Month: March 2021

When we help others, we often receive the most benefit. Look for places in your church or community where you can help those in need. Practice acts of kindness. When we share the gospel and help those with a weaker or more immature faith, ours grows. Peter, perhaps Jesus’s most well-known disciple, gave this instruction: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).8. Read an encouraging book or listen to a Christian podcast or message.There are hundreds of great books and messages available. Start by asking for recommendations from Christians you trust or talk to a pastor at your church.Learning about Christian heroes from the past always encourages me. Find a book at the library or online about someone who was strong in faith and persevered to find inspiration.Check out Crosswalk’s top Christian Podcasts here.9.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.We all have times we when we question what we believe and seek truth. God welcomes our questions and wants to answer. Scripture tells us in James 1:5-6a, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt.” When experiencing doubt, also ask your pastor, counselor, or another mature Christian you’re acquainted with for help.10.  Be willing to obey God when it’s scary or uncomfortable.The more you’re required to depend on God, the more your faith will mature.Take action on something you know God is asking you to do and trust Him to help you. This might be speaking to someone about Him, writing an encouraging letter, serving in a new ministry, giving your testimony, or some other risk. As resistance exercises strengthen physical muscles, so our spiritual muscles increase when challenged. If we remain in our safe haven, we don’t advance in confidence. This also deepens my trust in Christ. In order to know God will catch me when I jump, I have to be willing to take the leap.Each new level of faith eventually becomes a place of comfort we’re called to leave. I don’t believe God will ever tell us to take it easy and get comfortable because we’ve reached our peak. As long as we’re on earth, He will call us to a deeper life with Him and to new opportunities requiring dependence on Him. I’m speaking to myself here. I like being where I feel safe and know what to expect. I pray God will increase my willingness to take the next step, stirring me to fully rely on Him.Father, please help each of us grow stronger in faith. May we be willing to seek You first each day listening for Your guidance and obeying You despite being afraid or facing what seems impossible. We believe in You Lord! We know You reward those who seek You and You love us with an everlasting love! Please be glorified through us every day.Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Silvia JansenDesign Credit: © SWN/Sarah Martin

Susan Aken writes devotions and articles for Wholly Loved Ministries, is an Oklahoma native who’s lived in Nebraska since 1987 and has been in public education for over thirty years. She and her husband have one son and a wonderful daughter-in-law. Besides writing she has a passion for special needs and prayer ministries. She enjoys time with family, reading, photography, movies, walking in nature, and a nice cup of tea. She believes life is a journey and we’re all in different places. Jesus is everything to her and it’s all about grace. Visit her at susanaken53.wordpress.com or on Facebook. […]

Out of Context: Though I am not married, if there is one verse that gets me fired up and defensive about, it’s Ephesians 5:22. Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen too many people use and abuse this verse for improper means or simply because I’m a female. Still, this Scripture needs to be adequately defined, especially regarding the concept of submission.”Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22)As I prepare for pre-engagement, engagement, and marriage, my boyfriend and I have made it a point to discuss the implications of obedience and what I call “give and take” in marriage. While I do not claim to be an expert, I believe that the number of men who use this verse to get women and wives to do whatever they want when they please is humiliating and abhorring.In Context: According to Scripture, Ephesians 5 was written by the Apostle Paul during the same time frame as Philippians. Calling us to walk in love, Paul explains how to love ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ and then extends this love to husbands and wives. Calling us to be careful how we walk, I find it highly ironic that so many men tell their wives “you have to do X” because Scripture says, “wives submit to their husbands.” Sadly, this X is often filled with forced sexual pleasures, household duties, or whatever they see fit at the time.While Scripture does make it clear that a husband and wife hand over their conjugal rights to one another once they are united as one, it is said that they do so out of love. It is not suitable for a husband to pressure or even force his wife to have sex with him, for is that love as Christ would love the Church? Absolutely not.In the same manner, is it righteous for spouses to withhold sex from each other out of anger or disdain? Highly unlikely. Instead, both parties must work together to express their concerns and find a happy medium where they submit to one another mutually; that’s the love that Christ calls men and women to obey.Application: The Christian marriage and commitment given to men and women through mutual submission are spiritual. The Christian marriage and responsibility given to men and women through force, coercion, and unequal submission are secular and deathly.This idea of humility and meekness has nothing to do with a one sex reigning precedent over another, but two parties working together to represent Christ to the world. They work together as a robust military force would.A loving wife or woman should be willing to show love to her husband, but a loving husband must treat her with the honor, respect, and love that Christ would give her. Our God is love, and love is not forced, coerced, or placed as a weight over someone’s head to get them to do what you want. We express mutual submission in love not because we have to, but because the Lord commands it, and we fear Him above all else. The motive for proper and Godly submission is not the Law but demonstrating a relationship with Christ to the world because we respect what His Law says.Design Credit: © Getty Images/malik parwaiz akhter […]

If we do not learn how to lay up treasures in heaven, we will inevitably settle for the treasures of earth — and miss out on something far more lasting and satisfying.

When we hear, “Lay up treasures in heaven,” it might sound like, “Make sure you put some money away in your 401(k).” “Prioritize long-term financial security over short-term gains and purchases.” Jesus, however, is not selling life insurance or dealing retirement plans here. Investing in heaven does not mean forfeiting present happiness. It means relocating and deepening our happiness — now and in eternity.

Whenever we make earthly sacrifices in the process, Jesus says,

Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (Mark 10:29–30)

Any investment we make in heaven at the expense of some experience on earth will be handsomely rewarded now in this time — and in the age to come. A hundredfold now in this time. Do you believe God will do that when you give what you have away?

Again, Jesus says, “It is more blessed” — now, today, in this moment — “to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). When we lay up treasures in heaven, we are not hedging for the future; we are seizing blessing now and in the future. The happiest people in the world are not those who spend and buy for themselves — we see this over and over again in the headlines of our consumer society — but those who spend and give for the good of others.

Pursuing happiness in this way, however, will make us aliens in a world of buyers, spenders, and savers. Those who have stored their treasures in heaven will confuse, and likely offend, those clinging to what they have here on earth.

What Have You Been Given?

Our treasure, here and elsewhere in Scripture, is whatever we earn or acquire for ourselves with what we’ve been given by God. What do we spend our money, time, and energy to have?

So, first, what has God given you? Well, everything you have. “What do you have that you did not receive?” the apostle Paul asks. “If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). We far too easily begin taking the gifts of God for granted until we eventually start taking credit for them. Faithful stewardship begins with a conviction that all we have, we have been given (James 1:17), and that all we have been given, we have been given in order to make much of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

So, again, what has God given you? He “gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). First, he has given you life, a breathtaking and immeasurable gift with enormous potential. Assuming you survive the day, God will have given you another 20,000 breaths. And, if he wills, he will give you another 20,000 tomorrow. What will you spend those breaths to have?

