DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 12.25.21

Morning Prayer “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way whereinI should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” (Psalm 143:8) This is a beautiful and meaningful prayer with which to start the day, and one that God must delight to answer. It is very simple, with two requests and two declarations, yet it can reach the very heart of God. Because we trust implicitly in His Word, we hear Him speak through it as we read it at the beginning of the day. And as we hear Him speak, we rejoice again in His lovingkindness, especially in saving our souls and guiding our ways. Then we are emboldened once again to lift up our very souls to Him (not just our voices!) and ask Him for clear guidance in the way in which we should walk today. The psalmist also prays, and so should we: “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness” (Psalm 143:10).God will “cause [us] to know the way wherein [we] should walk” by the Holy Spirit if we sincerely desire to know and to follow His will and to be led in the paths of righteousness. He will never lead us, of course, in any path contrary to His revealed Word. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). But when He is given all priority in our lives, when we love and study and obey His Word, and when we sincerely call on Him for daily guidance in His will, He will surely answer. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs3:6). “This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John5:14-15). HMM -------------------------- Justified--byFaith or Works? “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even wehave believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians2:16) Some have argued that James contradicts Paul at this point, since James emphasized that both Abraham and Rahab, among others, were justified by works (James2:21, 25). In fact, this seeming conflict between Paul and James has often been cited as one of the “contradictions” of the Bible. There is no contradiction, however. Neither Abraham nor Rahab could have been justified by the “works of the law,” and James never said they were. Abraham lived before God even gave the law to Moses, and Rahab lived in a pagan culture that knew nothing aboutit. Furthermore, James himself knew that no one could really be saved by the law, for he said that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James2:10). Actually, both Abraham and Rahab were “justified”—which means “seen as righteous”—by faith in God and His provision of salvation (James2:23; Hebrews 11:31). The righteousness of Christ, who perfectly kept the law of God, is imputed to believers by faith (Romans4:3-5). God sees him or her as “in Christ,” and so they are justified (recognized as righteous) solely through faith. However, other men cannot see our faith, and therefore we must be justified in their sight by our works. True saving faith inevitably will manifest itself in works of righteousness. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it isthe gift of God:...For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians2:8, 10). HMM ------------------------ Faith,Self Defined “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuadedof them, and embraced them.” (Hebrews 11:13) Some have struggled with the word “faith,” desiring a succinct definition of it, but nowhere in Scripture does a working definition of faith appear. In places, however, the Bible gives a rather indirect definition of faith. Keeping in mind that the words “belief” and “faith” are translations of the same Greek word, let us look at several such texts. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, said of Mary, “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke1:45). Paul knew that God intended for him to be brought before Caesar and encouraged his shipmates as they were about to be shipwrecked with the words: “Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me” (Acts27:25). Speaking of Abraham’s faith that God would give him a son, Paul says that “he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Romans 4:20-21). Of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, it is said, “Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews11:11). These verses and the verse in our text give us a working definition of faith. It is, therefore, a firm belief, a conviction, a judgment that God is both capable and faithful to perform what He has promised and that there will be such a performance. This kindof faith brings the future into present reality. JDM ---------------------- TheBeginning of Wisdom “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments:his praise endureth for ever.” (Psalm111:10) This age has rightly been called the “age of information.” With multitudes of books and periodicals in every field of study and practice, with billions of dollars devoted to all kinds of research, and now even the “information superhighway” of the internet.It seems everyone and every organization is posting information of some sort on its own website and email. The world is almost drowning in information. “But where shall wisdom be found and where is the place of understanding?” (Job28:12). Job’s urgent question can never be answered online, but only in an ancient book. “Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job28:28). This spiritual truism is found often in that book. King Solomon, to whom God had granted special wisdom (1Kings 3:11-12), penned