May 7
“The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will return to the Lord and He will hear their prayers.” Isaiah 19:22 is a message of hope to the downtrodden and weary believer. At first glance, its message may not register and the import of it may be missed, but upon contemplation, it is most refreshing.
Egypt represents a place of bondage. After Joseph had been sold into slavery there, he became second only to Pharaoh through a series of God-ordained events that propelled him to power. Eventually, Joseph’s entire family was welcomed into Egypt, but ultimately, they were bound in slavery.
A Pharaoh who didn’t remember the deliverance that had been wrought through Joseph felt threatened by the growing number of thriving Israelites in his midst, so they were bound until God sent Moses as their deliverer (Genesis 37-Exodus 14). As the Israelites became captive to Egypt, which had once esteemed them, so we can become captive to things that initially appear attractive.
When this happens, God is faithful to His promise to strike down the things that bind us. He is there to set us free from the chains of sin and sickness and deliver us into a place of promise! In order for this to occur, believers must turn to the Lord and He will hear the cries of their hearts. He has already sent Jesus as our Deliverer. We need only appropriate the salvation He has supplied for us.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Blood-bathed, Forgiven, Redeemed!
May 6
Were we left to our own devices, our plight would be hopeless, for we sin again and again. The evil one continues to set his traps and we continue to stumble into them. Our proclivity to sin is relentless and our inability to overcome our own particular foible testifies to the stranglehold the world has on us.
Yet we know we are blood-bathed, forgiven, redeemed and on our way to Heaven! We know the Lord is coming for His Bride and that she—the Church, believers—will be without spot or wrinkle. We cannot but praise Him for His faithfulness in helping us overcome and be cleansed from our sin.
We understand that our deliverance is not our doing, it is His! We recognize that if we were left to our own, the pit of our sin would swallow us. The mire of our failures would render us beyond redemption, for our faithlessness, our willfulness, our penchant for iniquity would be beyond cleansing.
But Revelation 19:7 assures us that we may, “…be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory because the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has prepared herself.” The Church, believers will be prepared, for He cleanses us again and again—and He does not count our iniquity against us.
Were we left to our own devices, our plight would be hopeless, for we sin again and again. The evil one continues to set his traps and we continue to stumble into them. Our proclivity to sin is relentless and our inability to overcome our own particular foible testifies to the stranglehold the world has on us.
Yet we know we are blood-bathed, forgiven, redeemed and on our way to Heaven! We know the Lord is coming for His Bride and that she—the Church, believers—will be without spot or wrinkle. We cannot but praise Him for His faithfulness in helping us overcome and be cleansed from our sin.
We understand that our deliverance is not our doing, it is His! We recognize that if we were left to our own, the pit of our sin would swallow us. The mire of our failures would render us beyond redemption, for our faithlessness, our willfulness, our penchant for iniquity would be beyond cleansing.
But Revelation 19:7 assures us that we may, “…be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory because the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has prepared herself.” The Church, believers will be prepared, for He cleanses us again and again—and He does not count our iniquity against us.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Revive to Rejoice!
May 5
We know we deserve God’s wrath. We know we live lives that are often a stench in His nostrils and that we should be abandoned by Him—cast out of His presence and left to the abysmal garbage heap we’ve littered around ourselves. But that‘s not what we want and that’s not what we hope for.
Though we know we’ve broken the heart of Jesus by our sin, by our indifference to the great salvation He has held out to us, we still want something from Him that defies reason and allows our fullness of blessing in time and our assurance of Heaven in eternity.
When we fall short of His blessings, we know it’s what we deserve. We know that His wrath unleashed against us would be our just due, yet we cry out to Him as David did in Psalm 85:5, 6, “Will You prolong Your anger for all generations? Will You not revive us again so Your people may rejoice in You?”
We know He is justified in His anger against us; we know that we deserve His wrath to be prolonged against even future generations as the Word says it will be (Exodus 20:5), yet we long for His mercy to us and our children. We long for revival that will enable us to rejoice in the fullness of His salvation once again!
We know we deserve God’s wrath. We know we live lives that are often a stench in His nostrils and that we should be abandoned by Him—cast out of His presence and left to the abysmal garbage heap we’ve littered around ourselves. But that‘s not what we want and that’s not what we hope for.
