Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Our King, How Great Thou Art"

...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Just a few days ago, the church celebrated Epiphany. That is the day we are assured that Jesus came to save not just the chosen of Israel, but all nations and races.

On Thursday, the world remembered the birthday of Elvis Presley.

Surprisingly, I can think of a connection between those two days. Many years ago, Elvis was feeling sick. One of his staff checked up on him and found him in his music room playing the song, "How Great Thou Art."

When Elvis stopped singing, his staffer asked him how he felt. The reply, coming from one of the most famous and popular men in the world, is surprising. He said only one word: "Alone."

Pretty hard to believe, isn't it. Over the years, millions of people have made a pilgrimage to visit Elvis' home. Anything he ever touched has become a piece of valuable memorabilia.

Even so, Elvis felt alone. If that's true for "the king", how much more might it not be true for us regular folks?

This is why I ask: "How do you feel?" If the answer is "alone", I hope you realize that Jesus Christ has made that concept obsolete. Jesus left the glories of heaven to become One of us. With the completion of His redemptive work and His wondrous resurrection, we have been given a Friend, Who will never leave us or forsake us.

True, human companions, fame, money, and possessions will all someday fade and disappear, but the love of the Savior and His ongoing presence assures us we cannot be an isolated island in a sea of people.

When a Christian really, truly believes that, he will make the lyrics to that song his own. He will be able to sing with enthusiasm, "How Great Thou Art."

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Responsibility"

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. John 12:46

Years ago, one of my friends gave his son a world globe for Christmas.

It was his hope that the beautiful bit of map-making might inspire his boy to show some interest in geography. It was not to be. The boy did little more than give the globe a quick glance and then put it on a table by his bed.

The first real use that orb received was when his father heard about a remote island off the coast of India. Since reliable maps of India were somewhat scarce in the house, the father decided to sneak into the bedroom of his sleeping son.

Tiptoeing past the boy, the father gently picked up the globe and started to silently move toward the bedroom door. That's when his son sat up in bed and asked, "Dad, what are you going to do with my world?"

It's a pretty profound question.

The younger generation regularly asks it of us, the old folks. They want to know, "What are you going to do with my world?" I wonder what answer we're going to give.

Oftentimes our successes seem to be pretty few and far between. Not so for our failures; they are many.

We see religious fanaticism, terrorism, inflation, deflation, and pollution. Nations are torn by internal struggle. Violence and drugs in many neighborhoods are a way of life.

If the world has failed to fix all these problems by its own devices, then... maybe... it's time to look elsewhere for guidance and help. It's my belief the direction and help we need will be found only in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a proven track record with countless victories under His belt.

Jesus can, if we let Him, make a difference throughout the world, a world He lived, died, and rose to save.

If Jesus were at the helm of our lives and the world, we would no longer have to be afraid of the younger generations when they ask: "What are you going to do with our world?" If Jesus were our Boss and in control, we could say, "Nothing bad...nothing bad at all."

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Cheap Talk"

And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us. 1 John 3:23

Every once in a while conservative Christians -- and this includes a fair share of the readers of the Daily Devotions -- receive a backhanded compliment.

In an article designed to "shame liberals into being more charitable," New York Times writer Nicholas Kristoff, commented: "when it comes to individual contributions to charitable causes, liberals are cheapskates" and "the stingiest of the stingy are secular" liberals.

On the other side of the giving spectrum is the religious conservative who not only gives financially, but also contributes personally. Referring to the book, Who Really Cares, Kristoff says, conservatives are more likely to volunteer for good causes. He even surmises, if "liberals and moderates gave blood as often as conservatives, the American blood supply would increase by 45 percent."

So, what does all this prove?

I believe, at least in part, it shows that many followers of the Savior have heard, and taken seriously, the apostle John's admonition to "love one another just as He has commanded us."

How could we not? We have been blessed to have faith in the Redeemer who was sent to be God's gracious gift to save us. To rescue humanity from itself, as well as the slavery of sin and Satan, Jesus lived His life. By His commitment, which ended up with His death on a cross, and His burial in a borrowed grave, all who believe on Him are forgiven and saved.

