Dawn 2 Dusk When Unity Feels Like HomePsalm 133:1 paints a picture of God’s people living together in real, heartfelt harmony. Not a fake peace that smiles on the outside and grumbles on the inside, but a unity that is both “good” in God’s eyes and genuinely “pleasant” to the people who experience it. In a world marked by division, this kind of togetherness feels almost otherworldly—and that’s exactly the point. It is a glimpse of heaven on earth. A Goodness You Can Feel “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1). The psalmist isn’t merely making a polite observation; he is calling us to stop and stare—“Behold!” True unity in God’s family is something to marvel at. It is “good” because God Himself calls it good, just as He did with His creation in Genesis 1. It reflects His character, His design, and His heart. It is “pleasant” because it brings delight, rest, and safety to the people who live inside it. We feel its goodness down in our bones. God never meant the Christian life to be a solo project. Scripture assumes a shared life—brothers and sisters together. Romans 12:5 says, “so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another”. Belonging isn’t a vague idea; it shows up in shared burdens, shared joys, shared worship, and shared mission. Where this kind of unity exists, the beauty of Christ becomes visible in a way that no single believer, no matter how gifted, could display alone. The Oil and the Dew: Unity with a Source The rest of Psalm 133 compares unity to “fine oil on the head” and “the dew of Hermon” (Psalm 133:2–3). Oil and dew both come from above; they cannot be manufactured from below. That is how biblical unity works: it descends. It is a gift from God before it is a project of people. Jesus prayed, “I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— I in them and You in Me— that they may be perfectly united” (John 17:22–23). Unity is powered by the life of Christ within His people. Because it comes from above, we are not called to invent unity but to protect what God has already given. Ephesians 4:3–4 urges us to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit”. Our job is not to lower truth to the least common denominator, but to cling together around the one Lord, one faith, one gospel. Real unity is not built on personality, style, or convenience; it is built on shared surrender to Jesus and His Word. Guarding Harmony in a Noisy World If unity is so good, why does it feel so fragile? Because our flesh loves winning more than serving, being right more than being humble. That is why Scripture commands us to “put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity” and to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:14–15). Love is the “bond”—the glue—that holds us together when personalities clash and preferences collide. Guarding harmony will cost us something: pride, comfort, maybe even the last word in an argument. Romans 12:18 tells us, “If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone”. That means we take initiative to reconcile, refuse to nurse grudges, and stay deeply rooted in a local church even when tensions arise. Today, unity might look like making that phone call, forgiving that offense, listening longer than you speak, or praying daily for the peace and purity of your church. When we do, we step into the “good and pleasant” life God delights to bless. Lord, thank You for the good and pleasant gift of unity in Your family. Help me today to pursue peace, protect the unity of Your Spirit, and take the first step toward reconciliation where it is needed. Morning with A.W. Tozer Yet Shall He LiveThis may sound strange-but it is a fact that death is not the worst thing that can happen to a believing Christian! I can recall the first time I heard that statement, in a quiet conversation with Harry M. Shuman, for many years the president of the international Christian and Missionary Alliance. He was a soft-spoken yet forceful man of God, rich in the wisdom of Go&s Word. We were talking of the serious issues of life and death. When he had something especially important to say, Dr. Shuman had an unusual way of lowering his voice and tilting his head just a bit. I can see him yet as he looked out from under his shaggy brows straight into my eyes. "Remember, Tozer," he said, "death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person!" For the Christian, death is a journey to the eternal world. It is a victory, a rest, a delight. I am sure my small amount of physical suffering has been mild compared to Paul's, but I feel as Paul did: "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!" (Philippians 2:23). Music For the Soul Ye Are My WitnessesAnd for their sakes I sanctify Myself that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. - John 17:19 The glorifying of men in Christ, which is the goal and highest end of Christ’s Cross and Passion and of all God’s dealings, is accomplished only because Christ dwells in the men whom He glorifies. And as is the Son with the Father, participant of mutual and reciprocal glorification, so is the Christian with Christ, glorified in Him and therefore glorifying Him. What may be involved therein of perfect moral purity, of enlarged faculties and powers, of a bodily frame capable of manifesting all the finest issues of a perfect spirit, it is not for us to say. These things are great, being hidden; and are hidden because they are great. But whatever may be the lofty heights of Christ-likeness to which we shall attain, all shall come from the indwelling Lord who fills us with His own Spirit. And then, according to this great teaching, this glorified humanity, perfected and separated from all imperfection, and helped into all symmetrical unfolding of dormant possibilities, shall be the highest glory of Christ even in that day when He comes in His glory and sits upon the throne of His glory with His holy angels with Him. One would have thought that if the Apostle wanted to speak of the glorifying of Jesus Christ, he would have pointed to the Great White Throne, His majestic Divinity, the solemnities of His judicial office; but he passes by all these, and says, " Nay! the highest glory of the Christ lies here, in the men whom He has made to share His