A Lasting Letter
by Dennis Fisher

Read: Isaiah 40:1-8

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever. —Isaiah 40:8

The family members who founded Hobby Lobby craft stores are born-again believers. The president, Steve Green, is passionate about the Scriptures and plans to establish a Bible museum that will display rare books and manuscripts from around the world. He said, “We are interested in . . . encouraging people to consider what [the Bible] has to say. . . . The goal is to create a museum around the story of the Bible. No book has been persecuted as much or loved as much. Its incredible story needs to be told.”

The Bible has been preserved through time in remarkable ways, and the museum will tell that story. The oldest copies we have of the New Testament are more numerous and closer to the date of the eyewitness events recorded than any other ancient document from that time. Their reports on Christ are more reliable than anything we know about Socrates or Caesar. It should not surprise us that God is behind the scenes using people and circumstances to pass on His inspired text of redemption. Isaiah eloquently proclaimed: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:8).

As we read the Bible with an open heart, we long to share its message. It’s God’s lasting letter to all.

The Bible stands and it will forever,
When the world has passed away;
By inspiration it has been given—
All its precepts I will obey. —Lillenas

In all literature there is nothing that compares with the Bible.

our daily bread

Where the Battle is Won or Lost

If you will return, O Israel,’ says the Lord . . . —Jeremiah 4:1

Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.

I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.

In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.

my utmost for his highest

“Walk in the Light”

If we walk in the light as He is in the light . . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin —1 John 1:7

To mistake freedom from sin only on the conscious level of our lives for complete deliverance from sin by the atonement through the Cross of Christ is a great error. No one fully knows what sin is until he is born again. Sin is what Jesus Christ faced at Calvary. The evidence that I have been delivered from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. For a person to really know what sin is requires the full work and deep touch of the atonement of Jesus Christ, that is, the imparting of His absolute perfection.

The Holy Spirit applies or administers the work of the atonement to us in the deep unconscious realm as well as in the conscious realm. And it is not until we truly perceive the unrivaled power of the Spirit in us that we understand the meaning of 1 John 1:7 , which says, “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This verse does not refer only to conscious sin, but also to the tremendously profound understanding of sin which only the Holy Spirit in me can accomplish.

I must “walk in the light as He is in the light . . .”— not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light. If I will walk there, with nothing held back or hidden, then this amazing truth is revealed to me: “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses [me] from all sin” so that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke in me. On the conscious level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is. The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.

my utmost for his highest

The Focus Of Our Message

I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34

Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.

If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).

There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.

my utmost for his highest

Test of Faithfulness

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28

It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith— the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.

Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.

The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.

my utmost for his highest

To The End
by Bill Crowder

Read: Acts 1:1-8

You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. —Acts 1:8

It was my first day of class at the Moscow Bible Institute where I was teaching Russian pastors. I began by asking the students to give their names and where they served, but one student shocked me as he boldly declared, “Of all the pastors, I am the most faithful to the Great Commission!” I was taken aback momentarily until, smiling, he continued, “The Great Commission says we are to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. I pastor north of the Arctic Circle in a village nicknamed ‘The End of the Earth’!” Everyone laughed and we continued with the session.

The words of that pastor, who ministered in the Yamal (which means “end of the world”) Peninsula, carry great significance. In Jesus’ final message to His disciples, He said, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Every corner of our world, no matter how remote, must be touched by the message of the cross. The Savior died for the world—and that includes people both near and far.

Each of us has the opportunity to take the gospel to people in our “end of the earth.” No matter where you are, you can tell someone about the love of Christ. Who can you tell today?

People can’t believe in Jesus
If the gospel they don’t hear,
So we must proclaim its message
To the world—both far and near. —Sper

Any place can be the right place to witness for Christ.
our daily bread

The Circle Of The Wise
by David H. Roper

Read: 1 John 2:12–17

I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. —1 John 2:13

I used to serve on the elder board of a church in California. One elder, Bob Smith, who was older than most of us, frequently called us back to the Word of God for guidance.

On one occasion we were discussing a leadership shortage in the church and had spent an hour or more working through various solutions. Bob was silent throughout the discussion. Finally, he said quietly, “Gentlemen, we’ve forgotten Jesus’ solution to our leadership issue. Before we do anything, we must first ‘ask the Lord of the harvest . . . to send out workers’” (Luke 10:2 niv). We were humbled, and spent the rest of our time praying that God would raise up workers and send them into the field.

C. S. Lewis said, “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” Proverbs 1:5 says, “A man of understanding will attain wise counsel.” Bob’s comment is just one example of the value of wise men and women who “have known Him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13-14) and whose minds are saturated with the Word of God.

Let’s take to heart the counsel of those who have lived in the Lord’s presence and are mature in His wisdom. They are God’s gift to us and our churches.

The older saints who trust God’s Word
Have trod the paths that we now walk;
They’ve fought the battles we now fight—
Their wisdom teaches truth and right. —Branon

That one is truly wise who gains wisdom from the experience of others.

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Personality

. . . that they may be one just as We are one . . . —John 17:22

Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. It is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don’t know the great depths of our being, therefore we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.

Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality is the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Our Lord can never be described in terms of individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person— “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person. When love or the Spirit of God come upon a person, he is transformed. He will then no longer insist on maintaining his individuality. Our Lord never referred to a person’s individuality or his isolated position, but spoke in terms of the total person— “. . . that they may be one just as We are one . . . .” Once your rights to yourself are surrendered to God, your true personal nature begins responding to God immediately. Jesus Christ brings freedom to your total person, and even your individuality is transformed. The transformation is brought about by love— personal devotion to Jesus. Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.

my utmost for his highest

help without hurting
by mike wittmer

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2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Those unwilling to work will not get to eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Every summer, female sea turtles trudge out of the sea and onto the beach where they lay their eggs. The baby turtles that eventually hatch follow the light of the moon as they scurry back to the sea. It’s tempting for beachgoers to carry the little guys to the water’s edge, but their well-intentioned hands only guarantee that the baby turtles will not survive. The arduous journey from nest to ocean is essential to develop their fledgling muscles so they can swim in the ocean currents. Shortcut this process and the baby turtles will die.

