From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] daily devotional
Evening...
Zechariah 1:20
And the Lord shewed me four carpenters.
In the vision described in this chapter, the prophet saw four terrible horns.
They were pushing this way and that way, dashing down the strongest and the
mightiest; and the prophet asked, "What are these?" The answer was, "These are
the horns which have scattered Israel." He saw before him a representation of
those powers which had oppressed the church of God. There were four horns; for
the church is attacked from all quarters. Well might the prophet have felt
dismayed; but on a sudden there appeared before him four carpenters. He asked,
"What shall these do?" These are the men whom God hath found to break those
horns in pieces. God will always find men for His work, and He will find them
at the right time. The prophet did not see the carpenters first, when there was
nothing to do, but first the "horns," and then the "carpenters." Moreover, the
Lord finds enough men. He did not find three carpenters, but four; there were
four horns, and there must be four workmen. God finds the right men; not four
men with pens to write; not four architects to draw plans; but four carpenters
to do rough work. Rest assured, you who tremble for the ark of God, that when
the "horns" grow troublesome, the "carpenters" will be found. You need not fret
concerning the weakness of the church of God at any moment; there may be
growing up in obscurity the valiant reformer who will shake the nations:
Chrysostoms may come forth from our Ragged Schools, and Augustines from the
thickest darkness of London's poverty. The Lord knows where to find His
servants. He hath in ambush a multitude of mighty men, and at His word they
shall start up to the battle; "for the battle is the Lord's," and He shall get
to Himself the victory. Let us abide faithful to Christ, and He, in the right
time, will raise up for us a defence, whether it be in the day of our personal
need, or in the season of peril to His Church.
Matthew 24:32-44
(32) Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: (33) So likewise
ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the
doors. (34) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all
these things be fulfilled. (35) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away. (36) But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels of heaven, but my Father only. (37) But as the days of Noe were, so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38) For as in the days that were
before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, (39) And knew not until
the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be. (40) Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the
other left. (41) Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be
taken, and the other left. (42) Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your
Lord doth come. (43) But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known
in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have
suffered his house to be broken up. (44) Therefore be ye also ready: for in
such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Go to this verse on Bible Tools
There are quite a number of interesting things to consider in
Jesus' instructions here. First, this is not instruction given generally to the
public, but rather it was directly to His disciples. Second, He says that we
should know from the signs given that His return is near. Our predictions may
not be specifically accurate, but at least in the ballpark—near. Third, He
emphasizes the element of surprise, even terrifying surprise. The impression is
that the world will be taken completely by surprise. Fourth, the overall point
of this instruction is that by being alert to the signs and taking advantage of
them, we should be ready. The fifth is a final warning in verse 44, because He
feared that even the attention, the alertness of His disciples, would be
threatened: "Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not
the Son of man comes."
Are we getting anxious about Christ's return? I do not mean
anxious in a sense of being fearful, but anxious in terms of seeing it come to
pass. First, because things are getting so bad one wonders at times whether it
can get much worse, and yet we know that it can. Second, because of the
pressures of enduring life. There is some measure of concerned anxiety, because
the end seems to be taking so long to come to pass. We are undoubtedly in "the
time of the end," but at the same time we feel that we have been on the gun lap
a very long time.
Part of our anticipation exists because we have had it drilled in
our minds to watch for certain events to happen. Sometimes it looks as though
those events indeed are coming to pass, and right now some of the more
important events we had drilled into our minds just are not happening in a
clearly visible way. If they are, they are being worked out in a way that we
are not prepared for, and therefore probably do not see.
Jesus meant this admonition in the sense of a soldier on guard
duty, alert to what is going on around him, and so watch we do! But what if our
point of view—the perspective we are looking from—is not correct? We might be
alert, diligently and sincerely looking in that direction, but at best, we are
only getting a part of the picture. We might be likened to a soldier on guard
duty who is alert, but looking in the wrong direction, and so the enemy sneaks
up from a blind spot and surprises him, despite him looking intensely in a
particular direction.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From Where Is the Beast? (Part 1
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
daily devotional
Evening...
Revelation 1:13
Girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
One like unto the Son of Man" appeared to John in Patmos, and the beloved
disciple marked that He wore a girdle of gold. A girdle, for Jesus never was
ungirt while upon earth, but stood always ready for service, and now before the
eternal throne He stays not is holy ministry, but as a priest is girt about
with "the curious girdle of the ephod." Well it is for us that He has not
ceased to fulfil His offices of love for us, since this is one of our choicest
safeguards that He ever liveth to make intercession for us. Jesus is never an
idler; His garments are never loose as though His offices were ended; He
diligently carries on the cause of His people. A golden girdle, to manifest the
superiority of His service, the royalty of His person, the dignity of His
state, the glory of His reward. No longer does He cry out of the dust, but He
pleads with authority, a King as well as a Priest. Safe enough is our cause in
the hands of our enthroned Melchisedek. Our Lord presents all His people with
an example. We must never unbind our girdles. This is not the time for lying
down at ease, it is the season of service and warfare. We need to bind the
girdle of truth more and more tightly around our loins. It is a golden girdle,
and so will be our richest ornament, and we greatly need it, for a heart that
is not well braced up with the truth as it is in Jesus, and with the fidelity
which is wrought of the Spirit, will be easily entangled with the things of
this life, and tripped up by the snares of temptation. It is in vain that we
possess the Scriptures unless we bind them around us like a girdle, surrounding
our entire nature, keeping each part of our character in order, and giving
compactness to our whole man. If in heaven Jesus unbinds not the girdle, much
less may we upon earth. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
(13) Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (14)
Let all your things be done with charity.
As Paul writes this, these were not to be momentary attitudes but
continuous states. This is what is developed and produced in us by God's Spirit
because of the relationship with Christ. Thus, when he says "watch," he is not
speaking about an occasional absence of sleep but a determined effort at
vigilance so that our spiritual liberty will not be endangered by compromise
with anything in our environment.
It means not playing with temptations. He is telling us to be stable, not
to be flitting from one fad and fashion to another like the people in this book
were doing. He tells them, "Be like men," meaning, "Be mature, stable,
responsible to duty." He wants us to understand that nothing fine and good can
be built if it is treated in a casual, informal, easygoing manner.
Paul wants us to understand that being strong in God is not something
inherent within us. It does not come naturally. Human nature is at war against
God. It resists seeking Him. Being strong in God is derived from the
relationship with Him, and this relationship must be worked on, even as a good
relationship with another human being must be worked on.
Finally, he speaks of love, the love of God. This is not a syrupy
affection with a lot of hugs, charm, or social graces, though it may include
those things. The Bible, in fact, says that "charm is deceitful and beauty is
vain." He is not saying that they are evil but that they have the power to
deceive people into thinking that, because one is charming or beautiful, he is
somehow converted. He is warning us that those things might be nothing more
than a carnal façade.
What is love? Love is doing what is right from God's perspective.
Remember, this is the same apostle who admonishes Timothy to rebuke people
before all—even right before the entire congregation. If that is what it took
to turn a person back to God, that was what was to be done, and it was an act
of love. Love is being responsible, honest, loyal, trustworthy, faithful. Love
is being zealous toward God, and it is many other things as well.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From A Place of Safety? (Part 5)
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