Today’s Scripture: Zechariah 12-14

In him we have redemption through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. – Ephesians 1:7 (paraphrase mine)

The next time you go to the grocery store, take a look at all the cleaning products that claim to make even the most stubborn stains disappear. But for the most difficult stain known to man, the stain of sin, there is only one remedy.

In Zechariah 13:1, we read: “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.”

When I read that verse, I always think of Dr. Robert “Dick” Wilson of Princeton Seminary. As the story goes, a student asked, “Dr. Wilson, what is the most profound thought to ever enter your mind?” Without hesitation, Dr. Wilson quoted the words of an old gospel hymn: “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”

This fountain will never lose its power to cleanse people like us from sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He shed His blood that we might receive the gift of eternal life, if we turn to Him in repentance and belief.

And what does it mean to believe? According to the apostle John, it means to open the door of your heart to Christ and welcome Him as your Savior and Lord. To be cleansed from sin is to be free from guilt and free to live a new life of power. Christ Himself is the fountain where you can lose all your guilty stains.

Prayer

Lord, I can never thank You enough for Your shed blood that cleansed me from my sin and gave me a completely new life, now and forever. Amen.

To Ponder

How would you explain to a nonbeliever the meaning of the terms repentance, belief, and salvation?

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Today’s Scripture: John 19:1-37

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5

I’ve always enjoyed reading the history of the Old West. The days of Custer, Doc Holliday, and Wyatt Earp hold a special fascination for me. I’ve been to the site of the O.K. Corral, but there is one tragic story in Western history that I can’t forget.

It concerns a young woman from Boston who came west in a stagecoach to teach school in a frontier town. Out on the prairie, a gang of drunken outlaws intercepted the stage, killed the drivers, and took the young woman to an abandoned shack, where they raped and beat her throughout the night.

Can you possibly imagine the revulsion, the shame, the pain and agony she went through? Here was an innocent, refined, young woman suddenly thrust into a world so horrifying it defied description. That scene has helped me imagine just a fraction of the agony of Jesus on the cross, where on a tragic day He was made sin for us as He suffered and died for you and me.

The physical agony was great, but it did not compare with the agony that was His when all the sin and moral filth of the world was laid on Him, and His spotless soul–which had known only the purity and glory of His home in heaven–was made sin on our behalf. He died that we might live.

Jesus took our sin and clothed us in the robes of His own eternal righteousness. We can echo the apostle Paul when He wrote, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Prayer

Lord, You are my righteousness. Amen.

To Ponder

We cannot fully comprehend what it meant for Jesus Christ to be made sin for us–to be forsaken by God, when He took on all the filth of the world that ever was and ever would be. But now He is risen to His glory and is sitting at the right hand of the Father.

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Today’s Scripture: John 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. – 1 Timothy 3:16

One holiday season my wife and I were in Tokyo, Japan. We had been in that city quite a few times over the years, but traffic was never like this! Always bad, but not this bad! So I finally asked the cab driver why there was such a horrendous traffic jam. He smiled and said, “It’s the Christmas rush. Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in our country.”

Later I thought about what he’d said. Had the Asians begun to honor and worship Jesus Christ? No, Christ had very little to do with it. This was simply a nice time to give gifts to people you like. It was good for business and made a happy, festive occasion.

If that’s why Jesus Christ came, He could have done it much more easily without going to the cross. You and I both know He didn’t come just to create a happy holiday. The only begotten Son of God was given by His loving Father to a world lost in sin and spiritual darkness, that we might have everlasting life in Him.

The Asian culture hadn’t caught it, and friend, our culture has almost lost it. Although America grew out of deep, religious roots, there’s no question that today the majority of our population knows little or nothing about the Bible or Christianity. In some areas, Christians have even had to defend the use of manger scenes and sacred carols in the celebration of Christ’s birthday.

Why not resolve that this year someone in your family, someone in your neighborhood, someone where you work will hear the truth of why Jesus came…from your mouth. The message is simple: God gives eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let’s tell it.

Prayer

Lord, until You return, help us in our homes and in our churches to proclaim and teach why You came. Amen.

To Ponder

How can you be a light in this dark world?

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 5:1-11

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. – Romans 3:28

On June 21, 1947, my wife and I were married in the Presbyterian Church in Neola, Iowa. Population: 900.

