Bible League: Living His Word "Be strong and brave and finish this work. Don't be afraid, because the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will help you until all the work is finished. He will not leave you."Every one of us has work to do and the words of our verse today, which King David spoke to his son Solomon, speak to all of us. In Solomon's case, the work he was called to do was a building project. He was called to build the temple of God in Jerusalem. For us, it could be anything. We work as mothers, fathers, farmers, educators, factory workers, business people, artists, doctors, lawyers, preachers, and so on. The Lord God reigns over all areas of life and He calls people to work and to serve Him in all areas of life. Each of these areas has its own difficulties and challenges and, as a result, we will always face the temptation of weariness and fear, the temptation to quit and give up. Instead, we must be strong, for "The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy" (Psalm 28:7) and we must be brave, for '"This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go'" (Joshua 1:9). We can be strong and brave because we are not alone. The Lord God is with us and is helping us. And God will be there for us "until all the work is finished." God does not call us to work and to serve Him and then abandon us. He stays with us until the work is done. He "will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps" (Psalm 121:3-4). God calls us to our work and then watches over everything we do and helps us with everything we do. H never leaves us. We can always count on God to be there for us. Each of us has a part to play and work to do in the Kingdom of God. Today, take comfort in the thought that the Lord is always there with us, and is always helping us, until the job gets done. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading2 Samuel 4, 5, 6 2 Samuel 4 -- The Murder of Ish-bosheth NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Samuel 5 -- David Becomes King over All Israel, Defeats the Philistines NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Samuel 6 -- The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 18:18-43 Luke 18 -- Parables of the Persistent Widow, Pharisee and Tax Collector; The Rich Young Ruler; The Healing of a Blind Beggar NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Don't befriend angry peopleor associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul. Insight People tend to become like those with whom they spend a lot of time. Even the negative characteristics sometimes rub off. The Bible exhorts us to be cautious in our choice of companions. Challenge Choose people with characteristics you would like to develop in your own life. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night.What is this terror? It may be the cry of fire, or the noise of thieves, or fancied appearances, or the shriek of sudden sickness or death. We live in the world of death and sorrow, we may therefore look for ills as well in the night-watches as beneath the glare of the broiling sun. Nor should this alarm us, for be the terror what it may, the promise is that the believer shall not be afraid. Why should he? Let us put it more closely, why should we? God our Father is here, and will be here all through the lonely hours; he is an almighty Watcher, a sleepless Guardian, a faithful Friend. Nothing can happen without his direction, for even hell itself is under his control. Darkness is not dark to him. He has promised to be a wall of fire around his people--and who can break through such a barrier? Worldlings may well be afraid, for they have an angry God above them, a guilty conscience within them, and a yawning hell beneath them; but we who rest in Jesus are saved from all these through rich mercy. If we give way to foolish fear we shall dishonor our profession, and lead others to doubt the reality of godliness. We ought to be afraid of being afraid, lest we should vex the Holy Spirit by foolish distrust. Down, then, ye dismal forebodings and groundless apprehensions, God has not forgotten to be gracious, nor shut up his tender mercies; it may be night in the soul, but there need be no terror, for the God of love changes not. Children of light may walk in darkness, but they are not therefore cast away, nay, they are now enabled to prove their adoption by trusting in their heavenly Father as hypocrites cannot do. "Though the night be dark and dreary, Darkness cannot hide from thee; Thou art he, who, never weary, Watchest where thy people be." Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 86:13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Isaiah 43:1,11,25 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! • "I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. • "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. Psalm 49:6-8 Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? • No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him-- • For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever-- Job 33:24 Then let him be gracious to him, and say, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom'; Ephesians 2:4,5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, • even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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