Dawn 2 Dusk When Truth Walks into SunlightJohn 3:21 pulls us toward a brave kind of honesty: not just believing true things, but practicing truth in a way that willingly steps into God’s light. It’s an invitation to live so openly before Him that our choices, motives, and habits can be seen—and changed—by His presence. Come to the Light, Not Away from It Jesus says, “But whoever practices the truth comes to the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that his deeds have been accomplished in God.” (John 3:21) Notice the direction: we come to the Light. When guilt whispers, we tend to hide, delay, or polish our image. But the gospel trains our feet to move toward God, not away from Him. Walking into the light isn’t a performance; it’s a relationship. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) The light doesn’t just expose; it cleanses. The goal isn’t shame—it’s fellowship and freedom. Let God Reveal What You Can’t Fix Alone Light shows what’s real, and that can feel risky. Yet hiding is the most expensive option: “He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) Mercy is waiting on the other side of honesty. Confession isn’t informing God; it’s agreeing with Him—and stepping into His healing. This is why we can pray without fear: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24) Ask Him to shine into the corners you avoid—your reactions, your excuses, your private patterns—and then follow where He leads, one obedient step at a time. Do Good Where God Gets the Credit John 3:21 doesn’t just describe visible deeds; it describes their source—done “in God.” That’s the difference between self-powered morality and Spirit-shaped obedience. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) The Christian life is not you trying harder with God watching; it’s God working in you with you responding. So today, choose actions that can handle the light—words you wouldn’t delete, decisions you wouldn’t have to explain away. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…” (Ephesians 5:8) And when people notice the difference, aim the spotlight upward: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Father, thank You for bringing me into Your light through Jesus; give me courage to confess quickly, obey gladly, and live today in a way that clearly shows Your work in me. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer Laboring in the LordCertain passages of Scripture, if carelessly read, might give the impression that God delegates some of His work to Christian leaders to do for Him as a manufacturer might sublet to others certain items in a contract; such, for instance, as First Corinthians 15:58, Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. In First Corinthians 16:10 Paul says plainly that Timothy is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am, but we must never understand from this that these men did a work of God apart. Rather they were the obedient instruments in whom and through whom God wrought His own work. Any misunderstanding about this is cleared up by the explanation of Paul in Colossians 1:29, To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me; and First Corinthians 15:10, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Music For the Soul The Breadth of the Love of ChristThere the Lord will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams. - Isaiah 33:21 The love of God in Christ Jesus is as broad as humanity. As all the stars lie in the firmament, so all creatures rest in the heaven of His love. Mankind has many common characteristics. We all suffer, we all sin, we all hunger, we all aspire; and, blessed be God! we all occupy precisely the same relation to the love, the Divine love, which lies in Jesus Christ. There are no step-children in His great family, and none of them receive a more grudging or less ample share of His love and goodness than every other. Broad as the race, and curtaining it over as some great tent may enclose on a festal day a whole tribe, the breadth of Christ’s love is the breadth of humanity. And it is universal because it is Divine. No human heart can be stretched so as to comprehend the whole of the members of mankind, and no human heart can be so emptied of self as to be capable of this absolute universality and impartiality of affection. But the intellectual difficulties which stand in the way of the width of our human affection, and the moral difficulties which stand still more frowningly and forbiddingly in the way, all disappear before that love of Christ’s which is close and tender, and clinging with all the tenderness and closeness and clingingness of a human and lofty and universal and passionless and perpetual, with all the height and breadth and calmness and eternity of a Divine, heart. And this broad love, broad as humanity, is not shallow because it is broad. Our human affections are too often like the estuary of some great stream which runs deep and mighty as long as it is held within narrow banks, but as soon as it widens becomes slow and powerless and shallow. The intensity of human affection varies inversely as its extension. A universal philanthropy is a passionless sentiment. But Christ’s love is deep, though it be wide, and suffers no diminution because it is shared amongst a multitude. It is like the great feast that He Himself spread, five thousand men, women, and children, all seated at a table, "and they did all eat and were filled." The whole love is the property of each recipient of it. It is not as it is with us, who give a part of our heart to this one and to that one, and share the treasure of our affections amongst a multitude. All this gift belongs to every one, just as all the sunshine comes to every eye, and as every beholder sees the moon path across the dark waters, stretching from the place where he stands to the centre of light. There are two ways of arguing about the love of Christ, both of them valid, and both of them needing to be employed by us. We have a right to say, "He loves all, therefore He loves me." And we have a right to say, " He loves me, therefore He loves all." For surely the love that has stooped to me can never pass by any human soul. What is the breadth of the love of Christ? It is broad as mankind, it is narrow as myself. