09 Sep 2024
When the Lord chooses to work through an individual, He does it wonderfully. What He did through Peter and John, when He healed the lame man outside the temple astounded the religious leaders and everyone else. May He keep doing amazing things in our midst. Acts 4:1-11.
Daily Prayer for September 9
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10–11, NIV Lord God, we thank you that it is your will to strengthen us through your presence, through Jesus Christ, the leader of your cause, who is and remains victor among all on earth. Our souls need strength and our hearts need confidence so that in our time we can draw near to you and to your kingdom. Bless us with the Holy Spirit whenever we begin to grow weary. Your Holy Spirit can give us the strength to believe and hope, the strength to see the salvation that is coming to give joy to all the world. Amen. Recent articles on Plough In Praise of Excess Alan Koppschall In All Things Are Too Small, Becca Rothfeld makes the case for a more infinite view of the world and rejects the smallness and minimalism of the current age. Read now Bad Faith or Perfect Freedom King-Ho Leung Sartre and Augustine reflect on what it takes to be free. Read now Speaking of Joy Ladislaus Boros Wherever we experience true joy, we also experience mystery. Read now Poem: “Let Them Grow” Robert W. Crawford The poet shares his hopes for his grandsons. Read now The Word within the World James Matthew Wilson Poetry, the oldest and most universal of arts, is increasingly underappreciated. These four poets hope to reverse that. Read now
Today’s Verse – 2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. —2 Corinthians 9:8 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What a powerful promise! If we are willing to generously share with others in the name of Jesus, as the apostle Paul discusses in the previous verses, we will always have what we need to bless others, and our lives will be full of good deeds that bring glory to God and his blessing to many. So let’s remind ourselves of one of the first lessons we should have learned as young children: share… share what we have… share generously! Only this time, as children of God, let’s share in the name of Jesus to bless others so they receive his grace in tangible ways. My Prayer… Thank you, Father, for all the incredible blessings you have poured into my life. You have richly blessed me physically and spiritually. Now, I ask that your Holy Spirit will help me be generous with the gifts you have so richly poured into my life. O LORD, may I be a conduit of your blessings so that others may come to know your grace through the blessings you’ve given me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Receiving God’s Promises Through Faith
Note from Jesus Dear Child of Grace, Many people in your fallen world accept or reject others based on race. They exclude those who are not of their race. The Christians in Rome, and really all over the world during the time Paul wrote his letter to the Roman Christians, struggled with the issue of race. The separation between Jew and Gentile was a hard one for many of the early Christians to overcome. As I look at your time, My heart breaks at both the physical violence done in the name of race and also the more subtle forms of exclusivity, prejudice, bigotry, and racial arrogance. Sometimes this racial prejudice is acted out publicly. Other times it goes on in people’s hearts as they fake racial acceptance to get along in culture. Please understand something that Paul made very clear to My disciples. I came to tear down racial divisions and bring about a new humanity not based on race (Ephesians 2:11-22). I came to establish “one new humanity” based on faith. I came to create peace between different peoples through My sacrifice on the cross (Ephesians 2:14-16). The future I will bring has all nations, races, languages, and peoples joined together in joyous worship, praise, and fellowship (Revelation 7:9-12). My human racial identity was Jewish. I came as the answer to the Father’s promise to Abraham and David. I came as the Anointed One, the Messiah of Israel. The Father chose Israel to be His people. He did not choose them because they were better, wiser, more numerous, or more powerful. The Father chose Israel because of His love and faithfulness to His promises to the great Israelite patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and later King David. John the Baptizer, My cousin and forerunner, had warned people that being Jewish descendants of Abraham didn’t guarantee their righteousness. John reminded the people that the Father “is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:7-9 ESV). Both John and I warned that if a person claims to be a descendant of Abraham, he or she must live a life of faith like Abraham (Romans 4:13; Galatians 3:6-9). So what Paul said in chapters 9-11 of Romans about the relationship of Jews to the Father shouldn’t be a complete surprise. We will be looking at Paul’s message in these chapters for a few days. Paul wanted everyone to know that just as all have sinned, both Jew and Gentile, all can be children of God through faith in My sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection. Race is not what makes a person a part of God’s Israel, his chosen people. Faith is what makes one a child of Abraham (Galatians 3:26-29). The Father, in His Sovereignty, chose Israel and gave Israel the great benefits of “the glory, the covenants, the gift of the law, the temple service, and God’s promises” as “their rightful heritage”. So the Jewish people should be loved and respected because they provided the story, the heritage, the Scriptures, the promises, and the Messiah (Me) that make salvation