“Investing in heaven does not mean forfeiting present happiness. It means relocating and deepening our happiness.”

God has given you life and breath and everything. If you have it, God gave it. Every dime in every paycheck. Every square inch of your home. Every piece of cotton in your closet. Every last cent in your savings. And one day, we will each give an account for how we spent and used all we had — and most of us, especially in the West, have been given much. What will our much have purchased? What will our much say about what we really treasured and pursued? Will our much suggest that we lived for heaven on earth, or that we quietly wished heaven would let us have a few more years here first?

Remember the Poor

What does it mean to lay up treasures in heaven? It means to give all we can on earth for the good of others in the name of Jesus. Jesus says,

Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:33–34)

Do you want a treasure that never fails? Do you want financial accounts that never atrophy? Do you want a security, freedom, and pleasure that swells and spreads long after you have died? Then sell what you have to give to those who have not. Jesus says elsewhere to one wealthy young man, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). We cannot begin to lay up treasure in heaven if we’re not ready to sacrifice our earthly treasures for those in need.

Obeying Jesus really does begin here: providing for the poor. This will look different from family to family, city to city, century to century, but Jesus assured us, “You always have the poor with you” (Mark 14:7). And so it has been, even in the most affluent nations. And as the apostles charged Paul, so God charges us: “Remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10). So who are the poor where you are, and how might what you have meet them where their needs are?

Ambitious Generosity

Beyond the poor (never overlooking or avoiding the poor), we lay up treasures in a wide variety of generosities.

We give to other kinds of needs around us, especially of believers — opening our homes in hospitality, covering bills in a crisis, providing meals after a surgery, surprising someone with a thoughtful gift. We support the spread of the gospel, first through our own churches, but then far beyond, through world missions. Do any dollars produce more treasure in heaven than those that help welcome the unreached into the kingdom?

We give, and we also do good — spending time with the lonely, carrying boxes during a move, teaching Sunday school, babysitting for weary parents, helping someone with house projects, baking for a neighbor. “Let us not grow weary of doing good,” Paul says, “for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). So, laying up treasures in heaven sometimes means lending our time and hands instead of our money.

The calling here is not just a lifestyle of generosity, but of ambitious generosity. Not, “Make sure you cover your bases, and then see if you have some left over to give away,” but, Lay up treasures in heaven. Chase this treasure. Search for creative ways to obtain more of this treasure. Do whatever you can to have this treasure. Not leftover generosity, but radical generosity — the kind that only makes sense if Jesus really died, really rose, and will really reward those who give and sacrifice in these ways. Don’t simply include heaven in your budget, but aim your budget — your whole budget — at heaven.

Fear Not

Where does this kind of ambitious generosity come from? How do we fight the fears that make us selfish, shortsighted, and stingy? Notice what Jesus says immediately before he calls us to give all we have:

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. (Luke 12:32–33)

If you struggle to lay up treasures in heaven, remember, first, that you have a Father in heaven. In Christ, the ruler of the heaven awaiting is not merely your compassionate king or merciful judge, but he has made you his own child. The one holding your inheritance for you (1 Peter 1:4), and you for your inheritance (1 Peter 1:5), loves you with the love of a devoted and adoring Father.

“Ambitious generosity grows in the imaginations and pockets of those awed by the generosity of God.”

And your Father is not stingy, but generous. He wants to give you the kingdom. If you are his, “all things are yours, whether . . . the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21–23). How insane of us, when we are confronted with a real, pressing need, to cling to a few hundred dollars or a few unexpected hours while God holds out everything to us in Christ? He literally will withhold nothing. Ambitious generosity grows in the imaginations and pockets of those awed by the generosity of God. Meditate on all that God will give you. You will never be able to count or quantify what he has promised.

Not only is your Father generous, but he is glad to give you the kingdom. He gives not reluctantly, but eagerly and cheerfully. With the greatest, most warming smile. Why does God love a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7)? The next verse tells us: because God himself is a cheerful and generous giver (2 Corinthians 9:8). Glad generosity in us burns bright with the joyful generosity of heaven toward us.

In the end, God will not only reward us for laying up treasure in heaven, but he will be the great reward of heaven. Like the persecuted believers in Hebrews, we can joyfully give what we have on earth for those in need, and even accept the plundering of our property, since we know that we have “a better possession and an abiding one” (Hebrews 10:34). And the better and abiding possession is not ultimately something he gives, but Someone he is. […]

Our union with Jesus and His love transcends words. Our words are insufficient. Jesus used words and action in everyday life, of course, but in times of prayer He withdrew into solitude. Jesus is the Word. God doesn’t disapprove of our busy and active lives. He never says in Scripture to stop what we’re doing and forget all about work. In fact, the Word of God tells us just the opposite:
For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. — 2 Thessalonians 3:10
It’s our anxiety He addressed:
Let not your heart be troubled… Peace I give you, not as the world gives. — John 14:1, John 14:27, paraphrased
In the familiar account of Jesus and His disciples having dinner at the home of His friend Lazarus and Lazarus’s two sisters, Mary and Martha, a conflict arose. Mary forgot all about dinner and sat mesmerized by what Jesus was talking about. She sat enraptured, listening to His every word while Martha anxiously labored preparing food. Finally she burst into the room where Jesus was teaching and spouted out what amounted to, “Jesus, tell my sister to come help me. Here I am stuck with all the work while she does nothing.”
Jesus, in His sweet way, responded with, “Martha, Martha, you’re worried and upset about many things.” He told her that Mary had made a good decision when she chose to be still and sit at His feet to learn about God. He told Martha that few things in this life are actually necessary, but there was really only one thing that mattered and what Mary learned could never be taken away from her.
The practical side of me can’t help wonder if they ate at all that night. Did Martha take off her apron and sit down to listen too? Did her brother Lazarus get up and stir the soup? Did the bread burn in the oven? Maybe Jesus Himself set the table. Maybe they stayed up all night nibbling on burnt bread and cold soup while Jesus taught.
The words that remain with us like fire are His words to Martha: “Martha, Martha . . .”
It was not her busy activity Jesus addressed, but her anxiety. She was nervous and upset, and Jesus discerned that she was anxious about more than just the dinner. “Many things,” He said.
The early believers learned that sitting in silence and stillness was “the better part” that brought them inner peace and a deeper awareness of the mystery of God. Mary may have been familiar with Psalm 46,
Be still, and know that I am God.
Martha wanted to make sure they had a nice meal. After all, more than likely this was a special event.
Martha anxiously worked to get a meal together to feed the Lord.
Mary was sitting silently, being fed by the Lord. Jesus said that what she gained by sitting silently and listening calmly could not be taken away from her.
If we can sit still in the Lord’s presence like Mary did, then something that can never be taken away from us happens to us too.
Stress is stolen property. Stress doesn’t belong to you.If stress were a gift from God, it would bring you joy.Does stress bring you joy?
Everywhere we turn, people harp about the stress in their lives. Stress crushes what’s lovely in us. We lose who we are and why we’re on earth for such a time as this. Try increasing your daily sessions of Quiet Prayer to give the Lord Jesus the freedom to touch you deeply. He will show by His Spirit the one thing that’s necessary, the thing that can never be taken from you.
Excerpted with permission from Quiet Prayer by Marie Chapian, copyright Marie Chapian.
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Your Turn
Can you sit still in the Lord’s presence? Stress can be crushing. We all know that, right? But, the Lord is ready for us to sit at His feet and touch us in a meaningful way with His Presence. What is it that you want more than that? Be still. ~ Devotionals Daily […]