Virginia and her bridesmaids were all decked out in their long flowing gowns, and I was at the front of the church with the best man and the attendants. We repeated our vows, the preacher preached a little sermon, and then he pronounced us man and wife. With that pronouncement, my legal standing was changed. Up until that declaration I had been a single man. But with that declaration, I was now legally married.

In a sense, that is a clear picture of what the apostle Paul said in Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The word justification is not from the field of religion but from the field of law. Justification can best be defined as the legal act of God by which God declares the sinner righteous on the basis of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

We are made righteous by a declaration of God. And with that declaration, our legal standing is changed. Before God declared me justified in His sight, and I became clothed in the righteousness of Christ, I was a sinner separated from God. But when I came to Christ, who had died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins, I was pronounced righteous in His sight.

Forgiveness is negative–the removal of condemnation. Justification is positive–the bestowing of righteousness based on our standing in Christ.

Prayer

Lord, I rejoice in Your declaration of my right standing with You through Jesus Christ. Amen.

To Ponder

Forgiveness and justification are like two sides of a coin. Forgiveness is the cancellation of sin; justification is the transmittal of righteousness.

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 6:13-14

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. – Psalm 107:6

During the height of the Vietnam War, a young man named Larry Bleeker spent an evening in our home in Colorado Springs. He was on his way to Travis Air Force Base the next day. He’d stopped in the Springs to talk to me about what he should do after the war was over and he was discharged from the Marines.

I had known Larry for a number of years. He’d been involved in the ministry of The Navigators at Iowa State University and had become an outstanding young man of God. I asked him what he would like to do when he got out of the service. He told me he would like to spend more time with me and get some further training in the Christian life.

I assured him I would look forward to that, and he left for Travis the next morning and off to Vietnam. Very soon I received a letter from him lamenting the ungodly surroundings in which he was living. He looked forward to being in our home where he could draw closer to Jesus and enjoy a godly atmosphere.

He had already experienced God’s salvation from the penalty of sin and deliverance from the power of sin, but he longed to be delivered from the presence of sin. The next news I received was that he had been killed in action, and I knew he was now delivered from the very presence of sin itself.

Christian, you have been delivered from the penalty of sin, and you look forward to deliverance from the presence of sin, in heaven. But are you experiencing God’s deliverance from the power of sin right now?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your great salvation that delivers me from the penalty and power of sin in this life and from the presence of sin in eternity. Amen.

To Ponder

“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

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Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 11-13

We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. – Acts 13:32

I remember sitting along a river that flowed quietly through a missionary jungle base in South America. A man was telling me about the many opportunities all around his mission that they could not pursue because the laborers were few. It broke his heart. He was a man with a burden for the lost, but with an inadequate labor force to fully reap the harvest.

A few months later I was with two pastors in downtown London. They were surrounded by some of the most powerful corporations in the world, businesses with global influence. These men echoed the lament of the missionary in South America–a lack of laborers to reach out to the spiritually hungry people in these great corporations.

Jesus said, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). This is also what the writer of Hebrews prayed: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (13:20-21).

God calls on us to co-labor with Him to fulfill the Great Commission through evangelism and teaching new Christians how to grow in faith. And He’s looking for people who will go to the fields early, work hard, and stay late because they are committed to Christ and to the task at hand. This kind of person cannot be produced by human endeavor alone. Will you make the need for spiritual laborers a matter of prayer today?

Prayer

Lord, I want to be a spiritual laborer for You. Show me where You’re working and how I can join You there. Amen.

To Ponder

The fields are ripe, the laborers are few; the solution begins with prayer.

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Today’s Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5

Pray continually. – 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Years ago the only means of going to the bottom of the ocean was in a diving suit. It was made of thick canvas and was complete with weighted shoes, a heavy metal headpiece with a window to look out, a long rope to jerk if something went wrong, and most important of all, an air hose that supplied oxygen.

Everything about the environment into which the diver went was hostile–there were a thousand things that could go wrong and cost the diver his life. For that reason, the crews constantly monitored the air hose to make sure everything was okay.

Friend, that’s an exact picture of your situation every day. The environment in which you and I live is hostile to our Christian growth and development. The world is always trying to squeeze us into its mold, the Devil is trying to lure us off track, and the inner corruptions of our own fleshly desires are constantly trying to sap our spiritual strength.

