And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.   2 Chronicles 32:31 

Hezekiah was growing so inwardly great and priding himself so much upon the favor of God that self-righteousness crept in, and because he trusted in himself, the grace of God was for a time, in its more active operations, withdrawn. If the grace of God were to leave the best Christian, there is enough sin in his heart to make him the worst of transgressors. If left to yourselves, you who are warmest for Christ would cool down like Laodicea into sickening lukewarmness: You who are sound in the faith would be white with the leprosy of false doctrine; you who now walk before the Lord in excellency and integrity would reel to and fro and stagger with a drunkenness of evil passion. Like the moon, we borrow our light; bright as we are when grace shines on us, we are darkness itself when the Sun of Righteousness withdraws Himself.

Therefore, let us cry to God to never leave us. “Take not Your Holy Spirit from me! Do not withdraw from us Your indwelling grace! Have You not said, ‘I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day’?1 Lord, keep us everywhere. Keep us when we’re in the valley so that we do not grumble against Your humbling hand; keep us when we’re on the mountain, so we do not lose our balance by being lifted up; keep us in youth, when our passions are strong; keep us in old age, when becoming conceited in our wisdom, we may therefore prove greater fools than those who are young and silly; keep us when we come to die, in case at the very end we should deny You! Keep us living, keep us dying, keep us working, keep us suffering, keep us fighting, keep us resting, keep us everywhere, for everywhere we need You, O our God!”

1Isaiah 27:3

Family Reading Plan   Isaiah 61  Matthew 9

Everyone faces challenges in life. Whether our struggles are financial, vocational, relational, or physical, we can be certain that nobody is exempt. Fortunately, we serve a God who is both interested in our problems and able to take care of them.

When trouble looms, prayer is always a good first step to take. But having a foundation upon which to build our prayers also makes a difference. Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, faced an enormous challenge. Three different tribes–the Moabites,Amonites, and Meunites–simultaneously waged war against him. Most leaders would have crumbled under such pressure, or at the very least taken drastic measures, but Jehoshaphat was a wise king. Though afraid, he did not strike out against his enemies.Instead, knowing that God was interested in his dilemma, he “turned his attention to seek the Lord” and proclaimed a fast throughout the land (2 Chron. 20:1-3).

Jehoshaphat also knew that God, who was greater than any earthly problem, had done miraculous things for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Daniel. That same God would help him, too, in his hour of need. We should never underestimate the Lord’s interest in our affairs. He helped our ancestors in the Bible, and He can and will help His children today.

It’s easy to think our problems are unimportant in the eyes of God, but He doesn’t feel that way at all. Whatever concerns us concerns Him. If we, like Jehoshaphat, turn right to God and proclaim His power, He will intervene. And no matter how great our challenges are, God is greater.

With the numerous religions in the world, how can Christians claim exclusivity? I am often asked this question in different settings. But I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that the Christian faith is the only one that seems to have this question posed. The truth is that every major religion in the world claims exclusivity, and every major religion in the world has a point of exclusion.

 Hinduism, for example, is often represented as being the most tolerant and accepting of other faiths. That is just not true. All Hindus believe in two fundamental, uncompromising doctrines—the Law of Karma, and the belief in reincarnation. These will not be surrendered. In fact, Buddhism was born out of the rejection of two other very dogmatic claims of Hinduism. Buddha rejected the authority of the vedas and the caste system of Hinduism. The issue here is not who was right or wrong. The truth is that they were systemically different—both claiming rightness.

 Islam, as you know, is very clearly an exclusive claim to God. A Muslim will never tell you that it doesn’t matter what you believe or that all religions are true.

 But before we get upset with such claims, let us remember that it is the very nature of truth that presents us with this reality. Truth by definition is exclusive. Everything cannot be true. If everything is true, then nothing is false. And if nothing is false then it would also be true to say everything is false. We cannot have it both ways. One should not be surprised at the claims of exclusivity. The reality is that even those who deny truth’s exclusivity, in effect, exclude those who do not deny it. The truth quickly emerges. The law of non-contradiction does apply to reality: Two contradictory statements cannot both be true in the same sense. Thus, to deny the law of non-contradiction is to affirm it at the same time. You may as well talk about a one-ended stick as talk about truth being all-inclusive.

 So where does that leave us? We must not be surprised at truth claims but we must test them before we believe them. If the test demonstrates truth then we are morally compelled to believe it. And this is precisely the point from which many are trying to run. As G.K. Chesterton said, the problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.

 Christ is either the immeasurable God or one dreadfully lost. Apply the tests of truth to the person and the message of Jesus Christ. You see not only his exclusivity, but also his uniqueness. 

