"This Is It!"

Read: 1 Thess. 4:13-17

The Lord Himself will descend from heaven .... Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up. --- 1 Thess. 4:16-17

The Bible In One Year:
Job 28-30
Proverbs 15:12-21

Have you ever had a time when you thought the Lord was coming back right then? Many believers in Jesus are so eager to "meet the Lord in the air," as Scripture puts it [1 Thess. 4:17], that they have felt "This is it!" at one time or another.

My wife, Sue, who once worked in a Christian nursing home, recalls being aboard an elevator at the facility when she had "second coming" thoughts. She had closed the door and started up to the second floor when the elevator came to a halt. Sue was stuck between floors. As she waited, there was a jolt and a quick flash of light --- and then nothing again.

Sue recalled later that the power of the light and movement startled her and made her think that something unusual was happening. In that moment, her mind went toward the much-anticipated return of Jesus. It was a "This is it!" moment.

Whether we have experienced this feeling is not important. What is absolutely vital is that we know we are ready at any time for the Lord's return. If we have received Jesus as our Savior, we will find ourselves anticipating with excitement His appearing --- eager to "stir up love and good works" in one another as we "see the Day approaching" [Heb. 10:24-25]. --- Dave Branon

A little while --- then Christ will come;
The glorious hour draws nigh
When He will come to take His bride
To dwell with Him on high. --- Gilmore

CHRIST'S SECOND COMING IS AS CERTAIN AS HIS FIRST.

True Teamwork

Read: 1 Cor. 9:19-27

They [train] to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. --- 1 Corinthians 9:25

The Bible In One Year:
Job 25-27
Proverbs 15:1-11

Sports bring out the best and the worst in people. The news media often focus on the worst. Those who comfort players with the phrase, "It's not whether you win or lose that counts; it's how you play the game" seldom make world news. But once in a while they do.

After a baseball team from Georgia defeated a team from Japan in the Little League World Series, one reporter wrote: "The boys from Warner Robins left a lasting impression of their inner character for the world to see. They proved again, it's not whether you win or lose that counts. It is, how you play the game."

When the losing players broke down in tears, the winning team members stopped their victory celebration to console them. "I just hated to see them cry," said pitcher Kendall Scott, "and I just wanted to let them know that I care." Some referred to the moment as "sportsmanship at its best."

It was indeed heartwarming, but it points out that sports --- even at its best --- is an imperfect metaphor for Christianity. In sports, someone always loses. But when someone is won to Christ, the only loser is Satan.

For Christians, true teamwork is not about defeating opponents; it's about recruiting them to join our team [1 Cor. 9:19-22]. --- Julie Ackerman Link

Lord, too often I view as my enemies those who don't know You.
Help me love them as You love them.
Help me gently share Your truth with them.
Help me see them as part of Your great mission field. Amen.

TACT IS THE KNACK OF WINNING A POINT WITHOUT MAKING AN ENEMY.

The Eye Of God

Read: 2 Chronicles 16:7-14

They eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. --- 2 Chronicles 16:9

The Bible In One Year:
Psalms 93-95

The Hubble Space Telescope has taken photos of the Helix Nebula. Some astronomers describe it as "a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases." At its center is a dying star that has ejected dust and gas stretching toward its outer rim. Remarkable photos of it look like the blue iris of a human eye complete with eyelids. Because of this, some have called it the "Eye of God."

Although this nebula is not literally the eye of God, the Scriptures do talk about God's gaze on our lives. The prophet Hanani said, "The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" [2 Chron. 16:9].

This proclamation of God's all-seeing eye was given in response to King Asa's reliance upon another ruler for military security. Asa seemed to have forgotten that it was the Lord God, not mere soldiers, who had given him past victories over his enemies [14:11-12]. This spiritual disloyalty did not escape the notice of God, who seeks to pour out blessing on acts of obedience to Him.

Although we cannot see the eyes of God, we can be assured that He sees us. His desire is to show Himself strong to those who are loyal to Him with their whole heart. --- Dennis Fisher

Precious promise God hath given
To the weary passerby,
On the way from earth to heaven,
"I will guide thee with Mine eye." --- Niles

TO KNOW THAT GOD SEES US BRINGS BOTH CONVICTION AND COMFORT.

