Daily Devotion by Ray Stedman

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 23RD​

Can You Handle It?​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 40-41

Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?
Job 41:1-2

On the next sections God calls Job's attention to two amazing animals, the behemoth, a land animal for the most part, and leviathan, a sea creature. Commentators have had a great deal of difficulty trying to determine just which animals in our natural world are referred to here. Some think that behemoth may be the hippopotamus or the elephant or perhaps the rhinoceros. Others say that leviathan is the crocodile, though some think it could be the whale.

I believe that it is irrelevant which animals God is speaking of because the language that is used here clearly goes beyond the actual realm. In the last section, where God was taking Job through a tour of His created universe, all the animals were recognizable and in line with what anyone can still observe about them in nature, though they were described in poetic language. But here is something that goes beyond the natural.
Therefore, some commentators have believed these are mythical, legendary creatures, like the unicorn and the dragon. But I think if we admit that this is mythical language, we can also see that it likely is referring not to myth but to supernatural beings. These beasts that appear here are symbolic beasts, tied to animals in the natural realm as symbols of that which is invisible and supernatural.

Your mind may have already run ahead to the great section of the book of Revelation where in chapter 13 two beasts emerge that dominate the scene in the last days. One is a beast that comes up out of the sea and reigns over the waters, which, we are told in Revelation, represent the multitudes of peoples of the earth. The other beast comes up on the land. Behind both of these beasts is still a third incredible animal called the great dragon. There we are told plainly that this dragon is Satan, and he gives his power and authority to the beasts. Now, tracing this symbolism through and applying it here in the book of Job, I believe that it is warranted that we should say that these beasts represent a satanic power made visible in terms of our earthly existence.

As I understand this, the first of these beasts, behemoth, represents the satanic twist that we all labor with and struggle against in our own lives that the Bible calls the flesh, the fallen nature within us, our humanity, with its continual desire to assert and live for itself. The second beast represents the world with all its vast influence upon every one of us, pressuring us to conform, to reflect the values and attitudes of those around us, dominating all our thinking and all our life in every possible way. Behind them both is the devil, with his malevolent, cunning wisdom and power, incredible in his might and his interference in human events.

What God, then, is setting before Job is a very pertinent question for all of us: Are you able to handle the enemy within and the enemy without, especially that malicious being who is behind them all--the world, the flesh, and the devil?

Lord, thank You that I can claim Your strength rather than my own in fighting the enemy.

​

Life Application​

Our arch enemy pushes his agenda against our souls from within and without. Do we presume to engage in this spiritual warfare using our own carnal weaponry?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 24TH​

When We Repent​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:3-6

You said, Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me. My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
Job 42:4-6

Notice the difference: My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. The inner eye of the heart sees the nature of God. And the result? Job says, I despise myself.

That is repentance. What Job is really doing is agreeing with what God says about him. He says, in effect, You are right, Lord. I have perceived things wrongly. I do not know enough to begin to challenge the wisdom of the Almighty. I am an ignorant, limited man who speaks without even knowing what he is talking about. You are quite right, Lord, it is I.

Then he quotes God again: Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me. He is saying, Lord, you are right about that, too. I have been an arrogant man. I have been thinking I could answer your questions and that I would even ask you questions that you could not answer. Lord, I have been an arrogant man. I see it now. Something within me has been proud, lifted up, self-righteous, and confident that I was right. I have been wrong all along. So he says, Lord, I despise myself.

Job has never been in this place before. He is learning at last the hardest lesson of life, what God seeks to teach us all: the problem is never in others or in God; the problem is in us. And it is a problem that only God can handle. We are unequipped to handle it ourselves. All we can do is put it back in His gracious hands.

It looks as though God has humiliated Job and brought this poor, broken-hearted man down into the dust almost cruelly. Yet it is not cruelty, it is love—because, at this point, when Job has finally given up trying to defend and justify himself, God begins to heal and pour into this man's life blessings he never dreamed of.

This is the story of the whole of Scripture, isn't it? Everywhere the Scriptures seek to tell us this. Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, the men and women who are bankrupt in themselves, who stop counting on what they have to make it. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

God will begin to heal a life that repents before Him, and He will fill it with blessing and honor and glory and power. None of the prideful things to which we cling will be worth the smallest portion of the glory and joy we have discovered in coming into a relationship with God Himself.

Thank You, Father, for this penetrating look at my own heart. How proud I have been, how filled with self-justification with complaints before You. Teach me to put my hand upon my mouth and admit to You that the problem lies so often with me so that You will heal and restore me.

​

Life Application​

The astounding humility of Christ's incarnation gave birth to the spiritual family of God. In repentance do we humbly realize God's daily astounding grace and mercy?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 25TH​

Christmas At Uz​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:10-11

All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
Job 42:11

Doesn't that sound like Christmas? I suppose you are saying, Wait a minute. Come on, this is not Christmas! Why, this was long before anyone ever celebrated Christmas! This is two thousand years before Christ came. How could there be Christmas in the book of Job?

The first thing to note about this is that the occasion that is described here is a family gathering. Job's brothers and sisters and all his friends who had known him before are getting together. The uncles and aunts are there as well as all the cousins, nephews, nieces, and grandchildren. By this time Job is a seventy-year-old man or even older, and though his own children had all perished, he must have had grandchildren and great-grandchildren by now, and all the neighbors and friends had brought their families. So this was a great family occasion as Christmas is for us and always has been.

