Yesterday by Oswald Chambers

Yesterday You shall not go out with haste,…for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.  ISAIAH 52:12 Security from Yesterday. “…God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present. Security for Tomorrow. “…the Lord will go before you….” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience. Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste….” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS We are all based on a conception of importance, either our own importance, or the importance of someone else; Jesus tells us to go and teach based on the revelation of His importance. “All power is given unto Me.… Go ye therefore ….” from So Send I You, 1325 R

Getting to Know Christ Intimately by Charles Stanley

Philippians 3:12-21

No matter where you are in your walk with Christ, it’s never too late to begin pursuing a deeper relationship with Him. Whether you’re already passionate about Jesus or know Him only on a surface level, it is wise to do as Paul urged—to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). To get started, follow these six steps:

1. Study Scripture. No one can know God apart from His Word since He speaks to us through it, revealing who He is and what He does.

2. Be willing to spend time alone with the Father in prayer, meditation, and worship. One of the main reasons Christians don’t have a close relationship with Jesus is that they’re unwilling to invest the time needed to know Him better.

3. Trust God. The depth of any relationship depends on the level of trust.

4. Obey Him. As we take each step of obedience, the Lord will reveal more of Himself.

5. Observe how Christ works in your life. By paying attention to how the Lord operates, you’ll become familiar with His ways and goals.

6. Make Jesus your top priority. Be willing to lay aside anything that competes with your loyalty and devotion to Him.

Knowing Christ intimately is possible for all believers. The key is persistence, so forget past failures and press on. Find an example to follow. My grandfather’s relationship with Jesus was the inspiration for my journey of intimacy with Christ. I knew that if he had that kind of relationship with Jesus, so could I.

The Preeminence of Christ by John MacArthur

The Preeminence of Christ

“[Christ] is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him” (Colossians 1:18-19).

Christ has preeminence in everything.

The apostle Paul presents four great truths in Colossians 1:18 about Christ’s relation to the church. The first is that Christ is the head of the church. This concept looks at the church as a living organism, inseparably tied together by the living Christ. He controls every part of it and gives it life and direction (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-20).

Christ is also the source of the church. The Greek word translated “beginning” (arche) is used here in the twofold sense of source and primacy. The church has its origins in Jesus. God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). As head of the Body, Jesus holds the chief position or highest rank in the church. As the beginning, He is its originator.

Another truth is that Christ is the first-born from the dead. Of all those who have been raised from the dead or ever will be, Christ is the highest in rank. Furthermore, it is Christ who will cause the resurrection of others (John 5:28-29; 6:40).

Finally, Christ is the preeminent One. As a result of His death and resurrection, Jesus has come to have first place in everything. Paul states that truth to drive home as forcefully as he can that Jesus is not merely another emanation from God.

Paul then summarizes his argument by saying that all the fullness of deity dwells in Christ alone (Col. 1:19). It is not spread out in small doses to a group of spirits, as the false teachers were saying. Rather, in Christ, and Him alone, believers are “complete” (2:10).

What should be your response to the glorious truths about Christ in Colossians 1:15-19? Be encouraged to meditate on the glory of Christ as revealed in this passage. Doing so will help you be transformed into Christ’s image and will prepare you to behold His glory in Heaven.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank the Lord for each of the four truths discussed above.

For Further Study

According to John 1:16, what have you received?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

Moving Forward Into the New Year by Adrian Rogers

DECEMBER 31

Moving Forward Into the New Year

“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” - Hosea 6:3

On this New Year’s Eve, you may be wondering what is going to happen. Years ago, some men were on a leaky old ship in the middle of a rough and stormy sea. One of them asked the captain, “Are we safe?”  He said, “Well, the boilers are weak and may explode at any moment. The ship is taking on water. To be very honest with you, we may go up, or we may go down, but at any rate, we are going on.”

And that’s the way we are as we face this new year. Jesus may come; we may go up. We may die, and go down and then up, but at any rate, we are going on.

Reflecting on this past year, allow the Holy Spirit to invade your heart, convicting and drawing you to Himself. Ask for wisdom, courage, and faith to continue on, whatever happens this next year!

