Daily Devotion by Ray Stedman

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 4TH​

Wage The Good Warfare​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 1:18-20

Fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience.
1 Timothy 1:18b-19

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul says of himself, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul is speaking the words of a man who is about to leave the battle of life. But here in 1 Timothy is Paul's word to this young Christian, probably in his early or mid-twenties, who is being left to do a very dangerous and demanding work in Ephesus. The apostle tells him to fight the good fight.

The fundamental nature of Christianity is that it is a warfare in which we are all involved; and there is no exit until the end. The moment you began your Christian life, by faith in Jesus Christ, you entered a lifelong battle. And this struggle is not intended to be easy. Many Christians today forget that. Spread around somewhat by a lot of misleading teaching is a widespread attitude today that when you become a Christian, God begins working for you, so everything has to work out the way you want it to. People are being taught that they are in the will of God because bridges appear mysteriously across the chasms of life. Rubbish! If that is the sign of being in God's will, then Paul was out of God's will most of his life. He knew he was in a battle, and he tells Timothy that he too is going to be in a battle.

The object of this warfare is not to survive to the end of life, as many Christians think. Everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike, are fighting the battle to keep healthy and stay alive. That is not the Christian warfare. Paul is talking about being a Christian, about living a Christ-like life in the midst of dangerous pressures and countering forces. That is the battle. In other words, to be realistic in a world of illusion; not to chase after all the fantasies that the world falls for; not to allow yourself to think wrongly about what is going on in society, but to get God's point of view; to see things the way they are and to deal honestly, realistically, and openly with everything that comes--that is the battle.

That is the way Jesus dealt with life. He did not hide away in some monastery. He was out in the midst of life, in the marketplaces, the cities, among people, and under the pressures and dangers of everyday life. He was a realist who dealt earnestly and honestly with life.

The battle Paul is talking about is to be a loving person who has concern and compassion for people in times of harassment, when others are giving way to expressions of hate and violence and bigotry. The battle is to live redemptively among those who have lost their way, to turn them away from that which is destroying, to be involved with them and to give of yourself in order to bring them back into a relationship of truth and reality. The warfare is to live your life for a purpose, not merely to spend it on yourself.

Lord, thank You that You have supplied me with all I need to fight the world, the flesh, and the devil. Grant that I lean on You as I wage the good warfare.

​

Life Application​

A comfort-loving self is not the Christian's calling. When the going gets tough, do we opt for self indulgence, or do we choose to face life's challenges realistically?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 5TH​

The First Thing: Prayer​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-7

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.
1 Timothy 2:1

We now come to the second assignment the apostle gave to Timothy, and that is to set in order the public worship of the assembly in Ephesus. This is a relevant subject, because it is why we come together every Sunday morning. Public worship is a very revealing indication of what is going on in a church.

Paul gives a brief priority list here of the elements that are to be emphasized. First, he lists public prayer--the people of God encountering God Himself on behalf of their fellow Christians and people around the world. Prayer is to receive emphasis when the church gathers.
The apostle puts prayer first for two very good reasons, and one reason is prayer focuses people's hearts and eyes on God right at the very beginning. What makes a church service different from the gathering of the Kiwanis Club or the Rotary or any other secular group is that God is recognized; He is in our midst. To acknowledge the power, the beauty, and the liberty that the presence of God imparts is to immediately give a sense of reality and vitality to a service.

Second, to begin a service with prayer means that we place our own humanity in perspective. Every one of us comes away from some situation at home with which we are still at least partially involved. Perhaps we are thinking of the dirty dishes in the sink, the hassle we went through getting the children dressed in order to come to church, the fact that the car was almost out of gas, or the upsetting phone call we had. But when we come together and the service starts with the recognition of the presence of God, then somehow all those human problems pale. We begin to see them in the right perspective. God and His world, what we are doing with our lives, who we are, how we are intended to function--all these begin to take on increased importance in our eyes when we come to church.

I know that many Christians think they do not need to come to church, that they can worship God just as well by staying at home, working in the garden, or watching television. There is a certain degree of validity about that: God is not found only in church. But there is a reason the Scriptures tell us not to give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). Somehow, when we come together and focus upon the greatness of God, there is a ministry to our own hearts that nothing else will convey.

Often coming to church solves the problems of life. We have a different perspective; we see solutions that we never saw before. This is the continual and frequent experience of the people of God. In Psalm 73 the psalmist speaks of how he was struggling with problems in his life for which he could not find the answer until, he says, I entered the sanctuary of God (Psalm 73:17). There he saw things in their proper perspective. So when the people of God come together, the first thing to be concentrated on is prayer and the recognition of God's presence.

Lord, teach me to put the first thing first when I gather together with your people: to come to you in prayer.

​

Life Application​

Prayer is the acknowledgement of the character and Presence of God. What priority does this life-changing encounter with God have in our day-to-day lives?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 6TH​

How To Pray​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 2:8-15

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
1 Timothy 2:8

When Paul says he want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, he does not mean that only men should pray. In some churches this verse has been understood that way so that only men are permitted to pray in public or to lead the congregation in prayer. But that is not what the apostle means. He is not saying that only men should pray, but that when men pray in every place they should do so in a twofold way—lifting up holy hands and without anger or quarreling in their hearts. Paul's concern is not who prays here, but how they pray.

The first instruction is that men should lift up holy hands. That was the usual posture of prayer, derived largely from the Jewish synagogues, where the Jews prayed while standing with their arms lifted up and led the congregation that way. All Paul is saying is that when men pray that way, there ought to be two things that are characteristic of them.

