August 1: Connecting the Stories

Isaiah 1:1–2:5; Luke 1:1–38; Job 1:1–12

The connections between the Testaments aren’t readily apparent, but a closer reading—empowered by the Spirit—can reveal them. Such is the case with the connections among Isaiah, Luke, and Job. The authors of each of these books begin by introducing a person, and then they invite us into the story.

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright and God-fearing and turning away from evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him” (Job 1:1–2).

“The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, heavens, and listen, earth, for Yahweh has spoken: ‘I reared children and I brought them up, but they rebelled against me’ ” (Isa 1:1–2).

“Since many have attempted to compile an account concerning the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning passed on to us, it seemed best to me also—because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning—to write them down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty concerning the things about which you were taught” (Luke 1:1–4). Although these three introductions represent a simple pattern repeated among the books, only later do we see the deeper parallels. Isaiah draws on the thematic framework of Job: People need an advocate—someone righteous to stand between themselves and God—because all people are unworthy (Job 9; compare Isa 49:1–3; 52:13–53:12). We then find that Luke draws upon Isaiah’s framework: He identifies this advocate as a savior who will suffer on behalf of God’s people (the Suffering Servant; Luke 4:22–30; compare Isa 52:14–15; 53:3).

The narratives in these books quickly lead us in directions we don’t expect, and as we begin to feel the tension and disorientation of the characters, the focus of each shifts to the savior at the center of God’s work in the world. In the midst of the pain these stories record, we see God working out something great—something beautiful. The world will be saved through one man: Jesus, God’s Son. This Suffering Servant will pay the price for the sins of us all. No matter the time, the place, or the people, God’s work in the world reflects and builds on itself to accomplish His great purpose of salvation.

How does your story fit in the story of God’s saving work? What part do you play? How will your story be told?

John D. Barry^[1]

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^[1] Barry, J. D., & Kruyswijk, R. (2012). Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

August 1 The Antidote for Sin

“Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:14).

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The more you love God, the less you will sin.

Scripture and personal experience teach us that sin always has its consequences. When you harbor unconfessed sin, you dishonor God and forfeit the blessings and joy He desires for you. Prolonged sin might even bring His chastening through pain or illness.

That’s what happened to Corinthian believers who partook of the Lord’s Table in a sinful manner (1 Cor. 11:27–30). Paul warned the rest of the congregation to take careful spiritual inventory of themselves to avoid incurring a similar punishment. In chapter 13 he reveals the root of their problem, saying in effect, “Some of you are physically ill because you’re sinning. Start loving God and one another as you should and your ailments will disappear.”

Love is the antidote for sin. When a Pharisee asked Jesus which of the commandments was greatest, Jesus replied, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:37–40). If you love the Lord and your fellow men, you won’t sin against them. That’s why Paul said, “He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:8–10).

Love is your highest calling and the greatest contribution you can make to others. But it’s possible to neglect it or misunderstand its characteristics. That’s why we’re going to spend this month exploring true love and how it functions. As we do, pray that your love for God and others will increase each day.

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Suggestions for Prayer:  Ask God for a greater capacity to love Him, then demonstrate your love by obeying His Word.

For Further Study: Read 1 Corinthians 13, noting the characteristics of love.^[1]

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^[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1993). Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith (p. 226). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Stunning Video: More Evidence Man Vying to Be First Muslim Governor is Part of “Stealth Jihad” — Julie Roys

Last year, I reported that Abdul El-Sayed, the man vying to be the nation’s first Muslim governor, may be part of “stealth jihad.” El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and his father-in-law is a former president and board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). El-Sayed also embraces Shariah Law.

Now, less than a week before Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, investigative reporter Laura Loomer has released a stunning video with even more disturbing information.

