March 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

John 3:14-21:

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Devotional

The Israelites in the wilderness murmured against God. God sent fiery serpents among them. They bit the people, and many died. In their distress they asked Moses to pray that the serpents might be taken from them. Moses prayed and God told him to put a fiery serpent upon a pole. And every one that looked upon this serpent, when he was bitten, should live. And so it was. All that looked lived.

Jesus compared himself to this brazen serpent. He said in effect, All men are sinners. They have been bitten by that old serpent, Satan. The poison of sin is in their veins. I must be lifted up on the cross. And every sinner that looks upon me in faith shall not die, but live. Through the prophet of old, God said, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." And Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself." But this He said, signifying by what manner of death He should die. Only through faith in the crucified Saviour, in his atoning death, do we have life, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith."

There is life for a look at the crucified One;
There is life at this moment for thee.
Then look, sinner, look unto him and be saved,
To him who was nailed to the tree.

Prayer

We thank Thee, our Father, that there is life for a look at the Crucified One. We thank Thee, that Jesus, the Lamb of God, atoned for all of our sins, and that by faith in him we have righteousness and eternal life. Help us that in all our trials and temptations we may look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith. May we be found in him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Hear us for Christ's sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Isa. 45:22; John 12:32, 33; Heb. 12:2.

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