ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 29, 2011)

Serving the King
Luke 19:11-26

"Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God..."
(Psalm 123:2, KJV)
If we wish to serve a king, we must fix our eyes on him to make sure we know what he requires. In Jesus' parable of the ten minas, the good servants honored the master and served him in the way he wanted. They were productive because they looked to him and his wishes, ignoring their own feelings of inadequacy and any fears that things might go wrong. They trusted the king when he came again to be just in his reward. However, the wicked servant was so transfixed by unloving thoughts about his master and by his own fear that he was totally unproductive.
So must we look away from all the noise that goes on in our own minds and turn away from fears of all kinds. Fears, perhaps, that our sinfulness disqualifies us from serving; fears that we will experience disappointment and frustration; fears of inadequacy and of being unfit to do the King's work. Instead, let us look only to the master of our lives, our King who came to us lowly and unadorned in a cattle stall, and serve Him on bended knee.
INSIGHT
"Perhaps you would have grown in grace far more if you had used what God has given you and forgotten about yourself."
(Andrew Bonar, Scottish pastor)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Zephaniah 1-3
Proverbs 26
Revelation 8-10
Luke 19:11-26
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.[a] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 "He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 "The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 "‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 "The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 "His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 "Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 "His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 "Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 "‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 "He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 19:13 A mina was about three months’ wages.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 28, 2011)

The King Comes as Man
Luke 2:1-20

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss you servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation."
(Luke 2:29-30)
Some years ago while at a social gathering in Pakistan, I was talking to a senior civil servant. He had heard that I was a pastor, so he asked me why. I said that I believed that the God who loves each one of us had come to earth as a helpless baby and shared our human life, showed us what He was like and had even died on the cross to take the blame for our sins so that we could live with Him forever. He looked into my eyes, and said, "That is the most beautiful thing I ever heard." In his eyes I saw afresh the wonder of God becoming man in Jesus.
I recently read Eric Metaxas' compelling biography of Dietrich Bonheoffer, the great German martyr and theologian killed by the Gestapo in 1945. One striking line of Bonheoffer's is, "No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle in Bethlehem. And yet all Christian theology has its origin in the wonder of all wonders that God became man. Alongside the brilliance of the Holy Night there burns the fire of the unfathomable mystery of Christian theology."

INSIGHT
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John1:14). He is not a distant lawgiver. He is Emmanuel, God with us!
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Habakkuk 1-3
Proverbs 25
Revelation 6-7
Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 26, 2011)

The King Allots Specific Tasks
Ephesians 2:1-10

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."
(Colossians 1:10)
Our passage makes it clear that although we are saved by faith alone, the faith that saves is not alone. It issues in works that God has had in mind for us from before time began. Ask Him what specific work He has planned for you.
Evan Roberts, the leader of the Welsh revival of 1905, wrote, "All workers, in view of the Lord's coming, should eagerly ask God to enable them to finish their own work ...They should pray against 1) all spurious work which God has not given them to do; 2) all work which they should have left alone long ago; 3) all work which is of the flesh and not of the Spirit; 4) all work which suppresses the Spirit or draws the worker out of the Spirit; 5) all waste work, which may be good yet keeps the worker from some higher service."
When we establish what work the Lord wants us to undertake, the Holy Spirit will give us the gifts necessary to fulfill it. Furthermore, we will go into it not on our own strength but in the "power of his glorious might" (v. 11).
INSIGHT
Remember that the need is not necessarily the call. Don't feel guilty about saying no to works which God has not called you to do.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Micah 5-7
Proverbs 23
Revelation 1-2
Ephesians 2:1-10
Made Alive in Christ
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Footnotes:
a. Ephesians 2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 25, 2011)

The King's Great Commission
Matthew 28:16-20

"In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."
(1 Peter 3:15)
Sometimes we think of evangelism as a special gift that others may have. It is true that some are specially anointed to a specific work of evangelism as their key ministry. But Jesus gave His Great Commission to all His disciples. It brings a smile to my face when I read, "But some doubted." Nevertheless, they too were given the charge to go and teach everyone Christ's message of salvation.
Evangelism isn't so much an unusual activity, but is something more like breathing. It is like one starving person telling another where to find bread. It is a natural outflow of our lives each day.
The key is not so much in special training (although this helps). What is essential is a heart thrilled with Jesus at a personal level. If we had an intimate personal friendship with the Head of State, would we not be inclined to tell people how wonderful he was? How much more if the King of Kings indwells us by His Spirit! The Spirit will give us the words to say when give an account of the hope that we have.