First, the hands lifted up should be holy. That does not mean that something religious has to be done to them—that they should be sprinkled with holy water or something like that. Rather, this is a figure of speech that means that these men's actions, symbolized by the hands, should be right actions. These are men who ought to have a record of rightful behavior, who are recognized as honest, whose actions reflect their faith.
Second, their attitudes toward one another must be without anger or disputing. Their relationships have to be right. They must not be bitter or resentful against somebody, angry about something that has never been brought into the open or discussed.

When I was growing up as a boy in Montana, we used to have services for a particular denomination only once a month because there was no church of that type in town. Each month when the service was held, you could count on the fact that a lean, tall man would always lead in prayer. His prayer was anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes in length, and almost everyone had fallen asleep by the time he finished. But what made it worse was that he was widely known in the community as the biggest rascal in town. His questionable business practices had turned everybody off, so that his prayer was hypocrisy, and he was despised in that community. What the apostle is saying here in this verse is that when men pray in public, they must live in private what they pray.

Lord, teach me to pray, not just with the right posture but also with the right heart. Forgive me for those times I have gone through the motions of prayer yet harbored bitterness and resentment in my heart.

​

ife Application​

Talking to our awesome God is not a casual encounter. Does our public prayer reflect personal integrity as we see ourselves in the presence of God's holiness?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 7TH​

A Noble Task​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7

Here is a trustworthy saying; If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.
1 Timothy 3:1

The striking thing in this paragraph is that the very first point the apostle wants Timothy to make at Ephesus about this subject is that the office of an overseer or an elder is a very important and significant role, not to be taken lightly at all. Paul calls it a noble task.

The appointment of elders in a local church is the Lord Jesus' own provision for leadership. This is not a human invention. Too many churches today are being operated like business corporations or country clubs, run for the benefit of their members, electing their own leaders according to democratic procedures. But in the New Testament, you never find that at all. There you see that it was Jesus Himself who set up the structure of leadership. He is the Head of the church. As such, He has designated the kind of leaders and their function within the church.

The elders had basically one primary task. Like the apostles in the church at Jerusalem, their whole task was to be accomplished through the ministry of the Word--teaching, preaching, studying, and learning the Word of God. Through prayer, they were to discover the will of the Lord Jesus, who was Head of the church, who was present in every church, and ready to direct its activities through the Spirit of Christ.

This is the great and exciting fact that the churches of our day have largely forgotten. I detect that very few people have a consciousness of Christ's being a living Lord in their midst. They don't seem to be aware that Christ is still in His church, ready to direct its activities, which will challenge the culture of the day and explore the great possibilities that arise as the changing circumstances of people's lives create hunger for deliverance from bondage. It takes a living Lord in the midst of His people to direct the activities of the church, and the elders are the human instruments for the divine direction of the church. The elders are the means, the channels, through which the Lord's innovative, surprising approaches to life are carried out and brought into being through the body of Christians who meet together.

Every Christian is in the ministry. It is not only the elders who are to do the work of the ministry. You are directly related to the Lord Jesus so that He can say to you at any time, I have opened up a door here in your neighborhood for you. I want you to reach these people. Elders are to be watching for this. That is what the word for elder, episkopos, means: looking over. Elders are to be looking to see what the Lord is doing with His people and utilizing the opportunities that arise on every hand. They are to be instructed in what the Lord has said in His Word so as to be able to guide this new and exciting thing that is coming into being, correcting it if need be. That is the work of elders.

Lord, thank You for the elders You have placed in my life. Remind me to pray for them and to remain responsive to You, the living head of the church.

​

Life Application​

With Christ at the helm, leadership can steer a noble course in every context. Are we earnestly praying for our leaders to follow Christ with integrity?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 8TH​

The Lord's Servants​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 3:8-13

Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:13

Here Paul explains the function of the deacon, and two things will result when the service of a deacon is done correctly. First, it will create a great sense of appreciation on the part of the congregation--deacons will have excellent standing for themselves. Their own ministry will be widely received and appreciated. We ought to be careful to be aware of all those who are serving a congregation, and, every now and then, there ought to be some way of recognizing them. It is right that we should give thanks and not take for granted those who so diligently and faithfully serve week after week. They are not being paid, and they are not hired to do this work; they are volunteering it in the name of Christ. That should earn for them a great sense of appreciation on the part of the congregation.

But the second thing Paul says is most interesting. He says that deacons earn for themselves great assurance in their faith in Christ. The word is really boldness. When you serve the Lord with all your heart in whatever ministry He gives you, especially if it is on behalf of the whole congregation, you develop a wonderful sense of God at work with you helping you solve problems, and this creates a deep sense of boldness.
I have a remarkable paper that was given to me by a deacon who works in one of the major industries. This man said that he began to realize that since Jesus was Lord of his life, he was not only Lord at church and in his Christian relationships, but he was Lord of his life at his job and could work through him at his assigned tasks just as freely and abundantly as He did in any church-related matter. So he began to lean on the Lord at work, expecting God to help him think of insights and aspects of his work that others, perhaps, would not see. He found it was true that the Lord did help him to see things others did not see. He found that he had, in a sense, an edge on the others because the Lord of glory was enlightening his mind and heart to see things about his work that others would pass by.

That is all outstanding testimony to what Paul is saying. When you serve the Lord in any capacity, you gain from God; and it is promised here that those who serve as deacons in the congregation will gain great boldness in the faith. What a wonderful promise, and how adequately and fully it is confirmed by this testimony!

Thank You, Father for the practical quality of Your Word. Teach me to be a faithful servant and to depend upon You in all things, reckoning upon Your wisdom imparted to me.

