Bible League: Living His Word Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. There are certain events in created reality that are destined to occur, but not before certain other events are played out. A butterfly will eventually emerge from its chrysalis, but not before a butterfly egg hatches into a caterpillar and the caterpillar forms itself into the chrysalis. A salmon will eventually lay its eggs in a stream, but not before it has attained maturity in the ocean and has swum up the stream. A farmer will eventually reap a harvest, but not before he plows the land, plants, and fertilizes the crop. It's the same with the coming of the Lord. It is destined to occur, but not before certain other events are played out. Jesus' prophecy that the gospel must be preached "to the ends of the earth" must be fulfilled (Acts 1:8). The church, the bride of the Lamb, must make herself ready (Revelation 19:7). And the "man of lawlessness" must be revealed; the man "doomed to destruction" (II Thessalonians 2:1-3). There are a many other events that must occur as well. Given the temporal structure of created reality, you have to wait for its various events to play themselves out. You can't rush the processes. You can't catch a butterfly for your collection before it emerges from the chrysalis. You can't gather salmon eggs for the dinner table before they're laid. And you can't harvest a crop before it's planted. You have to wait for all these things. You have to be patient and allow things to develop. It's the same with the Lord's coming. He will surely come, but you have to wait for the antecedent events to play themselves out. Although you may pray like the Apostle John, "Come, Lord Jesus," you can't do anything to force the coming of the Lord. Just because you're ready for Him, just because you're suffering, doesn't mean that the Lord is obligated to make His appearance. There are things that must happen. There are plans that must be fulfilled. We must be patient, then, like the farmer. We must wait for everything to happen in its time. And we must interpret the times properly, so that we'll know how to live in them (Luke 12:56). Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingDaniel 7, 8 Daniel 7 -- Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts, the Ancient of Days, the Son of Man NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Daniel 8 -- Daniel's Vision of the Ram and Goat NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 John 5 1 John 5 -- He Who Has the Son Has the Life; Final Remarks NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.Insight We should not be attached to this world, because all that we are and have here is temporary. Only our relationship with God and our service to him will last. Challenge Don't store up your treasures here; store them in heaven. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon 1 Corinthians 15:48 As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.The head and members are of one nature, and not like that monstrous image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. The head was of fine gold, but the belly and thighs were of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet, part of iron and part of clay. Christ's mystical body is no absurd combination of opposites; the members were mortal, and therefore Jesus died; the glorified head is immortal, and therefore the body is immortal too, for thus the record stands, "Because I live, ye shall live also." As is our loving Head, such is the body, and every member in particular. A chosen Head and chosen members; an accepted Head, and accepted members; a living Head, and living members. If the head be pure gold, all the parts of the body are of pure gold also. Thus is there a double union of nature as a basis for the closest communion. Pause here, devout reader, and see if thou canst without ecstatic amazement, contemplate the infinite condescension of the Son of God in thus exalting thy wretchedness into blessed union with his glory. Thou art so mean that in remembrance of thy mortality, thou mayest say to corruption, "Thou art my father," and to the worm, "Thou art my sister;" and yet in Christ thou art so honored that thou canst say to the Almighty, "Abba, Father," and to the Incarnate God, "Thou art my brother and my husband." Surely if relationships to ancient and noble families make men think highly of themselves, we have whereof to glory over the heads of them all. Let the poorest and most despised believer lay hold upon this privilege; let not a senseless indolence make him negligent to trace his pedigree, and let him suffer no foolish attachment to present vanities to occupy his thoughts to the exclusion of this glorious, this heavenly honor of union with Christ. Daily Light on the Daily Path Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, John 3:27 John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. Jeremiah 32:39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. James 1:16-18 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. • Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. • In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Isaiah 26:12 LORD, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works. 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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