The Call to Serve
Philippians 2:7-9 

When it comes to serving in the church, people rarely request positions where they will go unnoticed. They usually ask to be involved in a place of leadership.

Now, there is nothing wrong with heading a committee. But God calls us to have a servant’s heart: He desires that our motive be to glorify Him, not ourselves.

Over the years, I’ve had many conversations with young men studying at seminary. Countless times, they share the desire to lead a sizable church. And those who are called to a small congregation frequently struggle with feelings of insignificance.

My encouragement to them is this: In His great love, God places us where He wants us to serve, and every task we undertake should be given our all, whether there’s one person listening or a multitude. We ultimately serve Jesus, and He is not concerned with the recognition we receive. He desires our obedience and our best effort. This is true not just for pastors but for all believers.

There are many reasons the Lord calls us to serve. First, He rids us of pride and selfishness, allowing our focus to be on Him. Second, we proclaim our love for Christ through our care for one another. Third, God tests and purifies our hearts through service.

How do you define success? A common response is “achieving predetermined goals.” Scripture’s definition, however, is different. The Lord desires that we discover His plan, obey, and become all that He intended. In other words, for success in the biblical sense, God sets the goals

Slow to Anger   –   The Lord is slow to anger and great in power.

Nahum 1:3

Jehovah “is slow to anger.” When mercy comes into the world, she drives winged horses; the axles of her chariot-wheels are red-hot with speed. But when wrath goes forth, it toils on with tardy footsteps, for God takes no pleasure in the sinner’s death. God’s rod of mercy is always in His hands outstretched; His sword of justice is in its scabbard, held down by that pierced hand of love that bled for the sins of men.

“The LORD is slow to anger” because He is “great in power.” He is truly great in power who has power over himself. When God’s power restrains Himself, then it is power indeed: The power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed. A man who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted and only resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action. The weak mind is irritated at a little; the strong mind bears it like a rock that doesn’t move though a thousand breakers dash upon it and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its summit.

God marks His enemies, and yet He bestirs not Himself but holds in His anger. If He were less divine than He is, He would long have since sent forth the whole of His thunders and emptied the cannons of heaven; He would have long ago blasted the earth with the wondrous fires of its lower regions, and man would have been utterly destroyed.

But the greatness of His power brings us mercy. Dear reader, what is your condition this evening? Can you by humble faith look to Jesus and say, “My substitute, You are my rock, my trust”? Then, beloved, do not be afraid of God’s power; for if by faith you have fled to Christ for refuge, the power of God need no more terrify you than the shield and sword of the warrior need terrify those whom he loves. Rather rejoice that He who is “great in power” is your Father and Friend.

The family reading plan for February 22, 2012

Job 22 | 1 Corinthians 9

A True Servant
John 13:1-15 

Do you equate success with wealth, acclaim, and power? If we measured by these standards, then Jesus, who was rejected by His community and didn’t even have a house of His own, was a failure. But, of course, we know that’s not the case. So God must use something other than these worldly goals to define success. In fact, Scripture is clear that Jesus Christ is our example–we should strive to be like Him.

So, what exactly was our Savior’s mission? In today’s passage, we see the answer through His actions: He came to serve. The disciples, wanting recognition and reward, were arguing about who’d be the greatest in heaven. In contrast, Jesus took off His outer garment and performed the task of the lowliest servant: He washed the dirty feet of His followers. The next day, Almighty God was crucified by His own creation. In allowing this, He offered salvation to all–even those who nailed Him to a cross.

Jesus deserved glory but chose sacrifice and pain. And He asks that we follow His example of service. With the exception of Judas, His disciples obeyed. In fact, they all faced great difficulty and most died brutal deaths because of their faith. But they willingly walked the path of humility because of what Jesus had taught them: “The last shall be first, and the first last” (Matt. 20:16).

How do you spend your resources and time? And which topics dominate your thoughts and conversation? These are a few indicators of the driving goals in your life. You may long for worldly recognition, but God has a higher calling for His children. Ask Him to foster a servant’s attitude in your heart

The Leverage of Prayer  –   Do you understand what you are reading?

