HE IS RISEN!

Principle or Preference?

Published by InTouch Ministries for reading on August 25th.

Daniel 1 Chapter 1 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god: and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god. 3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in `certain' of the children of Israel, even of the seed royal and of the nobles; 4 youths in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skilful in all wisdom, and endued with knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's dainties, and of the wine which he drank, and that they should be nourished three years; that at the end thereof they should stand before the king. 6 Now among these were, of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 And the prince of the eunuchs gave names unto them: unto Daniel he gave `the name of' Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, `of' Shadrach; and to Mishael, `of' Meshach; and to Azariah, `of' Abed-nego. 8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs. 10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your food and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse looking than the youths that are of your own age? so would ye endanger my head with the king. 11 Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths that eat of the king's dainties; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. 14 So he hearkened unto them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh, than all the youths that did eat of the king's dainties. 16 So the steward took away their dainties, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse. 17 Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 And at the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm. 21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

Imagine driving down a gravel road on a dark, rainy night. Even the light from your headlights seems to be swallowed by the blackness as you struggle to avoid veering off the road. Now consider what a difference it would make if there were yellow lines down the middle and white ones along the sides. You’d know exactly where on the road you’re supposed to be.

These two scenarios represent the difference between a life based on preferences and one guided by scriptural principles. Preferences fluctuate with the circumstances. When this is the basis for our decision making, the result is confusion, stress, and possibly danger as we wander through life. In contrast, principles are God’s unchanging truths, which keep us on the path of His will and protect us from spiritual danger and deception.

Daniel is an example of a young man who lived by principles. When he realized there was a line he couldn’t cross without disobeying the Lord, he stood fast and trusted God instead of conforming to the pagan world around him. Daniel chose not to eat food that had been sacrificed to Babylonian idols, and he left the consequences of his obedience to the Lord.

There are two main reasons we sometimes rely on preference-based decision making: Either we want to fit in, or we want to avoid the negative consequences that could come as a result of obeying the Lord. Yet to go this route will leave us in darkness, swerving dangerously through life. Safety and security can be found only in obedience to God’s principles, which are like bright white lines on the road keeping us in the center of His will.

Our Position in Christ

Published by InTouch Ministries for reading on August 25th.

Ephesians 1:3-14 3 Blessed `be' the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly `places' in Christ: 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: 5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: 7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him 10 unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, `I say,' 11 in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will; 12 to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: 13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,-- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of `God's' own possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Do you remember the day you were saved? At the time, you knew very little about what transpired. There was the jubilance of knowing you were forgiven and relief that you were destined for heaven, but what happened in that moment was so great that you will never know its depth until you stand in Christ’s presence in heaven.

To glimpse the enormity of our salvation, we must understand our former condition. As descendants of Adam, we are not spared the consequences of wrongdoing. (See Rom. 5:12-14.) The Word of God describes this condition as being dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Even though physically alive, we were spiritually dead.

On receiving Christ as Savior, however, we were no longer in Adam, because we were placed in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we ponder the depths of this truth, we begin to see how secure our position is—and how complete our acceptance by our heavenly Father. We have been placed permanently in the Lord Jesus by the sealing work of the Holy Spirit.

Our new standing is eternal and unalterable because of the nature of our triune God. If we’d had any part in our salvation, God would not have accepted us. But the work is entirely of Him. He chose to place us in Christ before the foundation of the world, provided His Son as the means of reconciliation, and sealed us with His Spirit. We’re not the ones who hold onto our salvation. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit keep and hold us securely. Therefore, nothing can separate us from God’s love.

