Dawn 2 Dusk A Name Worth Singing OverPsalm 135:3 calls us into a simple rhythm that can reshape an ordinary day: praise because God is good, and sing because His name is genuinely delightful. It’s an invitation to stop letting our mood set the thermostat and instead let God’s character lead. Bold Praise for a Good God “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.” (Psalm 135:3) Praise doesn’t begin with you having a great week; it begins with God being who He is. His goodness isn’t a rumor or a lucky streak—it’s His nature. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17) So when you praise, you’re not performing; you’re agreeing with reality. You’re training your heart to call God “good” before you call your circumstances “final.” And you’ll find what Scripture promises: “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8) A Song That Outlasts the Moment Singing praise is more than a musical preference—it’s spiritual resistance. It refuses to let fear and fatigue have the last word. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) Notice where the joy is anchored: not in “always easy,” but in the Lord always. Some of the strongest songs in Scripture were sung under pressure. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25) When worship shows up at midnight, it’s not pretending the chains aren’t real—it’s declaring God is still God. And people are listening, even when you don’t realize it. Living Like His Name Is Lovely If His name is lovely, then it deserves more than a moment on our lips—it deserves a life that points back to Him. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17) Praise isn’t only something you sing; it’s something you practice in how you speak, work, respond, and repent. That kind of life doesn’t happen by accident. It grows as God’s Word and Christ’s peace take up residence in you: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you… singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16) As gratitude deepens, worship becomes steadier—and your everyday choices start to make His beauty believable to the people around you. Lord, thank You that You are good and Your name is lovely; help me praise You today with my words and my choices—teach me to sing, obey, and make Your goodness known. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer Moral PhysiciansIn the previous chapter I said that truth should not be passed out indiscriminately, but suited to the circumstances and needs of the hearers. From the prophets we learn this and from the apostles, as well as from our Lord Himself. These were never bound by a mechanical religious "curriculum" which dictated unintelligently that certain doctrines were to be taught at certain times regardless of conditions. They prescribed truth as a divine medicine to be proclaimed with emphasis when the needs of the people called for it. They preached hope when the morale of the nation was low, obedience when the people grew careless, purity when their morals began to sag, humility when they became proud and repentance when they fell into sin. All was in accord with the total body of revealed truth, but the moral skill of these men of God enabled them to fit the message to conditions. Otherwise a vast amount of truth could have been wasted and a world of prayer and hard labor rendered ineffective.
Today the religious situation cries out for the skilled moral physician who can diagnose our ills and prescribe wisely for our cure. It is not enough simply to repeat correct doctrinal cliches. It is imperative right now that we have the benefit of the piercing discernment of the Spirit. We must not only know what God has said; we must hear what God is now saying. Music For the Soul Faith: The Path to GloryHe shall come , , . to be marvelled at in all them that believed. - 2 Thessalonians 1:10 That is to say, they who on earth were His, consecrated and devoted to Him, and in some humble measure partaking even here of His reflected beauty and imparted righteousness, - these are they in whom He shall be glorified. They who "believed": poor, trembling, struggling, fainting souls, that here on earth, in the midst of many doubts and temptations, clasped His hand; and howsoever tremulously, yet truly put their trust in Him, these are they in whom He shall " be wondered at." The simple act of faith knits us to the Lord. If we trust Him, He comes into our hearts here, and begins to purify us and to make us like Himself; and, if that be so, and we keep hold of Him, we shall finally share in His glory. What a hope, what an encouragement, what a stimulus and exhortation to humble and timorous souls there is in that great word, "In all them that believed"! Howsoever imperfect, still they shall be kept by the power of God unto that final salvation. And when He comes in His glory, not one shall be wanting that put their trust in Him. It will take them all, each in his several way reflecting it, to set forth adequately the glory. As many diamonds round a central light, which from each facet give off a several ray and a definite colour, so all that circle round Christ, and partaking of His glory, will each receive it, transmit it, and so manifest it in a different fashion. And it needs the innumerable company of the redeemed, each a several perfectness, to set forth all the fulness of the Christ that dwells in us. So, beginning with simple faith in Him, partially receiving the beauty of His transforming Spirit, seeking here on earth by assimilation to the Master in some humble measure to adorn the doctrine and to glorify the Christ, we may hope that each blackness shall be all changed into brightness, our limitations done away with, our weakness lifted into rejoicing strength; and that we shall be like Him, seeing Him as He is, and, glorified in Him, shall glorify Him before the universe. You and I will be there. Choose whether He shall be revealed and the light of His face be to you like a sword whose flashing edge means destruction, or whether the light of His face shall fall upon your heart, because you love Him and trust Him, like the sunshine on the Alpine snow, lifting it to a more lustrous whiteness, and tinging it with an ethereal hue of more than earthly beauty, which no other power but an indwelling Christ can give. He shall come with "everlasting destruction from the face "; and " He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be wondered at in all them that believed." Choose which of the two shall be your portion in that day. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening 2 Thessalonians 2:16 Everlasting consolation. "Consolation." There is music in the word: like David's harp, it charms away the evil spirit of melancholy. It was a distinguished honor to Barnabas to be called "the son of consolation;" nay, it is one of the illustrious names of a greater than Barnabas, for the Lord Jesus is "the consolation of Israel." "Everlasting consolation"--here is the cream of all, for the eternity of comfort is the crown and glory of it. What is this "everlasting consolation"? It includes a sense of pardoned sin. A Christian man has received in his heart the witness of the Spirit that his iniquities are put away like a cloud, and his transgressions like a thick cloud. If sin be pardoned, is not that an everlasting consolation? Next, the Lord gives his people an abiding sense of acceptance in Christ. The Christian knows that God looks upon him as standing in union with Jesus. Union to the risen Lord is a consolation of the most abiding order; it is, in fact, everlasting. Let sickness prostrate us, have we not seen hundreds of believers as happy in the weakness of disease as they would have been in the strength of hale and blooming health? Let death's arrows pierce us to the heart, our comfort dies not, for have not our ears full often heard the songs of saints as they have rejoiced because the living love of God was shed abroad in their hearts in dying moments? Yes, a sense of acceptance in the Beloved is an everlasting consolation. Moreover, the Christian has a conviction of his security. God has promised to save those who trust in Christ: the Christian does trust in Christ, and he believes that God will be as good as his word, and will save him. He feels that he is safe by virtue of his being bound up with the person and work of Jesus. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Waiting, Not RunningBlessed posture! Waiting truly and only upon the LORD. Be this our condition all this day and every day. Waiting His leisure, waiting in His service, waiting in joyful expectation, waiting in prayer, and content. When the very soul thus waits, it is in the best and truest condition of a creature before his Creator, a servant before his Master, a child before his Father. We allow no dictation to God, nor complaining of Him; we will permit no petulance and no distrust. At the same time, we practice no running before the cloud and no seeking to others for aid: neither of these would be waiting upon God. God, and God alone, is the expectation of our hearts. Blessed assurance! From Him salvation is coming; it is on the road. It will come from Him and from no one else. He shall have all the glory of it, for He alone can and will perform it. And He will perform it most surely in His own time and manner. He will save from doubt, and suffering, and slander, and distress. Though we see no sign of it as yet, we are satisfied to bide the LORD’s will, for we have no suspicion of His love and faithfulness. He will make sure work of it before long, and we will praise Him at once for the coming mercy. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer Heirs of the KingdomHE raised the poor from the dust, and the beggar from the dunghill; such were we by nature, but through rich grace we shall inherit the throne of glory. He has prepared for us, promised to us, and will bestow upon us a KINGDOM. A kingdom in which His glory will be seen, felt, and enjoyed for ever. In which all His riches of grace, mercy, and glory will be displayed. In which peace, joy, and pleasure will eternally reign. A kingdom which cannot be moved, and will never know a change. But who are the acknowledged heirs? The poor of this world, who are poor in spirit. The rich in faith, who believe in God, in Jesus, who exercise faith on the precious promises, and whose faith is proved to be good by the works they produce. Those who love God from a knowledge of His love to them, and as the effect of His love being shed abroad in their hearts, by the Holy Ghost. Am I an heir? Are you, my friend? If so, rejoice and be exceeding glad; imitate those who through faith and patience now inherit the promises, and the end will crown the whole. There shall your eyes with rapture view The glorious Friend who died for you; That died to ransom, died to raise To crowns of joy, and songs of praise; Jesus, to Thee I breathe my prayer! Reveal, confirm my interest there. Bible League: Living His Word And so, the little boy John grew up and became stronger in spirit. Then he lived in areas away from other people until the time when he came out to tell God's message to the people of Israel.