The second thing you see here is that this was a time of feasting. They gathered to eat together, and we do that today. We start with stuffed turkey, and we end with stuffed people! This has always been the custom at Christmas. Throughout history and in most cultures where Christmas is recognized, feasting has been a part of the Christmas celebration.

Then there is another thing here that we can associate with Christmas. It is what we would call fellowship. Job's family and friends gathered to comfort him and to express sympathy and understanding for all the pain and suffering he had been going through.

The giving of gifts also brings to mind Christmas. These friends gave to Job gifts of silver and gold. In the Bible these two metals are used symbolically as a picture of redemption. Silver is the sign of redemption, and gold is the picture of deity; God redeeming people. That is why this is Christmas at Job's house. Job's witness to his friends evidently had such effect upon them that in gratitude for what they learned from him, they gave him gifts of silver and gold to express their understanding of God's redemption among people.

Job discovered two thousand years before Jesus' birth and eventual death on the cross that One was coming into the world, and, as the angel said to Mary, He will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). This is what brings joy and gladness to believers' hearts at Christmas time. If you know the Lord Jesus, you have the greatest gift God can give to a person. Out of the richness of your life you will find yourself gladly sharing from all that you have with those who have less, that there may be the ringing out of joy and thanksgiving in a season like this.

Thank You, Lord, for the greatest gift—the gift of Your Son.

​

Life Application​

Knowing Jesus is the greatest gift one can ever receive. We worship at the manger our Redeemer and King! Are we sharing with others from the riches of His blessings?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 26TH​

Speaking What Is Right​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:7-8

After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
Job 42:7

Perhaps we are surprised that in this account God affirms that Job was right in what he said about Him. We have never seen any recognition up to this time that Job had said right things. In fact, much of the book is aimed at pointing out that Job was wrong in his attitude about God. Although both Job and his friends say some wonderfully true things about God, and there are great passages of brilliance and glory that depict something of His power, beauty, and wisdom, Job himself admitted that he spoke in ignorance and folly, and he repents of this and puts his hand on his mouth. So it is rather surprising that God twice admits that Job has said that which is right about Him.

In what way did he say what was right? First, when Job could not see the sin in himself, he did indeed charge God with unfairness, but the moment God shows him the sin that is still deeply embedded in his heart, he immediately repents. There is no hesitation, no argument, and no self-defense. He admits immediately that the problem is with him and not with God.

Second, Job is always true to the facts as he sees them. He did not see them very clearly, and there are things about himself and about God's rule in the universe that he did not understand, but to the point where he did see things, he was always honest. There was no distorting or twisting of the facts to fit an inadequate theology.

Third, he took his problem to God, even though God was his problem. That is an admirable thing in Job. You remember how all through the account he is breaking into prayer constantly. Out of the torment and anguish that he feels, he always ends up laying his complaint before God. The friends never pray for Job. They never ask God to relieve his suffering; they never ask for help or wisdom or understanding on their part. They simply ignore all contact with the living God themselves, but Job is forever crying out before God and bringing his problems, his bewilderment, and his bafflement to the Lord Himself and asking for wisdom and help.

Finally, when Job does repent, he declares without restraint and reservation that God is God, that He is holy and wise and just and good, even when He seems to be otherwise. Ultimately, that is the highest expression of faith--that we do not trust our human observations of what is happening. We understand the limitations of our humanity, and we do not assume that we have all the facts so that we can condemn and judge a holy God. That is what Job does. He pronounces God as just and holy in all that He does.

Lord, even when I cannot understand what You are doing, help me speak what is right concerning You and bring my burden to You as the only One who can sustain me.

​

Life Application​

God can use pain to deepen our shallow understanding of who God really is. Do we recognize the difference between merely knowing about God and truly knowing Him?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

DEVOTION FOR TODAY — DECEMBER 27TH​

Forgiveness And Prayer​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:9

So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.
Job 42:9

Notice God's insistence on intercessory prayer here. What an interesting thing this is. God tells these friends, There will be no pardon for you without Job's petition on your behalf. If you want to be received and forgiven, you must not only bring the sacrifices but also my servant Job must pray for you. What an instructive lesson this is on prayer. The significance of prayer is underscored in this passage, and it is so important that God says that unless Job prays, He will deal with the three friends according to their folly (Job 42:8). How impoverished our lives and the lives of our friends and loved ones are simply because we think prayer is unimportant, and we do not bother to pray for one another. God emphasizes this here: Your friends will not be accepted, Job, unless you pray for them. When Job prayed, they were indeed forgiven and pardoned.
What a beautiful picture of forgiveness here! I love to picture this scene in my imagination. Here is Job's chance, if he ever wanted it, to get even with these friends. When God sent them to him with their hats in their hands asking for pardon and asking for his prayers, how easy it would have been for him to have said, Aha! I thought you'd come around! You were the ones who gave me all that trouble. You ran me down, you falsely accused me, you said all those evil things about me, and now I've got you where I want you. I'll let you sweat a little bit. I'm going to get even with you! That is what many of us would have said, but it is obvious that Job does not do that.

