DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 9.9.23

 TheGift of Labor “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis2:15) When God first created man, He gave him work to do. Although “the LORD God planted a garden” for man (Genesis2:8), it was up to man to take care of it if he would continue to eat its fruits. Thus, having to labor for one’s living is not a divine punishment for man’s sin as people sometimes interpret it, but rather a divine benefit for man’s good. Similarly, even in the new earth, when sin and suffering will be gone forever, there will still be work to do. “There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him” (Revelation22:3). We don’t know yet what our assignments will be there, but they will somehow be commensurate with our faithfulness in serving the Lord here. “My reward is with me,” says the Lord Jesus, “to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation22:12). It is, therefore, a God-given privilege to be able to do useful work, whether that work consists of preaching God’s Word or improving God’s world. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do” (whether being paid for it or not), “do it with thy might; for there is nowork...in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes9:10). As Jesus said, “The night cometh, when no man can work” (John9:4). No matter what the job may be that has been provided for us to do, it is important to remember and obey the admonition: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians3:23-24) and “your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1Corinthians 15:58). HMM -------------------- DesiringOur Lord and His Word “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech,and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” (Psalm19:1-3) In Psalm 19, David focuses our attention on Yahweh’s stunning creation. However, there’s so much more in this passage. Verse 7 links creation to a believer’s deliverance from sin, a recurrent theme in most texts describing God’s powerful role in creation. Davidthen notes what’s critical for our spiritual transformation—a steady diet in the Word of God. The transformative work of God’s refining Word is traced in Psalm 19:7-9. “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.” “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.” “The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever.” “The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” Yahweh’s God-breathed words (2Timothy 3:16) are “more to be desired…than gold, yea, than much fine gold” and “sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm19:10). Lastly, we are reminded of the role of God’s Word in keeping us mindful of God’s requirements and of the reward for those who keep them (v. 11). It’s easy to be influenced by the outward pressures of compromise, but may His words influence our inner convictionand may our daily meditation “be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (v. 14). CCM --------------------- KnowingHim “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him thatis true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1John 5:20) John uses two words for “know” in this short letter, both of which are used in the final instruction to his readers. The Greek word ginosko is used 25 times throughout this epistle, stressing knowledge that is gained through personal experience. The other word, ei’do (or oi’da), is used an additional 17 times, emphasizing mental understanding and comprehension. The Intellectual Confidence We “know [ei’do] that he was manifested to take away our sins” (1John 3:5). We “know that we have passed from death unto life” (1John 3:14). We “know that [we] have eternal life” (1John 5:13). We “know that we are of God” (1John 5:19). We “know that the Son of God is come” (1John 5:20). All of this “head knowledge” is, of course, straight from the Word of God. These are the basics of our belief in the work of Christ. The Personal Experience We “know [ginosko] that we know [ginosko] him, if we keep his commandments” (1John 2:3). “There [are] many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1John 2:18). “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments” (1John 5:2). Thus, our intellectual “knowledge” of God’s Word is “experienced” as we “work out [our] own salvation” (Philippians2:12). Being “born again” is just the beginning. We should “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18). HMM III -------------------- Speak Up - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny beforemy Father in heaven. �Matthew 10:32�33 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/speak-up/- Listen Near the end of his life, the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that he had fought the good fight, he had finished the course, and he had kept the faith (see 2 Timothy 4:7). But then a few verses later, he wrote this: �Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, andTitus has gone to Dalmatia� (2 Timothy 4:10 NLT). When things got too difficult for Demas, he quit. He didn�t want to be a follower of Jesus if it required anything of him, if it cost him anything, or if he faced persecution. Jesus spoke of the same dilemma in the parable of the sower, a story in which He compared sowing seed to the gospel going into people�s hearts. He said, �The seed on the rockysoil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don�t have deep roots, they don�t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God�s word� (Matthew 13:20�21 NLT). There are people who, when trouble or persecution comes, fall away. They give up. They deny the Lord. Of course, one way to deny the Lord is to just say, �I don�t know Him.