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The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year; And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

Esther 9:27-28

When God used Mordecai and Esther to foil the wicked plot of Haman to destroy the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire, they rejoiced. It is only right and proper that we give thanks for what God does for us. But that was not all they did. They also established a new celebration, the Feast of Purim, which is still observed today by Jewish people around the world. In synagogues the story of Esther will be read. (A relatively-modern, dating back to the thirteenth century, practice is that children at these celebrations are given noisemakers to drown out the name of Haman every time it is read.) Mordecai established this observance so that the people would not forget what God had done for them in years to come.

Every child of God has received blessings far beyond what we deserve. Salvation alone would be enough to merit a lifetime and then an eternity of gratitude. But God gives us far more than that because of His gracious and loving character. Paul asked, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). It is our responsibility to avoid the trap of thinking somehow we deserve God's blessings. That attitude destroys gratitude and praise very quickly. Instead, we should be reminding ourselves constantly of what God has done, and praising Him to others. “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them” (Psalm 126:2).

We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

Psalm 78:4-7

All of us have a limited time in this world to make a difference for God. Jesus felt this reality deeply, and it shaped His schedule and ministry. He said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Wasted days can never be recovered, for when time has past it is gone forever. That truth should lead us not only to diligence, but also to wisdom. This is what Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." We should make sure that the way we are investing the time and talents we have been given will produce a meaningful impact.

There is almost nothing that can have the lasting impact of passing on the truths we have learned and believed to those who come after us. God's plan is that we will live and teach our families in such a way that they will see His truth and want to follow it themselves. “And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?” (Deuteronomy 6:20). If our lives in private do not match what we say in public, they will notice. If our faith is real and active in the home, they will notice that as well. The opportunity we have to influence the coming generations must not be missed. 

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Colossians 1:19-22

After America gained independence from England in the Revolutionary War, relations between the two countries remained fraught. Less than forty years after the Treaty of Paris was signed, the War of 1812 saw English troops invade America and burn Washington DC. After that war ended, there were ongoing disputes over boundaries and borders. In the 1840s the slogan “54-40 or fight” (referencing the latitude of the proposed border) gained popularity, as a declaration that unless England agreed to recognize all of what was known as the Oregon Territory, which then reached all the way to Alaska as American soil, there would be another war. Considering these years of tensions, it's remarkable that these two adversaries became the closest of allies in the First and Second World War. American support was vital to England's survival as a nation.

Once we were the enemies of God. We were not mostly good people who only needed a little bit of help. We were hopeless sinners utterly dependent on His grace for our salvation. Paul wrote, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

Our standing before God was not reversed by a realignment of His needs. It wasn't that once we were His enemies but then He needed us so overlooked our sin. Rather, God made a way for us to become His friends by His atonement for our sin. Through the death of Christ, we were brought into a relationship with God that places us on His side. He has forgiven our sin and made us His friends. We are now part of His family and part of His kingdom.

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

2 Timothy 1:10-12

Paul's message was never popular. Even in Damascus immediately after his conversion, Paul's powerful preaching stirred up so much opposition they had to sneak him out of the city to prevent him being killed. In town after town, Paul experienced riots, opposition, threats, beatings, and he was thrown in prison more than once. He could have concluded that the persecution was a sign he should change his message. He could have found a safer line of work. He could have stopped speaking the truth. He could have been embarrassed by his “rap sheet.” Instead Paul was focused on serving and pleasing the Lord, and because that was his priority he was not ashamed to suffer for the cause of Christ.

God did not promise us that serving Him would be easy. In fact Jesus specifically said the opposite. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We do not serve God for the praise and approval of men. We do not serve Him to avoid hardship from the world. We serve Him because He saved us and our love for Him is so great that we cannot do anything else. The world may think or say that we should be ashamed for holding on to biblical beliefs and doctrines, but our response should be to just keep going for God no matter what. We need never be ashamed of faithful service to Him.

The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Since the knowledge of God is infinite and unlimited, He could never share with us all that He knows. There are many things we will never know or understand in this life. Christians have been debating certain topics since the days of the church in Jerusalem. We do not need to know what God has not revealed—if we did need that knowledge, He would have given it to us. That makes it even more important that we carefully study, learn and follow what He has shared with us in His Word. The Christian life must be lived by the Bible, or it cannot be lived victoriously and successfully. There are many great books and resources available to us, but none of them compare to the Word of God. That should be our first and most important source of knowledge and guidance. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9).

We are tempted to take the Bible for granted, particularly if we have been reading and studying it for many years. But familiarity with the Word of God should never steal from us the wondrous gratitude for His revelation to us. The Bible should be a joy and delight to us, and we should never stop pouring it into our hearts and minds. Thomas Brooks said, “Remember that it is not hasty reading, but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the mere touching of the flower by the bee that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove to be the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian.”

Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 13:33-35

Everything that Jesus did in this world was motivated by and displayed the love that is an essential part of the nature of God. He was kind and considerate to everyone who came to Him truly seeking help. Even His rebukes of those who opposed the truth were based in His love for them and for others. When Jesus saw people in need, He responded, not simply to demonstrate His power and rightful claim to be the Messiah, but because of His love. “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

It was when Jesus was preparing the disciples for His death and return to Heaven the night before the crucifixion that He issued the new commandment. He would soon not be physically present to express God's love. Instead His followers would need to take up that cause. And Jesus said the love of His followers for each other would be a convincing evidence that they are truly following Him.

Nothing substitutes for love. Many bitter disputes and divides have arisen, not primarily because of doctrinal problems but because of heart problems. We are constantly tempted to let our religious observance take the place of the love we are commanded to show. That kind of religion has no power because it is not real. We must not be like the people Jonathan Swift wrote about: “We have enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

1 John 3:5

Ever since Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, mankind has been under bondage to sin. From generation to generation a sinful nature has been passed down to every child born into the world. Even before birth that sin nature is already there. David wrote, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). Because of that fallen nature, we choose to do wrong over and over again. And because of our sins, we need a Savior. The only just payment for sin against a holy and perfect God is death and eternal separation from Him. That is the reason Jesus came to the world, died on the cross, and rose from the grave—to take away our sins.