 Ravi Zacharias is founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

 

Morning    “Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”   1 Thessalonians 4:14

 Let us not imagine that the soul sleeps in insensibility. “Today shalt thou be

with me in paradise,” is the whisper of Christ to every dying saint. They “sleep

in Jesus,” but their souls are before the throne of God, praising him day and

night in his temple, singing hallelujahs to him who washed them from their sins

in his blood. The body sleeps in its lonely bed of earth, beneath the coverlet

of grass. But what is this sleep? The idea connected with sleep is “rest,” and

that is the thought which the Spirit of God would convey to us. Sleep makes each

night a Sabbath for the day. Sleep shuts fast the door of the soul, and bids all

intruders tarry for a while, that the life within may enter

 its summer garden of ease. The toil-worn believer quietly sleeps, as does the

weary child when it slumbers on its mother’s breast. Oh! happy they who die in

the Lord; they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. Their

quiet repose shall never be broken until God shall rouse them to give them their

full reward. Guarded by angel watchers, curtained by eternal mysteries, they

sleep on, the inheritors of glory, till the fulness of time shall bring the

fulness of redemption. What an awaking shall be theirs! They were laid in their

last resting place, weary and worn, but such they shall not rise. They went to

their rest with the furrowed brow, and the wasted features, but they

 wake up in beauty and glory. The shrivelled seed, so destitute of form and

comeliness, rises from the dust a beauteous flower. The winter of the grave

gives way to the spring of redemption and the summer of glory. Blessed is death,

since it, through the divine power, disrobes us of this work-day garment, to

clothe us with the wedding garment of incorruption. Blessed are those who “sleep

in Jesus.”

 

Evening “Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent

unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to

try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.” 2 Chronicles 32:31

 Hezekiah was growing so inwardly great, and priding himself so much upon the

favour of God, that self-righteousness crept in, and through his carnal

security, the grace of God was for a time, in its more active operations,

withdrawn. Here is quite enough to account with the Babylonians; for if the

grace of God should leave the best Christian, there is enough of sin in his

heart to make him the worst of transgressors. If left to yourselves, you who are

warmest for Christ would cool down like Laodicea into sickening lukewarmness:

you who are sound in the faith would be white with the leprosy of false

doctrine; you who now walk before the Lord in excellency and integrity would

reel to and fro,  and stagger with a drunkenness of evil passion. Like the moon, we borrow our

light; bright as we are when grace shines on us, we are darkness itself when the

Sun of Righteousness withdraws himself. Therefore let us cry to God never to

leave us. “Lord, take not thy Holy Spirit from us! Withdraw not from us thine

indwelling grace! Hast thou not said, I the Lord do keep it; I will water it

every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day’? Lord, keep us

everywhere. Keep us when in the valley, that we murmur not against thy humbling

hand; keep us when on the mountain, that we wax not giddy through being lifted

up; keep us in youth, when our passions are strong; keep us in old age,

 when becoming conceited of our wisdom, we may therefore prove greater fools

than the young and giddy; keep us when we come to die, lest, at the very last,

we should deny thee! Keep us living, keep us dying, keep us labouring, keep us

suffering, keep us fighting, keep us resting, keep us everywhere, for everywhere

we need thee, O our God!”

Looking to Jesus.  Hebrews 12:2 

It is always the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus. But Satan’s work is just the opposite; he is constantly trying to make us look at ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you do not have the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold on Jesus.” All these are thoughts about self, and we will never find comfort or assurance by looking within.

But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that Christ is everything. Remember, therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you–it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you–it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, although that is the instrument–it is Christ’s blood and merits.

Therefore, do not look so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ as to Christ; do not look to your hope but to Jesus, the source of your hope; do not look to your faith, but to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of your faith.

We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our deeds, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we are to overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking to Jesus.”

Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon your mind. When you waken in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him. Do not let your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness:

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Family Reading Plan   Isaiah 60   Matthew 8

God has a purpose and plan for your life, and His timing is perfect. Sometimes He answers our prayers with “yes” or “no.” But at other times, He says “not now”–when that is the case, we can avail ourselves of the rich rewards that come when we wait.

One very practical blessing is that God strengthens us as we lean on Him during delays. Isaiah 40:31 tells us that “those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.” We are given the metaphor of an eagle with wind beneath his wings. It is interesting to note that the words “wind” and “spirit” come from the same Greek word–pneuma. The spirit of God lifts us up, and His energy and strength sustain us as we abide in Him.

When we are facing a difficult decision, the real key is learning to wait. There is no verse of Scripture that tells us to take control and fight our own battles. God is the one who fights them on our behalf (2 Chron. 20:15). We are to be patient and trust in Him.

When David faced his greatest battles, he waited upon the Lord. God delivered him from destruction and set his feet on solid ground. (Ps. 40:1-3) He will do the same for you. When you abide in Him, He gives supernatural energy to accomplish the things He requires of you–His Spirit does for you what you cannot do for yourself.

In reading through the Scriptures, we see that every time one of God’s saints gains a victory, he or she is waiting and trusting in the Lord. You can likewise experience triumph in your life. When you have the omnipotent Creator of the universe acting on your behalf, you can’t lose.

 It is commendable that the city that never sleeps is at least taking naps. MetroNaps, a New York company that was founded in 2003 and tested at Carnegie Mellon University, provides a chance for over-worked employees, shoppers, and travelers to put their busy schedules on hold. The goal, to fight workplace fatigue, started with workers in Manhattan and has since spread in cities across four continents. The weary are offered a state-of-the-art sleep pod designed to maximize the invigorating effects of a brief rest. Appropriately, the gift of napping is also givable. “Nap Passes” can be purchased for stressed-out colleagues and bosses, friends, or family. 

