From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] daily devotional
Evening...
1 Samuel 1:27 For this child I prayed.
Devout souls delight to look upon those mercies which they have obtained in
answer to supplication, for they can see God's especial love in them. When we
can name our blessings Samuel, that is, "asked of God," they will be as dear to
us as her child was to Hannah. Peninnah had many children, but they came as
common blessings unsought in prayer: Hannah's one heaven-given child was dearer
far, because he was the fruit of earnest pleadings. How sweet was that water to
Samson which he found at "the well of him that prayed!" Quassia cups turn all
waters bitter, but the cup of prayer puts a sweetness into the draughts it
brings. Did we pray for the conversion of our children? How doubly sweet, when
they are saved, to see in them our own petitions fulfilled! Better to rejoice
over them as the fruit of our pleadings than as the fruit of our bodies. Have
we sought of the Lord some choice spiritual gift? When it comes to us it will
be wrapped up in the gold cloth of God's faithfulness and truth, and so be
doubly precious. Have we petitioned for success in the Lord's work? How joyful
is the prosperity which comes flying upon the wings of prayer! It is always
best to get blessings into our house in the legitimate way, by the door of
prayer; then they are blessings indeed, and not temptations. Even when prayer
speeds not, the blessings grow all the richer for the delay; the child Jesus
was all the more lovely in the eyes of Mary when she found Him after having
sought Him sorrowing. That which we win by prayer we should dedicate to God, as
Hannah dedicated Samuel. The gift came from heaven, let it go to heaven. Prayer
brought it, gratitude sang over it, let devotion consecrate it. Here will be a
special occasion for saying, "Of Thine own have I given unto Thee." Reader, is
prayer your element or your weariness? Which?
Morning...
Judges 7:20 The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.
Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen
pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the pitcher and let the
light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, "The sword of the Lord,
and of Gideon! the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!" This is precisely what
all Christians must do. First, you must shine; break the pitcher which conceals
your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and
shine. Let your light shine before men; let your good works be such, that when
men look upon you, they shall know that you have been with Jesus. Then there
must be the sound, the blowing of the trumpet. There must be active exertions
for the ingathering of sinners by proclaiming Christ crucified. Take the gospel
to them; carry it to their door; put it in their way; do not suffer them to
escape it; blow the trumpet right against their ears. Remember that the true
war-cry of the Church is Gideon's watchword, "The sword of the Lord, and of
Gideon!" God must do it, it is His own work. But we are not to be idle;
instrumentality is to be used-"The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!" If we
only cry, "The sword of the Lord!" we shall be guilty of an idle presumption;
and if we shout, "The sword of Gideon!" alone, we shall manifest idolatrous
reliance on an arm of flesh: we must blend the two in practical harmony, "The
sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!" We can do nothing of ourselves, but we can
do everything by the help of our God; let us, therefore, in His name determine
to go out personally and serve with our flaming torch of holy example, and with
our trumpet tones of earnest declaration and testimony, and God shall be with
us, and Midian shall be put to confusion, and the Lord of hosts shall reign for
ever and ever.
Galatians 2:20
(20) I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Even though the law had no power to condemn him to death—he was
"dead" to it, as verse 19 says—Paul was still quite active! His life continued
to contain a great deal of activity. When Christ was crucified, He then also
became "dead to the law" in the sense that it held absolutely no power over
Him. The law's power, its threat to a human being, lies in being able to
condemn him to death. But once a person has died, as Paul shows in Romans 7,
the law no longer has any power over him.
The phrase "I am crucified" shows that it is a continual thing, an
ongoing process. Through Christ's intercession, the law's condemning power is
held at bay. This is what Christ does in His role as our High Priest. But Paul
then clarifies it by saying that he still is very much alive and kicking—he
does not simply roll over and relegate all responsibility to God.
He then shows another facet: Once we have made the covenant with
God, we have signed ourselves over to Him, and suddenly our lives are not our
own anymore. We still have to go through this life, but it is Christ living His
life in us that makes us alive spiritually.
Jesus Christ gave up His physical life so that, through His
sacrifice, we could be brought into alignment with God; this is what is called
"justification." We respond by yielding to the direction that He now gives to
us. We are to have faith in Him and the entire process that He is bringing us
through—not merely that we are forgiven for our sins, but also that we will be
brought to the "measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians
4:13). It would not be faith if we were resisting Him throughout this life by
disobeying Him! It would be a contest of wills: Can God still save me even
though I am rebelling? Trusting in God to bring us to a state of completion
while refusing to obey Him are mutually exclusive. God simply will not allow
someone into His Kingdom who will not willingly submit to living the way God
requires (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 5:10; 5:19-20; 6:33; 7:21; 13:41, 47-50; Acts
28:23; Romans 14:17; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; II
Thessalonians 1:5; II Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 1:8; Psalm 119:172)!
