Zechariah 5:1–11

In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer explored the distinction between “cheap” and “costly” grace. Cheap grace requires no real contrition or repentance. It says that people will be forgiven regardless of their desire to be delivered from sin. Costly grace, on the other hand, “is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.” Such grace cost God the life of His own Son.

Bonhoeffer didn’t want people to simply believe in Christ; he wanted them to follow Him. And this is always what God has intended for His people—not just mental assent to the right doctrines but rather faith expressed as obedient love. As a primary Old Testament example, in Deuteronomy 28 and 29, God’s people are poised to enter the Promised Land after 40 years of wilderness wandering. God tells them to follow Him. He would bless their obedience and curse their sin.

In the first part of today’s reading, we see two specific sins that God will judge and even curse: stealing and swearing falsely (vv. 3–4). Stealing is condemned by the eighth of the Ten Commandments (You shall not steal), and swearing falsely is prohibited by the third of the Ten Commandments (You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God). Each of these commandments reveals the two vital aspects of God’s Law: maintaining a right relationship with God and maintaining a right relationship with our neighbor (see Exodus 20).

Now that Israel had returned home, they were to renew their pledge of obedience to God’s Law. God’s grace is free, but it must not be taken for granted. As a sign of God’s blessing, wickedness, as represented by the woman in the basket, will be removed to the land of Shinar, which is Babylon (vv. 5–11).

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We cheapen grace when we do not take seriously God’s commands to obey Him. We cheapen grace when we persist in sin and think that God’s love excuses our rebellion. If you have been guilty of this, repent. Thank God for His costly grace, which accepts our repentance and offers us forgiveness through the death and resurrection of His Son.

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Zechariah 3:1–4:14

Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he was standing in grove of trees in western New York State when God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. From this vision, Smith taught that God the Father had a physical body and that the Mormon religion was the only path to salvation.

What are we to make of someone’s claim to have received a vision from God? One important test is if such a vision is consistent with the divinely revealed truth of the Bible. Joseph Smith’s vision was not, but the prophet Zechariah’s visions are consistent with the revelation given by God. In the Minor Prophets, sometimes these visions foretold catastrophic judgment; at other times (as in Zechariah), these visions illustrated a future redemption.

The first of Zechariah’s visions is a man among myrtle trees: God will return to Jerusalem and dwell with His people (1:8–17). The second describes four horns and four craftsmen: God will punish those responsible for Israel’s exile (1:18–21). The third depicts a man with a measuring line: Jerusalem will be restored (2:1–13). The fourth describes the new priestly vestments given to Joshua, the high priest: God will forgive sin (3:1–10). The fifth envisions a golden lampstand and two olive trees: God will restore Joshua and Zerubbabel to their respective positions, and temple construction will be completed (4:1–14).

One of the symbols from Zechariah’s vision—the clean garments offered to Joshua as proof of his spiritual redemption—has a long history throughout Scripture, including in the story of Joseph (Genesis 37:3, 23); in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:22), and in the story of Jesus Christ (John 13:4).

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All our righteous acts, done apart from God, are like filthy rags (see Isa. 64:6). But when we trust in Jesus, we are given His robe of righteousness. Let this be your prayer of praise today: “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness” (Isa. 61:10).

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Amos 5:6–24

On August 28, 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed more than 250,000 people from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. “I have a dream,” he intoned, calling on the crowd to imagine an America where racial injustice no longer oppressed people. Part of his text that day was taken from Amos 5:24: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” Indeed, the Reverend King and many proponents of civil rights legislation at the time used the Bible to support their campaign for racial justice.

Some mistakenly believe that the Bible is simply a book with rules to govern our Sunday affairs and that the rest of the week is ours to do with as we please. But to follow Christ does not permit us to divide between the religious and the secular—between Sunday and the six days that follow. Every minute of our lives belongs to God, and pleasing Him is more than a matter of performing religious duties. In fact, Amos makes clear that in the midst of her oppression of the poor, even her idolatrous worship practices, Israel maintained the façade of religious observance. She was observing the proper feast days, convening regularly for worship and its sacrificial rituals. She sang enthusiastic praise songs to God, played musical instruments with zeal. But none of this pleased God: He longed for the practice of justice instead.

