August 20 – The Persecuted (Psalm 9)

“O Lord, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.” (Psalm 9:13-14)

IN WORD:
The book of Hebrews tells of Old Testament heroes who were persecuted — stoned, sawn in two, put to death by the sword, destitute, and mistreated. They suffered such things because they were looking ahead to a resurrection, a new Kingdom, a city built by God. They knew where their true lives were invested, and they refused to hang on to the pleasures of this world. Why? Because the pleasures of this world are superficial and short-lived. The Kingdom is deep and eternal.
You can always tell the difference between a believer who has planted his feet in this world and one who has planted them in the Kingdom. Though all Christians live in both worlds at once, we choose daily which one we will invest in. Those who invest in the things of this world are shaken when this world is shaken. Those who invest in Kingdom endeavors can persevere through anything. They lose nothing when the stock markets fall, when wars threaten lives, when terrorists rampage, or when treasures prove transient. Their lives are not based on shifting sands but on eternal streets. They know where they’re headed.

IN DEED:
Persecution, perhaps more than any other event, reveals how eternally focused a believer is. We never seek it, of course, but when it comes our faith is purified. We find out where we stand and what our hearts treasure. We discover whether we have been living an eternal vision or tolerating a temporary lie.
Do you know where you would fix your gaze if you were persecuted? Would suffering shatter your dreams or cause you to embrace them more deeply? Your answer will indicate where you’ve staked your life. Answer with an eye on forever.

“Prosperity has often been fatal to Christians, but persecution, never.” -Amish Bishop-

August 19 – The Peacemakers (Psalm 37:30-40)

“Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.”(Psalm 37:37)

IN WORD:
How do you feel when someone offends you? It’s usually a burning reaction, a sense that your reputation has been assaulted and the offense must be addressed. We react to insults and pushy people with outrage, at least internally if not externally as well. It is nearly impossible for us to resist the urge to get the last word in, to settle the verbal score, and to put people in their place when our dignity has been slighted. We want to fix their misconceptions.
Many people are confrontational by nature. Others avoid confrontation on the outside, but steam about offenses on the inside. Neither approach makes for peace. Human relationships can be volatile, and our handling of them determines whether we live at peace in this world and at peace in our hearts. A person in conflict does not generally rest well at night. We know, deep down, that we were made for fellowship.
Jesus blessed the peacemakers. He gave profound promises to those who would pursue relationships of integrity and support. When we do, we find a common theme: The greatest threat to peace is the pride of the human heart. It isn’t content to let others be wrong about something. It feels compelled to set things straight. The result is an escalating competition to determine whose opinion will win.

IN DEED:
It requires a deep maturity to respond to criticism and complaint with affirmation and encouragement. The pride within us does not want to just let offenses go unanswered. The person who can respond to an insult with a compliment is a person who has mastered pride. In doing so, he has become a peacemaker — an ambassador whose interest in his King’s reputation is deeper than his interest in his own.
Jesus told us to respond to evil people with good intentions. That’s an honorable, peaceful response. It doesn’t deny legitimate conflict, but it defuses it. Have you mastered pride enough to do that?

“Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth.” -Matthew Henry-

August 18 – The Pure in Heart (Psalm 51)

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”(Psalm 51:10)

IN WORD:
Jesus calls the pure in heart “blessed.” It is an elusive purity for us. We have a hard time maintaining inoffensive thoughts for long periods of time. We are tainted with misplaced motives and petty agendas. If we’re really honest with ourselves and our God, we know the truth: Our corruption runs deep.
Jesus knows the impossibility of a pure heart, and he offers to fill us with His purity. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, with an emphasis on the holy. Even so, our purity fluctuates as widely as does the vibrancy of our relationship with Him. What can we tell ourselves to avoid discouragement?
We must remember the essence of biblical purity. It is single-minded devotion to God. It does not imply that we will always have perfectly sinless thoughts. It means that the direction of our lives will be solidly, irrevocably invested in Him. When arguments between self and sacrifice resound in our hearts, the godly impulse will eventually win the argument. Perhaps we may fail many times. Regardless, our desire for godliness must remain steadfast. The “steadfast spirit” must constantly be renewed.

