Spontaneous Love by Oswald Chambers

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. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment. from The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption

The Spiritual Fruit of Patience by Charles Stanley

Romans 5:1-4

The list known as “Fruit of the Spirit” includes patience (Gal. 5:22-23), but that does not mean the Holy Spirit wills it into the believer’s life. Instead, He acts as our ever-dependable teacher and the one who enables our growth. Spiritual fruit is something that matures over time as we obey the heavenly Father and surrender to His will.

Patience with both God and our fellow man is an outgrowth of deepening faith. The Holy Spirit urges believers to take note of the Lord’s handiwork on the journey through life. Our confidence in Him is nurtured by answered prayer, the rich blessings that arise unexpectedly from difficult circumstances, and every trace of good that God salvages from a bad situation. As our trust in His goodness and sovereignty grows, we find ourselves more willing to wait for God’s solutions and outcomes.

In fact, I believe that recognizing God’s sovereignty is key to developing patience. A significant part of surrendering to His absolute control is waiting upon Him to do what He will. It is wisdom to realize that our lives unfold according to His master plan—exasperated toe tapping doesn’t make Him speed up one bit. God expects His children to step into His timeline and practice patience no matter what pace He sets.

Patience doesn’t come naturally. That’s why we have the Holy Spirit. He strengthens our resolve to endure without complaint when progress seems sluggish. After all, God is slow only from a human standpoint. From a divine, eternal perspective, He’s always working at the perfect speed.

Draw Near / THE BRINGING

THE BRINGING

Several years ago, a group of Philadelphia businessmen began an experimental prayer group. The effects of their prayers have been dramatic, and the group has flourished. Today, it encompasses many people who give themselves daily to the purpose of prayer. They explain, "Matthew says, 'and they brought unto him all sick people with divers diseases and torments...and he healed them.' It is not the healing we try to do, but the bringing."

Hezekiah knew how important it was to present his people before the Lord. When they were not sanctified at Passover time, he took them to the Lord and prayed for them (2 Chronicles 30:13-20). God heard Hezekiah's prayer and "healed the people."

We do not do the healing but the bringing. In obedience we daily bring friends, family, and others to the Master for His touch. And, as we bring them, He heals them of physical ailments, mental anguishes, and "various diseases." Prayer is not just a responsibility, it is a privilege. It is the privilege of presenting those we love to the Lord. He alone can heal them. Today, may we present our loved ones to Christ so they might be exposed to His positive healing process. More things are wrought by prayer than we can possibly imagine.

“And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭30:20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The Victory of the Resurrection by John MacArthur

STRENGTH FOR TODAY

The Victory of the Resurrection  “‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ . . . but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, 57). The Resurrection seals what we could not: victory over death. Death is the great enemy of mankind. It comes to everyone without exception. It violates our dominion of God’s creation, breaks apart relationships, disrupts families, and causes us to grieve the loss of loved ones. However, Christ’s resurrection has broken the power of death for Christians because “death no longer is master over Him” (Rom. 6:9). In today’s passage the apostle Paul reminds us of the final victory over death that results once we have been transformed into our resurrection bodies. To make his point, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Hosea. In using Hosea’s sting of death metaphor, Paul implies that death left its sting in Christ, as a bee leaves its stinger in its victim. On the cross Jesus bore all of death’s sting (sin), so we wouldn’t have to bear any of it. When sin’s penalty has been removed, death merely interrupts our earthly life and ushers us into the heavenly realm, where we will worship and praise God forever. Paul concludes (v. 57) by thanking God, who provided us the triumph over sin and death. We also should be thankful to God who, through Christ’s redeeming work, gave us what we could never have obtained by ourselves. God promises to all believers the heavenly in exchange for the earthly, and the immortal in exchange for the mortal. With Jesus Christ’s triumph over death, we have no reason to fear what death can do to us. Instead, we should rejoice concerning the Lord’s promise to us about the next life: “Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire . . . and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Rev. 20:14; 21:4). Suggestions for Prayer Thank God that in His sovereign wisdom and power He has defeated death and removed all reasons for the believer to be afraid of it. For Further Study Read 2 Kings 2:9-14 and 4:18-37. What do these passages preview about Jesus’ control over death, His own and ours? Do they remind you of any particular New Testament stories?

Every Nation Goes Through These 9 Cycles--Which One Are We On? by Adrian Rogers

APRIL 30

Every Nation Goes Through These 9 Cycles--Which One Are We On?