​

Life Application​

Are we serving others for Christ's sake, or for our own self-seeking agenda? Do we continually seek the power and wisdom of His indwelling life?


Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 9TH​

God's Chosen Instrument​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 3:14-15

...the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:15b

Paul describes the role of the church in two dramatic words: the church is the pillar and the foundation of the truth. The great reason for the existence of the church is to introduce truth back into a world saturated with error and fantasy, a world that follows will-o'-the-wisp ideas that are paraded and exalted as though they were the acme of knowledge and wisdom. We live in a confused world, and it is getting more confused all the time. In fact, if you are not confused, it is because you are not thinking clearly! The church is called upon increasingly to speak the truth in the midst of that confusion, to point out that the emperor does not have any clothes on, and to speak things that everybody thinks are heresy and radicalism because they are so different from the confusion of the society around us.

The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. You all know what a pillar is. The ancient temples had great pillars, several feet thick, supporting them. That is the idea: the church is the support of the truth. The uniqueness of the church is that God has made it to be the dispenser of the missing secrets that make human life function as God intended it.

These secrets are never found in secular authorities and writings. That is why every age makes the same mistakes, and every age repeats the same pattern. The world looks like it is going to go somewhere, but it always ends up wrestling with the same terrible problems, generation after generation, world without end. The church is called to shed light on that confusion, to teach people who we humans are and what our relationship with the living God is.

Everywhere, on every side, you find people hungry for this. The cry of the world is, Who am I? I need to find myself. It is to answer that poignant cry that the church has been sent into the world. The church is to tell us who we are and what God has created us to do. The church is the pillar and the foundation, the support, the defense, the bulwark, and the buttress of truth. The church recovers truth when it is lost. That is why all moral recovery in a nation always begins with the church, with the people of God. Any hope that we in this country will ever recover from this downhill slide into degradation and despair lies in the presence of the church in our midst.

So the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. The apostle Paul understood that. He knew that the church was sent into the world to make a difference.

God grant that I may learn again who I am and what, under God, I can do as a part of Your church.

​

Life Application​

When the church fails to lovingly speak truth to bring light, the foundations of society crumble. Do our lives illumine the life of Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life?


Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 9TH​

God's Chosen Instrument​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 3:14-15

...the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:15b

Paul describes the role of the church in two dramatic words: the church is the pillar and the foundation of the truth. The great reason for the existence of the church is to introduce truth back into a world saturated with error and fantasy, a world that follows will-o'-the-wisp ideas that are paraded and exalted as though they were the acme of knowledge and wisdom. We live in a confused world, and it is getting more confused all the time. In fact, if you are not confused, it is because you are not thinking clearly! The church is called upon increasingly to speak the truth in the midst of that confusion, to point out that the emperor does not have any clothes on, and to speak things that everybody thinks are heresy and radicalism because they are so different from the confusion of the society around us.

The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. You all know what a pillar is. The ancient temples had great pillars, several feet thick, supporting them. That is the idea: the church is the support of the truth. The uniqueness of the church is that God has made it to be the dispenser of the missing secrets that make human life function as God intended it.

These secrets are never found in secular authorities and writings. That is why every age makes the same mistakes, and every age repeats the same pattern. The world looks like it is going to go somewhere, but it always ends up wrestling with the same terrible problems, generation after generation, world without end. The church is called to shed light on that confusion, to teach people who we humans are and what our relationship with the living God is.

Everywhere, on every side, you find people hungry for this. The cry of the world is, Who am I? I need to find myself. It is to answer that poignant cry that the church has been sent into the world. The church is to tell us who we are and what God has created us to do. The church is the pillar and the foundation, the support, the defense, the bulwark, and the buttress of truth. The church recovers truth when it is lost. That is why all moral recovery in a nation always begins with the church, with the people of God. Any hope that we in this country will ever recover from this downhill slide into degradation and despair lies in the presence of the church in our midst.

So the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. The apostle Paul understood that. He knew that the church was sent into the world to make a difference.

God grant that I may learn again who I am and what, under God, I can do as a part of Your church.

​

Life Application​

When the church fails to lovingly speak truth to bring light, the foundations of society crumble. Do our lives illumine the life of Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life?


Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 11TH​

Fraudulent Faith​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 4:1-5

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
1 Timothy 4:3

One of the strange marks of religious error is that it is so often accompanied by ascetic practices, that is, denial of certain normal, natural human enjoyments. One of them is marriage. A number of groups have historically forbidden marriage to their adherents with the idea that sex is unclean, and those who indulge in it are certainly less dedicated than those who refrain.
Foods come under this heading too. I do not mean to imply at all that there is anything wrong with diets. It is obvious that some people need dieting. There is nothing wrong with studies on nutrition and proper eating. Nevertheless, through the course of human history there has been a strange affinity between food restrictions and fads and religious error.

The reason is that at the heart of asceticism is a conviction that self-denial somehow pleases God. It can be very earnest, very sincere. Often Christians fall into this error in their early Christian days, thinking that if they deny themselves in some way God is going to be pleased, and their status in His sight will be advanced. That is why some Christians love to get up early in the morning for Scripture reading or memorize hundreds of verses of Scripture or pray on their knees for long periods of time. These practices, which in themselves are not wrong, nevertheless become wrong because their motive (that of gaining God's favor by self-denial) is wrong.

This is a good example of the subtlety by which error begins. When a deviation enters a stream of truth, at the first point of deviation, error looks like truth; it is very hard to see it as error. This is what has misled so many people. They never recognize error until they become engrossed in it. Down the line they begin to suspect that it is error, but by that time they are already hooked.

