September 28: Turning the Tables
#Devotional
Zechariah 12:1–14:21; Acts 26:1–32; Job 31:1–8
When Paul presents the gospel before King Agrippa, we expect him to be defensive. But Paul is ready to shift the spotlight. He offers a surprisingly simple explanation of recent events and a testimony of his faith, and then he describes how the resurrection of Jesus changes everything. He deftly turns the tables and gives the king the opportunity to believe.
Paul describes the gospel as something that was intended all along—it is nothing new: “Therefore I have experienced help from God until this day, and I stand here testifying to both small and great saying nothing except what both the prophets and Moses have said were going to happen, that the Christ was to suffer and that as the first of the resurrection from the dead, he was going to proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23).
Paul respectfully tells Agrippa that his testimony should come as no great surprise. Agrippa knows of the Jewish faith, and he has heard about recent events. Now Paul challenges him by presenting him with the only possible explanation—Jesus, the first of the resurrection of the dead, for whose sake Paul is now imprisoned. This faith is consistent with the Jewish belief in God. Now it is not reserved for the Jews, but also available to the Gentiles.
Paul’s words put everyone else in the spotlight. He earns responses from the Roman leaders—a rebuke from Festus (Acts 26:24) and a question from Agrippa: “In a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” Paul responds with faith: “I pray to God, whether in a short time or in a long time, not only you but also all those who are listening to me today may become such people as I also am, except for these bonds!” (Acts 26:29).
His constant witness and his trust in God’s power to turn people’s hearts to Himself give Paul confidence and assurance that his words will bring about a response (Acts 26:18). If a man facing trial can present the gospel so respectfully, when he is most defensive and vulnerable, why can’t we? We should have such courage.
How are you looking for opportunities to witness to others about the hope that is in you?
#Devotional
Zechariah 12:1–14:21; Acts 26:1–32; Job 31:1–8
When Paul presents the gospel before King Agrippa, we expect him to be defensive. But Paul is ready to shift the spotlight. He offers a surprisingly simple explanation of recent events and a testimony of his faith, and then he describes how the resurrection of Jesus changes everything. He deftly turns the tables and gives the king the opportunity to believe.
Paul describes the gospel as something that was intended all along—it is nothing new: “Therefore I have experienced help from God until this day, and I stand here testifying to both small and great saying nothing except what both the prophets and Moses have said were going to happen, that the Christ was to suffer and that as the first of the resurrection from the dead, he was going to proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23).
Paul respectfully tells Agrippa that his testimony should come as no great surprise. Agrippa knows of the Jewish faith, and he has heard about recent events. Now Paul challenges him by presenting him with the only possible explanation—Jesus, the first of the resurrection of the dead, for whose sake Paul is now imprisoned. This faith is consistent with the Jewish belief in God. Now it is not reserved for the Jews, but also available to the Gentiles.
Paul’s words put everyone else in the spotlight. He earns responses from the Roman leaders—a rebuke from Festus (Acts 26:24) and a question from Agrippa: “In a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” Paul responds with faith: “I pray to God, whether in a short time or in a long time, not only you but also all those who are listening to me today may become such people as I also am, except for these bonds!” (Acts 26:29).
His constant witness and his trust in God’s power to turn people’s hearts to Himself give Paul confidence and assurance that his words will bring about a response (Acts 26:18). If a man facing trial can present the gospel so respectfully, when he is most defensive and vulnerable, why can’t we? We should have such courage.
How are you looking for opportunities to witness to others about the hope that is in you?
🕊2
September 28 - The Only Begotten Son
#LifeOfChrist
“‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life’” (John 3:16).
There are no words in human language that can adequately express the magnitude of God’s saving gift to the world. Even the apostle Paul refused to try, declaring this gift to be “indescribable” (2 Cor. 9:15). The Father “gave His only begotten Son”—His unique, one-of-a-kind Son. He is the one of whom He declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17); the one whom He “loves . . . and has given all things into His hand” (John 3:35); the one whom He “highly exalted . . . and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9); the one with whom He had enjoyed intimate fellowship from all eternity (John 1:1). The Father sent Him to die as a sacrifice on behalf of sinful men. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,” wrote Paul, “so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
By “sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). Just as the supreme proof of Abraham’s love for God was his willingness to sacrifice his son (cf. Gen. 22:12, 16–18), so also—but on a far grander scale—the Father’s offering of “His only begotten Son” was the supreme manifestation of His love for lost sinners.