Jesus was qualified to do that because every day of His life was lived in obedience to God. Jesus never violated the law, and He perfectly fulfilled every requirement God placed on mankind. The need for a perfect Savior was typified in the Old Testament by the requirements for the Passover lamb. People were not allowed to just use any animal. Instead, it had to be perfect. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats” (Exodus 12:5). God cannot accept less than perfection, and we can never provide it.

Our perfect sinless Savior, Jesus, is our only hope. Those of us who have trusted Him for salvation do not stand before God as sinners. Though we will never be perfect in this life, when God views us, He sees the righteousness of Jesus applied to us by grace through faith. Our sins have been taken away, never to return. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 22:35-40

It wasn't an honest question, seeking truth or information. Instead, the lawyer's question was a trap designed to force Jesus into saying something that could be used against Him by His enemies. But even though that was the background for the question, Jesus still gave a straightforward and truthful response. God comes first, and we must love Him above all else. Others come next, and we must love them as we do ourselves. This proper love provides the foundation for everything else in life. All that God has commanded us to do springs from these two directives, and both of them are focused on our hearts.
 

Ever since Cain brought the wrong kind of offering, people have been trying to substitute other things for love for God and obedience that springs from a heart devoted to Him. Isaac Watts said, “The Great God values not the service of men if the heart be not in it: The Lord sees and judges the heart; He has no regard for outward forms of worship, if there be no inward adoration, if no devout affection be employed therein. It is therefore a matter of infinite importance, to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly for God.” All efforts to please God without our heart being fully involved fail, no matter how sacrificial they may be. Paul wrote, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3).

Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Ezekiel 3:15-17

I read the heartwarming news story of a fifth grade class in Oceanside, California. All fourteen boys in the class had bald heads. Ian O'Gorman was undergoing chemotherapy for his lymphoma, and when his hair started falling out, the barber cut it all off. His classmate Kyle Hanslik shared the idea with his fellow students, and then all made the trip to the barber. “The last thing he would want is to not fit in,” Kyle said. “We just wanted to make him feel better.” Another student, Scott Sebelium said, “If everybody has his head shaved, sometimes people don't know who's who. They don't know who has cancer, and who just shaved their head.”
 

When God sent Ezekiel to deliver His prophetic message to the Jewish people who had been carried away to Babylon, he found a group of people who were heartbroken and unsure about the future. The stories of God's deliverance of His people again and again that they grew up hearing had not been their own experience. Instead, they had been utterly defeated. Before he began delivering the message, Ezekiel first sat down where the people were. He experienced their condition. If we want to make an impact on the world, we cannot do it from a lofty elevation. Jesus came to us with love and compassion, giving up His rights to deliver us. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). We should do the same for others.

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

1 John 3:6

Though there are some people who teach that Christians can arrive at the place where they live completely sinless lives on this earth, that is not a proper understanding of Scripture. The Bible clearly teaches that we still war with our flesh, and there will be times when we do sin. While we have the ability to resist every temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit living within us, we don't always make the right choice. The extent to which we sin is in large measure determined by how close we are to Jesus. If He is our greatest love and our highest ambition is to be more like Him, temptation loses much of its allure. Nothing this world can offer compares to the beauty and glory of the Lord. When His name and His glory and His pleasure fill our hearts and minds, we will turn down what Satan offers us.

The key to having such a relationship with God, that will make us more victorious in fighting temptation is our continuing connection to Him. Power to resist is not a one time thing, but an ongoing, building, growing, and deepening closeness to God. Jesus instructed His disciples, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:4). The ability to triumph over sin, or to do anything else truly meaningful in the Christian life, can only come from God. If we fight our battles in our own strength, we will surely be defeated. Instead, we must constantly and continually be turning to Him—so much so that He becomes the place where our soul lives. Moses described this level of closeness and fellowship when he was inspired to write, “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1). When we yield to temptation, it is always evidence that our relationship with God is not what it should be.

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Genesis 4:5-8

When we do things that are wrong, God invites us to confess our sin to Him to restore fellowship with Him. If we do not, however, we will experience God's correction. And when we do, we have a choice in how we respond. That choice will have dramatic effects on our lives. If we quickly repent, we will find our relationship with God restored, and His grace sufficient for all that we need. If however we become angry at His correction, we will go even further astray. Cain took his resentment toward God out on his brother Abel and killed him. While most of us would never go that far, our rejection of God's chastening drives a wedge further into our relationship and places us on the path to even worse sins.

The only right attitude toward God's correction is grateful repentance. Rather than resenting His chastisement we should quickly learn from it. “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him” (Hebrews 12:5). God is not being unjust or unfair if He allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin or brings chastisement directly into our lives. We have no right or reason to be angry at Him. Instead, we should be grateful that He loves us enough to point out our sins and offer us the chance to restore our fellowship with Him. God's correction is not pleasant, but it is for our benefit. 

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

1 John 3:7

The story goes that a young couple moved from the city to the country. On the property they purchased were a number of trees. Since they moved in the wintertime, there were no leaves or flowers or fruit to help them identify those trees. Curious as to what they had on their land, they asked visitors if they recognized the trees from the wood. One after another these people gave confident but conflicting answers as to what the trees were. Finally one old neighbor passed by and said, “You will know what you have by the end of the year.” A tree that bears walnuts is not a pecan tree, no matter how much the bark and branches confuse those who see it.

The same thing is true in life. There are many people who claim to be one thing or another. They may talk like they are following Jesus, but the actions of their lives do not reflect that. Jesus pointed out the way to identify such people, and it is not through their words, but through their actions. He said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit” (Matthew 7:16-17). A person living in disobedience to God in their actions is not living righteously, no matter how right their words might be.

