A Daily Devotional

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In Love (#19960109)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

The beautiful little phrase, “in love” (Greek, en agape), occurs six times in the book of Ephesians, and it is well for us to notice the context of each.

First of all, God “hath chosen us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). Our very election and position in Christ, with its imputed holiness is centered in His love. This, in turn, means that our spiritual lives are “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17), because they are rooted and grounded in Him, who is incarnate love.

This love of Christ for us, illuminating and energizing us, must then display itself through our lives. As our text urges, we must forbear one another in love, no matter the personal provocation.

In our witnessing and teaching, we must always be careful to speak the truth, but that alone is not enough. We must be “speaking the truth in love”; the purpose being that the whole body of Christ “may grow up into Him in all things” (Ephesians 4:15). This practice, if consistently applied by all members of that great spiritual body, “maketh increase of the body unto the edifying [that is ‘building-up’] of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).

The final occurrence of the phrase in Ephesians sums it up: “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). He has chosen us in love, rooted and grounded us in love, and now we should (as those who are truly “in love” with Him) forbear each other and build each other up in love, speak the truth in love, and walk daily in His love. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Tragic Ignorance (#19960110)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).

There are several important doctrinal truths about which unbelievers-and sometimes even Christians-seem tragically ignorant, with an ignorance affecting their very lives and destinies. Perhaps the most tragic is that mentioned in our text. Paul was writing specifically of the Jews, but the same ignorance is found in countless others-people who seek to earn salvation by their own religious and moral works rather than through faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ, who died for their sins.

There is also widespread ignorance concerning death and life beyond the grave. "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (I Thessalonians 4:13,14). With respect to Christian life and ministry, Paul says: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant" (I Corinthians 12:1). Yet most Christians neglect to develop or use their gifts, mainly because of ignorance concerning their proper function as described in I Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12:3-21, Ephesians 4:7-16, and other key passages.

We urgently also need to be instructed concerning the deceptions of the wicked one: “lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (II Corinthians 2:11). For all who seek instruction rather than ignorance, let them study God’s word, for “all Scripture . . . is profitable for . . . instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Captives of the Devil


"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10).

Strange as it may seem, the experience of Job indicates that godly believers can be captured by the devil. God Himself allowed Job to fall into such captivity, for He told Satan: "Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life" (Job 2:6). All the sufferings which Job endured were inflicted by his captor, who hoped thereby to get him to renounce the Lord. Similarly, Peter was briefly bound in Satanic captivity. "Simon, Simon," said Jesus, "behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat" (Luke 22:31).

Such bondage, however, is temporary. Job was delivered "when he prayed for his friends" and Peter when he was "converted" and went forth to "strengthen brethren" as Christ had told him (Luke 22:32). In both cases, they continued strong in faith during their captivity, and deliverance came when they turned their concerns to others.

More serious is the case of those who are in bondage because of sin. Nevertheless, Christ died to set them free, "that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Christ died to set the captives free, but they must first be told and then gently led to freedom by those who care for their souls. "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (II Timothy 2:24-26).

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Let God Be True
July 21, 2006

"For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written. That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged" (Romans 3:3-4).

Many Christians are so intimidated by the arrogant unbelief of the supposed intellectuals of the world that they either reject or compromise or ignore the difficult teachings of Scripture. This is a grievous mistake, for all of God's "sayings" are "justified" and He will surely "overcome" all those who presume to "judge" Him and His Word.

The only reason to believe in evolution, for example, is the fact that most such intellectuals believe it. There is no real evidence, either in the Bible or in science, for evolution or any other form of unbelief, yet many professed believers in Christ seem to have "loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:43). Therefore they assume that God does not really mean what He says in His Word, thereby making faith in His Word "without effect."

God's truth is not determined, however, by taking a vote, or by the opinions of skeptics, or by metaphysical speculation. It is determined by God Himself, and none other, "For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth" (Psalm 33:4).

Therefore, as our text commands: "Let God be true, but every man a liar." The very criterion of truth is the Word of God. It is good to explain God's Word to those open to its truth, but never to explain it away, by some compromising accommodation to current scientism. "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever" (Psalm 119:160). The Lord Jesus confessed, unreservedly: "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17), and so should we.

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The Danger of Wilful Sin


"Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken His commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him" (Numbers 15:31).

Under the Mosaic law, there was ample provision for forgiveness of sins committed unintentionally. "If any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, . . . and it shall be forgiven him" (Numbers 15:27-28). However, as in our text, it was altogether different for one who deliberately disobeyed God's law. One who would so despise God's commandment was to be put to death.

In this Christian dispensation, many would say that this harshness of God's law has been replaced by His love. There is abundant pardon for all, since Jesus died for all our sins. Now, all we need is to confess our sins, and He will forgive us (I John 1:9). But, "if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, . . . He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?" (Hebrews 10:26,28-29).

Even assuming this warning applies specifically only to those who have wilfully renounced faith in Christ, the question still remains whether one with true saving faith will wilfully sin against the known will of God, as revealed in His Word. "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (I John 2:4). Only God knows the heart, but those "Christians" who deliberately reject and disobey His Word should at least "examine selves, whether be in the faith" (II Corinthians 13:5).

