Dawn 2 Dusk The King at Your DoorJesus speaks in Revelation 3 to a church that thought it was rich, successful, and needing nothing, yet He saw them as wretched and poor without Him. Into that proud self-sufficiency He gives a tender, personal picture: Himself standing outside, knocking at a door, calling to be welcomed in for real fellowship. This is not a cold command but a warm invitation to intimacy—shared table, shared life, shared joy. On a day like today, He is not asking whether you have your act together, but whether you will finally let Him be more than a visitor and instead become the honored Guest and rightful Lord in every room of your heart. He Stands, He Waits, He Knocks Jesus does not barge in. He stands. He waits. He knocks. Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me”. The Lord of glory stoops to the posture of a patient guest, not a demanding intruder. This scene exposes His heart: He genuinely desires fellowship with you—not just your service, not merely your words, but you, at the table with Him. This is the same Jesus who promised, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). He does not want a quick visit; He wants to move in. He is at the door of your habits, your entertainment, your secret thoughts, your fears, your plans. Today, He is knocking on the specific place you most like to keep locked. He waits there, not because He is weak, but because He is love. Hearing His Voice Above the Noise Jesus speaks not only of a knock, but of a voice: “If anyone hears My voice…” His knock can be the sharp conviction in a sermon, the quiet sting of conscience, the sudden awareness that your love has grown lukewarm. His voice comes through Scripture, by His Spirit, through wise brothers and sisters. Hebrews 3:7–8 says, “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…’”. The danger is not that He is silent, but that we become dull. Noise is the enemy of recognition. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Sheep learn the shepherd’s voice by repeated nearness. If you are always scrolling, rushing, filling the silence, His gentle knocking can feel faint. So what if today you took five unrushed minutes, opened your Bible, and simply prayed, “Lord, what are You saying to me?” You may be surprised how clearly the knocking has already begun. Opening the Door All the Way Hearing the knock is not enough. The promise is conditional: “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door…” Opening means surrender—yielding keys, not just cracking the door on Sunday. James 4:8 urges, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you”. Drawing near looks like honest repentance, specific obedience, and bringing hidden things into His light. It is letting Him rearrange the furniture of your priorities, even when it disrupts your comfort. And look at the reward: “I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” This is covenant language—deep, joyful, lasting fellowship. In Luke 12:37, Jesus paints another stunning picture: “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will wait on them”. The King who knocks is the King who serves. When you open fully, you do not lose freedom; you finally taste the feast of His presence. Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me enough to stand at the door and knock. Today, by Your grace, I choose to hear Your voice and open wide—come in, take over, and lead me to live in wholehearted obedience to You. Morning with A.W. Tozer The Humble PlaceI have met two classes of Christians; the proud who imagine they are humble, and the humble who are afraid they are proud! There should be another class: the self-forgetful men and women who leave the whole thing in the hands of Christ and refuse to waste any time trying to make themselves good. They will reach the goal far ahead of the rest. The truly humble person does not expect to find virtue in himself, and when he finds none he is not disappointed. He knows that any good deed he may do is the result of God's working within him. When this belief becomes so much a part of any man or woman that it operates as a kind of unconscious reflex, he or she is released from the burden of trying to live up to the opinion they hold of themselves. They can relax and count upon the Holy Spirit to fulfill the moral law within them. Let us never forget that the promises of God are made to the humble: the proud man by his pride forfeits every blessing promised to the lowly heart, and from the hand of God he need expect only justice! Music For the Soul Service and CommunionWhoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth Me; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God. - Psalm 50:23 It is not enough to patrol the temple courts unless we " lift up our hands to the Sanctuary," and with our hearts "bless the Lord." And all we who in any degree and any department are officially or semi-officially connected with the work of the Christian Church have very earnestly and especially to lay this to heart. We ministers, deacons, Sunday-school teachers, tract distributors, have much need to take care that we do not confound watching in the courts of the temple with lifting up our own hands and hearts to our Father that is in Heaven, and remember that the more outward work we do the more inward life we ought to have. The higher the stem of the tree grows, and the broader its branches spread, the deeper must strike and the wider must extend its underground roots, if it is not to be blown over and become a withered ruin. And so will you take the plain lesson that is here: all ye that stand ready for service, and doing service, all " ye that stand in the House of the Lord, behold" - your peril and your duty - and "bless ye the Lord." And remember that the more work the more prayer to keep it from rotting; the more effort the more communion; and that at the end we shall discover with alarm, and with shame confess, " I kept others’ vineyards, and my own vineyards have I not kept "; unless, like our Master, we prepare for a day of work and toil in the temple by a night of quiet communion with our Father