When we look at the world around us, the diversity of Creation is amazing. God didn’t create a world without color or one season. Instead, He made a world awash with color, packed with variety, differing seasons, and various sounds. When we look at the world around us, we realize that God, the Creator, didn’t spare any creativity when He put it all together.
God created the world with the creativity of a grand-master artist, but also with wisdom and understanding.
In Hebrew, the word for “understanding” is Binah. The prophet Jeremiah connects understanding (Binah), wisdom (chochmah), and Creation:
He made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out heaven by His understanding. — Jeremiah 10:12
We find a practical and life-changing truth here. The psalmist wrote,
Adonai, how countless are Your works! In wisdom You made them all. — Psalm 104:24
God made us with wisdom. We are one of His creations! This insight is vital for us to understand because most of us are critical of ourselves and others. How many times has someone made you feel worthless, stupid, or ugly? The world, the flesh, and the Enemy will try to speak these lies over you until you believe them. But if you believe these lies, you empower them and the father of lies who are their source.
You are not a mistake or ugly or worthless, for God created you with wisdom. Let the light of God’s wisdom and understanding dispel the dark lies that deceive you and lead you into emotional, relational, and spiritual bondage.
Not only does a song tell how precious we are in His sight, but His Word also gives us that assurance. For example, Isaiah 49:16 tells us,
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before Me.
We are engraved into His hands. We are part of Him, remembered by Him. Would you engrave your hands with something of little or no value? No.
Of course, the verse that shows us the value we have is John 3:16,
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God’s love for you is extravagant. He so loves you that He did something about it. His love for you is also expensive. Loving you cost Him everything. He gave His unique Son, the costliest gift He could give.
Easter and the Passover season celebrate freedom. Passover celebrates the Israelites freedom from the slavery and captivity of Egypt. Easter celebrates Jesus’ death and resurrection and our freedom from sin. God’s creative wisdom includes freedom for you and me. It includes the tremendous value you have because He gave His Son for you.
Written for Faith.Full by Rabbi Jason Sobel, author of Mysteries of the Messiah.
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Your Turn
In Isaiah 49:16, God says that He’s engraved our names on the palms of His hands. The walls of His holy city filled with His people are always on His mind. He gave the One who mattered most to Him for you! That’s how much You matter to Him! You’re not worthless, stupid, or ugly; He made You with perfect wisdom! Amen! ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full […]

3. God wants to show that he still moves through our prayers.
I know, this may seem contradictory, right? But if we were never allowed to walk through valleys in this life, we would never need to call on God to deliver us. The valleys of life cause us to seek God in prayer, to rally the saints around us, and to wait for God to move. And he does. It just isn’t always on our timeline.In the gospel of John, Jesus and his disciples encountered a blind man. The disciples immediately assumed the man’s affliction was the result of sin — either the blind man’s or his parents. They asked Jesus who sinned, but Jesus gave them a response they weren’t expecting.“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3)If this man had been protected from blindness, Jesus wouldn’t have had the opportunity to heal him. And because of this healing, others were able to see his power at work and put their hope and trust in him.Many times, we don’t see the ways our stories overlap into the lives of others. But our stories are never just about us. God wants to use our stories as a living testimony of his goodness and grace, and to use them to draw others into his presence. When we aren’t allowed to walk through some difficult seasons, his opportunities to do this become limited because we still live in a fallen world. Humanity isn’t perfect, and when they see perfection in our own lives, it can actually be a deterrent rather than something that draws them closer.However, when they see followers of Christ walking through troubles just like they are, our stories become invitations. They might see our peace in the midst of chaos or the way God is carrying us through it, and want to know more. A unique opening for God’s love to reach someone is created because of something we wanted to skip over.Are you walking through a dark valley right now, and wondering why God didn’t protect you from it? Or perhaps, like me, you’re watching a loved one walk through it, wishing they didn’t have to. It is human to ask questions and to experience moments of frustration. But don’t let the enemy keep you there. Allow your point of weakness to be a propellant toward the Lord’s strength. He is not finished with your story, and this season is not a result of his anger or negligence toward you.He will use this chapter as a bridge into something greater, something you can’t quite see yet. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep seeking his hand in the middle of your situation. One day you will look back and see evidence of his fingerprints all over it.Photo Credit: © Unsplash […]