I wish we could have heard his prayer. I am sure it would have been something like this: O Lord, here are these three friends of mine. They've been stubborn, hardheaded, foolish, ignorant men, just as I was, Lord. You forgave me, and now I ask you to forgive them as well. What a beautiful spirit of forgiveness is exercised here. Job might have said, I called them miserable comforters, and that's what they were. I suggested that they were proud and cocky, and wisdom would die with them. But Lord, I was just as proud and just as ignorant. You forgave me, and so, Lord, I ask you to forgive them as well. The Lord heard Job's prayer and accepted it, and his friends were forgiven.

I do not think there is anything more contrary to the Christian spirit than having an unforgiving heart, holding a grudge, refusing to speak to another Christian, or behaving coldly in relationships with each other. Nothing is more removed from the spirit of Christian forgiveness than that. What a beautiful thing to see Job praying for his friends without a vestige of resentment or an attempt to get even on his part, but holding them up before God. God honors that prayer, forgives these men, and restores them to His grace.

Lord, thank You that in inviting me to pray for others, You are inviting me to participate in Your forgiveness.

​

Life Application​

By having an unforgiving, bitter attitude toward others, have we short-circuited God's forgiveness toward us? Forgiving others enables both parties to realize God's grace.

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A God Of Purpose​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:1-2

Then Job replied to the LORD: I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
Job 42:1-2

The greatest theme in this book of Job is that it reveals to us the character of God Himself. God often appears to us as a cold, impersonal Being, distant from us, uncaring, even ruthless and vindictive, demanding many things from us--a powerful Being but without compassion. I am sure if you conducted a poll you would find that to be the most common view of God in the world today. The average people on the street, if they think of God at all, think of Him as being a rather cold and distant Being who is powerful and just, hard and demanding, an angry God. This God is commonly called the Old Testament God, as though God were two kinds of beings, one in the Old Testament and one in the New.

But what the book of Job shows is that behind that appearance (and even Job saw Him that way for a while), God is always exactly what He is, not ruthless and cold, but actually deeply aware of our problems. He is concerned about us, carefully controlling everything that touches us, limiting the power of Satan and allowing certain expressions, according to His knowledge of how much we can bear. He is patient, forgiving, and ultimately responsible for all that happens.

In the beginning of this book, the reader's attention is focused on three beings: God, Satan, and Job. By the end of the book, Satan has completely disappeared. All you have left is God standing before Job, saying to him, All right, Job, I'm responsible. Any questions? When Job begins to see what God is working out in His vast, cosmic purposes and what He is making possible by means of Job's sufferings, he has no questions to ask whatsoever. The final view of God in this book is of a Being of incredible wisdom who puts things together far beyond human dreams and imaginations, who is working out incredible plans of infinite delight and joy that He will give to us if we wait for His purposes to be fully resolved.

The Lord mentions a time when all the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7 RSV) at the creation of the world, but other Scriptures tell us about a future time when the sons of God will be revealed (Romans 8:19), when all creation will shout in a greater glory than was ever hailed at the first creation in the new creation that God has brought into being by means of the sufferings, the trials, and the tribulations of this present scene. That is why Scripture speaks in numerous passages about our light and momentary troubles that are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17). When that day breaks, the one thing for which we will be infinitely thankful, the one thing above all others that will thrill us and cheer us and cause us to glory, is the fact that out of all the created universe, we were chosen to be the ones who bore the name of God in the hour of danger and affliction, problem and trial. There is no higher honor than that.

Our Father, I do count it indeed a mighty privilege to bear reproach for Your name's sake. I know that the day is coming when that will be my chief joy.

​

Life Application​

Pain is often God's megaphone to re-focus our attention on our gracious Lord. Are we so caught up in worldly minutia that we miss seeing the vast plan of God's love?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 29TH​

God's Compassion And Mercy​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:12-13

The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first.
Job 42:12a

This is what James calls in the Revised Standard Version the purpose of the Lord (James 5:11), revealing God to be compassionate and merciful. God did not suddenly become compassionate and merciful to Job; He had been that way all along. God's character, unchanging, is compassion and mercy. He is love. Though He puts us through times of trials and pressures and hardships, it is not because He is angry and upset; it is because He is compassionate and merciful. If we wait, He will bring us to the place where we will see that as plainly and clearly as Job did. So the purpose of the Lord is to reveal His own heart of compassion and mercy to this dear old man.

There is a beautiful passage in Jeremiah's Lamentations that I think we must always remember when we are going through trials and afflictions. I would urge you to memorize it as you face a new year: For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men (Lamentations 3:31-33).
Isn't that encouraging? He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men. He will bring grief because He loves us and we need it, but He does not do it lightly. He feels our pain with us. As a good parent with His children, He hurts worse than we do at times. He does not willingly do it. I think we need to recall that when we are put through times of pressure and danger.

God moves Job's relatives and friends to bring him gifts of silver and gold. But perhaps these gifts of silver and gold that friends and relatives brought were God's way of providing a foundation of the wealth that He will bring Job. At any rate, Job ended up with double everything that he had before.
Well, you say, God doubled everything but his sons and daughters. He ended up with seven sons and three daughters, just like he had at the beginning. No. You forget he has seven sons and three daughters in heaven, and seven sons and three daughters more on earth, so God indeed gave Job double everything that he had to start with. That is the mercy of God. He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men but longs to give them blessing when they come to the place where they can handle the blessing that He wants to give.