Remember the tiny turtles when lending a hand to help people. We must do our best to shelter them from external threats, just as some cities shade their streetlights so the turtles won’t mistake them for the moon and wander into traffic. But we must not do for them what they can—and must—do for themselves. A “hand-up” is better than a handout.

Paul heard that some in the Thessalonian church were “living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business” (2 Thessalonians 3:11). He believed that charity, in this case, would only encourage them to leech off the kindness of others. So rather than meet their basic necessities, Paul told the diligent Thessalonians to practice tough love: “Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us,” for “those unwilling to work will not get to eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:6,10).

Compassionate Christians will always be tempted to solve the problems that suffering people should tackle themselves. But rather than write a check and move on, we’re most helpful when we look beyond the immediate need and help them to develop muscles for the long haul. It can be hard to watch them struggle, but it’s their only path to survival.

our daily journey

Open-Handed Help
by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Read: Deuteronomy 15:7-11

You shall open your hand wide to [the poor]. —Deuteronomy 15:8

A homeless man spends time in our local library. One afternoon, while I was writing there, I took a lunch break. After I finished the first half of a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich, an image of the man’s face came to mind. A few minutes later, I offered him the untouched part of my lunch. He accepted.

This brief encounter made me realize that with all that God has given me, I needed to do more to help those who are less fortunate. Later, as I thought about this, I read Moses’ instructions on providing for the poor. He told the Israelites: Do not “shut your hand from your poor brother, but . . . open your hand wide to him” (Deut. 15:7-8). An open hand symbolizes the way God wanted His nation to provide for impoverished people—willingly and freely. No excuses, no holding back (v.9). God had given to them, and He wanted them to give generously enough to supply whatever was “sufficient” for the need (v.8).

When we offer open-handed help to the poor, God blesses us for our kindness (Ps. 41:1-3; Prov. 19:17). With His leading, consider how you might “extend your soul to the hungry” (Isa. 58:10) and freely give to help others in Jesus’ name.

Grant us, then, the grace for giving
With a spirit large and free,
That our life and all our living
We may consecrate to Thee. —Murray

You may give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.

our daily bread

The Secret of Spiritual Consistency

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14

When a person is newly born again, he seems inconsistent due to his unrelated emotions and the state of the external things or circumstances in his life. The apostle Paul had a strong and steady underlying consistency in his life. Consequently, he could let his external life change without internal distress because he was rooted and grounded in God. Most of us are not consistent spiritually because we are more concerned about being consistent externally. In the external expression of things, Paul lived in the basement, while his critics lived on the upper level. And these two levels do not begin to touch each other. But Paul’s consistency was down deep in the fundamentals. The great basis of his consistency was the agony of God in the redemption of the world, namely, the Cross of Christ.

State your beliefs to yourself again. Get back to the foundation of the Cross of Christ, doing away with any belief not based on it. In secular history the Cross is an infinitesimally small thing, but from the biblical perspective it is of more importance than all the empires of the world. If we get away from dwelling on the tragedy of God on the Cross in our preaching, our preaching produces nothing. It will not transmit the energy of God to man; it may be interesting, but it will have no power. However, when we preach the Cross, the energy of God is released. “. . . it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. . . . we preach Christ crucified . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:21, 23).

my utmost for his highest

queen for a day
by roxanne robbins

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Psalm 22:27-29
Royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations (Psalm 22:28).

Following a meeting at Mildmay Uganda—a specialized center that provides holistic outpatient care for HIV and AIDS patients—I was summoned by Mildmay’s public relations director. “We are welcoming the Queen of England to Mildmay tomorrow,” she said. “Our pediatric patients are preparing to demonstrate their native costumes and traditional dances for Her Majesty. Would you kindly serve as the queen for the children’s final dress rehearsal?”

A few minutes later, processional music played and a stand-in Duke of Edinburgh escorted me to the royals’ designated area. As I sat in the chair that Queen Elizabeth would occupy the next day, I marveled at the opportunity the children would have to lift their frail little arms and dance before royalty.

Then I considered how magnificent it is that all of us can and will demonstrate great honor and respect for our Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures promise:

• “The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations” (Psalm 22:27-28).

• “But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore—the Lord above is mightier than these! . . . Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever” (Psalm 93:4-5).

• “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of His servant David, just as He promised through His holy prophets long ago” (Luke 1:68-70).

• “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to Me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God’ ” (Romans 14:11).

our daily journey

Discovering Divine Design

As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me . . . —Genesis 24:27

We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s will (see Romans 12:2). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. “. . . the Lord led me . . .” and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.

We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.

Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, “I will never do this or that,” in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him.

my utmost for his highest

The Supreme Climb

He said, ’Take now your son . . .’ —Genesis 22:2

God’s command is, “Take now,” not later. It is incredible how we debate! We know something is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it immediately. If we are to climb to the height God reveals, it can never be done later— it must be done now. And the sacrifice must be worked through our will before we actually perform it.

“So Abraham rose early in the morning . . . and went to the place of which God had told him” (Genesis 22:3). Oh, the wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did not “confer with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:16). Beware when you want to “confer with flesh and blood” or even your own thoughts, insights, or understandings— anything that is not based on your personal relationship with God. These are all things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.

Abraham did not choose what the sacrifice would be. Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease that impairs your service. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through it. But never decide the place of your own martyrdom, as if to say, “I will only go to there, but no farther.” God chose the test for Abraham, and Abraham neither delayed nor protested, but steadily obeyed. If you are not living in touch with God, it is easy to blame Him or pass judgment on Him. You must go through the trial before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one.

my utmost for his highest

right thing, wrong reason

by sheridan voysey 

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Matthew 5:17-20

But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven! (Matthew 5:20).

I was preaching one evening when a mentally ill man walked down the church aisle, slapped me in the face, pushed over the pulpit, and sent the congregation into a panic. In a protective act, a church member named Gary stepped toward the man as he lunged towards Gary and his wife.