on the mountain-side. And then there is another lesson, and that is that all times are times for blessing God. " Ye who by night stand in the House of the Lord, bless the Lord." So, though no sacrifice was smoking on the altar, and no choral songs went up from the company of praising priests in the ritual service, and although the nightfall had silenced the worship and scattered the worshipers, yet some low murmur of praise would be echoing through the empty halls all the night long, and the voice of thanksgiving and of blessing would blend with the clank of the priests’ feet on the marble pavements as they went their patrolling rounds; and their torches would send up a smoke not less acceptable than the wreathing columns of the incense that had filled the day. And so, as in some convents you will find a monk kneeling on the steps of the altar at each hour of the four-and-twenty, adoring the Sacrament exposed upon it, so (but in inmost reality and not in a mere vulgar outside form that means nothing) in the Christian heart there should be a perpetual adoration and a continual praise - a prayer without ceasing. What is it that comes first of all into your minds when you wake in the middle of the night? Yesterday’s business, to-morrow’s vanities, or God’s present love and your dependence upon Him? In the night of sorrow, too, do our songs go up, and do we hear and obey the charge which commands not only perpetual adoration, but bids us fill the night with music and with praise? Well for us if it be, anticipating the time when "they rest not day nor night saying. Holy! Holy! Holy!" Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Psalm 9:1 I will praise thee, O Lord. Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the ground. Hath the Lord been gracious to thee, and inclined his ear to the voice of thy supplication? Then praise him as long as thou livest. Let the ripe fruit drop upon the fertile soil from which it drew its life. Deny not a song to him who hath answered thy prayer and given thee the desire of thy heart. To be silent over God's mercies is to incur the guilt of ingratitude; it is to act as basely as the nine lepers, who after they had been cured of their leprosy, returned not to give thanks unto the healing Lord. To forget to praise God is to refuse to benefit ourselves; for praise, like prayer, is one great means of promoting the growth of the spiritual life. It helps to remove our burdens, to excite our hope, to increase our faith. It is a healthful and invigorating exercise which quickens the pulse of the believer, and nerves him for fresh enterprises in his Master's service. To bless God for mercies received is also the way to benefit our fellow-men; "the humble shall hear thereof and be glad." Others who have been in like circumstances shall take comfort if we can say, "Oh! magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together; this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." Weak hearts will be strengthened, and drooping saints will be revived as they listen to our "songs of deliverance." Their doubts and fears will be rebuked, as we teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. They too shall "sing in the ways of the Lord," when they hear us magnify his holy name. Praise is the most heavenly of Christian duties. The angels pray not, but they cease not to praise both day and night; and the redeemed, clothed in white robes, with palm-branches in their hands, are never weary of singing the new song, "Worthy is the Lamb." Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Thorough CleansingWhat an exceeding joy is this! He who has purified us with the blood of Jesus will also cleanse us by the water of the Holy Spirit. God hath said it, and so it must be, "Ye shall be clean." LORD, we feel and mourn our uncleanness, and it is cheering to be assured by Thine own mouth that we shall be clean. Oh, that Thou wouldst make a speedy work of it! He will deliver us from our worst sins. The uprisings of unbelief and the deceitful lusts which war against the soul, the vile thoughts of pride, and the suggestions of Satan to blaspheme the sacred name-all these shall be so purged away as never to return. He will also cleanse us from all our idols, whether of gold or of clay: our impure loves and our excessive love of that which in itself is pure. That which we have idolized shall either be broken from us or we shall be broken off from it. It is God who speaks of what He Himself will do. Therefore is this word established and sure, and we may boldly look for that which it guarantees to us. Cleansing is a covenant blessing, and the covenant is ordered in all things and sure. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer Call Upon Me in the Day of TroubleKeep the straight path of duty, and if troubles come, or difficulties arise, thy God invites thee to call upon Him. He will come to thy help and bring all His boundless resources with Him. He is always within call. His ear is never heavy, that it cannot hear; His arm is not shortened, that it cannot reach or save. He can make thy greatest troubles prove thy choicest blessings; He can give thee cause to bless Him through eternity, for thy sorest trials. Oh, trust Him, and fear not! Run not to creatures; but, "Arise and call upon thy God." Look not to others, until thou hast proved that He cannot, or will not help; and that will never be. His heart is too kind, His word is too faithful. Art thou in trouble this morning? If so, you have a special invitation from thy God to pay Him a visit, and lay thy whole case before Him; expecting His sympathy, interference, and blessing; He says, "Call upon me in the time of trouble. I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." He is faithful who hath promised. Oh, trust Him, for so you honour Him; expect from Him, and you cannot be disappointed. Wait for Him, and you shall not be ashamed. Dear refuge of my weary soul On Thee, when sorrows rise, On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies. Bible League: Living His Word Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. — Colossians 4:5-6 ESV Time is valuable. Time is valuable because we have a limited amount of it at our disposal. If you act as if you have all the time in the world, you will find out soon enough that you're wrong. It's important that we make the best use of the time we have. Christians should understand this better than anyone else. This is because we know that the quality of the life to come depends upon what we do with the time we have now. For Christians, making the best use of the time is more than a pragmatic principle for a decent life. It is the key to the life to come. So, what should Christians do with their time? No doubt, there are many things. The Apostle Paul, however, singles out two of the most important ones in our verses for today. First, he gives us a general principle. We should "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders." Outsiders, of course, are those outside the church, those outside the fellowship of believers. Before His ascension to heaven, Jesus said that His disciples should be witnesses to outsiders (Acts 1:8). It is important that we walk in wisdom toward them so that we don't compromise our witness. Our walk should be a witness to the redemptive and transformative power of the Gospel. Second, Paul gives us a more specific example of the general principle. We should walk in wisdom toward outsiders by making sure that our speech is always "gracious, seasoned with salt." It should be gracious in the sense that it should reflect the fact that we are Christians, that we are under the influence of the Spirit of Christ Jesus. It should be seasoned with salt in the sense that it should make things better. Just as salt is beneficial for food, so our speech should be beneficial for those around us. It should be helpful and not hurtful. If you walk in wisdom and if your speech is gracious and seasoned with salt, then you will "know how you ought to answer each person." Your life and your words will be a witness that leads outsiders to become insiders. Daily Light on the Daily Path Lamentations 3:26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.Psalm 77:9 Has God forgotten to be gracious, Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah. Psalm 31:22 As for me, I said in my alarm, "I am cut off from before Your eyes"; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried to You. Luke 18:7,8 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? • "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you. Psalm 37:7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 2 Chronicles 20:17 You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you." Galatians 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 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 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.Insight When Paul spoke of “these things,” he was referring to his credentials, credits, and successes. After showing that he could beat the Judaizers at their own game—being proud of who they were and what they had done—Paul showed that it was the wrong game. Challenge Be careful of considering past achievements so important that they get in the way of your relationship with Christ. Devotional Hours Within the Bible Paul’s Counsel to the ThessaloniansThe Bible touches life at every point. While its great principles cover all moral acts in a general way, it descends to particulars in many cases, giving special instructions of great value. The passage noted above contains golden counsels for the common days, and for the common experiences of life. “We urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14. There is a duty of warning others. We may not always speak words of commendation and approval. When Christian people are living in a sinful way, that is, not living in harmony with the divine laws, they are to be admonished. We must make sure, however, that we do this in the spirit of Christ in love, in order to help and save those we admonish. No duty requires more wisdom and more grace than that of telling others of their faults. “Encourage the timid.” Then, we should always be encouragers, for there are many timid, faint-hearted people who continually need to be lifted up and helped onward. We should never be discouragers. There are those, too, who are weak and need the strength and support which we can give them. The strong should help the weak. We should bear each other’s burdens. “Be patient with everyone.” We are also to be patient towards all, no matter how they may treat us. This is one of the great lessons which Jesus taught in His own life to bear sweetly and patiently with those who are unkind and injurious. It is not easy but we are not Christians if we are not trying to live after this law of love. “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong.” The teaching of Christ also requires us to render always good for evil; never evil for evil. This is a very practical counsel, and it is never easy to follow it. Yet it is an inseparable part of all Christian life. If one strives for the heroic in Christian character, nothing could be more heroic than this! To return love for hate, kindness for injury is far braver than to be angry and resentful, demanding satisfaction. “Always pursue what is good for one another.” We should always strive after that which is for the good of others, and in all things make this our aim. Anything that would injure or harm another, is absolutely unchristian. “Rejoice always!” Joy is never to be left out of any scheme of Christian life. We are to rejoice, not now and then only but always. Even our sorrows should not hush the songs in our hearts. This element of joy, can be only in the life in which Christ lives and rules. There is a difference in people in the matter of joyousness but true Christian joy is not that which the world gives, nor that which nature inspires but the joy which conies from the heart of God and which nothing ever can overcome or destroy. “Pray without ceasing.” Prayer is another essential element in every true Christian life. Not to pray is not to live at all as a Christian, for prayer is “the