DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 8.29.20

No Laughing Matter - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -John 3:16 A lot of people say they don't believe in Hell, but they still seem to like using the word. But I think by using it so often to punctuate a sentence, people are admitting that deep down inside,they really believe that a place called Hell actually exists. There is, by the way, a town in Michigan called Hell. How does a place end up with a name like that? There are several theories. One is that it was a swampy, undesirable area, and when someoneasked George Reeves, an early settler there, what to name it, he reportedly said, "I don't care. You can name it Hell for all I care." So, they did. Apparently, the residents have made it a bit of tourist destination with various events and business that play on the name. But really, the subject of Hell isn't a joke at all. Sometimes we don't want to talk about it, and sometimes people will acknowledge there could be a place like Hell for really, really bad people-for the Hitlers of the world. But we don't everwant to think that we could go there or that someone we know could go there. Yet of the 40 parables that Jesus told, half of them relate to God's eternal judgment of sinners. As J. I. Packer pointed out, "An endless hell can no more be removed from the New Testamentthan can an endless heaven." Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross. He did that for us so we don't have to go to Hell. John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoeverbelieves in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (NKJV). The gospel is a universal declaration that Hell is not God's desire for anyone. Being Good Isn't Good Enough - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else!God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. -Acts 4:11-12 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/being-good-isnt-good-enough/- Listen This may come as a surprise to some, but there will be people in Hell whom others would define as good people. On the other hand, there will be people in Heaven who lived bad lives, but they repented of their sin. You can be a good person, relatively speaking, but you're not good enough. You may think you will get to Heaven on your own good works, but of course you won't. That's howyou might end up in Hell. Being good doesn't get you to Heaven. The Bible tells us, "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:23 NLT). But it also says, "Thereis one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity-the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone" (1 Timothy 2:5-6 NLT). Jesus himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NLT). There's only one way to Heaven, and that is being forgiven by God. Heaven is not for good people; it's for forgiven people. So, the real question is this: Are you forgiven? Have you said to God, "I know I'm a sinner. I know I don't deserve to go to Heaven, but you've offered me this wonderful promise that I can go there some day. I want to.So, I want to believe in You"? That's really what it comes down to. You have to admit your sin and believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sin. Turn from that sin. Ask God to forgive you of thatsin and begin to follow Christ. When you do, you can know with certainty that you'll go to Heaven. Have you done this? He's just a prayer away. Heaven's Admission Price - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth bymeans of Christ's blood on the cross. -Colossians 1:19-20 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/heavens-admission-price/ - Listen Imagine if someone were to say, "I believe in Disneyland, but I don't agree with the admission price, and I don't believe the location is accurate. So, I'm going to go whereI think Disneyland is, and I'll enter the way I want to." Well, okay. Whatever. They'll probably end up at a miniature golf course somewhere. But if they do happen to make it to Disneyland when it's open, they'll still have toenter the Disney way and pay the Disney price. Otherwise, they won't be going to Disneyland at all. In the same way, there are people who say they believe in Heaven, yet they refuse to read what the Bible has to say about it. The Pew Research Center polled people on their beliefs about Heaven and Hell. About 72 percent defined Heaven as a place "where people who have led good lives are eternallyrewarded." And 58 percent defined Hell as a place "where people who have led bad lives and die without being sorry are eternally punished." But that isn't what Heaven is, and that isn't what Hell is. If you say you believe in Heaven, then you need to read what the Bible says about it. The idea of Heaven uniquelycomes from the Bible. We would not believe in Heaven if it weren't for the teaching of Scripture. The Bible tells us there is a Heaven. And to go there, we must do it God's way. What is God's admission price? We can't afford it. No one can, no matter how much money they have. That's the bad news. But here's the good news: The price has been paid. Colossians 1:20 tells us, "[God]made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross" (NLT). Admission is free through Jesus Christ. That's how we get into Heaven. It's because of His death for us on the cross. Faith �And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.