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Christmas Triumphant – Ravi Zacharias

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Ravi Z

Triumph, this time of year, seems to come in many shades of success. Try as we may to keep a perspective of cheer or charity or readiness for the coming of Christ, many of us feel most ready for Christmas when we have met every shipping deadline, reciprocated every Christmas card, and averted every scheduling conflict. Victories that we might otherwise find slight seem to become great feats during the holidays—finding a parking spot, getting the last box of Christmas lights in stock, beating the mailman to the mailbox. Other battles continue to brew over the accepting or rejecting of manger scenes, messiahs, and “Merry Christmases” in the face of less specific holiday tales and greetings. Though we may oscillate between who or what we are fighting against—the clock, the perfect hostess, the family stressors, the agendas of others—we seem to work toward Christmas one small feat at a time.

But as I sang the lyrics to a song during the lighting of the first Advent candle, I was silenced by the image of a victory we need do nothing but join.

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With th’angelic host proclaim,

“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

The triumph we are invited to join as we celebrate Christmas is far bigger than our best Christmases and more real than our worst. There are generations of believers offering the same cries of victory shouted on the very first Christmas night: Christ was born! God came near. God is with us! The birth of Jesus was orchestrated at the hands of God long before the inn would be full or the shepherds would be in their fields by night, long before my traditions would seem etched in stone, or my culture would remove the Nativity from the public arena.

While there are perhaps some victories to rightfully seek this season, many others can likely be forsaken; for the triumph of a God who came near to bridge a separation forged long ago in the garden is a victory already won.  The triumph Christians ask the world to join as we celebrate Christ’s birth is a triumph known from the beginning, foreseen by the prophets, heralded by John the Baptist, and cherished by witnesses whose voices still cry out the incredible news of the Christmas story:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying:

‘Glory to God in the highest, 
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”

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

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning “There is no spot in thee.” / Song of Solomon 4:7

Having pronounced his Church positively full of beauty, our Lord confirms his

praise by a precious negative, “There is no spot in thee.” As if the thought

occurred to the Bridegroom that the carping world would insinuate that he had

only mentioned her comely parts, and had purposely omitted those features

which were deformed or defiled, he sums up all by declaring her universally

and entirely fair, and utterly devoid of stain. A spot may soon be removed,

and is the very least thing that can disfigure beauty, but even from this

little blemish the believer is delivered in his Lord’s sight. If he had said

there is no hideous scar, no horrible deformity, no deadly ulcer, we might

even then have marvelled; but when he testifies that she is free from the

slightest spot, all these other forms of defilement are included, and the

depth of wonder is increased. If he had but promised to remove all spots

by-and-by, we should have had eternal reason for joy; but when he speaks of it

as already done, who can restrain the most intense emotions of satisfaction

and delight? O my soul, here is marrow and fatness for thee; eat thy full, and

be satisfied with royal dainties.

Christ Jesus has no quarrel with his spouse. She often wanders from him, and

grieves his Holy Spirit, but he does not allow her faults to affect his love.

He sometimes chides, but it is always in the tenderest manner, with the

kindest intentions: it is “my love” even then. There is no remembrance of our

follies, he does not cherish ill thoughts of us, but he pardons and loves as

well after the offence as before it. It is well for us it is so, for if Jesus

were as mindful of injuries as we are, how could he commune with us? Many a

time a believer will put himself out of humour with the Lord for some slight

turn in providence, but our precious Husband knows our silly hearts too well

to take any offence at our ill manners.

 

Evening   “The Lord mighty in battle.” / Psalm 24:8

Well may our God be glorious in the eyes of his people, seeing that he has

wrought such wonders for them, in them, and by them. For them, the Lord Jesus

upon Calvary routed every foe, breaking all the weapons of the enemy in pieces

by his finished work of satisfactory obedience; by his triumphant resurrection

and ascension he completely overturned the hopes of hell, leading captivity

captive, making a show of our enemies openly, triumphing over them by his

cross. Every arrow of guilt which Satan might have shot at us is broken, for

who can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Vain are the sharp swords

of infernal malice, and the perpetual battles of the serpent’s seed, for in

the midst of the church the lame take the prey, and the feeblest warriors are

crowned.

The saved may well adore their Lord for his conquests in them, since the

arrows of their natural hatred are snapped, and the weapons of their rebellion

broken. What victories has grace won in our evil hearts! How glorious is Jesus

when the will is subdued, and sin dethroned! As for our remaining corruptions,

they shall sustain an equally sure defeat, and every temptation, and doubt,

and fear, shall be utterly destroyed. In the Salem of our peaceful hearts, the

name of Jesus is great beyond compare: he has won our love, and he shall wear

it. Even thus securely may we look for victories by us. We are more than

conquerors through him that loved us. We shall cast down the powers of

darkness which are in the world, by our faith, and zeal, and holiness; we

shall win sinners to Jesus, we shall overturn false systems, we shall convert

nations, for God is with us, and none shall stand before us. This evening let

the Christian warrior chant the war song, and prepare for to-morrow’s fight.

Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.

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Penetrating the Box – John MacArthur

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John MacArthur

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2).

Since the beginning of time, man has deceived himself by thinking he can discover God through various religions. But in reality, man lives in a box enclosed within the walls of time and space. God is outside the box, and man senses He’s there but can’t get to Him. Each new religion is but another futile attempt to penetrate the walls of the box and catch a glimpse of God.