December 31 / Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman

"Peter was kept in prison: but prayer (instant and earnest prayer) was made for him" (Acts 12:5, margin).

Peter was in prison awaiting his execution. The Church had neither human power nor influence to save him. There was no earthly help, but there was help to be obtained by the way of Heaven. They gave themselves to fervent, importunate prayer. God sent His angel, who aroused Peter from sleep and led him out through the first and second wards of the prison; and when they came to the iron gate, it opened to them of its own accord, and Peter was free.

There may be some iron gate in your life that has blocked your way. Like a caged bird you have often beaten against the bars, but instead of helping, you have only had to fall back tired, exhausted and sore at heart. There is a secret for you to learn, and that is believing prayer; and when you come to the iron gate, it will open of its own accord.

How much wasted energy and sore disappointment will be saved if you will learn to pray as did the Church in the upper room! Insurmountable difficulties will disappear; adverse circumstances will prove favorable if you learn to pray, not with your own faith but with the faith of God (Mark 11:22, margin). Souls in prison have been waiting for years for the gate to open; love ones out of Christ, bound by Satan, will be set free when you pray till you definitely believe God.
--C. H. P.

Emergencies call for intense prayer. When the man becomes the prayer nothing can resist its touch. Elijah on Carmel, bowed down on the ground, with his face between his knees, that was prayer--the man himself.

No words are mentioned. Prayer can be too tense for words. The man's whole being was in touch with God, and was set with God against the powers of evil. They couldn't withstand such praying. There's more of this embodied praying needed.
--The Bent-knee Time

"Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused."
--C. H. Spurgeon

NKJV 365

NKJV 365 Day Reading Plan

Day 365 of 365 The eternal Son of God, Jesus, actually became a baby. God became an embryo. Deity in diapers! Once Jesus arrived on earth, He went through a learning process, just like anybody else. Luke tells us that, "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature." (Luke 2:52). Some hear this and say, "Hold on! If you are God, then you're omniscient, which means you know all things. So how can you learn anything?" That's a valid question. And here's the biblical answer: Jesus continued to possess His divine attributes without choosing to use them. In the words of Scripture, He "emptied" Himself and "humbled" Himself. But self-emptying is not self-extinction. In coming to earth He did not lay aside His deity-that was impossible-but rather the privileges of deity. He emptied Himself, not of His essential being or character, but of His right to draw upon the staggering privileges of His deity. Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers Luke 2:52 NASB 52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan / AN UNSELFISH ATTITUDE

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan

Day 365 AN UNSELFISH ATTITUDE The Bible does not speak clearly about every specific issue people encounter in this life. Paul recognized this and penned for his readers a key principle to follow in those matters not specifically addressed. In Romans 14, Paul laid out the law of liberty in which the Christian chooses not to exercise all the freedom at their disposal, but instead processes decisions about debatable matters based on what's best for their brothers and sisters. The first four verses of chapter 15 summarize and close out that section of the book and provide the true fuel for such an attitude. When a Christian faces a questionable matter, one in which they are not constrained by their conscience or guided by a clear biblical mandate, they should be willing to forgo their personal freedom for the sake of a brother or sister. This is what Jesus modeled for us. He did not live to benefit himself, but instead willingly and unselfishly gave himself over to insult and injury for the sake of others (1Pe 2:23). For those who follow Jesus, the same attitude is expected - being willing to give up our freedom for the edification of another. Jesus, please help me make decisions based on what is best for my brothers and sisters, what is best for your kingdom. Amen. Romans 15:1-4 NASB 1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, " the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me ." 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Why We Have the Bible by Billy Graham

Day By Day With Billy Graham

Day 366 Why We Have the Bible God caused the Bible to be written for the express purpose of revealing to us God's plan for His redemption. God caused the Book to be written that He might make His everlasting laws clear to His children, and that they might have His great wisdom to guide them, and His great love to comfort them as they make their way through life. For without the Bible this world would indeed be a dark and frightening place, without signpost or beacon. The Bible easily qualifies as the only book in which God's revelation is contained. There are many bibles of different religions; there is the Mohammedan Koran, the Buddhist Canon of Sacred Scripture, the Zoroastrian Zend-Avesta, and the Brahman Veda . . . They all begin with some flashes of true light, and end in utter darkness. Even the most casual observer soon discovers that the Bible is radically different. It is the only Book that offers redemption to us and points the way out of our dilemma. Daily Prayer Lord Jesus, as I read Your Word, Your truth shines through and illuminates a dark world. John 20:31 NASB 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