Bible in One Year: Lamentations 3-5 Chapter 3 1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light. 3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day. 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. 5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. 6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead. 7 He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy. 8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer. 9 He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked. 10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14 I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day. 15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood. 16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity. 18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah. 19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope. 22 `It is of' Jehovah's lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. 30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever. 32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. 33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. 34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth, 35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, 36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. 37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? 38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good? 39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. 42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned. 43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. 44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through. 45 Thou hast made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples. 46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us. 47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction. 48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, 50 Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven. 51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city. 52 They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause. 53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me. 54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off. 55 I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon. 56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. 57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not. 58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. 59 O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause. 60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me. 61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me, 62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. 63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song. 64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands. 65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them. 66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah. Chapter 4 1 How is the gold become dim! `how' is the most pure gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! 3 Even the jackals draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: The daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. 5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: They that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. 6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, That was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were laid upon her. 7 Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire. 8 Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: Their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. 9 They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field. 10 The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children; They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 Jehovah hath accomplished his wrath, he hath poured out his fierce anger; And he hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the foundations thereof. 12 The kings of the earth believed not, neither all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem. 13 `It is' because of the sins of her prophets, `and' the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. 14 They wander as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood, So that men cannot touch their garments. 15 Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn `here'. 16 The anger of Jehovah hath scattered them; he will no more regard them: They respected not the persons of the priests, they favored not the elders. 17 Our eyes do yet fail `in looking' for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save. 18 They hunt our steps, so that we cannot go in our streets: Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. 19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens: They chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. 20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations. 21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz: The cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. 22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will uncover thy sins. Chapter 5 1 Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us: Behold, and see our reproach. 2 Our inheritance is turned unto strangers, Our houses unto aliens. 3 We are orphans and fatherless; Our mothers are as widows. 4 We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold unto us. 5 Our pursuers are upon our necks: We are weary, and have no rest. 6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, And to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. 7 Our fathers sinned, and are not; And we have borne their iniquities. 8 Servants rule over us: There is none to deliver us out of their hand. 9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives, Because of the sword of the wilderness. 10 Our skin is black like an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine. 11 They ravished the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah. 12 Princes were hanged up by their hand: The faces of elders were not honored. 13 The young men bare the mill; And the children stumbled under the wood. 14 The elders have ceased from the gate, The young men from their music. 15 The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning. 16 The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us! for we have sinned. 17 For this our heart is faint; For these things our eyes are dim; 18 For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk upon it. 19 Thou, O Jehovah, abidest for ever; Thy throne is from generation to generation. 20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, `And' forsake us so long time? 21 Turn thou us unto thee, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned; Renew our days as of old. 22 But thou hast utterly rejected us; Thou art very wroth against us.

The Truth Can Set You Free

Published by InTouch Ministries for reading on August 26th.

Ephesians 1:3-6 3 Blessed `be' the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly `places' in Christ: 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: 5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:

All of us have probably enjoyed times when we were selected for some honor or given an assignment that we considered special. Though such moments pale in comparison, they can remind us of the deep joy that comes from knowing we belong to Jesus forever.

How sublime it is to realize that before the foundation of the world, God chose us to be part of His family! This choice—which means we were divinely selected to become conformed to the likeness of Christ—undergirds and defines our identity as God’s children. It stands as a great rock that stabilizes us when fears multiply and anxieties attack.

In spite of this, however, many believers become unsettled when they think about their own sin nature. Knowing God will condemn all sin, they become fearful that the condemnation of the wicked might fall on them. At the same time, Satan is forever whispering in our ears accusatory remarks about our behavior. He preys on our feelings of worthlessness. When this happens, we need to remind him—and ourselves—of God’s Word, which assures us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).

Remember that the Father has marked you as one of His own. You are somebody very special to God. In fact, you are so dear to Him that He sent His only begotten Son into a sinful world to die on the cross so that you and I could be near to Him ( John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. ). This is pure, unadulterated grace, for which we should praise Him unceasingly.

