Dawn 2 Dusk The Holy Art of Showing UpSome days call for celebration and others for quiet strength. Romans 12:15 invites us into a life where we don’t stay at a distance from people’s joy or pain—we step close enough to share it. This is not personality-driven kindness; it’s Spirit-shaped love that learns to move with others, not around them. Bold Empathy, Not Polite Distance It’s easy to keep things “appropriate.” A quick comment, a brief text, a controlled smile. But Christian love doesn’t settle for safe gestures when someone’s heart is on the line. God calls us to something braver: entering someone else’s moment with them. When a friend wins, we don’t minimize it. When a sister grieves, we don’t rush her through it. We choose presence over performance. Jesus models this perfectly. At Lazarus’s tomb, even knowing resurrection was moments away, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). He didn’t treat sorrow like an inconvenience to the plan—He honored it with tears. And Hebrews reminds us we don’t have a distant Savior: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). If Christ draws near to us in our weakness, we can draw near to others in theirs. Rejoicing Without Envy, Celebrating With Purity Rejoicing with others can expose what’s in us. Their engagement announcement, their new job, their healed relationship—if we’re not careful, joy turns into comparison. But love refuses to make someone else’s blessing about our lack. It says, “God is good,” even when we’re still waiting. Scripture gives us a better way than quiet resentment. “Love … does not envy” (1 Corinthians 13:4). And James warns us how quickly envy corrodes the soul: “If you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition… this is earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (James 3:14–15). Rejoicing with others becomes a holy practice of humility: we bless God for His kindness to them, and we trust Him with our own story. Weeping with Hope, Carrying Without Fixing Weeping with others doesn’t mean we have to solve their grief. Some of the most loving words are, “I’m here,” and then silence. Our culture prizes answers, but Scripture prizes faithfulness. The goal is not to fix a person; it’s to stay with them and point them—gently, patiently—to the God who stays. God never asks you to carry what only He can carry, but He does call you to share the load. “Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). And while we grieve, we do not grieve as those who have no anchor: “We do not want you to be uninformed… so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Hope doesn’t cancel tears; it steadies them. Today, let your presence preach: God is near. Father, thank You for Your tender heart toward us. Help me rejoice sincerely and weep faithfully—make me present, prayerful, and quick to love today. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer God Understands UsWe should revel in the joy of believing that God is the sum of all patience and the true essence of kindly good will! Because He is what He is, we please Him most, not by frantically trying to make ourselves good, but by throwing ourselves into His arms with all our imperfections and believing that He understands everything-and loves us still! The God who desires our fellowship and communion is not hard to please, although He may be hard to satisfy. He expects from us only what He has Himself supplied. When He must chasten us, Re even does this with a smile-the proud, tender smile of a Father who is bursting with pleasure over an imperfect son who is coming every day to look more and more like the One whose child he is! This is the best of good news: God loves us for ourselves. He values our love more than He values galaxies of newly created worlds. He remembers our frame and knows that we are dust! Music For the Soul Be Careful for NothingBe not therefore anxious for the morrow, for the morrow will be anxious for itself - Matthew 6:34 An apparently impossible advice. That word "careful," in a great many places in the New Testament, does not mean what it has come to mean to-day; but it means what it should still mean, " lull of care." And "care" meant, not prudent provision, forethought, the occupation of a man’s common sense with his duty and his work and his circumstances, but it meant the thing which of all others unfits a man most for such prudent provision, and that is, the nervous irritation of a gnawing anxiety which, as the word in the original means, tears the heart apart and makes a man quite incapable of doing the wise thing, or seeing the wise thing to do, in the circumstances. "Careful" here means neither more nor less than " anxious." But even with that explanation, is it not like an unreachable ideal that Paul puts forward? "Be anxious about nothing." How can a man who has to face the possibilities that we all have to face, and who knows himself to be as weak to deal with them as we all are - how can he help being anxious? There is no more complete waste of breath than those sage and reverend advices which people give us, not to do the things nor to feel the emotions which our position make absolutely inevitable and almost involuntary. Here, for instance, is a man surrounded by all manner of calamity and misfortune; and some well-meaning, but foolish, friend comes to him, and, without giving him a single reason for the