Now, the risen Lord asks us to love our fellow man. In doing so we not only give thanks to Him, but we also bear witness to the change the Savior has brought into the lives of those who acknowledge Him as their Redeemer.

So, to all you faithful followers of the Savior, allow me to say, Good job! Your charity, your contributions, and your commitments being done in the name of the Christ are not going unnoticed.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "I Didn't Know That"

The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever. Psalm 119:160

There are times when the truth seems to get a bit slippery.

That was certainly the case when the respected British Medical Journal decided to expose some common myths of medicine. And if you're wondering what kind of medical myths, they would be glad to tell you.

For example, they say,
# reading in dim light doesn't ruin your eyesight. They say,
# sugar doesn't make children hyperactive. They say,
# eating at night doesn't make you fat. They say things like,
# shaving does not cause hair to grow back faster, darker, or coarser and
# you don't have to drink eight glasses of water a day.


Now, before you grab your keyboard and write a scathing reply, remember this: I'm just the messenger, not the authority.

The bottom line is we live in a world where humanity's "truth" is constantly being modified. Bombarded by uncertainty, it's not surprising when many of our friends conclude God's truth is also untrustworthy.

Far better for them to realize that the words of the psalmist are right: The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.

Understand, the psalmist wasn't merely making a wish; he was stating a fact.

Today, we who live on the other side of the Savior's completed story of salvation are able to see fulfilled prophecies, archaeological and historical verification, willing martyrs, and an empty tomb all bearing witness to the fact that God's Word is truth.

And that's a truth we can trust.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "So Help Me... Somebody?"

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually! Psalm 105:1-4

You may not agree with Michael Newdow, but you certainly have to admire his persistence -- no matter how wrong he might be.

Newdow, an avowed atheist, has tried -- so far unsuccessfully -- to have references to God removed from the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto. Now Mr. Newdow is dedicating himself to removing any allusion to the Lord from President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.

Specifically, he wants the words, "so help me God" removed from the oath of office. Newdow, quite rightly, says those words aren't in the original oath as set forth in the Constitution. Those who disagree point out that George Washington added those words when he was installed, and every president since has used them.

Understand, Newdow is not alone. In his cause, he is joined by other atheist and humanistic organizations.

This is why with the coming to office of a new president, America's Christians would be right in joining with the psalmist who said, "Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!"

If any country on earth should be telling of God's wondrous works, it should be ours. The countries of North America have been blessed and given freedoms the world has never seen before.

And who should receive the credit for these great gifts? Mr. Newdow and his associates would love to take the credit. As for me and my house, we believe the Lord who gave His Son to save us should receive the accolades for these many blessings.

And for what purpose are these blessings given?

The psalmist said it: so we might sing God's praises and sing His wondrous works.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "A Good Idea At The Time"

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:20-21

Looking back on my life, I have to admit I have done some foolish things.

Possibly you join me in admitting to doing things which, when undertaken, seemed like a good idea, but in retrospect were very foolish.

That could certainly be said of Italy's Ivece Plattner, who, when his Porsche got stuck on a railroad track, decided to try and save his beloved car. A good idea? Sure! But Plattner ran toward an oncoming train and tried to flag it down. He succeeded; the car was saved. Unfortunately, Plattner, who never got off the tracks, died.

Then, there is Adelir diCarli who tried to break the record for the longest time flying with the support of party balloons. diCarli was trying to raise money for a truck stop in Brazil. Another good idea? Absolutely! Unfortunately, the winds took diCarli out to sea, and without someone following him, he also died.

These men made tragic choices. Even so, their decisions are not nearly as terrible as those made by people who choose their wisdom over the Lord's plan of salvation.

You know such a person, don't you? Each of us is surrounded by folks who think they can outsmart God and do without the salvation that Jesus won upon the cross.

It is a foolish choice.

Like Mr. Plattner, these people are on a collision course with death. Judgment Day -- like an unstoppable train -- is steaming toward them.

