A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

That Holy Thing (#19951115)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

This revelation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary refers, of course, to the miraculous conception of the incarnate God in the virgin’s womb. It is noteworthy that the developing baby was called “that holy thing.” The birth of Jesus had to be a perfectly normal, human birth with His infant form being carried in the womb through full term from conception to birth, for “in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren” (Hebrews 2:17).

This suggests that every other growing embryo could also be called a “holy thing” (actually, the Greek simply says “holy”). John the Baptist, in fact, was said to be “filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15).

In any case, there can be no doubt that the growing body of Jesus in Mary’s womb was (apart from innate sin) truly human from the moment of conception, and this must therefore be true of every human embryo. The modern abortionist’s idea that the fetus only becomes “human” after the first trimester, or even later, is based on the infamous “recapitulation theory” of 19th century evolutionists who taught that the embryo “recapitulated” the evolutionary history of an animal ancestry. This bizarre and long-discredited notion is still offered as a “proof” of evolution and as the pseudo-scientific rationale for abortion—its advocates claiming that the fetus progresses through invertebrate, fish, reptile, and monkey stages before evolving into a human being. No knowledgeable embryologist teaches such a thing today, of course. Abortionism is not only contrary to Scripture and the purposes of God, but unscientific, as well. HMM

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Fruit (#19951116)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2).

As Christ emphasized in His parable of the vine and the branches, it is vitally important for a Christian to bear fruit. There are, in fact, many types of spiritual fruit mentioned in Scripture.

Perhaps the most important fruit, produced in one’s life by the Holy Spirit, is that of a Christ-like character. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22,23). “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9).

Holiness—the seal of a life dedicated to God—is a particular spiritual fruit. “Being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness” (Romans 6:22) and are “filled with the fruits of righteousness” (Philippians 1:11). This entails also the fruit of good works performed in the name of Christ, “that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work” (Colossians 1:10).

The habit of giving thanks and praise rather than complaint and criticism, is a valuable Christian fruit. “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). Generosity is another important fruit. Paul commended the sacrificial giving of the Philippians: “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account” (Philippians 4:17).

Finally, one vital fruit of a Christian witness is fruit borne in other Christians’ lives. Paul’s great desire was “that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles” (Romans 1:13). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

"very Good" (#19951117)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31).

On several occasions during the creation week, God had declared aspects of His creation as “good” (vv.10,12,18,21,25). But once His crown of creation was in place, the very image of Himself (vv.26,27), He pronounced it all “very good” and ceased His creative activity (2:1–3).

Just what does it mean to be “very good” in God’s eyes? This term is used elsewhere in the Old Testament by men and regarding men, but here God Himself, the sinless, everliving one, declares creation to be just what He wanted—able to accomplish and fulfill each of His plans and desires for it. Whatever else may be said about this creation, it, at the very least, must have been without death, being a phenomenon anathema to Him.

Death is identified as “the last enemy that shall be destroyed” (I Corinthians 15:26). “Death reigned from Adam to Moses” (Romans 5:14), and “it is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). Indeed, “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). The source of this condition is known as the curse pronounced on all at creation due to man’s rebellion against God (Genesis 3) as had been promised (2:17). Even today “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and since all sin, all must die. Truly, sin has ruined God’s original sinless, deathless, “very good” creation.

But the story does not end there. The very Creator who pronounced the awful curse of death as the penalty for sin has Himself died to pay that penalty and one day will repeal the curse (Revelation 22:3) and abolish death (21:4). The creation will be returned to its original created intent, and all will once again be “very good.” JDM

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The Human (#19951118)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled” (John 11:33).

The gospel of John was written specifically to emphasize the deity of Christ. “These are written,” John said, “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).

Yet John’s gospel uses the human name, “Jesus,” much more frequently than does Matthew, Mark, or Luke, thus emphasizing His humaneness more than any other writer. This is especially true in John’s central chapter (chapter 11) with 24 occurrences of the name (more than in any other chapter in the Bible) and in the central verse of that chapter, which is our text for today.

