November – Day 26

Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand. • Henry David Thoreau

As I write this on Thanksgiving morning, I realize how very much we have to be thankful for. Certainly, above all else, is that we have a God who creates from nothing, created us and gave us dominion over all things. We have a God who loved us to the point of sacrificing his own son that we might be made clean, cleaner than the driven snow, so that we might have eternal communion with him.

As we enter into the last break of our Bible reading for the year and into the final month of reading, I pray that you will not let the busyness of December draw you away from his word. It is the way by which we are to live.

Have a blessed rest of November!

In Christ alone!

November – Day 25

I just thought this was a beautiful picture of how we should console one another.

Man is subject to innumerable pains and sorrows by the very condition of humanity, and yet, as if nature had not sown evils enough in life, we are continually adding grief to grief and aggravating the common calamity by our cruel treatment of one another. • Joseph Addison

New Testament

• John 13:31-38
• Jude 17-25

Old Testament

• Job 22
• Daniel 10-12

If we want to see God all we have to do is look at Jesus. God is glorified in Jesus, he intended it to be that way. It is most certain that had he not done it this way, we would have never known God like we do. Acquainted with all our sorrows, he consoles us like no other.

It behooves us not to enter into discussions that will cause division. People who love such conversations often do so in a mocking manner, walking according to their own lusts. They do not walk according to the Spirit, but rather to feed their own sensual desires.

We continue to see Job’s “friends” offer their take on why calamities were befalling him. It is most important that while there is nothing wrong with listening to friends and those who love us, we must ultimately look to the Lord to understand what is going on. At the end of the day, we must trust that God is in control and whatever we are going through will work for our good.

While we do not know the day the Lord Jesus will return, we do know the timing of the Great Tribulation. Jesus spoke of this “abomination of desolation” that Daniel writes about (Matthew 24:15). This abomination will usher in the last 3 1/2 years of the great tribulation and such horrors as have never been seen before.

Dear Lord, thank you for your loving kindness and your mercies which were new this morning. Help us to embrace all that we will face today, good or bad, easy or difficult, that we might know you more intimately than ever. Oh how we long to know you more with each passing day. In Jesus’ name…Amen! 

 

November – Day 24

Beyond a doubt truth bears the same relation to falsehood as light to darkness. • Leonardo da Vinci

New Testament

• John 13:18-30
• Jude 8-16

Old Testament

• Job 21:22-34
• Daniel 9

One of the reasons we have the events of Jesus recorded is so that when the prophetic word comes to pass, we will believe all the more in him. Peter must have been aware of his ability to betray Jesus, otherwise he would not have asked if it was him

We should not be so quick to bring accusations against the enemy. If Michael the archangel was hesitant to do so, we should be all the more. Those who reject the Lord have a dismal future before them, “blackness of darkness forever.”

Any words contrary to God’s word is empty, with falsehood remaining in the answers. The maladies of Job must have been incomprehensible.

The prophecy of the 70 weeks (70 x 7) in Daniel is one of the most spectacular prophecies in the Bible. This is a total of 490 years, 483 of which have already taken place. We are currently in the dispensation of grace, awaiting the final 7 years, known as the Great Tribulation.

Oh Lord, thank you for your prophetic word which strengthens our faith. Thank you for this dispensation of grace in which we are living. Give us a healthy regard for the enemy with a willingness to always turn the battles against him over to you. In the matchless name of Jesus we pray…Amen!

November – Day 23

 

The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself. – Augustine of Hippo

New Testament

• John 13:12-17
• Jude 1-7

Old Testament

• Job 21:1-21
• Daniel 7-8

It is not enough to “know” the things that we should do, we must do them. If we want to know how to draw others to Jesus, we must live a surrendered life in doing the things the same as Jesus did them.

We are surrounded by people who turn the grace of God into lewdness. In the challenging times in which we live, it is more important than ever that we learn to contend for the faith. And, not only are we are to contend, but we re to contend “earnestly.”