Man’s only hope is for God to enter the box, which Hebrews 1:1-2 declares He did: first by letter (the Old Testament), then in person (in Jesus Christ). Regarding God’s Word David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). Jeremiah added, “The Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth'” (Jer. 1:9). Of Christ, the apostle John said, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:14, 18).

The irony of people thinking they can discover God on their own is that apart from the Holy Spirit’s leading, no one really wants to find Him. They merely want to add a cosmic good luck charm to their lives or satiate their guilty consciences. Paul said, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God” (Rom. 3:10-11, emphasis added).

God could have left us in our sin and ignorance, but He penetrated the box and revealed everything we need to know for redemption and fellowship with Him. What a privilege we have to study His Word and live by its principles! Be diligent to do so each day.

Suggestion for Prayer: Praise God for granting you the ability to appreciate His Word.

For Further Study: Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, noting how natural (unregenerate) people respond to divine revelation.

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The Reason for Our Boldness – Charles Stanley

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Charles Stanley

Romans 1:14-15

Even though most Christians are very familiar with the gospel, many are reluctant to share their faith because they just don’t feel capable of explaining it to someone else. When we lack confidence in our knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ, fear of negative reactions or possible questions can keep us from opening our mouths. What if we don’t have the answers or end up looking like a fool? It’s just too intimidating.

But remember, God has given us the most important message in the world. Since we are confronted by so many unscriptural philosophies and religious deceptions, we need to understand the gospel and be able to present it with confidence and boldness. We can’t let fear or ignorance keep us from giving a lost world the only message that can change a person’s eternal destiny.

The apostle Paul welcomed every opportunity to tell people about Christ, because he focused on the gospel’s life-changing power rather than the negative reactions he might encounter. Oftentimes, the reason we are ashamed to talk about our faith is that we’re concerned about ourselves. But if we begin to look at the hurting people around us, express genuine interest in them, and ask God to open a door for us to share our faith, He will answer that prayer.

We tend to be motivated by temporal activities that eventually fade away. But people are forever, and they need to know the Savior. Look for opportunities to reach out: notice their expressions; ask how they’re doing. When their need stirs your heart, you’ll be eager to offer them the gospel.

2000 post for this site!

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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CharlesSpurgeon

Morning  “Thou hast made summer and winter.” / Psalm 74:17

My soul begin this wintry month with thy God. The cold snows and the piercing

winds all remind thee that he keeps his covenant with day and night, and tend

to assure thee that he will also keep that glorious covenant which he has made

with thee in the person of Christ Jesus. He who is true to his Word in the

revolutions of the seasons of this poor sin-polluted world, will not prove

unfaithful in his dealings with his own well-beloved Son.

Winter in the soul is by no means a comfortable season, and if it be upon thee

just now it will be very painful to thee: but there is this comfort, namely,

that the Lord makes it. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds

of expectation: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes over the once verdant

meadows of our joy: he casteth forth his ice like morsels freezing the streams

of our delight. He does it all, he is the great Winter King, and rules in the

realms of frost, and therefore thou canst not murmur. Losses, crosses,

heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills, are of the Lord’s

sending, and come to us with wise design. Frosts kill noxious insects, and put

a bound to raging diseases; they break up the clods, and sweeten the soil. O

that such good results would always follow our winters of affliction!

How we prize the fire just now! how pleasant is its cheerful glow! Let us in

the same manner prize our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and

comfort in every time of trouble. Let us draw nigh to him, and in him find joy

and peace in believing. Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of his

promises, and go forth to labours which befit the season, for it were ill to

be as the sluggard who will not plough by reason of the cold; for he shall beg

in summer and have nothing.

 

Evening  “O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful

works to the children of men.” / Psalm 107:8

If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would

be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies–common as we

frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are

ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun,

for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the

raiment we wear. Let us praise him that we are not cast out among the

hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank him for liberty, for

friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise him, in fact, for

everything which we receive from his bounteous hand, for we deserve little,

and yet are most plenteously endowed. But, beloved, the sweetest and the

loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God’s

redeeming acts towards his chosen are forever the favourite themes of their

praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of

thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions,

uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have

been led to the cross of Christ–our shackles of guilt have been broken off;

we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and can antedate the

period when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or

any such thing. Even now by faith we wave the palm-branch and wrap ourselves

about with the fair linen which is to be our everlasting array, and shall we

not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Redeemer? Child of God, canst thou

be silent? Awake, awake, ye inheritors of glory, and lead your captivity

captive, as ye cry with David, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is

within me, bless his holy name.” Let the new month begin with new songs.

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God’s Christmas Gift – Greg Laurie

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Over the years, the legendary Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog has featured some pretty extravagant gifts.

The 1963 catalog offered his-and-her submarines for $18,000. In the 1964 catalog, you could buy a hot air balloon for $6,000. In 1967, the catalog’s offerings included a pair of camels for $4,000. And in 1971, an actual mummy case was selling for $16,000. But in 2006, Neiman Marcus upped the ante with a trip to outer space for $1.7 million.

Maybe a ticket to space isn’t at the top of your wish list this year, but perhaps you have certain expectations of what you hope to find waiting for you under the Christmas tree. If you put your hope in what Christmas offers, however, you will be very disappointed.

But if you can get past that to what Christmas is really all about, it truly can be “the most wonderful time of the year.”

The wise men brought the rather unusual gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. But the first Christmas gifts were not gifts to the Child. The first Christmas gift was the gift of the Child.

