A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Lessons From The Rock (#19950824)
by Norman P. Spotts, D.D.

“Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock” (Numbers 20:.

Toward the end of the forty-year wilderness wanderings of Israel, the second generation encountered a “no water” situation. Like the first generation, they failed to trust God. God told Moses to “Speak ye unto the rock” The water would then come abundantly.

But instead of speaking to the rock, Moses turned his back on the rock and spoke in great anger to the people. He was now speaking in the wrong direction. When he finally turned toward the rock, he was so filled with anger that he completely disobeyed God and struck the rock twice, and thus was barred from the land of Canaan (vv.9-12). Four valuable lessons can be learned from this Old Testament story. Learn to speak to the Rock before speaking to others. Paul stated that the spiritual rock that followed them was Christ (I Corinthians 10:4), who is constantly with us. If we keep in touch with the Rock, our speech will be acceptable. Give complete obedience to the commands of God. Anything less brings judgment. Watch out for sinful anger. The psalmist’s account of this incident is as follows: “They angered him also at the water of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips” (Psalm 106:32,33). May our speech “be alway with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). Don’t take credit for what God has done. Moses failed to “sanctify” God before the children of Israel. His act of striking the rock exalted himself rather than God. Christ said, “For without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). God must always be glorified and exalted, God, not man. NPS

[Soldier4Christ]

How To Love (#19950825)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (I Peter 1:22).

There are many exhortations in the Scriptures urging Christians to love one another, but none give more explicit directions as to the character of this love than this verse. We are to love all people, even our enemies (Matthew 5:44) in one sense, but here Peter is speaking specifically of “love of the brethren” (one word in the Greek, philadelphia).

However, the love enjoined here is not merely brotherly love, but agape love—that is, sacrificial love—a love like that of Christ. “He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (I John 3:16).

Such love is also to be unfeigned love. “Let love be without dissimulation” (or “hypocrisy”—Romans 12:9). Furthermore, it is to be pure love—spiritual love, not physical. This aspect cannot be emphasized too strongly in today’s permissive society, where even true spiritually minded Christians all too often fall into sin.

Finally, it should be a fervent love—that is, a strong and enduring love. Although the Greek word here is used only this once in Scripture, a very similar word is translated “without ceasing” in Acts 12:5 (“prayer was made without ceasing”).

Our love for our Christian brethren therefore should be a sacrificial, sincere, chaste, and enduring love. And all of this is predicated on obedience to God’s word—“obeying the truth through the Spirit” is the premise of our text.

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren,” says the Apostle John. “He that loveth not his brother abideth in death” (I John 3:14). Therefore, we must see that we love one another with a pure heart, fervently. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Fire Of God (#19950826)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

Fire was considered by certain of the ancient pantheistic philosophers to have been the primeval element out of which all things had evolved, and this same myth is promulgated today by evolutionary cosmogonists in the form of their “Big Bang” theory. The fact is, however, that fire is a creation of God used both actually and symbolically as God’s vehicle of judgment on sin.

It is significant that both the first and last references to fire in the Bible mention both fire and brimstone, used in flaming judgment on human rebellion against God. First, “the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24). And finally, “the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:.

Our text is a reference to Moses’ words to the tribes as they were preparing to enter the promised land after his death. Warning them against corrupting their faith through idolatry, he said: “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24). Its New Testament context is a grave warning against rejecting God’s word: “See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven” (Hebrews 12:25).

In this sense, God’s word is also the fire of God. “His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:9). It is better to be refined with the fire of God’s word than to be consumed. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Wrong On Two Counts (#19950827)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).

When the Sadducees, who were the theological, philosophical, and scientific elite of the day, came to Jesus with a trick question in an attempt to discredit Him, He responded with the stinging rebuke in our text. While His response dealt specifically with the fact of resurrection and the nature of the after-life, His two-fold evaluation of self-reliant scholars still fits today, particularly in regard to evolutionary speculations.

By the time Darwin had published his book, Origin of Species, attributing evolutionary progression to natural selection, he had probably become an atheist and so set about to ascribe creation to natural causes. He attributed to nature abilities which clearly belong to God alone. He knew something of the Scriptures, but his memoirs obviously show that he had little understanding of basic Biblical teaching. He felt that if there was a God, He had little power or had not been involved in the affairs of this earth. Most atheistic evolutionists today follow Darwin’s intellectual footsteps.

