Dawn 2 Dusk When God Refuses to Take It BackSome promises feel too good to be true—especially when you know your own failures and inconsistencies. Romans 11:29 reminds us that when God gives gifts and places a call on a life, He does not later decide to retract them. This is not because we are steady, but because He is. Today is an invitation to rest in the unchanging heart of God and to respond boldly to what He has already said “yes” to in Christ. A Call That Will Not Be Canceled In the middle of a chapter about Israel’s story and God’s faithfulness, Paul writes, “For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Israel had wandered, resisted, and stumbled—but God had not torn up His promises. That word “irrevocable” means not subject to reversal, not taken back. God is not like a human employer who can rescind an offer, or a friend who changes their mind when things get hard. When He calls, He means it. When He gives, He keeps on backing what He gave. This same God is the One who has called you “with a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Before you succeeded or failed, before you had a track record, there was a purpose and a call anchored in God’s own heart. Your weaknesses may shake your confidence in yourself, but they do not shake God’s decision about you. His call is not fragile; it was never built on your performance in the first place. Grace That Refuses to Let Go Every time you doubt whether you can keep going, remember: grace started this, and grace will finish it. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). If salvation is a gift from start to finish, then your failures do not surprise God and do not cancel His gift. Grace doesn’t give up because you had a bad week, a bad month, or even a bad year. Jesus Himself underlines how secure His people are in that grace: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28–29). The same hands that were pierced for you are the hands that hold you now. God’s grip on you is stronger than your grip on Him, and His grace is more persistent than your wandering. He does not just call; He keeps. Living Like His Yes Is Final If God’s gifts and call are irrevocable, then we are freed from living like spiritual orphans—always afraid the door will suddenly slam shut. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). No variation. No shifting. That means you can actually dare to respond boldly to what God has given you—your salvation, your spiritual gifts, your specific assignments—without constantly questioning whether He’s about to change His mind. This stability is meant to move us, not make us passive. Paul writes that he is “confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). God’s commitment to finish His work in you is not a reason to sit back; it is the fuel to get up again. You can repent quickly instead of hiding. You can obey courageously instead of hesitating. You can step into what God has put in front of you today, trusting that His “yes” over your life in Christ is not temporary ink—it is eternal. Lord, thank You that Your gifts and Your call are irrevocable. Help me live today like Your yes over me in Christ is final—turning from sin, stepping out in obedience, and trusting Your unchanging heart. Morning with A.W. Tozer Postponing ObedienceA notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circle-the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior, and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as long as we want to! The truth is that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred Scriptures. Peter makes it plain that we are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience." It seems most important to me that Peter speaks of his fellow Christians as "obedient children." He knew their spirituality-he was not just giving them an exhortation to be obedient. The entire Bible teaches that true obedience to God and His Christ is one of the toughest requirements in the Christian life. Actually, salvation without obedience is a self-contradicting impossibility! Humans do not want to admit it, but the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans long ago that "by one man's disobedience" came the downfall of the human race! Music For the Soul Christ’s Own ClaimNo one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal Him. - Matthew 9:27 It seems to me that if there is anything certain at all, it is certain that Jesus Christ, whilst upon earth, claimed habitually to be the visible manifestation of God, in a degree, in a manner wholly unlike that in which a pure, good, wise, righteous man may claim to shine with some reflected beams of Divine brightness. And we have to reckon and make our account with that, and shape our theology accordingly. I come to some of you who admire and reverence this great Teacher, this pure Humanity, who know much of Him, who seek to follow in His footsteps in some measure, but who stand outside that innermost circle wherein He manifests Himself as the God Incarnate, the Sacrifice, and the Saviour of the sins of the world; and whilst I thankfully admit that a man’s relation to Christ may be a great deal deeper and more vital and blessed than his articulate creed, I am bound to say that not to know Him in this His very deepest and most essential character is little different from being ignorant of Him altogether. Here is a great thinker or teacher, perhaps, whose fame has filled the world, whose books are upon every student’s shelf; he lives in a little remote country hamlet: the cottagers beside him know him as a kind neighbour and a sympathetic friend. They never heard of his books, they never heard of his thoughts, they do not know anything of what he has done all over the world. Do you call that knowing him? You do not know a man if you only know the surface and not the secrets of his being. You do not know a man if you only know the subordinate characteristics of his nature, but not the essential ones. The very heart of Christ is this: the Incarnate God, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. You may be disciples, in the imperfect sense in which the apostles were disciples before the Cross and the Resurrection and the Ascension, imperfect disciples like them, but without their excuse for it. But oh! you will never know Him until you know Him as the Eternal Word, and until you can say, " We beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Not seeing that, you see but as a dim speck, or a star a little brighter than its brethren that hang in the heavens of history, Him who really is the Central Sun, from whom all light comes, to whom the whole creation moves. If you know Him for the Incarnate Word and Lamb who bears the world’s sin, you know Him for what He is. All the rest is most precious, most fair; but without that central truth, you have but a fragmentary Christ, and nothing less than the whole Christ is enough for you. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Mark 1:30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. Very interesting is this little peep into the house of the Apostolic Fisherman. We see at once that household joys and cares are no hindrance to the full exercise of ministry, nay, that since they furnish an opportunity for personally witnessing the Lord's gracious work upon one's own flesh and blood, they may even instruct the teacher better than any other earthly discipline. Papists and other sectaries may decry marriage, but true Christianity and household life agree well together. Peter's house was probably a poor fisherman's hut, but the Lord of Glory entered it, lodged in it, and wrought a miracle in it. Should our little book be read this morning in some very humble cottage, let this fact encourage the inmates to seek the company of King Jesus. God is oftener in little huts than in rich palaces. Jesus is looking round your room now, and is waiting to be gracious to you. Into Simon's house sickness had entered, fever in a deadly form had prostrated his mother-in-law, and as soon as Jesus came they told him of the sad affliction, and he hastened to the patient's bed. Have you any sickness in the house this morning? You will find Jesus by far the best physician, go to him at once and tell him all about the matter. Immediately lay the case before him. It concerns one of his people, and therefore will not be trivial to him. Observe, that at once the Saviour restored the sick woman; none can heal as he does. We may not make sure that the Lord will at once remove all disease from those we love, but we may know that believing prayer for the sick is far more likely to be followed by restoration than anything else in the world; and where this avails not, we must meekly bow to his will by whom life and death are determined. The tender heart of Jesus waits to hear our griefs, let us pour them into his patient ear. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Follow to KnowNot all at once, but by degrees shall we attain to holy knowledge, and our business is to persevere and learn by little and little. We need not despair, though our progress may be slow, for we shall yet know. The LORD, who has become our Teacher, will not give us up, however slow of understanding we may be; for it is not for His honor that any degree of human folly should baffle His skill. The LORD delights to make the simple wise. Our duty is to keep to our main topic and follow on to know, not this peculiar doctrine nor that, but Jehovah Himself. To know Father, Son, and Spirit, the Triune God, this is life eternal. let us keep to this, for in this way we shall gain complete instruction. By following on to know the LORD, we learn healing after being torn, binding up after smiting, and life after death. Experience has its perfect work when the heart follows the trackway of the Almighty LORD. My soul, keep thou close to Jesus, follow on to know God in Jesus, and so shalt thou come to the knowledge of Christ, which is the most excellent of all the sciences. The Holy Ghost will lead thee into all truth. Is not this His gracious promise? Rely upon Him to fulfill it. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer Be Not High-Minded, but FearBELIEVERS are sometimes tempted to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think; they forget that they are indebted to the free, sovereign, and distinguishing grace of God, for all the difference there is between them and the vilest of the vile. They should consider they are still weak, and liable to overcome; foolish, and prone to wander; sinful, and easily wrought upon; that Satan is strong and determined; subtle and insinuating; malicious and designing; active and persevering; that the world is alluring and ensnaring, treacherous and vain, attracting and deceitful; and this would preserve them from being too secure. A high-minded Christian is sure to be unfruitful, and is generally left to fall. Therefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed. David fell, Peter fell, and thousands beside have fallen; and they exhort us with groans, sighs, and tears, "Be not high-minded, but fear." "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Let us cultivate humility of mind, and habitual dependance upon God; so shall we be safe, holy, and happy. Jesus, if Thou withdraw Thy hand, That moment sees me fall; Oh, may I ne’er on self depend, But look to Thee for all: Lead me in all Thy righteous ways, Make plain Thy path before Thy face. Bible League: Living His Word "We must obey God, not you!"— Acts 5:29 ERV In Acts 5, jealousy drives the high priest and the Sadducees to seize the apostles and throw them in jail. The impact of the apostles' preaching drives them mad. They think they've gotten rid of Jesus and His teachings, but the opposite is true. During the night, an angel of the Lord releases the apostles from their cells and orders them to continue telling people the Good News. They must preach not just in the streets, but in the temple area, the territory of the Jewish council! God and His message are unstoppable forces. The apostles obey the angel's command and preach, much to the bewilderment of the high priest. Again, he orders their arrest, and when they stand in his court, he shouts to them, "We told you never again to teach as followers of that man!" Note the utter aversion with which he refers to Jesus as "that man." Peter responds with the words of today's verse. "We must obey God, not you!" Subsequently, Peter accuses the high priest and his council of killing Jesus but turns the accusation into an