IN DEED:
God knows the frailties of our character. The human heart is a fickle thing; it caves in to the voices of this world and the compulsions of our flesh. But it is redeemable, utterly redeemable. “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Have we forgotten the call of the Holy God? He understands our imperfections, but He calls us above them. The pure in heart — the steadfast, passionate, faithful lovers of the Savior — are a work in progress. But it is a relentless work. Our direction never changes. God will always show more of Himself to those blessed enough to crave purity.

“If there is joy in the world, surely the man of pure heart possesses it.” -Thomas A’ Kempis-

August 17 – The Merciful (Jonah 3:1-4:11)

“I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”(Jonah 4:2)

IN WORD:
One of the more colorful examples of the need for mercy in the Old Testament is a negative example: Jonah. He knew that God was a compassionate God, and he did not want God to show compassion to the Ninevites. So he disobeyed. When he was compelled to obey, he complained. Somehow, the compassion of God did not translate into the compassion of Jonah.
Do we find ourselves in such a predicament? Having been abundantly blessed with God’s mercy — the unmerited grace and forgiveness we’ve received for our rebellion against the Most High — do we then stand in judgement of others? The idea is ludicrous, but nearly all of us are guilty. Jesus has a Beatitude He’d like us to hear: “”Blessed are the merciful, for they will; be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7). The implication is sobering: Those who are not merciful will not be shown mercy. That has to hurt. We know it has applied, at least in some degree, to each of us.
Those who have not shown mercy have never understood God’s. They just don’t get it. They don’t understand the depths from which we’ve been saved and the relative pettiness with which we judge others. They still think an attainable righteousness is the key, and they compel others to strive for it.

IN DEED:
Have you ever found yourself passing judgment on someone else and then remembering the guilt that we have all shared before God? That is the prompting of the Holy Spirit, reminding us that we, too, are worthy of judgment and unworthy of mercy. Let the reminder sink in. God overflows with compassion for those who are lost and sinful, and if we are to be like Him at all, we must share that compassion. We must understand mercy.

“Do you wish to receive mercy? Show mercy to your neighbor.”
-John Chrysostom-

August 16 – Those Who Hunger & Thirst (Psalm 42)

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”(Psalm 42:1-2)

IN WORD:
When Jesus told His disciples that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed and will be filled (Matthew 5:6), was He reminding them of this psalm? Perhaps. Or maybe He was reminding them of Isaiah’s prophecy: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!” (Isaiah 55:1). Those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, and those who are meek will find in themselves a holy hunger gnawing at their souls.
Jesus was no stranger to Old Testament imagery. His Spirit had inspired it, and His humanity had been educated in it. When He announced the Beatitudes, He had recently reminded the enemy that “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). Later, He would announce Himself as the bread of life and the source of living water. It was true that all who hungered and thirsted would be filled, and it still is; we can be filled with Him.

IN DEED:
We tend to think of discontentment as an ungodly character trait, but there is a godly side of it. The discontent soul knows that something is wrong deep down inside. It knows that hole that Augustine, Pascal, and many others have referred to: the God-shaped vacuum in every human heart. And no matter how much it tries to fill that hole with pleasure, work, people, or things, the vacuum remains. It was carved out for God, and only God can make it whole.
Do you hunger and thirst? Do not make the mistake of trying to satisfy your cravings with worthless things. Only God can effectively occupy your heart. Commune with Him there. Ask Jesus to bless you with His presence today.