Bible in One Year: Lamentations 3-5 Chapter 3 1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light. 3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day. 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. 5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. 6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead. 7 He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy. 8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer. 9 He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked. 10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14 I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day. 15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood. 16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity. 18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah. 19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope. 22 `It is of' Jehovah's lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. 30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever. 32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. 33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. 34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth, 35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, 36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. 37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? 38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good? 39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. 42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned. 43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. 44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through. 45 Thou hast made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples. 46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us. 47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction. 48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, 50 Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven. 51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city. 52 They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause. 53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me. 54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off. 55 I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon. 56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. 57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not. 58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. 59 O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause. 60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me. 61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me, 62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. 63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song. 64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands. 65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them. 66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah. Chapter 4 1 How is the gold become dim! `how' is the most pure gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! 3 Even the jackals draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: The daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. 5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: They that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. 6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, That was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were laid upon her. 7 Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire. 8 Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: Their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. 9 They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field. 10 The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children; They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 Jehovah hath accomplished his wrath, he hath poured out his fierce anger; And he hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the foundations thereof. 12 The kings of the earth believed not, neither all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem. 13 `It is' because of the sins of her prophets, `and' the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. 14 They wander as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood, So that men cannot touch their garments. 15 Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn `here'. 16 The anger of Jehovah hath scattered them; he will no more regard them: They respected not the persons of the priests, they favored not the elders. 17 Our eyes do yet fail `in looking' for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save. 18 They hunt our steps, so that we cannot go in our streets: Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. 19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens: They chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. 20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations. 21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz: The cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. 22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will uncover thy sins. Chapter 5 1 Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us: Behold, and see our reproach. 2 Our inheritance is turned unto strangers, Our houses unto aliens. 3 We are orphans and fatherless; Our mothers are as widows. 4 We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold unto us. 5 Our pursuers are upon our necks: We are weary, and have no rest. 6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, And to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. 7 Our fathers sinned, and are not; And we have borne their iniquities. 8 Servants rule over us: There is none to deliver us out of their hand. 9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives, Because of the sword of the wilderness. 10 Our skin is black like an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine. 11 They ravished the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah. 12 Princes were hanged up by their hand: The faces of elders were not honored. 13 The young men bare the mill; And the children stumbled under the wood. 14 The elders have ceased from the gate, The young men from their music. 15 The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning. 16 The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us! for we have sinned. 17 For this our heart is faint; For these things our eyes are dim; 18 For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk upon it. 19 Thou, O Jehovah, abidest for ever; Thy throne is from generation to generation. 20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, `And' forsake us so long time? 21 Turn thou us unto thee, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned; Renew our days as of old. 22 But thou hast utterly rejected us; Thou art very wroth against us.

Shadows and Streams

Published by John Piper for reading on August 26th.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. ( Psalms 104:31 31 Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever; Let Jehovah rejoice in his works: –34)

God rejoices in the works of creation because they point us beyond themselves to God himself.

God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us to look at his creation and say: If the mere work of his fingers (just his fingers! Psalms 8:3 3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; ) is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself!

These are but the backside of his glory, as it were, darkly seen through a glass. What will it be to see the Creator himself! Not his works! A billion galaxies will not satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul’s end.

Jonathan Edwards expressed it like this:

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. . . . [These] are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the ocean.

This is why Psalms 104 Chapter 104 1 Bless Jehovah, O my soul. O Jehovah my God, thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty: 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; 3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; Who maketh the clouds his chariot; Who walketh upon the wings of the wind; 4 Who maketh winds his messengers; Flames of fire his ministers; 5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be moved for ever. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away 8 (The mountains rose, the valleys sank down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth. 10 He sendeth forth springs into the valleys; They run among the mountains; 11 They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation; They sing among the branches. 13 He watereth the mountains from his chambers: The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works. 14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man; That he may bring forth food out of the earth, 15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, `And' oil to make his face to shine, And bread that strengtheneth man's heart. 16 The trees of Jehovah are filled `with moisture', The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; 17 Where the birds make their nests: As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; The rocks are a refuge for the conies. 19 He appointed the moon for seasons: The sun knoweth his going down. 20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, Wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. 22 The sun ariseth, they get them away, And lay them down in their dens. 23 Man goeth forth unto his work And to his labor until the evening. 24 O Jehovah, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The earth is full of thy riches. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships; There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to play therein. 27 These wait all for thee, That thou mayest give them their food in due season. 28 Thou givest unto them, they gather; Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied with good. 29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their breath, they die, And return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; And thou renewest the face of the ground. 31 Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever; Let Jehovah rejoice in his works: 32 Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. 34 Let thy meditation be sweet unto him: I will rejoice in Jehovah. 35 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. And let the wicked be no more. Bless Jehovah, O my soul. Praise ye Jehovah. (verses 31–34) comes to a close like this, with a focus on God himself. In the end it will not be the seas or the mountains or the canyons or the water spiders or the clouds or the great galaxies that fill our hearts to breaking with wonder and fill our mouths with eternal praise. It will be God.

