Tuesday, November 10, 2020

The Daily Bible Readings for WEDNESDAY, November 11, 2020

 

The Daily Readings
WEDNESDAY, November 11, 2020
Psalm 78; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 24:29-35
The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Today’s Verse-of-the-Day:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The world here is creation after the fall and under the dominion of Satan. It is creation no longer oriented toward God, but temporary and dominated by inordinate passions. The world distorts every realm of God's good creation. There are (1) sensual pleasures of the flesh (physical passions), (2) intellectual attainments and capacities of the eyes (the soul's passions), and (3) inordinate possessions, power, and honors of life (the pride of human spirit). Biblical ascetic practices—prayer, fasting, almsgiving—help us overcome these distortions and live lives of virtue.

Today’s Readings:
Psalm 78
God settled the tribes of Israel

1 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.

26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan.

44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

67 Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Commentary

Verses 1-8 — These are called dark and deep sayings, because they are carefully to be looked into. The law of God was given with a particular charge to teach it diligently to their children, that the church may abide for ever. Also, that the providences of God, both in mercy and in judgment, might encourage them to conform to the will of God. The works of God much strengthen our resolution to keep his commandments. Hypocrisy is the high road to apostacy; those that do not set their hearts right, will not be stedfast with God. Many parents, by negligence and wickedness, become murderers of their children. But young persons, though they are bound to submit in all things lawful, must not obey sinful orders, or copy sinful examples.

Verses 9-39 — Sin dispirits men, and takes away the heart. Forgetfulness of God's works is the cause of disobedience to his laws. This narrative relates a struggle between God's goodness and man's badness. The Lord hears all our murmurings and distrusts, and is much displeased. Those that will not believe the power of God's mercy, shall feel the fire of his indignation. Those cannot be said to trust in God's salvation as their happiness at last, who can not trust his providence in the way to it. To all that by faith and prayer, ask, seek, and knock, these doors of heaven shall at any time be opened; and our distrust of God is a great aggravation of our sins. He expressed his resentment of their provocation; not in denying what they sinfully lusted after, but in granting it to them. Lust is contented with nothing. Those that indulge their lust, will never be estranged from it. Those hearts are hard indeed, that will neither be melted by the mercies of the Lord, nor broken by his judgments. Those that sin still, must expect to be in trouble still. And the reason why we live with so little comfort, and to so little purpose, is, because we do not live by faith. Under these rebukes they professed repentance, but they were not sincere, for they were not constant. In Israel's history we have a picture of our own hearts and lives. God's patience, and warnings, and mercies, imbolden them to harden their hearts against his word. And the history of kingdoms is much the same. Judgments and mercies have been little attended to, until the measure of their sins has been full. And higher advantages have not kept churches from declining from the commandments of God. Even true believers recollect, that for many a year they abused the kindness of Providence. When they come to heaven, how will they admire the Lord's patience and mercy in bringing them to his kingdom!

Verses 40-55 — Let not those that receive mercy from God, be thereby made bold to sin, for the mercies they receive will hasten its punishment; yet let not those who are under Divine rebukes for sin, be discouraged from repentance. The Holy One of Israel will do what is most for his own glory, and what is most for their good. Their forgetting former favours, led them to limit God for the future. God made his own people to go forth like sheep; and guided them in the wilderness, as a shepherd his flock, with all care and tenderness. Thus the true Joshua, even Jesus, brings his church out of the wilderness; but no earthly Canaan, no worldly advantages, should make us forget that the church is in the wilderness while in this world, and that there remaineth a far more glorious rest for the people of God.

Verses 56-72 — After the Israelites were settled in Canaan, the children were like their fathers. God gave them his testimonies, but they turned back. Presumptuous sins render even Israelites hateful to God's holiness, and exposed to his justice. Those whom the Lord forsakes become an easy prey to the destroyer. And sooner or later, God will disgrace his enemies. He set a good government over his people; a monarch after his own heart. With good reason does the psalmist make this finishing, crowning instance of God's favour to Israel; for David was a type of Christ, the great and good Shepherd, who was humbled first, and then exalted; and of whom it was foretold, that he should be filled with the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. On the uprightness of his heart, and the skilfulness of his hands, all his subjects may rely; and of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Every trial of human nature hitherto, confirms the testimony of Scripture, that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and nothing but being created anew by the Holy Ghost can cure the ungodliness of any.