own nature." The artist is known by his work. You stand in front of some great picture, or you listen to some great symphony, or you read some great book, and you say, " This is the glory of Raffaelle, Beethoven, Shakespeare." Christ points to His saints, and He says, " Behold My handiwork! Ye are My witnesses. This is what I can do." But the relation between Christ and His saints is far deeper and more intimate than simply the relation between the artist and his work; for all the flashing light of moral beauty, of intellectual perfectness which the Christian man can hope to receive in the future is but the light of the Christ that dwells in them, "and of whose fulness all they have received." Like some poor vapour, in itself white and colourless, which lies in the eastern sky there, and as the sun rises is flushed up into a miracle of rosy beauty, because it has caught the light amongst its flaming threads and vaporous substance, so we, in ourselves pale, ghostly, colourless as the mountains when the Alpine snow passes oft them, being recipient of an indwelling Christ, shall blush and flame in beauty. "Then shall the righteous blaze forth like the sun in My Father’s Kingdom." Or, rather, they are not suns shining by their own light, but moons reflecting the light of Christ, who is their Light. And perchance some eyes, incapable of beholding the sun, may be able to look undazzled upon the sunshine in the cloud, and some eyes that could not discern the glory of Christ as it shines in His face, as the sun shineth in its strength, may not be too weak to behold and delight in the light as it is reflected from the face of His servants. At all events, He shall come to be glorified in the saints whom He has made glorious. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Revelation 21:23 The city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it. Yonder in the better world, the inhabitants are independent of all creature comforts. They have no need of raiment; their white robes never wear out, neither shall they ever be defiled. They need no medicine to heal diseases, "for the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." They need no sleep to recruit their frames--they rest not day nor night, but unweariedly praise him in his temple. They need no social relationship to minister comfort, and whatever happiness they may derive from association with their fellows is not essential to their bliss, for their Lord's society is enough for their largest desires. They need no teachers there; they doubtless commune with one another concerning the things of God, but they do not require this by way of instruction; they shall all be taught of the Lord. Ours are the alms at the king's gate, but they feast at the table itself. Here we lean upon the friendly arm, but there they lean upon their Beloved and upon him alone. Here we must have the help of our companions, but there they find all they want in Christ Jesus. Here we look to the meat which perisheth, and to the raiment which decays before the moth, but there they find everything in God. We use the bucket to fetch us water from the well, but there they drink from the fountain head, and put their lips down to the living water. Here the angels bring us blessings, but we shall want no messengers from heaven then. They shall need no Gabriels there to bring their love-notes from God, for there they shall see him face to face. Oh! what a blessed time shall that be when we shall have mounted above every second cause and shall rest upon the bare arm of God! What a glorious hour when God, and not his creatures--the Lord, and not his works--shall be our daily joy! Our souls shall then have attained the perfection of bliss. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Pruning for Fruit-BearingThis is a precious promise to one who lives for fruitfulness. At first it seems to wear a sharp aspect. Must the fruitful bough be pruned? Must the knife cut even the best and most useful? No doubt it is so, for very much of our LORD’s purging work is done by means of afflictions of one kind or another. It is not the evil but the good who have the promise of tribulation in this life. But, then, the end makes more than full amends for the painful nature of the means. If we may bring forth more fruit for our LORD, we will not mind the pruning and the loss. Still, purging is sometimes wrought by the Word apart from trial, and this takes away whatever appeared rough in the flavor of the promise. We shall by the Word be made more gracious and more useful. The LORD who has made us, in a measure, fruit-bearing, will operate upon us till we reach a far higher degree of fertility. Is not this a great joy? Truly there is more comfort in a promise of fruitfulness than if we had been warranted riches, or health, or honor. LORD Jesus, speedily fulfill Thy gracious word to me and cause me to abound in fruit to Thy praise! The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer That He Might Deliver Us from the Present Evil WorldTHE whole world lieth in the wicked one, as the devoted child in the arms of Moloch; or as the putrid corpse in the grave, over which is written, "HERE LIETH." We were once dead in sin, and buried in corruption, but Jesus Christ interfered for us. "He gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from the present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." The world is evil, therefore we are delivered from it. Jesus died to deliver us from its spirit, by which we are influenced in a state of nature; from the love of the world, which is enmity with God; from seeking satisfaction in the world, which is idolatry; from its fearful doom, which is eternal destruction. He intended to raise us above it, in our desires and pursuits; to lead us through it, and glorify us beyond it. Let us inquire this morning, Are we of the world, or are we delivered from it? Have we another spirit in us? Are we become dead to the world by fellowship with Christ in His death? Is Jesus loved, praised, and obeyed, out of gratitude for delivering us? Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee: Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be: Thou hast my Deliverer been, I have Thy salvation seen. Bible League: Living His Word Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.