March 5:  Following His Guidance.

HIS LEADING.
The Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life.--Revelation 7:17

Public transportation was the main way we got around when I was a little girl.  One evening, we thought we had boarded the right bus but soon realized that we were in an area that we didn't recognize, and it was getting dark.  We got off the bus and found ourselves in a dangerous part of town.  I had no idea where we were; all I could do was hang on to mom's hand and follow her lead.  As we walked, we kept reciting Psalm 34:7.  Finally, she led us to a residential area and found a way to get us home.  I had fully expected her to lead us to safety.  She was my mom!

Today we discuss a picture of Jesus that has brought comfort to countless people in distress.  Those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, find themselves before the throne of God, who spreads His tent or tabernacle over them (Revelation 7:15).  The Greek word for tabernacle is the same word that was used in the Greek Old Testament for the tent of meeting in the wilderness (see Exodus 26:13).  All the evils that God's own suffered on this earth are no more.  We are reminded of their blissful eternal existence: "They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat" (Revelation 7:16; compare with Isaiah 49:10 and 25:8).  What follows is one of the most comforting pictures of Jesus: "For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).  In a striking expansion of the role of the Lamb, the Lamb now becomes their eternal Shepherd!  He has provided for their salvation, and He will supply whatever else they need forever and ever.  He guides them to springs of water; He leads them to places of rest.  Jesus Himself announced that He was the good Shepherd (John 10:11).  In Revelation 7, the Lamb becomes the Shepherd for eternity!  He provided for our salvation and will lead us to safety.  If you find yourself in a difficult place today, just don't let go of His hand; He will lead you and restore your soul!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

March 4:  Following His Guidance.

HIS ABUNDANCE.
"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."--John 10:10


I was attending a worship service in a local church and inadvertently stepped into a youth group Bible study.  There I saw a video that made a profound impact on me.  It was a real-life video showing how the sheep know the shepherd's voice.  There were many sheep and different people tried calling them, but the sheep didn't attempt to move.  But then the camera captured their shepherd calling them, with the same sounds as the previous callers, and this time all the sheep came running to him.  It was amazing!

Jesus said that the sheep know the voice of their shepherd, the one who has their best interests in mind (John 10:2-4).  Over the years, I have collected some information about sheep because they are a commonly used scriptural metaphor to describe the people of God in need of His guidance and provision.*  In doing so, I have learned that in general sheep are very helpless animals.  They can't find food or water instinctively; they need protection from predators; they can easily drown if they try to drink from deep water; and they can't sleep if there are tensions in the flock.  Sheep are absolutely and completely dependent on the shepherd to provide everything for them, including a peaceful place, a green pasture, quiet waters, et cetera.  The sheep don't know where they are; they just need to follow their shepherd.  As in Psalm 23, the abundance of the shepherd's provision may be visualized in terms of a flock finding food, rest, and comfort in nurturing pastures and restful waters.  Jesus announced that He came to give His sheep an abundant life! (verse 10).  But the sheep's abundant life would come through the death of the Shepherd: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11).  This is an emphatic "I am" statement of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, highlighting that He is the Only One who is able to provide for all that we need, and that he paid the high price with His blood for our abundance.  May we be keenly aware of our need for the Shepherd: for His guidance, provision, healing, restoration, permanent love, and death, which gives us eternal life.

My Response:______________________________________________________
* See Information on this topic in my book: Elizabeth Talbot, I Will Give You Rest (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2015), 78.

March 3:  Following His Guidance.

HIS SHEEP
"He who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep....and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."--John 10:2, 3

My parents fully trusted and rested in the arms of their heavenly Shepherd--in sickness and in health, in difficulties and in abundance, as well as when facing death.  That's why my homily at my dad's memorial service was entitled "Rest Assured," based on Psalm 23.  Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:3), and I am certain that my parents will recognize their Shepherd's voice on the resurrection morning and will follow Him throughout eternity.

