Those who have a best friend are blessed with a relationship of transparency and acceptance. For some, it is a sibling, for others, a non-family member. That may be what Proverbs 18:24 refers to as “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
A friend is a person to whom you can pour out your heart, a person who will not judge you for the feelings you express. For David the psalmist that friend was God Himself. When David found himself alone and oppressed by those who opposed him, he cried out to the Lord. That is, he used his voice to tell God what he was experiencing and how he was feeling (Psalm 142). He didn’t hold back; he trusted his covenant friendship with God was strong enough to withstand his flood of words and emotions. In John 15, Jesus introduced a new relationship with His disciples: He called them His friends (John 15:14-15). Their relationship changed from Master/servant to Friend/friend. And so it is with us.
When you are lonely, discouraged, or confused, tell Jesus. He invites you as a friend to come unto Him (Matthew 11:28-30).
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! Joseph M. Scriven
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
The Philistines, the enemies of Israel, had mounted an attack against them, and fear was immobilizing the people. As a result, they went into hiding. Meanwhile, King Saul was trying to rally his troops.
God had told Saul to wait until the prophet Samuel arrived to offer a sacrifice and ask the Lord for direction as to what they should do next.
But Saul grew tired of waiting. When Samuel didn’t show up as soon as Saul thought he should, Saul essentially said, “Why do I have to wait for some prophet to do this? I can offer a burnt offering as well as anyone else. I’ve watched him do it.”
Then Saul proceeded with the offering the way he thought he should do it. And when Samuel arrived, there was trouble.
We pick up the story in 1 Samuel 13: “Samuel said, ‘What is this you have done?’ ” (verse 11 NLT).
“Saul replied, ‘I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, “The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!” So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came’ ” (verses 11–12 NLT).
Saul had been on a roll. Everything was going beautifully. But then he started to self-destruct. What he did may seem like a small thing to us, but God had said not to do it. And who are we to say something is small if it is a big deal to God?
The problem is that we want to edit the Bible. We try and rationalize something by saying, “Maybe it is a sin, but it is not as bad as other sins. Therefore, it is okay. Besides, everyone else is doing it.”
It always starts that way. Little sins always turn into big sins. If God says don’t do it, then that means don’t do it. All too often we underestimate the power of sin.
Saul was no exception to this. He was disobeying the Lord, and that led to his downfall.
Samuel told him, “How foolish! . . . You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end” (verses 13–14 NLT).
At first blush, this reaction may seem a bit extreme. But we must remember that God looks on the heart. And He could see that Saul’s heart already had turned away.
Sin can seem small when we start to fall into it, but it can become big in the end. Think of the messes that people make of their lives because they disobey the Word of God.
Like Saul, we unnecessarily bring trouble on ourselves when we don’t obey God. Yet God says that He gives us a choice: life or death, blessings or curses (see Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT). We choose how we want to live.
“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)
In 1 Chronicles 27:1-15, David assembled 12 “courses” (i.e., legions) of fighting men to protect him. Each would serve him one month out of the year when the nation was at peace, but presumably all would have reported for duty in time of war. Since each contained 24,000 warriors, they combined to form an immense personal army numbering 288,000.
By contrast, Christ, David’s greater Son, had at His command “more than twelve legions of angels.” These were not mere soldiers, as those guarding David were; these were angels. Consider the power of just one angel in the days of King Hezekiah. “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” (2 Kings 19:35). Simple multiplication shows that 288,000 such angels could handle 53 billion soldiers. And Christ had access to more angels than that!
Humanly speaking, Christ did not have to submit to brutality and death. But Christ was not only human; He was also the offended but loving God who had come to redeem His own. “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) had “come to do thy will, O God….By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:9-10). “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). “All this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled” (Matthew 26:56). JDM
“Please clean the front room before you go to bed,” I said to one of my daughters. Instantly came the reply, “Why doesn’t she have to do it?”
Such mild resistance was frequent in our home when our girls were young. My response was always the same: “Don’t worry about your sisters; I asked you.”