� (Genesis15:6) It may come as a surprise to some that both Old and New Testament believers are justified only by faith. In fact, four New Testament epistles base their arguments on justification by faith on two Old Testament passages, each quoted three times but with eachone emphasizing a different aspect. In our text, we see that Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith (i.e., belief, same word). This verse is quoted in Romans 4:3 in the midst of a formal argument on the just nature of God and the fact that we are �justified freely by his grace throughthe redemption that is in Christ Jesus� (Romans3:24). Here, the emphasis is on counted. In Galatians 3:6, the word believed is emphasized, couched in the book dedicated to contrasting works and faith. �They which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham� (Galatians3:9). The book of James was written to encourage believers to good works as evidence of their faith, and our text, quoted in James 2:23, emphasizes righteousness. �Faith without works is dead� (James2:26). The other Old Testament passage dealing with faith, which is also quoted three times in the New Testament, reads, �The just shall live by his faith� (Habakkuk2:4). When used in Romans 1:17 just prior to the description of the evil lifestyles of the wicked (vv. 18-32), the emphasis seems to be on the word just. In Galatians 3:11, as noted above, the word faith is stressed. But in Hebrews 10:38, the author teaches that those who have been declared righteous by God live eternally by faith and will be able to cope with persecution (vv. 34-37). Thus, the Old Testament doctrine that we are saved by faith in the work of God to solve our sin problem applies to every area of our lives and being, including our past sin, our present holy life and work, and our future eternal life. JDM The Reality of Hell - by Greg Laurie- www.harvest.org You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. -Matthew 7:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-reality-of-hell-2/ - Listen One of the criticisms of the church for many years concerned all the hellfire-and-brimstone preachers. People didn't like to hear that sort of thing. In a way I see the point. But here's my question: When is the last time you saw a hellfire-and-brimstone preacher? Maybe you saw such a person on a street corner somewhere, but I doubt you saw one on television or heard one on the radio. Understand, I'm not advocating hellfire-and-brimstone preachers, in the sense of condescending, self-righteous people yelling at other people. But if we're talking about preachers who tell the truth about both Heaven and Hell, then I think we could use a few more of those. Hell was not made for bad people. Hell was created for the Devil and his angels. Jesus described it that way in Matthew 25: "Then He will also say to those on the left hand,'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels'" (verse 41 NKJV). In fact, Jesus spoke more about Hell than all the preachers of the Bible put together. So, if Jesus, the very author of grace, spoke about Hell more often than anyone else(and did so in a vivid, bloodcurdling manner), then it must be a crucial truth. If Jesus took the time to address it again and again, then clearly it matters. So, here's my question to you: If you died today, where would you go? You decide where you'll spend eternity by what you do with Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for you. He paid the price for your sin and rose from the dead. Now He standsat the door of your life and knocks. And He says that if you'll hear His voice and open the door, He will come in. How the Earth Is Filled �For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.� (Habakkuk 2:14) The very first command given to Adam and Eve was �Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth� (Genesis 1:28). This might seem to imply there hadbeen a previous population (so-called �pre-adamites�), but the word �replenish� (Hebrew male) means simply �fill.� Actually, in the King James Old Testament, it is translated by the Old English word �replenish� only seven times, whereas it is translated �fill,� �filled,� or �full� some 250 times. The precise meaning is �fill.� Even today, with our so-called �population explosion,� the earth is far from being filled with people. One thinks of our vast deserts and inaccessible mountain ranges, plus the frozen wastes of Antarctica, for example. It may, however, once have been filledin the much more habitable world before the Flood, but it also was �filled with violence through them� (Genesis 6:11, 13). This, in fact, was the very reasonGod sent the great Flood to �destroy them with the earth.� The time is coming, however, as seen in Nebuchadnezzar�s prophetic vision as interpreted by Daniel the prophet, when a great stone�representing the future kingdom of God�will have �filled the whole earth� (Daniel2:35). Then the great doxology of the psalmist will be reality: �And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen� (Psalm72:19). The prophet Isaiah also spoke of this time: �They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea� (Isaiah11:9). The later prophet Habakkuk in our text beautifully echoed these words of Isaiah. HMM The Cave People by Max Lucado He came to the world that was his own, but his own people did not accept him. John 1:11 LONG AGO, OR maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe in a dark, cold cavern. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful, but the people didn't know it, for they had never known joy. The spirit inthe cave was death, but the people didn't know it, for they had never known life. But then, one day, they heard a different voice. "I have heard your cries," it announced. "I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help." The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. Hope sounded strange to their ears. "How can we know you have come to help?" "Trust me," he answered. "I have what you need." The cave people peered through the darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more. "What are you doing?" one cried, nervous. The stranger didn't answer. "What are you making?" one shouted even louder. Still no response. "Tell us!" demanded a third. The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. "I have what you need." With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern. The cave people turned away in fear. "Put it out!" they cried. "It hurts to see it." "Light always hurts before it helps," he answered. "Step closer. The pain will soon pass." "Not I," declared a voice. "Nor I," agreed a second. "Only a fool would risk exposing his eyes to such light." The stranger stood next to the fire. "Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don't consult your fears. Take a step of faith." For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The fire builder stood next to the fire. "It's warm here," he invited. "He's right," one from behind him announced. "It's warmer." The stranger turned and saw a figure slowly stepping toward the fire. "I can open my eyes now," she proclaimed. "I can see." "Come closer," invited the fire builder. She did. She stepped into the ring of light. "It's so warm!" She extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass. "Come, everyone! Feel the warmth," she invited. "Silence, woman!" cried one of the cave dwellers. "Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us. Leave us and take your light with you." She turned to the stranger. "Why won't they come?" "They choose the chill, for though it's cold, it's what they know. They'd rather be cold than change." "And live in the dark?" "And live in the dark." The now-warm woman stood silent. Looking first at the dark, then at the man. "Will you leave the fire?" he asked. She paused, then answered, "I cannot. I cannot bear the cold." Then she spoke again. "But nor can I bear the thought of my people in darkness." "You don't have to," he responded, reaching into the fire and removing a stick. "Carry this to your people. Tell them the light is here, and the light is warm. Tell them the light is for all who desire it." And so she took the small flame and stepped into the shadows. Sanctification: God's Grand Plan Jeremiah 29:11 The heavenly Father has a grand plan for the life of every person, and it can be summed up in the word sanctification. If you have never been certain of the term's meaning, you are not alone--many people are unclear about its definition. However, believersshould understand it because the word defines them. In its verb form--sanctify--the term means "to make holy" or "to separate." So when something is sanctified, it is separated from its former common usage and is dedicated for sacred purposes. The Old Testament mentions a number of things that the Lord sanctified:He made the seventh day holy, set aside the Levite tribe as priests, and even consecrated places like the Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle (Gen.2:3; Num. 3). The heavenly Father still sanctifies people today. Before a person places his faith in the Savior, he is spiritually dead and, in fact, an enemy of God (Eph. 2:1-3; Rom.5:10). But the moment someone chooses to trust in Jesus Christ, his sins are wiped away, and he is adopted into God's family. That individual is set apart as a child of God, with a sacred purpose. This means believers are not here to chase after personalgain but to serve the Lord and bring Him honor and glory. As members of God's family who are called upon to reflect His glory, believers are referred to as "saints." We are given this moniker--which shares its root with sanctification--not because we live sinless lives, but because we live a life consistent withthe One we represent. King at the Flood “The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. The LORD will give strength untohis people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” (Psalm29:10-11) There are quite a few different Hebrew words that are translated “flood” in the Old Testament. The word in this passage (Hebrew mabbul), however, is unique in that it is only used elsewhere in the account of the Noahic Flood, thus indicating conclusively that the dramatic scenes described in this psalm occurred at the time of the great Flood. There was never in all history such a time as that, when “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis6:5). God therefore brought about “the end of all flesh” (v. 13)—no doubt millions, perhaps billions, of ungodly men and women—by the great mabbul. In spite of the fact that nearly every culture around the globe (made up