Psalm 23 is one of the best known and most quoted chapters of the Bible. Its verses express David’s understanding of God’s care from his own personal experience. By praying its words, we can draw closer to who David knew God to be, and learn more intimately the ways God watches over us.David was a King, author, poet, warrior, devoted to God, and ancestor of Jesus Christ, Son of God. A descendent of shepherds who as a boy killed a lion and a bear with his own hands while protecting his sheep (1 Samuel 17:34-36). God described David as, “A man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22).Scripture often compares us to sheep, animals who are easily led astray. Like them, we wander and get into trouble. Helpless on their own, sheep need someone to care, feed, protect, and shelter them. When one wanders off, it’s likely to be taken by a predator. A good shepherd keeps each one in sight and meets their needs.“A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23)“The LORD is my Shepherd.”The LORD God Almighty, Creator of all that exists is our Shepherd. He is my Shepherd. People may mentor, teach, guide, or fight for us, but our one true Shepherd is God. No one else can fill that role. Only God can always be with us and see what is ahead. He alone knows what’s in our hearts and what our true needs are. He is perfect. If we look to a person as our caretaker, they will disappoint us. But we can trust God, He never fails.Lord God,Thank You for being my Shepherd. You keep Your eyes on me. You know everything about me and still love me. I’m never out of Your care. You are my strength and shield, the perfect Shepherd who never makes a mistake. You never forget me or leave me behind. I trust in Your perfect love and know You will never lead me astray.In Jesus’ Name,AmenPhoto Credit: © Getty Images/andreacerri
“I lack nothing.”In our consumer society, it seems we’re never satisfied. We frequently want more. How often does someone say, “I have all I need?” David expressed fulfillment saying, “I shall not want.” He trusted God to give him what he needed. He knew that though he might lack something for the moment, God would provide for his needs at the right time.Father,Because of Your perfect love and power, I have everything I need. I confess, Lord, I often feel like I’m lacking. I look for happiness in earthly possessions, people, or status. I seek comfort from temporary pleasures. I look at what I don’t have and think I’m missing something that would make me happy. But what I need is found in You. When I turn to You, You fill my soul with love and grace and make me complete. When I seek satisfaction from people or things, I’m left thirsty. In You, I find the fulfillment I’m looking for. You are enough. I love You Father! Thank You that in You I am complete.In Jesus’ Name,Amen“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.”A good shepherd leads his sheep to a lush pasture with grass to eat and clean water to drink. A place where his animals feel safe and can lie down in peace.The Lord gives us spiritual nourishment by filling the empty places in our hearts and giving us peace and hope. He is our haven in the middle of life’s storms and refreshes our souls. When we come to Him with our confusion, brokenness, and pain, He restores us and carries us through our struggles.Lord,Thank You for being my refuge in the storm. Thank You for providing refreshment for my soul when I’m battered and torn by circumstances. You are my spiritual food, my living water, and my place of rest. When trouble hits, help me slow down and trust you instead of running in circles looking for escape. Enable me to lie down in peace knowing You have my back.In Jesus’ Name,Amen“He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.”God is our guardian. He shows us the way to go and enables us to live to honor Him. When we seek Him and ask for wisdom, He answers.Lord,Please give me wisdom to live righteously. Help me to glorify You with the decisions I make. Direct me and keep me in step with Your Spirit. Thank You for showing me the way.In Jesus’ Name,Amen
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”We experience some extremely dark valleys in this life. Times when the shadow of death feels like it will swallow us. But for those who are in Christ, evil can’t touch our souls. God is always with us. As a shepherd protects his sheep from predators with his staff, so our Shepherd protects our souls from Satan. We belong to Jesus Christ for eternity and no one can take us away.Father,Sometimes fear overtakes me and it feels like evil is winning. Help me remember You are always beside me, all around me, and in my heart. My soul is eternally safe in Your hands and no one can snatch it away. When I experience a time of pain or sorrow, I know I’m not alone. You give me the strength to endure. Your Spirit comforts me no matter what’s happening. Thank You for Your constant love.In Jesus’ Name,Amen“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”Imagine a soldier on the battlefield. Instead of grabbing a quick bite of an emergency meal, he looks ahead and sees his commander has laid out a banquet. There’s a beautiful table laid with delicious dishes. He sits down right in the presence of his enemies and enjoys a meal. How could he do that? Only if he had complete faith and trust in his commander. We don’t have to panic in front of our enemies, the devil and his demons. God’s Spirit is always with us and has provided a banquet of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. Our part is to have faith and trust our Commander.In Scripture, being anointed with oil is a picture of God pouring His Holy Spirit on believers (NET Bible Notes). Oil flowing down one’s head and an overflowing cup are both pictures of abundance. God sent His Spirit to comfort, encourage, empower, and fill us to overflowing with His spiritual blessings.Holy Spirit,Thank You for giving me peace when the enemy offers anxiety. You help me love when he tempts me to hate. You offer joy when circumstances threaten depression. You’re my patience when I want to lash out. You give me all I need when I rely on You. You put Your shield around me when the enemy is throwing every poison dart of negative thoughts and fears. When I run to You in faith, I can sit at Your table in peace.In Jesus’ Name,Amen“Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.”What a beautiful truth! His goodness and love, also translated as mercy or loving kindness, will be our constant companions.Father,Please soak this truth into my soul. Your goodness and love are always with me and will never leave. Remind me I can’t be separated from Your love. Empower me to stand on truth instead of my ever-changing feelings. Your love is a solid rock and a firm foundation which can’t be shaken, destroyed, or removed. Praise You Father! Thank You! I stand knowing I may get knocked down but I won’t be destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:9).In Jesus’ Name,Amen“And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”The ultimate promise! We will live with Him forever.Jesus,Thank You for making it possible for me to live with You for eternity! Thank You for promising You are preparing a place for me and proclaiming, “I will come back and take You to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). I know this life is fleeting, a puff of smoke compared to eternity. Focus my heart on the truth of my forever home with You.Praise You Lord![embedded content]Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Joaquin CorbalanSusan Aken writes devotions and articles for Wholly Loved Ministries, is an Oklahoma native who’s lived in Nebraska since 1987 and has been in public education for over thirty years. She and her husband have one son and a wonderful daughter-in-law. Besides writing she has a passion for special needs and prayer ministries. She enjoys time with family, reading, photography, movies, walking in nature, and a nice cup of tea. She believes life is a journey and we’re all in different places. Jesus is everything to her and it’s all about grace. Visit her at susanaken53.wordpress.com or on Facebook.This article is part of our larger Prayer resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray. Prayer for God’s HelpPrayer for StrengthPrayer for ProtectionMorning PrayersGood Night PrayersNow available is our new Daily Prayer devotional! An easy way to find start your day with prayer, read today’s prayer and sign up to receive by email. […]

ABSTRACT: The aim of biblical preaching is joining God in his ultimate purpose in all things — to display the fullness of his glory. The apex of God’s glory is the splendor of his grace as it reaches its climax in the glory of the cross. And the glory of the cross is the fullness of its definite achievement. Therefore, we diminish the glory of the cross and the glory of grace and the glory of God when we diminish definite atonement. But when it is preached and embraced in its biblical fullness, the glory of the work of Christ, the glory of the freedom and power of grace, and the glory of the being of God himself are wonderfully magnified.

For our ongoing series of feature articles for pastors and Christian leaders, John Piper explains why the full glory of the cross rests on the preaching of definite atonement.

If the ultimate end for which God created the world is the display of his glory, and if the apex of his glory is the splendor of his grace, and if the achievement of Christ on the cross is the climactic display of this splendid grace, and if “the glory of the cross is bound up with the effectiveness of its accomplishment,”1 then how we preach the achievement of the cross is a weightier matter than most of what we preach.2 When we do not preach the full atoning effect of the cross, we diminish the glory of the cross and fall short of God’s ultimate purpose in creation.

I do not mean that this diminishment necessarily cancels a person’s Christian faith, or even removes God’s blessing from someone’s ministry. God is merciful to use us in spite of many failings. I am sure that in many ways I fall short of God’s purpose to glorify himself in the cross. The point is not to nullify or undermine anyone’s faith or ministry. The point is to summon all of us to move toward magnifying more fully the majesty of the glory of the grace of God in the cross of Christ — and to do that by believing and proclaiming the full glory of Christ’s death in effectively purchasing his elect, expiating their guilt, and propitiating God’s wrath against them. Murray is right: “The glory of the cross is bound up with the effectiveness of its accomplishment.”