INSIGHT
"Fill me with your joy, O Lord, that I may give to the great, sad world around me..." (F.B. Meyer)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Micah 1-4
Proverbs 22
Jude
Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 24, 2011)

The King Conquers Fear
Isaiah 8:11-17; Revelation 1:12-18

"Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen."
(Revelation 1:17-18, KJV)
We live in an age of fear. The media is filled with impending doom regarding the planet, the economy, terrorism, epidemics etc. God in Isaiah says, "Do not fear what they fear." We are only to "fear" the Lord. We are not to buy into conspiracy theories. The Amplified Bible says in verse 13, "The Lord of Hosts - regard him as holy and honor his Holy Name and let him be your fear and let him be your dread." In other words, He will be your hope of safety.
There is a difference between a healthy fear and an unhealthy fear. The fear or awe of God, "a wholesome dread of displeasing him," is the only healthy fear. We are not to be terrified of His coming as unbelievers are.
The angels in the nativity story say "Fear not" to Zechariah, to Mary, to Joseph, and to the shepherds. Their words come to us, too. Many in the world tell us not to worry, or to take care as though we could control the things we are afraid of. But only the One who controls the outcome can say, "Fear not;" He alone merits our awe.




INSIGHT
If I do not "fear" God, I will inevitably fear everything else. We are enjoined to fear Him so that nothing else can disturb us.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jonah
Proverbs 21
3 John
Isaiah 8:11-17;
11 This is what the LORD says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:
12 "Do not call conspiracy
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread.
14 He will be a holy place;
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured."
16 Bind up this testimony of warning
and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.

Revelation 1:12-18
12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,[a] dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Footnotes:
a. Revelation 1:13 See Daniel 7:13.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 23, 2011)

Beware Pretenders to the Crown
Exodus 32:1-35; 2 Kings 17:37-41

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5)
King Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty, had to contend with two "pretenders" to the throne who tried unsuccessfully to take it from him. The King's place on the throne of our lives is constantly threatened, too, but in a different way.
John finishes his first letter by saying, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21). We can see, from the story of the golden calf, just how seriously God takes idol worship. In our passage from Kings, His people are warned not to fear other gods but, rather, to reverently fear God alone. Today, money, sex, fame and power often crowd the throne of our hearts, though we may not set out to put these in place of God. Still we do so in the fear of losing control over our lives. Fear generates insecurity which leads to idolatry. We refuse to allow God to be our sole security and significance.
It's been said that what our minds turn to when we are at leisure is our idol. What do our thoughts turn towards automatically in an idle moment?
INSIGHT
King David called the Lord his rock, his fortress, his high tower, his deliverer, his shield(Psalm 144:1-2). Do you think of Him that way?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Obadiah
Proverbs 20
2 John

Exodus 32:1-35;
The Golden Calf
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him."
2 Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods,[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD." 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
9 "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation."
11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’" 14 Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "There is the sound of war in the camp."
18 Moses replied:
"It is not the sound of victory,
it is not the sound of defeat;
it is the sound of singing that I hear."
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
21 He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?"
22 "Do not be angry, my lord," Aaron answered. "You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’" 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, "You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day."
30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."
31 So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written."
33 The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin."
35 And the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
Footnotes:
a. Exodus 32:1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31
b. Exodus 32:4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8
2 Kings 17:37-41
37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."
40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 22, 2011)

