Monday, 28 October
2 Peter 3:3-7
“Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
This whole world is temporary; the “day of judgment” is coming!
It may not seem like that is true. So much time has passed since God made these promises. But remember that God set this world in motion and he is the One who can end it. And remember that he has already destroyed this earth once by flooding, so it should not astound us that he will destroy it by fire some day.
The Eternal Judge is reminding you today that his day of judgment is on its way, when he will judge those without Christ. Shouldn’t we be helping those people find Christ?
Pray that God will give you his passion for rescuing them.
John North
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Sunday, 27 October
Romans 3:23-24 and 6:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Grace means free!
Many people believe that “God helps them that help themselves” is a biblical principle of salvation. But that statement came from Benjamin Franklin, who was quoting the old writings of Aesop. God does not simply add a little boost to our good works to get us over the hump and into heaven.
You will not find God’s saving grace until you acknowledge that what you bring to the table is only your sin and guilt—your need for God’s grace. What God brings to the table is everything. Your welcome into God’s family is zero because of what you have done and 100% because of what God has done for you in Jesus’ death on the cross.
It doesn’t matter if you are a respectable businessman, or a church attender, or a street walker, or a prison inmate, or a prominent personality—“ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”.
Saturday, 26 October
John 1:12-13 and 3:16
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God….For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
For God’s grace to have meaning in your life, you must receive it!
Of course, this is obvious in life, isn’t it? Someone may buy you a gift that costs them a lot, and give it to you from their heart. But if you have some problem with them and don’t accept or receive the gift, then the giving isn’t complete. Likewise, it isn’t enough that Jesus has died on the cross for you to purchase your forgiveness from God. Even though He offers you forgiveness, that forgiveness is not yours until you accept and receive it.
How do you do that? By faith. That is, let God know that you’re choosing to trust in Jesus, that His death on the cross was an expression of God’s grace for you. When you put your faith in Jesus, then the gift of forgiveness becomes yours.
Friday, 25 October
Psalm 84:10-12
“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour. No good thing does he withhold form those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
Think of what you’re missing when you don’t put God first in your life!
When you go your own way, you miss the very best part of life. In fact, walking with God is so much better than a worldly life that one day spent in fellowship with God is better than a thousand days out of fellowship with him.
Someone who has not experienced the joy of God’s blessing and favour and presence cannot fathom this. To them the Christian life is just a bunch of don’ts and a hard slog of battling to do better.
But we who have experienced a close relationship with God know that Christianity is not about “doing better” but about knowing and loving God and experiencing his loving presence. What could be better than that? Nothing!
Walk his way, and he promises that he’ll withhold no good thing. Do you hear God’s invitation to you today to put him first and experience his joy?