— Colossians 3:23 NIV Last year I was faced with the task of finding a new job after 32 years with the same employer. The company had decided to move further away from the city we lived, and I decided that an extra 50 miles a day was too much to add to the 90 I was already driving. After the New Year of 2022, I decided to start looking for a new job, sending out applications to various places closer to home. Over the course of the year, I had several interviews, some to the second step, but nothing ever came out of it. I was being overlooked regardless of the stellar manager record I had over the years. During that same year, I made it part of my daily prayers to the Lord that He place me in the position that would be best for me, even if it meant staying in my high-stress managerial job and driving the extra 50 miles a day. I knew that this certainly could be His will! This carried on for months until I saw an opening with Bible League and applied for it. I thought, what a wonderful opportunity to not only work for a great organization, but also be able to help with the great commission by distributing Biblical materials from a warehouse—doing my part in spreading the Word of God! The day came when the position was offered to me, and I quickly accepted and put in my two weeks' notice. After 32 years, the majority of my adult life, this was a very difficult decision to make indeed. But I trusted in the Lord that He had answered my prayers and placed me into this new chapter of my life. The two weeks passed quickly, and that Monday morning I got up and prepared to begin my new position. On my phone, I have a widget for "Verse of the Day," and as I glanced at my phone, I read the one that was chosen for that day. It was Colossians 3:23; "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." What a wonderful affirmation that I had followed the Lord's will, and that my prayer had been heard and answered! I knew that I had made the right decision, regardless of my apprehension to do so. The Lord wants us to do everything we do, with the care, love, and an attitude of servitude, as if we were working directly for him, as we all will someday in the Kingdom! By Brian Ayers, Bible League International staff, Illinois USA Daily Light on the Daily Path Isaiah 1:5,6 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. • From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.Isaiah 64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Romans 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 1 Corinthians 6:11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. Psalm 45:13 The King's daughter is all glorious within; Her clothing is interwoven with gold. Ezekiel 16:14 "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD. Psalm 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands. Revelation 7:14 I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Ephesians 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. Colossians 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 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 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”Insight People eat bread to satisfy physical hunger and to sustain physical life. We can satisfy spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life only by a right relationship with Jesus Christ. No wonder he called himself the Bread of Life. Challenge But bread must be eaten to sustain life, and Christ must be invited into our daily walk to sustain spiritual life. Devotional Hours Within the Bible The Wise and Foolish VirginsThe three parables in this chapter teach great lessons. They are based on the promise of Christ’s return. He is surely coming again, but when no one can know. But we should live always so as to be ready for His most sudden coming any moment. The ten virgins were alike in some ways. An onlooker in the early evening could not have told which were the wise, and which the foolish. Each had her lamp. In any Christian congregation the members may all seem alike true friends of Christ, as they sit in their pews in common worship or at the Lord’s Table. The testing comes in other ways. All the virgins slept while the bridegroom tarried. There was nothing wrong in this. We all have to sleep some time. We should be sure that we are safe against any surprise while we are asleep, that no duty has been omitted before we slept, which is essential to a complete life. The wise virgins were ready for the coming of the wedding party at any hour, however long the delay might be. We are not required to wake and watch every moment for the coming of Christ; we are to be ready for the event so that we cannot be surprised. For example, we are not to think every moment of death but we are so to live always that whenever death may come, however suddenly, it will not find us unprepared. “Not what death finds us doing but how death finds us furnished, is the important question.” The lamps of the foolish virgins did not hold much oil and would soon burn out, and these maidens had no oil in reserve to refill their lamps when they became empty. This was their folly. The difference in the other virgins, was that besides having their lamps filled, they had oil in reserve with which they could quickly refill them when they had burned out. This is plain enough as regards these virgins. Applied to human lives, the teaching is also clear. The wise Christian is the one who is not content with a mere profession or with external marks of godliness. These may seem to be satisfactory in the easy days when there is no stress but in the hour of trial, they will not stand the test. The essential thing is the grace of God in the heart, or real union with Christ. This is represented in the parable by the supply of oil by which the wise virgins were made ready for the need which the midnight brought. If we have only the little lamp of our own life, we may get along while there is not great stress but in the hour of trial, we shall fail. But if we have Christ with His Divine fullness we can draw from Him for any sorrow, struggle or hard duty. Midnight came and brought great commotion. The virgins were all sleeping, waiting until they should be summoned