Christmas, at its best and purest state, is a promise of something else, something that no holiday or experience or earthly thing can satisfy. Galatians 4:4–5 says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (NIV). Isaiah 9:6 offers a description of what God has given to us:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (NKJV)

Each of the above names of Jesus deals with an important area of our lives. They are like five Christmas gifts that we can open, and each is special and unusual.

First, His name is Wonderful. That takes care of the dullness of life. “Wonderful” comes from the root word “wonder.” The word used here could also be translated as “amazing, surprising, astonishing, or awe-inspiring.” And as I contemplate the fact that the Almighty God made this sacrifice for me, it will produce in my heart a sense of bewilderment, awe, and, finally, worship.

Second, His name is Counselor. That takes care of the decisions of life. We all have very important decisions that we have to make. The God who is Wonderful wants to give us counsel and direction. God has a plan for each of our lives—an individual plan, not a one-size-fits-all plan. When you are overwhelmed with the decisions of life, remember that there is a God who wants to counsel you.

Third, He is the Mighty God. That takes care of the demands of life. We need to be reminded that Jesus was not just a good man. He was the God-man. And this God who is Wonderful, this God who wants to be your Counselor, will give you the strength to live the life He has called you to live.

Fourth, His name is Everlasting Father. That takes care of the destiny of life. We believe in an Everlasting Father with no beginning and with no end. It reminds us that life on Earth is temporal, that heaven is so much better than anything this world has to offer.

Also, this hope of an Everlasting Father resonates with those who have never had an earthly father. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can now refer to the Almighty God, Creator of the universe, as our Father who is in heaven.

Fifth, His name is the Prince of Peace. That takes care of the disturbances of life. Life is filled with disturbances and, quite frankly, Christmas can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Old problems are often brought back to the surface. Friction, stress, and problems that you are having with various family members can be at the forefront of your life at this time of year.

But here is One who is the Prince of Peace, One who will help you with the disturbances of life.

Whatever gifts you may have waiting for you this Christmas, they pale in comparison to God’s gift for you. It is better than anything the Neiman Marcus catalog can offer. It is the only gift that truly keeps on giving: the gift of eternal life

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Quieting Your Soul – Charles Stanley

Psalm 131:1-2

Do you hurry through your prayer time so that you can get to other things? If so, consider the values Jesus modeled for us in His practice of spending set-apart time with His Father.

Solitude. Though Jesus was constantly surrounded by people as He tended to their needs, He also understood His own need for seclusion. Often, after an intense period of ministry, He’d retreated from the crowds–and even His disciples–to pray in private.

Safeguarded time. No matter what else was going on, Jesus made it a point to protect periods of time so He could rest in the Spirit, focus on His relationship with the Father, and build up His physical and emotional strength. Even when people were clamoring for Him, He made it a priority to safeguard this time, knowing that His ministry would flow from it.

Stillness. What does it means to “be still”? Psalm 46:10 calls us to stillness with these words: “Cease striving and know that I am God.” To learn this perpetual inner peace, periodically stop everything you’re focused on doing, and simply let your soul become aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence. In today’s reading, David described it as the state of a “weaned child” who is at perfect rest and happy just to be in his mother’s arms.

Make these essentials a priority, and you’ll reap tremendous benefits in your walk of faith. Doing so may seem challenging in this fast-paced, multitasking world. But when you quiet your heart before the Lord, you’ll discover how much you need the peace of His presence. It is a priceless gift!

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Living in Grace

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2 Corinthians 5:17

Before the apostle Paul’s conversion, if someone had suggested that he would impact the world for Jesus, he’d probably have laughed. In fact, his original goal was to rid the world of Christians.

God’s grace can impact anyone; no sin is beyond the reach of His forgiveness. This amazing gift of redemption changes lives. Contrary to what many think, being a Christian does not mean adding good deeds to one’s life. Instead, believers receive forgiveness by God’s grace, and a completely new nature. Our inward transformation results in obvious outward changes.

A beautiful illustration of this is the butterfly’s metamorphosis. Once it’s in a chrysalis, a caterpillar doesn’t merely act or appear different from the outside; it truly has changed inwardly as well.

Transformation for believers occurs in many areas. For example, our attitudes change–salvation by God’s grace results in humility and gratitude. Out of thankfulness for this undeserved free gift flows compassion for the lost and a desire to share the gospel with them. Experiencing Christ’s forgiveness also results in a longing to serve Him. This does not need to be in a formal church setting; we serve Him by loving others, helping those in need, and telling them about salvation.

While there are still natural consequences for our sin, God offers us forgiveness and redemption through Jesus. He made a way to restore our broken relationship with Him. What’s more, our Father transforms our lives so we will become more like His Son and reflect His heart to others.

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The Joy of the Harvest

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Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.   —Psalm 126:5–6

As a pastor and evangelist, I have had people tell me that I saved them. But God is the one who saves people—not me. I simply declare the truth of the gospel, and people put their faith in Jesus. He saves them.

While I don’t have to worry about being the one who saves people, I do have to concern myself with telling them how to find salvation. God will bring about the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me” (John 6:44). Salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, but God uses the seed of His Word in that person’s heart.

Here is an interesting thing to consider: there is no person in the New Testament who came to faith apart from the agency of a human being. We can find example after example. Take the Philippian jailer (see Acts 16). God could have reached him in many ways. Instead, he chose to reach him when Paul and Silas were incarcerated in his cell. And he ultimately said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).

