Live today, live forever, by Him and with Him and in Him

Monday-Tuesday, August 4-5, 2014
Devotions: Ps 77, 78, 80; Jdg 6:25-7:18; Acts 2:37-3:11; Jn 1:1-28

I cry aloud to God; I yearn for You, my Lord! When I doubt the blessedness He showers on me, I recall His acts of might and mercy in days past, and I am comforted. God, Your way is holy; all creation is in Your power and in Your care. Let the people consider the history of mankind with our God: He established His testimony and His law among the descendants of Jacob; but even the Israelites failed to honor God: the Ephraimites fell back in the day of battle; Reuben was unfaithful to his father; Simeon and Levi acted violently and dishonored their family. Though YHWH delivered the people from famine in Canaan and from bondage in Egypt and from thirst and starvation in the wilderness, they still sinned against Him and slandered the Lord. He fed and led and cared for them, but He also disciplined His stiff-necked, hard-hearted people. Their hearts were not steadfast toward God, but in His compassion, He forgave and restored them again and again. He struck down Egypt, and its god-king and all its pantheon of deities; He opened the promised Land before His people and settled them there. But in Canaan, they turned to other gods; YHWH rejected the house of Joseph, but chose Judah and Mount Zion as His habitation; He chose David His servant to shepherd His people. So let the community cry out: restore us, O God. Let Your face shine upon us; forgive our sins. Tend Your vineyard, Your flock. Let Your hand of guidance and care be upon those You have chosen, that we may be saved forever.

God recruited Gideon to lead His people against the Midianites. He commanded the youth to tear down his father's altar to Baal, cut down his Asherah pole, and sacrifice his father's prize bull on an altar Gideon built with his own hands, using the Asherah pole wood to burn the offering. Gideon took ten men and did as God demanded. The townspeople discovered the wreckage, and determined that Gideon had done it. But Joash, Gideon's father, resisted: 'Whoever contends for Baal will be put to death; if he is a god, let him defend his own cause.' Then the Midianites, Amalekites and others from the east came together in the Valley of Jezreel, and YHWH's Spirit took hold of Gideon; he sounded a trumpet and summoned the Abiezrites to follow him against the assembled enemies. And he sent messengers to summon the people of Zebulun, Manasseh and Asher. Gideon still doubted his calling, and tested God twice, putting out a fleeced and altering the conditions by which he would know God's will. That testing passed, Gideon and his forces encamped beside the spring of Harod, south of the Midianite camp by the hill of Moreh. Then God again tested Gideon's faith and resolve. Beginning with 32,000 troops, God's tests pared Gideon's forces down to 300 men. And following God's instructions, Gideon and his servant spied out the enemy camp, and they overheard a prophetic dream predicting Gideon's triumph. He worshiped, and marshalled and deployed his men in three companies around the perimeter of the enemy camp, and prepared to set the enemy in disarray.

Peter had preached to the crowd gathered in Jerusalem when the disciples began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And the hearers were cut to the heart, and asked Peter and his companions what they should do. Peter answered, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you into the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit—for the promise is to you and your descendants, everyone whom the Lord God calls to Himself. Save yourselves from this crooked generation!' That day, about 3000 souls were added to the followers of Christ. They devoted themselves to fellowship, sharing bread and prayers. Many signs and wonders were done through the apostles; the believers held all possessions in common; they sold possessions and commodities and distributed the proceeds to all who had need. Day after day they attended the temple together, broke bread together in their homes, and praised God. They were held in high regard throughout the community, and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. One day, and Peter and John were going up to the temple, they came upon a lifelong cripple who daily begged at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. He asked alms of the apostles, and Peter addressed him: 'Look at us. I have no silver or gold, but I give you what I have: in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk.' Peter took his right hand, and helped the man to stand; immediately his feet and ankles were made strong, and he could walk, for the first time in his life! Leaping up, he stood and walked, and now whole, he entered the temple with Peter and John, walking and leaping and praising God. Everyone present knew the man, and recognized the miracle of his healing; they were filled with wonder and amazement. While the man clung to Peter and John, the people flocked around them in Solomon's Portico.

John begins his story of the good news of Jesus the Messiah: In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him; in Him is life, the light of humankind. The Light shines in the darkness, and darkness cannot overcome or comprehend this Light. A man named John was sent from God to bear witness concerning the Light, so that through his testimony, all might believe in the Light. He was not the Light, but came as His witness. The true Light that enlightens every mortal was coming into the world; He was in the world, and though the creation was His handiwork, the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own home, but the people there did not receive or welcome Him. Yet, to all who received Him, He gave the power and right to become children of God, born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling in our midst; we have beheld His glory, as of the only Son from the Father. John bore witness concerning Him: 'This Is He of Whom I said, He whom comes after me has surpassed me, because He Is before me.' From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one grace after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, but God the only Begotten, Who Is in the Father's bosom, has made Him known. Jewish authorities came from Jerusalem to examine John, and this is what he told them: I am not the Messiah, or the Prophet of whom Moses spoke, nor Elijah. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as Isaiah said.' 'Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?' John answered them: 'I baptize with water; but One is among you Whom you do not know; the One coming after me; and I am unworthy so much as to untie His sandals.' All this took place in Bethany east of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.