How do you get through this hostile environment? You keep the connection with your life-support system above. I guess you could say, “You keep your air hose connected with heaven”–a strong avenue of prayer by which you keep in constant touch and receive strength and wisdom from God.

The apostle Paul understood this key to an effective Christian life. When he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians, he ended with an exhortation to pray without ceasing. Why? Because he knew prayer would help these people maintain a daily fellowship with God, and thus, a powerful Christian witness in a hostile world.

Prayer

Lord, teach me the discipline of praying continually. Amen.

To Ponder

The Christian who fails to keep his prayer connection intact runs the danger of spiritual disaster.

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 9-11

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. – Psalm 126:5-6

Years ago, Lorne Sanny, then president of The Navigators, was teaching a seminar on prayer. He told us, “Prayer is not preparation for doing the work of God; prayer is the work of God.” I wrote it down at the time and have given it a good deal of thought since. I believe he was right.

The apostle Paul prayed, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). Paul’s heart desire led him to pray.

Perhaps you know someone you would like to see come to salvation in Christ. One of the first steps you can take in bringing that desire to reality is to pray. However, there’s more to prayer than walking into God’s office and dropping a memo into His in-basket. The context of Paul’s prayer is that it grew out of a deep inner longing. In Romans 9:2, Paul said of his desire for his people’s salvation: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.”

Most of us don’t have much trouble coming to God with a heart full of deep personal concerns–work, finances, relationships. But are we just as burdened for others? Does their salvation weigh as heavily on our minds and hearts as the material things we think we need?

How can we get the same kind of heart as the apostle Paul? The only way I know is to spend time with Jesus Christ, who was moved with compassion toward people. When Jesus looked at the city of Jerusalem, He wept. The closer we walk with Christ in our life of daily discipleship, the deeper our desires will grow in prayer for others.

Prayer

Lord, as I spend time with You in prayer, give me a heart like Yours for the lost. Amen.

To Ponder

Prayer is sharing our hearts with God, not just reciting a list of people and things for Him to bless.

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Today’s Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. – Acts 4:24

There is a great amount of space given in the Bible regarding the fact that individuals should pray. We read of the prayers of Abraham, David, Jacob, Daniel, Solomon, Paul, and others–even Jesus Himself. But there is also a lot of instruction that we should pray together.

When Peter was thrown unjustly into prison, the church was not led to organize a protest but to organize a prayer meeting. The Bible says, “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5).

What makes group prayer meaningful and profitable? Here are a few tips that might add new life and spark to your prayer meeting. First, pray loud enough for others to hear so they can pray along with you. Second, don’t spend half the time discussing what to pray about. I know it’s helpful to list some specific needs, but don’t take the bulk of the time doing it. Third, pray about common needs. As a general rule, people get their hearts into those petitions that affect them as well–a missionary the church supports, a need in the Sunday school, a sickness suffered by a member of the class, and so on.

This next “don’t” is very important. Don’t hang your dirty linen out for all to see. If it involves someone else, go to the individual involved and get right with that person. Jesus taught, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you…first go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Praying with others is a part of worship we must exercise faithfully.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the privilege I enjoy of lifting my voice freely in corporate prayer. Amen.

To Ponder

God delights to see His children gather for prayer.

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Today’s Scripture: Zechariah 7-8

They would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. – Psalm 78:36-37

In Zechariah 7:4-6, we read: “Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: ‘Ask all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?’”

God questioned the heart motive behind their religious practices. And then in verse 9: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’” You see, the real issue is not fasting or feasting, but a commitment to live in a way that pleases the Lord.

As I studied this passage, I thought of a man I knew in high school and served with in the Marines during World War II. After the war, we returned to our hometown in Iowa and continued to pal around. We were pretty wild in those days. But this guy had a practice I thought was strange. After a wild week of rough living, he went to church on Sunday and made his confessions. Then it was back to another week of drunken brawls and wild parties. Even though I wasn’t a Christian at the time, I wondered if his confession was genuine, and I questioned in my heart if it was doing him any good.

The end result of our fasting, confession, Bible study, church attendance, and every other religious practice should be a life that brings honor and glory to God.

Prayer

Lord, keep me from empty religious ritual, and help me to live in close relationship with You. Amen.

To Ponder

How has last Sunday’s church service affected your life this week?