The subject of busy lives and well-worn calendars is one that hits close to many homes. In fact, that busyness is the common denominator in so many of our lives can be seen in the marketing tactics of products from smart phones to portable breakfasts. Everything is meant to improve our demanding lives (or at least make the chains of busyness more comfortable).

 I remember an editorial which offered a proposal to counter these chains that bind us to clocks, blackberries, and inboxes, 24 hours a day. The suggestion, which the author admittedly referred to as radical, was to set aside a day, and in setting aside this day, to also set aside our electronics. Calling readers to take a day to refocus and reorder, he urged the world to give itself permission to take a full day off. “Maybe the ancients didn’t pick the number seven out of a hat,” he reasoned. “Perhaps they understood that human beings can only immerse themselves in commerce for six days at a stretch before losing touch with anything approaching a civic, social, or spiritual reality.”(1)

 The book of Exodus recounts this notion, though it is made clear it is not their idea. “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day” (20:11). While each of the six days of God’s labor was pronounced good, God chose to set apart one day out of the seven, pronouncing it holy, something other, something set apart. In the form of a commandment, God then tells the people to keep it that way. Something about the seventh day was not to be forgotten. But more than rule or ritual, it was to be a sign between God and humanity for generations to come, “so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy” (Exodus 31:13). 

 But after centuries of living with the command to rest, it was a struggle to see it as anything more than a command. In this, Jesus found opportunity to remind the crowds, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath.”

 As I sit here daydreaming of sleep pods and power naps, I realize that we evidently need that reminder again and again. What if the seventh day is a gift, a nap pass—a gentle invitation? I suspect if we were to take rest seriously, we would discover that it is also a powerful sign between God and humanity. It is a day set apart from appointment books and pressing schedules to remind us that the most pressing aspect of our lives is that we are creatures made at the hands of another. Who we are is most authentically realized and most dynamically lived out when we are resting in the presence of God, sleeping like Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham and the care of a Father who guards us by day and night.(2) 

 Whether or not the notion of urban power-napping permanently catches on, the universal longing—and need—for rest may be far more important than we realize. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” said Jesus to a crowd in Galilee.(3) If we slow down long enough to consider it, we might remember that rest is not only a luxury, but that it is also a need. We might remember that the labor of God is far more significant than our own. We might remember—and rejoice—that the God who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps.

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

 (1) Douglas Rushkoff, “An Argument in Favor of a Day Off,” The New York Times, December 1999.
(2) See Luke 16:20, Psalm 121
(3) Matthew 11:28

Morning “Looking unto Jesus.” Hebrews 12:2

 It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but

Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make

us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, “Your sins are too great

for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able

to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a

wavering hold of Jesus.” All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never

find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes

entirely away from self: he tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is

all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ

 that saves thee–it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee–it

is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument–it is

Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which

thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the

source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher

of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our

doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest

to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must

be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep thine eye simply on him; let his

 death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon

thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to him; when thou liest down at

night look to him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus;

follow hard after him, and he will never fail thee.

  “My hope is built on nothing less

 Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness:

 I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

 But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”

 

Evening “But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.” Exodus 7:12

 This incident is an instructive emblem of the sure victory of the divine

handiwork over all opposition. Whenever a divine principle is cast into the

heart, though the devil may fashion a counterfeit, and produce swarms of

opponents, as sure as ever God is in the work, it will swallow up all its foes.

If God’s grace takes possession of a man, the world’s magicians may throw down

all their rods; and every rod may be as cunning and poisonous as a serpent, but

Aaron’s rod will swallow up their rods. The sweet attractions of the cross will

woo and win the man’s heart, and he who lived only for this deceitful earth will

now have an eye for the upper spheres, and a wing to mount into celestial

 heights. When grace has won the day the worldling seeks the world to come. The

same fact is to be observed in the life of the believer. What multitudes of foes

has our faith had to meet! Our old sins–the devil threw them down before us,

and they turned to serpents. What hosts of them! Ah, but the cross of Jesus

destroys them all. Faith in Christ makes short work of all our sins. Then the

devil has launched forth another host of serpents in the form of worldly trials,

temptations, unbelief; but faith in Jesus is more than a match for them, and

overcomes them all. The same absorbing principle shines in the faithful service

of God! With an enthusiastic love for Jesus difficulties are

 surmounted, sacrifices become pleasures, sufferings are honours. But if

religion is thus a consuming passion in the heart, then it follows that there

are many persons who profess religion but have it not; for what they have will

not bear this test. Examine yourself, my reader, on this point. Aaron’s rod

proved its heaven-given power. Is your religion doing so? If Christ be anything

he must be everything. O rest not till love and faith in Jesus be the master

passions of your soul!

 

Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.  1 Corinthians 7:20

Some people have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming pastors, missionaries, or Bible teachers. How many would be excluded from any opportunity of spiritual usefulness if this were the case. Beloved, it is not office—it is sincerity; it is not position—it is grace that will enable us to serve and glorify God. God is definitely glorified at the workbench, where the godly worker fulfills his task singing of the Savior’s love. In this humble setting God is glorified far more than in many a lofty pulpit where official religion performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified by the taxicab driver as he blesses God and speaks to his passengers of the living hope. He will be more useful than the popular preacher who goes about peddling the Gospel for profit. God is glorified when we serve Him in our proper vocations.

