Dawn 2 Dusk The Promise That Outlasts the DayThere are promises that sparkle for a moment and then fade when life gets complicated. But in 1 John 2:25, John draws our attention to a promise God Himself has made—one that isn’t fragile, isn’t seasonal, and doesn’t depend on how steady we feel. It’s a promise meant to anchor real people in a real world. A Promise With a Name God’s promise isn’t a vague “things will work out.” It has a name: eternal life. John isn’t trying to sell comfort; he’s calling us to confidence. Not confidence in our performance, but confidence in God’s word. “And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life” (1 John 2:25). Eternal life isn’t just length of existence—it’s the life of knowing God, beginning now and continuing forever. That changes how you wake up, how you handle temptation, how you endure disappointment. Jesus defined it this way: “Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3). If you belong to Christ, you’re not merely waiting for heaven; you’re learning His voice, walking with Him, and letting His life reshape yours in the middle of ordinary Tuesdays and heavy Fridays. Staying Close When Voices Compete John’s promise sits in a chapter full of warnings about deception, because competing voices always try to steal certainty. So the invitation is not to panic, but to abide. “As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father” (1 John 2:24). Remaining isn’t passive—it’s choosing where you live mentally and spiritually, choosing what you rehearse, choosing what you trust. And God doesn’t call you to cling to Him with white-knuckle fear; He calls you to settle into His faithfulness. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (John 10:27–28). When noise rises—accusation, doubt, cultural pressure—come back to the simple practice of staying near: open His Word, speak honestly in prayer, and obey the next clear step. Living Today Like Forever Is Real If eternal life is truly promised, then today is not a throwaway. Your work matters. Your repentance matters. Your quiet faithfulness matters. “He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11). The promise is not floating out there somewhere; it is in a Person. So the most practical question isn’t “How do I secure my future?” but “Am I walking with the Son today?” That also strengthens you when you feel weak. God does not dangle eternal life like a reward you might lose if you stumble; He holds you by grace and trains you by truth. “For by grace you have been saved through faith... it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). So take the promise personally: choose purity because forever is real, forgive because you’re headed home, share Christ because people need life—not just advice. Father, thank You for Your sure promise of eternal life in Your Son. Help me abide in Your Word today, resist every lying voice, and walk in obedience that honors You. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer Humans Judge the Lord?It is a fact that God made us to worship Him, and if we had not fallen with Adam and Eve, worship would have been the most natural thing for us. Sinning was not the natural thing for Adam and Eve, but they disobeyed and fell, losing their privilege of perfect fellowship with God, the Creator. Sin is the unnatural thing; it was never intended by God to be our nature. Men and women who are out of fellowship with God, the Creator, still have an instinct towards some practice of worship. In most of our civilized circles, the practice of picking out what we like to worship and rejecting what we do not like is widespread. This has opened up an entire new field for applied psychology and humanism under a variety of religious disguises. Thus men and women set themselves as judges of what the Lord has said-and so they stand with pride and judge the Lord. In the Bible, God takes the matter of worship out of the hands of men and puts it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to worship God without the impartation of the Holy Spirit! Music For the Soul The Ever-Active Helper of the SaintsThou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led Thy captivity captive; Thou hast received gifts among men, yea, among the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell with them. - Psalm 68:18 The "right hand of God" is the Omnipotent energy of God; and howsoever certainly the language of Scripture requires for its full interpretation that we should firmly hold that Christ’s glorified body dwells in a place, we are not to omit the other thought, that to sit at the right hand also means to wield the immortal energy of that Divine nature over all the field of the Creation and in every province of His dominion. So that the ascended Christ is the ubiquitous Christ; and He who is "at the right hand of God" is wherever the power of God reaches throughout His whole universe. Remember that it was once given to a man to look through the opened heavens (through which Christ had " passed ") and to " see the Son of man standing (not sitting) at the right hand of God." Why to the dying proto-martyr was there granted that vision thus varied? Wherefore was the attitude changed but to express the swiftness, the certainty of His help, and the eager readiness of the Lord, who starts to His feet, as it were, to succour and to sustain His dying servant? And so we may take that great joyful truth that, both as receiving gifts for man and bestowing gifts upon them, and as working by His providence in the world, and on the wider scale for the well-being of His children and of the Church, the Christ that sits at the right hand of God wields, ever with eager