Morning, August 29 Go To Evening Reading
“Have mercy upon me, O God.”
—Psalm 51:1
When Dr. Carey was suffering from a dangerous illness, the inquiry was made, “If this sickness should prove fatal, what passage would you select as the text for your funeral sermon?” He replied, “Oh, I feel that such a poor sinful creature is unworthy of having anything said about him; but if a funeral sermon must be preached, let it be from the words, ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.’ ” In the same spirit of humility, he directed in his will that the following inscription and nothing more should be cut on his gravestone:—
William Carey, Born August 17th, 1761: Died- -
“A wretched, poor, and helpless worm
On thy kind arms, I fall.”
Only on the footing of free grace can the most experienced and most honored of the saints approach their God. The best men are conscious above all others that they are men at their best. Empty boats float high, but heavily laden vessels are low in the water; mere professors can boast, but true children of God cry for mercy upon their unprofitableness. We need that the Lord should have understanding upon our good works, our prayers, our preachings, our alms-givings, and our holiest things. The blood was not only sprinkled upon the doorposts of Israel’s dwelling houses, but upon the sanctuary, the mercy seat, and the altar because as sin intrudes into our holiest things, the blood of Jesus is needed to purify them from defilement. If mercy is required to be exercised towards our duties, what shall be said of our sins? How sweet the remembrance that inexhaustible mercy is waiting to be gracious to us, to restore our backslidings, and make our broken bones rejoice!
Go To Morning Reading Evening, August 29
“All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.”
—Numbers 6:4
Nazarites had taken, among other vows, one which debarred them from using wine. So that they might not violate the obligation, they were forbidden to drink the vinegar of wine or strong liquors, and to make the rule still more precise, they were not to touch the unfermented juice of grapes nor even to eat the fruit either fresh or dried. To secure the integrity of the vow, they were not even allowed anything that had to do with the vine; they were, in fact, to avoid the appearance of evil. Indeed, this is a lesson to the Lord’s separated ones o come away from sin in every form, to prevent its grosser shapes, and to teach them t even its spirit and similitude. Strict walking is much despised these days, but rest assured dear reader, it is both the safest and the happiest. He who yields a point or two to the world is in fearful peril; he who eats the grapes of Sodom will soon drink the wine of Gomorrah. A little crevice in the sea bank in Holland lets in the sea, and the gap speedily swells till a province is drowned. Worldly conformity, in any degree, is a snare to the soul and makes it more and more liable to presumptuous sins.
Moreover, as the Nazarite who drank grape juice could not be entirely sure whether it might not have endured a degree of fermentation and consequently could not be apparent in the heart that his vow was intact, so the yielding, temporizing Christian cannot wear a conscience void of offense, but must feel that the inward monitor is in doubt of him. Things are doubtful we need not doubt about; they are wrong to us. Things tempting we must not dally with but flee from them with speed. Better be sneered at as a Puritan than be despised as a hypocrite. Careful walking may involve much self-denial, but it has pleasures of its own which are more than a sufficient recompense.
Spurgeon, C. H. Morning and Evening: Daily Readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896. Print.
August 29: Becoming a Saved People
Isaiah 60:1–62:12; Luke 22:63–23:25; Job 13:13–28
For Luke, Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah’s message. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, according to Luke, Jesus opened the Isaiah scroll in a synagogue and proclaimed that the words in Isa 61 are about Him (Luke 4:17–19): “The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and liberation to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and our God’s day of vengeance, to comfort all those in mourning” (Isa 61:1–2). This moment defines what Jesus’ life would mean—and He was immediately persecuted for claiming the authority rightfully given to Him by God (Luke 4:20–30).
Luke’s message—an extension of Isaiah’s—is played out further near the end of Jesus’ life. Jesus’ claim to authority resulted in His being sentenced to death (Luke 23). It is easy to view the events of Jesus’ life as proof that He was the figure Isaiah prophesied—that He was exactly who He said He was. But if we stop there, we miss the larger picture. Luke has an agenda: He draws on Isaiah and uses the story of Jesus reading in the synagogue because he intends for our lives to be changed by Jesus. We are the oppressed receiving the good news. We are the captives being liberated. We are meant to be a people called out to follow Him (Isa 40:1–2; 53:10–12).
When we look upon Jesus—the Suffering Servant, Messiah, prophet, and savior—we should be confronted with the reality that we’re still far from what He has called us to be. We should be prompted to put Him at the center of our lives. We should be encouraged to change. We must realize our place as the people He has saved and respond with gratitude.
How is Jesus’ sacrifice changing your life?
John D. Barry
Barry, John D., and Rebecca Kruyswijk. Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012. Print.
August 29th
Sublime intimacy
I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? John 11:40.
Every time you venture out in the life of faith, you will find something in your commonsense circumstances that flatly contradicts your faith. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the natural and spiritual relation. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture heroically on Jesus Christ’s statements when the facts of your commonsense life shout, ‘It’s a lie? On the mount, it is easy to say—‘Oh yes, I believe God can do it; but you have to come down into the demon-possessed valley and meet with facts that laugh ironically at the whole of your mount-of-transfiguration belief. Every time my belief program is clear to my mind, I come across something that contradicts it. Let me say I believe God will supply all my needs, and then let me run dry, with no outlook, and see whether I will go through the trial of faith or sink back to something lower.
Faith must be tested because it can only be turned into a personal possession through conflict. What is your faith up against just now? The test will either prove that your faith is right or kill it. “Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” The final thing is confidence in Jesus. Believe steadfastly in Him, and all you come up against will develop your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith, and the last great test is death. May God keep us in fighting trim! Faith is unutterable trust in God which never dreams that He will not stand by us.
Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest: Selections for the Year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering, 1986. Print.
August 29
Ye serve the Lord Christ
Col. 3:24
Our business as Christians is to serve the Lord in every industry of life.
Mark Guy Pearse
Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.
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