We have a picture in our reading today of what true repentance is and is not. Repentance is not just adding extra Bible reading and prayer to our day. Repentance is not just committing to more regular church attendance. These spiritual disciplines are important, but God also wants us to seek justice in the world: protection for the poor, freedom for the oppressed, help for the marginalized.

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Repentance is a turning to the Lord, but it also involves a turning from sin. In Matthew 19:16–22, the rich young man was asked to turn from his love of money and turn toward God; his unwillingness to do the former prevented him from doing the latter. To turn toward God, what must you turn from?

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Amos 3:12–4:13

In August 2017, millions of Americans traveled to see a total solar eclipse. With sophisticated astronomical calculations, scientists could predict exactly where and when to see this celestial phenomenon. But in the pre-scientific era, people told stories to make sense of the sky’s blackness. Societies who worshiped the sun, such as the Egyptians and the Greeks, spun tales of dragons and demons who were trying to devour their god. To scare off these malevolent figures, ancient peoples tried making loud noises, ringing bells, or banging pots and pans.

Whether good or bad fortune, ancient peoples attributed divine causes to everyday events. Moderns, on the other hand, tend to view such explanations as primitive. But what are we to make of today’s key verse? Doesn’t it insist upon God’s sovereignty, even in geopolitical events? And doesn’t Paul’s theology in the opening chapter of Ephesians—that God “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”—suggest we should see God’s agency in everything (Eph. 1:11)?

According to the book of Job, we would be wrong to see every misfortune as divine punishment. But the prophet Amos says that the disaster Israel faced was God’s work (3:7). This punishment took the forms of natural disaster (hunger, drought, pestilence) and human violence (war), and Amos is clear to say that these misfortunes come from God’s hand and are intended to return God’s people to Him (see 5:4).

God’s people had not only failed to love Him, they had also failed to love their neighbor. Today, we have further details about that negligence. They were materially prosperous—and actively oppressed the poor. They lived in luxury—and crushed the needy.

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The “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). What local organizations help the needy in your community? How can you and your church participate in the work of justice on their behalf?

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Hosea 14:1–9

For over two years from 2008 to 2010, the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team never lost a game. Their winning streak included two national titles and 90 consecutive victories, which passed the previous NCAA Division I basketball record of 88 victories, held by John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins in the 1970s.

Fans expect the UConn women’s basketball team to win. And as readers of Scripture, we reasonably expect that God will win. But in the book of Hosea, Israel is depicted as an unfaithful bride to her husband. And we never have the sense in the Minor Prophets that sin doesn’t matter to God. The Lord does not tolerate an open marriage, and His people will face consequences because of their sin. What would a victory for the Lord look like?

“Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” These rhetorical questions, posed by God in Hosea 13:14, indicate His intent to judge Israel’s sin. It’s as if God calls on death itself to punish His people for their sins. He is a lion, a leopard, a bear robbed of her cubs (13:7–8). What hope can Israel have for salvation and rescue?

Yet even though Israel will suffer exile for her sin, the book doesn’t end on a minor chord of doom. Because Israel cannot return to God, as she has been called to do, God chooses to turn to her. He will heal her stubbornness and waywardness. This promise of hope doesn’t end with the story of Israel; it looks forward to the work of Jesus Christ, whose death defeats the penalty and the power of sin and whose indwelling Spirit writes God’s laws on our heart, giving us the capacity to obey. God’s victory is the triumph of His love for His people.

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In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul quotes our key verse from Hosea. One scholar says, “Paul turns a text about judgment into one declaring salvation.” Death’s victory and sting are destroyed by the death and resurrection of Jesus! Hosea anticipates God’s love expressed at the cross—where His righteous judgment, mercy, and love defeats our sin.

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Hosea 4:1–6; 6:1–11

When U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his post in Afghanistan, he claimed that he wanted to report on misconduct in his unit. Instead, he was captured by the Taliban and tortured for five years. When he was finally released and eventually tried for desertion, the judge in his court-martial sentenced him to a dishonorable discharge, reduction of rank, and a monetary fine in lieu of prison time.