End for Which God Created the World

Reading the Dissertation Concerning the End for Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards was a worldview-transforming experience for me when I was in my twenties. I found the book — with its unparalleled saturation with Scripture — totally compelling, and I have spent most of my life trying to herald its main message.3 That message is clear: “All that is ever spoken of in the Scripture as an ultimate end of God’s works is included in that one phrase, ‘the glory of God’; which is the name by which the last end of God’s works is most commonly called in Scripture.”4 God does nothing without this as his chief end. The words of God in Isaiah 48:11 fly like a banner over every divine deed: “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”

The glory of God is at the heart of the gospel. Faith sees and savors “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). That is a remarkable phrase: “the gospel of the glory of Christ” — or as Paul says again two verses later, “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Whether he speaks of “the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” or “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” the reality is the same. God’s glory revealed in Christ and his work is essential to what the gospel is. When we are dealing with the glory of God, we are dealing with a reality that is not only ultimate in the aim of history, but central to the gospel.

Central Task of Ministry and Aim of Preaching

All of this means that the central task of Christian ministry is the magnifying of the glory of God. The aim is that the fullness of the revelation of the glory of God be displayed for God’s people, and that they be helped to respond joyfully with the fullest admiration possible.

This means that preaching, which is essential to the life of the church, aims in every sermon to magnify the glory of God in Jesus, and to satisfy the deepest need of people to know and admire God. The fullness of what we need to know about God is found with clarity and surety in only one place, the Bible. Therefore, every sermon will be expository in the sense that it will try to bring the revelation of God’s glory to light through the meaning of biblical texts. And at the heart of all those texts is the supreme revelation of the glory of God through the manifestation of his grace in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Which brings us to the great reality of the atonement in relation to the glory of God in preaching.

Christ’s Death as the Climax of the Glory of God’s Grace

Now I can be more specific than I have been so far. I have said that God does all that he does to uphold and magnify and display his glory. Now I can go further and say that all his works exist to display the glory of his grace, and the cross of Christ is the climactic revelation of the glory of his grace, which is the apex of the glory of God.

“The central task of Christian ministry is the magnifying of the glory of God.”

What we are about to see from Scripture is that the revelation of the glory of God’s grace was planned before creation and came to its climax in the death of Christ for sinners. In conceiving a universe in which to display the glory of his grace, God did not choose “Plan B.” The death of Christ was not an afterthought or adjustment. For this the universe was planned. Everything leading to it, and everything flowing from it, is explained by it.

In Ephesians 1:4–6, Paul says,

[God] chose us in him [that is, in Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

From eternity to eternity, the goal of God in the history of redemption is to bring about the praise of the glory of his grace. But what is most relevant at this point is to notice that this plan happened “in Christ” (v. 4) or “through Jesus Christ” (v. 5) before the foundation of the world.

What does it mean that “in Christ” we were chosen and that our adoption was to happen “through Jesus Christ”? We know that in Paul’s mind Christ suffered and died as a Redeemer so that we might be adopted as children of God (Galatians 4:5). Our adoption could not happen apart from the death of Christ. Therefore, Paul means that to choose us “in Christ” and to plan to adopt us “through Jesus Christ” was to plan (before the foundation of the world) the suffering and death of his Son for sinners. And this was for the purpose of the praise of the glory of the grace of God (see Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). Which means that the death of Jesus for sinners is the climax of the revelation of the glory of God’s grace.

Definite Atonement as a Significant Part of the Glory of Christ’s Achievement

The question before us in this article is whether definite atonement is a significant part of the glory of God’s grace that he intends to display in the atoning work of his Son. And if so, how does it affect our preaching for building up the body of Christ for the glory of God?

My answer is yes, the definite atoning work of Christ is a significant part of the glory of God’s grace. And to know this, by the working of God’s Spirit, enables us to preach in such a way that our people experience deeper gratitude, greater assurance, sweeter fellowship with God, stronger affections in worship, more love for people, and greater courage and sacrifice in witness and service. Preaching, which aims at these things to the glory of God, will speak of the cross in its fullness, not denying any of its universal implications, but also not denying its precious, definite, effective, invincible power to save God’s elect.

We have already seen Ephesians 1:4–6 point in this direction — that a significant part of the glory of Christ’s achievement is that it secures not the potential but the actual, total, and eternal salvation of God’s elect. We saw that God’s ultimate goal to glorify himself in creation reached its high point in the display of his grace “through Jesus Christ” (v. 5), that is, “in the Beloved” (v. 6). Now let us follow Paul’s thought a little further into the definiteness of Christ’s saving work that displays the glory of God’s grace.

From Ephesians 1:5, we see that God predestined sinners to adoption as sons: “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.” I showed above that the words “through Jesus Christ” mean through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:7). This is how we know that God had sinners in view when he predestined his chosen ones for adoption. They needed redeeming. This means, then, that the redeeming work of Christ on the cross is what secures the passage of a person from lost sinner to adopted son — from being a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) to being a child of God. Thus, the glory of God’s grace, displayed in the achievement of the cross, is also displayed in the blood-bought passage of a lost person from death to life.

What is involved in that passage is explained by Paul in Ephesians 2:4–5. We see there that it is God’s grace that makes the dead live. “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.” Paul breaks into the flow of his sentence (signified in English with a parenthetical dash) to make sure that we realize that the act of making the spiritually dead to live is the work of God’s grace. This is what is involved in the transition from being a child of wrath to being a child of God. One must be made alive spiritually. And Paul says that this is the work of God’s grace. This is why it is often called sovereign grace: it raises the dead. The dead do not raise themselves. God does by his grace. And it is this “glorious grace” that will be praised for all eternity.

What makes this so relevant for definite atonement is that God does not raise everyone from spiritual death. He raises those whom “he predestined . . . for adoption to himself as sons” (Ephesians 1:5). And since the grace by which he does this is “through Jesus Christ” (that is, through his atoning work), the quickening they experience is secured for them by the death of Christ on their behalf. This means that in the atonement God designed and secured spiritual life, and its resulting faith, for those whom he predestined to sonship.5 The atonement does not make possible the spiritual quickening of all people; it makes certain and effective the spiritual quickening of the elect. That is the conclusion of Paul’s teaching on grace in Ephesians 1:4–6 and 2:4–5.

So, in answer to the question, “Is definite atonement a significant part of the glory of God’s grace that he intends to display in the atoning work of his Son?” we may say yes. And our first reason for this answer is that the way God planned to magnify the glory of his grace is by predestining sinners to sonship through that blood-bought grace (Ephesians 1:5–6). And the way he planned to bring sinners to sonship was by the power of this grace in raising them spiritually from the dead and making them alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

“The glory of Christ’s achievement is that it secures not the potential but the actual salvation of God’s elect.”