divinely inspired words when he wrote: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,” and then “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs1:7; 9:10). If anything is missing in our information age, it is surely the fear of God, at least among most people—even most religious people. But, as our text says: “A good understanding have all they that do his commandments.” From our New Testament perspective, we now know that “in [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians2:3). “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment” (1John 3:23). Herein is true knowledge and understanding and wisdom. HMM -------------------------- RunningYahweh's Marathon “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also whenI am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” (Psalm 71:17-18) What are your life goals? Maybe working hard so you can retire with ease? Maybe saving those precious pennies for that special once-in-a-lifetime getaway? Maybe all your energies are focused on your family, preparing them for a smooth future. While these goals may be good, the psalmist reminds us that our primary focus must be on our Lord, showing His “strength unto this generation” (v. 18), which for today’s believers is the command to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew28:18-20; Romans 10:14). But life’s struggles and temptations are ever present, sometimes hindering us from fulfilling God’s command. What should be the correct motivation for followers of Yahweh? Believers should display a consistent and steadfast loving devotion to Yahweh—everythingelse in life is secondary. “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust” (Psalm 71:1). In the Hebrew language, the personal pronoun is used as the subject of the verb for extra emphasis. We also see this same construction in verse 14: “I will hope continually.” So, as the psalmist reviews his life from his youth onward (v. 5) and now as an agingman, he earnestly prays for Yahweh to continue to be his strength and deliverance. Why? So he can declare Yahweh’s power to his present generation. Whether you are young or old, are you sowing the seeds of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, declaring His goodness and steadfast love in your spheres of influence to this very needy and corrupt generation? CM -------------------------- Learning Obedience through Suffering Hebrews5:7-8 Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to suffer so much when He came to earth as a man? One might expect that the Son of the living God would live a comfortable life and die a peaceful death. After all, wouldn't His blood have paid for our sins whether it wasshed painlessly or torturously? But Jesus took on human flesh and came to earth not just to die for our transgressions but also—with the exception of sin—to identify with us in every area of our lives. And that includes suffering (Heb.2:17-18). How would a Savior who had no experience with pain help us when we hurt? Also, when it's difficult for us to obey the Lord, we need the help of One who learned obedience from the things He suffered. Unlike us, Jesus didn't move from being rebellious to becoming obedient. Rather, He learned by personal experience the pathway we have to walk when God calls us to do something difficult or painful. In His humanity, Christ struggled with the assignment that lay before Him: death on the cross. Even though the Father heard His cries, the plan was not changed, and Jesus walked through all of it in complete submission, just as He had done with every divine "assignment" throughout His earthly life. The only reason you and I have salvation is because Jesus always did what pleased His Father—had He rebelled in that one area, all hope for lost humanity would be cancelled. If His obedience in suffering resulted in such a great benefit, just imagine what is in store for us when we dowhat God wants. -------------------------------- Mighty God - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And His name will be called . . . Mighty God, Everlasting Father �Isaiah 9:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/mighty-god/- Listen It�s kind of hard to wrap our minds around the idea that a beautiful little baby, born in a manger in Bethlehem, was God Almighty. He was deity in diapers. My friend MaxLucado put it this way: �Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb. The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable.� Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was not just a good man; He was the God-man. God came to this earth and walked among us. Jesus became one of us without ceasing tobe Himself. He became human without ceasing to be God. And Isaiah 9:6 tells us that He is the Mighty God. That takes care of the demands of life. He has all the power that you need. Whatever you�re facing, whatever challenge or difficulty you�re going through, the Almighty Godhas taken residence in your heart if you have given your life to Jesus Christ. In addition, Isaiah calls him Everlasting Father. This brings hope and encouragement to those of us who grew up without a father or who perhaps had a harsh, abusive father. When I was growing up, my mother was married and divorced seven different times, so I didn�t have a father figure. But when I became a believer in Jesus Christ, I suddenlyhad a heavenly Father looking out for me and with whom I could come into a relationship. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can now call God our Father if we�ve put our faith in Jesus Christ. Notonly is He our Father, but He�s our Everlasting Father. That means He�s not only our Father on Earth, but He also will receive us into Heaven one day. --------------------------- Our Counselor - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And His name will be called... Counselor. �Isaiah 9:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/our-counselor/- Listen Did you know that God Almighty wants to reveal His will to you? He has a specific plan for your life as an individual. Psalm 73:24 says, �You will guide me with Your counsel,and afterward receive me to glory� (NKJV). Some people will go to a local bar and pour out their troubles to the bartender or anyone who will listen to them. Others will spend thousands of dollars on therapy. Andsome will go to a psychic, trying to get some kind of answer. Others might even turn to Google or Siri to try to find the answers to life. I can tell you where to find answers. You will find them in God�s Word, the Bible. God is a counselor, and He wants to bring specific counsel to you. Isaiah 9:6 describesJesus this way: �And His name will be called . . . Counselor� (NKJV). That takes care of the decisions of life. The Bible says, �If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking� (James 1:5 NLT). You can have an appointment withJesus Christ whenever you want it. He always has time for you. One night a religious leader named Nicodemus had an appointment with Jesus. And one afternoon, a woman from Samaria who had tried to fill the hole in her heart with relationshipswith men had an appointment with Jesus. God is ready to make an appointment with you, too, and be your counselor. He�s vitally interested in whatever you�re facing. In the book of Numbers, we find a blessing that the Jewish priests were to pronounce over the people: ��The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine uponyou, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace�� (6:24�26 NKJV). The phrase �lift up His countenance upon you� means that God will be paying attention to you. He�s interested in what you�re facing. His name is Counselor. -------------- ThePeace of Christ �Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not yourheart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.� (John14:27) The peace of Christ is not the peace of the world. If history is any criterion, the search for world peace always will be futile, for there have been wars going on somewhere in the world practically every day throughout history. But even if world leaders could bring peace to the world, it would not be true peace. �My peace,� said Jesus, �is not as the world giveth.� Peace is internal, not external. �From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your luststhat war in your members?� (James4:1). The true Christian will never be left at peace in the world, even when there are brief respites of peace between the nations of the world. Only in Christ is there real peace. �These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the worldye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world� (John16:33). The Lord Jesus Christ alone can give true peace, for only �he is our peace� (Ephesians2:14). He is the true peacemaker, for He �made peace through the blood of his cross� (Colossians1:20). Before there can ever be genuine peace between man and man on Earth, there must be peace between man on Earth and God in heaven. Once a person has been �justified by faith,� however, he has eternal �peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ� (Romans5:1). Then, for daily peace, he can simply appropriate this truth in his life. �In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep yourhearts and minds through Christ Jesus� (Philippians4:6-7). HMM -------------------- SorrowAccording to God �And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. Icame not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.� (Luke 5:31-32) In one of the most important passages in the New Testament regarding repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-11), Paul uses essentially the same phrase three timesto express what he means by repentance: He rejoices that the Corinthian believers were made �sorry after a godly manner� (v. 9), calls it a �godly sorrow� (v. 10), claiming that they �sorrowed after a godly sort� (v. 11). This phrase could literally be translated �sorrow according to God,� which leads to repentance. Such sorrow is contrasted to the �sorrow of the world [that] worketh death� (v. 10), which is a mere regret of consequences or remorse of conscience, which does not yield repentance but only despair andpossibly suicide. �For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation� (v. 10). Just as godly sorrow leads to repentance, so should the blessings of God. �Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?