By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:35

Recommended Reading

Luke 10:25-37

When the pictures, problems, and questions of hundreds of people scroll across our social media accounts, it is difficult to discern when and where to lend a hand. The man questioning Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” was hoping for a boundary that would allow him to write off a group of people as undeserving of his love. As Christians who have experienced the generosity of God, the story of the Good Samaritan invites us to ask Him, “Who are You calling me to love?”

Instead of feeling inadequate or scared that God may call us to a grandiose gesture on behalf of a stranger, we can confidently await His guidance. Small acts of kindness build momentum in our own lives and in the lives of those we serve. A mustard seed becomes a towering tree. As we practice giving and receiving, our capacity for both expands. Although our gifts and impact may seem small, God delights in expanding them. Just as Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves after asking the disciples to feed the hungry crowd, He will provide all you need to do what He calls you to.

Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did.

1. S. Lewis

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Matthew 7 – 9

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23:3b

Recommended Reading

Psalm 19:7-11

Aleister Crowley was an early-twentieth-century British artist, novelist, and occultist. He founded a religion he called Thelema and saw himself as a prophet who would guide humanity into an age of self-realization. The Beatles were fans—Crowley was one of those appearing on the cover of the famous “Sgt. Pepper’s” album cover. Supposedly, the guiding rule of his religion was, “’Do what thou wilt’ shall be the whole of the Law.” Many people trace one of the guiding maxims of the 1960s—“If it feels good, do it”—back to Crowley.

“The Sixties” took that principle to heart and many today still do. How often do we hear people explain a decision by saying, “It just felt right”? But is “feeling good” enough of a guiding principle for life? Think about your own feelings: Today you feel good and tomorrow you don’t. The decision you make today, you wouldn’t make tomorrow. We need something more permanent, consistent, and dependable as a guiding principle for life. The psalmist trusted in God’s guidance (Psalm 23:3b) and in God’s Word (Psalm 19:7-11).

Don’t get caught up in the religion of “anything goes.” Establish your life on the guiding principles of God and His Word.

Men give advice; God gives guidance.

Leonard Ravenhill

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Matthew 5 – 6

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

Psalm 77:11

Recommended Reading

Joshua 4

Although the tools for capturing memories have increased, we are just as forgetful as the Israelites when it comes to God’s goodness. When the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River with Joshua, they were commanded to pick up rocks from the river bed to create a monument of remembrance. The rocks were a symbol and a tangible reminder of God’s deliverance, power, and compassion.

While we may not hear a voice from heaven commanding us to gather rocks, Scripture urges us to remember the work of God in our lives. We have cameras, journals, and computers at our disposal, and yes, even rocks. When we keep tangible reminders of God’s goodness, we are strengthened to trust God with today and the future. Just as crossing the Jordan was not the final challenge the Israelites faced, we will continue to be faced with difficulty throughout our lives. Instead of being surprised by it, we can gaze at our rocks of remembrance and have confidence that the God who helped us then is the same God of today. He never changes and He delights in strengthening and delivering His people.

Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.

John R. Stott

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Zechariah 11 – 14

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

Deuteronomy 32:10

Recommended Reading

Deuteronomy 32:7-12

Earlier this year, a television crew from Animal Planet was filming a scene on a deserted island in the South Pacific. Suddenly the crew spotted a man yelling and waving his arms. He was a genuine castaway, a stranded fisherman, suffering dehydration and sunstroke. The man had given up hope, said his prayers, and was prepared to die. The crew rescued him—and made a television program about the adventure.

None of us like to be cast into a desert place in life, but the Lord knows how to rescue us. He finds us where we are. He encircles us. He instructs us, and He keeps us as the apple of His eye.

If you’re in a desert place, don’t give up your hope. Desert places can become places of deliverance, and God can even turn spiritual deserts into times of refreshment. Isaiah 35 says, “…the desert shall rejoice and blossom… for waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (verses 1, 6).

Jesus often meets us in the desert places of life.

