Bible League: Living His Word And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven.Although presently the church of Jesus Christ must go through times of trial and persecution, a time of rest is coming – an eternity of rest, actually. It will come when the Lord Jesus returns from heaven "with his mighty angels, in flaming fire" (II Thessalonians 1:7-8). At that time those who believe in Jesus will receive rest, but those who do not believe "will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power" (II Thessalonians 1:9). Those who do not believe will never have rest again. It is helpful and hopeful that the Apostle Paul reminds us that our faith in Jesus Christ will one day be rewarded with rest. In this life many of us have received ill treatment for our faith. These times of trial and persecution are tiresome. They wear us out. The hope of a time of rest, the hope of a time of relief from all of it is encouraging. It helps us to hold on. It helps us to not give up. We may have troubles now, but the future is bright. Paul says that the time of rest is not just for us, but for him and his companions as well. Paul often made the point that our glorious future will be a shared future. He says, "We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you" (II Corinthians 4:14) and he says, "And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing" (II Timothy 4:8). At that future time, given Paul's point, we will be able to meet Paul, his companions like Silas and Timothy, and all the other saints of the Bible that have meant so much to us in this life. The promise of rest, however, is not exclusively a future reality. In the book of Hebrews it says, "So God's rest is there for people to enter" (Hebrews 4:6). And already, by faith, we may enter into that rest (Hebrews 4:3). Already, even in the midst of our trials and persecutions, our faith allows us to experience a rest of God that is a foretaste of the ultimate rest that is yet to come. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingMicah 1, 2, 3 Micah 1 -- The Word of the Lord to Micah: Destruction, Weeping and Mourning in Israel and Judah NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Micah 2 -- Woe to Oppressors; Reproof of Injustice, Idolatry and False Prophets; Deliverance Promised NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Micah 3 -- Princes and Prophets Denounced NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Revelation 10 Revelation 10 -- The Angel and the Small Scroll NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.Insight One characteristic all children share is that they want to grow up—to be like big brother or like sister or like their parents. When we are born again, we become spiritual newborn babies. If we are healthy, we will yearn to grow. How sad it is that some people never grow up. The need for milk is a natural instinct for a baby, and it signals the desire for nourishment that will lead to growth. Challenge Once we see our need for God's Word and begin to find nourishment in Christ, our spiritual appetite will increase, and we will start to mature. How strong is your desire for God's Word? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.If the disposal of the lot is the Lord's whose is the arrangement of our whole life? If the simple casting of a lot is guided by him, how much more the events of our entire life--especially when we are told by our blessed Saviour: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered: not a sparrow falleth to the ground without your Father." It would bring a holy calm over your mind, dear friend, if you were always to remember this. It would so relieve your mind from anxiety, that you would be the better able to walk in patience, quiet, and cheerfulness as a Christian should. When a man is anxious he cannot pray with faith; when he is troubled about the world, he cannot serve his Master, his thoughts are serving himself. If you would "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," all things would then be added unto you. You are meddling with Christ's business, and neglecting your own when you fret about your lot and circumstances. You have been trying "providing" work and forgetting that it is yours to obey. Be wise and attend to the obeying, and let Christ manage the providing. Come and survey your Father's storehouse, and ask whether he will let you starve while he has laid up so great an abundance in his garner? Look at his heart of mercy; see if that can ever prove unkind! Look at his inscrutable wisdom; see if that will ever be at fault. Above all, look up to Jesus Christ your Intercessor, and ask yourself, while he pleads, can your Father deal ungraciously with you? If he remembers even sparrows, will he forget one of the least of his poor children? "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain thee. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved." My soul, rest happy in thy low estate, Nor hope nor wish to be esteem'd or great; To take the impress of the Will Divine, Be that thy glory, and those riches thine. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 112:4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Psalm 37:24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life Micah 7:8,9 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me. • I will bear the indignation of the LORD Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness. Matthew 6:22,23 "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. • "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 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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