Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Hebrews 9:14 (NLT)

People Didn’t Know Him

A pious church member, who thought himself to be a great Christian, says Warren W. Wiersbe, visited the Junior Department of the Sunday school. The Superintendent asked him to say a few words to the boys and girls. He stood pompously before them, and asked, “Why do you think people call me a Christian?”

There was an embarrassing silence, then a small voice from the back of the room said, “Because they don’t know you.”

—Christian Victory

Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman Š

August 12

Some students at Oxford heard that Rudyard Kipling was getting a shilling a word for his writings. They decided to play a joke on him and they wrote, "Please send us one of your words." Kipling immediately sent back the unexpected "Thanks."

Whately said, "It is generally true that all that is required to make men unmindful of what they owe to God for any blessing, is, that they should receive that blessing often and regularly." "I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing" (Ezekiel 34:26b). Our trouble, so human, is in recognizing the refreshing and restoring showers of life.

August 13

"...Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers" (Philemon 22).

What faith! Paul was that sure of their prayers.

"Pray for each other...The prayer of a righteous [person] is powerful and effective" (James 5:16). "I exhort...that...intercessions...be made for all..." (1 Timothy 2:1). When a loved one is dying physically or spiritually, we intercede with the God of love. When we pray for our beloved, we are both raised before His presence.

The prayer of the rightminded person changes human will into Divine will and passion into submission for us both.

Pat Nordman Š

Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions
Spurgeon's Morning for August 12	Spurgeon's Evening for August 12
"The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice." – Psalm 97:1	"The bow shall be seen in the cloud." — Genesis 9:14
In heaven none doubt the sovereignty of the King Eternal, but all fall on their faces to do him homage. Angels are his courtiers, the redeemed his favourites, and all delight to serve him day and night. May we soon reach the city of the great King!	When the sinner's conscience is dark with clouds, when he remembers his past sin, and mourneth and lamenteth before God, Jesus Christ is revealed to him as the covenant Rainbow, displaying all the glorious hues of the divine character and betokening peace.
Spurgeon's Morning for August 13	Spurgeon's Evening for August 13
"The cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted." – Psalm 104:16	"And I will remember my covenant." — Genesis 9:15
... the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their watering; they stand on the lofty rock, unmoistened by human irrigation; and yet our heavenly Father supplieth them. Thus it is with the Christian who has learned to live by faith.	Oh! it is not my remembering God, it is God's remembering me which is the ground of my safety; it is not my laying hold of his covenant, but his covenant's laying hold on me. Glory be to God!

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August 12 Isa 58:1 - 63:19

August 13 Isa 64:1 - 66:24

365 days of Bible Readings Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

Current Bible Question

What was the name of the first judge of Israel?

Previous question and Answer:

Esther replace who as queen?

Vashti (Esther 2:4)

Today's Devotion

But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
Job 16:5 (NIV)

Plucked

by Cathy Vinson

"In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!"

(Luke 15:7)

It is GOOD to refect where we've been. It awakens us again to the goodness God had shown to us. The fact that God made us alive in Christ while we were still His enemies is the EXCEPTIONAL love of history! Love has never been defined more clearly!

Before we knew Him, we were excluded from citizenship with God's people, a foreigner to any of God's loving covenants, "without hope and without God in the world," and we were "by nature an object of wrath" to Him (Eph 2:3,12). None of us roll from death to life. No, we are PLUCKED out by the merciful hand of God!

It is a true, humbling picture to see ourselves as actually plucked out from our past lives by nothing else than the personal love of God. Mercy was called upon, grace stored up. They were so primed that God's great love roared as a tempest into our lives.

Paul says "all of us" were at one time "objects of wrath" (Eph 2:3). When one of us repents, even just you or just me, heaven breaks out into a great celebration (Lk 15: 7,10)...think of it, for you alone. Realize, then, you have been plucked out and plucked up to become a trophy of His love within His warm household.

Cathy VinsonŠ

Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.

It is GOOD to refect where we've been. It awakens us again to the goodness God had shown to us.

Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE

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~ Under Construction ~

One of those huge graders goes to work on a highway repair job. when the machine is operating on a busy road, traffic is halted and the cars lined up in opposite directions are allowed to proceed alternately. A veteran operator of one of those big machines decided one day to try to relieve the tension that inevitably results from such a traffic backup. Consequently on both the front and rear of his grader a sign now appears, declaring, "The Road to Happiness is Almost Always Under Construction."