November 25, 2012

Sunday: November 25, 2012

READ: Psalm 60 & 61

THINK: “Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” – Psalm 61:2

Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace, our God is the harbour of weather-beaten sails, the hospice of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is he, his mercy higher than our sins, his love higher than our thoughts.

It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed upon an exceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock he is since he changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which overwhelm us roll far beneath at his feet; he is not disturbed by them, but rules them at his will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Alas! such is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by thy Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith, lead us into thy rest. The wind blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand; thou, thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we are upon thee—we need thee to bring us to thee. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is thy gift, and thine alone. This night be pleased to deal well with thy servants.

By: Charles Spurgeon

PRAY: Spend some time thanking God for being a high rock, a place of safety, and a stronghold worth trusting in today! Confess the lowly things you’ve put your trust in instead of God and ask him to help you trust him completely.

Posted by on November 25, 2012 in Uncategorized.

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November 24, 2012

Saturday: November 24, 2012

READ:  Ecclesiastes 10

THINK: Upstarts frequently usurp the highest places, while the truly great pine in obscurity. This is a riddle in providence whose solution will one day gladden the hearts of the upright; but it is so common a fact, that none of us should murmur if it should fall to our own lot. When our Lord was upon earth, although he is the Prince of the kings of the earth, yet he walked the footpath of weariness and service as the Servant of servants: what wonder is it if his followers, who are princes of the blood, should also be looked down upon as inferior and contemptible persons? The world is upside down, and therefore, the first are last and the last first. See how the servile sons of Satan lord it in the earth! What a high horse they ride! How they lift up their horn on high! Haman is in the court, while Mordecai sits in the gate; David wanders on the mountains, while Saul reigns in state; Elijah is complaining in the cave while Jezebel is boasting in the palace; yet who would wish to take the places of the proud rebels? And who, on the other hand, might not envy the despised saints? When the wheel turns, those who are lowest rise, and the highest sink. Patience, then, believer, eternity will right the wrongs of time.

Let us not fall into the error of letting our passions and carnal appetites ride in triumph, while our nobler powers walk in the dust. Grace must reign as a prince, and make the members of the body instruments of righteousness. The Holy Spirit loves order, and he therefore sets our powers and faculties in due rank and place, giving the highest room to those spiritual faculties which link us with the great King; let us not disturb the divine arrangement, but ask for grace that we may keep under our body and bring it into subjection. We were not new created to allow our passions to rule over us, but that we, as kings, may reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.

By: Charles Spurgeon

PRAY:  Ask God to help you control your desires and passions. Confess your failures and ask him to give you victory over your sin.

Posted by on November 24, 2012 in Poetry.

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November 23, 2012

Friday: November 23, 2012

READ:  John 7

THINK: The Dead Sea is so salty that it contains no fish or plant life. What accounts for this unusual condition? There are absolutely no outlets! A great volume of water pours into this area, but nothing flows out. Many inlets plus no outlets equals a dead sea.

This law of nature may also be applied to the child of God, and it explains why many believers are so unfruitful and lacking in spiritual vitality. It’s possible for some people to attend Bible conferences, listen to religious broadcasts, study the Scriptures, and continually take in the Word as it is preached from the pulpit, and yet seem lifeless and unproductive in their Christian lives. Such individuals are like the Dead Sea. They have several “inlets” but no “outlets.” To be vibrant and useful believers, we must not only “take in” all we can, but we must also “give out” in service to others!

May the Lord make us refreshing fountains where thirsty souls may drink. Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we possess the “water of life” and can be channels of blessing to those in need. From hearts of love, let us pour out to others what we have first received from God. If we do, we will never become Dead-Sea Christians.

To be a channel of blessing, let Christ’s love flow through you.

Give as ’twas given to you in your need,
Love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper indeed,
Unto your mission be true. —Wilson

By: Richard De Haan in Our Daily Bread, May 22, 1996

PRAY: Ask God to give you eyes to see the opportunities you have in your life to pour out into others what you’ve had poured into you. Ask him to make you a “refreshing fountain where thirsty souls may drink.”

Posted by on November 23, 2012 in Gospels.

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November 22, 2012

Thursday: November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

READ:  Psalm 136

THINK: His love endures forever! It never fails. It never runs out. It never gives up. It never fades. It never dies. THAT is what I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving!

PRAY: Take just a few moments away from all of the busyness and fun and fellowship of this day to spend time thanking God for all that he has done in your life. Thank him for his incredible love that endures forever! Worship him for who he is and what he has done for you. (You can use this song if you want – it’s a good one).

Posted by on November 22, 2012 in Uncategorized.

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November 21, 2012

Wednesday: November 21, 2012

READ:  Luke 1

THINK: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people.”- Luke 1:46-47, Luke 1:68.