All of us are familiar with courtroom language: prosecution and defense, judge and jury, trial and testimony. At this point in our study of Hosea, the book shifts from the biographical context of Hosea and Gomer to the judicial setting: God brings a case against His people. His accusation against them isn’t that they’ve simply abandoned their religious duties. They’ve also sinned against one another by acting in violent, treacherous ways.

The failure to love neighbor is always a failure to love God—and vice versa. Abandoning “faithfulness” and “love” and “acknowledgement of God” (4:1) will necessarily lead to the crimes against humanity we see throughout Hosea and indeed all the Minor Prophets.

God issues a pronounced condemnation on the leaders of His people—the priests and prophets. It had been their responsibility to teach the knowledge of God, their obligation to speak the words of the Lord. But they had failed in these tasks, and as a result, the people had failed to uphold their covenant obligations.

The people of Israel could have resigned themselves to their fate of divine judgment. They had made their bed, and they must lie in it. But Hosea speaks words of hope: return to the Lord! His mercy, like spring rain, can be counted on (6:1–3).

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We easily become discouraged when we fall into patterns of sin. I’ll never change. There’s no hope. I’m condemned to fail. These messages keep us far from God, never daring to believe He can forgive us or change us. But Hosea, along with all the Minor Prophets, assures us that God’s mercy is available to us if we “acknowledge the LORD” (6:3).

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Hosea 2:14–3:5

On the morning of September 11, 2001, two commercial passenger planes flew into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center. Both erupted into balls of flames upon impact, causing the towers to collapse and resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. In the last several years, a memorial has opened to mark the national tragedy and remember the lives of the many who died. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is an attempt to reclaim the site for memory and hope rather than ignorance and despair.

Much like Ground Zero was a site of national devastation, the Valley of Achor also symbolized a dark day in Israel’s history (see Joshua 7:25, 26). After the euphoric victory at Jericho, Israel’s troops faced unexpected defeat at Ai. When Joshua asked God why He had abandoned His people, God answered that there was sin in the camp. Though Israel had been warned against taking any spoils of victory in Jericho, someone had disobeyed this prohibition. Achan was eventually singled out and confessed to having stolen and hidden a cloak, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold. As punishment for his sin, the people of Israel took Achan, his family, and his livestock and stoned them in the Valley of Achor.

Achor had been the site of divine judgment early in Israel’s history, but now God was announcing, through Hosea, that Achor would become a door of hope. This is the kind of reversal we commonly find in Hosea and in the rest of the Minor Prophets: judgment becomes mercy. God does bring judgment on His people, exiling them from the land that had been theirs by divine promise. Exile is not the end of the story, however, and God promises to return them to the land and to restore their fortunes.

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Only by God’s initiative are His people restored to Him. He speaks tenderly to His bride; He removes the names of her lovers from her lips; He makes a new covenant with His people; He betroths her to Himself. God’s grace doesn’t just save us; it also sanctifies us. By His persistent love—and not our self-discipline—we become His faithful bride.

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Isaiah 62:1–12

In the documentary series Dispatches from the Front, director Tim Keesee tells the story of David, a gospel worker in the Southeastern European nation of Albania. Though the challenges for missions in Albania are immense, David persists with a simple approach: “Pray. Meet people. Tell them about Jesus.” And, little by little, people are coming to Christ and churches are being established.

The church today might appear to be faltering. Many pews are empty, younger members seem to be scattering, and enthusiasm is dwindling. From local communities to foreign countries, people barely acknowledge that the church exists, even if they drive past a building. Evangelistic outreach seems to bear no fruit at all. Baptisms of new converts are unusual. We can understand Isaiah’s descriptions: deserted, desolate, plundered by her enemies (vv. 4, 8).

This may be the church’s momentary condition. But it is not our promised future. At the end of time, God’s people will have glory, splendor, and praise (vv. 2, 3, 7). When people speak out—refusing to be silent—about the gospel, God will vindicate their message and make it winsome to its hearers. When people pray—persisting in their petitions to God—God will answer by ensuring that His people receive “the praise of the earth” (v. 7). When God’s people do diligent kingdom work, God promises to reward the Son with a redeemed people (vv. 11–12).

