July 3 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

By God’s Word and Spirit the world was made, and he uses the same tools to rebuild the creaking cosmos. God does not save some souls from the wreckage of the planet; instead, the whole groaning creation must be delivered from bondage by the love and power of God.

Bible Reading:

Acts 14:8–20

Bible Text:

"He has shown kindness by giving you rain ... and crops ... [and] plenty of food. [God] fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17).

Devotional:

This passage tells about Paul's travels among people who were living in the darkness of paganism. He came with the power of the gospel, power that made the lame walk and the blind see. Yet the people's reaction to Paul was as fickle as the weather—one day they thought he was a god, and the next day they nearly killed him.

Even in places where the gospel has not yet been preached, God gives signs of his existence. People can see and feel God's presence through the good things he gives them. Rain shows God's kindness. Crops testify to God's goodness. An abundant supply of food witnesses to God's generosity. The joy of God's gifts must cause people to thank the Giver.

But it's a long way from appreciating God's world and enjoying God's blessings to knowing the living God. If human beings were sinless, God's testimony in creation would be perfectly clear to everyone. Sin has so blinded people that they worship what God has made rather than God himself.

That is why we need the gospel. The gospel not only shows us the way to salvation but also helps us see God's kindness in the rain and his goodness in the crops. We need the gospel in order to know God as the source and goal of our joy.

When God has revealed himself to us in his Word, our eyes are wide open to his revelation in the world. In fact, it is then hard to understand why others don't see that God is everywhere.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.