Tour 0 Daily Devotions
Day 1: Which Way Up?
Scripture:
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light. (Luke 11:34-36)
Reflection:
Our “way of seeing” life shapes and determines everything about us. It’s the key to who we are and what we do. Without an accurate sense of “oughtness” – which way is up and which way is down – we don’t know where we are, where we’re going, or how to get there. If we lose our point of reference, we lose everything else as well. Like a pilot who ignores his instruments, we find it hard to tell a cloudbank from the horizon. The end result is almost certain: a steep death spiral.
Question:
When I look at my daily life, are my actions driven more by my own ought (what I want to do) or by the Lord’s (what He wants me to do)? Is my understanding of right and wrong rooted and grounded in God alone or is that understanding being slowly morphed by the world, the flesh and the devil? Am I afraid to speak truth?
Prayer:
Teach me Your paths, O Lord; show me Your truth (Psalm 25:4). I know that it is in Your light alone that we see light (Psalm 36:9). Apart from the “homing device” of Your Word, all my efforts to reach the goal are doomed to failure. Keep me on the straight and narrow track and lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:24).
Day 2: Signs of the Times
Scripture:
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
And of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command. (1 Chronicles 12:32)
Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time? (Luke 12:56, NASB )
Reflection:
It’s one thing to master the use of your instrument panel; it’s another to understand what kind of weather you’re heading into. A good pilot needs a solid grasp of both. God and His truth don’t change, but the cultural climate never stops shifting. This means that disciples of Jesus need to stay alert, with eyes wide open and ears to the ground. Insight into the spirit of the age is essential if we’re to share Christ’s truth and love with the people of this world.
Question:
Am I one who, on one end, rails at the culture without wisdom or one who, on the other, remains isolated from it without compassion? Am I aware of the needs, concerns, and perspectives of the folks who live around me?
Prayer:
Father in heaven, grant me the twin gifts of individualized human sensitivity and broad cultural awareness, both bathed in godly wisdom. Help me to keep my finger on the pulse of the society in which I live. Enable me to care about others deeply enough to value their perspective and seek a clearer understanding of their outlook on life. Show me what it really means to “become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Day 3: A Revolutionary Act
Scripture:
And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive …’” (Isaiah 6:9)
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” (Amos 8:11)
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)
Reflection:
“In a time of universal deceit,” wrote author George Orwell, “telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” In his novel 1984, Orwell painted a somber picture of what the world can become when black is white, up is down, and lies determine the course of human events. Under such circumstances, the true heroes are the people with sufficient courage to go against the flow of popular opinion – even if it means suffering for it.
Question:
Do I see the lies inherent in my own historical and cultural context clearly enough to resist them? Am I courageous and selfless enough to do so?
Prayer:
It’s not easy being different, Lord, but sometimes it’s the only way to stay faithful and true. Give me the strength and determination I need in order to stand apart from the crowd when the situation calls for it. Deliver me from a mindless herd mentality. When the chips are down and push comes to shove, I want to be able to say, “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).
Day 4: The Remnant
Scripture:
A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. (Isaiah 10:21, NASB)
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait on the Lord, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him. Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells in Mount Zion.” (Isaiah 8:16-18)
Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following … [and] seeing him, he said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” (John 21:20-22)
Reflection:
Do you know why you’re here and what you’re supposed to be doing? What is your purpose in the larger scheme of things? Isaiah looked forward to a time when the Lord would entrust His plan to a Faithful Few. As part of that Remnant, we’ve each been given a job to do: a task for Peter and a task for John; a task for you and for me. There’s no use wondering what the other guy is doing. It’s time to get down to work.
Question:
How can I live in such a way as to make my life “a sign and a wonder” to those who have no knowledge of Christ?
Prayer:
Establish my footsteps according to Your will and Your Word, O Lord (Psalm 119:133). With or without my conscious knowledge, take me where You want me to go and direct me to the people whose lives You want me to impact. Set my plans aside and fit me into that particular niche of the Kingdom to which You appointed me before the worlds began. I care not who my fellow travelers may be, nor how few, as long as I can follow where You lead.
Day 5: Exposed
Scripture:
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8
Woe is me! I am undone! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty! Isaiah 6:5
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13
Reflection:
When we come into the presence of God, we are exposed. All of the masks come off, all the pretenses and walls come down. We are “naked and exposed” before Him. The natural man does not seek this. The new man desires it... for we long to be like Him. His molding and pruning of us is a delight. Is it pleasant? Seldom! But for those who are in Christ, we know that we are ultimately clothed with His righteousness and His sculpting of us here on earth simply draws us closer to Him that we might know Him more deeply.
Question:
Do I long to come into His presence or do I often run away from His face? How long has it been since I have really drawn close to Him in deep, personal worship?
Prayer:
Oh, Lord! How often do I find myself drifting away? How often am I caught up in the necessary things of life and the unnecessary, and seldom turn my thoughts toward You? I know your mercies are new every day. I know your discipline is a sign of your love. When I wander off, be quick, O Lord, to snatch me back. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24
Day 6: Sent
Scripture:
“Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:10, 11)
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)
Reflection:
Delegation is one of the key principles of the kingdom of heaven. The Lord’s working philosophy has always been, “I’ve equipped you and empowered you, now go and do.” God sent Moses to deliver the people from Egypt. He sent the prophets to proclaim His Word. He sent John the Baptist to prepare the Messiah’s path. He sent His only Son to save mankind from sin.
God is always calling and then sending someone. He sends because He desires to see you fulfill the purpose for which you have been created. Now He’s sending you. Are you willing to go?
Question:
Am I really willing to respond positively when I hear the Lord’s call?
Prayer:
Dear God, free me from self-centeredness and give me a heart for others! Help me in my unbelief! I know myself too well to imagine that I can serve You in this world in my own strength. But I also know that You have chosen me for Your purposes (John 15:16), and Your purposes never fail. Make me like the prophet Isaiah, who responded without hesitation the moment You called. Send me, as You have chosen me, and I will do Your will (Psalm 40:7, 8).
Day 7: Danger
Scripture:
But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:7, 8)
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented – of whom the world was not worthy … (Hebrews 11:37, 38)
Reflection:
In C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Mr. Beaver tells the Pevensey children that Aslan, the Great Lion, though thoroughly good, isn’t necessarily safe. Jesus likewise warned the men who followed Him that they might have to forfeit everything for His sake (Matthew 16:24). If we accept the King’s Commission, we must realize that we’re assuming an element of risk. Comfort and reassurance come from knowing that there is no other choice (John 6:68).
Question:
Have I thoroughly weighed the cost of following the LORD’s Command? Am I willing to pay that cost?
Prayer:
My desperate need right now, O Lord, is for balance. My tendency is to fall into one or the other of two wide ditches that lie on either side of the Narrow Way. I can either take my God-ordained mission too lightly; or I can let the challenge of following You paralyze me with fear. Time and time again You have told me: “Be not afraid!” Help me to keep that charge.