The temptation to substitute words for actions has been with us ever since the Fall of man. Yet those who want to live in a way that is honoring and pleasing to God must recognize the need to go beyond just words. While our words should certainly be right, they must be our actions. It is not enough to only hear and repeat the truth, but we must actually do right as well. James wrote, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

1 Peter 4:14-16

Because we live in a world marred by sin that took mankind away from God's design, we should not be surprised that we live in a world where trouble is a common occurrence. Because we are trying to live by God's Word, we should not be surprised that a world that rejects Him will reject us well. Jesus warned, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). When evil gains power over society, we should not be surprised that persecution follows.

In light of this truth, we are given a dual responsibility. First, we must be faithful to Christ no matter what; no opposition or suffering should deter us from walking in His steps. Second, we must be sure that any persecution we experience is because of our faith, not because of our wrongdoing. When we suffer consequences for wrongdoing, we cannot claim to be suffering for Christ. Our lives need to be right in the eyes of the world, not to draw attention to ourselves or for our own glory, but for God's glory. When Daniel's enemies investigated his life and work trying to find a way to bring him down, they came up empty. The only way they could find to attack him was on the strength of his faith. “Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God” (Daniel 6:5).

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Ephesians 2:1-3

The chorus many of us sang as children said, “The things I used to do, I don't do them anymore, there's been a great change since I've been born again.” And while the change is different for different people depending on what age they were saved and how they lived prior to their salvation, there is truly a great change in the life of every person who has been born again. Those who were saved as children may not have the same scars and stories to tell, but they were just as vitally in need of salvation as someone who had followed the devil for decades. Part of that great change is a change not just in actions, but in our attitude and our desires.

Most people have an appetite for the foods they ate as children, and those are their favorites to eat as adults. It is not that those foods are necessarily better than a different cuisine, but there is a level of comfort and familiarity with what we are accustomed to that nothing else can match. When we get saved, God gives us a new set of desires and appetites. The old ones do not vanish or go away, but there is a stronger desire for things that are new. Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). When we nurture our desire for God's Word—hungering for it with the intensity that a baby desires milk—it brings about spiritual growth and change in our lives. 

Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 8:42-44

All of us have genetic traits passed down from our ancestors. We often say someone “takes after” his parents or grandparents. Maybe it's our height or our hair color or natural athleticism. Maybe it's a talent for doing certain things. This passing down of traits is not a process that has to be worked on; it's automatic. The same is true in the spiritual world. Because of sin, all of us start out in the wrong family. We are not basically good people who need a little help. We are completely sinful, and we take after the devil who brought lies and death into God's perfect creation. As long as we are lost, we do not have the power to stand against Satan. Paul told Timothy the importance of the gospel in giving hope for this world and the next: “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:26).

When we trust Christ as our Savior, however, God gives us a new nature. Now, as a child of God, we are "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:11). We now have the power to say no to sin and yes to God, as Romans 6:11-13 instructs: "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ... Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." Growth in our Christian life is the process of becoming increasingly like our heavenly Father. 

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8

Throughout history, even those who loved God and tried to follow Him failed to stand successfully against the temptations of Satan. Some of the greatest heroes of the faith, including Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David yielded to the allure of sin at some point in their lives. The very best that they were able to do was not enough when they attempted to stand in their own strength. It is no different for us. When we face temptation, if we are relying on ourselves, we will fall. As the old hymn put it, “Stand in His strength alone, The arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own.”

Though He remained fully God, Jesus was also fully human while on earth. He had a body that got tired and got hungry. He was subjected to the same kind of temptations we face. Jesus not only triumphed over those temptations Himself as an example we could follow, using the Word of God to resist them, but He undermined Satan's power to overcome and defeat us. Jesus gives us the ability to live victoriously. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

The work that Jesus came to do involves more than providing for our salvation. God could just take us directly to Heaven at the moment of our conversion, but He has plans for us to fulfill and work for us to accomplish. Jesus gives us the power to win battles against Satan so that we can serve Him effectively. Where once we could not resist the devil, we now can have victory. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:9-10

The devil has been attacking and accusing God's people throughout human history. He attacks us here in this world, bringing temptations into our path to try to draw us away from God. He also maligns our motives and actions before the Lord, as he did with Job. “Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?” (Job 1:9). There will never be a day in our lives here on earth when we do not have to deal with Satan and his minions as they work against us. But as powerful as Satan is, the day is coming when his ability to stand against God's people will be destroyed forever. We do not need to fear the ultimate outcome of the battle.

It may seem to us sometimes that the devil is winning. We look around at our society and see evil advancing. We look around at churches that were once lighthouses of truth and see they have turned away from faithfulness to God. We look at Christians who were examples to follow but whose hearts have grown cold. Yet as bad as things may seem, we are on the winning side. Even Satan is aware of the promises in God's Word that his reign over the fallen world will come to an end. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12).

This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

Joshua 9:12-14

After the death of her husband and the other missionaries who were attempting to reach a group of people deep in the jungle in Ecuador, Elisabeth Elliot remained in Ecuador and carried on the work she and her husband had been doing before his death. At one point she was visited by two men headed on a trek into the Andes. They were loaded down with gear and ready for their trip. Because of their self-confidence, they didn't ask Elisabeth for any advice, despite her years of experience in the region. Instead, they just wanted a few phrases they could use to converse with people they might meet. Later Elisabeth wrote, “Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me—confident and, we think, well informed and well equipped...we often ask too little of God.”

God has all the knowledge and wisdom we could ever need for our lives. Yet too often we rely on our own experience and insight, not recognizing how limited those are. As a result, like the Israelites with the people of Gibeon, we frequently go astray. God could have warned the people, but they failed to seek His advice. God's guidance is offered to us, but we must be willing to seek and follow it to keep from going astray. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13).

And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Mark 9:30-32

Jesus came to earth specifically to die on the cross as the sacrifice for sin and then be raised from the dead three days later. This was not a plan that was made up on the spur of the moment or developed along the way after Jesus' arrival in Bethlehem's manger. Yet that plan was incomprehensible even to His closest followers. Over time, as He taught them more and more about God and His purposes, Jesus began to prepare the disciples for what was coming. He told them specifically that He would die and be resurrected, but they did not grasp the point. That is not surprising, because God's ways and thoughts are far higher than ours. The tragedy is that they did not ask Him to clarify what He was saying.