December 31 / Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning and Evening

Day 366 Morning - Day 366 "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." Look at David's Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father's right hand, expecting until his enemies be made his footstool. "As he is, so are we also in this world." You must bear the cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian. "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." See that creeping worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the flower bells, full of happiness and life; that is the end thereof. That caterpillar is yourself, until you are wrapped up in the chrysalis of death; but when Christ shall appear you shall be like him, for you shall see him as he is. Be content to be like him, a worm and no man, that like him you may be satisfied when you wake up in his likeness. That rough-looking diamond is put upon the wheel of the lapidary. He cuts it on all sides. It loses much--much that seemed costly to itself. The king is crowned; the diadem is put upon the monarch's head with trumpet's joyful sound. A glittering ray flashes from that coronet, and it beams from that very diamond which was just now so sorely vexed by the lapidary. You may venture to compare yourself to such a diamond, for you are one of God's people; and this is the time of the cutting process. Let faith and patience have their perfect work, for in the day when the crown shall be set upon the head of the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, one ray of glory shall stream from you. "They shall be mine," saith the Lord, "in the day when I make up my jewels." "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." Evening - Day 365 "Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end?" If, O my reader! thou art merely a professor, and not a possessor of the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the following lines are a true ketch of thine end. You are a respectable attendant at a place of worship; you go because others go, not because your heart is right with God. This is your beginning. I will suppose that for the next twenty or thirty years you will be spared to go on as you do now, professing religion by an outward attendance upon the means of grace, but having no heart in the matter. Tread softly, for I must show you the deathbed of such a one as yourself. Let us gaze upon him gently. A clammy sweat is on his brow, and he wakes up crying, "O God, it is hard to die. Did you send for my minister?" "Yes, he is coming." The minister comes. "Sir, I fear that I am dying!" "Have you any hope?" "I cannot say that I have. I fear to stand before my God; oh! pray for me." The prayer is offered for him with sincere earnestness, and the way of salvation is for the ten-thousandth time put before him, but before he has grasped the rope, I see him sink. I may put my finger upon those cold eyelids, for they will never see anything here again. But where is the man, and where are the man's true eyes? It is written, "In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment." Ah! why did he not lift up his eyes before? Because he was so accustomed to hear the gospel that his soul slept under it. Alas! if you should lift up your eyes there, how bitter will be your wailings. Let the Saviour's own words reveal the woe: "Father Abraham, send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame." There is a frightful meaning in those words. May you never have to spell it out by the red light of Jehovah's wrath! Ecclesiastes 7:8 NASB 8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit. 2 Samuel 2:26 NASB 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?"

