DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

August 31   I would have you without carefulness         1 Cor. 7:32 Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear. Rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto—do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations. Francis de Sales Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

August 31: Walking with Jesus Isaiah 65:1–66:24; Luke 24:13–53; Job 14:11–22 Imagine encountering Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It would be a surreal experience. You’re walking to the next town, and you start a conversation with a man beside you, only to find out later that you’ve been talking with the resurrected Son of God. Even more surreal, the topic of conversation up to your moment of discovery has been the death of the man walking with you (Luke 24:13–35). I have often wondered what it would be like to meet Jesus face to face—to have Him explain to me how He exists in the biblical text from Moses, in all the prophets, and in all Scripture (Luke 24:27). How different would my life be after that experience? Would I rethink everything I had known and heard—perhaps everything I do? Asking these questions is not only healthy, it also turns on our spiritual GPS. Are we on the path God has called us to? Have we strayed in one direction or another? Are we caught in some odd rou...

August 31st My joy … your joy That My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:11. What was the joy that Jesus had? It is an insult to use the word happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. “I delight to do Thy will.” Jesus prayed that our joy might go on fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me? The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happenings, not in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that Jesus Himself had. The first thing that will hinder this joy is the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances. The cares of this world, said Jesus, will choke God’s word. Before we know where we are, we are caught up in the shows of things. A...

Morning, August 31                                               Go To Evening Reading           “On mine arm shall they trust.”          — Isaiah 51:5 In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father’s arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened ...

August 30 Lesson 13 A PLEA TO RETURN TO GOD DEVOTIONAL READING: Psalm 24:4–10 BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE : Malachi 3:1–12 ; Matthew 7:12 MALACHI 3:1–10 1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and ...

Lesson for August 30, 2015 A Plea to Return to God Malachi 3:1-12 ; Matthew 7:12 This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD . It is published in the August 23 issue of  The Lookout  magazine, and is also available online at  www.lookoutmag.com . ______ By Sam E. Stone  During the past three months we have seen how various Old Testament prophets took God’s demand for justice to the people. We have considered Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah . Though their careers spanned several hundred years, they preached a single message: the nation’s relationship to God called for faith and obedience. When the prophet Malachi came on the scene, a remnant of the Jewish nation had returned from captivity and rebuilt the temple. His name means “messenger,” and his book concludes the Old Testament . After Malachi, 400 years passed with no prophet from God until the ...

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015 | EPIPHANY LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD YEAR B              Old Testament       2 Kings 2:1–12a               Psalm       Psalm 148              New Testament       2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2              New Testament       2 Corinthians 4:3–6 ( Supplemental )               Gospel       Mark 9:2–9 Christian Worship Three Year Lectionary (with Supplemental Lectionary). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009. Print.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 | AFTER PENTECOST PROPER 17 YEAR B               Old Testament       Song of Solomon 2:8–13              Psalm       Psalm 45:1–2, 6–9 or Psalm 72 (UMH 795)              New Testament       James 1:17–27              Gospel       Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23 Vanderbilt Divinity Library. United Methodist Revised Common Lectionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009. Print.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 | ORDINARY TIME TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B | ROMAN MISSAL               First Reading       Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–8               Response       Psalm 15:1a               Psalm       Psalm 15:2–5               Second Reading       James 1:17–18, 21b–22, 27               Gospel Acclamation       James 1:18               Gospel       Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23 Catholic Lectionary . Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009. Print.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 | PENTECOST PROPER 17 YEAR B               Old Testament       Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–9              Psalm       Psalm 119:129–136              Epistle       Ephesians 6:10–20              Gospel       Mark 7:14–23 Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009. Print.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 | AFTER PENTECOST PROPER 17 YEAR B               Psalm       Psalm 15              First Reading       Deuteronomy 4:1–9              Second Reading       Ephesians 6:10–20              Gospel       Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23 The Episcopal Church. Book of Common Prayer (1979) Sunday Lectionary. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010. Print.

August 29   Ye serve the Lord Christ         Col. 3:24 Our business as Christians is to serve the Lord in every business 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.

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 ...

August 29th Sublime intimacy Said 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 relation of the natural and the spiritual. 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 programme of belief is clear to my own mind, I come across something that contradicts it. Let me say I believe God will supply all my need, and then let me run dry, ...

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 enquiry 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 to have 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:—         ...

Anemone ‎The “lilies of the field” were not really lilies but a plant belonging to the genus of anemone like this classic anemone coronaria. In spring, thousands of those plants grow on the fields of the land after the downpours in the rainy season. ‎Matt 6:28 ; Luke 12:27

Lord of Hosts Isaiah 9:7 Lord of Hosts ( KJV : ‘Lord of Sabaoth’ ) , a term describing all the forces that operate at God’s command throughout his whole creation ( e.g. , Ps. 89:6-8 ). It is an old title for God who, in the role of divine warrior, was the leader of the armies of Israel. He was believed to be enthroned upon the cherubim on the Ark of the covenant . For that reason, when the Israelites were preparing to go to war against the Philistines, they sent to the shrine at Shiloh in order to get the Ark , so that God , who was enthroned on the cherubim, might accompany them into battle, thus ensuring, they thought, their success ( 1 Sam. 4:4 ). In the NT , the term occurs in Rom. 9:29 and James 5:4 . See also Names of God in the Old Testament .      M.A.F.  Achtemeier, Paul J., Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature. Harper’s Bible dictionary 1985 : 574. Print.