Through the simple work of prayer, meeting people, and telling them about Jesus, God promises to build up those who follow Him. The image that Jesus gives us is encouragement indeed: “The good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it” (Luke 16:16). As we press on, people will press in.

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God has in the past poured out a spirit of revival in which many people have come to saving faith. Reading the historical accounts of these great spiritual revivals can encourage our hearts today, and one excellent resource is the book A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir by Collin Hansen and John D. Woodbridge.

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Isaiah 53:1–12

The ubiquitous to-do lists on our desks and kitchen counters give us concrete goals for the day’s work. In fact, making a detailed to-do list may actually cause us to be more productive. According to a study from Wake Forest University, “When participants were allowed to make and note down concrete plans . . . [their] performance on the next task substantially improved.”

Of course, we are seldom able to finish everything on our list for the day, but Jesus Christ always accomplishes exactly what He intends to do, as today’s passage shows us. Isaiah begins this “servant song” with an acknowledgment that the gospel does not always appear to have much success in people’s hearts. “Who has believed our message?” (v. 1) is the poignant cry of a prophet-evangelist who longs to see evidence of faith in many hearts but sees only indifference.

To Isaiah’s hearers, and also to many who hear our message, Christ Himself appears unworthy of attention. He was not outwardly beautiful or powerful. He came from an unknown woman and an out-of-the-way town (see John 1:46). During His life on earth, He received few accolades and plenty of criticism. He died the death of a criminal.

This is one perspective. But, reorienting our view for a moment, Isaiah shows us what the death of the Nazarene carpenter looks like from the throne of God. Jesus, who looks so unremarkable, is seen from heaven as the substitutionary Lamb, the One whose death gives life to many. And His death accomplishes exactly what He intended. Christ died by the will of the triune Lord (v. 10), and His death and resurrection bring many to salvation. As He looks at His finished work on the cross, Jesus is satisfied (v. 11).

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Even when you feel like your efforts in evangelism are incomplete, even when you know there is so much more that you could do to share God’s love, remember that Christ always accomplishes His task! Thank the Lord today that the to-do list is ultimately His, and He will be faithful to complete His good work.

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2 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5

In a business-school paper, researchers demonstrated that people value products more when they participate in their construction. Titled “The ‘IKEA Effect’: When Labor Leads to Love,” the paper studied the satisfaction reported by people who purchased from the Swedish retailer IKEA, which sells inexpensive furniture and household items that buyers must assemble.

Over the next few days, we will look at ways that we actively participate in evangelism. And, like the proud owners of a new waxed-wood coffee table, we will hopefully value evangelism more because of our labor.

In today’s passage, Paul first reminds the Thessalonian believers of their own salvation so that they will be encouraged to pray for the salvation of others (vv. 13–14). We know from personal experience the power of God at work for our salvation. We know that apart from His Spirit and the truth of the gospel, we would still be lost (v. 13). And this moves us to pray.

Our prayers are weapons in a spiritual war, which God uses to accomplish both judgment and salvation (see Eph. 6:10–20; Rev. 8:3–5; 2 Cor. 1:11). In response to the prayers of His people, God sends out gospel laborers into His abundant harvest field (Matt. 9:37–38). We pray, then, for our own evangelistic efforts, asking God to work in the hearts of our unbelieving friends and neighbors. And we pray for the evangelistic efforts of the whole church. We participate in the proclamation of the gospel throughout the whole world when we pray.

The prayer of every evangelist is an act of dependence on God. We know that one person may plant the seed and another may faithfully sprinkle the water, but God is the one who makes the tree of faith grow (see 1 Cor. 3:6–7).

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Set aside time to pray for boldness as you speak to friends and neighbors, and also for the work of pastors and missionaries as they proclaim the gospel throughout the world. Thank the Lord that He allows us to participate in evangelism through our prayers, and praise Him for His faithfulness to hear our prayers and to call people to eternal life.

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1 Peter 3:8–16

In a 2012 conference address, author Albert Mohler said, “We shouldn’t expect that the gospel will have credibility if we don’t look like gospel people.” As important as our spoken message is—and it is essential—we must also testify about Christ with our entire lives.