Though we know we’ve broken the heart of Jesus by our sin, by our indifference to the great salvation He has held out to us, we still want something from Him that defies reason and allows our fullness of blessing in time and our assurance of Heaven in eternity.
When we fall short of His blessings, we know it’s what we deserve. We know that His wrath unleashed against us would be our just due, yet we cry out to Him as David did in Psalm 85:5, 6, “Will You prolong Your anger for all generations? Will You not revive us again so Your people may rejoice in You?”
We know He is justified in His anger against us; we know that we deserve His wrath to be prolonged against even future generations as the Word says it will be (Exodus 20:5), yet we long for His mercy to us and our children. We long for revival that will enable us to rejoice in the fullness of His salvation once again!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Totally Unique
May 4
Do you suppose Jesus was concerned about public opinion? If He were like modern politicians, He would be reading the polls and redefining Himself with every new indicator of exactly what the public perceived Him to be and whether that perception met their approval.
But, Jesus wasn’t in the business of conforming Himself to a standard established by public opinion. He was what He came to be and He knew many found that offensive. Why then did He ask of Peter in Matthew 16:13, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Perhaps because it gave Peter the opportunity to articulate his understanding of Christ’s mission, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” Matthew 16:16. It gave him the chance to say it, although he did not fully understand it at the time. In fact, Jesus went on to say in the next verses that “…flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father…”
And perhaps in posing the question to Peter, believers through the ages are given the opportunity to express faith in the One who has come as the Son, the full representation of God. Perhaps this was Jesus’ way of pressing us to a point of recognizing how totally unique He is. As the Second Person of the Trinity, He encompasses the entirety of our salvation package—revealed by His Father.
Do you suppose Jesus was concerned about public opinion? If He were like modern politicians, He would be reading the polls and redefining Himself with every new indicator of exactly what the public perceived Him to be and whether that perception met their approval.
But, Jesus wasn’t in the business of conforming Himself to a standard established by public opinion. He was what He came to be and He knew many found that offensive. Why then did He ask of Peter in Matthew 16:13, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Perhaps because it gave Peter the opportunity to articulate his understanding of Christ’s mission, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” Matthew 16:16. It gave him the chance to say it, although he did not fully understand it at the time. In fact, Jesus went on to say in the next verses that “…flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father…”
And perhaps in posing the question to Peter, believers through the ages are given the opportunity to express faith in the One who has come as the Son, the full representation of God. Perhaps this was Jesus’ way of pressing us to a point of recognizing how totally unique He is. As the Second Person of the Trinity, He encompasses the entirety of our salvation package—revealed by His Father.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Fulfillment and Glory
May 3
A lot of people erroneously believe that rules and restrictions inhibit freedom. They are of the opinion that everyone should be free to make his own choice in every situation. This thinking pervades modern society and encompasses everything from electing to be sexually permissive to choosing to abort an unwanted pregnancy.
Such a mindset, when it has reached its full capacity to affect society, will result in abject lawlessness. It is impossible to perpetuate the ‘do your own thing’ mentality without taking a heavy toll on our ability to interact with one another with civility and respect and honor. Indeed, those time-honored words will become passé.
The Word of God presents another perspective in the matter, a perspective that is rooted in the Lord’s love for man and His desire to establish His beloved children on the path that leads to fulfillment in time and glory for eternity. If a man will hear and heed the truth as it is stated in the Bible, he will be rescued from the earthquake that is crumbling the foundations of society.
Deuteronomy 10:13 says, “Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes that I am giving you today, for your own good.” There is no mincing of words. A man is not advantaged when he chooses his own way; rather he is advantaged when he determines to live his life in accordance with the law of the Lord. To have a strong foundation in a collapsing world, build upon the unchanging truth of God.
A lot of people erroneously believe that rules and restrictions inhibit freedom. They are of the opinion that everyone should be free to make his own choice in every situation. This thinking pervades modern society and encompasses everything from electing to be sexually permissive to choosing to abort an unwanted pregnancy.
Such a mindset, when it has reached its full capacity to affect society, will result in abject lawlessness. It is impossible to perpetuate the ‘do your own thing’ mentality without taking a heavy toll on our ability to interact with one another with civility and respect and honor. Indeed, those time-honored words will become passé.