The Levite and His Dead ‎The tragic fate of the Levite’s wife had of course been far more terrible than anything he had imagined possible. Even when he saw her body on the doorstep, he could not believe her dead. “And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered.” When he realized the full truth, he was like a madman. Hastily saddling an ass, he laid the woman’s body upon the animal and hurried wildly forth from the horrible city. He was determined to summon all Israel to aid him in his vengeance. ‎Reaching his home in Ephraim, he divided the dead body into twelve parts and sent one to each of the twelve tribes, that they might see for themselves the wrong that had been done. “And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt.” The message which the Levite sent out with his grim tokens, was that all men should “consider of it, take advice, and speak.” ...

Hunter with Dogs and Gazelle ‎The Bible doesn’t explicitly mention hunting with dogs among the ancient Jews but Josephus does in his Antiquities, book 4 chapter 8 section 9 . This Egyptian picture shows a successful hunter carrying a gazelle and leading his leashed hunting dogs. Among the Egyptians were specialists in handling hunting dogs, who often worked their dogs in tandem with a hunter in a chariot. This would explain the absence of hunting weapons in this picture. ‎ Lev 17:13 , Ps 22:20 , Prov 6:5 , Jer 16:16

I am the Bread of Life John 6:35 6:35 . I am the Bread of Life . This corrected two more errors in their   V 2, p 296  thinking: (1) The food of which He spoke refers to a Person , not a commodity. (2) And once someone is in right relationship to Jesus , he finds a satisfaction which is everlasting, not temporal. This “I am” statement is the first in a series of momentous “I am” revelations ( cf . 8:12 ; 10:7 , 9 , 11 , 14 ; 11:25 ; 14:6 ; 15:1 , 5 ). “Bread of Life” means bread which provides life. Jesus is man’s necessary “food.” In Western culture, bread is often optional, but it was an essential staple then. Jesus promised, He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty. The “nevers” are emphatic in Greek. Blum, Edwin A. “John.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures . Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 295–296. Print.

Promises Made to David Isaiah 55:1–5 The “sure mercies of David” (KJV) or promises made to David would culminate in one who would be (1) witness, (2) leader, and (3) commander of the peoples. Once this one had been glorified, he would attract other peoples to his cause ( 55:4f. ). Smith, James E. The Major Prophets. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1992. Print. Old Testament Survey Series.

Mt. Tabor from Nazareth ridge

Character of the New Man Therefore, v as the elect of God, holy and beloved, w put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; x bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. [1] (Colossians 3:12-13, NKJV) 3:12 . Again Paul called on believers to take a decisive action: Clothe yourselves ( endysasthe ). Because they have “put on (endysamenoi) the new self” ( v. 10 ), they should live accordingly, with appropriate attributes and attitudes. In verses 8–9 Paul listed six vices ( anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, and lying ). Now in contrast to them, Christ ians — as God’s chosen people ( cf . Rom. 8:33 ; Titus 1:1 ), holy ( “separated to God ” ; cf . Col. 1:2 ) and dearly loved ( cf . Rom. 5:8 ; 1 John 4:9–11 , 19 )—are to have several virtues. These include compassion ( splanchna oiktirmou , lit., “tender sympathy of heartfelt compassion”— a...

August 28   Let the peace of God rule in your hearts         Col 3:15 Years ago one of our fleets was terribly shattered by a violent gale—but it was found that some of the ships were unaffected by its violence. They were in what mariners call “the eye of the storm.” While all around was desolation, they were safe. So it is with him who has the peace of God in his heart. Pilkington Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

August 28: Meaningless Maxims Isaiah 58:1–59:21; Luke 22:24–62; Job 13:1–12 “Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay” (Job 13:12). There were bits of truth in the words spoken by Jobs’ friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Between their blundering interpretations were words that expressed God’s majesty, justice, and sovereignty. Unfortunately, they pieced together their bits of truth and applied them incorrectly to Job’s life. Job quickly saw through their packaged solution. However, not all those struggling with loss can handle an onslaught of helpful Christians with easy answers. When people go through difficult times and ask for advice—or even if they don’t—it’s tempting to deliver our responses based on our own experiences. Eliphaz argued this way: “Just as I have seen, powers of mischief and sowers of trouble will reap it” (Job 4:8). The way we interpret and respond to events in our lives is often Scripture-based and Spirit-led. Though we ...

