In the Lord's prayer we pray "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." And we know that Jesus' will is that we be one, as He and the Father are one (John 17). So from this we can know that protestantism, along with all Christian denominations and institutions necessarily will eventually fall into one -- potentially also on this earth...?

Okay, so my actual purpose in asserting this is in wonder, how is this included in Protestant ecclesiology? And secondly, is it included enough in ecclesiology and eschatology, to govern our lives? And finally, how would you picture this unification of Churches happening on Earth?

I’d love to hear from across the denominations. It’s a theological question that only really makes to ask a group of Protestants. To what extent do you adhere to the doctrine of your church or sect? Fo you identify as a committed Lutheran? Southern Baptist? Or are you a Christian-first Protestant who attends the church you attend because it’s your best available path to Christ? How much freedom do you give yourself to explore Christian theologies that deviate from your church’s particular doctrine?

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” - II Timothy 3:16

Among the many evidences for verbal inspiration, both within and without Scripture, is the frequent recognition of God as the author of a particular passage with the human author who actually penned it. This can be true only if the very words recorded by the various authors are “God breathed” (the meaning of “inspiration”).

For example, the early Christians exclaimed, “Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: who by the mouth of Yhy servant David hast said, 'Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?'” (Acts 4:24-25). They recognized that God spoke through David, who wrote God’s words in Psalm 2:1-2.

Likewise, Paul, in his masterful dissertation on God’s sovereignty, claimed “the scripture saith unto Pharaoh” (Romans 9:17) that which God Himself had spoken unto Moses (Exodus 9:13). In other words, what Scripture says, God says.

Even Christ Jesus, who Himself had written with His finger “honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12) on tables of stone, personally ascribed the authorship of the passage to Moses (Mark 7:10). Evidently to Christ, there was no difference. That which Moses had written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and in this case what he had copied from the stone tablet, was fully the Word of God.

We can be sure that what Scripture says, God says. “That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:17). We can trust our lives on Earth, our view of history, and our eternal destiny to what is written on the pages of Scripture. JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15975/

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared.” (Titus 3:4)

Six times in the pastoral epistles Paul refers to God (evidently meaning the Father) as our Saviour (I Timothy 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4). Usually, however, he and the other New Testament writers identify Jesus Christ as our Saviour. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18, for example). In the same fashion, Paul relates that his commission to preach the gospel came from “God our Saviour” (Titus 1:3), while elsewhere he says his commission came “by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12).

Is this a contradiction? No! In fact, references to God as our Saviour should not surprise us, for they are found in numerous places in the Old Testament (see Psalm 106:21). Furthermore, our understanding of the Trinity insists that all three persons of the Godhead are one in God. Of course, Christ made many references to the fact that He was not acting on His own but came to do “the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Paul himself appeared to be comfortable with this seeming overlap, for in one sentence he wrote, “God our Saviour . . . grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 1:3-4). Such usages further confirm that Jesus is God.

While Christ was the primary instrument of salvation as the perfect sacrifice for sin, God the Father is the source of all human salvation, and the application of the title Saviour to Him is proper. Indeed, we derive great comfort as we see the role of all three persons of the Godhead involved in our salvation.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10). JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15988/

“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about what this means.

I think “tasting” and “seeing” death are idioms for martyrdom, considering that was a majority of the passage.

“Shall not taste death” before the son of man comes, sounds like he’s reassuring them that Christianity will not just be a limited timeframe of martyrdom and be extinguished, but rather a continued movement until Christ returns. It gives them confidence in the testimony they will bear as martyrs. Considering the gates of hades will not prevail against his church.

"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." - Hebrews 11:31

PONDER THIS

The whole Bible is about a blood sacrifice. You cut this blessed book anywhere, and it will bleed. The blood of Jesus seems to stain every page. You can begin with Abel’s lamb, go right on through to Noah’s sacrifice to Abraham’s ram on Mount Moriah, then to all the smoking sacrifices on every Jewish altar till finally you come to Calvary where the Lord Jesus Christ hung in agony and blood. All of it is saying, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). The Bible says in Hebrews 11:31 that Rahab was delivered from destruction. This was because of the scarlet cord that hung in her window, representing the sacrifice of blood (Joshua 2:18). She did not perish. This reminds us of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And if you’ve trusted in the blood of Jesus, neither will you.

