Lost sinners should be afraid!
(Matthew Henry)
Lost sinners should be afraid! They have . . . .
an angry God above them,
a guilty conscience within them,
and a yawning Hell below them!
an angry God above them,
a guilty conscience within them,
and a yawning Hell below them!
_________________________
Why Are You So Afraid?
Guest Writer: Meet my son-in-law Tripp Prince. We are blessed to have him as our guest writer.
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? Mark 4:39-40
If we’re honest with ourselves, every single one of us has something that we fear.
Be it small or large, in our weakness, we as human beings are all prone to fear and anxiety. From fear of war and economic collapse to anxiety about health and relationships, so much of our lives seem to be driven by fear. For us as Christ followers, the great danger is to let fear be so dominant in our thoughts and minds that when we hear good news, news of joy and hope and rescue, we struggle to receive it.
Today, Jesus wants to break through the anxiety and confusion of our world and our hearts and announce the good news of the gospel by asking us one simple question: “Why are you so afraid?”
For many of us, we struggle with fear when we don’t yet fully trust and believe that Jesus is who he says he is.
We forget that he is the one who calms the storms, who subdues and brings order to creation and to the tempest that rages inside each of our hearts. When we forget this, we live as though we’re stranded at sea in a storm, rather than held fast and kept safe by the Lord Jesus.
Fear-based living can present itself in a variety of ways. We may fear that we won’t have enough money or resources for college tuition and retirement. We may simply fear the loss of control or the unknown. Those of us who are parents are often tempted to parent from a place of fear, forgetting that God cares for our children more than we can possibly imagine.
These fears and others are always present, threatening our peace and our hope in Christ. And so we must be people who choose today to reject fear and trust fully in the protection and care of Jesus who is with us and loves us perfectly.
As Scripture reminds us, “perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn. 4:18). When we encounter the perfect love of Jesus, when we trust that he will never leave or forsake us, fear is cast out and we find rest for our weary souls.
Trust afresh in the power and protection of Jesus, and remember that in Christ there is nothing to fear!
Prayer: Father, thank you that we can put our hope and trust in you and that your love for us casts out every form of fear and anxiety.
Related Readings: Psalm 23:4; Psalm 34:4; Luke 2:10; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:6
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
______________________________________
Faithful and Useful
"Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me" (Psalm 101:6).
If David spoke thus, we may be sure that the Son of David will be of the same mind. Jesus looks out for faithful men, and He fixes His eyes upon them, to observe them, to bring them forward, to encourage them, and to reward them. Let no true-hearted man think that he is overlooked; the King Himself has His eye upon him.
There are two results of this royal notice. First we read, "That they may dwell with me." Jesus brings the faithful into His house, He sets them in His palace, He makes them His companions, He delights in their society. We must be true to our LORD, and He will then manifest Himself to us. When our faithfulness costs us most, it will be best rewarded; the more furiously men reject, the more joyfully will our LORD receive us.
Next, he says of the sincere man, "He shall serve me." Jesus will use for His own glory those who scorn the tricks of policy and are faithful to Himself, His Word, and His cross. These shall be in His royal retinue, the honored servants of His Majesty. Communion and usefulness are the wages of faithfulness. LORD make me faithful that I may dwell with Thee and serve Thee.
~Charles Spurgeon~
________________________
The Lord shall forgive her. Numbers 30:5,8,12
If the father or husband disallowed the vow a woman made, it would not stand, nor would she be held responsible for its fulfillment. God would not keep her to a promise which was hindered from execution by causes over which she had no control. This is a profound principle.
You may feel that a certain step is required of you by Christ; that indeed you are bound by your allegiance to Him to take it; nay, you have already promised Him that you will take it; but, suddenly and most unexpectedly, you are prevented from taking it. The express prohibition of those who have a right to determine your action, or the verdict of the physician, or the evident call of duty in another direction, makes it needful for you to relinquish your project. What then: is God grieved and angry? Not so; He understands the whole of the case perfectly, and accepts your will for the deed, and bids you go in peace. This, however, does not affect matters in which conscience is clear in demanding or prohibiting a certain line of conduct.
Sometimes God's silence is consent. You made your solemn dedication in His holy presence: there was no answering voice, or rush of emotion, or witnessing seal; He held His peace from day to day. But in that silence He established all your vows, all your bonds.