In John 21, we see this human tendency illustrated among the disciples. Jesus had just restored Peter after he’d denied Him three times (see John 18:15–18, 25–27). Now Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!” (21:19)—a simple but painful command. Jesus explained that Peter would follow Him to the death (vv. 18–19).
Peter barely had time to comprehend Jesus’ words before he asked about the disciple behind them: “What about him?” (v. 21). Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” Then He said, “You must follow me” (v. 22).
How often we’re like Peter! We wonder about the faith journeys of others and not what God is doing with us. Late in his life, when the death Jesus foretold in John 21 was much closer, Peter elaborated on Christ’s simple command: “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:14–15). That’s enough to keep each of us focused on Jesus and not on those around us.
“Let love of the brethren continue” (Hebrews 13:1).
Christianity’s primary moral standard is love, especially for fellow believers.
Love of other believers is a natural outflow of the Christian life and should be a normal part of fellowship within the church. You can no doubt remember how after you were first saved it became very natural and exciting to love other Christians and to want to be around them. However, such an attitude is extremely difficult to maintain. This love, which is a gift from God’s Spirit, must be nurtured or it will not grow—it may actually shrivel. That’s why the apostle Peter urges us, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:22-23).
Paul teaches us the same concept of nurturing and practicing love for one another when he writes: “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for any one to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more” (1 Thess. 4:9-10). Paul also gives us the basic definition of brotherly love: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor” (Rom. 12:10). Simply stated, brotherly love is caring for fellow Christians more than we care for ourselves. And such love presupposes that we will have an attitude of humility (Phil. 2:3-4).
So today’s verse from Hebrews merely supports what Paul and Peter said elsewhere. The writer’s admonition that we should let brotherly love continue tells us that this kind of love already exists. Our challenge today and each day is not to discover love for one another, but to allow it to continue and to increase.
Suggestions for Prayer
Ask God to help you rekindle the love that used to be strong for a Christian friend, but perhaps isn’t now.
For Further Study
Read 1 Samuel 18—20.
What was so special about the love and friendship between David and Jonathan?
What was the end result of that relationship (see especially 20:8-17)?
Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God.
— Ephesians 6:14 (AMPC)
Integrity is vitally important to our walk with God. People with integrity take responsibility for their actions. They keep their commitments instead of making excuses for not keeping them. They do what they tell people they are going to do, and, if for some reason they absolutely cannot, then they contact the person, give an explanation (not an excuse), and ask to be released from the commitment. We expect God to keep His promises, and He expects us to keep ours.
If people truly understood what the word integrity means, we would hopefully have more people in the world with good character, trying to keep their integrity. Since God has given us the “breastplate of integrity,” we know we are to do battle against the enemy of deceit. Let us all choose to do right and trust God to honor our decisions.
Prayer of the Day: Father, I want to be a person of integrity, but I need Your help. Please give me the strength to honor my commitments, battle deceit, and reflect Your character in all my actions and decisions, amen.
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)
“Pretend I’m there and behave accordingly!”
Those were the words of a note Annie received in sixth grade. Her mom had gone on a long trip and had left that note to remind her that – even though she was gone – she expected Annie to act the same way she would have if her mom were still there.
Pretending her mom was watching her made Annie act differently. Sbe did her homework. She practiced the piano. She obeyed her teacher. She cleaned her room. She knew if Mom found out that she did wrong, she was in big trouble.
Did you know that God is always watching? He doesn’t go on vacation, and He never sleeps. He is in the United States of America, and He is in Africa, and He is in church, and He is in your bedroom – all at the same time. God is omnipresent – everywhere at one time. His eyes are everywhere, seeing the good and seeing the bad.
David, one of the many men God used to write down His words, said in Psalm 139: 7, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” In other words – is there any place where we can hide from God? David’s answer: no.
A child of God cannot hide from Him. God is watching us when we are scared. He protects us when we are in trouble. He holds our hand when we need help. He hears us when we cry. He is happy when we rejoice. He also knows when we sin, and He loves us too much to let us get away with it.
Know that God is there – and behave accordingly!
God is everywhere, seeing everything.
My Response: » Will I behave differently today if I remember that God is always watching?
