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daily devotional
Morning...
Genesis 1:4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the
darkness.
Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, "Let
there be light." We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are,
and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is said by Solomon to be
sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal
things, and ministers to our immortal natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us
spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real
position; we see the Most Holy God as He reveals Himself, the plan of mercy as
He propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual
light has many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy,
holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus good,
what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place where He
reveals Himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us more of it, and more
of Thyself, the true light. No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than
a division is necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided
them, let us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with
deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be
sober, honest, and bold in their Lord's work, leaving the works of darkness to
those who shall dwell in it for ever. Our Churches should by discipline divide
the light from the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the
world do the same. In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in
association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain
the great distinction which the Lord made upon the world's first day. O Lord
Jesus, be Thou our light throughout the whole of this day, for Thy light is the
light of men.
Revelation 16:16
(16) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue Armageddon.
The nations will marshal their armies at a place called Armageddon.
"Armageddon" is not an English word. Rather it comes from the Greek rendering
of the Hebrew name Har Megiddo. (The Hebrew prefix har means "hill" or
"mountain.")
Megiddo was a strong fortification dating from ancient times, situated
approximately 55 miles north of Jerusalem. The mound that remains is a few
miles south east of Haifa—a natural port and industrial center providing ideal
facilities for landing troops.
The ruins of Megiddo are located on the edge of the plain of Megiddo, an
oval-shaped valley once called the Plain of Esdraelon, but now commonly called
the Valley of Jezreel. It is a large flat area ideal for the assembling of
military equipment and personnel.
The Hill of Megiddo was strongly fortified as long ago as the days of
King Solomon ( I Kings 9:15). It was a literal fortress rising above the
surrounding plain. The fortress Hill Megiddo serves as a type, or forerunner,
of the bristling armaments that shall soon envelope the whole surrounding area.
Historians have said that more battles have been fought in the Valley of
Jezreel that anywhere else on earth. However, when Christ returns, the armies
will only gather here. From this natural staging area they will advance
southward toward Jerusalem to fight against Him. The final battle will then
take place in the environs of Jerusalem ( Zechariah 14:2).
From The Sensational Return of Jesus Christ!
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daily devotional
Evening...
Genesis 1:4
And God saw the light.
This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord's dividing it
from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the Lord had for the
light. "God saw the light"-He looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with
pleasure, saw that it "was good." If the Lord has given you light, dear reader,
He looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to Him
as His own handiwork, but because it is like Himself, for "He is light."
Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly
observant of that work of grace which He has begun. He never loses sight of the
treasure which He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see
the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our
seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see
it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people-but
whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still safe. This is the
foundation, "The Lord knoweth them that are His." You may be sighing and
groaning because of inbred sin, and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord
sees "light" in your heart, for He has put it there, and all the cloudiness and
gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from His gracious eye. You may
have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any
longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in His finished work,
God sees the "light." He not only sees it, but He also preserves it in you. "I,
the Lord, do keep it." This is a precious thought to those who, after anxious
watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessness to do so. The
light thus preserved by His grace, He will one day develop into the splendour
of noonday, and the fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the
eternal day.
Hebrews 2:10
(10) For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings.
Revelation 21:7
(7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son.
God plainly shows it is His purpose to increase His divine Family by
bringing many sons into it. Jesus Christ is actually the "firstborn" of many
sons of God ( Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:18).
The gospel Jesus brought to mankind is simply the "good news" of the
Kingdom of God—and that Kingdom is dual. It is not only the ruling government
which Christ will establish on the earth when He returns, but it is also the
Family of God—the God Kingdom composed of the spirit members of the God Family.
And, incredible as it may sound, Jesus taught that humans can be "born"
into the Family, or Kingdom, of God.
There are only two members in the God Family or Kingdom at the present
time—God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. But God is increasing His Family,
and you can be "born" into it!
From What It Means to Be Born Again
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