As a result, during the three days and three nights Jesus was in the grave, they lived in sorrow, fear, and dread. The cross was not a defeat. The grave was not an end. Those were all parts of God's plan—a plan they had been told about. Because they did not understand the teaching and believe the promises, they suffered greatly until Easter came. It was only when they found the tomb empty and saw Jesus in person that they truly believed. “When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (John 2:22). God always has hope and comfort available to us, but we must believe His Word to receive it.

Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

Romans 7:17-21

We rightly think of Paul as a giant of the faith. This man who had once relentlessly persecuted the church showed the same zeal in spreading the gospel after he met Jesus and was saved. His fearless preaching spread the gospel across the Roman Empire, often at great personal cost. He was beaten, stoned, thrown in jail, shipwrecked, and falsely accused. Yet through all of that, Paul remained faithful to the Lord. However, despite his faith and life of service, Paul still identified with the struggle against sin. He still fought the old nature, and he still found it easier to do wrong than to do right.

We must never fall into the trap of thinking that we have somehow arrived at a point where we are no longer susceptible to sin. If we think we are above falling, we are in grave danger. Peter demonstrated this truth when Jesus warned him about his coming denial. Peter loudly protested his loyalty to Christ, saying that if everyone else turned away, he would not. “But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I” (Mark 14:29). A few hours later the rooster crowed, and Peter wept bitterly because he had done the very thing he was so certain he would not do. We cannot fight against sin in our own power, but in God's power we can have victory.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 3:9

Getting saved always produces a new creation with a new nature. However, it does not completely remove the inward struggle against temptation. There are two appetites within us, and each wants to have its way. The new nature doesn't sin. In fact, it can't sin. But that is not all there is. The old nature doesn't do right. In fact, it can't do right. Paul wrote, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18).

Sometimes this constant struggle makes people doubt whether they are even saved. While it is true that some people who profess to be saved are not, it is also true that every child of God still sins. We should not. We do not have to do so. But we do. When we sin, we should quickly confess and forsake it, for if we do not we will be chastened by God. Just as we did not do anything or stop doing anything to get saved, we do not keep our salvation by our actions or by avoiding sin. The only time sin should make us doubt our salvation is if we continue enjoying it without being chastened.

From the moment we are saved, our eternal destiny is completely settled. The Holy Spirit comes to live within us, and He will never leave. “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” (Ephesians 1:12-13). God never loses one of His children. The gift of salvation comes with a “no return” policy.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:3-6

Nicodemus had a prominent and exalted position among the Jewish people and was trusted to be an arbiter of issues concerning the law and religion. When a new preacher created a stir in Galilee, he went to investigate. There were many false teachers who led people astray, and it is likely Nicodemus had talked to some of them also. He had years of training and study of the Old Testament, but Nicodemus had trouble understanding the need for a Savior from sin. He recognized Jesus was doing miracles in God's power, but the concept of needing to be born again was difficult for him to grasp.

That same difficulty is still around today. Many people think that they are basically good so that they have no need of salvation. Others reject the ideas that there is even such a thing as right and wrong, or sin or absolute truth. But every person born into this world is born a sinner who must be born again to enter Heaven. We will not be able to convince everyone of the truth, but it is our responsibility to tell them. Whether they know they need it or are willing to agree with it, everyone needs the message Jesus gave to Nicodemus. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 2:9-11

According to a 2021 World Watch List, more than one of every eight people who identify themselves as Christians faced high levels of discrimination and even persecution in 2020 for standing up for what they believe. The report also revealed a more than 60 percent increase in the number of Christian martyrs from 2019 and identified more than 4,700 deaths of Christians in 2020, with the great majority—90 percent—occurring in Africa. The entire history of the church is that of people willing to risk and give their lives for their faith. As the early Christian, Tertullian, said, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”

Most readers of this devotion are not dealing with such a high level of persecution. But even minor annoyances and ongoing harassment for our faith can tempt us to weaken our stand for the truth. No one in history has ever been brought to Christ by arrogant obnoxiousness. We must take our stand in such a way that we are not driving people away from God but rather drawing them to Him, but we must stand firm for God. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3).

Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Psalm 84:9-12

Matthew Henry was in great demand as a speaker in churches across England. His insights into the Scriptures challenged people in a way many had never heard before. Throughout his life, in addition to his preaching, Henry worked on what became one of the most used commentaries on the Bible in history. But he also endured great sadness and suffering. His first wife died not long after giving birth to their daughter, who then also died. Both of his children with his second wife died as infants as well. Yet rather than being angry at God, Henry remained devoted to Him. The night before his death, he told a friend, “You have been used to take notice of the sayings of dying men: this is mine—That a life spent in the service of God, and communion with him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that any one can live in this world.”

God didn't promise things would be easy if we follow and obey Him. He told us, instead, that He would be with us no matter what. Christians who value the things of this world too highly will never be willing to make the sacrifices required or stand up to hardship and suffering without giving up. It is only when our highest values are the things of God that we live up to His calling. Even what the world regards as menial service is transformed into joy and blessing when it is done in the presence of the Lord.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3:10

There are two families of people in this world. Everyone is born into the first—the family of the devil—because of the sin nature that has been passed down through the generations since Adam. We don't have to do anything to join that family because we are born into it. But through God's grace, a way is open for us to join a new family through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

Of course, there are people who say they are part of God's family when they are not. John gives us two primary means of determining which family we are in: the way we live and the way we love. There is something wrong when a person who claims to be in God's family lives like the devil. Righteous living is not a means of gaining salvation or of keeping salvation. Nothing we could ever do would merit becoming part of God's family. But continual ungodly living does give reason to question if we have been born again. Our lifestyle should confirm that we belong to the family of God.

