“… whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

— Romans 8:30

Have you ever called to someone—maybe your child playing in the yard or a friend you see across a room—and that person didn’t respond to your call? While people may not respond to us for a variety of reasons, God never has this problem. He is sovereign. The ones He calls always come to Him. In theological circles, this truth is known as the doctrine of “effectual calling.” (“Effectual” means “producing results.”) From the beginning of the world, God chose the ones who would be His, and He presently goes about calling His chosen to Him.

God calls His chosen people in two ways: outwardly and inwardly. The outward call comes from God’s Word, the inward call comes from the Holy Spirit, and the two interact to draw us to God. When we hear the Word of God preached, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts so that we’ll respond to it. (The doctrine of effectual calling is also “irresistible grace” because the Holy Spirit calls us so lovingly and powerfully we can’t possibly resist Him.) A person whom God has not chosen gets only the outward call. Such a person hears the Word but cannot respond to it because the Holy Spirit hasn’t worked in his or her heart.

Some people believe that God gives only an outward call, that they hear God’s Word and have the power to accept or reject it. But this cannot be true because it would mean God doesn’t have enough power to choose whom He wants. His call would not be effectual. It would also mean that people wouldn’t need God to choose them because they would be all-powerful. But we know this is not true. Until God chooses us, we’re dead in sin with our minds darkened and unable to understand or choose spiritual things.

None of us deserves God’s choosing. In His infinite mercy, He chose us according to His good pleasure. The fact that the Lord wanted to choose any of us and that He sent Jesus to seek us is an awesome mystery. He revealed it so that none of us would boast of our salvation. Do you hear God’s call? Be sure to respond today.

“I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He
moved my heart to seek Him seeking me.”
Hymn

“I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

— John 3:3

Have you ever considered the amazing lessons that nature, one of God’s greatest preachers, offers us? We learn friendliness from the dog. We learn diligence from the ant. And we learn about new birth from the caterpillar.

Caterpillars do not lead very exciting lives. In fact, you might even pity them. They never travel very far, and when they do travel, they must exert a tremendous amount of effort to get anywhere. And since they grovel in the dirt, they don’t see much of the world.

Although this existence doesn’t sound appealing to us, it’s the only existence to which caterpillars are accustomed. Have you ever heard the story of the two caterpillars who laboriously made their way across the muddy earth, when one of them looked up and spied a butterfly fluttering by? As this caterpillar watched the butterfly dipping and flitting about, picked up by the breeze and carried off into the ethereal blue, he turned to his companion in the mud and said, “You’d never get me up in one of those things!”

While we may think it crazy that a mud-groveling caterpillar would never want to become a beautiful, soaring butterfly, the unbelieving world seems to have the same view when it comes to that mysterious doctrine of the “new birth.” Why believe in a faith based on such a preposterous notion? But the only kind of Christian that exists is a born-again Christian, whether Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, or any other denomination. The doctrine of regeneration—the necessity of the new birth—has existed since the beginning of Christianity, and if we want to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus, we must fulfill it.

Spiritually speaking, are you a caterpillar or a butterfly? Have you been born again? If not, I urge you to be so today, by repenting of your sins and asking Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior.

“Born once, die twice; born twice, die once.”
Anonymous

“… bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

— Matthew 5:44

Remember the last time someone wronged you? Maybe a friend betrayed a confidence. Or perhaps someone attacked your character or lied to you or…well, any one of thousands of scenarios. Whatever the offense, how did you respond?

In matters of good and evil, our responses can take one of four directions. First of all, some people return evil for good. This is the Devil’s way of doing things. We see this attitude demonstrated by criminals and by cruel and tyrannical governments. You offer these people your best, and they hurt you in return. Then some people return evil for evil. These people aren’t devil-like; they’re beast-like. Animals, especially wild animals, generally react this way. If you step on a snake’s tail, you can soon expect to find its fangs in your ankle. Others return good for good. This isn’t devilish or beastly; it is a natural human response, the response of an unregenerate person. We don’t find this hard to accept. In fact, when we do good to others, we expect good in return. But the fourth response, returning good for evil, makes us halt in our tracks. Jesus says, “But I tell you not to resist an evil person.” He then gives some illustrations of this: If someone takes away your coat, let that person have your cloak also; if someone borrows from you, do not turn away; and if anyone compels you to go a mile, go two. If we were to put such a response into practice, we’d see God do tremendous things through us.