Open The Shutters

Read: Ephesians 5:8-14

Walk as children of light. --- Ephesians 5:8

The Bible In One Year:
Galatians 1-6
Proverbs 14:25-35

Have you heard of the 17th-century theologian Samuel Rutherford? Perhaps it's time to resurrect his faith-inspiring memory.

Rutherford, a member of the council that wrote the Westminster Confession, was imprisoned because of his beliefs. While in prison, he wrote this soul-strengthening letter expressing the joy that sustained him through his trials: "If God had told me some time ago that He was about to make me as happy as I could be in this world, and then had told me that He should begin by crippling me in all my limbs, and removing me from all my usual sources of enjoyment, I should have thought it a very strange mode of accomplishing His purpose. And yet, how is His wisdom manifest even in this! For if you should see a man shut up in a closed room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wished to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all his lamps; and then throw open the shutters to let in the light of heaven."

When the candles that light up on our darkness are blown out, let's rejoice that God is throwing open shuttered windows and pouring in the sunshine of His love.

Like Samuel Rutherford, let's "walk as children of light" [Eph. 5:8]. --- Vernon Grounds

Afflictions may test me,
They cannot destroy;
One glimpse of Thy love
Turns them all into joy. --- Willett

WE VALUE THE LIGHT MORE FULLY AFTER WE'VE COME THROUGH THE DARKNESS.

The Greatest Race

Read: 1 Corinthians 13

Love never fails. --- 1 Corinthians 13:8

The Bible In One Year:
Job 22-24
Proverbs 14:12-24

As the Olympic Games open in Beijing, my thoughts go back to Eric Liddell, a former champion immortalized for his surprising gold medal victory in the 400 meters during the 1924 Games in Paris. A year after his triumph, Liddell went to China, where he spent the last 20 years of his life as a missionary teacher and rural pastor. There he ran the greatest race of his life against opponents we all know --- difficult circumstances, war, uncertainty, and disease.

Crowded into a Japanese internment camp with 1,500 other people, Eric lived out the words he had paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 13:6-8 --- "Love is never glad when others go wrong. Love finds no pleasure in injustice, but rejoices in the truth. Love is always slow to expose, it knows how to be silent. Love is always eager to believe the best about a person. Love is full of hope, full of patient endurance; love never fails."

Eric served the others in camp, whether carrying water for the elderly or refereeing games for the teens. When he died of a brain tumor in February 1945, one internee described him as a man "who lived better than he preached."

In life's most difficult race, Eric Liddell crossed the finish line victorious through love. --- David McCasland

O for a love that knows no end,
A love that's strong and pure,
Reaching afar to both foe and friend,
So deep it will always endure. --- R. De Haan

LOVE ENABLES US TO WALK FEARLESSLY, TO RUN CONFIDENTLY, AND TO LIVE VICTORIOUSLY.

God's Training School

Read: Romans 8:12-17

[We are] heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him. --- Romans 8:17

The Bible In One Year:
Job 19-21
Proverbs 14:1-11

Lew Wallace's book Ben-Hur tells the story of a Jewish aristocrat betrayed by his best friend and condemned to serve as a galley slave in the Roman navy. On a forced march to the ship, Judah Ben-Hur meets Jesus of Nazareth, whose compassion fills him with hope. Eventually, Ben-Hur saves the Roman commander during battle. In gratitude, the commander adopts Ben-Hur as his son, instantly elevating him from slave to heir.

That's what happens to us when God adopts us into His family. But great privilege brings great responsibility. Paul said that we become "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him" [Rom. 8:17]. The gospel does not say, "Come to Jesus and live happily ever after." God's syllabus for His children's education includes training through hardships.

Ben-Hur's years of enduring hardship as a Roman slave strengthened him and increased his endurance. He eventually defeated his "friend-turned-enemy" in a chariot race.

As endurance and training were key to Ben-Hur's victory, so are they vital to victory in the Christian's war with sin and evil. The hard times we endure are God's way to prepare us for greater service for His glory. --- C.P. Hia

So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred,
To eyes made blind because they will not see,
To spend though it be blood --- to spend and spare not ---
So send I you to taste of Calvary. --- Clarkson

WE CONQUER BY CONTINUING.