The only words that comfort during difficult times are words of truth. Those who love falsehood do not desire the knowledge of God’s ways. They say to God, “Depart from us.”

Many of the visions in Daniel are meant for a time that is yet to come. This should encourage us in the eternalness of our God. A “time and times and half a time” is a reference to 3 1/2 years. The male goat from the west represented Alexander the Great.

Oh Lord, help us to do the things you have modeled for us to do. Guard us from people who turn your grace in lewdness and give us wisdom and boldness to contend earnestly for the faith. May we be lovers of the truth at all times. In Jesus’ name…Amen! 

November – Day 22

The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance. • Samuel Butler

New Testament

• John 13:1-11
• 3 John 1-14

Old Testament

• Job 20
• Daniel 5-6

Jesus loved us to the end, he loves us still, and will love us forever. This is how I want to live my life. While I have failed miserably in this over the years, my prayer would be that in  seeking to finish strong, others might be able to say, “He loved people to the end.”

How sad to have your name (Diotrephes) eternally recorded in Scripture as loving to have preeminence. May our greatest joy always be to hear that others are walking in the truth.

We must be careful to not let our anxiousness answer questions or influence our response to circumstances we don’t understand. What can seem like a triumph, is often short lived.

One of my favorite parts of Daniel in the den of lions is that the Lord didn’t take him out of the den, but kept the mouths of the lions shut. No matter what we might be going through, no matter how many lions seem to be salivating at our presence, the Lord will be faithful to keep their mouths shut.

Oh Lord, how good you are to protect us from harm. We may never know how often you protect us. Help us to never take your care and protection for granted. Lead us in how we can love people to the end, knowing that in doing so, they will be attracted to you. In Jesus’ name…Amen! 

November – Day 21

Good masters teach good doctrine, but that taught by evil masters is wholly evil. • Basil of Caesarea

New Testament

• John 12:37-50
• 2 John 1-13

Old Testament

• Job 19
• Daniel 3-4

One of the real tests of a person’s faith and trust in Christ is how they respond when other’s ask what they believe. It is easy to profess Jesus when among other believers, but what about unbelievers at school, work or in our neighborhoods?

We must be careful of the kind of doctrine (teaching) we allow into our homes. Failure to use discernment in this area could lead to bringing evil into our homes.

What a beautiful picture of Jesus our Redeemer. By faith, and the Holy Spirit Job knew that there was a Redeemer who lives. He knew, just as we do, that when the end of his life came, he would see God.

The stone that was cut without hands, which will prevail in the end is none other than Jesus. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and shall stand forever. Praise God!

Heavenly Father, give us a boldness to testify of our love for you wherever we are. Thank you for Jesus our Redeemer. Help us to keep our eyes fully focused on Jesus, at all times. In His name we pray…Amen!

November – Day 20

The soul of sweet delight, can never be defiled. • William Blake

New Testament

• John 12:20-36
• 1 John 5:13-21

Old Testament

• Job 18
• Daniel 1-2

The truths of God are hard to take if there isn’t a recognition of sin and the eternal consequences of that sin.  It is a spiritual truth that if we love our lives in this world to the extent of ignoring Jesus, we will lose them. However, if we hate this life in the context of our love for God superseding “anything” this life could offer, will will save it.

Why did John write 1 John? That the reader might know that they have eternal life and that such life would lead to a continual belief in his name.

The future of the wicked is bleak. And all because he refuses to know the one true and living God. He is evident in all of creation, therefore their fate is linked to their rejection of the truth.

Daniel is perhaps my most favorite prophetic book. What an amazing example of a young man devoted to God, above all else. What was his secret? He purposed in his heart to not defile himself with the things of the world. Such a great example to us!

Oh Lord, as we read of the accounts of such great men as Daniel, may we realize that it is because of their commitment to you, above all else. Help us to press through all temptations, by looking to you to be our strength. May we find great favor among unbelievers because our our trust and commitment to you, manifested in how we live our lives. In Jesus’ name…Amen! 