I sent an email to Gary the next day, commending his bravery. “I wasn’t trying to protect anyone,” he replied. “I was scared, tried to run away, and accidentally ran into him.” What had looked like courage had, in fact, been cowardice.

Seeming “good” deeds can have bad motives. It’s possible to do the “right” thing for the wrong reason. Jesus warned of it.

The Pharisees were experts at good deeds. They were trying to keep 248 commandments and 365 restrictions within the expanded Jewish law. But their expertise was in outward conformity rather than purity of heart. They didn’t murder, but they did hate (Matthew 5:21-22,43-44). They didn’t commit adultery but they did lust (Matthew 5:27-28). They gave to the poor, but they did so to look good (Matthew 6:1-2). They did the right things for the wrong reasons.

Jesus called His people to a righteousness “better” than this. Deeds matter, but motives matter more. The God who looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) wants love for Him and others to be our only motive (Matthew 22:37-40).

This calls for some careful reflection, for we can be just as pharisaical today. Instead of freely giving to someone, we can help them in order to get something in return. We can oppose homosexuality out of bigotry rather than true concern for another’s wellbeing. We can donate to charity simply to improve our public image.

The greatest treason is “to do the right thing for the wrong reason,” wrote T. S. Elliot. According to Jesus, love is the remedy.

our daily journey

Not Abandoned
by Marvin Williams

Read: Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? —Psalm 13:1

As Karissa Smith was browsing in a local library with her babbling 4-month-old daughter, an older man rudely told her to quiet her baby or he would. Smith responded, “I am very sorry for whatever in your life caused you to be so disturbed by a happy baby, but I will not tell my baby to shut up, and I will not let you do so either.” The man put his head down and apologized, and told her the story of how his son died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome over 50 years ago. He had repressed his grief and anger all those years.

In Psalm 13, David expressed his grief. He addressed God with raw and honest language: “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (v.1). These questions reflected fears of abandonment. David’s language of distress gave way to a plea for help and reaffirmation of his faith in God’s love for him (vv.3-6). Confidence and firm resolve came alongside the cry of distress.

We all go through dark nights of the soul when we wonder if God has abandoned us. As with David, our aching can give way to joy when we approach God honestly, plead for help, and reaffirm our trust in a God whose love for us will never waver or change.

Christ is the answer to heartache,
Christ is the answer to pain;
Though by all others forsaken,
He at your side will remain. —Elwell

God will never leave us nor forsake us.

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Coming to Jesus

Come to Me . . . —Matthew 11:28

Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— “Come to Me . . . .” In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, “Just as I am, I come.” As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to “Come . . . .”

“Come to Me . . . .” When you hear those words, you will know that something must happen in you before you can come. The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, and it will involve anything that will uproot whatever is preventing you from getting through to Jesus. And you will never get any further until you are willing to do that very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out that one immovable stronghold within you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him do so.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away thinking, “I’ve really received what I wanted this time!” And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with His hands outstretched not only to take you but also for you to take Him. Just think of the invincible, unconquerable, and untiring patience of Jesus, who lovingly says, “Come to Me. . . .”

my utmost for his highest

Winning into Freedom

If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed —John 8:36

If there is even a trace of individual self-satisfaction left in us, it always says, “I can’t surrender,” or “I can’t be free.” But the spiritual part of our being never says “I can’t”; it simply soaks up everything around it. Our spirit hungers for more and more. It is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God, but sin, our own individuality, and wrong thinking keep us from getting to Him. God delivers us from sin— we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality. This means offering our natural life to God and sacrificing it to Him, so He may transform it into spiritual life through our obedience.

God pays no attention to our natural individuality in the development of our spiritual life. His plan runs right through our natural life. We must see to it that we aid and assist God, and not stand against Him by saying, “I can’t do that.” God will not discipline us; we must discipline ourselves. God will not bring our “arguments . . . and every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)— we have to do it. Don’t say, “Oh, Lord, I suffer from wandering thoughts.” Don’t suffer from wandering thoughts. Stop listening to the tyranny of your individual natural life and win freedom into the spiritual life.

“If the Son makes you free . . . .” Do not substitute Savior for Son in this passage. The Savior has set us free from sin, but this is the freedom that comes from being set free from myself by the Son. It is what Paul meant in Galatians 2:20  when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ . . . .” His individuality had been broken and his spirit had been united with his Lord; not just merged into Him, but made one with Him. “. . . you shall be free indeed”— free to the very core of your being; free from the inside to the outside. We tend to rely on our own energy, instead of being energized by the power that comes from identification with Jesus.

my utmost for his highest

Nowhere To Hide 
by Julie Ackerman Link

Read: Genesis 3:6-13,22-24

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. —Revelation 1:5

I smelled something burning, so I hurried to the kitchen. Nothing was on the stove or in the oven. I followed my nose through the house. From room to room I went, eventually ending up downstairs. My nose led me to my office and then to my desk. I peeked beneath it and there, peering back at me with big eyes pleading for help, was Maggie, our dog, our very “fragrant” dog. What smelled like something burning when I was upstairs, now had the distinct odor of skunk. Maggie had gone to the farthest corner of our house to escape the foul smell, but she couldn’t get away from herself.

Maggie’s dilemma brought to mind the many times I have tried to run away from unpleasant circumstances only to discover that the problem was not the situation I was in but me. Since Adam and Eve hid after sinning (Gen. 3:8), we’ve all followed their example. We run away from situations thinking we can escape the unpleasantness—only to discover that the unpleasantness is us.

The only way to escape ourselves is to stop hiding, acknowledge our waywardness, and let Jesus wash us clean (Rev. 1:5). I am grateful that when we do sin, Jesus is willing to give us a brand-new start.

From the wondrous cross on Calvary
Flows the stream that still avails,
Cleansing hearts and bringing victory
Through that love which never fails. —Elliott

Sin’s contamination requires the Savior’s cleansing.