In the video, key El-Sayed supporter and “de-facto campaign manager,” Linda Sarsour, praises her “mentor” Siraj Wahhaj and asks him to support El-Sayed’s candidacy. Wahhaj is a former vice-president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) who wants Shariah law instated with punishments like stoning for adultery and cutting off hands for stealing. What’s also shocking is that Wahhaj was identified by U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White as one of several “unindicted persons” who may have been “co-conspirators” in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Sarsour, who’s also the co-founder of the Women’s March and supporter of the terrorist group Hamas, made these comments about a year ago at the 54^thAnnual ISNA Convention.

Rather than distancing himself from Sarsour after her shocking statements, El-Sayed embraced her. In fact, about a month after Sarsour spoke at the convention, El-Sayed posted a picture of himself with Sarsour on Facebook saying he was “honored to have her support.”

Someone else who is supporting El-Sayed is 2016 Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders. Sanders will be coming to Michigan just two days before the August 7 primary to campaign for El-Sayed.

In the past, Sarsour has called El-Sayed “our younger version of Bernie.” Certainly El-Sayed shares some of Sanders political objectives like opening borders. He also may share Sanders’ intolerance for Christians. But Sanders is stunningly naive if thinks El-Sayed is merely a progressive Democrat.

As I said in my last post, El-Sayed is likely merely posing as a progressive Democrat to win office. The stated strategy of the Muslim Brotherhood is to penetrate and destroy Western civilization from within – “‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their (own) hands.” Let’s hope Michigan voters realize this before it’s too late.

via Stunning Video: More Evidence Man Vying to Be First Muslim Governor is Part of “Stealth Jihad” — Julie Roys

AUGUST 1 JUST PLAIN FAITHFUL

The things that thou hast heard…commit thou to faithful men.

2 Timothy 2:2

I realize that faithfulness is not a very dramatic subject and that many among us in the Christian faith would like to do something with more dash and more flair than just being faithful. While some are just concerned about getting their picture in the paper, I thank God for every loyal and faithful Christian who has only one recognition in mind, and that is to hear their Lord say in that Great Day to come: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant…enter thou into the joy of thy lord!” (Matthew 25:21).

It is plain truth that faithfulness and goodness are at the root of much of the consistent fruit bearing among the witnessing children of God! Throughout the Bible the Lord has always placed a great premium on the faithfulness of those who love Him and serve Him.

Noah was faithful in his day. Abraham was faithful in his day. Moses was faithful in his day. And what do we need to say about the faithfulness of our Savior, Jesus Christ? The devil was there with his lies. The world threatened Him all around. But Christ was faithful to His Father and to us!

Are we willing to learn from the Holy Spirit how to be faithful and loving, unselfish and Christlike?

Lord, great is Your faithfulness! I pray that You will enable me to be marked by faithfulness in my walk with You—just like Noah, Abraham, and Moses.^[1]

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^[1] Tozer, A. W. (2015). Mornings with tozer: daily devotional readings. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right. —C.H. Spurgeon

“We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections.” —John Adams (1797)

Their feigned concern over Russian election meddling is a bid to bolster opposition against Trump.

“The Patriot Post ( https://patriotpost.us/subscribe )”

South Korean Pastor Arrested for Allegedly Subjecting 400 Congregants to Ritual Beatings to Appease God

A controversial South Korean megachurch pastor was reportedly arrested last week and charged with foreign exchange exploitation, assault and confinement, specifically over accusations that she stranded 400 followers in Fiji and subjected them to ritual beatings years ago.

Source: South Korean Pastor Arrested for Allegedly Subjecting 400 Congregants to Ritual Beatings to Appease God

Hey, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro has a clue for you!

The American Thinker As the Democratic Party’s “it girl,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sings the praises of socialism, what’s going down in Venezuela’s 20-year socialist “sea of happiness” kind of tells a different story. Here’s what happened yesterday : The post Hey, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez!

Source: Hey, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro has a clue for you!

As It Turns Out, Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Was Created In The George Soros Puppet Factory — Now The End Begins

New details have emerged revealing that George Soros helped prop-up Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s political career in an attempt to put 400 Bernie Sanders-like politicians in Congress.