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Truth for Life; Alistair Begg –Praise in the Darkness
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job is perhaps the greatest biblical example of endurance in hardship. Despite being a blameless and upright man, in just one day he experienced the death of his children and the loss of nearly all his possessions. Yet one of his first reactions was to acknowledge God’s sovereignty both in plenty and in poverty, in bringing joyful circumstances and in bringing grievous ones. As chaos, disappointment, and pain descended upon him, he shaved his head, put on his torn robe, and fell to the ground, not only in anguish but also in worship.
Remarkably, in the darkness of this pain “Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” Instead, in his tears, he trusted in God’s providence. In other words, he recognized that God knows what He is doing in every circumstance. God is worthy of our praise even in the hardest situations. Job knew that his times were in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15).
Most of us have lived through cries of anguish and pools of tears. We know how hard it can be to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and goodness in the middle of a storm. We wonder where He is. In our human response to pain, we’re inclined to find statements about God’s providence stale or clichéd—but they aren’t. In fact, with the passing of time or the changing of circumstances, we can look over our shoulders and recognize that there is no tragic situation that God has not sovereignly permitted. He allows all things to pass through His hands, and they do not take Him by surprise.
We must not make light of each other’s pain or offer easy answers. Instead, we are called to spur each other on to Christlikeness during times of hardship, reminding one another that God has granted us eternal life and steadfast love and that His care has preserved our spirits (Job 10:12). And, of course, we can look back in history and see that our God has entered the darkness of this world and plumbed the depths of suffering. He is a God who knows what it is like to be us. He is a God who has set before us a future where there is no pain or crying.
Even in the difficulties of life and the depths of pain, the fatherly providence of God permits all things for our good and His glory. He has proved that He knows what He is doing. For that, we can still praise Him in the darkness.
Questions for Thought
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
Israel announced recently that it intends to kill every Hamas leader behind the October 7 massacre, wherever they are in the world. The IDF knows precisely where Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 terror attacks, is hiding in Gaza.
Why haven’t they taken him out?
Because he is hiding behind a large number of Israeli hostages.
What should we think of a God who allows people to suffer for sins they didn’t commit?
When a nonsmoker gets lung cancer
We understand when choices affect those who commit them. When a smoker develops lung cancer, we grieve for them but we don’t wonder why they are sick.
The Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus’s observation is true to life:
If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures.
However, it is unfair for choices to harm those who don’t make them. When a nonsmoker gets lung cancer from secondhand smoke, we ask how God can be holy when the world he created is so unjust.
David asked our question: “Why, O Lᴏʀᴅ, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). He then listed the many ways “the wicked hotly pursue the poor” (v. 2) while saying to themselves, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it” (v. 11).
But the “wicked” are wrong.
David prayed: “You do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless” (v. 14).
He doesn’t tell us how or when God will “do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed” (v. 18), but he assures us that he will.
This is because “the Lᴏʀᴅ is king forever and ever” (v. 16). Our doubts do not threaten his sovereignty.
Why “God wants my whole life”
Yesterday I wrote: When you don’t understand God, you should still trust him. Today, let’s take a step further:
The less you understand God, the more you should trust him.
None of us fully understands why God allows innocent suffering. The greater the pain, the less we understand.
However, the worse the pain, the more we need the Great Physician.
Satan wants to use this issue to drive us from God when we need him the most. But when you are sick is when you especially need a physician. You may have lung cancer from secondhand smoke, but you still need an oncologist to treat the malignancy.
Let’s add this fact: the more you trust your life to God, the more he can give you his best. Henri Nouwen was right:
I am growing in the awareness that God wants my whole life, not just part of it. It is not enough to give just so much time and attention to God and keep the rest for myself. It is not enough to pray often and deeply and then move from there to my own projects. . . .
To return to God means to return to God with all that I am and all that I have. I cannot return to God with just half of my being. As I reflected this morning again on the story of the prodigal son and tried to experience myself in the embrace of the father, I suddenly felt a certain resistance to being embraced so fully and totally. I experienced not only a desire to be embraced, but also a fear of losing my independence. I realized that God’s love is a jealous love.