Take care, dear reader, that you do not neglect the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonor your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the Gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labor connected either with most daring deeds of faith or with persons whose lives have been illustrations of holiness.

Therefore do not be discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position or your work, remain in that, unless you are quite sure that He calls you to something else. Let your first concern be to glorify God to the best of your ability where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another, He will show it to you. This evening lay aside anxious ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

Family Reading Plan    Isaiah 59    Matthew 7

Christians sometimes approach obedience as a way of avoiding the negative consequences of disobedience. They see obedience as a burden, not as the road to blessing.

But God intended our walk of faith to be a great adventure, motivated by our love for Jesus Christ. Obedience is about expressing our love for and trust in God, not about avoiding unpleasant consequences. That is why John can say, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

When we place our trust in the omnipotence of the Lord and act on His prompting, life becomes worthwhile and purposeful. We need not be afraid of the future because God already knows the outcome of our obedience—and we can trust in His promise that He works everything out for our good (Rom. 8:28). Although we may not understand how, we are confident that the Lord is continuously moving us through a variety of circumstances toward His overriding purpose for our lives. However, if we fail to obey Him because of a mistaken desire for safety, we reject the opportunity for God to demonstrate His awesome power in us.

 Anyone who spends any amount of time with young children knows that continual questions accompany their journey of discovering the world around them. A recent visit with one of my nieces reminded me of the importance of questions for the development of her young mind. She fired off her questions one after another, often barely hearing my answer before rapidly and excitedly asking her next. 

Answering the persistent questions of my niece is one of the joys of my relationship with her. Every once in a while, she asks me a question that I am unable to answer for her in a way that satisfies. And so, she continues to ask the same question over and over again to no avail. Other times, she asks for things I cannot give to her, or that require me to tell her “no.” In spite of frequent “no’s” or my lack of a satisfactory answer, I am her aunt. She will continue to ask me questions because I am her aunt. She rests, even without answers, in our relationship.

 The parallels with our spiritual questions are obvious. There is hardly a day that goes by that most of us do not wonder about some puzzling question involving faith. Unlike the child-like questions of curiosity and discovery, these are often questions that fill us with doubt. These are the questions that challenge our trust; not only in the answers we’ve been given that may no longer satisfy, but also in the character of the one who does not provide the answer we are looking for or, worse, seems sometimes not to answer us at all. 

 The writings of Habakkuk recorded in the Old Testament are filled with questions and very few answers. Habakkuk is one of the final prophets of Judah prior to her exile. The situation is grim and Habakkuk is the bearer of bad news.  Indeed, the opening verse is often translated, “The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw.”(1) Habakkuk’s burden involved carrying the weight of God’s impending judgment. Habakkuk could not understand, for example, the method of God’s judgment of Judah by the Chaldeans. Even though Habakkuk understands that God uses the Chaldeans to bring judgment, he wonders aloud, “Why do you look with favor on those who deal treacherously? Will they therefore empty their net and continually slay nations without sparing?” (Habakkuk 1:13b, 17). As Habakkuk pours forth cries of woe against Judah for their oppression of the poor, their pride, and their idolatry, he still cries out for God to save. “In wrath remember mercy,” he prays.

 Habakkuk is clearly in conflict over God’s answer. The third and final chapter of this book records Habakkuk’s prayer: “Lord, I have heard the report about you and I fear.” He recounts the fearful record of God’s wrath poured out on other nations. This same wrath will come in the form of the Chaldeans against Judah, and Habakkuk trembles at the thought of it. “I heard and my inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble.” Yet, in spite of the distress that is coming, Habakkuk trusts in the One who will remember mercy:

 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
and there be no fruit on the vines…
Yet, I will exalt in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.(2)
Recounting prayers made by King David and Moses before him, Habakkuk places his trust in the God who saved his people in generations long past. In this place of fearful waiting for God to answer with salvation, Habakkuk rests in a place without words or answers. It is a place of mystery and silence, a place in which the God who is and who has been his strength and salvation will again lift him up to the heights. 

 In our world of unanswered questions or in the difficult places where the answers are not what we want to hear, we are called to rest in this wordless place beyond answers.  Just as a young child rests in those relationships of trust, we can rest in God’s faithfulness from ages past. The wordless place can be for us the place of trust, instead of fear. 

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

 (1) Habakkuk 1:1.  The word for “burden” is also translated “oracle.”  The Hebrew in Habakkuk is very difficult with many obscure Hebrew words that often do not occur anywhere else in the Old Testament. 
(2) Habakkuk 3:17, 18-19.  Verse 19 is a direct quote from 2 Samuel 22:34 and from Deuteronomy 33:29.