Help us to accept Your tender mercies, Lord, and to see behind them Your loving, compassionate heart. Help us, out of our understanding to bring praise to the glory of our great God.

​

Life Application​

Trials are graduate courses where we can learn to trust the immutable purpose of our Father. Do we see him as our kind Father whose desire is always to bless his child?


Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 30TH​

Job's Daughters​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:14-15

The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.
Job 42:14-15

The fascinating thing about this account is that the whole Scripture seems to focus now on the daughters of Job instead of the sons. In chapter 1 it was the sons who were in the forefront. They had a birthday party every year, and they invited their sisters to come and share with them, but here, at the end of the book, it is the daughters of Job. Being the father of four beautiful daughters myself, I know how Job must have felt about them. He was proud of these daughters. In fact, he gave them an inheritance among their brothers, which was unheard of in the culture of that day.

For anyone who is deciding on a name for a baby girl, here are some excellent suggestions: Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-Happuch. The names are significant, and here are their meanings:

• Jemimah means dove. Throughout the Scriptures, and even in our culture today, the dove is the symbol of peace.
• Keziah is another spelling of the word cassia, and, you recall, when the wise men brought their gifts to the infant Jesus, they brought gifts of cassia, aloes, and myrrh, all of which were fragrances and incenses that were expensive, rare, and beautiful. Cassia, therefore, is incense or a fragrance. That is the symbolism behind the name.
• Keren-Happuch literally means the horn of adornment and is a reference, therefore, to the outward beauty that comes from an inward character.

Daughters who represent peace, fragrance, and beauty are the fruits of Job's trials. Surely, as the text says, there were none so fair in all the land as these. The New Testament, in Romans 5, tells us that suffering produces fruit for all those who persevere as the evidence of God's love.

Suffering, Paul says, produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4). Character produces hope, hope that you are becoming the kind of person you want to be, and hope does not disappoint us, Paul says (Romans 5:5). It leaves us confident and sure of our God and of the power and resources of the spiritual life. That is the message we have at the close of this book.

Lord, thank You that out of my own brokenness You bring beauty, peace, and a fragrant life that is pleasing to You.

​

Life Application​

The greatest joy comes when we begin to grasp the infinite love and wisdom of God as our Father. This insight often results from a graduate course in parental discipline.

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR DECEMBER 31ST​

A New Beginning​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: JOB 42:16-17

After this Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.
Job 42:16-17

The book of Job ends on a note of contentment and peace. Job was probably about seventy when the book opens, so he is an old man. What a picture of peace, a contented man. God had greatly blessed him.
Before us stretches a new year, a new beginning. The old is past, put away forever. God invites us always to forget about all the distrust and fears, all the anxieties of the past, all the resentments we have been holding against others, all the grudges, all the criticisms--to put them away and begin again.

The question that hovers over us as we close this book (and I feel it deeply in my own heart) is, On what basis am I going to live in this new year? Will it be on the old basis of it-all-depends-on-me, do-it-yourself goodness before God, trying my best to be pleasing to God and meaning it with all my heart but never realizing the depths of evil with which I have to deal? Or will I accept the gift of God that is waiting for me every day, fresh from His hand, a gift of forgiveness, of righteousness already mine, of a relationship in which He is my dear Father and I am his cherished, beloved son, and in which I therefore have provided for me all I need, all day long, so that I may say no to evil and yes to truth and right?

Will it be on that basis? If it is, this will be a year in which my life will be characterized by peace, fragrance, and beauty. And so will yours. Or, if we insist on living it on the same old basis, we will find ourselves like these friends of Job, arousing the anger and the wrath of God. Though He is patient and merciful, our only escape will be to repent of our evil and rest upon the righteousness of our perfect substitute and return to God for the blessing that He is waiting to give. That is the choice before us, every one of us. How are we going to live in this new year?

Lord, thank You for this new year that lies before me. I choose You. I choose to depend on You, trust You, and accept from Your hand all that You would give me.

​

Life Application​

Before us stretches a new year, a new beginning. The old is past, put away forever. On which one of the two bases are we going to live in this new year?

Daily Devotion © 2006, 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 1ST​

Possibilities for a New Year​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-10

However, as it is written: What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived — the things God has prepared for those who love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9

There are great possibilities in store for each of us in the coming year. Possibilities, yes, but they remain to be possessed, and it is quite possible to pass through all of next year without realizing any of them. Possession must begin first with a desire to possess. If you are content with what you are today, then you will never be any better than you are now; you may become worse. Contentment with what you are has a way of deteriorating ultimately into being very distressed with what you are.

If you have no urgent desire to lay hold of more, my counsel to you is to pray that God will awaken in you a hunger and a thirst. Then, you must understand the principles involved in possessing the great heritage of promise. Possessing what God has to give never comes by uncrucified self-effort, religious activity, or pious deeds. Possession comes by learning to act on the basis of a fact already true! The possession of God's blessing is not something God does when we ask for it, but, rather, faith lays hold of what already is in Jesus Christ.