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?” - Psalm 85:6

What we need in America is a sweeping revival. They tell us that a nation’s decay occurs in nine cycles.

1.  People go from bondage to spiritual faith.

2.  From spiritual faith to courage.

3.  From courage to liberty.

4.  From liberty to abundance.

5.  From abundance to selfishness.

6.  From selfishness to complacency.

7.  From complacency to apathy.

8.  From apathy to dependence.

9.  From dependence back again to bondage.

This cycle is being revealed today in our nation’s current status. But I'm telling you, it is time some of us took our place and prayed for God to send a mighty revival and for our nation to return to Him. It’s not too late with God!

Equal Blame--Equal Blessings by Stephen Davey

Equal Blame--Equal Blessings

Galatians 3:28-29

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.

Pastor Gary Tolbert told the story of a little boy who had come to see the sights of Washington, D.C., with his parents. When they arrived at the Washington Monument, the boy was speechless as he stared at the obelisk stretching into the sky. He noticed a guard standing by and walked up to him, saying, "I want to buy it," pointing at the monument erected in memory of our first President.

The guard said, "Excuse me?" The child said a little louder, "I want to buy that!"

The guard bent down and asked, "Well now, just how much money do you have?" The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. The guard said, "I'm sorry son, that's not enough."

The boy replied, "I thought you'd say that," and he reached into his other pocket and pulled out a nickel and four pennies, holding his hand up to the guard for him to count the money.

The guard looked at the boy, then squatted down and said to the disappointed negotiator, "Listen son, you need to understand three things:  First, you don't have enough money to buy this thing--34 cents or 34 million dollars wouldn't be enough to buy the Washington Monument; second, you need to know that the Washington Monument is not for sale; third, you need to know that, if you are an American citizen, the Washington Monument belongs to you--it's already yours."

What a wonderful picture of Christianity! No matter what kind of person you are--red, yellow, black or white; tall or short; fat or thin; rich or poor; Baptist or Presbyterian; pessimist or optimist (and I could go on and on!)--you are an equal shareholder in God's kingdom if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ.

In fact, your half-dollar and your neighbor's fifty dollar bill are on equal par when it comes to earning favor with God--you can't tip Him. You can have His favor and all its rewards freely through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has already purchased salvation and offers it to you through the sacrifice of His Son.

Just as the Washington Monument belongs to both a little boy with pocket change and a millionaire businessman, so also the promises of God belong to every believer.

The truth is, we are equally deserving of condemnation, but by God's grace we have become equally endowed with an inheritance that will never pass away . . . claim it today!

Prayer Point: How are you reaching out to those who are different from you? In what ways are you developing relationships with men and women who have a different ethnic, social, or family background from you? Ask God to give you opportunities to develop strong relationships with those who are different from you outwardly, but share oneness with you in Christ.

Extra Refreshment: Read Matthew 20:1-16.

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

And the ill favored and lean-fleshed kine did Eat up the seven well favored and fat kin...and the thin, ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears (Gen. 41:4,7).

There is a warning for us in that dream, just as it stands: It is possible for the best years of our life, the best experiences, the best victories won, the best service rendered, to be swallowed up by times of failure, defeat, dishonor, uselessness in the kingdom. Some men's lives of rare promise and rare achievement have ended so. It is awful to think of, but it is true. Yet it is never necessary.

S. D. Gordon has said that the only assurance of safety against this tragedy is "fresh touch with God," daily, hourly. The blessed, fruitful, victorious experiences of yesterday are not only of no value to me today, but they will actually be eaten up or reversed by today's failures, unless they serve as incentives to still better, richer experiences today.

"Fresh touch with God," by abiding in Christ, alone will keep the lean kine and the ill favored grain out of my life.
--Messages for the Morning Watch

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God's Thoughts by Alistair Begg

DAILY DEVOTIONAL APRIL 30, 2018

God's Thoughts

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
Psalms 139:17

Divine omniscience provides no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking about us, never turns His mind from us, always has us before His eyes; and this is precisely how we would want it, because it would be dreadful to exist for a moment outside the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring countless benefits to us: It is consequently a supreme delight to remember them. The Lord always thought about His people: hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured. He will always think upon them: hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest.

In all our wanderings the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is constantly fixed upon us—we never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye. In our sorrows He observes us incessantly, and not a painful emotion escapes Him; in our toils He notices all our weariness, and He writes all the struggles of His faithful ones in His book. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel of our bodily frame is uncared for; all the details of our little world are thought upon by the great God.