One of the most outstanding features of Psalm 23 is that in the first part (verses 1-3) David talks about His Shepherd, in the third person singular: He is my shepherd; He makes me lie down; He leads me; He restores my soul; He guides me.  But when he enters the dark valley of the shadow of death, he switches to the second person singular and begins talking in a prayer with God: "I fear no evil for You are with me" (verse 4).  The presence of his divine Shepherd was his antidote against fear.  Later on, there was a prophecy, written many years after David's death, that clearly pointed to the upcoming Messiah, a descendant of David, who would come to shepherd God's people: "Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd" (Ezekiel 34:23).  When Jesus, the awaited Davidic king, came to live and die for us, He identified Himself with the metaphor of the Good Shepherd who would give His life for His sheep (John 10:2-4, 11, 14).  And the antidote against fear continues to be the presence of our Shepherd!  I particularly love the fact that He calls us, "His own sheep" (verses 3, 14), for we belong to Him!  I don't know what you are needing right now, but He offers that.  Or maybe you are wounded and in need of restoration; your Shepherd provides that as well.  Or maybe you are facing the valley of death and need assurance of eternal life; your Shepherd guarantees that through His merits!  Whatever your needs, rest assured in your Shepherd's arms.

My Response:___________________________________________________________

March 2:  Following His Guidance.

I have a mug that I really like because it inspires me.  It was sent to me by my dear friends Mirta and Alan.  It reads: "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."  So many times, circumstances seem final to us, but from heaven's viewpoint it is not an end but a beginning, filled with newness and meaning.  For the  believer in Jesus, there are no dead-ends in this world, not even death, because in Christ we will have eternal life.

It all seemed done and final for the two travelers on their way to Emmaus.  They tried to explain the finality of the situation to the stranger who had joined them: "The chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.  But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:20, 21).  They sounded defeated; their dreams were a thing of the past.  They didn't know that they were talking to the risen Christ.  Their finite interpretation rendered them helpless and hopeless, but this was not an end but a most glorious beginning.  Jesus had told them many times that the Crucifixion would not be the end.  But it felt like the end to them.  Have you ever felt like that?  Your marriage is on the rocks; your job is gone; a friendship just ended.  That's it!  It is hard to imagine that there is anything good left, that God, in fact, has the ability to turn all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  Yet from the viewpoint of Jesus, it was completely different.  He explained that it was necessary for Christ to die and rise again, and that His plan had been revealed in the Law and the prophets (Luke 24:26, 27, 44).  He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.  The verb "to open" had been used for Jesus opening the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind.  Now their minds were open to understand the good news.  This was not  the end!  No!  On the contrary, Jesus had opened a new glorious beginning.  Sin was supposed to be the end for us, but it wasn't because a Savior came.  Trust in Him!  He will see you through!

My Response:____________________________________________________________

March 1:  Following His Guidance.

HIS PATH.
He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?"--Luke 24:17


Life is a journey into ever deepening understanding.  Many years ago, as I was going through painful transitions in my life, I realized that the longest journey a person may take is only a few inches long: from the hand to the heart.  And it is often pain that exposes us to deeper perceptions of reality, especially about God's will for our lives.  Our brokenness has a purpose, and we are not alone in this journey.  God is always with us, inviting us to choose His path instead of ours.

One of the themes of the Gospel of Luke is about journeys.  Everyone is on the move!  But these are not just geographical travels; they are journeys of perception.  And the journey to the village of Emmaus is no exception.  The distance is approximately seven miles (Luke 24:13), and on the way the two disciples are discussing all "these things" that had happened, including the report of the women, which the men had deemed nonsense  (verses 11, 12, 14, 22-24).  "While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached them and began traveling with them" (verse 15).  This is so like Jesus!  He comes and meets us where we are; He joins us in our journey in order to invite us to trust Him, His way, and His will.  In the Gospels, sight and blindness are usually associated with spiritual insight, or lack thereof, regarding the mission and identity of Jesus.  In this case their eyes don't recognize Jesus (verse 16).  Sometimes our tears block our view of Jesus, and our mistaken perceptions delay our joy.  In order to help them in their journey, Jesus asked them a question, which He already had the answer for: "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" (verse 17).  God listens when we tell Him about our version of the story.  Then He lovingly and graciously invites us to trust His path for us; unlike us, He sees all things from a heavenly viewpoint.  Jesus had just died and had victoriously resurrected, on their  behalf, but they didn't understand.  He walked with them on their journey of understanding, and He won't abandon us on ours.