“It is a sure mark of grace to desire more grace.”
-Robert Murray M’Cheyne-

August 15 – The Meek (Psalm 37:1-11)

“The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.”
(Psalm 37:11)

IN WORD:
When a wild horse is trained for service, he is ridden until his will is broken. It may take great patience, but if the rider can persevere longer than the horse can buck, the victory is won. The will is broken and the horse is compliant, ready for useful service.
When Jesus told the meek they were blessed, He implied a gentleness, a humility, a submission that an untamed will does not know. He also invoked Psalm 37. It was a promise that those whose will is ruled by God — in other words, those who have been broken — will come into His inheritance. It applies to Israel’s kingdom and the ever-elusive Promised Land, as this verse may have originally intended. It also applies to anyone who knows good things come from God. We are His children and He will bless us with a lavish inheritance. We are suitable for it if we are meek.
Why is meekness so valued by God? Because it defers to Him. It does not take matters into one’s own hands, but acknowledges the ability of the One on whom we depend. God is honored by such deference. It allows Him to work in our lives without onlookers confusing His work with our self-efforts. It does not accomplish its own agenda to the negligence of Kingdom concerns. It’s the appropriate way for a flawed and finite human being to relate to a holy and infinite God. It lets Him accomplish His will.

IN DEED:
Where are you on the meekness scale? No, God is not asking you to be timid and weak. He is, however, asking you to be gentle and unassuming, compliant and broken. He does not honor an untamed will. He honors those who rely on Him to accomplish His purposes in their obedient lives. Eternal fruit can grow from such a life. And eternal fruit is a greater inheritance than we can imagine.

“Meekness is the mark of a man who has been mastered by God.” -Geoffrey B. Wilson-

August 14 – Those Who Mourn (Psalm 38)

“I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.”(Psalm 38:6)

IN WORD:
We would not normally consider those whose eyes are rubbed raw with grief to be blessed. But there is a despair that is honored by God. It is despair over the human condition, despair over our sin, despair over the ravages that this planet has seen since the Fall. God gives us a word of hope: There will be comfort in the end.
David grieved over his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51). But that is not the only psalm that begins with despair; many of them do, and they almost always end in joy. Those who cry to God in their distress will eventually find their crying utterly worthwhile. It’s a promise: He turns our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11). Those who sow in tears will reap in joy (Psalm 126:5). It’s a repeated story throughout Scripture: Dread, despair, hopelessness, tears, and pain will end in victory, promise, hope, comfort, and peace when God is involved. He always brings life.

IN DEED:
What do you do with your pain? Do you allow it to discourage you and destroy your faith? Do you lose hope in the midst of a trial? Don’t. God does not mean for you to become so pre-occupied with trouble that you lose sight of Him. He especially does not want us to become so pre-occupied with our sin that we lose sight of His forgiveness. There is no comfort in that. And God is a God of comfort.
The sorrowful soul is blessed indeed if the sorrow is one of repentance and truth. Our lament over the ways of this world and the ways of our own heart is entirely appropriate, and God wants all of us to spend some time there. But He does not want us to stay there. In the midst of our pain, God speaks promises. In the depths of our sin, He speaks redemption. In the far reaches of our grief, He reaches even farther. He promises comfort to those who know the grief of this world. He offers Himself in comfort.

“In every pang that rends the heart, the Man of Sorrows has a part.” -Michael Bruce-

August 13 – The Poor in Spirit (Psalm 51)

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”(Psalm 51:17)

IN WORD:
In Matthew 5, Jesus opens His mouth to begin His great sermon. The first 8 proclamations are blessings. We call them the Beatitudes. Perhaps they sounded strange to their first hearers; blessings were imparted to unexpected subjects. But the blessings should not have sounded so strange. They are Scriptural themes throughout the Word. The sacred mouth that spoke them on the mount was the sacred mind that had inspired them centuries before.
Consider the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Consider also the emphasis on humility throughout God’s Word: “He crowns the humble with salvation” (Psalm 149:4), as well as the verse for today. Jesus told people that understanding their bankruptcy would prepare them for the riches of the Kingdom. Was that really a surprise? For a nation that had modeled itself after Pharisaical spirituality, it was. But the Bible had made it clear from the beginning: Self-sufficient pride is the wrong model.