advice, says, " Cheer up, my friend! " Why should he cheer up? What is there in his circumstances to induce him to fall into any other mood? Or some unquestionable peril is staring him full in the face, coming nearer and nearer to him, and some well-meaning, loose-tongued friend, says to him, " Do not be afraid! " But he ought to be afraid. That is about all that worldly wisdom and morality have to say to us when we are in trouble and anxiety. " Shut your eyes very hard, and make believe very much, and you will not fear." An impossible exhortation! Just as well bid a ship in the Bay of Biscay not to rise and fall upon the wave, but to keep an even keel - just as well tell the willows in the river-bed that they are not to bend when the wind blows - as come to me, and say to me, " Be careful about nothing," unless you have a great deal more than that to say. I must be, and I ought to be, anxious about a great many things. Instead of anxiety being folly, it will be wisdom; and the folly will consist in not opening our eyes to facts, and in not feeling emotions that are appropriate to the facts which force themselves against our eyeballs. Threadbare maxims, stale, musty old commonplaces of unavailing consolation and impotent encouragement say to us, " Do not be anxious." We try to stiffen our nerves and muscles in order to bear the blow; or some of us, more basely still, get into a habit of feather-headed levity, making no forecasts, nor seeing even what is plainest before our eyes. But all that is of no use when once the hot pincers of real trouble, impending or arrived, lay hold of our hearts. Then, of all idle expenditures of breath in the world, there is none to the wrung heart more idle and more painful than the one that says. Be anxious about nothing. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Luke 24:38 Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in his universal providence, but his particular providence is over his saints. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him." "Precious shall their blood be in his sight." "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose." Let the fact that, while he is the Saviour of all men, he is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer and comfort you. You are his peculiar care; his regal treasure which he guards as the apple of his eye; his vineyard over which he watches day and night. "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." Let the thought of his special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus to your woe: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. "Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." We lose much consolation by the habit of reading his promises for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home to ourselves. Believer, grasp the divine word with a personal, appropriating faith. Think that you hear Jesus say, "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." Think you see him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for he is there, and he is saying, "Fear not, it is I; be not afraid." Oh, those sweet words of Christ! May the Holy Ghost make you feel them as spoken to you; forget others for awhile--accept the voice of Jesus as addressed to you, and say, "Jesus whispers consolation; I cannot refuse it; I will sit under his shadow with great delight." Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook God’s Multiplication TableWorks for the LORD often begin on a small scale, and they are none the worse for this. Feebleness educates faith, brings God near, and wins glory for His name. Prize promises of increase! Mustard seed is the smallest among seeds, and yet it becomes a treelike plant, with branches which lodge the birds of heaven. We may begin with one, and that "a little one," and yet it will "become a thousand." The LORD is great at the multiplication table. How often did He say to His lone servant, "I will multiply thee!" Trust in the LORD, ye ones and twos; for He will be in the midst of you if you are gathered in His name. "A small one." What can be more despicable in the eyes of those who count heads and weigh forces! Yet this is the nucleus of a great nation. Only one star shines out at first in the evening, but soon the sky is crowded with countless lights. Nor need we think the prospect of increase to be remote, for the promise is, "I Jehovah will hasten it in his time." There will be no premature haste, like that which we see at excited meetings; it will be all in due time, but yet there will be no delay. When the LORD hastens, His speed is glorious. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer After He Had Patiently Endured He Obtained the PromiseAbraham was long tried, but he was richly rewarded. The Lord tried him by delaying to fulfil His promise; Satan tried him by temptations; men tried him by jealousy, distrust, and opposition; Hagar tried him by contemning her mistress; and Sarah tried him by her peevishness. But he patiently endured. He did not question God’s veracity, nor limit His power, nor doubt His faithfulness, nor grieve His love: but he bowed to divine sovereignty, submitted to infinite wisdom, and was silent under delays, waiting the Lord’s time. And so, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. God’s promises cannot fail of their accomplishment. Patient waiters cannot be disappointed. Believing expectations shall be realized. Beloved, Abraham’s conduct condemns a hasty spirit, reproves a murmuring one, commends a patient one, and encourages quiet submission to God’s will and way." Remember, Abraham was tried; he patiently waited; he received the promise and was satisfied; imitate his example, and you will share the same blessing. All anxious cares I fain would leave, And learn with sweet content to live On what the Lord shall send; Whate’er He sends, He sends in love, And good or bad things blessings prove, If blessed by this Friend. Bible League: Living His Word And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."