� But another way to deny Him is by not confessing Him, by neglecting to speak up for Him when the opportunityarises. Have you ever been in one of those situations where it almost seemed as though God had set the scene for you to speak up for Him? Everything fell into place. You knew whatyou needed to say. You knew the right thing to say. But you didn�t say it. You were paralyzed by fear. And you seriously regretted it afterward. Even Peter had a lapse in which he denied the Lord�not once, not twice, but three times. That same Peter went out afterward and wept bitterly. And then he changed. Accordingto church tradition, Peter was put to death on a cross as he hung upside down. He asked to be crucified that way because he said he wasn�t worthy to die in the same manner that his Lord did. Peter wasn�t happy in the state he was in, and God changed him. Maybe you�re thinking, �Actually, I feel a bit ashamed. I haven�t been speaking up for the Lord. I haven�t been confessing Him. I must not be a believer because I have deniedHim.� We�ve all had our moments of doubt. And we�ve all had our lapses in which we�ve denied Him. But you can make a change today. You can begin confessing Him as a follower of Jesus. Do people know you�re a Christian? Do your coworkers and your family members know that you�re a follower of Jesus Christ? We need to speak up for the Lord. Our lifestyle,the way that we live, should be evidence of our faith in Christ. Are you speaking up for Him? ----------------------------- Behold,My Servant �His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.� (Isaiah52:14) The last three verses of Isaiah 52 begin the well-known Suffering Servant passage (Isaiah52:13�53:12). The passage begins �Behold, my servant� (Isaiah52:13) and uses abrupt topic changes. It says �he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high� (v. 13), then without transition switches to today�s text. This doesn�t read with much flow, but God through Isaiah had a reason. The sudden change makes the reader pause. The text jolts us into reading it again. Like a preacher who lifts his hands in a moment of passionate conviction, Yahweh wants us to behold His Servant with a double-take. What�s so important that it deserves a closer look? The next verse tells us: �So shall he sprinkle many nations� (v. 15). The very act of the Servant�s disfigurement is the means by which He will fulfill His purpose to �sprinkle many nations.� The apostle Johnsaw those future nations. �After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne�saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb� (Revelation7:9-10). What could He sprinkle that would redeem such a throng? Surely this is Jesus� blood, �which is shed for you� (Luke22:20). �Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world� (John1:29). He sprinkles His blood over us now. His shed blood is the only way to remove our sins. His death means our life. Now, that�s worth beholding. BDT ------------------------------ Temporary Division - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Therefore, since we have been made right in God�s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. �Romans 5:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/temporary-division/- Listen In Matthew 10 we find one of the more controversial statements of Jesus: �Don�t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. �Ihave come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!� � (verses 34�36 NLT). This must have shocked His listeners. After all, on the night of Jesus� birth, didn�t the angels appear to the shepherds and say, �Glory to God in highest heaven, and peaceon earth to those with whom God is pleased� (Luke 2:14 NLT)? Is Jesus not the Prince of Peace? What is this about? It all fits together when we see the big picture. Yes, it is true that Jesus has ultimately come to bring peace. But before there can be peace, there must be the end of war. And in a war, someone has to win and someone hasto lose. Before we become Christians, we are in a war with God. We�re opposed to Him. But when we, by His grace, come to our senses and surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ, we havepeace with God. As Romans 5:1 tells us, �Therefore, since we have been made right in God�s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us� (NLT). Where we once were divided from God, we now have peace with God. Yet Jesus said He came �not to bring peace, but a sword.� And this is a double-edged sword. Though it�s true that it cuts, it also gives life. What initially wounds ultimately heals, much like a surgeon with a scalpel. We don�t feel the pain of the surgeon�s scalpel until the anesthesia wears off. But when we realizeour life was prolonged because of surgery, we recognize that what temporarily caused us pain ultimately extended our lives. In the same way, Jesus comes with a sword. Yes, it brings temporary pain when we realize that we�re separated from God. But what temporarily causes pain ultimately bringseternal life. The same is true when you�re seeking to live a godly life and it causes division in your family. Don�t lament. Instead, think of it this way: it�s better to temporarily offendsomeone who doesn�t know Jesus Christ with a convicting message of the gospel and see them ultimately come to faith than to never offend them in any way and see them go into a Christless eternity. Now, we shouldn�t unnecessarily offend family members with our witness. Sometimes this happens, especially with believers who are very new in the faith. They lack somethingcalled tact, and they�re persecuted not because of their faith but because they�re obnoxious. We must also remember that if we�re going to be true disciples, it may bring temporary division. It may even cause temporary pain. But ultimately it could bring the greatestharmony of all. ----------------------------- On �Finding Yourself� - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? �Luke 9:25 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/on-finding-yourself/- Listen In a culture that puts so much emphasis on self-image, self-worth, self-love, and self-esteem, the words of Jesus in Matthew 10 don�t go over well. He said, �If you clingto your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it� (verse 39 NLT). Jesus was saying, �Do you want to find yourself? Then lose yourself.