Bible League: Living His Word We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne.— Hebrews 12:2 ERV Have you ever waited with joyful anticipation for something wonderful to happen? That's how I feel when I am waiting to go on vacation. I love going to the Gulf of Mexico to dip my toes in the salty water. I count the days like a schoolchild looking forward to summer break. I may have to endure a few more weeks of winter to get there, but I keep my eyes focused on the sand, the sea, and the saltwater that awaits me. I can just see it now! Perhaps you have been in a season of joyful anticipation. You're waiting for a child to be born or for your first grandchild to arrive. There is a season of waiting you have to endure, but the day is coming, and it will be a day of rejoicing! You could be waiting for a wedding day. You might be waiting for a lucrative business deal to come through. There is a joyful anticipation that surrounds these and other events in our lives. You can just see it! In every season of waiting, there will likely be some hardship, difficulty, or even pain. Jesus was in a waiting season during His ministry on earth. He knew that the cross was His destination. He was literally born to die to take away the sins of the world. The cross, though, wasn't His destiny. The author of Hebrews said that "the shame of the cross" was "nothing because of the joy He could see waiting for Him." The cross was waiting for Jesus from before time began. The loneliness, the shame, the humiliation, and the pain were waiting for Jesus. Yet, Jesus endured the cross and accepted the shame and the pain, "because of the joy He could see waiting for Him." He could see it! Friends, you may be in a difficult or even painful waiting season right now. You might be struggling to endure grief or sadness. You could be dealing with physical or emotional pain that seems like it will never end. Perhaps you are ready to throw in the towel spiritually and give up on faith. Do not forget that there is a joyful day that is coming when we will see the one who "is sitting at the right side of God's throne"! If Jesus could endure the cross, you can endure your circumstances and situation. Don't forget the joy that awaits you! Can you see it? By Shawn Cornett, Bible League International staff, Illinois U.S. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingDeuteronomy 28 Deuteronomy 28 -- Blessings and Consequences regarding Obedience NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 15:27-47 Mark 15 -- Jesus before Pilate; Mocked by Soldiers; Crucifixion; Burial NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Good comes to those who lend money generouslyand conduct their business fairly. Insight Generosity will cure two problems that money can create. The rich man may abuse others in his desire to accumulate wealth. Generosity will eliminate that abuse. Also, the fear of losing money can be a snare. Challenge Generosity and respect for God places our trust in him, not our money, for justice and security. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.Such was the prayer of the "man after God's own heart." Did holy David need to pray thus? How needful, then, must such a prayer be for us babes in grace! It is as if he said, "Keep me back, or I shall rush headlong over the precipice of sin." Our evil nature, like an ill-tempered horse, is apt to run away. May the grace of God put the bridle upon it, and hold it in, that it rush not into mischief. What might not the best of us do if it were not for the checks which the Lord sets upon us both in providence and in grace! The psalmist's prayer is directed against the worst form of sin--that which is done with deliberation and wilfulness. Even the holiest need to be "kept back" from the vilest transgressions. It is a solemn thing to find the apostle Paul warning saints against the most loathsome sins. "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." What! do saints want warning against such sins as these? Yes, they do. The whitest robes, unless their purity be preserved by divine grace, will be defiled by the blackest spots. Experienced Christian, boast not in your experience; you will trip yet if you look away from him who is able to keep you from falling. Ye whose love is fervent, whose faith is constant, whose hopes are bright, say not, "We shall never sin," but rather cry, "Lead us not into temptation." There is enough tinder in the heart of the best of men to light a fire that shall burn to the lowest hell, unless God shall quench the sparks as they fall. Who would have dreamed that righteous Lot could be found drunken, and committing uncleanness? Hazael said, "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing?" and we are very apt to use the same self-righteous question. May infinite wisdom cure us of the madness of self-confidence. Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 Corinthians 14:15 What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.Ephesians 5:18,19 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, • speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Psalm 145:21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever. Psalm 147:1,7 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming. • Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre, Revelation 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 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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