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“When He Has Come”

When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . —John 16:8

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.

my utmost for his highest

It Will Be Worth It All
by C. P. Hia

Read: Hebrews 11:8-16

But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. —Hebrews 11:16

We wondered why a friend of ours kept traveling to Hobart, Tasmania. Recently she invited us to join her there. From the airport we drove over a bridge and through the city and suburbs. Nothing outstanding—but we kept on traveling. After a few difficult hairpin turns that took us slowly and sharply uphill, we saw the outline of the coast below. Still quite ordinary looking.

But as we drove up the steep driveway and arrived at our destination, the spectacular panorama of the city became clear. Even the bridge we had driven over that seemed so drab looked beautiful! Now we knew why she so often traveled there.

The lives of the pioneers of faith in Hebrews 11 had their share of “hairpin turns” and “humdrum” situations. But they pressed on and did not turn back. Their destination? Heaven, “the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (v.10).

Esther Kerr Rusthoi wrote about our journey to heaven in her hymn “When We See Christ”:
It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus;
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase;
So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!

Today, whether life is ordinary or difficult, keep pressing on. At the end of the journey, you will see the amazing place God has prepared for us. And it will be well worth it!

The joys of heaven will more than compensate for the difficulties of earth.

our daily bread

Am I Blessed Like This?

Blessed are . . . —Matthew 5:3-11

When we first read the statements of Jesus, they seem wonderfully simple and unstartling, and they sink unnoticed into our subconscious minds. For instance, the Beatitudes initially seem to be merely soothing and beautiful precepts for overly spiritual and seemingly useless people, but of very little practical use in the rigid, fast-paced workdays of the world in which we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the “dynamite” of the Holy Spirit. And they “explode” when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so. When the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance one of the Beatitudes, we say, “What a startling statement that is!” Then we must decide whether or not we will accept the tremendous spiritual upheaval that will be produced in our circumstances if we obey His words. That is the way the Spirit of God works. We do not need to be born again to apply the Sermon on the Mount literally. The literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount is as easy as child’s play. But the interpretation by the Spirit of God as He applies our Lord’s statements to our circumstances is the strict and difficult work of a saint.

The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with astonishing discomfort. We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations— it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us.

my utmost for his highest

The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church

. . . till we all come . . . to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . . —Ephesians 4:13

Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.

Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “. . . that I may know Him. . .” (Philippians 3:10). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less?

my utmost for his highest

Sweet Slumber
by Julie Ackerman Link

Read: Leviticus 26:1-12

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. —Psalm 4:8

Photographer Anne Geddes has made an art form out of taking pictures of sleeping babies. Her photos evoke smiles. Nothing is a better image of peace than a sleeping child.

But between naps and nighttime, caring for children is an exhausting and relentless responsibility. In their innocence and enthusiasm, children can get themselves into life-threatening situations in no time. After a hectic day of chasing, entertaining, protecting, feeding, dressing, guarding, guiding, and making peace between squabbling siblings, parents are eager for bedtime. After the toys are put away and the pajamas are put on, the sleepy toddler slows down, cuddles with mom or dad for a bedtime story, and finally falls asleep. Later, before putting themselves to bed, parents check on their children one more time to make sure all is peaceful in dreamland. The serene beauty of a sleeping child makes all the day’s frustrations worthwhile.

Scripture indicates that God’s ideal condition for His children is peace (Lev. 26:6), but too often in our immaturity we get into trouble and cause conflict. Like parents of young children, God desires for us to become weary of wrongdoing and to rest in the safety and contentment of His loving ways.

Lord, help me not to squabble and cause friction
with others about unimportant matters.
May I instead find rest in Your love and wisdom,
and seek peace. Amen.

In His will is our peace. —Dante

our daily bread

You Are What You Think

"Or he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you." Proverbs 23:7

I don’t know about you, but some nights I can’t shut down my mind—it races back through the day, scanning my mental hard drive, opening conversation files, viewing jpegs of people’s faces I’ve encountered, and revisiting deleted messages—some good, some bad. Our minds are like a Pentium processor, a powerful piece of technology. In fact, according to God, how you think is really what makes you, you.

One wise king wrote: “As [a person] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).What you think about is a wide-open window to what you really believe, trust in, worry about, and even worship. And not everybody has programmed their minds to think alike. Some think truth is relative. Which means that for them there are no absolute truths, so whatever works is just fine—nothing is ever always right or always wrong. Others think that there is no real truth and that truth comes in many shapes and colors. That’s pluralism—many truths exist, and as long as you don’t make me choke on your truth, I won’t force you to swallow mine.

If there is no truth and there are no absolutes, then everybody can do whatever they want to do—welcome to the party with no rules! But you and I know that, ultimately, thoughts managed by relativistic, pluralistic software lead to a zigzagging, crazy, self-seeking, dead-end life where everybody loses, including you.

Thankfully you don’t need to settle for software that doesn’t deliver what it promised. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). How solid is that? That takes the punch out of both lines of thinking. Here’s the deal: What you think about you, God, the world, your spirituality or lack of it, sex, gay marriage, religion, or anything else, really makes you who you are. Jesus simply says, “When you’re ready to think like God thinks about all of life, download my Word—I am the way and the truth.”

It’s time to reboot! Install the truth of God’s Word onto the hard drive of your mind. He’ll scan the files of your thoughts, motives, and attitudes and make them completely new. As Paul said, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind!” (Romans 12:2)

And in case you’re still not convinced, remember that God has warned us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25). Just because it seems right, doesn’t make it right. Check every thought by the truth that Jesus offers, and when in doubt search His Word.

YOUR JOURNEY…

• Take a few minutes to think about what occupies your thoughts on most days. Make some notes, and see what you discover.
• Read Psalm 139:1-24, a prayer of David that invites God to search the hard drive of your heart. Spend some time praying about what God points out to you.
• Why do you think your thought life is so important to God?

daily strength

the Spirit of truth
by k.t. sim

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John 16:7-15
When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth (v.13).

“May the force be with you.” Those familiar with the Star Wars film saga recognize this famous phrase, given out as a blessing to those embarking on a critical or dangerous mission. The force, as presented in the series, is an impersonal metaphysical characteristic that empowers individuals to undertake and complete their tasks.