Christians ought to be beacons of holiness in the world. Our coworkers, friends, and neighbors may be quick to take revenge, practice deceit, and stir up arguments. But those who belong to Christ should be loving, compassionate, and humble (v. 8). In our quest for peace, we ought to be quick to return blessings to even those who hurt us (vv. 9, 11).

The ultimate goal of our holiness is God’s glory. Theologians use the Latin term coram Deo, “before God’s face,” to describe a life lived in every detail for God. We ought not to live a certain way just because people might be looking at us (see Eph. 6:5–8). We pursue holiness because God has called us to it, and He is pleased when we seek to follow the example of Jesus. This is why we can commit to obeying God even when it may bring persecution (vv. 14, 16).

Holy conduct often leads to opportunities for evangelism (v. 15). Our culture is warped and confused in its thinking, but a life lived according to God’s instruction shines like a beacon pointing toward salvation (see Phil. 2:15–16). Were it not for the work of God in us, we would act just like our neighbors, and the change in our conduct may even startle our neighbors into asking us about our God (v. 15; see 1 Cor. 6:9–11).

When we pursue lives of holiness, we testify to God’s transforming power. If He could change us, He can surely change anyone.

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Our lives show the truth of the gospel we proclaim. Does your life “shine” (Phil. 2:15) for God’s glory to encourage others to follow Him? Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart to reveal any area that may need His correction. And give Him thanks that our holy lives are only possible through His strength, not our own efforts.

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Mark 10:17–31

One useful technological development in recent years is the Global Positioning System, or GPS. Drivers who are directionally challenged can tell their smartphones where they would like to go, and GPS will identify their current location, orient them in the correct direction, and guide them to their goal.

The man in today’s passage was in need of direction. He came to Jesus with a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 17), and Jesus’ kind answer reoriented him. The man was mainly interested in himself—how he had kept the law in the past and how he could be assured of an eternal reward in the future. But instead of giving him directions to heaven, Jesus had compassion on him and showed him that his greater need was to know and serve God.

At first glance, it might seem strange that Jesus evangelized by using the Ten Commandments. He certainly wasn’t saying that the man could earn his salvation by keeping the Law! Rather, the Law should have caused the man to confront God’s holiness and his own shortcomings. As the Puritan Thomas Watson said, “Until sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”

Furthermore, the Law showed the man that following Christ was not simply a quick road to heavenly bliss. The Christian life requires each of us to deny self and take up our cross (see Matt. 16:24). And it is when we give up our own interests that we receive God’s gracious repayment (vv. 29–31).

Jesus’ conversation provides a model for our own evangelism. We too can have compassion, apply God’s Word to their hearts, cause them to count the cost of discipleship, and hold out the promise of heavenly treasure and a new life following Him.

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If we are intent on evangelizing like Jesus did, we must grow in our own knowledge of God and His Word. As you study Scripture, consider how each passage shows you God’s holy and gracious character. Thank God for revealing Himself in the Bible, and be ready to bring those precious truths into your conversations with unbelievers.

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Romans 6:1–14

In the 1950s, believers in the Wolaitta district of Ethiopia adopted a saying to describe their conversion. “With two hands,” they would say. “With this hand I renounce the devil and all his works! With this hand I surrender to Jesus Christ! All I am and all I have.”

We come today to the final part of our evangelistic message. We have shared with our friends and neighbors the solemn truth of their sinful condition. We have unveiled the hope of salvation in the two-word plot twist: “But God.” We have called them to respond to this joyful announcement with repentance and faith. Now, we invite them to new life in Christ.

This new life requires “two hands,” as the Ethiopian Christians understood. First, our relationship to sin is fundamentally changed. Because we have a new identity in Christ and are united to Him in His death and resurrection, sin is no longer the inevitable habit of our lives. As Christians, we no longer have to say “yes, sir” to Satan and call him our master (vv. 6, 14). Sin has no power over those who have been set free in Christ. Of course, even Christians sin. But if we sin, “we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). We turn to Him in repentance, assured of His loving forgiveness.

At the same time that we renounce sin, we also offer ourselves to God. This is not a partial offering of only some aspects of our lives. Today’s passage commands us to “offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness” (v. 13). Our new life in Christ is one of willing obedience to His commands and eager expectation for that day when “we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2).