You must apply these principles in the present moment. Unfortunately, there are some who well understand the principles of victory but who do not enjoy them in the moment in which they live. Do not wait until tomorrow. We always think that it is possible to obey God in some other situation, but not in the one in which we are right now. We want to wait until next week, or next month. Or else we feel that it is too late — that the hour has passed us by, that we have gone too far down the road, that we have already entrenched ourselves in habits of thought. But this is the way of defeat. We must learn to live in the present tense.

Father, as I stand at the threshold of a new year, looking out at the land and opportunities to be possessed, teach me to live in the present all through the year. I do not want to live in the past, nor in the future, but I want to remember that everything that happens, whether it be failure or success, is under your divine scrutiny. Teach me to trust in your promises as I obey your word.

​

Life Application​

As you reflect on the coming new year, what possibilities remain to be possessed? How will you possess them with faith rather than self-effort?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 2ND​

​

Finding the Will of God​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-8

It is God's will that you should be sanctified…
1 Thessalonians 4:3a

Is there any problem more difficult to a Christian than the problem of finding the will of God? There are, of course, those Christians who snap their fingers at this whole matter of finding the will of God and go on their own way, thus raising very serious questions as to whether they are Christians at all. But to anyone who takes the Christian faith seriously, this is usually a perplexing matter and he feels troubled over this question: How can I find the will of God?

It is highly significant to note how this question is usually put. The will of God is frequently conceived of as some kind of program. This idea is reflected in the questions that are asked: How can I find what God wants me to do? Who is it that God intends that I should marry? What kind of business does God want me to be in? What line of work should I follow? Where should I live?

Such questions indicate that, in the minds of those who ask them, the problem of finding the will of God has resolved itself into a matter of guidance. How will God indicate his choice to me? What are the signs to look for that I may know, between two or three possible objectives, which is the right one? How much do circumstances enter into the picture? How much am I to be led by what happens to me? These are the usual questions that are evoked by this subject of the will of God.

If we approach the problem in this way we will never come to a satisfying answer. We are starting out on the wrong foot when we come at it in that way. I speak out of years of frustration, during which I attempted to find the will of God by just such a manner. This is the case with many of the questions that confuse us about the Christian life. So frequently, we are approaching it in the wrong way. For the will of God is not a program, it is a relationship. It is not what you do, it is what you are. It is not primarily a question of guidance (that is a part of it, admittedly, but it is a very minor part); it is really a question of acceptance.

It is obvious that whatever sanctification may or may not mean, it has to do with what we are more than what we do. The word sanctification comes from the same root word from which we get our word holy. What do we mean when we say a thing is holy? We call the Bible, the Holy Bible. What makes it holy? The land of Israel is called, the Holy land, and the city of Jerusalem is called, the Holy City. Why? They all belong to God. The Bible is God's book; Israel is God's land; Jerusalem is God's city — they are God's property! That is why they are holy, because they belong to God. Perhaps one of the most helpful ways of expressing the will of God is to put it in that practical way: It is God's will that you should be sanctified; that you become God's property.

Father, thank you for these mighty truths, to know that all the glory and the beauty of life as God intended it to be may be fulfilled in me, as I fulfill your will and become your property.

​

Life Application​

How does this definition of sanctification change the way you think about knowing, and pursuing, God's will in your life?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 3RD​

God's Will - Wholeness​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-8

It is God's will that you should be sanctified…
1 Thessalonians 4:3a

The apostle reminds the Thessalonians of the clear instructions he gave on how to live to please God. Notice these are given "through the Lord Jesus." This is not just Paul's advice as a religious leader. These are the words and desires of our Lord Jesus himself: First of all, says Paul, it is that "the will of God is your sanctification."

I am sorry that the word sanctification appears here because I find a lot of people have very confused ideas as to what constitutes sanctification. Some think it is a kind of a religious sheep dip that they are put through; an experience of cleansing and commitment entered into once for all. Once they have been dipped, they feel, everything is fine. Others think that sanctification is an extraction process. God uses a kind of sin magnet to extract all the sin, and from then on they can live to please him. Some people actually think they have not sinned for years. Obviously, nobody has told them the truth yet. A little deeper investigation would reveal how wrong they are. Actually, the word sanctification is really almost the same as the word that is translated holiness in this passage. It comes from the same root word. But again, I find that many are confused about holiness.

When I was younger, most people thought of holiness as grimness. I did not like holy people. They looked like they had been soaked in embalming fluid. They were grim and dull; they frowned on anything that was fun or pleasurable. But that is not holiness. I like the good English word wholeness, which also derives from the same root. Everybody wants to be a whole person. The Old Testament speaks about the beauty of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalms 29:2, 96:9), the inner attractiveness that is apparent when someone begins to function inwardly as he or she was intended.

What this says is that God is designing beautiful people! That is what he wants. And not merely outwardly beautiful people like those we see on television, but inwardly beautiful people. He is more interested in inward beauty, in making admirable, trustworthy, strong, loving, compassionate people — having all the qualities which make for inner beauty. That is what God calls wholeness, and that is his will for you. Isn't it exciting that God wants to make you a whole person?

Thank you Father, that you are making me whole. Please give me the beauty of holiness so that I may do your will.

​

Life Application​

What are the qualities of an inwardly beautiful person?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 4TH​

A Body Presented​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2

A body presented to God for his exclusive use is the will of God. How do you feel about this? Do you regard it as an intrusion, an interruption of your plans and your program? Or do you regard it as an infinite honor, that mere creatures may be the full expression of the holy and magnificent life of God? This is what Paul calls an intelligent fulfillment of purpose.