— Luke 1:80 ERV We were all born as children of our mothers. Job 14:1 says, "Man who is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble" (NKJV). Job is taking us to where this fully grown human being originated and affirms what Psalm 139 says. According to 1 Corinthians 13:11, it tells us that a child talks, thinks, and plans as a child. All this progresses to a stage of maturity. John's background has the divine, invisible hand of God all over it. Luke records the life of John as a prophet who prepared a way for Jesus' ministry to flourish in the hearts of people. He preached the well-known message of repentance and baptized Jesus in the Jordan River (Luke 3:21-22). John was born a few months before Jesus by parents that were already advanced in years. John's birth brought joy to Elizabeth and Zachariah and the community of Judea. The facts surrounding this miraculous birth captured the hearts of many, and they wondered what the child would become in the future (Luke 1:59-66). Zachariah answered this wondering community saying, "Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet of the Most High God. You will go first before the Lord to prepare the way for him" (Luke 1:76). The verse of today, tells us that the child John grew up, meaning he matured to be a man who was strong in spirit. 1 Corinthians 14:20 says, "Brothers and sisters, don't think like children. In evil things be like babies, but in your thinking, you should be like full-grown adults." The man John lived away from ordinary life, he lived in the wilderness. David Guzik's commentary says, "The promise of God came to fruition in John's life. John was in the desert until the day of his manifestation because that is where God trains many of His prophets." Whatever assignment a believer must fulfil in the Kingdom of God, he or she must allow the maturity process (training) to take effect and allow the environment to sculpt into the divine purpose and calling. May each of us mature to what God has designed us to be in Christ (Ephesians 2:10) and bear fruits of eternity! Reference: David Guzik, 2018, The Birth of John the Baptist. By Christopher Thetswe, Bible League International staff, South Africa Daily Light on the Daily Path Job 38:19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. John 9:5 "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." 1 John 1:6,7 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; • but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Colossians 1:12-14 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. • For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, • in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; Matthew 5:14,16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; • "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 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 As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.Insight Jesus was alluding to an Old Testament view of the Messianic kingdom in which all people are taught directly by God. He was stressing the importance of not merely hearing, but learning. Challenge We are taught by God through the Bible, our experiences, the thoughts the Holy Spirit brings, and relationships with other Christians. Are you open to God's teaching? Devotional Hours Within the Bible The Last JudgmentThis passage gives us a wonderful picture of the last judgment. It is not a parable but a prophetic presentation of the great scene. The sheep and goats are used as representing the good and evil. Christ will be the Judge. He will appear as the Son of man, that is, in His humanity. It is a comfort to think of this, that it will be our Brother whom we shall see on the throne of glory. Christ came first in lowly form. He was born in a stable and cradled in a manger. No retinue of angels then attended Him except the host that sang their song in the shepherd’s ears. In His first coming, He was lowly and despised. He was so poor that often He had nowhere to lay His head. He had but few followers and made but little name for Himself on the earth. But He will not come this way the second time. He will appear in glory, and will be attended by hosts of angels. For once the whole human family will be together. “All the nations will be gathered in his presence.” Yet in our thought of the grandeur of this scene we must not lose sight of the individuality of the judgment. We shall be there but none of us will be lost in the crowd; each one shall have personal judgment. During a war the telegraphic reports from the field say that in a great battle ten thousand men were slain. Not knowing any of them personally, we think only of the vast aggregate number. But suppose some friend of ours brother or father was among the slain; we think no more then of the ten thousand but of the one. And every one of the ten thousand is mourned in some home is somebody’s father, husband, brother, son, friend. From that battlefield ten thousand cords stretch to ten thousand homes. The heaps of slain are simply ten thousand individuals. So in that countless throng on judgment day, not one person will be lost in the multitude. “Everyone must bear his own burden.” There will be a division that day the whole human family will not be as one. “All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.” Our Lord’s teachings are full of this thought of final separation. The tares and the wheat will grow together until the harvest; but then there will be an infallible separation not a tare will be gathered into the barn with the wheat. The net draws good and bad fish to the shore but there the two classes are separated. The ten virgins were together during the time of waiting but the midnight cry caused an instant, final and irrevocable separation, as the door opened for those who were ready to enter and shut upon those who were unprepared. Nothing is more plainly taught in the Word of God, than that the evil and the good, the believing and the rejecting, the righteous and the unrighteous shall be separated at the last day, each going to his own place. These separations will cut very close in many cases. “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” When we are sure of our place on Christ’s right hand, we should never rest until we are sure also that all those whom we love shall be in the same company. The King speaks to the people as if He had personally lived among them, “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat.” It