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Numbers 12:1 He had married an Ethiopian woman. Strange choice of Moses, but how much more strange the choice of him who is a prophet like unto Moses, and greater than he! Our Lord, who is fair as the lily, has entered into marriage union with one who confesses herself to be black, because the sun has looked upon her. It is the wonder of angels that the love of Jesus should be set upon poor, lost, guilty men. Each believer must, when filled with a sense of Jesus' love, be also overwhelmed with astonishment that such love should be lavished on an object so utterly unworthy of it. Knowing as we do our secret guiltiness, unfaithfulness, and black-heartedness, we are dissolved in grateful admiration of the matchless freeness and sovereignty of grace. Jesus must have found the cause of his love in his own heart, he could not have found it in us, for it is not there. Even since our conversion we have been black, though grace has made us comely. Holy Rutherford said of himself what we must each subscribe to--"His relation to me is, that I am sick, and he is the Physician of whom I stand in need. Alas! how often I play fast and loose with Christ! He bindeth, I loose; he buildeth, I cast down; I quarrel with Christ, and he agreeth with me twenty times a day!" Most tender and faithful Husband of our souls, pursue thy gracious work of conforming us to thine image, till thou shalt present even us poor Ethiopians unto thyself, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Moses met with opposition because of his marriage, and both himself and his spouse were the subjects of an evil eye. Can we wonder if this vain world opposes Jesus and his spouse, and especially when great sinners are converted? for this is ever the Pharisee's ground of objection, "This man receiveth sinners." Still is the old cause of quarrel revived, "Because he had married an Ethiopian woman." Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook The Leadership of Our GuideTruth is like a vast cavern into which we desire to enter, but we are not able to traverse it alone. At the entrance it is clear and bright; but if we would go further and explore its innermost recesses, we must have a guide, or we shall lose ourselves. The Holy Spirit, who knows all truth perfectly, is the appointed guide of all true believers, and He conducts them as they are able to bear it, from one inner chamber to another, so that they behold the deep things of God, and His secret is made plain to them. What a promise is this for the humbly inquiring mind! We desire to know the truth and to enter into it. We are conscious of our own aptness to err, and we feel the urgent need of a guide. We rejoice that the Holy Spirit is come and abides among us. He condescends to act as a guide to us, and we gladly accept His leadership. "All truth" we wish to learn, that we may not be one-sided and out of balance. We would not be willingly ignorant of any part of revelation lest thereby we should miss blessing or incur sin. The Spirit of God has come that He may guide us into all truth: let us with obedient hearts hearken to His words and follow His lead. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer He That Loveth Me Shall Be Loved of My FatherDo we love Jesus? Are we cultivating an acquaintance with Him? If we love Him, we desire to know Him more fully; to serve Him more cheerfully; and to enjoy Him continually. If we love Jesus, we are willing to part with all things for Him, to renounce whatever He forbids, and pursue whatsoever He commands. If we love Him, we want to love Him more; and to be always with Him. If we love Him, He assures us His Father will love us; for He so delights in His beloved Son, that He visits, revives, and blesses every soul that loves Jesus. If God loves us, what good thing will He withhold from us? Will He suffer any one to hurt us? Oh, no! He will manifest Himself to us. He will appear for us. He will glorify Himself in us. He will be to us all a God can be, and do for us far above our expectations and hopes. To be the object of the love of God is to enjoy the highest honour, and to possess a title to the greatest happiness which it is possible for rational creatures to enjoy. Let us therefore ascertain beyond a doubt, that we love Jesus, ardently, sincerely. To His meritorious passion All our happiness we owe; Pardon, uttermost salvation, Heaven above and heaven below: Grace and glory From that open fountain flow. Bible League: Living His Word "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."