July 14 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:

Genesis 8:15–22

Bible Text:

"I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth" (Gen. 8:21, NRSV).

Devotional:

When God's judgment had cleansed the earth, Noah, the head of the remnant of humanity, presented an offering to God. God liked that offering because it reflected his original intention for the world: All of creation should be a praise offering to God.

Then God made a promise by which we still exist: never again. I will never again permit my wrath to destroy the earth when the sins of people make me angry, said God. And here is God's remarkable reason: "for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth."

God does not say, "Let me try again with you people; let's see if you can behave this time." Instead, God makes a promise—"Never again—" that seems to go against his holy Self. But God knows we are "evil from childhood," that we will persist in going against his will. Like some children who drive their parents to despair, we perversely tend to taunt the living God. We are self-destructive, always set against God's good rules. And God sees us as we are. Therefore, God makes a sovereign decision to hold back his anger. "Never again," he says.

God further decrees that after every winter there shall come a spring, and every summer shall be followed by the harvest of autumn.

In spite of our rebellion, God maintains the universe. That's the reason we praise God in every season.

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.