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Today’s Scripture: Micah 6-7

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. – James 5:16

In Micah 6:6-8, the prophet asks this penetrating question about prayer:

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings?…Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression?…He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah was convinced that true prayer is more than just words. The Bible is clear that God pays as much attention to the life of the one who is praying as He does to the words of the prayer. And He also urges us to persevere in prayer.

One evening I was in a prayer meeting in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I asked for prayer for my father, who never darkened the door of a church. I had prayed for him every day for seven-and-a-half years. After the meeting, two men asked if they could visit my dad and share the gospel with him. On their first visit, my dad threw them out of the house, but a few weeks later they tried again. My dad invited them in and went over to the sofa and knelt down, weeping his way to the foot of the cross. Six weeks later, he died.

Christian, God is not reluctant to answer our prayers. He simply asks that we walk humbly with Him, pray without ceasing, and never lose heart.

Prayer

Lord, purify my heart, and that will purify my life. Amen.

To Ponder

To be effective, our prayers must be accompanied by a God-honoring life.

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Today’s Scripture: Habakkuk 1-3

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10

The book of Habakkuk contains a passage you can cling to when the bottom falls out of everything. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18.)

I know of a missionary who has labored for twenty-five years with very few people responding to the gospel. Yet he clings to this passage in Habakkuk and finds comfort and encouragement.

I think also of a mother who reared two children in a godly home. When they came of age, both daughters decided to follow the ways of the world. This praying woman continues to trust in the Lord.

I know a man who spent the greater part of his life working for a large corporation. After twenty-five years of faithful service, he was fired without notice. Eventually, he also lost his home and his savings, but not his peace of mind.

Joy is not a matter of good fortune and pleasant circumstances. Joy is a decision, and God is the focus.

Christian, what are your disappointments? What circumstances have gone wrong for you and are sapping your joy? I challenge you to memorize the passage from Habakkuk and claim it each morning.

Finding our joy in the Lord is a matter of will–a decision we can make because of the love and faithfulness of God.

Prayer

Lord, show me how to fix my inward gaze on You, my hope and my joy. Amen.

To Ponder

Circumstances can defeat us only when we’ve taken our eyes off the Source of our joy.

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Today’s Scripture: Micah 1-2

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. – Ephesians 3:16

A recent magazine article dealt with our society’s growing trend of making celebrities of people involved in criminal or immoral activity. But it really isn’t anything new.

Consider life in the time of the prophet Micah. The Bible tells us the land was filled with idolatry, covetousness, oppression, and contempt for the Word of God. The spiritual and political leaders abused their power, leading the people down the path of destruction. There were also false prophets who enjoyed celebrity status as they said that nothing would come of all the evil in their society (see Micah 2:6).

Micah stepped forward with a clear warning from God. Judgment was coming for all who defied the Lord. He also gave a word of comfort to the faithful people of God. Micah 2:12 records God’s promise of restoration: “I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people.”

How we need to give this word of mercy to hurting and helpless people! I have a friend who went through a time of deep disappointment and hurt. She could hardly hold up her head when she walked. At her lowest point, a friend began praying with her and sharing the Scriptures. Weeks passed, and the Word and prayer began to have their effect. She emerged from her ordeal revived in spirit, with a new sparkle in her eye.

Do you know someone who needs comfort–prayer and a thought from the Word of God? Just like Micah, God can use you to speak boldly and compassionately in His name.

Prayer

Lord, give me a mouth that speaks “only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” (from Ephesians 4:29) Amen.

To Ponder

No matter how dark our circumstances, God’s Word can light our way.

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Today’s Scripture: Obadiah

He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. – Jeremiah 17:6

When I was a kid back in Iowa, we played a game called “King of the Mountain.” Someone would get up on a mound of dirt, and everyone else would try to get him off. There was one big kid we could never get off the hill. And he stayed on top until he was ready to come down.

In the book of Obadiah, we encounter the Edomites, who thought they were king of the mountain. But God saw things differently. “See,” [the Lord said], “I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised. The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord. (Obadiah 2-4).

I recall standing at the foot of the ancient Edomite capitol city of Petra, the stronghold from which the Edomites launched their raids. They thought they could get away with anything, but their invasion of Judah in 587 b.c. brought God’s judgment.

You don’t have to be an arrogant Edomite to trust in the wrong thing. Even Christians can make the mistake of trusting in hard work, physical appearance, finances. But all those sources of security and pride can be gone in an instant. We must keep our eyes on the Lord and trust in Him as our Rock and high tower.

