by Cherylee Deitrich, written 10.23.2012

It’s very late in the day, but it’s still October 23rd! I love this day and look forward to it every year. 10:23 . A day to think on and celebrate God’s amazing faithfulness (see Heb. 10:23 at end of post). Faithful to the promises He has made in His word, and there are many.

What God has said, He will do. He does not change. We can trust His word. He will do it.

He will keep us from stumbling and present us blameless,
He will forgive us and cleanse us when we confess,
He will return with the sound of God’s trumpet,
He will give wisdom when we ask,
We will appear with Him in glory,
He will supply every need,
We are new creations in Christ,
All things work for our good,
His grace is sufficient,
There is a room being prepared for us in the Father’s house,
We shall live though we die,
He will wipe every tear,
There will be no more death,
His work in us will be brought to completion,
We are being transformed,
As His sheep we do hear His voice,
The Lamb will be the lamp in that Great City,
We will be kept firm to the end and presented blameless on that Day,
He hears us,
He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,
His plans for our lives are for our good,
He will be found when we seek Him.
He heals all our diseases.
His name is Faithful and True.

God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19

Be encouraged as you read His word. Look for the promises and know, without a doubt, that He is Faithful.

Let us hold fast to the confession of our faith without wavering,
for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

For my devotions today, I read the first ten chapters of Matthew.
Here are a few insights the Spirit quickened to me as I read:

Evangelism really matters to Jesus

Jesus came to “save his people from their sins” (1:21)
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17 ESV)

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.(Matthew 4:18; Matthew 4:19-20 ESV)

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. (Matthew 4:23 ESV)

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 ESV)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10 ESV)

I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, (Matthew 8:11 ESV)

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38 ESV)

Faith really matters to Jesus

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11 ESV)

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. (Matthew 8:5-10 ESV)

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
(Matthew 8:23-27 ESV)

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
(Matthew 9:1-2 ESV)

Embracing the cost of of following Jesus really matters to Jesus

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
(Matthew 8:18-22 ESV)

From ESV Study Bible

Matt. 8:22 leave the dead to bury their own dead. While Jesus clearly upholds the biblical command to honor father and mother (see 15:1–9), the call to follow him rises above all other allegiances. Anything that hinders unqualified commitment to him and to the new covenant family of faith must be set aside.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. (Matthew 10:16-25 ESV)

They [scoffers] will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? (2 Peter 3:4 ESV)

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (3:8-9)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (3:10)

Our good friend Marty Machowski will serve as our Guest Speaker this Sunday. Marty is a Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church (the church that planted ours) in Glen, Mills PA.

I look forward to our church benefiting from a recent book Marty wrote. Justin Taylor on his blog writes the following about Marty’s book:

“Long Story Short is the best material for family devotions I’ve ever seen. If you’re looking for something careful, creative, and Christ-centered—without being corny, confusing, or condescending—look no further. Pastors would be wise to buy this book by the boxful and get a copy into the hands of each family in their church.”

Read the full article here.

I received a copy of this book as a gift at the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference this past week. Test drove the first lesson last night with my four kids – and it went great! What a blessing. Lesson 2 tonight. We ordered a number of copies for our Resource Center. They should be available this Sunday or next.

Scripture also tells us that God is the source of all good in the world.  ”Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17; cf. Ps. 145:9; Acts 14:17).  Moreover, God does only good things for his children.  We read, “No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Ps. 84:11).  And in the same context in which Paul assures us that “in everything God works for good with those who love him” (Rom. 8:28), he also says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” (Rom. 8:32).  Much more than an earthly father, our heavenly Father will “give good things to those who ask him” (Matt 7:11), and even his discipline is a manifestation of his love and is for our good (Heb. 12:10).  This knowledge of God’s great goodness should encourage us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). – Wayne Grudem (p. 198, Systematic Theology)

Instructing a Child’s Heart, a resource for parenting, is filled with biblical wisdom and insight that applies not only to children, but to adults as well. In his chapter, “Giving Children a Vision for the Glory of God” Tedd Tripp writes:

There is a transcendent satisfaction in God which trials and difficulties cannot diminish and which success and pleasure cannot enhance. – Tedd Tripp (p.103, Instructing a Child’s Heart)

By faith, may we see the glory of Christ as revealed in the Gospel and be satisfied – and may we help our children to do the same.

From Thabiti Anyabwile:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3)

A little while ago we experienced an earthquake here in Grand Cayman. It was a 5.8 on the richter scale. We evacuated the church and school for a while, and many parents came by concerned. But, in the end, there is no damage and no loss of life. We humbly give God praise.

