AN OBSTRUCTED VIEW

Job 42:1–9 We need to see ourselves as we truly are, but we can’t do that on our own. Our communities can help us glimpse a more accurate reflection, but we truly know ourselves only when we know God. His light brings us understanding. After suffering incredible loss, Job tries to understand his pain. He speaks some truth, but he often misunderstands God’s motives and minimizes His love. As his friends try to help him grapple with his grief, they sometimes point out truth, but more often they cause even more pain and confusion. It’s only when God arrives to enlighten Job’s understanding that everything changes. First God questions Job’s knowledge (Job 38:19–21), power (Job 38:25–38), and ideas about justice (Job 40:10–12). Then He shows Job that He is all of these things. The realization exposes Job’s heart. “Then Job answered Yahweh and said, ‘I know that you can do all things, and any scheme from you will not be thwarted. “Who is this darkening counsel without knowledge?” Therefore I uttered, but I did not understand; things too wonderful for me, but I did not know. “Hear and I will speak; I will question you, then inform me.” By the ear’s hearing I heard of you, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes’ ” (Job 42:1–6). We might struggle to understand our frailty before a God who is all-knowing and all-powerful. We might be blinded by pride and self-righteousness, which can hinder us from seeing our need for God. But it is only then that we discover how we can be redeemed from our needy state. Although God had never stopped loving Job, He further demonstrated His love by blessing Job once again. We can be convinced of God’s love for us because He sent His only Son to die for our sins. Although He is great and we are small, He was willing to die for our sins. We can be assured of His love for us. What area of your life is filled with pride? How can you humbly allow God to expose who you truly are?

SETTLE BACK ON CHRIST

Settle Back on Christ October 29 The effect on me is to make me settle back on Christ and on His teaching as the only rest. Among all the voices, each saying a different thing, what a comfort it is to have His dear authoritative voice saying “I know, listen to me; I will tell you the whole truth. I speak only what the Father tells me to say. I am the truth, believe me, follow me.” I feel as if this was the greatest rest, and I have taken to reading His words with real avidity. I am going to pin my faith on to Him, and let all the other voices go. I mean on to His written word, something I can be sure of. As to inward voices, I am convinced there is no certainty there. And as to emotions and visions, I have lost every particle of confidence in them. Mrs. “Moses” sees visions continually, and has Christ present with her in bodily form every few days and talks with Him and He tells her she is all right! And as to Harris, his visions are endless. But the dear plain simple old Bible is not visionary or emotional. It deals with facts about God, and I am just going to believe those facts and there have it. And among other things Christ said, “Ask and ye shall receive.” He must have known, so that is what I mean to do. —To Sister, Camas, Idaho, July 28, 1881

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:10. I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me; repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause—It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God, and by the supernatural miracle of God’s grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The spirit of God brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do not know how, that I am saved. The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement: The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done—“It is finished.”

DREAMS OF REDEMPTION

Daniel 4:1–37 I’ve known people who seemed beyond saving—who seemed to have gone too far down the wrong path to ever turn to the right one. But in the Bible we see that this is not the case. God is capable of turning anyone’s heart. One of the most shocking examples is Nebuchadnezzar. In a decree to all the nations he rules (and perhaps other nations as well), Nebuchadnezzar remarks: “It is pleasing to me to recount the signs and wonders that the Most High God worked for me. How great are his signs and wonders, how strong is his kingdom, an everlasting kingdom; and his sovereignty is from generation to generation” (Dan 4:2–3). He then goes on to recount a dream that Yahweh planted in his mind. Before Nebuchadnezzar experiences redemption, he tastes humiliation and endures great trials (Dan 4:28–33). But Yahweh does not intend to merely humble the king—He intends to make him a righteous man who can be used for His good purposes. We don’t know whether Nebuchadnezzar ever fully accepts Yahweh as his God and turns from his evil practices, but it does seem that he experiences repentance: “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and then my reason returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and the one who lives forever I praised and I honored” (Dan 4:34). In return, God restores him. We can never predict how God will use people, and at times we may be shocked by whom He uses. Some people we think are lost may end up being found after all. Let’s dream of redemption for those who need it most. What people in your life need redemption? For whom are you praying? Have you lost hope about anyone God may still redeem? JOHN D. BARRY

