September 13

Luke 22:63-71

[63] Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. [64] They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” [65] And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

[66] When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, [67] “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, [68] and if I ask you, you will not answer. [69] But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” [70] So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” [71] Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

Hebrews 8:1-6

[1] Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, [2] a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. [3] For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. [4] Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. [5] They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” [6] But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

Proverbs 24:23-34

[23] These also are sayings of the wise. 

    Partiality in judging is not good. 

    [24] Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”

        will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 

    [25] but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

        and a good blessing will come upon them. 

    [26] Whoever gives an honest answer

        kisses the lips.

    [27] Prepare your work outside;

        get everything ready for yourself in the field,

        and after that build your house.

    [28] Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,

        and do not deceive with your lips. 

    [29] Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;

        I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

    [30] I passed by the field of a sluggard,

        by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 

    [31] and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

        the ground was covered with nettles,

        and its stone wall was broken down. 

    [32] Then I saw and considered it;

        I looked and received instruction. 

    [33] A little sleep, a little slumber,

        a little folding of the hands to rest, 

    [34] and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

        and want like an armed man.

Isaiah 34

    [1] Draw near, O nations, to hear,

        and give attention, O peoples!

    Let the earth hear, and all that fills it;

        the world, and all that comes from it. 

    [2] For the LORD is enraged against all the nations,

        and furious against all their host;

        he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter. 

    [3] Their slain shall be cast out,

        and the stench of their corpses shall rise;

        the mountains shall flow with their blood. 

    [4] All the host of heaven shall rot away,

        and the skies roll up like a scroll.

    All their host shall fall,

        as leaves fall from the vine,

        like leaves falling from the fig tree.

    [5] For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;

        behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom,

        upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 

    [6] The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood;

        it is gorged with fat,

        with the blood of lambs and goats,

        with the fat of the kidneys of rams.

    For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah,

        a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 

    [7] Wild oxen shall fall with them,

        and young steers with the mighty bulls.

    Their land shall drink its fill of blood,

        and their soil shall be gorged with fat.

    [8] For the LORD has a day of vengeance,

        a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 

    [9] And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch,

        and her soil into sulfur;

        her land shall become burning pitch. 

    [10] Night and day it shall not be quenched;

        its smoke shall go up forever.

    From generation to generation it shall lie waste;

        none shall pass through it forever and ever. 

    [11] But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it,

        the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.

    He shall stretch the line of confusion over it,

        and the plumb line of emptiness. 

    [12] Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom,

        and all its princes shall be nothing.

    [13] Thorns shall grow over its strongholds,

        nettles and thistles in its fortresses.

    It shall be the haunt of jackals,

        an abode for ostriches. 

    [14] And wild animals shall meet with hyenas;

        the wild goat shall cry to his fellow;

    indeed, there the night bird settles

        and finds for herself a resting place.

    [15] There the owl nests and lays

        and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow;

    indeed, there the hawks are gathered,

        each one with her mate. 

    [16] Seek and read from the book of the LORD:

        Not one of these shall be missing;

        none shall be without her mate.

    For the mouth of the LORD has commanded,

        and his Spirit has gathered them. 

    [17] He has cast the lot for them;

        his hand has portioned it out to them with the line;

    they shall possess it forever;

        from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.

Isaiah 35

    [1] The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;

        the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 

    [2] it shall blossom abundantly

        and rejoice with joy and singing.

    The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

        the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

    They shall see the glory of the LORD,

        the majesty of our God.

    [3] Strengthen the weak hands,

        and make firm the feeble knees. 

    [4] Say to those who have an anxious heart,

        “Be strong; fear not!

    Behold, your God

        will come with vengeance,

    with the recompense of God.

        He will come and save you.”

    [5] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

        and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 

    [6] then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

        and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

    For waters break forth in the wilderness,

        and streams in the desert; 

    [7] the burning sand shall become a pool,

        and the thirsty ground springs of water;

    in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

        the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

    [8] And a highway shall be there,

        and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;

    the unclean shall not pass over it.

