Verse of the Day / December 31

 Quiet Time...

"He hath made every thing beautiful in His time: 

also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV

*****

Bible in One Year: December 31

 Bible in One Year: Malachi 1-4; Revelation 22

Yesterday / 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. Bible in One Year: Malachi 1-4; Revelation 22

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The attitude of a Christian towards the providential order in which he is placed is to recognize that God is behind it for purposes of His own.

 

Are You Relying on Yourself? / Adrian Rogers

 Are You Relying on Yourself?

Romans 10:11-13
Sermon: 1816 How to Maintain the Life of Victory

Pray Over This

“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’”
Romans 10:11-13

Ponder This

When Jesus spoke of some forsaking him, Simon Peter said “Lord, I’ll go with you to prison and to death” (Matthew 26:35, author’s paraphrase). And then Peter cursed and swore and denied that he even knew the Lord Jesus. Why? Because it was a boast of the flesh. Do you want to maintain your victory? You’d better realize that as you have reverence and resolve you also need a reliance that says, “God, I can’t do it. But God, you can do it in me, and I’m going to let you.” In the truest sense of the word, victory is not your responsibility; it is your response to His ability.

I have wonderful news for you. The Bible says it clearly and plainly, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). To be saved means every sin is forgiven. To be saved means Jesus Christ lives in your heart to give you peace, power, and purpose. And to be saved means you go to Heaven when you die or when Jesus comes. The word believes means more than intellectual belief. It means trust—reliance and commitment. Trust Him. Rely on Him. Commit your life to Him, and you will be saved.

• What are some things you feel like God is leading you toward in the year to come?
• Have you ever prayed with a resolve to serve God and a reliance on Him? What impact did this have on you?

Practice This

Pray with a resolve to rely on God and serve Him in the year to come.

The Righteous City / ODB

The Righteous City May he produce in you . . . every good thing that is pleasing to him. Hebrews 13:21 NLT READ Hebrews 13:14–21 On New Year’s Eve 2000, officials in Detroit carefully opened a hundred-year-old time capsule. Nestled inside the copper box were hopeful predictions from some city leaders who expressed visions of prosperity. The mayor’s message, however, offered a different approach. He wrote, “May we be permitted to express one hope superior to all others . . . [that] you may realize as a nation, people, and city, you have grown in righteousness, for it is this that exalts a nation.” More than success, happiness, or peace, the mayor wished that future citizens would grow in what it means to be truly just and upright. Perhaps he took his cue from Jesus, who blessed those who long for His righteousness (Matthew 5:6). But it’s easy to get discouraged when we consider God’s perfect standard. Praise God that we don’t have to rely on our own effort to grow. The author of Hebrews said it this way: “May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:20–21). We who are in Christ are made holy by His blood the moment we believe in Him (v. 12), but He actively grows the fruit of righteousness in our hearts throughout a lifetime. We’ll often stumble on the journey, yet still we look forward to “the city that is to come” where God’s righteousness will reign (v. 14). By Karen Pimpo For what Christlike attributes would you like to be known? How can you encourage others to seek God’s righteousness? Dear God, please work in me what’s pleasing to You.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The anonymous author of the book of Hebrews wrote to Jewish believers in Jesus who were suffering because of persecution, encouraging them to persevere in their faith and to endure suffering for the sake of Christ—to “[bear] the disgrace he bore” (Hebrews 13:13). Believers in Jesus can persevere because, as the author reminds us, “This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come” (v. 14 nlt). The author cites examples of believers who in faith (ch. 11) chose to suffer for Christ because they were looking for an eternal home in heaven. Abraham looked “forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (v. 10). Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. . . . He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (vv. 26-27). K. T. Sim

 

Just Think on Jesus! / Ann Graham Lotz

 Just Think on Jesus!

[He] loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.

Revelation 1:5b, niv

Jesus is the most important Man, not just in our nation, not just on planet earth, but in the entire universe! And He isn’t important just for four years or eight years, but forever and ever and ever! Furthermore, the most important Man in the universe thinks I am so important, He gave His own life for me! How can I feel depressed by the smallness of my life when the most important Man in the universe died for me, rules over me now, and will one day return for me? In the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am important. I am of value. How can I consider myself anything less?