But what of Christian intellectuals, theistic evolutionists, progressive creationists, or advocates of the framework hypothesis, who claim to know God but yet deny His power in creation? They too reject the clear teaching of Scripture regarding creation, relegating Him to the mundane task of overseeing the evolutionary process, reducing His power to something potentially accomplishable by man. Peter aptly describes this attitude when he calls it “willful ignorance” (II Peter 3:5).

It has been suggested by some that all human error can be traced to one or both of these categories, not knowing (and/or believing) the Scriptures, and underestimating the power of God. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Those Fossil Fuels


"And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark" (Genesis 7:23).

People today are concerned about the eventual depletion of the oil and coal supplies of the world. The economics of all the world's nations are largely dependent upon these "fossil fuels" as they are called.

And they are called "fossils" because they apparently once were living organisms, somehow buried in vast sediments and later compressed and converted into oil and coal and combustible gas. How could this have happened?

Evolutionists speculate that hundreds of millions of years of slow processes must have been involved, but the details of such processes are very uncertain. Coal and oil can be produced in a matter of hours in modern laboratories under appropriate conditions of heat and pressure. Recent studies by creation scientists have proved that at least the great coal beds (and even diamond mines) contain modern radiocarbon, so must have been formed recently.

Although evolutionists ridicule the idea of a world-destroying hydraulic cataclysm in Noah's day, that phenomenon really does provide the most reasonable explanation for all these phenomena. "The world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished" (II Peter 3:6).

Isn't it ironic that the whole world's economy has come to depend on that orgy of death imposed on a wicked world in its early days? Without the energy stored in these dwindling fossils, man's rush toward greater sin and judgment in these latter days would almost certainly be hindered. In the meantime, "The Lord shall laugh at him: for He seeth that his day is coming" (Psalm 37:13).

[Soldier4Christ]

Should a Christian Get Angry?


"But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment . . ." (Matthew 5:22).

There are a number of Scriptures which, taken alone, would indicate that a Christian should never get angry about anything. For example, note Ephesians 4:31: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger . . . be put away from you. . . ."

Yet Jesus indicated only that anger "without a cause" was wrong and invited judgment. Many modern translations omit the phrase "without a cause" in this verse (NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.), but the phrase does occur in over 99.5% of all the Greek manuscripts, and thus clearly should be retained.

If anger were never permitted for a believer, it would contradict even the occasional example of Jesus Himself. "And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts . . ." (Mark 3:5). He was angered here by certain hypocrites among the Pharisees who were ready to condemn Him for healing a disabled man on the Sabbath.

We are never justified in getting angry over some personal injury or insult to ourselves. This is implied in context in such verses as cited above (Colossians 3:8, etc.) "Recompense to no man evil for evil . . . avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath" (Romans 12:17,19). But if we do get angry in spite of ourselves, we are commanded: "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26).

There may be some situations involving injury or insult to the name or work of Christ where anger is indeed "with cause." Even then, however, God would warn us to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19), remembering that "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19).

[Soldier4Christ]

If So Be (#19950828)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (I Peter 2:3).

The little phrase “if so be” (Greek, ei per) is used four times in the New Testament, each time setting forth a vital spiritual result established on the basis of a vital spiritual premise. The premise in our text is that a new Christian has truly experienced the saving grace of Christ. The result will be that these “newborn babes” will truly “desire the sincere milk of the word” (I Peter 2:2). The “word” (Greek, logikos) is always both pure and reasonable.

Then, “ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you” (Romans 8:9). When a person truly receives Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells his body, and the result is that he will henceforth live in the guidance of the Spirit instead of the flesh.

But this life in the Spirit will necessarily entail suffering for the sake of Christ, and this is the premise that assures our future inheritance and glorification. The indwelling Spirit bears witness that we are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

Finally, our future resurrection is assured by the certainty of the bodily resurrection of Christ. “We have testified of God,” Paul says, “that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not” (I Corinthians 15:15). Christ’s resurrection is proved as well as any historical fact has ever been proved, so the dead surely rise also.

These “if-so-be’s” of Scripture, although seemingly expressed in the form of conditions, actually speak great assurances. The true Christian life is one of thirst for the logical words of God, guidance by the indwelling Spirit of God, certainty of future resurrection, and anticipation of a glorious inheritance in Christ. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

If By Any Means (#19950829)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:11).

