Bible League: Living His Word So you should look for the LORD before it is too late. You should call to him now, while he is near.God comes near to us by revealing Himself to us, but in order for this revelation to be effective there is something we must do. We must look for the Lord. Hebrews 11:6 says that we should "sincerely try to find Him." Jeremiah 29:13 quotes the Lord as saying "when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me." It is our sin that has alienated us from God and it is necessary, therefore, that we turn from our sin and look for God. We should turn from looking anywhere and everywhere else and look for Him. Our verse for today tells us that we should turn to God and look for Him before it is too late. The most obvious example of this is that we must turn to God before we die. Death ends all opportunity to turn back to God. We must also turn to God before Jesus returns. The Second Coming also ends all opportunity to turn back to God. Further, we must turn to God before time passes us by. Hebrews 3:7-8 tells us that there are times of opportunity to turn back to God. If we miss them, we may be too late. Our verse for today also tells us that we should call to God while He is near. There are times when God comes closer to us than normal. These are the times when God reaches out to us and reveals Himself to us with more urgency. Instead of just letting us continue on our way apart from Him, He comes close and calls out to us. Isaiah 65:1 says there are times when God cries out "Here I am, here I am." When we hear His voice, we should turn to Him, look for Him, and call out to Him. We should not harden our hearts and ignore Him. Amos 5:6 tells us that if we will seek the Lord we will live. God commands us to look for Him because He wants to be found by us and bless us. It pays to look for the Lord. James 4:8 promises that if we come near to God He will come near to us. Let us draw near to God and live. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJudges 3, 4, 5 Judges 3 -- Israel's idolatry and Servitude; Deliverance by Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Judges 4 -- Deborah and Barak Deliver the People from the Canaanites NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Judges 5 -- The Song of Deborah and Barak NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 7:31-50 Luke 7 -- Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant, Raises a Widow's Son, answer John's messengers; Mary Anoints Jesus NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion But I know the LORD will help those they persecute;he will give justice to the poor. Insight To whom can the poor turn when they are persecuted? They lack the money to get professional help; they may be unable to defend themselves. But there is always someone on their side—the Lord will stand by them and ultimately bring about justice. Challenge This should be a comfort for us all. No matter what our situation may be, the Lord is with us. But this truth should also call us to responsibility. As God's people, we are required to defend the rights of the powerless. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon 2 Samuel 21:10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.If the love of a woman to her slain sons could make her prolong her mournful vigil for so long a period, shall we weary of considering the sufferings of our blessed Lord? She drove away the birds of prey, and shall not we chase from our meditations those worldly and sinful thoughts which defile both our minds and the sacred themes upon which we are occupied? Away, ye birds of evil wing! Leave ye the sacrifice alone! She bore the heats of summer, the night dews and the rains, unsheltered and alone. Sleep was chased from her weeping eyes: her heart was too full for slumber. Behold how she loved her children! Shall Rizpah thus endure, and shall we start at the first little inconvenience or trial? Are we such cowards that we cannot bear to suffer with our Lord? She chased away even the wild beasts, with courage unusual in her sex, and will not we be ready to encounter every foe for Jesus' sake? These her children were slain by other hands than hers, and yet she wept and watched: what ought we to do who have by our sins crucified our Lord? Our obligations are boundless, our love should be fervent and our repentance thorough. To watch with Jesus should be our business, to protect his honor our occupation, to abide by his cross our solace. Those ghastly corpses might well have affrighted Rizpah, especially by night, but in our Lord, at whose cross-foot we are sitting, there is nothing revolting, but everything attractive. Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying Saviour. Jesus, we will watch with thee yet awhile, and do thou graciously unveil thyself to us; then shall we not sit beneath sackcloth, but in a royal pavilion. Daily Light on the Daily Path 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?John 3:19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 1 John 2:11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalm 74:20 Consider the covenant; For the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. 1 John 4:7,8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. • The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. Proverbs 4:19,18 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. • But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. John 12:46 "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. Ephesians 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 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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