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An important part of our message is the new life that God gives to those who trust in Christ. Through Him, everyone who believes is released from slavery to sin, set free to righteousness, brought into relationship with the triune God, and promised a future day of being made perfect in holiness. What a privilege to share this news!

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Romans 1:1–7

In recent years the “gig economy” or “sharing economy” has become so prevalent that, according to Pew research, 72 percent of American adults have used one of its sharing or on-demand services. Every day, companies like Uber, Thumbtack, and TaskRabbit match available workers with jobs.

As an apostle, Paul had been given a very specific task by God. Earlier in Paul’s life, he had dedicated himself to persecuting the church. He used his energy to stop the spread of the good news of Christ.

But from the moment of his conversion on the Damascus road, Paul’s life took an entirely different direction (see Acts 9:1–19). From that day, he was “set apart for the gospel of God” (v. 1) to “call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith” (v. 5). No longer would he squelch the gospel and stomp on the church. Instead, he would lead the church to proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ to all nations.

The people to whom Paul wrote also had a calling. The church at Rome was made up of individuals who each, like Paul, belonged to Jesus Christ. They had been used in a variety of ways in the church, but they shared a common faith (see Rom. 16:1–16). Together with the Apostles, they could trace the promises of the Messiah throughout the Old Testament until His appearing (v. 2). They knew firsthand the love of God, and they worshiped Christ as Lord (vv. 4, 7). And as we see in Romans 1:8, their obvious and active faith had far-reaching, evangelistic effects.

Marked by the preaching of the gospel and the exercise of our faith, the church today receives its job from the Lord: “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known” (Eph. 3:10).

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The important task of proclaiming the love of God in Christ to the world has been given to the church. As part of the church, each Christian joins this work by prayer, financial support, a life of godliness, and active participation in the ministry. How is your local church taking up the task of evangelism? How are you participating?

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Ephesians 6:10–12

The Great Wall of Gorgan is one of the most impressive structures ever built. Constructed 1,500 years ago to protect the Persian Empire from enemy raiding parties, it stretches for more than 120 miles in northwestern Iran. Recent excavations have revealed the quality and careful engineering that went into it. At any given time, about 20,000 soldiers would have been stationed along the wall to protect the border.

A strong defense is an important dimension of spiritual warfare. “Finally,” Paul wrote, “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (v. 10). Having discussed God’s purposes and plans in salvation, and having urged the Ephesians to live worthy of the gospel and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, he now moved to close his epistle with an exhortation regarding spiritual warfare.

Christ has finished His work of redemption and is seated at God’s right hand, far above all other spiritual powers. Yet at the same time, the battle rages on in the history of the church and in our own lives. We shouldn’t try to fight in our own strength but instead rely on God’s “mighty power” given to us in His “full armor” (v. 11).

Spiritual warfare consists of standing against the devil’s schemes. Satan is the enemy or adversary of God and the gospel, so by definition any plan or intention he has is wicked. He and his fallen angels, all the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,” take every opportunity to try and undercut God’s work in the world (v. 12).

We shouldn’t view other people as the enemy. They are made in God’s image and loved by Him. Instead, our real enemy and the real battle are spiritual (see 3:10–11).

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The literary genre of fantasy is one way Christian writers have explored what spiritual warfare might look or feel like. Three insightful novels that take spiritual realities seriously are That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis, War in Heaven by Charles Williams, and The Alpine Tales (actually four books) by Paul J. Willis.

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Ephesians 3:7–13

Isabella Thoburn was a pioneering missionary to India from 1870 until her death from cholera in 1901. She shared the gospel, opened a school for girls, and started a Hindi-language newspaper called Women’s Friend—all in a society in which women were powerless and unvalued.

Isabella Thoburn shared Paul’s passion to serve and proclaim the gospel. This was the cause to which he had given his life, yet at the same time his ministry, like salvation itself, was a gift of God’s grace (v. 7). He didn’t assert any kind of superiority or even intrinsic worthiness. He wasn’t looking for personal fame or influence. He didn’t think God was lucky that Paul had joined His team. Instead, he understood the tremendous privilege and responsibility he had been given as the apostle to the Gentiles (vv. 8–9). The message of God’s grace is the most important one ever preached! Even so, the focal point was not himself as messenger but rather God’s plan of salvation, the good news of the gospel, the “boundless riches of Christ.”

