Thursday, March 31, 2005

Our Sinless Savior

[Christ] committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; who when He was reviled, did not revile in return.

1 Peter 2:22-23

Jesus would have been prominent in Peter’s mind when he wrote today’s verses because he personally witnessed Jesus’ pain—though from afar. In spite of the severity of His pain, however, Christ committed no sin in word or deed.

Isaiah 53:9 says, “He had done no violence.” “Violence” is translated as “lawlessness” in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament). The translators understood that “violence” referred to violence against God’s law—or sin. In spite of the unjust treatment He had to endure, Christ did not and could not sin (cf. 1 Pet 1:19).

Isaiah 53:9 adds, “Nor was any deceit in His mouth.” Sin usually first makes its appearance in us by what we say. In Jesus there was no sin, neither externally nor internally.

Jesus Christ is the perfect model of how we are to respond to unjust treatment because He endured far worse treatment than any person who will ever live, and yet never sinned.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 103). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Follow Christ’s Example

Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.

1 Peter 2:21

Jesus gave us the ultimate example of suffering. The Greek word translated as “example” refers to a pattern that is placed under a piece of paper to be traced. Like children who learn their letters using tracing paper over a pattern, we are to trace our lives according to the pattern Christ laid down for us.

We follow His pattern by walking “in His steps.” We are to walk in Christ’s steps because His was a righteous walk. It was also a walk of unjust suffering, which is part of the walk of righteousness. Some suffer more than others, but if you truly want to follow after Christ, you will practice tracing His example.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 102). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Tuesday, March 29, 2005

A Suffering Standard

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.

1 Peter 3:18

Jesus was executed as a criminal on a cross. Yet He was guilty of no crime—no wrong, no trespass, no sin. He never had an evil thought or spoke an evil word. His was the most unjust execution ever perpetrated on a human being. Yet it shows us that though a person may be perfectly within the will of God—greatly loved and gifted, perfectly righteous and obedient—he may still experience unjust suffering. Like Jesus, you may be misunderstood, misrepresented, hated, persecuted, and even murdered. Yet you must follow His standard.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 101). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Monday, March 28, 2005

The True Picture

I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

1 Corinthians 2:2

Jesus Christ evokes many images in the minds of people. Some picture Him as a baby in a manger—the Christ of Christmas. Others picture Him as a child, perhaps living in the home of a carpenter or confounding the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Many picture Him as a compassionate and powerful healer who restored the sick and raised the dead. Still others picture a bold and fiery preacher speaking the Word of God to great crowds. And there are those who see Him as the consummate man—a model of goodness, kindness, sympathy, concern, care, tenderness, forgiveness, wisdom, and understanding.

Yet the one image of Christ that surpasses all the rest is Jesus Christ on the cross. To know Christ crucified is to know Him as the author and finisher of your faith—the truest picture of His Person and work.

Christ’s suffering on the cross is the focal point of the Christian faith. That’s where His deity, humanity, work, and suffering are most clearly seen.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 100). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Sunday, March 27, 2005

Identifying with Christ’s Suffering

It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 2:10

Christians can identify with their Master because like Him, they suffer to enter their glory.

Christ said to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). Our Lord had to explain that future glory required that He suffer. We should expect the same.

The path to glory for Christ was the path of unjust suffering. That’s our path also. Jesus endured suffering with perfect patience and was exalted to the highest point of glory. He is our example of how to respond to suffering.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 99). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Saturday, March 26, 2005

Glory Through Suffering

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

2 Corinthians 4:17

Suffering not only makes us stronger now—it makes us able to endure with patience, increases our faith, teaches us to trust God, and leads us to depend on Christ and His Word—but also affects how we will function later. That’s why Paul went on to say our focus isn’t on today but the future: “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor 4:18).

The greater our endurance through suffering, the greater our eternal reward.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 98). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Friday, March 25, 2005

Catch the Tide

Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.

John 4:35

All believers are responsible to have a passion for the lost. John Harper had such a passion. He was a newly called pastor to the great Moody Memorial Church in Chicago in the early 1900s, but in 1912 He was a passenger on the ill–fated voyage of the Titanic.

Four years later, a young Scotsman rose up in a meeting and said he was a survivor of the Titanic. As he drifted in the water on a piece of wood, he encountered a man who was afloat on a piece of wreckage. The man pleaded for the Scotsman to receive Christ. The young Scotsman refused. The tide brought the man around again, and he asked if the Scotsman was saved yet. Shortly after, the man disappeared into the water, and the Scotsman decided to trust Christ as Savior. At the meeting he identified the man as John Harper—the young Scotsman was John Harper’s last convert.