Dear reader, is this precious to you? Then hold to it. Do not be led astray by those philosophical fools who preach an impersonal God and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord lives and thinks upon us; this is a far too precious truth for us to be easily robbed of it. To be noticed by a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but how much greater is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinks upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore.

Cocoon of Light by David Jeremiah

Monday, April 30 Cocoon of Light    Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105    Just as a caterpillar enters the safety and security of a cocoon to be transformed to a butterfly, Christians enter God’s Word to be transformed. Even though we may wish our lives were linear and steady, our days are marked by change and the unexpected. When we are faced with a dilemma or challenge, it can feel as though we are facing a locked door or wandering lost in a dark forest.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 119:105-112

God’s Word offers divine guidance, wisdom, and assurance. When we neglect God’s Word, we neglect the transformation He offers. In His Word we are reminded that we do not need to worry about our lives: He is the God who protects, provides, and pursues us. It is often through His Word that we find the answer to a lingering question, and a new path forward appears.    God does not simply reveal paths, He creates new paths where there was none before: through water, through fire, and even through death. Satan provides many excuses and lies to keep us from meditating on God’s Truth because our transformation has a powerful effect on those around us.    We are indeed the light of the world—but only if our switch is turned on. John Hagee

Breaking the Chains / Our Daily Bread

Breaking the Chains April 30, 2018

Read: Ephesians 1:3–14 Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 8–9; Luke 21:1–19 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.—Ephesians 1:7 We found our visit to Christ Church Cathedral in Stone Town, Zanzibar, deeply moving, for it sits on the site of what was formerly the largest slave market in East Africa. The designers of this cathedral wanted to show through a physical symbol how the gospel breaks the chains of slavery. No longer would the location be a place of evil deeds and horrible atrocities, but of God’s embodied grace. Those who built the cathedral wanted to express how Jesus’s death on the cross provides freedom from sin—that which the apostle Paul speaks of in his letter to the church at Ephesus: “In him we have redemption through his blood” (Ephesians 1:7). Here the word redemption points to the Old Testament’s notion of the marketplace, with someone buying back a person or item. Jesus buys back a person from a life of slavery to sin and wrongdoing. In Paul’s opening words in this letter (vv. 3-14), he bubbles over with joy at the thought of his freedom in Christ. He points, in layer after layer of praise, to God’s work of grace for us through Jesus’s death, which sets us free from the cords of sin. No longer do we need to be slaves to sin, for we are set free to live for God and His glory. —Amy Boucher Pye Lord God, through the death of Your Son, You have given us life forever. Help me to share this gift of grace with someone today. Jesus redeems us from the slavery of sin.

Gracious Uncertainty by Oswald Chambers

Gracious Uncertainty ...it has not yet been revealed what we shall be…  1 JOHN 3:2 Our natural inclination is to be so precise– trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next– that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots. Our common sense says, “Well, what if I were in that circumstance?” We cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance in which we have never been. Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life– gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God– it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, “…unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, “…believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, “Believe certain things about Me”. Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in– but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS A fanatic is one who entrenches himself in invincible ignorance. from Baffled to Fight Better, 59 R

Developing Patience by Charles Stanley

James 1:1-4

When people confide in me that they are praying for patience, I often ask what else they’re doing to acquire a calm and gentle heart. Patience isn’t so much something believers receive as it is an attribute that they develop over time and through experience.

Think of patience as a muscle that you have to use in order to see it build. To that end, believers should recognize difficulty as an opportunity to flex their patience. The human instinct is to cry out to God in bewilderment when tribulation comes knocking. We blame. We resist. We complain. What we don’t do is say, “Thank You, Father—it’s time to grow in patience!” People aren’t trained to think that way, but according to the Bible, that is exactly how Christians are to respond.

The book of James tells us to consider trials a joy (James 1:2). But we often fail at this, don’t we? Humanly speaking, praising the heavenly Father for tribulation is unnatural. However, doing so begins to make sense to believers when they cling to God’s promise that good comes from hardship. (See Rom. 8:28.) We are not waiting on the Lord in vain. We can praise Him for the solution He will bring, the lives He will change, or the spiritual fruit He will develop in our life.

Accepting hardship as a means of growth is a radical concept in this world. Even more extreme is the believer who praises the Lord for the storm. But God’s followers have cause to rejoice. Tribulation increases our patience so that we can stand firm on His promises and await His good timing.

