A Daily Devotional

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Always Rejoicing (#19950403)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Rejoice evermore” (I Thessalonians 5:16).

Most people think that John 11:35 (“Jesus wept”) is the shortest verse in the Bible, but our text is actually even shorter in the original Greek. In one sense, these two two-word verses complement each other: because Jesus wept, we can rejoice evermore. Christ died that we might live. He became poor so that we could be eternally rich. When Christ rose from the dead and met the women returning from the empty tomb, He greeted them with the words: “All hail!” (Matthew 28:9). The actual Greek was the same word as “rejoice,” and surely His victory over sin and death provided the greatest of all reasons for the world to rejoice.

The contrast between suffering and rejoicing is present throughout the New Testament, with the former typically preceding and bringing in the latter. Its first occurrence is in the closing verse of the beatitudes: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you . . . for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11,12). The final passage, when the sufferings of the saints are all past and Christ comes to reign, the multitude sings in heaven: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come” (Revelation 19:7). In that great day, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4), and all the redeemed will, indeed, rejoice evermore.

Therefore, we can live our present lives in the light of our future lives, “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (II Corinthians 6:10). The apostle Paul exhorts us to “Rejoice in the Lord alway” (Philippians 4:4), and Peter says that, loving Christ, we “Rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:. HMM

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No Water (#19950404)
by Norman P. Spotts, D.D.

“And there was no water for the people to drink” (Exodus 17:1).

As the children of Israel journeyed in the wilderness, they came upon a “NO WATER” situation. Considering the fact that the congregation numbered from two to three million people plus livestock, this was a desperately critical problem. Humanly, there was nothing that could be done to bring relief. How would they react to such an adverse circumstance?

Elijah had a similar incident in his life. Day after day God miraculously supplied his need in the wilderness beyond Jordan, then, “THE BROOK DRIED UP” (I Kings 17:7). How would he react to his “no water” situation?

In Exodus 17:1–7, Israel reacted to their seemingly big problem in the following ways: (1) They chided against Moses and tempted God (17:2,3). (2) They murmured against the leadership even to the point of wanting to stone Moses (17:3,4). (3) They failed to give God the glory for what He had already done: their deliverance from Egypt (17:3). (4) They drew a false conclusion as they looked at the circumstances (17:3). Moses, they reasoned, brought them into the wilderness to kill them with thirst. (5) They evidenced a complete lack of faith concerning the Lord’s immediate presence. “They tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?” (17:7).

Elijah, on the other hand, never murmured or complained when his brook dried up. He daily lived in the assurance of God’s presence which brought him contentment, regardless of the circumstances.

Elijah’s faith, rather than Israel’s distrust, should be the example of how we, as believers, should react to the “NO WATER” situations of life. The word of God should be explicitly trusted. “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). NPS

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Not So, Lord (#19950405)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean” (Acts 10:14).

This response of Peter to the Lord’s command is a self contradiction. How could He be Peter’s Lord if Peter felt free to disobey His command?

The doctrine and practice of the Lordship of Christ have always been difficult and controversial. Many Christians who have called Him their Savior and Lord nevertheless often feel free to question or disregard His word. There may be legitimate discussion concerning interpretation of the Word, but there is never justification for questioning its authority, regardless of the pretenses of modern intellectuals or the pressures of public opinion. As the Lord Jesus Christ rebukingly asked: “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

There was an earlier occasion when Peter revealed this same inconsistency. When Christ told of His imminent crucifixion, Peter “began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee” (Matthew 16:22). The Lord, therefore, had to rebuke Peter. It was not Peter’s prerogative, nor is it ours, to question the word of the Lord, even when we don’t yet understand it.

That kind of attitude can, under certain circumstances, have deadly and eternal consequences. Jesus warned those who would profess His Lordship without its reality; “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord. . . . And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22,23).

Peter learned this lesson and was soon able to confess unreservedly concerning Christ that “He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). We who “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” for salvation (Acts 16:31) certainly should seek to believe and obey His word in all things. HMM

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Promotional Geography (#19950406)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:5–7).

