Dawn 2 Dusk When the Crown Is Offered CheapIn the wilderness, Jesus was tempted with a shortcut to glory—power without the cross, a throne without obedience. But He exposed the trap and drew a bright, liberating boundary: worship and allegiance are not negotiable, and they never belong to anyone but God. Name the Voice, Reject the Bargain Temptation often sounds practical: “Just bend a little—just this once—and you’ll get what you want.” But Jesus doesn’t debate the devil’s terms; He refuses the entire arrangement. “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” (Matthew 4:10). There are moments when the holiest thing you can do is stop negotiating and start obeying. Ask yourself: What’s the “bargain” being offered today—approval, control, comfort, success—at the price of compromised worship? Scripture is blunt about the pull of rival loves: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). Naming the voice behind the lie helps you see it clearly: anything that asks for your worship—even subtly—deserves a firm no. Worship as Warfare Worship isn’t background music for spiritual life; it’s the front line. When you bow to God, you stand up to everything else. “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” (Psalm 95:6). In a loud world, kneeling is a declaration: God is God, and I am not. And worship reorders what temptation tries to scramble. The enemy offers “kingdoms” and “glory,” but heaven measures glory differently: “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.” (Revelation 4:11). When God is worthy because He is Creator, then no created thing—no craving, no fear, no person—gets to sit on His throne. Serve Him Only, Right Where You Are Jesus ties worship to service: not just songs, but loyalty that moves your hands and shapes your choices. God isn’t looking for part-time devotion; He calls for whole-life worship: “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1). The altar isn’t only in a sanctuary—it’s your schedule, your words, your private habits. Serving “only” the Lord doesn’t mean you quit responsibilities; it means you stop letting them become masters. Your work, relationships, and ambitions can become worship when they’re done under His rule: “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men… It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24). Today brings small crossroads—an honest decision, a pure thought, a humble apology. Those are not minor. They are how you choose whom you serve. Father, thank You that You alone are worthy of my worship. Help me turn away from every false bargain today and gladly serve You in everything—teach me to obey quickly and worship sincerely, in Jesus’ name. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer Truth Is a PersonLet me say boldly that it is not the difficulty of discovering truth, but the unwillingness to obey it, that makes it so rare among men. Our Lord said, I am the Truth. And again He said, The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Truth, therefore, is not hard to find for the very reason that it is seeking us! So we learn that Truth is not a thing for which we must search, but a Person to whom we must hearken! In the New Testament, multitudes came to Jesus for physical help, but only rarely did one seek Him out to learn the Truth. The whole picture in the gospels is one of a seeking Savior, not one of seeking men. The Truth was hunting for those who would receive it, and relatively few did, for many are called, but few are chosen. Music For the Soul The Cry from the DepthsOut of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice: let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. - Psalm 130:1-2 The depths are the place for us all. Every man has to go down there, if he take the place that belongs to him. Unless you have cried to God out of these depths, you have never cried to Him at all. Unless you come to Him as a penitent, sinful man, with the consciousness of transgression awakened within you, your prayers are shallow. The beginning of all true personal religion lies in the sense of my own sin and my lost condition. Why, the difference between the tepid, superficial religion, that so many have, and the true thing consists a great deal more in this than in anything else- that in the one case a sense of sin has been awakened, and in the other it has not. I believe, for my part, that as far as creed is concerned, the reason of the larger number of the misapprehensions and waterings-down of the full-toned Christian truth which we see around us comes from this, that men have not appreciated the importance, as a factor in their theology, of the doctrine of sin. And so far as practice is concerned, one main reason why the religion that prevails is such a poor, flabby, impotent thing is the same. If a man does not think much about sin, he does not think much about a Divine Saviour. Wherever you find practically men and women with a Christianity that lies very lightly upon them, that does not impel them to any acts of service and devotion, that seldom breaks out into any heroisms of self-surrender, and never rises into the heights of communion with God, depend upon it that the roots of it are to be found here, that the man has never been down there into the pit, and never sent his voice up from it as some man that had tumbled down a coal pit might fling a despairing voice up to the surface, in the hope that somebody stumbling past the mouth of it might hear the cry. "Out of the depths" he has not cried unto God. You want nothing more than a cry to get you out of the depths. If out of the depths you cry, you will cry yourself out of the depths. Here is a man at the foot of a cliff