Morning, October 5
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Bible League: Living His Word
Fire is used to make gold and silver pure, but a person's heart is made pure by the LORD.

Our verse for today makes use of an image. Just as fire refines gold and silver, so likewise the Lord refines the heart or soul of an individual person.

In old covenant times gold or silver would be placed into a crucible that was then hung over an open fire. The fire would heat up the crucible, melt the metal, and force any impurities in the metal to rise to the surface. The refiner would then skim the impurities off the surface of the molten metal. In this way the gold or silver would be purified and would become, as a result, more valuable.

In like manner, the Lord makes our hearts pure. The reason that the Lord does this is because He has to do it. Although a person receives the Holy Spirit upon accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and everything becomes new (II Corinthians 5:17), the old sinful spiritual state still remains a factor in the life of that person (Galatians 5:17). Hence, sins like pride, impatience, selfishness, self-will, and envy can sometimes cause trouble and heartache.

The Lord, however, does not simply allow this sorry state of affairs to continue unabated. Since He is a master refiner, He makes use of the tools of His trade in order to remove the impurities within us. He places us in His crucible of difficult situations and He stokes up His fire of testing. As the author of Hebrews puts it, "The Lord disciplines everyone He loves; he punishes everyone he accepts as a child" (Hebrews 12:6).

The Lord's crucible causes the impurities that lie deep within us to rise to the surface where they can be dealt with through repentance and prayer. Sometimes the impurities are so deep that a person does not even realize they are there. Peter, for example, mistakenly thought he could stand with Jesus in the time of trial. When he was actually placed in the crucible, however, his pride and cowardice were revealed for what they were (Luke 22:54-62). It was only then that he could deal with them.

Although the refining process is difficult, the good news is that we come forth from it, as James put it, "mature and complete" (James 1:2-4).

Bible in a Year
Old Testament Reading
Isaiah 31, 32, 33


Isaiah 31 -- Danger of Trusting Egypt and Forsaking God

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Isaiah 32 -- A King Shall Reign in Righteousness

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


Isaiah 33 -- God's Judgments against His Enemies

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New Testament Reading
Philippians 1


Philippians 1 -- Paul's Thankfulness to God and His Love towards the Philippians; Christ Is Preached; To live is Christ

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Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library.
Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion
For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
        On the day of salvation, I helped you.
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
Insight
God offers salvation to all people. Many people put off a decision for Christ, thinking that there will be a better time—but they could easily miss their opportunity altogether.
Challenge
There is no time like the present to receive God's forgiveness. Don't let anything hold you back from coming to Christ.
Morning and Evening by Spurgeon
1 Kings 19:8  He arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights.

All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for service, not for wantonness or boasting. When the prophet Elijah found the cake baked on the coals, and the cruse of water placed at his head, as he lay under the juniper tree, he was no gentleman to be gratified with dainty fare that he might stretch himself at his ease; far otherwise, he was commissioned to go forty days and forty nights in the strength of it, journeying towards Horeb, the mount of God. When the Master invited the disciples to "Come and dine" with him, after the feast was concluded he said to Peter, "Feed my sheep;" further adding, "Follow me." Even thus it is with us; we eat the bread of heaven, that we may expend our strength in the Master's service. We come to the passover, and eat of the paschal lamb with loins girt, and staff in hand, so as to start off at once when we have satisfied our hunger. Some Christians are for living on Christ, but are not so anxious to live for Christ. Earth should be a preparation for heaven; and heaven is the place where saints feast most and work most. They sit down at the table of our Lord, and they serve him day and night in his temple. They eat of heavenly food and render perfect service. Believer, in the strength you daily gain from Christ, labor for him. Some of us have yet to learn much concerning the design of our Lord in giving us his grace. We are not to retain the precious grains of truth as the Egyptian mummy held the wheat for ages, without giving it an opportunity to grow: we must sow it and water it. Why does the Lord send down the rain upon the thirsty earth, and give the genial sunshine? Is it not that these may all help the fruits of the earth to yield food for man? Even so the Lord feeds and refreshes our souls that we may afterwards use our renewed strength in the promotion of his glory.

Daily Light on the Daily Path
Psalm 50:15  Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."

Psalm 42:11  Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 10:17  O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear

Psalm 86:5  For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

Genesis 35:2,3  So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; • and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone."

Psalm 103:2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;

Psalm 116:1-4  I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. • Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. • The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. • Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!"

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.

Evening October 4
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