cheerfulness, all the powers of omnipotence for our well-being, if we love and trust Him. We may look quietly upon all perplexities and complications, because the hands that were pierced for us hold the helm and the reins, because the Christ who is our Brother is the King, and sits supreme at the centre of the universe. Joseph’s brethren that came up in their hunger and their rags to the land, and found their brother next the throne, were startled with a great joy of surprise, and fears were calmed and confidence sprang in their hearts. Shall not we be restful and confident when our Brother, the Son of man, sits ruling all things? "We see not yet all things put under" us; "but we see Jesus," and that is enough. Therefore, set your affections on things above. Our hearts travel where our dear ones are. Oh, how strange and sad it is that professing Christians, whose lives, if they are Christians at all, have their roots and are hid with Christ in God, should turn so few, so cold thoughts and loves thither! Surely, "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Surely, if Christ is your treasure, you will feel that with Him is home, and that this is a foreign land! " Set your affections, then, " on things above," while life lasts; and when it is ebbing away, perhaps to our eyes, too. Heaven may be opened, and the vision of the Son of man standing to receive and to welcome us may be granted, and when it has ebbed away. His will be the first voice to welcome us, and He will lift us to share in His glorious rest, according to His own wondrous promise, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Ephesians 1:7 The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word "forgiveness," when it sounds in a guilty sinner's ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, forever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and forever? Hell is my portion as a sinner--there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me--can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. Forever blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my sins are at this moment, and forever, forgiven by virtue of his substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to him who of his own unpurchased love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through his blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive forever! Here is a constellation of wonders; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Rest in All Thy GoingsPrecious promise! LORD, enable me to appropriate it as all my own. We must go at certain times from our abode, for here we have no continuing city. It often happens that when we feel most at home in a place, we are suddenly called away from it. Here is the antidote for this ill. The LORD Himself will keep us company. His presence, which includes His favor, His fellowship, His care, and His power, shall be ever with us in every one of our marchings. This means far more than it says; for, in fact, it means all things. If we have God present with us, we have possession of heaven and earth. Go with me, LORD, and then command me where Thou wilt! But we hope to find a place of rest. The text promises it. We are to have rest of God’s own giving, making, and preserving. His presence will cause us to rest even when we are on the march, yea, even in the midst of battle. Rest! Thrice blessed word. Can it ever be enjoyed by mortals? Yes, there is the promise, and by faith we plead it. Rest comes from the Comforter, from the Prince of Peace, and from the glorious Father who rested on the seventh day from all His works. To be with God is to rest in the most emphatic sense. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer The Day Shall Declare ItThe day referred to is the day when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, when the dead shall be raised, and the judgment commence. Oh, what a day will that be! Then every covering shall be removed; and every secret exposed. It will be a revealing day, a convincing day, a confirming day, a condemning day, a justifying day. Then our motives will all be discovered, and our intentions laid bare. Hypocrisy will be condemned, and deception punished. O beloved, let us live as having that day before us; let us act as though persuaded that then all will be discovered. Are we sincere?--the day will declare it. Are we aiming at God’s glory, or self-exaltation?--the day will declare it. Are we conducting our business on Christian, or worldly principles?--the day will declare it. Are we honest and humble?--the day will declare it. Is our profession from principle, from faith in, and love to Jesus?--the day will declare it. Oh that that day may declare that we are humble, holy, watchful, diligent disciples of the Lord Jesus! Before we place in dread array The pomp of that tremendous day, When Thou with clouds shall come To judge the nations at Thy bar; And tell me, Lord, shall I be there? To meet the joyful doom? Bible League: Living His Word The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.