In addition to righteous living, Christians are commanded to love other believers. Jesus said that above all else, this would be the evidence that would demonstrate to those around us that our faith is real and we are committed to following Him. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Acts 8:36-38

When God directed Philip away from a great revival in Samaria to go into the desert, he must surely have wondered why. Yet Philip was obedient. In God's timing and plan, Philip interacted with a man who had worldly power and authority, but no peace in his heart. Even though he had been in Jerusalem for the feasts, the Ethiopian eunuch was still looking for something. When Philip heard him read from the scroll of Isaiah, he was able to connect the ancient prophecy to the Lord Jesus, and show the eunuch that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. He joyfully accepted Christ as His Savior, and then he wanted to take an immediate step of obedience and profess his faith in Christ to others through baptism. 

As long as we are alive, there is always another step we can take for God. If our hearts are right toward Him and if we believe what He says, we will take that step. Whether it is in our witnessing, our giving, our parenting, our friendships, or anything else, a willingness to do what God calls us to do is vital to fulfilling His purpose. Again and again in the Bible we read of God starting His calling by asking people to use what they already had in hand. There was Moses who was called to use the shepherd's rod in his hand, the widow who had a little oil to borrow vessels, and the little boy who offered his lunch to Jesus to feed a multitude. If, rather than waiting until we fully see how things will work, we simply take the next step, we can do great things for God.

And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 9:59-62

When Jesus called the twelve disciples to follow Him, He didn't offer any part time positions. Peter, Andrew, James, and John left behind their fishing boats. Matthew gave up his despised but lucrative position as a tax collector for the Romans. All of them left everything behind to spend the next years of their lives with Jesus. They heard Him teach, they asked Him questions, and they learned what they needed to know to prepare them to lead the church and spread the gospel after Jesus returned to Heaven. They were willing to pay the price to follow Him.

A large number of people followed Jesus for a time at the beginning of His ministry, but as He made the purpose of His coming more and more clear, most of them deserted Him. “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” (John 6:66-67). The call to be a disciple of Jesus requires complete commitment. Nothing can be allowed to come before our service and obedience to Him.

Horatius Bonar wrote, “If you are Christians, be consistent. Be Christians out and out; Christians every hour, in every part. Beware of halfhearted discipleship, of compromise with evil, of conformity to the world, of trying to serve two masters—to walk in two ways, the narrow and the broad, at once. It will not do. Halfhearted Christianity will only dishonor God, while it makes you miserable.”

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:11

Love is not something God does, but rather an integral part of who He is. Love is His nature and character. Nothing shows that love more than His willingness to offer salvation to us, and take us out of the family of Satan and put us in His own family. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (1 John 3:1). We must never lose our appreciation for His great love.

The English Puritan Richard Baxter said, “Is it a small thing in your eyes to be loved by God—to be the delight of the King of glory? Christian, believe this, and think about it: you will be eternally embraced in the arms of the love which was from everlasting, and will extend to everlasting—of the love which brought the Son of God’s love from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory—that love which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spat upon, crucified, pierced—which fasted, prayed, taught, healed, wept, sweated, bled, died. That love will eternally embrace you.”

That divine love of Christ is what we are also called to show and share with others. Just as the moon does not shine itself but rather reflects the light of the Sun, we are to reflect God's love to those around us. Everything we have is a gift from God, not simply for our own benefit, but to share with others as well. When Jesus sent the twelve disciples out to proclaim the gospel, He told them, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7-8).

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Matthew 9:36-38

One of the most notable characteristics Jesus displayed in His time on earth was a deep compassion for the needs of others. When the disciples got frustrated with the crowds and wanted Him to send them away, Jesus cared for them and continued to meet their needs. When He saw the sick, He loved them and responded with healing power that demonstrated not only His divinity and the truth of His claim to be the Messiah, but His compassion. We certainly should do what we can to help those in need, and we certainly should remember that the greatest need of all is spiritual not physical. There is one response we must not neglect or overlook—our duty to pray for them.

Every person around us will spend an eternity in either Heaven or Hell. That reality should drive us to our knees. We should have the compassion that Jesus had, and seek His help in reaching out. Charles Spurgeon said, “Methinks every true Christian should be exceedingly earnest in prayer concerning the souls of the ungodly; and when they are so, how abundantly God blesses them and how the church prospers!” Of course when we are praying for workers to reach people, we should never forget that we may be the answer to our own prayer. Sometimes God's plan is not to send others, but to send us. In such a case, the only appropriate response is the one Isaiah made: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Franklin Graeff was a faithful pastor in the city of Philadelphia for nearly thirty years. Over the years, he lost a number of close family members, yet he remained faithful and diligent in his service to God. He was an accomplished author, poet and hymn writer. It was in 1901, after his beloved youngest sister died, that Graeff wrote his best-known work.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth and song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

O yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

God does not keep His children from ever suffering hardship or loss. God does not protect His children from experiencing the results of living in a fallen world. God does always have love and compassion for us, and He does promise to turn our suffering into future glory (Romans 8:18). In every trial, in every test, in every circumstance, He knows and understands what we are going through. He offers us a source of comfort and help in every trouble, and all we have to do is access His grace. Peter wrote, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). We are not able to bear our own burdens in our own strength, nor are we meant to. Instead, we are to flee to the Lord, walking through the door His grace has opened for us into the very presence of God and seek His help.

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

1 John 3:12

Cain and Abel had the same parents. They were reared in the same home and received the same instruction regarding God. They were each diligent enough to bring a sacrifice, but that is where the similarity ends. What was in their hearts was revealed by their approach to the altar, and God saw not just what they were doing, but how and why they were doing it. “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:4-5).

Cain refused to accept God's offer of a way to make things right with Him. Instead, his heart filled with anger and jealousy directed toward his brother. Cain was not being mistreated, taken advantage of or treated unfairly. It was not Abel's fault that Cain's offering was rejected. Yet he became the target of Cain's envy, with deadly results. In William Shakespeare's Othello, first published in 1604, a phrase we still use today appeared in print for the first time. “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” Resenting others for what they have, or for what God seems to be doing in their lives may begin on the inside, but if that envy is allowed to grow unchecked, disaster will result. Proverbs 14:30 warns us, "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones." 

