Bible League: Living His Word The LORD's message came to me:"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I chose you for a special work. I chose you to be a prophet to the nations." On the basis of our verses for today we can see that God knows His people before they are born and chooses each one of them for a special work, a special calling unique to them. God is a God who plans things out in advance and we figure into those plans. It would be a mistake to believe that our verses for today apply only to Jeremiah and that only he was known by God before he was born and only he had a special work to do. As if God did not know the rest of us before we were born and did not have any plans for us. Our special calling, obviously, is not the same as Jeremiah's and it may not be anything anywhere near as important as Jeremiah's, but it is a calling nonetheless. Since it is God who calls us for special works, we can expect to have within us the spiritual gifts and resources necessary to fulfill the calling. God is at work in all of us to do everything He has called us to do (I Corinthians 12:5-7). Indeed, one way that we can identify our calling is to become aware of the spiritual resources we have available to us. Further, since it is God who calls us, we can expect to have a burden for whatever it is He wants us to do. For the Apostle Paul, for example, it was preaching the gospel to those who are not Jews (Romans 15:15-16). Another way we can identify our calling is to become aware of the burden God has placed on our hearts. Finally, since it is God who calls us, we can expect that He will have worked out our preparation for the special work. Parental influence, educational preparation, job and life experience, and any number of other factors may all play their role in preparing us for the work. Becoming aware of the relevance of these factors is yet another way of identifying our calling. God knew each one of us and chose each one of us for a special work before we were born. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingExodus 16, 17, 18 Exodus 16 -- Manna, Quail and the Sabbath NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Exodus 17 -- Water from the Rock; the Defeat of the Amalekites NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Exodus 18 -- Jethro Visits and Counsels Moses NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Matthew 19:16-30 Matthew 19 -- Divorce; Jesus and the Little Children; the Rich Young Ruler NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion If I have sinned, what have I done to you,O watcher of all humanity? Why make me your target? Am I a burden to you? Insight Job referred to God as a watcher or observer of humanity. He was expressing the feeling that God seemed like an enemy to him—someone who mercilessly watched him squirm in his misery. We know that God does watch over everything that happens to us. Challenge We must never forget that he sees us with compassion, not merely with critical scrutiny. His eyes are eyes of love. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Colossians 1:28 Perfect in Christ Jesus.Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps "imperfection;" every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters "imperfection." You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you--you are "perfect in Christ Jesus." In God's sight, you are "complete in him;" even now you are "accepted in the Beloved." But there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? The Church of Christ then will be so pure, that not even the eye of Omniscience will see a spot or blemish in her; so holy and so glorious, that Hart did not go beyond the truth when he said-- "With my Saviour's garments on, Holy as the Holy One." Then shall we know, and taste, and feel the happiness of this vast but short sentence, "Complete in Christ." Not till then shall we fully comprehend the heights and depths of the salvation of Jesus. Doth not thy heart leap for joy at the thought of it? Black as thou art, thou shalt be white one day; filthy as thou art, thou shalt be clean. Oh, it is a marvellous salvation this! Christ takes a worm and transforms it into an angel; Christ takes a black and deformed thing and makes it clean and matchless in his glory, peerless in his beauty, and fit to be the companion of seraphs. O my soul, stand and admire this blessed truth of perfection in Christ. Daily Light on the Daily Path Deuteronomy 33:25 "Your locks will be iron and bronze, And according to your days, so will your leisurely walk be.Matthew 13:11 Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. Matthew 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Psalm 68:35 O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God! Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. • Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Judges 5:21 "The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength. 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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