Like Mr. diCarli, they are adrift and their end will not be pretty.

So that souls might be saved is why your church makes the witness it does; it is why you share the Savior's story of salvation when you can.

All of us want people to forsake their foolishness and be brought to faith in the crucified and risen Christ. This is a good idea at any time.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "New Life In Christ"

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

One of the most remarkable things that accompanies salvation is the new life God gives us through faith in Jesus Christ. What Jesus accomplished for us on the cross is the only work necessary - and sufficient - for the forgiveness of our sins. We can't earn salvation; we can't add to it with our good works or lofty intentions; we can't resolve to become a person worthy of God's redemption. It is God's free gift. And it is available to everyone only through Christ's sacrifice on the world's behalf.

As believers, our lives should exhibit God's love. We should be examples of Christ's compassionate living as set forth in the New Testament. If, however, we live our lives in darkness, we have no right to claim to be children of God. Scripture is plain on this matter. "If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" (1 John 1:6).

Our faith cannot in any way be taken as a license to do as we please. Christ bore our sins -- once and for all -- through His suffering and death on the cross. The Father put His seal on His Son's perfect work on our behalf by raising Him from the dead. Through Jesus' resurrection, we, too, are raised to new life. By faith we know this; by faith we live our lives as new creations in what Jesus has done for us.

As individual believers in Christ's all-sufficient work of salvation, the power of sin has no hold on us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given spiritual strength to resist the enemy's attacks. If you are in Christ, you also are a new creation. We should live our lives then as God's redeemed people, holy in our conduct, knowing the price paid for our heads was "not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18b-19).

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Discouragement"

Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation. Psalm 27:9

Many years ago, discouragement and depression were the constant companions of a young mid-western lawyer.

He fell into such deep emotional darkness that his friends thought it wise to keep all knives and razors from him.

When the future seemed most dim, he wrote, "I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not."

That man, Abraham Lincoln, did shake discouragement and was thrust into a position of power and authority. He, by God's grace and like Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrated this week, dedicated himself to improving the cause of others.

But that does not mean he was immune from discouragement.

I have no doubt that you have also experienced discouragement. Each of us has moments when things seem to fall apart around us. Nothing goes our way. Perhaps, thoughts of forcibly leaving this 'veil of tears' has entered our minds.

If that describes how you feel, it is time for the Holy Spirit to wipe out that discouragement.

Maybe counseling, maybe confession, and certainly a clear view of what the Lord has done for you will help.

Look around at the people who love you. See those who want to reach out to you. Count the Lord God among those who care. He, like others in your life, wishes to let you know that the pains you feel now are for a short time. Guaranteed. That's God's promise.

Because of Jesus the Savior, He moves us from despair to victory. Lincoln found that out, and I pray the Lord will let you know that truth as well.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Warnings"

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36

Just about anywhere you go you will encounter warning signs: "No left turn", "Dead End", "No trespassing", "Wet paint."

Amazingly, although we see those warning signs, there are times we don't take them to heart. Maybe our attention is on other things; maybe we think the signs are for others, but not us. Either way, we ignore them.

That's what happened when several iceberg warnings were telegraphed to the ill-fated ship, the Titanic. When one of the last telegraphs came in, the Titanic's radio operator wired back: "Shut up, shut up, I'm busy."

Soon afterward, the great ship, whose captain had said, "God Himself couldn't sink this ship," was sinking. Over one thousand people were drowned because someone failed to listen to the warnings.

In truth, it's not wise to disregard warnings. Although they might be inconvenient and inopportune, such an action can endanger our own lives and those of others.

I imagine it goes without saying to the readers of the Daily Devotion that it can be even more dangerous to ignore God Who warns us that the soul that tries to live without Jesus will certainly die.

Our text for today gives just one of those serious cautions. Only the foolish unbeliever would dare to disregard the Lord or the Savior Who came to redeem him. Only the arrogant would think of himself as being unsinkable.

