Dawn 2 Dusk Freely Cleared, Fully LovedRomans 3:24 pulls the rug out from under our instinct to earn God’s approval. It tells us that our right standing with Him is not a paycheck for good performance, but a gift of grace—paid for through the rescue Jesus accomplished. Justified Without the Invoice We spend a lot of energy trying to feel “good enough”—measuring ourselves against other people, promising we’ll do better, hoping God will be impressed. But the gospel doesn’t hand you a ladder; it hands you a verdict. “and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24) That word freely is humbling and relieving at the same time. Humbling, because it means my best efforts can’t purchase peace with God. Relieving, because it means peace is available even when I’ve got nothing to offer but repentance and empty hands. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) Grace That Actually Costs Something Grace is free to you, but it was not cheap. Redemption means you were bought out of bondage—sin’s penalty paid, sin’s claim broken. God didn’t overlook your sin; He dealt with it at the cross. “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) So when shame starts preaching—“You blew it again, you’re done”—answer it with a better sermon: Jesus finished the payment. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Grace doesn’t minimize sin; it magnifies Christ’s triumph over it. Living Like a Redeemed Person If justification is a gift, boasting is off the table—and gratitude becomes the new oxygen. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9) Today, you don’t obey to get God to love you; you obey because you are loved. And redeemed people start to look like their Redeemer. Mercy received turns into mercy given. When you’re tempted to perform, remember you’re already accepted in Christ; when you’re tempted to judge, remember you stand by grace. “He saved us, not by righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy…” (Titus 3:5) Father, thank You for justifying me freely by Your grace through Jesus. Help me live today like the redeemed—trusting Your finished work and extending Your mercy to others. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer Break with This WorldI dare to say that Christians who have genuinely come to love and trust Jesus Christ have also renounced this world and have chosen a new model after which to pattern their lives. Further, we should say that this is the aspect of the Christian life that most people do not like. They want comfort. They want blessing. They want peace. But they recoil from this radical, revolutionary break with the world. To follow Christ in this rough and thorough-going way is too much for them! Actually, the true Christian dissents from the world because he knows that it cannot make good on its promises. As Christ's believing disciple, he is not left without a norm to which he seeks to be adjusted. The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the norm, the ideally perfect model, and the worshiping soul yearns to be like Him. Indeed, the whole drive behind the Christian life is the longing to be conformed to the image of Christ! Music For the Soul The Consciousness of God’s PresenceI will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. - Psalm 23:6. What the Psalmist desires is that he should be able to keep up unbroken consciousness of being in God’s presence, and should be always in touch with Him. That seems hard, and people say, "Impossible! How can I get above my daily work, and be perpetually thinking of God and His will, and realizing consciously communion with Him? " But there is such a thing as having an under-current of consciousness running all through a man’s life and mind; such a thing as having a melody sounding in our ears perpetually, "so sweet we know not we are listening to it " until it stops, and then, by the poverty of the naked and silent atmosphere, we know how sweet were the sounds that we scarcely knew we heard, and yet did hear so well high above all the din of earth’s noises. Every man that has ever cherished such an aspiration as this does know the difficulties all too well. And yet, without entering upon thorny and unprofitable questions as to whether the absolute, unbroken continuity of consciousness of being in God’s presence is possible for men here below, let us look at the question, which has a great deal more bearing upon our present condition - viz., whether a greater continuity of that consciousness is not possible than we attain to to-day. It does seem to me to be a foolish and miserable waste of time and temper and energy for good people to be quarreling about whether they can come to the absolute realization of this desire in this world when there is not one of them that is not leagues below the possible realization of it, and knows that he is. At all events, whether or not the line can be drawn without a break at all, the breaks may be a great deal shorter and a great deal less frequent than they are. An unbroken line of conscious communion with God is the ideal; and that is what this singer wanted and worked for. How many of my feelings and thoughts to-day, or of the things that I have said and done since I woke this morning, would have been done and said and felt exactly the same if there were not a God at all, or if it did not matter in the least whether I ever came into touch with Him or not? Oh! dear friend, it is no vain effort to bring out lives a little bit nearer unbroken continuity of communion with Him. And God knows, and each for himself knows, how much and how sore our need is of such a union. " One thing have I desired, that will I seek after; that I," in my study; I, in my shop; I, in my parlor, kitchen, or nursery; I, in my studio; I, in my lecture-hall - "may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." In our "Father’s house are many mansions." The room that we spend most of our lives in, each of us at our tasks or our work-tables, may be in our Father’s house, too; and it is only we that can secure that it shall be. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him. If we would rightly "acquaint ourselves with God, and be at peace," we must know him as he has revealed himself, not only in the unity of his essence and subsistence, but also in the plurality of his persons. God said, "Let us make man in our own image"--let not man be content until he knows something of the "us" from whom his being was derived. Endeavour to know the Father; bury your head in his bosom in deep repentance, and confess that you are not worthy to be called his son; receive the kiss of his love; let the ring which is the token of his eternal faithfulness be on your finger; sit at his table and let your heart make merry in his grace. Then press forward and seek to know much of the Son of God who is the brightness of his Father's glory, and yet in unspeakable condescension of grace became man for our sakes; know him in the singular complexity of his nature: eternal God, and yet suffering, finite man; follow him as he walks the waters with the tread of deity, and as he sits upon the well in the weariness of humanity. Be not satisfied unless you know much of Jesus Christ as your Friend, your Brother, your Husband, your all. Forget not the Holy Spirit; endeavour to obtain a clear view of his nature and character, his attributes, and his works. Behold that Spirit of the Lord, who first of all moved upon chaos, and brought forth order; who now visits the chaos of your soul, and creates the order of holiness. Behold him as the Lord and giver of spiritual life, the Illuminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the Sanctifier. Behold him as, like holy unction, he descends upon the head of Jesus, and then afterwards rests upon you who are as the skirts of his garments. Such an intelligent, scriptural, and experimental belief in the Trinity in Unity is yours if you truly know God; and such knowledge brings peace indeed. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Help WantedYes, there is work in Christ’s vineyard for old bodies. It is the eleventh hour, and yet He will let us work. What grace is this! Surely every old man ought to jump at this invitation! After men are advanced in years nobody wants them as servants; they go from shop to shop, and employers look at their gray hairs and shake their heads. But Jesus will engage old people and give them good wages, too! This is mercy indeed. LORD, help the aged to enlist in Thy service without an hour’s delay. But will the LORD pay wages to worn-out old men? Do not doubt it. He says He will give you what is right if you will work in His field. He will surely give you grace here and glory hereafter. He will grant present comfort and future rest; strength equal to your day and a vision of glory when the night of death comes on. All these the LORD Jesus will as freely give to the aged convert as to one who enters His service in his youth. Let me tell this to some unsaved old man or old woman and pray the LORD to bless it for Jesus’ sake, Where can I find such persons? I will be on the lookout for them and kindly tell them the news. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer Wait on the Lord, and He Shall Save TheeBELOVED, it is your privilege in every perplexity and trial to go to the Lord, to spread your case before Him, to plead His precious promises, and to wait expecting Him to appear for you. Wait on Him for light to discover the nature and design of your trouble; for wisdom that you may act honourably, and endure scripturally; for power to sustain you under, and bring you through it; and for consolation to make you happy and resigned under it. Wait upon the Lord in earnest, simple, persevering prayer; in searching, reading, and meditating upon His holy word; in self-examination as to your views, motives, and designs. Wait upon the Lord, believing that He will fulfil His word, answer your prayers, and send you deliverance; patiently enduring until He shall see good to appear on your behalf. Waiting on the Lord you engage Him on your side; you put His mercy and faithfulness to the trial; you are assured your strength shall be renewed; and God has promised you shall never be ashamed. Beloved, let us look to, trust in, and wait upon our God continually. O teach me, Lord, to wait Thy will, To be content with all Thou dost; For me Thy grace sufficient still, With most supplied when needing most; O Saviour! give me grace to wait, And daily watch before Thy gate. Bible League: Living His Word You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. — James 1:3-4 ERV No one that I know likes to suffer persecution. When the trials and tests of our faith come our way, we may be tempted to walk away from Jesus. Don't do it! There is a greater purpose that we can fathom behind those trials and tests. We are learning to patiently endure so that character and maturity may be developed within us. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote to the first century church that to suffer persecution because of Christ is a cause for joy (James 1:2). The first century church endured terrible persecution at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans. The Apostle Paul, perhaps Christ's greatest missionary, had once persecuted those who would later become his brothers and sisters in faith. The Romans were especially cruel toward Christians in those days. Christians were fed to lions, used as human torches, and executed in horrific fashion just because they bore the name of Jesus and would not bow to Caesar. I'm certain that as word spread of increasing persecution, many were tempted to walk away from the faith. "Who needs this?!" they may have asked. That's when the Lord's brother, James, a leader in the church in Jerusalem, reminded them to patiently endure the suffering they were experiencing. Suffering patiently leads to being "all that God wants you to be," he said. As the return of our Lord Jesus draws nigh, Scripture is clear—persecution