— Romans 13:12 NLT It's still dark, but it's getting brighter. It's still night, but the morning light is just about ready to make its appearance. You can tell because Jesus Christ, the bright morning star (Revelation 22:16), is already shining with the Father in the bright light of heaven, where He said He would be (John 14:28). Soon, however, He will return to the earth bringing all the blazing light of heaven with Him. When He does, the light will defeat every bit of darkness that is left on earth. When He does, the darkness won't stand a chance. The figures signify that the present era—the time between Jesus Christ's first appearance and His second appearance—is drawing to a close. It's been drawing to a close ever since Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church. Indeed, it's been drawing to a close ever since Jesus left and the Holy Spirit took His place (John 16:7). The enlightenment of the Gospel is what's doing it. It's been dispelling the darkness of sinful ignorance all over the world. So, it's just a question of time. The darkness of sin may try to reassert itself, may try to delay the inevitable arrival of Jesus Christ, but it cannot possibly succeed. You need to be ready. You need to be ready for that glorious day. You don't want to be surprised by Jesus with any dirty clothes of dark deeds. Rather, you'll want to greet Him in your shining armor of right living. After all, you're a child of the light and the day. You don't belong to the darkness and the night anymore (1 Thessalonians 5:5). It's only fitting that you should greet Jesus with the shining armor you've been wearing to battle the darkness. It's only fitting that you should have it on so you're ready to join Him in the final and ultimate battle (Revelation 17:14). Put on, then, your shining armor. Put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:13—17). Put them on because that final battle will soon be here. Daily Light on the Daily Path Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Joshua 22:20 'Did not Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.'" Exodus 23:2 "You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; Matthew 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. Romans 14:7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 1 Corinthians 8:9,12 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. • And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Isaiah 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 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 You will fold them up like a cloakand discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever. Insight What does it mean that Christ is changeless (“you are always the same”)? It means that Christ's character will never change. He persistently shows his love to us. He is always fair, just, and merciful to us who are so undeserving. Challenge Be thankful that Christ is changeless—he will always help you when you need it and offer forgiveness when you fall. Devotional Hours Within the Bible False Excuses“A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.” This supper is a picture of the blessings of redemption. The redemption of Christ is said to be great he who prepares it, its blessings, and the numbers who enjoy it, its eternal duration, and the sweetness of its joys all are great. At a feast men provide the best provisions they can obtain; in the gospel we have the best that heaven has to give. At a feast there is plenty; in the gospel there is infinite abundance. There is pleasant fellowship at a feast, and the gospel brings us into intimate communion with God and into sweet fellowship with other Christians. There is one marked contrast, however earth’s feasts are soon over, while the gospel feast is unending. Next comes the invitation. “Come, for everything is now ready!” One of the things included, is forgiveness of sins. Deep in every soul, is the consciousness of sin and of separation from God because of sin. There is therefore a craving for the taking away of sin, and peace never can come until this craving is satisfied. Another hunger of the heart is for fellowship with God. The human soul was made for God and never can find rest until it finds it in reconciliation to God and restored communion with Him. Human friendship is very sweet and brings deep joy but we need also the love of God in our hearts to make the satisfaction complete. One who did not know the facts, would say that this invitation would find universal acceptance. We can scarcely think of anybody declining the invitation to such a festival as this. But instead of universal acceptance, “They all alike, began to make excuses!” Most people are eager to accept social honors. But this is a spiritual feast. It is not this world’s dainties which load the table but the things of God’s love. The joy to which men are here invited, is not earth’s festivity but the joy of forgiveness of sin and communion with God. To accept this invitation, men must leave their sins and enter upon a new life of holiness. The natural heart does not take kindly to this. The refusal of those invited, is true to nature. The excuses given, are only excuses they are not real reasons. The truth is, that those invited do not want to come to this feast, and therefore make up pretexts having the appearance of reasons for not accepting the invitation. Men do not like to say bluntly, that they will not come to Christ, nor accept His mercy and love. That would seem discourteous. Hence they resort to insincerity and hypocrisy, revealing under all kinds of flimsy and empty pretexts, their unwillingness to accept Christ as their Savior and Friend. The excuses which are given, are typical . One man said, “I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.” This may be called the property excuse. That was a very costly piece of ground to its new owner, when we consider that it kept him away altogether from Christ and deprived him of eternal possessions. Yet there are many fields which have done this very thing. They have cost men their souls. The parable is not overdrawn. There are a great many people who lose their souls for things worth even less than a ten-acre field. Esau got only a plain meal as the price of his birthright. Judas got about twelve or thirteen dollars for his act of treason