RED ROPES AND RESTRICTED ACCESS

1 Thessalonians 3:6–4:12 I often want to keep certain areas of my life roped off. God can reign over some of my relationships, but not to the extent that I need to make gut-wrenching decisions to fall in line with His will. God can move in my Bible study, but I keep the chaos of my work life outside the bounds of His sovereignty. I am in charge, I think, and I allow only restricted access. We might not readily admit it, but subconsciously we often operate with this mindset. Paul speaks to the Thessalonians about the nature of faith. He spent time with the believers in Thessalonica, instructing them about God and life. He now sends word to encourage them to move along in faith. “We ask you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you have received from us how it is necessary for you to live and to please God, just as indeed you are living, that you progress even more” (1 Thess 4:1). He continues to instruct them in sanctification—the work of becoming holy by serving God, loving God, and loving others. Even though he is grateful for the Thessalonian believers’ faith, Paul doesn’t want them to remain at a standstill. He doesn’t want his example to be their measuring rod. He turns the believers over to Christ, entreating them to pursue Him. God doesn’t expect us to meet a faith quota. He wants to claim all areas of our lives fully for Himself. This is not an option; it is “necessary for you to live and to please God” (1 Thess 4:1). Nothing escapes His notice or His attention. But He doesn’t expect us to go about this work on our own—that would only result in disaster. He gives us His Spirit, through whom He continues to form and shape us. Whether it’s our relationships, our work life, or our time spent studying and pondering His Word, God expects our total allegiance. Do you want to allow God only restricted access to your life? Pray today about an area of your life that needs to be transformed. REBECCA KRUYSWIJK

GOOD OPPORTUNITIES AND DIFFICULT DECISIONS

Daniel 1:1–2:16 When Daniel is invited to dine at the king’s table—a great honor reserved for the favored (Dan 1:1–4)—he turns down the offer. Instead of eating food and wine fit for a king, Daniel and the other Israelites settle on a diet of vegetables and water (Dan 1:12). Daniel’s decision seems to contradict human nature. When a good situation comes along (like being invited to eat at the royal table), we often jump at the chance. Yet in doing so, we may fail to consider the ramifications. Daniel knows that eating at the king’s table means compromising Yahweh’s commands against eating certain foods. So when he’s offered a great opportunity, he is bold enough to say no and to offer an alternative (Dan 1:10–14). Daniel knows that God will provide for those who love Him. He also knows that being in God’s will is more important than anything else, even if it means facing opposition. Paul’s statement in 1 Thess 2:2 demonstrates that he understood this as well: “But after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi … we had the courage in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.” Opposition did not deter Paul from doing what was right in God’s eyes, just as it didn’t prevent Daniel from keeping God’s commands. When we’re faced with the promises of this world, how do we react? Do we boldly pursue money, fame, or power? Or do we deny these things for the sake of following God’s will? The purpose to which we’ve been called is too important to be set aside for things that will fade over time. We must be willing to face opposition boldly instead of pursuing what the world has to offer. Even when we have to depend on a miracle—as Daniel depended on God to keep him healthy when others were eating better food—we must make God’s will the priority. No matter how difficult it becomes, we have to seek God’s will. When we consider that our relationship with God is eternal, what matters is not the opinion of one king, but the opinion of the King of the universe. What opportunities do you have that are not God’s will? JOHN D. BARRY

CONSTANTLY IN PRAYER

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 Desperate circumstances often dictate our prayers. We pray for others when they’re in need, or we thank God for others when they fill our needs. But how often do we thank God for the faith of those around us? When Paul writes to the believers in Thessalonica, he opens by saying, “We give thanks to God always concerning all of you, making mention constantly in our prayers” (1 Thess 1:2). Paul and his disciples thank God for their “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father” (1 Thess 1:3). Those who appear to be moving along well by our standards may be struggling in their faith. Other believers, just like us, go through ebbs and flows in their journey. It shouldn’t take a catastrophe for us to recognize their need for prayer. We can learn something from Paul, a church planter and disciple maker who was no doubt keenly aware of the growth and struggles of the believers he mentored. For those of us who are less observant, these struggles may simmer underneath our radar. We should stop and take notice of the faith journeys of the people around us—people in our churches, our schools, and our workplaces. For whom can you thank God today? Who needs your observant prayers today?