“The Holy Spirit will be with you,” Jesus—in essence—told His disciples (John 14:16-17). It was a promise empowering them to carry out their mission (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). But the Holy Spirit is not some impersonal cosmic ‘it’ but a ‘He’—a Person, the Third Person of the Triune God. He is “the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26, 16:13).

Jesus tells of the Spirit’s role. As the Spirit of truth “He will guide you into all truth. . . . [He] will tell you whatever He receives from Me” (John 16:13-15). ”He will teach you” (John 14:26).

How does the Spirit carry out His teaching role? First, the Spirit moved men to write down God’s Word (1 Peter 1:11-12; 2 Peter 1:19-21). The Bible is accurate, reliable and authoritative truth because it came to us under the inspiration of the Spirit of truth (2 Timothy 3:16).

Second, the Spirit convicts and convinces us of our sinfulness. He reveals that we’re sinners in need of God’s righteousness (John 16:8)—who is Christ crucified, resurrected and exalted (John 16:10; Acts 2:31-33, 5:30-32).

Third, the Spirit reveals the truth about Jesus, illuminating and helping us to understand the work and words of the Savior more fully (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13-15).

We worship the God of truth (Isaiah 65:16), believe Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and are led by the Spirit of truth (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:25). We are people of the Truth (2 John 1:2-4; 3 John 1:3-4).

our daily journey

more
by mike wittmer

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Ecclesiastes 2:1-17
But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

Tom Brady has model-like good looks, is married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and has led his football team to three championships. But it’s still not enough. Brady confessed during an interview, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey, man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, ‘God, it’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t—this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” The interviewer asked, “What’s the answer?” Brady responded, “I wish I knew. I wish I knew.”

Brady’s befuddlement sounds similar to the complaint found in Ecclesiastes. Solomon sought fulfillment in pleasure, wine, women, projects, gardens, music, and excessive wealth. He wrote, “I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and . . . anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure” (Ecclesiastes 2:9-10). And yet he discovered that nothing in this life ultimately satisfies. It’s not supposed to.

Like Brady and Solomon, Augustine had experienced great success (he was a sexually promiscuous speechwriter for the emperor), but he learned that the more he scratched his desires the more he itched. Later, he famously opened his Confessions by telling the Lord, “You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”

You and I may never win a lifetime achievement award, enter a Hall of Fame, or see our name in lights. So it’s good to hear those at the top say that celebrity, money, or whatever, isn’t important. The only thing that was ever meant to satisfy you is God.

our daily journey

Receiving and Waiting
by Roy Lessin

In your walk with God two things will always be true: You will be receiving from Him and you will be waiting upon Him. Your faith must trust Him for both. You need to receive from Him what is yours for today and wait upon Him for what will be yours tomorrow.

What are the things that are yours today and your faith can receive? Here are a few–you don’t have to wait for His peace, His grace, His mercies, His forgiveness, His cleansing, His truth, His salvation, His strength, His presence, His life, His blessing, His love.

Even though there are many things that are yours today because you are in Christ, there are also things that require your faith to wait. They include prayers you are waiting to see answered, promises you are waiting to be fulfilled, bible prophecies you are waiting to see happen, God’s timing in relation to your personal guidance, clarity to take the next step, and the coming of the Bridegroom returning for His bride.

What should your faith do in response to what is yours today? Receive! What should your faith do in response to what will be yours another day? Rest! As you wait upon the Lord, wait with a quiet heart, not an anxious one; with a thankful heart, not a complaining one; with a peaceful heart, not a striving one; with a hopeful heart, not a discouraged one; with a confident heart, not an uncertain one; with a steadfast heart, not a wavering one; with a patient heart, not a hasty one.

You do not need to try and control or manipulate your future. God is able to fulfill all that He has said and all that He has promised. As you wait, continue to pray, continue to trust, continue to believe, continue to hold hope in your heart, continue to obey, and continue to rejoice every more. You have a God who cannot and will not fail!

His timing and His timetable are always perfect. He knows what He is doing and He does it well. Remember, all creation testifies to the wisdom of His ways–in time the green fruit ripens, the wheat becomes golden, the baby bird takes flight, the sapling spreads its branches, the peonies flower, the gardenia gives its fragrance, the sunflower brings forth its abundance of seeds.

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14 NLT

meet me in the meadow

held
by regina franklin

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John 6:1-13
He was testing Philip, for He already knew what He was going to do (John 6:6).

Our kids often come home excited to tell us the interesting things they’ve learned in school. So when our 9-year-old asked me if I knew how to balance a book at least an inch high off the counter on just a sheet of paper, I knew there had to be a logical explanation though I couldn’t envision it. Taking out a sheet of notebook paper, he folded it lengthwise several times, and then, after coiling it, he rested the book on the folded paper. As I watched, I thought about how far my ideas had been from the actual solution.

Reading Scripture, I can see I’m not the only one who deals with limited sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). In an account of miraculous provision, Philip’s solution was limited to what he could conceive in his human understanding (John 6:7). Misunderstanding the purpose of Jesus’ question, Philip didn’t realize that Jesus didn’t need Philip’s input because He was short on ideas. He wanted to know the source of Philip’s hope. Like heat applied to gold, Jesus’ question served to rid Philip of the dross of self and bring him to a place of dependence on God. Jesus didn’t expect Philip to meet the need; He expected him to trust. God was and is more than enough.

When life brings us to those places where the solution eludes our grasp, we can look around frantically and in panic cry out to God regarding His injustice in forcing such a thing on us. Or we have the option to lift our hands in surrender, stake a claim on what we know God has done in the past, and rest in the unchanging nature of His character and love (Psalm 9:10). He can “accomplish infinitely more than” we can see (Ephesians 3:20).

our daily journey

Spontaneous Love

Love suffers long and is kind . . . —1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it. And when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions, which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there. The nature of everything involved in the life of God in us is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past.

The fountains from which love flows are in God, not in us. It is absurd to think that the love of God is naturally in our hearts, as a result of our own nature. His love is there only because it “has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5).