Worship the King
Revelation 5:1-14

"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel." (Psalm 22:3)
The Greek word for worship is "to kiss towards." It means an act of reverence. In full flow of describing God's dealings with His people, Paul at the end of Romans 11 is so moved by God's love that he breaks out in glorious worship. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God" (v.33).
Here we find ourselves worshipping the King - not as a religious duty but from the outflow of a grate-ful heart. It's as natural as breathing.
As our hearts are thrilled with the Lord in our meditating on the Bible, we naturally want to tell our wonderful King what we feel about His greatness and goodness. The elders around the throne in heaven break out in that great surge of praise and worship, casting their crowns before the throne (Revelation 4:10). We want all the glory to go to the One seated on the throne.
A sermon, too, can be more than the imparting of information; in honoring the Lord Jesus Christ it can raise us to the "heavenlies" to cry out to God in worship.
INSIGHT
"O worship the King, all glorious above, O gratefully sing his power and his love." (Sir R. Grant, 1833)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Amos 7-9
Proverbs 19
1 John 5
Revelation 5:1-14
The Scroll and the Lamb
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[a] of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign[b] on the earth."
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"
14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Footnotes:
a. Revelation 5:6 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
b. Revelation 5:10 Some manuscripts they reign

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 21, 2011)

A King We Can Trust
Psalm 31:1-24

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal." (Isaiah 26:3-4)
We will be let down if we put absolute trust in anyone or anything but the King, Jesus Christ. Of course, there are many people we must rely on and trust. Once when I was climbing a rock face and missed my footing, my immediate trust was in the person holding the rope. I thank God he was there! But another person may not always be there for us in every situation to "hold onto" us. We, ourselves, have sometimes proven untrustworthy for others. Our King will never let that rope go!
A meaning of the Hebrew word "trust," according to Young's Concordance, is "refuge." We recently visited the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. It is a magnificent citadel whose Moorish king put his trust in it as a refuge. Eventually, it fell without even a fight. David puts his trust in the Lord as his refuge (Psalm 31:1). He knows God will deliver him from his enemies (v.15) and from accusing tongues (v.20). Therefore, he will hope only in the Lord and can "be strong and take heart" (v. 24). Shall we do the same?

INSIGHT
Amos warns that leaning on anything but our strong King is like leaning your hand on a wall only to be bit by a serpent (5:19).
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Amos 4-6
Proverbs 18
1 John 3-4
Psalm 31:1-24
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,[b]
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
"Terror on every side!"
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 31:1 In Hebrew texts 31:1-24 is numbered 31:2-25.
b. Psalm 31:10 Or guilt
Psalm 31:1-24

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 20, 2011)

The King Gives Discipline
Romans 6:1-14

"But the fruit of the Spirit is... self-control... Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."
(Galatians 5:22-24)
This verse used to puzzle me. How could I have crucified my sinful nature when it still seemed to be alive and kicking? Had I missed out on some crucial experience? Why was self-control so elusive for me?
Then I noticed Romans 6:8. "We died with Christ." Jesus took my sinful nature up to the cross and crucified it for me. We cannot exercise self-control over our "sinful nature." What I was unable to do, He did. The Galatians verse is not highlighting something we haven't done; it is reminding us of what Jesus has already done for us. Because of Him, we count that nature as dead.
In a recent TV program, some older people who had lost some of their previous abilities were challenged to think that they were 45 years old again. They did seem to act younger for a while and to recapture some youth. But our "counting ourselves dead to sin" is different than just determined thinking. This is no self-help philosophy. It is based on an objective reality: that Christ, our Maker and Friend, died for us.
INSIGHT
Are you unable to exercise self-control? It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Ask, and He will make it a reality in your life.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Amos 1-3
Proverbs 17
1 John 1-2
Romans 6:1-14
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 19, 2011)