Well, that didn’t take long. As the fake news media has been gushing and fawning over rising star Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pushing hard the ‘she came out of nowhere!’ narrative, it turns out that she in fact did come from somewhere. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, political candidate, was created inside the walls of  The Media Consortium, one of the crown jewels of the George Soros empire.

“A Manchurian candidate is a person, especially a politician, being used as a puppet by an enemy power. The term is commonly used to indicate disloyalty or corruption, whether intentional or unintentional.” Dictionary.com

A quick peek at The Media Consortium’s membership roster reveals all sorts of interesting, Far Left groups like The Young Turks, The Progressive, Worker’s Independence News, Dissent Magazine and dozens of other hardcore Socialist organizations. Many of these groups, who combined receive millions in funding from George Soros, were told from the highest levels of the Soros regime to promote Ocasio-Cortez, and she has publicly acknowledged their role in her success.

So the rags-to-riches story of the working class ‘hero bartender’ who breaks upon the national stage is really the latest Manchurian Candidate from the political puppet master, George Soros. Soros spent many millions to create this illusion of  ‘voice of the people‘ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who rises from the working class to be a star on the political stage.

FROM THE DAILY CALLER: A former organizer for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, Ocasio-Cortez’s under-dog win in the Democratic primary was undoubtedly helped by online actors. The New York Times writes that she was able to defeat her opponent, who greatly outspent her, due to her online presence. In an interview with progressive digital media outlet “The Young Turks,” a member of a Soros-funded network of far-left publications called The Media Consortium, Ocasio-Cortez also admits that their coverage helped her win. Members linked to Soros-funded digital media asked Ocasio-Cortez, a former organizer for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign, to run for office — guaranteeing favorable coverage by a media network that reaches almost 300 million people monthly. READ MORE

Who is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?

She is the latest weapon in George Soros relentless pursuit of controlling American democracy through infiltration and subterfuge, that’s who she is. 

Every month, reporters, writers and bloggers at the many outlets George Soros funds easily reach more than 330 million people around the globe.

FROM THE MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER: Books, newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, websites and cutting edge videos. The pieces of the George Soros media empire are as diverse as the nations of the world and just as widespread. From nakedly partisan left-wing media like Think Progress, the blog for the Center for American Progress, and a TV show on MSNBC, to the supposedly impartial National Public Radio, Soros has impact on the flow of information worldwide.

It gives him incredible influence. Every month, reporters, writers and bloggers at the many outlets he funds easily reach more than 330 million people around the globe. The U.S. Census estimates the population of the entire United States to be just less than 310 million.

That’s roughly the entire population of the United States with the population of Australia thrown in for good measure – every single month. This information is part of an upcoming report by the Media Research Center’s Business & Media Institute which has been looking into George Soros and his influence on the media.

Just counting 13 prominent operations of the 180 media organizations he has funded equals 332 million people each month. Included in that total are big players like NPR, which received $1.8 million from Soros, as well as the little known Project Syndicate and Public News Service, both of which also claim to reach millions of readers.

And that’s really just the beginning. That tally takes into account only a few of the bigger Soros-funded media operations. Many numbers simply aren’t available.”Democracy Now!” – “a daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez” – is known for its left-wing take on global news. Its vitriol ranges from attacks on Blackwater founder Erik Prince and supporters of Andrew Breitbart (whom it calls ‘Electronic Brownshirts’), to claims the U.S. is opposed to Arab democracy. Just that one Soros-funded operation is heard “on over 900 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the United States.” But it posts no formal audience numbers. Phone calls to “Democracy Now!” were not returned. READ MORE

via As It Turns Out, Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Was Created In The George Soros Puppet Factory — Now The End Begins

Nobody Can Score At Least 10/15 In This Tricky Jesus Test — ChurchLeaders

100 college students were given this 15-question test and no one got at least 10/15 correctly. Can you? The post Nobody Can Score At Least 10/15 In This Tricky Jesus Test appeared first on ChurchLeaders.

via Nobody Can Score At Least 10/15 In This Tricky Jesus Test — ChurchLeaders