DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 12.30.23

 David'sGreat-Grandmother “And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called hisname Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth4:17) No one knows for certain who the human author of the fascinating book of Ruth may have been, but it must at least have been written by a contemporary of David, able to carry the genealogy of Ruth’s descendants down to her great-grandson, David. Quite possiblythe story was told directly to David himself by his great-grandmother. In any case, when David later became king, he must surely have been intrigued by the providential circumstances that had led to his anointing. He would have read Genesis 49:8-12, in which Israel had said that a member of the tribe of Judah would be the rulerof the children of Israel some day. He must also have marveled at the wonderful grace of God that brought Ruth, a Moabitess, into his ancestry, despite the proscription in Deuteronomy 23:3 stipulating that Moabites should not be brought into the congregation of the Lord. He undoubtedly noted also that Nahshon, who was the grandfather of Ruth’s husband, Boaz, had been the chief captain of the tribe of Judah when Moses ledthe Israelites out of Egypt (Numbers1:4-5, 7) but that he had apparently failed in that role and perished in the wilderness, with his fellow tribesman Caleb being permitted to enter the Promised Land (Numbers14:22-24). Yet, Nahshon, rather than Caleb, became David’s ancestor. David, like Ruth and like Nahshon, and like everyone of us, has been brought into the great family of the King not because of his own merits but by His marvelous grace! We have been born again “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will ofman, but of God” (John1:13). “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus3:5). HMM ---------------------- WhatWe Celebrate at Christmas “And [Joseph] knew her [Mary] not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:25) The actual birthday of Jesus was sometime in the fall (September or October) rather than in December. The date is of lesser consequence, however, than the reason for the celebration (Isaiah 1:18). Heaven itself celebrated the birth (Luke2:8-14). And after the shepherds got over their fear, they couldn’t stop telling the news. Then there were the wise men from the east who came to worship the one “born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:1-2). They got there well after the birth, havingput their lives on hold, and willingly gave of their time and treasures to honor this great King while they rejoiced with “exceeding great joy” (Matthew 2:10).Surely all Christians should worship and rejoice as well as open our treasuries when we celebrate Christ’s birth. But if we just focus on the birth, we may miss the greatest reason for the commemoration. After all, there was nothing uncommon about the physical process. But the conception, now that was miraculous (Luke 1:35)! The eternal “Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John1:14). The great Creator and Son of God, “foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20), submitted to the will of the Father and “madehimself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). That was why heaven celebrated. Counting back nine months from around September puts us pretty close to the end of the previous December. Perhaps our sovereign God has orchestrated events so that we would celebrate the real miracle of the conception: “God with us” (Matthew1:23). HMM III --------------------- WhenGod Became Man “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst sethim over the works of thy hands.” (Hebrews2:7) We cannot comprehend what it meant for the infinite Creator God to become finite man, even coming “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans8:3). Nevertheless, we can, and must, believe it, for “every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (1John 4:3). The Scriptures have given us a glimpse of the “emptying” that His incarnation required—the setting aside of certain outward aspects of His deity. He had been “so much better than the angels” (Hebrews1:4), but He had to be “made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death” (Hebrews2:9)—“put to death in the flesh” (1Peter 3:18). The eternal Word “was God” (John1:1), but it was necessary that “the Word was made flesh” (John1:14). “The world was made by Him” (John1:10), but “the princes of this world...crucified the Lord of glory” (1Corinthians 2:8). He “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians2:6). That is, He was not fearful of losing His deity and, therefore, did not have to cling to His divine nature and attributes as He became man. Thus, He “made himself of no reputation” (emptying Himself of the outward form of God) “and took upon himthe form of a servant” (Philippians2:7). Yet, that was only the beginning. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2Corinthians 5:21). He suffered hell for us that we might enjoy heaven with Him. Because He was willing to be so humiliated, He will one day be crowned with glory and honor. “God also hath highly exalted Him,...that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians2:9, 11). HMM ---------------------------- God'sStandards “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in hismight, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saiththe LORD.” (Jeremiah9:23-24) It is remarkable how different are our human standards of value from those of God. But what should be the criteria by which men recognize hearts of lovingkindness, attitudes of justice, and characters of righteousness? These are the attributes of our Creatorand Savior, and it is our achievements in these areas that determine our real standing, in the scales of eternity, before Him. Human wisdom, might, and riches easily generate pride, and pride is “the condemnation of the devil” (1Timothy 3:6). Thus, the Scripture has to remind us “that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:...That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1Corinthians 1:26, 29). We should, indeed, desire wisdom, might, and riches, but not as measured by the world. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs9:10). “As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2Corinthians 6:10). “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2Corinthians 12:9). Let lovingkindness become the standard of true wisdom, justice the measure of real power, and righteousness our criterion of riches. All are found fully only in Jesus Christ. If we must “glory” in something, let it be the cross. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians6:14). HMM ------------------------ AuthenticFriendship - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. �Proverbs 27:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/authentic-friendship/- Listen One trait of friendship with people and with God is that true friends will tell each other the truth. That�s a mark of friendship. When you�re uncomfortable with someone, when you don�t know them that well, you don�t really want to say what you�re thinking. Maybe you just bought a new outfit that you�renot sure about. So, you say to your friend, �Hey, what do you think?� Someone who doesn�t really care about you will say, �It looks great! Now let�s go!� But a true friend will say, �Honestly, you look like a fool. You need to return that.� The Bible says, �Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy� (Proverbs 27:6 NLT). An enemy will flatter you and tell you to your face that you�re great and that everything is wonderful. But behind your back, the same person will cut you down. As Oscar Wilde said, �A true friend always stabs you in the front.� True friends will say, �Because I love you, because I care about you, I must share this with you. I think you�re making a mistake. I don�t think you should do this.� Becauseyour friends care about you, they will tell you the truth. That is why we want to look for godly friends. You cannot control your environment at all times. You cannot always control who your neighbors will be or who your coworkerswill be. But you can decide who your friends will be. We must give serious consideration to the people we spend our free time with, the people we bare our hearts to. It�s important to look for others who love God and will encourageus spiritually. The apostle Paul warned, �Bad company corrupts good character� (1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT). You will be influenced by the people you hang around. And they will be influencedby you. Paul also wrote, �Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who callon the Lord with pure hearts� (2 Timothy 2:22 NLT). Look for friends who love the Lord. Look for people who will encourage you in your commitment to Christ. And if you�re presently engaged in a friendship, or even worse, ina romantic entanglement, that is dragging you down spiritually and is detrimental to your walk with God, then it�s time to sever it. Look for people who will encourage you in the things of the Lord. And be a person who will encourage others in the things of the Lord as well. Sadly, people will disappoint. People will let us down. But we have a friend who never will betray our confidence. We have a friend to whom we can bare our secrets and whoalso will declare His secrets to us. We have the ultimate friend in Jesus Christ. Yes, He wants to be your God. Yes, He wants to be your Savior and Lord. But don�t forget that He also wants to be your friend. --------------------------- LiftUp Your Eyes �Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number:he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.� (Isaiah40:26) Our text makes three majestic statements about the cosmos, each reflecting true scientific insight as well as the work of each person of the divine Trinity. The omnipresent Father has �brought out� an infinite �host� of organized systems in the cosmos�galaxies,stars, planets, animals, and people. All are capable of description mathematically, �by number,� and thus all bear witness to their great Designer. Chance processes never generate organization or complexity, so special creation by God is the only legitimateexplanation for the �numbered� host of heaven. The Son is the omniscient Word of information, description, and meaning. Every system in the cosmos is not only numbered but named! That is, in the mind of its Creator, it has a function and has been coded to fulfill its purpose. The Second Law states thatsystems never code themselves but rather always tend to distort the information originally programmed into them. Only an omniscient Creator could thus implement the divine purpose for every created entity. Finally, the Holy Spirit is the omnipotent Energizer who activates and empowers every system. The Second Law says that energy becomes less available as time goes on, so only the Creator could provide the energy to activate the designed, programmed cosmos inthe beginning. When we finally look up and really �behold who hath created these things,� we must see God the Creator�Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. HMM -------------------------- Chart Your Course - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. �2 Timothy 4:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/chart-your-course/- Listen One day, we will give our final words. We may