The usage of this seemingly insignificant phrase, “if by any means” (Greek, ei pos), follows a significant order of development in the New Testament. Occurring only four times, it is used to express the urgency of an object sought, and the background needs and means for its attainment.

The context of the first occurrence is the presumed need for physical comfort and security. “Because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter” (Acts 27:12). This particular goal, however, was never attained.

The second is a more noble object, that of reaching an area of spiritual ministry. “Without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,” Paul said. “Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you . . . that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift” (Romans 1:10,11).

The next occurrence speaks in even greater urgency, the object being the conversion of Paul’s Jewish brethren. “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles. . . . If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them” (Romans 11:13,14).

The final occurrence is in our text, speaking of the supreme importance of a Christ-centered life: “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:10,11). By all means, therefore, we should, like Paul, seek to live for Christ, minister to others, and win souls for Him. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Superpower Conflict (#19950830)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His anointed” (Psalm 2:2).

Scripture points us to a coming superpower conflict, one which pits all the nations of the earth, their rulers, their citizens, and their philosophies against God Almighty, His anointed Son, Jesus Christ (see Acts 4:25,26), and against the Biblical way of life and thought.

In this psalm we find the situation and conflict and its outcome described. Indeed, the world and its systems align themselves in stark opposition to God, rebelling against His authority, thinking they can overcome Him. “Why do the heathen [nations] rage, and the people imagine [that they can accomplish] a vain [impossible] thing?” (v.1). They want to be free of any restraints and in their silly pride have convinced themselves (as their leader Satan did in Isaiah 14:13 and elsewhere) that they can cast down the sovereign God, “saying, let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (vv.2,3).

But God is sovereign: “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision” (v.4). God is also just, and at the proper time, when all have seen His patience, “then shall He speak unto them in His wrath and vex them in His sore displeasure” (v.5). And He is victorious: “Yet have I set [installed] my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (v.6). This king is none other than His only begotten Son (v.7) who will reign (v. and judge (v.9) righteously.

The warning to those who would rebel follows. Not only are we to “Be wise . . . serve the LORD with fear” (vv.10,11), but we must also love and worship Him, “kiss the Son” (v.12). How foolish to respond to His gracious love and wise watchcare in any other way. “Blessed [happy] are all they that put their trust in Him” (v.12). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Firstfruits (#19950901)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” (Proverbs 3:9).

There are seven New Testament references to “firstfruits,” all of which are metaphorical applications of the Old Testament commandment to offer the firstfruits of one’s increase to the Lord. We now have to give our own firstfruits to the government, in the form of “withheld” amounts from our wages. It is still good, nonetheless, to honor the Lord with the “firstfruits” equivalent of our increase, regardless of the government.

The New Testament references are all beautiful spiritual applications of this concept. At His resurrection, Christ Himself has “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (I Corinthians 15:20). When we receive Christ, we receive our eternal salvation first of all in terms of “the firstfruits of the Spirit” (Romans 8:23). Furthermore we ourselves are, to Him, a sort of firstfruits pledge of future growth. “Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18).

This thought is also applied to the first converts of a new mission field. Paul speaks of “the firstfruits of Asia” (the western part of Asia Minor) and “the firstfruits of Achaia” (southern Greece) in Romans 16:5 and I Corinthians 16:15, respectively. He also speaks of believing Jews as having preceded Gentiles into the kingdom as a holy firstfruit (Romans 11:16) to the Lord.

The last of the New Testament references to firstfruits relates to the 144,000 Israelite witnesses in the coming great tribulation. “These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4). Beautiful and pointed though these metaphors may be, however, they in no wise lessen our responsibility to honor God with our own firstfruits. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Four Commands (#19950902)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (I Peter 2:17).

Our text today gives four commands for believers to obey, each of which is difficult, but nonetheless “is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (v.15). It comes in a lengthy passage (2:11–3:12) which discusses the matter of authority and a Christian’s proper response to it. Ponder each command:

Honor all men: This could be translated, “Give honor to all.” While the verb is the same as in the last command, its verb tense is not the same, here indicating a continued, conscious choice to do this, while honoring “the king” indicates the development of a life-style of showing respect to civil authority. Evidently our day-to-day encounters with sinful “men” require us to be continually choosing to regard them with honor and dignity. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3).

