Daily Devotional

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 5, 2005

The Plantings Of Grace


Read:
Isaiah 55:6-13


Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree. "?Isaiah 55:13


Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 17-19

Today's text states that God causes the cypress tree and the myrtle tree to flourish where once thorns and briers encumbered the ground. This analogy reminds us that God can bring forth beauty and grace where evil once flourished.

Where cynicism once grew, hope and optimism can begin to emerge. Where sarcasm thrived, gentle words of healing can appear. Where lust grew rampant and unrestrained, pure love can spring up. This"?a transformed life"?is the living and lasting sign of God's work, the memorial He seeks (Isaiah 55:13).

Do you long for this kind of transformation in your life? Then "seek the Lord while He may be found" (v.6). There are moments when we grow tired of the evil within us, and our heart aches for holiness. This is God calling, reminding us that He is near. At such times we must sink our roots deep into God's Word and ask Him to conform us to His likeness. He says that "as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and . . . water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, . . . so shall [His] word be that goes forth from [His] mouth" (vv.10-11).

Seek the Lord while He may be found. Plantings of grace can replace the thorns of our sinful nature. "?David Roper


Sift the substance of my life,
Filter out the sin and strife;
Leave me, Lord, a purer soul,
Cleansed and sanctified and whole. "?Lemon

God can transform a sin-stained soul into a masterpiece of grace.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 6, 2005

Keep The Organ Playing


Read:
1 Corinthians 12:20-26


Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. "?1 Corinthians 12:22


Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 20-22

Many years ago an accomplished organist was giving a concert. (In those days someone had to pump large bellows backstage to provide air for the pipes.) After each song, the audience applauded heartily. Before his final number, the organist stood and said, "I shall now play . . ." and he announced the title. He sat down and adjusted his music. With feet poised over the pedals and hands over the keys, he began with a mighty chord. But the organ remained silent. Just then a voice was heard from backstage: "Say 'We'!"

In the Lord's work, there is plenty of room for personal achievement. Our abilities are God-given, and the Holy Spirit helps us to excel in what we do best. But a self-sufficient spirit that overlooks the contributions of others can ruin it all. No Christians have ever climbed the ladder of success alone. With them were mothers, fathers, friends, a husband, a wife, or children who prayed, sacrificed, and did what they could to help.

Aware of our deep indebtedness to others, we should be grateful for their vital role in the Lord's work in and through us. A note of sincere thanks, a word of honest recognition, or a thoughtful deed of love will help to "keep the organ playing." "?Dennis De Haan


Two Christians working for the Lord
Should keep this goal in mind:
Give praise for what the other does"?
To your success be blind. "?Branon

It's amazing what can be accomplished when you don't care who gets the credit.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

I haven't heard any feedback on these things in a while...these were supposed to open up discussions...and no one's discussin'

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 7, 2005

Boring?


Read:
Numbers 11:1-9


Our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes! "?Numbers 11:6


Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 23-25

Many of our recurring complaints focus not on what we don't have, but on what we do have and find uninteresting. Whether it's our work, our church, our house, or our spouse, boredom grumbles that it's not what we want or need. This frustration with sameness has been true of the human spirit since the beginning.

Notice the protest of God's people about their menu in the wilderness. Recalling the variety of food they ate as slaves in Egypt, they despised the monotony of God's current provision: "Our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!" (Numbers 11:6).

God provided exactly what they needed each day, but they wanted something more exciting. Are we tempted to do the same? Oswald Chambers said: "Drudgery is the touchstone of character. There are times when there is no illumination and no thrill, but just the daily round, the common task. Routine is God's way of saving us between our times of inspiration. Do not expect God always to give you His thrilling minutes, but learn to live in the domain of drudgery by the power of God."

During the boring times of life, God is working to instill His character in us. Drudgery is our opportunity to experience the presence of the Lord. "?David McCasland


Steadfast, then, in our endeavor,
Heavenly Father, may we be;
And forever, and forever,
We will give the praise to Thee. "?MacKellar

Blessing is found along the pathway of duty.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 8, 2005

Weight Loss


Read:
Hebrews 11:30-12:1


Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us. "?Hebrews 12:1


Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 26-28

The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat.

Alexander commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned. The men complained bitterly but soon saw the wisdom of the order. Someone wrote, "It was as if wings had been given to them"?they walked lightly again." Victory was assured.

As soldiers of Christ, we must rid ourselves of anything that hinders us in the conflict with our spiritual enemy. To fight the battle effectively, we must be clad only with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17).

The Bible also likens Christians to runners. To win the race, we must "lay aside every weight" that would drag us down and rob us of our strength and endurance (Hebrews 12:1). This weight may be an excessive desire for possessions, the captivating love of money, an endless pursuit of pleasure, slavery to sinful passions, or a burdensome legalism.

Yes, if we are to fight the good fight of faith and run the spiritual race with endurance, the watchword must be: Off with the weight! "?Richard De Haan


Fight the good fight with all thy might!
Christ is thy strength and Christ thy right;
Lay hold on life and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally. "?Monsell

If your Christian life is a drag, worldly weights may be holding you back.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 9, 2005

Careful Thought


Read:
Haggai 1


Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!" "?Haggai 1:7


Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 29-31

Have you ever locked your keys inside your car? Mailed an envelope without putting the payment check inside? Baked a recipe without adding one of the main ingredients?

These are the kinds of things we all do when we don't give careful thought to what we are doing. Careless thinking means we either do something we shouldn't do or fail to do something we should. These wrong actions or irresponsible inactions can be minor inconveniences"?or they can have serious lasting consequences.