Jeremiah 31:31-34
A new covenant

31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Commentary

The people of God shall become numerous and prosperous. In Hebrews 8:8, Hebrews 8:9, this place is quoted as the sum of the covenant of grace made with believers in Jesus Christ. Not, I will give them a new law; for Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it; but the law shall be written in their hearts by the finger of the Spirit, as formerly written in the tables of stone. The Lord will, by his grace, make his people willing people in the day of his power. All shall know the Lord; all shall be welcome to the knowledge of God, and shall have the means of that knowledge. There shall be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, at the time the gospel is published. No man shall finally perish, but for his own sins; none, who is willing to accept of Christ's salvation.


Matthew 24:29-35
My words will not pass away

24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Commentary

Christ foretells his second coming. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. At his first coming, he was set for a sign that should be spoken against, but at his second coming, a sign that should be admired. Sooner or later, all sinners will be mourners; but repenting sinners look to Christ, and mourn after a godly sort; and those who sow in those tears shall shortly reap in joy. Impenitent sinners shall see Him whom they have pierced, and, though they laugh now, shall mourn and weep in endless horror and despair. The elect of God are scattered abroad; there are some in all places, and all nations; but when that great gathering day comes, there shall not one of them be missing. Distance of place shall keep none out of heaven. Our Lord declares that the Jews should never cease to be a distinct people, until all things he had been predicting were fulfilled. His prophecy reaches to the day of final judgment; therefore he here, Matthew 24:34, foretells that Judah shall never cease to exist as a distinct people, so long as this world shall endure.



The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV).

The Daily Bible Readings are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, a three-year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2020, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2019 was Year C. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Readings for WEDNESDAY, November 11, 2020
Psalm 78; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 24:29-35 (KJV)

Prayer of the Day for WEDNESDAY, November 11, 2020

 

Prayer of the Day
WEDNESDAY, November 11, 2020


I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
Exodus 20:2–4 (NIV)

Lord our God, we come to you, the source of all being. You have said to us, "I am your God. You shall have no other gods besides me. Honor none but me, your God." We thank you for this wonderful message. Help us to recognize you more and more, so that our hearts are full of the goodness and blessing we already have on earth, so that we hear you, the mighty One, say, "Stop, O people. Make peace. No one of you is more important than any other. Remember that I am God of all, in south and north, in west and east, on the oceans and everywhere. I am the one God, and through Jesus Christ I am now your Father." Amen.

Verse of the Day for WEDNESDAY, November 11, 2020

 

1 John 2:15-16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The world here is creation after the fall and under the dominion of Satan. It is creation no longer oriented toward God, but temporary and dominated by inordinate passions. The world distorts every realm of God's good creation. There are (1) sensual pleasures of the flesh (physical passions), (2) intellectual attainments and capacities of the eyes (the soul's passions), and (3) inordinate possessions, power, and honors of life (the pride of human spirit). Biblical ascetic practices—prayer, fasting, almsgiving—help us overcome these distortions and live lives of virtue.

Read all of 1 John 2

Listen to 1 John 2


The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

Ichthus Ministries Daily Devotions — God's Thief

 

God's Thief

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Scripture often speaks of God's working with an element of surprise. The things He does He does in His own time, on His own terms, with no regard for our timetables or convenience. That being said, He does want us to be mindful of things that will come in time—like His future arrival—and above all, to be ready for it.

On this count, the apostle Paul felt like the Thessalonians were in good shape. They knew Jesus' return could happen "like a thief in the night," regardless of what the world around them looked like, or what people were saying. For the Thessalonians, Jesus' return was not going to catch them off guard. They were not going to be surprised. If God's Beloved Thief came into their household—no matter what the hour—they would be ready. Jesus would find them ready.

Waiting for our Savior is what we do as believers. We see the work of God as His Word makes inroads into people's lives all around the world. Some are encountering Him for the first time; others are taking a second look and finding their lives are changing, as God's Spirit brings them to repentance, creating a thirst for the living waters only Jesus can provide (see John 7:37-39).

Slowly, steadily, the fellowship of believers throughout the world grows as God's miraculous touch transforms lives of darkness into children of the light. "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him."

The thief is coming. May we all be ready when He does.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your patience and mercy in saving us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Paul Schreiber

Reflection Questions:
1. When was the last time you were caught off guard and surprised? Was it funny? Was it disastrous?

2. Why does Scripture use the example of being drunk for those who aren't ready for Jesus' return?

3. How do you maintain a ready posture for Jesus' sudden arrival? Any tips you can share?
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Scripture often speaks of God's working with an element of surprise.

Standing Strong Through the Storm — PRAY WITH THE PERSECUTED

 
PRAY WITH THE PERSECUTED

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

The first request of us from the persecuted church is that we pray for them. And correspondingly, they are usually great models of people of prayer which we can emulate. But we often need to be reminded that they do not ask us only to pray for them but also to pray with them. If we only pray for them, we will pray for their safety and the termination of their persecution. They want us to pray with them, which means we will pray for: the advance of the gospel in their land; that they will bear fruit that will last; and for perseverance and fearless courage in the face of suffering.

