A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Our Natural and Spiritual Bodies


"It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (I Corinthians 15:43-44).

In this portion of this great chapter on the resurrection -- first that of Christ, then the future resurrection of the redeemed -- death and resurrection are compared to seed-sowing and harvest. When a seed is planted in the ground, it is as though it had died and is buried. For a long time after its "death," the seed cannot be seen, but finally it rises again as a beautiful flowering plant, or sheaf of grain, or even a lovely tree.

Jesus made this same analogy. "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24; note also Mark 4:26-29). Our human bodies, because of sin and the curse, eventually die and are buried; but one day (like the planted seed) they will appear again, but now immortal and glorified, far greater than they were before -- that is, of course, if their real inhabitants (their eternal created spirits) have been born again through faith in their already-resurrected Savior.

Our new spiritual bodies rising from the grave will be real physical bodies (like that of Jesus after He was raised), but will no longer be under bondage to gravitational and electromagnetic forces as at present, but only to spiritual forces of which we have as yet very little knowledge.

We do know however that our spiritual bodies will be "fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Philippians 3:21). Although "it doth not yet appear what we shall be. . . . when He shall appear, we shall be like Him" (I John 3:2). Then in our glorious, powerful, spiritual bodies, we as "His servants shall serve Him" in love and joy forever (Revelation 22:3).

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus


"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20).

The doctrine of verbal inspiration implies that not only are the words of Scripture inspired, but the very order in which they appear is also inspired. Study by commentators and translators have rightly noted that a change in the order of the words would at times change the meaning or emphasis of a passage. This phenomenon is often seen in the order in which the various names of Christ appear. By noting this order, one may sometimes gain new insight into a passage.

While the name Jesus, alone, normally appears in the gospels and the book of Acts, the compound name, Jesus Christ, appears on occasion. Interestingly, the same compound name is used exclusively by the disciples, John and Peter, in their letters, and by James and Jude, the brothers of our Lord. Of course these men knew Him first by His human name, Jesus, and only fully comprehended the fact that He was the Christ (meaning "the Anointed," or "the Messiah") after His resurrection and ascension.

Paul, on the other hand, first encountered Christ in all His glory on the road to Damascus. Perhaps, as a consequence, he frequently reversed the order, speaking of Christ Jesus, although he used both orders many times.

The reason for this choice of order perhaps can best be illustrated in Philippians 2:5-11. In verse 5, Paul described the anointed One, who first emptied Himself of certain aspects of His deity to take on human form. Therefore Paul used the name Christ Jesus. In verse 11, however, the order is reversed. In this case, as in our text, the movement is from humanity to glory. In one, the glory of the risen Savior is emphasized; in the other, the glory that we shall share with Him. This glory is assured us through His victory.

[Soldier4Christ]

Our Advocate in Heaven


"Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high" (Job 16:19).

It is significant that here, in what is probably the oldest book in the Bible, two vitally important New Testament truths are anticipated. Job somehow knew that he (and, by implication, every other person as well) has a "record" in heaven. This is the only occurrence of this word (sahed) in the Bible, but it basically means that our works, good or bad, have been recorded by God in heaven concerning how we have used or abused our stewardship here on Earth.

And the record, inevitably, testifies against us, "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). At God's future throne of judgment, when "the dead judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works," then "whosoever not found written in the book of life cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:12,15).

But how can we know that our names will be in God's book of life in that day? Thankfully, even Job knew, in his long-ago time, that "my witness is in heaven." Here the word (Hebrew, ed) speaks of a formal personal witness who can testify on our behalf, one who "might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!" (Job 16:21).

Job somehow knew that such a witness was there, for he could also say, "I know that my redeemer liveth" (Job 19:25). In the light of the New Testament record, we know that this Redeemer and Witness is none other than the Lord Jesus. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins" (I John 2:1-2). That is, He is the "sacrifice" for our sins, and thus can redeem us from sin's penalty, and thereby serve as our defense witness in heaven. Our record of sin and guilt has been washed clean with the precious blood of Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

When the Rivers Run Dry


"The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness" (Joel 1:20).

After the Flood of Noah, God set a boundary for the waters, "that they turn not again to cover the earth" (Psalm 104:9). There is a time coming however when even such a mighty river as "the great river Euphrates" will run dry, and "the water thereof dried up" (Revelation 16:12). Instead of covering the earth, the life-giving waters will be withheld as one of God's coming judgments on the rebellious world of the last days. His prophetic witnesses will be given power to "shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy" (11:6). Furthermore, the atmosphere will be so restrained that "the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree" (7:1), yet the sun will burn so intensely that "men scorched with great heat" (16:9).