Thus, “the glory of his grace,” which has been God’s aim from all eternity, includes the glorious design and power of the atonement to secure the faith and salvation of his elect. The blood-bought grace of God makes alive the dead, brings them into union with Christ, awakens faith, and saves his own to the uttermost. In other words, it is not just redemption accomplished at the cross that brings glory to God, but redemption accomplished and applied to the believer that is “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:6).

God’s Love and Definite Atonement

Ephesians 2:4–5 says that God’s making us alive is owing to his “great love”: “God . . . because of the great love with which he loved us . . . made us alive together with Christ.” Paul’s understanding of the unique love of God for his elect, expressed in the effective work of the atonement for them in particular, shows how essential definite atonement is in the glory of the cross, which is the greatest act of divine love (Romans 5:8).

In a sense, I have been talking about the love of God from the very beginning of this article, because the grace of God is an expression of his love. It is the form love takes when it meets guilty people. But here in Ephesians 2:4, Paul makes explicit that the working of grace to make spiritually dead people alive is an expression of God’s “great love.” This is a unique expression in the Bible. God’s great love “with which he loved us” prompted him to make us alive when we were dead.

This means that there is a unique love of God for his elect that accounts for the unique effect of definite atonement in saving them. We have already seen that the sovereign grace that makes the dead live is a blood-bought grace flowing to the elect from the divine purpose of the cross. We are made alive because the atonement secures it. Now we add this insight: this divine purpose of the cross is an expression of God’s “great love” for his elect. Others are not made alive. Therefore, this love is a distinguishing love. It is not given to all. It is given to sinners who are predestined for sonship.

Christ So Loved His Bride

We see this again in Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” A husband loves his wife in a way that is different from the way he loves other women. And Christ loves his bride, the church, in a way that is different from the way he loves other people. He “gave himself up for her.” In my preaching, this has been one of the most effective ways to help my people feel the preciousness of definite atonement as an expression of God’s distinguishing love for them. What would it be like for a wife, I ask them, to think that her husband loves her only the way he loves all other women? It would be disheartening. He chose her. He wooed her. He took the initiative because he set his favor on her from all the others. He has a distinguishing love for her — a great love — that is unique. She is his own loved treasure like no other woman. And so, God’s elect are his own loved and blood-bought people as none others are.

I tell my people, you will never know how much God loves you if you continue to think of his love for you as only one instance of his love for all the world. To be sure, God loves the world (John 3:16), but there is a “great love” for his children that he does not have for the world. Nor should anyone say (changing the metaphor from bride to children) that he has this special love for his children because they believe in him. That is backward. Rather, spiritually dead children of wrath were made alive and brought to faith because he had this special love for them (Ephesians 2:4). This is the wonder of it. God set his electing, atoning love on us before we were able to do anything to commend ourselves to him.

When we preach, we long for our people to feel loved with the fullness of God’s love for them. The Arminian and Amyraldian6 ways of thinking make this experience difficult, if not impossible. They obscure the truth that it was precisely the distinguishing “great love” of God (Ephesians 2:4), expressed in the death of Christ, by which God brings his elect to life and gives them faith.

“God loves the world, but there is a ‘great love’ for his children that he does not have for the world.”

Both views make it harder for the children of God to read Galatians 2:20 with the personal sweetness God intended: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” He loved me. He gave himself for me. The preciousness of this personal love is muted where it is seen as an instance of the same love that Christ has for those who finally perish. It is not the same.

His Sheep, His Friends, His Own

When John said of Jesus, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1), he did not mean that this personal love for “his own” was the same as the love he had for everyone. He had a “great love” for his own. There was none greater. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Whatever blessings flow to the world from the cross of Christ, and they are many, there was in its design a “great love” specifically intended to rescue “his own.”

The Father had chosen his own out of the world and given them to the Son. “Yours they were, and you gave them to me” (John 17:6). He loved them to the end and kept them, so that none was lost. “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me” (John 6:39). To that end, he consecrated himself the night before his death: “For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (John 17:19). And then he prayed for them — only for them, not for the world — since this was part of the “great love” he had for “his own”: “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17:9). And then he died for them. “I know my own and my own know me . . . and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14–15). He “[laid] down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This is what it means that “having loved his own . . . he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

And in the mind of Christ, this achievement for “his own” was no small part of the glory he was bringing to the Father in his saving work. “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4). It was the perfect and complete salvation of “his own” that caused him to say to the Father, “All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them” (John 17:10). This glory was not the glory of a salvation made available, but a salvation made real and effective in the lives of “his own.” The love of God for his elect is greater than the love he has for the world. As Geerhardus Vos comments, “The divine love for the elect is different not only in degree but specifically from all other forms of love, because it involves a purpose to save, of which all the other forms fall short.”7 Therefore, the greatness of this special love — expressed in the definite effectiveness of the atonement — is a great part of God’s glory in saving his people through the death of Christ.

Preaching Definite Atonement for the Body of Christ

That Christ died and rose again to accomplish this definite, full, and irreversible atonement for his people is the glory of his cross, which is the climax of the glory of grace, which is the apex of the glory of God. This is how I began this article. And I said there that this vision of the atoning work of Christ enables us to preach in such a way that our people experience deeper gratitude, greater assurance, sweeter fellowship with God, stronger affections in worship, more love for people, and greater courage and sacrifice in witness and service. Let me flesh this out briefly.

“The love of God for his elect is greater than the love he has for the world.”

With this vision of Christ’s achievement, we will aim in all our preaching to magnify the glory of Christ by helping our people realize the unspeakably great benefits that come to them because of this achievement. Our aim will be to help our people know and experience the reality of a definite, full, and irreversible atonement. If God gives us success, here is some of what it will mean for us and our people.

Knowing and experiencing the reality of definite atonement affects us with deeper gratitude. We feel more thankfulness for a gift given to us in particular, rather than feeling like it was given to no specific people and we happened to pick it up. The world should be thankful that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that whoever believes may not perish but have eternal life. But those who belong to Christ should be far more thankful because the very faith that unites us to Christ was purchased and secured by his blood.

Knowing and experiencing the reality of definite atonement affects us with greater assurance. We feel more secure in God’s hands when we know that, before we believed or even existed, God had us in view when he planned to pay with his blood, not only for a free offer of salvation but also for our actual regeneration and calling and faith and justification and sanctification and glorification — that it was all secured forever for us in particular. The rock-solid assurance of Romans 8:32–39 (“Who shall bring any charge against [us]! . . . Who shall separate us! . . .”) is rooted in the unbreakable link between the definite atonement that Christ made (“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all . . .”) and the promises purchased for those for whom he died (“. . . how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ”).