There is a difference between self-denial and denying self. Jesus said, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). That is denying self. But that is easily confused with self-denial, which says, I will give up this thing or that thing. I want to gain a special mark of favor before God, and I want to influence God to do something for me in return. When our motivation ultimately is to achieve something for ourselves by our actions, we are no longer denying self but practicing self-denial.

How subtle the differences are! Self-denial is an attempt to earn favor apart from faith in the gift of righteousness which makes us wholly acceptable before God right at the very beginning of our Christian life; denying self is a refusal to heed those silken arguments of the inner ego that appeal to us to show how good we are by giving up something.

Lord, thank You that I can enjoy the things You have created. Teach me the difference between self-denial and denying self.

​

Life Application​

What is the difference between self-denial and denying self? Are we careful not to let subtle religious error lead us into a fraudulent faith apart from Christ's righteousness?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 12TH​

A Good Minister​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 4:6-10

If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
1 Timothy 4:6

It is necessary that we clearly understand the phrase Paul uses about Timothy. When he calls him a good minister of Christ Jesus, he is not thinking of him as a member of the clergy, like we would think of the pastor of a church standing up in front of a congregation. The word that is used here is actually the word deacon rather than minister--a good deacon of Jesus Christ. Even then the word is not referring to Timothy as an officer of the church; rather, it is the word that is commonly translated many places in Scripture as a servant. That is what a deacon is--one who serves. Here Paul is using the word in the widest sense possible--a good servant of Jesus Christ. Of course, in that sense servant includes everyone. All of us are called to be servants of the Lord Jesus.

In order to be a good servant of Jesus Christ, the apostle says you need certain things; and the first admonition Paul gives Timothy is, Watch what you are feeding on! Be nourished on the words of the faith and the good doctrine that you have followed.

What are you nourished by? That is the question this passage raises before us. What do you feed on daily? What do you put in your mind? What is your habitual input in your life? The sports pages, perhaps? Soap operas? The Dow Jones Averages? TV movies? Best-seller novels? If any of those things are your daily diet, then I can guarantee you will be a spiritually undernourished servant of Jesus Christ, because the apostle makes clear that what you feed on is what is going to determine how effective you become.

I do not want anyone to eliminate any of those things as though they are wrong. Not one of them is wrong in itself. We are not to eliminate them, but we are to regulate them. That is the point Paul makes. Regulate them as things that can be very dangerously distracting to us and often too easily controlling of our thoughts.

The apostle urges Timothy to give himself instead to what really feeds his spiritual life. What do you essentially need? Paul tells us: the truths of the faith and of the good teaching [doctrine]. Do not be afraid of the word doctrine; it means teaching--the teaching of the truth, the reality of life. That is what Christians need.

Notice how Paul combines two important elements: knowledge and decision. He says you need the good, sound words of the faith and good, sound teaching, and you are to follow them. First you learn, and then you do what it says. That is the formula for a good servant of Jesus Christ--giving yourself to nourishing yourself, feeding upon these things and then following them.

Lord, teach me to be a person of faith today; give me a faith that acts, a faith that rises up and obeys what You tell me to do.

​

Life Application​

We gravitate to titles that seem to elevate our importance or prestige. Are we learning the true dignity of fulfilling our call to have a servant's heart, whatever our role?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 13TH​

Let And Set​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 4:11-16

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12

Timothy had been given a very difficult task. By this time he was in his mid-thirties, having spent fifteen years traveling with the apostle all through the Roman Empire. Back in those days, you were not considered to be over the hill until you got to forty at least, and that is why Paul tells Timothy, Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. But it was a difficult situation, because Timothy had to minister with men who had already been elders of the church in Ephesus for a number of years. The apostle Paul had taught these men himself, and yet Timothy was expected to correct some of the things that were going on in the church. That was a tough assignment for a young man. Timothy had to know how to go about it in a way that would not arouse the ire and opposition of others.

There are two things the apostle tells Timothy to do, and both are highlighted by two similarly sounding words, the monosyllables let and set Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers . . . When Paul says, Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, he does not mean, of course, that Timothy is to go around and take issue with anybody who does not like him. He means, rather, that Timothy is to be concerned about and aware of how he comes across to people; he is to be sensitive to how others see him.

How then is a young man to proceed? The apostle says by setting a good example in two areas--speech and conduct--and three qualities ought to come through--love, faithfulness, and purity. Those are the things that ought to characterize every young preacher: loving, faithful, pure speech and loving, faithful, pure behavior.

A young preacher must first of all be loving rather than arrogant, rude, censorious, critical, cruel, or sharp in either word or deed.
And he must be faithful to his commitments, not toadying and flattering, using insincere words. He must not be irresponsible, unreliable, or a promise breaker.

The third quality is purity. I do not know anything that has destroyed more young ministers than impurity. Ephesus was a city given over to sexual immorality, yet Timothy was expected to maintain a pure standard in the midst of that. There was to be no vulgar, obscene, or profane words in his speech; no dirty stories or double meanings; and no sexual misconduct, including indulging in pornography on the side. A pure life is the platform from which an effective ministry proceeds; without that all the words mean nothing.

Lord, in both my speech and my conduct teach me to be loving, faithful, and pure.