Acts 8:30

We would be more able teachers, and not so easily carried away by every wind of doctrine, if we sought to have a more intelligent understanding of the Word of God. As the Holy Spirit, the Author of the Scriptures, is the only one who can enlighten us rightly to understand them, we should constantly ask His help to lead us into truth. When the prophet Daniel was called upon to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, what did he do? He set himself to earnest prayer that God would open up the vision.

The apostle John, in his vision at Patmos, saw a book sealed with seven seals that none was found worthy to open or so much as to look upon. The book was afterward opened by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who had prevailed to open it; but it is written first, “I wept much.” The tears of John, which were his liquid prayers, were, so far as he was concerned, the sacred keys by which the folded book was opened.

Therefore, if, for your own and others’ profiting, you desire to be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”1 remember that prayer is your best means of study.

Like Daniel, you shall understand the dream and its interpretation when you have sought it from God; and like John you shall see the seven seals of precious truth unloosed after you have wept much.

Stones are not broken except by a constant, diligent use of the hammer; and the stone-breaker must go down on his knees. Use the hammer of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised, and there is not a stony doctrine in revelation that is useful for you to understand that will not fly into shivers under the exercise of prayer and faith. You may force your way through anything with the leverage of prayer. Thoughts and reasoning are like the steel wedges that give a hold upon truth; but prayer is the lever that pries open the iron chest of sacred mystery, that we may get the treasure hidden inside.

1 Colossians 1:9

The family reading plan for February 21, 2012

Job 21 | 1 Corinthians 8

The Foundation of Our Security
Romans 8:31-39 

Persecution exists everywhere. You can undergo harassment or mistreatment for your faith without moving to a foreign land where God is openly despised. While such abuse may damage our livelihood, alienate friends, or even take our life, it should not devastate our faith–that kind of harm happens only when believers are gripping things they’d rather not surrender.

What can be taken from someone who owns nothing? If he acknowledges God as the owner of all his possessions, then he can’t ever suffer loss.

What servitude can be forced on one who already does the will of Another? He who chooses a life of humility cannot be humiliated for doing what is right.

How might a dead man be killed? Only one thing can be taken from a person who has been crucified to this world and its allurements: his physical life. And he will freely exchange that for the eternal reward of heaven.

If believers are caught up in what’s around them, persecution can damage their faith. But when people yield everything in their lives to Jesus Christ and acknowledge His total control, they don’t worry about what is in His hands. They trust that God will see them through both the blessings and hardships that comes their way (Ps. 23).

Nothing we own on earth can go through the gates of heaven with us. Therefore, the best place to stack our earthly treasure is on the altar. Surrender yourself and your possessions. Draw close to the all-sufficient Father, who will comfort you and guide you through persecution

Guard Against Temptation   –   Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 4:1

A holy character does not prevent temptation–Jesus was tempted. When Satan tempts us, his sparks fall upon tinder; but in Christ’s case, it was like striking sparks on water; yet the enemy continued his evil work. Now, if the devil goes on striking when there is no result, how much more will he do it when he knows what inflammable stuff our hearts are made of. Though you become greatly sanctified by the Holy Spirit, expect that the great dog of hell will bark at you still. In the haunts of men we expect to be tempted, but even seclusion will not guard us from the same trial.

Jesus Christ was led away from human society into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. Solitude has its charms and its benefits and may be useful in checking the lust of the eye and the pride of life; but the devil will follow us into the most lovely retreats. Do not suppose that it is only the worldly-minded who have dreadful thoughts and blasphemous temptations, for even spiritually minded persons endure the same; and in the holiest position we may suffer the darkest temptation.

The utmost consecration of spirit will not insure you against satanic temptation. Christ was consecrated through and through. It was His meat and drink to do the will of Him that sent Him–and yet He was tempted! Your hearts may glow with an angelic flame of love for Jesus, and yet the devil will try to bring you down to lukewarm uselessness. If you will tell me when God permits a Christian to lay aside his armor, I will tell you when Satan has left off temptation.

