DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 12.31.22

God's Grace and Glory �For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withholdfrom them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.� (Psalm 84:11-12) Yahweh vows to protect His children who walk uprightly, following Him in obedience. The sun and shield are a picture of what is positive and protective, illustrating both His grace and glory. Peter in his first letter to the church further signifies the importanceof these two words: �But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen� (1Peter 5:10-11). Considering Psalm 84:11 alongside 1 Peter 5:10-11 gives a fuller picture of God�s grace and refining hand, with the fourfold result that He perfects, confirms, strengthens, and establishes the believer. As one godly saint said, �God�s grace is waiting in perpetualeagerness for an opportunity to show itself, so He may repair our imperfections. Bad as we are, we would be far worse if we had less suffering.� Think about this, believer. Since we have tasted that the Lord is gracious (1 Peter 2:3), we should not be afraid of anything He purposes for His children�evensuffering, because we know it accomplishes perfecting qualities in our sanctification. Additionally, our hearts are further shaped by the Word of God chiseling away our impurities (2Peter 3:17). Finally, God�s grace will lead to glory (Psalm 84:11). Suffering comes first, along with His grace, and then comes the magnificent glory of our high calling.CM ----------------------- Why Do People Follow Jesus? John6:22-71 When Jesus walked this earth, a vast multitude followed Him. They came for all sorts of reasons�some noble, some selfish. The same is true today. It�s important that we understand what motivates people to come to Christ, because not all who seek Him are reallyHis followers. In fact, we each need to analyze our own walk with the Lord: What do we want from Him? How committed are we to being His disciples? Many of the people who followed Jesus did so because they had urgent needs that He alone could meet. Everywhere He went, the sick and demon-possessed were brought to Him�this is one of the ways that God draws us to Himself. Those who can solve all their ownproblems never need a Savior. Other folks came for sensationalism. They wanted to see the signs and miracles and feel a thrill of excitement. Today some people come to church or conferences to get pumped up, but mountaintop experiences are always followed by valleys. When hardships or challengescome, such people are quick to abandon the Lord. But Jesus� disciples followed Him because they genuinely believed He was the Messiah, the very Son of God (Matt.16:16). Their commitment went beyond emotions or needs. They wanted to know Christ and walk closely with Him. Are you more interested in what Jesus can do for you than in just being with Him? Do you find it hard to stay committed without an emotional experience to sustain you? Our physical and emotional needs can draw us to the Lord, but they should never be the foundationfor our walk with Him. ------------------------- TheName of the Lord Jesus �And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people fromtheir sins.� (Matthew1:21) This is the first of 144 references to the name of Christ in the New Testament. The word �name� (Greek noma) occurs only about 95 times when referring to any or all other names. This fact is itself a sort of commentary on Philippians 2:9: �God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.� In biblical times, a person�s name expressed the character or attributes desired for a child by his or her parents. The reason for the name �JESUS,� which means �Jehovah saves� or simply �salvation,� was given by the angel: �He shall save his people from theirsins.� There is only one Savior, �for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved� (Acts4:12); but His name does save! �As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name� (John1:12). Those who do receive Christ are thenceforth associated with His name�and therefore with His person and work. First, they are to be baptized �in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost� (Matthew28:19). They are then to order their lives in a way that honors His name. �Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity� (2Timothy 2:19). He has given many gracious promises of answered prayer if we pray in His name, �that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you� (John15:16). The final use of �name� in the Bible stresses our eternal identification with His name, for �his name shall be in their foreheads� (Revelation22:4) as we are united with Him in the age to come. HMM -------------------- JesusChrist: Creator “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whetherthey be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” (Colossians1:16) The Old Testament uses several names for the One who created. For example: “For thus saith the LORD [i.e., Jehovah] that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it” (Isaiah45:18). But the New Testament leaves no doubt as to who the Creator is. Today’s verse states it clearly. The “him” in context is the Father’s “dear Son” (v. 13) who shed “his blood” (v. 14). Similarly, the favorite passage in John 1:3 identifies Christ as the Creator: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” “He was in the world, and the world was made by him” (v. 10). “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (v. 14). No memberof the human race nor member of the Trinity fits this description except Jesus Christ. “God...hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews1:1-2). Jesus Christ is the Creator, and once He put on human form, His creative abilities continued to find application. Several of His miracles involved creation out of nothing. Note the feeding of the 5,000 (John6:10-11), the transformation of water into wine (John2:9-11), and bringing life from non-life—the raising of Lazarus (John11:43-44)—just to name a few. Perhaps the most important creative act of Christ is one He performs on repentant sinners every day. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2Corinthians 5:17). JDM ---------------------- FourImplications to Live By “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holyconversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens anda new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.” (2Peter 3:11-15) God calls believers to patiently wait for that future cataclysmic event when the entire universe will be engulfed in a holocaust of fire, followed by the awesome arrival of a new heavens and a new earth. In these concluding verses of his epistle, Peter clearlylays out our template for waiting. First, we must prioritize our temporal stay with principles found in Scripture (vv. 11-12), practicing all that is commanded in anticipation of the future kingdom’s arrival (Matthew28:19-20). Second, our lives must be characterized by purity, or as Peter describes, “holy conversation and godliness” (2Peter 3:11). Third, living peacefully in this cursed creation (v. 14) anticipates embracing all events with confidence, knowing that our omnipotent God orchestrates “molecule movements” of every kind for His glory and for building up the believer in sanctification (2Peter 3:18). As a result, we approach life with “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, [which] shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians4:7). Fourth, we preach the gospel (2Peter 3:15), guiding the lost to repentance, because believers understand and embrace the Lord’s patience. CM --------------------- Thanksfor the Greatest Gift “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” (2Corinthians 9:15) We who have known and sought to follow the Lord for many years have received many, many blessings for which to thank Him. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits” (Psalm68:19), we can pray again and again. But there is one blessing that is so great that it cannot even be put into words—it is unspeakable! That gift is so great that when we try to comprehend it, the sense of awe and gratitude becomes so overwhelming (or at least should become so overwhelming) that our joy is also unspeakable—indescribable! That gift, of course, is the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and Savior, “whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not,...ye rejoice withjoy unspeakable and full of glory” (1Peter 1:8). It is significant that the Greek word translated “unspeakable” occurs only these two times in the entire New Testament. God’s unspeakable gift to us produces unspeakable joy in us. We who deserve nothing but eternal separation from God in hell, instead willenjoy eternal life with God in heaven, and all because of that amazing and truly inexpressible gift! To think that the mighty Creator, God the Son, would not only humble Himself to become His own creature, man, but then also suffer the unimaginable agony of the cross and separation from God the Father in order to deliver us from the just penalty of sin! Thisact speaks of such love and grace that all we can do is whisper softly, “Thank you, Lord, for this unspeakable gift,” and then shout it over and over again in our hearts wherever we go and share its unspeakable joy and blessing with whomever will listen toits message. “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm126:3). Thank you, Lord! HMM -------------------- Jesus:Savior and God “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins….And they shall call his nameEmmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew1:21, 23) These passages, taken from an angelic message delivered to Joseph in a dream instructing him to take Mary as his wife, reveal two important names of Christ. One describes His office and the other His nature. Both are of the utmost importance as fundamentalChristian doctrines. The name Jesus is the same as Joshua in the Old Testament and literally means “savior”; as noted, “he shall save his people from their sins.” Christ saves us from the guilt of sin by cleansing us in His own atoning blood, and He saves us from the dominion ofsin by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately when we leave this world, He will save us from the presence of sin as we go to be with Him, and we will also receive a new glorious body at His return. We can surely say, “Thy name is as ointmentpoured forth” (Songof Solomon 1:3). The name Emmanuel, found once in the New Testament, means “God with us,” and its theological bookend is given in the final verse of Matthew’s gospel: “I am with you always” (Matthew28:20). This idea of “God with us” also signifies Christ’s nature as the God-man, being “God…manifest in the flesh” (1Timothy 3:16). Thus, our Savior is perfect God as well as perfect man. Because our Savior “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews4:15-16). JPT ----------------- How to Experience Christ's Peace John14:27-31 "My peace I give to you” (John14:27). Jesus spoke these amazing words just hours before His crucifixion. His peace isn’t dependent upon external circumstances, but rather, it transcends them. Although He gives His peace to every believer as a gift, our experience of it is related toour faith in the following truths: • God is in control of everything. Without this assurance, the world is a scary place. • He loves me and will see me through every circumstance, no matter how difficult or painful it may be. • To have Christ’s peace, I must surrender my life to Him. When I hold onto my ways and plans, I’ll experience turmoil. • I have a limited perspective and understanding of my circumstances and God’s purposes for allowing them. His