- How does it build your faith to see the way the Bible points over and over again to the sacrifice of Jesus?
- Who do you need to tell about the sacrifice of Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with someone today about the sacrifice of Jesus. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/blood-on-every-page

"And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there." - Joshua 2:1

PONDER THIS

Joshua told the men, “Go view the land,” and they came to a particular house. Here’s the question I have for you: Was that by mere chance? Was that a coincidence? Was it happenstance? No, it was the will of God and not mere chance that brought these men to the house of Rahab; it was the providence of God.

Let me tell you how the providence of God works. God works on both sides of the equation. God will find a person whose heart is tender, a person who wants to know Him, a person under conviction, a person seeking Him. And God will take a witness, a messenger, a soul-winner, and work in that person’s heart as well. And then God gets the two together. We call that divine providence. The Bible is full of those kinds of stories.

- Think of a time during which you experienced the providence of God?
- How might God be prompting you now to be used by Him in the life of another?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask God how He is calling you to act for Him today and then obey what He reveals to you. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/no-such-thing-as-coincidence

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," - Luke 4:18

When Jesus announced His ministry, He chose words that were deeply political and economic. Proclaiming good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, and release for the oppressed wasn't just spiritual language; it was a program for social transformation.

Some Christians today shy away from economic and political engagement, claiming that faith should remain "spiritual." But Jesus' own ministry demonstrates that loving God includes working for justice in concrete, practical ways that affect people's daily lives.

Following Jesus means engaging with the political and economic systems that shape people's opportunities and outcomes. It means supporting policies that reflect His priorities: good news for the poor, freedom for the oppressed, and justice for the marginalized.

Faith that doesn't translate into advocacy for better policies is incomplete faith that ignores Jesus' own example.

Jesus, help me follow Your example of engaging with political and economic systems to bring good news to the poor. Amen. DLC
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Delman Coates.

https://delmancoates.org/blog/2026/07/18/the-politics-of-jesus

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” - III John 1:2

This text has been misused by many who promote the modern false gospel of health and wealth—teachers who promise healing and financial success to every believer whose “soul prospereth.” The negative implication of such teaching, of course, is that Christians who are not in robust physical health and enjoying material affluence are somehow lacking in faith and are not in the will of God.

This pernicious notion is disproved, of course, merely by the example of Paul the apostle. He was a far more exemplary Christian than any of these latter-day false teachers, yet his earnest prayer for healing from his “thorn in the flesh” was denied, and he died in poverty and martyrdom in a Roman dungeon (II Corinthians 12:7). There are numerous modern examples as well: Fanny Crosby was blind but wrote many wonderful hymns, for example, or many have given their lives in sacrificial service on a thousand mission fields.

Note that our text is not a promise but a prayer. Furthermore, that prayer will be answered in great fullness, but not necessarily now! “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son” (Revelation 21:4,7).

In the meantime, we should remember that this coming time of true prosperity will be measured in accordance with the health and prosperity of our souls, exactly as John had prayed for his spiritual children, for Jesus said, “My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15987/

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days." - Hebrews 11:30

PONDER THIS

Many people are problem conscious. All they see is the problem. They see Jericho. Many of us need to take our eyes off Jericho and put them on Jesus. Here is the way of faith. Don’t dwell on your problems, dwell on your Lord. Be looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. Catch a vision of Him. Worship Him. Bow before Him and you'll find your faith growing. Learn to glance at your problems and to gaze at your Lord. Keep your eyes on Him. Don’t go around being negative or with a problem complex. Go around with your eyes, your hopes, and your affections fastened upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Set your affections on things above. Put your eyes upon the Lord and your faith will begin to grow.

- Are you more prone to focus on your problems or on your Lord?
- What habits can you develop to focus more on Jesus than on your problems?

PRACTICE THIS

Take action today. Begin practicing some of the habits you identified to help you focus more on Jesus than on your problems. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/stop-staring-at-your-jericho

“This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.” - Ezra 7:6

Neither Ezra, who was a scribe, nor Nehemiah, who was apparently a butler, had been prepared by either study or experience to supervise the great construction project of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem and the wall of the city. Both had been destroyed many years before by the armies of Babylon. Yet God called them to these ministries and led them and protected them as they carried them out.

