DN The Sustaining Power of Christ 12/9/2007

DRAWING NEAR

December 9

The Sustaining Power of Christ


"[Christ] upholds all things by the word of His power" (Heb.1:3).

Christ, by His almighty power, holds together all creation.

We base our entire lives on the constancy of physical laws. When
something like an earthquake disrupts the normal condition or
operation of things even a little, the consequences are often
disastrous. Can you imagine what would happen if Jesus Christ
relinquished His sustaining power over the laws of the universe for
it is He in whom "all things hold together" (Col. 1:17)? We would go
out of existence, our atoms scattering throughout the galaxy.

If He suspended the laws of gravity only for a brief moment, we would
lose all points of reference. If any of the physical laws varied
slightly, we could not exist. Our food could turn to poison; we
ourselves could drift out into space or get flooded by the ocean
tides. Countless other horrible things could happen.

But the universe remains in balance because Jesus Christ sustains and
monitors all its movements and interworkings. He is the principle of
cohesion. He is not the deist's "watchmaker" creator, who made the
world, set it in motion, and has not bothered with it since. The
reason the universe is a cosmos instead of chaos--an ordered and
reliable system instead of an erratic and unpredictable muddle--is
the upholding power of Jesus Christ.

The entire universe hangs on the arm of Jesus. His unsearchable
wisdom and boundless power are manifested in governing the universe.
And He upholds it all by the word of His power. The key to the
Genesis creation is in two words: "God said." God spoke and it
happened.

When I contemplate Christ's power to uphold the universe, I'm drawn
to the wonderful promise of Philippians 1:6: "I am confident of this
very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it
until the day of Christ Jesus." When Christ begins a work in your
heart, He doesn't end there. He continually sustains it until the day
He will take you into God's very presence. A life, just as a
universe, that is not sustained by Christ is chaos.


Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask God to remind you of Christ's sustaining power when you endure
your next trial.

For Further Study:

Read Job 38-39 for a greater appreciation of what Christ does to
uphold the universe.


Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.


All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org

~~~


Colossians 1:17 (NKJV)
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Job 38-39
38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you
shall answer Me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me,
if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched
the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its
cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God
shouted for joy?
8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued
from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its
swaddling band;
10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;
11 When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, And here
your proud waves must stop!'
12 "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused
the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked
be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a
garment.
15 From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is
broken.
16 "Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in
search of the depths?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen
the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you
know all this.
19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where
is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the
paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number
of your days is great?
22 "Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the
treasury of hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of
battle and war?
24 By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over
the earth?
25 "Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path
for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness
in which there is no man;
27 To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the
growth of tender grass?
28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives
it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is
frozen.
31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of
Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the
Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their
dominion over the earth?
34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of
water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you,
'Here we are!'?
36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to
the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the
bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together?
39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of
the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in
wait?
41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?
39:1 "Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young?
Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the
time when they bear young?
3 They bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their
offspring.
4 Their young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They
depart and do not return to them.
5 "Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager,
6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his
dwelling?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of
the driver.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after
every green thing.
9 "Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your
manger?
10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he
plow the valleys behind you?
11 Will you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you
leave your labor to him?
12 Will you trust him to bring home your grain, And gather it to
your threshing floor?
13 "The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and
pinions like the kindly stork's?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the
dust;
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may
break them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her
labor is in vain, without concern,
17 Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with
understanding.
18 When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its
rider.
19 "Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck
with thunder?
20 Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes
terror.
21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops
into the clash of arms.
22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back
from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin.
24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he
come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, 'Aha!' He smells the battle
from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.
26 "Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward
the south?
27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on
high?
28 On the rocks it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and
the stronghold.
29 From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar.
30 Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it
is."

These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.

In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.

If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.

You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Grace_to_You/

and

http://www.gty.org.uk/

You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@xxxxxxx



NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.

In Christ,



Peter

Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@xxxxxxxxxx

STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel

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There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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