that rises beetling like a black wall behind him; the sea in front; the bare, upright rock at his back; not a foothold for a mouse between the tide at the bottom and the grass at the top there. What is he going to do? There is only one thing - he can shout. Perchance somebody will hear him; a rope may come dangling down in front of him: and, if he has got nerve, he may shut his eyes and make a jump and catch it. There is no way for you up out of the pit but to cry to God, and that will bring a rope down; nay, rather, the rope is there, - your grasping the rope and your cry are one. "Ask, and ye shall receive." God has let down the fulness of His forgiving love in Jesus Christ, and all that we need is the call, which is likewise faith, which accepts while it desires, and desires in its acceptance; and then we are lifted up there " out of the horrible pit and the miry clay, and our feet are set upon a rock, and our goings established." Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Hosea 10:12 It is time to seek the Lord. This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? then, I entreat you, give your vigor to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could fain praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it come when it may, but oh! an early salvation has a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your prime, "It is time to seek the Lord." Ye who feel the first signs of decay, quicken your pace: that hollow cough, that hectic flush, are warnings which you must not trifle with; with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord. Did I observe a little grey mingled with your once luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing nearer by hasty marches, let each return of spring arouse you to set your house in order. Dear reader, if you are now advanced in life, let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is a day of grace for you now--be thankful for that, but it is a limited season and grows shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent chamber, on this first night of another month, I speak to you as best I can by paper and ink, and from my inmost soul, as God's servant, I lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord." Slight not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of grace. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook The King’s HighwayThe way of holiness is so straight and plain that the simplest minds cannot go astray if they constantly follow it. The worldly wise have many twists and turns, and yet they make terrible blunders and generally miss their end. Worldly policy is a poor, shortsighted thing, and when men choose it as their road, it leads them over dark mountains. Gracious minds know no better than to do as the LORD bids them; but this keeps them in the King’s highway and under royal protection. Let the reader never for a moment attempt to help himself out of a difficulty by a falsehood or by a questionable act; but let him keep in the middle of the high road of truth and integrity, and he will be following the best possible course. In our lives we must never practice circular sailing nor dream of shuffling. Be just and fear not, Follow Jesus and heed no evil consequences. If the worst of ills could be avoided by wrongdoing, we should, in the very attempt, have fallen into an evil worse than any other ill could be. God’s way must be the very best way. Follow it though men think you a fool, and you will be truly wise. LORD, lead Thy servants in a plain path because of their enemies. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer The Lord Is My ShepherdTHEN David was one of the Lord’s sheep. All His sheep know Him, love Him, and follow Him. They possess His disposition; He was meek, and lowly in heart. Are you a sheep of Christ? Are you looking to, following of, and rejoicing in, your Shepherd? If so, it is His province to lead you, feed you, protect you, and heal you. Your person, life, health, comforts, and safety, are committed to His care. He is the good Shepherd, He laid down His life for His sheep; He searches and seeks out His sheep wherever they have been scattered; He feeds His flock; He gathereth the lambs with His arm, and carrieth them in His bosom. He loved His sheep more than His own life; He cares for His sheep more than for all the world beside. He feeds them in the most suitable pasture, and leads them in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. O view Jesus as your Shepherd! expect Him to lead you, feed you, fold you, and present you to His Father with exceeding joy. Cleave to Him; let nothing tempt you to leave His feet, His flock, or His fold. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Jehovah is my Shepherd’s name! Then what have I, though weak, to fear? My sin and folly I proclaim, If I despond, while He is near: In every danger He is nigh. And will my every want supply. Bible League: Living His Word Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.