If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit.

my utmost for his highest

The Supreme Climb

Take now your son . . . and offer him . . . as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you —Genesis 22:2

A person’s character determines how he interprets God’s will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditional beliefs that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs which must be removed-for example, that God removes a child because his mother loves him too much. That is the devil’s lie and a travesty on the true nature of God! If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal that will serve to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself.

The great lesson to be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or else he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was actually the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional beliefs. Don’t ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did that you are willing to do anything, even “to go . . . both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Abraham did not make any such statement— he simply remained true to God, and God purified his faith.

my utmost for his highest

Complete and Effective Decision About Sin

. . . our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin —Romans 6:6

Co-Crucifixion. Have you made the following decision about sin—that it must be completely killed in you? It takes a long time to come to the point of making this complete and effective decision about sin. It is, however, the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you-not simply be restrained, suppressed, or counteracted, but crucified—just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world. No one can bring anyone else to this decision. We may be mentally and spiritually convinced, but what we need to do is actually make the decision that Paul urged us to do in this passage.

Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision, saying, “Lord, identify me with Your death until I know that sin is dead in me.” Make the moral decision that sin in you must be put to death.

This was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul, but was a very radical and definite experience in his life. Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you until you know what the level and nature of sin is in your life— to see the very things that struggle against God’s Spirit in you? If so, will you then agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin— that it should be identified with the death of Jesus? You cannot “reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin” (Romans 6:11) unless you have radically dealt with the issue of your will before God.

Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is His life? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . .” (Galatians 2:20).

my utmost for his highest

The Servant’s Primary Goal

We make it our aim . . . to be well pleasing to Him —2 Corinthians 5:9

We make it our aim. . . .” It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only “to be well pleasing to Him.” It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal. At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from his Conductor.

Any goal we have that diverts us even to the slightest degree from the central goal of being “approved to God” (2 Timothy 2:15) may result in our rejection from further service for Him. When you discern where the goal leads, you will understand why it is so necessary to keep “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Paul spoke of the importance of controlling his own body so that it would not take him in the wrong direction. He said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest . . . I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption. My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life. Is my primary goal in life to please Him and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound?

my utmost for his highest

Move Forward with God's Promises

What does God promise us if we say, "I want you to use me." He promises you three things that can all found in Joshua 1.

God promises strength -- "No one will be able to stand against you." (Joshua 1:5) In other words, what God asks you to do, he'll give you the power to do.

God promises success -- "You will be successful." (Joshua 1:6) God wants you to succeed in serving Him. He doesn't want you to be a failure.

God promises support -- "I will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 NIV) God's word, done God's way, will not lack God's support.

God has many, many promises for you in the Bible but you've got to discover them. Joshua 1:8 says, "Always remember what is written in this book. Study it day and night to be sure to obey everything that's written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything." (TLB)

Would you like to be wise in life? Would you like to be successful in life? God's promise of success is not based on your ability. It's based on your commitment to His Word.

Ephesians 3:20
Joshua 1:5-6
Joshua 1:8-9

Rick Warren's Daily Devotional for Android

love and hate
by Tom Felten

2 Samuel 13:1-20
Suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her (2 Samuel 13:15).

There’s definitely a fine line between love and hate. I read of a wife who was so fed up with her husband’s cheating that she said, “I didn’t want to divorce [him], but I wanted him to die.” The adulterous husband said of his bride: “I didn’t love her. I wanted a divorce.”

A disturbing account in the Bible reveals just how fast affection can turn to rejection. One of David’s undisciplined sons had fallen deep in lust with his beautiful half-sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1). His obsession led to a severe case of love-sickness and a really sick plan: Amnon decided to take Tamar’s love by force (2 Samuel 13:2,5). He “grabbed her and demanded” that she sleep with him—calling her “darling” (2 Samuel 13:11). Tamar resisted, but her brother overpowered her and raped her (2 Samuel 13:12,14). And just like that “Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her” (2 Samuel 13:15). Tamar went from being darling to being despised.

What we see in Amnon’s horrific actions is reflected in many troubled marriages: the sin of selfishness. The young bride (see first paragraph) recognized her husband’s selfish ways. But she made a wise decision. “Instead of praying that [my husband] would fall back in love with me, I started praying that he would fall in love with God.” In time her husband’s cold heart began to melt. He did fall back in love with God and his wife once again. They now share a relationship deeply rooted in God Himself.

John wrote that “anyone who keeps on sinning does not know [God]” (1 John 3:6). But if we turn from our selfish sin and choose love, “God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:12).

Turn your relationship from hate to love by loving God and leaving selfishness behind.

our daily journey

one lost coin
by k.t. sim

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Luke 15:8-10
Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin (Luke 15:9).

Where’s that brown envelope I left on the kitchen table?” I asked my daughter. “On the dining room table,” she said. It wasn’t on that table, so I began a frantic search throughout the entire house— from the kitchen to the bedrooms—for the misplaced envelope. Even the trashcans weren’t spared from the scrutiny. What was the big fuss over a lost envelope? Inside were two $1,000 bills.

Many sermons have been preached about the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) and the lost son (Luke 15:11-24). Being the shortest of the three stories, the lost coin is often overlooked.

A woman had lost one of her ten silver coins. She lit “a lamp and [swept] the entire house and [searched] carefully until she [found] it” (Luke 15:8). One silver coin (Greek drachma) is worth about 30 cents (US) today. Like the Roman denarius (Matthew 20:2), however, it was the equivalent of one day’s salary for a common laborer. The loss of a day of pay would certainly warrant a deliberate, extraneous, relentless search. So when the woman recovered her lost coin, she called all her friends and neighbors together for a party. The recovered coin had significant value, and now it had been found!

Most of us would sweat the loss of 8 or so hours’ pay. The woman in the parable did, for she knew the value of the coin. It was precious to her.

We’re of great value to God—more than we can imagine. He spares no effort in searching for those who are lost (Luke 15:8-10), and He takes great delight when He finds us (Luke 15:9). Recovering you and me is a source of great joy to Him (Luke 15:10)!

our daily journey

today
by Jeff Olson

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Hebrews 3:7-15
You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God (Hebrews 3:13).