        It shall belong to those who walk on the way;

        even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 

    [9] No lion shall be there,

        nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

    they shall not be found there,

        but the redeemed shall walk there. 

    [10] And the ransomed of the LORD shall return

        and come to Zion with singing;

    everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

        they shall obtain gladness and joy,

        and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 36

[1] In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. [2] And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. [3] And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.

[4] And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? [5] Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? [6] Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. [7] But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? [8] Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. [9] How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? [10] Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”’”

[11] Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” [12] But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”

[13] Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! [14] Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. [15] Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” [16] Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, [17] until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. [18] Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? [19] Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? [20] Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

[21] But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” [22] Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

Have You Let God’s Word into Your Heart?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.”

(Psalm 19:12)

 

PONDER THIS

Do you know why people have moral earthquakes? Because we have secret faults and we don’t know what’s beneath the surface. The psalmist said, “I can’t understand this.” You see, our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. So what do we need? We need the Holy Spirit of God to bring conviction of sin. Jesus said, concerning the Holy Spirit, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).

We may agree that we’ve sinned, but we’ll never understand the depth of our sin, or ever truly be convicted of that sin until the Holy Spirit of God speaks to us. God uses His Word for the purpose of conviction and God wants to speak to your heart today. Don’t you let your heart get hard. You can believe intellectually in God, and you can go to Hell with a Bible under your arm unless you let the Word of God come into your heart.

What does it mean to let the Word of God into your heart?

Do you practice this each day through daily Scripture reading and prayer?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend time in prayer today, asking God to put His Word into your heart and to reveal your secret faults so that you might repent and turn to Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

7 Reasons Not to Worry, Part 2

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:27–30)

Matthew 6:25–34 contains at least seven promises designed by Jesus to help us fight the fight for faith and be free from anxiety. Yesterday we saw Promises 1 and 2; today we look at 3 and 4.

Promise #3: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27)

This is a promise of sorts — the simple promise of reality that you can discover from experience: Being anxious will simply not do you any good. That’s a promise. This is not the main argument, but sometimes we just have to get tough with ourselves and say, “Soul, this fretting is absolutely useless. It promises nothing. You are not only messing up your own day, but a lot of other people’s as well. Renounce it. Leave it with God. And get on with your work.”

Anxiety accomplishes nothing worthwhile. That’s a promise. Believe it. Act on it.

Promise #4: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28–30)

Compared to the flowers of the field you are a much higher priority for God, because you will live forever, and can thus bring him eternal praise as his loved children.

Nevertheless, God has such an overflow of creative energy and care, he lavishes it on flowers that last only a matter of days. So, he will certainly take that same energy and creative skill and use it to care for his children who will live forever. The question is: Will we believe this promise, and put away anxiety?

John Piper 

September 12

Luke 22:54-62

[54] Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. [55] And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. [56] Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” [57] But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” [58] And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” [59] And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” [60] But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. [61] And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” [62] And he went out and wept bitterly.

Hebrews 7:11-28

[11] Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? [12] For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. [13] For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. [14] For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

[15] This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, [16] who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. [17] For it is witnessed of him, 

    “You are a priest forever,

        after the order of Melchizedek.”

    [18] For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness [19] (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

[20] And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, [21] but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: 

    “The Lord has sworn

        and will not change his mind,

    ‘You are a priest forever.’”

    [22] This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

[23] The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, [24] but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. [25] Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

[26] For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. [27] He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. [28] For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Proverbs 24:1-22

    [1] Be not envious of evil men,

        nor desire to be with them, 

    [2] 

    for their hearts devise violence,

        and their lips talk of trouble.

    [3] 

    By wisdom a house is built,

        and by understanding it is established; 

    [4] 

    by knowledge the rooms are filled

        with all precious and pleasant riches. 

    [5] 

    A wise man is full of strength,

        and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 

    [6] 

    for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

        and in abundance of counselors there is victory. 

    [7] 

    Wisdom is too high for a fool;

        in the gate he does not open his mouth.

    [8] 

    Whoever plans to do evil

        will be called a schemer. 

    [9] 

    The devising of folly is sin,

        and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

    [10] 

    If you faint in the day of adversity,

        your strength is small. 

