February 15 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

Elijah's name is his mission: "My God is the LORD." Elijah teaches us the meaning of repentance by the removal of idolatry. Unless we obey the Word, God's blessings don't descend. Instead, the land will experience a terrible drought.

Bible Reading:

Luke 1:5–17

Bible Text:

"He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah ... to make ready a people ... for the Lord" (Luke 1:17).

Devotional:

The promised Elijah whom God sent before the dawn of the new day was John the Baptist (or John the Baptizer, as he should be called).

John looked like Elijah. According to Mark 1:6, "John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist." This was the same prophets' uniform by which Elijah was recognized during the reign of Ahab's son (2 Kings 1:8).

John also preached like Elijah. His message was the same straightforward call to repentance: Repent of your sins and turn to the Lord, or you will die. "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Luke 3:8-9).

As far as we know, John's ministry lasted a fairly short time. Then he was put in prison and killed by Herod. Nevertheless, his teaching spread as far as Alexandria in Egypt and Ephesus on the west coast of Turkey (Acts 18:25; 19:3).

John's teaching did not cease when Herod had John's head chopped off. To this day, everyone who comes to Jesus must also listen to John the Baptizer. No one can enter the kingdom without acting upon John's call to repentance.

All who are gathered by the Messiah have heard and obeyed the call from Mount Carmel: "Stop wavering between two opinions." For none of those who bow to Baal will be safe in the day of the Lord.

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.