God’s Tools for Making Us Holy

Published by InTouch Ministries for reading on August 26th.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 23 And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.

Sanctification is the process God uses to conform believers to the image of His Son. The writers of Scripture used word pictures that speak of the Father’s shaping work in the life of His saints. Isaiah, for example, compared the Lord to an artist making pottery: “We are the clay and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand” (Isa. 64:8). These are some of the tools He utilizes to mold and perfect His creations:

The Bible. The psalmist described God’s Word as “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). The Holy Spirit illuminates what we read so that we can come under conviction and grow in our faith.

The Church. As part of Christ’s body, we learn of God’s ways from the pastors and teachers who have been called to minister. The Father also calls His children to fellowship together (Heb. 10:25), in part so He can use them in each other’s sanctification process. Not only that, but there are Christians at church who will encourage their brothers and sisters in times of trouble or hold them accountable when they miss the mark.

Suffering. God freely offers us solace and help during times of difficulty, but He also uses our painful circumstances to shape us. When we submit to Him, we emerge from our struggles looking more Christlike than ever before.

From the moment a person places trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s transforming work of sanctification will be ongoing throughout his or her life. As children of the King, we should long to glorify our Father by faithfully reflecting Him. To do that, we must yield to His tools of sanctification.

Bible in One Year: Lamentations 3-5 Chapter 3 1 I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 2 He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light. 3 Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day. 4 My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. 5 He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. 6 He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead. 7 He hath walled me about, that I cannot go forth; he hath made my chain heavy. 8 Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer. 9 He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked. 10 He is unto me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places. 11 He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he hath made me desolate. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13 He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14 I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day. 15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood. 16 He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity. 18 And I said, My strength is perished, and mine expectation from Jehovah. 19 Remember mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope. 22 `It is of' Jehovah's lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. 24 Jehovah is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he hath laid it upon him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. 30 Let him give his cheek to him that smiteth him; let him be filled full with reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever. 32 For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. 33 For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. 34 To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth, 35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, 36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. 37 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? 38 Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good? 39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah. 41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. 42 We have transgressed and have rebelled; thou hast not pardoned. 43 Thou hast covered with anger and pursued us; thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. 44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through. 45 Thou hast made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples. 46 All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us. 47 Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and destruction. 48 Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. 49 Mine eye poureth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, 50 Till Jehovah look down, and behold from heaven. 51 Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city. 52 They have chased me sore like a bird, they that are mine enemies without cause. 53 They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me. 54 Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off. 55 I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon. 56 Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. 57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not. 58 O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. 59 O Jehovah, thou hast seen my wrong; judge thou my cause. 60 Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me. 61 Thou hast heard their reproach, O Jehovah, and all their devices against me, 62 The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. 63 Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song. 64 Thou wilt render unto them a recompense, O Jehovah, according to the work of their hands. 65 Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them. 66 Thou wilt pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Jehovah. Chapter 4 1 How is the gold become dim! `how' is the most pure gold changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! 3 Even the jackals draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: The daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. 5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: They that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. 6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, That was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were laid upon her. 7 Her nobles were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire. 8 Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: Their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. 9 They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field. 10 The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children; They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 Jehovah hath accomplished his wrath, he hath poured out his fierce anger; And he hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the foundations thereof. 12 The kings of the earth believed not, neither all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem. 13 `It is' because of the sins of her prophets, `and' the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. 14 They wander as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood, So that men cannot touch their garments. 15 Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn `here'. 16 The anger of Jehovah hath scattered them; he will no more regard them: They respected not the persons of the priests, they favored not the elders. 17 Our eyes do yet fail `in looking' for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save. 18 They hunt our steps, so that we cannot go in our streets: Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. 19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens: They chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. 20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations. 21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz: The cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. 22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will uncover thy sins. Chapter 5 1 Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us: Behold, and see our reproach. 2 Our inheritance is turned unto strangers, Our houses unto aliens. 3 We are orphans and fatherless; Our mothers are as widows. 4 We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold unto us. 5 Our pursuers are upon our necks: We are weary, and have no rest. 6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, And to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread. 7 Our fathers sinned, and are not; And we have borne their iniquities. 8 Servants rule over us: There is none to deliver us out of their hand. 9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives, Because of the sword of the wilderness. 10 Our skin is black like an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine. 11 They ravished the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah. 12 Princes were hanged up by their hand: The faces of elders were not honored. 13 The young men bare the mill; And the children stumbled under the wood. 14 The elders have ceased from the gate, The young men from their music. 15 The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning. 16 The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us! for we have sinned. 17 For this our heart is faint; For these things our eyes are dim; 18 For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk upon it. 19 Thou, O Jehovah, abidest for ever; Thy throne is from generation to generation. 20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, `And' forsake us so long time? 21 Turn thou us unto thee, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned; Renew our days as of old. 22 But thou hast utterly rejected us; Thou art very wroth against us.