Faith-Building Memories / Our Daily Bread

Faith-Building Memories December 31, 2017

Read: Lamentations 3:19–26 Bible in a Year: Malachi 1–4; Revelation 22 Great is your faithfulness.—Lamentations 3:23 As I stepped into the music-filled sanctuary, I looked around at the crowd that had gathered for a New Year’s Eve party. Joy lifted my heart with hope, as I recalled the prayers of the previous year. Our congregation had collectively grieved over wayward children, deaths of loved ones, job losses, and broken relationships. But we’d also experienced God’s grace as we recalled changed hearts and healed personal connections. We’d celebrated victories, weddings, graduations, and baptisms into God’s family. We’d welcomed children born, adopted, or dedicated to the Lord, and more—so much more. Reflecting over the history of trials our church family faced, much like Jeremiah remembered his “affliction” and his “wandering” (Lam. 3:19), I believed that “because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (v. 22). As the prophet reassured himself of God’s past faithfulness, his words comforted me: “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” (v. 25). That night, each person in our congregation represented a tangible expression of God’s life-transforming love. Whatever we’d face in the years to come, as members of the interdependent body of Christ, we could rely on the Lord. And as we continue to seek Him and support one another, we can, as did Jeremiah, find our hope being ratified by faith-building memories of God’s unchanging character and dependability. —Xochitl Dixon Lord, thank You for using our past to assure us our hope remains secure in Your everlasting faithfulness. As we look ahead to the new year, let’s remember that God has always been and always will be faithful. INSIGHT: In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah laments those who are persecuted for standing true to the Lord. He feels as if he himself has been plunged into darkness and chained as a prisoner (vv. 1-9). He has experienced attacks, abduction, and isolation, and has been scorned and pierced by his enemies (vv. 10-15). Personal dignity and a sense of security have been painfully replaced with loneliness and sorrow (vv. 16-20). Yet within this valley of despair there is a greater reality that rises above the circumstances. As we reflect on the character of God we see He is always present in our situation and offers comfort and hope. God’s mercies are as certain as the rising of the sun each day (vv. 21-23). In view of this inspiring truth, the living God truly is all that we need for any of life’s trials (v. 24). As you think back over the past year, when have you experienced the faithfulness of God? Dennis Fisher

“And Every Virtue We Possess” by Oswald Chambers

“And Every Virtue We Possess” …All my springs are in you.  PSALM 87:7 Our Lord never “patches up” our natural virtues, that is, our natural traits, qualities, or characteristics. He completely remakes a person on the inside— “…put on the new man…” (Ephesians 4:24). In other words, see that your natural human life is putting on all that is in keeping with the new life. The life God places within us develops its own new virtues, not the virtues of the seed of Adam, but of Jesus Christ. Once God has begun the process of sanctification in your life, watch and see how God causes your confidence in your own natural virtues and power to wither away. He will continue until you learn to draw your life from the reservoir of the resurrection life of Jesus. Thank God if you are going through this drying-up experience! The sign that God is at work in us is that He is destroying our confidence in the natural virtues, because they are not promises of what we are going to be, but only a wasted reminder of what God created man to be. We want to cling to our natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us in contact with the life of Jesus Christ— a life that can never be described in terms of natural virtues. It is the saddest thing to see people who are trying to serve God depending on that which the grace of God never gave them. They are depending solely on what they have by virtue of heredity. God does not take our natural virtues and transform them, because our natural virtues could never even come close to what Jesus Christ wants. No natural love, no natural patience, no natural purity can ever come up to His demands. But as we bring every part of our natural bodily life into harmony with the new life God has placed within us, He will exhibit in us the virtues that were characteristic of the Lord Jesus. And every virtue we possess Is His alone. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The Bible is the only Book that gives us any indication of the true nature of sin, and where it came from. from The Philosophy of Sin, 1107 R

A Passion to Know Christ by Charles Stanley

Philippians 3:3-11

Most Christians know the essential facts about their Savior’s life, but too few know Him relationally. Some believers are so busy with activities and pursuits that they rarely think of Jesus until a desperate situation arises.

Yet those who know the Lord intimately have a continually deepening relationship with Him. He’s their top priority, and every possession, accomplishment, or pursuit is worthless compared to knowing Him. Verses 8–10 of today’s passage reveal the results of making Christ our foremost desire:

Increasing hunger: “that I may gain Christ.” Even though Paul had an amazing relationship with Jesus, his passion was so great that he wanted to know the Lord more deeply.

Changed life: “the righteousness which comes from God.” The more we know Christ, the more we’ll mature spiritually and display His righteousness.

Greater capability: “the power of His resurrection.” The Spirit’s power flows through those closely connected to Jesus.

New perspective: “the fellowship of His sufferings.” When we understand Christ, we recognize the benefits He works in us through our times of difficulty.

Victorious living: “being conformed to His death.” Christians who know Jesus well count themselves dead to the sins that once dominated their lives.

Is your life characterized by a deep, abiding passion for Christ, or is your relationship with Him shallow and mechanical? Believers must not let worldly pleasures, opportunities, and responsibilities rob them of the treasure of knowing Jesus. It’s time to count all that as loss and pursue Christ.