The Apprentice

Read: Joshua 1:1-7

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. --- Joshua 1:5

The Bible In One Year:
Job 16-18
Proverbs 13:13-25

When some employers were asked what makes a good apprentice, they responded that they seek to hire "someone who wants to learn."

In the Bible, a good example of an apprentice is Joshua. We remember Joshua for marching around the wall of Jericho. He also had some important responsibilities as a spy [Num. 13:16] and as a warrior [Ex.17:10]. But he was often in the shadow of someone else --- Moses. For 40 years, Joshua served as Moses' assistant, aide, and apprentice [Ex. 24:13].

God takes His own time to prepare us for service. Sometimes that period of waiting is as valuable as learning all the needed, strategies and goals. Joshua observed Moses' faith in God. He learned what it meant to be humble [Num. 12:3], how to take instruction [Ex. 17:10]. and how to be a true servant of God [Josh 1:1; 24:29]. Even a display of Moses' tempter [Num. 20:7-12] was an opportunity to watch and learn. By spending time with Moses, Joshua learned things that couldn't be learned from a book.

Joshua's own time to lead was coming. And when it came, he was able to trust God's promise to him: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you" [Josh. 1:5]. --- Cindy Hess Kasper

People who become great leaders
Sometimes need to learn
How to serve and follow others ---
Then they'll get their turn. --- Sper

A PERSON WHO IS NOT WILLING TO FOLLOW IS NOT PREPARED TO LEAD.

Spiritual Therapy

Read: Psalm 88

LORD, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? --- Psalm 88:14

The Bible In One Year:
Job 13-15
Proverbs 13:1-12

I once wrote a book titled Disappointment With God. My publishers worried that it seemed heretical to introduce a book with such a title into Christian bookstores. In the process of writing it, however, I found that the Bible includes detailed accounts of people sorely disappointed with God. Job and Moses had it out with God, as did Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and many of the unnamed psalmists.

It seems strange for sacred writings to include scenes of spiritual failure, but this reflects an important principle. A marriage therapist will warn couples, "Your relationship may get worse before it gets better." Misunderstandings must be exposed before true understanding can flourish. The psalmists do not rationalize anger or give abstract advice about pain; rather, they express emotions vividly and loudly, directing their feelings primarily at God. The anguished conclusion of Psalm 88 provides ample evidence [vv. 13-18].

The psalms present a mosaic of spiritual therapy in process. Doubt, paranoia, giddiness, delight, hatred, joy, praise, vengefulness, betrayal --- you find it all in the psalms. From them I learn to bring to God whatever I feel about Him. I need not paper over my failures; far better to bring my weaknesses to Him, who alone has the power to heal. --- Philip Yancey

Do you fear the gathering clouds of sorrow?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus;
Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow?
Tell it to Jesus alone. --- Rankin

AN HONEST TALK WITH GOD IS THE FIRST STEP IN FINDING PEACE OF MIND.

A Place To Stand

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. --- 1 Corinthians 3:11

The Bible In One Year:
Job 10-12
Proverbs 12:15-28

While taking a break during a ministry trip, we were snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea. The boat that had taken us to the deep water for better sites had gone back to shore, and I began to feel panicky about being in the open water. Finding it hard to control my breathing, I asked my son-in-law Todd and a friend, Dave Velzen, for help. They held my arms while I searched for an outcropping of coral close enough to the surface for me to stand on. Once I had a place to stand, even though surrounded by deep waters, I was okay.

Are you feeling a bit panicky about events in your life? Maybe it seems as if you are surrounded by the open waters of relationship problems, or money woes, or simply an inability to put your life in order. Perhaps you feel as if you are drowning in a sea of trials and trouble.

May I suggest two things? First, find a fellow Christian or two who can come beside you and hold you up [see Eccl. 4:10], pray for you, talk with you, and remind you that you are not alone. Then rest your feet on the only solid foundation in life: Jesus Christ [1 Cor. 3:11].

Life's troubles are too tough to take on alone. Get some help and find in Jesus a place to stand. --- Dave Brannan

God often meets our deepest need
With help we gain from others,
From caring members of His church ---
Our sisters and our brothers. --- Brown

BUILD YOUR LIFE ON THE SOLID FOUNDATION --- JESUS CHRIST.