November – Day 19

 

The promises (of God’s word) are generally made to an afflicted state; and we could not taste their sweetness, nor experience their truth, if we were not sometimes brought into the circumstances to which they relate. – John Newton

New Testament

• John 12:12-19
• 1 John 5:1-12

Old Testament

• Job 17
• Ezekiel 48

No matter what condition people are in, Jesus knows about it. This should be a great comfort to us. Even in the midst of trial and tribulation. He is aware and ready to comfort through the difficulty. Sometimes it is through healing, sometimes it is through supernatural strength and endurance.

When we have a sincere love for God, having recognized that when we deserved condemnation he provided life, we are more than happy to keep his commandments. And, in light of this, his commandments are not burdensome.

The Book of Job is comforting in that we are reminded that there will be difficult times, times when our spirits are broken and the only thing we see, or feel that is before us is death, the grave. Such sobering truth, points us to Jesus, the one who conquered death.

In light of all of the worry and concern of our recent election and what our future holds, we can be encouraged from the words of Ezekiel, “THE LORD IS THERE.” He is eternal, the same yesterday, today and forever. The Lord is here now and will be forevermore!

Lord, may we look to you in these times in which we live. Give us your heart for those around us who are so much less fortunate than we are. May our joy, even in the midst of suffering, draw people to you. Be our strength today, no matter what we may face. In Jesus’ name…Amen! 

November – Day 18

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. • Mother Teresa

New Testament

• John 12:1-11
• 1 John 4:7-21

Old Testament

• Job 16
• Ezekiel 45-47

To try and feed all of the poor and needy would be an exercise in futility. This does not mean that we should turn a blind eye to the poor, the Bible encourages us to be generous. However, we must keep it in the context of what Jesus said that he is the answer to all poverty, especially the poverty of the soul. Jesus wanted them to give their attention to his teaching, his exhortations, his example.

God is love! How is his love made evident? Through the birth, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus, in order that we might live through him. We would never have been capable or desiring to love God unless he had first loved us.

Job understood the frailty of life in that within what he described as “a few years” man would depart, never to return. Jesus is the only hope for the certainly of a heavenly destination.

It is always good to read of the various requirements for worship. It serves as a great reminder that we no longer have to go through such exercises. Our worship is as close as our crying out to God, regardless of the time or place.

Oh Lord, give us a heart to worship you whenever and wherever we are. Help us to be sensitive to you when we are faced with the homeless and the poor. Holy Spirit direct us in when to give, when to preach, and when to pray. Without you Lord Jesus, we can do nothing. In your glorious name we pray…Amen.

 

November – Day 17

Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins. • Ralph Waldo Emerson

New Testament

• John 11:45-57
• 1 John 4:1-6

Old Testament

• Job 15:17-35
• Ezekiel 42-44

“If we let him alone like this, everyone will believe in him…” The religious rulers were so small minded in their thinking that they actually thought they could stop Jesus. Nothing will thwart his plans. It is evident that the Lord had his way then, and he will have his way now and in the years to come.

How is it that we can know if a spirit is of God or not? It is all based on what a person says about Jesus. God sent him for the sole purpose of saving people from their sins. Refusal to accept this truth in faith, is sealing a dismal fate. This is the truth!

Religious hypocrisy is an awful thing and as prevalent today as ever. The Lord hates it. It draws people away from the truths of God, initially seeming attractive, only to ultimately stir in them a disgust for the very thing they were drawn to in the first place.

The east gate of Jerusalem has been sealed off by by Muslims with one of their graveyards just outside the close gate. Why is this? They know that the Scriptures reveal that the Messiah will return through the east gate. Their hopes is that the dead buried bodies will deter him, and the sealed gate keep him out. Yeah right!

Oh Lord, thank you for your word which declares such glorious truths about you. Thank you for the reminder this morning that nothing stopped you in years gone by, and nothing will stop you in the years to come. May this encourage us, in difficult times, to press forward in gospel truth. In Jesus’ name…Amen!