Do you feel depressed by the smallness of your life? There is an antidote for feelings of smallness. Just think on Jesus!

The Vision of His Glory

Verse of the Day / December 30

 Quiet Time...

"The LORD hath prepared His throne in the heavens; 

And His kingdom ruleth over all." 

Psalm 103:19 KJV

*****

Bible in One Year: December 30

 Bible in One Year: Zechariah 13-14; Revelation 21

"And Every Virtue We Possess" / 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. Bible in One Year: Zechariah 13-14; Revelation 21

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.

 

Hope: The Anchor of the Soul / Charles Stanley

Hope: The Anchor of the Soul

Hebrews 6:13-20

Hope is a healthy attitude. Anticipating good brings comfort to the mind and heart. In contrast, a state of hopelessness is a terrible condition in which to find oneself. It's overwhelming and depressing to think that what you're facing cannot be changed or resolved. For the person who has lost all hope, life looks like a long dark tunnel going nowhere.

Included in Proverbs is a verse that describes the result of this oppressive feeling: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12). Emotional, physical, and even mental illness haunt a person who feels trapped in a bleak situation. But I want to tell you, my friend, that as long as there is a God, no situation is hopeless. In Him, we have the promise of the second half of that proverb: "Desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

Believers have a hope that anchors their souls. Our relationship with Jesus Christ brings us close to the throne of heaven, where we can cast all our burdens before an omnipotent God. Moreover, we can cling to Him through whatever trials are facing us. Because of the Lord's great love, He provides strength for weary bodies, peace for anxious minds, and comfort for grieving hearts. In short, He lights that darkened tunnel and tenderly guides us through trying situations.

An anchor was a popular image in the ancient Mediterranean world. In an economy that depended on shipping, the anchor symbolized safety and steadiness. The writer of Hebrews used the word to remind believers that God has given a hope that holds firm in any storm. 

Spiritual Victory through Steadfast Worship / Adrian Rogers

Spiritual Victory through Steadfast Worship
Joshua 24:14-15
Sermon: 1816 How to Maintain the Life of Victory

Pray Over This

“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:14-15

Ponder This

It is important to have steadfast worship. Joshua said, “We will serve the Lord.” He said, “I don’t know what choice you’re going to make. I can’t force you to make that choice. You can serve other gods if you want to, ‘But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’” He was dedicated to sincere, scriptural, and steadfast service for our Lord.

Joshua was saying, “If I have to, I’ll stand alone.” The closer we get to the end of the age, the more you’re going to have to stand alone. Noah stood alone and was called a bigot and a fool, no doubt. Elijah stood alone before the 450 prophets of Baal. Amos stood alone before the king’s court. You may have to stand alone.

We should never divide over incidentals, but we ought to divide over idolatry. Joshua said, if you want to serve those gods, you can go ahead. But I’m going to serve the Lord. Divide over issues leading to idolatry. Divide over issues leading people to worship something other than God. Whatever we face, we need to resolve that we will serve the Lord.

• What are some less important issues you feel tempted to divide over? What issues are worth dividing over?
• What does steadfast service to the Lord look like? Is that reflected in your life? Why or why not?

Practice This

Commit to steadfast service to the Lord. Write a list of things that need to change to make that happen. 

Troubled Souls, Honest Prayers / ODB

 

Troubled Souls, Honest Prayers Father, glorify your name! John 12:28 READ John 12:27–32 Three days before a bomb blast rocked his home in January 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had an encounter that marked him for the rest of his life. After receiving a threatening phone call, King found himself pondering an exit strategy from the civil rights movement. Then prayers emerged from his soul. “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can't face it alone.” After his prayer, there came quiet assurance. King noted, “Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.” In John 12, Jesus acknowledged, “My soul is troubled” (v. 27). He was transparently honest about His internal disposition; still He was God-centered in His prayer. “Father, glorify your name!” (v. 28). Jesus’ prayer was one of surrender to God’s will. How human it is for us to feel the pangs of fear and discomfort when we find ourselves with the option of honoring God or not; when wisdom requires making hard decisions about relationships, habits, or other patterns (good or bad). No matter what we’re faced with, as we pray boldly to God, He’ll give us the strength to overcome our fear and discomfort and do what brings glory to Him—for our good and the good of others. By Arthur Jackson What experiences have prompted prayers for God to be honored? What advice would you give to others facing such situations? Father, please help me to face challenging things honestly and prayerfully that are for my good and will bring You glory.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Jesus would enter the garden of Gethsemane on the evening of Passover Thursday, probably three days after the events described in John 12:27-32. Unlike the other three gospels, John doesn’t describe Christ’s anguish in Gethsemane. But he lets us know that Jesus is already tasting the sorrow coming His way. “Now my soul is troubled,” Christ said (v. 27). In Gethsemane, Jesus would pray, “Not as I will, but as you [the Father] will” (Matthew 26:39). In John, he prays, “Father, glorify your name!” (12:28). Author Warren Wiersbe says that when we experience trials, there are two prayers we can pray: “Father, save me!” or “Father, glorify Your name!” As His hour of trial approached, Jesus chose the latter, praying, “What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (v. 27). Tim Gustafson