Morning    “Only ye shall not go very far away.”    Exodus 8:28

 This is a crafty word from the lip of the arch-tyrant Pharaoh. If the poor

bondaged Israelites must needs go out of Egypt, then he bargains with them that

it shall not be very far away; not too far for them to escape the terror of his

arms, and the observation of his spies. After the same fashion, the world loves

not the non-conformity of nonconformity, or the dissidence of dissent; it would

have us be more charitable and not carry matters with too severe a hand. Death

to the world, and burial with Christ, are experiences which carnal minds treat

with ridicule, and hence the ordinance which sets them forth is almost

universally neglected, and even condemned. Worldly wisdom recommends the

 path of compromise, and talks of “moderation.” According to this carnal policy,

purity is admitted to be very desirable, but we are warned against being too

precise; truth is of course to be followed, but error is not to be severely

denounced. “Yes,” says the world, “be spiritually minded by all means, but do

not deny yourself a little gay society, an occasional ball, and a Christmas

visit to a theatre. What’s the good of crying down a thing when it is so

fashionable, and everybody does it?” Multitudes of professors yield to this

cunning advice, to their own eternal ruin. If we would follow the Lord wholly,

we must go right away into the wilderness of separation, and leave the Egypt of

the  carnal world behind us. We must leave its maxims, its pleasures, and its

religion too, and go far away to the place where the Lord calls his sanctified

ones. When the town is on fire, our house cannot be too far from the flames.

When the plague is abroad, a man cannot be too far from its haunts. The further

from a viper the better, and the further from worldly conformity the better. To

all true believers let the trumpet-call be sounded, “Come ye out from among

them, be ye separate.”

 

Evening   “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.”    

1 Corinthians 7:20

 Some persons have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live

for God is by becoming ministers, missionaries, or Bible women. Alas! how many

would be shut out from any opportunity of magnifying the Most High if this were

the case. Beloved, it is not office, it is earnestness; it is not position, it

is grace which will enable us to glorify God. God is most surely glorified in

that cobbler’s stall, where the godly worker, as he plies the awl, sings of the

Saviour’s love, aye, glorified far more than in many a prebendal stall where

official religiousness performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is

glorified by the poor unlearned carter as he drives his horse, and blesses

 his God, or speaks to his fellow labourer by the roadside, as much as by the

popular divine who, throughout the country, like Boanerges, is thundering out

the gospel. God is glorified by our serving him in our proper vocations. Take

care, dear reader, that you do not forsake the path of duty by leaving your

occupation, and take care you do not dishonour your profession while in it.

Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every

lawful trade may be sanctified by the gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible,

and you will find the most menial forms of labour connected either with most

daring deeds of faith, or with persons whose lives have been illustrious

 for holiness. Therefore be not discontented with your calling. Whatever God has

made your position, or your work, abide in that, unless you are quite sure that

he calls you to something else. Let your first care be to glorify God to the

utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to his praise, and

if he needs you in another he will show it you. This evening lay aside vexatious

ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

. . . Having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.  2 Peter 1:4 

 Banish forever any thought of indulging the flesh if you want to live in the power of your risen Lord. It is incongruous for a man who is alive in Christ to dwell in the corruption of sin. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” said the angel to the women. Should the living dwell in the tombs? Should divine life be imprisoned in the burial ground of fleshly lust? How can we partake of the cup of the Lord and yet drink the cup of the devil? Surely, believer, from blatant lusts and sins you are delivered, but have you also escaped from those that are more secret and delusive? Have you left behind the lust of pride? Have you escaped from laziness? Have you given up trusting in earthly things? Are you seeking each day to live above worldliness, the pride of life, and the ensnaring grip of greed?

Remember, it is in order that you might know such victory that you have been enriched with the treasures of God. If you are really the chosen of God, and beloved by Him, do not allow all this lavish treasure of grace to be wasted on you. Pursue holiness; it is the Christian’s crown and glory. An unholy church is useless to the world and of no esteem among men. It is an abomination, hell’s laughter, heaven’s abhorrence. The worst evils that have ever come upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy church. O Christian, the vows of God are upon you.

You are God’s servant: Act as such. You are God’s king: Reign over your lusts. You are God’s chosen: Do not associate with Satan. Heaven is your portion: Live like a heavenly spirit, and in this way you will prove that you have true faith in Jesus, for there cannot be faith in the heart unless there is holiness in the life.

Lord, I desire to live as one

Who bears a blood-bought name,

As one who fears but grieving Thee,

And knows no other shame.

Family Reading Plan

Isaiah 58

Matthew 6

In His Word, God commands us to serve one another. However, there will inevitably be difficult people in life, who make this mandate challenging.

Thankfully, a biblical definition of service can help us obey the Lord’s instruction, no matter who the recipient may be. And the reason is that God is actually the One whom we serve.

When we have this motivation underlying everything we do, it will impact the quality of our work and keep us from becoming discouraged. Then, whatever our task–whether we lead a country, teach children, or do something that seems unattractive–if our goal is to glorify God, we will do our best in His strength. And we trust Him to use us for His purposes, even if our labor should appear fruitless to us or to others.

When I was a child, I had to wake up before daylight to deliver newspapers. Even in rain or snow, I still had to complete the job. This was hard for me to do. Then the Lord impressed upon my heart that I was not merely bringing papers to people in my town; I was serving Jesus. As I understood this truth more, waking up and working was purposeful and doable. Truthfully, I still did not always feel like facing the work, but feelings were no longer relevant. I was serving my Maker.

Whomever God calls us to serve, and whatever He tells us to do, we can obey with joyful hearts when it’s done for Jesus. If this is our motivation, we won’t need worldly approval or evidence of impact. We need to know only that God is pleased and promises to reward those who serve Him (Heb. 11:6).

