Old Testament reading: 1 Kings 17-18
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” I’m certain Newton didn’t have today’s reading in mind when proposing his third law of motion, but I couldn’t help but think of it as I pondered today’s reading. Yesterday’s Old Testament reading introduced us to Ahab, one of the sorriest characters to ever live. Conversely, today’s reading introduces us to Elijah, one of the greatest men to ever grace the earth. In Elijah we are reminded that God always has an adequate answer to all evil. When wicked men made themselves a pestilence to humanity, God raised up faithful men to call them back to the Lord. Elijah was God’s answer to the wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel. Like Elijah, Christians should always serve to call wicked men at the highest levels to repent and turn to God. Chapter 18 contains one of the great events in the life of God’s man Elijah. Following God’s miraculous intervention at Mount Carmel, I am told that the chant of the people, “The Lord, He is God” (18:39), would have sounded much like the name of Elijah, God’s champion. What a magnificent image! To think of God’s name echoing off the mountains and through the valleys as it was shouted and chanted by God’s people! One day the rest of the world will join us in declaring that “Jesus is Lord!” at the great Judgment scene. But for most, this confession will come too late to have any efficacy for their souls.
New Testament reading: Acts 3-4
“The foundation of the Lord is sure, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim 2:19). Who may rightly be called a believer? In Acts 4:4, the text says that many of those who heard the word believed, and the number came to be about 5000 men. Who are these who believed and were considered part of the number? Can they be any different from those who responded as did the 3000 in Acts 2:36-47 by receiving the message of the gospel and being baptized? Throughout the book of Acts, “those who believed” (Acts 2:44) is synonymous with those who had been baptized in response to hearing and believing the gospel (Acts 2:37-41). The demons are said to believe (James 2:19), but they are not believers! You may believe, but are you a believer?
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