Bible League: Living His Word Jesus wept.Jesus came to earth and fulfilled every command of God perfectly, but He was not a machine. Jesus was the Second Person of the Trinity, but He was also a full-fledged human being. Jesus was the Word of God, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1), but the Word also became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus was God in every respect, but He was also an individual human being in every respect. When some friends of Jesus at Bethany, the sisters Mary and Martha, sent for Him because their brother Lazarus was ill, Jesus stayed for two days longer in the place where He was. He said: "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (John 11:4). Some may be tempted to think that because Jesus deliberately delayed His coming to Bethany with the intention of raising Lazarus from the dead He could not have possibly wept because Lazarus had died. He must have wept because of His disappointment that even those who were close to Him did not recognize Him for who He truly was. He had told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life," but no one fully understood what He meant. This interpretation, however, does not do full justice to Jesus' humanity. It makes Jesus seem indifferent to our pitiful state. In contrast, some of the bystanders at the grave site correctly interpreted Jesus' weeping as a sign that He loved Lazarus (John 11:36). Jesus' weeping shows us that He was a real man with real human emotions. Jesus had true sorrow, sympathy, and compassion for the plight of Lazarus and his family. He was not a frustrated deity disappointed by the lack of faith in His followers. Jesus was reflecting His love and concern. Jesus really cared. You can be assured today that Jesus is not indifferent to the trials, troubles, and tribulations you are going through. Just as Jesus really cared for Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, Jesus really cares for you. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNumbers 22, 23, 24 Numbers 22 -- Balak Sends for Balaam; Balaam and the Angel NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 23 -- The Prophecies of Balaam NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 24 -- The Prophecy from Peor NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 8:1-21 Mark 8 -- Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand, Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida; Peter's Confession of Christ NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Tell everyone about God's power.His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens. God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! Insight Nature surrounds us with countless signs of God's wonderful power. His unlimited power and unspeakable majesty leave us breathless in his presence. How fortunate we are that God cares for us. Challenge When we consider all God has done for us, we should feel an overwhelming sense of awe as we kneel before the Lord in his sanctuary. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received ... the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.Dear reader, have you received the spirit which is of God, wrought by the Holy Ghost in your soul? The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart may be clearly seen from this fact, that all which has been done by God the Father, and by God the Son, must be ineffectual to us, unless the Spirit shall reveal these things to our souls. What effect does the doctrine of election have upon any man until the Spirit of God enters into him? Election is a dead letter in my consciousness until the Spirit of God calls me out of darkness into marvellous light. Then through my calling, I see my election, and knowing myself to be called of God, I know myself to have been chosen in the eternal purpose. A covenant was made with the Lord Jesus Christ, by his Father; but what avails that covenant to us until the Holy Spirit brings us its blessings, and opens our hearts to receive them? There hang the blessings on the nail--Christ Jesus; but being short of stature, we cannot reach them; the Spirit of God takes them down and hands them to us, and thus they become actually ours. Covenant blessings in themselves are like the manna in the skies, far out of mortal reach, but the Spirit of God opens the windows of heaven and scatters the living bread around the camp of the spiritual Israel. Christ's finished work is like wine stored in the wine-vat; through unbelief we can neither draw nor drink. The Holy Spirit dips our vessel into this precious wine, and then we drink; but without the Spirit we are as truly dead in sin as though the Father never had elected, and though the Son had never bought us with his blood. The Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary to our well-being. Let us walk lovingly towards him and tremble at the thought of grieving him. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 102:27 "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Malachi 3:6 "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. Romans 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Lamentations 3:22 The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. Hebrews 7:24,25 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. • Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Revelation 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 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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