to his Master which has blackened his name for all generations, and which sent his soul into eternal darkness. Caring for property is always an insidious danger. It is not meant to be a snare to men; business ought to be a help heavenward. And it is when it is followed as our Master means that it shall be followed. Many men, however, are led to give more thought to planning how to make the most of their farms and their money than to the saving of their souls and making the most of their spiritual lives. The second man offers the business excuse. “I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.” He already had engagements for the day on which the feast came, business engagements which he thought he could not set aside rather, which he would not set aside. He had no thought of postponing the breaking in of his oxen in order that he might attend the great gospel feast. That is, he was not willing to make a little readjustment of his business arrangements, even to honor his God and to get a new blessing for himself. The business of trying the oxen certainly could have waited another day but the man missed the feast altogether, while he spent the day out in the dusty field. Many people are kept away from the church services, from Christian duties, and from Christ Himself by business occupations. They say they have no time to pray or read the Bible, because their work is so pressing. They have no time to go to church, or to take an interest in spiritual affairs, because their worldly duties press them so. One man said the other day, that he always played golf on Sunday. His business during the week required every moment of his days. His mind was under a constant strain. In order to be able to begin again this life of stress on Monday he must have absolute rest on Sunday. He found this relaxation nowhere, he said, as he did in golf. This is the way many men talk about the matter of religion. They have no time for it. They need Sunday for rest. Yet some of these days they will have to take time to be sick; and then, someday, time to die. What comfort will they get in these hours, from all their life of engrossing business cares? The third man gave pleasure as his excuse. “I just got married, and therefore I am unable to come.” He was so much taken up with the joys of wedded life, that he could not turn aside. There is no doubt that home pleasures and delights do often so absorb people as to keep them away from Christian duties, and even from Christ. Sometimes the very blessings of home life interfere with faithful following of Christ. A loving wife may unintentionally hold her husband back from Christian service, by the exactions of her affection. She is unwilling to spare him from her side that he may do the work which the Master would have him do. Peter in his love for his Master would have kept Him from going to His cross. Too often a happy home by its very happiness, so satisfies men’s hearts that they do not feel the necessity for anything more. We all need to watch that we never allow our home or our love for dear ones to keep us in any sense from our full duty to Christ. If we love father or mother, wife or friend, more than Christ we are not worthy of Him. When the master received the “excuses” of his invited guests, he bade his servant go out quickly into the streets and lanes, and bring in the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame. The servant did this and reported, “Yet there is room!” There is always room. The heart of God is never full. The church is never full its doors ever stand open and its welcome is ever extended to everyone who will come. Heaven is never full there are places remaining still unfilled in its many mansions. In the description of heaven in the Book of Revelation we are told that the city has twelve gates, three entering from each point of the compass (Revelation 21:10-13). These gates forever voice heaven’s welcome to all those who will come. They are never shut, by day or by night, and no matter when one may come he will find ready admission and glorious welcome. Heaven must be filled. If those who are first invited will not come, the invitation is extended to others and pressed upon them. “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in,” was the bidding. These words show us the importance of earnestness in those whose duty it is to invite men to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not merely to find Christ ourselves, and then be satisfied. The first impulse of the true Christian is to seek other lost ones. The words of the parable suggest, first, that we are to go into all the world, wherever there is a lost soul, and invite all men to come. We are to invite them earnestly, to constrain them, to press the invitation upon them. The morning papers the other day, told of a policeman rushing into a burning building, climbing the stairways, through flame and smoke to save a mother and her children. We should have similar earnestness in rescuing perishing souls! How will it be with us when we reach the end of our life if we have not rescued anyone from the storms and the dangers? On the other hand, much of the joy of heaven will come from meeting those whom we have been allowed to bring to Christ. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingEzekiel 38, 39 Ezekiel 38 -- The Malice of Gog NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Ezekiel 39 -- God's Judgment upon Gog and Israel's Victory NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Peter 4 1 Peter 4 -- Living for Christ and Partaking in His Sufferings NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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