Bible League: Living His Word They forgot about his power. They forgot the many times he saved them from the enemy.— Psalm 78:42 ERV In the desert, in the wilderness, the people of Israel forgot what God had done for them (Psalm 78:40-42). They forgot how He saved them from the clutches of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They forgot how He parted the Red Sea, led them through it with the water stacked up like a wall on both sides of them, and drowned the Egyptians that tried to follow behind. They forgot how He split the rock in the desert and gave them an ocean of water to drink. Indeed, they forgot all the many things that God had done for them. As a result, they began to grumble and complain. What about you? Have you forgotten? Like the Israelites, you're in the wilderness. You're in your own personal version of the wilderness. You've made the transition from slavery in Egypt, and you've made the trek into the wilderness. Have you forgotten everything God has done for you to get you this far? He didn't part the Red Sea, but what He did do was just as miraculous. You were stuck in slavery to sin with no hope of release. Nevertheless, God released you, and He has been leading you to the promised land ever since. The wilderness, of course, is a desolate place. It's a desert. Life is hard. God is leading you through it to test you. Will you, like the Israelites, forget about His power and the many times He saved you from enemies? Will the hardships of the desert wipe your memory clean? The many miracles He performed on your behalf thus far should be an encouragement to you. They should remind you that He has solutions for any new hardships you may have to face. If you forget about what He has done, however, then you will be tempted to act like the Israelites. You will be tempted to grumble and complain. You will be tempted to give up and talk about returning to Egypt. If you have forgotten, then let this be a reminder to you. Today, remember what God has done for you. Remember the miracles of power. Remember the enemies that were defeated. Remember everything He has done for you to get you this far. For if you remember, you will be encouraged to stick with it all the way to the promised land. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJonah Jonah 1 -- Jonah, Sent to Nineveh, but Flees to Tarshish; Thrown into the Sea and Swallowed by a Fish NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jonah 2 -- The Prayer and Deliverance of Jonah NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jonah 3 -- Jonah Preaches to the Ninevites; They Repent and God Relents NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jonah 4 -- God Rebukes Jonah for His Displeasure NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Revelation 9 Revelation 9 -- The Bottomless Pit and the Army from the East NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Insight The farmer must wait patiently for his crops to grow; he cannot hurry the process. But he does not take the summer off and hope that all goes well in the fields. There is much work to do to ensure a good harvest. In the same way, we must wait patiently for Christ's return. We cannot make him come back any sooner. But while we wait, there is much work that we can do to advance God's kingdom. Both the farmer and the Christian must live by faith, looking toward the future reward for their labors. Challenge Don't live as if Christ will never come. Work faithfully to build his kingdom—the King will come when the time is right. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Proverbs 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.Every wise merchant will occasionally hold a stock-taking, when he will cast up his accounts, examine what he has on hand, and ascertain decisively whether his trade is prosperous or declining. Every man who is wise in the kingdom of heaven, will cry, "Search me, O God, and try me;" and he will frequently set apart special seasons for self-examination, to discover whether things are right between God and his soul. The God whom we worship is a great heart-searcher; and of old his servants knew him as "the Lord which searcheth the heart and trieth the reins of the children of men." Let me stir you up in his name to make diligent search and solemn trial of your state, lest you come short of the promised rest. That which every wise man does, that which God himself does with us all, I exhort you to do with yourself this evening. Let the oldest saint look well to the fundamentals of his piety, for grey heads may cover black hearts: and let not the young professor despise the word of warning, for the greenness of youth may be joined to the rottenness of hypocrisy. Every now and then a cedar falls into our midst. The enemy still continues to sow tares among the wheat. It is not my aim to introduce doubts and fears into your mind; nay, verily, but I shall hope the rather that the rough wind of self-examination may help to drive them away. It is not security, but carnal security, which we would kill; not confidence, but fleshly confidence, which we would overthrow; not peace, but false peace, which we would destroy. By the precious blood of Christ, which was not shed to make you a hypocrite, but that sincere souls might show forth his praise, I beseech you, search and look, lest at the last it be said of you, "Mene, Mene, Tekel: thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." Daily Light on the Daily Path John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. John 8:36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. Galatians 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. Galatians 2:16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 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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