September 23

Luke 24:28-35

[28] So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, [29] but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. [30] When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. [31] And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. [32] They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” [33] And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, [34] saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” [35] Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Hebrews 12:14-29

[14] Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. [15] See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; [16] that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. [17] For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

[18] For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest [19] and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. [20] For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” [21] Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” [22] But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, [23] and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, [24] and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

[25] See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. [26] At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” [27] This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. [28] Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, [29] for our God is a consuming fire.

Proverbs 29:15-27

    [15] 

    The rod and reproof give wisdom,

        but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 

    [16] 

    When the wicked increase, transgression increases,

        but the righteous will look upon their downfall. 

    [17] 

    Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;

        he will give delight to your heart. 

    [18] 

    Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,

        but blessed is he who keeps the law. 

    [19] 

    By mere words a servant is not disciplined,

        for though he understands, he will not respond. 

    [20] 

    Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?

        There is more hope for a fool than for him. 

    [21] 

    Whoever pampers his servant from childhood

        will in the end find him his heir. 

    [22] 

    A man of wrath stirs up strife,

        and one given to anger causes much transgression. 

    [23] 

    One’s pride will bring him low,

        but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. 

    [24] 

    The partner of a thief hates his own life;

        he hears the curse, but discloses nothing. 

    [25] 

    The fear of man lays a snare,

        but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. 

    [26] 

    Many seek the face of a ruler,

        but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice. 

    [27] 

    An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,

        but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

Isaiah 59

    [1] Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,

        or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 

    [2] but your iniquities have made a separation

        between you and your God,

    and your sins have hidden his face from you

        so that he does not hear. 

    [3] For your hands are defiled with blood

        and your fingers with iniquity;

    your lips have spoken lies;

        your tongue mutters wickedness. 

    [4] No one enters suit justly;

        no one goes to law honestly;

    they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,

        they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. 

    [5] They hatch adders’ eggs;

        they weave the spider’s web;

    he who eats their eggs dies,

        and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. 

    [6] Their webs will not serve as clothing;

        men will not cover themselves with what they make.

    Their works are works of iniquity,

        and deeds of violence are in their hands. 

    [7] Their feet run to evil,

        and they are swift to shed innocent blood;

    their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;

        desolation and destruction are in their highways. 

    [8] The way of peace they do not know,

        and there is no justice in their paths;

    they have made their roads crooked;

        no one who treads on them knows peace.

    [9] Therefore justice is far from us,

        and righteousness does not overtake us;

    we hope for light, and behold, darkness,

        and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. 

    [10] We grope for the wall like the blind;

        we grope like those who have no eyes;

    we stumble at noon as in the twilight,

        among those in full vigor we are like dead men. 

    [11] We all growl like bears;

        we moan and moan like doves;

    we hope for justice, but there is none;

        for salvation, but it is far from us. 

    [12] For our transgressions are multiplied before you,

        and our sins testify against us;

    for our transgressions are with us,

        and we know our iniquities: 

    [13] transgressing, and denying the LORD,

        and turning back from following our God,

    speaking oppression and revolt,

        conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.

    [14] Justice is turned back,

        and righteousness stands far away;

    for truth has stumbled in the public squares,

        and uprightness cannot enter. 

    [15] Truth is lacking,

        and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

    The LORD saw it, and it displeased him

        that there was no justice. 

    [16] He saw that there was no man,

        and wondered that there was no one to intercede;

    then his own arm brought him salvation,

        and his righteousness upheld him. 

    [17] He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

        and a helmet of salvation on his head;

    he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

        and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 

    [18] According to their deeds, so will he repay,

        wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies;

        to the coastlands he will render repayment. 

    [19] So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west,

        and his glory from the rising of the sun;

    for he will come like a rushing stream,

        which the wind of the LORD drives.

    [20] “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,

        to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD.

    [21] “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Isaiah 60

    [1] Arise, shine, for your light has come,

        and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 

    [2] For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,

        and thick darkness the peoples;

    but the LORD will arise upon you,

        and his glory will be seen upon you. 

    [3] And nations shall come to your light,

        and kings to the brightness of your rising.

    [4] Lift up your eyes all around, and see;

        they all gather together, they come to you;

    your sons shall come from afar,

        and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 

    [5] Then you shall see and be radiant;

        your heart shall thrill and exult,

    because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,

        the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 

    [6] A multitude of camels shall cover you,

        the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

        all those from Sheba shall come.

    They shall bring gold and frankincense,

        and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD. 

    [7] All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;

        the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;

    they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,

        and I will beautify my beautiful house.

    [8] Who are these that fly like a cloud,

        and like doves to their windows? 

    [9] For the coastlands shall hope for me,

        the ships of Tarshish first,

    to bring your children from afar,

        their silver and gold with them,

    for the name of the LORD your God,

        and for the Holy One of Israel,

        because he has made you beautiful.