� In Luke�s Gospel He said something similar: �If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hangon to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it� (Luke 9:23�24 NLT). Statements like these don�t play well in our society. And we�ve even brought that thinking into the church. We hear preachers say, as though it were gospel truth, that we need self-esteem. And we are told that we need to love ourselves. People will cite Scripture, saying, �You know,the Bible tells you to love your neighbor as yourself. But before you can love your neighbor, you must love yourself. And our problem is that we don�t love ourselves.� But is that true? Maybe the problem in our society is not that we fail to love ourselves but that we love ourselves too much. We already do love ourselves. That�s obvious.It�s an established fact. Therefore, the Bible is telling us to love our neighbors in the same way that we love ourselves. Remember, the apostle Paul wrote, �No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church� (Ephesians 5:29 NLT). How often have we heard the statement �I�m trying to find myself�? However, Jesus said, �If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.� This simply means that we take our plans, our goals, and our aspirations and we place them at the feet of Jesus Christ. Then we say, �I want Your will more than mine. Nevertheless,not my will, but Yours, be done.� Don�t ever be afraid to pray that, because God says, �For I know the plans I have for you. . . . They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope� (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). God is thinking about you, and His thoughts are very good. They�re about your future, and they�re thoughts of giving you hope. He is not against you. Therefore, when you cometo the Lord, say, �Here are my plans. But if You have something different in mind, I surrender to You, because You know best.� God wants us to love Him more than anyone else. He wants us to want His will more than anyone else�s will. And what God does in our lives will be better than what we evercould have done on our own. --------------------------------- EsteemHim �He was despised, and we esteemed him not.� (Isaiah53:3) In this, our third consideration of Isaiah�s Suffering Servant passage (Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12), we learn that people looked down upon Him whom the Lord willexalt. The expression �for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant� (53:2) likely refers to a sucker limb. These scraggly sprigs grow straight out of the side of tree trunks. Homeowners find them annoying enough to pay tree services to cut them off.That�s just what the world did to the Savior (53:8). �As a root out of a dry ground� (53:2) lies poised to trip an unsuspecting pedestrian, so the religious people alive at the Savior�s first coming saw Him as a danger. �He came unto his own, and his own received him not� (John1:11). At the same time that �we hid as it were our faces from him� (Isaiah 53:3), the Father esteemed Him by giving Him a new title. Irish Hebraist J. Alec Motyerdid well to translate Isaiah 53:1 as �Who believed what we heard? And Yahweh�s Arm, to whom was it revealed?� The title Yahweh�s Arm refers to His Servant�s abundant strength. Isaiah reveals tension between Yahweh�s high esteem for His strong �Arm� versus the people who �esteemed him not� (Isaiah 53:3). What led His own, especiallythe religious Pharisees, to despise the same Servant who �shall be exalted and extolled� (Isaiah 52:13)? Was it not pride? Like the Pharisees, our pride persuades us that we have no need of God, that we need no correction or rescue. Pride even keeps us from seeing our own pride! Humility is the remedy, for �I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also thatis of a contrite and humble spirit� (Isaiah 57:15). With humility, we can see our need and esteem Him. BDT --------------------- The Sweetest Burden - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Then he said to the crowd, �If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. �Luke 9:23 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-sweetest-burden/- Listen We seem to have lost the meaning of the cross today. It has become a mere religious symbol, an icon shrouded in religiosity. But in the first century when someone was carrying a cross through the streets, it meant only one thing: that person was going to die. So, when people heard Jesus say, �Ifany of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me,� they would have easily understood what He meant. Sometimes we think of a cross to bear as a trying relationship, a health problem, a challenging job, or some other tough circumstance. Those may be difficulties in life. Butthey are not our crosses to bear. The cross we must bear is the same for each of us. It speaks of dying to ourselves. And what that means, simply, is laying ourselves at the feet of Jesus and saying, �I wantYour will more than my own.