Jesus, in His great love and compassion, has told us how to respond to others, especially those who hurt us. But we can’t respond this way on our own; it’s not part of our human nature. Instead, we must turn to Christ Himself, who returned ultimate evil with ultimate good. Christ went into the very depths of ruin and Hell for our evilness, and in His goodness He suffered for us and conquered evil for all time. Only through Christ can we gain the ability and the desire to go the second mile, to turn the other cheek.

Has someone done you wrong recently? How can you return good for evil today?

“Never does the human soul appear so strong and noble
as when it forgives revenge and dares to forgive an injury.”
Edwin Hubbell Chapin

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

— 2 Corinthians 9:6

When you have an opportunity to give away money, what’s your attitude? Do you give generously, with a happy heart? The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. It also says that we shouldn’t give grudgingly or from compulsion. But many people do just that. They look on their giving not as sowing but as throwing, such as the man who put a dollar in the offering plate and afterward sang with all his might, “When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain.” Do you have a similar attitude toward giving away your money?

God honors those who give generously. A man named William decided to give ten percent of his income to the Lord. As he grew more wealthy, he increased his giving to twenty percent of his income, then to fifty percent. Eventually he gave away one hundred percent of his income. Who was this man? William Colgate. Of the millions of people today who brush their teeth with Colgate toothpaste, very few know that this man succeeded because he obeyed the law of sowing. Other successful men followed this principle, too, such as Mr. Heinz of Heinz Ketchup and Mr. Kraft of Kraft Foods. Although we might not have as much wealth as those gentlemen, we still need to obediently and faithfully give tithes to the church and offerings to those in need. Often we have good intentions but fail to come through when we have opportunities to give. But we can trust that when we give, God will give back to us abundantly. He has promised that He will do that very thing.

Years ago I tested God’s promise by increasing my giving as I had the opportunity. I now give back one hundred percent of my salary to the church. In every one of those years as I increased my giving, God increased my income and opened the windows of Heaven. I ended up with more money than I would have had if I had held on tightly to every penny.

Let me make it clear: God doesn’t need our money. He doesn’t command us to give because He needs it. He commands us to give because we need to trust God’s provision. Money is nothing to God except an index to our souls. Our giving shows how much we trust God to provide for us. Do you believe that God will take care of all your needs? If so, then give what you can expectantly and gladly, believing in God’s generosity and faithfulness. Remember, no one could ever outgive God.

“There was a man, some called him ‘mad.’ The more he gave, the more he had.”
Anonymous

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

— Philippians 1:21

If you knew that you were going to die today, how would you feel until the moment arrived? Death can be either the most frightening or the most delightful prospect to an individual. How a person feels about death depends totally on his or her relationship with the Lord. Consider how one man changed his perspective on facing “the king of terrors” as his relationship with Jesus Christ changed.

John Wesley was an unbeliever and a clergyman all at the same time, at least in the early part of his ministry. He knew all the facts about Christianity, but he hadn’t developed an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. During this time of unrecognized spiritual confusion, Wesley was sailing on a ship bound for England when a great storm overwhelmed the vessel, ripping its sails to shreds and threatening to destroy the masts. Wesley was terrified. As the wind howled in the darkness of that night, Wesley felt certain he’d soon face his Maker. He knew that he was getting ready to leap into the darkness of death, and he didn’t know where he would land.

Suddenly, over the howling of the winds, Wesley heard the sound of singing. He looked to see where it came from, and he saw three men holding onto the other side of the ship, singing praises to God. Wesley staggered over to these men and shouted against the wind, “How can you sing? You are going to die this very hour!” To his astonishment they replied, “If the ship goes down, then we go up to meet the Lord!”