of descendants of the eight survivors of the Flood) remembers this terrible event in the form of “flood legends,” the very concept of God’s judgment on sin is so offensive to the naturalmind that modern scholarship now even denies it as a fact of history. Nevertheless, the epitaph of the antediluvian world is written in stone in the sedimentary rocks and fossil beds everywhere one looks all over the world. The greatest rebellion ever mounted against the world’s Creator by His creatures (both humans and fallenangels) was put down by God simply by His voice! “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters” (Psalm29:3). In all the great turmoil of the Flood, Noah and the righteous remnant in the Ark were safe through it all. In every age, even in times of stress and danger, “the LORD will bless his people with peace.” HMM You Have Clout with God by Max Lucado You may find yourself in an impossible situation. You feel outnumbered and outmaneuvered. You want to quit. Could I ask you to memorize this promise and ask God to bring it to mind? Write it where you�ll find it. Tattoo it, if not on your skin at least onyour heart: �When a believing person prays, great things happen� (James5:16). If you�ve taken on the name of Christ, you have clout with the most powerful being in the universe. When you speak, God listens. Jesus said, �When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action� (Matthew18:19). Prayer is just the first step. God has power you�ve never seen, strength you�ve never known. He delights in answering prayer! And because his promises are unbreakable, our hope in unshakable! Building Muscles of Faith 1 Kings 18:22-36 "I wish I had great faith." These are words that almost every Christian has said at one time or another. But faith is like a muscle, which must be exercised in order to become strong; just wishing cannot make it happen. Christians are to believe God, not only for salvation but for everything. Rather than a spiritual "plateau," faith is actually a process that involves increasing degrees of trust throughout life. Little faith hopes thatGod will do what He says; strong faith knows that He will; and great faith believes that He has already done it. The Wolf and the Lamb Together �The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf andthe young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.� (Isaiah11:6) This scene seems impossible. Could it be merely an allegory? But that isn�t all. �The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent�s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holymountain, saith the LORD� (Isaiah65:25). Whether this will all come to pass literally (and there is nothing in the context to cause us to question it), it definitely describes what God considers the ideal state of nature. In fact, in the original creation, all animals were herbivorous. �And God said,Behold,�to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so� (Genesis1:29-30). With humanity�s fall into sin and God�s resulting curse on the earth, this ideal state deteriorated. Teeth and claws, originally designed for digging roots and branches, began to be used for tearing and eating flesh. Even people were authorized by God to eatmeat after the Flood (Genesis9:3). It�s still true, however, that both people and animals can survive on a non-carnivorous diet when necessary, for this was designed initially as the best way. All of this leads to the certain conclusion that God did not allow any such reign of toothand claw on the earth before humans sinned. Those who promote the idea of long geological ages, with billions of animals suffering and dying during those ages, charge our God of wisdom and mercy with gratuitous cruelty. In a world made by a loving God, therecould have been no death in the world until humans brought sin into the world (Romans5:12). HMM Taking Out the Trash Who wants to live with yesterday�s rubble? Who wants to hoard the trash of the past? You don�t, do you? Or do you? I�m not talking about the trash in your house, but in your heart. Not the junk of papers and boxes but the remnants of anger and hurt. Do you rat-pack your pain? Amass offenses? Record slights? A tour of your heart might be telling. A pile of rejections. Accumulated insults. No one can blame you. They�re innocence takers, promise breakers, and wound makers. They�re everywhere and you�ve had your share. Another Divine Helper John 14:16-18 Have you ever wished you had a 911 number that rang in heaven whenever you had a need? Well, I have good news for believers. We all have divine assistance that�s even closer than a phone call: our Helper dwells within us. But if we are unaware of Him, we�llmiss many opportunities to benefit from the greatest asset in our Christian life�the Holy Spirit�s presence. Christ knew that when He left the earth, His disciples would be totally inadequate for the task He was giving them�to evangelize the world. Though they�d spent three years with Jesus, all they had seen and learned would still not sufficiently equip themfor what lay ahead. They needed supernatural help, and so do we�someone who will come to our aid, empower our service, and transform us from the inside out. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can achieve all this. Consider His qualifications: The Great Divider �Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.