You would think the people in Haggai's day wouldn't have committed thoughtless mistakes. Just 20 years before, they were living in exile in Babylon because they had disobeyed God. Now they were back in Jerusalem, but they were living as if that whole exile episode had never happened.

So through the prophet Haggai, God told them, "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:7). Then He told them their mistake: They were living selfish lives of luxury instead of completing God's temple. Careless thinking had led to wrong decisions and inaction.

God wants us to give careful thought to our actions, words, and relationships, and make decisions that bring glory to Him. Whatever you do today, give it careful thought. "?Dave Branon


Let us think about what's good"?
What's right and pure and true;
May God's Word control our thoughts
In everything we do. "?Fitzhugh

Keep your thoughts in line, or they'll lead you astray.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 10, 2005

Rabbit-Hole Christians


Read:
Luke 19:1-10


Jesus . . . said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." "?Luke 19:5


Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 32-34

Rabbits are timid creatures that pop out of their holes every morning, try to avoid everything (except other rabbits), eat their food, and jump back into their holes in the evening. "Whew! We made it through another day," they'd say if they could talk.

Rabbit-hole Christians are a lot like that. They eat lunch with other Christians at work and relate almost exclusively with fellow-believers in their church. They avoid socializing with unbelievers and wouldn't think of accepting an invitation to one of their parties. No wonder unbelievers equate being a Christian with a kind of aloof self-righteousness.

No one could say that about Jesus. He actually invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a notorious tax collector. His congeniality among disreputable people earned Him the title of "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matthew 11:19). He reached out to such people because He knew He couldn't help them without becoming their friend. Jesus never said anything He shouldn't have said, nor did He laugh at off-color stories. He won people's respect by caring for them.

Jesus has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and assured us that He'll be with us so we can follow His example. Let's guard against being rabbit-hole Christians. "?Herb Vander Lugt


Help us, O Lord, to live our lives
So people clearly see
Reflections of Your caring heart,
Your love and purity. "?Sper

Jesus leaves us in the world to be a witness to the world.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 11, 2005

Trivial Pursuits


Read:
2 Peter 1:1-4


His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. "?2 Peter 1:3


Bible In One Year: Joshua 1-3

A number of years ago I was in the library of a prestigious university. As I walked among the bookshelves, I happened to pass by a row of small cubicles set aside for study and spied a student reading a Bugs Bunny comic book. I almost laughed out loud. Here was a young man surrounded by the wisdom of the ages, yet immersed in childish trivia.

There's nothing wrong with comic books, and all of us need occasional respite from study, but some of us never get beyond trivial pursuits. Books, magazines, and other media are the preoccupation and primary influence in our lives. How foolish! We have in our hands the Word of Life"?the Book that tells us how to know God and live abundantly.

The greatest cause for our neglect of the Bible is not lack of time but lack of heart. Someone else's word is taking the place of the Word of Christ. There are many good books and magazines to read, but we must not neglect the mysteries of God's grace and love that are written on every page of the Bible. That's where we find everything we need for "life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).

Ask God to give you a desire for His Word and a hunger to taste His goodness every day. "?David Roper


How rich the truths within God's Word"?
What gems beyond compare!
By faith we can discover them
When study joins with prayer. "?D. De Haan

It is an awesome responsibility to own a Bible.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 12, 2005

The Storm Will Pass


Read:
Exodus 5:1-14,22-23


He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered. "?Proverbs 28:26


Bible In One Year: Joshua 4-6

The local TV meteorologist occasionally points to a map and says something like this: "I'm afraid that things are going to get worse before they get better."

Such a forecast could very well have applied to Israel when God sent Moses to free His people from slavery in Egypt. The barometer of events was falling rapidly, and the dark, ominous sky of oppression would soon break forth into a churning, flashing storm of cruelty unleashed by Pharaoh.

Moses had appealed to Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go into the desert to worship God, but the king accused them of loafing on the job (Exodus 5:1,17). So he multiplied their workload, and the situation went from bad to horrible (v.18). Moses cried out in bitterness to the Lord for an explanation (vv.22-23). He found it hard to believe that a glorious exodus could be just around the corner.

The plans of the Lord were not being frustrated, however. Before conditions would get better for His children, God tested them by allowing their suffering to increase.

Even when we are obedient to the Lord, the skies of adversity may not always clear immediately. Circumstances may get worse before they improve. But praise God, His grace will sustain us, and the storm will pass. "?Mart De Haan


Have faith in God, the sun will shine,
Though dark your path may be today;
His love has planned your way and mine,
Have faith in God, have faith alway. "?Anon.

It's always darkest before the dawn.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

March 13, 2005

Stars & Sand


Read:
Psalm 147:1-11


He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. "?Psalm 147:4


Bible In One Year: Joshua 7-9

A team led by an Australian astronomer calculated the number of stars in the known universe to be 70 sextillion"?7 followed by 22 zeros. That unfathomable number is said to be more than the grains of sand in every beach and every desert on earth. The calculation was the by-product of research on the development of galaxies. One team member said, "Finding the number of stars is not really the research we were doing, but it was a nice result to play around with."

Having an estimate of the number of stars can help us praise God with greater awe and wonder. Psalm 147 says: "It is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. . . . He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite" (vv.1,4-5).

This psalm not only presents God's majesty, but it also affirms His personal concern for each of us. He "heals the brokenhearted" (v.3), "lifts up the humble" (v.6), and "takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy" (v.11).

Let's praise the great God of stars and sand who knows and cares for each one of us. "?David McCasland


The God who made the firmament,
Who made the deepest sea,
The God who put the stars in place
Is the God who cares for me. "?Berg

All creation points to the almighty Creator.