— John 14:27 ESV It was crucial that the disciples captured the final thoughts of their rabbi. Each chapter in what is called the "upper room discourse" highlights a repetitive structure, framed throughout each chapter (John 14, 15, 16, 17), that emphasizes the main ideas Jesus desired to convey. Chapter 14 provides the only discourse that was shared in the upper room, but it furnishes the foundation for what would be spoken while all were on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. One can imagine Jesus leaning over the table near the floor, capturing the eyes of the 11 disciples in the room, and with a voice that demanded attention stating, "Let not your hearts be troubled" (John 14:1). The words were indeed needed, for He would now begin to share some "troubling" things with His disciples. To hold their attention, the Lord frames His thoughts upon his soon "going" and "coming again" phrases (John 14:2-3, 18-19, 28). After three years of constant companionship, these words would be troubling enough for the disciples. There is a sense that He is preparing them for more troubling thoughts to come, but there is also a sense that He is opening their minds to the wonderful expectations to come! "Let not your hearts be troubled..." for you will have your own "room" in heaven (vs. 2-3)! You will be a member of a family with a loving Father forever (vs. 18-21)! In so many words, Jesus describes their inheritance, and then He seals it with peace (vs. 27). Peace is what Jesus left the disciples. Through our relationship with Him, it is what He has left us also. The late Ray Stedman built the case, claiming it to be fundamental to our identity as believers, and that peace cannot be taken away by any circumstance. That is what Jesus meant by stating that He does not give it to us as the world does—circumstantially, temporarily, only in happy situations. No! The peace Jesus gives fits right in the midst of trouble. It stays with us throughout the turmoil, the pressure, or the heartache we experience throughout our lives. The disciples would have whatever questions they may have had answered for them in chapter 15. We find our answers there also. The constant abiding—the "you in me, and I in you" passages—peppered throughout the chapter strengthen our grip on peace amid unpeaceful times. There is no secret to peace in the heart of a believer. There is only a constant abiding with the Father, believing that when Jesus stated his eternal presence with us, He meant it. By Bill Niblette, Ph.D., Bible League International staff, Pennsylvania U.S. Daily Light on the Daily Path Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.1 Chronicles 22:9 'Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. Matthew 12:42 "The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 32:18,19 Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places; • And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low. Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, Micah 5:5 This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. Revelation 17:14 "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 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. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Don't let me drift toward evilor take part in acts of wickedness. Don't let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. Insight David asked God to guard his heart. Evil acts begin with evil desires. Challenge It isn't enough to ask God to keep you away from temptation, make you stronger, or change your circumstances. You must ask him to change you on the inside—at the level of your desires. Devotional Hours Within the Bible Joy in God’s House“I rejoiced with those who said to me Let us go to the house of the LORD! Our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem.” The title of this Psalm is suggestive. It is called a Song of Ascents. Whatever the origin of the title may have been, it is pleasant to think of a true life as a series of ascents. We are always going upward if we are walking with God out of sin and debasement, toward holiness and brightness; out of the mists and shadows that lie in the valleys to the sunlight that streams on the mountaintops. It is uphill all the way. We think as we climb some rugged steep, and come at last to its crest, that we shall have no more such paths; but tomorrow find that we have only reached the top of one of the foothills, and that there are other hills a stairway of them leading up at last to the mountain summit, which we call heaven. If, therefore, we are living truly, our course is a continuous ascent, and our songs should be songs of ascents . “I rejoiced with those who said to me Let us go to the house of the LORD!” We can readily understand the gladness of the ancient Hebrews as they were summoned to the house of the Lord. They were dispersed over many countries. Their annual feast days were occasions of great joy for them, because they were then called to the holy city, the place of the temple, the most sacred spot in all the world to Hebrew hearts. No wonder they went up singing. They were going back to their old homeland. They would there meet friends they had not met for a long while. They would sing again the old songs and worship God in the old way. Just so, it should always make us glad to be called to the house of the Lord. We go to church for two general reasons. One is, to worship God. He has been good to us, and we are called to return to Him love and worship. Another reason is, that in His house God meets us with His blessings grace, strength, comfort, wisdom, light. We go to church not so much to give God something our offerings of homage and praise; as to get something from Him, help for the journey, comfort for our sorrow, strength for our weakness. We should love to go to God’s house, because we need the help we cannot find elsewhere. “Our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem.” When at last, after the long journey, the pilgrim reached the gate of the holy city, his joy was unbounded. Perhaps he had come from afar, his heart all the way full of eager anticipation. Now he is climbing the last hill, now he is at the gate, now entering, now inside. What gladness is his! Similar joy should be the true Christian’s when he enters the presence of God. We get so used to the exercise of prayer, the privilege of communion, the