One at a Time by Alistair Begg

One at a Time 

So she gleaned in the field until evening.

Ruth 2:17

Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I set out for the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the Word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: So I must be content to search for single truths, if they come just one at a time. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise for salvation.

The gleaner keeps her eyes open: If she stumbled dreamlike among the stubble, she would have no load to carry home rejoicingly at evening. I must be careful in religious exercises in case they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have lost quite a bit already. I need to estimate my opportunities properly and glean with greater diligence.

The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and I must do the same. Proud minds criticize and object, but humble minds glean and receive benefit. A lowly heart is the key to profitably hearing the Gospel. The soul-saving Word is not received except with meekness. A stiff back makes for a bad gleaner. Pride is a vile robber and must not be tolerated for a moment.

What the gleaner gathers, she keeps: If she dropped one ear to find another, the result of her day's work would be but meager; she is as careful to retain as to obtain, and so at last she makes great gains. How often do I forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I understand the importance of storing up the truth?

Hunger helps to make the gleaner wise; if she has no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her table; she works under a sense of necessity, and consequently she moves swiftly and her grasp is firm. My need is even greater, Lord; help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to glean in fields that yield to diligence a plenteous reward.

August 2 / Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalms 97:10
Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Sarah sat by herself, wondering if it was really worth it to try to live a clean, Christian life. Everyone thought she was so old-fashioned and prudish. She wouldn't drink, hated dirty jokes, refused to gossip, and had no desire to engage in sex before marriage. She didn't like going to parties with her friends, but she hated to be alone all the time. Every once in awhile, Sarah felt like just giving in and doing what all her peers were doing. Those feelings passed, though, and Sarah felt a special peace and comfort in refusing to give in.

 

Being different is difficult. To say no to wrong-doing and evil can be excruciatingly hard. Yet, out Lord calls us to be different; to stand apart from the crowd. If we will continue to say no to evil, while saying yes to God, He will preserve and strengthen us. We are never truly alone if we will only love the Lord.

 

Prayer: Father, I want to do what is right, but sometimes to wrong is very tempting and appealing. Please grant me strength to resist and hold onto what I know is right. Amen.

Learning About His Ways by Oswald Chambers

Learning About His Ways When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples…He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  MATTHEW 11:1 He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, “I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here,” it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says. He teaches where He instructs us not to teach. “Master…let us make three tabernacles…” (Luke 9:33). Are we playing the part of an amateur providence, trying to play God’s role in the lives of others? Are we so noisy in our instruction of other people that God cannot get near them? We must learn to keep our mouths shut and our spirits alert. God wants to instruct us regarding His Son, and He wants to turn our times of prayer into mounts of transfiguration. When we become certain that God is going to work in a particular way, He will never work in that way again. He works where He sends us to wait. “…tarry…until…” (Luke 24:49). “Wait on the Lord” and He will work (Psalm 37:34). But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to “wait patiently for Him”? (Psalm 37:7). Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told. These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS The message of the prophets is that although they have forsaken God, it has not altered God. The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same truth, that God remains God even when we are unfaithful (see 2 Timothy 2:13). Never interpret God as changing with our changes. He never does; there is no variableness in Him. from Notes on Ezekiel, 1477 L

Faithful Service by Charles Stanley

2 Corinthians 3:4-6

It’s easy to doubt our ability to serve God when our minds are focused on our limitations instead of Him. Therefore, we must continually remind ourselves that the work is the Lord’s and we can trust Him to accomplish it through us as we respond in faith and obedience.  

Our heavenly Father has good works that He has prepared for each of us to do (Eph. 2:10). To help us accomplish them, He has given spiritual gifts to enable our service to one another. Furthermore, He has provided scriptural principles to guide us. In His Word, we find direction for our path, strength to endure hardships, and increased faith and confidence in God’s sufficiency. 

Are you reluctant to serve the Lord because you’re afraid or feel inadequate? Even the apostle Paul felt this way when he said, “Who is adequate for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). But he pressed on in order to complete the course Christ had called him to run (2 Timothy 4:7). And so can you if you are willing to depend on God and step out in obedience. Let’s take a moment to pray over our temptation to be self-sufficient—and for courage to rely on the Lord.

On Stories by C.S. Lewis

Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument; then collected information about child-psychology and decided what age-group I’d write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out “allegories” to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn’t write in that way at all. Everything began with images, a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn’t even anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord. It was part of the bubbling.

From On Stories

On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature. Copyright © 1982, 1966 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

A Divine Duet by Jennifer Benson Schuldt

A Divine Duet

Jennifer Benson Schuldt

If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. John 15:5

John 15:1–11

At a children’s music recital, I watched a teacher and student seat themselves in front of a piano. Before their duet began, the teacher leaned over and whispered some last-minute instructions. As music flowed from the instrument, I noticed that the student played a simple melody while the teacher’s accompaniment added depth and richness to the song. Near the end of the piece, the teacher nodded his approval.

