DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 4.20.24

 Allthe Lonely People “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no mancared for my soul.” (Psalm142:4) This is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. To be all alone, not knowing where to find refuge from problems that bear heavily at times—this is the lot of many lonely people. Sometimes, of course, one’s feelings of loneliness may be because of unconfessed sin, as when David lamented after his crime of adultery and murder: “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand washeavy upon me” (Psalm32:3-4). Outwardly silent, but inwardly roaring—that’s the way it is when a believer tries to rationalize and hide his sin from God and man. The remedy in such a case is obvious: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said,I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Psalm32:5). When the problem is not one of unconfessed sin, the Lord is always there to comfort and guide, if we ask Him. Following the sad complaint of our text, David made a statement of hope and faith. “The righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifullywith me” (Psalm142:7). There was a time, in fact, when the Lord Himself was all alone. When He was arrested, “then all the disciples forsook him, and fled” (Matthew26:56). But that was not the worst of it. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew27:46). Jesus died all alone on the cross—the loneliest and most forsaken person in all human history—since even His heavenly Father had to abandon Him when He took our sins and died for us. Thus, He understands our own need and is always there. “For inthat he himself hath suffered being tempted [or ‘tested’], he is able to succor them that are tempted” (Hebrews2:18). HMM ---------------------- Answeredby a Word from God “And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.” (Matthew22:46) The two dominant sects among the Jews at the time of Christ were the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Although both of these believed in the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, they both refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. A climactic confrontation occurred during His final week in Jerusalem. Each group tried to trap Him into a compromising doctrinal argument. To the Sadducees, who rejected the doctrine of resurrection, He said: “Have ye not read that which was spoken unto youby God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew22:31-32). This exposition silenced the Sadducees. “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence” (Matthew22:34), they then tried to trip Him up. He turned the tables on them by a reference to the 110th Psalm, asking how David could call the Messiah Lord if He was David’s son (Matthew22:45). As our text indicates, they also were unable to respond. It is most significant that each group was silenced with one single word from the Scriptures. To the Sadducees, the word was “am” (“I am the God of Abraham” [v. 32]), indicating that Abraham was still living. To the Pharisees, the word was “Lord” (“The LORDsaid unto my Lord” [v. 44]; that is, “Jehovah said unto Adonai”), proving that the Messiah was both human and divine, descended from David but also David’s Lord. Christ’s argumentation was based in each case on the determinative authorityof just one word in the Scriptures. For Christ, the Scriptures were inerrant and of full and final authority, and they could not answer His claims without rejecting the Scriptures they professed to believe. HMM ---------------------- Commitmentto God “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm37:5) Frustration must come as the saints of God battle with evil forces. The pain and pressure of torment are nonetheless real as these evil “devices” (Isaiah32:7) take their toll on the people of God. The Lord will destroy the plans of the wicked (Psalm33:10), but while those plans are active, they can cause much hurt. Nevertheless, we must maintain trust in the Lord and commit our lives to Him if we are to be victorious. The unusual Hebrew word galal used here is more often translated as “roll on” or “roll with” something. It seems to imply a unity in the commitment, that the committed one is bound up in the actions or activities of the thing or person committed to—we “roll on” or “roll with” the Lord in our “way.” Paul spends much of his letter to the Philippians describing the link between the Creator-Savior and the mind, heart, and lifestyle of the Christian who has given his life over to God. “Being confident of this very thing,” Paul says, “that he which has beguna good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians1:6). We are to “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians2:12-13). While admitting that he had not yet “attained,” Paul was so focused on the work of the kingdom that he was “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high callingof God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians3:13-14). God’s promise to “bring it to pass” is conditioned on our being committed to His sovereign will for our “way.” HMM III ---------------------------- Korah'sDispute “Woe unto them! for they have...perished in the gainsaying of Core.” (Jude1:11) Jude describes the Levite Korah’s rebellion against Moses (Numbers16) as an antilogia (to speak against, dispute, contradict). During that time, Moses and Aaron were the spokespersons for the Lord, with authority and direct instructions from God. The Scriptures take that place today. Korah and 250 other “princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown” (Numbers16:2) had decided that they were just as “holy” as Moses and were demanding some share of the leadership (and presumably some of the control). This was far more than a mere leadership struggle. Israel had just come through several major miracles (Red Sea parting, manna, water from the rock, etc.), had been given the Ten Commandments, and had built the tabernacle. They had rejected the report of Joshua and Caleb on God’s promise about Canaan and werein the middle of trying to choose a captain to “return into Egypt” (Numbers14:4). God was really angry with them! Korah led this “gainsaying” in an attempt to thwart God’s direction through Moses. Today, that would be equivalent to insisting that science (or philosophy or theology) is just as holy as the text of Scripture. God’s method of testing this antilogia was simple: each leader was to prepare his own censer and incense (equivalent to his interpretation of God’s Word) and see how God responded to him. They perished in a most spectacular display of ruin—“the ground clave asunder that was under them” and they “went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation” (Numbers16:31, 33). God does not tolerate rejection of His message, “for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm138:2). HMM III -------------------------- IfWe Had More Andrews . . . - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, �We have found the Messiah� (which means �Christ�). �John 1:41 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/if-we-had-more-andrews/- Listen When we think of the Bible�s great men and women, Andrew doesn�t necessarily come to mind. Instead, we generally tend to think of someone like Peter, who was Andrew�s brother,or the apostle Paul. Yet Andrew played an important part in God�s work. Andrew had committed himself to following John the Baptist, a colorful character who preached that people should repent. John was a national figure during his ministry. Infact, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote more about the ministry of John the Baptist than he did about Jesus. But when Jesus arrived on the scene, John realized that his work was done. He had been a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way for the Lord�s arrival. And whenChrist began His public ministry, John said, �Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!� (John 1:29 NLT). In other words, �My work is done here. He�s the One you want to follow.� So, Andrew followed Jesus, but he did so with some caution. And, one day, when Jesus saw Andrew and another disciple following Him, He turned around and asked them what theywanted. No doubt they were a little dumbfounded. But they managed to ask Jesus where He was staying. Jesus replied, �Come and see� (verse 39 NLT). We don�t know where Jesus took them, but we do know that He didn�t have a home. On one occasion, He said, �Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son ofMan has no place even to lay his head� (Matthew 8:20 NLT). The Bible tells us that when people went back to their homes in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. That was His home. For Andrew, it wasn�t about seeing where Jesus lived. Rather, it was about finding out who Jesus was. Andrew was inquisitive. He wanted to know. And there is nothing wrongwith wanting to know for yourself. Thomas was that way, too. He wanted to know the truth for himself. And we should want to know for ourselves as well. Here�s an interesting thing about Andrew. Once he saw, he was convinced. Once he knew for himself, he was a believer. And guess what he did next? He went looking for his brother. Usually, the most zealous evangelists are those who have just come to Jesus Christ. It is not uncommon at our evangelistic events for someone who made a decision for Christon the first night to bring friends and family members on the other nights. What�s great about Andrew is that when we read about him in the Bible, he�s always bringing someone to Jesus. We don�t read of Andrew preaching to thousands. But his brother,Peter, did that on the Day of Pentecost. If we had more Andrews in the world, then we would have more Simon Peters. Thank God for the great men and women whom God uses to touch thousands. But let�s also thank Godfor all the Andrews who work behind the scenes. They are the unsung heroes of the faith. ----------------------- Perceived Value - by Greg Laurie - https://harbingersdaily.com/a-chronicle-of-apathy-when-world-leaders-looked-the-other-way-during-the-holocaust/ Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, �Your name is Simon, son of John�but you will be called Cephas� (which means �Peter�). �John 1:42 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/perceived-value/- Listen Sometimes we forget that the apostles were people just like we are. They were godly men whom God used powerfully. But their greatness did not come from them. It came fromthe fact that Jesus called them to be His followers. For example, a blank sheet of paper isn�t worth much by itself. But if it has the signature of a famous person on it, then it could be worth more. And if it has the signatureof a very famous person, it could be very valuable. I read about a piece of paper with handwritten lyrics by one of the Beatles. It sold for thousands of dollars. Did someone buy it because they needed an extra piece of paper?No. Someone bought it because one of the Beatles used that paper to write lyrics to a song that has become famous. The value wasn�t in the paper. It was in who wrote on that piece of paper. Certain works of art may not be worth much, but if they have the signature of someone like Van Gogh or Picasso, their value skyrockets. The value isn�t in the canvas or thepaint. The value is in who created it and signed it. And where does our value come from? Does it come from who we are? No, it comes from Christ, who lives in us and whose signature is on our lives. The Bible says, �We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our greatpower is from God, not from ourselves� (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT). When Andrew brought his brother, Simon Peter, to Jesus, the Bible says that Jesus looked �intently� at him. We could also translate this to say that Jesus looked right throughhim. Have you ever had someone look right through you? To put it another way, do you have a mother? Mothers have a certain way of looking at their children. Jesus told him, � �Your name is Simon, son of John�but you will be called Cephas� (which means �Peter�)� (John 1:42 NLT). Jesus was saying, �I know that you�ve been known as Simon. But I have a new name for you. From now on, you�re Peter.� Simon Peter�s new name meant �rock,� and ultimately, he would grow into that name. Jesus saw his potential. In the same way, God sees right through you. He has a plan for your life. He knows what He can make you into. Jesus knows the real you. He knows what you think about lateat night, what you dream about, what you hope for, and what worries you. And He knows what needs to happen in your life. Maybe Peter thought he wouldn�t amount to anything. But then he met Jesus, who saw him for who he was. Like Peter, you might be aware of your own shortcomings. You don�t feelas though God could ever do much with someone like you. But God sees you for who you are, and He loves you. -------------------------------- AMore Sure Word �We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light thatshineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.� (2Peter 1:19) In this important passage, Peter explains the ultimate source of his writings. He did not merely repeat cunningly devised fables when he taught majestic things about the Lord Jesus Christ but was himself an �eyewitness� of His glory and personally heard thevery voice of God on the Mount of Transfiguration (vv. 16-18). The three chosen disciples witnessed His prophesied glory and heard God speak of Christ�s pleasing Sonship. There could be no doubt of God�s special plan for His Son. As eyewitnesses, they borethe onus of bearing witness to the facts. But Peter downplayed the importance of his own personal testimony, even though it was a firsthand account and quite important, and he knew it was absolutely correct. The �more sure word of prophecy� he recommended, however, that outshines any human testimonywas the written Word of God, for the Transfiguration confirmed numerous Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ. Prophecies already fulfilled multiply our confidence in the rest of Scripture. Oral or written testimony of human observers, no matter how trustworthy they may be, is still subject to human error and not �inerrant� in the same way as Scripture. Christians must always remember that the written Word of God is more certain than personalmemories or impressions. The experiences we have must never be viewed as validating God�s Word. Rather, God�s Word validates our experiences. The early church only had a few portions of the New Testament in those days of beginning, but thankfully, we haveit all and have ready access to it. Peter recognized it as superior to any personal testimony. How much more should we deem it trustworthy and authoritative? JDM --------------------------- When People Love Darkness - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And the judgment is based on this fact: God�s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. �John 3:19 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/when-people-love-darkness/- Listen George Washington said, �It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.� We start using excuses very early in life. Maybe as a student, you discovered the well-worn classic that has been used by generations: �The dog ate my homework.� As the years go by, you start getting new excuses to rationalize your behavior, such as �Everybody was doing it.� Then, as you get a little older, you discover other excuses like �The alarm didn�t go off,� �Traffic was really bad,� and �The check is in the mail.� People also come up with excuses as to why they don�t come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. They call them reasons and might even classify them as questions. But whenyou get down to it, they are nothing more than excuses. Maybe you know what it�s like to share the gospel with someone who barrages you with a mass of arguments and difficult-to-answer questions. However, there is only one reasonthat people aren�t putting their faith in Christ. It isn�t because they�re necessarily struggling with the gospel message philosophically or intellectually. Nor is it because they�re skeptics or agnostics. It is not about whether there are contradictions in the Bible. Instead, these are excuses. They�re attempts to cover up the real reason, which is this: they love darknessand don�t want to change. Jesus said, �And the judgment is based on this fact: God�s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All whodo evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed� (John 3:19�20 NLT). Deep inside they know that becoming a Christian will require change. So, they hide behind a well-worn excuse. They don�t want to turn from their darkness. They don�t wantthe wind of the Spirit to blow into their lives and bring about change. They don�t want to be born again. Notice Jesus said that �people loved the darkness more than the light.� It is not only that they tolerated darkness or lived in it. They loved it. And there are people todaywho love sin as well. What is the worst sin a person can commit? According to the Bible, it is unbelief. Unbelief is a choice. It is hearing the facts of the gospel and saying, �I�m choosing notto believe that. I don�t want to believe that.� This is not to say that people don�t have legitimate questions. There are people with skepticism about the Christian faith. Yet Jesus always will reveal Himself to the genuineseeker. However, some people think they can continually put off coming to Christ. But they need to know something. There comes a point of no return in the human life. And if theycontinue in a pattern of rejecting Jesus Christ, they can go beyond that point. We can�t change the fact that people love darkness. We can only pray that they will see their need for Jesus Christ. ---------------------------------- A Significant Conversation - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me �Jeremiah 29:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-significant-conversation/- Listen Nicodemus had it all. He had all the things that someone should have to be happy: wealth, power, and fame. And he even had morality. People looked up to him. Jesus identifiedhim as �a respected Jewish teacher� (John 3:10). His name was known by most. He was a man to whom others looked for direction and spiritual answers. But Nicodemus had a lot of questions about life. Even though he was well-known, highly educated, and deeply religious, there was something missing in his life. And that broughthim to a conversation with Jesus one night. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and often, we think of Pharisees in a negative light. Perhaps that�s because Jesus saved His most critical and scathing words for the scribes andPharisees. But not all of them were corrupt. Understand, it wasn�t easy to become a Pharisee. It took a lot of study, preparation, and discipline. A Pharisee was someone who had committed himself in a solemn vow before two witnesses that he would devote every moment of his life to obeying the Ten Commandments. Thus,Nicodemus had spent hours studying the Scriptures and hours before God in prayer. He was a very devout and religious individual. Nicodemus had been hearing about the Lord�s ministry, which was just wrapping up at this point. He had enough spiritual discernment to know that Jesus was sent from God. However,I don�t think that Nicodemus necessarily knew that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel. The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus wasn�t simply a conversation between two historical figures. Rather, it was a conversation between God and humanity. If we wereto elect someone to represent us before God, we could not choose a finer individual than Nicodemus. He was the finest specimen that humanity could offer, apart from God�s touch. And Jesus gave Nicodemus the answers that have unlocked the mystery of life for countless millionsof people through the centuries. It was a significant conversation. The Bible tells us that many believed in Jesus, but He did not believe in them. Why? John gives us the answer: �But Jesus didn�t trust them, because he knew all about people.No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person�s heart� (John 2:23�25 NLT). Jesus knew these people were fickle. They were shallow. And they weren�t really interested in spiritual answers. Yet it�s interesting to see how Jesus made time in His very busy schedule for the searching Nicodemus. In contrast to the fickle crowds, here was a man who truly was searching.So, Jesus had time for Him. To the person who is playing games or isn�t interested, the Lord will say nothing. But to the person who is genuinely searching and wants to know the answers to life, Godwill reveal the truth. Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, �If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me� (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT). God always will reveal Himself to true seekers. ----------------------------- MinisteringSpirits �Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?� (Hebrews1:14) Although most Christians are aware of the biblical doctrine of angels, few appreciate what a tremendous resource this may be. Even though they are invisible to us, angels are real and are more involved in our personal lives than we realize. The primary purpose for which they were created by God was, according to our text, to be servants (i.e., �ministers�) to those who are to inherit salvation. They are beings of great wisdom, �to know all things that are in the earth� (2Samuel 14:20). Furthermore, they �excel in strength� (Psalm103:20). They can travel at tremendous speeds, �being caused to fly swiftly� (Daniel9:21). Furthermore, there exists �an innumerable company of angels� (Hebrews12:22), so God is able to dispatch any necessary number of them to �do his commandments� (Psalm103:20) on behalf of His people. Since their very existence is related to the heirs of salvation, they are intensely interested in all of God�s plans and in our own individual roles in those plans��which things the angels desire to look into� (1Peter 1:12). They serve as guardian angels (Psalm34:7; 91:11), especially in relation to children (Matthew18:10). They are present in each local church (Revelation2:1; etc.), and while they minister to the church, they also themselves learn �by the church the manifold wisdom of God� (Ephesians3:10). They are directly involved in the accomplishment of many providential miracles such as Daniel in the lion�s den (Daniel6:22). Finally, they accompany each believer at death into the presence of the Lord (Luke16:22; 2 Corinthians 5:8). Perhaps, in that day, we�ll meet the particular angels who have been assigned to our own protection and guidance and can thank them properly. HMM ------------------------------ DisobedientAngels �And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlastingchains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.� (Jude1:6) This passage is one of two New Testament references to angelic beings who misused their powers in some unique way. 2 Peter 2:4 notes: �God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reservedunto judgment.� It is likely that these two passages refer to the same event. If so, several key elements have been written for our awareness. First, of course, even angels are not excluded from judgment. They, along with Lucifer and Gabriel and Michael (the three archangelsnamed in Scripture), were created beings who are �greater in power and might� than men (2Peter 2:11). The reference in Genesis 6:1-4 to the �sons of God� choosing multiple wives and producing �giants� has been a source of controversy for some time. There is no question that the Hebrew phrase bene Elohim translated as �sons of God� refers to angelic beings. If Jude and Peter are referring to the incident in Genesis, then the problem arises about the ability of angelic beings to conceive human half-breed demigods. Biblical evidence would insist that the angelic �kind� cannot interbreed with any other �kind� created by God during the creation week. Angels can assume human shape and can control and/or possess bodies of flesh. That much is clear in Scripture. Therefore,the unique sin that Jude and Peter seem to speak of is that some angels usurped their responsibility as �servants� for humanity and directed a human �breeding� program to further rebellion against the Creator. That would surely qualify as a special sin deserving of God�s imprisonment and a sober warning for any of us who might dare think we can escape God�s judgment. HMM III ----------------------- Going Undercover - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father withthe holy angels. �Mark 8:38 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/going-undercover/- Listen The first time I heard the gospel on my high school campus, I didn�t walk up and join everyone who was at the meeting that day. My high school had a group of outspoken Christianswho held daily Bible studies on the front lawn of the school at lunchtime. Everyone knew who they were. And we either hated them or felt sorry for them. My friends warned me to stay away from the Christians, which I did for a while. But I also was sort of interested in these unusual people who carried Bibles to school andtalked about Jesus as though He were their next-door neighbor. Then, one day, out of curiosity, I went to one of their meetings. However, I sat close enough to hear what was going on but far enough away that I didn�t appear to be partof them. And that was the day I gave my life to Jesus Christ. Initially, I was reluctant to be identified with the Christians. I wanted to do things quietly and secretly. A lot of people are like that today. They don�t want to say they�reChristians. They prefer to be undercover believers. Nicodemus went undercover, so to speak, to engage in conversation with Jesus. The Bible tells us that he came to see Jesus �after dark� (John 3:2). To his credit, at leastNicodemus went to see Him. Why would Nicodemus seek out Jesus at night? There are several possible explanations. For example, maybe it was a cooler time of the day to visit. But I think the more plausibleexplanation is that Nicodemus, being a man of notoriety, wanted to talk with Jesus incognito. He didn�t want to be recognized because he went to ask Jesus a lot of serious questions. After all, Nicodemus was a man who was supposed to have the answers. Instead, he hadquestions. When some people are first checking out the gospel, they�re apprehensive. That�s because they�re afraid of what others might think. In the end, Nicodemus turned out to be one of the most courageous of Jesus� followers. After the crucifixion, a man named Joseph of Arimathea showed up with Nicodemus to claimthe body of Jesus. John�s Gospel gives us this detail: �With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes� (19:39 NLT). At this point the Lord�s own disciples had deserted Him. But Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea came and claimed the body of the Lord. They were willing to be counted for theirfaith. As the years have passed, I�ve seen many people fall away from the faith whom I thought would make their mark on this world for God. And I�ve been very surprised. Then, therehave been others whom I thought would do nothing, and they�ve done a lot. Nicodemus started slowly, but in the end, he came through. It is great to start the race well. But it�s also important to finish it.