Haiti looms in the minds and hearts of many. Understandably so. With the quake, I’m reminded of two things:

1. The fleeting, flimsy quality of life is always a reality. In Sunday’s sermon, I tried to address this directly in light of the tragedy in Haiti. This Tuesday morning, the Lord did the illustrating himself by bringing it closer to home. I wonder how many will hear the words of Luke 13:3, 5 and obey: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish”?

2. It is the Lord who provides refuge in the times of trouble. We could run to other shelters, seek sturdy buildings,or even the cover of an open sky away from any structure. But buildings may be shaken down and the earth may be opened up beneath us. The only refuge is God. He is an “ever-present help” in trouble, so we who trust Him do not have to fear–come what may.

I pray that’s not an empty boast in any of our lives. I pray that we’re so gripped with the awesomeness of God that quakes and waves are mere trifles compared to His exceeding glory and strength. Only then will our hearts rest safely.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

An article from this blog last year:

***

The New Year is a great time to begin a Bible reading plan–and its not too late to start! If you start tomorrow, either spend an hour or two sometime soon reading your Bible and catching up OR just move your end date back to January 9, 2010. After all, our resolve to read and meditate on God’s Word does not depend on a date, but on the command of God to love and be devoted to His Word.

As the owner of a new ESV Study Bible, since last week I’ve been going through the plan at the back of the ESV Study Bible. The plan introduction reads as follows:

“This schedule of daily Bible readings is designed for reading through the entire Bible in one year. There are four readings each day. These readings are divided into four main sections: Psalms and Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch and the History of Israel; Chronicles and Prophets; and Gospels and Epistles.”

Now if you think that you might like to do this plan, but don’t own an ESV Study Bible, let me first encourage you to consider purchasing one as soon as you are able as this is the single most helpful supplemental aid for studying Holy Scripture that I am aware of. The hard cover version is available at our Resource Center. You can also purchase a copy here. And also for those who do not yet own an ESV Study Bible, you can download a copy of the Bible reading plan here. Also, click here for a list of 10 FREE downloadable Bible Reading Programs (Hat Tip: Between Two Worlds).

If you aren’t currently reading through the Bible in a systematic way, I would encourage you to start as soon as possible. Perhaps you have never done this before and are intimidated or perhaps have stopped and started before only to end discouraged. If that’s you, I remind you of the wise counsel of Mike Bullmore, a teacher of mine at the Sovereign Grace Pastors College and pastor of Crossway Church in Wisconsin. He said once — though I don’t remember what it was in reference to — “Anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly.” And so remember, even if you stop and start again several times and even if getting through your Bible reading plan takes you longer than a year, reading your Bible and meditating on your Bible is worth doing–even if you end up being less faithful than you might hope to be. And also as you proceed, don’t forget that your past doesn’t predict your future — faithlessness in the past doesn’t mean faithlessness in the future. For as the Apostle Paul has said, “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).” And it is in this hope that we confidently give ourselves to change. And it is for this reason that tomorrow is not too late to start a new Bible reading plan!

He was overwhelmed by the outer darkness. On the cross, He was in hell, totally bereft of the grace and the presence of God, utterly separated from all blessedness of the Father. He became a curse for us so that we one day will be able to see the face of God. God turned His back on His Son so that the light of His countenance will fall upon us. It’s no wonder Jesus screamed from the depths of His soul. – RC Sproul (Truth of the Cross, p.135)

In my devotions this morning, in my Bible reading plan I found myself reading the last few chapters of Joshua.  I was struck by the clarity of Joshua’s commands to the people about the way that they should live.  Here are a few examples:

“Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Joshua 22:5

“Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left.” – Joshua 23:6

“but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.” – Joshua 23:8

“Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.” – Joshua 23:11

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:14

Reading on into the first chapters in Judges, I was also struck by how the generation that followed Joshua’s generation abandoned the ways of the Lord.

After Joshua’s generation passed, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10).”  In the next two verses, we read that tragically, “the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.  And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt.  They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them.  And they provoked the Lord to anger (Joshua 2:11-12).”

The cumulative effect of this section of scripture on my soul this morning has been to produce fresh desire to:

• Be all the more careful to obey God’s commands
• To cultivate a deeper love for the Lord
• To cling to him with my whole heart
• To serve him with my whole heart
• To forsake all idols (links to CJ Mahaney’s sermon on idolatry)
• To not forget the work God has done on my behalf in and through the Gospel.
• To concern myself all the more with passing these values on to the next generation (links to a message by Jared Mellinger on passing along the values we hold dear to the next generation…this message was given to pastors, but has application to all Christians)