seems from this picture of the judgment, that the eternal destiny of men shall be settled by their works. Feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty, are mentioned as reasons for the favor shown to those upon the right hand. But a careful study of the passage shows that in the judgment, all will turn upon one question how men have treated Jesus Christ. If they have believed on Him, loved Him, honored Him, and lived for Him they will be honored by Him, gathered at His right hand and admitted to His kingdom of glory. But if they have not believed on Him, have not honored Him, have not lived for Him in this world they will be rejected by Him at the last and shut out of the heavenly kingdom. In other words, all will depend upon whether men believe or do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But believing in Christ means more than giving assent to a correct creed it means also a life of obedience and service. The whole of Christian life is love, not only love for Christ but love for Christ’s own. If we love God we will love our brother also, says the beloved disciple. If we do no love our brother, it is evident that we do not love God. If we have the love of Christ in our heart, it will show itself to all those who belong to Christ. While there is love for all the world, there should be a special love for those who belong to the Master. The King speaks as if He had come to the people in the great company, in many experiences of personal suffering and need. “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.” There is something very pathetic in this thought of Jesus as a stranger, as hungry, or as sick, coming to our doors in those whose appeals are made to us. If we allowed it to enter our heart and exercise its proper effect upon us it would inspire in us sympathy and love, and would make us very gentle to all who are in need. Mr. Wesley, one winter day, met a poor girl in one of the schools under his care. She seemed almost frozen. He asked her if she had no clothing but the thin garments she was wearing. She said she had not. His hand was in his pocket in an instant but there was no money there. He went to his room but the pictures on the wall seemed to upbraid him. He took them down, saying to himself: “How can the Master say to you, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’? You have adorned your walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the bitter cold! O justice! O mercy! Are not these pictures the blood of the poor maid?” So he sold the pictures to get money to relieve the girl’s distress. Those to whom the King spoke, could not understand what He meant. “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison and help You?” Their surprise need not seem remarkable. The truest greatness, is not conscious of itself. Moses knew not, that his face shone. The best Christians put the lowest value upon their own good works. No doubt many of the commendations and rewards of the righteous in the judgment, will indeed be surprises to them. They keep no record of their good deeds. Their sense of personal unworthiness hinders them from seeing anything worthy in what they do. We do not dream of the real value and helpfulness of the things we do. Besides, we do not indeed see Christ in the lowly and suffering ones who come before us, needing love and help we see only poor, sick, unfortunate people, with no marks of glory, no hints of nobility, no traces of heavenly beauty. We do not see things as they are. Jesus Himself is ever before us, in lowly guise. We are unconsciously serving the Master, whenever we do in His name the holy things of love. Every lowly, faithful Christian is preparing for himself many a blessed surprise in glory. Jesus is still in this world. Once He was here in human form, as the Son of man. Now He is here in His Church. “You are the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), said the apostle. The smallest kindness shown to a Christian, even the least, Christ accepts as done to Himself. Parents understand this. Any honor shown to a child a father receives as shown to himself. If a son is in a strange land and meets with some misfortune, or is sick, and someone finding him there as a stranger in trouble shows him kindness, no greater act done to the parents at home would be as pleasing to them as is that little ministry to their child in a foreign land. Christ loves His people so much, that whatever is done to any of them He accepts as if He Himself had been the recipient of the kindness. The same is true, on the other hand, of any unkindness or any lack of kindness shown to another. “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these you did not do for me.” We must beware how we treat the lowliest Christian, for if we neglect him in his need it is as if Christ were in the same need, and we had neglected Him! We must learn that we are judged not only by the things we do but by the things we fail to do. These people had not been cruel or unkind to any of Christ’s little ones no such charge is made against them; they had not done the kindnesses which they ought to have done. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, neither the priest nor the Levite did any harm to the wounded man, and yet they are severely condemned. They sinned against him grievously by not doing the things of love which he needed to have done for him. “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 90, 91, 92 Psalm 90 -- BOOK 4: Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 91 -- He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 92 -- It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 11:1-21 Romans 11 -- The Remnant Chosen by Grace; Ingrafted Branches; All Israel Will Be Saved NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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