IN DEED:
Self-sufficiency continues to be the wrong model. As it was in the Garden and will always be, pride kills. We were not made for independence. There is nothing self-sufficient about us other than the ability to get by for a few decades, and even then we depend on God’s resources. No, we were made for absolute dependence — on God! We have a poverty of spirit that only God can enrich. There is a hole in the human heart that no self-effort can fill, though we try desperately.
That’s our way out — to quit trying to fill it and just be desperate. That’s where life with God begins. Do not let desperation drive you to frantic self-effort; let it drive you to utter dependence on God. There can be no pride in such a pose, only blessing. God’s always responds to those who seek Him.

“Humility is nothing else but a true knowledge and awareness of oneself as one really is.” -The Cloud of Unknowing-

August 12 – The Substance of Our Lives (John 14:6)

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”(John 14:6)

IN WORD:
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus says, “I am”? Is He hinting at the divine name of Yahweh — the I AM WHO I AM — that God revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:14)? He is especially emphatic in John: “I am the bread of life” (6:35, 48); “I am the light of the world” (8:12; 9:5); “I am the gate for the sheep” (10:7); “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14); “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25); “I am the true vine” (15:1); and here in John 14:6 — the way, the truth, the life. He is all the things we need to get by in this world.
Jesus did not come to us and promise to show us the way, to feed us the bread, to shine the light on us, to tell us the truth, or any other such direct assistance. No, He is much closer to us than that. He does not just offer us these things; He IS these things. In a very real and literal way, Jesus is our life now. We do not ask Him for His help in living our lives; we ask for Him to live His life more profoundly, more transparently each day. That is why it is never appropriate simply to see Him as our Teacher, Guide, Counselor, Healer, Deliverer, and the like, insofar as we think these roles belong to a person outside of ourselves. He is genuinely in the depths of our heart, asking us to get the junk out of the way for Him to shine through us. We are crucified; He is alive (Galatians 2:20).

IN DEED:
Do you see Jesus only as someone who has come along to assist you? Or do you rely on His dwelling in your heart? He is not just your example or your co-pilot. He is the substance of your life. You cannot know the Father, and you cannot get to heaven, with Him only showing you how to get there. He must take you there. Having been born of His Spirit, we must let His Spirit actually live in us.
This is a profound, life-altering truth. Meditate on it. Realize every morning that Jesus is present within you by reason of your faith and that He intends to conform you thoroughly to His likeness.

“It is not your hold of Christ that saves you — it is Christ.”
-Charles Spurgeon-

August 11 – Numbered Days (Psalm 90)

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”(Psalm 90:12)

IN WORD:
Against all evidence to the contrary, we grow up thinking we are invincible. There is something deep in the human soul — something placed there by the God who created us for eternity — that tells us life is endless. It is, but there is a substantial difference between the life we live now and the life we live in eternity. They overlap, but in only one can we bear fruit for the other. What we do today can have everlasting consequences. We can invest in the treasures of the Kingdom of God.
So many lives end in regret over this revelation. Many of us let our days pass by in survival mode or in entertainment mode, never balancing such concerns with the eternal fruits that matter more. We are to plant so that our God may reap and reward. And in order to sow effectively, we must sow with a clear awareness that the time to plant is extremely short. The window of opportunity for fruit bearing is narrow indeed.
James tells us our life is a vapor. David agrees: “Each man’s life is but a breath” (Psalm 39:5). In the grand, eternal scheme of things, we are a small point on the timeline. By the time we learn what we need to know and are equipped to serve, we have but a moment left. But God has given us an awesome privilege. We can accomplish in that moment works of such significance that they will last forever. God can change people’s lives through us. He can shape our children and our spouses and our friends through us. He can feed the hungry, encourage the outcast, redeem the lost, heal the sick, cultivate worshipers, and build His Kingdom through us. But only if we’re wise and have numbered our days.

IN DEED:
Paul tells us to redeem the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). They are fleeting days, slipping by us before we’ve hardly noticed. We must number them. We must live with an eye on the limitations of time and the certainty of death. Wisdom fills the hearts of those who can live with such perspective.

“Time is given us to use in view of eternity.” -Anonymous-