available to all people. However, Paul reminded Jewish Christians: The truth is that not everyone descended from Israel is truly Israel. Just because people can claim Abraham as their father does not make them his true children. For a time, all but a small group of Jews had stumbled because of the truth that is found in Me, the Anointed, the “rock”. But just as many Gentiles have been brought into My family through faith, a time is coming, and indeed has already begun, when My fellow Israelites will find themselves a part of the Father’s promises by faith. Verses to Live Today and the next several days, you will be reading from Romans chapters 9-11. Paul’s discussion can appear confusing at times because he was using the way of teaching he learned as a young rabbi. But the basis of his reasoning is fairly clear. The Father is sovereign. He works in the way He does to fulfill His promises and to fulfill His desire to bring salvation to all people who will receive His grace. Rather than race, ethnicity, law-keeping, or heritage being the guarantee of this salvation, the Father accepts people based on their faith in Me. In this way, salvation can come to all people, and all people can be accepted into My family without prejudice or racial division or any other distinction. Spiritual Israel, the people of God, is made up of those who receive the promises of God by faith and choose to share this grace with the nations. Now let me speak the truth as plainly as I know it in the Anointed One [Christ Jesus]. I am not lying when I say that my conscience and the Holy Spirit are witnesses to my state of constant grief. It may sound extreme; but I wish that I were lost, cursed, and totally separated from the Anointed — if that would change the eternal destination of my [Jewish] brothers and sisters, my flesh and countrymen. They are, after all, Israelites who have been adopted into God’s family; the glory, the covenants, the gift of the law, the temple service, and God’s promises are their rightful heritage. The patriarchs are theirs, too; and from their bloodline comes the Anointed One, the Liberating King, Who reigns supreme over all things, God blessed forever. Amen. Clearly it is not that God’s word has failed. The truth is that not everyone descended from Israel is truly Israel. Just because people can claim Abraham as their father does not make them his true children. But in the Scriptures, it says, “Through Isaac your covenant children will be named.” The proper interpretation is this: Abraham’s children by natural descent are not necessarily God’s covenant people; what matters is that His children receive and live the promise. (Romans 9:1-8) So what does all of this mean? Did the non-Jews stumble into a right standing with God without
Daily Prayer for September 8
Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion? Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:9–12, NIV Lord God, our Father in heaven, we turn to you in these times when we are under so much stress and temptation. Let your light glow in our hearts to give us firmness, patience, and perseverance throughout the time of testing, no matter how long it lasts. Your hand can change everything. Your hand can shorten the time we must wait until your light shines out of the darkness of death and evil, until your light reveals your life to your children and to the whole world. You are our God and Father as you have promised, and remaining at your side, we look to you in faith and trust. You will bring about goodness, justice, and mercy as you have promised, and so fulfill your will. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Speaking of Joy Ladislaus Boros Wherever we experience true joy, we also experience mystery. Read now Poem: “Let Them Grow” Robert W. Crawford The poet shares his hopes for his grandsons. Read now The Word within the World James Matthew Wilson Poetry, the oldest and most universal of arts, is increasingly underappreciated. These four poets hope to reverse that. Read now Arvo Pärt’s Journey Joonas Sildre In this excerpt from Between Two Sounds, we see the moment when the Estonian composer begins to run afoul of the Soviet regime. Read now How Do You Know a Christian? Cody Cook Here’s a quick test from the early church. Read now
Today’s Verse – Mark 9:7
Then a cloud appeared and enveloped [Jesus and his disciples, Peter, James, and John], and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” —Mark 9:7 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Who are you listening to in your life? We can hear all sorts of different voices and listen to all sorts of religious commentary and insight. However, we can follow only One as the Source of all truth and life. Who are we going to listen to as we make our decisions about morality, values, ethics, and character? Who has earned the right to be heard regarding truth, life, death, sin, and salvation? God makes it unmistakably clear at the Mount of Transfiguration: we must listen to his Son Jesus! Moses was amazing, and Elijah was bold and brave. Peter, James, and John were blown away to see them at Jesus’ transfiguration. But God made it clear: we must listen, obey, and follow only one as our source of truth, and God said of him, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” My Prayer… Almighty God, I need the Holy Spirit’s help to silence the voices of dispute, doubt, deception, and demagoguery surrounding me. Help me hear the voice of Jesus above the noise of politicians, influencers, and self-appointed experts of my day. I want to follow Jesus and obey him in all things, no matter what anyone else may choose to do or to whom they entrust their hearts. Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Blessed Assurance!