​

Life Application​

Persons who exemplify purity in speech and action are truly an endangered species. The need for such is critical. Are we seriously aiming to be this kind of example?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 14TH​

How To View Others​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 5:1-16

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
1 Timothy 5:1-2

Hidden in that verse is another one of those profound psychological insights so frequently found in Scripture, which says that the way you treat people depends on how you see them. In the world, almost everyone falls into the category of a rival who is trying to beat the competition or a friend who can be used to get ahead. As Christians, however, we are to have a very different view of other people. Paul tells this young pastor to look at older men as he would look at his own father: to view them as men with some degree of experience, men who have survived crises in their lives, men who have developed a certain degree of understanding and wisdom.

Further, Paul tells Timothy to view young men as though they were his brothers. Again, this reminds Timothy that there is a family relationship involved. Young men are not his rivals, his enemies; they are his brothers. A brotherly relationship implies openness and honesty with one another with respect and concern for each other. When a young man sees other young men as brothers, he will treat them as such.
Paul tells Timothy to treat the older women as mothers. I remember various older women who were like mothers to me when I was a young man. As a result, I learned to treat them with great respect for the wisdom and love they manifested to me.

Paul then tells Timothy that a young pastor should treat younger women as sisters--with love, with interest and concern, but certainly without any attempts at sexual involvement. That is why Paul adds the words, with absolute purity. A young pastor is to be pure in his intentions, his attitudes, and his dealings with the younger women in a congregation. There would be nothing wrong with Timothy's developing a romantic relationship that might eventually lead to marriage with a young woman in the congregation, but Paul is simply reminding him that the normal relationship of a young pastor to young women is that of a brother who is helping them, seeking to understand them.

Thank You, Lord, that when You called me You placed me in a family. Teach me to view others around me as fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers in Christ.

​

Life Application​

Healthy relationships mandate mutual respect. Are we diligent to see others as persons for whom Christ died? Do we respect God's prerogative in everyone's life?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 15TH​

Time Will Tell​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 TIMOTHY 5:17-25

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them, in the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.
1 Timothy 5:24-25

This is a wise observation. God was at work in that congregation in Ephesus, Paul is saying, and He was bringing to light things that were hidden. That is what Jesus does. He said, What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs (Luke 12:3). Everybody is going to know about our deeds. God takes hidden sins and brings them to light. Many people think they are hiding their sins, but they are not. God is steadily working to bring those sins to public exposure. There are some people whose sins are conspicuous, and it is obvious they are heading for God's judgment. You would not elect them or appoint them to any office.

But they are not the only kind, the apostle says. Some people are skillful at hiding sin. They appear to be very dedicated, committed people, but there is rotten evil in their hearts all the time. If you get into the habit of electing people to office or appointing them into some responsible position without giving time to observe them, you will get into trouble. Time will tell, the world's proverb says. God will bring it out. Get close to them, because the closer you get, the more obvious their evil will become.

But it works the other way, too. Some men appear retiring and quiet, yet they may be very good men. Such men may make the very best elders. So do not rush men into leadership. If they have something good going on quietly in their lives, even when their deeds are not conspicuous, Paul says, they cannot remain hidden. God will bring it all out if you get close to them. Abraham Lincoln's famous dictum, You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time, is a wise word in choosing elders.

All this concerns how God's church functions, and it is very important that the church function as God intended it. I rejoice that in many places people are again taking very seriously what the Scriptures say about the church and church government; they are trying to correct the things that have crept in by tradition through the years.

Lord, thank You for Your concern for Your church, for what You have envisioned it to be and for what You are ready to make it as men and women willingly obey You, and walk in the power of Your Spirit.

​

Life Application​

Are we deliberately keeping open the doors and windows of our lives, allowing the fresh air of truth and love to clear away hidden agendas and secret sins?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 24TH​

Fit To Be Used​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 2:20-26

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22

Those with pure hearts are not sinless saints; they are not holier-than-thous who have never done anything wrong. They are not the kind of people who look down their noses at everyone else who gets into trouble. No, the word pure would be better translated cleansed, past tense--those with a cleansed heart, those who have already known what it is to be where you are. They do not put you down; they encourage you. They say, I know how you feel. I've been there too, but God picked me up. I know what it means to lay hold of His great, forgiving love. So one of the necessities of being used of God is that you keep company with those who are aiming in the same direction.

I had an occasion to spend a day at Vacaville Penitentiary. I had not been there before. It was a most remarkable experience to see Christian friends working in the prison as salt within a corrupt society. It was a rainy day, and no one was out in the yard. Everyone was in the halls, so it was like going into a high school that had just been let out for lunch. Among the inmates of that overcrowded prison, a Christian group is maintaining a testimony that is keeping that prison away from violence, acting as salt to preserve it in the midst of a very explosive situation.
In the chapel I sat next to a man who had been a murderer--a murderer several times. He had been one of the roughest, fiercest convicts in the prison system. He had stabbed several people while he was in prison, and he was a member of the gang that tried to rule the prison, a vicious loner who would not hesitate to take a human life. Yet God had reached him. Now he is the most gentle-spirited, gracious fellow, a teacher of the other prisoners, instructing them in the truth of God.

I met with others who had been rapists, murderers, and child abusers, men whose lives were changed, who were now listening to and rejoicing in the Scriptures. I asked the leader of the group what it was that most disappointed him in his work. Without hesitating he said, it is those who are so dramatically changed here but who lose all they have gained when they get out. I asked why that happened. Because they go back to the same old crowd, he said.

We are not made to live alone. We are made to live with others; we need the support of others. Those who surround themselves with a non-Christian view of life and non-Christian friends are almost certain to go back at last into that way of thinking and living. So if we want to be used of God, the apostle urges us to seek the companionship of those of like mind.

Lord, grant me the strength to say no to the things I must and yes to the things that I should, that You may find me usable in Your hand, a vessel fit for the Master's use.