If He be the Source of our mercies they can never fail us. No heat, no drought can parch that river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God.

Mrs. Lettie B. Cowman

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Zechariah 6 – 10

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

Psalm 30:4

Recommended Reading

Psalm 30

Before coming to Christ, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, traveled from England to Georgia as a missionary, but the experience was a failure. As he returned home in frustration, his ship ran headlong into a terrible storm. Wesley was terrified, but he couldn’t help noticing a group of German Christians aboard the ship. They trusted God so completely they held a worship service in the storm. In the middle of their singing, a wave rose over the vessel and bore down like Niagara. But the Christians didn’t miss a note. Wesley realized the German believers had something he didn’t have; and through their influence, he shortly afterward trusted Christ completely and felt his heart “strangely warmed.”

Trusting Christ enables us to sing in the storm. Our Lord gives songs in the night, and He teaches us to sing songs of deliverance as we wait on Him. An old hymn says “Singing I go along life’s road, praising the Lord, praising the Lord.” Others, noticing the melody of our lives, will be drawn to Christ.

Today sing a song of deliverance. Sing a song of praise.

To God—the Father, Son, and Spirit—One in Three, / Be glory; as it was, is now, and shall forever be.

John Wesley, in his hymn “We Lift Our Hearts to Thee”

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Zechariah 1 – 5

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:18

Recommended Reading

Titus 2:11-14

Worry and discomfort can create a downward cycle of emotions. You receive some bad news—the death of a loved one, perhaps. In your discouraged state you find yourself unable to respond to additional troubling events, weakening you further. And the downward cycle continues until hope and relief is interjected by yourself or another.

The apostle Paul found the Thessalonian Christians in a troubled state of mind. They were deeply worried about never seeing their loved ones who had died before Christ’s return. And they were afraid that Christ had already returned and they had missed His appearing. Paul wrote to them words with which they could comfort one another. The subject of His words? The Rapture of the Church—the appearing of Christ in the heavens to gather His followers to Himself just prior to the seven-year Tribulation on earth. Taking the sting out of death would go a long way toward relieving any other earthly trouble.

Are you troubled? Don’t let the downward cycle begin. Comfort yourself with the truth of the any-moment appearing of Christ to gather you to Himself and take you to heaven. That blessed truth is enough to overcome any earthly travail.

Let thy hope of heaven master thy fear of death.

William Gurnall

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Zephaniah 1 – 3

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach….1 Timothy 3:2

Years ago, a ministerial student approached Dr. H. Edwin Young, and asked about the role of a pastor. “What does a pastor do?” asked the student. Dr. Young wisely answered, “It’s not what I do that counts. It’s who I am. Being always comes before doing.” Pastor Young then talked about the personal traits and character qualities necessary for those who walk with and work for the Lord.

Recommended Reading: 1 Timothy 3:1-7

That’s the way Paul approached the role of bishops and deacons in 1 Timothy 3. He had little to say about what they were to do. Instead he devoted his teaching to the personal qualities that should characterize their lives—morally blameless, faithful in family matters, temperate, mature, and well behaved.

Perhaps God hasn’t called you to be a deacon, bishop, or pastor; but the lesson applies to all of us. As we move into the fall, let’s get back to the basics. Remember:  being comes before doing. Our authenticity trumps our activity. It’s great to be busy for the Lord, but our walk with the Lord is more important than our work for the Lord.

As children of the King, we are to walk worthy of our calling!

1. Edwin Young

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Nahum 1 – Habakkuk 3

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For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with Him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 57:15

Recommended Reading

Isaiah 57:15-21

Baby boomers are retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day, and many of them can afford second homes. For some, it’s an investment, providing rental income or real estate value. Others enjoy the fun of living part time in a vacation-oriented area.

According to Isaiah 57, God has two addresses. He dwells in two places. His heavenly home is a high and holy place where He fills the highest heaven with His glory. His throne reigns supreme in the center of Zion, ruling over the physical and spiritual realms of His creation.

