Bible League: Living His Word Trust in the LORD forever,for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. How long must we trust in the LORD? How much longer do we have to rely upon the LORD without any guarantees other than what He tells us and promises us? How much longer must we risk looking foolish and gullible? Will today be the final day of our reliance? Must we get past this one last trial before we can stand on our own two feet without counting on the LORD's support? Will today be the last time we will ever have to chance the prospect of great shame and humiliation at the hands of those who mock us for our faith and trust? Or must we wait until Jesus comes? Surely after Jesus comes we will no longer have to trust in the LORD. Everything we have believed in will have come true. Every promise we looked forward to will have been fulfilled. Surely after Jesus comes trust will be obsolete and unnecessary. Our verse for today, however, places no limits on our trust. We must trust the LORD forever. We must trust the LORD today, tomorrow, till Jesus comes, and beyond that unto all eternity. There is no end to trust. There is no point where we will never have to count on the LORD. Even in the next life where everything is perfect we will have to trust the LORD that the good times will go on forever. Why? Why must this be the case? It is because the LORD is the "Rock eternal." It is because He is the Rock upon which everything in all creation rests. He is the non-dependent reality upon which everything else depends for its very existence and well-being. Human beings must trust in the LORD because we cannot uphold ourselves in existence and guarantee our well-being on our own. The Rock eternal is the Creator and we are mere creatures forever dependent upon His gracious providential sustenance. Thus, there will never be a time when we do not have to trust in the LORD. Indeed, it would be foolish and disastrous to place out trust in anything or anyone else. There is no other Rock eternal. There is no other reality that we can ultimately depend upon. Today, then, begin to settle in for the long haul. Trust in the LORD forever. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingIsaiah 7, 8, 9 Isaiah 7 -- War and Tribulation; The Coming of Immanuel NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 8 -- Uriah and Zechariah NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 9 -- Unto Us a Child Is Born; Judgments upon Israel NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Galatians 4 Galatians 4 -- We are not children of the handmaid, but of the free woman NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.Insight What did Paul mean when he said that our bodies belong to God? Many people say they have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. Although they think that this is freedom, they are really enslaved to their own desires. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit fills and lives in us. Therefore, we no longer own our bodies. “Bought . . . with a high price'' refers to slaves purchased at auction. Christ's death freed us from sin, but also obligates us to his service. Challenge If you live in a building owned by someone else, you try not to violate the building's rules. Because your body belongs to God, you must not violate his standards for living. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Zechariah 1:8 The myrtle trees that were in the bottom.The vision in this chapter describes the condition of Israel in Zechariah's day; but being interpreted in its aspect towards us, it describes the Church of God as we find it now in the world. The Church is compared to a myrtle grove flourishing in a valley. It is hidden, unobserved, secreted; courting no honor and attracting no observation from the careless gazer. The Church, like her head, has a glory, but it is concealed from carnal eyes, for the time of her breaking forth in all her splendour is not yet come. The idea of tranquil security is also suggested to us: for the myrtle grove in the valley is still and calm, while the storm sweeps over the mountain summits. Tempests spend their force upon the craggy peaks of the Alps, but down yonder where flows the stream which maketh glad the city of our God, the myrtles flourish by the still waters, all unshaken by the impetuous wind. How great is the inward tranquility of God's Church! Even when opposed and persecuted, she has a peace which the world gives not, and which, therefore, it cannot take away: the peace of God which passeth all understanding keeps the hearts and minds of God's people. Does not the metaphor forcibly picture the peaceful, perpetual growth of the saints? The myrtle sheds not her leaves, she is always green; and the Church in her worst time still hath a blessed verdure of grace about her; nay, she has sometimes exhibited most verdure when her winter has been sharpest. She has prospered most when her adversities have been most severe. Hence the text hints at victory. The myrtle is the emblem of peace, and a significant token of triumph. The brows of conquerors were bound with myrtle and with laurel; and is not the Church ever victorious? Is not every Christian more than a conqueror through him that loved him? Living in peace, do not the saints fall asleep in the arms of victory? Daily Light on the Daily Path Deuteronomy 32:4 "The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.1 Peter 2:23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Romans 14:12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Ezekiel 18:4 "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. Zechariah 13:7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate," Declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. Isaiah 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. Psalm 85:10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Isaiah 2:13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Isaiah 45:21 "Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Romans 3:26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 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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