Love the brotherhood: Our agape love—God’s kind of unselfish, undeserved love—should extend, on a habitual basis as seen in the verb tense, to all believers. “See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (I Peter 1:22).

Fear God: A life style marked by a reverential fear of God is in mind here. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7), etc.

Honor the king: As mentioned above, this is to be a life’s commitment, continually recognizing the God-given authority of human government (I Peter 2:13,14).

“Having your conversation [i.e., manner of life] honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (v.12). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Faint Not (#19950903)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3).

The Christian life and ministry can grow wearisome and hard at times, but with Christ Himself as our example, the Lord admonishes us not to faint, but always to press on.

If our prayers seem to go unanswered, He reminds us that “men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). When we grow tired and are tempted to quit, the Scriptures assure us that “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

When God has entrusted us with a certain ministry, we need to learn to say, with Paul: “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not” (II Corinthians 4:1). As we see God’s mercy-drops of blessing begin to fall, we then can say, as he did: “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (II Corinthians 4:16). We can even encourage others to faint not, as he did: “Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory” (Ephesians 3:13).

The same Greek word is translated “weary” in II Thessalonians 3:13: “Be not weary in well doing.” Finally, even when God has to rebuke us, we must learn to take it patiently. “Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him” (Hebrews 12:5).

But with all these strong exhortations to faint not, we also need to know just how we can obtain the needed strength to keep on keeping on. The answer is in God’s great counsel to Isaiah: “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Be Diligent (#19950904)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge” (II Peter 1:5).

The importance of diligence is urged by Peter as basic in the development of the seven other virtues listed by him—that is, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity—as vital additions to our faith. Diligence is seldom considered as a particular Christian attribute, but it is essential if we really desire to develop the other Christian virtues in our lives. They do not come by wishing or hoping. Peter also exhorts us to “give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (II Peter 1:10), and then to “be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (II Peter 3:14).

Essentially the same Greek word is also translated “study” and “labor” and “endeavor.” Paul commands: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”(II Timothy 2:15). He beseeches us always to be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). We are even told to “labor therefore to enter into that rest” (Hebrews 4:11).

There are many other such exhortations in which Christian diligence is urged or shown in reference to other Christian virtues. There is one key verse, however, in which diligence itself is commanded as a Christian duty: “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). Here the word “business” is the same as “diligence.” That is, each Christian is commanded to “be diligent in diligence!”

Christian salvation is received solely by grace through faith. The Christian life, however, demands diligence. Can we not, as our text commands, give all diligence in our service to the Lord who gave His life for us? HMM

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Blessings In Christ Jesus (#19950905)
by Norman P. Spotts, D.D.

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 1:1).

Paul, in writing his second epistle to Timothy, enumerates several special blessings that we, as believers, have “in Christ Jesus.” In order of appearance, they are listed as follows: “The promise of life which is in Christ Jesus” (1:1). We have eternal life because of Christ. “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus” (1:9). It was planned, “before the world began.” “In faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (1:13). The “sound words” mentioned in this verse are to be held fast by our faith and love in Christ. “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1). Strength for each new day is imparted by grace from the Lord. “That they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2:10). Eternal salvation and glory rests solely upon Christ. For that cause we can “endure all things.” “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (3:12). The godly life can only be lived in Christ. “The holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (3:15). Salvation does come by our faith in Christ as is revealed in the word of God and can even be understood and received by “a child.”

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow,” in Christ Jesus! NPS

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God Is Faithful (#19950906)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Corinthians 1:9).

When we place our trust in Jesus Christ as omnipotent Creator and gracious Redeemer, He then faithfully undertakes to provide everything we need to live an effective fruitful, victorious Christian life.

For example, when we are tempted to sin or are tested in any other way, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13). In this connection, He undertakes to ground us firmly in His truth and to keep us from moral and spiritual harm. “The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” (II Thessalonians 3:3).

When we do sin, however, He assures us that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). With all our failings, He has undertaken to eventually perfect us in Christ, and He faithfully will continue this until it is done. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; . . . Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it” (I Thessalonians 5:23,24).

All that He has promised, He will do. Even when we are unfaithful to Him, He remains faithful to us. “If we believe not [that is, ‘are unfaithful’], yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself” (II Timothy 2:13).

Our text above, assuring us of God’s faithfulness, follows the promise that He will “confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 1:. Therefore, we seek also to be faithful. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)” (Hebrews 10:23). HMM