Knowing and experiencing the reality of definite atonement affects us with sweeter fellowship with God. A pastor may love all the women in his church. But his wife feels a sweeter affection for him because he chose her particularly out of all the other women, and made great sacrifices to make sure he would have her — not because he offered himself to all women and she accepted, but because he sought her in particular and sacrificed for her. If we do not know that God chose us as his Son’s “wife” and made great sacrifices for us in particular and wooed us and wanted us in a special way, our experience of the personal sweetness of his love will not be the same.

Knowing and experiencing the reality of definite atonement affects us with stronger affections in worship. To be loved with everlasting love, before creation and into the future ages, is to have our affections awakened for God that will intensify worship and make it more personal than if we thought we were loved only with the same love as God has for those who will never come. To look at the cross and know that this love was not only for the sake of an offer of salvation to all (which it is), but more, was the length to which God would go so that I, in particular, would be drawn into this salvation — that is the bedrock of joy in worship.

When the psalmist says in Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” he makes it clear that the worship of God — the glorification of God — springs from a vital sense of his steadfast love and faithfulness. When a church is faithfully and regularly taught that they are the definite and particular objects of God’s “great love” (Ephesians 2:4), owing to nothing in them, the intensity of their worship will grow ever deeper.

Knowing and experiencing the reality of definite atonement affects us with more love for people and greater courage and sacrifice in witness and service. When a profound sense of undeserved, particular, atoning love from God combines with the unshakable security of being purchased — from eternity, for eternity — then we are more deeply freed from the selfish greed and fear that hinder love. Love is laying down one’s conveniences, and even one’s life, for the good of others, especially their eternal good. The more undeservingly secure we are, the more we will be humbled to count others more significant than ourselves, and the more fearless we will be to risk our lives for their greatest good. Definite atonement is a massively strengthening truth for the humble security and bold fearlessness of the believer. In that way, it releases and empowers love.

Preach the Fullness of Definite Atonement

The list of benefits could go on, but the implication for preaching is clear. Preaching, which aims to strengthen the people of God in the ways we have seen, should speak of the achievement of the cross in its fullness. The aim of this preaching is to join God in his ultimate purpose in all things — to display the fullness of his glory. We have seen that the apex of God’s glory is the splendor of his grace as it reaches its climax in the glory of the cross. And the glory of the cross is the fullness of its definite achievement. Therefore, we diminish the glory of the cross and the glory of grace and the glory of God when we diminish definite atonement. But when it is preached and embraced in its biblical fullness, the glory of the work of Christ, the glory of the freedom and power of grace, and the glory of the being of God himself are wonderfully magnified. […]

About 150 years before the birth of Jesus the Messiah, some of God’s people — the Essenes — established a community in the Judea Wilderness near the northern end of the Dead Sea. We know it as Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Not all scholars agree that Essenes lived at Qumran, wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, or were the people the scrolls portray, so study and debate about the nature of the community continue. However, given the lack of other significant theories about Qumran, the scrolls, and the Essenes, we will take the position of mainstream Bible scholars that the Qumran ruins are those of the Dead Sea Scroll community that was part of a religious movement that included the Essenes.
In any case, our primary focus is not on the relationship between the people who lived in this community and the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will focus on why this group of God’s people went into the desert to live as they did. We want to know the role they played in God’s great story of redemption.
Part of the answer is revealed in the Hebrew Bible where the proph­ets proclaimed God’s command for his people to “prepare the way” for His coming. Malachi wrote that God would come after He sent His messenger to prepare His way (Malachi 3:1). The words of Isaiah add further insight:
In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. — Isaiah 40:3
The Essenes were passionately committed to learning and obeying every word that came from the mouth of God. They knew that God wanted to dwell among them and believed with all their heart, soul, and strength that if they prepared the way He would come. So they eagerly anticipated the coming of the Messiah and went into the des­ert to “prepare the way” for Him.

The Essenes spent long hours in the brutal desert heart writing on parchment. Their writings included books from the Hebrew Bible, commentaries on these books, and the regulations of the Essene community.
But anyone who has hiked the rugged mountains of the Judea Wil­derness will likely ask, “Why did the way for God have to be pre­ pared in the desert, especially this one?” Throughout history this wilderness has remained virtually uninhabited. Its rough, steep ter­rain and lack of water make it unsuitable for good travel routes. Its summer heat frequently exceeds 120 degrees Fahrenheit, hot winds often dry out any remaining moisture, and chilling temperatures set in soon after sunset.
Wouldn’t it have been easier for God’s way to be prepared in the fer­tile countryside near the Sea of Galilee or the well­-watered hillsides near Jerusalem? Why did God choose the desert as the place for His people to prepare for His glory to be revealed? Why did He choose a place where simply surviving is so hard?
Again, part of the answer can be found in the Hebrew Bible. In the exodus story, God worked through His prophet Moses to miracu­lously bring the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, deliver them from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, and lead them into the “vast and dreadful desert” (Deuteronomy 8:15) where He met with them and lived among them for forty years. In the desert, they learned to depend on God and live by His every word. Isolated from the influ­ence of Egyptian and Canaanite cultures, the Israelites became a unified people whom God molded and shaped to be a kingdom of priests who would display His character to the world.
In a sense, the desert is the perfect place for God’s people (including us today) to learn to be His people. In the desert, the diversions of a comfortable lifestyle fade into silence, and God’s powerful whisper can be heard. In the desert, we can survive — and even thrive — but only by God’s faithful provision. In the desert, we learn that it is better to be in the arms of God during tough circum­stances than to rest in paradise and forget about Him. In the desert, the influence of gods of our own making lose their power, and we are drawn into intimate relationship with the one true God.

The Essenes left upper-class lifestyles for huts in the harsh wilderness of Judea, a measure of their extreme devotion to the Bible. The Essene members were male, however there is evidence that they lived in the desert with their families as they prepared the Lord’s way of obedience.
So we should not be surprised to find the Essenes in the desert. There, for weeks, months, years — and sometimes a lifetime — they exchanged lives of relative comfort for desert hardships in order to live out their passionate commitment to obey every word that came from the mouth of God. There, they created a community isolated from the self-­focused, pleasure-­seeking Hellenistic society and what had become a corrupt priesthood in Jerusalem. In the desert they dedicated themselves to preparing the way for God.
And out of that same barren desert, the Bible character we know as John the Baptist took up the cry. With the fiery passion of Elijah, he called on sinners to repent and prepare the way for the Lord. And just as the prophets had said, God came as Jesus the Messiah to con­tinue the next chapter in God’s great redemptive story.
Watch Session 1: The Path to the Cross[embedded content]
Opening Thoughts (3 minutes)
The Very Words of God
A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. — Isaiah 40:3-5
Think about it
Take a few moments to think about your image of what it means to love God and live for Him, then describe what you think a life of pas­sionate obedience and faithful devotion to God looks like.
What sacrifices might be required in order to obey God and love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength?
DVD notes (29 minutes)
God shapes and molds His people in the desert
The Essene community: learning to live by God’s every word
The Essene lifestyle: passionate obedience and intense devotion
Prepare the way for the Lord
DVD discussion (7 minutes)

At times God chose to use harsh desert areas near the Prom­ised Land as a training ground to mold and shape His people for their role in the next chapter of his unfolding story. Like a shepherd, He led the ancient Israelites through the deserts of the Sinai Peninsula to teach them to depend on Him and live by His every word. Moses and Elijah spent time with God in the Sinai deserts. Elijah, David, John the Baptist, and Jesus spent time with God in the Judea Wilderness. The Essenes went into that same wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord — to know His words and obediently “walk” His path.