Pastor Samuel Lamb from Guangzhou, China, has an interesting prayer for severe situations of persecution which expresses his trust in a great God. He prays: “Lord, I rejoice in how You are going to work this out.”

Moses Xie, a Chinese church leader who spent more than twenty years in jail for his faith, says that when asking visitors to pray for him, he is really after three distinct outcomes:

“First, I want them to experience the blessing of prayer for themselves. They will go to God on my behalf, but they will receive a great blessing from being in the presence of God.

Second, I know that as they pray, their burden for the persecuted will increase, and as their burden grows, so their commitment to assisting us in all sorts of other ways will increase also. Prayer alone makes them be the body.

Third, I want them to release more of God’s power into our situation through intercession since I know that God has bound Himself not to act until we ask.”

Today is a great day to glorify God in our lives and those of the persecuted church.

RESPONSE: Today, I will not only pray for the persecuted, but I will also pray with the persecuted.

PRAYER: Lord, may my life glorify You today, and may I be a lasting fruit bearer who only desires that Your will be done.


Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.
They are usually great models of people of prayer, which we can emulate.

John Piper Devotional — We Are His House

 
We Are His House

But Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

The church of Jesus Christ is the house of God today. This means that Jesus this morning—not just back in Moses’ day or in his own days on earth—but this morning is our Maker, our Owner, our Ruler, and our Provider.

He’s the Son; we are the servants. We are the household of God. Moses is one with us in this household, and he is our fellow servant through his prophetic ministry. But Jesus is our Maker, our Owner, our Ruler, and our Provider.

And the text concludes by saying we are his house—we are his people, we are partakers of a heavenly calling—“if we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” The evidence that we are part of the household of God is that we don’t throw away our hope—Hebrews 10:35 says, “Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward”—we don’t drift into indifference and unbelief.

Becoming a Christian and being a Christian happen in the same way: by hoping in Jesus—a kind of hoping that produces confidence and boasting in Jesus.

What are you hoping in today? Where are you looking for confidence? In yourself? In shrewd investing? In physical fitness programs? In hard work? In luck?

The Word of God to you today is, “Consider Jesus.” And hope in him. Then you will be part of his house, and he will be your Maker, your Owner, your Ruler, and your Provider.

The church of Jesus Christ is the house of God today.

Un dia a la Vez — Los dos cimientos

 
Los dos cimientos

Todo el que me oye estas palabras y no las pone en práctica es como un hombre insensato que construyó su casa sobre la arena [...] y esta se derrumbó.

Hoy terminamos los veintiún días y sé que mi Dios nos ha dado tremendas armas, instrucciones y doctrinas para que seamos felices mediante la obediencia. Si no leíste estos veintiún días, léelos cuando puedas. Hay cosas sencillas y prácticas que nos dejó Dios y que estoy segura que, si las aplicamos, daremos mejores frutos.

Este último llamado de nuestro Padre tiene que ver con lo más importante: La base de todo lo que hacemos, o sea, la estructura que determinará nuestra vida. ¿Dónde vamos a construir? ¿Sobre la arena o sobre la Roca que es Cristo? La vida construida sobre la Roca resistirá cualquier ataque, tormenta y desafío que se presente en nuestro diario vivir.

Por favor, dejemos la vida trivial. Dejemos de vivir a nuestra manera y de tomar decisiones que distorsionen lo que Dios ya planeó para cada uno de nosotros. Aprendamos de una vez por todas de las equivocaciones y de los golpes que hemos sufrido. Luego, permitamos que nuestro Señor nos dé esos cimientos para ser absolutamente felices en Cristo.


Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Hoy terminamos los veintiún días y sé que mi Dios nos ha dado tremendas armas, instrucciones y doctrinas para que seamos felices mediante la obediencia. Si no leíste estos veintiún días, léelos cuando puedas. Hay cosas sencillas y prácticas que nos dejó Dios y que estoy segura que, si las aplicamos, daremos mejores frutos.

Devocional CPTLN — El ladrón de Dios

 

El ladrón de Dios

En cuanto a los tiempos y las ocasiones, no hace falta, hermanos míos, que yo les escriba. Ustedes saben perfectamente que el día del Señor llegará como ladrón en la noche. De repente, cuando la gente diga: «Paz y seguridad», les sobrevendrá la destrucción, como le llegan a la mujer encinta los dolores, y no escaparán. Pero ustedes, hermanos, no viven en tinieblas, como para que ese día los sorprenda como un ladrón, sino que todos ustedes son hijos de la luz e hijos del día. No somos de la noche ni de la oscuridad, así que no durmamos como los demás, sino mantengámonos atentos y sobrios. Los que duermen, de noche duermen; los que se embriagan, de noche se embriagan; pero nosotros, los que somos del día, debemos ser sobrios, ya que nos hemos revestido de la coraza de la fe y del amor, y tenemos como casco la esperanza de la salvación. Dios no nos ha puesto para sufrir el castigo, sino para alcanzar la salvación por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, quien murió por nosotros para que, despiertos o dormidos, vivamos unidos a él. Por lo tanto, anímense y edifíquense unos a otros, como en efecto ya lo hacen.