be aware they�re our last words, but then again, we may not have that luxury. In 2 Timothy 4, the apostle Paul wrote his final words. His turbulent life was coming to an end, and he had truly made a difference. An amazing series of events led to his being in the dungeon where he wrote his epistle to Timothy. It began when Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem and preach there. But a prophetnamed Agabus took the belt Paul had been wearing, wrapped it around his own arms and legs, and said, �So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles� (Acts 21:11 NLT). When the believers heard this, they pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. But Paul told them, �Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only tobe jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus� (verse 13 NLT). Jim Elliot was a twentieth-century martyr who died in his endeavor to take the gospel to the Waorani tribe of Ecuador. Years earlier he wrote in his journal, �He is no foolwho gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.� In the same way, Paul gave his life completely to the Lord. He didn�t fear what others could do to him. Writing to the church in Corinth, he said, �Don�t you realize thatyour body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body� (1 Corinthians 6:19�20 NLT). Paul went to Jerusalem and preached there, and sure enough, an angry mob wanted to kill him. The Romans arrested Paul and later transferred him to the Roman governor Felix. Now, Paul could have talked his way out of this mess. Instead, the Bible tells us that Paul spoke to Felix about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. Thenhe challenged Felix to come to Christ. However, Felix procrastinated. Ultimately Paul used his rights and privileges as a Roman citizen and appealed to Caesar. But on the way to Rome, a severe storm arose, and Paul and the others found themselvesshipwrecked on an island. Even so, Paul�s time had not yet come. This serves as a reminder that until God is done with us, nothing will stop us. It doesn�t mean that we should test God and do foolish things or unnecessarily risk our lives.But if we seek to stay in God�s will, then we don�t have to worry. We all will leave a legacy. What will people remember about us? What will our family members say? What will we be known for? If you don�t like the course your life has taken,then it isn�t too late to change it. ----------------------------------------- TheGospel and Health �And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.� (Matthew4:23) This is the first mention of �the gospel� in the New Testament, and it is significant that Christ was emphasizing, first of all, the long-range future aspect of the gospel, the Kingdom. In that great day, all manner of sickness and even death itself will beeternally healed, when the earth�s agelong curse, pronounced originally because of man�s sin (Genesis3:17), is finally removed (Revelation22:3). As a token of this future deliverance, He demonstrated His power by supernaturally healing great numbers of needy people. The next verse elaborates further on the ubiquity of His healing ministry��all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy� (Matthew4:24). No one was omitted. It was not a matter of only those who had faith, or those with psychosomatic ailments, or any other distinction. Everyone was healed of every infirmity of every kind! Nothing was too hard for the Lord to cure�not even psychiatric disorders or demon possession. However, it was not that way later on in His ministry (e.g., Mark 6:5) nor in that of the apostle Paul (e.g., 2 Timothy 4:20) or the other apostles (e.g., Matthew 17:14-16). Evidently the tremendous scope of this initial healing ministry of the Lord was intended to serve as a type and promise of what will occur worldwide and eternally when His kingdom comes and His will is done on Earth as it is in heaven.In the meantime, this record serves to assure us all that He who came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom should indeed be received by faith right now as the great King of all creation! HMM ------------------------ Ready to Break Camp? - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org 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 have a house in heaven, an eternal body made forus by God himself and not by human hands. �2 Corinthians 5:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/ready-to-break-camp/Listen When you�re getting ready to go somewhere, your destination determines your outlook. For instance, if you�re going on vacation to Hawaii, you can hardly wait to get there.But if you�re going to the dentist, you�re dreading it. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, �The time of my death is near� (2 Timothy 4:6 NLT). Or, as the New King James Version renders it, �The time of my departure is at hand.� Earlier Paul had written to the believers in Philippi, �For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. . . . I�m torn between two desires: I long togo and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live� (Philippians 1:21, 23�24 NLT). Paul knew where he was going. He knew that he was going to Heaven. Granted, Paul had a marked advantage: he had already died, gone to Heaven, and returned to Earth. He wroteabout the experience in 2 Corinthians 12, where he said he was �caught up to the third heaven� (verse 2) and saw things that were indescribable. Many commentators believe this probably happened after Paul preached the gospel in Antioch. The Bible tells us, �They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking hewas dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe� (Acts 14:19�20 NLT). We can imagine Paul in Heaven before His Lord, before the One who had called him on the road to Damascus, before the One who had pardoned him of every sin. But then Paul cameback, and ever since, he was homesick for Heaven. This reminds us that Heaven is not a place of unconscious oblivion; it�s a place of conscious existence. Death held no terror for the apostle Paul. He understood that it meantgoing and being with Christ. It was a beginning, not an ending. It was a promotion. The word �departure� used by Paul in 2 Timothy 4:6 (NKJV) comes from an interesting Greek term that also could describe breaking camp. After a few days of camping, most people are ready to break camp, go home, and enjoy the luxuries of a hot shower and clean clothes. They�re happy to break camp. When death comes, the tent called the body is laid aside as the spirit moves into a more permanent residence. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, �For we know that when thisearthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands� (verse 1 NLT). Does that sound depressing to you? Getting ready to break camp is good news if you�ve put your faith in Jesus Christ. It means that you�re going to a far better place. Itmeans that you�re going to Heaven. ----------------------------- TheTwofold Call �And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak;for thy servant heareth.� (1Samuel 3:10) There are a number of other times in Scripture when the Lord repeated a second time the name He was calling, always at a time of great significance and urgency. Once had been to Moses: �God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.And he said, Here I am� (Exodus3:4). God then ordained Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. When He called Samuel, it was to lead His people out of the chaos of the period of the judges and to prepare them for the Davidic kingdom. The first time God had called in this fashion was to Abraham,and then it was to confirm that he had passed God�s final test for the fulfillment of the great promise concerning the blessing on his seed. �And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I� (Genesis22:11). In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus spoke thus unto all His rebelling nation: �O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,...Behold, your house is left unto you desolate� (Matthew23:37-38). Before this, He had spoken both in grief and in encouragement to Peter, who must be prepared to lead the disciples later on. �Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren� (Luke22:31-32). Finally, when the Lord was ready to call Paul as His apostle to the Gentiles, He met him on the road to Damascus: �Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?� (Acts9:4). The last calling in the Bible is not a twofold call but fourfold! �And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely� (Revelation22:17). HMM ----------------------- Don�t Slow Down - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And now the prize awaits me�the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but forall who eagerly look forward to his appearing. �2 Timothy 4:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/dont-slow-down/- Listen It isn�t enough to start well in the race of life; we need to finish well. It isn�t enough to run fast; we need to run fast and long. This is a long-distance run, and thegoal is to make it across the finish line. As the apostle Paul neared the end of his race, he wrote to Timothy, �I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful� (2 Timothy 4:7NLT). The Bible is filled with the stories of so many who had tremendous potential but crashed and burned in the spiritual race. There was King Saul, who had incredible potential, yet he disobeyed God repeatedly. He allowed pride into his life, which gave way to the paranoia and jealousy that ultimatelyconsumed him. He essentially wrote his own epitaph when he said, �I have been a fool and very, very wrong� (1 Samuel 26:21 NLT). Then there was Samson, with his incredible ability to vanquish his enemies. On one occasion, he killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Yet he went downin flames. Because he played around with sin, sin ultimately played around with him, culminating in his own death. Gideon had such humble beginnings, yet God mightily used him to conquer his enemies. But as his life came to an end, he lowered his standards and fell into immorality andpride. These people started well, but they didn�t finish well. They ran fast in the beginning, but they didn�t get across the finish line as they should have. Paul wanted to be in the company of those who finished the race, men like Caleb and Joshua in the Old Testament who finished well. Hebrews 12 tells us, �Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especiallythe sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith� (verses 1�2 NLT). We�re running this race not for applause, not for notoriety, but for the Lord. We run this race so that we can hear Jesus say to us on that final day, �Well done, good andfaithful servant.� Looking to Jesus keeps us going, because we can get discouraged. People can let us down. They can disappoint us. That�s why we must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. In the ancient Greek games, a judge would stand at the finish line holding laurel leaves, the reward given to the victor in plain sight. As runners came around the last stretch,tired and exhausted, they could see the prize awaiting the winner. And no doubt a new burst of energy kicked in. This is a long-distance run. So keep running. If you�ve been slowing down, it�s time to speed up. It�s time to move forward, because you are leaving a legacy.