THESE TWO songs have floated down the centuries, stirring human hearts with the ecstasy of their triumph. It is not given to all to be able to express their exultation in words so eloquent and musical, but all may become as saturated with the words of Scripture as Mary was, and all may triumph in Jesus Christ as gladly as did Zacharias, and show forth His praise, as did these two holy souls.

The most wonderful thing for us all is that God looks upon our low estate. The greater His blessing, the more unworthy we feel of it. There is no reason why He has stooped to our lowliness and obscurity except that He would. He does great things for the weakest and merciful things for the unworthiest, for His Name’s sake–“Holy is His Name.” In other words, there is no accounting for the putting forth of God’s power and love, except His own glorious character.

Princes are put down from their thrones, because they have become proud and tyrannical; whilst those of low degree are exalted by God, because in obscurity they have been educated in virtue, which cannot but rise to the level of its specific gravity. The rich are often sent empty away, because they have no taste or desire for true riches which alone can satisfy. Whether the hunger be for love, or for the power to do good, or for the best gifts that the Spirit of God can bestow, whoever fulfils the conditions of humility and faith–these are “filled with good things.” “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

The little babe, known afterwards as John the Baptist, was probably lying in his father’s arms, when he burst forth into this glorious song. Let us see to it that we use every opportunity of making known God’s wondrous salvation, of pointing men to the only source of forgiveness. Nothing so encourages faith as the proclamation of what God is prepared to do for those who trust Him, and when it dawns upon men that there are treasures in Christ which shall enrich their poverty and dissipate their hopelessness, they will yield themselves to be led into the ways of peace even by a little child!

PRAY: “We thank Thee, O God, for life and light and love; for the light of Thy mercy shining across our path, revealing to us Thy infinite love without beginning or end. May the Name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in us. AMEN.”

By: F.B. Meyer

Posted by on November 21, 2012 in Gospels.

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November 20, 2012

Tuesday: November 20, 2012

READ: 1 Samuel 13-14

THINK: God saw the Israelite soldiers cowering in fear before the Philistine invaders. He must not have liked what He saw. But He didn’t step in to help the Israelites – until Jonathan and his armor bearer took daring action.

God also saw the people in a mountain area of Haiti, in the early 1940s, who were living in poverty and spiritual bondage and voodooism. He didn’t like what He saw. But He didn’t intervene until Wallace Turnbull started living and working among them. Wallace taught them to farm more efficiently and to read and write. He treated their diseases. And he told them about Jesus. As a result of his initial work, thousands of people in that area have become Christians. Over 40,000 children are being given a Christian education. These results came because God unleashed His power and blessed the efforts of Wallace and those who helped him.

God often unleashes His power through His people. The prophet said, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

By: Herbert Vander Lugt in Our Daily Bread

LIVE: Do you see a need that you can meet? Trust God and start doing something about it. You can be one of the people through whom God will “show Himself strong.” If you don’t already have one in mind, pray that God will open your eyes and reveal a need that you can meet!

Posted by on November 20, 2012 in History.

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November 19, 2012

Monday: November 19, 2012

READ:  2 Corinthians 1

BACKGROUND: 2 Corinthians is actually Paul’s 3rd letter to the church in Corinth. After writing his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul was forced to make a quick and difficult visit to Corinth because the problems he’d addressed in his letter hadn’t been solved. After this visit he wrote them another severe and sad letter (2 Corinthians 2:4) – which we don’t have a copy of. He wrote this letter to show joy at the way the church responded to his correction, to encourage the church to keep their commitment to one another and to their fellow believers in Judea, and to demonstrate the authority that God had given Paul to teach and lead.

THINK: In these verses, Paul writes to the church in the city of Corinth about the promises of God through the fulfillment of Jesus. Read verses 17-22 again and circle the word yes each time it appears in the text.

So often we hear the word no, but this passage says that God affirms us, making us a sure things in Christ, putting his yes with us. What does it mean to hear yes from God? What would your life look like – how would it look different – if you lived with complete confidence in the assurance that God has said yes to you? If you stopped allowing your past, your regrets, and your mistakes define who you are and had an unshakable confidence that God has set his seal of ownership upon you?

PRAY:  Allow God to affirm you as you sit with him. Invite him to bring his promises of yes to your mind and heart. Embrace those promises and allow him to place his seal upon your heart so you can carry it around with you.

LIVE: Write down 1 or 2 specific yes answers God has given you in your life. Carry that sheet of paper around with you this week and consider sharing those answers with a friend, roommate, family member, classmate, or coworker today.

Posted by on November 19, 2012 in Epistles.

