RELIGIOUS STRIFE

Today's promise: God is a refuge for the oppressed

Religious strife

"I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things."

Isaiah 45:7 NLT

Extinguishing Protestantism in France

"The Wars of Religion began in France in 1562 between the Roman Catholics and the French Protestants called Huguenots. Though he had to convert to Catholicism to ascend to the throne, Henry IV did not forget his Huguenot roots, and in 1598 issued the Edict of Nantes, which gave the Huguenots freedom of religion, civil equality, and fair administration of justice — the first time freedom was granted to two religions to coexist in a nation.

Louis XIV shared none of his grandfather's empathy for the Huguenots, and on October 18, 1685, he revoked the Edict of Nantes. All Huguenot worship and education were forbidden, and all Huguenot churches were either destroyed or turned into Catholic churches.

Mounted soldiers were housed in the homes of Huguenots. The troops were given license to do anything they pleased, short of murder, leading to horrendous acts of torture and humiliation.

Of the 1.5 million Huguenots living in France in 1660, over the next decades 400,000 risked their lives by escaping across the guarded borders into countries across Europe. Many also fled to the American colonies.

At the height of the Reformation nearly half of the population of France was Huguenot. But as a result of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the intense persecution that followed, today less than one percent of the French share the faith of the Huguenots, making France a mission field for the gospel."

Adapted from The One Year^® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale) pp 584-5

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

EXILES IN A FOREIGN LAND

Today's promise: God is a refuge for the oppressed

Exiles in a foreign land

"Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our lyres, hanging them on the branches of the willow trees. For there our captors demanded a song of us. Our tormentors requested a joyful hymn: "Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!" But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?"

Psalm 137:1-4 NLT

Your Babylon

In captivity in Babylon, the Jews wept for their homeland and prayed for the day when they might return. But when the day of their release from captivity finally came and they were allowed to return, only about fifty thousand (out of hundreds of thousands) made the trek back to Jerusalem. Why?

For one thing, some of the Jews were making a good living in Babylon — a better living than their fathers had made in Jerusalem. Others had married Babylonian spouses and become assimilated into Babylonian culture. They had forgotten Jerusalem. Can you blame them? Seventy years of captivity is a long time.

Whatever the reason, some of the Jews weren't like the writer of Psalm 137, which apparently was written shortly after their return from exile.

The Bible speaks of hea ven as our Jerusalem and suggests that where we are now living is Babylon on earth.

How comfortable are you in your Babylon? How are you faring there? Have you forgotten that you, too, are an exile, a pilgrim in a foreign land? What are you looking ahead to?

From The One Year® Book of Psalms with devotionals by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen (Tyndale) entry for November 11

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

FINDING SHELTER

Today's promise: God is a refuge for the oppressed

Finding shelter

"You are loving and kind to thousands, though children suffer for their parents' sins. You are the great and powerful God, the Lord Almighty."

Jeremiah 32:18 NLT

The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 9:9 NLT

About this week's promise:

It isn't fair that we should suffer for our father's or grandfather's sins, or that innocent people be crippled by drunk drivers, or that millions starve because of corrupt governments. But all these things are realities in a world ruined by sin.

What can we do? We can recognize unfairness and injustice as facts of life (which is not the same as calling them acceptable). We can also determine to live in a way that is just and fair; with God's help, we can rise above the corruption.

The abused need not become abusers, and the impoverished need not live in moral poverty. Unbelieving parents need not inflict their despair and hard hearts upon their children.

Ask God to show you how to be a light and a welcome relief in an unjust world.

From the TouchPoint Bible with commentaries by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 663

For more on this week's topic, check these Tyndale resources:

The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie (2005)
Holding on to Hope by Nancy Guthrie (2002)
The North Face of God by Ken Gire (2005)

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

JUST AS I AM

Today's promise: God forgives all sins, no matter how big

Just as I Am

"Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God I come! I come!"

Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871)

A simple invitation

"The simple message of the song 'Just as I Am' was so popular in the early days of Billy Graham's evangelistic crusades that it became a regular part of the response to each appeal to make a public commitment for Christ.