The film Dead Poets Society introduced me to an old phrase from a Latin poem: carpe diem. It means “seize the day,” an urgent call to live life to the fullest, getting the most out of each and every day. Generally speaking, it’s good advice, especially for those of us who to tend to live passively and watch life pass us by.

The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews also focused on the urgency of “today” (Hebrews 3:7-15). Drawing on that tragic time in Israel’s history when its people fell into decades of unbelief and rebellion in the wilderness, he impressed upon his Christian readers a sense of the urgent when it came to their walk with God. In light of what happened to the Israelites in the Sinai desert, the writer of Hebrews exhorted his readers to be careful not to make the same mistake and to warn each other while it is still “today” (Hebrews 3:13).

Like the Israelites, Christians can let sinful unbelief linger in their hearts. Left unchecked, it will eventually harden them toward God. While it’s still “today,” while there’s still opportunity, that is, Christians can spot unconstrained unbelief in themselves or others and do the right thing. Genuinely concerned Christians can offer others the kindness of their involvement and can present loving, truthful feedback that will sound the alarm about the perils of sin’s deceitfulness.

The writer of Hebrews is not encouraging Christians to meddle. He is, however, encouraging us to first “listen” to what God’s Spirit is telling us about any unbelief lying around in our own hearts (Hebrews 3:7). And he’s calling us to be involved in each other’s lives so that we can caution a fellow Christian whose heart is in danger of becoming hardened towards God.

our daily journey

The Land Of And
by Anne Cetas

Read: Revelation 22:1-5

We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. —2 Peter 3:13

In a TV commercial I saw recently, the kids argued in the back seat of the car about where to stop for dinner. One wanted pizza; another chicken. Mom, in the front passenger seat, said, “No, we’ll stop for a hamburger.”

Dad quickly solved the family disagreement with this idea: “We’ll stop at the buffet restaurant, and you can each have what you want and all you want.” The commercial closes with the words, “Take care of family squabbles about what’s for dinner. Go to _____ Buffet, the ‘Land of And.’”

When I saw that commercial, I thought of another “Land of And”: heaven. It is a place that will have all we need. Foremost, we will be in the very presence of Almighty God. In describing heaven, the apostle John said, “The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it” (Rev. 22:3). Our thirsty souls will be completely satisfied from the “pure river of water of life” that proceeds from His throne (22:1), for He says to His people, “I will give . . . freely to him who thirsts” (21:6). Another “and” in this land will be the tree of life for “the healing of the nations” (22:2). What we won’t find in this Land of And are the curse (22:3), death, sorrow, and tears (21:4).

We’ll be completely satisfied in that Land of And. Are you ready to go?

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain. —Watts

Earth—the land of trials; heaven—the land of joys.

our daily bread

Am I Looking To God?

Look to Me, and be saved . . . —Isaiah 45:22

Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me . . . .”

Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, “Look to Me and you are saved,” not “You will be saved someday.” We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.

Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me . . . .” Salvation is yours the moment you look.

my utmost for his highest

just a shade
by Tom Felten

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1 Peter 1:3-9 You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him (1 Peter 1:8).

In the movie Inception, technology allows people to tap into others’ minds by dream invasion. Dom Cobb, the flawed hero in the flick, lost his wife Mal when she committed suicide due to the delusional effects of memory inception within a dream state. Mal, however, keeps vividly appearing to Dom when he’s in a dream state. Finally seeing the need to let this pseudo Mal go, Dom says to her, “I can’t imagine you with all your complexity, all your perfection, all your imperfection. . . . You’re just a shade of my real wife. . . . I’m sorry, you are just not good enough.”

At times, the Jesus we have in our minds is just a shade of His true reality. Instead of experiencing the power of His presence within us (1 Peter 1:5; Colossians 1:27), we grasp for Him merely when we’re in a state of fear or need. Instead of living with “great expectation” (1 Peter 1:3) of being with Him forever, we experience a dull and persistent dread as we encounter the imperfections of life.

Peter provides some words to snap us out of our dreamlike state and to help us embrace the reality of life in Jesus: “[We] love Him even though [we] have never seen Him. Though [we] do not see Him now, [we] trust Him” (1 Peter 1:8). Through our “faith” (1 Peter 1:5), we experience a moment-by-moment “joy” (1 Peter 1:8) that comes from knowing Jesus and walking with Him. When we face trials (1 Peter 1:6), we’re not alone. Jesus allows us to be tested by the fire of difficulties so that our faith in Him will be purified and perfected (1 Peter 1:7). And one day, our “reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of [our] souls” (1 Peter 1:9).

Don’t simply exist in a shade of Jesus. By faith, experience His true reality today.

our daily journey

questions
tim gustafson

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Matthew 21:23-46

When Jesus returned to the temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to Him and demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things?” (Matthew 21:23).

A recent televised interview captured my attention. The author of a controversial book kept responding to questions by saying, “That’s a great question.” And then he would orbit that “great question” without ever landing on an answer.

Jesus surely frustrated the “interviewers” who came to see Him in Matthew 21. “By what authority are you doing all these things?” they demanded to know (Matthew 21:23). The Lord promised to answer them if they would first answer His question: “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” (Matthew 21:24).

Jesus wasn’t hiding behind a muddy stream of words. He wanted to show the religious leaders how spiritually lost they were. So He told them stories and asked more questions to help them see their condition (Matthew 21:28-44). But they chose to hate Jesus all the more. Later that same week they would crucify Him.

The Bible shows us a remarkable contrast between the questions Jesus asked and those that His enemy posed. In Genesis 3, the serpent subtly planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind: “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). The question was not designed to bring clarity but to cloud the issue. Adam and Eve’s response to it introduced the curse of death into our now-broken world.