December 30 / Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman

"Peter was kept in prison: but prayer (instant and earnest prayer) was made for him" (Acts 12:5, margin).

Peter was in prison awaiting his execution. The Church had neither human power nor influence to save him. There was no earthly help, but there was help to be obtained by the way of Heaven. They gave themselves to fervent, importunate prayer. God sent His angel, who aroused Peter from sleep and led him out through the first and second wards of the prison; and when they came to the iron gate, it opened to them of its own accord, and Peter was free.

There may be some iron gate in your life that has blocked your way. Like a caged bird you have often beaten against the bars, but instead of helping, you have only had to fall back tired, exhausted and sore at heart. There is a secret for you to learn, and that is believing prayer; and when you come to the iron gate, it will open of its own accord.

How much wasted energy and sore disappointment will be saved if you will learn to pray as did the Church in the upper room! Insurmountable difficulties will disappear; adverse circumstances will prove favorable if you learn to pray, not with your own faith but with the faith of God (Mark 11:22, margin). Souls in prison have been waiting for years for the gate to open; love ones out of Christ, bound by Satan, will be set free when you pray till you definitely believe God.
--C. H. P.

Emergencies call for intense prayer. When the man becomes the prayer nothing can resist its touch. Elijah on Carmel, bowed down on the ground, with his face between his knees, that was prayer--the man himself.

No words are mentioned. Prayer can be too tense for words. The man's whole being was in touch with God, and was set with God against the powers of evil. They couldn't withstand such praying. There's more of this embodied praying needed.
--The Bent-knee Time

"Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused."
--C. H. Spurgeon

Sustaining the Universe by John MacArthur

Sustaining the Universe

“[Christ] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).

The eternal Christ sustains His creation.

When the universe began, Christ already existed. The apostle John spoke of Christ’s eternal existence this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:1-3). Christ Himself testified of the same truth when He told the Jews, “Before Abraham was born, I AM” (John 8:58). He was saying that He is Yahweh, the eternally existing God. The prophet Micah said of Him, “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Mic. 5:2). Revelation 22:13 describes Him as “the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Christ has preeminence over all creation because He “is before all things” (Col. 1:17). He already existed when the universe began because He is the eternal God.

Having created the universe, Christ sustains all He has created (v. 17). He maintains the delicate balance necessary to life’s existence. He is the power behind every consistency in the universe and the One who keeps all the entities in space in their motion. He is the energy behind the universe.

Christ, however, will not always sustain our present universe. One day in the future He will dissolve the heavens and earth. The apostle Peter describes that day, when “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Until that time, we can be thankful that Christ continues to sustain it.

How encouraging to know that the eternal God who sustains the entire universe is also watching over you. No detail of your life is too small for His concern; no circumstance is too big for His sovereign control.

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank the Lord for caring for the details of your life while He controls the universe.

For Further Study

According to Hebrews 1:3, what does God uphold? How?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

Eternity . . . by Adrian Rogers

DECEMBER 30

Eternity . . . 

“That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Your soul, made in the image of God, will exist forever. I think Billy Sunday, the evangelist, said it this way: “Imagine a little bird taking a grain of sand and flying to a distant planet. It would take him a million years to fly to that distant planet. Then he would drop that grain of sand. Then the little bird would fly back to the earth taking another million years. He gets another grain of sand and flies back to the distant planet.

“Back and forth, back and forth it goes. When he will have transplanted every speck of earth to that distant planet, it will only be breakfast time in eternity.”

Your soul will go on, and on, and on.

Where do you plan on spending eternity? Where do your loved ones plan on spending it? If you don’t know, ask them today and get their salvation on the right side of eternity.

---

A New Year’s Verse by David Jeremiah

TODAY'S TURNING POINT WITH DR. DAVID JEREMIAH

A New Year’s Verse

December 30, 2017

At the beginning of the year…the hand of the Lord was upon me.
Ezekiel 40:1

Whew! How did we make it through the past year with its challenges, heartaches, blessings, opportunities, and distresses? If the old year worried you, don’t take your anxieties into the new one. If the holidays exhausted you, pause long enough to thank God for mercies that never cease.