Daily Bible - August 26

Published by Grace To You for reading on August 26th.

Reading for Today:

• Ecclesiastes 1:1 Chapter 1 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. –2:26
• Psalms 102:1-11 Chapter 102 1 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, And let my cry come unto thee. 2 Hide not thy face from me in the day of my distress: Incline thine ear unto me; In the day when I call answer me speedily. 3 For my days consume away like smoke, And my bones are burned as a firebrand. 4 My heart is smitten like grass, and withered; For I forget to eat my bread. 5 By reason of the voice of my groaning My bones cleave to my flesh. 6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an owl of the waste places. 7 I watch, and am become like a sparrow That is alone upon the house-top. 8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; They that are mad against me do curse by me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, 10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: For thou hast taken me up, and cast me away. 11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; And I am withered like grass.
• Proverbs 24:1-2 Chapter 24 1 Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them: 2 For their heart studieth oppression, And their lips talk of mischief.
• 1 Corinthians 7:20-40 20 Let each man abide in that calling wherein he was called. 21 Wast thou called being a bondservant? Care not for it: nay, even if thou canst become free, use `it' rather. 22 For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called being free, is Christ's bondservant. 23 Ye were bought with a price; become not bondservants of men. 24 Brethren, let each man, wherein he was called, therein abide with God. 25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be trustworthy. 26 I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, `namely,' that it is good for a man to be as he is. 27 Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. 28 But shouldest thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Yet such shall have tribulation in the flesh: and I would spare you. 29 But this I say, brethren, the time is shortened, that henceforth both those that have wives may be as though they had none; 30 and those that weep, as though they wept not; and those that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and those that buy, as though they possessed not; 31 and those that use the world, as not using it to the full: for the fashion of this world passeth away. 32 But I would have you to be free from cares. He that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33 but he that is married is careful for the things of the world, how he may please his wife, 34 and is divided. `So' also the woman that is unmarried and the virgin is careful for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married is careful for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35 And this I say for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is seemly, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. 36 But if any man thinketh that he behaveth himself unseemly toward his virgin `daughter', if she be past the flower of her age, and if need so requireth, let him do what he will; he sinneth not; let them marry. 37 But he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power as touching in his own heart, to keep his own virgin `daughter', shall do well. 38 So then both he that giveth his own virgin `daughter' in marriage doeth well; and he that giveth her not in marriage shall do better. 39 A wife is bound for so long time as her husband liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she abide as she is, after my judgment: and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

Notes:

Ecclesiastes 1:13 wisdom. Solomon’s use of the term, in typical Hebrew fashion, is more practical than philosophical and implies more than knowledge. It carries notions of ability for proper behavior, success, common sense, and wit. burdensome task. Man’s search to understand is at times difficult, yet God-given (2:26; 3:10; 5:16–19; 6:2; 8:11,15; 9:9; 12:11).God. The covenant name, “LORD,” is never used in Ecclesiastes. However, “God” is found almost 40 times. The emphasis is more on God’s sovereignty in creation and providence than on His covenant relationship through redemption.

Psalm 102:10, 11 a shadow that lengthens. The time of sunset is used to describe the psalmist’s desperate sense that his life will end shortly because God has punished him by withdrawing His presence and strength.