Then there was Cornelius, a centurion. An angel appeared to him one afternoon, and instead of preaching the gospel, the angel directed Cornelius to Peter, who then delivered the gospel. Angels are not the primary agents God uses to bring the gospel. Primarily, God will use people to reach people.

And even though the apostle Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, I believe that young Stephen, through his witness, was instrumental in his conversion.

God reaches people through people. It gets hard at times, but we need to stay with it, because there is great joy when someone responds to the gospel.

GregLaurie@harvestdirect.org

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Coming Home Again

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In the process of moving and reorganizing some bookshelves in the middle of October, I recovered something long out of place. A small Nativity scene carved out of olive wood had been inadvertently left behind from the previous year’s Christmas. Holding it in my hand, I cowered at the thought of digging through boxes in the garage long buried by post-Christmas storage. At this point, it seemed better to be two months early in setting it up than ten months late in packing it away. I decided to keep the carving out.

Strangely enough, my decision then coincided with a friend’s mentioning of a good Christmas quote. Advent was suddenly all around me. In a Christmas sermon given December 2, 1928, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, who look forward to something greater to come. For these, it is enough to wait in humble fear until the Holy One himself comes down to us, God in the child in the manger. God comes. The Lord Jesus comes. Christmas comes.  Christians rejoice!” To be early with my Nativity scene suddenly seemed a wise, but convicting thought. I had kept it around for the sake of convenience, what about the sake of remembering? If Advent reminds us that we are waiting in December, what reminds us that we are waiting in October or February?

The story of the Nativity, though beautiful and familiar, and admittedly far-reaching, is as easily put out of our minds as Christmas decorations are put in boxes. On certain sides of the calendar, a carved Nativity scene looks amiss. Sitting on my mantle in the fall or the spring, it seems somehow away from home, far from lights and greenery, longing for Christmas fanfare. But looking at it with thoughts of Advent near, I am struck by the irony that longing is often my sentiment amidst the burgeoning lights, greens, and fanfare of Christmas.

Bonhoeffer continues, “When once again Christmas comes and we hear the familiar carols and sing the Christmas hymns, something happens to us… The hardest heart is softened. We recall our own childhood. We feel again how we then felt, especially if we were separated from a mother. A kind of homesickness comes over us for past times, distant places, and yes, a blessed longing for a world without violence or hardness of heart. But there is something more—a longing for the safe lodging of the everlasting Father.”(1)

Unlike any other month, December weighs on my heart the gift and the difficulty of waiting. In the cold and in the hymns, I remember that I am troubled in soul and looking for something greater; I remember that I am poor and imperfect and waiting for the God who comes down to us, and I hear again the gentle knock at the door. Like the Nativity scene on my mantle in June or October, I embody a strange hope. I see a home with tears and sorrow, but I also see in this home the signs of a day when tears will be wiped dry. Advent is about waiting for the one who embraced sorrow and body to show us the fullness of home. It is not December that reminds us we are longing for God to come nearer, but the Nativity of God, the Incarnation of Christ. For each day is touched by the promise that in this very place Jesus has already done so, and that he will again come breaking through, into our world, into our longing, into our sin and deaths.

In his sermon on Advent, Dietrich Bonhoeffer offered a prayer worth praying in December and year round. “Lord Jesus, come yourself, and dwell with us, be human as we are, and overcome what overwhelms us. Come into the midst of my evil, come close to my unfaithfulness. Share my sin, which I hate and which I cannot leave. Be my brother, Thou Holy God. Be my brother in the kingdom of evil and suffering and death. Come with me in my death, come with me in my suffering, come with me as I struggle with evil. And make me holy and pure, despite my sin and death.” Every day, despite its location on the calendar, a still, small voice answers our cry persuasively here and now, “Behold. I stand at the door and knock.”

 

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

(1) Edwin Robertson, Ed., Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas Sermons (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005).

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth

that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.” / 3 John 3

The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in the truth. If the first had not

been the case, the second could never have occurred; and if the second could

not be said of him the first would have been a mere pretence. Truth must enter

into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is of no value. Doctrines

held as a matter of creed are like bread in the hand, which ministers no

nourishment to the frame; but doctrine accepted by the heart, is as food

digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body. In us truth

must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the

woof and warp of our being. If it be in us, we cannot henceforth part with it.

A man may lose his garments or his limbs, but his inward parts are vital, and

cannot be torn away without absolute loss of life. A Christian can die, but he

cannot deny the truth. Now it is a rule of nature that the inward affects the

outward, as light shines from the centre of the lantern through the glass:

when, therefore, the truth is kindled within, its brightness soon beams forth

in the outward life and conversation. It is said that the food of certain

worms colours the cocoons of silk which they spin: and just so the nutriment

upon which a man’s inward nature lives gives a tinge to every word and deed

proceeding from him. To walk in the truth, imports a life of integrity,

holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity–the natural product of those

principles of truth which the gospel teaches, and which the Spirit of God

enables us to receive. We may judge of the secrets of the soul by their

manifestation in the man’s conversation. Be it ours today, O gracious Spirit,

to be ruled and governed by thy divine authority, so that nothing false or

sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence to our

daily walk among men.

