DRAWING NEAR
August 25
Expecting the Best
"[Love] believes all things" (1 Cor. 13:7).
Love always expects the best of others.
In Luke 15 Jesus tells a parable about a father who had two sons. The
younger son asked for his share of the family inheritance, then left
home and squandered it on sinful pursuits. When he realized his
folly, he decided to return home and ask his father's forgiveness. So
"he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way
off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and
embraced him, and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I
have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy
to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly
bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand
and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and
let us eat and be merry'" (vv. 20-23).
That's a beautiful illustration of love's eagerness to forgive, but
it also implies another characteristic of love. While the son was
still far away, the father saw him coming. How could that be? Because
he was watching for his son-- anticipating and longing for his
return. Love forgives when wrongs are committed against it, but it
also expects the best of others. That's what it means to believe all
things (1 Cor. 13:7). That son had hurt his father deeply, but his
father never lost hope that his son would return.
I know a Christian woman who has been married to an unbelieving
husband for thirty years. Yet she continues to say, "He will come to
Christ someday." She isn't blind to the situation, but her love for
her husband has transformed her earnest desire into an expectation.
She believes he will turn to Christ because love always expects the
best.
Perhaps you have a spouse or child who is an unbeliever or has
drifted away from the Lord. Don't lose heart! Expect the best and let
that expectation motivate you to pray more fervently and set a godly
example for your loved ones to follow.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask God to guard your heart from cynical and suspicious attitudes
toward others.
For Further Study:
Read Matthew 9:1-13, noting the attitudes of the Jewish scribes and
Pharisees toward Jesus.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Luke 15:11-24
11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons.
12 "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the
portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his
livelihood.
13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together,
journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with
prodigal living.
14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that
land, and he began to be in want.
15 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country,
and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that
the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's
hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with
hunger!
18 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father,
I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19 "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like
one of your hired servants."'
20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a
great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and
fell on his neck and kissed him.
21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven
and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe
and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his
feet.
23 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and
be merry;
24 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found.' And they began to be merry.
Matthew 9:1-13
9:1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When
Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good
cheer; your sins are forgiven you."
3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man
blasphemes!"
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in
your hearts?
5 "For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to
say, 'Arise and walk'?
6 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to
forgive sins"; then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your
bed, and go to your house."
7 And he arose and departed to his house.
8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God,
who had given such power to men.
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting
at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and
followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that
behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him
and His disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why
does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have
no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not
sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to
repentance."
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
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http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus Is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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