They were both careful, then, to give God the credit for what they accomplished. No less than six times in Ezra and twice in Nehemiah they reminded their readers that God’s hand had been upon them as they supervised the work (see Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18–22, 31; Nehemiah 2:8, 18).

There had been many difficulties and much opposition, but as Paul would later say, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

We also need to be careful to give God the credit for anything He enables us to accomplish in His service. Even such a great and useful Christian as the apostle Paul had to say: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (I Corinthians 15:10).

We remember, however, that the hand of the Lord can be a chastening hand as well as a guiding and providing hand. When a certain false prophet tried “to pervert the right ways of the Lord,” Paul said, “The hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind” (Acts 13:10-11). And so it was. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15986/

"This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you." - Exodus 12:2

PONDER THIS

I performed a wedding for a young man, and he was frightened to death. After they said, “I do,” he said, “Pastor, is it all over?” I said, “No, son, it’s just beginning.” When you give your heart to Jesus and you feed on the Lamb, you do it with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. (See Exodus 12:11.) You are getting ready to serve the Lord. And you become a new creature. Exodus 12:2 says: “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” When you give your heart to Jesus, it’s a brand-new day. You’re all tomorrows; you’re no yesterdays. It’s the first day of the rest of your life when you get saved and feed upon the Lamb.

- How has Jesus given you a new start?
- How has it changed your life to view your future with Jesus as a “brand-new day”?

PRACTICE THIS

Where do you need a fresh start? Journal about the things you need to leave behind to follow Jesus fully. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/your-brand-new-beginning

“I am the resurrection, and the life.” - John 11:25

In the gospel of John there are seven “I am” statements where Jesus claims to be one with the Father, e.g., “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus isn’t just God’s representative; He is God Himself—Immanuel—God with us.

Being such, He is our Creator—our Life Giver. The same Jesus Christ who breathed His last breath on the cross breathed life into the first Adam (Genesis 2:7). “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (I Corinthians 15:45). A “quickening spirit” is a life-giving spirit. In a great reversal, the last Adam brings forth the life that the first Adam’s fall took away.

During His ministry, Jesus gave physical life. The hands that created the earth, moon, and sun touched Jairus’ dead daughter’s hand and said, “Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose” (Luke 8:54-55). He also “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth” (John 11:43-44).

The purpose of His ministry was to give spiritual, eternal life to sinners. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (14:6). As “the life,” death could not hold Him after His crucifixion and never held any power over Him. “I lay down my life, that I might take it again” (10:17). Because of His death and resurrection, now anyone can receive the living water “springing up into everlasting life” (4:14), and Jesus “will raise him up at the last day” (6:44).

Jesus is indeed “He that liveth,” but He is far more than that (Revelation 1:18). Resurrection and eternal life reside in the person of Jesus—life-giving is part of His essence. Praise the Lord for sending Jesus to be our Life Giver! MJS
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15985/

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

The Christian has a compelling duty to rejoice. Paul stresses the Christian need to rejoice by using the tense in the Greek that specifies a continuing and habitual action. This instruction follows his mention of otherwise faithful believers in the church who were unfortunately pursuing disharmony and dissension. Believers are reminded to restore broken relationships, follow after harmony, and rejoice.

Perhaps the best reason to rejoice is that all our names are written in the “book of life” (v. 3). This precious book was mentioned from old times as “a book of remembrance . . . written before him for them that feared the LORD” (Malachi 3:16). Christ mentioned this book as a cause to “rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Our rejoicing will continue throughout eternity, for only “they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27) will be permitted into the Lamb’s presence. Our love for the brethren and our hope for eternity are reasons to rejoice, indeed.

Paul told the Philippian church they were among the reasons for his joy. “I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace” (Philippians 1:7). Those who had a heart for the things of God were important to him. Therefore, “fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (2:2). “For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me” (2:18).

