From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] daily devotional
Evening...
Matthew 14:30
Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Sinking times are praying times with the Lord's servants. Peter neglected
prayer at starting upon his venturous journey, but when he began to sink his
danger made him a suppliant, and his cry though late was not too late. In our
hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven
to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves. The fox hies to
its hole for protection; the bird flies to the wood for shelter; and even so
the tried believer hastens to the mercy seat for safety. Heaven's great harbour
of refuge is All-prayer; thousands of weather-beaten vessels have found a haven
there, and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us to make for it with
all sail. Short prayers are long enough. There were but three words in the
petition which Peter gasped out, but they were sufficient for his purpose. Not
length but strength is desirable. A sense of need is a mighty teacher of
brevity. If our prayers had less of the tail feathers of pride and more wing
they would be all the better. Verbiage is to devotion as chaff to the wheat.
Precious things lie in small compass, and all that is real prayer in many a
long address might have been uttered in a petition as short as that of Peter.
Our extremities are the Lord's opportunities. Immediately a keen sense of
danger forces an anxious cry from us the ear of Jesus hears, and with Him ear
and heart go together, and the hand does not long linger. At the last moment we
appeal to our Master, but His swift hand makes up for our delays by instant and
effectual action. Are we nearly engulfed by the boisterous waters of
affliction? Let us then lift up our souls unto our Saviour, and we may rest
assured that He will not suffer us to perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can
do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be
well.
January 15
Morning...
2 Samuel 7:25
Do as thou hast said.
God's promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; He
intended that they should be used. God's gold is not miser's money, but is
minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His
promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to Him,
and say, "Lord, do as Thou hast said." We glorify God when we plead His
promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the
riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will be any the less holy for
giving holiness to you? Do you imagine He will be any the less pure for washing
you from your sins? He has said "Come now, and let us reason together, saith
the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Faith lays hold upon
the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, "This is a precious
promise, I wonder if it be true?" but it goes straight to the throne with it,
and pleads, "Lord, here is the promise, 'Do as Thou hast said.'" Our Lord
replies, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." When a Christian grasps a
promise, if he do not take it to God, he dishonours Him; but when he hastens to
the throne of grace, and cries, "Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this,
'Thou hast said it;'" then his desire shall be granted. Our heavenly Banker
delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of
promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God
will be troubled by your importunately reminding Him of His promises. He loves
to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow favours.
He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining,
nor the fountain of flowing. It is God's nature to keep His promises; therefore
go at once to the throne with "Do as Thou hast said."
Exodus 3:7-10
(7) And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people
which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters;
for I know their sorrows; (8) And I am come down to deliver them out of the
hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land
and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the
Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the
Hivites, and the Jebusites. (9) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children
of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the
Egyptians oppress them. (10) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of
Egypt.
God is already calling them, "My people." What had they done? Had they
pledged themselves to God? Had they repented? They had not done a thing yet,
and God is already calling them his own.
Does He have a similar feeling of possessiveness toward those that He is
going to deal with in terms of salvation? Definitely! "They are Mine!" What
will He do for His own? Who will hold back the hand of God? Nobody, and that is
the story. Israel got out of Egypt because God set His mind to do it. He said,
"I have chosen them, and they are Mine" and they had not done a thing yet. In
fact, it would be weeks before they even knew that Moses existed anymore than
just what they had heard about what occurred forty years before.
There is no indication that Moses had any contact with anybody in Egypt
during those forty years. He was not sending letters every couple of weeks
saying, "Get ready—I am just about to return now." No, he was in the wilderness
learning what it is like to be a shepherd, tending sheep, because he was going
to pastor a whole nation of millions of people. He was getting his attitude
straightened out. God had sent him to school to prepare. The wilderness was the
school of hard knocks for someone like Moses who had been reared in a cushy
palace. God probably had to knock a great deal of pride, vanity, and cockiness
out of him before He could use him.
Thus, the salvation of Israel was already underway. Whom does the Bible
say is in charge? Who does the Bible show to be the one who has the answers to
their problems? Who took the initiative? Who is doing the leading? Who is doing
the providing? Even at this point, we can see that God is the One doing all
these things.
By the time they begin to realize that God is involved, we find that all
they needed to do is to agree with what He wanted them to do, and He would do
the work to bring them out of Egypt.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From Unleavened Bread and Pentecost
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daily devotional
Evening...
Daniel 9:26
The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.
Blessed be His name, there was no cause of death in Him. Neither original nor
actual sin had defiled Him, and therefore death had no claim upon Him. No man
could have taken His life from Him justly, for He had done no man wrong, and no
man could even have lain Him by force unless He had been pleased to yield
Himself to die. But lo, one sins and another suffers. Justice was offended by
us, but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of tears, mountains of offerings,
seas of the blood of bullocks, and hills of frankincense, could not have
availed for the removal of sin; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the cause of
wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put away for ever. Herein is wisdom,
whereby substitution, the sure and speedy way of atonement, was devised! Herein
is condescension, which brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns,
and die upon the cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His
life for His enemies! It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the
innocent bleeding for the guilty, we must make sure of our interest therein.
The special object of the Messiah's death was the salvation of His church; have
we a part and a lot among those for whom He gave His life a ransom? Did the
Lord Jesus stand as our representative? Are we healed by His stripes? It will
be a terrible thing indeed if we should come short of a portion in His
sacrifice; it were better for us that we had never been born. Solemn as the
question is, it is a joyful circumstance that it is one which may be answered
clearly and without mistake. To all who believe on Him the Lord Jesus is a
present Saviour, and upon them all the blood of reconciliation has been
sprinkled. Let all who trust in the merit of Messiah's death be joyful at every
remembrance of Him, and let their holy gratitude lead them to the fullest
consecration to His cause.
Psalms 37:9
(9) For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD,
they shall inherit the earth.
Psalms 37:22
(22) For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that
be cursed of him shall be cut off.
Psalms 37:29
(29) The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
Psalms 37:34
(34) Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to
inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
Is there anything wrong with having the earth as an eternal inheritance?
Would you "settle" for earth?
The earth today would be an extremely wonderful place in which to live
were it not for sin—rebellion against God and His eternal spiritual laws that
bring peace, happiness, and joy! Happiness and joy are not a matter of
geographical location. Happiness is a state of mind—a spiritual condition!
There will be no sin in the spiritual Kingdom of God. No liars, no
murderers, no thieves or robbers. Think of it—there will be no Devil to deceive
anyone, no locks on doors, no jails, no hospitals, no poor houses! No strife,
no war—no sickness or disease—no poverty, no hunger, no want! What a wonderful
inheritance!
When we put all the scriptures together, it becomes crystal clear that
the reward of the saints is not strumming on harps up in heaven for all
eternity. It is infinitely more glorious and exciting than that!
From Will You Go to Heaven?
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