August 28th What’s the good of prayer? Lord, teach us to pray. Luke 11:1. It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished, not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. “Ask and ye shall receive.” We grouse before God, we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has! Our Lord says— “Except ye become as little children.” Ask, and God will do. Give Jesus Christ a chance, give Him elbow room, and no m...

Morning, August 28                                               Go To Evening Reading           “Oil for the light.”           — Exodus 25:6 My soul, how much thou needest this, for thy lamp will not long continue to burn without it. Thy snuff will smoke and become an offence if light be gone, and gone it will be if oil be absent. Thou hast no oil well springing up in thy human nature, and therefore thou must go to them that sell and buy for thyself, or like the foolish virgins, thou wilt have to cry, “My lamp is gone out.” Even the consecrated lamps could not give light without oil; though they shone in the tabernacle they needed to be fed, though no rough winds blew upon them they required to be trimmed, and thy need is equally as great. Under the most happy circumstances thou canst not give light for a...

August 27   The word of God, which liveth and abideth forever         1 Peter 1:23 The Word abideth. The Jew hated it—but it lived on, while the veil was torn away from the shrine which the Shekinah had forsaken, and while Jerusalem itself was destroyed. The Greek derided it—but it has seen his philosophy effete and his Acropolis in ruins. The Romans threw it into the flames—but it rose from its ashes, and swooped down upon the falling eagle. The reasoner cast it into the furnace, which his own negligence had heated “seven times hotter than its wont” —but it came out without the smell of fire. The formalist fastened serpents around it to poison it—but it shook them off and felt no harm. The infidel cast it overboard in a tempest of sophistry and sarcasm—but it rode gallantly upon the crest of the proud waters. And it is living still—yet heard in the loudest swelling of the storm—it has been speaking all the while—it is speaking now! Punshon H...

August 27: My Momma Done Tol’ Me Isaiah 55:1–57:21; Luke 21:25–22:23; Job 12:13–25 I went through a phase when I was obsessed with the blues. Something about the soul was at work in the music—a genre created late at night while reflecting on hard times. The music was written more for the songwriter than the audience because the audience had usually gone home by the time these songs were sung. The blues express raw, uncut emotions. The same can be said of the OT prophets. A blues singer can turn a common phrase into something profound. The idea that “I knew better, but I made the mistake anyway” becomes the blues refrain “my momma done tol’ me,” complete with chord structure and growling voice. And “I’m struggling—everything is falling apart” becomes “my dog done died.” The prophets likewise use mundane things like water and food to describe emotional and spiritual struggles. They explain the root of the problem—the cause of our ills: “Ho! Everyone thirsty, come to the waters!...

August 27th Theology alive Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you. John 12:35. Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mount with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” The second you waive the question of sanctification or any other thing upon which God gave you light, you begin to get dry rot in your spiritual life. Continually bring the truth out into actuality; work it out in every domain, or the very light you have will prove a curse. The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the smug satisfaction of an experience to which he can refer back, but who is not working it out in practical life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it is shown in the life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent; it came from the pit, no matter how beautiful it sounds. ...

Morning, August 27                                               Go To Evening Reading           “How long will it be ere they believe me?”          — Numbers 14:11 Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonours Christ, that he will withdraw his visible presence if we insult him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we an never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal and perseverance. Among hateful things it is the most to be abhorred. Its injurious nature is so venomous that he that exerciseth it and he upon whom it is exercised are both hurt thereby. In thy case, O believer! it is most wicked, for the mercies of thy Lord in the past, increase thy guilt in doubting him now. When thou dost distrust the Lord Jesus, he may well cr...

August 26   If we suffer, we shall also reign with him         2 Tim. 2:12 The photographer must have a negative, as he calls it, in order to furnish you with a picture. Now, the earthly cross is the negative from which the heavenly crown is to be made; the suffering and sorrow of the present time determining the glory, honor and immortality of the life to come. A. J. Gordon Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

August 26: Lives of Spiritual Opulence Isaiah 52:1–54:17; Luke 20:41–21:24; Job 12:1–12 The Pharisees upheld a faulty religious system. They were supposed to be the Jews’ spiritual leaders, but they were more interested in making themselves the religious elite. They loved “greetings in the marketplace and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets” (Luke 20:46). Their ministry was built on the backs of the poor. In contrast, the widow depicted in Luke 21 chose to give all she had. Because she had so little, her generosity was sacrificial. Those who gave out of abundance didn’t feel the loss of income like she did. But the contrast between the widow and the Pharisees shows us much more. Luke says that spiritual wealth can be present where we least expect it—that things aren’t always as they appear. Although Jesus is the long-anticipated Messiah, following Him is never going to bring a life of glory and fame. Jesus is ushering in a kingdom like a musta...

August 26th Are you ever disturbed? Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. John 14:27. There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever “spirit and life.” Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “My peace I give unto you” —it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness. Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God’s providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anyw...