Sixty-Six Devotions from Sixty-Six Great Books

By Perryn A. Rice

book description coming soon

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781493110476

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Copyright © 2013 by Perryn A. Rice.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

Rev. date: 10/16/2013

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The fire and wood are here, Isaac said, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered, God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. And the two of them went on together. (Genesis 22:7c-8)

These verses are a part of a well-known story about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son because he was obedient to God. I enjoy reading this complete text, but these two verses spoke to me for this particular devotion. This story ends with an angel stopping Abraham from sacrificing his son. Instead, a ram is found nearby, and Abraham sacrifices it to God. What is often lost in this story is not that God provided, but when God provided. What is also lost is Abraham’s demeanor while he waited for the when. In this story, the when didn’t come for a long time. Abraham continued living and working while waiting for the when. Listen, God does provide. God provides everything that you need. But God’s schedule may not look like yours. God could have provided the ram at any time other than when Isaac was lying on the altar about to be killed by his father, Abraham, but that was when God provided. Perhaps you have been waiting on a when from God, and it’s taking a long time. Your when will come. You need to keep the type of demeanor that Abraham displayed. Many people give up on everything and everyone while they are waiting for their when. That’s not how faith operates. You must continue to do as the Lord has empowered you, believing that your when will come according to God’s time and plan. Remain hopeful and keep on living for the Lord. And remember—God does provide.

I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ (Exodus 16:12)

Do you ever wonder if God gets tired of proving things to us? Shouldn’t the regular daily occurrences be enough for us to believe God’s existence and believe in God’s abilities? Of course, they should. All the beauties of nature should be enough. But that’s not the case. This verse is taken from the Exodus narrative to show us a reason why God does things that bless us, Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. What’s so saddening about this verse is that the Israelites grumbled. After receiving their freedom, watching the Egyptian army perish, and drinking sweet water to quench their thirst, they still had something to grumble about. It’s not good for Christians to complain (see Philippians 2:14-16). The Lord knows all of our needs before we do. It would be good for us to remember this. Before we begin complaining and grumbling over what we don’t have or can’t do, God has always known about it. Our grumbling and complaining can give the appearance that our God has failed to provide, when we may not yet have witnessed the manifestation of God’s provision with that specific condition. Our immediate impatience will cause us to complain about something that may be unfolding. The Lord hears all—even our complaints. And the Lord doesn’t deserve that from us. We should be faithful, reverent, and trusting. But when the blessing comes and the complaints and grumblings swiftly and softly fade away, then you will know that I am the Lord your God, says the Almighty. And that’s why we’re blessed.

You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. (Leviticus 20:26)

Leviticus is a difficult book for many of us. We struggle with the numerous rules and restrictions primarily because we quickly look at this book through a twenty-first-century lens which causes us to miss the primary purpose of the book. This verse comes from a passage that gives another (not opposing) reason for Israel to possess the Promised Land: the current occupants have done terrible things before the Lord. The definitive instruction for Israel is to be different from those who possessed the land before them. You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. How should we look at this today? Should people be able to tell the difference between the Christians and others? Absolutely! There should be evidence exuding from your life that exposes you as a Christian. And you should be okay with that exposé. Does this mean we should only have contact with Christians? No, that’s not what it means. But if we are to be holy to the Lord because the Lord is holy, we are going to act differently in this world. First Peter 2:9 declares, You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God… Don’t be ashamed of sticking out among people. You are not designed or purposed to blend in. You are to be holy as the Lord is holy. You can love unconditionally too. You can be faithful too. You can be trustworthy too. You can stand up and speak out for the weak and helpless too. You can give with passion too. You can forgive those who have hurt you and those who have hurt others too. Why can you? Why should you? You are to be holy to the Lord, that’s why.

We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. (Numbers 13:33)

How’s your self-esteem doing today? How are you feeling about yourself and your abilities today? Many of us who suffer from low self-esteem do so from an other person perspective. Yeah. We look at ourselves through the eyes of someone else. We make a judgment on ourselves based on what we perceive someone else thinks or feels. Moses sent spies into Canaan before the children of Israel were to occupy the land. Twelve were sent, and twelve returned. All agreed that the land was filled with promise and splendor. All agreed that the land was filled with people, some of great size. Ten of the twelve believed that they could conquer the land that God had promised because of the giants who occupied it. They said, We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. Let me share what David said to God, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). You can be a confident person because you were confidently made! Stop interpreting yourself with false translations. It is okay to ask a trusted person about some things you are doing and planning, but you should never allow