On the map, locate the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, En Gedi, Qumran, and Jericho. Next locate specific desert areas in the region: Judea Wilderness (Judah Wilderness in Old Testament times), Desert of Zin, Negev, Desert of Paran, Desert of Sin, Desert of Shur. How far was the Judea Wilderness from Jerusalem? From Bethle­hem?

In what ways does the Essenes’ level of dedication, commit­ment, and faithfulness in seeking to obey every word of God make an impact on you?
How does the extent of their personal sacrifice help you to comprehend how much they valued the opportunity to par­ticipate in preparing the way for the coming of the Lord?

In what way(s) do you think the desert wilderness setting helped to fulfill the deep spiritual commitments that defined the Essene community?
Do you think the Essenes could have accomplished their objectives in a more hospitable environment? Why or why not?

Small Group Bible Discovery and Discussion
(15 minutes)
The Path of Obedience
God brought the ancient Hebrews into the desert to teach them how to obey His words and, by their obedience to His words, to walk in His ways. His words were so important that He instructed Moses to write down all of them in the Torah (Deuteronomy 31:9-13). God also instructed His people to return to the desert — either literally or by recalling the Hebrews’ time there — in order to remember (obey) His every word and to prepare the way (or path) for His coming.
The Essenes acted on these words. They dedicated themselves to walking the path of obedience. With great passion for obeying God, they willingly endured the desert hardships in order to learn to live by His every word. They had an intense desire to prepare the way for their God in the desert, and their faithful obedience greatly impacted their world. It helped to prepare people to more easily understand and apply the teachings of Jesus and influenced the theological climate of the Jews for about two hundred years. Let’s consider what it means to walk the path of obedience and “prepare the way” for God.

A desert path near Oumran in the Judea Wilderness provides an image of the desire and commitment required to walk the path of obedience and “prepare the way” for God.

The discipline of desert life may seem especially harsh to us. So to better understand the way of the Essenes, it will be helpful to revisit why God allowed the ancient Israelites to experience hard times in the desert. From God’s perspec­tive, how important was it — and how great a price was it worth — for his people to learn to live by his every word? (See Deuteronomy 8:2 – 3.)

For Greater Understanding: The “Way of the Lord”
Writers of the ancient Hebrew text used concrete language to describe God and the character He expects of His people. They frequently used halak (“walk”) and derekh (“path” or “way”) to describe a person’s daily life and relationship with God. So rather than saying “Live a good life” as Westerners might say, a writer of the biblical text might say something like “Walk a good walk” or “Walk in the path.”
For the Israelites, walking was the primary means of transportation. Sometimes walking was hard and sometimes it was easy. A person could choose one path or another. So the Israelites readily understood what it meant to “walk in the way.” Just as we choose a path when we “walk” from one place to another, we choose a lifestyle “path” as we journey through life. The Bible describes an obedient and righteous lifestyle as “God’s path” or the “way of the Lord” (Genesis 18:19) and a rebellious and sinful lifestyle as our “own way” (Isaiah 53:6) or “the way of the wicked” (Psalm 1:6).
In addition to meaning “path,” derekh can refer to a major road or a path that is worn by constant walking. The word is also translated “obedience” and “commands.” So when God told his people to walk in His “ways” as He had taught them, He wanted them to learn to walk His right path or road by obeying His commands. To walk in the way of the Lord is to obey His words.
God, too, has a derekh (Isaiah 40:3). If we desire to walk with God, he wants us to prepare his way — his path — by walking obediently in it. The Essenes went into the desert to prepare the derekh, or way, of the Lord. They prepared the way by walking in His path, which they accomplished by obeying His every word.

When Moses recorded how God wanted His people to live, He repeatedly told them to walk in the way God had taught them. As you read the following portions of the text, take note of how God’s people are to walk in His ways. Then dis­cuss specific examples of what it might look like for God’s people today to follow these instructions.

What motivated the Essenes to live as they did in the desert? Part of the answer is found in Isaiah 40:3-8, which should be especially meaningful in light of what you have learned about walking in the way of the Lord.

What did Isaiah call God’s people to do?
Where are God’s people to do it?
How would you expect God’s people to accomplish their task, and what is central to walking in God’s path?
In light of this, why do you think that the Essenes wrote and/or collected the Dead Sea Scrolls, many of which are copies of books of the Hebrew Bible or studies of these books?

Faith Lesson (5 minutes)
God led the ancient Hebrews into the desert so that they would learn to walk the right paths — His paths — by faithful obedience to His “words.” His inspired words have remained central to the shap­ing and molding of His people. His words were essential to the walk of the Essenes, they were essential to the walk of Jesus, and they are essential to those of us who seek to follow Him today. God’s words are so important that when Jesus faced Satan’s temptations in the desert, He repeatedly said, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:7, Matthew 4:10) and then quoted the very words God gave to the ancient Hebrews in the desert!

What does Jesus’ response to Satan’s temptations reveal to you about the foundational importance of the lessons of the exodus?
Try to imagine how highly Jesus valued God’s words and how deeply committed He was to walk faithfully on God’s path.

What kind of attitude and energy do you imagine Jesus brought to his study of God’s words? What do you think was foremost in His mind and heart as He studied God’s words and set out to obey them?
Describe what living out a commitment to obeying every word from the mouth of God might have looked like in Jesus’ daily life and what it might look like for you.
Consider what you have learned about the fire in the soul of the Essenes that drove them into the desert to make what­ ever sacrifices necessary to walk with God and obey His word. In what ways might their example inspire you to make similar sacrifices?

What would those sacrifices be?
In what ways would you expect your life to be different if you, following the example of the Essenes and Jesus, devoted yourself to obeying God’s Word and walking in His way?
To what extent are you sold out enough to God and to His Word to make the sacrifices required to walk the path of obedience and prepare the way of the Lord?
Closing (1 minute)
Read together Deuteronomy 28:9-10:
The Lord will establish you as His holy people, as He promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord.
Then pray together, testifying to God and to one another of your desire to walk in God’s ways. Ask God for the strength to fulfill your commitment to learn and obey His every word. Ask Him to bless your walk so that other people will come to know Him.
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