​

Life Application​

Every believer has a high calling to extend Christ's love unreservedly. This can only be fulfilled in the context of a cleansed life. Can we do this alone?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 25TH​

Dangerous Times​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-9

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 Timothy 3:1

This verse reads like a summary of the six o'clock news. I remember reading this verse in grade school when I was just a boy, and I was filled with fear and trepidation. I was confident that the terrible times were being fulfilled in that very day, years ago. The Great Depression was beginning; there was much trouble and strife in the United States. Fear had settled upon the nations of the world. Already the looming threat of World War II was gathering on the horizon. Many were feeling that those were the last days, when we could expect the return of Christ.

I was aware that this passage was taken by many to predict the last days of the church. But I was unaware that many similar times had come into human history during the course of the two thousand years since our Lord's first appearance. Many people take the phrase the last days to refer to the time just before Christ's return, but the biblical usage of that phrase indicates that it refers to the whole period of time between the first coming of our Lord and His second coming. In other words, for two thousand years we have been living in the last days.

In the account in Acts 2 we read that on the Day of Pentecost, Peter quoted the prophecy of Joel, in which the prophet said that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:17). That, Peter said, was beginning to be fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, almost two thousand years ago. So it is clear that the last days is a period that has now extended to two thousand years' duration. The apostle Paul is saying that within this extended period of time there will come repetitive cycles of distress—perilous times—when all the conditions that he describes with these chilling words will occur.

As we look back through human history during these last two thousand years, we can see how true that is. Again and again in our Western world, we have had periods of relative peace and prosperity, only to have them interrupted by these terrible times of stress and agony that repeatedly come into human affairs. So these words are not necessarily a prediction of the last days for the church; rather, they are a recognition of the cycle of days like this that will keep coming. And, of course, one of them is going to be the last one. Surely these times of stress we live in exactly fit the description the apostle uses here. But whether this is the actual last cycle to come into history before our Lord returns is difficult to say. As in the past, the clouds of peril may disperse, and the sun may break out again.

But what the apostle wanted Timothy—and us—to know, he clearly outlines: Understand this, he says, that these will be dangerous times, times of great stress, times when our faith will be pushed to the limit of its endurance, when we will be under attack and under threat.

Lord, thank You for how accurately You describe what happens in the world. Thank You also that there is something I can do about it. I can be a real, not a phony, person; I can be genuine, not hypocritical; I can allow the Word to change me from the heart outward.

Life Application​

Life on planet Earth is historically perilous, and our times are no exception. What is our prospectus for living as authentic disciples of Jesus in such a stressful world?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 26TH​

The Secret Of The Divine Presence​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 3:10-13

Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
2 Timothy 3:11b-12

The bottom line of how to stand in times of pressure is right here. Paul knew the secret of the Divine Presence: the Lord was with him, working in all the events of his life. In everything Paul did, Jesus Christ walked with him and was beside him to strengthen and help him.
But even more: Paul not only understood the secret of the Divine Presence, but also that his very trials were part of a designed course. In fact, he says, Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

That very remarkable statement is saying that true Christianity is always a countercultural movement; it is always against the grain. You will not always be popular when you stand and speak as a Christian. Sometimes you will; sometimes your words will be welcomed and reckoned as cold water on a hot day. On other occasions, what you say will be sneered at, ridiculed, and laughed at; you will be put down and rejected. All that is part of being a Christian.

There is a phony folk Christianity around today that will enable you to apparently escape all these persecutions. In every church there are people who are trying to put on a Christian front. They act like Christians, read the Book, and sing the hymns, but they have no reality of Christ in their lives. That kind of Christianity does escape a lot of persecution because it never stands for anything.

That kind of Christianity is worthless. It does nothing to stem the tide of corruption and disaster toward which the human race is headed. As this age draws to a close, evil will increase, the apostle says. Men and women who believe their own lies will speak with intense conviction so that many will follow in their evil ways, victims of the great deceiver, the god of this world, the devil. But if you want to stand against the stream, if you want to make your life count in these days, then do what Paul did.

Teach the truth; spread it around. Let people know what is right and real about life from the Bible that you hold in your hand. Live righteously; practice what you preach. Expect trouble because you will get it. There will be times when what you say will be very unpopular, but that does not stop you from saying it and living it. Above all else, walk with the Lord. Love the Lord Jesus. Live in His presence. Draw closer each day to that Divine Lord who walks invisibly in our midst, who is in charge of all the events of earth, controlling them and working them out to His one great purpose, which He shall bring to pass.

God knows that things are going to get worse and worse—He intended them to—but He has planted within that decaying, corrupting, morally imperfect civilization men and women like you and me who are given the privilege of standing for truth and righteousness in a day of declension. May God grant that we will be such people.

Grant to me, Lord, the courage and grace to stand, impelled by this Divine Presence within, that I might be a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

​

Life Application​

Christians experience persecution for their faith. Others escape it by putting on a phony Christian front. Are we seeking guidance from the written and Living Word?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 27TH​

Thinking Christianly​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-17

...continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of...
2 Timothy 3:14b

Timothy acted upon what he had learned. You do not really believe something until you practice it. James says, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says (James 1:22). It does not do a bit of good to say you believe the Bible from cover to cover, like some people do. Do what it says. Practice the truth; act on it; take it to heart. The process begins with the mind's being instructed, then the heart's being fully convinced. Then you practice what you believe.