National politics, city politics, office politics, all are alike in two respects. One who seeks promotion to higher office manages somehow to “lift up his horn on high” and also to persuade some kind of constituency (often geographical, but possibly professional or some other) to back him as its representative. But this isn’t the way it should work in God’s service. Promotion does not come from a geographical election, and God is not pleased with those who “toot their own horn” or speak arrogantly concerning their own qualifications. “And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not” (Jeremiah 45:5).

Jesus said: “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:11,12). “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility” (Proverbs 18:12).

As far as governmental offices are concerned, it is well to remember that—whether in a democracy or monarchy or dictatorship—“the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1), and sometimes, for His own good reasons, “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men” (Daniel 4:17).

God is the ultimate Judge, and it is His will that we pray “for kings, and for all that are in authority” (I Timothy 2:2) and submit ourselves “to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake” (I Peter 2:13). “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (I Peter 5:6). HMM

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Thorny Ground (#19950407)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke 8:14).

In Christ’s familiar parable of the sower, one of the four types of ground on which the seed was sown was ground choked with thorns. The interpretation, as given in our text, is that the ground represents those professing Christians who become so involved with the “cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things” (Mark 4:19), or (as our text puts it) “the pleasures of this life,” that they never bring any spiritual fruit to full growth.

Whether such nominal believers are actually born again may be uncertain, but there are many sober warnings in Scripture about such dominating concerns in a Christian life. Paul warns against those who are “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” despite “having a form of godliness” (II Timothy 3:4,5). Similarly, he says that those who suppose that “gain is godliness” are “men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth” (I Timothy 6:5).

The “cares of this world” may include a wide variety of personal concerns and ambitions; interests that so occupy their time and attention that such Christians are never able to produce real spiritual fruit. There do seem to be many such professing Christians today in affluent, pleasure-loving America. Our concern, however, must be with our own fruitfulness, not theirs. “For if these things [i.e., virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness, and love] be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:. Jesus said: “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:. HMM

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The Eyes Of The Heart (#19950408)
by Connie J. Horn

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matthew 6:22).

This verse is part of the discourse on heavenly treasure vs. earthly treasure. Verse 24 states, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” An eye fixed on temporal “mammon” is an evil eye, and the body is filled with darkness (v.23).

But, a “single” eye is an eye fixed on the unseen; it is singularly fixed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on the object of its devotion: the Lord Jesus Christ. Our text verse notes that this singleness of heart fills the body with light; i.e., the illuminating light of God’s Spirit (Hebrews 10:32). The phrase “full of light” is one Greek word that is also used to denote the “bright cloud (that) overshadowed them” (Matthew 17:5) on the Mount of Transfiguration.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. . . . While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:6,7,18).

The “eye” of Matthew 6 extends far beyond what our biological “camera” records. It is the eye of the heart in Ephesians 6:5 and Colossians 3:22. “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that He have mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:2). CJH

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The Abolitionist (#19950409)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (II Timothy 1:10).

There are many evils in this world that need to be abolished, not only slavery, but also war, crime, disease, pollution, drug abuse, promiscuity, and a host of others. But the greatest enemy of all is death, and it is the most difficult to conquer. Yet, according to our text, this greatest enemy has already been abolished, and life and immortality already established, by Jesus Christ! All other evils are the results of sin, and the wages of sin is death. Therefore, for death to be abolished, sin and all its evil fruits must first be abolished, and this also has been accomplished by Christ, who has “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” By this “one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 9:26; 10:14).

And lest anyone object that sin and death seem still to be present in great abundance, he should recall that even though these are still in the world, we ourselves as redeemed believers are not in the world, for He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

All of this, of course, is our future prospect, but it is just as sure as if already done, because Christ has indeed put away sin by His death, and abolished death by His resurrection. From the temporal point of view, “the last enemy that shall be destroyed [literally ‘abolished’] is death”(I Corinthians 15:26), but from the vantage point of eternity, where Christ our Creator/Savior wields “all power” (Matthew 28:18), it is already done. When the great victory cry, “It is finished!” echoed out from the cross, it was finished! Death is dead, for Jesus lives. HMM

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I Will Remember Thee (#19950410)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“The Lord Jesus . . . took bread: And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: This do in remembrance of me. . . . This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (I Corinthians 11:23–25).