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

James 2:15-18

You may have read the old story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Sometimes people struggle to determine God's will for their lives. While there may be questions about major issues like where to live or in what specific role to serve the Lord, there are other cases in which there is no doubt at all. When God brings people who need our help across our paths, we are supposed to do what we can to help them. Of course, no one can meet every need, and many people have needs greater than we can meet. But we are to do what we can to help those we can, because we love them as God commands us to. James wrote, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well” (James 2:8). We certainly should pray for and with people who are hurting, but we must also be ready and willing to do our part to be the answer to their prayers. If God has given us the ability to meet needs, we need to do it rather than hoping someone else will.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Philippians 3:7-9

The great missionary David Livingstone was asked how he felt about having given up so much and endured so much hardship and suffering in his service to God. He replied, “Away with the word sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.”

Our willingness to endure hardship for the cause of Christ and continue in the face of difficulty, opposition and even persecution is directly related to what we value most. If the things of this world matter more than they should to us, we will be tempted to protect them rather than being willing to give them up if God requires it. We must make sure that our hearts are fixed on the eternal so that we are not deterred by the threat of the loss of any material possessions. Things of this world simply don't matter in light of eternity. Paul wrote, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Our desire to love, please and serve God as we should must take precedence over our attachment to anything else.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

1 John 3:13

Though we do not know exactly when the Apostle John wrote this epistle, it is believed to be one of the last books of the New Testament to have been written. It is likely that by the time 1 John was written, John was the only one of Jesus' disciples who was still alive. All of his friends and companions from those days had been martyred. His own brother had been the first to die, as Herod had James killed in order to quiet the protests of Jewish religious leaders. I'm sure he remembered the words of Jesus in the Upper Room. “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20).

So John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, passed on to us the warning that we should not be upset or taken off guard if we face hatred from the world. Maybe you've come across the conversation between two people. The first man says, “If you Christians were more like Jesus, people would like you better.” “They crucified Him,” the second man responds. At its core, the message of Christianity—that mankind is lost and needs a Savior, and that Jesus is the only way to Heaven—is offensive to a culture that rejects truth and even the concept of sin. There will always be people who respond very negatively to the truth. This is not because the truth is wrong, but because they refuse to believe it. Peter wrote about people in his day who denied the Creation and the Flood. “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water” (2 Peter 3:5). Telling people the truth may bring opposition and hatred, but we are called to lovingly tell them the truth regardless.

For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.

Deuteronomy 32:9-12

Robert Lowry was saved as a teenager and not long after decided to train for the ministry. A gifted preacher, Lowry also wrote a number of hymns. Based on his work, Lowry was asked by the Biglow and Main Company, one of the largest hymnal publishers in the country, to become their hymnal editor. Some time later he received a poem in the mail from Fanny Crosby for the first time. Taken by the words, Lowry composed a tune to go with it, and it was first published in 1875.

All the way my Savior leads me–
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?

Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

God always knows where we are going and how He will arrange to lead us if we trust Him for guidance. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He never has to adjust a plan to deal with something unexpected that came up. Even when we cannot see how He is guiding us, we can rest confidently in His promise that He will. It is easy to trust God when things are going the way we think they should, but He is just as faithful when we are confused and find things hard. That is the essence of faith. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13

One of the things that makes sin so deceptive is that it is very easy to get used to. We may think that we would never do what others do, but if we are exposed to it long enough, we begin to accept it, at least for them. From there it is only a short step to accepting it for ourselves. We see this tragic process played out in the life of Lot. When he left Abraham, he first faced his tent in the direction of Sodom, and eventually moved there with his entire family. He wasn't planning to stay, as the evil men of the city pointed out during their attack. “And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door” (Genesis 19:9).

Lot's plan wasn't to relocate to Sodom permanently, but the longer he stayed the harder it was to leave. He tolerated what those around him were doing, with devastating results to his own family. If we get to the point where sin is no longer hateful and disgusting to us, we are in great danger of spiritual catastrophe. We are not meant to isolate ourselves from the world and withdraw completely, but we must not adapt our hearts and consciences to the sin around us either. Alexander Pope wrote:

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1 John 3:14

Our salvation does not depend on us. Rather it is all of God. He wants those of us who have received His free gift of salvation to be fully assured that we have it. Satan has used doubts about salvation to hinder many believers from being effective in their service to God. If we are not confident in our own salvation, how can we expect to point others to Christ? There have been false professors of faith ever since Judas Iscariot, and we must be certain that we are truly saved. Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

But there should not be constant doubt and dread that we have truly been saved and are secure. The same God who saved us keeps us safe and secure in Him. Samuel Rutherford wrote, “I rejoice in the hope of that glory to be revealed, for it is no uncertain glory that we look for. Our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as, 'I imagine so,' or 'It is likely,' but the cable, the strong tow of our fastened anchor, is the oath and promise of Him who is eternal verity. Our salvation is fastened with God’s own hand, and with Christ’s own strength, to the strong stake of God’s unchangeable nature. 

The apostle John wrote the epistle of 1 John to help believers have the assurance that they are saved. He gave a number of indicators of a new birth and new life, including the verse above about having a love for other Christians. None of these things are done so that we can be saved, but rather are done because we have been saved. The more closely our lives align with God's Word and God's will, the less opportunity there will be for doubt to creep in and undermine our confidence.

And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

Joshua 7:6-8

The first city Israel fought against in the Promised Land was Jericho. The mighty walls of the city proved no obstacle for God, who flattened them so that Israel could win the battle. God had commanded that none of the goods from the city be taken by the people. They were reserved for Him alone. Yet when Achan saw gold and silver and good clothing, he took it and hid it in his tent. No doubt he thought that after a few more battles he would be able to bring it out and pretend that it had come from a later conquest. He was wrong. God saw his sin and Israel lost their battle against Ai as a result.

Joshua had been in charge of Israel's army from the time they left Egypt, and they had never lost a battle. In his distress, he expressed a wish that the Israelites had never entered Canaan. This is exactly the wrong response. When God brings chastisement into our lives, the right response is not to wish we had stopped short of what He promised and settled for less, but rather to deal with the sin that caused the problem. Once Achan had been identified and punished, God's favor returned to the people and they were victorious over Ai and the other cities in the Promised Land. God does not want us to do less to try to avoid trouble. He wants us to act in faith and claim His promises.