Recommended Reading: Ezekiel 40:1-4

Think of Ezekiel. At the beginning of the year, when Ezekiel was reeling from news that Jerusalem had fallen to the Babylonians, God touched him. The Lord lifted him up and transported him by revelation into the future. Ezekiel saw what God is preparing for days to come, and the prophet was so overwhelmed it required the rest of his book—Ezekiel 40-48—to describe the glories he saw.

God’s revealed promises will take us through time and into the future. You can trust Him with the coming year, with all the years of life, and with the endless ages of eternity. Here on the eve of a new year, the hand of God is on us.

The name of this millennial city will be The Lord is there—a tremendous promise given to Hebrew exiles who must have wondered if the Lord would ever be with them again.
From The Jeremiah Study Bible

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan / GIVING OUR ALL TO JESUS

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan

Day 363 of 365 GIVING OUR ALL TO JESUS The sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira are jarring at first glance. After all, the couple voluntarily gave up part of their profits to the church, so what could possibly warrant their deaths? The problem was that they lied about their gift and withheld money for themselves, desiring the status of the large donation and the appearance of radical generosity in the eyes of the apostles and the other members of the church. Furthermore, Peter says that they allowed Satan to fill their hearts (5:3). They lied to the Holy Spirit (5:4), who had filled their community of believers. In the midst of the church's miraculous growth, remarkable unity and amazing gospel message, Ananias and Sapphira's deceitful plan stood as the antithesis of the church's faith-filled generosity and brotherly love. The Good Shepherd refuses to tolerate wolves roaming freely among his sheep. In contrast, the preceding story of Barnabas (4:36 - 37) reveals the greater truth that authentic allegiance to Jesus is characterized by the kind of cheerful generosity that both honors God and cares for his people. May those who follow Jesus be so struck by his worth, so confident of his care and so committed to his ways that they likewise "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (Mt 6:33). Jesus, help me to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. I want others to see my generosity and know it must come from you. Amen. Acts 5:1-10 NASB 1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. 7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price." 9 Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well. " 10And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

NKJV 365 / Mary of Nazareth - An Honored Mother

NKJV 365 Day Reading Plan

Day 364 of 365 Mary of Nazareth An Honored Mother No other human being was closer to Jesus Christ on earth than Mary, His mother. Each of the gospels and the Book of Acts includes her as a woman uniquely gifted to share her Son's earthly life. As a mother, she is one of us, but as the mother of our Lord, she is blessed above all women. Matthew introduced Mary of Nazareth as the betrothed wife of Joseph, "a just man" (Matt. 1:19). When the angel Gabriel appeared to her with the birth announcement (Luke 1:26-28), Mary's response clearly revealed her keen understanding of Scripture and her ready willingness to obey God. The awesome concept of yielding her virgin body to the Holy Spirit as His instrument was sure to be misunderstood, but Mary's spirit of total trust earned God's pleasure (Luke 1:38). Overwhelming as the news was, she submitted herself to the assignment with joy. Her song of praise (Luke 1:46-55) describes a perceptive heart of overflowing exaltation to her Lord. Intertwined with spiritual insight, however, were Mary's anxieties. When at age twelve Jesus failed to join the family as they returned from Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-50), when the wine at the wedding feast was insufficient (John 2:1-12), when she was concerned during His ministry (Mark 6:2, 3; Luke 8:19) or horrified at His Crucifixion, her Son graciously responded to His mother's disquiet on each occasion. He tenderly placed her in the care of John before He died (John 19:25-27). Mary and Joseph became the parents of other children. Mary probably experienced early widowhood, but she shines as a faithful wife and mother. When Mary appeared publicly, standing at the Cross (John 19:25) and praying after the Lord's ascension (Acts 1:12-14), she demonstrated her courage to the world. She was marked as "one of His," liable for persecution along with the disciples. The unknown maiden from the despised Galilean town of Nazareth (see John 1:46) illuminates for all time the basic nature of womanhood: entrusting to the next generation the message of God's faithfulness, whether through the rearing of one's own child or through the task of spiritual nurturing that might extend beyond the family circle. Not only was Mary God's sovereign choice to bear the Christ Child, but she was also a devoted and humble follower of her Messiah. Taken from The Woman's Study Bible Luke 1:26-28 NASB 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