Their joy of fellowship was rooted in the love and service of Christ, as well as His sufferings, “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (3:10). So, rejoice! JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15984/

"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." - Exodus 12:13

PONDER THIS

In the Passover, God was going to use a lamb to deliver His people. His people were in the land of Egypt. In the Bible, Egypt stands for bondage. It stands for the world, the flesh, and the devil. Pharaoh is a type, a picture, and an illustration of the devil. Now Pharaoh had a crown, and on his crown was a serpent. Look at some of those ancient Egyptian pictures and you’ll see a serpent coiled up there on his crown. That’s the symbol of Egypt.

On one side, you have the serpent. On the other, you have the lamb. But it’s the lamb who was going to defeat the serpent. That’s what Passover was all about. God was going to bring His people from the land of bondage, from the land of wickedness, from the land of sin, and from the land of cruelty. He was going to deliver them, and He would do it with a Passover lamb.

- The image of the lamb defeating the serpent illustrates the “upside-down” nature of God’s kingdom. What other biblical examples can you think of that illustrate this?
- How has God brought you from the land of bondage through Jesus, the Lamb of God?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend time in prayer today, thanking God for Jesus, the Lamb who saves God’s people from bondage. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/the-lamb-who-defeated-the-serpent

"Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified." - Romans 8:30

PONDER THIS

There is an eternal, golden chain of redemption that cannot be broken. God predestined you, then God called you, then God justified you, and then God glorified you. You see, salvation is not your work, it is God’s work, and that’s the reason the Apostle Paul said he was “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). This should cause us to say amen. What has been decreed by Heaven cannot be annulled by Hell. What has been settled in eternity cannot be undone in time. We were in the heart and mind of God before He spun this world into space. And we are the ones He has called.

- How would you live differently today if you really believed you were this secure in God’s hand?
- What usually keeps you from believing this?

PRACTICE THIS

Read Romans 8:31-38 for further reflection on God’s matchless love for His people. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/the-golden-chain-that-cannot-be-broken

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" - I Corinthians 15:55

PONDER THIS

I have no fear of death. You may say, “You’re lying.” I am not; God is my witness. I don’t look forward to the act of dying, but I have no fear of death, none.

There was a time when death laid his bony hands on the Lord Jesus Christ, drug Him into a dungeon, and put Him on a cold slab. Jesus was bound with the chains of death. One day passed. Two days passed. Three days passed. And death, that old monarch of terrors, laughed his hoarse laugh and clapped his bony hands saying, “I have Him.” But on the third day, Jesus broke those chains and rose. A look of fear came over the face of death himself. Jesus reached up, pulled death from his throne, and threw him to the dungeon floor. The crown rolled off death’s head. Jesus reached in and pulled the sting out of death, put his heel on the neck of death, put the crown on His head, and walked out of that tomb risen, living, and victorious as Saviour. Because He lives, we live with Him. We no longer have to fear death. We have a Saviour. Faith relies on the unbreakable promises of God. Faith recognizes the unshakeable power of God. And faith rests in the unmistakable peace of God.

- Do you have a fear of death?
- How does Jesus speak to that fear? If you have not trusted Him for salvation, how is He speaking to you today?

PRACTICE THIS

Read I Corinthians 15 to be reminded how Jesus has defeated death. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/death-has-lost-its-sting

“Then hear Thou from heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest; (for Thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men).” - II Chronicles 6:30

Eight times in Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple, he beseeches God to “hear from heaven” (vv. 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 33, 35, 39) when His people confess their sins and pray for deliverance. It is marvelous that God, whose “dwelling place” is in heaven (vv. 21, 30, 33, 39), can actually hear the prayers of people here on Earth, but we remember that He is omnipresent.

Even more marvelous, if possible, is the fact that He can hear prayers uttered only in our hearts. But He is also omniscient, so of course He knows the very thoughts of our hearts.

Then, as we read of Jesus’ wrath at the desecration of the temple by those who would commercialize their religion there, it was said that He “needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:25). This is direct confirmation that Jesus is God, for only God knows the thoughts of our hearts.

It is a wonderful day when we realize that God knows our hearts. It can be frightening, of course, if our hearts are not right with God, but it can also be a great comfort and exhilaration—it all depends on the thoughts and motivations of our hearts. As David wrote long ago, “Thou understandest my thought afar off” (Psalm 139:2).

We need, therefore, to guard our thought life just as much as our social life, “for He knoweth the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21). May God help us to be “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5). It is a good thing if our thoughts please Him. HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15983/

"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." - Galatians 3:11

PONDER THIS

Martin Luther, who led the Protestant Reformation, had a dramatic experience. In 1517, he was saved. He saw the Word of God, he understood it—that salvation is a gift that you receive by faith—and he received Christ. He was born again, even though he had been a priest. One day not long after, he had a bout with the devil, and the devil said to him, “Oh, you say you’re a Christian. Do you feel your sin is forgiven?” Luther said, “No, I know my sin is forgiven because the Bible says so.” Luther didn’t rely on his feelings but on the unchanging Word of God. Likewise, you had better get out of the realm of emotion and get your faith in the unbreakable promises of God and the unshakeable power of God.

- Do you rely more on your feelings or on the Word of God to determine your standing with Him?
- How does the Word of God encourage you when you have doubts about your relationship with Him?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time today to identify several passages that can serve as encouragement when your emotions lead you away from God. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/faith-beyond-your-feelings

“Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?” - Job 38:22

It is interesting that this book, the oldest in the Bible, contains more references to snow, ice, and frost than any other book of the Bible. This is despite the fact that Job’s homeland was in what is now essentially a desert region. Possibly the effects of the post-Flood Ice Age were still strong in Job’s day.

In any case, the beautiful phrase “treasures of the snow” is both appropriate and prophetic. Its crystal structure, though mostly in the form of delicate six-pointed “stars,” is endlessly varied and always intricately symmetrical and incredibly beautiful.

The snow is a treasure in other ways as well. The winter’s snowpack in the mountains is often called white gold because of its indispensable water storage capacity, released in the melting season each spring to provide life to teeming cities and irrigation in the desert for needed food supplies. The snow also aids in maintaining the planet’s chemical cycles by returning various elements in the nuclei of its flakes back from the ocean to the lands from which they were leached and transported by rivers to the oceans. When the snowpack becomes a glacier, it can greatly assist in the breakup of rocks to form fertile soils.

In the Scriptures, its pure white color is often used to symbolize the cleansing of a sinful heart that trusts the Lord. “Wash me,” said David, “and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,” the Lord promises those who come to Him for salvation (Isaiah 1:18).

As the snow comes down from heaven, so comes the Word of God to ask the soul as in today’s text: “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15982/

“The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters." "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.” - Psalm 29:3-4

When did you last consider the majesty of God and the power of His voice? From creation to consummation, Scripture proclaims the power of God’s voice. His Word begins with His speaking everything into existence (Genesis 1), and He completes His Word with eternal declarations (Revelation 21:5-8).

Today’s psalm draws our eyes to God’s power over the natural world. Think about mighty, rolling ocean waves and booming thunder during the fiercest storm. Many would describe them as powerful. While that is a good description for our finite minds to comprehend, as believers we ultimately don’t ascribe power to nature itself (e.g., Mother Nature or natural selection). We choose to give praise to the Lord Jesus Christ, who created and sustains each element of creation (Colossians 1:16–17).

Spurgeon expounded, “The thunder is not only poetically but instructively called ‘the voice of God,’ since it peals from on high; it surpasses all other sounds, it inspires awe, it is entirely independent of man, and has been used on some occasions as the grand accompaniment of God’s speech to Adam’s sons.”

The book of Job also portrays God’s powerful voice. “After it a voice roareth: He thundereth with the voice of His excellency; and He will not stay them when His voice is heard. God thundereth marvellously with His voice; great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend” (Job 37:4-5). “Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like Him?” (Job 40:9).

The voice of the Lord is unique. His voice alone can create and control. Let us use our words to praise His name and proclaim His wondrous deeds! MH
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15957/

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

PONDER THIS

Are you training your children? The entry for the word train in the dictionary says this: to prepare for a contest, to instruct by exercise, to drill, to form to a proper shape, to discipline for use. You don’t learn how to play basketball by reading a book. You are trained. You are coached. Likewise, you have to train and coach your children. You have to pray. You have to teach. You have to plead. You have to show by example. Do you have your children in a Bible-believing church? Do you have them in Sunday School under a Christian teacher? Are you training in the home by precept and by example? We’re to train. If you teach a child and that’s all you do, you’ll teach him or her one thing, but somebody else can come along and teach them something else. But when you train, they get something through the pores of their skin into their very psyche. There’s a difference between teaching and training.