For the past week, I have been having the same conversation each morning with a spider on my front porch. Like a parent to a teenager with a messy room, my reiterated words don’t seem to be making much of a difference. But I’m not asking my eight-legged friend to clean her room; I’m asking her to move it. 

 Every morning on my way to the car I walk through a nearly invisible strand of her web. The problem (besides having to brush the spider web off of myself) is that it is a vital piece of her web. It is the strand of webbing that serves as an anchor for her well-crafted house. On the days that I remember to look for it, I manage to duck under it before hurrying through the walkway. But though this solves my sticky situation, it does not solve hers. For if I haven’t caused her residence to collapse by walking through it, I have demolished her dwelling by driving away with its support beam. She has anchored her brilliant masterwork to the car am I about to remove from the driveway. 

I have tried to be patient. I feel really bad as I drive away knowing that I have entirely destroyed her night’s work before I have even taken a sip of my morning coffee. I have reminded her that anchoring her web to an object that moves is futile (and no doubt incredibly frustrating to the architect). Yet so it goes each day. I drive away, and she finds herself needing to rebuild once again. 

When Jesus spoke of well-built houses, it is interesting that he made it a point to point out the obvious. Build a house on shifting sands and it, too, will shift until it is completely destroyed. The illustration is as clear as it is true; a house is only as good as its foundation. 

You would think that the poor, persistent spider on my front porch would have learned her lesson by now. But in fact she has only slightly altered her house plans each time—attaching her web to the mirror on my car or the windshield wiper instead of the driver’s door. I can only hope one day she will learn. But then, Jesus’s obvious words confront me, and I find myself wondering:  Have I learned? 

 When I build my life around pursuits that suddenly shift, do I pick up and redraw the plans, taking into account all that shifted? Or do I simply pick myself up, cut my losses, and start once again? When my longing for a beautiful house gives me a mortgage I can’t afford, when my hope for the next best thing is ever being replaced by the next best thing, when I have built my life upon the satisfaction of a successful career or great kids or a solid marriage and suddenly life shifts with blow of uncertainty, what have I learned? 

It is a lesson easier illustrated than understood. For more often it seems I am like the spider, intent on making my dream house work, willing to alter my plans only slightly, concerning myself with the busywork of building. It is easy to be so determined in the life we are constructing that a shifting foundation is viewed merely as a temporary set back, when in fact we are building our lives upon that which is temporary—health, careers, cars in the driveway.        

 Thankfully, the God described by Christianity is not only more patient than I have been with my spider, but also more compelling than I have been in encouraging those God longs to see in the security of a well-built home. With long-suffering love for us, God picks us up when our dream houses have crumbled and shows us that we were meant to dream of unshakable fortresses. Christ stands at ground zero and gives us the grace and the strength to rebuild. 

 We are building well, he says, when we hear his words and put them into practice. For to build on the enduring words of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit is to build lives that model their Creator, trusting that God is the holder of the best plans for the house. God’s words are like God’s character, lighting our way, standing forever, moving us to that place of refuge. The Father “does not change like the shifting shadows,” writes James. He is, as David praised, and Hannah prayed, and saints continue to discover somewhere in the process of rebuilding, the Rock of Ages. 

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

Morning  “Art thou become like unto us?”  Isaiah 14:10

 What must be the apostate professor’s doom when his naked soul appears before

God? How will he bear that voice, “Depart, ye cursed; thou hast rejected me, and

I reject thee; thou hast played the harlot, and departed from me: I also have

banished thee forever from my presence, and will not have mercy upon thee.” What

will be this wretch’s shame at the last great day when, before assembled

multitudes, the apostate shall be unmasked? See the profane, and sinners who

never professed religion, lifting themselves up from their beds of fire to point

at him. “There he is,” says one, “will he preach the gospel in hell?” “There he

is,” says another, “he rebuked me for cursing, and was a hypocrite

 himself!” “Aha!” says another, “here comes a psalm-singing Methodist–one who

was always at his meeting; he is the man who boasted of his being sure of

everlasting life; and here he is!” No greater eagerness will ever be seen among

Satanic tormentors, than in that day when devils drag the hypocrite’s soul down

to perdition. Bunyan pictures this with massive but awful grandeur of poetry

when he speaks of the back-way to hell. Seven devils bound the wretch with nine

cords, and dragged him from the road to heaven, in which he had professed to

walk, and thrust him through the back-door into hell. Mind that back-way to

hell, professors! “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.” Look

 well to your state; see whether you be in Christ or not. It is the easiest

thing in the world to give a lenient verdict when oneself is to be tried; but O,

be just and true here. Be just to all, but be rigorous to yourself. Remember if

it be not a rock on which you build, when the house shall fall, great will be

the fall of it. O may the Lord give you sincerity, constancy, and firmness; and

in no day, however evil, may you be led to turn aside.

 

Evening   “Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”   2 Peter 1:4

 Vanish forever all thought of indulging the flesh if you would live in the power

of your risen Lord. It were ill that a man who is alive in Christ should dwell

in the corruption of sin. “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” said the

angel to Magdalene. Should the living dwell in the sepulchre? Should divine life

be immured in the charnel house of fleshly lust? How can we partake of the cup

of the Lord and yet drink the cup of Belial? Surely, believer, from open lusts

and sins you are delivered: have you also escaped from the more secret and

delusive lime-twigs of the Satanic fowler? Have you come forth from the lust of

pride? Have you escaped from slothfulness? Have you clean escaped

 from carnal security? Are you seeking day by day to live above worldliness, the

pride of life, and the ensnaring vice of avarice? Remember, it is for this that

you have been enriched with the treasures of God. If you be indeed the chosen of

God, and beloved by him, do not suffer all the lavish treasure of grace to be

wasted upon you. Follow after holiness; it is the Christian’s crown and glory.

