‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these’” (Mark 10:13–14).
• Reflect on Jesus, who felt the full force of God’s anger on the cross as he took our sins upon himself.
• Praise God that because of Jesus, we will never experience the anger of God.
Animal-lover
But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”
—Jonah 4:10–11
• Jonah hated the people of Nineveh and everything about them, and he was peeved that God would show them any kindness. It seems Jonah had a heart two sizes too small. He cared for no living thing in the Assyrian capital of Nineveh.
• The psalmist said, “the earth is full of your creatures” (Ps 104:24) and “these all look to you to give them their food at the proper time” (Ps 104:27) and “The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God” (Ps 104:21).
• Too often in our world, we see animals only as “resources” to do with as we please, not as God’s creations intended to glorify him.
• God cares for cows as well as people. Although not created in his image as we are, animals still have worth and should be treated with respect, whether kept as pets, raised for food, or admired in the wild.
• Proverbs 12:10a says, “A righteous man cares for the need of his animal.”
• Praise God for his love and caring for animals.
Anointer
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
—2 Cor 1:21–22
• Old Testament kings and high priests were anointed to signify God’s blessing and set them apart for his service in a special way. Oil was poured on their heads, trickling down their faces and beards.
• Similarly, believers in Jesus Christ are said to be anointed in a figurative way, having been set apart by God for the work he has prepared for us to do. His favor is poured on our heads, just as these verses indicate.
• Praise God, who makes us stand firm in our faith, gives us his indwelling presence, and sets his special mark of ownership upon us. How blessed is every child of God!
Approachable One
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
—Eph 3:12
• Sometimes we feel unworthy to approach someone famous or important, if only because we don’t want to bother them. At other times the rich and the famous make it clear that they do not want to be approached.
• Even though none is greater, richer, more famous, or more important than God, he is approachable.
• Even though the Lord “lives in unapproachable light,” we are invited to enter (1 Tim 6:16). Because we are his children through faith in Christ, we are urged to “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb 4:16).
• Praise God for his approachability, and praise Jesus, who opened up a way for us to come into the presence of God without fear.
Arm-strengthener
I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.
—Ezek 30:25
• Many a boy has sought to build up his physique by lifting weights. We may be able to build up our arm muscles, but we are powerless to make the arms of others strong. We may long to be able to help strengthen the weak, but it is not within our power.
• What we cannot do, God can. If he wants a king to succeed and overcome his foe, he can make it happen. If he wants to make a strong person weak so he is unable to defend himself, he can just say the word, and it comes to pass.
• Praise God for his ability to make the weak strong, enabling the weakest of us to be strong enough to overcome every challenge or obstacle according to his good pleasure and purpose.
Arouser of the Wicked
The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites.
—2 Chr 21:16
• King Jehoram forsook the Lord, so the Lord punished him by arousing enemies to attack him.
• We may attempt, at times, to control people by manipulating them, but in the end, we are ultimately unable to control people or make them do what we want.
• Praise God that even wicked kings and nations must submit and do his bidding when he gives the command.
• Praise God, who has the last word in all things: “The Lord works out everything for his own ends—even the wicked for a day of disaster” (Prov 16:4).
• Reflect on the truth that sometimes God uses an unsaved person in our lives to teach us a needed lesson. Then praise God for his ability to direct all things to his will.
Attitude-changer
For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.
—Ezra 6:22
• After the destruction of the temple in 586 BC and the seventy-year exile, faithful Israelites returned to Jerusalem only to be met with the daunting task of rebuilding the temple in the face of opposition and limited resources. No problem. God simply prompted the king of the world-dominant nation to lend a helping hand.
• Many people struggle to change their attitude even when they know they should. How much more challenging is it to change the attitudes of others! Yet for God, this is child’s play; he has the ability to change the attitude of anyone he chooses. What an amazing ability! What an amazing God!
• Praise God for his ability to change attitudes—mine as well as the attitudes of others in my life.
Author
You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
—Acts 3:15
• Some writers receive large advances to write because they are either famous (retiring presidents, for example) or are already proven, successful authors.
• God is an author. He doesn’t write books (although he did write one bestseller); rather, he is the author of something far greater. He is the author of life itself. What he “created” was not a work of fiction or history but life itself.
• Praise God, the author of life, who, ironically, chose to die so that dying people could have eternal life. Incredible!
Avenger
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
—Nah 1:2
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them”