Ask Yourself
The heart of the good news is always worth returning to and reminding ourselves of, causing us to fall down in reverential awe at every fresh glimpse of this astounding grace. As you read this cherished verse of Scripture again, let each word resonate in your spirit. Into your needy heart has come the gift of God’s Son. Never get over it.
#LifeOfChrist
“‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life’” (John 3:16).
There are no words in human language that can adequately express the magnitude of God’s saving gift to the world. Even the apostle Paul refused to try, declaring this gift to be “indescribable” (2 Cor. 9:15). The Father “gave His only begotten Son”—His unique, one-of-a-kind Son. He is the one of whom He declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17); the one whom He “loves . . . and has given all things into His hand” (John 3:35); the one whom He “highly exalted . . . and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9); the one with whom He had enjoyed intimate fellowship from all eternity (John 1:1). The Father sent Him to die as a sacrifice on behalf of sinful men. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,” wrote Paul, “so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
By “sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). Just as the supreme proof of Abraham’s love for God was his willingness to sacrifice his son (cf. Gen. 22:12, 16–18), so also—but on a far grander scale—the Father’s offering of “His only begotten Son” was the supreme manifestation of His love for lost sinners.
Ask Yourself
The heart of the good news is always worth returning to and reminding ourselves of, causing us to fall down in reverential awe at every fresh glimpse of this astounding grace. As you read this cherished verse of Scripture again, let each word resonate in your spirit. Into your needy heart has come the gift of God’s Son. Never get over it.
❤3
In Christ, you:
1. were given grace before the world was created,
2. were chosen by God before creation,
3. are loved by God with an inseparable love,
4. were forgiven of all your sins,
5. are justified before God, and
6. have become a son of God.
1. were given grace before the world was created,
2. were chosen by God before creation,
3. are loved by God with an inseparable love,
4. were forgiven of all your sins,
5. are justified before God, and
6. have become a son of God.
❤4
Dear Christians,
In times of peace—Christ
In times of trouble—Christ
In every storm—Christ
When days are long—Christ
When nights are longer—Christ
In every season—Christ
In all of life—Christ
In final breath—Christ
For all eternity—Christ
Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ.
In times of peace—Christ
In times of trouble—Christ
In every storm—Christ
When days are long—Christ
When nights are longer—Christ
In every season—Christ
In all of life—Christ
In final breath—Christ
For all eternity—Christ
Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ.
❤5
“The first use of [the Law], without question, is to convince the world of sin. By this is the sinner discovered to himself. All his fig-leaves are torn away, and he sees that he is ‘wretched and poor and miserable, blind and naked.’” —John Wesley
❤6
Reincarnation isn’t real.
When you die, you don’t come back. Either Heaven or Hell becomes your eternal home. Knowing or not knowing Jesus determines where.
When you die, you don’t come back. Either Heaven or Hell becomes your eternal home. Knowing or not knowing Jesus determines where.
Final Days — Storehouse (Sep 28–30)
September 28 (Monday)
Dear Daughter,
Joseph stored grain not for the feast years, but for the famine he couldn't yet see.
What you build into your marriage now — trust, prayer habits, honest communication — is storehouse for a harder season ahead.
Store now what you'll need later.
'Joseph stored up grain in great abundance' (Gen 41:49).
What are you storing in your marriage now for a winter you can't yet see?
#DearDaughter #MondayReset #StrongMarriage
September 28 (Monday)
Dear Daughter,
Joseph stored grain not for the feast years, but for the famine he couldn't yet see.
What you build into your marriage now — trust, prayer habits, honest communication — is storehouse for a harder season ahead.
Store now what you'll need later.
'Joseph stored up grain in great abundance' (Gen 41:49).
What are you storing in your marriage now for a winter you can't yet see?
#DearDaughter #MondayReset #StrongMarriage
❤2
🌱 3 days left to sow.
What you plant now, you reap later — Stewardship and Faithful Living begins October 1.
Get rooted before week 1: time, money, body, eternity, all through Scripture.
Join @StudyBibleFam today.
