Bible League: Living His Word Return, O LORD!How long? And have compassion on Your servants. There are times when the Lord seems far away. Although He is omnipresent and is, as a result, never far from us, it can seem that way sometimes. Sometimes our sin may introduce some distance into our relationship with the Lord. We turn away from Him and He turns from us. Sometimes, on the other hand, we simply get caught up in the troubles of life in this dispensation and God seems far away. Either way, when we finally realize the folly of our sin, or when we finally realize our need for God, we cry out to God like Moses did: "Return, O LORD!" We do this because we know that the Lord responds when we call to Him. We know what He said through Malachi, "Return to me, and I will return to you" (Malachi 3:7), and we know what James said, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).We know that our God is a God who pities the cries of His people and turns and saves them. But there may be some waiting involved. We have returned to God, we have drawn near to Him, but then we must wait for Him to come through. How long Lord? How long will we have to wait for your salvation? If our sin is the cause of the problem, perhaps the Lord waits a while because immediately responding would do us no favors. After all, if the Lord immediately delivered us every time we got into trouble because of our sin, then we might not fully appreciate the gravity of our wrong-doing. If, on the other hand, the troubles of life are the cause of the problem, perhaps the Lord waits in order to show us that He and He alone is our deliverer. After all, if the Lord immediately delivered us from our troubles every time, we might not fully appreciate Him for what He does. When God finally does come through and saves us, He does so because of the compassion He has for His servants. He returns to us and delivers us because He cares for us. We call out to God because we know it is His nature to respond. There is a God of compassion who will respond to your call today. Cry out to Him like Moses in Psalm 90, for He is a strong deliverer. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 25, 26, 27 Psalm 25 -- To you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 26 -- Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 27 -- The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 20:17-38 Acts 20 -- Paul in Macedonia and Greece; Eutychus Raised; Paul's Farewell to Ephesian Elders NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Give us each day the food we need.Insight God's provision is daily, not all at once. We cannot store it up and then cut off communication with God. And we dare not be self-satisfied. Challenge If you are running low on strength, ask yourself, “How long have I been away from the Source?” Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Joel 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path.Locusts always keep their rank, and although their number is legion, they do not crowd upon each other, so as to throw their columns into confusion. This remarkable fact in natural history shows how thoroughly the Lord has infused the spirit of order into his universe, since the smallest animate creatures are as much controlled by it as are the rolling spheres or the seraphic messengers. It would be wise for believers to be ruled by the same influence in all their spiritual life. In their Christian graces no one virtue should usurp the sphere of another, or eat out the vitals of the rest for its own support. Affection must not smother honesty, courage must not elbow weakness out of the field, modesty must not jostle energy, and patience must not slaughter resolution. So also with our duties; one must not interfere with another; public usefulness must not injure private piety; church work must not push family worship into a corner. It is ill to offer God one duty stained with the blood of another. Each thing is beautiful in its season, but not otherwise. It was to the Pharisee that Jesus said, "This ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other undone." The same rule applies to our personal position; we must take care to know our place, take it, and keep to it. We must minister as the Spirit has given us ability, and not intrude upon our fellow servant's domain. Our Lord Jesus taught us not to covet the high places, but to be willing to be the least among the brethren. Far from us be an envious, ambitious spirit, let us feel the force of the Master's command, and do as he bids us, keeping rank with the rest of the host. To-night let us see whether we are keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, and let our prayer be that, in all the churches of the Lord Jesus, peace and order may prevail. Daily Light on the Daily Path Mark 14:8 "She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.Luke 21:3 And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; Mark 9:41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. 2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. James 2:15,16 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, • and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 2 Corinthians 9:6,7 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. • Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Luke 17:10 "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'" 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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