Can you be one of the John Harpers of this generation?

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 97). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Thursday, March 24, 2005

Feeding Your Passion

He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

Matthew 9:36

How can you enhance your passion for the lost? First, study Christ’s great love, compassion, and tender mercy. You can study great men and women in church history, but ultimately you must understand the heart of Jesus. As 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

Second, study sin: its guilt, power, and penalty. That will make you aware of how we have all fallen prey to the subtleties of the world. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Let it remind you to be preoccupied not with worldly things, but with evangelizing the lost.

Third, study sinners. Try to cultivate love and sympathy for them, not bitterness. Note that the most zealous evangelists are often new converts.

Fourth, study Scripture. See what it says about hell, death, judgment, and salvation.
And finally, pray for God to give you a passion for evangelism.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 96). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Fishing for Men

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 4:19

Fishermen in the first century used special tools for catching fish. One was a line and hook (Mat 17:27). Another was a spear or possibly a type of harpoon (Job 41:26). A third was the dragnet (Mat 13:47). It was sometimes over three hundred feet long and about eight feet wide. Fishermen buoyed up one side with corks and weighed down the other side with lead sinkers. Sometimes they stretched the net between two boats and rowed in a circle. They would then draw in ropes attached to the bottom of the net, trapping the fish (John 21:6).

In today’s verse, however, Jesus was referring to a casting net, which had a circular form (about fifteen feet in diameter) made of fine mesh and lead sinkers around the edge. Attaching a long piece of line to the center of the net, the fisherman would cast it into shallow water. He then would draw up the center of the net by its cord and wade into the water to secure the catch.

Just as the disciples caught a school of fish within the reaches of their circular net, the Lord wants His contemporary disciples to reach out to the men and women around us.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 95). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2005

The Model of Witnessing

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

Christ is the perfect model to imitate in witnessing to others. First, He was available. Although there were times when He left the crowds, Jesus was regularly among the people, even when He was busy.

Second, He wasn’t partial. Often Jesus was with common people, lepers, prostitutes, and tax collectors—those belonging to the lower classes socially and morally. But He also helped a Roman centurion, a man of dignity and stature (Mat 8:5–13), and ministered to wealthy Jairus, whose daughter needed a miracle (Mark 5:22-24, Mark 5:35-43). Jesus reflected the mind of God, who is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).

Third, He was sensitive to the pain of others. In Mark 5, a lady with a hemorrhage for twelve years reached out and touched Christ’s garment. Jesus asked, “Who touched My garments?” (Mark 5:30) out of concern for her.

Last, He secured a public confession from those who believed in Him, such as the blind man (John 9:1-41), and the Samaritan leper (Luke 17:11-19).

Follow Christ’s example as you witness to others.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 94). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Monday, March 21, 2005

Grieving Over Lost Souls

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Matthew 23:37

Jesus deeply cared for individuals. Our Lord brought Philip (John 1:43), Matthew (Mat 9:9), and Peter and Andrew (Mat 4:18-19) to faith with the call, “Follow Me.” In John 4, He met a woman at a well and brought her to salvation. In Luke 19, He found Zaccheus, a tax collector, whom He led to a confession of sin, repentance, and faith. In John 3, He taught Nicodemus about the new birth. In Mark 10, He led blind Bartimaeus to believe in Him. In Mark 5, Jesus healed a demon–possessed man in the country of the Gerasenes. And Luke 23 tells of His brief yet poignant encounter with the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43); before committing Himself to God, Christ rescued him from eternal hell.

Jesus’ heart grieved over the souls of lost men and women. In John 5:40, we see a glimpse of Christ’s passion when He said, “You are unwilling to come to Me that you may have life.” There’s a pensive quality to those words. Does your heart echo the affection of his speech?

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 93). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Sunday, March 20, 2005

Examples of Passion

He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.

Ephesians 4:11

It was said that John Wesley did more for England than her armies and navies. He lived meagerly, having given away thousands of dollars in his lifetime. Abused and maligned, he left his reputation and soul in the hands of God. It has been estimated he traveled 225 thousand miles on foot and horseback and preached twenty–four hundred sermons. Much of the established church despised him, but he brought fire into her cold heart. He had the reputation of being out of breath pursuing souls.

Ordained at twenty–two, George Whitefield began preaching with tremendous eloquence and effect. His power came from his passion for souls, and he used every one of his God–given abilities to lead men to Christ. He crossed the Atlantic thirteen times and preached thousands of sermons. His gravestone reads that he was a soldier of the cross, humble, devout, and ardent, preferring the honor of Christ to his own interest, reputation, or life.