� (Luke12:51) From the very beginning, God has been a great divider. On the first day of creation, �God divided the light from the darkness�; on the second day, He �divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament� (Genesis1:4, 7). When God first created humans, they walked together in sweet fellowship, but then sin came in and made a great division between humans and God. Nevertheless, �when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son� (Romans5:10). The price has been paid for full reconciliation with our Creator, but �men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil� (John 3:19),so Christ Himself is now the One who divides. �He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him� (John3:36). Jesus Christ divides all history and all chronology. Things either happened �Before Christ� (BC) or �in the Year of our Lord� (AD). People are either under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant. Most of all, He divides humanity. �There was a division among thepeople because of him� (John 7:43; see also John 9:16; 10:19). These divisions because of Him can cut very deep. �The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother� (Luke12:53). Finally, when He comes to judge all nations, �he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:�And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal� (Matthew25:32, 46). The division is life or death, light or darkness, heaven or hell, Christ or antichrist�and the choice is ours! HMM God's Mission: Adoption by Max Lucado When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, he also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Here is how it happens. You come before the judgment seat of God full ofrebellion and mistakes. Because of his justice he cannot dismiss your sin, but because of his love he cannot dismiss you. So, in an act which stunned the heavens, he punished himself on the cross for your sins. God�s justice and love are equally honored. Andyou, God�s creation, are forgiven. But the story doesn�t end with God�s forgiveness. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out �Abba! Father!� The Spirit himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God (Rom.8:15�16 NASB). But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Gal.4:4�5 NASB). Like the Most High �I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.� (Isaiah14:14) These are two of the �I will�s� of Satan�or Lucifer�as he aspired to usurp the throne of God as ruler of the universe (see Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-17). Not content to be �the anointed cherub,� the highest of the angelic hierarchy (Ezekiel 28:14), he wanted to be God, and this monstrouspride became �the condemnation of the devil� (1 Timothy 3:6) so that he is now �fallen from heaven� and will soon be �brought down to hell� (Isaiah14:12, 15). Lucifer, of course, is not the Creator, for he was �created� (Ezekiel 28:15) himself. It would seem therefore that for him to rationalize his ambition tobe like the most High, he must somehow persuade himself that he is like the most High�that is, that God is a created being like himself and thus can be defeated. He only had God�s word that he had been created by Him, and he evidently chose not to believewhat God said (just as do multitudes of men and women today). He, like they, chose rather to believe that the eternal cosmos had somehow created them all by its own powers. The great cosmos (call it Mother Nature, perhaps) has �created� spirit beings, as well as men and women, and all the worlds inhabited by them. Inthis scenario, the true Creator God is viewed as only one of many. Therefore, He is vulnerable to defeat�or so Satan evidently believes. Thus, Lucifer became the first evolutionist, and this great lie by which he deceived himself became the basis of his later deception of Eve and then of the founders of all the varied pantheistic religions of the world, as well as modern evolutionism and NewAge philosophies. Nevertheless, God is still on His throne, and �the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings� (Revelation 17:14).HMM In God We (Nearly) Trust by Max Lucado A few days before our wedding, Denalyn and I enjoyed and endured a sailing voyage. Milt, a Miami church friend, had invited Denalyn, her mom, and me to join him and a few others on a leisurely cruise along the Florida coast. Initially it was just that. Leisure. We stretched out on cushions, hung feet over the side, caught some zzz�s and rays. Nice. But then came the storm. The sky darkened, the rain started, and the flat ocean humped like a dragon�s neck. Sudden waves of water tilted the vessel up until we saw nothing but sky and then downward until we saw nothing but blue. I learned this about sailing:there is nothing swell about a swell. Tanning stopped. Napping ceased. Eyes turned first to the thunderclouds, then to the captain. We looked to Milt. Conquering Fear Psalms 63 Every one of us will experience moments of apprehension, and denial or trying to hide from it will do no good. When fear arises, ask yourself the following questions: Where does it come from? (You know it isn't from God.) Has God ever failed me in the past?Does He promise to meet all of my needs? Does He keep His promises? If we read the Bible, we'll find countless stories of God's faithfulness. For example, Paul lived through hardship, persecution, pain, and all kinds of terrible circumstances. The apostle wrote these well-known words: "Godcauses all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). This testifies to the fact that for those who trust in Him, God turns every difficulty, loss,and separation into something good. To the Looking Glass �For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face ina glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall beblessed in his deed.