Like the old knights in wartime, we must sleep with helmet and breastplate buckled on, for the arch-deceiver will seize our first unguarded moment to make us his prey. May the Lord keep us watchful in all seasons and grant us a final escape from the jaw of the lion and the paw of the bear.

The family reading plan for February 20, 2012

Job 20 | 1 Corinthians 7

Our Calling in Troubled Times
2 Corinthians 4:6-18 

In difficult times, the world taps into our fears and sells us a false message: Look out for number one. The more tumultuous life becomes, the easier it is to be self-centered. We focus on things the world tells us we should worry about, and our thoughts are consumed with me, myself, and I–my opinions, what I feel, and what the uncertain future means for me. But God wants us to get our minds off ourselves and to focus on what He has in mind for our lives.

So how should we respond to days of turmoil? First, we who know Christ are called to take hold of courage and confidence that He is sufficient, no matter what happens. Second, the Bible says that we’re the light of the world and are called to live out the life-transforming message within us. Think about how the early church responded to those turbulent times. Did they recoil into their small congregations? No. They went forward boldly–even willing to lose their lives–because they knew the greatness of God’s gift to them and wanted to share it with the world.

God doesn’t want His children to focus on themselves in times of crisis or instability. Rather, He calls us to take hold of the opportunity to bring His hope to those searching for what really matters.

Are you living for yourself or for God? He didn’t put us here to retreat in fear from the world. Instead, He entrusted us with a mission: to make a difference in people’s lives through His Spirit. When we lose our self-centeredness, others will be drawn to His love, joy, and peace in us

Confess Your Sins to God   –   Father, I have sinned.

Luke 15:18

It is quite certain that those whom Christ has washed in His precious blood need not make a confession of sin as culprits or criminals before God the Judge, because Christ has forever taken away all their sins in a legal sense, so that they no longer stand where they can be condemned, but are once and for all accepted in the Beloved.

But having become children, and offending as children, should they not every day go before their heavenly Father and confess their sin and acknowledge their iniquity in that character? Nature teaches that it is the duty of erring children to make a confession to their earthly father, and the grace of God in the heart teaches us that we, as Christians, owe the same duty to our heavenly Father. We daily offend and ought not to rest without daily pardon. Suppose that my trespasses against my Father are not at once taken to Him to be washed away by the cleansing power of the Lord Jesus–what will be the consequence? If I have not sought forgiveness and been washed from these offenses against my Father, I shall feel at a distance from Him; I shall doubt His love for me; I shall tremble before Him; I shall be afraid to pray to Him: I shall grow like the prodigal who, although still a child, was yet far away from his father. But if with a child’s sorrow at offending so gracious and loving a Parent, I go to Him and tell Him everything, and do not rest until I realize that I am forgiven, then I shall feel a holy love to my Father and shall go through my Christian career not only as saved, but as one enjoying present peace in God through Jesus Christ my Lord.

There is a wide distinction between confessing sin as a culprit and confessing sin as a child. The Father’s bosom is the place for penitent confessions. We have been cleansed once for all, but our feet still need to be washed from the defilement of our daily walk as children of God.

The family reading plan for February 18, 2012

Job 18 | 1 Corinthians 5

Living in Freedom
Romans 6:1-14 

When Eve accepted Satan’s offer of greater independence from God, do you think she experienced more freedom? The answer is obvious. She, Adam, and the entire human race became enslaved to sin from that point onward. What looked like a great deal in the garden ended in deadly bondage.

Although Christ has set believers free from slavery to sin, we, like Eve, oftentimes long for the “freedom” to do what we want. But whenever we give in to sinful desires, we’re behaving like slaves instead of living as free children of God. He’s given us His Holy Spirit, who empowers us to say no to sin, if we’ll just yield to His leadership.