Far better to listen to the warnings of the Lord and cast ourselves to the salvation and forgiveness the Savior has won through His sacrificial life.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "A Close God"

But You, O Lord, do not be far off! O You my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! Psalm 22:19-21a

I've never seen a sixteen-and-a-half-foot shark close up. I don't want to.

Hannah Mighall probably wishes she hadn't.

Hannah was surfing in Tasmania when such a shark got hold of her. It dragged her under. It threw her around. Then, when all hope seemed lost, with the help of her cousin Syb Mundy, she managed to get away.

Syb pulled her onto his surfboard and caught a wave that carried them to the shore where she received help, stitches, and a new lease on life.

Looking back on the frightening event, Mr. Mundy said, "I'm not religious, but there was a perfect wave that came just in the nick of time that must have been sent by God."

In reply, I feel compelled to say this: "Maybe it's time for Mr. Mundy to become religious. More specifically, it's time for him to give some thought to that time when he won't be able to use his surfboard to get away from death."

In truth, death is coming for each of us. For some it will come like a shark; others will see its arrival through a stroke or heart attack or accident or . . . . Well, a short devotion doesn't have time to begin to cover the ways death can come for us.

Since the Lord knew death was coming for each of us, the heavenly Father sent His Son to offer Himself as a ransom for our salvation. So that death wouldn't have the last word, Jesus allowed Himself to die on the cross. Now, because of His third-day resurrection, all who believe on Him know they are saved.

Even more, we know that our loving, living Lord will always be by our sides. As the writer of the Psalms said, "But You, O Lord, do not be far off! O You my help, come quickly to my aid! Save me from the mouth of the lion" -- or shark -- or an accident in rush hour traffic!

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Remember Me"

Remember me, O Lord, when You show favor to Your people; help me when You save them. Psalm 106:4

Adam Hermann wasn't the name he was given when he was born. His birth certificate reads: Irvin Groeninger III.

I suppose that fact isn't all that important any more.

You see, no matter what you call him -- Adam or Irvin -- that young man has disappeared. In fact, he disappeared a long time ago.

Adam was 11 or 12 when he was last seen on the streets of his hometown, Towanda, Kansas. That was almost ten years ago. For ten years Adam has been missing.

Only nobody noticed.

Amazingly, Adam's adopting parents never told the police. They thought he had run away and had gone home to his birth parents. They thought he was living on the street. They say they were very concerned, but they didn't call the police. Adam's disappearance was eventually discovered after an individual called and tipped off the County's Exploited and Missing Children's Unit. Since then, people and police have been looking for the lad. If they find him, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, along with our prayers for missing Adam, we need to offer up our thanks to our loving Father in heaven. Though we were lost in sin and no longer part of His family, He did all that was necessary to bring us back.

To seek and save those who were lost, Jesus came into this world. As one of us, He fulfilled the laws we had broken. He resisted the sins that so easily seduce us. So that even death might never take us from our Father, the Savior gave His life on Calvary's cross.

Now, all who believe on Jesus as their Redeemer have been reunited with their Father in heaven.

Rephrasing the words of the Psalmist, I can say I give thanks You have remembered me, O Lord, that You have showed favor to us and helped us and saved us.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Good For Food"

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6

Hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.

Those are some of the things residents of the United States are supposed to trust and love.

Added to that list, at least for many, would be peanut butter. It's tasty, nutritious, and loaded with all kinds of stuff that's supposed to be good to you.

This is why many of us have been shocked to find that good ole peanut butter is probably responsible for a nationwide Salmonella outbreak. So far 425 people in 43 states have gotten sick from eating the stuff. (The peanut butter was processed by the Peanut Corporation of America at its plant in Blakely, GA. It is sold in bulk packaging to distributors for institutional and food service industry use. None of the recalled peanut butter is sold directly to consumers through retail stores.)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said if you have peanut butter possibly originating from this Georgia plant, you should dispose of it.

Smart advice.

Even so, I wonder, "If you can't trust peanut butter, what or whom can you trust?" Eve probably asked the same question after she listened to Satan and ate the good-looking fruit hanging from the forbidden tree.