� (James1:23-25) The Word of God is not a magic mirror, but if we seek real truths concerning ourselves, the biblical looking glass can bring great blessing. He who reads or hears the Word but does not believe or obey it is �a forgetful hearer� (v. 25) who is deceiving himself.It is these who merely �behold� themselves in the Word. The Greek word used here for �beholding� and �beholdeth� means �looking from a distance��standing erect, as it were, while posing before the mirror. The man who �looketh into� the Word, on the other hand, �and continueth therein� being an obedient doer of its work is the one who receives eternal blessing. The Greek word here for �looketh� conveys the idea of intense scrutiny, requiring the one who is looking actually to stoop down in order to see. In fact,it is often translated �stoop down.� As we allow the mirror of God�s Word to evaluate and correct our lives, �we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord� (2Corinthians 3:18). Yet, this is only a token of what we can experience in the future. �For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known� (1Corinthians 13:12). Now we can see ourselves in the written Word. When we see the living Word, �we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is� (1John 3:2). HMM A House in Heaven - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. -1 Corinthians15:53 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-house-in-heaven/- Listen Someone once asked Billy Graham what the greatest surprise of his life had been. He responded, "The brevity of it." As you get older, it seems as though life goes by more quickly. In fact, one study revealed the reason for that, noting that when you're young, youlike adventure. You like to try new things. But when you're older, you get into routines. For instance, you like to go to the same restaurant, sit in the same spot, and order the same thing. Yes, life goes by quickly, but the good news is that we'll have new bodies in Heaven. And they'll be amazing. We all like stories about someone discovering they have superpowers, like Spider-Man, Superman, and Wonder Woman. They have superhuman strength. Theycan do all kinds of amazing things. Well, we're going to have superpowers, if you will, in the new body that God will give us. It will still be us. We'll just be the radically upgradedversion of ourselves. Our resurrection bodies will be like the resurrection body of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us in 1 John 3:2, "Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears.But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is" (NLT). And Paul wrote, "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will havea house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands" (NLT). Although our bodies wear out like a tent (and tents are not meant to last forever), God will resurrect them, and our souls will live forever. How God Views the Self-Directed Man Luke 12:16-21 We've all heard jokes about men who refuse to stop and ask for directions. But in reality, there's probably a good bit of truth to the stereotype, and it isn't limited to males. Plenty of men and women in this world zoom along without slowing down to askfor guidance. If you were to look at the situation from a spiritual perspective, you'd see a world of lost souls desperately trying to save themselves. They think they can earn their way into heaven through hard work and the accumulation of good deeds. But they're wrong. Behind the Shower Curtain by Max Lucado I'm going to have to install a computer in my shower. That's where I have my best thoughts. I had a great one today. I was mulling over a recent conversation I had with a disenchanted Christian brother. He was upset with me. So upset that he was considering rescinding his invitation for me to speak to his group. Seems he'd heard I was pretty open about who I have fellowshipwith. He'd read the words I wrote: "If God calls a person his child, shouldn't I call him my brother?" And, "If God accepts others with their errors and misinterpretations, shouldn't we?" He didn't like that. "Carrying it a bit too far," he told me. "Fences are necessary," he explained. "Scriptures are clear on such matters." He read me a few and then urged me to be careful to whom I give grace. Perseverance in Prayer Romans 12:11-13 As a pastor, I speak with many people about their spiritual journey. From these interactions, I know that most individuals are not satisfied with their prayer life. They lack anticipation and faith, and time with God feels empty. Most likely, this is why many Christians pray so little and so passionlessly. Yesterday, we began looking at obstacles to a healthy prayer life. Let�s explore one more hindrance that blocks vibrant communication between God and us: impatience.