Bible League: Living His Word . . . "Write down the revelationand make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Jesus said, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:4). We need revelation. Our very lives depend upon it. We need it to give us the proper perspective on life and to set the proper course for our lives. We need the lamp of God's revelatory word shining light on our pathway through life (Psalm 119:105). Habakkuk received a revelation from God. In his case, it was a prophetic revelation of things to come. The revelation he was given is instructive because part of it, our verses for today, shows us how we should relate to any of the prophetic revelations of the Bible. There are three things that we should keep in mind. First, prophetic revelation is valuable. It is worth writing down and remembering. It is something that a herald should proclaim from the housetops like any other revelation of God. In so far as all of us are heralds we should proclaim prophetic truth. For example, "Jesus is coming again!" "The dead shall be raised!" "God will dwell with his people!" and so on. Second, prophetic revelation speaks truth about an appointed time in the future. Although we cannot see it yet to check it out, it will not prove false. After all, it is revelation from God and if God declares that something will happen, it will happen (Isaiah 55:11). And like all revelation, God's prophetic word gives us the proper perspective on life and helps us set the proper course for our lives. Finally, although the fulfillment of prophetic revelation may linger, although it may take longer than we expected, it will surely come at the appointed time and will not be late. We should patiently wait for it and reorder and redirect our present lives according to what it reveals. God has revealed the main lines of the future for us in the Bible. Let us have faith in God's prophetic word and live our lives in the light of it. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading1 Kings 3, 4, 5 1 Kings 3 -- Solomon Asks for Wisdom NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Kings 4 -- Solomon's Officials, Daily Provision, and Wisdom NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Kings 5 -- Preparations for the Temple NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 23:1-26 Luke 23 -- Jesus before Pilate and Herod; Jesus' Crucifixion and Burial NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. Insight Waiting for perfect conditions will mean inactivity. This practical insight is especially applicable to our spiritual life. If we wait for the perfect time and place for personal Bible reading, we will never begin. If we wait for a perfect church, we will never join. If we wait for the perfect ministry, we will never serve. Challenge Take steps now to grow spiritually. Don't wait for conditions that may never exist. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith.Behold the epitaph of all those blessed saints who fell asleep before the coming of our Lord! It matters nothing how else they died, whether of old age, or by violent means; this one point, in which they all agree, is the most worthy of record, "they all died in faith." In faith they lived--it was their comfort, their guide, their motive and their support; and in the same spiritual grace they died, ending their life-song in the sweet strain in which they had so long continued. They did not die resting in the flesh or upon their own attainments; they made no advance from their first way of acceptance with God, but held to the way of faith to the end. Faith is as precious to die by as to live by. Dying in faith has distinct reference to the past. They believed the promises which had gone before, and were assured that their sins were blotted out through the mercy of God. Dying in faith has to do with the present. These saints were confident of their acceptance with God, they enjoyed the beams of his love, and rested in his faithfulness. Dying in faith looks into the future. They fell asleep, affirming that the Messiah would surely come, and that when he would in the last days appear upon the earth, they would rise from their graves to behold him. To them the pains of death were but the birth-pangs of a better state. Take courage, my soul, as thou readest this epitaph. Thy course, through grace, is one of faith, and sight seldom cheers thee; this has also been the pathway of the brightest and the best. Faith was the orbit in which these stars of the first magnitude moved all the time of their shining here; and happy art thou that it is thine. Look anew tonight to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith, and thank him for giving thee like precious faith with souls now in glory. Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 John 5:21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.Proverbs 23:26 Give me your heart, my son, And let your eyes delight in my ways. Galatians 3:2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Ezekiel 14:3 "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all? Galatians 3:5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 1 Timothy 6:9-11 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. • For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. • But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Psalm 62:10 Do not trust in oppression And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. Proverbs 8:19 "My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver. Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 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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