In the midst of the human grief over the death of their friend and loved one, Jesus Himself “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.” The Greek here is poignant. The word “groaned” implies great indignation. The word “troubled” is actually two Greek words meaning “agitated Himself.” The whole picture is one of anger by the Creator over the very existence of death in the world which could cause such grief and hurt.

Not only Mary, Martha, and the friends of Lazarus, but even “Jesus wept” (v.35), for “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus” with genuine human love (v.5). Jesus shared in full measure the typical human attributes of deep love for His friends and deep grief when a loved one died.

But He as Creator could say: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God” (v.4). Death is in the world because sin is in the world, but Jesus Himself would soon die for sin in order that Lazarus—and all believers—could one day be set free forever from the grief of death. HMM

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The Joy Of The Lord (#19951119)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Then He said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Jerusalem’s wall had been completed, God’s word had been honored, and there was a great day of rejoicing. The real joy in the hearts of the people, however, was not their joy—it was the joy of the Lord. They rejoiced because He rejoiced, and they shared His joy.

The Lord’s joy is satisfied when His love is received and His purposes fulfilled. “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

To attain His joy, He must first redeem from the penalty of sin and death those whom He had created in His own image. Therefore, He “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).

There will be a great day of rejoicing in the age to come when all the redeemed will be presented “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). Until that day, however, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10).

Joy is in the Lord’s heart whenever His saving grace is received by a believing sinner. That same joy is likewise experienced by each believer whose testimony of life and word brings such a sinner to God.

Jesus said: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). His joy is our joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. HMM

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Divine Power—Divine Nature (#19951120)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (II Peter 1:3,4).

Certain passages of Scripture simply take one’s breath away. Our text for today is just such a passage.

To those He has called, God has promised “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” He has provided all that we need to live godly and productive lives. It is “His divine power” (emphatic in the Greek text), imparted to us in the person of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which makes this possible.

In order to properly utilize our resources, we must continue to grow in “the [full] knowledge of Him.” Only then can we attain any measure of His “glory and virtue.” He has empowered us to reflect His glorious character and virtuous acts as we know who He is and what He has done. In so doing, we are “partakers of the divine nature [also emphatic in the Greek].”

Initially, of course, at the point of salvation we are given the Holy Spirit, always present in the life of a believer. As we increase in the knowledge of Him and yield to the work of the Spirit, our nature is ever more conformed to the divine nature of Jesus Christ.

This appropriation of divine power to sample the divine nature comes to us through “exceeding great and precious promises” bestowed by His glory and virtue. Since God has promised, these promises are sure, and through them we have “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

John The Baptist And Jesus (#19951121)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe” (John 1:6,7).

John the Baptist was, according to Christ Himself, the greatest man who had ever lived up to that time (Matthew 11:11). As great as he was, however, there is a striking contrast between himself and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that John “was a burning and a shining light” (John 5:35), but he was not “the true Light” (John 1:9). The two Greek words used depict something like a candle in John’s case, and a brilliant light such as the sun for Christ.

Similarly, John was a great “voice of one crying in the wilderness” (John 1:23), but Jesus Christ was “the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). John “came for a witness” (John 1:7), bearing witness to the light and to the truth, but Jesus Christ was Himself incarnate truth John 14:6). Some even thought John was the Messiah, but he said: “I am not” (John 1:20).

John’s coming was prophesied four hundred years before: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me” (Malachi 3:1). John was the divinely sent messenger, but Christ was the one whose way he came to prepare. John was “a man sent from God” (John 1:6), but when Christ came, John “saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34).

Both were called to baptize, but there was a great difference. John said: “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire” (Luke 3:16).

John was a mighty man of God, but when Christ came he said: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). HMM

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The Reckoning (#19951122)
by Connie J. Horn

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

Paul uses the Greek word logizomai many times in Romans. It is translated “reckon” in our text verse and means to take an inventory or estimate. It is a concept used throughout the Old and New Testament to denote the settling of accounts (see Leviticus 25:50; Numbers 18:27). Mark used the same word in his epistle (15:28) speaking of Jesus: “And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And He was numbered with the transgressors.” Mark is quoting Isaiah 53:12, and in this Old Testament verse the word “numbered” means to weigh out, to allot, or constitute officially. We have been weighed in God’s balances and found wanting, and only Jesus can settle sin’s account on our behalf. “Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me” (Hebrews 10:5).