The fact that we live in a dying world poses a question for all of us: How will we be reconciled to God? Are we with the “tax collectors and prostitutes” who repented? (Matthew 21:32). Or are we with the religious leaders who refused to believe Jesus and had Him crucified? Our answer makes all the difference in the world.

our daily journey

What My Obedience to God Costs Other People

As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon . . . , and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus —Luke 23:26

If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything— it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, “You call this Christianity?” We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid.

When our obedience begins to cost others, our human pride entrenches itself and we say, “I will never accept anything from anyone.” But we must, or disobey God. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those the Lord Himself had (see Luke 8:1-3).

A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, “I will not cause other people to suffer”? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.

my utmost for his highest

Collision Course
by Dennis Fisher

Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-15

Be sure your sin will find you out. —Numbers 32:23

My wife and I were driving on an expressway when we saw a driver turn left into a median turnaround that was intended for emergency vehicles only. He was planning to make a U-turn and head back the other way.

Looking to his right, the driver waited for an opening in oncoming traffic, so he failed to notice that a police car was backing up toward him on his left. Finally seeing an opening in traffic, the U-turn driver pulled out and rammed into the back of the police car.

It’s not unusual for us to think we can get away with doing something wrong. After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he too was focused on “getting away with it.” But he was on a collision course with Nathan. His adultery, deceit, and murder “displeased the Lord” (2 Sam. 11:27), so when Nathan exposed David’s grievous sin, the king was deeply remorseful. He confessed, repented, and received God’s forgiveness. But the consequences of his sin never departed from his household (12:10).

If you’ve been trying to get away with something, remember that “your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Turn yourself in to God. Don’t hide. Instead, seek His gracious forgiveness.

God knows all you’ve thought or done—
From Him you cannot hide;
Confess to Him and He’ll forgive
Through Christ the crucified. —Hess

We have to face our sins before we can put them behind us.

our daily bread

Facing The Future
by David C. McCasland

Read: James 4:13-17

If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. —James 4:15

While going through some old files, I came across a 1992 special issue of TIME magazine titled “Beyond the Year 2000: What To Expect in the New Millennium.” It was fascinating to read the predictions made 2 decades ago about what the future would hold. Some general observations were on target, but no one foresaw many of the events and innovations that have radically changed our lives. The most telling statement to me was, “The first rule of forecasting should be that the unforeseen keeps making the future unforeseeable.”

James reminds us that any view of the future that omits God is foolish and proud. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. . . . Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).

Many people used to begin their statement of plans with, “Lord willing.” The phrase may have become trite, but the acknowledgment of God’s overruling hand is not.
As we look ahead with God firmly in view, we can face the future with confidence in His loving plan.

God holds the future in His hands
With grace sufficient day by day,
Through good or ill He gently leads,
If we but let Him have His way. —Rohrs

Those who know Christ as Savior can face the future with joy.

our daily bread

barren disobedience
by winn collier

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Genesis 3:1-7
[Eve] took some of the fruit and ate it (Genesis 3:6).

Our 7-year-old son, Seth, has a strong mischievous streak. Recently, well after bedtime, we heard the sounds of suspicious activity upstairs. I called to Seth in a firm tone, asking what he was doing since he was supposed to be in bed. Silence. Seth’s mind was rapidly sifting through any plausible excuse he could offer. Finally, he simply said, “Oh, Dad, just ground me.”

Genesis provides a litany of humanity’s inexplicable, inexcusable disobedience—a history of human folly:

• Disobedience. At the outset, in the most perplexing act, Eve and Adam spurned God, ate forbidden fruit, and lost their place in the Garden (Genesis 3:1-7).

• Disobedience. The first children, our first set of brothers, gave us our first violent act—murder (Genesis 4:1-9).

• Disobedience. Eventually God recognized “that everything [humanity] thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5).

• Disobedience. Finally, attempting to rival God, humanity built a tower (Babel) to reach the heavens, asserting their will over God’s (Genesis 11:1-4).

Following this bitter list of human rebellion, Genesis 11 closes by recapping the genealogy from Shem to Abram. The lineage ends with these sad words: “Sarai [Abram’s wife] was barren.” And to make certain we get the point, Scripture adds this exclamation point: “Sarai . . . had no children” (Genesis 11:30). Humanity was barren, empty. Humanity had refused God and followed life on its own terms. A world God had intended to flourish was now dry and withering.

The story begged for a rescue, for new life to come again. In time, however, God allowed an old woman—Sarai—to become pregnant; and still later God sent His own Son to infuse new life. Our efforts lead to barrenness, but following God leads to life.

our daily journey

viva la vida
by tim gustafson

Lamentations 1:1-22
Once the queen of all the earth, she is now a slave (Lamentations 1:1).

With lush orchestral chord progressions and an infectious melody, Coldplay’s Viva la Vida grabbed Song of the Year honors at the 2009 Grammys. That title, which means “long live life,” conveys a bitter irony. The protagonist depicted in the lyrics had held immense power but now was dealing with a reversal of fortunes. “I used to rule the world,” the words state, but now I “sweep the streets I used to own.”

Lamentations is a bitter song about Jerusalem’s reversal of fortunes—“the queen of all the earth, she is now a slave” (Lamentations 1:1). Besieged, then slaughtered by the brutal Babylonian armies, the city’s horrifyingly desperate circumstances had even induced mothers to cannibalize their own children (Lamentations 2:20, 4:10). Jerusalem’s devastation was God’s clear judgment for the sins of the people. To the grief-dimmed eyes of the poet, God’s salvation seemed almost impossibly distant. Almost.

Lamentations concludes with a curious, bittersweet blend of hope and grief, doubt and faith. “Lord, You remain the same forever! . . . Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to You again!” (Lamentations 5:19-21). Yet the book ends with a hauntingly tentative question: “Are You angry with us still?” (Lamentations 5:22).

Thankfully, the dirge of judgment is not the only song in God’s Word. “I will sing a new song to You, O God,” said the psalmist (Psalm 144:9). And the New Testament infuses our new song with this triumphant declaration: “Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “The power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:2).

The song we sing today is often discordant. In eternity, however, it will be indescribably lush, pure, exhilarating, and joyous. Viva la vida.

our daily journey