And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

Judges 7:9-11

Just before Gideon led his little army of only three hundred men against 135,000 Midianites, God offered him one final confirmation that what He had told Gideon to do would succeed. He sent Gideon down to the camp of the enemy army, There Gideon heard one of the Midianite soldiers recount a dream that foretold Gideon's victory. Thus encouraged, Gideon led his men into battle and won the victory. But God knows the way in which fear often impacts the way we deal with situations, so He offered Gideon the encouragement of having someone go with him when he made that dangerous trip. The presence of Phurah gave him confidence to walk into the enemy camp.

God did not design us to be alone and isolated from each other. He knows that we need the fellowship, help, encouragement and sometimes correction of others. Solomon wrote, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). When Jesus sent the disciples out on their own for the first time, He sent them in pairs. Each of us needs people like Phurah was for Gideon in our lives who help us keep going. As the old saying put it, “He may have been called the Lone Ranger, but he wasn't alone—he had Tonto.”

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 3:15

The commandments of the Old Testament under which Israel lived were primarily focused on outward behavior. Actions that were wrong were prohibited. People were told not to make idols, not to take God's name in vain, not to murder, not to lie, not to commit adultery, and not to steal. Actions that were right were commanded. People were told to worship God alone, to keep the Sabbath and to honor their parents. But there were also commandments regarding the heart. People were told to love and worship God alone, and that they should not covet what belonged to others.

Over time outward compliance to the visible commandments became the only thing that mattered. Tradition grew up around the law, and pious acts in public took the place of actual obedience to God in the heart. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for this practice. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

It is not enough for our outward actions to be in minimal compliance with what God expects. Obedience always starts in the heart, and if what is inside is not right, eventually it will become apparent on the outside. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus raised the standard. It's not enough to just not murder someone, not commit adultery or not steal. We must not hate, not lust and not covet to be right in the eyes of God.

God will not excuse wrong or evil attitudes in the heart just because we have not yet acted on them. He will not hold us guiltless just because no one else can see what we are thinking or feeling. “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10).

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

John 15:1-4

Every Christian is called to live a fruitful life, and one of the main prerequisites to fruitfulness is that our lives are clean. We would never choose a glass that was filthy to serve a drink to a guest in our homes. Instead, we select the cleanest one we can find. God is the same way. He wants us to be holy because that is a reflection of His character. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). He wants us to be holy because it makes us more useful in His service. “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isaiah 52:11).

The key to holiness is found in our relationship with Jesus. It is His Word in our hearts and minds that guides us into true holiness. It is possible to fake an outward compliance with rules, at least for a time, but a holy heart can only be produced by spending time abiding in Him. Charles Spurgeon said, “If you think you can walk in holiness without keeping up perpetual fellowship with Christ, you have made a great mistake. If you would be holy, you must live close to Jesus.” We do not overcome sin in our own strength, but in the power of His Spirit who dwells within us.

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

James 5:1-3

After Germany's defeat in World War I, heavy reparations were levied on the German people to pay for the damage done in France and Belgium by the war. The German economy began to crumble, and some of the worst inflation the world had ever seen soon followed. In 1922 German people were paying 3 Reichmarks for a loaf of bread which when the war ended had cost half a mark. In January 1923 the price jumped to 700 Reichsmarks. By July 1923 one loaf of bread cost 100,000 Reichmarks. By November 1923 price had reached 80 billion Reichmarks. Money had such little value that a thief saw a man taking a wheelbarrow loaded with paper money to the store to buy food. The thief stole the wheelbarrow and left all the money behind. Parents gave their children stacks of money to play with because that was cheaper than buying toys.

For thousands of years people have relied on money, wealth and possessions as a source of security. For thousands of years, people have found that money never provides true security. Solomon wrote, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). The only real security available to us is God. And while it is certainly possible that God will bless us financially, that remains true. In fact when we are blessed with resources, we need to guard our hearts from becoming too attached to them. “Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them” (Psalm 62:10).

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 John 3:16

Evidence of God's goodness and glory are all around us. David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3). No one is able to truthfully deny the existence of God. They may claim He does not exist. They may claim the Bible to be an ancient and unreliable collection of fables and myths. They may refuse to accept the truth. But the truth does not change. God is revealed to the world through His creation.

Even more specifically, God's love is revealed to the world through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. Again this message is unmistakable because Jesus did not die for His friends or for those who were worthy of His sacrifice, which some people might have done. Instead Jesus died for His enemies, showing His love to the very people who killed Him as well as to each of us a sinners. “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8). Although God's love is revealed in creation, it is perceived in the sacrificial death of Jesus.

Similarly, we can tell others of God's love, and hopefully they will listen. But just as we perceive God's love through Jesus' sacrifice, so the best way to demonstrate God's love to the world is to model the sacrificial nature of Jesus to all those around us, both the lost and the saved. The world values standing up for ourselves and insisting on our rights, but that is not how Jesus lived. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Acts 3:11-13

One of the most spectacular miracles in the early church was the healing of a lame man at the Temple. He was carried there day after day to beg because he had no means of supporting himself. All of the people who went to the Temple knew him, because they had seen him over and over again. This man had been born lame, never able to walk, and everyone knew it. So when Peter told him to rise and walk in the name of Jesus, though he had never learned to walk, the man was not just healed but immediately able to walk and run and jump.

Of course this drew quite a crowd, and Peter preached the gospel to them. He was quick to point out that he was not the hero of the story—Jesus was. God does not need our help for His work, but He allows us to be part of it. The purpose of our ministry is not to build up or glorify ourselves, but to bring honor and glory to Him. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). If God enables and allows us to accomplish great things for Him, that is a result of and reflection on His goodness and power, not our own.