goals for me are greater than my immediate comfort. • The Lord promises to work all things out for my good. He is continually working to transform my character into Christ’s image. • I must live in sync with God, walking in the Spirit and promptly confessing and repenting of sin. • Scripture is my foundation for peace. It increases my trust in the Lord’s goodness, assures me that He keeps His promises, and reminds me of His sovereignty over every situation. Sadly, many Christians live their whole lives without consistently experiencing this incomprehensible peace. Perhaps faith and submission are the most challenging issues. But only as we surrender control of our lives to Christ and trust in His plans for us will we discover tranquil rest for our souls. ---------------------- He�s Been There - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies wesinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin�s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. �Romans 8:3 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/hes-been-there/- Listen Jesus was fully man but was also fully God. He was not a man who became God, which is impossible. He was God who walked among us as a man. Romans 8:3 tells us, �So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin�s controlover us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins� (NLT). Although Jesus was flesh and blood, He didn�t have the drawback of original sin. He had no sin whatsoever. Therefore, He went from faith to faith, from grace to grace, andfrom strength to strength. He grew up physically, mentally, and spiritually. Luke�s gospel says, �Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people� (2:52 NLT). He had human emotions. He knew joy, deep sorrow, and even loneliness.In fact, on the cross, when He bore the sins of the world, He cried out, �My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?� You can be sure that at that time, He was the loneliest man who had ever lived. The writer of Hebrews said of Jesus, �Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful andfaithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people� (2:17 NLT). When you�re going through some form of hardship, isn�t it great to talk with someone who has already gone through the same thing? On the other hand, how shallow it is whenwe�re going through a difficult time and someone who knows nothing of what we�re experiencing says, �I know how you feel.� Jesus has really been where we are now. Our God knows what we�re going through. ------------------------------ The Race We Must Finish - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. �1 Corinthians 10:11 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-race-we-must-finish/- Listen Of the two to three million Israelites who left Egypt with Moses, only two of the original adults made it to the Promised Land. What caused them to finish well while so manyothers got lost in the wilderness? Idolatry was one of the pitfalls of the Israelites who got lost in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. At the root of their problems was a lack of relationship with God, alack of intimacy with Him. Interestingly, their first idol was Moses. When he was away receiving the commandments of God, they turned to worship a golden calf. They remade God in their image, rationalizing their blatant idol worship by saying it was a feastto the Lord. People do the same thing today. They give God a makeover, looking to conform Him to our perverse society instead of the other way around. But once we lose that set of absolutesin our lives, all kinds of problems will develop. Most people today who have fallen away from the Lord and into various problems and sins would be able to trace this to a point in their lives when they began to let go ofthe Lord. They were no longer walking as closely with Him as they should have been. The same thing happened to the Israelites. Because God was not on the throne of their hearts and lives, they needed something or someone to take His place. Then they tested God and complained. They exploited His goodness, pushed Him to the limit, and griped about His provision. As a result, they never made it to what God hadprepared for them. They had so much potential and possibility, yet it never came to fruition in their lives. The Christian life is not a sprint; it�s a long-distance run. We are in it for the long haul. So we need to pace ourselves and persevere. --------------------------------- Standing Firm - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possesstheir full share of that land �Numbers 14:24 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/standing-firm/- Listen When the children of Israel arrived at the edge of the Promised Land, they sent in twelve men to spy out the land. Among them were Joshua and Caleb. Ten of the spies returned to Kadesh-Barnea terrified by what they�d seen. They looked at the land through eyes of unbelief and concluded, �We can�t go up against them! Theyare stronger than we are!� (Numbers 13:31 NLT). They were paralyzed by fear. Joshua and Caleb, however, brought back a favorable report. Caleb told them, �Let�s go at once to take the land� We can certainly conquer it!