The Word of God presents another perspective in the matter, a perspective that is rooted in the Lord’s love for man and His desire to establish His beloved children on the path that leads to fulfillment in time and glory for eternity. If a man will hear and heed the truth as it is stated in the Bible, he will be rescued from the earthquake that is crumbling the foundations of society.
Deuteronomy 10:13 says, “Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes that I am giving you today, for your own good.” There is no mincing of words. A man is not advantaged when he chooses his own way; rather he is advantaged when he determines to live his life in accordance with the law of the Lord. To have a strong foundation in a collapsing world, build upon the unchanging truth of God.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Reap the Fruit of His Faithfulness
May 2
We look with dismay upon not only our nation’s faltering economy but also upon the failing world economy. The nation of Greece is bankrupt. The state of California cannot meet its obligations. The United States, the most generous nation that has ever existed is a debtor nation.
If our hope as citizens of the U.S., as citizens of the world, is in the machinations of our politicians to right the looming global disaster, we have no hope at all. The most ordinary thinkers among us can recognize the mess we’re in and getting out of it seems as impossible as unscrambling eggs.
Yet, there is One in whom we may place our absolute confidence and utmost faith. There is One whose Word is ‘yea and amen’—and His promises are not contingent upon the success of the political or economic endeavors of man. The Lord Jesus Christ can and will see His people through the most difficult of times and fulfill the promises the Word holds out to them.
In Deuteronomy 8:7,9, we are told, “The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…where you will eat food without shortage…where you will lack nothing.” These words were spoken to His ancient people Israel, but all His spiritual children may claim them—whether here or in eternity, we shall reap the fruit of His faithfulness.
We look with dismay upon not only our nation’s faltering economy but also upon the failing world economy. The nation of Greece is bankrupt. The state of California cannot meet its obligations. The United States, the most generous nation that has ever existed is a debtor nation.
If our hope as citizens of the U.S., as citizens of the world, is in the machinations of our politicians to right the looming global disaster, we have no hope at all. The most ordinary thinkers among us can recognize the mess we’re in and getting out of it seems as impossible as unscrambling eggs.
Yet, there is One in whom we may place our absolute confidence and utmost faith. There is One whose Word is ‘yea and amen’—and His promises are not contingent upon the success of the political or economic endeavors of man. The Lord Jesus Christ can and will see His people through the most difficult of times and fulfill the promises the Word holds out to them.
In Deuteronomy 8:7,9, we are told, “The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…where you will eat food without shortage…where you will lack nothing.” These words were spoken to His ancient people Israel, but all His spiritual children may claim them—whether here or in eternity, we shall reap the fruit of His faithfulness.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Hope Does Not Disappoint
May 1
Nothing is more painful than disappointed expectations. The romance that began with much promise then inexplicably turned sour, the promotion that seemed sure until it was given to someone else, the purchase that seemed to be such a good investment until it tanked—name it; we’ve all been there.
We tend to transfer the worst of our disappointed expectations toward God Himself when we pray. It’s almost as though we’re afraid to take Him at His Word—though He says He “cannot fail or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Because others have disappointed our hope, we fear that Jesus will, too.
But in Romans 5:5, Paul assures us that our apprehension that the Lord will let us down is unfounded—and he tells us why: “Hope does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
The role of the Third Person of the Trinity is to teach, to guide, to assure, and to affirm the nearness of the Lord in the circumstances of our lives. Paul tells us here that because He dwells within us, we may rest upon the Holy Spirit to affirm our hope when we pray. We shall not be disappointed—His love covers us.
Nothing is more painful than disappointed expectations. The romance that began with much promise then inexplicably turned sour, the promotion that seemed sure until it was given to someone else, the purchase that seemed to be such a good investment until it tanked—name it; we’ve all been there.
We tend to transfer the worst of our disappointed expectations toward God Himself when we pray. It’s almost as though we’re afraid to take Him at His Word—though He says He “cannot fail or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Because others have disappointed our hope, we fear that Jesus will, too.
But in Romans 5:5, Paul assures us that our apprehension that the Lord will let us down is unfounded—and he tells us why: “Hope does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
The role of the Third Person of the Trinity is to teach, to guide, to assure, and to affirm the nearness of the Lord in the circumstances of our lives. Paul tells us here that because He dwells within us, we may rest upon the Holy Spirit to affirm our hope when we pray. We shall not be disappointed—His love covers us.
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