In the fourth chapter of Romans, logizomai appears 11 times and is translated “counted,” or “imputed,” as well as “reckoned.” “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (v.3). “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (vv.6–8). “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (vv.23–25). Christ’s redeeming work on our behalf should drive us to a holy life. CJH

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Fullness Of Blessing (#19951123)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:29).

One beautiful characteristic of life in Christ is its fullness. Jesus Christ is Himself “the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:23), and He does everything to the full! When He fed the multitude, there were twelve baskets left over (John 6:13); when He brought in the miraculous catch of fishes, the nets were so full that they broke, and the boats so full they began to sink (Luke 5:6,7).

First of all, He gives fullness of grace. “And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). Then comes fullness of joy and peace: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13).

It is then possible—in fact, we are commanded—to be “filled with the Spirit . . . making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18,19). Not only does the Holy Spirit indwell us, but so do the Father and the Son, by the Spirit. Jesus said: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). In this way, the triune God indwells us, and thereby we “know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that [we] might be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).

All the fullness of God! In Jesus Christ “dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:9,10), “For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell” (Colossians 1:19). With the resources of such fullness of blessing available to us, we should be constantly growing “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). HMM

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To Be Content (#19951124)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11).

This verse, without its context, might seem to come from a busy ICR scientist trying to keep up with his speaking schedule, but it is, of course, conveying a much needed and timeless principle.

To be content means to have an inner satisfaction regardless of the circumstances. Paul, perhaps as much as anyone who ever lived, had to suffer incredible hardship and deprivation. He knew how “to be abased . . . to be hungry . . . to suffer need” (v.12), yet he was content. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (v.13).

He instructed Timothy: “Godliness with contentment is great gain. . . . And having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (I Timothy 6:6,8). “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (II Corinthians 9:, he wrote to the believers in Corinth. The key, Paul knew, was that, whether or not his material needs were met, God Himself would be with him and help him maintain the precious attitude of contentment—of trust in Him in all things. “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9). “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me” (II Timothy 4:17).

“Let your conversation [manner of life] be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5,6). JDM

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Without Form And Void (#19951125)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light” (Jeremiah 4:23).

The language in this verse is clearly patterned after Genesis 1:2, the description of the primordial earth: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” That it is a metaphor, however and not an actual reference to that primordial earth is evident from its context. The previous verse speaks of “my people” (that is, the people of Judah) and the following verse of “the mountains” (there were no mountains as yet at the time of Genesis 1:2).

Furthermore, the broader context makes it plain that the prophet is speaking of a coming judgment on the land of Judah because of the rebellion of its people against their God (verse 16 specifically mentions Judah, and verse 31 mentions Zion). The land is to be so devastated that the prophet compared its future appearance to the unformed and barren earth at its very beginning.

This ultimate fulfillment will be at Armageddon. The same Hebrew words (tohu for “without form,” and bohu for “void”) occur again in this context in an awesome scene of judgment described by Isaiah: “For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations” (34:2), gathered together in the former land of Edom to fight against Jerusalem when Christ returns, “and He shall stretch upon it the line of confusion [i.e.,tohu] and the stones of emptiness [i.e., bohu]” (34:11). Instead of the regular surveyor’s line and markers ordering the property boundaries, God’s judgment will bring such disorder and barrenness to the land that it almost will seem to revert back to its primeval state at the beginning of time “Nevertheless we, . . . look for new heavens and a new earth” (II Peter 3:13), and that earth will be beautiful and bountiful with “no night there.” HMM

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Watch And Pray (#19951126)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them” (Nehemiah 4:9).

Prayer is a powerful weapon, but the wall-builders in Jerusalem also were careful to set a watch against their enemies “with their swords, their spears, and their bows” (Nehemiah 4:13). They were ready to fight if necessary, but at the same time they were confident that “our God shall fight for us” (Nehemiah 4:20).