An unholy church! it is useless to the world, and of no esteem among men. It is

an abomination, hell’s laughter, heaven’s abhorrence. The worst evils which have

ever come upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy church. O

Christian, the vows of God are upon you. You are God’s priest:

 act as such. You are God’s king: reign over your lusts. You are God’s chosen:

do not associate with Belial. Heaven is your portion: live like a heavenly

spirit, so shall you prove that you have true faith in Jesus, for there cannot

be faith in the heart unless there be holiness in the life.

  “Lord, I desire to live as one

 Who bears a blood-bought name,

 As one who fears but grieving thee,

 And knows no other shame.”

 

But the dove found no place to set her foot.   Genesis 8:9 

 Reader, can you find rest apart from the ark, Christ Jesus? Then consider that your religion may be in vain. Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then woe to you. If you profess to be a Christian while finding full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is probably false. If your soul can stretch herself at rest and find the bed long enough and the blanket broad enough to cover it in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite and far away from any proper thoughts of Christ or awareness of His preciousness.

But if, on the other hand, you feel that if you could indulge in sin without punishment, that would be a punishment itself, and that if you could have the whole world and live in it forever, it would be quite enough misery not to be separated from it, for your God—your God—is what your soul longs for, then be of good courage, you are a child of God. With all your sins and imperfections, take this for your comfort: If your soul has no rest in sin, you are not as the sinner is! If you are still crying after and craving after something better, Christ has not forgotten you, for you have not quite forgotten Him.

The believer cannot do without his Lord; words are inadequate to express his thoughts of Him. We cannot live on the sands of the wilderness—we want the manna that drops from heaven; the pitchers of self-confidence cannot produce for us a drop of moisture, but we drink of the rock that follows us, and that rock is Christ. When you feed on Him, your soul can sing, “He who satisfies me with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s”;1 but if you don’t have Him, your wine cellar and well-stocked pantry can give you no sort of satisfaction: Learn to lament over them in the words of wisdom, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!”

1Psalm 103:5

Family Reading Plan     Isaiah 57   Matthew 5

Luke 14:12-14

Children aren’t the only ones who like to get rewards. Our Creator knows that adults are also motivated by incentives. His Word makes exciting promises for those who walk in His way.

Some of these benefits are available here on earth–like fulfillment, joy, and good favor–and other blessings will be bestowed in heaven. As believers, we need never fear the judgment (Rom. 8:1); we are clothed in righteousness through the blood of Jesus and will not face divine wrath. But the Lord will weigh the substance of our works and decide upon the reward we deserve.

To help us understand this, Scripture describes four crowns. The first, which is called incorruptible, is given to those whose great desire is to walk obediently before God. Through struggles and even failures, they continue to die to the flesh and follow the Spirit. Second, the crown of life is granted to believers who stand firm, enduring trials without giving up or losing heart. Third, the crown of righteousness is bestowed upon those who long for Christ’s appearing and walk godly lives through Him. Fourth, God will give the crown of glory to those who share His Word with others. And as the Bible tells us, we will be awed by Jesus’ glory and honored just to lay our crowns at His feet.

The supreme reward is for us to manifest God’s glory throughout eternity. We will experience ultimate joy in His presence forever, but we don’t have to wait: we can invest today by serving Him obediently and humbly. Done with the right motive, service blesses us now and in our life to come.

 Lifting weights once seemed to me very unnecessary—a curious activity for people who wanted to feel like athletes, while the real exercisers were off somewhere running. But as it turns out, I was wrong. Incorporating weight training into your exercise routine is beneficial on many levels: raising metabolism, increasing strength, reducing the risk of injury, heart disease, and other illness. I even read recently that lifting weights can help lift depression. Far from my initial theory, I have no doubt that using weights properly is a necessary part of building both muscle and health. I have also found it a helpful illustration even as I am discovering it physically true.

 Counting to ten with a weight in my hand recently, I found myself worrying about upcoming events, things I needed to do, things didn’t do well enough, and so forth. To be honest I can’t remember exactly what I was worrying about that day. But I remember thinking about the weight I was physically lifting and the weight I was mentally carrying—and connecting with illustration in my hand.

 What if it’s possible to use life’s resistances to build character, hope, and even faith? I believe it’s quite possible. Yet even so, as it is in weight lifting, a weight is only beneficial to the body when it is lifted and released. Muscles grow during times of rest; to never release a weight would forfeit the benefits of weight lifting and only make way for serious injury. When it comes to worrying, it might resemble a person lugging around a barbell, stubbornly refusing to set it down for whatever reason or benefit they think they hold by perpetually carrying it.  