1 Corinthians 7:25 25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be trustworthy. –40 Having already established that both marriage and singleness are good and right before the Lord (vv. 1–9), and for the person who has the gift of singleness (v. 7), that state has many practical advantages, Paul continued to answer the questions about which the Corinthians had written him. Paul gives 6 reasons for never marrying, in relationship to the downside of marriage, but remaining single (virgins): 1) pressure from the system (vv. 25–27); 2) problems of the flesh (v. 28); 3) passing of the world (vv. 29–31); 4) preoccupations of marriage (vv. 32–35); 5) promises from fathers (vv. 36–38); and 6) permanency of marriage (vv. 39, 40).

1 Corinthians 7:26 26 I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, `namely,' that it is good for a man to be as he is. present distress. An unspecified, current calamity. Perhaps Paul anticipated the imminent Roman persecutions which began within 10 years after this epistle was written. remain as he is. Persecution is difficult enough for a single person to endure, but problems and pain are multiplied for those who are married, especially if they have children.

1 Corinthians 7:33 33 but he that is married is careful for the things of the world, how he may please his wife, , 34 how he may please his wife…husband. Here is a basic and expected principle for a good marriage—each seeking to please the other.

DAY 26: How does the author’s declaration that “all is vanity” relate to the message of Ecclesiastes?

By stating one of his conclusions in the opening lines, the author of Ecclesiastes challenges readers to pay attention. The word translated “vanity” is used in at least three ways throughout the book. In each case, the term refers to the nature and value of human activity “under the sun”:

1.“Vanity”refers to the “fleeting” nature of human accomplishments that James later described as like a vapor ( James 4:14 14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ).

2.“Vanity” can mean “futile” or “meaningless,” which points to the cursed condition of the universe and the debilitating effects it has on human earthly experience.

3.“Vanity” can represent “incomprehensible” or “enigmatic,” which gives consideration to life’s unanswerable questions. Solomon found that the word applied to his entire experiment.

While the context in each of the 37 appearances of “vanity” helps determine the particular meaning Solomon had in mind, his most frequent usage conveyed the idea of “incomprehensible” or “unknowable.” He was expressing the human limits when faced with the mysteries of God’s purposes. Solomon’s final conclusion to “fear God and keep His commandments” (12:13, 14) represents more than the book’s summary; it states the only hope of the good life and the only reasonable response of faith and obedience to the sovereign God. God precisely superintends all activities under the sun, each in its time according to His perfect plan, while He discloses only as much as His perfect wisdom dictates. All people remain accountable. Those who refuse to take God and His Word seriously are doomed to lives of the severest vanity.

From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.

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August 26 - Right Knowledge of Jesus

Published by Grace To You for reading on August 26th.

“Two blind men followed Him, crying out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’” ( Matthew 9:27 27 And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. ).

That the blind men called Jesus the “Son of David” means they recognized Him as the Christ. Son of David was one of the most common Jewish titles for Messiah. It was also a royal title indicating that Messiah would come from the family of King David and have a right to rule over the promised divine kingdom.

God first promised that the Deliverer for His people would be a man, the seed of a woman (cf. Gen. 3:15). Later in the Old Testament, the prophet Nathan firmly establishes the extraordinary person and work of the Son of David (2 Sam. 12–14a, 16; cf. Gen. 12:3; 21:12; 49:10). The New Testament reaffirms this great truth at the angel’s Nativity announcement: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” ( Luke 1:32 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: –33; cf. vv. 68–69; 2:4).

The reality and knowledge of Jesus’ true identity stands out most vividly during His triumphal entry when the people laid branches and garments before Him and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 21:9).

Thus all the onlookers who heard the blind men call Jesus “Son of David” knew it was a clear confession of His messiahship. And the men’s affirmation accompanied their desire for personal deliverance. Genuine salvation is available to all who have a similar right knowledge of Him.

Ask Yourself

Think of the names you use to refer to Christ—Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Friend. Spend a few minutes thinking through what these terms actually mean. When you speak of Him by these names in prayer, let the weight of their glory fill your words with depth and texture.

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

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A Lesson from Nature

Published by Grace To You for reading on August 26th.

“‘Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?’” ( Matthew 6:26 26 Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? ).

If God provides for the birds, how much more will He provide for you.

I can imagine our Lord standing on a hillside in Galilee, looking down over the beautiful north end of the sea, the breeze rippling across the water, the sun bright in the sky. The people were all gathered at His feet. As He was speaking to them, some birds might have flown across the sky.