    [10] Foreigners shall build up your walls,

        and their kings shall minister to you;

    for in my wrath I struck you,

        but in my favor I have had mercy on you. 

    [11] Your gates shall be open continually;

        day and night they shall not be shut,

    that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,

        with their kings led in procession. 

    [12] For the nation and kingdom

        that will not serve you shall perish;

        those nations shall be utterly laid waste. 

    [13] The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,

        the cypress, the plane, and the pine,

    to beautify the place of my sanctuary,

        and I will make the place of my feet glorious. 

    [14] The sons of those who afflicted you

        shall come bending low to you,

    and all who despised you

        shall bow down at your feet;

    they shall call you the City of the LORD,

        the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

    [15] Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,

        with no one passing through,

    I will make you majestic forever,

        a joy from age to age. 

    [16] You shall suck the milk of nations;

        you shall nurse at the breast of kings;

    and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior

        and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

    [17] Instead of bronze I will bring gold,

        and instead of iron I will bring silver;

    instead of wood, bronze,

        instead of stones, iron.

    I will make your overseers peace

        and your taskmasters righteousness. 

    [18] Violence shall no more be heard in your land,

        devastation or destruction within your borders;

    you shall call your walls Salvation,

        and your gates Praise.

    [19] The sun shall be no more

        your light by day,

    nor for brightness shall the moon

        give you light;

    but the LORD will be your everlasting light,

        and your God will be your glory. 

    [20] Your sun shall no more go down,

        nor your moon withdraw itself;

    for the LORD will be your everlasting light,

        and your days of mourning shall be ended. 

    [21] Your people shall all be righteous;

        they shall possess the land forever,

    the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,

        that I might be glorified. 

    [22] The least one shall become a clan,

        and the smallest one a mighty nation;

    I am the LORD;

        in its time I will hasten it.

Isaiah 61

    [1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

        because the LORD has anointed me

    to bring good news to the poor;

        he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim liberty to the captives,

        and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 

    [2] to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

        and the day of vengeance of our God;

        to comfort all who mourn; 

    [3] to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

        to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

    the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

        the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

    that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

        the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. 

    [4] They shall build up the ancient ruins;

        they shall raise up the former devastations;

    they shall repair the ruined cities,

        the devastations of many generations.

    [5] Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;

        foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; 

    [6] but you shall be called the priests of the LORD;

        they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;

    you shall eat the wealth of the nations,

        and in their glory you shall boast. 

    [7] Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;

        instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;

    therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;

        they shall have everlasting joy.

    [8] For I the LORD love justice;

        I hate robbery and wrong;

    I will faithfully give them their recompense,

        and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 

    [9] Their offspring shall be known among the nations,

        and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;

    all who see them shall acknowledge them,

        that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.

    [10] I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;

        my soul shall exult in my God,

    for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

        he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

    as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

        and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 

    [11] For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

        and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,

    so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

        to sprout up before all the nations.

God’s Treasures to Inherit

PRAY OVER THIS

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6

 

PONDER THIS

I was reading about a man named Vido Miti. He was a Spanish student in Barcelona, and he was working on his Ph.D. in philosophy. Vido was in the library blowing the dust off some of the old books of philosophy, and he found a book that had been in the library for no one knows how long. As he was going through the book, he found some paper inside it that he opened up and read. It was the philosopher’s last will and testament.

It said, “Whoever finds this in this book will inherit my estate,” because the writer didn’t think anybody would read his old, dry philosophy book. But there it was. Vido Miti took that to the authorities. They read it and said, “It is valid,” and he was awarded $250,000, the full estate of the old philosopher. I wonder how many treasures are in God’s Word that God wants us to inherit, but we’ve never blown the dust off the Bible.

What are some treasures you have found in the Word of God?

What value have you found in spending time in the Bible to find the treasure of God?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of specific spiritual treasures you have found through reading the Bible.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Let Goods and Kindred Go

Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Hebrews 10:32–35)

The Christians in Hebrews 10:32–35 have earned the right to teach us about costly love.

The situation appears to be this: In the early days of their conversion, some of them were imprisoned for their faith. The others were confronted with a difficult choice: Shall we go underground and stay “safe,” or shall we visit our brothers and sisters in prison and risk our lives and property? They chose the way of love and accepted the cost.

“For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property.”

But were they losers? No. They lost property and gained joy! They joyfully accepted the loss.

In one sense, they denied themselves. It was real and costly. But in another sense, they did not. They chose the way of joy. Evidently, these Christians were motivated for prison ministry the same way the Macedonians (of 2 Corinthians 8:1–9) were motivated to relieve the poor. Their joy in God overflowed in love for others.

They looked at their own lives and said, “The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life” (see Psalm 63:3).