The consequences of reverting to our old ways are devastating. We’ll sink deeper into bondage to sin, lose the peace and joy of fellowship with Christ, grieve the Holy Spirit, and find ourselves under the disciplining hand of the Father. In fact, we can actually become a hindrance to God’s kingdom work. Whenever we fall into the hypocrisy of living like the world, we ruin our testimony. Your unsaved friends, relatives, and co-workers are watching you. If they see no difference between you and themselves, why would they want your Savior? They can’t see any benefit to having a relationship with Him.

If Satan whispers in your ear that God’s limitations are depriving you of something good, remember what happened to Eve. Liberty to do whatever we want is slavery to self and sin. Only when we live within the Father’s protective boundaries can we experience the freedom Christ purchased for us

The Lord Was There     . . . Although the Lord was there . . .

Ezekiel 35:10

Edom’s princes saw the whole country left desolate and counted upon its easy conquest; but there was one great difficulty in their way–quite unknown to them–“The Lord was there”; and in His presence lay the special security of the chosen land. Whatever may be the machinations and devices of the enemies of God’s people, there is still the same effectual barrier to thwart their plan.

The saints are God’s heritage, and He is among them and will protect His own. This assurance grants us comfort in our troubles and spiritual conflicts! We are constantly opposed and yet perpetually preserved! How often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith defies the power of hell’s fiery darts; they are not only turned aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for “the Lord was there.”

Our good works are the subjects of Satan’s attacks. A believer never yet had a virtue or a grace that was not the target for hellish bullets: whether it was bright and sparkling hope, or warm and fervent love, or all-enduring patience, or zeal flaming like coals of fire, the old enemy of everything that is good has tried to destroy it. The only reason why anything virtuous or lovely survives in us is this: “the Lord was there.”

If the Lord is with us through life, we do not need to fear death; for when we come to die, we will find that “the Lord is there.” Where the billows are most tempestuous, and the water is most chill, we shall feel the bottom and know that it is good; our feet shall stand upon the Rock of Ages when time is passing away. Dear friend, from the beginning of a Christian’s life to the end, the only reason he does not perish is because “the Lord was there.” When the God of everlasting love shall change and leave His elect to perish, then may the church of God be destroyed; but not until then, because it is written, JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, “The Lord was there.”

The family reading plan for February 17, 2012

Job 16 , 17 | 1 Corinthians 4

Already Judged
John 3:17-18 

As a society, Americans are fond of their rights. We’re very protective of our liberties, even when they might bring harm rather than good. That can be true of spiritual matters as well. For example, exercising the “right” to reject God’s plan of salvation leaves a person in a condemned condition.

I have heard the following phrase often in my years of ministry: “I don’t believe God is going to condemn me to hell.” I agree, but not with the comment’s intended meaning–that a person is worthy of heaven on the basis of his own merit. You see, it is true that the Lord doesn’t condemn people to hell. He allows them to opt for that eternal destination themselves. They have a right to choose.

God says that those who do not believe in Jesus Christ have been judged already (v. 18). In other words, by rejecting–or politely ignoring–their need for a Savior, unbelievers have chosen to remain unsaved and unforgiven. Scripture teaches that there will one day be a judgment, but God has already determined that those who trust in Christ will stand with Him while the rest will be sent away (Matt. 25:34-46). An unrepentant man or woman is not condemned by God but, rather, has chosen to remain in the company of all those condemned by their own free will.

God desires that everyone come to a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9). To that end, He has granted each person the right to decide whether or not to follow in obedience. However, those who reject the Savior are forewarned that they have settled for condemnation

Remember the Holy Spirit   –   . . . Your good spirit.

Nehemiah 9:20

Common, too common, is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. He deserves better from us, for He is good, supremely good. As God, He is good essentially. He shares in the threefold ascription of “Holy, holy, holy” that ascends to the Triune God. He is unmixed purity, truth, and grace. He is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness, striving with our rebellious wills, quickening us from our death in sin, and then training us for heaven as a loving father trains his children. How generous, forgiving, and tender is this patient Spirit of God. He is good operatively.

All His works are good in the most eminent degree: He suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in all the world of which He is not the author and sustainer, and heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to His work. He is good officially: Whether as Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, Quickener, or Intercessor, He fulfills His office well, and each work is filled with the highest good to the church of God.