— Luke 12:31 NKJV What comes first for you — the kingdom of God, or stuff? What comes first — food, drink, and clothing, or the kingdom of God? The questions concern the spiritual direction of your life. Spiritually, are you living a life of the kingdom, or are you living a life of your own choosing? Spiritually, are you living a life of surrender to the will of the heavenly king and His kingdom, or are you living a selfish and self-centered life? It's important to know the answers to these questions, as they reveal your heart and explain a lot about yourself. On the one hand, if you live a selfish and self-centered life, then you will tend to worry about food, drink, clothing, and all the other stuff people need to live their lives. You will worry, because acquiring these things is all up to you. Will you be able to find it? If you find it, will you be able to acquire it? Who knows? It's up to you, and you better get out there and get the job done. Failure is not an option. Anxiety motivates you. On the other hand, if you live a life of surrender to the heavenly king, then you will tend not to worry about the stuff you need. Since you've decided to place the kingdom first, the heavenly Father provides the stuff you need. You don't have to worry about it. That doesn't mean that you don't have to go out and get it, it just means that you don't have to worry about it. The heavenly Father is on the job, and He is helping you. Instead of worry, there is faith in the Father. The difference between the two spiritual directions, then, is not between those that need stuff and those that don't, or between those that get stuff and those that don't. We all need stuff. The difference is between those who place themselves and their needs first and those who place the kingdom and its requirements first. The difference is between those that worry about stuff and those that rest on God's promises. Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 Samuel 3:17 He said, "What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you."Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? Deuteronomy 10:13 and to keep the LORD'S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? Galatians 3:10,11,19 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." • Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." • Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. Hebrews 1:1,2 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, • in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 1 Samuel 3:9 And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 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 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. Insight The Corinthian believers excelled in everything they had—faith, good preaching (speech), much knowledge, much earnestness, much love. Paul wanted them to also be leaders in giving. Giving is a natural response of love. Paul did not order the Corinthians to give, but he encouraged them to prove that their love was sincere. Challenge When you love someone, you want to give him or her your time and attention and to provide for his or her needs. If you refuse to help, your love is not as genuine as you say. Devotional Hours Within the Bible The Conversion of SaulBefore conversion Saul was as intense in his zeal for the destroying of Christianity, as he was after his conversion in his efforts to extend the kingdom of Christ. From place to place he went, from house to house, seizing men and women, casting them into prison and punishing them. This was the sort of man Saul was, the morning of the day of his conversion. Why was Saul so bitter against Jesus? What was the reason for his opposition? He was a loyal Jew, and Jesus had been crucified by the rulers of his people as a blasphemer. In this hatred of the rulers of his nation to Jesus, Saul sympathized. That such a man should claim to be the Messiah foretold by the prophets, appeared to Saul proof that He was an impostor. According to Saul’s thought, Jesus had fulfilled none of the Jewish expectations regarding the Messiah: He had established no kingdom; He had wrought no deliverance for His people. Thinking of Jesus in this way, Saul readily conceived that He was an impostor and that belief in Him as the Messiah was heresy, which he as a true Jew was bound to do all he could to stamp out. Saul was conscientious in his opinions concerning Jesus, and in his work as a persecutor. In his journey Saul was drawing near unto Damascus, intent upon his errand of finding and seizing all disciples there. We can imagine the terror of the Christians at Damascus as they heard of the approach of the terrible persecutor, whose name spread dismay wherever it was heard. No doubt they were praying God to stop his progress. We can imagine also what passed in the mind of this traveler as he journeyed along the way. He never had forgotten Stephen’s words before the council, or Stephen’s death, with the prayer that he made for his murderers with his last breath. In all his terrible work as a persecutor, Saul had also seen many glimpses of Christian life in the homes he had entered. Stephen was not the only man of those Saul had met in his warfare on Christians who had shown the gentle and kindly spirit of the Master. He must have seen sweet faith and gentle trust, which deeply affected him. Is it possible that doubts of the rightness of his own course troubled him? The words of the Lord to him about kicking against the goads seem to indicate that Saul had really been fighting against his own convictions, especially the later days of his persecuting work. Thus he was prepared for the sudden appearance of Jesus to him in the way. He had almost reached the end of his journey when a strange thing happened. “Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.” It was more than light it was the glory of a person, the divine person of Christ. In the dazzling brightness