But He also lives in the hearts of His humble people; and when He dwells within us, He revives us. His presence restores our souls. His abiding Spirit within us radiates enthusiasm, peace, joy, gentleness, and the very character of Christ.

We cannot lift ourselves to heaven to draw God down, but He comes willingly, gladly, and in grace. He gladly moves into our hearts and makes us His temples.

The great God, who is big enough to fill His mighty universe, is small enough to live within my heart. I am the temple of God. He literally dwells in me. Hallelujah!

Adrian Rogers

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Micah 5 – 7

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

Psalm 42:5

Recommended Reading

Matthew 26:36-38

Counselors tell us the first step in overcoming a problem is admitting the problem exists. That’s why introductions at many recovery group meetings begin with, “Hi, I’m (name) and I’m (name of the problem).” Such self-talk is hard, but in identifying the problem the next steps can move directly toward resolution.

Two of the wisest, godliest men in the Bible used self-talk and plain language when describing their despondency. David spoke to his own soul, asking, “Why are you cast down . . . and why are you disquieted?” And Jesus, on the night of His betrayal and arrest, readily admitted to His disciples that His “soul [was] exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” at the prospect of what lay ahead of Him (Matthew 26:38). Yet along with their honest confessions of pain they voiced their trust in God—David in the same breath as his confession and Jesus moments later when He put His faith in God’s will rather than His own (Luke 22:42).

Tell God, as David did, or tell God and your friends, as Jesus did, if you are hurting. But only tell friends who will strengthen your faith in God.

For the Christian, honesty is not the best policy, it is the only one.

John Blanchard

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Micah 1 – 4

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24, NASB

Recommended Reading

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Social media has redefined the concept of a “friend.” In the early days of the most prominent social media platform, people accumulated “friends” by the hundreds. Often those “friends” were people they barely knew—an acquaintance of an actual friend or a long-lost childhood playmate. Yet they were called “friends.” Participants soon realized what psychologists have said: No one can manage more than a half-dozen actual friendships.

True friendships take time, part of which is spent recovering from the disappointments that come with all human relationships. Maybe that’s why Solomon wrote that having lots of friends is dangerous but having “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” is a good thing. Note, “friend” (singular), not “friends.” It’s rare to find a friend who is there through thick and thin and who will encourage us in our walk with Christ. That is, a friend like Jesus who was a friend to His disciples (John 15:14-15).

First, invest in your friendship with Jesus. Second, if you have a friend like Jesus, invest in that friendship as well. The best way to find such a friend is to be that kind of friend yourself.

Jesus takes to heart the sufferings of His friends.

William Hendriksen

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Jonah 1 – 4

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Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:18

Recommended Reading

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Say you went to an average Major League Baseball game. Then say you went to the final game of the World Series where you saw a bench-clearing brawl, an inside-the-park home run, and a game-winning hit when there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the count was three balls and two strikes. The difference between those two baseball games would justify you saying this: “There are baseball games and then there are baseball games!”

Keep that distinction in mind when you read this: “There is praise and then there is praise!” That’s not to say that some praise is average and run-of-the-mill. All praise of God is good. But it is to say this: There’s a difference between praising God in the good times and praising Him in the bad times. For instance, note the word “yet” in Habakkuk 3:18. That suggests a contrast to what has come before. Habakkuk is saying that even though Israel’s crops and livestock fail (verse 17), “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

Praise in the good times—Psalm 95:1; 98:4, 6; 100:1—is a good thing. But praise in the difficult times renews our focus on God.

Let earth and heaven combine, angels and men agree, to praise in songs divine the incarnate Deity.

Charles Wesley

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Obadiah 1

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard…

Luke 1:13

Recommended Reading

Luke 1:13-25

Perhaps you know those who have become cynical toward Christ because of unanswered prayer. They’ve been disappointed, and their disappointment has settled into indifference or bitterness. Many biblical heroes grappled with unanswered prayer—Abraham wanting a son; Moses longing to lead Israel out of Egypt; Paul desiring freedom from his thorn; even Jesus asking for the cup of suffering to pass.