Prayer

Lord, when I put my security in a fortress of my own making, bring me back to the shelter of God Most High. Amen.

To Ponder

Blessed is the man or woman who boasts in the Lord’s strength.

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Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 1-4

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” – John 4:23

There is an old story about two families in the mountains of Kentucky who had been feuding for years. When a young man was asked why he was fighting the other family, he had no idea. It’s what his family had always done.

That was exactly the situation in Isaiah’s time. When the Lord spoke to His people through the prophet Isaiah, it wasn’t good news, because judgment was on the way. The reason? They were going through various rituals and religious activities, but they had forsaken the Lord, spurned the Holy One of Israel, and turned their backs on Him.

Oh, they were bringing offerings, but they were meaningless. They celebrated various convocations–feasts of the new moon and special Sabbaths–but God said, “They have become a burden to me.” Isaiah 1:15 records these words of the Lord: “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.”

They had kept the form but lost the meaning. And the problem is still with us today.

A close pastor friend of mine spent twenty years in Christian work, but all the time he was drifting away from the Lord. He doubled the membership, tripled the budget, and built a 100,000-square-foot building. But today he weeps and says that not one person came to faith in Jesus Christ during that time. He had kept the form but lost the meaning.

Christian, do you read the Bible merely to satisfy a habit? How do you approach your time of worship at church? Take a moment and reflect on Isaiah’s words. God longs to restore the meaning to your walk of daily discipleship.

Prayer

Lord, I want to be the kind of worshiper You seek. Show me how to worship You in truth. Amen.

To Ponder

In our worship of God, what pleases Him most?

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Today’s Scripture: Numbers 1-4

In Joppa there was a disciple named [Dorcas], who was always doing good and helping the poor. – Acts 9:36

In Numbers 1:2-3, Moses received a rather imposing task from the Lord. “Take a census of the whole Israelite community…all the men in Israel twenty years old or more…” Imagine how Moses could have reacted: I don’t have time to do that! I’m already leading all these people across the burning desert. I try to keep them from sin. I lead them in worship. And I’m writing the Bible!

God gave him the job on the first day of the second month of the second year. Notice when he got around to doing it–on the same day! (verse 18).

This is a great lesson for us. When we’re given a job that doesn’t really excite us, the best thing to do is get on with it, because if we keep putting it off, it will insist that we give it our attention. Christian, don’t waste time trying to figure out ways to get out of something distasteful. Roll up your sleeves, thank the Lord, and get it done.

Moses expended his energy accomplishing things for God, instead of figuring out all the reasons why they couldn’t be done. You see, what we’re talking about here is more than just success through a positive mental attitude. For a Christian to respond to the command of God requires faith, not just an act of pulling himself up by his spiritual bootstraps.

Genuine faith responds to the call and command of God by saying, “Lord, by your grace and power, I’ll do it now.” Obedience must be complete, enthusiastic, and immediate.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for letting me join Your work in this world. Amen.

To Ponder

Usually, it requires the same amount of energy to get out of doing a task as it does to do it.

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Today’s Scripture: Psalms 135-139

Yours, O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. – 1 Chronicles 29:11

Some years ago I was speaking to a group of university students in Tucson, Arizona. A young man near the front asked if I believed God created the world. When I told him I did, he replied, “Well, if God created this world you and I live in today with all of its pain and sorrow and violence and hatred and misery of every kind, then God must be the Devil.”

To understand what God is like, we must turn to the Bible, God’s revelation of Himself. Today’s passage has a great deal to tell us about God. First, God is omniscient. He knows everything about everything. But notice that this great truth is expressed in a very personal way. David said, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me” (Psalm 139:1). For the person who loves and trusts God, theology is more than high-sounding phrases.

Second, He’s omnipresent. He is exempt from the limitations of space. This attribute of God guarantees His nearness to each of us. It means we can have communion with Him anywhere, anytime. The psalmist said, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?…If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).

Interwoven into the doctrines of omniscience and omnipresence is the doctrine of omnipotence, the idea that God has perfect and absolute power. Today, think about what God is like, and revel in the fact that He’s your Father.

Prayer

Lord, there is nothing too hard for You. Amen.

To Ponder

God knows everything about you, He is always with you, and He has all the power you will ever need.

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