Those who yield to His influences become good; those who obey His impulses do good; those who live under His power receive good. Let us then act toward Him according to the dictates of gratitude. Let us revere His person and adore Him as God over all, blessed forever; let us own His power and our need of Him by waiting upon Him in all our holy enterprises; let us hourly seek His help and never grieve Him; and let us speak His praise whenever occasion occurs. The church will never prosper until it more reverently believes in the Holy Spirit. He is so good and kind that it is sad indeed that He should be grieved by slights and negligences.

The family reading plan for February 16, 2012

Job 15 | 1 Corinthians 3

Responding to God’s Love
John 3:16 

God has to be true to Himself. People are foolish to entertain the hope that He will ignore justice and sacrifice holiness in order to allow unbelievers into heaven. Living a mostly moral life will not satisfy a righteous Judge.

As much as the Lord loves us and desires to save us from our sins, He cannot deny His holiness by accepting sin in His presence. The Father is pristine perfection—a holy Being who, by His very nature, must condemn all sin. Therefore, it is the height of egotism to think that God will bend both His law and His nature to welcome one whom still bears the stain of wrongdoing.

There is not one person who’s good enough to enter heaven on his or her own merit. Every one of us needs Jesus. The stain of sin is washed clean only by the sacrifice of God’s holy and blameless Son. Those who believe in Christ are forgiven their wrongs and cloaked in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).

Let me make it very clear that trusting Jesus is far more than giving intellectual assent to His existence—that’s something even the Devil acknowledges. A true believer enters into a relationship with the One who loves his soul enough to save him from eternal punishment.

Those who remain tightly wrapped in their mantle of sin cannot hope to sneak into heaven. God’s holy nature demands perfection, and since we can’t provide this for ourselves, the Lord has given it to all who believe in Him. He has exchanged our filthy rags for a cloak of righteousness (Zech. 3:4)

Make Him Glad with Your Love   –   From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad.

Psalms 45:8

And who are those who enjoy the privilege of making the Savior glad? His church–His people. But is it possible? He makes us glad, but how can we make Him glad? By our love. We think it so cold, so faint; and so, indeed, we must sorrowfully confess it to be, but it is very sweet to Christ.

Listen to such love expressed in Solomon’s song: “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine!” See, loving heart, this is how He delights in you. When you rest in Him you do not only receive, but you also give Him joy; when you gaze with love upon His beauty, you not only obtain comfort but impart delight.

Our praise also gives Him joy–not the song of the lips alone, but the melody of the heart’s deep gratitude. Our gifts are also very pleasant to Him; He loves to see us lay our time, our talents, our substance upon the altar, not for the value of what we give, but for the sake of the motive from which the gift springs. To Him the lowly offerings of His saints are more acceptable than the thousands of gold and silver.

Holiness is like frankincense and myrrh to Him. Forgive your enemy, and you make Christ glad; distribute of your substance to the poor, and He rejoices; be the means of saving souls, and you give Him to see of the travail of His soul; proclaim His Gospel, and you are a sweet savor unto Him; go among the ignorant and lift up the cross, and you have given Him honor. It is in your power even now to break the alabaster box and pour the precious oil of joy upon His head, like the woman in the Bible, whose testimony is still remembered wherever the Gospel is preached. Will you not join her in expressing your love and devotion for the Lord Jesus? And even in ivory palaces the songs of the saints will be heard.

The family reading plan for February 15, 2012

Job 14 | 1 Corinthians 2

Accepting God’s Gift of Love
1 John 4:7-12 

Many people simply can’t believe that the Lord loves them. Others believe that He loves them, but only when they are pleasing Him in some way. Why is it so hard for us to accept His unconditional love?

One reason is that we have a hard time loving others without condition. We might say the words “I love you” to our spouse, children, friends, co-workers, or fellow believers but all too often are calculating in our mind whether or not they’ve lived up to our standard. We sometimes excuse ourselves from loving certain people because their behavior upsets or annoys us. The fact that we place restrictions on extending favor causes us to wrongly assume that the Lord does likewise.