Our life in Jesus is much more like a duet than a solo performance. Sometimes, though, I forget that He’s “sitting next to me,” and it’s only by His power and guidance that I can “play” at all. I try to hit all the right notes on my own—to obey God in my own strength, but this usually ends up seeming fake and hollow. I try to handle problems with my limited ability, but the result is often discord with others.

My Teacher’s presence makes all the difference. When I rely on Jesus to help me, I find my life is more honoring to God. I serve joyfully, love freely, and am amazed as God blesses my relationships. It’s like Jesus told His first disciples, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Each day we play a duet with our good Teacher—it’s His grace and power that carry the melody of our spiritual lives.

Why do you sometimes resist the help and encouragement God offers? How could reliance on Him change your outlook and your actions in certain situations?

Dear God, help me to remember that You’re with me in every moment. I welcome Your influence and instruction today. Thank You for Your nearness.

Are You More a Gnat or a Bee? by Adrian Rogers

Are You More a Gnat or a Bee?

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25

James 1:23-24 paints a picture of a man in a hurry. He has a lot on his mind. He takes a casual glance at himself and rushes on. If the Bible is like a mirror, then this man is simply getting a glimpse into the Word and not really applying it to his life.

Most Christians I know today are this kind of Bible student. They are like a gnat, bouncing here and there instead of like a bee, diving in and staying long enough to extract the sweetness.

But the man in verse 25 gazes into the Word. This is someone who delights in God’s Word, applies God’s Word, and cherishes God’s Word.  Are you like that? Or do you take a passing glance at God’s Word and move on to the next thing on your TO DO list?

Which sounds more like you? The passing glance won’t do it. You need—we all need—the careful, thoughtful gaze.

August 1 / Streams in the Desert

And do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.(Rom 6:13)

I went one night to hear an address on consecration. No special message came to me from it, but as the speaker kneeled to pray, he dropped this sentence: “O Lord, Thou knowest we can trust the Man that died for us.” And that was my message. I rose and walked down the street to the train; and as I walked, I pondered deeply all that consecration might mean to my life and—I was afraid. And then, above the noise and clatter of the street traffic came to me the message: “You can trust the Man that died for you.”

I got into the train to ride homeward; and as I rode, I thought of the changes, the sacrifices, the disappointments which consecration might mean to me and—I was afraid.

I reached home and sought my room, and there upon my knees I saw my past life. I had been a Christian, an officer in the church, a Sunday-school superintendent, but had never definitely yielded my life to God.

Yet as I thought of the darling plans which might be baffled, of the cherished hopes to be surrendered, and the chosen profession which I might be called upon to abandoned—I was afraid.

I did not see the better things God had for me, so my soul was shrinking back; and then for the last time, with a swift rush of convicting power, came to my innermost heart that searching message:

“My child, you can trust the Man that died for you. If you cannot trust Him whom can you trust?”

That settled it for me, for in a flash I saw that the Man who so loved me as to die for me could be absolutely trusted with all the concerns of the life He had saved.

Friend, you can trust the Man that died for you. You can trust Him to baffle no plan which is not best to be foiled, and to carry out every one which is for God’s glory and your highest good. You can trust Him to lead you in the path which is the very best in this world for you.
—J H. McC

“Just as I am, thy love unknown,
Has broken every barrier down, 
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine ALONE,
O Lamb of God, I come!”

“Life is not salvage to be saved out of the world, but an investment to be used in the world.”

It’s Time to Take Out the Trash by Greg Laurie

It’s Time to Take Out the Trash

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest’” (Matthew 11:28 nlt).

It seems as though there’s some unwritten law of the universe that men must take out the trash. I don’t know why, but that’s our job.

For some reason I put it off at my house even though it’s really not that hard. Our trash cans have wheels and a handle, so all I need to do is drag them out front. Then someone comes along and picks up the trash.

They do their job, and they do it well. I’m glad about that because if they decided not to pick up our trash for a month, we’d have a serious situation.

Now, what I’m about to say might seem a little odd: Jesus, in effect, wants to pick up your trash. Let me explain. He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 nlt).

In other words, “Would you please bring your cares to Me? Would you please bring your anxieties and your worries and your problems and your burdens to Me? When you do that, I will give you rest.”

That’s quite a promise because we all have cares and anxieties and worries that weigh us down. You know the feeling. Just when you lay your head down at night, here they come. What about this crisis? What about that uncertainty?

Sometimes you’re able to give them over to the Lord, but then they’ll pop back into your head again. It feels like a lot of weight on your shoulders.

Here’s what the Bible says we should do: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 nlt). We need to give deliberately and intentionally put our worries and cares into God’s hands.

When your burdens pile up, bring them to God.

Internal Strife by Billy Graham

Internal Strife

David, king of ancient Israel, found himself in the midst of a confused national situation. His kingdom was torn by internal strife. Slave hated master; master hated slave. People blamed the government, and government blamed the people. David looked about him and saw that every man thought himself perfect. Each individual placed blame upon other individuals. David knew that if sinful pride continued to increase, his nation would collapse spiritually. He knew that economic depression, moral disintegration, or military defeat inevitably follow spiritual decline. So David turned to God, and it was revealed to him by the Spirit of God that the spiritual tide of his nation could rise no higher than the spiritual level of his own heart. So he fell on his knees in utter humility and prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).