You never can find the will of God until you start here. Have you ever made an intelligent presentation of yourself, your body, your soul (your emotional and mental life), and your spirit unto God? Have you ever presented yourself as what you are, nothing, in order that you may have what he is, everything, and step out into every new day in complete expectation that his life will be manifest in you? That is Christianity. That is the will of God.

It takes power to live today. Out in the business world, with its sharp practices and its easy morality, in the social world, with its constant emphasis upon the gratification of the flesh, in all the areas of our life, it takes power to live today. But it is not your power, it takes God's power. His is the only adequate power. The times in which we are living are rapidly weeding out the phonies! If we have not learned what the will of God is in terms of our experience, all the facades that we have erected for others to see will come crashing in utter ruins at our feet as the pressure of the times mounts and exposes the rotten fabric of our lives.

It is God's will that you may be a body wholly filled and flooded with God himself. What a challenge, what a glory, what a marvelous thing; that in the midst of this sweeping current of immorality washing everything down the stream to utter destruction, there may be those who are able to stand in wholesome purity, reflecting the love and grace and glory of the life of Jesus Christ. This is the will of God! When you have found that, the matter of guidance takes care of itself. It is easy for God to lead someone who belongs to him body, soul, and spirit.

Lord, may the full meaning of this break upon me as I walk out on this great principle: that you are in me, Lord, my life, my strength, my victory, my peace, my sanctification.

​

Life Application​

Reflect on this question: Have I ever presented myself as what I am, nothing, in order that I may have what he is, everything?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 5TH​

God's Will For You in Christ Jesus​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-28

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Notice how the apostle underlines this: This is the will of God… for you. The will of God is not to make some dramatic display of power or gift that is going to attract attention. It is the quiet response you make to the daily trials and circumstance in which you find yourself.

Rejoice always. The words perhaps ought to be translated, Be cheerful. Do not let things get you down. Society is filled with despair and gloom. The pressures under which we live today can do this. But a Christian has an inner resource. Therefore, we can obey the word of James, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2). Do not take it as an attack upon you. Do not moan and groan and say, What have I done to deserve this sort of thing? But rejoice, because it is good for you. Trials make you grow up, make you face yourself and learn things about yourself you did not know.

Second, Paul says, be prayerful: Pray continually. That is the method of drawing on the inner strength that God provides. God often removes the props from our lives in order to teach us that he himself is all we need. Have your props been taken away, and have you begun to learn that God himself can meet your needs? As you poured out your heart in prayer, sometimes in almost desperate prayer, you discovered that he had quiet ways of answering that taught you that he was El Shaddai, the God who is enough, the God who can meet your needs. That is why Paul says, Pray continually. When you are under pressure and in trouble, be prayerful. Lean on that inner strength that God provides.

Then, third, be thankful. Why be thankful? Because when you are faced with a trial, you are being given an opportunity to glorify God. If you never face trials or pressures, how could anyone ever see that you have an invisible means of support, that you have a reliable source of strength that others do not know anything about? These are the opportunities that God gives us. When the early Christian leaders were arrested by the Sanhedrin, they were beaten for their faith, but they left the Council rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to bear suffering for his name's sake. That is a thoroughly Christian attitude, and that is the will of God for each of us.

Lord, in the quiet response I make to my daily trials, teach me to rejoice always, be prayerful, and be thankful.

​

Life Application​

What are the specific circumstances in which is hardest to rejoice, pray, and give thanks?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 6TH​

Finding Rest​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

This invitation is given to two classes of people — those who are weary, and those who are burdened. Those who are weary are those conscientious, sincere, earnest men and women, boys and girls, who are trying to be good, who recognize that God is in control of the world, and that ultimately they must answer for their life before him. They know that good actions and good attitudes have certain value in protecting and delivering them from destructive forces in life, so they are trying to live good, moral lives. There are many who obey the law, who try to stay out of trouble, and hope thereby to please God. They are doing the best they can. But they are finding that this is dull, hard work. It is to these that Jesus says, Come to me.

The second class are those who are burdened. These are the people who have given themselves to pleasure and to wild living, and already they are sick and tired of it. They have wrung themselves out and there is not much left. Their nights are an empty round of empty pursuits with empty people, and their days are an endless battle with the hangover of guilt and despair. These are folk who are heavily burdened with the emptiness, the meaninglessness, and the frustration of life. To these also Jesus says, Come to me and I will rest you. Literally, I will relieve you; the word has in it the thought of the lifting of a burden.

Rest comes to both groups by realizing that what they are seeking to do, Jesus Christ has already done. He has done it in their place. Are you laboring to be good enough for God? Then you need to know that God stands ready to credit you with all Christ's goodness, that you can throw away your own filthy rags of righteousness. Your efforts to be good enough fall far, far short of what God requires. You know it, and he knows it, but you do not need them. God stands ready in Jesus Christ to credit you with his righteousness. That is the glory of the cross. It is a place of exchange, where what I am is placed on him, and what he is, is given to me. What a relief this is!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the realization that only as I take your yoke upon me do I ever fulfill your intention for me. Teach me to disbelieve the lie that suggests your yoke will bring restriction, narrowness, and lack of liberty.