Another reason is poor self-image. Considering ourselves unworthy, we refuse to accept God’s love. You know what? None of us are worthy of the heavenly Father’s goodness and mercy—so you can let go of that excuse once and for all. We’re not coming to Him based on our worth. Rather, we’re coming to Him based on His grace, and our position is secure in Christ. To put yourself down as “beneath His grace” is to trample on His loving, generous gift. God arranged an awesome divine way for us to be reconciled to Him, and His greatest desire is for relationship with each of us.

If you feel unloved or struggle to accept yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of our heavenly Father’s love for you—and to sink it deep into your heart. Receive the truth that He reveals. It will be a completely different story about your value as an individual

Your Faith Has Saved You   –   She had been immediately healed.

Luke 8:47

One of the most touching and instructive of the Savior’s miracles is before us tonight. The woman was very ignorant. She imagined that virtue came out of Christ by a law of necessity, without His knowledge or direct will. Moreover, she was a stranger to the generosity of Jesus’ character, or she would not have gone behind to steal the cure that He was so ready to provide.

Misery should always place itself right in the face of mercy. Had she known the love of Jesus’ heart, she would have said, “I need only to put myself where He can see me–His omniscience will teach Him my case, and His love will immediately work my cure.”

We admire her faith, but we marvel at her ignorance. After she had obtained the cure, she rejoiced with trembling: She was glad that the divine virtue had worked a marvel in her; but she feared in case Christ should retract the blessing and negate the grant of His grace. Little did she comprehend the fullness of His love! We do not have as clear a view of Him as we could wish; we do not know the heights and depths of His love. But we know of a certainty that He is too good to withdraw from a trembling soul the gift that it has been able to obtain.

But here is the marvel of it: Although her knowledge was small, her faith, because it was real faith, saved her, and saved her at once. There was no tedious delay–faith’s miracle was instantaneous. If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, salvation is our present and eternal possession. If in the list of the Lord’s children we are described as the feeblest of the family, yet, being heirs through faith, no power, human or devil, can eject us from salvation. If we dare not lean our heads upon His bosom with John, yet if we can venture in the crowd behind Him and touch the hem of his garment, we are made whole. Take courage, timid one! Your faith has saved you; go in peace. “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God.”1

The family reading plan for February 14, 2012

Job 13 | 1 Corinthians 1

Our Heavenly Father’s Unconditional Love
Romans 5:6-11 

Scripture tells us that love is the very essence of who God is (1 John 4:7). So if you don’t believe that He loves you unconditionally, you’ll never really know Him or have genuine peace about your relationship with Him.

How do you define “love”? It is Jesus unselfishly reaching out to mankind, giving Himself to us and bringing good into our life regardless of whether or not we accept Him. Romans 5:8 tells us that His care and concern are so immeasurable that He laid down His life for us while we were still His enemies. In fact, the Bible says that He first began to express His love toward us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3-5). That means your actions had absolutely nothing to do with His love for you!

God’s commitment to us has absolutely no conditions or restrictions and isn’t based on whether we love Him back. Nor does He have more love for “good” people who may strike us as more worthy. He loves us even in our sin, even when we don’t repent. Does that give us license to disobey? No. It gives us power to live holy lives, walk obediently with Him, and learn to love Him the way He deserves. To follow Him is to receive the love He has been offering all along.

Every single moment, whether awake or asleep, we all live under the canopy of the Lord’s wondrous, absolute love for us. But to fully experience that love, you must receive it. Say yes to this amazing gift that God wants to pour out on you. Bask in it, and let it overflow to those around you

The Privileges of Mercy  –  There is therefore now no condemnation.

Romans 8:1

Come, my soul, think about this. Believing in Jesus, you are actually and effectually cleared from guilt; you are led out of prison. You are no longer in chains as a slave; you are delivered now from the bondage of the law; you are freed from sin and can walk around as a free man–the Savior’s blood has procured your full acquittal. You now have a right to approach your Father’s throne. No flames of vengeance are there to scare you now–no fiery sword; justice cannot strike the innocent. Your disabilities are removed.

