Bible League: Living His Word . . . "Write down the revelationand make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Jesus said, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:4). We need revelation. Our very lives depend upon it. We need it to give us the proper perspective on life and to set the proper course for our lives. We need the lamp of God's revelatory word shining light on our pathway through life (Psalm 119:105). Habakkuk received a revelation from God. In his case, it was a prophetic revelation of things to come. The revelation he was given is instructive because part of it, our verses for today, shows us how we should relate to any of the prophetic revelations of the Bible. There are three things that we should keep in mind. First, prophetic revelation is valuable. It is worth writing down and remembering. It is something that a herald should proclaim from the housetops like any other revelation of God. In so far as all of us are heralds we should proclaim prophetic truth. For example, "Jesus is coming again!" "The dead shall be raised!" "God will dwell with his people!" and so on. Second, prophetic revelation speaks truth about an appointed time in the future. Although we cannot see it yet to check it out, it will not prove false. After all, it is revelation from God and if God declares that something will happen, it will happen (Isaiah 55:11). And like all revelation, God's prophetic word gives us the proper perspective on life and helps us set the proper course for our lives. Finally, although the fulfillment of prophetic revelation may linger, although it may take longer than we expected, it will surely come at the appointed time and will not be late. We should patiently wait for it and reorder and redirect our present lives according to what it reveals. God has revealed the main lines of the future for us in the Bible. Let us have faith in God's prophetic word and live our lives in the light of it. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading1 Kings 3, 4, 5 1 Kings 3 -- Solomon Asks for Wisdom NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Kings 4 -- Solomon's Officials, Daily Provision, and Wisdom NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Kings 5 -- Preparations for the Temple NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 23:1-26 Luke 23 -- Jesus before Pilate and Herod; Jesus' Crucifixion and Burial NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. Insight Waiting for perfect conditions will mean inactivity. This practical insight is especially applicable to our spiritual life. If we wait for the perfect time and place for personal Bible reading, we will never begin. If we wait for a perfect church, we will never join. If we wait for the perfect ministry, we will never serve. Challenge Take steps now to grow spiritually. Don't wait for conditions that may never exist. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon John 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world.It is a sweet and blessed event which will occur to all believers in God's own time--the going home to be with Jesus. In a few more years the Lord's soldiers, who are now fighting "the good fight of faith" will have done with conflict, and have entered into the joy of their Lord. But although Christ prays that his people may eventually be with him where he is, he does not ask that they may be taken at once away from this world to heaven. He wishes them to stay here. Yet how frequently does the wearied pilgrim put up the prayer, "O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest;" but Christ does not pray like that, he leaves us in his Father's hands, until, like shocks of corn fully ripe, we shall each be gathered into our Master's garner. Jesus does not plead for our instant removal by death, for to abide in the flesh is needful for others if not profitable for ourselves. He asks that we may be kept from evil, but he never asks for us to be admitted to the inheritance in glory till we are of full age. Christians often want to die when they have any trouble. Ask them why, and they tell you, "Because we would be with the Lord." We fear it is not so much because they are longing to be with the Lord, as because they desire to get rid of their troubles; else they would feel the same wish to die at other times when not under the pressure of trial. They want to go home, not so much for the Saviour's company, as to be at rest. Now it is quite right to desire to depart if we can do it in the same spirit that Paul did, because to be with Christ is far better, but the wish to escape from trouble is a selfish one. Rather let your care and wish be to glorify God by your life here as long as he pleases, even though it be in the midst of toil, and conflict, and suffering, and leave him to say when "it is enough." Daily Light on the Daily Path Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Exodus 33:14 And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." Psalm 139:7,8 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? • If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. Jeremiah 23:23,24 "Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off? • "Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD. 1 Kings 8:27 "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. 2 Corinthians 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 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. |
Click for Video Devotionals     |