Las Escrituras a menudo hablan de la obra de Dios con un elemento de sorpresa. Dios hace las cosas en su propio tiempo y términos, sin tener en cuenta nuestros tiempos o conveniencia. Sin embargo, quiere que estemos atentos a las cosas que vendrán, como su futura venida, y sobre todo, que estemos preparados para ello.

Con respecto a esto, el apóstol Pablo sintió que los tesalonicenses estaban en buena forma. Sabían que el regreso de Jesús podría llegar "como ladrón en la noche", sin importar cómo fuera el mundo a su alrededor o lo que la gente estuviera diciendo. A ellos, el regreso de Jesús no los tomaría desprevenidos, no los iba a sorprender. Si el amado ladrón de Dios entraba en su casa, sin importar la hora, estarían listos. Jesús los encontraría preparados.

Mientras esperamos a nuestro Salvador, vamos viendo la obra de Dios a medida que su Palabra se va abriendo camino en la vida de las personas en todo el mundo. Algunos lo encuentran por primera vez; otros están echando un segundo vistazo y descubren que sus vidas están cambiando a medida que el Espíritu de Dios los lleva al arrepentimiento, creando sed de las aguas vivas que solo Jesús puede proveer (ver Juan 7:37-39).

Lenta pero constante, la comunión de los creyentes en todo el mundo crece a medida que el toque milagroso de Dios transforma vidas de oscuridad en hijos de la luz. "Dios no nos ha puesto para sufrir el castigo, sino para alcanzar la salvación por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, quien murió por nosotros para que, despiertos o dormidos, vivamos unidos a él."

El ladrón está viniendo. Estemos listos para cuando llegue.

ORACIÓN: Padre Celestial, gracias por tu paciencia y misericordia al salvarnos. Amén.

Paul Schreiber

Para reflexionar:
1. ¿Por qué crees que las Escrituras usan el ejemplo de estar borrachos para quienes no están listos para el regreso de Jesús?

2. ¿Cómo te mantienes preparado para la llegada repentina de Jesús? ¿Algún consejo que puedas compartir?
© Copyright 2020 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
Las Escrituras a menudo hablan de la obra de Dios con un elemento de sorpresa.

Ministérios Pão Diário — Esperança confiante


 

Esperança confiante


Escritura de hoje: Filipenses 1:19-26
Bíblia em um ano: Jeremias 50; Hebreus 8

Pois, para mim, o viver é Cristo, e o morrer é lucro.

O Dr. William Wallace trabalhava como cirurgião missionário num grande país asiático, na década de 1940, quando o país foi atacado pelo Japão. Responsável pelo hospital da época, Wallace ordenou que levassem seus equipamentos para barcaças e que o hospital continuasse a funcionar flutuando nos rios e evitando, assim, ataques da infantaria.

Durante fases perigosas (v.21) — um dos versículos prediletos de Wallace — o fazia lembrar-se de que, se ele vivia, tinha de trabalhar para o Salvador; se morresse, teria a promessa de eternidade com Cristo. Em 1951, esse versículo adquiriu seu verdadeiro significado quando ele foi acusado falsamente e morreu na prisão.

Os escritos de Paulo refletem a devoção profunda que, sendo seguidores de Jesus, também devemos desejar; que nos capacita a enfrentar provações e até perigos por Sua causa. Esta devoção torna-se real pelo auxílio do Espírito Santo e pelas orações dos que nos cercam (v.19). Isso também é uma promessa. Quando prosseguimos na obra de Deus mesmo em circunstâncias difíceis, lembremo-nos de que quando a nossa vida e obra aqui terminarem, ainda teremos a alegria de usufruir a eternidade com Jesus.

Nos momentos mais difíceis, com o coração comprometido a andar com Cristo e com os olhos fixos na promessa da eternidade, que os nossos dias e nossos atos abençoem os outros com o amor de Deus.


Por:  Randy Kilgore

© 2020 Ministérios Pão Diário
O Dr. William Wallace trabalhava como cirurgião missionário num grande país asiático, na década de 1940, quando o país foi atacado pelo Japão.