If parents capriciously forbid their children carrying out solemn resolutions and vows, the burden of blame must rest on their shoulders. They must render their account to God, and give answer for their action. It will go hard with those who put needless hindrances and obstacles in their brothers' pathway.
~F. B. Meyer~
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? Mark 4:39-40
If we’re honest with ourselves, every single one of us has something that we fear.
Be it small or large, in our weakness, we as human beings are all prone to fear and anxiety. From fear of war and economic collapse to anxiety about health and relationships, so much of our lives seem to be driven by fear. For us as Christ followers, the great danger is to let fear be so dominant in our thoughts and minds that when we hear good news, news of joy and hope and rescue, we struggle to receive it.
Today, Jesus wants to break through the anxiety and confusion of our world and our hearts and announce the good news of the gospel by asking us one simple question: “Why are you so afraid?”
For many of us, we struggle with fear when we don’t yet fully trust and believe that Jesus is who he says he is.
We forget that he is the one who calms the storms, who subdues and brings order to creation and to the tempest that rages inside each of our hearts. When we forget this, we live as though we’re stranded at sea in a storm, rather than held fast and kept safe by the Lord Jesus.
Fear-based living can present itself in a variety of ways. We may fear that we won’t have enough money or resources for college tuition and retirement. We may simply fear the loss of control or the unknown. Those of us who are parents are often tempted to parent from a place of fear, forgetting that God cares for our children more than we can possibly imagine.
These fears and others are always present, threatening our peace and our hope in Christ. And so we must be people who choose today to reject fear and trust fully in the protection and care of Jesus who is with us and loves us perfectly.
As Scripture reminds us, “perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn. 4:18). When we encounter the perfect love of Jesus, when we trust that he will never leave or forsake us, fear is cast out and we find rest for our weary souls.
Trust afresh in the power and protection of Jesus, and remember that in Christ there is nothing to fear!
Prayer: Father, thank you that we can put our hope and trust in you and that your love for us casts out every form of fear and anxiety.
Related Readings: Psalm 23:4; Psalm 34:4; Luke 2:10; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:6
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
______________________________________
Faithful and Useful
"Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me" (Psalm 101:6).
If David spoke thus, we may be sure that the Son of David will be of the same mind. Jesus looks out for faithful men, and He fixes His eyes upon them, to observe them, to bring them forward, to encourage them, and to reward them. Let no true-hearted man think that he is overlooked; the King Himself has His eye upon him.
There are two results of this royal notice. First we read, "That they may dwell with me." Jesus brings the faithful into His house, He sets them in His palace, He makes them His companions, He delights in their society. We must be true to our LORD, and He will then manifest Himself to us. When our faithfulness costs us most, it will be best rewarded; the more furiously men reject, the more joyfully will our LORD receive us.
Next, he says of the sincere man, "He shall serve me." Jesus will use for His own glory those who scorn the tricks of policy and are faithful to Himself, His Word, and His cross. These shall be in His royal retinue, the honored servants of His Majesty. Communion and usefulness are the wages of faithfulness. LORD make me faithful that I may dwell with Thee and serve Thee.
~Charles Spurgeon~
________________________
The Lord shall forgive her. Numbers 30:5,8,12
If the father or husband disallowed the vow a woman made, it would not stand, nor would she be held responsible for its fulfillment. God would not keep her to a promise which was hindered from execution by causes over which she had no control. This is a profound principle.
You may feel that a certain step is required of you by Christ; that indeed you are bound by your allegiance to Him to take it; nay, you have already promised Him that you will take it; but, suddenly and most unexpectedly, you are prevented from taking it. The express prohibition of those who have a right to determine your action, or the verdict of the physician, or the evident call of duty in another direction, makes it needful for you to relinquish your project. What then: is God grieved and angry? Not so; He understands the whole of the case perfectly, and accepts your will for the deed, and bids you go in peace. This, however, does not affect matters in which conscience is clear in demanding or prohibiting a certain line of conduct.
Sometimes God's silence is consent. You made your solemn dedication in His holy presence: there was no answering voice, or rush of emotion, or witnessing seal; He held His peace from day to day. But in that silence He established all your vows, all your bonds.
If parents capriciously forbid their children carrying out solemn resolutions and vows, the burden of blame must rest on their shoulders. They must render their account to God, and give answer for their action. It will go hard with those who put needless hindrances and obstacles in their brothers' pathway.
~F. B. Meyer~
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