 

Evening “Seeking the wealth of his people.” / Esther 10:3

Mordecai was a true patriot, and therefore, being exalted to the highest

position under Ahasuerus, he used his eminence to promote the prosperity of

Israel. In this he was a type of Jesus, who, upon his throne of glory, seeks

not his own, but spends his power for his people. It were well if every

Christian would be a Mordecai to the church, striving according to his ability

for its prosperity. Some are placed in stations of affluence and influence,

let them honour their Lord in the high places of the earth, and testify for

Jesus before great men. Others have what is far better, namely, close

fellowship with the King of kings, let them be sure to plead daily for the

weak of the Lord’s people, the doubting, the tempted, and the comfortless. It

will redound to their honour if they make much intercession for those who are

in darkness and dare not draw nigh unto the mercy seat. Instructed believers

may serve their Master greatly if they lay out their talents for the general

good, and impart their wealth of heavenly learning to others, by teaching them

the things of God. The very least in our Israel may at least seek the welfare

of his people; and his desire, if he can give no more, shall be acceptable. It

is at once the most Christlike and the most happy course for a believer to

cease from living to himself. He who blesses others cannot fail to be blessed

himself. On the other hand, to seek our own personal greatness is a wicked and

unhappy plan of life, its way will be grievous and its end will be fatal.

 

Here is the place to ask thee, my friend, whether thou art to the best of thy

power seeking the wealth of the church in thy neighbourhood? I trust thou art

not doing it mischief by bitterness and scandal, nor weakening it by thy

neglect. Friend, unite with the Lord’s poor, bear their cross, do them all the

good thou canst, and thou shalt not miss thy reward.

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Strengthen Yourself in the Lord

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1 Samuel 30:1-8

After an exhausting three-day journey, David and his men finally arrived home to find a scene of devastation. Their homes were burned to the ground, and their families were missing. Utter despair engulfed them, but David’s distress soon increased when his men’s grief turned into bitter anger and they spoke of stoning him.

Most of us won’t experience this extreme a situation, but we can identify with David’s discouragement. Sometimes despair follows a personal tragedy or loss, but it can also result from the weariness of ongoing daily pressures. Family problems, unemployment, financial difficulties, and health issues may make discouragement a constant companion. The same can happen with emotional struggles over feelings of unworthiness, failure to overcome an addictive habit, the pain of criticism, or fear of inadequacy.

Despair can grip anyone unexpectedly, but the Lord doesn’t want us to stay in a fog of depression. We often can’t avoid the situations that lead us into discouragement, but we do have a choice whether to stay in that condition. Instead of caving in to misery, David chose to strengthen himself in the Lord. He recognized that God was the only one who could give him the proper perspective on the problem and provide the guidance he needed.

When you’re discouraged, where do you turn? Perhaps the last thing you want to do is read Scripture and pray–at first, the passages may seem like meaningless words and your prayers might feel empty. But if you persist in crying out to God, you’ll eventually find His comforting strength.

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Two-Staged Miracles

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In a 1944 radio series called “Books that Have Influenced Me,” author E.M. Forster made the comment that the only books which influence us are those for which we are actually ready, those “which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves.”(1)

I am most comfortable reading with a pen in my hand. The quality is not unique. Navigating through the pages with circles and highlights is for some of us a way of remembering where we have been and charting wisdom for where we hope to go. And yet, how often I have returned to a book previously read only to wonder curiously why I drew so much attention to underlining paragraph three and seemed to completely overlook sentence seven. As we experience more of life, more of self, world, and neighbor, we learn to see things differently.

In an account of a miracle unlike any other found in any of the gospel accounts, Mark describes Jesus healing a blind man in stages. Touching the man’s eyes once, Jesus asks, “Do you see anything?”

“I see people,” the man replies. “They look like trees walking around.”

Then putting his hands on the man once more, Jesus restores the blind man’s sight.(2) And the man walks away seeing clearly.

A two-staged miracle seems very much like a contradiction in terms. But here, in this particular place in the book of Mark, the story is charged with symbolism. Following an exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees (who are looking for Jesus to give them a miraculous sign), and an exchange between Jesus and the disciples (who have been in the presence of such miracles and yet keep failing to see), Jesus seems to tell all of them that seeing takes time. Moreover, as Jesus returns his hands to the blind man’s eyes so that he might see more than walking trees, he demonstrates an interesting hope. Namely, this man who claims to be God is persevering with those who truly long to see it.

Adding even more to this provoking theme of sight, Mark places his account of the transfiguration of Jesus near these events as well. As Peter, James, and John climb a mountain with their teacher, they are suddenly terrified as Elijah and Moses appear before them. The clothes of Jesus become dazzling white and just then a cloud appears and envelopes them, and a voice thunders from the heavens, saying: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Suddenly once again, as they look around, they see no one but Jesus.

Mark here imparts a profound mystery: Seeing clearly can be just as disturbing as not seeing at all. Whether in blindness or in partial sight, overwhelmed by reality or consumed by darkness, seeing is described, I think accurately, as a business beyond us. But here hopefully, Mark imparts, the one willing to be helped is helped. As Emily Dickinson once penned:

As Lightening to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind–

A wise old man with a most encouraging gleam of hope in his blind eyes once told me that though he had sat in church all of his life, it was well into his 46th year when Jesus became in his eyes one who is really loved. The truth dazzled gradually, until it was given its proper place.

What if in the task of seeing we are truly not alone? What if no eye has really seen, nor ear heard, nor mind conceived what God has prepared for those who would love him—Father, Son, and Spirit? Though partial sight is itself a gift, the God who comes near intends more. “Do you see anything?” The miracle may well come in stages.