All of this will generate great fires and famine around the world. The prophet Joel places all this in the context of the coming "day of the Lord . . . as a destruction from the Almighty" (Joel 1:15). The pastures will burn up, and the rivers will dry up, "for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (2:11). "Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left" (Isaiah 24:6).

Yet there is also a time coming when the judgments are past and "the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: . . . And the ransomed of the Lord shall return . . . they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (35:7,10). In that day -- as in this -- it is all-important to be among the ones ransomed by the Lord.

[Soldier4Christ]

A Holier Than Thou Attitude


"I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, . . . A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; . . . Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou" (Isaiah 65:2-3,5).

As our text indicates, it is not new to have people in society with a "holier than thou" attitude. Oh, it may not be fashionable today to declare it outright, but so many people give clear evidence that they feel themselves superior. Like the chief priest and the Levite in Christ's parable of the good Samaritan, they prefer to walk by the needy rather than stooping to help. Even in the church such arrogance can be a problem. James warns, "For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?" (2:2-4).

Proverbs 6 lists several things God hates and the very first is "A proud look" (v.17). Whenever we are tempted to think ourselves superior in any way, we need to take our eyes off others and fasten them upon our great God because "they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" (II Corinthians 10:12).

God give us the spirit of humility, which is the beginning of true holiness. "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isaiah 57:15).

[Soldier4Christ]

Graven in the Rock


"Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!" (Job 19:23-24).

In the midst of terrible calamities and sufferings, righteous Job expressed a heartfelt longing to write down his experiences and meditations, that others might later understand. This longing no doubt later led him, when the Lord finally restored him to health and prosperity, to do just that.

Job apparently wrote his book, originally, not on some perishable material but, as we see in our text, on tablets of stone with a pen of iron so that his testimony might be permanently available to all future generations. Indeed, God in His providence has ordained exactly that, by incorporating it in the Bible.

And the essence of Job's testimony is surely one of the most wonderful statements of faith ever penned, all the more remarkable in view of Job's circumstances when he uttered it, and in light of the limited knowledge of God's plan of redemption available in his day.

Here it is: "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" (v.25). Even before the days of Moses, Job knew that God Himself would become, not just the world's Redeemer from its bondage under the great Curse, but his own personal Savior! He even sensed the necessity of God's bodily incarnation, for he said He would stand on the earth in the latter days. He knew that he himself would someday be resurrected from the dead, for he said that, even after worms had destroyed his body, "yet in my flesh shall I see God" (v.26).

In the many centuries since, multitudes of other believers have seen Job's testimony, written forever in the Book, and have made it their own, trusting their living Redeemer.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Good Confession


"I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession" (I Timothy 6:13).

Young Timothy also had "professed a good profession [same word as `confession'] before many witnesses" (v.12), evidently of similar substance and quality to that in the witness of Christ before Pilate. When the Jews urged Pilate to condemn Jesus to death, their charge was that "He made Himself the Son of God" (John 19:7). Pilate gave Jesus opportunity to deny this charge and save His life, "But Jesus gave him no answer" (v.9). Both by His silence, when a denial of the charge could have saved Him, and by His open testimony before Pilate that He was, in fact, a King from heaven itself -- indeed "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (I Timothy 6:15), it becomes clear that our own "good confession" must be a confession of our faith in Jesus Christ as Son of God, our Savior and Lord, especially when that confession is made openly before hostile witnesses.

Jesus said: "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32). Paul said, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9); and John said, "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God" (I John 4:15).

Despite the great blessings awaiting all who make a courageous and good confession of saving faith in Christ, most people will refuse until it is too late. There is a time coming, however, when "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:11).

[Soldier4Christ]

Charity or Love?


"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal" (I Corinthians 13:1).

It is well known that this word "charity" (Greek, agape) is translated as "love" in most modern translations of the Bible. In fact, even in the King James Version, it is translated "love" more than three times as often as it is rendered by "charity." One wonders why these scholarly translators of the seventeenth century did not translate agape by the word "love" here in this very familiar "love chapter," as it has been called. They certainly knew the word did not mean giving to the poor, for they translated verse 3 thus: "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, . . . and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." How could anyone exhibit greater charity than to give everything he owns to the poor?