The King's Battle is Spiritual
Ephesians 6:10-18

"We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
(Ephesians 6:12, KJV)
The devil was so real for Martin Luther that he threw his inkwell at him. The ink stain can still be seen on the wall of his study!
We need to know that our struggles against sin and wickedness are a battle against demonic forces. "The battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15). If we think the struggle is solely our responsibility, we may become introspective and despairing.
Knowing that the battle is spiritual is a challenge to harness God's power in our lives through prayer. Put on the armor of God. As the foot soldiers of the King, trust Him and do the next thing. Paul urges us to behave like men (1 Corinthinas16:13), reminding us that God works in us to will and to act... Someone else once said, "Pray as if it is all God's responsibility, and act as if it is up to you alone."
David, facing Goliath, was strengthened knowing that "You came against me with sword and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty"
(1 Samuel 17:45).
INSIGHT
We look forward to that last day when "The strife is o'er, the battle done; Now is the Victor's triumph won." (Author unknown, 1695) HAVEN Music
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Hosea 9-10
Proverbs 14
1 Peter 2-3
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 18, 2011)

The King Who Delights in Us
Proverbs 8:12-31; Psalm 38:1-21

"Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name."
(Malachi 3:16)
If you keep a journal to make a record of the Lord's dealings with you, think of it as a "scroll of remembrance" for the King who delights to have your thoughts about Him recorded. The Lord was so delighted with David's thoughts about Him that He incorporated what we could call David's journal - the Psalms - in the Scriptures. It is mind-blowing to think that God used David's intimate record of his experiences and enjoyment of God in His holy Word.
What encourages me particularly is that the King delights not only in David's great thoughts about Him, but also in David's frank record of his failings. The Lord even calls him "a man after his own heart." If we remember this delight of the King that is for us, too, we will be like Peter, leaping out of the boat to meet the resurrected Jesus, instead of like Judas, who hugged his sin to himself, and moved away from Jesus.
He is saying to you and to me at this very moment: "Behold, thou art fair, my love: behold thou art fair" (Song of Solomon 4:1, KJV).
INSIGHT
The only significance we can ever need is rooted in the fact that the King delights in us.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Hosea 7-8
Proverbs 13
1 Peter 1
Proverbs 8:12-31;
12 "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
15 By me kings reign
and rulers issue decrees that are just;
16 by me princes govern,
and nobles—all who rule on earth.[a]
17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
18 With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
19 My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.
22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works,[b][c]
before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was constantly[d] at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.
Footnotes:
a. Proverbs 8:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; other Hebrew manuscripts all righteous rulers
b. Proverbs 8:22 Or way; or dominion
c. Proverbs 8:22 Or The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work; or The LORD brought me forth at the beginning of his work
d. Proverbs 8:30 Or was the artisan; or was a little child
Psalm 38:1-21
Psalm 38[a]
A psalm of David. A petition.
1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
9 All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who want to kill me set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they scheme and lie.
13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
like the mute, who cannot speak;
14 I have become like one who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 LORD, I wait for you;
you will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, "Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip."
17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many have become my enemies without cause[b];
those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil
lodge accusations against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.
21 LORD, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 38:1 In Hebrew texts 38:1-22 is numbered 38:2-23.
b. Psalm 38:19 One Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript; Masoretic Text my vigorous enemies

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 17, 2011)

The King Does Not Condemn
John 3:11-21

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned..."
(John 3:17-18)
In our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, we come to know His voice (John 10:14). It is often a convicting voice - a check in our spirit, a nudge from the Word, a point in a sermon which comes with all the freshness and authority of the King's command. Often it is an encouraging voice or a voice that compels attention.
One thing it never will be is a voice of condemnation. It is the voice of One who comes that we "may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). A condemning voice comes from the accuser of the brethren (Revelation12:10). The word accuser in the Greek means prosecutor. But no case can be brought against us because Jesus died on the cross to take the blame for our sins (Romans 8:32-35). The King is constantly building us up, not pulling us down, showing us a better way that does not lead to despair by condemning us. In Hebrew the word accuser is "hasatan," or Satan. We must never accept his distinctively condemnatory voice as the voice of the Good Shepherd, our King.
INSIGHT
In our often unsatisfactory lives, the distinctive voice of unfailing, unconditional love can always be recognized. That's our King!
John 3:11-21
11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[a] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[b] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."[c]
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Footnotes:
a. John 3:13 Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven
b. John 3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
c. John 3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Hosea 4-6
Proverbs 12
James 4-5