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Our Umpire in Heaven


"For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay His hand upon us both" (Job 9:32-33).

Job, in His sufferings, was mystified by the complete silence of God, whom he had loved and tried to serve faithfully all his life. He longed somehow to be able to come before the great Judge to plead his case, but this was not possible, for God was not a man like himself. He did not even have a "daysman" to mediate between himself and God.

Oh, yes he did! And so do we. A "daysman" is an arbitrator or umpire, or mediator (as this word is usually rendered in modern versions). But how could there be an umpire to mediate disputes between God and man, unless such an umpire could somehow be both God and man, able to "lay His hand upon us both"?

There is one perfect umpire, of course. "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (I Timothy 2:5-6). The ransom He paid was His own blood, with which "He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:12).

Thus the God/man Christ Jesus, is perfectly able to bridge the chasm between God and man. Perhaps an even better connotation of "daysman" is that of "advocate." Now, when Satan "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10), accuses us of sin before God, as he did against Job, our great Intercessor defends us. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (I John 2:1), and "He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

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Signs of the Everlasting Covenants


"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth" (Genesis 9:16).

The first mention of the key word, "covenant," is in Genesis 6:18 where God promised to establish a covenant with Noah after the Flood. This everlasting covenant was made with all the earth's future populations and is still in effect, symbolized continually by the beautiful rainbow arching through the sky after a rain.

God also made an everlasting covenant with Abraham and Isaac. "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God" (Genesis 17:7-8). This time, the symbol of God's everlasting covenant between them and their descendents, the people of Israel, was that of circumcision, "a token of the covenant betwixt me and you" (Genesis 17:11).

There is still another everlasting covenant--this one with all the redeemed of all the ages. "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me" (Jeremiah 32:40). God has made this "new covenant" applicable to all the saved, and this time, the sign of the covenant is nothing less than the precious blood of Christ, shed on our behalf. "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His will" (Hebrews 13:20-21).

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Fickle Political Popularity


"Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me" (Psalm 3:1).

Popularity is a fickle thing, particularly when it comes to political leadership. This was certainly true in the days of King David. Initially he had not been widely accepted as a king (II Samuel 2:5-9). Even after reigning for many years, he was forced to flee as opinion turned towards his handsome, young, politically astute son Absalom (II Samuel 15). Our text records his cry of despair to God at that time.

John 6:15 recounts how Jesus would not be flattered by the fickle multitude. "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone." The Lord received popular acclaim upon entering Jerusalem. "And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David" (Matthew 21:9). But the tide of public opinion would turn against Him as "the chief priests moved the people, . . . And they cried out again, Crucify Him" (Mark 15:11,13). Pilate asked the Jewish leaders: "Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).

Today King David is remembered as Israel's most loved king. Similarly, there is coming a day when all Israel will joyfully accept the reign of King Jesus. The Revelation prophesies of Christ's return to Jerusalem. "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (19:16). Zechariah tells how God "will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son" (12:10). Then will begin the wondrous Millennial reign: "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth" (14:9).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Captain of Our Salvation


"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:9-10).

Christ is referred to in this passage as the captain of our salvation. The word translated captain implies one who is first in line, the beginning, or the originator. So Christ is discovered to be the first in line of an endless procession of the saints of all ages resurrected from the grave and marching to the ultimate realization of their salvation. He is truly "the first born among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20).

The word finds usage only three other times in the New Testament, each within a resurrection and glorification context. Peter, addressing the people of Israel, said that they had "killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses" (Acts 3:15). And later, "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior" (Acts 5:30-31). As a result of what our "Captain" has done, we should be "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 only way we could ever share in His glory is for Him to suffer and die. "Both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11).

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Guidance


"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye"(Psalm 32:.

God's eyes see far better than human eyes. He not only sees all the way into the past, but observes all things present and even sees all things future. Our eyes should constantly be on the Lord in order to receive guidance from God's eyes. Therefore, as a mother can guide a child merely with a look, so the Lord directs us by the indwelling Spirit and by the Scriptures which can guide us.

1. God will always guide us in the right direction. To be led in "the way which we should go" must come directly from the instruction and teaching of the Word of God as interpreted by its author, the Holy Spirit. "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). A true understanding of (and trust in) God's Word will never lead us astray.

2. God will guide us through difficult times. "Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side" (II Chron-icles 32:22). "And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought . . . and thou shalt be like a watered garden" (Isaiah 58:11).

3. God's guidance extends even unto death. "For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death" (Psalm 48:14). "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me" (Psalm 23:4).

4. God's guidance should be sought and requested with the right motive. "For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me" (Psalm 31:3).

As we journey on the paths of life may we always do all things for His name's sake, not ours.

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The Prosperity of the Ungodly


"Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yea, let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?" (Jeremiah 12:1).

One of the perennial theological problems is the apparent prosperity of the ungodly along with the suffering of the righteous. Why would God seem to endorse such a system?

It has been this way for ages. Some 2000 or more years before Christ, Job asked essentially the same question as did the prophet Jeremiah in our text above. "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? . . . They spend their days in wealth, and . . . say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways" (Job 21:7,13-14). Likewise the psalmist Asaph complained: "I was envious . . . when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Psalm 73:3).