out to meet the bridegroom. Life is full of emergencies which come so suddenly that there is not time to prepare for them. If we are not ready at the moment of need we cannot become ready. Now it was that the watchfulness of all the virgins was tested. The delay had been so long, that all the lamps were burning low. Now appeared the wisdom of the five who had oil in reserve. Their lamps were quickly filled, and they were ready to go with the bridegroom. Now was brought out also the folly of the other virgins. Their lamps were going out, and they had no oil to refill them. It is such occasions as these that test character. They show what is in us. No one is ready for life’s sudden emergencies unless he has made preparation in advance for anything that may happen. One who has missed his lessons and trifled in school days will by and by find the doors of opportunity shut to him, because he is not ready to go in. Many a man fails in life, because through early neglect he has not the training for his place or business, the reason being that he wasted the time when it was his duty to make the preparation. Many a woman fails in her homemaking and wrecks her own happiness and that of her family, because at the right time she did not learn the simple household arts which fit a girl for being a good wife. The foolish virgins missed the wedding joy and were shut out in the darkness, because earlier they had not laid up a reserve of oil. Many people’s religion fails them in times of need, because they have not really the Word of God laid up in their hearts. “A man has only as much religion, as he can command in trial.” It was a natural request that these distressed virgins made: “‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out!” At first thought, too, we would say that the wise virgins should have granted this pathetic request of their sisters. If you were very hungry and I had even a crust of bread, it would not be right for me to eat all of my crust myself. We are taught that we should bear one another’s burdens and that the strong should help the weak. Yet the refusal of the wise is reasonable and right when we look at it thoughtfully. If you and your neighbor have each signed a note for a certain sum, to fall due on a certain date, and you by dint of economy and perseverance have been able to lay by just enough to meet your obligation, while your neighbor, wasting his hours on trifles, has made no provision for the day of settlement; and if on the morning when the note falls due, he should come beseeching you to give him some of your money to help him pay his debt would you give it to him? Does the law of love require that you should? There is also an important spiritual lesson which the parable is meant to teach that the gifts and blessings of grace are not transferable. No matter how eagerly one may wish to impart them, he cannot do it. If one woman has improved her opportunities and grown into refined and disciplined character, while her sister has missed her chance and has grown up into weak and uncultured womanhood; the first sister cannot give of her strength, self-control, and noble spirit to the other, to help her through some special emergency. If one man has studied diligently and learned every lesson, at last reaching a position of eminence and power -he cannot give of his trained ability to his brother, who has trifled through years, to help to make his life a success. A brave soldier in the battle cannot share his discipline and courage with trembling comrade by his side. In temptation, one who is victorious cannot give part of his strength to a friend by his side who is about to fall. We cannot share our forgiveness of sin with our dearest friend. Each one must live his own life, bear his own burden, and have the grace of the Holy Spirit for himself. No one can give another these gifts. It was a tragic moment when the foolish virgins got back to the house and found themselves too late: “The door was shut!” It had stood open long enough for all who were ready to enter. Then it was closed and could not be opened again. This teaches us the meaning of opportunity. We may apply it to the matter of personal salvation. There is a time to be saved, and when that time is past, the door is shut! Life is full of opportunities. There is a time when we can enter God’s family, receiving all blessing. Then there is a time when the door is closed, and all the powers of the universe could not open it again. To the young people every door stands open. They can get an education and a training to fit them for noble, beautiful and worthy life. They can make good friends, friends whose companionship and help would enrich their whole life. They can form good habits which would build up fine character in them and make them respected and influential in the community. They can read good books which will fill their minds and hearts with noble thoughts and upward inspirations. They can win victory over their own lives and become self - controlled and kingly among men. But the doors stand open only a reasonable time there is not a moment to lose. By and by they will be shut. Then no imploring cry will open them again. The lesson for all is, “Watch therefore!” We know not the day nor the hour. That is true of our Lord’s coming. It is true of death. But it is true also of nearly every other experience of life. We go on, not knowing. The future is closed to our eyes. We know not what awaits us at any turning of a street corner, or what we shall have to meet any moment as we go. The only way to be ready for the unknown events of tomorrow, is to improve every opportunity of today. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 85, 86, 87 Psalm 85 -- O Lord, you have been favorable to your land. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 86 -- Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 87 -- His foundation is in the holy mountains. NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 9 Romans 9 -- Paul's Sorrow for Israel's Unbelief NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
Jump to: Bible League • Daily Light • Daily Remembrancer • Devotional Hours • Faith's Checkbook • Morning and Evening • Music for the Soul • Tozer • Tyndale • Reading Plans
    |