God wants not just part of me, but all of me. Only when I surrender myself completely to God’s love can I expect to be free from endless distractions, ready to hear the voice of love, and able to recognize my own unique call.
Have you surrendered yourself “completely to God’s love” yet today?
Going deeper
“Joy in a Jail Cell” is my exposition of 2 Timothy 3–4, one of the most encouraging sections in Scripture. Here Paul looks back at God’s providential grace and trusts him for a brighter future. I pray it will help you find hope where you need it most today.
The Scottish pastor and theologian Samuel Rutherford (1600–61) observed: “If your Lord calls you to suffering, do not be dismayed, for he will provide a deeper portion of Christ in your suffering. The softest pillow will be placed under your head though you must set your bare feet among thorns.”
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
How often do we spiral down into the dialogue of doubt? Instead of holding fast to our confession of hope in a faithful God, we begin to question His promises and doubt His Word.
In the coming year, practice the priority of behaving as if it were so—as if the promise of God was an in-living-color reality in your here and now. Romans 4:17 assures us that God breathes life into the dead; He calls those things which do not exist as though they already do. Even when those dreams seem down for the count, be confident that He is at work.
Eliminate the “if God moves” or “if God answers” from your vocabulary. Instead, begin to thank Him for the fulfillment of the promise – that He heard your prayer, that He is making a way, that He is healing your body, that He is providing for your needs.
Behave as though the breakthrough has come! Confess your hope, your alert expectancy for all that God is doing. Declare that you will rejoice right now, that you are one day closer to the answer.
Agree with Him that, even though it is not visible to you yet, the answer already exists in heavenly places. He is working everything out for good. Say it is so. Act like the answer has arrived!
Blessing
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. Abide in Christ. Allow His words to come alive in you. And whatever you ask, in His name, shall be done! Amen and Amen.
Philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That usually refers to remembering the mistakes of the past—if we don’t remember them, we are likely to make them again. But the same could be said about blessings. If we fail to remember the blessings of the past, we are more likely to fear the future.
When Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, he had a stone memorial built after they crossed the Jordan River. It was to remind future generations that God not only dried up the Jordan so they could cross, but He also parted the Red Sea so they could escape the Egyptian army (Joshua 4:19-24). Before Jesus returned to heaven, He instituted a memorial meal by which, when celebrated, future generations of believers could remember His death for them. Remembering the blessings of the past is a powerful motivation for facing the future.
Do you keep a journal or diary in which you record what God has done in your life? It is a helpful way never to forget.
How worthy it is to remember former benefits when we come to beg for new. Stephen Charnock
Saul, the first king of Israel, had tremendous potential. He started out very well in the race of life, and if he had paced himself and played by the rules, he could have been one of the great heroes of the Bible.
As we read his story, he looks like one of the good guys. But suddenly and almost unexpectedly, he changed course. He began his reign in victory but ended it in humiliating defeat. He lost his character, his power, his crown, and his very life.
Saul’s life is a powerful example of what not to do.
Up to that point in Israel’s history, the nation had judges like Samson who fought for them and led them. Then they had the prophets who revealed the will of God to them. But the people wanted a king. Other nations had kings, and they wanted one too.
So, God gave the people what they asked for. He gave them Saul. If David was a man after God’s own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14), then Saul was a man after man’s own heart.
This reminds us that we should be careful what we pray for, because God just might give it to us. It’s wise to follow the example of Jesus when He said, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10 NLT).
God knows best. And if the Lord says no, then it is for our own benefit.
As for Saul, in many ways he had some fine qualities. He had everything he needed to be a good leader. The Bible gives us these details about Saul and his family: “There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. . . . His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land” (1 Samuel 9:1–2 NLT).
We know that Saul came from a good family because his father, Kish, was well-known and influential. Not only that, but the Bible says the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, and “God gave him a new heart” (1 Samuel 10:9). Everything was going Saul’s way. The Spirit of God came upon him, and he was ready to do what God had called him to do.