Symbols of the Season: Clock / David Jeremiah

Symbols of the Season: Clock

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 25:1-13

Perhaps the most iconic New Year’s Eve celebration in America takes place every December 31, at midnight in Times Square in New York City. Known as the “ball drop,” the ceremony began on December 31, 1907. Starting at 11:59 p.m., a huge, lighted ball descends from above the street, reaching the ground exactly at midnight. The ceremony attracts one million revelers who gather to welcome the new year.

The passage of time—especially the end of one year and the beginning of another—reminds us that God’s timing in our life is perfect. Even when we welcome the end of a particularly trying year, we know God’s mercies are new every morning and that every new day, and year, is full of blessing and potential (Lamentations 3:22-24). We are also reminded to “watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13). We do not know the hour of His appearing, but the Father does (Mark 13:32).

As you welcome the new year, keep one eye turned toward heaven. The new year may see the return of Christ the King.

The great weight of eternity hangs upon the small wire of time.

Thomas Brooks 

Remaining Faithful / Greg Laurie

 Remaining Faithful

And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:3 NLT)

If your life were to end today, would you be able to say, like the apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7 NLT)? Paul was saying, “I didn’t stray from the truth of the gospel. I lived it, and I proclaimed it.”

It isn’t a matter of being able to say, “I was flawless and perfect. I never made a mistake.” Rather, would you be able to say, “I kept with it. When I fought, I took on a few black eyes, but I kept fighting. When I ran, I stumbled a few times, but I got up and ran even harder to catch up. I finished the course. I have remained faithful”?

If so, then the promise that Paul spoke of is for you as well: “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (verse 8 NLT).

Paul was describing those who are looking forward, with great anticipation, to the return of Jesus Christ. He was speaking of those who are leading lives that are right before God and honoring to Him—those who are ready for the return of Christ.

Do you love Christ’s appearing? Are you looking forward to the day when Jesus will come back? When you think about the fact that He could return at any moment, does your heart leap a little with excitement? Or, does it sink with dread? This is a good litmus test of your spiritual character.

If your life is right with God, then you’ll welcome the thought of Christ returning at any moment. You’ll rejoice in it. Like the apostle John, you will say, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20 NLT).

On the other hand, if you’re living in a way that isn’t pleasing to God, it would indicate that you don’t look forward to His return.

The great British preacher C. H. Spurgeon said, “The righteous carves his name upon the rock, but the wicked writes his remembrance in the sand. The righteous man ploughs the furrows of earth, and sows a harvest here, which shall never be fully reaped till he enters the enjoyments of eternity; but as for the wicked, he ploughs the sea . . . the place that knew him shall know him no more forever.”

If you’re eagerly awaiting the return of Christ, if you’re ready for Him to come back, then it will impact the way that you’re living today. The Bible tells us, “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3 NLT).

This simply means that you’re living a life that is right with God. You’re prepared. You’re looking forward with anticipation to the return of Christ.

If you’re living this way, then God promises you a crown of righteousness in that final day.

Lord of Heaven / Max Lucado

Lord of Heaven

Click below to listen to today's devotional

LORD OF HEAVEN 

When tragedy strikes, whether personal, national, or global, people wonder how God could allow such things to happen. Is God really in control? Can we trust him to run the universe if he would allow this?

It is important to recognize that God dwells in a different realm. God said to Isaiah, “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9 NCV).