David C. Grabbe
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daily devotional
Evening...
John 10:27 And they follow me.
We should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep follow their shepherd,
for He has a right to lead us wherever He pleases. We are not our own, we are
bought with a price-let us recognize the rights of the redeeming blood. The
soldier follows his captain, the servant obeys his master, much more must we
follow our Redeemer, to whom we are a purchased possession. We are not true to
our profession of being Christians, if we question the bidding of our Leader
and Commander. Submission is our duty, cavilling is our folly. Often might our
Lord say to us as to Peter, "What is that to thee? Follow thou Me." Wherever
Jesus may lead us, He goes before us. If we know not where we go, we know with
whom we go. With such a companion, who will dread the perils of the road? The
journey may be long, but His everlasting arms will carry us to the end. The
presence of Jesus is the assurance of eternal salvation, because He lives, we
shall live also. We should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the
paths in which He leads us all end in glory and immortality. It is true they
may not be smooth paths-they may be covered with sharp flinty trials, but they
lead to the "city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." "All
the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant." Let
us put full trust in our Leader, since we know that, come prosperity or
adversity, sickness or health, popularity or contempt, His purpose shall be
worked out, and that purpose shall be pure, unmingled good to every heir of
mercy. We shall find it sweet to go up the bleak side of the hill with Christ;
and when rain and snow blow into our faces, His dear love will make us far more
blest than those who sit at home and warm their hands at the world's fire. To
the top of Amana, to the dens of lions, or to the hills of leopards, we will
follow our Beloved. Precious Jesus, draw us, and we will run after Thee.
Morning...
Galatians 5:1 The liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.
This "liberty" makes us free to heaven's charter-the Bible. Here is a choice
passage, believer, "When thou passest through the rivers, I will be with thee."
You are free to that. Here is another: "The mountains shall depart, and the
hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee"; you are free to
that. You are a welcome guest at the table of the promises. Scripture is a
never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace. It is the bank of
heaven; you may draw from it as much as you please, without let or hindrance.
Come in faith and you are welcome to all covenant blessings. There is not a
promise in the Word which shall be withheld. In the depths of tribulations let
this freedom comfort you; amidst waves of distress let it cheer you; when
sorrows surround thee let it be thy solace. This is thy Father's love-token;
thou art free to it at all times. Thou art also free to the throne of grace. It
is the believer's privilege to have acc ess at all times to His heavenly
Father. Whatever our desires, our difficulties, our wants, we are at liberty to
spread all before Him. It matters not how much we may have sinned, we may ask
and expect pardon. It signifies nothing how poor we are, we may plead His
promise that He will provide all things needful. We have permission to approach
His throne at all times-in midnight's darkest hour, or in noontide's most
burning heat. Exercise thy right, O believer, and live up to thy privilege.
Thou art free to all that is treasured up in Christ-wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. It matters not what thy need is, for there is
fulness of supply in Christ, and it is there for thee. O what a "freedom" is
thine! freedom from condemnation, freedom to the promises, freedom to the
throne of grace, and at last freedom to enter heaven!
Hosea 4:1-2
(1) Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD
hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth,
nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. (2) By swearing, and lying, and
killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood
toucheth blood.
Faithlessness, when it has infected every area of a culture, blurs
the distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, morality and
immorality. Without truth, there is no reliable ethical basis for government,
commerce, or social relationships. There are no solid standards. Without
virtues upon which a majority agree, one can never be quite sure how another
will conduct himself, and so everyone becomes untrustworthy.
In this context, mercy connotes steadfast love rather than a
singular act of kindness toward somebody in need. It means, then, that people
waver in their loyalties. They pursue whatever fad comes along. We might say
today that they "blow hot and cold." When they are "hot" they are "hot," but
they can never seem to sustain it because, when their eyes are lured by some
new, exciting interest, they are off in that direction until yet something else
catches their imagination.
The "knowledge of God" includes two elements: First is the
knowledge about God, of His existence, Word, and way. The second is
acknowledging Him. This denotes commitment, a steady loyalty to Him personally
and to His way of life as a pattern of living. The context demands the second
element, since God would have no reason to accuse people who were not aware of
Him and His way of life. Because He is addressing those who have that basic
knowledge, His complaints are directed at faithless, uncommitted people. In
America, it is becoming almost impossible to find responsible and trustworthy
people.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From The Seventh Commandment (1997)
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