They looked at all their possessions and said, “We have a possession in heaven that is better and lasts longer than any of this” (see Hebrews 10:34).

Then they looked at each other and said — perhaps sang — something like Martin Luther’s great hymn:

Let goods and kindred go

This mortal life also

The body they may kill

God’s truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever

John Piper 

September 22

Luke 24:13-27

[13] That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, [14] and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [15] While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. [16] But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. [17] And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. [18] Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” [19] And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, [20] and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. [21] But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. [22] Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, [23] and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. [24] Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” [25] And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” [27] And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Hebrews 12:1-13

[1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

[3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. [4] In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. [5] And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 

    “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

        nor be weary when reproved by him. 

    [6] For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

        and chastises every son whom he receives.”

    [7] It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? [8] If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. [9] Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? [10] For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. [11] For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

[12] Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, [13] and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

Proverbs 29:1-14

    [1] He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,

        will suddenly be broken beyond healing. 

    [2] 

    When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,

        but when the wicked rule, the people groan. 

    [3] 

    He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,

        but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. 

    [4] 

    By justice a king builds up the land,

        but he who exacts gifts tears it down. 

    [5] 

    A man who flatters his neighbor

        spreads a net for his feet. 

    [6] 

    An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,

        but a righteous man sings and rejoices. 

    [7] 

    A righteous man knows the rights of the poor;

        a wicked man does not understand such knowledge. 

    [8] 

    Scoffers set a city aflame,

        but the wise turn away wrath. 

    [9] 

    If a wise man has an argument with a fool,

        the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet. 

    [10] 

    Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless

        and seek the life of the upright. 

    [11] 

    A fool gives full vent to his spirit,

        but a wise man quietly holds it back. 

    [12] 

    If a ruler listens to falsehood,

        all his officials will be wicked. 

    [13] 

    The poor man and the oppressor meet together;

        the LORD gives light to the eyes of both. 

    [14] 

    If a king faithfully judges the poor,

        his throne will be established forever.

Isaiah 56

    [1] Thus says the LORD:

    “Keep justice, and do righteousness,

    for soon my salvation will come,

        and my righteousness be revealed. 

    [2] Blessed is the man who does this,

        and the son of man who holds it fast,

    who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,

        and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

    [3] Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,

        “The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;

    and let not the eunuch say,

        “Behold, I am a dry tree.” 

    [4] For thus says the LORD:

    “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

        who choose the things that please me

        and hold fast my covenant, 

    [5] I will give in my house and within my walls

        a monument and a name

        better than sons and daughters;

    I will give them an everlasting name

        that shall not be cut off.

    [6] “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,

        to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,

        and to be his servants,

    everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,

        and holds fast my covenant—

    [7] these I will bring to my holy mountain,

        and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

    their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

        will be accepted on my altar;

    for my house shall be called a house of prayer

        for all peoples.” 

    [8] The Lord GOD,

        who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,

    “I will gather yet others to him

        besides those already gathered.”

    [9] All you beasts of the field, come to devour—

        all you beasts in the forest. 

    [10] His watchmen are blind;

        they are all without knowledge;

    they are all silent dogs;

        they cannot bark,

    dreaming, lying down,

        loving to slumber. 

    [11] The dogs have a mighty appetite;

        they never have enough.

    But they are shepherds who have no understanding;

        they have all turned to their own way,

        each to his own gain, one and all. 

    [12] “Come,” they say, “let me get wine;

        let us fill ourselves with strong drink;

    and tomorrow will be like this day,

        great beyond measure.”

Isaiah 57

    [1] The righteous man perishes,

        and no one lays it to heart;

    devout men are taken away,

        while no one understands.

    For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; 

    [2]     he enters into peace;

    they rest in their beds

        who walk in their uprightness. 

    [3] But you, draw near,

        sons of the sorceress,

        offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman. 

    [4] Whom are you mocking?

        Against whom do you open your mouth wide

        and stick out your tongue?

    Are you not children of transgression,

        the offspring of deceit, 

    [5] you who burn with lust among the oaks,

        under every green tree,

    who slaughter your children in the valleys,

        under the clefts of the rocks? 

    [6] Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion;

        they, they, are your lot;

    to them you have poured out a drink offering,

        you have brought a grain offering.

        Shall I relent for these things? 

    [7] On a high and lofty mountain

        you have set your bed,

        and there you went up to offer sacrifice. 

    [8] Behind the door and the doorpost

        you have set up your memorial;

    for, deserting me, you have uncovered your bed,

        you have gone up to it,

        you have made it wide;

    and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,

        you have loved their bed,

        you have looked on nakedness. 

    [9] You journeyed to the king with oil

        and multiplied your perfumes;

    you sent your envoys far off,

        and sent down even to Sheol. 