Though these men are wonderful examples, the perfect example of One with passion for the lost is Christ.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 92). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Saturday, March 19, 2005

Renewing Our Passion

Jesus went about all the cities and villages,teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

Matthew 9:35

Everything worthwhile in life is the result of someone’s passion. Significant events of human history are the result of a deep and consuming desire to see goals fulfilled. The consuming desire of believers should be to see the gospel reach the world. However, we live in an age that tends to dull our sharpness. Our culture obscures legitimate goals and would rob our faith of its fiery power if given the chance.

Indeed, some Christians are a cold bath for the fiery heart. They just don’t understand someone with a passionate concern about a spiritual enterprise, because spiritual passion is not the norm. The norm is not to let Christianity disrupt your lifestyle. If you follow that, your spiritual temperature will drop and you’ll become apathetic.

We all need to ask ourselves, Where is our burden for evangelism? Why isn’t evangelism the church’s central function? Is the church only a self–indulgent activity center, content with comfort and prosperity?

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 91). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Friday, March 18, 2005

The Lost Sheep

There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety–nine just persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:7

At the beginning of the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus asks, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety–nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4). Jesus’ point is that any shepherd would seek a lost sheep, for it is not only a matter of duty but also of affection.

After finding the one sheep, the shepherd in this parable went home and invited people over to celebrate with him. The shepherd’s joy was so great he had to share it.

Today’s verse is the conclusion to this parable and a hope for Christians today. Just as a shepherd rejoices over the lost sheep, our Great Shepherd rejoices over the repentant sinner, for He has found His lost sheep.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 90). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Thursday, March 17, 2005

The First Step

Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

Baptism is the outward sign of one’s inward faith in Christ. It’s an act of obedience by which a person demonstrates the reality of his salvation. Salvation is not visibly seen but is a supernatural, spiritual transaction. The fruit or result of salvation, however, should be evident.

In the early church, the initial fruit of obedience was baptism, and this same fruit can be expected today. It’s the means by which an individual testifies to his or her union in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Rom 6:3-4). Galatians 3:27 says, “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

The Great Commission in Matthew 28 commands us to preach the gospel and baptize others. That means we’re to tell people that salvation is something they should not only believe, but also publicly confess, with baptism as the first step. When someone is reluctant to publicly confess Christ in that way, we have reason to question the genuineness of his faith. Jesus said, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven” (Mat 10:32). That is the public confession we all should make.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 90). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2005

An Alternate Choice

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first.

Romans 1:16

Before God sent His Son to earth, God’s design was to reach the world through Israel, but Israel was unbelieving. Their unbelief is described in a parable about a king who arranged a wedding feast for his son and called for his invited guests (Israel). When the guests refused to come—some were indifferent and others hostile—the king said to his servants, “Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding” (Mat 22:9). Jesus used this parable to describe apostate Israel, who refused their Messiah and forfeited the celebration planned for them.

God then gave the invitation to another group: the Gentiles. God chose a small group of people gathered on a hillside in Galilee and a few other disciples in Jerusalem to reach the lost world. Through them He would do the work that the nation of Israel had refused to do, and we are called to continue that work.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 89). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2005

All Authority

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18

Before Christ issued the Great Commission, to “make disciples of all the nations,” He had to establish His divine authority to give it. Otherwise, the command would have seemed impossible to fulfill.

As the disciples followed Jesus for three and a half years, they learned much about His authority. He showed them that He had authority over sickness (Mat 4:23) and death (John 11:43-44). He gave His disciples the same power He had to overcome disease and demons (Mat 10:1). He established that He had the authority to forgive sins (Mat 9:6) and judge all men (John 5:25-29). And He proved that He had the authority to lay down His life and take it up again (John 10:18).

Submission to that absolute authority of Christ is not an option—it is your supreme obligation.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 88). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Monday, March 14, 2005

Are You Available?

Here am I! Send me.

Isaiah 6:8

God desires a heart that is available at the appointed place and time to hear His orders. He also desires a heart full of true worship. The believer’s whole affection and mind is to be set on Christ. All his goals are directed toward Him. He is his all in all.

So are you available? Are you a worshiper? Is your intent and purpose in life focused on the Person of Christ? Having those attitudes means being controlled by the Holy Spirit, who is the only One who can cause you to call Jesus Lord (1 Cor 12:3). All your possessions, time, energy, talent, and gifts are to be under His control.