and suffering will increase for those who bear the name of Christ. Persecution is not a possibility for the Lord's people. It is a certainty. In many parts of the world today, it is a reality. Here in America, persecution is not nearly as severe as in other parts of the globe, but that doesn't mean it won't become our reality, too. May the Lord prepare us for what is coming sooner than we realize. For our brothers and sisters around the world who are experiencing severe persecution, may the words of James encourage you. Your faith is being more than tested. It is being refined. God is deepening your faith in Him so that you can be all that He wants you to be. Be patient in the face of suffering and persecution. God will not leave you nor forsake you. He will, through His Holy Spirit, give you the courage to patiently endure until the end, when a crown of righteousness will be bestowed upon you. Endure patiently through it all, for on that day you will hear the Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done." By Shawn Cornett, Bible League International staff, Indiana U.S. Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 62:6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves;Romans 5:9,10 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. • For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Numbers 10:8,9 "The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations. • "When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and be saved from your enemies. Isaiah 45:19 "I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek Me in a waste place'; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright. 2 Chronicles 30:27 Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven. Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Psalm 40:17 Since I am afflicted and needy, Let the Lord be mindful of me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God. 2 Peter 3:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 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 “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sakeand will never think of them again. Insight How tempting it is to remind someone of a past offense! But when God forgives our sins he totally forgets them. Challenge We never have to fear that he will remind us of them later. Because God forgives our sin, we need to forgive others. Devotional Hours Within the Bible Reading the LawThe work of Nehemiah had been well done. In spite of opposition and all hindrance the walls had been rebuilt and the city had come into a measure of prosperity. Then under the divine direction Nehemiah gathered together the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that their genealogical records might be made up. After this there was called a great assembly to listen to the reading of the Holy Scriptures. The people came eagerly. They wanted to hear what God would say to them. We should be eager to respond to the call which summons us to God’s house to a Church service. It is the divine command that we should do this. Yet there are reasons for the requirement. We need to hear continually the words of God, that we may not forget them. We need to look frequently into God’s face to have a glimpse of His holiness as the ideal for our own living. We need to be reminded continually of our sins, then of our duties. Besides, we have sorrows, and we need the comfort which comes to us only through God’s Word. We have a Scripture injunction which exhorts us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. When the people had come together, Ezra the priest brought out the roll of parchment of the law and read the words to the people. Everybody was there that day. They came as one man. The men did not leave all the church-going to the women, as some men are disposed to do in our modern days. Nor were the children left at home while their parents went they were there, too. The service that day seems to have been like a great Sunday-school. The law of Moses was the book used, and Ezra and the other teachers read it to the people and explained its meaning to them. The Bible is the one book for all who want to know the essential things of life. There is no other book for the penitent sinner desiring to be saved, or for the sorrowing one seeking comfort. Other books have their message and may do very well when the joy is full but in life’s great crises there is only one book that meets all needs. There is no other book for the death. “Bring me the book!” said Sir Walter Scott, when he was approaching the closing hour. “What book?” one asked. “There is but one book!” replied Sir Walter. There were thousands of books in his great library but there was only one book for that hour. The Bible tells us how to live and then shows us how to die. The people were eager to hear the Word of God. Perhaps they had not heard it read for a long time, and now it was a joy to have it read to them again. There was silence in the great throng as the reading began and as it proceeded. “The ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.” The trouble with many people, old as well as young, is that they are not attentive when the Scriptures are read. Some ministers complain that the people do not listen to the sermons they preach to them. Some teachers find difficulty in getting the ears of their scholars when they seek to explain the lessons. If only we would remember, that it is God who is speaking to us when His Word is read we would listen eagerly and attentively. Ezra’s sermon that day was very long from dawn to noon; yet no one seems to have got tired. We read that in Wycliff’s days, when portions of the Bible which he had translated into English and had written out with a pen were carried among the people, so eager were they to hear the Word of God in their own language that they would gather in groups round the fires and would listen ofttimes all night, drinking in the precious sentences. The Book is so common now, and we hear its words so