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

(1) E.M. Forster, The Creator as Critic: And Other Writings by E.M. Forster, Jeffrey Heath, Ed., (Toronto: Dundurn Group, 2008), 364.

(2) See Mark 8:24.

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Seek the Lord

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Psalm 27:4-8

My life was radically influenced by the example of my grandfather, who wholeheartedly sought the Lord. I wanted the same kind of relationship that he had with God, and I knew the only way this would happen was if I, too, earnestly sought Him. All these years later, I can truthfully say that the most exciting aspect of my life is getting on my face before God in intimate fellowship.

This kind of relationship won’t happen accidentally. It requires a deliberate decision to reset your priorities in order to make room for the pursuit of God. Intimacy with Him is not something that can be achieved in an inspiring weekend conference, nor can it be accomplished by reading a chapter or two in the Bible and praying for ten minutes a day. Seeking God is a persevering lifetime commitment–day by day, decade by decade.

Too many believers are satisfied to have a shallow relationship with the Lord. They’ll seek answers to prayer or relief in times of suffering but are unwilling to sit quietly for an extended period of time just getting to know Him through prayer and His Word. Yet the most important pursuit in a believer’s life is building a relationship with God. To forfeit this great blessing is a tragedy.

God doesn’t need anything from you, but He desires your loving devotion and intimate fellowship. Is that what you want too? If so, are you willing to make the necessary commitment? Seeking the Lord cannot be hurried. It will cost you time and effort, but the rewards are worth any sacrifice.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning   “The glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams.” /

Isaiah 33:21

Broad rivers and streams produce fertility, and abundance in the land. Places

near broad rivers are remarkable for the variety of their plants and their

plentiful harvests. God is all this to his Church. Having God she has

abundance. What can she ask for that he will not give her? What want can she

mention which he will not supply? “In this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts

make unto all people a feast of fat things.” Want ye the bread of life? It

drops like manna from the sky. Want ye refreshing streams? The rock follows

you, and that Rock is Christ. If you suffer any want it is your own fault; if

you are straitened you are not straitened in him, but in your own bowels.

Broad rivers and streams also point to commerce. Our glorious Lord is to us a

place of heavenly merchandise. Through our Redeemer we have commerce with the

past; the wealth of Calvary, the treasures of the covenant, the riches of the

ancient days of election, the stores of eternity, all come to us down the

broad stream of our gracious Lord. We have commerce, too, with the future.

What galleys, laden to the water’s edge, come to us from the millennium! What

visions we have of the days of heaven upon earth! Through our glorious Lord we

have commerce with angels; communion with the bright spirits washed in blood,

who sing before the throne; nay, better still, we have fellowship with the

Infinite One. Broad rivers and streams are specially intended to set forth the

idea of security. Rivers were of old a defence. Oh! beloved, what a defence is

God to his Church! The devil cannot cross this broad river of God. How he

wishes he could turn the current, but fear not, for God abideth immutably the

same. Satan may worry, but he cannot destroy us; no galley with oars shall

invade our river, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

 

Evening   “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed

man.” / Proverbs 24:33-34

The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant

if they were accused of thorough idleness. A little folding of the hands to

sleep is all they crave, and they have a crowd of reasons to show that this

indulgence is a very proper one. Yet by these littles the day ebbs out, and

the time for labour is all gone, and the field is grown over with thorns. It

is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They have no

intention to delay for years–a few months will bring the more convenient

season–to-morrow if you will, they will attend to serious things; but the

present hour is so occupied and altogether so unsuitable, that they beg to be

excused. Like sands from an hour-glass, time passes, life is wasted by

driblets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers. Oh, to be wise, to

catch the flying hour, to use the moments on the wing! May the Lord teach us

this sacred wisdom, for otherwise a poverty of the worst sort awaits us,

eternal poverty which shall want even a drop of water, and beg for it in vain.

Like a traveller steadily pursuing his journey, poverty overtakes the

slothful, and ruin overthrows the undecided: each hour brings the dreaded

pursuer nearer; he pauses not by the way, for he is on his master’s business

and must not tarry. As an armed man enters with authority and power, so shall

want come to the idle, and death to the impenitent, and there will be no

escape. O that men were wise be-times, and would seek diligently unto the Lord

Jesus, or ere the solemn day shall dawn when it will be too late to plough and

to sow, too late to repent and believe. In harvest, it is vain to lament that

the seed time was neglected. As yet, faith and holy decision are timely. May

we obtain them this night.

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The Key to the Good Things in Life

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Ezra 8:22

The title of today’s devotion sounds like a self-help book that promises fame, wealth, and prestige if you’ll follow its ten easy steps. But God defines the good things in life quite differently, and they are achieved only by seeking Him. When we make Him the top priority in our lives, we can expect His blessings of:

An intimate love relationship. Those who earnestly seek God learn to know Him deeply and experience an amazing sense of oneness with Him. Then He’s no longer a distant deity but a close friend. As your commitment grows, you’ll experience a love that transcends any human relationship.

Satisfaction. The empty place in every heart can be filled only by the Lord. All earthly pursuits of pleasure or purpose fade in comparison to the satisfaction found in His presence.

Joy. When seeking the Lord is your priority, you’ll find a new joy that circumstances cannot steal, since it’s based in your relationship with Christ. Suffering and difficulties won’t devastate you, because you’ll trust Him and see the situation from His perspective.