How vital, then, that we pray, armed with the knowledge that God is in heaven. And he has chosen to bend near toward earth to see our sorrow and hear our prayers. Though we may not be able to see his purpose or his plan, the Lord of heaven is on his throne and in firm control of the universe and our lives.

 

Jesus Cares for You / Ann Graham Lotz

Jesus Cares for You

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7, nkjv

Did you think Jesus only cares about things like heaven and hell? About forgiveness and sin? About holiness and wickedness? About truth and lies? About salvationand judgment? Jesus does care about those things. But He also cares about your job, about whether your child makes the sports team, about your children’s college tuition, about your budget now that you are unexpectedly pregnant, about the roof that leaks, about the cranky transmission in the car, and about all the other physical problems and needs we face.

Jesus cares even if the physical problem we face is largely of our own making. He cares if we are having car trouble, even if it was caused by our not having taken the time to change the oil regularly. He cares if we are having financial struggles, even if they were caused by our having run up massive debts on our charge accounts for things we wanted but did not necessarily need. Jesus cares about your physical needs today. 

Verse of the Day / December 29

 Quiet Time...

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.“

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Bible in One Year: December 29

 Bible in One Year: Zechariah 9-12; Revelation 20

Deserter or Disciple? / Oswald Chambers

Deserter or Disciple? From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. JOHN 6:66 When God, by His Spirit through His Word, gives you a clear vision of His will, you must “walk in the light” of that vision (1 John 1:7). Even though your mind and soul may be thrilled by it, if you don’t “walk in the light” of it you will sink to a level of bondage never envisioned by our Lord. Mentally disobeying the “heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) will make you a slave to ideas and views that are completely foreign to Jesus Christ. Don’t look at someone else and say, “Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why can’t I?” You have to “walk in the light” of the vision that has been given to you . Don’t compare yourself with others or judge them— that is between God and them. When you find that one of your favorite and strongly held views clashes with the “heavenly vision,” do not begin to debate it. If you do, a sense of property and personal right will emerge in you— things on which Jesus placed no value. He was against these things as being the root of everything foreign to Himself— “…for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). If we don’t see and understand this, it is because we are ignoring the underlying principles of our Lord’s teaching. Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His will to us. But if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and we don’t try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter. Bible in One Year: Zechariah 9-12; Revelation 20

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands, the one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be.

 

The Crown of Life / ODB

The Crown of Life God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. James 1:12 nlt READ James 1:1–12 Twelve-year-old LeeAdianez Rodriguez-Espada was worried that she’d be late for a 5K run (just over 3 miles). Her anxiousness led her to take off with a group of runners fifteen minutes earlier than her start time with participants of the half-marathon (more than 13 miles)! LeeAdianez fell in pace with other runners and put one foot in front of the other. At mile four, with the finish line nowhere in sight, she realized that she was in a longer and more difficult race. Instead of dropping out, she simply kept running. The accidental half-marathoner completed her 13.1-mile race and placed 1,885th out of 2,111 finishers. Now that’s perseverance! While undergoing persecution, many first-century believers in Jesus wanted to drop out of the race for Christ, but James encouraged them to keep running. If they patiently endured testing, God promised a double reward (James 1:4, 12). First, “perseverance [would] finish its work” so they could be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v. 4). Second, God would give them the “crown of life”—life in Jesus on earth and the promise of being in His presence in the life to come (v. 12). Some days the Christian race feels like it’s not the one we signed up for—it’s something longer and more difficult than we expected. But as God provides what we need, we can persevere and keep on running. By Marvin Williams What difficulty are you enduring right now? What can you do to remain faithful to God as you undergo testing? Dear God, my legs are tired, and I feel like giving up. Please strengthen me.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT James encourages believers in Jesus experiencing “trials” (1:2, 12) by describing their unseen value—growth in perseverance, maturity, and wisdom (vv. 3-5). How believers respond to difficulty witnesses to their faith in Christ, who promises them a “crown of life” (v. 12). Many believe these trials included persecution for their faith. New Testament scholar Scot McKnight argues that James’ emphasis on the dangers of wealth and the value of humility and poverty (vv. 9-11; 2:1-7) suggests that this persecution took the form of economic oppression. In James 2:6-7, the author describes the wealthy exploiting and oppressing believers. Monica La Rose