� Of course, when we talk about bearing the cross and living a crucified life, it sounds morbid and unappealing because we have a false concept of what it means. We think it means isolating ourselves in an ivory tower somewhere and never having fun, smiling, or laughing. That is how we imagine ourselves living the crucified life. But is that what it really means? Writing to the churches in Galatia, the apostle Paul said, �My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in thisearthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me� (Galatians 2:20 NLT). As Jesus said, if you want to find your life, then lose it (see Luke 9:24). Thus, when we live the crucified life, it isn�t a morbid, miserable experience. It doesn�t meanthat we�ve ruined our lives when we start walking with God. Rather, it�s when life begins to really happen, when life becomes full and meaningful. Because we want God�s will more than our own, we�ll have the abundant life that Jesuspromised, (see John 10:10). We�re living life as it was meant to be lived. It is life to the fullest. Samuel Rutherford, a seventeenth-century theologian, said, �The cross of Christ is the sweetest burden that ever I bore. It is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or sailsto a ship, to carry me forward to my desired haven.� And he was right. The cross of Christ is no burden because God�s will is better than our own. Are you bearing the cross and following Jesus? For some, this could mean suffering persecution. For others, it could mean a major change of lifestyle. It could cost us friends.But we will live life as it was meant to be lived: in the perfect will of God. So let�s commit ourselves to being disciples of Jesus Christ�not mere fair-weather followers, but true disciples. ---------------------------- TheChastisement of Our Peace �The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.� (Isaiah53:5) Contrasts continue within this Suffering Servant sequence. Even while �we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted� (Isaiah 53:4), He was �woundedfor our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities� (Isaiah 53:5). He knew the truth that our sinful souls like to deny: �The wages of sin is death� (Romans 6:23). He knew, even as He endured His tortured journey toward the cross, that He would die for us �while we were yet sinners� (Romans5:8). What a moment of wild contrasts that Isaiah foretold here. The self-righteous Jewish high priest said of the sinless One, �Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death� (Mark14:64). Christ did not go to the cross because He committed blasphemy. He went to the cross to save even those who had wrongfully accused Him of blasphemy. What marvelous love He shows to all! He owes us nothing but righteous wrath as we rebel in both heart and deed against His will and ways. He endured the chastisement that the law requires as payment for our sin. He now offers advocacy for us in the heavenlycourt (1 John 2:1), plus everlasting life and so much more! Truly, He paid a debt He did not owe, but one we couldn�t possibly pay. The suffering of Yahweh�s Servant took care of that debt for you and for me. What a glorious contrast. Our Savior permitted sinners to sacrifice His sinless Self so He can dwell with themone day. He will commute anyone�s ultimate sentence when they act with �repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ� (Acts 20:21). BDT -------------------------- NoTurning Back - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven�except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. �Matthew 12:31 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/no-turning-back/- Listen As Christians, we know and serve a God who is forgiving. The Old Testament abounds with teachings about His forgiveness. David declared in Psalm 86, �O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help� (verse 5 NLT). In another psalm, Davidreminds us, �He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases� (Psalm 103:3 NLT). Daniel 9:9 tells us, �But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him� (NLT). And God described Himself this way to Moses: �The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing loveto a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin� (Exodus 34:6�7 NLT). The prophet Micah, reflecting on God�s forgiveness, said, �Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people?You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love� (Micah 7:18 NLT). Even when Jesus hung on the cross, He said, �Father, forgive them, for they don�t know what they are doing� (Luke 23:34 NLT). Again and again, we read in the Bible of the forgiveness of God. He will forgive all sin if it is confessed, no matter what it is. As Pastor John MacArthur pointed out, �There is no forgiveness of even the smallest sin unless it is confessed and repented of; but there is forgiveness of even the greatestsin if those divine conditions are met.�[1] But according to Jesus, there is one sin that even God will not forgive. And what is this unforgivable sin? It is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It�s the point when thereis no turning back. When people deliberately choose not to believe in Jesus Christ because they don�t want to change the way they live, ultimately it can lead them to the one sin that even Godwill not forgive. People don�t reject Jesus Christ for any other reason except that it�s a threat to their lifestyle. They hate the light and know their deeds will be exposed. The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of nonbelievers is to speak to them and lead them to Jesus Christ. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, �And when he comes, he will convictthe world of its sin, and of God�s righteousness, and of the coming judgment� (John 16:8 NLT). In other words, the Holy Spirit works to bring nonbelievers to their senses, to show them their need for Jesus Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring us to a savingknowledge of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is incredibly patient and persistent. But there comes a point when the Spirit will no longer be patient, because we continue to resist Him. This leads to theultimate, unforgivable sin: the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.