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 16, 2011)

A King Who Carries Us
Isaiah 46:1-10

"This is what you are to say... to the people of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.'"
(Exodus 19:3-4)
Worldly things, which we are tempted to admire and pursue, battle for our total attention once we succumb to them. Money, sex, success, power, security, and fame may demand that we "carry" them, work for them, become enslaved to them. They can become idols, weighing us down like the physical idols of Babylon.
Our King is quite different from idols. We don't carry Him; He carries us and promises to always do so. But He will not carry idols. If we are clinging to them, giving something other than Him priority in our lives, it is as if we are asking Him to carry us and our idols with us!
"I will bear" in verse 4 of our reading means I will put up with you. It means to relieve or to give someone a break. It is one of the characteristics of love in 1 Corinthians 13:7 - "love bears all things." It is the opposite of holding someone's feet to the fire. Rather, it is the steadfast love of our King who says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest"
(Matthew 11:28).

INSIGHT
When I feel worried, anxious and burdened, it is more often than not because I am carrying some idol which I need to throw out.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Hosea 1-3
Proverbs 11
James 1-3
Isaiah 46:1-10
Gods of Babylon
1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols are borne by beasts of burden.[a]
The images that are carried about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
2 They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.
3 "Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
and have carried since you were born.
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
5 "With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;
it cannot save them from their troubles.
8 "Remember this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 15, 2011

The King Comes to Rescue
Psalm 69:1-18

"I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.'"
(Isaiah 43:1-2)
If you've ever been rescued from great danger, you'll always remember it. I'll never forget when I was recovering from a serious illness in West Africa and unwisely set out to swim with a friend around a headland. As I rounded it, my strength suddenly left me, and I knew I could drown. I called out to my friend, and he rescued me in my weakness, pushing me up on a rock.
When Jesus appeared to need rescuing Himself on the cross, He was in fact rescuing all of us who were "without hope" (Ephesians 2:12). That point of maximum humiliation was the greatest, most kingly act ever done: rescuing us from the guilt and power of sin. He put us safe on the "rock that is higher than" we are. Can we doubt that He who is King of the universe will rescue us from any oppression, demonic attack, or disobedience that afflicts us?
He comes in power when we need rescuing and call on Him. The rescue may not be in the removal of the immediate problem, but it will always be in giving us the strength to handle it.

INSIGHT
"O loving wisdom of our God When all was sin and shame. A second Adam to the fight. And to the rescue came."
(J. Henry Newman)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Daniel 11-12
Proverbs 10
Hebrews 13

Psalm 69:1-18
For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But I pray to you, LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 14, 2011)

We Share the King's Victory
2 Chronicles 20:1-29

"'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's... You will not have to fight this battle... stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give...'"
(2 Chron. 20:15-17)
When we think about it, we realize any battle which the Lord does not consider His own is not worth trying to win. So I have found that the promise to Jehoshaphat is a promise to me when faced by seemingly impossible odds, yet I can discern that God is involved.
Recently, when we were led to move to a new location, the sale of our house fell through, and I was tempted to be anxious. But the King gave me His promise that - even in these daily-life situations - "the battle is not yours." The house sale went through and the Lord's promise took away all the stress.
Another time when our young granddaughter was battling life-threatening anorexia nervosa, the Lord spoke to us mightily. Also, thankfully, He prevailed in her health.
When the Israelites were told by Moses at the Red Sea to stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, God told them through Moses to move on. They wouldn't have been able to had not God assured them that the battle was His (Exodus14:15).

