DRAWING NEAR
March 14
Looking Beyond the Temporal
"Our Father who art in heaven" (Matt. 6:9).
With God as your Father, your life has eternal significance.
Author H.G. Wells wrote of a man who had been overcome by the
pressure and stress of modern life. His doctor told him that his only
hope was to find fellowship with God. The man responded, "What? That
--up there--having fellowship with me? I would as soon think of
cooling my throat with the Milky Way or shaking hands with the
stars." Poet Thomas Hardy said that prayer is useless because there's
no one to pray to except "that dreaming, dark, dumb thing that turns
the handle of this idle show." Voltaire described life as a bad joke.
He added, "Bring down the curtain; the farce is done." Such is the
blasphemy and despair of all who insist that God is uninvolved in
human affairs.
The Greek and Roman philosophers of Jesus' day rejected the
fatherhood of God because it contradicted their philosophical
systems. The Stoic philosophers taught that all of the gods were
apathetic and experienced no emotions at all. The Epicurean
philosophers taught that the supreme quality of the gods was complete
calm or perfect peace. To maintain their serenity, they needed to
remain totally isolated from the human condition.
Scripture refutes all such heresies by declaring that God is an
intimate, caring Father. The significance of that truth is
staggering. He conquers your fears and comforts you in times of
distress. He forgives your sins and gives you eternal hope. He
showers you with limitless resources and makes you recipients of an
imperishable inheritance. He grants you wisdom and direction through
His Spirit and His Word. He will never leave or forsake you.
When you humbly approach God as your Father, you assume the role of a
child who is eager to obey his Father's will and receive all the
benefits of His grace. Let that take you beyond your present
circumstances and motivate you to dwell on what's eternal.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank God for the joy and purpose He gives you each day. Commit
yourself to pursuing His will today.
For Further Study:
Read Exodus 3:1-5 and Isaiah 6:1-5. What attitude should you have
when you pray to God? What does Hebrews 4:16 say you can receive
when you approach God in prayer?
Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Exodus 3:1-5
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the
priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and
came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from
the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning
with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3 Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight,
why the bush does not burn."
4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to
him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said,
"Here I am."
5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off
your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
Isaiah 6:1-5
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a
throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the
temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he
covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD
of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who
cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of
unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts."
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
~~~
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:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
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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