The occasion of our text is, of course, the last supper Christ ate with His disciples before He was betrayed and crucified, dying a sacrificial death for our sins. At this meal He instituted the precious ordinance of communion, to be regularly observed by Christians, during which we are to “remember” His death in a special way.

A touching communion hymn entitled, “According to Thy Gracious Word,” helps focus our thoughts on Christ’s ordeal, and we may use it these next few days to enhance our study.

According to Thy gracious Word, In meek humility, This will I do, my dying Lord, I will remember Thee.

The Greek structure of the verb “do,” used twice in our text, signifies a command to continue “doing” this action as an integral part of one’s lifestyle. We are to make it a habit to regularly observe the “Lord’s Supper,” as it has come to be known, when we “come together” (v.33) with other Christians. His gracious word has told us to do so, and we must obey.

But this should not be done in meaningless rote, but as our song says, in meekness and humility. Those who do so “unworthily [literally ‘in an unworthy manner’] shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (v.27). A careful self-examination (v.28) should reveal all unconfessed sin, to be followed by true repentance and forgiveness. Then we can fully “remember” Him. JDM

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Thy Testamental Cup I Take (#19950411)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“And He took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19,20).

The sensitively written second verse of the song, “According to Thy Gracious Word,” speaks of the communion elements and their meaning to us.

Thy body, broken for my sake, My bread from heaven shall be; Thy testamental cup I take, And thus remember Thee.

In the book of Hebrews we read that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4), even though the covenant of God with the people of Israel included many such sacrifices. These were merely “a shadow of good things to come” (v.1), pointing toward the ultimate and fully sufficient sacrifice of the sinless and undeserving Son of God on the cross. He has said, for this purpose “a body hast thou prepared me” (v.5), and “I come . . . to do thy will, O God” (v.7).

This divinely “prepared” body was “broken” on the cross. He was battered and brutalized, scourged and spit upon, mocked and pierced for our sake, taking upon Himself the punishment due us. The bread partaken of on the communion table helps us never to forget.

The cup symbolizes His blood, shed for us, as His very life poured out in sacrifice. Our text speaks of the new testament, or new covenant, by which He has of His own will committed Himself to us and sealed the covenant with His blood. He has done all that was necessary—the only thing we can do is simply believe, partake of His testamental cup—and remember. JDM

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Can I Forget? (#19950412)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and He saith to His disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. . . . My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch” (Mark 14.32,34).

The prayerful agony of our Lord in Gethsemane’s garden on the night of His betrayal is reflected in the third verse of that stirring communion hymn, “According to Thy Gracious Word,” written in the mid-1800’s.

Gethsemane can I forget? Or there Thy conflict see, Thine agony and bloody sweat, And not remember Thee?

Actually, this verse asks a question. Lord, how could I ever forget the intense events of that night?

A mighty war was waged that night, a great conflict of soul. “And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:35,36). In His humanity, He certainly shrank from the torturous death before Him, but in His Spirit, pure and undefiled as it was, He recoiled from the world of sin, my sin and your sin about to become His, and the infinite separation between the holy Father and the sin-laden Sacrifice which would follow. His agony was so great that the physician Luke records that “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44), a rare but extremely painful response of the brow to intense emotional struggle.

When we acknowledge that this struggle was for our eternal welfare, and that He struggled alone as His disciples slept, how could we not remember? JDM

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To The Cross I Turn My Eyes (#19950413)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

The mere thought of the cross should evoke in our hearts an ever-deepening thankfulness for the eternal work accomplished there. This is the theme of verse four of the hymn, “According to Thy Gracious Word.”

When to the cross I turn mine eyes And rest on Calvary, O Lamb of God, my sacrifice, I must remember Thee.

“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him” (Luke 23:33). The Roman occupiers of Israel executed many, sometimes for the slightest of offenses. They invented the hideous execution method of crucifixion, which had been prophesied in great detail in Psalms 22. In all likelihood, many had been executed at Calvary, some no doubt undeserving, but none like this!

For the One to whom we turn our eyes is none other than the Lamb of God. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), a “lamb without blemish and without spot”(I Peter 1:19), “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:.