The revelation of the mystery of God’s plan is intended not only for people but also for Satan and his fallen angels (vv. 10–11). The Lord’s sovereignty includes not only what happens but also who, when, and why. To at last perceive the incredible wisdom and power of God’s plan, and the absolute superiority of the Son (1:20–21), must have been a severe blow to the rebel spirits. And notice how they recognize this truth: “through the church” (v. 10).

In our everyday personal spiritual lives, these cosmic truths mean that we can “approach God with freedom and confidence” (v. 12). Jesus has opened the way to the throne of grace (see Heb. 4:14–16). Suffering for Him should not make us discouraged but give us hope in which to glory (v. 13).

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Do you think God can’t save you? That you’ve said too much, done too much, been His enemy for too long? Then your view of His love and forgiveness is far too small! Paul himself started out a rabid anti-Christian. He pursued the early Christians in order to imprison and persecute them. If God can save a person like that, He can save you!

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Acts 1:1–8; 2:1–11

The Christmas season is celebrated with gifts. Millions of families across the globe will gather to open packages big and small. Children love to peek into their stockings or rip the wrapping paper to discover what new toy or treasure or candy might lie inside.

The greatest gift any of us has been given is God-in-flesh, Jesus, who came to reconcile us to Himself. Christians celebrate that today. And Jesus also told His disciples to wait for another gift, the one “my Father promised” (1:4). Although previously they had been baptized with water, “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (1:5).

This would be the fulfillment of Christ’s promise given in yesterday’s reading. Notice that Jesus said they would receive this gift in order to bless others: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). The coming of the Spirit would not only bring Christ’s comfort and presence; the Spirit was also meant to empower the disciples for witness and mission in the world.

As the disciples gathered together, the Spirit descended on them in a miraculous way, with the result that “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (2:4). This was no private spiritual experience, but the ability to communicate the gospel to people who had gathered in Jerusalem from across the globe. Just look at the list of people groups in verses 9 through 11!

God’s gift to the world was Christ. After Christ’s ascension, He enabled His people, through the presence of His Spirit, to take the gospel to the world. The gift of God should lead to mission.

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Take time today to take stock of the gifts you have been given—not just those you unwrapped this Christmas but also the many gifts and blessings you have received from the Lord. Be sure to praise the One who gives the greatest gifts (see James 1:17). Ask the Lord to help you use His gifts to you in a way that serves others and brings Him glory.

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John 14:25–27; 16:7–14

In today’s technological age, family members can now easily stay in touch with each other even when they are separated by thousands of miles. Through WhatsApp, Skype, iMessage, and more, distance no longer needs to keep people from talking and seeing one another.

When Jesus announced to His disciples that He would be departing from Earth, He offered something far better than a video chat to stay in touch. His bodily presence would be replaced with the coming of “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit” (14:26). The name itself, Advocate, means “one who comes alongside.” With Christ’s departure, we now have one who remains with us. Our hearts should not be troubled, for Jesus has left us His peace (14:27).

The Holy Spirit brings us more than merely a sense of comfort and security. Jesus promised that He would “teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (14:26). The Spirit’s presence in the world opens our eyes to the truth of sin, the reality of Christ’s identity, and the assurance of a coming judgment in the world. In short, the Spirit makes it possible for us to know the truth (16:13). Far from God being absent, the Spirit is continually at work, making the gospel known in our own hearts and around the world.

As Jesus prepared to depart, He promised His presence in a new way. The Holy Spirit does not bring a different truth but the very same truth that belongs to the Father and the Son. As Christ said, “It is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine” (16:14–15). Thanks be to God, we are not left as orphans in the world.

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During the holidays, many people struggle with depression and loneliness. Are there those in your church or neighborhood who might be alone—perhaps international students or the elderly? Invite them to share in your holiday celebrations. Sharing the gift of presence with them reflects God’s promise of presence with us through the Holy Spirit.

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