Draw Near / THE ANT AND THE ELEPHANT

THE ANT AND THE ELEPHANT

An ancient fable tells about the ant and the elephant crossing the bridge together. The swinging bridge shook under the weight of the elephant. When the two got to the other side, the ant exclaimed, "Boy, we sure shook that bridge, didn't we?"

Perhaps no other place in Scripture clearly shows God's dramatic power than in the prayer of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:6-13). When the dreaded enemy threatened, the king called for a fast and began leading the people in prayer. In response to the plea for help, God sent a prophet to assure Jehoshaphat that the battle was the Lord's, not Judah's. And it was so. The enemies ended up destroying themselves; the Israelites did not even have to raise a weapon. Israel was like the ant crossing the bridge with the elephant.

Scripture tells us we can have a powerful partnership with God through our prayer life. Jehoshaphat responded to his fear by praying. We also must learn to seek God's presence in our times of tension. The battle still is the Lord's; He is the One Who shakes the bridge. We only have the privilege of crossing over with Him. Today, we must learn to trust more.

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Our New Bodies by John MacArthur

STRENGTH FOR TODAY

Our New Bodies  “Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Corinthians 15:49). All believers can look forward to one day receiving new bodies and new images. Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances present a glimpse of the greatness, power, and wonder that our own resurrection bodies will have. Our Lord appeared and disappeared at will and always reappeared in other places. He was able to go through walls and doors, but He could also eat, drink, sit, talk, and be seen by others. Jesus was remarkably the same as before His death, yet He was even more remarkably changed. The body the disciples and other followers saw after the Resurrection was the same one we’ll see when we go to be with Him. Christ will also appear in the same form when He returns to earth (Acts 1:11). As it was with Jesus, our perishable, natural, and weak bodies will be raised imperishable, spiritual, and powerful. No longer will they limit us in our service to God. In Heaven we’ll blaze forth the magnificent glory that God so graciously gives to His own (Matt. 13:43). Christ promises to “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:21). The future resurrection of believers to the glories of Heaven has always been a blessed hope and motivation for the church through the centuries— and it should be for you and me. No matter what our present bodies are like— healthy or unhealthy, beautiful or plain, short-lived or long-lived, pampered or abused—they are not our permanent bodies. One day these natural, created bodies will be re-created as supernatural. Even though the Bible gives us just a glance at what those new bodies will be like, it is a precious assurance to know that “we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2). Suggestions for Prayer Pray for an opportunity to share insights from this study with a Christian friend, especially if he or she has been discouraged recently. For Further Study Read Luke 24:33-53. What do verses 37-43 verify about Jesus’ new body? Write down other things from the entire passage that describe how Jesus had changed from the way He was prior to the cross. How had He remained the same? 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.

Your Table Is Ready Now by Adrian Rogers

APRIL 29

Your Table Is Ready Now

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” - Revelation 3:20

A man once told me, “Back in the depression, we had three meals a day. We had oatmeal for breakfast, cornmeal for lunch, and no meal for dinner.”

You may feel like that. You may not feel as if you have much now. But I don’t care what is set on your table today.Friend, listen, when you become a Christian, whether or not you have a freezer full of filet mignon, it makes no difference. There’s Someone else Who prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you eat at the King’s table.

If you have opened the door to Him, you feast in Him. You are in the Lord’s fellowship! You sit at His table! And no matter how poor you are, you eat with the King! Open your heart’s door to the Lord Jesus Christ.

April 29 / Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are (James 5:17).

Thank God for that! He got under a juniper tree, as you and I have often done; he complained and murmured, as we have often done; was unbelieving, as we have often been. But that was not the case when he really got into touch with God. Though "a man subject to like passions as we are," "he prayed praying."  It is sublime in the original--not "earnestly," but "he prayed in prayer." He kept on praying. What is the lesson here? You must keep praying.

Come up on the top of Carmel, and see that remarkable parable of Faith and Sight. It was not the descent of the fire that now was necessary, but the descent of the flood; and the man that can command the fire can command the flood by the same means and methods. We are told that he bowed himself to the ground with his face between his knees; that is, shutting out all sights and sounds. He was putting himself in a position where, beneath his mantle, he could neither see nor hear what was going forward.

He said to his servant, "Go and take an observation." He went and came back, and said--how sublimely brief! one  word--"Nothing!"

What do we do under such circumstances?