 F.W. Boreham tells a story about a woman who spent her entire life as a worrier. As a small child she would sit in her father’s lap and momentarily lay aside the weight of worry as he took his thumb and smoothed out the wrinkles on her forehead. “Now keep it smooth,” he would say. “Don’t let it pucker again.” But it was of little help. Now a grown woman facing the final days of her life, she sat confessing to pastor Boreham—without seeing anything ironic in her words—that it worried her that she had been such a worrier all her life. I suspect in some way we can all be something like this poor woman, failing to see the absurdity of many of our worries.        

 I can find many places in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount where reacting with a sense of worry seems almost appropriate, and I would guess in this assessment I am not alone: You have heard that it was said, “Do not murder.” But I tell you that anyone who is even angry with his brotheris subject to judgment. Or, You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who even looks at someone lustfully has already done so.(1)

 Can anyone stand in the kingdom Jesus describes in this sermon? Is it worth even trying? For worriers, there seems a great deal of material. But this is exactly what is so startling about Jesus’s words about worrying, which come as almost a hiatus in the middle of his sermon. In between an exhortation to be perfect and a description of the narrow gate, he proclaims gently but confidently, “Do not worry!”  To those trembling with the fear of certain failure, it is an impossible, strange command. Yet it is one over which he seems to proclaim: It is my life that makes all things possible. He says: 

 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?(2)

 Worrying is something like picking up the weight that Jesus has removed and deciding to carry it around again anyway, causing injury with your refusal to set it down. If it is truly “for freedom that Christ has set us free,” we can truly stand firm, not letting ourselves be burdened again by the slavery of worry. What if we can approach life’s worries with the thought of building hope and even faith, growing closer to the God who lifts the burden? What if it is a matter of letting go, setting the weight we would carry again and again before the Cross? What if the only benefit of worry comes in lifting it up and setting it before the God who will hold it?

 Of course, I realize this is easier to say than it is to do. But perhaps it is a reminder akin to Jesus pausing in the middle of his weighty sermon and smoothing out the wrinkles on our foreheads. Over each weight and worry, he repeats the resounding benefit: I will give you rest.   

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

 (1) Matthew 5:21-22; Matthew 5:28-29. 
(2) Matthew 6:25-27.

Morning  “Ephraim is a cake not turned.”   Hosea 7:8

 A cake not turned is uncooked on one side; and so Ephraim was, in many respects,

untouched by divine grace: though there was some partial obedience, there was

very much rebellion left. My soul, I charge thee, see whether this be thy case.

Art thou thorough in the things of God? Has grace gone through the very centre

of thy being so as to be felt in its divine operations in all thy powers, thy

actions, thy words, and thy thoughts? To be sanctified, spirit, soul, and body,

should be thine aim and prayer; and although sanctification may not be perfect

in thee anywhere in degree, yet it must be universal in its action; there must

not be the appearance of holiness in one place and reigning sin

 in another, else thou, too, wilt be a cake not turned.

 A cake not turned is soon burnt on the side nearest the fire, and although no

man can have too much religion, there are some who seem burnt black with bigoted

zeal for that part of truth which they have received, or are charred to a cinder

with a vainglorious Pharisaic ostentation of those religious performances which

suit their humour. The assumed appearance of superior sanctity frequently

accompanies a total absence of all vital godliness. The saint in public is a

devil in private. He deals in flour by day and in soot by night. The cake which

is burned on one side, is dough on the other.

If it be so with me, O Lord, turn me! Turn my unsanctified nature to the fire of

thy love and let it feel the sacred glow, and let my burnt side cool a little

while I learn my own weakness and want of heat when I am removed from thy

heavenly flame. Let me not be found a double-minded man, but one entirely under

the powerful influence of reigning grace; for well I know if I am left like a

cake unturned, and am not on both sides the subject of thy grace, I must be

consumed forever amid everlasting burnings.

 

Evening “Waiting for the adoption.” Romans 8:23

 Even in this world saints are God’s children, but men cannot discover them to be

so, except by certain moral characteristics. The adoption is not manifested, the

children are not yet openly declared. Among the Romans a man might adopt a

child, and keep it private for a long time: but there was a second adoption in

public; when the child was brought before the constituted authorities its former

garments were taken off, and the father who took it to be his child gave it

raiment suitable to its new condition of life. “Beloved, now are we the sons of

God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.” We are not yet arrayed in the

apparel which befits the royal family of heaven; we are wearing

 in this flesh and blood just what we wore as the sons of Adam; but we know that

“when he shall appear” who is the “first-born among many brethren,” we shall be

like him, we shall see him as he is. Cannot you imagine that a child taken from

the lowest ranks of society, and adopted by a Roman senator, would say to

himself, “I long for the day when I shall be publicly adopted. Then I shall

leave off these plebeian garments, and be robed as becomes my senatorial rank”?

Happy in what he has received, for that very reason he groans to get the fulness

of what is promised him. So it is with us today. We are waiting till we shall

put on our proper garments, and shall be manifested as the children

 of God. We are young nobles, and have not yet worn our coronets. We are young

brides, and the marriage day is not yet come, and by the love our Spouse bears

us, we are led to long and sigh for the bridal morning. Our very happiness makes

us groan after more; our joy, like a swollen spring, longs to well up like an

Iceland geyser, leaping to the skies, and it heaves and groans within our spirit

for want of space and room by which to manifest itself to men.