Note from Jesus Dear Child of the Father, All creation waits on tiptoe for the day I return and bring you home to the Father. On that day, you will experience “the total redemption of [y]our bodies that comes when [y]our adoption as children of God is complete.” However, I want you to realize that not only is the Holy Spirit your “guarantee, a down payment of the things to come,” but He is also My sustaining power and presence in your life and will help you in many ways. Here are three truths you will find in the verses today: The Spirit intercedes for you when you pray and even “steps in and articulates [your] prayers… with groaning too profound for words” when you can’t find the words to pray. The Spirit’s presence is a constant reminder that, because of My presence at the Father’s side, nothing can ever separate you from the His love. The Spirit Whose power raised Me from the dead is your assurance of ultimate victory just as I was victorious over sin, death, and hell. Treasure these assurances. Trust in the Spirit’s presence. Glory awaits! Verses to Live There are so many good things that await you. And I know that, even though you cannot see them now, you yearn for them. That is why I promised that I would not leave you alone, but that I would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to be with you and to help you until I come back for you (Acts 2:32-33; Titus 3:3-7; John 14:18-26). So today, the verses come from things that Paul wrote to the Romans about blessings that the Spirit brings to Christians, including you; I want you to read these verses several times. Find a few especially meaningful sentences to memorize. Then when times are tough, let the Holy Spirit remind you of these truths and fill your heart with the assurance that you are the Father’s child, My beloved co-heir of the kingdom of God, and a person in whom the Spirit of the almighty God lives. Now I’m sure of this: the sufferings we endure now are not even worth comparing to the glory that is coming and will be revealed in us. For all of creation is waiting, yearning for the time when the children of God will be revealed. You see, all of creation has collapsed into emptiness, not by its own choosing, but by God’s. Still He placed within it a deep and abiding hope that creation would one day be liberated from its slavery to corruption and experience the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that all creation groans in unison with birthing pains up until now. And there is more; it’s not just creation — all of us are groaning together too. Though we have already tasted the firstfruits of the Spirit, we are longing for the total redemption of our bodies that comes when our adoption as children of God is complete — for we have been saved in this hope and for this future. But hope does not involve what we already have or see. For who goes around hoping for what he already has? But if we wait expectantly for things we have never seen, then we hope with true perseverance and eager anticipation. A similar thing happens when we pray. We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words. Don’t you know that He Who pursues and explores the human heart intimately knows the Spirit’s mind because He pleads to God for His saints to align their lives with the will of God? We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan. From the distant past, His eternal love reached into the future. You see, He knew those who would be His one day, and He chose them beforehand to be conformed to the image of His Son so that Jesus would be the firstborn of a new family of believers, all brothers and sisters. As for those He chose beforehand, He called them to a different destiny so that they would experience what it means to be made right with God and share in His glory. So what should we say about all of this? If God is on our side, then tell me: whom should we fear? If He did not spare His own Son, but handed Him over on our account, then don’t you think that He will graciously give us all things with Him? Can anyone be so bold as to level a charge against God’s chosen? Especially since God’s “not guilty” verdict is already declared. Who has the authority to condemn? Jesus the Anointed Who died, but more importantly, conquered death when He was raised to sit at the right hand of God where He pleads on our behalf. So who can separate us? What can come between us and the love of God’s Anointed? Can troubles, hardships, persecution, hunger, poverty, danger, or even death? The answer is, absolutely nothing. As the psalm says, On Your behalf, our lives are endangered constantly; we are like sheep awaiting slaughter. But no matter what comes, we will always taste victory through Him Who loved us. For I have every confidence that nothing — not death, life, heavenly messengers, dark spirits, the present, the future, spiritual powers, height, depth, nor any created thing — can come between us and the love of God revealed in the Anointed, Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:18-39) Response in Prayer O Father, thank You for the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the Spirit’s ministry of intercession for me, His work in me to transform me, and His presence in me to be my Comforter. I
Daily Prayer for September 7
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3–4, NIV Lord our God, remind us again and again of what you have done in our hearts and lives to make us certain of the resurrection. Help us to live in this certainty and to hold fast to everything good and great which you bring into our lives. Grant us the assurance that we are gaining ground in the battle for the redemption of those who are still in darkness and in the shadow of death. May we find joy in what we have here and now. Give us patience in our struggles. Give us hope for all that has gone wrong, because even what is in darkness is still in your hands. In the end everything must be brought to the light so that all humankind may glorify your great name. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Poem: “Let Them Grow” Robert W. Crawford The poet shares his hopes for his grandsons. Read now The Word within the World James Matthew Wilson Poetry, the oldest and most universal of arts, is increasingly underappreciated. These four poets hope to reverse that. Read now Arvo Pärt’s Journey Joonas Sildre In this excerpt from Between Two Sounds, we see the moment when the Estonian composer begins to run afoul of the Soviet regime. Read now How Do You Know a Christian? Cody Cook Here’s a quick test from the early church. Read now A Deft Poet of Grief Nick Ripatrazone A review of Stephen Sexton’s melancholy and gentle book of poems, If All the World and Love Were Young. Read now