INSIGHT
When you cannot discern whether any particular battle is the King's, simply ask Him whether you should be engaged in it at all.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Joel 1-3
Proverbs 16
2 Peter 1-3
2 Chronicles 20:1-29
Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites[a] came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom,[b] from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said:
"LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
10 "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."
13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
15 He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’"
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
"Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever."
22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing[d] and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah[e] to this day.
27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lyres and trumpets.
29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Chronicles 20:1 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew Ammonites
b. 2 Chronicles 20:2 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram
c. 2 Chronicles 20:21 Or him with the splendor of
d. 2 Chronicles 20:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts corpses
e. 2 Chronicles 20:26 Berakah means praise.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 13, 2011)

The King of Love Comes In
1 John 4:7-21

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Footnotes:
a. John 14:17 Some early manuscripts and is

"Love is patient, love is kind... it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always per-severes."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Since God is love, we can put God in place of love in 1 Corinthians 13. Doing so corrects my thinking that He is waiting to pounce on me. His love on the cross means He actually delights in us. Jesus has taken all the punishment, and God's love never fails. These New Testament thoughts of God's love bring to mind an Old Testament Hebrew word, "hesed," meaning "steadfast" or "unfailing love." This love for a sinful people permeates the Old Testament and is personified in Jesus.
The first quality of love that our lives should show is patience. This is not grin-and-bear-it passivity. It's actively showing in our lives inward serenity whatever the provocation. This convicts me when I am irritable about not controlling things. Patience comes from the One who has shown such patience with me.
Also, if the King of love rules in my heart, how can I persist in unkindness? At times do I feel free to dislike someone who is not well-disposed to me? Our King did not take that view of us before we turned to Him.
INSIGHT
"The King of love my shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never. I nothing lack if I am His, And He is mine forever."
(H.W. Baker, 1821-77)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Daniel 5-6
Proverbs 7
Hebrews 9-10
1 John 4:7-21
God’s Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 12, 2011)

The King Comes Today

John 14:15-27

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, 'He who is coming will come and will not delay.'"
(Hebrews 10:36-37)
In our passage Jesus promises that if anyone obeys Him, trusts Him as Lord, He and the Father will come to him and make their home with him. He promises that the King has come not only to live among us, but will come also to live in us.
I often wonder why the King would want to do this when I am repeatedly disobedient. Then I see that the promise is not to the perfect (it would apply to no one!) but to all who have committed their lives to Him. The question is Do I want to be obedient? If I do, then the King comes to live in me with all the amazing power of the resurrection (Ephesians 1:18-23). The Spirit who "moved" over the chaos of the world in creation is in our hearts to bring order to our lives. "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ"
(2 Corinthians 4:6).
John Calvin taught that all who trust in Jesus will persevere. The King ensures that we do.
INSIGHT
If we really believe that the King comes to our aid every moment of each day with all the power of the resurrection, what can defeat us?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Daniel 3-4
Proverbs 6
Hebrews 7-8
John 14:15-27

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 11, 2011)

A King Who Speaks to Me
John 10:1-16

"After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." (1 Kings 19:11b-12)
The Lord's voice can come to us very strongly at times. The prophet Isaiah talks about the Lord speaking to him with His "strong hand upon" him.
Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India, said, "When reading your Bible, have you not often noticed that some word has shone out and seemed to speak in a new, direct way to you? It has been as though you had never read it before. You cannot explain the vivid freshness, the life in it, the extraordinary way it has leapt to your eye, to your heart. You were in the very presence of your King at that moment."
These "touches" of the Lord are precious. I think of them as jewels kept in a casket; I keep a journal to record them as well as other things I learn in my daily time with the King. I find it helps me focus on what He is saying to me rather than rushing into His presence with my agenda. It also tunes my heart to hear His voice. Our busy lives produce much raucous noise. Let's direct our hearts instead to the gentle whisper of His call on our lives.