We say, "It is just as I expected!" and we give up praying. Did Elijah? No, he said, "Go again." His servant again came back and said, "Nothing!" "Go again." "Nothing!"

By and by he came back, and said, "There is a little cloud like a man's hand." A man's hand had been raised in supplication, and presently down came the rain; and Ahab had not time to get back to the gate of Samaria with all his fast steeds. This is a parable of Faith and Sight--faith shutting itself up with God; sight taking observations and seeing nothing; faith going right on, and "praying in prayer," with utterly hopeless reports from sight.

Do you know how to pray that way, how to pray prevailingly? Let sight give as discouraging reports as it may, but pay no attention to these. The living God is still in the heavens and even to delay is part of His goodness.
--Arthur T. Pierson

Each of three boys gave a definition of faith which is an illustration of the tenacity of faith. The first boy said, "It is taking hold of Christ"; the second, "Keeping hold"; and the third, "Not letting go."

Christ's Comprehensive Love by Alistair Begg

DAILY DEVOTIONAL APRIL 29, 2018

Christ's Comprehensive Love

The Lord takes pleasure in his people.
Psalms 149:4

How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of His people's interests that He does not consider, and there is nothing that concerns their welfare that is not important to Him. He doesn't merely think of you, believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal being too. Do not deny it or doubt it: "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered."¹ "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way."²

It would be sad for us if this covering of love did not tackle all our concerns, for what mischief might be done to us in that part of our lives that did not come under our gracious Lord's protection! Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your smallest concerns. The breadth of His tender love is such that you may turn to Him in every case; for in all your afflictions He is afflicted, and just like a father cares for his children, so He cares for you. The smallest interests of all His saints are all borne upon the heart of the Son of God.

And what a heart He has, which does not merely understand the nature of His people but also comprehends their diverse and innumerable concerns. Do you think, Christian, that you can measure the love of Christ? Consider what His love has brought you—justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life! The riches of His goodness are unsearchable; you will never be able to convey them or even conceive them.

Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have only half our hearts? Shall it have a cold love in return? Shall Jesus' marvelous loving-kindness and tender care be met with only faint response and delayed acknowledgment? My soul, tune your harp to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go to your rest rejoicing, for you are not a desolate wanderer but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by your Lord.

1) Matthew 10:30 
2) Psalm 37:23

Take Another Look at Jesus! / Our Daily Bread

Take Another Look at Jesus! April 29, 2018

Read: Hebrews 3:1–6 Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 6–7; Luke 20:27–47 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.—Hebrews 3:6 If there ever was a faithful person, it was Brother Justice. He was committed to his marriage, dedicated to his job as a postal worker, and each Sunday stood at his post as a leader in our local church. I visited my childhood church recently, and perched on the upright piano was the same bell that Brother Justice rang to notify us that the time for Bible study was about to end. The bell has endured the test of time. And although Brother Justice has been with the Lord for years, his legacy of faithfulness also endures. Hebrews 3 brings a faithful servant and a faithful Son to the readers’ attention. Though the faithfulness of Moses as God’s “servant” is undeniable, Jesus is the one believers are taught to focus on. “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters . . . fix your thoughts on Jesus” (v. 1). Such was the encouragement to all who face temptation (2:18). Their legacy could come only from following Jesus, the faithful One. What do you do when the winds of temptation are swirling all around you? When you are weary and worn and want to quit? The text invites us to, as one paraphrase renders it, “Take a good hard look at Jesus” (3:1 The Message). Look at Him again—and again and again. As we reexamine Jesus, we find the trustworthy Son of God who gives us courage to live in His family. —Arthur Jackson Father, through Your Spirit, empower us to courageously love, honor, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking to Jesus can give us courage to face the challenges in our lives. INSIGHT: The book of Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish Christians who were facing persecution and hardship for their faith and who were now in danger of drifting away and reverting back to Judaism. The writer warns them against abandoning Christ (2:1-3; 3:7-15; 6:4-6; 10:26-31) and presents the absolute supremacy of Jesus as Savior. Jesus is superior to the angels (chs. 1-2), to Moses (chs. 3-4), and to the Aaronic priesthood (chs. 5-7), and He is the perfect High Priest (chs. 8-10). In today’s passage Moses is compared with Christ. While Moses was one of God’s most faithful servants, Jesus is far greater than Moses because Jesus is God’s Son (3:5-6). How does reflecting on the supremacy of Jesus encourage you to trust Him in your trials? Sim Kay Tee