle, Washington. 

(1) Robert D. McFadden, “Russell Means, Who Clashed With Law as He Fought for Indians, Is Dead at 72.” The New York Times, October 22, 2012.

(2) “The Trail of Tears,” About North Georgia, http://ngeorgia.com/history/nghisttt.html, accessed February 16, 2010.

(3) Ibid.

(4) Theories of the atonement as highlighted in Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1983), 781-823.

Morning “I will praise thee, O Lord.” / Psalm 9:1

 Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of earth’s gratitude

rises when the sun of heaven’s love warms the ground. Hath the Lord been

gracious to thee, and inclined his ear to the voice of thy supplication? Then

praise him as long as thou livest. Let the ripe fruit drop upon the fertile

soil from which it drew its life. Deny not a song to him who hath answered thy

prayer and given thee the desire of thy heart. To be silent over God’s mercies

is to incur the guilt of ingratitude; it is to act as basely as the nine

lepers, who after they had been cured of their leprosy, returned not to give

thanks unto the healing Lord. To forget to praise God is to refuse to benefit

ourselves; for praise, like prayer, is one great means of promoting the growth

of the spiritual life. It helps to remove our burdens, to excite our hope, to

increase our faith. It is a healthful and invigorating exercise which quickens

the pulse of the believer, and nerves him for fresh enterprises in his

Master’s service. To bless God for mercies received is also the way to benefit

our fellow-men; “the humble shall hear thereof and be glad.” Others who have

been in like circumstances shall take comfort if we can say, “Oh! magnify the

Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together; this poor man cried, and the

Lord heard him.” Weak hearts will be strengthened, and drooping saints will be

revived as they listen to our “songs of deliverance.” Their doubts and fears

will be rebuked, as we teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and

spiritual songs. They too shall “sing in the ways of the Lord,” when they hear

us magnify his holy name. Praise is the most heavenly of Christian duties. The

angels pray not, but they cease not to praise both day and night; and the

redeemed, clothed in white robes, with palm-branches in their hands, are never

weary of singing the new song, “Worthy is the Lamb.”

Evening “Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause

me to hear it.” / Song of Solomon 8:13

 My sweet Lord Jesus remembers well the garden of Gethsemane, and although he

has left that garden, he now dwells in the garden of his church: there he

unbosoms himself to those who keep his blessed company. That voice of love

with which he speaks to his beloved is more musical than the harps of heaven.

There is a depth of melodious love within it which leaves all human music far

behind. Ten of thousands on earth, and millions above, are indulged with its

harmonious accents. Some whom I well know, and whom I greatly envy, are at

this moment hearkening to the beloved voice. O that I were a partaker of their

joys! It is true some of these are poor, others bedridden, and some near the

gates of death, but O my Lord, I would cheerfully starve with them, pine with

them, or die with them, if I might but hear thy voice. Once I did hear it

often, but I have grieved thy Spirit. Return unto me in compassion, and once

again say unto me, “I am thy salvation.” No other voice can content me; I know

thy voice, and cannot be deceived by another, let me hear it, I pray thee. I

know not what thou wilt say, neither do I make any condition, O my Beloved, do

but let me hear thee speak, and if it be a rebuke I will bless thee for it.

Perhaps to cleanse my dull ear may need an operation very grievous to the

flesh, but let it cost what it may I turn not from the one consuming desire,

cause me to hear thy voice. Bore my ear afresh; pierce my ear with thy

harshest notes, only do not permit me to continue deaf to thy calls. Tonight,

Lord, grant thine unworthy one his desire, for I am thine, and thou hast

bought me with thy blood. Thou hast opened mine eye to see thee, and the sight

has saved me. Lord, open thou mine ear. I have read thy heart, now let me hear

thy lips.

O you who dwell in the gardens, with companions listening for your voice; let me hear it.    Song of Songs 8:13

 My sweet Lord Jesus remembers well the garden of Gethsemane, and although He has left that garden, He now dwells in the garden of His church: There He discloses Himself to those who keep His blessed company. The voice of love with which He speaks to His beloved is more musical than the harps of heaven. There is a depth of melodious love within it that leaves all human music far behind. Tens of thousands on earth, and millions above, are consumed with its harmonious accents. Some whom I know well, and whom I greatly envy, are at this moment hearkening to the beloved voice.

O that I were a partaker of their joys! It is true some of these are poor, others bedridden, and some near the gates of death; but, my Lord, I would cheerfully starve with them, pine with them, or die with them if I might simply hear Your voice. Once I heard it often, but I have grieved Your Spirit. Return to me in compassion and once again say to me, “I am your salvation.”

No other voice can content me. I know Your voice and cannot be deceived by another; let me hear it, I pray You. I do not know what You will say, nor do I make any condition, my Beloved; simply let me hear You speak, and if it be a rebuke I will bless You for it. Perhaps the cleansing of my dull ear will require a painful surgery, but let it cost me what it will, I have only one consuming desire—to hear Your voice.