This is a sound Biblical principle. God expects us to make appropriate use of whatever physical means are available for a needed ministry, rather than to rely simply on prayer and divine miracle. The Lord rebuked those who came asking Him to perform a miracle merely to test Him or to see something curious. “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:48). Neither does He condone prayer in lieu of work, for “faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). The same holds for prayer in lieu of obedience. As Joshua was praying for deliverance from the enemy, “the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them” (Joshua 7:10,11).

But as prayer without working is dead, so watching and working without prayer are futile. “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

The Biblical principle is not only to watch or only to pray. Both are essential. “Watch and pray,” said Jesus, “that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). HMM

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Breath And Spirit (#19951127)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein” (Isaiah 42:5).

God the LORD (Elohim Jehovah) is here identified as the Creator and organizer of all the universe, the heavens and the earth, and all things therein. In context, He is also identifying Himself as the one sending forth “my servant,” to be given as “a covenant of the people, for a light unto the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:1,6), the coming Messiah of Israel.

He who does all these things also gives every person born both breath and spirit. The “breath” (Hebrew, neshumah) is that “breath of life” which God breathed into Adam’s nostrils when He created him at the beginning. Even those who do not believe in God must depend on Him for their very breath, since “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” Therefore, He is “not far from every one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:25,27,28).

He also gives each person a spirit (Hebrew, ruach), a word used first of all in reference to the “Spirit of God” (Genesis 1:2). It is this attribute in particular that constitutes the created “image of God” in man (Genesis 1:27). The higher land animals all possess “the breath of life,” along with man (Genesis 7:22), but only men and women are created in the image of God, each with an eternal spirit.

Man’s breath and spirit are closely related, and sometimes the words are used almost interchangeably. When the breath departs from a person’s body at death, the spirit also departs with it, but the latter “shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The breath also will be activated again on the coming resurrection day. HMM

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The Finger Of God (#19951128)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not” (John 8:6).

During His earthly ministry Jesus never wrote a book or any other document, so far as we know, but it is recorded that He wrote with His own finger in the sand and that what He wrote turned away those who had sought to stone a woman caught breaking one of God’s Ten Commandments.

The woman was repentant, however, and Jesus forgave her, evidently indicating this by what He wrote with His finger on the ground. This He could do because He, as God, had written this very commandment Himself with His own finger long before. “And He gave unto Moses . . . two tables of testimony tables of stone, written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18). Moses testified: “And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly” (Deuteronomy 9:10).

There are only two other references to the “finger of God” in the Bible. When the Lord through Moses brought the great plagues upon Egypt, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to imitate Moses’ first few miracles, but soon their deceptive “magic” could no longer compare, and they had to confess that “this is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19).

There is one final mention of God’s finger in the New Testament. When the Pharisees charged that His power to cast evil spirits out of demon-possessed people had been given to Him by Satan, He affirmed rather that, “I with the finger of God cast out devils” (Luke 11:20). Jesus is able both to forgive sins and to defeat Satan, because He is the Creator of the universe and all its laws. HMM

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God Will Provide (#19951129)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt-offering: so they went both of them together” (Genesis 22:.

When Abraham was tested in the matter of offering his beloved son as a sacrifice, God finally provided a ram which could be used for the sacrifice in place of his son. As a result, Abraham named that place Jehovah-jireh, meaning “the Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:13,14).

Abraham learned a great lesson in this experience, having faith in God’s providing grace under the worst of circumstances. The God who created all things can surely provide anything to His children when they ask. This is the testimony of both the Old and New Testament.

He will provide the right person needed for any of His ministries. For example, when his people desired a king, God told Samuel: “I have provided me a king” and directed him to David (I Samuel 16:1). God also provides the necessities of life, even for the least of His creatures. “Who provideth for the raven his food?” was the rhetorical question God asked of Job. He surely, therefore, will supply the physical needs of His own people. “I will abundantly bless her [Zion’s] provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread” (Psalm 132:15).

More importantly, He satisfies our spiritual needs, especially for us in this present age of grace, “God having provided some better thing for us” (Hebrews 11:40). He provides us, for example, with “the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19). Finally, we have the glorious promise of Philippians 4:19: “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Like Abraham and Isaac, we can go together to do God’s will, knowing by faith that God will always provide. HMM