Daily Prayer

Lord, deliver me from the sin of pride, and fill me with continuing humility as I go about the tasks before me this day.

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

FACT OR FANTASY? / Draw Near Bible App

FACT OR FANTASY?

Controversy swirls around the first five books of the Bible. Unbelievers seek to discredit them, calling the events recorded in them "legends" rather than truth. Ranging from evolutionists to modern Bible critics, they question the creation account, the flood story, and even the authorship of Moses. Perhaps they feel if they can get us to look at the Law as legend, then some of the edge will be taken off its impact. The sincere believer stands firm in his defense of these books that trace human history from creation through the death of Moses.

Commonly know to us as The Pentateuch, Genesis through Deuteronomy is called The Torah by the Jews. These books form the basis of their religious laws, and they consider the collection as one complete work divided into five sections. Each section gets its title from the first word in that book. Pentateuch means "the fivefold book," and the name for each book comes from the Greek designating their main message. These first five books form the foundation of our faith. They show how God first began dealing with fallen man, and they point forward to Calvary.

Paul pointedly states that the old Law was a failure. This was not because of any lack on God's part, but because man is bent on breaking it. Our only hope to be reconciled with God is through the supreme sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. By reading these books of the Law, we plainly see how impossible it is for man to live righteously. We can rejoice because what was once an elusive dream is now a living reality through Christ, our Lord.

“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Lord of the Harvest by Alistair Begg

Lord of the Harvest 

You crown the year with your bounty.

Psalm 65:11

All the year round, every hour of every day, God is richly blessing us; when we are asleep and when we awaken, His mercy waits upon us. The sun may leave us a legacy of darkness, but God never ceases to shine upon His children with beams of love. Like a river, His loving-kindness is always flowing, with a fullness as inexhaustible as His own nature. Like the atmosphere that constantly surrounds the earth and is always ready to support the life of man, the kindness of God surrounds all His creatures; in it, as in their element, they live and move and have their being.

Just as the sun on summer days gladdens us with warmer and brighter rays than at other times, and as rivers in certain seasons are swollen by the rain, and as the air itself is sometimes filled with fresher breezes than at other times, so is it with the mercy of God; it has its golden hours, its overflowing days, when the Lord magnifies His grace before the children of men. The joyful days of harvest are a special season of abundant favor. It is the glory of autumn that the ripe gifts of providence are then generously bestowed; it is the mellow season when we enjoy all that we had hoped for. The joy of harvest is great. The reapers are happy to fill their arms with the abundance of heaven.

The psalmist tells us that the harvest is the crowning of the year. Surely these crowning mercies merit a crowning thanksgiving! Let us render it by the inward emotions of gratitude. Let our hearts be warmed; let our spirits remember, meditate, and think upon this goodness of the Lord. Then let us praise Him with our lips and honor and magnify His name who is the source of all this goodness. Let us glorify God by offering our gifts to His cause. A practical proof of our gratitude is a special thank-offering to the Lord of the harvest.

August 1 / Streams in the Desert

Psalms 96:10
Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

The concrete mixers rolled in and out of the lot throughout the day. Each deposited its load into the foundation of the new office building, then departed. Dozens of men worked to shape and structure the foundation. Finally, the huge concrete slab was in place. Tons of concrete provided the base for what would become a huge office complex. With a firm foundation in place, construction could begin.

 

We need to have a firm foundation before we structure our lives. If we set our hearts and minds upon God, He will give us His strength; a strength which cannot be moved. God is the only real foundation. Anything else is a poor substitute.

 

Prayer: Lord, be my anchor and support. When the day gets roughest, help me to remember that I am firmly established on Your Spirit and in Your love. Amen.

No More Tears: God Will Wipe Away Our Tears by David Jeremiah

No More Tears: God Will Wipe Away Our Tears

AUGUST 1, 2020

God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 21:1-5

What do you call a drop of water that contains mucin, lipids, lysozyme, lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, glucose, urea, sodium, and potassium? It’s a tear. All land mammals (except goats and rabbits) produce tears, but only humans do so as part of the emotional responses of life. For humans, tears are often sparkling drops of emotion from the depths of our hearts.

There’s nothing wrong with tears, for Jesus wept, and He was perfect in every way. Weeping is often therapeutic. Yet at the beginning of the eternal state on the new earth, God will somehow wipe His finger across our eyes, and remove our need for weeping. Most of our earthly tears come from sorrow, grief, loneliness, and heartache. But there will be no such experiences in heaven—“No more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Imagine a home with no negative experiences—ever!

That’s heaven, and that’s our home.

In that day, God himself will stoop down to each of his grieving children and—somehow, someway—he will dry up tears forever.

Scott Hubbard