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March 18: Morning
"Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." -Galatians 3:26
The fatherhood of God is common to all his children. Ah! Little-faith, you have often said, "Oh that I had the courage of Great-heart, that I could wield his sword and be as valiant as he! But, alas, I stumble at every straw, and a shadow makes me afraid." List thee, Little-faith. Great-heart is God's child, and you are God's child too; and Great-heart is not one whit more God's child than you are. Peter and Paul, the highly-favoured apostles, were of the family of the Most High; and so are you also; the weak Christian is as much a child of God as the strong one.
"This cov'nant stands secure,
Though earth's old pillars bow;
The strong, the feeble, and the weak,
Are one in Jesus now."
All the names are in the same family register. One may have more grace than another, but God our heavenly Father has the same tender heart towards all. One may do more mighty works, and may bring more glory to his Father, but he whose name is the least in the kingdom of heaven is as much the child of God as he who stands among the King's mighty men. Let this cheer and comfort us, when we draw near to God and say, "Our Father."
Yet, while we are comforted by knowing this, let us not rest contented with weak faith, but ask, like the Apostles, to have it increased. However feeble our faith may be, if it be real faith in Christ, we shall reach heaven at last, but we shall not honour our Master much on our pilgrimage, neither shall we abound in joy and peace. If then you would live to Christ's glory, and be happy in his service, seek to be filled with the spirit of adoption more and more completely, till perfect love shall cast out fear.
Evening
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you." - John 15:9
As the Father loves the Son, in the same manner Jesus loves his people. What is that divine method? He loved him without beginning, and thus Jesus loves his members. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." You can trace the beginning of human affection; you can easily find the beginning of your love to Christ, but his love to us is a stream whose source is hidden in eternity. God the Father loves Jesus without any change. Christian, take this for your comfort, that there is no change in Jesus Christ's love to those who rest in him. Yesterday you were on Tabor's top, and you said, "He loves me:" today you are in the valley of humiliation, but he loves you still the same. On the hill Mizar, and among the Hermons, you heard his voice, which spake so sweetly with the turtle-notes of love; and now on the sea, or even in the sea, when all his waves and billows go over you, his heart is faithful to his ancient choice. The Father loves the Son without any end, and thus does the Son love his people. Saint, thou needest not fear the loosing of the silver cord, for his love for thee will never cease. Rest confident that even down to the grave Christ will go with you, and that up again from it he will be your guide to the celestial hills. Moreover, the Father loves the Son without any measure, and the same immeasurable love the Son bestows upon his chosen ones. The whole heart of Christ is dedicated to his people. He "loved us and gave himself for us." His is a love which passeth knowledge. Ah! we have indeed an immutable Saviour, a precious Saviour, one who loves without measure, without change, without beginning, and without end, even as the Father loves him! There is much food here for those who know how to digest it. May the Holy Ghost lead us into its marrow and fatness!
Dan
[Dăn] - he that judges.
The fifth son of Jacob, and first of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid. Dan was the full brother of Naphtali and founder of a tribal family (Gen. 30:6;2 Sam. 24:15).
The Man Whose Name is Blotted Out
With our finite minds there is a mystery about Dan we cannot solve. The history of the tribe of Dan is darker than the history of any other of the twelve tribes of Israel. When we come to the sealing of the twelve tribes (Rev. 7), Dan's name is left out. The omission is absolute - the tribe is cut off from its brethren and its name blotted out. Yet we cannot be absolutely certain that the tribe of Dan is finally cut off, for in Ezekiel's glowing prophecy there is a portion for Dan (Ezek. 48:1).
The prophecy of Jacob concerning Dan carries a twofold character - "Dan shall judge his people as one of the sceptres of Israel." Tribe also means sceptre (Gen. 49:10). No man among the Judges did so much for Israel single-handed as Samson the great Danite.
A further thought is associated with Jacob's prophecy of Dan. "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord." This is the first mention of salvation in Scripture. But Dan's history is adverse to the salvation predicted of him. His birth arose out of jealousy and inordinate desire. Dan became the Ishmael of Jacob's family. Persistent idolatry clung to the Danites from first to last. It was because Dan was likened unto a serpent that some of the early fathers predicted that Antichrist would come from him. "They are not all Israel which are of Israel." As there was one among the Twelve Apostles, so there was one among the Twelve Tribes who had not the seal of God. This we do know, Dan's glory as one of the sceptres of Israel with courage as a lion's whelp, is of no avail without the seal of God upon his forehead.
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Today's reading: Deuteronomy 32-34, Mark 15:26-47 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Deuteronomy 32-34
1 Listen, you heavens, and I will speak;
hear, you earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he....
...read the rest on Bible Gateway
Today's New Testament reading: Mark 15:26-47
26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!" 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him....
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Today's Lent reading: Matthew 21-22 (NIV)
View today's Lent reading on Bible GatewayJesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 "Say to Daughter Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"
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Investigate the Christian faith with Lee Strobel
Is Christianity rational and reasonable? Is the Bible trustworthy? Is there evidence that supports the claims of Christianity? If you've ever asked serious questions about what you believe (and who hasn't?), we've got an exciting announcement for you.
Bible Gateway is thrilled to partner with Christian apologist and writer Lee Strobel to launch his new free Investigating Faithemail newsletter, in which he will explore the compelling reasons behind faith in Jesus Christ.
Twice a month, Lee will address challenging questions about the reasons to believe. Each newsletter will answer questions from readers, comment on current cultural trends, and offer links to helpful articles and inspiring videos. Lee's friendly approach and serious investigative mindset make this a conversation well worth following.
The first issue of the Investigating Faith newsletter goes out on March 22. Sign up to receive it now!
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