Once you were unable to see your Father’s face; now you can. You could not speak with Him; but now you can approach Him with boldness. Once there was a fear of hell upon you; but now you have no fear of it, for how can there be punishment for the guiltless? He who believes is not condemned and cannot be punished.

And more than all, the privileges you might have enjoyed, if you had never sinned, are yours now that you are justified. All the blessings that you would have had if you had kept the law are yours, because Christ has kept it for you. All the love and acceptance that perfect obedience could have obtained belong to you, because Christ was perfectly obedient on your behalf and has imputed all His merits to your account, that you might be exceedingly rich through Him who for your sake became exceedingly poor. How great the debt of love and gratitude you owe to your Savior!

A debtor to mercy alone,

Of covenant mercy I sing;

Nor fear with Your righteousness on,

My person and offerings to bring:

The terrors of law and of God,

With me can have nothing to do;

My Savior’s obedience and blood

Hide all my transgressions from view.

The family reading plan for February 13, 2012

Job 12 | Romans 16

Divine Discipline: An Act of Love
Hebrews 12:5-6 

Scripture tells us that when the Lord disciplines us, He is acting out of love. Yet some people struggle to understand this. They think, If God’s love is truly unconditional, then why is He allowing me to suffer for my sin?

First, it’s important to understand what discipline actually is. It is neither punishment nor a way to “pay” for your wrong actions. Rather, discipline is a method of correction. When our heavenly Father uses it in our lives, the purpose is to bring us back into the center of His will—and to prevent us from suffering future hurt or causing harm to others. In this way, God’s correction is an act of deep love.

You aren’t demonstrating love if you fail to apply discipline (Prov. 13:24); in fact, you are setting kids up to reap disastrous, painful results from their uncorrected behavior and destructive choices (19:18). A good parent disciplines disobedient sons and daughters to 1) protect them from further rebellion that could hurt themselves and others, and 2) restore them to health and wholeness.

Some parents, however, discipline out of anger, not love. They may think it wise to make children fearful of punishment, but that’s not God’s motive (1 John 4:18). Because He is a loving Father, His desire is to give us what we need to live fully.

God’s unconditional love and His discipline are not contradictory; they go hand in hand. No matter how we fail to measure up, our Father is always working to lead us back onto a life-giving path. When we respond to His correction, He ultimately works out painful circumstances for our good

Return to Your First Love   –   You have abandoned the love you had at first.

Revelation 2:4

We will always remember that best and brightest of hours when we first saw the Lord, lost our burden, received the gift of grace, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in peace. It was springtime in the soul; the winter was past; the mutterings of Sinai’s thunders were hushed; the flashings of its lightnings were no more perceived; God was beheld as reconciled; the law threatened no vengeance, and justice demanded no punishment.

Then the flowers appeared in our heart. Hope, love, peace, and patience sprang from the ground; the hyacinth of repentance, the snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden faith, the daffodil of early love–all decked the garden of the soul.

The time of the singing of birds had arrived, and we rejoiced with thanksgiving; we magnified the holy name of our forgiving God, and our resolve was, “Lord, I am Yours, Yours alone. All I am, and all I have, I devote to You. You have bought me with Your blood–let me spend myself and be spent in Your service. In life and in death let me be consecrated to You.”

How well have we kept this resolve? Our first love burned with a holy flame of devotion to Jesus–is it the same now? Is it possible that Jesus may say to us, “I have something against you, because you have left your first love”? Sadly we have done little for our Master’s glory. Our winter has lasted all too long. We are as cold as ice when we should feel a summer’s glow and bloom with sacred flowers. We give God pennies when He deserves much more, deserves our heart’s blood to be coined in the service of His church and of His truth. But shall we continue in this way? O Lord, after You have blessed us so richly, shall we be ungrateful and become indifferent to Your good cause and work? Quicken us that we may return to our first love and do our first works! Send us a joyful spring, O Sun of Righteousness.

The family reading plan for February 11, 2012

Job 10 | Romans 14