Day By Day With Billy Graham / We Can't Out-Give God

Day By Day With Billy Graham

Day 364 of 366 We Can't Out-Give God We are to be stewards of our money. When it is invested and shared for the glory of God, it can be a boon and a blessing. I know a businessman in Detroit, Michigan, who made a promise to God that he would tithe his entire income to the work of the Lord. He said his business had tripled, and that God had more than fulfilled His end of the bargain. Some time ago I heard from a laborer in the San Joaquin Valley of California who said that he and his wife agreed to give one tenth of their income to the Lord. At the time they made their decision, he was able to get work only about seven months of the year. Now he says he has steady work, and is earning nearly twice what he was before. You cannot get around it; the Scripture promises material and spiritual benefits to the man who gives to God. You cannot out-give God. I challenge you to try it and see. Daily Prayer Forgive me, Lord, for the times I have wanted to keep that which is rightfully Yours. Leviticus 27:30 NASB 30 'Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's ; it is holy to the Lord .

December 30 / Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning and Evening

Day 364 of 366 Morning - Day 364 "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." The word "hitherto" seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past. Twenty years or seventy, and yet, "hitherto the Lord hath helped!" Through poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home, abroad, on the land, on the sea, in honour, in dishonour, in perplexity, in joy, in trial, in triumph, in prayer, in temptation, "hitherto hath the Lord helped us!" We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its branching pillars and its arches of leaves; even so look down the long aisles of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars of lovingkindness and faithfulness which bear up your joys. Are there no birds in yonder branches singing? Surely there must be many, and they all sing of mercy received "hitherto." But the word also points forward. For when a man gets up to a certain mark and writes "hitherto," he is not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be traversed. More trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more toils, more strength; more fights, more victories; and then come sickness, old age, disease, death. Is it over now? No! there is more yet-awakening in Jesus' likeness, thrones, harps, songs, psalms, white raiment, the face of Jesus, the society of saints, the glory of God, the fulness of eternity, the infinity of bliss. O be of good courage, believer, and with grateful confidence raise thy "Ebenezer," for-- He who hath helped thee hitherto Will help thee all thy journey through. When read in heaven's light how glorious and marvellous a prospect will thy "hitherto" unfold to thy grateful eye! Evening - Day 364 "What think ye of Christ?" The great test of your soul's health is, What think you of Christ? Is he to you "fairer than the children of men"--"the chief among ten thousand"--the "altogether lovely"? Wherever Christ is thus esteemed, all the faculties of the spiritual man exercise themselves with energy. I will judge of your piety by this barometer: does Christ stand high or low with you? If you have thought little of Christ, if you have been content to live without his presence, if you have cared little for his honour, if you have been neglectful of his laws, then I know that your soul is sick--God grant that it may not be sick unto death! But if the first thought of your spirit has been, how can I honour Jesus? If the daily desire of your soul has been, "O that I knew where I might find him!" I tell you that you may have a thousand infirmities, and even scarcely know whether you are a child of God at all, and yet I am persuaded, beyond a doubt, that you are safe, since Jesus is great in your esteem. I care not for thy rags, what thinkest thou of his royal apparel? I care not for thy wounds, though they bleed in torrents, what thinkest thou of his wounds? are they like glittering rubies in thine esteem? I think none the less of thee, though thou liest like Lazarus on the dunghill, and the dogs do lick thee--I judge thee not by thy poverty: what thinkest thou of the King in his beauty? Has he a glorious high throne in thy heart? Wouldest thou set him higher if thou couldest? Wouldest thou be willing to die if thou couldest but add another trumpet to the strain which proclaims his praise? Ah! then it is well with thee. Whatever thou mayest think of thyself, if Christ be great to thee, thou shalt be with him ere long. "Though all the world my choice deride, Yet Jesus shall my portion be; For I am pleased with none beside, The fairest of the fair is he" 1 Samuel 7:12 NASB 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." Matthew 22:42 NASB 42 "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" They said to Him, " The son of David."