INSIGHT
"If we aim at nothing, we hit it every time!" If we are expecting the King to speak to us, we will hear His voice.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Daniel 7-8
Proverbs 8
Hebrews 11
John 10:1-16
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
1 "Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Footnotes:
a. John 10:9 Or kept safe

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE 10, 2011)

The King Comes Through His Word
Matthew 4:1-11

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the... Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
(John 14:25-26)
I remember when we returned home years ago to discover there had been a break-in. Words of Scripture came to mind: "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth... where thieves break in and steal."
Another time, I was troubled by past sin and the King spoke to me of His forgiveness in the words of Charles Wesley: "He breaks the power of cancelled sin...The humble poor believe."
When we were telephoned by the hospital at night with news that our 18 year old daughter had died, the words of Job came to me: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." The pain and shock were not lessened, but I knew that the Lord was with us in it all.
Many of you will have experienced the Lord coming to you in words of Scripture. In times of joy or of trial or when needing guidance, our King comes to us through His Word. As we hide it in our hearts, the Spirit comes to dwell there, reminds us of God's Word, and eases our troubled minds.

INSIGHT
Old Testament men of God used to build a pile of stones to commemorate the Lord's dealings with them. Let's remember His goodness to us, too.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Daniel 9-10
Proverbs 9
Hebrews 12
Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
"‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]"
7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]"
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]"
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 4:1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested.
b. Matthew 4:4 Deut. 8:3
c. Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11,12
d. Matthew 4:7 Deut. 6:16
e. Matthew 4:10 Deut. 6:13

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBE09, 2011)

Just at the Right Time
Romans 5:1-11

"A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised be-fore the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light..."
(Titus 1:2-3)
New Testament Greek has two words for time: "chromos," the time that slips by hour by hour, and "kairos," just the right moment, the appointed season, the nick of time.
The Bible tells us that the King's action in our own lives comes as in the word "kairos," in the nick of time. Are you feeling dejected or oppressed in some way? Your King knows your heart, and when we humble ourselves before Him, trusting Him always to act just at the appropriate time, He will lift us out of all the trouble and challenge of this world. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time" (1 Peter 5:6).
You may be disappointed in the results of your labors for the King. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
God's kairos, the King's decisive, timely intervention, is real for us. Could we possibly imagine that our King would not graciously act in our lives when the time is right to do so?

INSIGHT
It may seem God is not acting in something you're rightly concerned about. Nevertheless, be assured He will always act in the nick of time.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Daniel 1-2
Proverbs 5
Hebrews 5-6
Romans 5:1-11

Peace and Hope
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 5:1 Many manuscripts let us
b. Romans 5:2 Or let us
c. Romans 5:3 Or let us

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 08, 2011)

The King Promises to Come
Exodus 3:1-17

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
(Matthew 28:20b)

When Moses asks God His name, God says "Yahweh" or "I Am who I Am." Not only does He not give a name that limits who He is, but He gives Moses a name that means He will never change; He is ever-present. One of His name's meanings is "I will be there." Whatever our situation, when we are oppressed by burdens and feel heavy with anxiety, He comes. He will be there in the midst of our trials and temptations, rather like the fourth person in the fiery furnace with the three in Daniel 3:25.
The King has come in the manger, He reigned from the cross and came to our rescue, coming as the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and coming again at the last day. We have not been left alone; even now He comes to us each day. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Whatever our crisis, our disappointment, our loss, our bereavement, or whenever we fret over our continuing sinfulness, He will be there in the furnace of our pain. Our King - the very One who came to us as an infant - is ever-coming for us today.
INSIGHT
Praise the King for the specific occasions you can recall when you have known that He has kept His promise of "being there" for you.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 47-48
Proverbs 4
Hebrews 3-4
Exodus 3:1-17
Moses and the Burning Bush
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain."
13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’"
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD,[d] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’
"This is my name forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.
16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
Footnotes:
a. Exodus 3:6 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (see Acts 7:32) fathers
b. Exodus 3:12 The Hebrew is plural.
c. Exodus 3:14 Or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE
d. Exodus 3:15 The Hebrew for LORD sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for I AM in verse 14.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 07, 2011)