God did answer their prayers, just not as they expected. Prayer isn’t a matter of getting our wishes fulfilled on earth, but of God’s drawing us into His will and working all things for His good.

The angel Gabriel told aged Zacharias, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard.” What prayer? Years before, Zacharias and Elizabeth had pleaded earnestly for a child. They had grown into old age thinking God hadn’t answered their prayers. But not a syllable of their petitions had been neglected by the Almighty.

Don’t worry. God always answers the sincere prayers of His faithful people, though it be at His time, in His way, and for His glory.

You may not think God cares about your problems, but He does. Even now, because you are His child, He is working on your behalf.

David Jeremiah

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Amos 5 – 9

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Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed.

1 Chronicles 28:20

Recommended Reading

1 Chronicles 28:20-21

Near the end of his life, evangelist George Whitefield grew weak but refused to give up. His prayer was: “Lord, I am weary in Thy work but not of Thy work. If I have not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for Thee once more in the fields….” Writing to a friend, Whitefield said, “O to stand fast in the faith…and be strong.”

That’s what we need too—the determination to stand strong till the end. Scripture repeatedly counsels us to take courage and be strong. We may become weary while serving the Lord, but we mustn’t grow weary of serving the Lord. We’re to follow the sample of David, who, in a time of crisis, “strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6).

Later, in 1 Chronicles 28:20, David advised Solomon to keep going in the strength of the Lord. The New International Version translates 1 Chronicles 28:20 like this: “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you.”

Be strong and courageous today, and He will strengthen your hands.

What! Get to heaven on your own strength? Why, you might as well try to climb to the moon on a rope of sand!

George Whitefield

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Hosea 10 – 14

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And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7

Recommended Reading

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

In his book, My Thorn in the Flesh, Vietnam War veteran Bobby D. Gayton writes about his battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In his struggle, he identifies with the apostle Paul, who pleaded with the Lord to remove his “thorn,” but God simply said, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). For Gayton, PTSD is his thorn in the flesh.

Paul didn’t identify the “thorn” he was battling, but we can sum it up like this: A “thorn in the flesh” is a point of struggle or suffering we’d rather avoid, which God, in His wisdom, allows to go on. He uses it to produce in us a humility that casts our reliance on His all-sufficient grace.

We may not have all our infirmities removed. Yet through our pain and weakness, God’s power and purpose can be revealed. His grace is sufficient. Don’t be discouraged by the struggle. Keep your focus on God and His grace.

The specific purpose of the thorn in the flesh, as Professor F. F. Bruce put it, is to puncture your pride.

1. T. Kendall

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Daniel 6 – 8

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/

Tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times.

Proverbs 4:20, MSG

If your old clunker was built in 1980, you probably need a tune-up every 15,000 miles. If you have a car from the 1990s, you can go 30,000, on average, between tune-ups. Newer cars may only need tune-ups at 100,000-mile increments.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 26

When it comes to our internal engines—our hearts and habits—we need spiritual tune-ups frequently. September is a great time for a tune-up. With summer ending and fall around the corner, it’s a perfect time to revisit our attitudes and routines. If your priorities and patterns shifted during vacation, take a few minutes today to recalibrate them. If the last few weeks have disrupted your progress, let this weekend be a “Back to God” weekend.

Have you been skipping church? Start back. Has your daily devotional period fallen by the wayside? Begin at once to reclaim it. Has a bad habit slipped into your schedule? Confess it and turn from it. Get back to square one, and tune your ears to God’s voice. Keep His message in plain view at all times.

Cars specify periodic checkups … (and) the Christian’s spiritual condition needs a regular checkup too…. Have you ever had a spiritual checkup? Have you ever asked for one?

1. I. Packer

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Daniel 1 – 5

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/