� (Romans2:4). God desires repentance on the part of the sinning one and is free to use whatever vehicle He chooses to bring it about. True repentance involves a recognition of sin as a crime against God and a violation of His holy nature. Our recognition of this fact brings godly sorrow that leads inevitably to a change of mindset toward the sin and a confession of it as sin (1John 1:9), and this brings forgiveness from God. Christ taught that this �sorrow according to God� brings great joy elsewhere in the universe: �Likewise, I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth� (Luke15:10). JDM ----------------------------- The Prince of Peace - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And His name will be called . . . Prince of Peace �Isaiah 9:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-prince-of-peace/- Listen During the storms of life, we long for peace within. In our crazy culture with so many uncertainties in the air, it�s great to know that Jesus can be our Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is the Prince of peace. That takes care of the disturbances of life. When the angels appeared to the shepherds one night as they watched overtheir flocks, the Bible tells us they praised God and said, �Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased� (Luke 2:14 NLT). The way you have peace is by having a relationship with God. And when your life is well pleasing to God, you can experience this personal peace. A little bit later in the Christmas narrative when the wise men came to visit Jesus, they brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Those seem like curious giftsto bring to a child. But I think they had insight into the mission that Jesus came to fulfill. They gave Him gold because He was a king, frankincense (or incense) because He would be our high priest, representing us before God, and myrrh, which was an embalmingelement. Also in Isaiah 9:6, we read that �the government will be upon His shoulder� (NKJV). A lot of time has passed since the birth of Jesus. And when He returns again to Earthand establishes His kingdom, He will reign righteously as King of kings and Lord of lords. But first, Jesus took the cross upon his shoulders. He came to die on a cross. We don�t like to think about that. But the beautiful little baby, born in a manger, came witha purpose. And that purpose, that mission, was to die for the sins of the world. -------------------- Looking for Jesus - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. �Luke 2:29�31 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/looking-for-jesus/- Listen I don�t know about you, but waiting is not something that I like to do. I am, by nature, an impatient person. My wife (who is very patient, by the way) can attest to this. We�re all waiting for Christmas, but for children especially, it�s really difficult to wait. They�re filled with anticipation. The Bible tells the story about someone whowas waiting for the first Christmas. His name was Simeon, and he was living a godly life at a time when the people of Israel had turned from the Lord in many ways. They hadn�t heard from the Lord for hundreds of years. Not a single prophet had spoken in the name of the Lord. Not one miracle had been performed. There hadn�t been anyangelic appearances. But suddenly the time was right. Everything was set in place. The Lord had revealed to Simeon that he wouldn�t die until he saw the Messiah, and Simeon held on to the promises of God. Then one day, Simeon saw Mary and Joseph walkinginto the temple with the baby Jesus, and he knew who they were. How did he know? It�s because Simeon spent time in prayer, and God reveals things to those who seek Him. The Bible tells us that he took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, �Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen yoursalvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!� (Luke 2:28�32 NLT). Just as godly Simeon was eagerly waiting for Jesus to come the first time, we should be eagerly waiting for Jesus to come the second time, because the Bible says that Heis coming back again to this earth. The first time, Jesus came to this earth in a manger. But the second time, He will come in glory. ------------------------------- TheBabe in Bethlehem �But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shallhe come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.� (Micah5:2) This is a very remarkable prophecy, explicitly predicting that the future King of Israel would be born in the little village of Bethlehem some 700 years before He finally came. Then, to assure its fulfillment, the great Emperor Augustus had to decree a comprehensivecensus, compelling Joseph to take Mary with him to Bethlehem for her child to be born. That the prophecy involves an actual birth is clear, not only from the phrase �come forth,� but also from the succeeding verse that warns God will �give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth� (v. 3). The preceding verse had alsopredicted that �they shall smite [this coming ruler] the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek� (v. 1), speaking of His initial rejection and execution. But the prophecy not only foresees His birth in Bethlehem, His repudiation by His own people, and His eventual installation as King over all Israel (not merely Judah), but also that this same remarkable person was none other than God Himself! His �goings forth� had been �from everlasting.� That is, He is eternally proceeding forth from His Father. He did not become God�s Son when He was born in Bethlehem; He has been coming forth eternally. There is still another truth implied in the Hebrew word for �goings forth.� It is also used for such things as the flowing of water from a fountain or the radiations from the sun. Thus, the never-ending flowing forth of power from God through the Son is nothingless than the sustaining energy for the whole creation, as He is �upholding all things by the word of his power� (Hebrews1:3). And this was the Babe in Bethlehem! HMM ---------------------------- VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM