Facing Forward - Himalayan Heights - April 30 Readings: Hebrews 11:20-22 – Patriarchs

 Hebrews 11 - The Hall of Faith

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Hebrews 11

If you have time, read the entire chapter, Hebrews 11. Our key passage today is verses 20-22, and you should spend time focusing and meditating on those verses.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 19-20, Luke 19:1–27, Psalm 55:1–4, Proverbs 12:1-2

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Facing Forward

The Patriarchs of Israel were men of faith - flawed men who failed often, who demonstrated great holes in their character that caused many problems, but men of faith nonetheless. They remind us that God chooses us based on his grace, not our merit and that he uses even flawed people to accomplish his work.

In this short segment of the Faith Chapter, we see a specific focus. Faith is a forward focus, a belief that God is going to do something great in the future. Have you ever noticed how often Christians live their lives looking backward, as if they were trying to drive using only their rearview mirrors? "Things just aren't like they used to be." "I wish we could go back to the good old days." With the eyes of nostalgia, we paint the past in rosy colors and see nothing but dark and dread in the future.

Isaac blessed Jacob concerning things to come - by faith. Jacob, by faith, blessed his children. Joseph, as he was dying, looked forward to the day when the captivity in Egypt would be over and God would deliver his people. Faith in a God who created the world, who controls the world, and who is governing the affairs of the world caused them to look forward to his activity in their lives with optimism and hope.

Those who walk in faith do not simply look at the past, but face the future with hope. They know that the Lord who saved them is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." They know that the God who did great things in days gone by is still alive and powerful today. He is at work in his people. We need not walk in fear or assume the worst because our God is in control.

In faith, we face forward in confidence, knowing that our God reigns and his power will see us through every trial, every obstacle, and every opposition.

Father, I thank you that I can look forward to a future being held in your hands! The past has been good, but the future is bright because your power and love never fail. 

Think and Pray:

Do you have a tendency to face life looking in your rearview mirror?
Do you have confidence in God to see you through life's challenges, or do you shrink back in fear? 

Impossible! - Himalayan Heights - April 29 Readings: Hebrews 11:8-19 – Abraham

 Hebrews 11 - The Hall of Faith

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Hebrews 11

If you have time, read the entire chapter, Hebrews 11. Our key passage today is verses 11-19, and you should spend time focusing and meditating on those verses.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 

11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore. 

13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 17-18, Luke 18:31–43, Psalm 54, Proverbs 11:29-31

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Impossible!

Think about the life of Abraham, a man of faith. He was far from perfect and the Bible makes that clear, but he was a man who walked by faith and that faith was credited to him as righteousness. Look at what it meant for Abraham to live by faith.

He was told, at age 75, to leave his home and travel to a new land, a Promised Land. God did not tell him where he was going, but only said to travel, and he would be told when he'd reached the destination. My wife has been good about picking up and moving across the country when I sensed God's leading to new ministries over our 42 years of marriage, but I cannot imagine her reaction if I told her we needed to pack up and leave, but God hadn't yet shown me where we were going. God told Abraham and Sarah who had never been able to have children that they would have Descendents like the sand on the seashore. Finally, when God finally did give them a son 25 years later, God told Abraham to sacrifice that son as proof of his devotion to God. We know the "rest of the story" - that God provided a sacrifice of his own, but Abraham had to prove his devotion to the Father.

In each of these situations, there was a situation that was ridiculous, unthinkable, or even impossible. A man approaching 100 and his nearly 90-year-old wife do not conceive a child when they have been barren all their lives. Sacrificing the son you love, the one you waited a century to get from God, is unthinkable. And leaving home to go to a land you don't know is ridiculous. All of these circumstances were impossible or ridiculous or unthinkable, but Abraham trusted God enough to obey him and do what he said.

That is the essence of the faith extolled in Hebrews 11. We believe in a God we cannot see enough to do what he says even when we do not understand him, when his commands make no sense, when they are difficult, and yes, even when obedience seems impossible. We are not driven only by human reason or logic, though these are not inherently evil. We do not simply operate on the basis of common sense, though using it fine most of the time! We operate in obedience to God's word and the work of his Holy Spirit in us.

Many times, the call of God will not make sense to us. Circumstances will tell us that God's word cannot possibly be true and things will never work out. Our emotions will tell us that it is impossible, that we can never do what God wants us to do. Forgive my enemies? Rejoice in suffering? Leave home and family to serve the Lord? Impossible. That cannot be. It makes no sense.

But faith, the faith that pleases God and enables us to walk as these faithful saints did in biblical days, is all about obeying God without regard to circumstances or our feelings. We trust a God we cannot see and live for rewards that will be ours in eternity.

Father, help me to walk by faith today, to live by your word and follow your Spirit, regardless of my circumstances or my feelings. 

Think and Pray:

Do you live by your own reason and logic, or by the word of God and the Holy Spirit?
Can you think of a time when circumstances said God's word was impossible, but you obeyed and God did a mighty work? 

Night Vision - Himalayan Heights - April 28 Readings: Hebrews 11:2-7 – Creation, Abel, Enoch

 Hebrews 11 - The Hall of Faith

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Hebrews 11

If you have time, read the entire chapter, Hebrews 11. Our key passage today is verses 2-7, and you should spend time focusing and meditating on those verses.

2 For by this our ancestors were approved.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 15-16, Luke 18:1-30, Psalm 53, Proverbs 11:27-29

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Night Vision

We learn two key truths in verse 6, which is perhaps the theme verse of this entire chapter. First, the author tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please God." We cannot please God by our good works or by our sterling characters. We relate to God on the basis of trust, faith in him. It is by grace we have been saved through faith, and having been saved, we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is absolutely essential to our lives as Christians.

The second truth defines faith. It is not positive thinking or some quantity we build up. Faith is believing that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him. The kind of faith that will be described in this chapter, the kind of faith that makes people significant in God's kingdom, is two things.

Faith in Night Vision

Night vision goggles seem to be a really cool toy! You are walking in the blackest darkness and can see nothing and then you slip those goggles on and you have the ability to see clearly what is going on in the night. We live in spiritual night and skeptics tell us there is nothing to see. The Governor of New York recently scoffed at the idea that God played any part in the slowing down of the coronavirus. "We did this. God didn't do it," he said. The world is dark and we cannot see God. When we put on the night vision goggles of faith, suddenly we can see that God exists and understand what God is doing in this world. With the revelation of Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our faith enables us to experience the spiritual in as real a way as we do the physical. Lost people think we are crazy, but it is their lack of faith that makes it impossible for them to understand the reality of God.

Faith is Time Travel 

We spoke of this a few days ago, when studying 2 Corinthians. Faith helps us know that God rewards those who seek him. This is not a promise that everything will work out for you today if you seek God, but a promise that eternity will be the reward for those who deny themselves, die with Christ, and serve him. Our reward comes when we see Jesus face to face.

By faith, you know that God exists, even though you cannot know him through your senses. By faith, you live for eternal rewards and eternal glory, not the things of this world. And that faith is the only way to please God.

Father, help me to develop the faith that pleases you and will make a difference in the lives of others. 

Think and Pray:

Consider your life. Is it a life of faith?
Do you see this world with the eyes of faith or doubt?
Do you live for eternity or for the things of this world? 

Time Traveling Faith - Himalayan Heights - April 27 Readings: Hebrews 11:1 – What Faith Is

 Hebrews 11 - The Hall of Faith

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Hebrews 11

If you have time, read the entire chapter, Hebrews 11. Our key passage today is verse 1, and you should spend time focusing and meditating on that verse. This is the shortest passage we will have all year in our readings, perhaps, but it may be one of the most difficult.

11:1  Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

Please, before you read my devotional, which attempts to explain what this verse means, take some time to think this through prayerfully and consider what it means.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 13-14, Luke 17:20–37, Psalm 52, Proverbs 11:25-26

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Time Traveling Faith

I have always been intrigued by stories about time travel, from the silly series about a souped-up Delorean to stories in books or movies that bend your mind with history-altering scenarios. Wouldn't it be great to travel back and see some of the events of history or go forward and see what the world will become?

Today, we begin to scale a new peak in our tour through the Himalayan Heights of Scripture. We've looked at Romans 8 and 2 Corinthians 4-5, now we look at what is often called the Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11, in which the writer (no one knows who it is) tells us what faith is and how it works and what effect it has on our lives. Since we are saved by faith and walk by faith, it is important that we understand faith.

And many people do not. Faith has become synonymous with positive thinking, with refusing to see the negatives or admitting that things are rough. I've had friends who believed that faith was "confessing" that they were well when they were sick or that they were rich when they were poor. In the Bible, faith is never a denial of life's realities. Neither is it a quantity that you need to work up in a certain amount to move God's heart. "If I can only get up enough faith, God will answer my prayer." True faith in any amount, even a small amount like the grain of a mustard seed, is enough to move mountains. It isn't about the amount of our faith, but the object of our faith - the power of the God of heaven.

So, what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 says it is the "reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." That is not two separate things, but Hebrew parallelism, where the same things is said twice, with only a slight variation in meaning.

Everything we love and believe in Christianity is unseen. We cannot see God or hear him (physically). We are called to deny ourselves today so that we might live for rewards that will not come until the end of time, until Jesus returns or we go to see him.

But I do not live in heaven and the promises of heaven can seem very far away during a pandemic, or in times of hardship, loneliness, persecution, or other troubles. So what do I do? I have faith. Faith is time travel. I travel through time and live on the basis of the promises of God today. I travel through time and rely on the future glory of heaven today. I travel through time and consider my heavenly rewards as I face my daily trials. Faith is the reality of what I hoped for. It becomes real to me because I believe, because I trust God - that is faith. Faith is the only evidence I have that all God says is true, but I believe. I trust God. By faith, I hold on to the promises of God and seek his glory even when my eyes tell me that it cannot happen.

Every single one of the examples that we see in Hebrews 11 had a similar experience. They had circumstances that told them that God must have lied and things could never work out, but they held fast to God's promises in faith and walked in obedience. They walked by faith, not by sight and they received their reward.

Father, I thank you that I can trust in you no matter what, that I can travel to my eternal future and bring it back to these difficult days and live on the basis of it today! May I walk in faith and not by sight. 

Think and Pray:

Do you live on the basis of your circumstances or do you "time travel" to God's promises and the future glories that await you as a child of God and live them out today? 

New Creations - Himalayan Heights - April 26 Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 – Reconciled

Himalayan Heights: 2 Corinthians 4-5

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 4-5

If you have time, 2 Corinthians  4-5. Our focus passage today is 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Meditate on it carefully. Though I have called Romans 8 the Mt. Everest of Scriptures, there are not many 6-verse sections of Scripture that have this much meat!

16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 11-12, Luke 17:1–19, Psalm 51:15–19, Proverbs 11:23-24

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: New Creations

There are so many gems in this short passage, it is difficult to settle on one for a devotional. So why not just do a roll call of great truths?

1. In verse 16, Paul reminds us not to look at people from a worldly perspective. We are eternal creatures and we need to view people in eternal terms. When we speak of worldly, we tend to think of sinful things, but that is not what Paul is talking about here. He is referring to a perspective that regards this world and its rewards, it goals, its pleasures, and its things as of highest importance. We must live for eternity and see people from an eternal perspective.

2. This eternal perspective begins with our rebirth in Christ, when we are made new creatures. There is no concept in the New Testament of an unchanged Christian. When we come to Christ it doesn't just change our lives, but gives us a radical new life in him - one in which Christ is our Lord and the Spirit is our source of power.

3. Because we have been made new in Christ, and we have been reconciled to God, we now the ministry of reconciliation. It is our highest duty to tell people that they can be right with God. The focus of evangelism in the Bible is different than ours. When we present the gospel, it is usually in terms of where we will go when we die. That is important, of course, but that is not what the NT Gospel keys on. Our biggest problem is that TODAY we are separated from God and under his judgment for sin. Jesus died not just to take us somewhere when we die, but to reconcile us to God today. Our job is to tell people they can be right with God today.

4. We are ambassadors - a key concept. An ambassador is a representative of one country living in a foreign nation. That is hard for us patriotic Americans to process at times, but this world, and even our beloved nation, is not our true home. We are citizens of heaven and represent our king here on earth. Our highest duty is to serve him!

5. All of this is rooted in the beautiful truth taught in verse 21. Jesus never knew sin - he was the pure and holy Son of God. But he BECAME sin for you and me. On the Cross he took all the sins of all the world for all of time and became sin, standing in our place and receiving our punishment. Because he did that, sinners such as you and me, people who deserve death and hell, can become the righteousness of God. He became sin so we could become the righteousness of God.

Anyone up for a chorus of the doxology?

Father, I thank you for Jesus who became sin so that I could be reconciled to you and become righteous in your eyes. Thank you for making me a new creation. May I be an ambassador for you, serving your interests in this world and a minister of reconciliation. 

Think and Pray:

Think through each of the five truths spelled out above.

• Do you look at people from a worldly or heavenly perspective? 
• Have you been made new in Christ and are you walking in Christ's newness? 
• Are you a minister of reconciliation in this sinful world? 
• Are you a good ambassador for Christ in this sinful world? Is heaven your first loyalty? 
• Praise the one who became sin so that you could become the righteousness of God. 

Christ-Active Living - Himalayan Heights - April 25 Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 – Compelled by Christ’s Love

Himalayan Heights: 2 Corinthians 4-5

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 4-5

Read 2 Corinthians  4-5 if you have the time. Focus on and meditate on 2 Corinthians 5:11-15.

11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 9-10, Luke 16, Psalm 51:8–14, Proverbs 11:21-22   

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Christ-Active Living 

Have you ever been gossiped about, falsely accused, been the subject of someone's verbal attacks? Of course, you have. That is part of life. It is not a question of whether this will happen to you, but what you will do when it does. Jesus was called a drunkard and a sinner. Think about it - the sinless Son of God was accused of all kinds of wicked things by wicked men. Saul of Tarsus, from the moment Jesus Christ knocked him to the ground on the road to Damascus, was totally devoted to the cause of Christ. For him, to live was Christ. The Cross was his banner and the empty tomb was his hope. But that did not stop people from making up lies about him. They questioned the validity of his standing as an apostle. They wondered whether he actually had the revelations that he claimed in which the doctrines we hold so precious were revealed to him. And most importantly, because he was an apostle to the Gentiles, he was accused of violating the Law of God and all sorts of heinous things by the Circumcision party (the so-called Judaizers).

Paul spent much of the book of 2 Corinthians defending his ministry and explaining that he was genuinely called and that he genuinely served the living God of heaven. In today's passage, we see the heart of his argument. Because he fears the Lord, he seeks to persuade people of the truth of what God has revealed to him. Compelled by the love of God, he serves the Body of Christ, even if they question him and harass him and reject him.

In my current sermon series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and in other series I've preached, I called this "Christ-active living." Too often, we are reactive to others. When someone mistreats me I respond in anger and justify because "he started it" or "I didn't do anything as bad as she did." We respond to the attitudes and actions of others. Some tell us to be proactive, to choose our own attitudes and decide for ourselves how we will act. That sounds great but we are often betrayed by the flesh. The Bible teaches something very different - what I call Christ-active living.

"The love of Christ compels us." Why would Paul put up with a difficult church like Corinth? Why would he endure hardship and rejection and persecution? Why would he love his enemies and serve those who sought to undermine him? Because the love of Christ compelled him! He received the undeserved love of Christ on the cross and his entire life was motivated by Christ's love - not by his own will or by how others treated him, but by what Jesus did for him.

We have received the love and mercy of Christ and that drives us - or it should. When live is hard, we are compelled by the love of Christ. When people are difficult, the love of Christ compels us. When there is heartache and persecution and opposition, we are driven by what Jesus did for us regardless of what the world tries to do to us.

Father, I thank you for the love you have shown me through your Son, which can drive me, compel me, and strengthen me, even when the world is seeking to harm me and people are resisting!

Think and Pray:

How would you describe the way you live your life?
Are you reactive? Do you treat others the way they treat you? When others are unkind to you, do you respond in kind?
Are you proactive? Do you live by your own will and your own purposes?
Are you Christ-active? Are you compelled by the love of Christ in all you do? 

Devoted to What I Cannot Prove - Himalayan Heights - April 24 Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 – Walk by Faith

Himalayan Heights: 2 Corinthians 4-5

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 4-5

Read 2 Corinthians  4-5 if you can. Focus on 2 Corinthians 5:6-10.

6 So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 7-8, Luke 15:11–32, Psalm 51:1–7, Proverbs 11:19-20

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Devoted to What I Cannot Prove

I have devoted my life to a God I have never seen and proclaim truths I can never prove. I can open the word of God and make a case for the truth of my doctrines and practices, but that is only convincing to someone who shares my faith in the Bible as God's perfect truth. The fact is that everything I live for, everything I've devoted my life to, the entire focus and goal of my life is unproven and will be unproven until the day I am "absent from the body and present with the Lord." Last week, when I was so sick and suspecting that I had COVID 19, and I was imaging the worst, I thought to myself, "What if everything I've lived for and preached about isn't true after all?" As sick as I was, that terrible thought did not help much.

The fact is, though, that this is our life. I cannot prove anything about what I believe to you. I cannot prove that Jesus died for our sins or that he rose from the dead. I cannot prove to you that God created the world or that every word of the Bible is true. I will not be able to prove any of this until that blessed moment when I leave this "tent" and take up residence in the home that God prepared for me when Jesus Christ went to the Cross and paid for my sins.

That is why Paul said, "We walk by faith and not by sight." We believe in what we cannot see. Oh, I have sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit and seen his power at work in me and through me. The indwelling Spirit has convicted me of sin and convinced me of the reality of God. I am sure. I believe. I know in my heart that God is real, that Jesus is Lord. But I know it by faith. That is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 that God's truth is spiritually discerned. It can only be known by those whom the Spirit convinces internally.

Being convinced, I have decided to follow Jesus and to live my life for the rewards of the "judgment seat of Christ." That is the moment at the end of this life when each of us appears before our Savior to give account for the lives we have lived in his grace. Heaven and hell are not at stake - that was settled at the Cross when Jesus said, "It is finished!" Jesus will review our lives for how we have built on the foundation Christ laid. Did we devote ourselves to eternal things (gold, silver, and precious stones) or did we squander our lives with temporal things (wood, hay, and stubble)?

That is your life, my Christian friend. You walk by faith, committed to a God you can't see or hear (with your ears) living for rewards that you won't actually receive until this life is over. What kind of life is that? If your faith is in Jesus Christ, it is a blessed life.

Father, I thank you that my faith is not in vain. It is odd to live for things I cannot see and can never prove, but thank you for the joy of walking by faith, not by sight. I long for that day when the faith shall be sight!

Think and Pray:

Take time to meditate today on what it means to live by faith, not by sight. 

Consider the judgment seat of Christ. Are you living for the things of eternity that will last or that which will be burned? 

A Home Secured - Himalayan Heights - April 23 Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 – Eternal Down Payment

Himalayan Heights: 2 Corinthians 4-5

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 4-5

Read 2 Corinthians  4-5 if you can. The focus passage today is 2 Corinthians 5:1-5.

For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. 2 Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 since, when we are clothed we will not be found naked. 4 Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 5-6, Luke 15:1–10, Psalm 50:18–23, Proverbs 11:17-18

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: A Home Secured

A popular innovation in recent years has been the so-called "Reader's Bibles" - Bibles that have no chapter and verse divisions. They are a great way to read the Bible straight through and get the overview. But they also remind us that chapter and verse division are tremendously helpful. We have a tendency, here at the start of chapter 5, to assume that a new topic is being introduced because of the chapter division. It is not so.

Verses 16-18 of chapter 4 tell us not to lose heart because of the eternal weight of glory that is coming, which will make our "light and momentary sufferings" seem like nothing. Paul then begins to talk about our "earthly tent" and our "eternal dwelling" while also mixing in a metaphor about clothing.

I've never been much of a camper - living in a tent holds small appeal to me. A tent is a temporary dwelling in which you reside while you are roughing it away from your home. You spend a night, or two, or a few nights in the tent, then you go home to you comfortable bed. It is possible that Paul was calling to mind the picture of the tabernacle of God in the wilderness.

This body is a tent, a home for my spirit and soul while I await my eternal dwelling with God. Sometimes, that tent is uncomfortable and I groan. Sickness makes me groan. The struggles of this world against sin, against temptation, against the lies of Satan, against the world's ways, all of these make me groan. It is often a burden living in this tent, but thank God, this tent is not our eternal home. We have an eternal dwelling secured for us by the blood of Christ on the Cross and we can look forward to that.

Verse 5 has a strange metaphor, a mind-blowingly strange one. What do you do when you purchase a home? You make a downpayment right? To secure the home, to show you are earnest in your intent, you put some money down. We are receiving an eternal home in heaven and there needs to be a downpayment made, but this is where God blows our minds. We do not make the downpayment, GOD DOES! He gives us the Holy Spirit as a downpayment on our eternal home. What an act of grace!

God not only provides for us an eternal dwelling in glory, but puts down the earnest money to secure the home and assure us that it will one day be ours. As we walk through this world, as we groan in our tents, suffering and struggling, we know that the Holy Spirit in us is God's promise that he will finish what he started.

Father, on days that my body aches and my soul groans, I thank you for the glorious truth that you have provided a home in heaven for me and that you've given me the Spirit as a downpayment, assuring that you will finish in me what you started!

Think and Pray:

Are you groaning in your "tent" (your life in this world) today?
How does it change things knowing that you have a glorious home in heaven awaiting  you?
Meditate on the idea that God himself pays the downpayment on your home in heaven!

An Eternal Weight of Glory - Himalayan Heights - April 22 Readings: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – Eternal Unseen

Himalayan Heights: 2 Corinthians 4-5

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 4-5

If you have time, read 2 Corinthians  4-5 again. Our focus passage is 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, which has one of my favorite verses.

16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 3-4, Luke 14:12–35, Psalm 50:11–17, Proverbs 11:15-16

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: An Eternal Weight of Glory

The last few weeks have been difficult for me, and likely for you as well. I have been doing my job for almost 15 years here in Sioux City, and for almost 40 years total. Suddenly, COVID-19 changed everything. We are sequestered in our homes and I found myself busier than I've ever been. Then, somehow, in spite of my "social distancing," I managed to contract a virus that may or may not have been "the" virus. For 10 days I was sicker than I have ever been. Stories such as this abound!

And yet, compared to the suffering of Paul described in 2 Corinthians 11, I've had a vacation on the beach. He regales the doubters and deniers in Corinth who said he wasn't a genuine apostle with all the pain he'd suffered for the cause of Christ. But in 2 Corinthians 4:17, he said something amazing, a verse that has become one of my favorites.

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (4:17)

He did not moan and groan about all that he suffered, or wonder if God loved him, or ask why God let him go through all that. "For to me, to live is Christ." That was his motto. If life was good, it was about Christ. If it was hard, it was still about Christ.

How did he manage such an attitude? He kept his eyes on the finish line. It was not by denying the reality of his suffering or pretending that things were not hard. It was by comparing what he was going through now with what he would be experiencing one day. His sufferings, heavy and hard in human terms, were "light and momentary" in view of eternity.

We have told people they need to live in the moment and not to be too "heavenly-minded." There is some wisdom in that, of course. But in the New Testament, it is the glory of heaven that gives meaning to the suffering of the present. It is because the full weight of heavenly glory that our current sufferings are bearable.

That is why Paul could say, in verse 16, "we do not lose heart." Life was hard but he had an eternal hope and that sustained him in the dark times. If all I had was today, it would be tough, but I have eternity to enjoy Christ.

Compared to eternity, this is nothing!

Father, thank you for the joy of eternity that gives meaning and hope in these difficult days. I long for that day when the eternal weight of glory will be mine. 

Think and Pray:

Are you discouraged and struggling in these difficult times?
Remember the hope you have in Christ and do not lose heart.
We live for the eternal glory of Christ!

True Self-Image - Himalayan Heights - April 21 Readings: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 – Treasures in Clay Jars

Himalayan Heights: 2 Corinthians 4-5

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 4-5  

Today's focus passage is 2 Corinthians 4:7-15. Read the entire 2 chapters, if you can, but meditate on this section.

7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 1-2, Luke 13:22–14:11, Psalm 50:4–10, Proverbs 11:13-14

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: True Self-Image

We hear a lot about self-image and self-esteem today; we are told that to be healthy, we must must esteem ourselves highly and promote ourselves. The Bible gives a slightly different view. It esteems Christ and tells us that we find our worth and value in him.

Paul's powerful description of humanity in verse 7 defines our worth perfectly. It is both humbling and elevating. He describes us as jars of clay - common and having little value. Our value comes because of the treasure that we contain, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. All human beings are valuable because we were made in the image of God and there is worth and dignity because of that, but our true value comes when we trust Jesus Christ and we become vessels bearing the glory of God.

Imagine a plain pine box, made of cheap scrap wood found in a refuse pile. It has little value or beauty in and of itself. That is what we have become as sinful and fallen human beings because we have turned our backs on God and embraced sin. We are jars of clay, plain pine boxes - made of little eternal value by sin.

Now, imagine that same plain pine box filled with diamonds. Suddenly, it becomes greatly desirable because of the treasure it contains. We are jars of clay filled with the treasure of Christ and that gives us infinite worth and value.

Sufferings and trials become endurable because of the treasure of Christ in us. Whatever trials come our way, we know that the one who died for us lives in us and through us and gives us joy and hope.

We do not so much need self-esteem as we need Christ-esteem. It is Christ in us that gives us worth and value and hope forever!

I thank you, Father, for the treasure of Christ in me.

Think and Pray:

Consider the treasures of Christ in you!
Do you get down on yourself and your failures? Remember, it is not you, but the Christ in you that is your worth, your hope!

Walking in Christ's Light - Himalayan Heights - April 20 Readings: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 – Shining Jesus

Himalayan Heights: 2 Corinthians 4-5

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 4-5, focus - 4:1-6

If Romans 8 is the Mt. Everest of the Bible, 2 Corinthians  4-5 may be the K2 (the second-highest mountain in the world). Read the entire passage today. Then focus on 4:1-6. The church at Corinth was always Paul's problem child. By this point, many were questioning the validity of his apostleship. Much of the thrust of 2 Corinthians is about genuine Christianity and what makes us real.

Through the Bible Readings: Ruth 3-4, Luke 13:1–21, Psalm 50:1–3, Proverbs 11:11-12

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Walking in Christ's Light

Paul is a fraud. That is what some of the people in Corinth were saying. He isn't a real apostle. After all, he wasn't part of the Twelve, and he persecuted the church. Who is he to come in and spearhead this new movement? We do not know if it was the so-called Judaizers or libertines or others who were challenging Paul, but we know people were coming after him. Paul was strong, but he was human and it hurt.

But he refused to "fight fire with fire." He did not whisper and play politics and join in the power games that others were playing. He refused the secret, manipulative ways of his opponents but instead, let his life shine the light of Jesus clearly. These verses are packed with powerful insights, but three of them bear highlighting.

1) "But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways"(4:2)

While Paul was going to spend much of this letter explaining and defending his ministry, he completely rejected power politics, manipulation, and pushing himself. Secret ways are shameful ways. I once heard faith described as "living without scheming" - a good definition. God's people walk by faith and don't use subtle, secret means to gain and maintain power and control.

If you are scheming and plotting and planning and working behind the scenes, you are not walking in the power of God. Paul rejected that kind of ministry and relied on the power of God.

2) "In their case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." (4:4)

Christian ministry is about speaking the truth and trusting God's Spirit to convince believers of its truth. We reject scheming and manipulation because they are useless. Unbelievers cannot understand because they are blinded by Satan's lies. We take a different approach. We simply proclaim God's truth and trust the Spirit to convince the heart.

3) "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (4:6) 

Paul had one goal in all that he did. He was not seeking to build his platform, make himself known, or gain any of the things of this world. He simply wanted to shine the light of Christ in this world. Jesus came to do more than teach us doctrine or help us live moral lives. He wanted us to know God and he did that by reconciling us to God and through the Spirit, shining the light of God's glory in our lives. We walk through this life shining Christ's light into a world darkened by sin - through us the world sees God's glory!

Father, may I be like Paul, renouncing secret, manipulative and shameful ways, leaving Satan's deception behind and walking in the light of Christ's glory. 

Think and Pray:

Do you walk in faith or are you a schemer and manipulator, seeking to control others?
Do you trust God's truth to convince others?
Are you shining the light of God's glory in this world, or is Christ's light hid by your sin and selfishness? 

True Winners - Himalayan Heights - April 19 Readings: Romans 8:35-39 – More than Conquerors

Himalayan Heights: Romans 8

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Romans 8

Though we are going to focus each day on a different portion of this wonderful text, read Romans 8 each day. If there are some Scriptures that are the Himalayas of the Bible, Romans 8 must be Mt. Everest! Starting with the affirmation that there is no condemnation in Christ, through the promise that all things work for the good of those who love him, and ending with the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, it is one mountain peak after the other. We could do a year of daily devotions from this passage and not exhaust its glories, but we will settle for doing one week - seven days. 

We have enjoyed taking our grandchildren to Broken Kettle Grasslands We marveled at the beautiful views of the rolling Loess Hills and enjoyed the bison that roamed there. It is not hard to impress an Iowan with hills. I can only imagine standing on the summit of Mt. Everest and seeing that view.

That's where we stand today, looking at the final declarations of this glorious chapter.

Through the Bible Readings: Ruth 1-2, Luke 12:35–59, Psalm 49:11–20, Proverbs 11:9-10

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: True Winners

I'm a competitive person; I like to win.

The last few weeks and months I feel like I've been involved in some giant battles - that's just the way life is sometimes - and I don't always feel like I'm winning. It's not like our church is coming apart at the seams or anything, but it's been a stressful time in a lot of ways. Some of the things going on in the denomination have created stress for me as well. The national election. Financial matters. Personal conflicts. Constant stress, pressure, and the relentless strain of criticism, negativity, and frustration.

I'm guessing your life isn't always easy either.

These things can get us down, make us blue, even leave us irritable, depressed, and wanting to give up. That is why the truths of Romans 8:35-39 are so crucial.

It all begins with the fourth of the questions we examined yesterday. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Is there anything that can interrupt the flow of God's love to us in Christ?

Paul lists a series of possibilities in verse 35.

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

The quote, in verse 36 makes it clear that all of these can be realities in our lives. Christianity does not eliminate these from our lives or guarantee us lives of ease and comfort - the prosperity preachers are not preaching the word of God. Our lives can be filled with distress, need, danger, and even martyrdom as we walk in the will of God. 

But in all of these things, we are "more than conquerors" according to verse 37. We defeat them. How? It is not that we avoid trouble or deny the difficulty of it. No, we are more than conquerors because no matter what comes our way we continue to experience the will of God. 

Remember Stephen? They were bouncing stones off of him to kill him, and he was enraptured in peace - a peace that passes understanding. We are more than conquerors because these things the enemy sends to try to destroy the work of God in us just drive us into the arms of the savior. 

Nothing he does can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. Nothing. Nothing. Ever. 

What a view from Scripture's Mt. Everest! 

I thank you for the victory I have in Christ, because of all he has done for me. I am more than a conqueror through Christ!

Think and Pray:

Thank God for the great and glorious promise that his love in Christ is real no matter what this world throws at you.
Remember that this world can be filled with hardships but the love of Christ is not hindered by the hardships of this world.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Test

God Is for Me! - Himalayan Heights - April 18 Readings: Romans 8:31-35 – If God Is for Us

Himalayan Heights: Romans 8

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Romans 8

Though we are going to focus each day on a different portion of this wonderful text, read Romans 8 each day. If there are some Scriptures that are the Himalayas of the Bible, Romans 8 must be Mt. Everest! Starting with the affirmation that there is no condemnation in Christ, through the promise that all things work for the good of those who love him, and ending with the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, it is one mountain peak after the other. We could do a year of daily devotions from this passage and not exhaust its glories, but we will settle for doing one week - seven days. 

In verse 31, Paul reaches the pinnacle of his argument, that last bit of climb to the peak. "What shall we say to these things?" What things? That God is working all things for the good of those who love God and that God has foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified them.

The remainder of this chapter forms about four key questions Paul asks and answers. They are fundamental questions and the answers take us right to the peak of scripture's Mt. Everest.

Through the Bible Readings: Judges 19-21, Luke 12:22–34, Psalm 49:1–10, Proverbs 11:7-8

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: God Is for Me!

The Bible is not meant to be a book of theological speculation or intellectual examination. It is the revelation of God designed to change our lives. It is meant to be applied in reality. God's word is not just about changing our minds but changing our lives. He doesn't just want to alter the way we think but to transform the way we live.

So, having explored some of the most glorious truths we can imagine in verses 1-30, Paul asks a question in verse 31.

What then shall we say to these things? 

What is the right response to these truths? What difference do they make in our lives? To answer this question, Paul asks and answers four other questions, each one taking us a little higher into the glory of God.

1. Paul's first question goes to the heart of the fear and trembling so many of us feel in this wicked and rebellious world.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

The "if" there does not express doubt but assumes the truth of the condition. God is for us. He has taken us as his own and through Christ is for us. We are his and he works his purposes in us and through us. We are no longer the enemies of God but his eternal friends, his family. 

This God, who gave his Son for us will also graciously give us everything we need to live the lives he wants us to live and to prepare us for the eternity he has planned. He has it covered and he will work it out.

Whatever is going on in this world, nothing can stop the wonderful work of God in is. 

2. But, I'm such a sinner and I do not deserve what God is doing for me. 

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? (Verse 33)

God is the judge before whom every human being must stand, the one who pronounces judgment and eternal doom. But he has pronounced that there is no condemnation for us in Christ. He has justified us so that we now stand righteous before his throne. No matter what accusations Satan or anyone else brings against you, remember that God has justified you, declared you innocent, and said there is no condemnation in Christ. 

3. No condemnation? Really? But I know I'm guilty and others are so critical of me. I feel so much guilt and condemnation. 

Who is to condemn? (Verse 34)

Jesus is the one who has the right to condemn us - the Judge of the living and the dead. But he isn't bringing condemnation, No, he is interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. Like the Spirit earlier in the chapter, Jesus is praying for us. 

4. And then we reach the summit, the top of the mountain. One more question. 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (verse 35)

The answer to this question will be examined in more detail tomorrow, but let's just give the simplest answer. Nothing. Not a single thing. Nothing in heaven. Nothing on earth. Nothing in the entire universe can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

So, my friend, God is for you. Instead of bringing charges against you, he has justified you. Instead of condemning you, Jesus Christ is interceding for you before the throne of God. And nothing in this entire universe - past, present, or future - can separate you from the love of Christ. 

You stand on the summit of scripture's Mt. Everest!

Thank you, Father, for all that you have done for us in Christ.

Think and Pray:

Have you processed these spiritual realities or do you live in the world's lies of condemnation and guilt?

Done Deal - Himalayan Heights - April 17 Readings: Romans 8:29-30 – Predestined to Glory

Himalayan Heights: Romans 8

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Romans 8

Though we are going to focus each day on a different portion of this wonderful text, read Romans 8 each day. If there are some Scriptures that are the Himalayas of the Bible, Romans 8 must be Mt. Everest! Starting with the affirmation that there is no condemnation in Christ, through the promise that all things work for the good of those who love him, and ending with the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, it is one mountain peak after the other. We could do a year of daily devotions from this passage and not exhaust its glories, but we will settle for doing one week - seven days. 

We can potentially open a can of worms today, but I am going to stay away from that. In the blogging world, predestination is such a controversial topic and our text, Romans 8:29-30 talks about God's foreknowledge and sovereign choice. So, if I wanted to, I could open that debate and turn this devotional into a controversial theological treatise, but there's a great principle to be seen here that doesn't require us to wade into that minefield.

Yes, studying the topic of God's sovereignty matters and every believer should undertake that. I believe that the Bible teaches both God's foreordained choice and genuine human responsibility. We were chosen by God and we must also choose to place our faith in him. It is called an antinomy - two truths both taught in scripture that cannot be logically true in our human intelligence. The Trinity is an antinomy, as is the dual nature of Christ. The relationship of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is an antinomy - defying human logic and only resolved in the logic of God whose "ways are higher than ours" and whose "thoughts are higher than ours."

The mistake many make is choosing between the options. We do not choose between the Oneness of God and his three persons. The Bible teaches both and we believe both. We do not choose between the humanity of Christ and his deity. Both are affirmed in scripture. I refuse to choose either the idea that God chose us before the world began or that we must choose to follow Jesus. Both are taught in the Bible and even though I don't understand how both can be true I realize that my job is to believe God's word even when I do not understand it.

Through the Bible Readings: Judges 17-18, Luke 12:1–21, Psalm 48:11–14, Proverbs 11:5-6

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: Done Deal

There are so many things that happen at our salvation. We are saved from the horrors caused by our sin. We are justified - made righteous before a Holy God. We are redeemed - purchased by the blood of Christ. We are forgiven, our sins washed away. We are adopted into the heavenly family. We are given the Baptism of the Holy Spirit who indwells us and seals us in Christ, guaranteeing our eternal inheritance. The list goes on and on.

Romans 8:29-30 mentions 5 of those key aspects of what God did. These verses are the fulfillment of the promise of verse 28. All things work for good because God foreknew us, predestined us, called us, justified us and glorified us.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God accomplishes five purposes in our lives according to these verses.

• First, he "foreknew" us. This means more than simply knowing in advance. There's a Greek word that means that, used in the NT. This word means something more powerful. God's knowledge is more personal and intimate. God entered into a relationship with us even before time began. 
• Second, he "predestined" us. He marked out the boundaries of our lives before we were born; before our world was even created. What is that destiny he prepared for us? To be conformed to the image of Christ - to be like Jesus. 
• Third, he "called" us. By his Spirit, he invited us to turn from our sin and put our faith in Christ. 
• Fourth, he "justified" us. He declared us righteous through the blood of Christ. 
• Fifth, he "glorified" us. He seated us in the heavenly places with Christ, destined us for glory and determined to finish the work he began in us. 

There are two notable facts in these five great works.

• God is the subject of all the actions. Our salvation is a work of God. That is why it is secure and safe. It doesn't depend on me or my faithfulness but on God's power. Salvation is of God. We must believe. We must obey. But the work is God's. The power is God's. The will is God's. The initiative is God's. That's where it all begins. 
• All of the verbs are past tense. Done Deal! Of course, that makes sense with the first four verbs, especially the first two. They took place before creation. God's foreknowledge and predestination predate the foundation of this earth. And of course, our call and our justification are done deals, past acts that took place at the moment of our salvation. 

But think of the word glorify. Yes, the glory of God is a part of our lives today - We've been seated in the heavenlies and God's glorious power and presence are part of our lives daily. But being glorified speaks of a future work, one that will not take place until the day we see Jesus face to face - that moment verse 18 spoke of when our present sufferings will be over.

But in Paul's mind, that future event is such a done deal that he speaks of it in the past tense. It may not have happened yet in your life, but it was accomplished by a past event, the finished work of Christ on the cross. It's a guaranteed, historical reality, even if it hasn't taken place yet.

If you know Jesus, your place in glory is guaranteed. Your hope is secured by the work of God - it's a done deal. You must walk in obedience and in faith, but you may also rest in the truth that his work has covered your sin and settled your destiny.

Father, thank you for this amazing truth that your Son's work not only dealt with my sin but also settled my eternal destiny and guaranteed my place in glory. 

Think and Pray:

Think through each of the five purposes of God and thank him for the work he has done, or will do in you.

God's Glorious Recipe - Himalayan Heights - April 16 Readings: Romans 8:28 – All Things for Good

Himalayan Heights: Romans 8

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Romans 8

Though we are going to focus each day on a different portion of this wonderful text, read Romans 8 each day. If there are some Scriptures that are the Himalayas of the Bible, Romans 8 must be Mt. Everest! Starting with the affirmation that there is no condemnation in Christ, through the promise that all things work for the good of those who love him, and ending with the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, it is one mountain peak after the other. We could do a year of daily devotions from this passage and not exhaust its glories, but we will settle for doing one week - seven days. 

Some verses are more prone to misinterpretation and misapplication than others, and our verse today is among that number, But it's the power of the verse, when properly interpreted, that makes it so powerful and life-changing.

Through the Bible Readings: Judges 15-16, Luke 11:29–54, Psalm 48:4–10, Proverbs 11:3-4

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: God's Glorious Recipe

God gives us good things and Satan sends us bad things. 

That is what a friend of mine told me once, and I think a lot of people believe it. It has nothing to do with Scripture.

The Lord never gives us more than we can handle.

Where on earth did anyone ever get an idea like that?

Everything will always work out well. 

Another pipe dream. Another false hope.

Many of these ideas are rooted, in one way or another, in the verse that we look at today, Romans 8:28 - mistaken views of that verse.

And we know that for those who love God all thing work together for good, for those who are call according to his purpose. 

Let's start with what this verse does NOT promise.

• It does not say that everything is going to work out. Sometimes things don't work out. 
• It does not say that nothing bad will ever happen to a child of God. Bad things happen to us all the time. 
• It does not say that all things work for good for everyone. 

First, it is important to note to whom this verse is addressed. This promise is given to those who love God and who have been called to the purposes of God. That last statement is synonymous with salvation, but also implies a life of submission and obedience. The first statement, "who love God" implies those who live their lives with a passion for God.

This verse does not say that if I cheat on my wife, it's going to work together for good, or if I am unfaithful in my ministry, it will all come out okay. It speaks to those who are saved and walking in obedience to the purposes of God, whose hearts are passionate for the things of God.

It does not say that all things will be good. It says that they will all work together for good. God, in his sovereign power, will bring everything that happens to me, if I am walking in his grace, to serve his greater purposes. It will all result in good.

This verse always makes me think about my wife's chocolate cake. It's actually her Grandma Wierauch' s recipe. There is not a single ingredient in that recipe that I would want to eat, except perhaps sugar, and I'm not that crazy about eating sugar by the spoonful. Crisco. Cocoa. Eggs. Flour. Whatever other ingredients there are. Nasty, tasteless, gross. But mix them all together in just the right order and it is something wonderful to devour.

God is the master chef. He brings ingredients into your life that are not always tasty - things you hate. But he is able to mix the ingredients of your life in perfect measure to produce a masterpiece - to use your life for his glory and to bring his good into it.

When you do not like the ingredients God is mixing into your life, remember that the master chef is creating a recipe that will be beyond your wildest expectations. He will work all these things for his glory and your good.

Father, in these scary, difficult, stress-inducing days, I thank you that I can trust that you are working all things for my good as I walk in you and seek you. 

Think and Pray:

Do you trust the plan of God?
Do you complain about the individual ingredients or do you look forward to the master plan?