Daily Treasure

“The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be  unto thee  an everlasting light, and thy God and thy glory”(Isaiah 60:19).

The holy city will shine with the eternal brilliance of the Eternal Light.  This new city will have no need for the sun and moon.  Just as Jesus is the Light of the World, He will be the Light in the new Jerusalem.  One recitation contains these words: “the ages of time will seem like one long day.” The True Light will radiate the glory of God for eternity.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for WNAC affiliate groups in Mexico and Cuba.

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).

Imagine for a few moments you were on the island of Patmos with John.  There he caught a glimpse of Heaven.  The fact it was holy and new was exciting.  John saw this, and we, by faith, get a vivid picture in Revelation.

We’ve all attended weddings. After months of preparing for the big day, we see a beautiful bride ready to commit to marriage.  She adorns herself in lovely attire, but her best accessory is the happy glow on her face.  As John got the view of the holy city, he started writing down something we all could envision, “a bride adorned for her husband.”

Heaven is beyond description.  Our finite minds can’t comprehend the awesome beauty of Heaven.  John was an eyewitness, and he was probably overwhelmed by what he saw and wrote about.  One day soon our Bridegroom will come for His Bride, the church.  We will go to live with Him in the holy city.  You might want to get out your sunglasses this week as we look at the city of Eternal Light.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Ask God to bless Ohio WAC president Frances Etterling today.

“If your sacrifice for a whole burnt offering is from the herd bring a bull with no physical defects to the entrance of the Tabernacle so it will be accepted by the Lord.  Lay your hand on its head so the Lord will accept it as your substitute, thus making atonement for you” (Leviticus 1:3-4).

My husband, son and I live on a small farmette.  Our recent move from town to the country has stirred up a desire inside my better half  to accumulate, feed, rear or raise anything in the farm animal genre.  We have dogs, cats (and kittens if anyone needs one) rabbits, chickens, guineas and have had a turn at goat-herding.  Barns built, feeders purchased and morning schedules drastically altered, we’re even having to procure a sitter to watch the animals while we’re gone on vacation.

I have to tell you, although they (my husband and son) do all the care and upkeep of the livestock, I still complain, bitterly at times, about the price of feeding our little zoo. But after today’s Bible reading, I’ll complain no more.

Do you have any idea the size of herd we’d have to raise to cover my sins?  Know just how many head of cattle it would require?  Quickly calculating a normal day in the life of Malinda, well, let’s suffice it to say, it would require a cattle drive each Sunday.

And animals with no physical defects?  Well, knowing our animal husbandry skills, let’s just say we better plan to raise twice what we think we might need.

No, no more complaining from this hayseed.  I can sit back and watch the animals in our small menagerie with a peace of mind, knowing Christ paid the price for my sins.  These three farmers can rest assured because the one Sacrifice God provided covered us all.

But I will state this clearly, the idea tossed out at last night’s dinner table regarding the purchase of a pot-belly pig, still gets a no vote from me.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray today for Phyllis York, WNAC Executive Assistant.



“Then the Lord said to Job, Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?  You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”  (Job 40:1 NLT).

I’ll go ahead and say it for all of us, Lord—Ouch!

Father, You could be asking me the exact same question.  You could be pointing Your finger directly at me.  You could have me in the witness stand facing this barrage.

I question You.

It looks worse in print than it sounded in my head. But I do—I question You.

The Maker of the universe?  The Creator?  The great I Am?  The Alpha and Omega?

Who am I to be doubting Your timing?  Who am I to be hurrying You along?  Who am I to be questioning all that You do for me?

Do I want to argue with You?  My first reaction would be to yell a hearty, No!  But when I think about it…When I swallow the yucky tasting pill you’ve given me this morning.  When I look over the notes of past prayers, petitions and complaints.  When I think about it more clearly…that’s just what I do. I argue with You.

Do I want to?  No.  But as we both know, that’s not the only part of me that I cannot control, now is it?  I’m in the same boat as Paul who said, “What I want to do, I don’t and what I don’t want to do, I find myself doing.”

But arguing with You?

I’m sorry, Lord.  Very sorry.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Married? Do you and your spouse pray together—other than at meal times—in daily family devotions? Make this a matter of prayer.

“Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not when ye  are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out” (Luke 16:26-28).

Today’s verses issue a warning.  Unless you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you are ready to meet the Lord, don’t presume you’ll make Heaven.  No doubt, many will be horrified when they stand before God.  Just because Israel was God’s chosen people, didn’t give them free passage. They would have to come to Christ like any other sinners. They will face judgment just like the Gentiles. They will either hear “well done” or “depart from me, I never knew you.”

As sad a sight as it will be to see people turned into hell, even worse  will be for them to look up into Heaven and see all the old saints, family, and friends as they rejoice in great splendor.  The words, “if only” will surely add to the torment of hell.

The next three weeks we will spotlight Heaven.  Though we are more prone to focus on Heaven, remember there is  “heaven to gain and a hell to shun.”  As we live and witness to others, point them to the True Light with eternity in mind.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: How do you daily worship God in your home? Pray to improve.

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

We’re all appointed once to die.  This is sad for those you leave behind.  However, even sadder is when people go out into eternity without Christ.  Our verse speaks of those who will face “the second death.”

We have more than enough motivation to warn our friends and loved ones.  Are we warning them?  People need to see the light of God’s love before He must show His wrath against sin.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Write and ask a missionary how and when believers in that region worship. Commit these worship services to the Lord in prayer.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

The devil has a bag of tricks he uses every day to draw us away from God.  Guard against this.  Don’t let him win by drawing you back into darkness.  He laughs when he renders you defeated. He’s working overtime to destroy families because he will never destroy the church of the Living God. He hurls his fiery darts every chance he can.  However, one day the prince of all darkness will burn eternally in hell.  Don’t plan on joining him in that horrible place. While there is yet time, “prepare to meet thy God.”

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Does your church have an effective outreach program? Are you the one to suggest/organize/assist in starting or reviving one? Pray.