🔗 t.me/StudyBibleFam
What you plant now, you reap later — Stewardship and Faithful Living begins October 1.
Get rooted before week 1: time, money, body, eternity, all through Scripture.
Join @StudyBibleFam today.
🔗 t.me/StudyBibleFam
❤5
Sep 28 (Mon)
New week, fresh vision! 🌟💪 Let this Monday be filled with renewed pursuit of Christ together! Isa 40:31 ❤️
What vision do you carry for your marriage this week? #StrongMarriage #September
New week, fresh vision! 🌟💪 Let this Monday be filled with renewed pursuit of Christ together! Isa 40:31 ❤️
What vision do you carry for your marriage this week? #StrongMarriage #September
👍6
Dear Christians,
Remember these 4 truths always:
1. God’s throne is in heaven—none can usurp it (Ps11:4)
2. God’s power is matchless—none can withstand it (2Chron20:6)
3. God has a plan—no one can stop it (Is14:27)
4. God is good & upright—He can be trusted (Ps25:8,Prv3:5-6)
Remember these 4 truths always:
1. God’s throne is in heaven—none can usurp it (Ps11:4)
2. God’s power is matchless—none can withstand it (2Chron20:6)
3. God has a plan—no one can stop it (Is14:27)
4. God is good & upright—He can be trusted (Ps25:8,Prv3:5-6)
❤7
The Enneagram has become strangely comfortable in Christian circles.
But Christians should be cautious about using a system with dubious spiritual origins to tell us who we are.
Scripture already tells us who we are, why we sin, what needs to change, and how transformation happens.
We don't need nine personality types to explain the human heart.
We need God's Word.
But Christians should be cautious about using a system with dubious spiritual origins to tell us who we are.
Scripture already tells us who we are, why we sin, what needs to change, and how transformation happens.
We don't need nine personality types to explain the human heart.
We need God's Word.
❤2
I've heard this testimony so many times lately from teens & young adults:
"Social media had me convinced that I was gay or trans. However, I started following Jesus and reading my Bible and realized I was believing a lie!"
God's Truth is always better than the world's lies!
"Social media had me convinced that I was gay or trans. However, I started following Jesus and reading my Bible and realized I was believing a lie!"
God's Truth is always better than the world's lies!
❤3
“Progressive Christianity” is usually code language for compromising on old sin.
Stick to Biblical Christianity.
Stick to Biblical Christianity.
❤1
We are all insane until we come to Christ. It’s only then that we receive a “sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
🔥2
For we wrestle not, against flesh and blood.
Ephesians 6:12
Very clearly.
Ephesians 6:12
Very clearly.
❤3
September 29: Rebuilding Is Not Always Wise
#Devotional
Malachi 1:1–2:9; Acts 27:1–44; Job 31:9–22
Who can rebuild what Yahweh tears down? The prophets articulate this message again and again. Yahweh tears down evil things; evil people rebuild them; the prophets insist that He will just tear them down again. God tolerates evil for a time, waiting for people to repent, but when His patience is up, it’s up.
“ ‘I have loved you,’ says Yahweh, but you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Is Esau not Jacob’s brother?’ declares Yahweh. ‘I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. I have made his mountain ranges a desolation, and given his inheritance to the jackals of the desert.’ If Edom says, ‘We are shattered, but we will return and rebuild the ruins,’ Yahweh of hosts says this: ‘They may build, but I will tear down; and they will be called a territory of wickedness, and the people with whom Yahweh is angry forever.’ Your eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘Yahweh is great beyond the borders of Israel’ ” (Mal 1:2–5).
This scene seems brutal upon first reading. If you’re on Jacob’s side, you’re fine—Yahweh loves you even though you don’t acknowledge it. But if you’re on Esau’s (Edom’s) side, you’re left wondering why God hates you so much—unless you know the backstory: Edom ravaged the lands of God’s people and committed atrocities against them in their greatest time of need. When foreign nations invaded Israel, Edom preyed on its brothers instead of coming to their defense. This is the reason for Yahweh’s anger—and why He will tear down whatever Edom builds.
How often do we try to excuse ourselves as Edom did—to defend our behavior as justifiable retribution for previous offenses? What does God think about the state of our hearts and the actions we take against others as a result?