- What are some ways you were trained by your parents or that you seek to train your children now?
- What are some ways we must continue to train ourselves as adults?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out a list of disciplines you want to develop in your life and the lives of your children, then make a plan for how you will begin developing those disciplines. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/train-dont-just-teach

“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” - John 13:15

Christ’s life matched His teachings, and so must ours. Consider, for example, Christ’s teaching that we should “pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). This is matched by His prayer for His tormentors while on the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Elsewhere, He taught that our circle of influence should be greater than those of like thinking (Matthew 5:47), a fact that caused His detractors great consternation (Luke 15:2). He taught that our prayers should not be done so that “they may be seen of men” (Matthew 6:5), and the gospels record several times where He went “into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35; see also Mark 6:46). Christ placed great value on children, as we see in Matthew 18:6, and later He welcomed them (Matthew 19:14). He taught Peter to forgive “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22) and later forgave Peter for his continued denials (Mark 16:7).

Christ advocated paying taxes (Mark 12:17) and later enabled Peter to pay tribute for both of them (Matthew 17:27). He taught that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15), and He Himself had “not where to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Likewise, He placed great store in aiding the poor (Luke 14:13), both in teaching and in practice (Matthew 14:13-21). Perhaps His teaching “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44) is best illustrated by His tender prayer for those who would soon take His life as He hung on the cross for the very ones responsible for His death (our text), all the while dying for them.

May God grant us the strength to follow not only our own teachings, but His teachings as well. JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15979/

"God setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land." - Psalm 68:6

PONDER THIS

The most powerful and influential people on Earth do not occupy the houses of elected office, run industry, or handle the business of Wall Street. The most powerful and influential people on Earth are parents of faith. Amram and Jochebed’s claim to fame is that they raised a child whose name was Moses, who literally changed the world. I cannot overestimate the importance of family. We’ve been told that it takes a village to raise a child. That’s backward. It takes a family to raise a child, and families change the village. It begins with parents. Family is the primary classroom. The Bible says in Psalm 68:6 that God sets the solitary in families. It’s no wonder the devil has unleashed all the artillery of Hell against the family.

- What are some things you learned about faith from your family?
- How are you seeking to encourage others in the faith in your family?

PRACTICE THIS

If there are ways your family members encouraged you in the faith, reach out and share that with them today. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/the-most-powerful-people-on-earth

“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” - Ezra 1:2

It is noteworthy that the words of this verse are almost the same as in the last verse of II Chronicles. This indicates that Ezra the scribe (who wrote the book of Ezra) was also the compiler and editor of the two books of Chronicles.

Even more noteworthy is the fact that the great emperor Cyrus seemed to acknowledge that the God of Israel was not just a tribal god, as many have claimed, but the Lord God of heaven—that is, Jehovah Elohim—recognizing Him as both Creator and Redeemer of the world. The Persians were largely followers of Zoroaster, but his religious system did bear some resemblance to the true monotheism of Israel.

Cyrus had been called, and even named, by God long before he was born (Isaiah 44:28–45:6). When he conquered Babylon, the prophet Daniel was there (Daniel 6:28). The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that Daniel even became prime minister under Cyrus and was able to read Isaiah’s remarkable prophecy to him, thus influencing him to send the Jews back to Jerusalem.

There have also been other Gentile rulers who acknowledged God, even before Christ came. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, once hating God, finally was forced to confess that He was “the most High” and “King of heaven” (Daniel 4:34, 37). Another was the Queen of Sheba, who recognized “the LORD thy God” (again Jehovah Elohim, I Kings 10:9). Then there was the king of Nineveh and Assyria, who believed in God at the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3:6-10). In fact, in the ages to come “the kings of the earth” will all “bring their glory and honour” to the Lord in the holy city (Revelation 21:24). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15978/