� (verse 30 NLT). But the people were swayed by the majority report. They allowed the fear and paranoia of ten people to influence them rather than the words of faith and belief brought tothem by two people. In fact, they were so angry with Joshua and Caleb for even suggesting that they go into the land that they wanted to kill the two. However, Joshua and Caleb held their ground. They didn�t do what everyone else did and stood firm at the risk of being ostracized and losing their friends, even their lives. At this point, God had a message for the people: �You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshuason of Nun� (Numbers 14:30 NLT). The Bible says, �The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe� (Proverbs 29:25 NKJV). We can become paranoid about what others think and goalong with the crowd instead of being concerned with what God thinks. If we want to fully follow the Lord and finish well in the race of life, we must refuse to compromise and instead stand our ground. We must be more concerned with God�s approvalthan with anyone else�s approval. -------------------------------- The 45-Year Wait - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. �Joshua 14:11 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-45-year-wait/- Listen Of all the people who received an inheritance in the Promised Land, only Caleb completely drove out the enemy. And Caleb faced some of the most formidable foes in the entireland. Caleb was an 85-year-old man. And he had been waiting for 45 years. He had to endure everyone�s whining and griping the entire time. Caleb was there when they cried out formeat and complained about the manna God had provided for them. He was there when they rebelled against Moses. And he had to put up with it. While others looked back, Caleb looked forward. While others wanted to please themselves, Caleb wanted to please God. And after resisting the temptation to go along with thecrowd for so many years, he was ready to receive his reward. He believed that God would keep His promise. Caleb said to Joshua, �I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then� (Joshua 14:11 NLT). Being an older guy, Caleb could have asked for a nice, comfortable plot of land where there were no enemies to drive out. But he asked for one of the toughest assignments.He asked for Hebron. This was no garden spot. It was a rugged, treacherous area where there was a powerful enemy stronghold guarded by the strongest men. I wonder if some of the young men of Israel snickered at this point. Maybe they even laughed. But no doubt, their jaws dropped when Caleb drove out his enemies. Like Abraham, Caleb took God at His Word. He stood on the promises of God. And we need to do the same. Caleb�s example gives us hope that it can be done. We can remain people of integrity. We can cross the finish line. -------------------------- Faithfuland Just �If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.� (1John 1:9) All too often when we read or quote a favorite verse of Scripture, its familiarity gets in the way of our complete understanding of the verse. Such may be the case with today�s verse, one of the most beloved and oft-quoted passages of Scripture. To begin with,we must remember that the topic is sinful behavior. The Bible says that �the wages of sin is death� (Romans6:23), therefore sin cannot go unpunished. A faithful and just judge must punish such behavior; to forgive it is neither faithful nor just. �Without shedding of blood is no remission� of sin (Hebrews9:22). But the Bible also says, �If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father....Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin� (1John 2:1; 1:7). Jesus Christ fully paid the penalty for our sins. He died so that we don�t have to die, for God �hath made him to be sin for us� (2Corinthians 5:21). God has further promised that �whoso confesseth and forsaketh [his sins] shall have mercy� (Proverbs28:13). God in His mercy and grace has declared it to be so. What was once devised as merciful and gracious is now �faithful and just.� Because He is just, He cannot allow the punishment for our sin to be inflicted twice. Because He is faithful and has promised to forgive a penitent and confessing sinner, He will not only �forgive us our sins,� but �cleanse us from all unrighteousness,� therebyrestoring the sweet fellowship broken by our rebellion. �Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ�s stead, be ye reconciled to God� (2Corinthians 5:20). JDM --------------------- Wholehearted - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So that day Moses solemnly promised me, �The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedlyfollowed the Lord my God.� �Joshua 14:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/wholehearted/- Listen One of the reasons this world still appeals to many of us is that we lack closeness to God. When we�re only giving God our bare minimum and our love for Jesus isn�t burning brightly, the ways of the world and the temporary pleasures the world offers will look moreand more appealing to us. But if we can get our priorities right, we can see our world for what it is. That was what Caleb did. The Bible says that he �wholeheartedly followed the Lord� (Joshua 14:9 nlt). Wholeheartedly following the Lord meant that Caleb didn�t compromise. He stood his ground, wanting the approval of God more than the approval of others. Wholeheartedly followingthe Lord meant that Caleb took God at His Word and stood on it. And wholeheartedly following the Lord meant that Caleb desired fellowship and communion with God, which gave him the strength to continue. In contrast, it was a lack of fellowship with and closeness to God that caused the children of Israel to turn to idolatry, immorality, complaining, and testing God in thewilderness. When you�re in love with Jesus Christ, you will see Him for who He is, and you will see this world for what it is. As the hymn says, �Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look fullat His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.� When you maintain a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, this world will lose its appeal to you. Caleb wholeheartedly followed the Lord and wanted fellowship, intimacy, and closeness with Him. This sustained him through difficult times. It will also sustain us throughdifficult times. May we not be casualties in the spiritual battle. May we be strong as believers living in these last days. -------------------------------