Dawn 2 Dusk The Door That Swings Two WaysJames 4:7 puts two actions side by side that change the atmosphere of a whole day: bowing to God and standing against the devil. It’s not a motivational slogan; it’s a spiritual pathway—one that begins with surrender and ends with real freedom. Submit: The Surprising Strength of Surrender “Submit yourselves, then, to God.” (James 4:7) Submission isn’t God asking you to become smaller; it’s God inviting you to come back under His covering. So much of our fatigue comes from trying to manage life while keeping the steering wheel. But Scripture keeps calling surrender “worship.” “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1) This kind of submission is practical. It looks like bringing your schedule, your reactions, your private thought-life, and your unresolved bitterness into the light and saying, “Lord, You’re right; lead me.” And God does lead. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5–6) Resist: Saying No with Heaven’s Authority “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Notice the order: we don’t resist to earn God’s help; we resist because we’ve come back under God’s rule. Resistance isn’t dramatic—often it’s quiet, steady obedience in the moment of temptation, accusation, or fear. And it’s not fought with sheer willpower. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10–11) Some days resistance is simply refusing the lie that you’re alone, dirty, or defeated. “Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith…” (1 Peter 5:8–9) You can stand firm because your faith has an object—Christ—who already triumphed. So when the enemy whispers, you answer with truth, you keep walking, and you don’t negotiate with darkness. Draw Near: The Fight Is Won in Fellowship Submission and resistance aren’t two separate moods; they’re one relationship. The more you cling to God, the less room the enemy has to crowd your mind. Jesus put it plainly: “I am the vine; you are the branches… Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) The real battleground is often communion—whether your heart stays connected, honest, and dependent. So draw near on purpose: confess quickly, worship even when you don’t feel like it, open the Word when your emotions are loud, and pray like a child running to a Father. God doesn’t shame you for needing help—He invites you. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) That’s where submission becomes joy and resistance becomes steadiness. Father, thank You for Your strong grace and faithful presence. Help me submit to You today and resist every scheme of the enemy with Your truth; make me quick to draw near and quick to obey. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer Ministry of the ChurchNot all of the pooled efforts of any church can make a Christian out of a lost man! The Christian life begins with the individual; a soul has a saving encounter with God and the new life is born. All else being equal, every individual. Christian will find in the communion of a local church the most perfect atmosphere for the fullest development of his spiritual life. There he will also find the best arena for the largest exercise of those gifts and powers with which God may have endowed him. Unfortunately, the word church has taken on meanings which it did not originally have. The meaning of the word for the true Christian was fixed by our Lord and His apostles, and no man and no angel has authority to change it! The universal Church is the Body of Christ, the Bride of the Lamb, the habitation of God through the Spirit, the pillar and the ground of the Truth. Without doubt, the most important body on earth is the Church of God which He purchased with His own blood! Music For the Soul God’s Answer to the Soul’s CryWho is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good. - 1 Peter 3:13 Did you ever notice that there are two dwelling-places spoken of in the 91st Psalm? " Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation," " There shall no plague come nigh thy dwelling "; or, literally translated, as in the Revised Version, " a tent " - a particular kind of abode. The same word, "habitation," is employed in the 90th Psalm - "dwelling-place." Beside that venerable and ancient abode that has stood fresh, strong, incorruptible, and unaffected by the lapse of millenniums, there stands the little transitory canvas tent in which our earthly lives are spent. We have two dwelling-places. By the body we are brought into connection with this frail, evanescent, illusory outer world, and we try to make our homes out of shifting cloud-wrack, and dream that we can compel mutability to become immutable, that we may dwell secure. We need a better dwelling-place than earth and that which holds to earth. We have God Himself for our true Home. Never mind what becomes of the tent as long as the mansion stands firm. Do not let us be saddened, though we know that it is canvas, and that the walls will soon rot and must some day be folded up and borne away, if we have the Rock of Ages for our dwelling-place. But the wide scope and the paradoxical completeness of the promise itself, instead of being a difficulty, point the way to its true interpretation. " There shall no plague come nigh thy dwelling" - and yet we are smitten down by all the woes that afflict humanity. "No evil shall befall thee" - and yet " all the ills that flesh is heir to" are dealt out sometimes with a more liberal hand to them who abide in God than to them who dwell only in the tent upon earth. What then? Is God true, or is He not? Did this Psalmist mean to promise the very questionable blessing of escape from all the good of the discipline of sorrow? Is it true, in the unconditional sense in which it is often asserted, that "prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament, and adversity of the New "? I think not; and I am sure that this Psalmist, when he said " there shall no evil befall thee, nor any plague come nigh thy dwelling," was thinking exactly the same thing which Paul had in his mind when he said, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose. " If I make God my Refuge, I shall get something a great deal better than escape from outward sorrow - namely, an amulet which will turn the outward sorrow into joy. The bitter water will still be given me to drink, but it will be filtered water, out of which God will strain all the poison, though He still leaves plenty of the bitterness in it; for bitterness is a tonic. The evil that is in the evil will be taken out of it, in the measure in which we make God our Refuge, and "all will be right that seems most wrong" when we recognise it to be " His sweet will." Nothing can be " evil " which knits me more closely to God; and whatever tempest drives me to His breast, though all the four winds of the heavens strove on the surface of the sea, it will be better for me than calm weather that entices me to stray farther away from Him. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Philippians 3:10 The power of his resurrection. The doctrine of a risen Saviour is exceedingly precious. The resurrection is the corner-stone of the entire building of Christianity. It is the key-stone of the arch of our salvation. It would take a volume to set forth all the streams of living water which flow from this one sacred source, the resurrection of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; but to know that he has risen, and to have fellowship with him as such--communing with the risen Saviour by possessing a risen life--seeing him leave the tomb by leaving the tomb of worldliness ourselves, this is even still more precious. The doctrine is the basis of the experience, but as the flower is more lovely than the root, so is the experience of fellowship with the risen Saviour more lovely than the doctrine itself. I would have you believe that Christ rose from the dead so as to sing of it, and derive all the consolation which it is possible for you to extract from this well-ascertained and well-witnessed fact; but I beseech you, rest not contented even there. Though you cannot, like the disciples, see him visibly, yet I bid you aspire to see Christ Jesus by the eye of faith; and though, like Mary Magdalene, you may not "touch" him, yet may you be privileged to converse with him, and to know that he is risen, you yourselves being risen in him to newness of life. To know a crucified Saviour as having crucified all my sins, is a high degree of knowledge; but to know a risen Saviour as having justified me, and to realize that he has bestowed upon me new life, having given me to be a new creature through his own newness of life, this is a noble style of experience: short of it, none ought to rest satisfied. May you both "know him, and the power of his resurrection." Why should souls who are quickened with Jesus, wear the grave-clothes of worldliness and unbelief? Rise, for the Lord is risen. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook No CondemnationA glorious word indeed! What a perfect pardon is here promised to the sinful nations of Israel and Judah! Sin is to be so removed that it shall not be found, so blotted out that there shall be none. Glory be unto the God of pardons! Satan seeks out sins wherewith to accuse us, our enemies seek them that they may lay them to our charge, and our own conscience seeks them even with a morbid eagerness. But when the LORD applies the precious blood of Jesus, we fear no form of search, for "there shall be none"; "they shall not be found." The LORD hath caused the sins of His people to cease to be: He hath finished transgression and made an end of sin. The sacrifice of Jesus has cast our sins into the depths of the sea. This makes us dance for joy. The reason for the obliteration of sin lies in the fact that Jehovah Himself pardons His chosen ones. His word of grace is not only royal but divine. He speaks absolution, and we are absolved. He applies the atonement, and from that hour His people are beyond all fear of condemnation. Blessed be the name of the sin-annihilating God! The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer Open Thy Mouth Wide, and I Will Fill ItThe word of God affords all possible encouragement to earnest, fervent prayer; men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Believers should ask all they want of God as their heavenly Father; they should ask of Him because He has bidden them, and expect to receive because He is faithful. Are our wants many this morning? Our God bids us open our mouths wide, and promises to fill them. We should ask largely, for God considers Himself honoured when we ask for much, and expect much. He rejoices over us to do us good. He looks upon us as His dear children, and pledges Himself to give all that we want, or can use to His glory. Let us then ask for a supply of every want; let us continue to plead His largest promises; and let us continue to plead in the name of Jesus until we receive. Our God heareth prayer; and if we, being evil, know how to give good things unto our children, much more will our heavenly Father give good things unto them that ask Him. Let us therefore come boldly unto a throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace. Thou art coming to a King Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much: He Himself has bid thee pray, Therefore will not say thee nay. Bible League: Living His Word Don't worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.— Philippians 4։6 ERV These words from the Bible are really very encouraging. We should not worry about many things, instead we should pray with thankful heart. It is very necessary and important to have thankful heart and give thanks to the Lord for everything. When we look at the situations in many countries, we see that even though so many people live well, they are never thankful, they complain all the time. People are always complaining and grumbling. When we look at so called developed countries of the world, where life seems perfect, we see that there are also great grievances, even more in number, and mass protests regarding the improvement of living conditions and disagreement with the functioning of governments. So almost everywhere there is this phenomenon of not being satisfied. We will talk about thankfulness (gratitude) and grumbling. What power do they have? How does grumbling stop so many good things in our lives? How does thankfulness open doors to God's power and blessing? My friend, you have an important question for yourself today: what kind of person are you? Have you grumbling heart, do you complain always, or are you thankful to God for everything? People who always are grumbling can have bad results. As it is written in the Word of God, "The people started complaining about their troubles. The Lord heard their complaints. He heard these things and became angry. Fire from the Lord burned among the people. The fire burned some of the areas at the edge of the camp" (Numbers 11:1). In the Gospel, we see how our Lord healed ten people, who had leprosy. But then only one of them came back and gave thanks to our Lord, only he had thankful heart. As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, He came into a small town, and ten men met him there. They did not come close to Him, because they all had leprosy. But the men shouted, "Jesus! Master! Please help us!" When Jesus saw the men, He said, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." While the ten men were going to the priests, they were healed. When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus. He praised God loudly. He bowed down at Jesus' feet and thanked him. But he was a Samaritan. Then our Lord Jesus said, "Ten men were healed; where are the other nine? This man is not even one of our people. Is he the only one who came back to give praise to God?" Then Jesus said to the man, "Stand up! You can go. You were healed because you believed" (Luke 17:11—19). This story is an interesting example of being thankful. Are we thankful to the Lord for everything? Are we thankful for the salvation that He gave us? Are we thankful that He heals us? Are we thankful that He protects our country? It is very important to be thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ, and this can open the doors for different blessings from the Lord. By Mamikon Abgaryan, Bible League International partner, Armenia Daily Light on the Daily Path Job 14:7 "For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And its shoots will not fail.Isaiah 42:3 "A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 2 Corinthians 7:10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word. Ezra 9:13 "After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us an escaped remnant as this, Micah 7:8,9 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me. • I will bear the indignation of the LORD Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness. 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 Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.Insight Paul constantly prayed for Timothy, his friend, his fellow traveler, his son in the faith, and a strong leader in the Christian church. Although the two men were separated from each other, their prayers provided a source of mutual encouragement. Challenge We too should pray consistently for others, especially for those who do God's work. Devotional Hours Within the Bible The Two Great CommandmentsThis scribe admired the way Jesus had answered the questions that were put to Him by His enemies. Jesus always answered well. He never got confused in His replies, as often human teachers do. He never erred in His answers to men’s questions, for He knew all truth. We know only fragments of the great body of truth, and therefore frequently find ourselves entangled when we attempt to explain difficult matters or to answer questions that are put to us. But Jesus knew truth in all its relations, and those who sought to catch Him in His words could never lead Him into any inconsistency of statement. The practical lessons from this are important. One is that Christianity has nothing to fear from enemies who try to make its teachings appear self-contradictory. Amid all the assaults of skepticism, Christianity stands ever unharmed and secure. Their hammers are shattered and worn out but the anvil of truth is unbroken. The other lesson is that we may take to Christ all our own questions, our fears, our doubts, our ignorance, our perplexity, and He will always have for us a wise and satisfactory answer. It is the fashion in these days, in some quarters, to decry creeds. ”Little matter what we believe ,” says one, “if only we live right.” But if we do not believe right we will not be likely to live right. The duty of loving God is based upon the truth that there is only one God to be loved. If there were more gods than one, there would be little use in teaching us to love God with all our heart. “Which God?” we might ask. So the doctrine of one God is a most practical one. There is only one God, and this one God is our Lord. What a comfort it is for us to know that the God in whom we trust is the great God of the universe! He is our God. The little word “our” links Him to us and us to Him in closest relations. If He is our God we are under obligations to obey Him, to do His will. We belong to Him. Then, if He is our God, He belongs to us, and we have a claim on Him. “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance” (Psalm 16:5). Every child of a good father knows with what pride he points to his parent and says, “That is my father!” Still greater comfort to a believer is that he is able to point to God and say, “He is my God!” All He is, is ours His love, His grace, His goodness, His truth, His mercy. If God is our God we should love Him. He is the God to whom we owe everything, from whom we came, to whom we go with our needs, who cares for us, watches over us, provides for us, and keeps us. He is our Father with all a father’s love! We ought to love God for Himself, for what He is in His character merciful, gracious, holy, loving, good. We ought to love Him, too, for what He has done for us. Surely the commandment is reasonable . Notice that it is LOVE which God asks. Obedience is not enough. One might obey every divine command, and not have love for Him whom he obeys. Homage is not enough. We might pay homage to God, and yet have no affection for Him. God must have our love. Nor will a little love do. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart .” Our love for God must be greater than our love for father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, child, or friend. It must fill not our heart only but our soul, our mind, and our strength. That is, it must draw all the powers of our life with it. It must lead us to obedience, to service, to complete consecration. If we love God supremely, He must be the Master of our life. We must be ever ready for whatever duty or service He asks of us. Some people’s religion seems compulsory ; they do right because they must not because they want to do so. All their work has the character of unwilling service. God says, “I want you to love Me!” And if we truly love Him, we will fly at His bidding to duty or to sacrifice with eager alacrity. “But how can I learn to love God?” asks someone. “I want to love Him but I cannot compel myself to do it. I love my father, my mother, my sister; but I cannot see God, and He seems great and awesome when I think about Him. He does not appeal to my heart as my mother does. I feel awe toward Him but not affection . It is important to know how we can learn to love God. The incarnation was God coming down near to us, that we might love Him. The glory of Sinai did not make its appeal to men’s hearts. But when Jesus went among the people, touching them with His compassion, being their friend, comforting their sorrows it was not hard for them to love Him. We must get to know God if we would learn to love Him. We should read about Him in the Bible until we know His character, His feelings toward us, what He has done for us, especially in redeeming us. Another way to learn to love God is to begin to trust Him. “How shall I learn to love God?” asked one. “Trust Him,” was the answer. “I thought I must love Him before I could trust Him.” “No begin to trust Him and you will soon learn to love Him.” No other duty comes before this duty of love to God. “This is the first commandment.” Until we begin to love God, no other obedience is pleasing to Him. We may do a great many things we ought to do and yet if we do not love Him all of our doings amounts to nothing. A child may obey all a father’s bidding but if there is no love in his heart, what does the father care for the obedience? A man may be very good so far as his acts are concerned but if he does not love God, all his good acts count for nothing. When Jesus tested the young ruler’s love by asking him to give up all he had for His sake, the young man went away sad. He had kept all the commandments from his youth but he did not love God; at least he loved his possessions more, and gave God up while he clung to his property. Love to our fellow men is a very important duty but it avails nothing unless love to God is behind it and in it. Two comes after one. The second commandment can come only after the first. A good many people boast of their love for men, their humanitarianism. They take the Good Samaritan as their model. They are humane, charitable, and philanthropic. But this is the whole of their religion. They do no love God, nor worship Him, nor recognize Him in any way. They put the second commandment high up but they have no first. They do not know God, do not recognize Him, and do not love Him. The things they do are very beautiful, and if they first loved God and lived all their life inspired by love for Him, their charities and humanities would be pleasing to Him, and not the smallest of them would go unrewarded. But since they do not love God there can be nothing pleasing to Him, in their love for their neighbors. The second comes after the first. After we have begun to obey the first commandment, the second presents itself and must also be obeyed. He who loves God will also love his neighbor. The two loves are linked together, and are inseparable. John says distinctly that he who claims to love God while he hates his brother is a liar (1 John 4:20). The love of God that does not overflow in love for our brother is not true Christian love. Jesus was pleased with the scribe’s insight. He said to him, “you are not far from the kingdom of God.” If he would only do the truth he knew he would enter into the kingdom; he was yet outside, although so near. There are a great many people who are almost but not quite, Christians. There are those who know the way of salvation but do not with their hearts accept Christ. There are those whose character is good and beautiful. They do many of Christ’s sayings. They try to keep the second commandment, and seek to be gentle, kind, loving in temper, disposition, and act. They lack only one thing but that one thing is vital. They are not far from the kingdom of God. Then there are those who are under conviction of sin and have a deep sense of spiritual need. They become honest inquirers, like the scribe, asking what they must do. They hear the answer of Christ and still stand hesitating, indecisive, on the point of submitting yet not yielding to Him. They are not far from the kingdom of God, and yet they are not in it. At the door, with the hand on the latch is still outside, and outside is lost! There are thousands now in eternal perdition who have been almost Christians, and yet have perished forever! Jesus then turned to the people and said some plain things to them about the scribes. “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely!” The scribes were the official interpreters of the Scriptures. It was their duty to make plain to the people, the Word and will of God. But Jesus said they were not trustworthy leaders. They professed to be guides to the people but they were not safe guides. They were fond of wearing the garb and having the honor of saintly men. They like to have people greet them as holy men ; they took the chief seats in the synagogue and at feasts; but in their private lives they were bad men. Instead of being the defenders of widows, they used on themselves, the widow’s money which was entrusted to them. Then, to balance their embezzlement; they would make longer prayers than ever in the streets. They were the most despicable hypocrites ! The beautiful story of one of these widows and her suffering, shows who were the really godly people in those days not the scribes and Pharisees, who put on the saintly airs which covered lives of shameful baseness, hardness, and evil but the poor, who were despised and robbed. This poor widow had higher honor before God than any of the rulers. Her gifts, though too small to be counted, weighed far more in God’s sight than all the great shining coins they cast into the treasury. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingEzekiel 27, 28 Ezekiel 27 -- Lament for Tyre NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 28 -- God's Judgment Upon Tyre and Sidon NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading James 4 James 4 -- Submit to God; Resist the Devil; the Lord's Will NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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