I do not know what it was that may have helped Timothy, but I am sure that when he read a statement like, Do not lie to each other (Colossians 3:9), he was careful to watch his words and stop lying, if that was what he was doing. When he read, Bless those who persecute you (Romans 12:14), he realized that even though he, like everyone else, felt anger rising within him and he wanted to strike back when he was mistreated, that was the wrong thing to do. The Word of God taught that it was necessary for him to lean on the grace of God, to pray for people and find a way to do something good rather than evil in return. The apostle suggests two factors here that helped Timothy believe the Scriptures.

First, the Scriptures came to him through certain loved and trusted people. You know those from whom you learned it, Paul says. One of the things that makes believing the Bible much easier is when it comes to us through people we trust. In Timothy's case, his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, were the channels by which he was taught the Word of God. Being of Jewish background, they may have followed the exhortation of Deuteronomy 6, where Moses taught the people how to teach their children. Moses did not say to have a classroom in the home where children were to learn something by rote. Rather, he said, Teach them when they rise up (when they get up in the morning), when they sit down (at mealtime), and when they go to bed at night. Those are the teachable moments. Use the experiences of a young child's day to reflect truth from the Scriptures that will lock itself into their hearts. What a powerful impact this mighty apostle made upon Timothy! He never forgot what he had learned, because it came through one whom he deeply respected, one whom he saw had answers to the difficulties and problems of life.

The second factor is that this came to Timothy at a very early age. From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, Paul says. Parents should not miss that emphasis. It indicates that childhood is a wonderful time to get the truth of the Scriptures into a young person's heart. As a young boy, ten or eleven years old, I was given many memory verses in Sunday school and Vacation Bible School that I committed to memory. I remember those verses yet today. What a wonderful thing to have learned from early childhood the truth of the Word of God through those most precious and trusted.

Father, I thank You for this amazing book. I confess to You how infrequently I open it up and let it speak to me. Help me to let this book minister to my heart and mind.

​

Life Application​

Thinking Christianly requires believing the Scriptures. How often do we study the Word of God to know our Lord and heed Him so that He can live His life through us?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 28TH​

Preach The Word​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 4:1-4

Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.
2 Timothy 4:2

This verse speaks of the great essentials that must be carried on to fulfill the prayer of our Lord and to advance the kingdom of God, to bring to fulfillment that amazing work that began by His first appearing upon the earth. When we read the phrase Preach the Word, however, most of us think that this is addressed to preachers like myself, that one has to do this in church, on a platform, or behind a pulpit.

This word is not addressed to preachers only. It includes all the people of God, for Paul does not merely mean to preach; the word is really announce, proclaim, set it forth, deliver the truth, make it known. It is not something you argue about; you declare it because God Himself has said it. This can be done over a cup of coffee, in an office, or in a car while you are driving to work. It is something that can come up any place, any time. Where human hearts are open, seeking, longing, and hurting, there is the place, there is the opportunity to preach the word.

Proclaim the good news, Paul says. It is not news of what we have to do for God. That distortion has been widely peddled across the world and in this country, and it has resulted in a phony Christianity. The gospel is the story of what God has already done for us. That is what ministers to the aching heart. The gospel is the news that God loves us, pities us, and sees us in our hurt, our agony, our failure, and our weakness. The gospel is that He sees us in our strutting boldness and pride, and still He loves us. And He has already done something about it--through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In that amazing series of events that came through Jesus' appearing on earth, He broke the stranglehold of evil upon human hearts--He found a way to set aside His own just sentence of death. Through those who open their hearts to the Savior, He has found a way not only to die for us but to come and live in us and start the process of renewing us, remaking us, and restoring us to our lost inheritance. That is the word we are to proclaim. That is to be done by every Christian in every conceivable circumstance of life.

I hope that comes through clearly, because this is what the apostle Paul is seeking to bring to Timothy's mind. Against this impressive background of the watching heavens and in view of the paramount importance of continuing the redemptive work of Christ, Paul lays this solemn charge on Timothy's heart as he does upon us: Preach the Word.

Grant to me that I will commit myself afresh to be a purveyor of the truth, preacher of the Word, and herald of the good news that is in Jesus Christ.

​

Life Application​

The life-changing Gospel is the best of good news. Are we hoarding the Treasure, or ever alert to opportunities to share it with other sinners in need of grace?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 29TH​

Looking Back​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 4:5-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7

Paul uses three phrases that sum up his life's accomplishments. What would you say about your life if you were looking back and summing up in brief words what had been accomplished? Here are the apostle's words.

First, he says, I have fought the good fight. It is very important to see he did not say, I have fought a good fight, as he is often quoted as saying. If he had said that, it would be indicative of his view of how well he had done. It would be boasting: I've fought a good fight. I've pitched in there and done the right thing. But that is not what he says. He says, I have fought the good fight, meaning the significant fight, the great battle that life had presented to him.

Paul says, I have finished the race. That is another common figure in his writings. In Philippians 3 he describes that race: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus, he says (Philippians 3:13b-14). The race, of course, is the Christian life itself, which is lived moment by moment, just as a race is run step by step. The question is whether you live each step in the flesh or in the Spirit, whether you are walking in the power of the new life you have from Christ or whether you are still running in the old ways of thinking, the old self-centered, fleshly, self-serving attitudes. Every moment is either contributing to reaching the goal for the prize or delaying it, wasting time in the flesh. Christians are called to run that race.