​

Life Application​

Are you more prone to be weary or burdened? Take a moment to rest in Him and His work on your behalf.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 7TH​

Taking Up His Yoke​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 11:28-30

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:29-30

If we take his yoke, if we bow to his Lordship, if we yield to his relentless love, two things begin to happen: First, we begin to learn. Learn from me, he says. Christ himself is our teacher, and under his tutelage the secrets of life begin to unfold to us. We begin to understand ourselves. We begin to understand why men act the way they do, and what is going on in the world, and what is behind the strange currents of human life that reflect themselves in the pages of our newspapers. What are these powerful forces? How do they operate? The Holy Spirit becomes our teacher. We are taught by the Spirit only when we take Christ's yoke upon us.

And the curriculum is outlined for us here, too. What is the subject matter? What shall we study? Learn of me, he says, for I am gentle and humble in heart. Our whole subject matter will be gentleness and humility; that is, the secrets of inner beauty. Anyone can obtain a form of outward beauty. If nature does not give it to you, then you can buy it in little boxes. But it is inner beauty that makes a person attractive, that makes him or her wanted and desired. This is nothing more than gentleness and humility. Gentleness is strength under control; humility is selflessness. This is the course of study.

Then we discover rest: You shall find rest for your souls. Soul rest! The soul is the mind, the emotions, and the will. This is a rest that affects us mentally, emotionally, and volitionally. How does it appear? Jesus goes on to tell us, For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. That which seems to us to be so restricting, the yoke of Christ, that limitation he has put upon us, that control he exercises in our lives, which at first seems to be narrow, restrictive, binding us down and holding us back, we discover, when we yield to it, to be easy and light. This comes as a delightful discovery. We find that to yield to his control is the key to true liberty. To surrender to his desire is to find the greatest enjoyment. To give up, and to give in, is the only way to really begin to give out.

Lord, I want to learn of you, and discover the rest only you can give.

​

Life Application​

Jesus says, “Learn from me.” What are you learning from him to bring you into greater rest?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 8TH​

Where to Store Your Treasures​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 6:19-24

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19-20

In mentioning the moths, the vermin, and the thieves, Jesus is showing us what happens when we lay up treasures on earth. What our Lord is saying is: If your treasures are on earth, I can tell you the whole story of them in three words — moth, vermin, and thieves. That is the whole thing. This is the trouble with treasures of earth, is it not? If our treasures exist in the realm of things, of persons, of pleasures, the one thing we can be absolutely certain of is that we are certain to lose them! There is no way we can preserve them for ourselves. The terms that our Lord uses here, moths, vermin, and thieves, are not only literally true of much of earthly treasure, but they are also symbolically true. That is, they stand for certain characteristics of earthly treasures that are always true. We know that earthly treasure — things, persons, places, positions, favor, etc. — never fully satisfy us. They never meet our need, there is always something missing. We get something we crave, and the moment we get it we find there is a sense of disappointment. And more than that, we lose interest in them. We get something, and before we have had it very long our joy in it has begun to dull, and after a while we have lost all interest in it.

Our Lord says that all of them ultimately perish. What the moths and the vermin do not get, the thieves will take away, and there is no protection against them. We think we have made them safe by putting them in a safe deposit, but that doesn't keep them from thieves. Illness strikes and our hoard is gone. A financial loss occurs, a market collapse takes it all away, inflation eats the value of it, war comes, and of course the greatest thief of all, death, takes everything.

We brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. This is the trouble with earthly treasures. They all, without exception, perish. But Jesus says, treasures in heaven are never lost. Jesus said, If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward. (Matthew 10:42). The simplest thing, the least important act given in the name of Christ, never loses its reward. Peter speaks of an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1Peter 1:4). These are the treasures in heaven that are being laid up as we go through life right now. The only time we can lay them up is now. Those are truly safe deposits that can never be lessened in any degree.

Lord, you know that I am guilty in this matter. There have been times when I have indulged my earthly desires at the expense of treasures in heaven. Reverse my values, Father, bring me back to a balanced life.

​

Life Application​

How do you need to shift your priorities to maximize your store of heavenly treasures?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 9TH​

The Beauty of Giving​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…
2 Corinthians 8:9

Telescoped into this one marvelous verse is the whole moving story of redemptive love, indissolubly linked to the subject of giving. Paul calls attention to the beauty of giving. He says, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word "grace" deserves close attention. Every craft has its medium of expressions. Artists express their abilities and gifts through the medium of paints or sculpture. Mechanics use metals. Doctors employ their abilities through the use of medicine. Preachers rely on words as their medium. Every preacher worth his salt must give himself to the study of the meaning and the use of words, and there is no word that so richly repays study as this word grace. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This word belongs to a very large family. It has a brother named Charity and a sister named Mercy, and a whole houseful of cousins such as Kindness, Favor, Goodwill, Pity, Thanksgiving and Reward. All of these are translations of the word grace as it is used in our Scriptures. But the basic meaning of this little word is beauty, charm, loveliness. We see this in the English word graceful, by which we mean beauty of line or movement, and from this basic meaning, beauty, the word came early to mean also acts of beauty. Kindness and mercy, for instance, are the most beautiful acts possible to human beings. Now Paul seizes this word and writing to his friends at Corinth, he says, You are familiar with the beauty of Jesus Christ. You know that the compelling beauty that drew you to him is nothing else than his self-giving love.
That is what grace is. There is no beauty like giving. There is no charm more attractive than a generous heart.