They evidently knew well that agape did not mean "charity" as we think of charity today. But neither does agape mean "love" as we think of it today. People today usually are thinking of romantic love, or erotic love, or brotherly love, or perhaps even a sort of happy feeling (e.g., "I love a parade!") when they speak of love.

Actually, the original English concept of "charity," meaning a genuine and unselfish concern for others because of their own intrinsic worth in the sight of their Creator, is the true meaning of agape in its Biblical usage. "Charity" may not be the best word to express this attribute today, but "love" is so common and so misused that it seems even less appropriate.

In fact, no single English word today really seems to fit, perhaps because we have almost lost the very virtue which the word "charity" used to express. Well, no matter how we say it, our lives desperately need to show agape, for God Himself is "agape" (I John 4:.

[Soldier4Christ]

Scripture Says/God Says


"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16).

Among the many evidences for verbal inspiration, both within and without Scripture, is the frequent interchange of God recognized as the author of a particular passage with the human author who actually penned it. This can be true only if the very words recorded by the various authors are "God breathed" (the meaning of "inspiration").

For example, the early Christians exclaimed, "Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?" (Acts 4:24-25), thereby recognizing that God spoke through David, who wrote God's words in Psalm 2:1-2.

Likewise, Paul, in his masterful dissertation on God's sovereignty, claimed, "the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh" (Romans 9:17) that which God Himself had spoken unto Moses (Exodus 9:13). In other words, what Scripture says, God says.

Even Christ Jesus, who Himself had written with His finger, "Honor thy father and thy mother" (Exodus 20:12) on tables of stone, personally ascribed the authorship of the passage to Moses (Mark 7:10). Evidently to Christ, there was no difference. That which Moses had written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and in this case what he had copied from the stone tablet, was fully the Word of God.

We can be sure that what Scripture says, God says. "That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (II Timothy 3:17). We can trust our lives on earth, our view of history, and our eternal destiny to what is written on the pages of Scripture.

[Soldier4Christ]

I Am


"And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62).

After His arrest, "the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put Him to death; and found none" (Mark 14:55). Then they got their sought-after witness from Jesus Himself when the high priest asked Him: "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" (v.61), and it only took two words from Him. "I Am!"

As a matter of fact, this was not the first time He had thus identified Himself as the self-existent, eternal God. On an earlier occasion in Jerusalem, He had told the Pharisees: "I am the light of the world," and then, "I am from above: . . . I am not of this world. . . . If ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:12,23-24; the "He" in verse 24 is not in the Greek original).

He made this especially clear a few minutes later when He asserted: "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). But when He finally made this wonderfully truthful claim in the presence of the council, "they all condemned Him to be guilty of death" (Mark 14:64). He had committed the capital crime of blasphemy in their opinion, by claiming to be God.

"I am" is, in fact, the very name of God. When Moses, at the burning bush, was called by God to deliver the Israelites from slavery, God said His name was "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14). The name Jehovah (or Yahweh), the most frequently used name of the Lord in the Old Testament, is essentially this name.

One can count at least 196 "I am" claims of God in Christ ("I am the way, the truth, and the life," for example -- John 14:6) in the Bible. Truly our Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal, self-existent God, "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Revelation 22:13).

[Soldier4Christ]

Abiding Words


"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).

In order for the words of the Lord really to abide in us, it seems clear that we should commit as many of them to memory -- not only in our minds, but in our hearts -- as we possibly can. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart," the psalmist said, "that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11).

There are many promises of blessing to those who have God's Word in their hearts. "For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips" (Proverbs 22:18). "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; . . . Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:1,5).

Both the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter have noted the importance of Scripture memorization. Paul says: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

Peter's exhortation is as follows: "This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets [i.e., the Old Testament Scriptures], and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior [i.e., the New Testament Scriptures]" (II Peter 3:1-2). The words "be mindful" mean essentially "recall to mind."

Since the Scriptures cannot be recalled to mind unless they've first been installed in the mind, and since they cannot abide in our hearts unless we first hide them in our hearts, it is surely pleasing and honoring to God that we learn "by heart" as much of His Word as we can.

[Soldier4Christ]

Brutish Fools


"O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this" (Psalm 92:5-6).

In God's sight, brutish men are not those who act like animals, but those whose understanding of God is like that of animals. And those who are fools are not those who seem stupid about the ways of this world, but those who refuse to understand the ways of God.