However, Saul squandered his resources and opportunities. He summed up his life with these words: “I have been a fool and very, very wrong” (1 Samuel 26:21 NLT).
Saul had a tremendous beginning but a tragic ending.
He stands as an example of what happens when someone rebels against God. His life reminds us of the fact that sooner or later, our sins will find us out. It may not happen today or a week from now. It may not even happen a month or a year from now. But the Bible teaches that ultimately, we will reap what we sow.
“And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.” (1 John 3:19)
There is a chain of reasoning in this context that is important to understand. Our hearts will be “assured” before God (1 John 3:19) if we love the brethren in “deed and in truth” (v. 18). A lack of that heart assurance condemns us (v. 20). If our heart does not condemn us, then we will have “confidence toward God” (v. 21).
It is worth noting that John uses the word “love” 26 times in this little letter. The word “know” is used 31 times, but the word “assure” is used only once (our text) and the word for “confidence” just four times. In each case, the promises of boldness in prayer or trust in answered prayer are based on our obedience.
Apparently, the key to an effective relationship with God, especially the key to a confidence in our prayer life, is a ready, visible, and instant response to God’s requirements for the believer. To the degree that we abide in Him (2:28), we will be confident when He returns. Our ready love for the brethren will keep us bold before God in our prayers (3:21), and our Christlike lifestyle will give us boldness at the judgment (4:17).
Meanwhile, absolute and steady belief in God’s salvation will remove any doubt that God hears us when we pray (5:14).
There is a continuing loop in these messages. We gain confidence as we “do” truth. We find more boldness as we understand God’s answers to our needs and prayers for others. That, in turn, increases our confidence that God is listening to our prayers, making our hearts all the more confident in our relationship with our heavenly Father. HMM III
Abraham Lincoln confided to a friend, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” In the horrific years of the American Civil War, President Lincoln not only spent time in fervent prayer but also called the country to join him. In 1861, he proclaimed a “day of humiliation, prayer and fasting.” And he did so again in 1863, stating, “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God: to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon.”
After the Israelites had been captives in Babylon for seventy years, King Cyrus decreed that any Israelite who wanted to return to Jerusalem could return. When Nehemiah, an Israelite (Nehemiah 1:6) and cupbearer to the king of Babylon (v. 11), learned that those who had returned were “in great trouble and disgrace” (v. 3), he “sat down and wept” and spent days mourning, fasting and praying (v. 4). He wrestled in prayer for his nation (vv. 5–11). And later, he too called his people to fast and pray (9:1–37).
Centuries later, in the days of the Roman Empire, the apostle Paul similarly urged his readers to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2). Our God still hears our prayers about matters that affect the lives of others.
“Let love of the brethren continue” (Hebrews 13:1).
To be a testimony to the world, Christians need to live what they profess.
The nineteenth-century preacher Alexander Maclaren once said, “The world takes its notion of God most of all from those who say they belong to God’s family. They read us a great deal more than they read the Bible. They see us; they only hear about Jesus Christ.” Sound biblical doctrine, as important a foundation as it is, is inadequate by itself to influence the world toward Christ’s gospel.
Christians today could learn much from the early Christians, whose lives were such a rebuke to the immoral, pagan societies around them. Unbelievers in those cultures found it extremely difficult to find fault with Christians, because the more they observed them, the more they saw believers living out the high moral standards the church professed.
Christians in those days were obedient to Peter’s instruction: “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15). They also heeded Paul’s advice to Titus: “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:7-8).
Jesus commanded His original disciples and us, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Of course, Jesus had in mind good works that were genuine and that came from a foundation of good teaching. These verses ought to remind us, therefore, that doctrine and practice must go hand in hand. The author of Hebrews shifts naturally from doctrine and general exhortation to the specific admonitions of chapter 13. Love among believers is his starting point, and it should be ours as we seek to have a credible and worthy walk before the watching world.
Suggestions for Prayer
Ask God to help you maintain a scriptural balance between doctrine and practice. Pray that He would correct specific areas in which you have been living out of balance.
For Further Study
Memorize James 1:25. Use a Bible with good cross references, and look up other verses that deal with “the law of liberty.”