That also means being centered on the Word because the Word is where Christ is seen. You gaze at His glory in the Word. As Christ came into the world to give His life to bring people to Himself, so you must do likewise.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 87). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Sunday, March 13, 2005

The Prerequisite for Success

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10

S. D. Gordon wrote a book entitled Quiet Talks with World Winners. In it, he tells the story of a group of people who were preparing to ascend Mount Blanc in the Swiss Alps. The guides explained that because of the extreme difficulty of the climb, each person should take only necessary climbing equipment, leaving behind all personal accessories.

A young Englishman ignored the advice and brought extra items, but on the way to the summit, he left them behind, one at a time. Finally, when he had reached the top, he had jettisoned everything except the essential equipment.

S. D. Gordon made this application to the Christian life: “Many of us, when we find we can’t make it to the top with our loads, let the top go, and pitch our tents in the plain, and settle down with our small plans and accessories. The plain seems to be quite full of tents” (55). The question we must all ask ourselves is, Are my personal accessories preventing me from fulfilling the mission God has given me?

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 86). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Saturday, March 12, 2005

Our Mission

God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.

2 Corinthians 5:19

God loved a lost world and sought to win sinners to Himself for His own glory. Christ came into the world out of love and sought to win sinners for the Father’s glory. As believers we also are to go to the world in love and to seek to reach the lost for the glory of God. Thus our mission is the same as God’s.

We are an extension of the ministry of God the Father and Son in receiving glory by the salvation of lost sinners. Jesus said, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:18). “As” conveys intention. As the Father sent the Son into the unredeemed world, so the Son has sent believers. Wonder of wonders, we have the privilege of participating in Jesus Christ’s mission to a lost world!

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 85). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Friday, March 11, 2005

The Motive of the Church

To Him be glory in the church.

Ephesians 3:21

If you were to survey a group of people and ask them to name the primary purpose of the church, you would probably get a variety of answers.

Some might suggest that the church is a place to form friendships with godly people. It’s where believers strengthen each other in faith and where love is cultivated and shared.

Others might suggest that the mission of the church is teaching the Word, training believers for various responsibilities, and instructing children and young people with the purpose of helping them mature in Christ.

Still others might say that another purpose of the church is to praise God. The church is a community of praise that exalts God for who He is and what He has done. Some would suggest that since praise is the central activity of heaven, it must also be the primary responsibility of those on earth.

But as important as fellowship, teaching, and praise are, the primary motive of the church is to glorify God. The apostle Paul described salvation as being “to the praise of the glory of his grace”(Eph 1:6).

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 84). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Thursday, March 10, 2005

Right Priorities

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Colossians 3:2

Where are your priorities? Are you focused on things of this world, or on spiritual issues? Would the coming of Jesus Christ tomorrow mess up your plans? Unfortunately, many Christians hope He doesn’t show up for a while.

What a sad commentary! If you would rather stay on earth than be in Christ’s glorious home in heaven, then you don’t love His appearing. It grieves God when we don’t live in anticipation of His glorious presence and are more interested in the mundane passing things of this world.

Where is your heart? It’s time to take a close look at your priorities. When you’re truly grateful for the salvation God has given, then you’re living in the hope of the fullness of that salvation yet to come. Make John’s desire your own: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20).

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 83). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Wednesday, March 09, 2005

The Thrill of Grace

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

John 1:16

Is the experience of God’s grace in your life a thrilling thing? It is for me! Just thinking about the fact that God, by His own sovereign plan, decided to be gracious to me is overwhelming.

He poured out His grace on me. He forgave all my sins. He granted me the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He gave me an understanding of His Word. He called me to spiritual ministry. Every day He gives me a rich communion with the saints, and I relish being a part of His redeemed people. He enables me to see the world as His handiwork. I am His child, and He loves me in a personal way.

There is nothing greater than receiving grace upon grace. I pray that is your experience.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 82). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Tuesday, March 08, 2005

A Living Hope

His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope.

1 Peter 1:3

When God saved you and transformed you, He gave you “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away” (1 Pet 1:4). As a result, Christians can live in the hope of that eternal inheritance.

Why is this hope important? Unbelievers do not trust Him, so they cannot hope in Him. But as a believer, you have seen that God has been faithful in your past and present and that gives you the hope that He will be faithful in the future. And that gives Him glory.

Simply put, God is glorified when you trust Him. He’s glorified when you believe Him. And He is glorified when you hope in His future promise. The God who has given you such a great salvation is worthy of your hope.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 81). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Monday, March 07, 2005

What Do You Really Love?