The various applications of the adjective "brutish" in the Bible are significant. For example, "he that hateth reproof is brutish" (Proverbs 12:1). Speaking of those whose god is not the true God of creation, but who are satisfied with their self-centered faith, the prophet says: "Every man is brutish by his knowledge" (Jeremiah 51:17).

Our text stresses the sad truth that "brutish" men do not appreciate either God's great works or His deep thoughts. They refuse to see either the tremendous evidences of intelligent design in the works of God or the profound depths in the plan of God.

The wonderful psalms of David twice stress that "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalms 14:1; 53:1). And the great apostle Paul, speaking of such people, said that "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," for they have "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator" (Romans 1:22,25).

Such attitudes, unfortunately, seem to be those of the dominant scientists and educators of our day. They insist that young people be taught naturalism only, ignoring the fact that there is no evidence whatever for a naturalistic origin of life or man. Belief in evolution requires more blind faith than belief in God and creation. We should not be impressed and influenced by brutish and foolish philosophies.

[Soldier4Christ]

For the Sins of the Nation


"We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses" (Nehemiah 1:7).

Nehemiah had such a great burden for his nation that, although he himself had not been guilty of their sins, he was willing to confess their sins as his own, if God would only restore them to the Promised Land.

Ezra also felt the same way. "I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens" (Ezra 9:6). Godly Daniel had also prayed for his people, identifying himself with their sins. "We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly. . . . O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name" (Daniel 9:5,19).

And God did hearken as He had promised long ago: "If my people . . . pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14).

Our own land today surely needs healing. God desires "my people" to confess as their own the sins of their people (we are surely at least in part responsible, because of our past indifference, merely criticizing instead of praying), then perhaps God will hear as He heard the prayers of Daniel and Nehemiah.

Paul felt the same burden in his day. "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Romans 9:3).

Ezra and Paul and the others identified themselves with the sins of their people. But the Lord Jesus Christ went far beyond even that. He not only identified Himself with us in our sinful state, but also then "bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24).

[Soldier4Christ]

Multitudes in Hell
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
 "The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword" (Ezekiel 32:21).

The subject of hell is largely ignored today, even by evangelical teachers and pastors. This is a tragic mistake because multitudes are there already, and multitudes living today will soon be there. It is good to preach the love of God, but God also commands us: "Others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire" (Jude 23).

The Lord, through Ezekiel, has given us a graphic picture of those in earlier ages who are now in Hades, awaiting the final judgment. The great Pharaoh of Egypt, along with his countrymen, had practiced the Egyptian religion with all its complex concepts and rituals, but religion, in itself, will not keep one from hell. When Pharaoh died and had "gone down" to "hell" (actually, this word in the Old Testament is sheol, equivalent to the Greek, Hades, a great pit deep in the core of the earth), he found many there already from the centuries before him. Some specifically named (Ezekiel 32:22-30) are Asshur, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, and Zidon, each with their multitudes. Esau, Jacob's brother, was also there (same as Edom). These, significantly, come from all three original branches of Noah's family. All had come from a godly ancestor, but that did not save them. "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but . . . worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator" (Romans 1:21,25).

All of these individuals whose final end is explained in Scripture verifies the warning of Christ: "Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matthew 7:13). Only those who worship the true Creator, receiving Christ as personal Savior from sin, will be saved.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Infinite Wisdom and Knowledge of God
 

"In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).

One of the most amazing of the divine attributes is God's omniscience. He not only understands all the complexities of relativistic science and higher mathematics, He ordained them in the first place! The same applies to every other discipline of study and activity.

And He knows all about each of us! "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off" (Psalm 139:1-2).

As far as human knowledge is concerned, it is vital to know that "The fear of the Lord" is the very foundation of "knowledge" and of "wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). All the greatest scientists of the past acknowledged that they were seeking merely to "think God's thoughts after Him."

How foolish it is to ignore or to oppose God! There are only four places in the Bible that speak of God laughing (Psalm 2:4; 37:13; 59:8; Proverbs 1:26), and each of them describes His response to such folly.

Instead we should marvel at all the wonders of His creation and providence. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33).

Our text verse above (Colossians 2:3) is actually referring explicitly to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten and eternal Son of God. It is He who has given us access to the Creator God and therefore access to the divine knowledge and understanding. Part of the still effective dominion mandate (Genesis 1:26,28) is to learn what we can about God's creation, always remembering that Jesus insisted that -- no matter what unbelievers say -- "the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).