God’s help. As today’s verse explains, the Lord’s hand of favor is upon those who seek Him. In fact, He delights in coming to their aid and providing for their needs.

Are these the kind of good things you’re experiencing, or have worldly values sidetracked you? Your thoughts reveal your true priorities. If you can go all day without thinking of the Lord, you’re not earnestly seeking Him. But when He’s the delight of your life, you won’t be able to forget Him.

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When Theology Becomes Doxology

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More than six hundred years ago, a young Italian laywoman sent into a dark world a quiet but reverberating voice. Catherine of Siena lived within a century marked by insecurity and fear, war and economic distress, terrorizing disease, and corruption within the Church. Yet, her short life was one marked by a passion for the truth, intense care for humanity, and a fervent life of prayer. Whether administering care at the bedsides of plague victims or writing letters to feuding church leaders, she emphatically declared in word and deed: “The way has been made. It is the doctrine of Christ crucified. Whoever walks along this way…reaches the most perfect light.”(1) Catherine prayed with a similar intensity: “O eternal God, I have nothing to give except what you have given me, so take my heart and squeeze it out over the face of the Bride.”(2) In the frailty of her own life, which was racked with great illness and sorrow, Catherine’s severe desire was that God would take her life as an offering, using her in whatever way to mend the brokenness she saw all around her.

Reading through a book of her collected prayers and letters recently, I was struck by a phrase the editor used to describe her. In Catherine’s prayers, the editor notes, “her theology becomes doxology.”(3) Namely, what Catherine professed to be true about God became in her prayers—and arguably in her life—an expression of praise to God. But shouldn’t all theology naturally lead us to doxology?

Throughout Christian story and verse we find lives touched by God’s goodness, moved by God’s mercy, transformed by God’s mighty presence. In these men and women, we find a profound correlation between profession and praise. This was certainly true of the young peasant girl who was used by God to bring into the world a child who would be named Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke we witness the thoughts of Mary erupt into song. She praises God for the things she knew to be true, for the promises that have touched her life, and the very character of the one to whom she sings:

My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty One has done great things for me–
holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm…

He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers (Luke 1:46-55).

Mary’s theology is intertwined in her doxology: God is a God who has acted in history and is present today. God is one who keeps promises and has indeed promised great things. Holy is his name.

When we come to know the God of heaven, when we see the Father’s character, when we glimpse the goodness of the Son or his merciful hand in our lives by the gift of the Spirit, there becomes within us a need to share it in word and deed. There becomes within us a need to praise God for all that we see and all that we know.

What do you know about God? What have you seen of the God’s character and known of God’s goodness? May this become your song. In your knowledge of God and in your knowing of Christ, may you find in word and deed, in prayer and song, your life a doxology to the truth of God’s holy name.

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

(1) Mary O’Driscoll, Ed., Catherine of Siena (New City Press: Hype Park, NY, 1993), 13.
(2) Ibid., 11.
(3) Ibid., ii.

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Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

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Morning “Fellowship with him.” / 1 John 1:6

When we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought into such complete

fellowship with him, that we were made one with him, and his interests and

ours became mutual and identical. We have fellowship with Christ in his love.

What he loves we love. He loves the saints–so do we. He loves sinners–so do

we. He loves the poor perishing race of man, and pants to see earth’s deserts

transformed into the garden of the Lord–so do we. We have fellowship with him

in his desires. He desires the glory of God–we also labour for the same. He

desires that the saints may be with him where he is–we desire to be with him

there too. He desires to drive out sin–behold we fight under his banner. He

desires that his Father’s name may be loved and adored by all his

creatures–we pray daily, “Let thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth,

even as it is in heaven.” We have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. We

are not nailed to the cross, nor do we die a cruel death, but when he is

reproached, we are reproached; and a very sweet thing it is to be blamed for

his sake, to be despised for following the Master, to have the world against

us. The disciple should not be above his Lord. In our measure we commune with

him in his labours, ministering to men by the word of truth and by deeds of

love. Our meat and our drink, like his, is to do the will of him who hath sent

us and to finish his work. We have also fellowship with Christ in his joys. We

are happy in his happiness, we rejoice in his exaltation. Have you ever tasted

that joy, believer? There is no purer or more thrilling delight to be known

this side heaven than that of having Christ’s joy fulfilled in us, that our

joy may be full. His glory awaits us to complete our fellowship, for his

Church shall sit with him upon his throne, as his well-beloved bride and

queen.

 

Evening “Get thee up into the high mountain.” / Isaiah 40:9

Each believer should be thirsting for God, for the living God, and longing to

climb the hill of the Lord, and see him face to face. We ought not to rest

content in the mists of the valley when the summit of Tabor awaits us. My soul

thirsteth to drink deep of the cup which is reserved for those who reach the

mountain’s brow, and bathe their brows in heaven. How pure are the dews of the

hills, how fresh is the mountain air, how rich the fare of the dwellers aloft,

whose windows look into the New Jerusalem! Many saints are content to live

like men in coal mines, who see not the sun; they eat dust like the serpent

when they might taste the ambrosial meat of angels; they are content to wear

the miner’s garb when they might put on king’s robes; tears mar their faces

when they might anoint them with celestial oil. Satisfied I am that many a

believer pines in a dungeon when he might walk on the palace roof, and view

the goodly land and Lebanon. Rouse thee, O believer, from thy low condition!