My Response:______________________________________________________

February 28:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS RESOLUTION.
The word of Gods kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem.--Acts 6:7

I am keenly aware of the need to understand the cultural anthropology and sociology reflected in the Bible. Background commentaries help us understand the customs and social history at play, and how various social groups interacted in the ancient Mediterranean world.  For example, in the New Testament we see that during the infancy of the Christian church there were relational problems among groups, and how God provided timely resolutions.

Paul clearly points out that we are all equal at the foot of the cross: "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27, 28).  It seems so clear, yet Luke, who was Paul's traveling companion, reports in the book of Acts that the apostles had to deal with claims of discrimination at the very start of the believing fellowship.  The Christian community was growing, and a complaint arose on the side of the believing Greeks that the widows from their group were being overlooked in the daily serving (Greek diakonia) of food (Acts 6:1).  The apostles did not dismiss their claim, but instead sought a resolution.  God provided wisdom to His disciples, who selected deacons to minister in this task.  The first deacons were filled with the Spirit, and they were of Hellenistic (Greek) background (verse 5), which meant that God provided leaders with whom the complaining group could identify.  Right after their selection, we find today's devotional text, one of six such progress reports about how the word of God kept spreading and the numbers of believers increased.  Conflicts often threatened the growth of the first century church (as in Acts 15), yet God provided wise leaders who prayed for heavenly guidance and whose priorities were the spreading of the good news, and the salvation of the people.  Let's pray for our leaders and communities, that no conflict may have the power to hinder the proclamation of the gospel.

My Response:________________________________________________________

February 27:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS COURAGE.
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bondservants may speak Your word with all confidence."--Acts 4:29


Martin Luther had arrived at Worms.  The Reformer had expected a scholarly debate about the content of his books, but instead Eck, an official of the Archbishop of Trier, opened the proceedings by asking Luther to acknowledge the authorship of his books and to recant his position.  Luther was taken by surprise, and even though he corroborated his authorship, he asked for time to consider the recantation request.  A delay of one day was granted.  Did he lose his confidence for a few hours?  Was it a debate technique?  Whatever the reason for his request, Luther surrendered to God, and the next day he asserted in front of the council that he could not retract in light of the Scriptural evidence, come what may.

After their arrest for speaking about salvation through Jesus Christ, Peter and John were commanded by the council "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" (Acts 4:18).  The two disciples responded: "we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (verse 20).  Then they were threatened and released (verse 21).  And they went to their own people and prayed an amazing prayer.  When we pray for God to provide what we need while we're going through dire circumstances, we usually think of asking God to remove the trial, to provide for our physical needs, or to send people who will comfort us. But they prayed for God to provide...confidence; they prayed for courage to continue proclaiming the Word of God!  "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence" (verse 29).  We can request the same, especially when we are under oppression or going through difficulties due to our belief in Jesus.  God responded with a miraculous manifestation of His Spirit: "the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness" (verse 31).  God will give us courage when we meet opposition to the gospel.  This is a divine provision that we are sure to receive!

My Response:___________________________________________________

February 26:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS ENDOWMENT.
With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.--Acts 3:8

Have you ever received more than you could have imagined?  We were celebrating my birthday with my family.  After a nice dinner, I opened the gifts.  One of the gifts was a little yellow toy car, which I really liked because I had wanted to buy a similar real car.  There were envelopes attached to the bumper of the car.  When I opened them, I found checks inside, amounting to a large sum that was enough to trade my used car and buy the new car I needed.  I was speechless!