Charlotte Elliott seemed to have everything going for her as a young woman. She was gifted as a portrait artist and also a writer of humorous verse. Then in her early thirties she suffered a serious illness that left her weak and depressed. During her illness a noted minister, Dr. Caesar Malan of Switzerland, came to visit her. Noticing her depression, he asked if she had peace with God. She resented the question and said she did not want to talk about it.

But a few days later she went to apologize to Dr. Malan. She said that she wanted to clean up some things in her life before becoming a Christian. Malan looked at her and answered, 'Come just as you are.' That was enough for Charlotte Elliot, and she yielded herself to the Lord that day.

Fourteen years later, remembering those words spoken to her by Caesar Malan in Brighton, England, she wrote this simple hymn that has been used to touch the hearts of millions who have responded to Christ's invitation to come just as they are."

from The One Year Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown (Tyndale) entry for June 22

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

GOD'S FORGIVENESS IS COMPLETE

Today's promise: God forgives all sins, no matter how big

God's forgiveness is complete

"I — yes, I alone — am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again."

Isaiah 43:25 NLT

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

1 John 1:8-10 NLT

The inexcusable bit

"If you had a perfect excuse you would not need forgiveness; if the whole of your action needs forgiveness then there was no excuse for it. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses. What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some "extenuating circumstances." We are so very anxi ous to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don't cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable.

…What we have got to take to him is the inexcusable bit, the sin. We are only wasting time by talking about all the parts which can (we think) be excused. When you go to a doctor you show him the bit that is wrong — say, a broken arm. It would be a mere waste of time to keep on explaining that your legs and eyes and throat are all right. You may be mistaken in thinking so; and anyway, if they are really all right, the doctor will know that."

C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, "On Forgiveness" (1947), quoted in The Quotable Lewis by Jerry Root and Wayne Martindale (Tyndale) p 220

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHY WOULD GOD WANT TO FORGIVE?

Today's promise: God forgives all sins, no matter how big

Why would God want to forgive?

"I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth — blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives. And anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. There will be people on Mount Zion in Jerusalem who escape, just as the Lord has said. These will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called."

Joel 2:30-32 NLT

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.

1 John 1:8-9 NLT

Bound by His Word

"Why would God want to forgive people who have spent a lifetime denying him and hurting him? Why doesn't he just zap them? In our humanity we say that certain people don't deserve forgiveness. In his sovereignty and perfect  love. God says, "I love and forgive those who, to others, appear unsalvageable." This is just one of the ways in which God's thoughts are beyond our own. His mercy is so overwhelming that it can seem unreasonable to us. Are you willing to let God's mercy do as it wishes — with anyone?¹

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If His conditions are met, God is bound by His Word to forgive any man or any woman of any sin because of Christ.

Billy Graham²

¹from the TouchPoint Bible with commentaries by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 760
²quoted in Wise Words & Quotes by Vernon McLellan (Tyndale) p 102

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

A PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS AND MERCY

Today's promise: God forgives all sins, no matter how big

A prayer for forgiveness and mercy

Nothing can ever separate us from His love…

Romans 8:38 NLT

For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins… Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. O, save me from them all! Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins.

Psalm 25:11, 16-18 NLT

Like dominoes…

Have you ever felt as though the problems in your life were like a series of dominoes? One domino falls down, and it sets off a chain reaction that knocks down the rest of the dominoes. David felt that his problems were going from bad to worse — his enemies had surrounded him, waiting for his ultimate demise. David could see no way out. But even in his despair, he knew there was one whom he could always trust to help him. He turned to God, confessed his sins, asked for forgiveness, and pleaded for mercy.

When we are separated from God because of our sins, we need to repent and ask for forgiveness. Then, with a clean heart, we can come before him and ask for help. He will hear and answer us "for the honor of his name."

A prayer for today:

Dear God, for the honor of your name, please forgive my many, many sins and have mercy on me…

from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers Bruce Barton, general editor (Tyndale) entry for October 10

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House