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November 13, 2016
Biblical faith, unlike other kinds, is not primarily about emulating moral examples. The Bible is a history of God offering his grace to people who do not deserve it nor seek it nor ever fully appreciate it after they have been saved by it.
Lord, I hate feeling weak and out of control. Yet you told Paul that your “power was made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Teach me to go to you, cling to you, repent, and depend on you in my times of weakness, so that through you I can become truly strong.
Lord, you are sovereign and I am responsible. If I didn’t believe the first I’d be frozen by fear that I could ruin your plans for me. If I didn’t believe the second I’d be passive and cynical. Let this wonderful, paradoxical doctrine both provoke me to strenuous effort and comfort and reassure me, as it should.
He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; 44 he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for— 45 that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord.
4 Remember me, LORD, when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them, 5 that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise.
Bottomless stores of mercy and unbending demands for righteousness almost never go together in any human being. Our temperament inclines us one way or the other. But these are perfectly combined in God.
Actually every day that your heart keeps pumping, your country is not invaded, and your brain keeps functioning is wholly an undeserved gift of God. We ought to live simple, normal, uneventful days full of amazed, thankful joy.
13 But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold. 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test. 15 So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them.
Lord Jesus, I confess that in my public life I am just not different enough from my neighbors to attract either hostility or interest in my faith. I am not visibly happier, kinder, humbler, or wiser than others. O Lord, help me to grow in grace so I can be a credit to you, to whom I owe everything. Amen.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. 44 Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
Jesus went to the point of death and took the curse we deserve (Galatians 3:10–14). Our unfaithfulness in light of his faithfulness makes ours more heinous.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Believing the Gospel does not only bring pardon for sin but also renovates us wholly—mind, will, and emotions (Romans 6:15–23).
23 Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. 24 They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.
1 My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. 2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Where does courage come from? Primarily it comes from wanting something more than your own safety.
Lord, my prayer is for my prayer. Help me change my heart toward those who trouble me. Through prayer drain away my ill will and desire to see them unhappy.
It is not wrong to be angry about wrongdoing if you leave it to the Lord to act. But merely venting our anger often leads to sinful bitterness, hate, and an unforgiving spirit.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
The psalm says without God your deepest longings won’t be fulfilled (verse 10).
God’s greatness is seen in his regard for the ungreat. In Jesus he proved to be great enough to become small himself.
Psalm 115:1–8. 1 Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. 2 Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. 4 But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 6 They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. 7 They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. 8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Lord, I confess that I make an idol out of people’s approval. Let me be so satisfied with your love that I no longer respond to people out of fear of displeasing them but only in love, seeking what is best for them. Remove my idols of approval—which can never give me the approval I need. Amen.
Lord, when I forget the Gospel I become dependent on the smiles and evaluation of others. I hear all criticism as a condemnation of my very being. But you have said that “there is now no condemnation” for me (Romans 8:1).
Hebrews 12:4–12 uses the Greek word gymnazdo to convey that God “disciplines” those he loves. During a workout your muscles feel like they are getting weaker, but the pressure on them is making you stronger. This is why God, like a trainer, allows pressures and stresses into your life: to grow your faith, love, and hope.
knowing the Bible is no end in itself. We know it in order to seek him with all our heart—to know fellowship with God (verse 2).
14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
We ought to work the truths of Scripture into our affections until they shape our loves, hopes, and imagination.
The Bible itself can become a wonderful counselor (verse 24) but only if you are able to see “wonders” in it (verse 18).
Contemporary people tend to examine the Bible, looking for things they can’t accept, but Christians should reverse that, allowing the Bible to examine us, looking for things God can’t accept.
The Bible creates endurance. Its promises lift the heart and its panoramic insights strengthen the will. It truly is spiritual manna that keeps us on our feet and able to go on.
62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. 63 I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts. 64 The earth is filled with your love, LORD; teach me your decrees.
Suffering is a school where students learn things about themselves, about God, and about life that they would never have learned without it (verses 66–67).
Lord, you call yourself teacher and Lord, but I am such a slow pupil! I grit my teeth through my troubles as I wait for them to pass. Instead, every time something bad happens, help me to ask, “Is there anything I should be learning here?” Show me the way. Amen.
“Joy without obedience is frivolity; obedience without joy is moralism.”
Lord, let me be so immersed in your Word that, as they did for Jesus, your words spring to my mind, interpreting my moment, guiding my choices, and strengthening my heart.
The Bible is “the primary means by which God presents himself to us, in such a way that we can know him and remain in a faithful relationship with him.”
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. 148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.
Certainly the Word is more than simply a book of true statements. It is the way to know God and his strengthening love
if God is glorious, the Bible is a treasure. “I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil” (verse 162). “Spoil” is what soldiers received after a hard-fought battle. To learn and digest the Word of God requires a fight.
169 May my cry come before you, LORD; give me understanding according to your word.
May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. 172 May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.
The Word of God is alive and active, penetrating and healing like a surgeon’s knife (Hebrews 4:12–13). If you aren’t sure about the Bible’s trustworthiness—or if you have friends who are aren’t sure—just give yourselves to reading it. Even if you don’t believe a knife is sharp, if it is, it can still cut you.
6 Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
An ounce of sin can harm us more than a ton of suffering. Sin can harden our hearts so we lose everything, but suffering, if handled rightly, can make us wiser, happier, and deeper.
People who would never get along outside the church love one another inside it. We must joyfully seek out the church; the Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.
Lord, I praise you for what the church could be—an alternative human society that shows the world your glory. But I confess I am part of what the church is, a flawed community far from reflecting your character.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Lord, I find the relentless transitions and changes of life exhausting. But you do not change, and you are my dwelling place. Help me calm my heart through this truth.