    [11] 

    Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

        hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 

    [12] 

    If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

        does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

    Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

        and will he not repay man according to his work?

    [13] 

    My son, eat honey, for it is good,

        and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 

    [14] 

    Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

        if you find it, there will be a future,

        and your hope will not be cut off.

    [15] 

    Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;

        do no violence to his home; 

    [16] 

    for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,

        but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

    [17] 

    Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

        and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, 

    [18] 

    lest the LORD see it and be displeased,

        and turn away his anger from him.

    [19] 

    Fret not yourself because of evildoers,

        and be not envious of the wicked, 

    [20] 

    for the evil man has no future;

        the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

    [21] 

    My son, fear the LORD and the king,

        and do not join with those who do otherwise, 

    [22] 

    for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

        and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

Isaiah 31

    [1] Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help

        and rely on horses,

    who trust in chariots because they are many

        and in horsemen because they are very strong,

    but do not look to the Holy One of Israel

        or consult the LORD! 

    [2] And yet he is wise and brings disaster;

        he does not call back his words,

    but will arise against the house of the evildoers

        and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. 

    [3] The Egyptians are man, and not God,

        and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.

    When the LORD stretches out his hand,

        the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,

        and they will all perish together.

    [4] For thus the LORD said to me,

    “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,

        and when a band of shepherds is called out against him

    he is not terrified by their shouting

        or daunted at their noise,

    so the LORD of hosts will come down

        to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. 

    [5] Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts

        will protect Jerusalem;

    he will protect and deliver it;

        he will spare and rescue it.”

    [6] Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. [7] For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.

    [8] “And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man;

        and a sword, not of man, shall devour him;

    and he shall flee from the sword,

        and his young men shall be put to forced labor. 

    [9] His rock shall pass away in terror,

        and his officers desert the standard in panic,”

    declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion,

        and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 32

    [1] Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,

        and princes will rule in justice. 

    [2] Each will be like a hiding place from the wind,

        a shelter from the storm,

    like streams of water in a dry place,

        like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. 

    [3] Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,

        and the ears of those who hear will give attention. 

    [4] The heart of the hasty will understand and know,

        and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly. 

    [5] The fool will no more be called noble,

        nor the scoundrel said to be honorable. 

    [6] For the fool speaks folly,

        and his heart is busy with iniquity,

    to practice ungodliness,

        to utter error concerning the LORD,

    to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,

        and to deprive the thirsty of drink. 

    [7] As for the scoundrel—his devices are evil;

        he plans wicked schemes

    to ruin the poor with lying words,

        even when the plea of the needy is right. 

    [8] But he who is noble plans noble things,

        and on noble things he stands.

    [9] Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice;

        you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech. 

    [10] In little more than a year

        you will shudder, you complacent women;

    for the grape harvest fails,

        the fruit harvest will not come. 

    [11] Tremble, you women who are at ease,

        shudder, you complacent ones;

    strip, and make yourselves bare,

        and tie sackcloth around your waist. 

    [12] Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,

        for the fruitful vine, 

    [13] for the soil of my people

        growing up in thorns and briers,

    yes, for all the joyous houses

        in the exultant city. 

    [14] For the palace is forsaken,

        the populous city deserted;

    the hill and the watchtower

        will become dens forever,

    a joy of wild donkeys,

        a pasture of flocks; 

    [15] until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,

        and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,

        and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. 

    [16] Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,

        and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. 

    [17] And the effect of righteousness will be peace,

        and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. 

    [18] My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,

        in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. 

    [19] And it will hail when the forest falls down,

        and the city will be utterly laid low. 

    [20] Happy are you who sow beside all waters,

        who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.

Isaiah 33

    [1] Ah, you destroyer,

        who yourself have not been destroyed,

    you traitor,

        whom none has betrayed!

    When you have ceased to destroy,

        you will be destroyed;

    and when you have finished betraying,

        they will betray you.

    [2] O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you.

        Be our arm every morning,

        our salvation in the time of trouble. 

    [3] At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;

        when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, 

    [4] and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;

        as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.