Third, the apostle says, I have kept the faith. He means by that the whole body of truth that is involved in the gospel, what he calls in 1 Corinthians God's secret wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:7a). This wisdom is totally different from the wisdom of this world. It is the truth that God tells us about ourselves and about Himself, about this world and why it is the way it is. It is the truth about the power of evil, the secret power of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:7), and the mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16) with which we can counteract evil. That is the faith that Paul is talking about. On the very edge of eternity he can say of himself, I have kept the faith. I have not lost any of the good deposit that God has entrusted to me. He has guarded it as a treasure, and he tells Timothy in turn to guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you (2 Timothy 1:14). Paul has kept this treasure from being mistreated or distorted by those who would try to twist it and use it for their own purposes. He has answered its critics. He has warned those who would take it astray, as he does in this very letter; thus he has kept the faith.

Lord, grant me the grace to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. Thank You that You are faithful to enable me to do that.

​

Life Application​

Finishing well is a worthy aim. Are we clearly defining the journey? Have we grasped the power available in Christ to regularly encounter obstacles and counteract evil?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR NOVEMBER 30TH​

The Lion's Mouth​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 TIMOTHY 4:9-22

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.
2 Timothy 4:16-17

Here is a rather sad note. When the apostle was brought up for his hearing, no one stood up for him. This was a very dangerous time in Rome. Emperor Nero was noted for his vindictiveness. If anybody even appeared to be against him, Nero's assassins were all throughout the city, ready to take the person's life. Evidently no Christians were ready to risk their lives by standing up for Paul, so he had to face this preliminary hearing all alone. But notice again Paul's lack of vindictiveness. May it not be charged against them, he says. Actually, the fact that no one stood up for the apostle could have led to his immediate execution. But that did not happen because, as Paul says, The Lord stood by me. He is the One on whom you can always count. Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God has promised, I will never, never, ever, under any conditions (there are six Greek negatives thrown in there) leave you nor forsake you. The writer's response is, What can man do to me? (Hebrews 13:6). This too is Paul's experience. The presence of Jesus with him accomplished two things.

First, it gave him the strength to proclaim the message. I wish we could all have looked in on that scene as this doughty apostle told the story of his own conversion. Paul is doing what he told Timothy to do in this very letter: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2). The Lord gave him the strength to do that.
Second, Paul says, I was delivered from the lion's mouth. Some have read that to mean that Paul was afraid he was going to be thrown to the lions in the Roman Coliseum. The problem with that, however, is that the Coliseum was not built until three or four years later. Also, because Paul was a Roman citizen, the law required that he could not be executed by being thrown to the lions. He was facing death by beheading.

The lion here is very likely a reference to Satan, the malevolent schemer behind all the false charges that were laid against Paul, the one who had weakened the courage of the Christians so they dared not stand up along with the apostle. All of this was part of Satan's schemes to accomplish Paul's death, or at least to destroy his testimony. Peter's warning, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), is still true today. Many of the problems and unexplainable difficulties that suddenly complicate all the things we are trying to do for the Lord are only part of the activities of the lion that is seeking to devour our faith, to destroy us and weaken our testimony for Christ.
But Paul was delivered from the lion's mouth. In this beautiful verse, he expresses his feeling that he is safe in the Lord's hands.

Thank You, Lord, that even if everyone deserts me, You will stand with me and beside me.

​

Life Application​

Is our faith and witness limited by dependency on others? Where is the real and unfailing source of power on which we can draw for confidence and safe-keeping?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 1ST​

The Test​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 1

But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.
Job 1:11

This book will help us more than any other book in the Bible to catch a glimpse of the greatness and majesty of God. We will see what we desperately need to see—that God is not just another man, great in power and authority, whom we call, influence, and command. God is not a heavenly bellboy, ready to run at our command. No, God is in charge, and He will always be in charge. If we are going to deal realistically with life, this is the way we must see Him.

We sometimes hear that this book of Job is the record of a great battleground between God and Satan and that Job is caught in between. Though there are aspects of this in the book, is this not a strange war, in which one side must get permission from the other before it attacks? What kind of battle is that?

Can you imagine a German commander during World War II stepping up to General Patton, saluting him, and saying, Here, General, we would like permission to bomb your troops, destroy your tanks, and wreck all your plans! I'm sure General Patton's reply would have been unprintable and unrepeatable!

And yet that is the situation in this book of Job. Satan comes to God and asks permission to do something against Job. Now that is not a battle; it is not warfare; it is a test. That is what we need to see. Job's faith is the subject of a very rigorous test. Satan is the one who brings it about, but God permits it.

You may be thinking, I wonder what's going on behind the scenes about me? I wonder what Satan is saying about me now and if he's asking permission to get me! If that is what you are thinking, my advice is, Do not worry; live one day at a time. For the thing this book tells us is that if Satan had his way, every one of us would always be in this kind of difficulty. Satan would tear us apart all the time if he could--not because he is angry with us but because he wants to get at God, whom we serve. But God's protecting hand has been over us. If we can sit here in any degree of peace and enjoyment, it is because the hand of God has been like a hedge about us, protecting us and giving us great and wonderful things. Therefore, the attitude of every human heart ought to be, Thank God for what I've got! Thank God for where I am now. What the future may hold, only He knows.
And if it holds some kind of testing like this, it is only because, as Paul has reminded us in 1 Corinthians, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

He knows what you can bear, and He will not put you to the test so severely that it will destroy your faith. But there are implications in every test that go far beyond the superficial aspects of the situation. That is what we need to remember. And as this remarkable book unfolds, we will see some of the things that God brought to the attention of Job.

Lord, thank You that You have placed a hedge about me and that with every test comes the strength to endure.

​

Life Application​

Our faith may be tested in many ways. When we are stretched by circumstances, do we give thanks and rest in the enduring strength from the indwelling life of Christ?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.