“How can they know that?” thought Wesley. Only later, in London, would he discover their secret—the secret of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Dying means totally different things to the saved and the unsaved. At death, the unbeliever is ripped from the arms of the world and cast into the fires of Hell. But the Christian leaves this world to rest eternally in the everlasting arms of Jesus, who has made our entrance into Heaven possible by His death.

What’s your attitude toward death? If you feel fear, you needn’t. You can trust your life to Jesus Christ, accepting His free gift of grace, your passage to Heaven when this life ends. And as you receive that gift, you can experience the joyful anticipation of an even greater life to come when this life ceases.

“The best of all is, God is with us. Farewell! Farewell!”
John Wesley’s Dying Words

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

— Mark 16:15

When we first come to the Savior, we come with empty hands, empty of anything that could commend us to His kingdom. With empty hands we embrace His Cross and trust in His redeeming work to save us. But when we meet Christ in Heaven, we hope our hands will be full to overflowing with the souls we’ve led into His everlasting kingdom.

If you were to meet Christ in Heaven today, what would you hold in your hands to offer Him?

Christ has commanded us to give witness of Him to the world. He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Our world is lost and dying, and we Christians have within our hands the only cure: the good news that Jesus Christ has saved us. We need to share that good news freely to bring hope and healing into the world.

As we share Christ with others, we’ll gain a real sense of significance and purpose for our lives. And as we walk in faith, giving away the abundant resource of God’s grace, we gain even more spiritual growth in return.

Not only is witnessing to people a command from Jesus Christ, it’s a tremendous privilege. Do you know someone who needs to hear the Good News today?

“Must I go, and empty handed, thus my dear Redeemer meet?
… Not one soul with which to greet Him: Must I empty handed go?”
Charles C. Luther

“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”

— Psalm 96:3

In your opinion, who is the most awe-inspiring person ever to have lived? What makes that person so incredible? Now think of God. Isn’t it amazing that no matter how awe-inspiring some people are, none can compare to the majesty of our great God?

Today let’s dwell on God’s awesomeness. First of all, God is a Spirit. While He is a personal Spirit who touches each individual life, He is also an infinite Spirit, inhabiting every place, filling Heaven and earth and reaching beyond the farthest star. Psalm 139:7–8 says, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? . . . If I ascend into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” His Spirit is everywhere.

God is also eternal. He has existed forever. He is the great I Am, not the great I Was. Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were brought forth…You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” He was here before time began and shall remain after time ends.

As well, God never changes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.” He doesn’t continually evolve or learn; He is complete and perfect already. Nor do His counsels change. Psalm 33:11 says, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.”

God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable not only in His being, but also in His power. Jeremiah 32:17 says, “There is nothing too hard for You.” To grasp even the smallest inkling of God’s immenseness, think of our entire universe as a tiny grain of sugar on God’s finger. While this picture doesn’t accurately depict God because it implies that He is finite, it does give us an idea of His magnitude.

When we catch even a glimpse of God’s Majesty, we can do nothing but respond in continual praise. Today, take some time to dwell on the awesomeness of our God, and offer Him praise for His majesty.

“Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see
the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper
amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.”
Isaac Newton

“But one testified in a certain place, saying: ‘What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands.’”

— Hebrews 2:6-7

How you view humanity has a great impact on how you treat people. So what do we make of the fact that humans have killed more of their own in the twentieth century than in any of the previous centuries? What does this tell us about the way we view ourselves?

I believe we can attribute the rise in the rate at which humankind kills its own to the rise in the number of people who believe in evolution. People no longer believe that humans are just a little lower than the angels; instead, we’re just a little more advanced than the apes. Bertrand Russell, an evolutionist and author of the book Why I Am Not a Christian, said, “We started somewhere, we don’t know where; we are here, we don’t know why; we are going to some great oblivion, we know not whither.” The evolutionary view of humans, taught in so many of our schools today, has led many young people into hopelessness.