    [10] You were wearied with the length of your way,

        but you did not say, “It is hopeless”;

    you found new life for your strength,

        and so you were not faint.

    [11] Whom did you dread and fear,

        so that you lied,

    and did not remember me,

        did not lay it to heart?

    Have I not held my peace, even for a long time,

        and you do not fear me? 

    [12] I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,

        but they will not profit you. 

    [13] When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!

        The wind will carry them all off,

        a breath will take them away.

    But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land

        and shall inherit my holy mountain.

    [14] And it shall be said,

    “Build up, build up, prepare the way,

        remove every obstruction from my people’s way.” 

    [15] For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

        who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

    “I dwell in the high and holy place,

        and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

    to revive the spirit of the lowly,

        and to revive the heart of the contrite. 

    [16] For I will not contend forever,

        nor will I always be angry;

    for the spirit would grow faint before me,

        and the breath of life that I made. 

    [17] Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry,

        I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,

        but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. 

    [18] I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;

        I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 

    [19]     creating the fruit of the lips.

    Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD,

        “and I will heal him. 

    [20] But the wicked are like the tossing sea;

        for it cannot be quiet,

        and its waters toss up mire and dirt. 

    [21] There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 58

    [1] “Cry aloud; do not hold back;

        lift up your voice like a trumpet;

    declare to my people their transgression,

        to the house of Jacob their sins. 

    [2] Yet they seek me daily

        and delight to know my ways,

    as if they were a nation that did righteousness

        and did not forsake the judgment of their God;

    they ask of me righteous judgments;

        they delight to draw near to God. 

    [3] ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?

        Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’

    Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,

        and oppress all your workers. 

    [4] Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight

        and to hit with a wicked fist.

    Fasting like yours this day

        will not make your voice to be heard on high. 

    [5] Is such the fast that I choose,

        a day for a person to humble himself?

    Is it to bow down his head like a reed,

        and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?

    Will you call this a fast,

        and a day acceptable to the LORD?

    [6] “Is not this the fast that I choose:

        to loose the bonds of wickedness,

        to undo the straps of the yoke,

    to let the oppressed go free,

        and to break every yoke? 

    [7] Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

        and bring the homeless poor into your house;

    when you see the naked, to cover him,

        and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 

    [8] Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

        and your healing shall spring up speedily;

    your righteousness shall go before you;

        the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 

    [9] Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;

        you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

    If you take away the yoke from your midst,

        the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 

    [10] if you pour yourself out for the hungry

        and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

    then shall your light rise in the darkness

        and your gloom be as the noonday. 

    [11] And the LORD will guide you continually

        and satisfy your desire in scorched places

        and make your bones strong;

    and you shall be like a watered garden,

        like a spring of water,

        whose waters do not fail. 

    [12] And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

        you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

    you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

        the restorer of streets to dwell in.

    [13] “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,

        from doing your pleasure on my holy day,

    and call the Sabbath a delight

        and the holy day of the LORD honorable;

    if you honor it, not going your own ways,

        or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 

    [14] then you shall take delight in the LORD,

        and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;

    I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,

        for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Do You Trust God’s Plan for You?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”

(Proverbs 3:5)

 

PONDER THIS

God has a special plan for you. God doesn’t deal with us en masse. He deals with us as individuals. God makes no duplicates. Everything that God makes is an original. Just like every snowflake has its own specific pattern, God made you as an individual, and God has a plan specifically for you. The Bible says in Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” Is that not incredible? Every step you take is in His plan and in His purpose.

You may say, “Well, that’s true for those who God has called into His full-time service.” No. Listen to me. It is true for you. The same plan that is true for the preacher is true for the plumber. The same plan that is true for the missionary is true for the secretary. God has a plan for every individual life.

In what ways have you seen God’s specific plan implemented in your life?

What are some specific ways God might use you in the places He has put you that He might not use others?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out some ways you have seen God’s specific plan working in your life and the way He has used you uniquely for His purposes.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Ammunition Against Anxiety

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

One of the things we are thankful for when we let our requests be known to God is his promises. These are the ammunition in the cannon that cuts down the unbelief that produces worry. So here’s how I fight.

When I am anxious about my ministry being useless and empty, I fight unbelief with the promise of Isaiah 55:11. “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

When I am anxious about being too weak to do my work, I battle unbelief with the promise of Christ, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When I am anxious about decisions I have to make about the future, I battle unbelief with the promise, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

When I am anxious about facing opponents, I battle unbelief with the promise, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

When I am anxious about the welfare of those I love, I battle unbelief with the promise that if I, being evil, know how to give good things to my children, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).

And I fight to maintain my spiritual equilibrium with the reminder that everyone who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for Christ’s sake, shall “receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29–30).

When I am anxious about being sick, I battle unbelief with the promise, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

And I take the promise with trembling: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3–5).

John Piper