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

Psalm 44:1-3

Because God never changes, He has worked throughout history on behalf of His people. Sometimes that work took the form of great miracles that brought victory when defeat seemed inevitable. Sennacherib sent his messengers to boast of impending victory outside the walls of Jerusalem. “Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?” (2 Chronicles 32:15). The next morning 185,000 Assyrian soldiers lay dead outside the city. Sometimes His work is in small ways that we do not even recognize until later on and may never recognize at all because His protection prevented us from seeing it. “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22).

In either case, we should not be content to only hear about things God has done in the past but to understand He is also working on our behalf today. There is great benefit in reading the stories of men and women God has used and blessed and of the wonderful things He has done in the lives of those who came before us. Those stories should challenge us not to settle for less than God is able and willing to do for those who trust Him. What we have heard of God doing in the past should make us desire to see it again in the present.

But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

1 John 3:17

When Hudson Taylor was preparing to go to the mission field in China, he determined to begin living by faith. Far from home in England there would be no one he could ask for help except God, so Taylor refused to ask anyone for money. He worked for an absentminded doctor, who had told Taylor to remind him when his salary was due to be paid. Instead, Taylor prayed and asked God to remind his employer. Once Taylor had not been paid and found himself down to a single half crown coin. On his way home from church, a desperate man asked Taylor to come and pray for his wife. Though the man was Catholic, the priest had refused to come unless payment was made, and the man had no money.

Taylor accompanied the man and found his wife and her newborn baby both at the point of death. They could not afford either food or medicine. Taylor later reported that he struggled greatly in praying with the man. He knew that he should give them some money, but he was clinging desperately to the last money he had. Taylor wrote his conscience, “You hypocrite! Telling these unconverted people about a kind and loving Heavenly Father, and not prepared yourself to trust Him without half a crown.” Taylor yielded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and gave the man all he had to help save the family. He went home to empty cupboards with an empty pocket, but rejoicing in spirit. The next morning he received an anonymous gift in the mail of half a sovereign—four times the value of half a crown.

There are some needs that we simply do not have the resources to meet. But when God has blessed us, we have a responsibility to do what we can to help. While this is generally true, it especially applies with the body of the church. Paul wrote, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families. And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

Joshua 16:8-10

When God was preparing the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, He gave them strict instructions not to allow any of the inhabitants of the land to remain. They were to kill or drive out everyone who currently lived there. This was not a capricious command, but one based on what God knew would happen if they did not. Moses warned that if the people were left in the land, “That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 20:18).

Instead, the Israelites decided that they would be better off having some of the people work as servants and pay high taxes. No doubt they justified this reasoning because of the economic benefit it would produce, but it had exactly the spiritual consequences God had warned about. It was not long until many of the people forsook God and adopted the religion of those around them. By the days of King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, idolatry had become widespread. “For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree” (1 Kings 14:23).

All of the warnings and restrictions and commandments that God gives us are based on His infinite knowledge. God is not trying to deprive us or keep us from doing things that are enjoyable, but rather for our own good. If we substitute our judgment for His and do not obey, we will suffer the consequences from which He tried to protect us.

Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

Acts 5:26-28

The Holy Spirit-empowered preaching of Peter and the other apostles created a dilemma for the Jewish religious leaders. The people saw the miracles that were being performed in the name of Jesus, and many of them trusted in Christ as their Savior. But the Sanhedrin hated Jesus. So to try to silence the apostles, the Sanhedrin had them thrown into prison. But God opened the doors, and the apostles went right back to preaching about Jesus. When they were brought back before the leaders, the high priest complained that he and his fellow council members were being blamed for the death of Jesus. That is an ironic complaint, because when Pilate pointed out that they were intentionally asking for the death of an innocent man, they said they were willing to take responsibility for it. “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matthew 27:25).

Many times people make choices and take actions only to later regret the consequences that follow. While we do not always see all the possible outcomes, often the things that will follow from what we do are clearly visible even from the beginning. Yet people move forward anyway, thinking that they will somehow be the exception to the law of sowing and reaping. One old preacher said, “People sow wild oats and then pray for crop failure.” The world doesn't work that way. God has designed things so that consequences will naturally follow from our actions, for both good and ill. If we want to enjoy the pleasant fruit of a harvest of good things, we must plant the seeds of actions that will produce that crop.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:18

In her poem “Which Loved Her Best?” Joy Allison told the story of a mother who had three children. Each professed to love her. But John went out to play instead of doing his chores, leaving his mother to bring in wood for the fire. Nell pouted and fussed so much that her mother was glad when she finally went outside. Nan picked up a broom and swept the house, rocked the baby to sleep and helped in all the ways she could. The poem concludes this way:

“I love you, Mother," again they said,
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think that Mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best?

If we love God, our words toward and about Him should be right. But that alone is not enough. God does not just want our verbal obedience. He wants our actions to be right springing out of a heart of love. No matter what we may say, it is what we do that truly reveals the condition of our heart toward Him. Isaiah described God's knowledge of the people of Israel in his day: “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:13).

The things that we do spring from our heart, which is why Jesus said the most important of all the commandments was to love God first and most above everything else. We will not do right unless we first love rightly. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Romans 12:3-5

Lucius Licinius Lucullus was one of the most famous and respected Romans during the period prior to the rise of Julius Caesar. He was known for three things: his military genius which led to great victories, his vast wealth which he often shared with the common people, and the lavish banquets he loved to host. Even to this day writers may describe a sumptuous dinner as "Lucullan" in a nod to his lavish meals. It is said that once while he was on a military campaign, he came into his tent to find there were no gold drinking cups on the table for his evening meal. When he complained, his servant pointed out that they had no guests. The irate leader responded, “Tonight Lucullus dines with Lucullus!”

The world may tell us to be proud of ourselves and carefully guard our self-esteem, but God has a different standard. Instead of being focused on self, we are to be more concerned with the needs of those around us. Paul wrote, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). In truth every good thing we accomplish is because of God's power and blessing and every good thing that we have is because of His grace and generosity. We have nothing for which to be proud. Instead, we should be humbly grateful toward God and selflessly giving toward others. We are simply part of Christ's body, not the whole, and we should never think too highly of ourselves.