GOLDEN WORDS
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1:3 NIV
God has equipped us with all that we need for this life. He has
called us to serve Him. He has given us all that we need to serve Him in whatever task He
has called us.
There are times when God asks nothing of his children except silence, patience, and tears.
— Charles Seymore Robinson
Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman
January 6
"Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Genesis 18:25.
We have all encountered what we feel is injustice. We only perceive what is happening at
this moment, and that is colored by our own prejudices. God works in the whole of human
history past, present and future so what we see or feel happening right at this moment that
seems so outrageous and unethical is set in a panorama of sacred history. It helps so much
to remember this.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:17. God originates good and
controls evil, and that is the essence of His justice. We could go insane
indeed, some do if
we didn't believe that somewhere there is ultimate impartiality. "When I tried to
understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I
understood their final destiny" Psalm 73:16,17. Only God knows the end from the
beginning.
He understands because He experienced the greatest injustice on earth. Still He could say,
"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" Luke 23:34.
Perhaps this is the most ethical utterance made by Man for man. It certainly spotlights
man's inhumanity to man. Yes, Father, forgive them...and forgive us, too.
"The Lord is a God who knows and by him deeds are weighed" 1 Samuel 2:3b. Only
God can possibly know motives, a knowledge necessary for honorable judgment. "The
eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" Proverbs
15:3. Since we can't be everywhere and see everything, it is best that we leave the
judging to God. He is holy and therefore incapable of judging from any wrong reason or
rule. Our righteous God is farsighted and sees all, while we are so nearsighted, so
spiritually myopic, that all we see is what is happening right now and its seeming
unfairness.
January 7
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and
blameless in his sight" Ephesians 1:4.
To think that God chose us before the foundation of the world! We are no accident of a
whimsical evolution; we are the accomplishment the masterpiece of the divine purpose.
Doesn't this make us want to be and to do the very best for Him who held us as a thought
and not an afterthought? We are the selected and the elected for God Himself. And we were
chosen before the fall. Redemption was planned for us before our parents even met! Yes,
it's a profound mystery, but God's ways are not our ways. "How unsearchable his
judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" Romans 11:33.
We have been elected by grace. It has nothing to do with our merit. Lest we boast that it
is ours by right, "But by the grace of God, I am what I am" (1 Corinthians
15:10); "It is by grace [we] have been saved" (Ephesians 2:5).
We have been elected not on seen or foreseen holiness, but that we may become holy wholly
through the grace of a personal and personable God who loves beyond our comprehension.
What is so delightful about this is the assurance for us that there is no room for chance
in our lives. God is not the author of haphazard hazards. His plans are complete and
definite, and we can rest in this. How else could we stand and withstand the chaos
initiated and kept going by the "ruler of the kingdom of the air" (Ephesians
2:2)?
We are not chosen because we are sanctified already, but God Himself causes our holiness.
But there is a part we play, too, and it is faith and a desire to be holy, for "It is
God's will that [we] should be holy" 1 Thessalonians 4:3. He would not will something
that is impossible for us to achieve and for which He has not made provisions and
providence. He is farsighted, while we are nearsightedness. How we praise Him for our
being elected!
Pat Nordman ©
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Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions |
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Spurgeon's Morning for January 6 |
Spurgeon's Evening January 6 |
| "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." -1 Peter 5:7
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"Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening." -Ezekiel 33:22
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O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in his providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses. There is One who careth for you. |
A sense of the divine presence and indwelling bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near, and the visible loses its power over us; servant-body waits at the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the summit in the presence of the Lord. |
Spurgeon's Morning for January 7 |
Spurgeon's Evening January 7 |
| "The iniquity of the holy things." --Exodus 28:38
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"Thy love is better than wine." - Song of Solomon 1:2
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I look at the weeds which overspread my garden, and breathe out an earnest wish that they were eradicated. But why? What prompts the wish? It may be that I may walk out and say to myself, 'In what fine order is my garden kept!' This is pride. Or, it may be that my neighbours may look over the wall and say, 'How finely your garden flourishes!' |
Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with Christ. He has enjoyment as others have in the common mercies of life, he can be glad both in God's gifts and God's works; but in all these separately, yea, and in all of them added together, he doth not find such substantial delight as in the matchless person of his Lord Jesus. |
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Am the New Year I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. |
Today's' fact about Time and its measurement, a time quotation and a New Year Inspiration.
... by Pat
Nordman Isaiah
24:4,5 TLB More Walking Through the Darkness Religion
News RealAudio format Happy
New Year Return to DM's HOME
January 6 Genesis 16:1-18:33
January 7 Genesis
19:1- 21:34
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Today's Devotion
Environmental
Responsibility
"The land suffers for the
sins of its people. The earth languishes, the crops wither, the skies refuse their
rain."
The earth is God's gift to us, and we have a responsibility to be concerned about the
environment. Adam's first job was taking care of the garden. Even in Paradise the plants
and flowers and trees needed cultivation!
We hear much about land and air pollution, but we also have noise pollution and aesthetic
damage. Prolonged exposure to intense noise can damage our hearing, but it also can make
us irritable and even murderous. Unfortunately we can't escape the din anymore: it's in
elevators, restaurants, grocery stores, you name it. We seem unable to endure quiet
anymore! We may be a world on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
John Ruskin (1819-1900) spoke of the London of his time as "talking, growling,
roaring." And that was before blaring radios and TV's, twenty-ton trucks, jets and
rock music! What would he say about the deafening world in which we now live? We are in
desperate need of a peaceful world again, so we can think about and care about what we are
doing to the earth and to ourselves.
Air pollution has resulted in physical damage of our civilized environment, too. Several
years ago I read a hearing published by the government on the effects of acid rain on the
statuary in Italy. This country is famous for its centuries-old statues carved by renowned
artists. Now acid rain is destroying them. Another hearing dealt with the effects of acid
rain on our forests. At a certain level forests all over the world were being affected.
The renowned Black Forest in Germany was singled out as being especially affected. Air
pollution limits visibility, obscures scenic views, and produces noxious odors. As well as
being expensive, it can also have a depressing psychological effect on people. Our
environment is less pleasing to our five senses because it has been blemished by our own
actions.
Adam's first job was taking care of the garden. Even in Paradise the plants and flowers
and trees needed cultivation!Today's Religion News
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