Tell Me The Story

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:1-11

All these things happened to them as examples, and ... for our admonition. --- 1 Corinthians 10:11

The Bible In One Year:
Psalms 90-92


Now that I have grandkids, I'm back into the classic children's Bible stories. Wide-eyed stories like David and Goliath, Noah's ark, and Jonah and the big fish quickly capture a child's imagination!

But there's a danger here --- not with the stories themselves but rather with our attitude toward them. If we view them simply as kids' stories, kind of like the Grimm's Fairy Tales of the Bible, we miss the point.

The stories of the Bible were never meant to be outgrown. There are profound lessons to be learned from the amazing accounts of those who faced giants, floods, and fish!

Hundreds of years after the fact, the apostle Paul explained that the things that happened to Moses and the Israelites as they wandered through the desert "happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition" [1 Cor. 10:11]. These stories are about us. They mirror the tensions we face daily as we too seek to apply God's will and ways to the realities of our lives. They teach us of the treachery of sin, our desperate need to trust God unflinchingly, and the importance of staying faithful and true to Him regardless of what happens.

Don't ignore the old stories. You might be surprised what Gods to teach you through them. --- Joe Stowell

We learn the blessed Word of God
To fix it firmly in our heart;
And when we act upon that Word
Its truth from us will not depart. --- D. De Haan

STORIES FROM THE PAST CAN GIVE US POINTERS FOR THE PRESENT.

They Are The Problem

Read: 2 Cor. 10:12-18

He who glories, let him glory in the LORD. --- 2 Corinthians 10:17

The Bible In One Year:
2 Corinthians 10-13
Proverbs 12:1-14

Researchers from Virginia Tech University, along with police administrators, recently determined that distracted drivers put others in more danger than aggressive drivers. Drivers who eat, discipline children in the backseat, or talk on the phone are the most hazardous.

When residents in Grand Rapids, Michigan, were asked about the bad habits of drivers that made the highways unsafe, most felt that others caused more problems than they themselves. One woman said that she talked on her cell phone a little, but at least she didn't dial the phone numbers while on the road. She concluded her comments by stating that others "aren't following the rules of the road... They put us all at risk."

It's our nature to point a finger at others. The apostle Paul talked about fellow teachers who avoided looking at their own behavior and instead attacked him [2 Cor. 10:12-18]. He wrote, "They, measuring themselves, ... are not wise" [v.12].

When we don't look at our own actions but instead compare ourselves with others, we often come out looking good. But, as Paul said, it's the Lord's commendation that counts, not our own approval of ourselves [v.18]. --- Anne Cetas

The faults I see in others' lives
Are often true of me;
So help me, Lord, to recognize
My own hypocrisy. --- Sper

IF YOU MUST COMPARE YOURSELF WITH SOMEONE, COMPARE YOURSELF WITH CHRIST.

The Midwife's Tale

Read: John 3:1-8

The wind blows where it wishes .... So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. --- John 3:8

The Bible In One Year:
Job 7-9
Proverbs 11:22-31

Historian Laurel Ulrich received a Pulitzer Prize for her book The Midwife's Tale. The book was based on the diary of Martha Ballard, who lived during the American Revolution. Martha was a midwife who traveled by canoe, horse, or sometimes on foot to assist women in delivering their babies. At a time when many women died in childbirth, Martha's track record was extraordinary. In more than 1,000 deliveries, she never lost a mother in childbirth.

In God's kingdom, there is a spiritual Helper who produces new life. But His role is to bring about "second birth" [John 3:5-8]. The Holy Spirit uses a variety of ways to accomplish this. He convicts the world of sin [John 16:8], empowers the gospel [1 Thess. 1:5], regenerates us from within [Titus 3:5], and places believers into eternal union with Christ [1 Cor. 12:12-13]. Though He is invisible, His life-changing activity can be clearly seen.

Jesus said of the Holy Spirit: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit? [John 3:8].

The Spirit desires to use us in sharing the gospel so others can experience that second birth. --- Dennis Fisher

God sent the Holy Spirit after
Christ ascended from this earth,
And this we know --- He's left us here
To share good news of second birth. --- Hess

The Holy Spirit is the Christian's source of power.