Bible League: Living His Word Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.In Old Testament times, God's redemption at first focused on the whole human race, but as time went on His focus narrowed to a smaller and smaller percentage of people. The prevalence of sin was the reason for the narrowing. After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God's redemptive focus narrowed to the line of Seth. When sin began to dominate even in the line of Seth, God narrowed His focus to the line of Noah. After Noah, God narrowed His focus to the Israelites. Then to the southern kingdom of Judah, and then to the remnant of Judah that returned from captivity in Babylon. When Jesus came to the earth, there were not many true believers. A good metaphor to describe this narrowing process is a barrel of apples. In the beginning, the barrel was full of good apples. However, whenever an apple turned bad, God would remove it from the barrel lest it pollute the remaining apples. The process continued until there were very few apples left in the barrel. In New Testament times, in contrast, God's narrowing stopped with Jesus, who was perfectly faithful to God. From that point on, God has expanded His redemptive focus. It began in Jerusalem, then all of Judea and Samaria, and it now embraces the whole world (Acts 1:8). Jesus Christ's conquest of sin and His assumption of all authority in heaven and earth is the reason for the expansion. Our verses for today reflect this new universal focus of God's redemptive concern. The barrel metaphor now needs some development. At the time of Christ, the barrel had very few good apples in it. However, God began to take bad apples from outside the barrel and put them into the barrel. Instead of polluting the good apples, however, the bad apples were turned into good apples. This process will continue until the full number of apples is brought into the barrel. The transformative power of God's redemptive work reaching the ends of the earth is a marvel to behold. We should be eternally grateful to God that, instead of being removed from His Kingdom for our sins, we have been added to His Kingdom through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNumbers 3, 4 Numbers 3 -- Levites Designated as Priests NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 4 -- Duties of the Kohathites, Gershonites, Merahites NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 3:22-35 Mark 3 -- Jesus Heals on the Sabbath, Chooses the Twelve, discusses Beelzebub, Mother and Brothers NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion But the LORD's plans stand firm forever;his intentions can never be shaken. Insight “The LORD's plans stand firm forever.” Are you frustrated by inconsistencies you see in others, or even in yourself? God is completely trustworthy—his intentions never change. There is a promise that good and perfect gifts come to us from the Creator who never changes. Challenge When you wonder if there is anyone in whom you can trust, remember that God is completely consistent. Let him counsel you, and trust in his plans for your life. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon 2 Corinthians 7:6 God, that comforteth those that are cast down.And who comforteth like him? Go to some poor, melancholy, distressed child of God; tell him sweet promises, and whisper in his ear choice words of comfort; he is like the deaf adder, he listens not to the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. He is drinking gall and wormwood, and comfort him as you may, it will be only a note or two of mournful resignation that you will get from him; you will bring forth no psalms of praise, no hallelujahs, no joyful sonnets. But let God come to his child, let him lift up his countenance, and the mourner's eyes glisten with hope. Do you not hear him sing-- "'Tis paradise, if thou art here; If thou depart, 'tis hell?" You could not have cheered him: but the Lord has done it; "He is the God of all comfort." There is no balm in Gilead, but there is balm in God. There is no physician among the creatures, but the Creator is Jehovah-rophi. It is marvellous how one sweet word of God will make whole songs for Christians. One word of God is like a piece of gold, and the Christian is the gold beater, and can hammer that promise out for whole weeks. So, then, poor Christian, thou needest not sit down in despair. Go to the Comforter, and ask him to give thee consolation. Thou art a poor dry well. You have heard it said, that when a pump is dry, you must pour water down it first of all, and then you will get water, and so, Christian, when thou art dry, go to God, ask him to shed abroad his joy in thy heart, and then thy joy shall be full. Do not go to earthly acquaintances, for you will find them Job's comforters after all; but go first and foremost to thy "God, that comforteth those that are cast down," and you will soon say, "In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul." Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him.John 19:30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Isaiah 43:21 "The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise. Ephesians 3:10,11 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. • This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, Ephesians 2:7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:13,14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, • who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. 1 Peter2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 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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