— Revelation 21:5 ESV Things are not going to be the same. The Lord is making all things new. The old order of things is passing away. What is the old order of things? It is everything associated with the reality of sin and evil in the world. It includes death, mourning, crying, and pain. The old order is passing away, because Jesus Christ dealt it a mortal blow at the cross. At the second coming, the old order will be completely eliminated, and all will be new. All will be holiness, happiness, and immortality. Ever since Jesus dealt the mortal blow, the old order has been passing away. Already death has lost is power. Jesus Himself said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). Already the Lord is wiping away our tears and comforting us when we mourn. Already we experience healing and the alleviation of our pain. True, there will be times of trouble, tribulation, and persecution, but even these must now work together for good (Romans 8:28). How can we be sure that things will change? We can be sure because the One who is making all things new sits on the throne. It's not just any throne either, it's the throne of heaven. From that seat of authority, the Lord rules and reigns over all things. If He decides to make all things new, then all things will be made new. If He decides the old order must pass away, then it will pass away. Nothing can stop Him. Nothing can thwart His will. You can count on it. You don't have to worry about it. Things are not going to be the same. The One sitting on the throne has declared it to be. Daily Light on the Daily Path John 13:16,17 "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. • "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.Luke 22:24-27 And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. • And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' • "But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. • "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." John 13:3-5 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, • got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. • Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 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 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Insight Grace is God's voluntary and loving favor given to those he saves. We can't earn salvation, nor do we deserve it. No religious, intellectual, or moral effort can gain it, because it comes only from God's mercy and love. Without God's grace, no person can be saved. Challenge To receive it, we must acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves, that only God can save us, and that our only way to receive this loving favor is through faith in Christ. Devotional Hours Within the Bible Paul on Christian LovePaul was speaking of the spiritual gifts, which were conferred upon Christians, and there flashed upon his mind a vision of something far better, than any power of healing or miracle working or speaking with tongues. This more excellent way is the way of love . Love is better than eloquence. “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not love I am become sounding brass.” One who can talk in a number of languages is regarded as an accomplished man. But one may be a good linguist and a good orator and yet not be a good Christian. To be a Christian is to have love. Love is better than great learning. “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge… but have not love, I am nothing.” We live in an age when education is highly extolled. The training of the mind is considered of the highest importance. But there is something better than knowledge. One may be a learned scientist, a profound philosopher, may even be a brilliant theologian knowing the Bible and all sacred literature and Christian doctrine and yet be nothing as God rates men. We are measured before God by the love that is in our character. In every foot of cordage used in the British navy, there is a red thread so intertwined that it cannot be taken out without the unraveling of the rope or cable. Just so, in every true character, there is a red cord of love. Christian loving-kindness, which spreads warmth all about it, like the soft light or the sweet fragrance of flowers, is more excellent than the most brilliant learning. Love is better than benevolence. “If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,… but have not love, it profits me nothing.” It is not the gift that God blesses but the love, which bestows the gift. It is not the service rendered but the spirit, which prompts the service. There is a story of a king who built a great temple, paying all the cost himself. It was built for his own glory. When the time of dedication came, it was seen that