In Acts 3, there was a man who received much more than he could have imagined.  He was handicapped since birth and had been begging for a living: "A man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple" (verse 2).  Peter and John were going to the temple at the hour of prayer, and the man was asking for alms.  Peter looked at him and said, "Look at us!" (verse 4).  Surely, the beggar looked at them immediately, probably expecting a sizable gift, only to have his hopes shattered by Peter's opening words: "I do not possess silver and gold" (verse 6) Oh, really?  "But what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!" (verse 6).  Wait, what?  This was much more than he imagined!  He could walk!  And that was the first time in his life, he entered the temple, experiencing God like never before!  There were nine gates that led into the inner courts, and a lame person wouldn't have gone further than the court of the Gentiles.  The name of Jesus became his passport to enter the temple, "walking and leaping and praising God" (verse 8).  I am amazed at how God is able to provide more than what we ask or expect.  And His greatest endowment is our immediate access to the presence of God through the name of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22), no matter how emotionally and spiritually handicapped we have been all our lives.

My Response:_________________________________________________________

February 25:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS BESTOWAL.
They were amazed and astonished, saying"...how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?"--Acts 2:7, 8

I wanted to make sure my message would be properly understood even though the audience in the convention center had come from many different countries.  The night before the event, I met with the coordinator of the translators in order to go over some of my key points.  The translation in different languages, transmitted via headset radio system, was of utmost importance as many in the audience were not fluent in English.  I believe that the Holy Spirit anointed their words; otherwise I would not have been able to communicate the Word.

At the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive "power from on high," in order to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the world (Luke 24:46-49).  And the followers of Jesus waited for the promise to be fulfilled.  They were all together on the day of Pentecost "and suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind....And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.  And They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance" (Acts 2:2-4).  Jews and proselytes, pilgrims from other nations, each heard the disciples speak in their own language!  Can you imagine the amazed audience, each hearing the gospel in their own dialect?  Many scholars interpret this event  as the reversal of the curse of Babel, when humans mistrusted God and thought to outsmart Him by building a tower to reach the heavens.  God confused their language, and they could no longer understand each other (Genesis 11:1-9).  Now in Acts, the opposite happened.  The Spirit was bestowed on the Christian community, and everyone understood their message!  God equipped His followers, providing everything they needed in order to share Jesus with others.  And the Holy Spirit is bestowed upon us, equipping us for service and providing what is needed.  The Spirit will enable you to share Jesus with others!  Trust His power and don't be afraid to be used by God!

My Response:________________________________________________________

February 24:  Trusting His Provision.

HIS UNVEILING.
And He was saying to them, "Do you not yet understand?"--Mark 8:21

The 2012 tornado season in the United State4s turned deadly.  Stephanie Decker was at home with her two children when the first tornado hit Henryville, Indiana.  With no time to take them to the shelter, she covered them with her own body.  The flying debris broke seven of her ribs, and her legs became casualties of the second tornado that hit a few minutes later, but her children didn't suffer as much as a scratch.  In the interviews, she was smiling because it was all worth it!

After the feeding of the five thousands, the breakthrough with the Syrophoenician woman, and the feeding of the four thousand (events that we have reviewed for the last three days), it was now time for the unveiling of the bread riddle.  To make sure the hearers and readers do not miss the connection between the two feedings, Mark adds a summary of Jesus: " 'Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many large baskets [kophinos] full of broken pieces you picked up?'  And they said to Him, 'Twelve.'  'When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets [spuris] full of broken pieces did you pick up?' And they said to Him, 'Seven.'  And He was saying to them, 'Do you not yet understand?' " (Mark 8:18-21). Obviously, there was enough bread for Jews and for non-Jews, for the insiders and the outsiders.  And there were leftovers for each group, emphasized by the numbers and words befitting the respective cultural settings.  But what, exactly, did the bread symbolize?  Towards the end of this Gospel, the full mystery of the ongoing bread riddle is unveiled, using the verbs that had been present in the narrative of both feedings: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke is and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take it; this is my body' " (Mark 14:22, NIV).  Jesus here revealed the fact that He would die for all; He gave up His life so that we could be assured of life eternal.  And both feedings confirmed that His sacrificial victory was for all who believe in Him.  And who, exactly, are all?  Oh, yes!  All!

My Response:______________________________________________________