Today’s Verse – Nehemiah 9:6
[The people of God stood and worshiped him, saying:] “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” —Nehemiah 9:6 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God is the Creator! Life is defined in him and by him. The multitudes of heaven worship and adore the LORD for his creative power and love. For me, that means two very important things. I need to give him my heartfelt worship and praise. When I praise God, I am doing something eternal and joining with the host of heaven in worshiping the LORD! You and I won’t take much out of this life into the next, but among those things is our praise to our God and Father. Praise be to God, not just now, but forevermore! Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Thank you, dear God, for creating the universe in its incomprehensible expanse. Thank you, holy Father, for re-creating me in Christ so that I can share in your glory as your beloved child. Thank you, almighty LORD, for creating life that endures forever. I look forward to that Day when I see you face to face and praise you with the multitudes of heaven. In Jesus’ name, I praise. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Animated by the Spirit
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, Live animated by the power of the Father’s “indwelling presence,” the Holy Spirit within you! Your flesh — “your fallen, corrupt nature” — cannot overcome the power and pull of sin unless you live led by the Spirit. As yesterday’s note emphasized, trying to be righteous by law-keeping awakens the power of sin to use your fleshly nature to corrupt the righteous demands of the law and lead you to become enslaved to sin. Your power to overcome your fleshly nature is found when you partner with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in you. Today and tomorrow, I want to use Paul’s teaching in Romans chapter 8 to help you recognize what a great gift of grace the Spirit is for you. When you live “animated” — led, empowered, and guided by the Spirit — you are freed from law-keeping that is weakened by your flesh. The Spirit, on the other hand, helps you “live up to the justice demanded by the law” by helping you with “life-giving power” and giving you the assurance that you are the Father’s child. As “you have invited the Spirit to destroy these selfish desires [of your flesh], you will experience life.” You will be transformed and liberated to become more and more like Me with ever-increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) and begin to more fully display the fruit of the Spirit’s presence in your life (Galatians 5:22-23). Today, begin to ask the Holy Spirit to take a more forceful lead in your life. Specifically ask the Spirit to transform you to become more like Me each day and to help you display the Holy Spirit’s fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When you pray, address the Father as “‘Abba! Father!’ as [you] would address a loving daddy,” reminding yourself of the precious and tender relationship the Father wants to have with you. When you struggle with doubts about your worthiness or My presence in your life, ask the Holy Spirit to give you comfort. Pray for the Holy Spirit to minister to your spirit continually, even as you sleep. Ask the Spirit to give you discerning eyes to distinguish between God’s truth and the world’s lies and to give you the power to live according to God’s truth. Verses to Live Today’s verses are the beginning of an extended teaching from Paul on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit within those who are My disciples. Tomorrow we will cover the remainder of his teaching in this chapter of Romans. However, I encourage you to get a notepad or use your computer or mobile device and note the things that are promised about the Holy Spirit in both today’s and tomorrow’s messages. Living by the Spirit liberates you from law-keeping and the power of the flesh to control you. So seek for all that Paul teaches that the Spirit longs to bring you! Therefore, now no condemnation awaits those who are living in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, because when you live in the Anointed One, Jesus, a new law takes effect. The law of the Spirit of life breathes into you and liberates you from the law of sin and death. God did something the law could never do. You see, human flesh took its toll on God’s law. In and of itself, the law is not weak; but the flesh weakens it. So to condemn the sin that was ruling in the flesh, God sent His own Son, bearing the likeness of sinful flesh, as a sin offering. Now we are able to live up to the justice demanded by the law. But that ability has not come from living by our fallen human nature; it has come because we walk according to the movement of the Spirit in our lives. If you live your life animated by the flesh — namely, your fallen, corrupt nature — then your mind is focused on the matters of the flesh. But if you live your life animated by the Spirit — namely, God’s indwelling presence — then your focus is on the work of the Spirit. A mind focused on the flesh is doomed to death, but a mind focused on the Spirit will find full life and complete peace. You see, a mind focused on the flesh is declaring war against God; it defies the authority of God’s law and is incapable of following His path. So it is clear that God takes no pleasure in those who live oriented to the flesh. But you do not live in the flesh. You live in the Spirit, assuming, of course, that the Spirit of God lives inside of you. The truth is that anyone who does not have the Spirit of the Anointed living within does not belong to God. If the Anointed One lives within you, even though the body is as good as dead because of the effects of sin, the Spirit is infusing you with life now that you are right with God. If the Spirit of the One Who resurrected Jesus from the dead lives inside of you, then you can be sure that He Who raised Him will cast the light of life into your mortal bodies through the life-giving power of the Spirit residing in you. So, my brothers and sisters, you owe the flesh nothing! You do not need to live according to its ways, so abandon its oppressive regime. For if your life is just about satisfying the impulses of your sinful nature, then prepare to die. But if you have invited the Spirit to destroy these selfish desires, you will experience life. If the Spirit of God is leading you, then take comfort in knowing you are His children. You see, you have not received a spirit that returns you to slavery, so you have nothing to fear. The Spirit you have received adopts you and