Grace to You: Strength For Today Daily Devotional

• God Is Holy
  

  “There is no one holy like the Lord.”
  - 1 Samuel 2:2
  
  

  God’s holiness means He transcends everything else and is completely righteous and separated from evil.

  Holiness is arguably God’s most significant attribute. The angels don’t sing, “Eternal, eternal, eternal” or “Faithful, faithful, faithful” or “Mighty, mighty, mighty.” Rather, they sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty” (Rev. 4:8; compare Isa. 6:3). His holiness sums up all He is. The psalmist says, “Holy and awesome is His name” (Ps. 111:9). Moses sings, “Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” (Ex. 15:11). And Hannah prays, “There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed, there is no one besides Thee, nor is there any rock like our God” (1 Sam. 2:2).

  What does it mean that God is holy? The words translated “holy” in the Bible have the root meaning of “separation.” God’s being and character transcend everything else. He is not subject to the frailties and limitations of His creation. God is completely without sin. He does not just conform to a holy standard; He is the standard.

  God’s righteousness is related to His holiness. Holiness is the standard, and righteousness is its active fulfillment. Or you might say His holiness is His complete separation from all that is sinful, and His righteousness is the manifestation of that holiness.

  David understood how holy and righteous God is. He says, “The Lord is righteous in all His ways” (Ps. 145:17), and “Thy righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, Thou who hast done great things; O God, who is like Thee?” (Ps. 71:19). Sadly, many today completely misunderstand God’s righteousness. If they really understood how holy God is, do you think they would live the way they do? But they ignore God’s standard, thinking He won’t really judge them because they’re basically good people. But “God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day” toward the wicked (Ps. 7:11). Since God is holy, the penalty for any sin—however small that sin might seem—is death (Rom. 6:23). Don’t let the world corrupt your view of God. Don’t treat your sin lightly. Instead, confess it, forsake it, and seek to please a holy God.

  Suggestions for Prayer:
  Ask that you would have the same righteous hatred of sin that God does.

  For Further Study:
  Read the Book of Habakkuk. What are the prophet’s questions? What are God’s answers? Study in detail Habakkuk’s response in chapter 3.

  
  
  From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

  Additional Resources
  • Free Sermon Downloads
  • Strength for Today
  • NAS MacArthur Study Bible (Hardcover)
  
  

Chuck Swindoll's Daily Devotional

• Humble Reliance
  by Charles R. Swindoll Read Acts 9:28–31 Wasn't it a waste of great talent for God to put Paul on hold? Not at all. Wasn't Tarsus a strange assignment? Not if He wanted him to be prepared to write the...
  
• The Value of Others
  by Charles R. Swindoll Read Acts 9:28–31 The Message, Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, wraps up this part of the narrative nicely: "Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the...
  
• Son of Encouragement
  by Charles R. Swindoll Read Acts 9:26–30 The disciples feared Saul. They couldn't bring themselves to believe he was a disciple. "But Barnabas . . . " Isn't that a great opening? Out of nowhere comes Barnabas to encourage Saul...
  
• A Lesser Known
  by Charles R. Swindoll Read Acts 9:26–30 Act two of the drama opens with, "When he came to Jerusalem . . . " (v. 26). Jerusalem! Saul owned Jerusalem. He went to graduate school in that great town. I mean,...
  
• Slow Down!
  by Charles R. Swindoll Read Galatians 1:11–17 Part of the solution is to pursue the benefits of solitude and silence found in times of obscurity. For the first time in seven years, I took six weeks off one summer. No...
  

RSS | My Utmost For His Highest

• Spiritual Dejection
  

  We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened —Luke 24:21

  Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of…

  
  
• Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (2)
  

  I am already being poured out as a drink offering . . . —2 Timothy 4:6

  Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your…

  
  
• Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (1)
  

  If I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all—Philippians 2:17

  Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer—to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, “I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don’t want God to tell me how to serve Him.…

  
  
• The Compelling Majesty of His Power
  

  The love of Christ compels us . . . —2 Corinthians 5:14

  Paul said that he was overpowered, subdued, and held as in a vise by “the love of Christ.” Very few of us really know what it means to be held in the grip of the love of God. We tend so often to be controlled simply by our own experience.…

  
  
• Becoming the “Filth of the World”
  

  We have been made as the filth of the world . . . —1 Corinthians 4:13

  These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves…

  
  

Our Daily Bread

• Consider The Source
  

  I love cinnamon. I love cinnamon rolls, cinnamon graham crackers, cinnamon candies, cinnamon toast, cinnamon apples, and cinnamon pretzels. Cinnamon is one of those spices that makes other things taste better. However, it never crossed my mind to think about where cinnamon comes from. Then, on a recent trip to Sri Lanka, I learned that 90 percent of all the cinnamon in the world comes from that island nation located in the Indian Ocean. For all of the cinnamon I’ve enjoyed over the years, I never stopped to consider its source.

  
  
• Making Music
  

  On a lovely summer evening, a capacity crowd gathered in a beautiful outdoor venue for a concert by one of my college friends. It happened to be his birthday, so the emcee hinted that we might want to sing “Happy Birthday” to him. One by one, people started singing, each in a different key, each at a different tempo. As the jumble of notes and words joined together, the result was, well, less than harmonic. It wasn’t even melodious. It was in fact downright pitiful. When my friend took the stage, he gave us another chance. He didn’t give us the pitch, but he did give us a downbeat, so at least we were singing together. By the end of the song most people were somewhat close to the same key.

  
  
• A Story Is Told Book
  

  Stories have a way of bringing deeper understanding to many things in life. Some are humorous. Some are emotional. And some simply provide information. In the book A Story Is Told: Inspiring Stories and Illustrations from Our Daily Bread, you’ll find a compilation of 300 narratives that reflect biblical truths in the context of everyday living. Gain insight and fresh perspective on God’s Word in a way that you can easily share with others.

  To get your copy of this book, simply fill out the form to the right and submit it along with your gift of any amount.

  If you prefer to send your gift by check, just fill out and print the form and mail it to this address:

  Our Daily Bread Radio
  Dept. OR
  Grand Rapids, MI 49555

  
  
• Six Degrees Of Separation
  

  Eighty years ago, Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy wrote a short story he called “Chain-Links,” in which he proposed the idea that any two individuals in the world are connected through, at most, five acquaintances. The thesis has been revived today and is usually described as “Six Degrees of Separation.” It’s an unproven theory, of course. But there is a dynamic at work that links us to others around the world: It is the wisdom and providence of God working through His Word to accomplish His will.

  
  
• Pleading The Lord’s Cause
  

  Charles Finney, a 29-year-old lawyer, was concerned about his soul’s salvation. On October 10, 1821, he retreated to a wooded area near his home for a time of prayer. While there, he had a profound conversion experience. He wrote: “The Holy Spirit . . . seemed to go through me, body and soul. . . . Indeed it seemed to come in waves of liquid love.”