Christian’s vital breath.” The exhortation to pray without ceasing may seem a strange one. It means, however, that our communion with God never need be broken, never should be broken. We cannot always be on our knees; for we have work to do, duties to perform, which we may not neglect, and which are just as sacred as praying. But we may pray at our work, by keeping always close to Christ, so that anywhere, any moment, we can look up into His face and speak to Him and get an answer. “Give thanks in everything.” Thanksgiving should never be lacking in a Christian life. It is not enough to observe one day in the year for ‘Thanksgiving’, although it is a very beautiful thing to do. Nor is it enough to put a sentence of thanksgiving into our daily prayers, although this also is proper. It is the grateful heart that pleases God, the heart that is always full of praise. There should be a note of thanksgiving running through all our life. Too many of us go to God only with requests, with our burdens, our worries, our troubles; while we but rarely go to Him with any word of thanks. We are not to be thankful only for our prosperities and for the pleasant and agreeable things that come into our days we are to be thankful, too, for the things that appear to us as adversities. “Give thanks in everything.” That means in the sad days as well as in the glad days, when clouds are in the sky, as well as when the sunshine is pouring everywhere. It is specially said here that this is the will of God for us. This is the way God wants us to live always giving thanks. A rabbinical teaching says that the highest angel in heaven is the angel of praise. The Christliest note is one that is always keyed to the note of praise and thanksgiving. “Do not quench the Spirit.” It is the glory of our Christian life, that God lives in it. Paul said, “Christ lives in me!” A fire burns in our hearts which is fed from heaven. We live at our best, only when we let this flame burn brightly in us. We are exhorted here, not to quench the Spirit. Fire is quenched by pouring water upon it, or by covering it up so as to exclude the air. The Spirit may be quenched in us by sin, by worldliness, by evil thoughts, by bad passions, by resistance. To quench this heavenly flame, is to put out the light of life, leaving the darkness of death within us. “Do not quench the Spirit.” We are also exhorted not to “despise prophesyings.” Prophesyings, in a general way, are divine teachings, the message of God to us. The Bible is a book of prophesyings. All heavenly instructions, counsels, warnings, from whatever source, may in a sense, be called prophesyings. We should keep our minds and hearts always wide open to receive the Words of God, and to welcome all divine influences and impressions and inspirations, whether they are spoken by the Spirit of God or by a human friend. “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” is the true attitude of every believing heart toward the truth, however it is spoken. “Test all things.” Not all voices, however, that speak in this world, are divine voices. Not all words that fall upon our ears, are words from heaven. We should test all things to see whether they are of God or not. Then we should “Hold fast to what is good.” We should judge carefully between genuine and counterfeit coins. Put to the test of truth all counsels that are given to you. Not all such counsels are from God. It is said by our Master of His sheep, that “they will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” We should make sure that the voice which we hear is our Master’s own voice; that it is the voice of one who counsels us wisely, and not the voice of a stranger speaking to us in unheavenly words, to draw us away from the truth. “Abstain from every form of evil.” We are accustomed to think of some violations of God’s Word as only slightly evil; while we imagine that other transgressions are very black in their sinfulness. Some people appear to think that if we keep ourselves from the worst kinds of evil that we need not be so watchful against the minor forms of misconduct. They will not lie, nor steal, nor swear, nor do other things which would brand them in the eyes of the community as ‘wicked’. But meanwhile they are ungentle, unkind, selfish, bad tempered, and loving the world. But Paul’s exhortation is, “Abstain from every form of evil.” We are not to pick out certain sins and condemn these alone as evil, abstaining from them; meanwhile indulging in pet vices and sinful habits of our own. Whatever is wrong in even the slightest way is to be abstained from. There really are no little sins, no ‘little white lies’, no slight deviations from right and purity. Even evil thoughts, our Master says, break His commandments! “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This prayer for consecration is very comprehensive. It is that we may be sanctified, that is, set apart wholly for God and God’s use. We belong to God, for He has bought us with a price, and we should make ourselves altogether God’s by keeping ourselves separate from sin, and from the world. It is a prayer that our whole being, spirit, soul and body shall be kept pure and holy, amid all the world’s evil; preserved entire, without blame, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It may seem impossible for anyone to realize this high ideal of living. It is impossible for us thus to keep ourselves. But the words which follow tell us how it becomes possible. “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” We are safe in this world, therefore, when God keeps us when His sheltering, protecting love enfolds us! Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJeremiah 27, 28 Jeremiah 27 -- Judah Will Submit to Nebuchadnezzar NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jeremiah 28 -- Hananiah Falsely Prophesies the Return of the Vessels NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 2 Timothy 4 2 Timothy 4 -- Timothy Encouraged to Preach the Word; Final Remarks NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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