#Devotional
Malachi 1:1–2:9; Acts 27:1–44; Job 31:9–22
Who can rebuild what Yahweh tears down? The prophets articulate this message again and again. Yahweh tears down evil things; evil people rebuild them; the prophets insist that He will just tear them down again. God tolerates evil for a time, waiting for people to repent, but when His patience is up, it’s up.
“ ‘I have loved you,’ says Yahweh, but you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Is Esau not Jacob’s brother?’ declares Yahweh. ‘I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. I have made his mountain ranges a desolation, and given his inheritance to the jackals of the desert.’ If Edom says, ‘We are shattered, but we will return and rebuild the ruins,’ Yahweh of hosts says this: ‘They may build, but I will tear down; and they will be called a territory of wickedness, and the people with whom Yahweh is angry forever.’ Your eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘Yahweh is great beyond the borders of Israel’ ” (Mal 1:2–5).
This scene seems brutal upon first reading. If you’re on Jacob’s side, you’re fine—Yahweh loves you even though you don’t acknowledge it. But if you’re on Esau’s (Edom’s) side, you’re left wondering why God hates you so much—unless you know the backstory: Edom ravaged the lands of God’s people and committed atrocities against them in their greatest time of need. When foreign nations invaded Israel, Edom preyed on its brothers instead of coming to their defense. This is the reason for Yahweh’s anger—and why He will tear down whatever Edom builds.
How often do we try to excuse ourselves as Edom did—to defend our behavior as justifiable retribution for previous offenses? What does God think about the state of our hearts and the actions we take against others as a result?
❤3
September 29 - The Offer of Salvation
#LifeOfChrist
“‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him’” (John 3:16–17).
God’s gracious gift of salvation is freely available to whoever believes in Christ. The free offer of the gospel is broad enough to encompass the vilest sinner (1 Tim. 1:15), yet narrow enough to exclude all who reject Christ (John 3:18). But to those who come to Him on His terms, Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37)—they will never perish.
To “perish” is to face God’s eternal judgment. It is true that “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world.” Jesus Himself declared in John 12:47, “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” Yes, God will ultimately judge those who reject His Son, but this was not the mission of the Son in His first coming.
Furthermore, the point of Jesus’ coming was not to redeem Israel and condemn the Gentiles, “but that the world might be saved through Him.” God’s gracious offer of salvation extended beyond Israel to all mankind. Once again, Nicodemus should have known this, for in the Abrahamic covenant God declared, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Gentile salvation was always God’s purpose.
Ask Yourself
Are you ever troubled that your salvation is perhaps still in doubt, eligible for recall if you don’t toe a certain line or achieve a base level of righteousness? Take heart in the promise that coming to Christ equates to never being “cast out.”
#LifeOfChrist
“‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him’” (John 3:16–17).
God’s gracious gift of salvation is freely available to whoever believes in Christ. The free offer of the gospel is broad enough to encompass the vilest sinner (1 Tim. 1:15), yet narrow enough to exclude all who reject Christ (John 3:18). But to those who come to Him on His terms, Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37)—they will never perish.
To “perish” is to face God’s eternal judgment. It is true that “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world.” Jesus Himself declared in John 12:47, “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” Yes, God will ultimately judge those who reject His Son, but this was not the mission of the Son in His first coming.
Furthermore, the point of Jesus’ coming was not to redeem Israel and condemn the Gentiles, “but that the world might be saved through Him.” God’s gracious offer of salvation extended beyond Israel to all mankind. Once again, Nicodemus should have known this, for in the Abrahamic covenant God declared, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Gentile salvation was always God’s purpose.
Ask Yourself
Are you ever troubled that your salvation is perhaps still in doubt, eligible for recall if you don’t toe a certain line or achieve a base level of righteousness? Take heart in the promise that coming to Christ equates to never being “cast out.”
❤3🔥3
DAY 29: Why does Paul use the word “mystery” so often in his letter to the Ephesians?
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-09-29
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-09-29
Telegraph
DAILY BIBLE
Reading for Today: Isaiah 49:1–50:11 Psalm 112:1-4 Proverbs 26:13-15 Ephesians 1:1-23 Notes: Isaiah 49:8 acceptable time…day of salvation. The Messiah is represented as asking for the grace of God to be given to sinners. God gives His favorable answer in…
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