frequently, that it has not the interest to our hearts it should have. When Ezra unrolled the parchment all the people stood up. Thus they showed their respect and reverence for the Holy Book from which the good priest was about to read. The words to which they were to listen, were God’s Words, and they rose up to do God honor. Standing was a posture of respect. Men stood before a king. Angels stood before God’s throne. It is not a superstitious regard for the Bible, that we should cherish. The mere honoring of the Book itself amounts to nothing. Some people wear a crucifix around their neck and yet show none of the humility and worshipful spirit of Christ in their lives. Some people handle the Bible with seeming reverence who have little of the Bible in their hearts, not following its teachings, nor heeding its counsels and warnings. True reverence for God’s Word is not superstitious but is sincere and earnest. What Ezra and his assistants did that day is what all teachers of the Word of God should do for those who listen to them. “They read in the book of God distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.” The business of the preacher and the teacher, is to make the sense of God’s Word so plain that those who hear, whether old or young, shall understand. People come together on Sunday to worship God, and part of this worship should always be to hear what God will say to them. The teaching should be simple, clear, definite, and plain. The effect of the teaching that day was uplifting and inspiring. Nehemiah said to the people, “Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared.” God loves to have us enjoy His blessings. We are to eat our food with thankfulness and with rejoicing. He wants us to get the very best we can from life to eat the fat and drink the sweet. He would have us to be happy. Then, He wants us also to share our blessings with others. When we have plenty, we should send a portion to those who have nothing. Our joy must not be selfish. Having a good time all alone is not the ideal of Christian gladness. When we are prosperous, we should not forget those who are poor. When we are happy in our home of love, with unbroken circle, we should not forget the families about us that are in sorrow and bereavement. The good things which God gives us are not meant for ourselves alone they are given to us to be shared. Only in the sharing do we get the best of them ourselves. People who eat the fat and drink the sweet in their own homes, at their own well-covered tables, and never think of the hungry and needy outside, are not the kind of children God wants His people to be. The people were not to think about their sorrows that day, nor let their troubles cast a shadow over the brightness. “Neither be grieved; for the joy of Jehovah is your strength!” If we would be strong, we must have the joy of the Lord in our hearts. The sad heart tires in a little while. If we would be strong for service, for endurance, if we would always do our best, we must cultivate the joyful spirit. Some Christians are always worrying about something. If they do not have a real trouble they hunt up an imaginary one. They hang up on the walls of their hearts, pictures of all the unpleasant things that happen but not the pictures of cheerful and happy things. No duty is urged in the Bible more earnestly and more repeatedly, than the duty of Christian joy. Of course, we must make sure that it is the joy of the Lord that we have. This world’s joy is not enough to make anyone permanently happy. The joy of Christ is from Christ Himself. It is joy that comes from heavenly sources. It does not depend on the happenings of the hour, for then it would come and go with the changes in our circumstances. The joy of the Lord is from a deep well that is not affected by any sort of weather. Nehemiah wanted the people that day to rejoice, because of what the Lord had done for them, and to put away all care and all anxiety. The people caught the spirit of the great teacher and obeyed his exhortation. “So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.” That is a fine illustration of what always should be the effect of teaching or preaching God’s Word. The people understood the words and let them into their hearts. Then straightway they went forth to do as they had been exhorted to do. We will always find new things in the Bible if we will read it over and over. No matter how many times we have gone through it when we go through it again, we shall come upon passages we have not seen before, or at least which have not fixed themselves in our minds at any former reading. On the second day of this great Bible reading service, the Levites came upon the commandment appointing the Feast of Tabernacles. Evidently this command had been overlooked and this festival neglected. But it is delightful to find them entering at once upon the observance of the great Harvest Home. This was a feast of remembrance. They were to live in booths, recalling the years of their wandering in the wilderness. It is said that the Jews in these wonderful days made the branches of their booths thin so that they could see the blue sky and the stars through them. So should we build our houses, with roofs through which heaven’s light will shine. Whatever hides God from us cuts us off from blessing. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading1 Kings 16, 17, 18 1 Kings 16 -- Jehu's Prophecy; Kings of Israel: Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Kings 17 -- Elijah Prays for drought, Fed by Ravens; The Widow at Zarephath NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Kings 18 -- Elijah and Baal's Prophets on Mount Carmel; Elijah's Prayer NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading John 1:29-51 John 1 -- In the beginning was the Word; The Testimony of John; Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, Philip and Nathanael NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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