someone had rubbed off the king’s name and put in its place that of a poor widow. The king was greatly amazed, not knowing that anyone but himself had done anything in the building of this temple. Inquiry was made, and the woman bearing the name came tremblingly into the king’s presence. When he demanded of her what she had done in the building of the temple, she could think of nothing. When pressed still further, she remembered that one hot day, as the oxen were drawing stones past her door, she had in pity gathered some handfuls of grass and given them to the panting beasts. Pity for the dumb animals weighed more in heaven’s sight than all the king’s vast outlay of treasure. In a few striking sentences the qualities of love are sketched. “Love is patient, and is kind,” The first touch of the pencil, presents love as patience. Love always costs. One of the first things to be learned in a Christian life is endurance, sometimes of wrong, ofttimes of injustice not enduring merely but patient endurance. It is not enough to bear wrong for a day or two, “Love is patient.” Not seven times but seventy times seven must the insult or injury be patiently borne with. Nor is it enough to endure in cold silence the injuries. “Love is patient, and is kind,” love keeps a gentle heart, continues to do good for evil, to bathe with fragrance the hand that smites. “Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude.” Here is a whole cluster of bright jewels shining on the bosom of love. It does not ENVY. Far more than we are willing to confess does the poison of envy lurk in our hearts. Nothing can be more unloving than this spirit. Love rejoices in the success of others. We should train ourselves to be glad even when others surpass us. Love is HUMBLE. It does not pose for admiration or praise, nor blow its own trumpet, not put on airs of any kind. It does not try to get into places it is not fitted to fill. “Love is not RUDE.” This seems to refer to one’s manners. Love is refined, gentle, thoughtful, considerate. If anyone makes religion unlovely, he is presenting only a caricature of it. Love is always courteous. “Love is not easily angered.” Hasty temper is so common, that most people have come to think of it as only a kind of harmless weakness, a mere infirmity. Men apologize for their friends who are bad tempered, as if it were a small matter. But really it is a sad blemish on character. We have no right ever to say a harsh or unkind thing anywhere, especially in our own home. There is too much sulking and sullenness in many homes. When we feel such moods coming upon us we would better go away by ourselves, and, getting down on our knees before God, fight the battle out, not leaving our refuge until we can come back with sweet spirit and gentle, kindly speech. Love is the most enduring thing in the world. It “never fails.” Textbooks that are a few years old are not of any use any more. Old machinery is constantly being replaced by new machinery. “For we know in part and we prophesy in part but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.” We may be thankful for the little revealed now, for it serves us well on the way. The morning dawn is very welcome to the early traveler but it is only partial day, not the best. When the full day comes, the dim twilight passes. Lamps in our homes and on our streets are good at night, when darkness covers the earth. But their light is not perfect, and when the sun rises, we care no longer for them and put them out. The knowledge we have on the earth serves well when it is the best we can have; but it will not be prized when heaven’s perfect knowledge comes. The things we know here are but the scaffolding, which men set up when they are erecting a great building. It serves a good purpose for the time. Without it, the walls never could be built. But when the work is finished, men do not prize the scaffolding… They tear it down and take it away, for there is no longer any use for it. So the gifts and graces and all the experiences of earth, which serve well enough now will be discarded and left behind when we reach the fullness of God. Of all things in the world, love is that which will endure as the most imperishable. “Now abides faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” We should gather treasure, which we can carry with us to heaven. We should paint pictures, which will not fade out as we pass through the valley. We should do things, which will live in the other world when this world has vanished. Three things are names, which will abide faith, hope, love. There will always be faith, for we shall never cease to trust God and believe in His love. There will always be hope, for we shall never reach the end of growth in blessing. But greater than either faith or hope is love. Whatever else we strive for I this world, we should put love always first in our request. The one great lesson to be learned in all life is love. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJeremiah 5, 6 Jeremiah 5 -- Jerusalem's Godlessness and Judgment NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jeremiah 6 -- Enemies Sent against Jerusalem NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Timothy 1 1 Timothy 1 -- Warning against False Teachers; the Grace Given Paul NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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