Whom can you trust? That's easy.

We can trust God. We can trust Him absolutely, completely, totally. A few thousand years of history shows Him as one who never lets people down. If He makes a promise, He keeps it. If He makes a prophecy, it is fulfilled.

If He says those who believe on His Son as their Savior are forgiven and redeemed, then they are. You can take that to the bank.

A God in whom a person can trust -- in a world where nothing else is absolutely sure or reliable, it's a good thing to know Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Harshness"

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:11

Wang Guiying is Chinese.

Wang Guiying is looking for a husband.

With more than a billion people living in that country, that's hardly news. There are a lot of Chinese women looking for a husband.

What makes Wang Guiying's story unique is she is starting to look for a husband at the age of 107. Born the child of a salt merchant, Wang grew up watching uncles and other men scold their wives and beat them. She grew accustomed to finding her aunt crying in the woodshed after she was beaten.

Little wonder Wang Guiying decided to avoid getting married. She's made a good run at the single life, too. Sadly, with her nieces and nephews getting on in years, she can no longer count on them to take care of her. As a result, Wang is looking to get hitched.

I wish her luck, and I'm sure you do, too.

Having told that story, this devotion could go a number of ways. We could quote Paul who told the church at Colossae that husbands are to love their wives. It's good advice. If that had happened a century ago in China, Wang's life might be different.

Instead, I would prefer to encourage Christians to lead a Christian life. Now, that's a natural thing for us to do. We have been redeemed by the Savior, and we want to give thanks.

But there's another reason we should live as best we can. People are watching what we do and listening to what we say. Indeed, they are influenced by our examples. The bad example of men kept Wang Guiying from getting married for many years.

I don't want my bad example to keep anyone away from his or her Savior. As the song says, "They'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love."

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Smoke the Bible? "

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

A professor once said, "Young people may not be open to hearing advice, but they are open to following examples." If this is where you are in life, here's an example to follow -- read the Bible.

In Paraguay, a pastor often went to a local jail to hold Bible class with some of the young inmates. He noticed another young man watching what was going on and invited him to join the group. Even though the boy reacted with coldness and indifference, the pastor gave him a New Testament before leaving. The boy accepted it with the comment the pages would be used to roll his cigarettes. The pastor replied that would be fine, as long as he read the page before smoking it.

A few visits later, the young man came looking for the pastor. "Pastor," he said, "I smoked Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but I could not smoke John. I fell at the feet of Jesus Christ."

We can feel much satisfaction by reading the Bible but, even more, we can enter into communication with God, our Creator. He is our loving Father who wants to give us pardon for our sins, peace for our hearts, and a life filled with hope.

In the Gospel of John we find these words: "But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31).

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Known but Unknown"

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! Psalm 139:1

If you live in a city, town, or suburb, most of you will pass hundreds of people on your way to work.

Most of the time we don't know a single one of those folks. We feel, and almost always are, anonymous. Which is, quite frankly, just another way of saying we are lonely and alone.

If you really want to talk about loneliness, you need to remember the young woman who was shot to death on a road near Kansas City, Kansas in 1934. With her red hair, freckled face, blue eyes, and a unique scar on her ankle, one hundred fifty people "positively" identified her.

That's right, 150 people identified her as being... 26 different women. She was claimed as a wife, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. Amazingly, all of those 26 women were found to be alive. After seven long months, the red-haired woman was buried. Nobody ever found out who she was.

This leads me to ask, "Does anyone know who you really are?"

Oh, I imagine some people THINK they know, but do they? They may know a part of you, but who knows every bit and part of you? Every mood? Every thought?

The next question is: "Would you want them to know?" Most of us have some pretty sad sides to ourselves.

If you agree, don't despair. Today it is my joy to share with you that the Triune God Who knows you, all of you, still loves you. He loves you--totally and completely. He loves you enough to send His only Son to live, die, and rise for you.

And if you were to ask me, "Why? Why would God do this?" I could only reply, because of His grace.

Amazing, isn't it?