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
— Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC)
We would all like to know what the future holds for us. God does have a good plan for each of us, but we must be willing to follow His plan, rather than going our own way in order to experience it.
God wants us to live the good life that He has prearranged and made ready for us to live. To press on, we must forget what lies behind us. Your future has no room in it for bad feelings from your past. Take the good things from the past and the lessons you’ve learned along with you but let go of anything that is holding you back or keeping you stuck in fear or insecurity of any kind.
You can have hope instead of hopelessness. Start believing today that your future is filled with good things and refuse to settle for less than God’s best for you.
Prayer of the Day: Father God, please guide me to embrace Your great plan. Help me let go of the past and fill my future with hope. I trust You, Lord, to lead me toward the good life you have prepared for me!
One of the greatest attractions of the early church in the eyes of the surrounding pagan world was its communal lifestyle. What was it that united such diverse people—Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians and Scythians, slaves and free men (Colossians 3:11)? Jesus Christ. There was no real explanation for the commonality of these Christians’ lives together apart from Him.
From those days until now, the church has always been united in a unique fellowship marked by several commonalities. First is its common faith. The early church did not gather on the basis of ethnicity, education, interests, or anything else; instead, they brought all of their diverse lives under a shared faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Today, Communion remains an eloquent expression of this same unity; there is one loaf and one cup for us to partake from as one body. Jesus is the Bread of life, who sustains and unites us.
Second, we have a common family. When we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we are welcomed into His family with other believers, having the same heavenly Father. This familial bond transcends that of even earthly families, because the family of faith is eternal. As such, we should look after the interests of our spiritual brothers and sisters. For us as believers not to love one another would be not only sad but contradictory: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21).
Third, by God’s grace, the true church also experiences common feeling. We see a lesser version of this at sporting events: each individual fan is different, but together they share a common feeling, conviction, and goal. Sometimes they are lifted up together and sometimes they are deflated together. Similarly, as members of one family, we share in each other’s joy, peace, pain, and sorrow. As Paul put it, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Paul’s metaphor in that chapter is of the church as a body: as believers we are different, and we have varying strengths and weaknesses, and so we make up a body that works better together than apart. My limitations and weaknesses are complemented by your strengths, and vice versa.
All families have their difficulties and struggles, and we are all sinners; so it is easy to forget the privilege of belonging to the people of God. When was the last time you thanked your Father for your church family? When was the last time you looked round on a Sunday at your brothers and sisters gathered together and allowed yourself to be buoyed by knowing that this is what you are, by grace, a part of?
Our world, just as in the days of the apostles, is full of division and loneliness. People are fragmented, fearful, and lost. But we, the united body of Christ, can offer to this world a deep fellowship and an eternal, hope-filled future. You have the opportunity to become the very hands and feet of your heavenly Father, reaching into people’s lives as you invite them into His family. Will you seize it?
Questions for Thought
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8)
Do you ever need a refuge? A refuge is a place where you go to be safe, a place where you can be free from danger and fear. Everyone is afraid at times. You might feel fearful when you’re alone or when you’re in bed at night with darkness all around. Sometimes you might worry that something bad will happen to your mom or dad. Sometimes you’re afraid because you know you’ve done something wrong – even if you haven’t been caught yet.
God wants to be your refuge at those times. He tells you to pour out your heart to Him. Does that mean you need to use just the right words when you pray? Should you try to pretend you’re a brave, good person who doesn’t really need His help? Pouring out your heart means telling Him exactly how you feel – because He already knows. Tell Him you feel afraid, or tell Him you know you’ve sinned and need His forgiveness. He is greater than anything that you fear. And He cares for you.
God wants to be a refuge for me when I am afraid.
My Response: » Am I keeping fear or sin in my heart instead of pouring it out to God?
When part of an Alaska Airlines fuselage blew out last Friday, no one was sitting next to it.
Was this a miracle?
If so, why did God allow the near-disaster?
More to the point: Will he protect you the next time you travel?
