Bible League: Living His Word "I am the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come--the Almighty One."What does it mean that the Lord God is the Alpha and Omega? The first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet symbolize that He is the ultimate source and origin of every created reality and that He has determined the end or goal towards which every created reality moves through time. First, He is the one who was. Before the foundation of the created order, the Lord God was. Everything that exists has Him as its ultimate cause and explanation. He set up the created order and thereby determined the fundamental nature and purpose of all things. Whatever created thing exists must do so within the framework He has established and every created thing is ultimately dependent upon Him for its very existence. Second, He is the one who is. The Lord God not only established the created order, He also continues to be involved with it. This is the Lord God's providence. He did not just create everything and then cease to be involved with what He created. Everything is dependent upon Him. If He ceased to be involved, the whole created order would cease to exist. By His providential concern He continues to uphold, oversee, and govern all created reality. Finally, He is the one who is still to come. Just as the Lord God continues to uphold, oversee, and govern all created reality through His divine providence in the present, so likewise He will do so in the future. Everything within the created order is moving through time in accordance with His plans and purposes into the future that He has determined. His divine providence, as a result, determines the end or goal towards which everything is moving. The Lord God is the Almighty One. He is the all-powerful, uncreated reality upon which every created reality depends for its very nature and existence. He is the divine reality before whom every human being is responsible and accountable. Ultimately, you cannot evade Him or ignore Him. If you try, you do so at your own peril. Today, take a moment and stand in awe of the majesty and glory of the Almighty One, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJudges 12, 13, 14 Judges 12 -- Jephthah, Ephraim, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Judges 13 -- Israel Oppressed by the Philistines; Samson Is Born NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Judges 14 -- Samson's Marriage and Riddle NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 9:37-62 Luke 9 -- Jesus Sends out the Twelve, Feeds 5000, Heals a Boy; Transfiguration; Cost of Following Jesus NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge,but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Insight One of the most annoying types of people is a know-it-all, a person who has a dogmatic opinion about everything, is closed to anything new, resents discipline, and refuses to learn. Solomon calls this kind of person a fool. Challenge Don't be a know-it-all. Instead, be open to the advice of others, especially those who know you well and can give valuable insight and counsel. Learn how to learn from others. Remember, only God knows it all. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Isaiah 2:3 Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.It is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above this present evil world to something nobler and better. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are apt to choke everything good within us, and we grow fretful, desponding, perhaps proud and carnal. It is well for us to cut down these thorns and briers, for heavenly seed sown among them is not likely to yield a harvest; and where shall we find a better sickle with which to cut them down than communion with God and the things of the kingdom? In the valleys of Switzerland, many of the inhabitants are deformed, and all wear a sickly appearance, for the atmosphere is charged with miasma, and is close and stagnant; but up yonder, on the mountain, you find a hardy race, who breathe the clear fresh air as it blows from the virgin snows of the Alpine summits. It would be well if the dwellers in the valley could frequently leave their abodes among the marshes and the fever mists, and inhale the bracing element upon the hills. It is to such an exploit of climbing that I invite you this evening. May the Spirit of God assist us to leave the mists of fear and the fevers of anxiety, and all the ills which gather in this valley of earth, and to ascend the mountains of anticipated joy and blessedness. May God the Holy Spirit cut the cords that keep us here below, and assist us to mount! We sit too often like chained eagles fastened to the rock, only that, unlike the eagle, we begin to love our chain, and would, perhaps, if it came really to the test, be loath to have it snapped. May God now grant us grace, if we cannot escape from the chain as to our flesh, yet to do so as to our spirits; and leaving the body, like a servant, at the foot of the hill, may our soul, like Abraham, attain the top of the mountain, there to indulge in communion with the Most High. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.Philippians 4:6,7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. • And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Psalm 142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. Job 23:10 "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Psalm 90:1 A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall. Psalm 18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God, John 10:28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. Psalm 119:116 Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 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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