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26-27

Apart from God, nothing could have been dearer to Abraham than his son Isaac. But that was the test: to find out whether he loved Isaac more than God. If we love God supremely, we will thank Him for what He is accomplishing through our trials and sufferings. But if we love ourselves more than God, we will question God’s wisdom and become upset and bitter. If anything is dearer to us than God, then He must remove it for us to grow spiritually.

In today’s verse, Jesus was not indicating that we’re to hate everyone. Rather He meant that if you do not love God to the degree that you willingly, if necessary, cut yourself off from your father, mother, spouse, children, brother, sister, or even your own life, then you don’t love Him supremely. You must determine to do the will of God first and foremost, no matter what appeals others may make to you.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 80). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Sunday, March 06, 2005

Called to Suffer

For to this [suffering] you were called.

1 Peter 2:21

Though today’s verse seems to point out that we are called to suffer, it actually refers back to the last part of verse 20, which says, “When you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.” When Christians endure suffering with patience, it pleases God.

That shouldn’t surprise us. Earlier in this chapter of First Peter, the apostle Peter states that Christians “are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). Our dark world resents and is often hostile toward those who represent the Lord Jesus Christ. That resentment and hostility may be felt at certain times and places more than others, but it is always there to some extent as a part of the privilege of being His own.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 79). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Saturday, March 05, 2005

Ready to Suffer

Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind.

1 Peter 4:1

One of the blessings of being a Christian is our identification with Christ and its resulting privileges. However, just so we won’t take those blessings for granted, assuming that they will result in our being loved and respected by the world, God also allows us to suffer. In fact, the apostle Peter in his first epistle clearly shows that those most blessed in the faith suffer the most.

The Christian life is a call to glory through a journey of suffering. That’s because those in Christ are inevitably at odds with their culture and society. All Satan–energized systems are actively at odds with the things of Christ. The apostle John said a person can’t love both God and the world (1 John 2:15), and James said, “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 78). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Friday, March 04, 2005

Maturity in Suffering

May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

1 Peter 5:10

A Christian’s call to glory necessitates walking the path of suffering. Today’s verse explains why. Suffering is God’s way of maturing His people spiritually. He is pleased when we patiently endure the suffering that comes our way. Suffering is a part of God’s plan to prepare His people for glory.

The apostle Peter said this regarding the value of suffering: “You greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:6-7). God allows suffering as a validation of our faith. It also produces patience, though patience is a quality we won’t need in eternity—there will be no reason for impatience there. But beyond those benefits, suffering increases our capacity to praise, honor, and glorify God—and that’s something we will use throughout eternity.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 77). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Thursday, March 03, 2005

The End of Growth

Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself.

1 John 3:3

Second Peter 3:18 commands believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Your response to this verse is either action or inaction. If you desire to mature in Christ, you will experience blessing, usefulness, and victory by following the biblical path of glorifying God. And as David discovered, you will also experience joy: “I have set the Lord always before me…. Therefore my heart is glad” (Ps 16:8, 9).

The apostle John summed up the goal of spiritual growth when he said, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). The growth process will end on the day that we see Jesus Christ and become like Him.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 76). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Wednesday, March 02, 2005

A View to Obedience

Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

Matthew 28:20

You cannot be a disciple apart from a life of obedience and a desire to follow Christ as Lord. One of the most important ways we obey is by teaching others to obey His commands.

Regarding the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things I said to you” (John 14:26). Through the Word of God, the Spirit has made that teaching available to every believer. And every believer is to submit himself to it in obedience.

Only a true convert will obey Christ. Only as you “present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Rom 6:13) do you exhibit obedient faith.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 75). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Who Is a Disciple?

He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Matthew 10:38

A disciple is someone who confesses Christ as Lord and Savior, believes that God has raised Him from the dead, and declares that belief publicly through baptism. He is not some sort of “upper–level” Christian.

You don’t have to wait to become a disciple at some future time in your Christian life when you have reached a certain level of maturity. According to Matthew 28:19-20, a disciple is made at the moment of salvation.

Some claim that there are many Christians who are not disciples. They recall today’s verse and say that in order to be a disciple, one has to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ. If one is not up to that level of commitment, they think, then he is not worthy to be Christ’s disciple. But you cannot separate discipleship from conversion.

When someone is saved, he receives a submissive spirit that manifests itself by a willingness to make a public confession and obey whatever else Christ commands. Are you, then, a disciple?

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 74). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.
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