blessedness of meeting God, that sometimes we fail to experience the rapture that our heart should find. The angels, as they look upon the worship of earth’s pilgrims, must wonder at its lack of warmth and fervor, its tameness, its triteness. If we would come into God’s presence only now and then, a few times in the year, as the Jews came to their temple how hungry would we be for God, and what gladness the approach would give! Or if we could have a glimpse of the heavenly realities amid which we stand when we enter the presence of God no words could express our gladness! “Jerusalem is a well-built city, knit together as a single unit. All the people of Israel the LORD’s people make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the LORD as the law requires.” Two reasons are here given why the people went up to God’s house regularly. One was, as a testimony. Thus they showed to the world their love for God and testified of their own faithfulness and devotion. When their neighbors saw them wending their way to the temple they knew that they were devout Israelites. Constant church-going is always a good witness for God. When every Lord’s day we drop our business, our worldly tasks, and turn away from ease and self-indulgence, and go to God’s house, we are honoring God before our neighbors. The man who is seen going to the church every Sunday, though he never says a word in public about his religion, is preaching a sermon to the indifferent a sermon more eloquent and impressive than he could preach in words. Another reason for church attendance, is to give thanks unto the Lord. After a week of gifts and favors received, we should go to the house of God and take there our offerings of praise. Yet is there really much thanksgiving in the worship of the average Christian congregation? We try to make our services very solemn. We should be reverent, for we are in the presence of the mighty God. But joy should be the keynote in all our worship, for we have always a thousand reasons for thanksgiving. Yet, do we always give thanks? One man said in a meeting that he had been living at Grumble Corner for a long time but had now moved up to Thanksgiving Street. He said that he found the air sweeter and purer, and everything brighter and better. Too many of us live in Grumble Row most of our life. We do little but complain. Even our prayers are made up of fears, anxieties, and requests, with scarcely a word of praise. If the angels can hear the prayers put up by most Christians, they must wonder how they can be so sad all the time. We should go to God’s house to give thanks. “Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David.” The city of Jerusalem was the capital of the country. It was not only the place for worship but also the place where the people came for their laws. It was the place to which they came with their inequities and injustices, their questions requiring settlement. All this Christ is to us, in our Christian life. The church is the divine refuge for us. That is the place, therefore, to bring all our wrongs. If others have injured us, sinned against us, done us harm we may bring the matters to God’s house, sure that justice will be done, that our wrongs will be righted, and that evil shall be transmuted into good for us. This is a great teaching, and one which we should not fail to learn. Many of us allow ourselves to be sadly hurt in the fiber of our life by the treatment we receive from others. We allow slights, injuries, unkindnesses, to be like thorns in our flesh, wounding us. Some of us grow bitter and resentful, trying to settle every injury for ourselves. This is not the Christian way. Rather we should take all such wrongs to God’s house, for there are thrones where judgment is given. This is what Christ Himself did. “When he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him who judges righteously.” “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be with you.” Again and again, in the closing verses of this Psalm, comes the prayer for peace. Peace is the sum of all spiritual blessing. Another part of our errand to God’s house is to pray for peace on the church and for the prosperity of all who love God. We should never go to church for ourselves alone. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray always for others, mingling intercession with our supplication. It is not “My Father,” but “ Our Father,” to whom we should come. We should pray for our brethren and companions. We should seek the good of the whole Church of Christ. If the spirit of these verses, were the spirit of all our worship, there would be no strife in our churches, no divisions, no quarrels. Peace is the absence of all bitterness. The secret of peace lies in willingness to obliterate self, to suffer uncomplainingly, rather than to demand our “rights.” Church quarrels come from the opposite spirit someone is determined to have things his own way, even if the consequence is the breaking up of the church. If we say the words of this Psalm sincerely, we must be willing to be broken and crashed, to have our rights set aside, if only the Church of Christ prospers and is at peace. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJudges 6, 7 Judges 6 -- Oppression by Midian; Gideon Chosen; Destruction of Altar of Baal; Fleece NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Judges 7 -- Gideon Uses 300 Chosen Men to Defeat the Midianites NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 8:1-21 Luke 8 -- Parables of the Sower and Lamp; Jesus Calms the Storm, Heals the Demoniac, Raises a Dead Girl NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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