The King Who was to Come
Isaiah 9:2-7

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
(Isaiah 9:6)
The coming of Jesus Christ is foretold in the Old Testament, as far back as when God says to Satan in Genesis 3:15 that Eve's ultimate offspring (Jesus) will crush Satan's head (namely, at the cross), and to the end of the Old Testament when the prophet Malachi says, "For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings" (4:2).
In the Jesus Storybook Bible, my daughter, Sally Lloyd-Jones, writes, "There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one big story. The story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the centre of the story, there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name."
Right from the beginning and to the very end of the Old Testament, Jesus is the King who was to come. He is "hidden" in the Old Testament but "totally visible" in the New. For us who believe, our King is not only visible to us, but His truths are hidden in our hearts.

INSIGHT
O Lord, help me to see you in all of Scripture. Jesus said, "These are the scriptures that testify about me"
(John 5:39).
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 45-46
Proverbs 3
Hebrews 1-2
Isaiah 9:2-7
2 [a] The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,[b]
a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[c] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 9:2 Verses 9:2-21 are numbered 9:1-20 in Hebrew text.
b. Isaiah 9:2 Greek version reads a land where death casts its shadow. Compare Matt 4:16.
c. Isaiah 9:6 Or Wonderful, Counselor.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 06, 2011)

A Very Different King
Isaiah 53

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey."
(Zechariah 9:9)
The poet Shelley saw a statue of Rameses the Great, Pharaoh of Egypt, and read on the pedestal: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
The oriental world expected this kind of arrogance from a king. But our King is different. Jesus emptied Himself, "made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7), and was born a helpless baby. He lived in a remote part of the Roman Empire, was not the leader of a mass movement, and concentrated His life on twelve ordinary men.
Rather than exercise His divine power, He allowed Himself to suffer crucifixion, His most kingly triumph over all evil. In His resurrection, He showed Himself only to believers. Coming to us today, He speaks with "a still, small voice." Yet there are millions - and more to come - who put their trust in Him.
But what of Ozymandias? Shelley continues: "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare. The lone and level sands stretch far away".
INSIGHT
Most of the king's subjects will, like him, be living lives of relative obscurity. Is it not an honor to live like our King?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 43-44
Proverbs 2
Philemon
Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.[b]
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.[c]
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
9 He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.
10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 53:4 Or Yet it was our sicknesses he carried; / it was our diseases.
b. Isaiah 53:8 Greek version reads He was humiliated and received no justice. Compare Acts 8:33.
c. Isaiah 53:8 Or As for his contemporaries, / who cared that his life was cut short in midstream? Greek version reads Who can speak of his descendants? / For his life was taken from the earth. Compare Acts 8:33.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 05, 2011)

Dinner Guests
Psalm 23; Luke 15:11-32

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup over-flows."
(Psalm 23:5)
One of the things my family loves doing is gathering together with friends to enjoy a meal. Part of the enjoyment certainly comes from the food, but the real pleasure of those times is found in the rich conversation that only deepens as the night rolls on.
Actually, the meals our families enjoy are merely shadows of a greater meal in which God Himself serves as the Host and we as His guests. Our instincts might tell us that we should be the ones serving Him at table, but God's amazing grace has a way of turning our expectations on their head. He prepares food that satisfies an eternal hunger (Isaiah 55). He sends His emissaries to the highways and the byways to compel outcasts to come in and eat (Matthew 22:10). He washes our feet in preparation for the meal (John 13:1-20). He exalts the humble and the poor to the seat of honor (Luke 14:7-11). And He feeds us rich food without cost...to us. For He Himself paid with the life of His Son the price of our welcomed place at the table.
INSIGHT
"While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast, Each of us cry, with thankful tongues, "Lord, why was I a guest?"
(Isaac Watts, 1707)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 37-38
Psalm 149
2 Timothy 1-2
Psalm 23;
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 23:4 Or through the darkest valley
Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 "When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 "The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[a]’
22 "But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 "‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’"
Footnotes:
a. Luke 15:21 Some early manuscripts son. Make me like one of your hired men.