Our Lord gives life to every bird of the sky and also sustains each one. He doesn’t say to the birds, “I have given you life; now you figure out how to keep it.” And birds don’t get together and say, “We have to come up with a strategy to keep ourselves alive.” Birds have no self-consciousness, no cognitive processes, no ability to reason. But God has given them an instinct so that they have a divine capacity to find what is necessary to live. God doesn’t just create life—He also sustains it.

In Matthew 6:26 26 Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they? Jesus asked the people, “Are you not worth much more than [the birds]?” He was arguing from the lesser to the greater. No bird was ever created in the image of God or designed to be a joint-heir with Christ throughout eternity. Jesus was saying, “If God sustains the life of a bird (the lesser), don’t you think He will take care of you (the greater)?” God’s provision, of course, is no excuse for man’s laziness. A bird has to work for its food, and you have to work for yours. That’s because God has designed that man should eat bread by the sweat of his face (cf. Gen. 3:19). If you don’t work, you don’t eat (cf. 2 Thess. 3:10). Just as God provides for the bird through its instinct, so God will provide for you through your effort.

Suggestions for Prayer

When you see the birds of the air, remind yourself of the Lord’s teaching, and thank Him for His faithfulness to you.

For Further Study

Read Psalms 104 Chapter 104 1 Bless Jehovah, O my soul. O Jehovah my God, thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty: 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain; 3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; Who maketh the clouds his chariot; Who walketh upon the wings of the wind; 4 Who maketh winds his messengers; Flames of fire his ministers; 5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be moved for ever. 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; The waters stood above the mountains. 7 At thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away 8 (The mountains rose, the valleys sank down) Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. 9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth. 10 He sendeth forth springs into the valleys; They run among the mountains; 11 They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation; They sing among the branches. 13 He watereth the mountains from his chambers: The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works. 14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man; That he may bring forth food out of the earth, 15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, `And' oil to make his face to shine, And bread that strengtheneth man's heart. 16 The trees of Jehovah are filled `with moisture', The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; 17 Where the birds make their nests: As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; The rocks are a refuge for the conies. 19 He appointed the moon for seasons: The sun knoweth his going down. 20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, Wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth. 21 The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. 22 The sun ariseth, they get them away, And lay them down in their dens. 23 Man goeth forth unto his work And to his labor until the evening. 24 O Jehovah, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The earth is full of thy riches. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships; There is leviathan, whom thou hast formed to play therein. 27 These wait all for thee, That thou mayest give them their food in due season. 28 Thou givest unto them, they gather; Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied with good. 29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their breath, they die, And return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; And thou renewest the face of the ground. 31 Let the glory of Jehovah endure for ever; Let Jehovah rejoice in his works: 32 Who looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing unto Jehovah as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. 34 Let thy meditation be sweet unto him: I will rejoice in Jehovah. 35 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. And let the wicked be no more. Bless Jehovah, O my soul. Praise ye Jehovah. , which tells of God’s care over all His creation.

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

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Hoping in God

Published by Grace To You for reading on August 26th.

Love refuses to take human failure as final.

Even when faith falters, hope comes to the rescue. It is that long rope that keeps us linked to the sovereignty and power of God.

The apostle Peter wrote to believers who were experiencing severe trials. To encourage them he began, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3).

Our hope is a living hope because our God is a living God. No matter how bleak your situation might seem, God is at work to accomplish His purposes. As Christ hung on the cross, it seemed as if sin had finally triumphed over righteousness. But sin's finest hour became its death knell when Christ arose from the grave as Lord of life and Redeemer of His people. Now "He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal [body] through His Spirit who indwells you" (Rom. 8:11). Trials and death have no power over you. They simply bring you closer to Christ.

When ministering to others, hope gives you confidence that as long as there is life, human failure is never final. God refused to accept Israel's failures; Jesus refused to accept Peter's; and Paul refused to accept that of the Corinthians. When your attempts to cover the sins of others have failed or your righteous expectations have been shattered, hope says, "Don't give up. God can still work this out for good."