Why Flight 1282’s accident could have been worse
An NTSB official says the accident could have been “much more tragic.” Here’s why:
The flight was nearly full, but the seats next to the faulty door plug were unoccupied.
The aircraft was still climbing, so passengers were seated with seat belts.
If it had been at cruising altitude, people could have been walking around and injured or even sucked out of the hole.
A blowout at altitude could have led to oxygen starvation, causing loss of consciousness and even permanent brain damage.
Then there’s the door plug, which could have struck someone on the ground but landed in a Portland science teacher’s backyard instead.
My first thought is to thank God that no one was killed. But my next thought is: If God did in fact save lives on that plane, couldn’t he have prevented the accident?
Because he is omniscient and omnipotent, the answer is clearly yes.
This leads to my big question: Why does God sometimes do what seems best, but not always?
I’ve been praying for a dear friend undergoing cancer surgery. I know God can bring him through and spare his life, but will he? I pray daily for God to protect my family members. I know he can, but will he?
I could go on. So could you.
What you can do now
This is the most difficult issue Christianity faces, so I’ll not attempt a simple “solution” here. Rather, I want to highlight this biblical fact:
When you don’t understand God, you should still trust him.
I know this runs counter to most of life. Would you eat a meal if you don’t trust the chef? Or get in a car if you don’t trust the driver? But God is different:
He is omniscient, so we shouldn’t always expect to understand his thoughts (Isaiah 55:8–9).
He sees the end from the beginning, so we shouldn’t always expect to understand his plans (Isaiah 46:10).
Fallen people misuse our free will, so the consequences of our sins are not God’s fault but ours (James 1:13–15).
But “God is love” (1 John 4:8), so we can always know that everything he does is for our ultimate best.
Here’s the bottom line: “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). The Greek means, “Ask and keep on asking.”
Your prayers don’t inform an omniscient God—they position you to receive what you ask or whatever is best.
“Suffering is at the very heart of the Christian faith. It is not the only way Christ became like us and redeemed us, but it is one of the main ways we become like him and experience his redemption. And that means that our suffering, despite its painfulness, is also filled with purpose and usefulness.” —Timothy Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
James 5:11
God values persistence. He honors those who are faithful, who hang on to hope and continue to believe for breakthrough.
When we continue to profess God’s faithfulness, when we persevere with patience, and when we wait with hope, the mountain of impossibility begins to move.
The prophet, Daniel, exemplifies the supernatural law of breakthrough. After receiving a message from the angel, Gabriel, regarding the desolation that would besiege Jerusalem, Daniel began to fast and pray.
On the twenty-first day of his fast, an angel appeared. God heard the very first prayer on the very first day, and He sent an angel in instant response. However, the angel was delayed by a demonic force that warred against him until reinforcements arrived. Only then was he able to carry the answer to Daniel.
The response that was sent on Day One took twenty days to sort out in heavenly places. If Daniel would not have persevered through the twentieth day, the angel could not have prevailed to bring the answer he sought.
Make perseverance a priority! Continue on course in spite of difficulty or delay. Do not forfeit the blessings of God by bowing out before the breakthrough. Do not pack it in right before the promises become your reality.
Blessing
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. No enemy can defeat you. No foe can oppose you. Persevere for the promises of God. He will never disappoint you!
In ancient walled cities a tower was often erected at a corner of the walls or over a city gate. It served as a refuge—a place from which to defend the city from attacks and to protect inhabitants. (See Judges 9:50-55.) A strong tower became a metaphor for God as a place of refuge and protection: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).
Today, our cities don’t have walls or towers. Our enemies are spiritual and circumstantial more than physical. So where do we run when we feel we are under attack or experiencing trouble? We do spiritually what people did physically in the Old Testament—we flee to our spiritual tower which is God Himself. In due course, the Israelites began to refer to God as their “strong tower” and “fortress.” His covenant promises and love were what they depended on for protection and comfort. The same is true for us today.
The strength and protection of God are found in His promises to us. Embrace God and His Word; put your faith in Him by trusting His promises.
A sovereign Protector I have, unseen, yet forever at hand. Augustus M. Toplady
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