explanation of how God planned to save His people. "God did this to give all the people of Israel the opportunity to change and turn to God to have their sins forgiven" (verse 31). There's good news even in that accusation! Peter's boldness is remarkable. The high priest thinks he is in charge of religious matters in and around the temple area, but Peter stands on an authority that greatly surpassed that of the Jewish leader. In verse 32, he explains that the Holy Spirit is the force behind his frank speech. The strength of the Spirit isn't confined to the apostles' acts, Peter adds, "God has given His Spirit to all those who obey Him." It's remarkable how obedience is the core of these few verses. Peter mentions it twice, in verses 29 and 32. Apparently, obedience is vital. If we obey God's Word and follow His commandments in every aspect of our lives, the Holy Spirit will be with us and give us the words and the courage to speak. Just as Jesus promised in Luke 12:11-12, "When men bring you into the synagogues before the leaders and other important men, don't worry about what you will say. The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." Persecuted Christians know what this means. They experience daily the cost of obeying God and not worldly authorities. Like the apostles, they are questioned, arrested, thrown in jail, or even killed. When I hear the testimonies of these bold witnesses, I wonder how I would act in such a situation. Looking at myself, I'd most probably fail. However, when I prayerfully consider today's verse, I take heart and trust God to strengthen me with His Spirit at the right time. In Christ, I stand on an Authority that nullifies all earthly powers. I'll carry on in faith, obeying Jesus' commandment of love. To Him be all the glory! By Anton de Vreugd, Bible League International staff, the Netherlands Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.Isaiah 40:28,29 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. • He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Isaiah 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall. James 1:3,4 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. • And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Hebrews 10:35,36 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. • For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. 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 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.Insight Recognizing the other believers as brothers and sisters in the family of God, the Christians in Jerusalem shared all they had so that all could benefit from God's gifts. Challenge It is tempting—especially if we have material wealth—to cut ourselves off from one another, each taking care of his or her own interests, each providing for and enjoying his or her own little piece of the world. But as part of God's spiritual family, it is our responsibility to help one another in every way possible. God's family works best when its members work together. Devotional Hours Within the Bible Jesus the Good ShepherdSHEPHERD is a very rustic name for Christ, and yet as used in the Scriptures, it is wonderfully rich in its suggestiveness. In the Old Testament there are many allusions to God under this figure of a shepherd. The twenty-third psalm is a Bible classic. Perhaps no other portion of the Scriptures is so widely known, or had had such a ministry of blessing in the world, as this rustic little psalm. The ancient Christians found in the name “shepherd” a beautiful interpretation of the character and word of Christ. In the catacombs at Rome no other picture is so common, as that of the Good Shepherd. The tenth chapter of John’s gospel is so full of great teachings, that only a few leading suggestions can be pointed out. At the beginning of the chapter attention is called to the sheepfold. Applied in a spiritual sense, the fold is the shelter which our Good Shepherd provides for His sheep. The sheepfold is an enclosure surrounded by a wall into which in the evening, the shepherds lead their flocks, committing them for the night to the care of the under shepherd, who guards the door. In the morning the several shepherds come and knock, and the porter opens the door, and each shepherd calls his own sheep, which know his voice and come out to him. He then leads them out to the pasture for the day. The fold is enclosed by a wall. A wall means defense and shelter. The Bible says much about God’s keeping of His people. We are not told, however, that the Lord builds a refuge for them but that He Himself is the refuge the divine love and power being a wall of protection between His people and all danger. The safest place in all the world for the sheep of Christ is in the place of confidence and obedience. We have but to obey our Shepherd, staying within the fold, to have His protection. We have only to do God’s will, to go where the Good Shepherd leads, to abide where He puts us, in order to be sure of divine defense. The shepherd’s love and care are individual and personal. “He calls His own sheep by name.” It is easy enough for us to understand how an Eastern shepherd may know each of his sheep by name. His flock is small, and he can readily know each one. But when we think of the millions who are in Christ’s flock, it seems strange to us that He should know and call each one of all His by name. Yet the truth is made very clear in the Scriptures. It is as easy for our Good Shepherd to know each of His millions personally, as for any human mother to know the name of each one of her little family of children. There is great comfort in this teaching. We are not lost in the crowd. Love always individualizes its object. We cannot love a crowd we may pity a city in distress, as after the horrors of an earthquake, and yet not know one person in it. But if we have a brother, a child, or a friend among the sufferers we know the one. Our Good Shepherd loves each one of His own. A little child of poverty, who had been adopted by a kind man, said he was glad to belong to somebody. It is pleasant for us to know that we belong to Christ. He speaks of His sheep as “His own.” They are His own, because the Father gave them to Him. “Yours they were, and you gave them to me” (17:6). They are his own because He gave Himself for them. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 6:20). They are His own, further, because they have voluntarily given themselves to Him. It is very sweet to think of ourselves in this way belonging to Christ. The words suggest love, closeness of relation, tenderness of affection. The Good Shepherd presents Himself also as the Guide of His flock. He “leads them out.” “He goes before them, and the sheep follow him.” He does not drive them He leads them, and they follow Him. They love Him and also trust His guidance. They know that they are safe wherever He takes them. Sheep need to be led; they have no such instinct for finding their own way, as most other animals have. Set certain kinds of dogs down anywhere, miles from where they have been staying before, and they will find the way home by instinct. You cannot lose a dog. But a sheep cannot find its way anywhere. The same is true of human souls. They get lost very easily, and are willful and wayward. They need to be led, and without the divine guidance never could get home. But if Christ leads, we who are His sheep must obediently and cheerfully follow Him. The reason we have so many troubles in life, and get so often into difficulty and danger is because we do not follow Him as we should. Not only are we to follow Christ but we are to follow Him only. “A stranger will they not follow but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” This is always true of sheep. A stranger’s voice frightens them, and even when he calls them by their right names, in imitation of their shepherd’s voice; and they will flee from him, rather than come to him. They know His voice to be strange, and will not answer His calls. It ought to be so with Christ’s sheep, too. They should know when the voice they hear is not really their Shepherd’s, and should not give heed to it. Voices of strangers continually fall upon the ears of young Christians, especially of inexperienced Christians. There are many temptations which would lure them away from the fold, into paths of wandering, ending in ruin. There are false teachings which seek to dishonor Christ and make His believing ones love Him less and trust Him less confidently. There are solicitations of pleasure which lack the note of purity and truth voices of the stranger. There are invitations to things that appear to offer gain, to promise reward but which, in reality, have only loss and hurt and ruin to give. Everywhere the voices of strangers are heard, and, unfortunately, too many are willing to listen to these voices. Those who do are lured away, often into peril and destruction. We need to be sure that the voices we hear are of the Shepherd, calling us only and always to things that are beautiful and true and good. Not only is Jesus the Good Shepherd but He is also the DOOR. “I am the door of the sheep.” A door is a way of entrance those who come though Christ are admitted into the blessedness of God. As many as receive Him, become children of God (see 1:12). This is a Door that is always open. We need never fear coming to it and fining it shut. In the representation of heaven as a city, in Revelation, there are twelve gates, three on each of the four sides. No matter from which way we approach, we shall always find a door of entrance. When we enter the fold through Christ as the Door, we find provision with Him. “By me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” The shepherd looks well to the feeding of his flock. He leads the sheep into green pastures. He searches everywhere to find food for them. When one spot is burnt up with the summer heat and has no more provision for his flock the shepherd takes them elsewhere. So does Christ. Wherever He leads us, we may always be sure that He is taking us to some good, some provision, some blessing. The Bible is Christ’s pastureland, and the pasture there is always good. Wherever we open it, we find something to feed our hunger. Other books may have poisonous teachings but every word in the Bible is wholesome food for our lives. The fields of providence are also Christ’s fields. In all the common ways of life we find food waiting for us. We may trust Christ absolutely, because we know that wherever He leads us, He is always taking care of us in the right way. When the shepherd led his flock through the dark valley, it was not to terrify them but to get them to a place where they would find pasture. Sometimes Christ leads His people through dark ways of struggle, trial, loss but it is always because these are the ways to some good which He has in waiting for them. The Good Shepherd loves His sheep, loves them so much that He stops at no sacrifice in protecting them and saving them. “The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” The Eastern shepherd often has to fight battles for His flock. David tells of killing a lion and a bear in defense of his sheep. Sometimes the shepherd in defending his flock against wild animals is himself wounded; sometimes he even loses his life in protecting them. Our Good Shepherd has wounds upon Him, and if we ask when He received them, His answer is, “In defending My sheep!” At present Christ’s sheep are widely dispersed. They are scattered over all the world. But at last there will be a great home-gathering, when all the flocks shall be brought together. “Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring… and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd.” One of the saddest things about the church as it is in the world today is the separation of believers into different denominations. In heaven all shall be brought together, from the north, the south, the east and west and all shall be found at last in the one flock with the one Shepherd . Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingProverbs 1, 2 Proverbs 1 -- The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel: NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Proverbs 2 -- Receive my words, and store up my commandments within you; NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Corinthians 12 1 Corinthians 12 -- Spiritual Gifts; One Body Made Up of Many Parts NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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