Hope is illustrated in the true story of a dog who was abandoned at the airport of a large city. He stayed there for over five years, waiting for his master to return. People at the airport fed and cared for him, but he refused to leave the spot where he last saw his master. If a dog's love for his master can produce that kind of hope, how much more should your love for God produce abiding hope?

Suggestions for Prayer

Praise God for His sovereignty and power, and for the hope that is yours in Christ.

For Further Study

Read Psalms 42 Chapter 42 1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4 These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And `why' art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him `For' the help of his countenance. 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: Therefore do I remember thee from the land of the Jordan, And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar. 7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8 `Yet' Jehovah will command his lovingkindness in the day-time; And in the night his song shall be with me, `Even' a prayer unto the God of my life. 9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, `Who is' the help of my countenance, and my God. , noting how the psalmist related the distressing circumstances of his life to his hope in God.

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

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Morning Devotional by C.H. Spurgeon for August 26th

Published by C.H. Spurgeon for reading on August 26th.

Psalms 111:9 9 He hath sent redemption unto his people; He hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his name.

THE Lord's people delight in the covenant itself. It is an unfailing source of consolation to them so often as the Holy Spirit leads them into its banqueting house and waves its banner of love. They delight to contemplate the antiquity of that covenant, remembering that before the day-star knew its place, or planets ran their round, the interests of the saints were made secure in Christ Jesus. It is peculiarly pleasing to them to remember the sureness of the covenant, while meditating upon "the sure mercies of David." They delight to celebrate it as "signed, and sealed, and ratified, in all things ordered well." It often makes their hearts dilate with joy to think of its immutability, as a covenant which neither time nor eternity, life nor death, shall ever be able to violate—a covenant as old as eternity and as everlasting as the Rock of ages. They rejoice also to feast upon the fulness of this covenant, for they see in it all things provided for them. God is their portion, Christ their companion, the Spirit their Comforter, earth their lodge, and heaven their home. They see in it an inheritance reserved and entailed to every soul possessing an interest in its ancient and eternal deed of gift. Their eyes sparkled when they saw it as a treasure-trove in the Bible; but oh! how their souls were gladdened when they saw in the last will and testament of their divine kinsman, that it was bequeathed to them! More especially it is the pleasure of God's people to contemplate the graciousness of this covenant. They see that the law was made void because it was a covenant of works and depended upon merit, but this they perceive to be enduring because grace is the basis, grace the condition, grace the strain, grace the bulwark, grace the foundation, grace the topstone. The covenant is a treasury of wealth, a granary of food, a fountain of life, a store-house of salvation, a charter of peace, and a haven of joy.

Evening Devotional by C.H. Spurgeon for August 26th

Published by C.H. Spurgeon for reading on August 26th.

Mark 9:15 15 And straightway all the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.

HOW great the difference between Moses and Jesus! When the prophet of Horeb had been forty days upon the mountain, he underwent a kind of transfiguration, so that his countenance shone with exceeding brightness, and he put a veil over his face, for the people could not endure to look upon his glory. Not so our Saviour. He had been transfigured with a greater glory than that of Moses, and yet, it is not written that the people were blinded by the blaze of His countenance, but rather they were amazed, and running to Him they saluted Him. The glory of the law repels, but the greater glory of Jesus attracts. Though Jesus is holy and just, yet blended with His purity there is so much of truth and grace, that sinners run to Him amazed at His goodness, fascinated by His love; they salute Him, become His disciples, and take Him to be their Lord and Master. Reader, it may be that just now you are blinded by the dazzling brightness of the law of God. You feel its claims on your conscience, but you cannot keep it in your life. Not that you find fault with the law, on the contrary, it commands your profoundest esteem, still you are in nowise drawn by it to God; you are rather hardened in heart, and are verging towards desperation. Ah, poor heart! turn thine eye from Moses, with all his repelling splendour, and look to Jesus, resplendent with milder glories. Behold His flowing wounds and thorn-crowned head! He is the Son of God, and therein He is greater than Moses, but He is the Lord of love, and therein more tender than the lawgiver. He bore the wrath of God, and in His death revealed more of God's justice than Sinai on a blaze, but that justice is now vindicated, and henceforth it is the guardian of believers in Jesus. Look, sinner, to the bleeding Saviour, and as thou feelest the attraction of His love, fly to His arms, and thou shalt be saved.