But the death of the Lamb takes on infinite proportions when we recognize that His death was a sacrificial death, for us. For “Christ also suffered for us. . . . (He) who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: . . . who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (I Peter 2:21–24).

“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). And God forbid that we should fail to remember. JDM

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Remember Thy Love For Me (#19950414)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able . . . to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17–19).

Christ’s sacrificial love for us was remarkable. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), but “Christ died for the ungodly. . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6,8). The fifth verse of that grand old communion hymn, “According to Thy Gracious Word,” remembers that love.

Remember Thee and all Thy pains And all Thy love to me; Yea, while a breath, a pulse remains Will I remember Thee.

The gospels give graphic portrayals of the physical suffering endured by Christ on the cross, but a prophetic passage equally explicit is found in Isaiah, where we read that because of His treatment, “His visage was so marred more than any man” (52:14). He had “no form nor comeliness . . . no beauty” (53:2). In His sacrificial role He was “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (v.3). Why did He endure all this? “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: . . . the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (vv.5,6).

How should we react? Certainly by accepting His free gift of forgiveness, based on the truth that our sins are already paid for, but also with a heart of loving remembrance throughout our entire lives.

And on into eternity! “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (I John 3:1). Our adoption into His family lasts forever, as will our remembrance of His love and work. JDM

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Jesus, Remember Me (#19950415)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12.30).

We have been studying, these past few days, the Scriptural backing for each verse of the long-beloved communion hymn, “According to Thy Gracious Word.” Each verse in turn has encouraged us to “remember” various aspects of Christ’s atoning death on Calvary. The final verse looks to the future, when age or illness or even death saps our strength and mind. Surely we will “remember” Him throughout eternity, but there’s more.

And when these failing lips grow dumb And mind and memory flee When Thou shalt in Thy kingdom come, Jesus remember me.

Paul wrote “That 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). Those who have “confessed” Him have been saved; granted eternal life. This life lasts for all time, even in times of physical frailty. Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Jesus even prayed for us, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am” (John 17:24). Furthermore He said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

The hymn’s last two lines remind us of the words of the repentant thief on the cross next to Jesus. “Lord, remember me when thou camest into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42). The response? “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (v.43). We have no fear, even of death, for He shall remember us. JDM

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The King Of Glory (#19950416)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah” (Psalm 24:10).

In the Upper Room just before His betrayal, the Lord Jesus prayed to His Father, remembering “the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). He had left heaven, however, when “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Then, when He miraculously turned water into wine at the wedding in Galilee, He “manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him” (John 2:11).

In the days of His flesh, His glory was veiled, however, except in His life and words of grace and truth, and in His mighty works. He “made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7,8).

Finally, His glory seemed to be gone forever as He lay in a borrowed tomb. But then “God . . . raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God” (I Peter 1:21).

He is now “the Lord of glory” (James 2:1), who, being the very “brightness of (God’s) glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

As He ascended back to heaven, all His hosts of angels welcomed their Lord of hosts with a mighty anthem of praise: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:9,10). HMM

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Which Way To Turn (#19950417)
by Norman P. Spotts, D.D.

“Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41).

Three times in Psalm 78 it is said of the children of Israel that they turned back. It is hard to believe that God’s special people would deliberately turn away from God, yet on numerous occasions they did.

First, we see that they turned back while wandering in the wilderness. “How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness and grieve Him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” (vv.40,41). Stephen, in his great sermon in Acts 7:39, put his finger on the problem and at the same time accused the Jewish leaders to whom he spoke when he said, “In their hearts (they) turned back again into Egypt.” People who turn back have a definite heart problem.

Also, they turned back while enjoying the privileges of dwelling in the land of promise. “Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not His testimonies: but turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers” (Psalm 78:56,57).

Then again, they turned back during a time of war. “The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle” (v.9). Just the opposite is said of faithful Jonathan by his friend David in II Samuel 1:22, “the bow of Jonathan turned not back.”

Thus, three times in Psalm 78, Asaph rebukes those who would turn back from following the Lord. But, in Psalm 80 the same writer prays three times for restoration and renewal. “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved” (vv.3,7,19). How can anyone be saved who does not turn to the Lord?

May we be encouraged always to turn to, and not away from, the Lord of our salvation! NPS