    [5] The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;

        he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, 

    [6] and he will be the stability of your times,

        abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

        the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.

    [7] Behold, their heroes cry in the streets;

        the envoys of peace weep bitterly. 

    [8] The highways lie waste;

        the traveler ceases.

    Covenants are broken;

        cities are despised;

        there is no regard for man. 

    [9] The land mourns and languishes;

        Lebanon is confounded and withers away;

    Sharon is like a desert,

        and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

    [10] “Now I will arise,” says the LORD,

        “now I will lift myself up;

        now I will be exalted. 

    [11] You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble;

        your breath is a fire that will consume you. 

    [12] And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,

        like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”

    [13] Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;

        and you who are near, acknowledge my might. 

    [14] The sinners in Zion are afraid;

        trembling has seized the godless:

    “Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?

        Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?” 

    [15] He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,

        who despises the gain of oppressions,

    who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,

        who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed

        and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, 

    [16] he will dwell on the heights;

        his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;

        his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

    [17] Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;

        they will see a land that stretches afar. 

    [18] Your heart will muse on the terror:

        “Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute?

        Where is he who counted the towers?” 

    [19] You will see no more the insolent people,

        the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,

        stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand. 

    [20] Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!

        Your eyes will see Jerusalem,

        an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent,

    whose stakes will never be plucked up,

        nor will any of its cords be broken. 

    [21] But there the LORD in majesty will be for us

        a place of broad rivers and streams,

    where no galley with oars can go,

        nor majestic ship can pass. 

    [22] For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver;

        the LORD is our king; he will save us.

    [23] Your cords hang loose;

        they cannot hold the mast firm in its place

        or keep the sail spread out.

    Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided;

        even the lame will take the prey. 

    [24] And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”;

        the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

Have You Looked Into God’s Word?

PRAY OVER THIS

“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

Psalm 19:10

 

PONDER THIS

To a true believer, the Bible is precious. You cannot love God without loving His Word. If given the choice between all the treasures in this world and the Bible, I wouldn’t have to think for a moment. I would choose the Word of God. I would not have to think about it! Greater than gold is the Word of God! It is precious indeed.

A lady visited Yosemite. She said to the guide, “I only have an hour. What should I do if I only have an hour to see Yosemite?” He said, “If you want to see Yosemite and you only have an hour, I suggest you go sit down over there by the river and cry.” The lady would be unable to truly appreciate the depth and beauty of Yosemite in such a short time. As beautiful and wonderful as that park is, the Bible is better. Yet, many of us don’t take the time to explore it. The Bible is a treasure. We ought to love it.

What is the most beautiful or desirable place you have ever visited?

Why is the Bible even more beautiful and valuable than even the best place on Earth?

PRACTICE THIS

Look up photos of some of the most beautiful places in creation. Reflect on the fact that the God who created these places has revealed Himself through His Word and has made this available to you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

7 Reasons Not to Worry, Part 1

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25–26)

We are going to spend three days on this part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus is dealing specifically with anxiety about food and clothing. But, in fact, it relates to all anxiety.

Even in America, with its extensive welfare system, anxiety over finances and housing and food and clothing can be intense. Not to mention Christians who live in situations where much greater poverty threatens life. But Jesus says in verse 30 that our anxiety comes from little faith in our Father’s promise of future grace: “O you of little faith.”

These verses (25–34) contain at least seven promises designed by Jesus to help us fight the good fight against unbelief and be free from anxiety. (Today we look at Promises 1 and 2 — then over the next two days at the rest.)

Promise #1: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

Since your body and your life are vastly more complex and difficult to provide than food and clothing are, and yet God has, in fact, created and provided you with both, then surely he will be able and willing to provide you with food and clothing.

Moreover, no matter what happens, God will raise your body someday and preserve your life and body for his eternal fellowship.

Promise #2: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

If God is willing and able to feed such insignificant creatures as birds who cannot do anything to bring their food into being — as you can by farming — then he will certainly provide what you need, because you are worth a lot more than birds. You, unlike the birds, have the amazing capacity to glorify God by trusting, obeying, and thanking God.

John Piper