Pierce my ear with Your harshest notes, but do not allow me to remain deaf to Your calls. Tonight, Lord, grant Your unworthy servant his desire, for I am Yours, and You have bought me with Your blood. You have opened my eyes to see You, and the sight has saved me. Lord, open my ear. I have read Your heart; now let me hear from Your lips.

Family Reading Plan Hosea 4   Psalm 119:121-144

 1 Samuel 18:1-3  –  All people long to be in genuine relationships. God created us with this need, as we were not meant to live in isolation.

Our world is so driven by technology that many people today try to ease their loneliness through computer relationships. However, this can never satisfy or compare to the human fellowship that the Creator designed. But healthy friendships don’t just happen. They require intentional effort.

Yesterday, in looking to Jonathan and David for a biblical model of godly companions, we saw how mutual respect is vital in a healthy friendship. Now, let’s look at two more aspects of their relationship. These two men had an emotional love for one another; their hearts were knit together (1 Sam. 18:1). When one man experienced joy or sadness, the other man felt it too.

They also had genuine devotion to each other, which is a type of commitment that involves giving: to show loyalty, Jonathan gave his friend material items–his robe and weapon. But these two men also selflessly offered more: Jonathan even risked his life and future kingship in order to save David from execution. Notice, too, that Jonathan was often the initiator, and the one who gave more. He was a prince, whereas David was a lowly shepherd. Social status shouldn’t interfere with cultivating a true friendship.

We were designed for true companionship based on mutual respect, genuine love, and commitment. This requires not only time and selfless devotion but also transparency–which means being real, even about our faults. Taking such a risk requires trust. Such relationships are well worth the effort.

 It is startling to consider the amount of information we carry about in our heads. Think simply of all of the numbers you have by memory: phone numbers, birthdays, ID numbers, zip codes, appointment times and dates.  Among these many numbers are some so inscribed in your mind with permanent marker that you could not forget the number anymore than you could forget the person or thing they represent. The significance moves well beyond the boldfaced digits themselves—the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, the street number of the house you grew up in, the number of times you failed before you finally passed the test.

In the days of Mordecai and Queen Esther the people set themselves to remember the days when they received relief from their enemies, the month that had been turned “from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday.”(1) And so it was determined: “These days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants.” The days were weighted with enough hope to press upon them the need to remember them forever. More importantly, they saw the very certain possibility that they might forget.

I suppose there are moments in our lives when we realize that we are beholding the carving of a day into the great tree of history. On my way to the hospital on the day my son was born I thought about the date and how it was about to be something more. Like any bride or groom or parent I knew from that day forward it would be difficult (and detrimental) to forget this day on the calendar; it would carry the force of forgetting so much more. Like the number itself, my remembering is more than a recollection of detail; it is the recollection of a person.

With a similar sense of anticipation, God told the Israelites that they would remember the night of Passover before the night even happened. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast” (Exodus 12:14). Moses and Aaron were given instructions to tell the whole community of Israel to choose a lamb without defect, slaughtering it at twilight. Then they were to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts of the houses. “The blood will be a sign,” the LORD declared. “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike the firstborns of Egypt.”

The significance of remembering is a theme carried throughout all of Scripture. It is not about static facts or rules or figures, but the mystery of a place, the significance of a person, the marking of lives. Celebrating the Passover was nonnegotiable. The command to remember was passed down from generation to generation. But they were remembering more than the mere events of Israel’s exodus from Egypt; they were remembering God as God showed up and changed them—the faithful hand that moved among them, the mighty acts which exclaim a Father’s untiring remembering of his people.

As the disciples sat around the table celebrating their third Passover meal with Jesus, an observance they kept before they could walk, everything probably looked ceremoniously familiar. The smell of lamb filled the upper room; the unleavened bread was prepared and waiting to be broken. Remembering again the acts of God in Egypt, the blood on the doorposts, the lives spared and brought out of slavery, they looked at their teacher as he lifted the bread from the table and gave thanks to God. Then Jesus broke the bread, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

I have always wished that Luke would have described a little more of the scene that followed. Were the disciples hushed and confused? Did their years of envisioning the blood-marked doorposts cry out at the Lamb of God before them? They had spent their entire lives remembering the sovereignty of God in the events of the Passover, and then Jesus tells them that there is yet more to see in this day on the calendar: In this broken bread is the reflection of me. On this day, God is engraving across history the promise of Passover: I still remember you. I still seek you. 

I imagine from that day forward the disciples knew it would be difficult to forget that day on the calendar. It is not that different for us today either. Forgetting what was witnessed in the upper room on that Passover carries the force of forgetting so much more.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.