of the great light Saul fell to the earth. As he lay there he heard a voice, calling him by name, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Every word was emphatic. “Why?” What had Jesus done to Saul, to deserve such treatment? If He had been a tyrant while on the earth, if He had gone about burning towns, desolating homes, crushing the weak and the poor, and causing pain, poverty and sorrow there would have been some excuse for Saul’s bitter relentless enmity. But Jesus had gone about only doing good. Whey had Saul so fought against Jesus? “Why do you persecute me?” The question was personal. Saul had to stand face to face with the glorified Jesus and answer why he, Saul was His enemy. Every human soul stands in a personal relation to Jesus Christ. We cannot lose ourselves in any company. The question is always a personal one, “What do you think of the Christ?” “Why do you persecute me ?” Saul had not personally persecuted Jesus probably he had never even seen Him. But one who lifts a hand against any of Christ’s disciples, lift a hand against Christ Himself, for Christ makes common cause with each one of His people, even the lowliest. “I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat… Inasmuch as you did it not unto one of these least, you did it not unto me.” He, who wrongs a Christian, wrongs Christ! Saul saw before him the glorified form of Jesus. He was amazed and asked, “Who are you, Lord?” He never had dreamed that the lowly man who went about through Galilee working miracles and teaching the people was indeed the Son of God, the Messiah! He had thought Him only a man, an impostor. But now he saw before a glorious Person, the most glorious he had ever seen, radiant in divine splendor. Then, when he asked, “Who are you?” the answer came, “I am Jesus.” This divine Being was the lowly Jesus whom Saul was persecuting! Instantly he saw the terrible mistake he had been making. This Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God! But he resisted no longer. His opposition was over forever. In one of the accounts which Saul gave of his conversion, we are told that the first question, “Who are you, Lord?” was followed by another, as soon as he heard the answer, “What will you have me to do?” This question implies full surrender. He asked at once for his duty, entering the service of this new Master immediately. To the question, “What will you have me to do?” came the answer, “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:6. He was not to lie there in the dust, defeated and broken. This was not to be the end of his Life. Jesus had not meant to destroy him but to save him and call him into service. He must rise up. When God finds us in our sins, we are not to lie down and weep inconsolably over the ruined past. No matter if the best part of life is gone, we may not, we dare not spend one moment in mere idle tears and regret over it. We should rise instantly, turn our faces resolutely away from our wrong and wasted past, and put into the days that remain all we can of strength and beauty. God guides us one step at a time. Saul did not learn that moment what his whole mission would be; he did learn, however, the first step of obedience. He was to go into the city, and when he got there he would learn more. When a young Christian begins to follow Christ he is not likely to be shown his duty for his whole life. He will be shown one step, however, and if he takes that, another step will be made plain, and another, and another, and so on, step by step, until he has reached the end of a noble and beautiful life. “I do not ask to see The distant scene one step is enough for me.” The part of Ananias in the conversion of Saul, has interesting lesson for us. Why did not Jesus Himself complete the work without calling in any man to help Him? We do not know, excepting that it is usually His way to use human helpers. Ananias was startled to receive the command, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus.” It brings Jesus very close to notice how intimately he was acquainted with all that was going on in the city. He knew the names of the streets and where each person lived or was even temporarily staying. Christ in heaven today knows us by name and is familiar with the most intimate events of our lives. He knows the house we live in, and the street, and knows our present desires and needs, and hears our prayers. No wonder Ananias hesitated when he was bidden to go to meet the terrible scourge of the church. He had heard a great deal about Saul and had learned to dread him. But the Lord assures Ananias that there will be no danger in his going to find Saul. “Behold, he is praying.” This was evidence that Saul was not now a dangerous man. Not only was he praying but he was praying for just the help Ananias could bear to him. Further, Ananias was assured that this very Saul, who had been such a terrible persecutor, was a chosen vessel for Christ, to bear His name before Gentiles and kings. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingIsaiah 34, 35, 36 Isaiah 34 -- God's Judgments against the Nations NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 35 -- The Joyful Will Flourish in Zion NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 36 -- Sennacherib Invades Judah, Threatens Jerusalem NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Philippians 2 Philippians 2 -- Your Attitude Should be that of Christ; Becoming Blameless and Pure; Timothy and Epaphroditus NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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