By contrast, we Christians have a high view of humankind because the Bible has definite answers to life’s basic questions, answers that give us hope. Where did I come from? I came from the heart and mind of the Omnipotent and omniscient God, who made me in His image. Who am I? I am a child of the King, a prince/princess of the royal realm. Why am I here? I am here to serve and glorify the Almighty and to enjoy Him forever. How should I live? I should live according to the commandments which He has given me in His Word, commandments designed for my good and advancement. Where am I going? I am going to a Paradise far beyond my comprehension: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Today thank God for your divine origin and for the hope it gives. Treat those around you as the divinely created beings they are. Remember, each one (including you) is a little lower than angels.

“For the Christian, for the creationist, man has a noble origin
and a noble destiny. And in between, his life is crammed full
of meaning, value, significance, and purpose.”

“… Jesus Christ is Lord …”

— Philippians 2:11

Is Jesus the Lord and master of your life, or is He but a genie in a bottle, there to answer your every beck and call? In some quarters of today’s Church we find a sort of theology that says one may accept Jesus as Savior and reject Him as Lord. This is heresy. People who believe this come into “faith” still hanging onto their plans, their goals, their agenda. They receive Christ as a genie in a “theological bottle” that they call forth through prayer.

People like this miss the full meaning of Christianity. To believe in Christ means to accept Him as Lord and master of our lives. Napoleon in his latter days at St. Helena said, “Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Christ makes a demand which is above all others difficult to satisfy. He asks for that which a philosopher may often seek at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse. He asks for the human heart, for his very own, exclusively his. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man with all its powers becomes an annexation to the Empire of Christ.”

George Matheson describes the human personality as a palace of many chambers. In this palace is the room of memory where Calvary may have the central place. There’s a sunny chamber of affections where we may love Christ fondly. There’s a lofty chamber of imagination where we plan the great things we’ll someday do for God. But above all, there’s the throne room of the human will. When we invite Christ into our hearts, we must allow Him to reign on the throne of our will. And as we do, suddenly a corridor opens and connects all the other chambers, for when Christ controls our will, He controls all else.

Have you surrendered the throne of your will to the King? If you haven’t, do so today. Allow Christ to reign in your heart, guiding every decision you make. Then watch as He opens to you a life beyond your wildest dreams.

“Gimme this. Gimme that. Bless me, Lord, I pray.
Grant me what I think I need to make it through the day.”
Christian Song

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly …”

— Proverbs 18:24

Think for a moment of the best friend you’ve ever had. What made that person such a great friend? What was it about that person that made you want to reciprocate friendship?

Good friends are hard to come by in our mobile, “rootless” society. With so much to do and so little time, many of us don’t invest what it takes to develop true friendships, instead settling for temporary “acquaintanceships.” But in doing so, we miss out on the richness that deep, abiding, and significant friendships bring to our lives.

Do you wish for more from your present relationships? To foster devotion, we must give of ourselves. This isn’t easy for most of us, but if we do it, we experience tremendous rewards. Every person who has ever engaged in a truly selfless friendship has found that in giving, personal horizons expand. These people discover that true happiness is found, not in comfort, but in sacrifice.

We in America balk at any type of sacrifice, avoiding anything that might result in the slightest discomfort. But the Bible says of Jesus that “for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross despising the shame.” Because of Christ’s love for us, He endured the ultimate sacrifice. And when someone acts as a true friend in that way, we want to respond in kind, and we don’t experience it as a burden but as a joy.

A little girl walked down the street carrying a boy much too big for her to bear. An old man stopped and asked the little girl if the boy was too heavy for her, and she replied, “He’s not heavy; he’s my brother!” Is there a friend or a potentially new friend whom you can carry today? How can you give of yourself to someone who really needs you, someone you can care for with great joy in your heart? For as you give of yourself out of love—without complaint or irritation—you’ll discover genuine friendship.

“Life begins when you begin to serve.”
Anonymous