Cast away thy sloth, thy lethargy, thy coldness, or whatever interferes with

thy chaste and pure love to Christ, thy soul’s Husband. Make him the source,

the centre, and the circumference of all thy soul’s range of delight. What

enchants thee into such folly as to remain in a pit when thou mayst sit on a

throne? Live not in the lowlands of bondage now that mountain liberty is

conferred upon thee. Rest no longer satisfied with thy dwarfish attainments,

but press forward to things more sublime and heavenly. Aspire to a higher, a

nobler, a fuller life. Upward to heaven! Nearer to God!

“When wilt thou come unto me, Lord?

Oh come, my Lord most dear!

Come near, come nearer, nearer still,

I’m blest when thou art near.”

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It Is Good to Give Thanks to God

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Psalm 92:1-5

Have you ever wondered why the Bible repeatedly tells us to give thanks to the Lord? The main reason is because He deserves it. Everything you are and have comes from Him. He created you and is the One who keeps your heart beating. To claim your life as your own and to do as you please is the ultimate ingratitude. God created you to love Him and sacrificed enormously to deliver you from your sin and make you His child. Expressing thanksgiving to the Lord is a way of honoring Him by acknowledging all that He has done.

Most of us would probably have to admit that our prayers tend to be rather self-centered. We come with our list of requests, but how much time do we spend thanking God for what He has already accomplished? The psalmist advises us to begin each day by focusing on His lovingkindness as we look forward, trusting Him with all our concerns. Then in the evening, we should thank Him for His faithfulness and take note of all the ways He provided for our needs and guided our way.

Even if the day has brought pain or difficulty, we can still thank God for His presence as He carried us through, and for His promise to work everything out to our benefit (Rom. 8:28).

This week, take time to remember what the Lord has done for you, and express your thanks to Him. Be creative and think of all the ways you can show gratitude–then sing, praise, and joyfully worship Him. By keeping your focus on God, you can have an attitude of gratitude all day long.

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The Indignity of Giving Thanks

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The spirit of thanksgiving runs against the temptation we face as human beings to assert our self-sufficiency. Few of us enjoy the feeling of indebtedness; a fact easily demonstrated by our oft-unsolicited readiness to return a favor once someone has expressed kindness to us. I owe you one, I will return the favor, and I am in your debt are some of the ways in which we express this attitude. Such responses, together with the more modest one, please let me know what I can do for you, allow us to express gratitude without acknowledging the chronic shadow of dependence that so rudely dogs our entire threescore and ten.

Not only does this inability to express gratitude without our own autonomy stealing the show sometimes rob of us of the joy of affirming the contribution of others to our wellbeing, it also shrivels up our desire to worship God. An unexamined sense of self-sufficiency instills in us a subtle but false attitude of entitlement, thus making it difficult for us to accept the sense of vulnerability that is part of true gratitude. Ever since the tempter said to Adam and Eve in the Garden, “You will be like God,” human beings have never given up the temptation to either elevate ourselves to the level of God or pull God down to our level, so we can deal with God as equals. We are always looking for a chance to say to God, “I can take it from here.”

Such an attitude of entitlement, I believe, occupies a central role in the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17.  While all ten are healed by Jesus, only one of them returns to express gratitude. In his editorial comment, Luke informs us that the one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, and Jesus refers to him as a foreigner. Undoubtedly, this implies that the other nine were Jews. Could it be that the Jewish lepers felt entitled to the services of this Jewish prophet and their God? If God were to begin to right wrongs in the world, wouldn’t the most logical place to begin be among his own chosen people? Judging by Jesus’s expression of surprise in the passage, it seems the only words one would have expected from the mouths of the nine lepers would have been, “It’s about time!” Without a clear sense of how little we are entitled to, we cannot really come to terms with the need for gratitude—for an attitude of entitlement is an effective impediment to gratitude.

But everything we know about ourselves and our world speaks loudly against this tendency to self-sufficiency. As human babies, we all begin our lives at the highest level of dependence, and none of us really outgrows all degrees of dependence. We depend on parents, teachers, peers, coaches, and others to open doors for us in life. Even in places where commitment to personal autonomy is likely to produce more martyrs than religious conviction, dependence on others is still a living reality whose attempted concealment is gradually unveiled by the onset of old age. From the inventions that give us comfort in this world to the young soldiers who give their lives in the battlefields to protect our livelihoods, an unobstructed view of our lives reveals the fact that we all owe debts that we can never repay. We will never begin to worship God until we recognize that we are bankrupt debtors, for an attitude of gratitude is an indispensable impetus to worship.

Like skilled gourmet chefs spicing up their delicacies, Scripture writers sprinkle their words with admonitions and exaltations regarding gratitude, frequently tying it together with worship. For example, in the midst of a dark catalogue of humanity’s journey away from God, the apostle Paul lays the blame on our unwillingness to glorify God or give thanks to God. Similarly, the author of Hebrews grounds our worship of God in gratitude. He writes, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). It is impossible to worship God without gratitude, and it is impossible to be grateful while clinging to self-sufficiency and entitlement at the same time. Yes, there is some vulnerability in gratitude sincerely expressed, but that is because we are relational beings whose deepest needs can only be met in partnership with others and ultimately with God. While an attitude of entitlement is an impediment to gratitude, an attitude of gratitude is an indispensable impetus to worship. Show me a person whose life is characterized by gratitude, and I will show you a person whose soul is poised to worship God.

J.M. Njoroge is a member of the speaking team at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.