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November 18, 2012

Sunday: November 18, 2012

READ: Proverbs 27

THINK: “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.” – Proverbs 27:23-24

Every wise merchant will occasionally hold a stock-taking, when he will cast up his accounts, examine what he has on hand, and ascertain decisively whether his trade is prosperous or declining. Every man who is wise in the kingdom of heaven, will cry, “Search me, O God, and try me”; and he will frequently set apart special seasons for self-examination, to discover whether things are right between God and his soul. The God whom we worship is a great heart-searcher; and of old his servants knew him as “the Lord which searcheth the heart and trieth the reins of the children of men.” Let me stir you up in his name to make diligent search and solemn trial of your state, lest you come short of the promised rest. That which every wise man does, that which God himself does with us all, I exhort you to do with yourself this evening. Let the oldest saint look well to the fundamentals of his piety, for grey heads may cover black hearts: and let not the young professor despise the word of warning, for the greenness of youth may be joined to the rottenness of hypocrisy. Every now and then a cedar falls into our midst. The enemy still continues to sow tares among the wheat. It is not my aim to introduce doubts and fears into your mind; nay, verily, but I shall hope the rather that the rough wind of self-examination may help to drive them away. It is not security, but carnal security, which we would kill; not confidence, but fleshly confidence, which we would overthrow; not peace, but false peace, which we would destroy. By the precious blood of Christ, which was not shed to make you a hypocrite, but that sincere souls might show forth his praise, I beseech you, search and look, lest at the last it be said of you, “Mene, Mene, Tekel: thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”

By: Charles Spurgeon

Posted by on November 18, 2012 in Poetry.

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November 17, 2012

Saturday: November 17, 2012

READ: Mark 15

THINK: This is the greatest story every told. Nothing else even comes remotely close. I can’t read it without feeling emotional and completely overwhelmed that the God of the universe loved me enough to come and die. It’s outrageous. It’s amazing. It’s the greatest story ever told.

The only question is this: what will I do with it? What will you do with it? We are surrounded by broken people in a messed up world who are desperate for the hope that this story contains and are dying without it. And we are God’s plan to bring it to them. But we don’t do it. We avoid this task more often than we embrace it. And I think we all need a gut check. If you can read Mark 15 and not feel compelled to share it with those around you then do you really believe it? Do you really believe it’s true? Because if you do, how can you not share?

I was inspired tonight by the lyrics of a song by the Christian rapper Lecrae. I think it’s time for us as Christians to Go Hard…or go home. If we didn’t know Christ, would our lives look the same, can they tell we know Jesus by the way we rep his name?

PRAY: Listen to this song and pray that God would give you the courage and boldness to share his amazing gospel message with the people around you.

Posted by on November 17, 2012 in Gospels.

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November 16, 2012

Friday: November 16, 2012

READ: 1 Corinthians 16

BACKGROUND: Paul closes his first letter to the Corinthians by talking about the offering he is collecting for the poor and needy believers in Jerusalem and by outlining his future travel plans, among other things. But the thing that jumps off the page to me as I read this chapter is the very end where Paul says that those who don’t know and love the Lord are cursed and blesses the believers. But in verse 22 he says, “Come Lord Jesus!” This is a rendering of an Aramaic phrase, maranatha, that the early church used as a sort of catchphrase of hope and excited expectancy about the return of Jesus. It was a genuine and deeply heartfelt prayer for them: come Lord Jesus! Maranatha!

I think that the further removed we get from the life, death, and ascension of Jesus – and we’re pushing 2 millennia – we become tempted to live without that passionate expectation of Christ’s return. But we need to remember as we look out at this broken world and experience the hurt and pain and frustration that are part and parcel of living in it that this messed up world isn’t all there is. We were made for something more. Something better than death and broken relationships and loss and sickness and disease and war and famine and abuse and addiction and starvation and….the list goes on and on. But here’s the cool part: Jesus is coming back to set things right and make all things new – and then we will live eternally in the kind of perfect relationship with God and with one another that we were created for. In a word, that’s awesome! So let’s pray expectantly and excitedly, as the early church did, “Maranatha: Come Lord Jesus!”

PRAY: Take some time and pray the following compline (nighttime prayer – though you can pray it any time throughout the day).

Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations
into the peace of your kingdom:
Lord, have mercy.

You come in word and sacrament
to strengthen us in holiness:
Christ, have mercy.

You will come in glory
with salvation for your people:
Lord, have mercy.

Turn to us again, O God our Saviour,
and let your anger cease from us.
Lord, have mercy.

Show us your mercy, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation:
Christ, have mercy.

Your salvation is near for those that fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land:
Lord, have mercy.

In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid
we pray to Jesus, saying,
Maranatha:
Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your Church as Lord and Judge.
Help us to live in the light of your coming
and give us a longing for your rule.
Maranatha:
Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations.
Before you rulers will stand in silence.
Maranatha:
Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your people with a message of victory and peace.
Give us the victory over death, temptation and evil.
Maranatha:
Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as Saviour and Comforter.
Break in to those areas of our lives
where we live with failure and distress,
and set us free to serve you for ever.
Maranatha:
Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us from heaven with power and great glory,
to lift us up to meet you,
with all your saints and angels,
to live with you for ever.
Maranatha:
Come, Lord Jesus!

 

Posted by on November 16, 2012 in Epistles.

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