The real solution to this paradox is not in this present world, but in the world to come, where hell awaits the ungodly, and heaven awaits those whom God has redeemed through faith in Christ. The fact that a man may prosper materially is not necessarily a measure of God's approval. The current economic boom in this country has made many men very wealthy, and most of them seem either indifferent or hostile to God, but their wealth is very ephemeral. As David said in another psalm: "I have seen the wicked, in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not" (Psalm 37:35).

If God does give a few believers material wealth, it is so that they may use it for the Lord and for others, not to pamper themselves. "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but . . . that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to " (I Timothy 6:17-18).

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God's Care for Animals


"I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine" (Psalm 50:11).

This verse occurs immediately following a verse widely quoted by those eulogizing the great riches of the Lord: "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10). In context, however, God was not simply proclaiming His wealth, but rather the value of each individual animal in His creation.

His people had been offering their animal sacrifices as a mere ritual, without considering the intrinsic value of these animals to the God who had given them life. They were not merely items of property, the offering of which constituted monetary gifts to God by their owners. This "covenant with me by sacrifice" (Psalm 50:5) was a sacrifice of life, not of money!

The offering of the shed blood of an innocent animal on an altar was accepted by God as an atonement for the sins of a repentant sinner, but it was of no avail if offered carelessly or presumptuously. In fact, it only added still further to the guilt of the person presenting it. "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6).

But if God was saddened by the careless slaying of animals for sacrifices, what must He think of their wanton slaughter for sport or for other purposes not intended and authorized by their Maker?

Even more seriously, what must be His feelings about those who trivialize or ignore the great sacrifice of His only begotten Son, as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29)? "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing?" (Hebrews 10:29).

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The Very Good Wine


"When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, . . . called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now" (John 2:9-10).

The Lord Jesus performed many miracles during His brief ministry on Earth, and it seems rather surprising that the beginning of miracles (John 2:11) in His earthly ministry was to transform water into wine at a wedding feast in Galilee. It was quite a large amount of wine--six large waterpots full, "containing two or three firkins apiece" (John 2:6). Since a firkin is about ten gallons, Jesus created approximately 150 gallons of wine to give to a group of celebrants who already had "well drunk" (John 2:10),--that is, literally, were drunk.

But would Jesus really do something to increase the intoxication of a crowd of people who were already drunk? Would He really disregard such Scriptures as Habakkuk 2:15. "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, . . . and makest him drunken also, . . ." (among many others). He Himself had rebuked drunkenness (e.g., Luke 21:34), so this would be completely out of character.

But wine never becomes intoxicating until the decay process of fermentation has done its work. The wine He created was probably the same as "the fruit of the vine" that we shall drink "new" with Him in His "Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). The Greek word oinos can apply either to the decayed, fermented liquid that intoxicates or to the healthful juice fresh off the grape vine, depending on context. And this wine He made was good wine, just as everything He had created was "very good" (Genesis 1:31) in that ultimate beginning of miracles when first He "created all things" (Revelation 4:11).

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I Am Christ's Friend


"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15).

Some things in Scripture are harder to understand and believe than others. Christ, the Sovereign Creator of all things, the offended Judge who declared the penalty for sin to be death, the One who willingly died to pay that penalty and redeem us from bondage to sin, now calls us His friends. Certainly we would like to consider Him our friend; but are we really His friends? If He were telling someone about His friends, would He include us? Somehow this seems too much--too good to be true; but He insists it is.

Actually, Christ said, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16). We are His friends by conscious choice on His part, even though He knows more about our inward nature than we will admit to ourselves. He has demonstrated His friendship by the greatest act of love imaginable, when He voluntarily died to save us from our sins. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (v.13). Furthermore, for His friends He promises, "Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you" (v.16).

His love for us surpasses human love. "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love" (v.9) "that your joy might be full" (v.11). He has "ordained" us as friends so that we "should go and bring forth fruit, and that fruit should remain" (v.16). What joy!

There should be a response on our part to His friendship. Almost as a self-evident fact, He states, "Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you" (v.14), among other things, "that ye love one another" (v.17). How can we do less?

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The Devil Never Rests

"And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job 1:7).

This remarkable scene in heaven provides us a striking picture of Satanic activity. The devil, in his opposition to God and His program of salvation, evidently never rests. He is not omnipresent, like God, because he is a finite (though very powerful and brilliant) created being. To accomplish his goal, therefore, he is never at rest, but keeps going from place to place and working deception after deception, bringing everyone he can under his influence.

Therefore, God urgently warns us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:.

The same is true of the demonic spirits who have followed the devil in his rebellion against God. They never rest until they can take possession of some person's body and mind and then control that person's behavior. "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out" (Matthew 12:43-44).

This restlessness that characterizes the devil and his demons often also manifests itself in the unsaved, and this will be the ultimate state of those who yield to the pressures of these evil spirits. "They have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name" (Revelation 14:11).

True rest of soul is found only in Christ, with His forgiveness and cleansing and guidance. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden," Jesus says, "and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).