The only true motive for giving is the grace of God, the goodness of God to you. If God has not done anything for you, then, for goodness sake, do not give him anything in return. But if he has, then pour it out according to the measure you have received. That is always the argument of Scripture. In the New Testament, giving is never legislated upon us. It is not laid on us as a duty that we have to do. It is given to us, rather, as a privilege that we can partake of to express the gratitude of our hearts for the grace that God has already given.

Create in me, Lord, a heart that, like yours, is gracious, kind and full of good will.

​

Life Application​

Who around you is exhibiting grace? How can you imitate Jesus and incorporate elements of beautiful grace into your daily life?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 10TH​

Costly Giving​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 8:9

…that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor…
2 Corinthians 8:9

Uppermost in the apostle's mind is the thought of the incarnation of Jesus: though he was rich, yet … he became poor. When he had everything, when he was rich in power, when he had omnipotence at his command and could do all things in the universe, he became poor. He surrendered the independent use of his mind to the Father and the Father's will, and he became absolutely nothing!

When he was rich in love and had all the angels of heaven to adore him, he laid it aside. When he was rich in resources, he came so that he could say of himself the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He had no home, they had to borrow a manger in which he could be born; he had to borrow a penny when he wanted to perform a miracle; he depended on others for his clothes; he went about with no certain dwelling place. Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he entered into the poverty of human existence and held nothing back, not even his own life. There on the hill of Calvary, on a rugged, bloody, cruel cross, he poured out everything he had. All that was his, all that he could call his own, his own life he poured out for us. John puts it in one pregnant phrase, Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (John 13:1). He went the entire limit; he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Now that is giving. That is what Paul is talking about. No reserves, no half-measures, no conditions, no holding back, pouring out everything that he had. That is the great pattern of giving.

We have never truly given until it costs us. There is something almost shameful about the way Christians continually seek some kind of an angle to get something for ourselves in giving. Is it not significant that we seek to give only if we feel we can deduct it from our income tax? There is nothing wrong with deducting gifts from our income tax, but what bothers me is the reluctance that Christians sometimes have to give anything beyond that. And yet the example of the Lord Jesus is that he gave without any expectation of return. He had no thought of anybody giving back to him, but freely poured out all that he had. Do we tend to give only out of our surplus, if we have something left over, to give that? But true giving means some degree of self-impoverishment. It is only when we have something less because we have given to another that it can be called true giving. It is to become poor when we have been rich; that is what giving is.

I can never out-give you, Lord, but thank you that you live in me and can make me the same kind of giver that you are.

​

Life Application​

Think about how you give to others and explore ways to give without recognition from anyone else.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JANUARY 11TH​

That you Might Be Rich​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 8:9

…so that you through his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

Giving finds its meaning only when others are made rich by it. Giving is never directed inward, it is always outward. It is never for our benefit, even indirectly or remotely. Its intention is the enrichment of others. Sometimes we give to our family, to our children or our relatives, and feel that we have given. But when we give to our own family, we are only giving to an extension of ourselves. We share the same life; we are really only giving to ourselves. It is perfectly right to do this. The New Testament makes clear that he who does not care for his own household has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel — but do not call it giving! True giving is directed to others, preferably others who have no claim upon us at all, even those who deserve nothing.

This is what Jesus did. When we were enemies, Christ died for us. In the days of the American Revolution, there lived in Pennsylvania a Baptist pastor named Peter Miller who was a friend of George Washington. In that same city there lived another man named Michael Whitman, who was an ungodly scoundrel and did everything in his power to oppose the work of the pastor. On one occasion, Michael Whitman was involved in an act of treason against the government of the United States. He was arrested and taken to Philadelphia, some seventy miles away, to appear before General Washington. When the news reached Peter Miller that this man was appearing on trial for his life before General Washington, Peter Miller walked the long seventy miles to Philadelphia to appeal for his life. He was admitted to the presence of Washington, and when he came in he began to speak for the life of Michael Whitman. Washington heard his story through, and then said, No, Peter, I cannot give you the life of your friend. Peter said, My friend! My friend! This man is not my friend; he is the bitterest enemy that I have! Washington said, What! You mean to say that you have walked seventy miles through the dust and the heat of the road to appeal for the life of your enemy? Well, that puts the matter in a different light. I'll give you, then, the life of your enemy. Peter Miller put his arm around the shoulders of Whitman and led him out of the shadow of death, back to his home, no longer his enemy, but a friend.

That is what the Lord Jesus has done for us. When we were enemies, Christ died for us! He did it in order that we might be spiritually rich. This is the way the life of Jesus Christ is made visible in this day and age. It is as Christians reduplicate the self-giving ministry of Jesus Christ, pouring ourselves out on behalf of others, that others see the glorious miracle of self-giving love that transforms life. He has made us rich in order that out of our riches in Christ, we may pour out to others that which has been given to us.

Thank you, Father, for the riches I have in Christ. May I learn to pour out to others that which has been given to me.

​

Life Application​

Who needs to see you exhibit self-sacrificing grace and mercy on their behalf?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.