A Daily Devotional

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The Intercessor


"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (I Timothy 2:1-2).

When we pray for others, we not only are helping to assure a good life for ourselves--as our text indicates--but, more importantly, we are thereby becoming more like Christ. On the cross itself, "He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12). Since His return to heaven, He has been continually occupied with His ministry of intercession. "Wherefore 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). "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:34).

Not only is our resurrected, glorified Savior perpetually interceding for us in heaven, but also, the indwelling Holy Spirit is praying for us here. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27).

Now if both God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are always interceding for us before God the Father, we surely ought to be willing to spend time in prayer for others down here--not only for our loved ones, but even for those who have hurt us. Jesus said, "Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).

May God help us to be faithful in this vital ministry of intercession.

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Works of Darkness


"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11).

What are these "works of darkness" which we must avoid? Some of these works are enumerated in Romans 13:12-13. "Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, . . . not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying." A Christian is thus to "cast off" all such works of darkness from his or her own life, to "have no fellowship" with those who practice them, and even to openly "reprove them."

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19). Such works of darkness stem directly from a denial of God as sovereign: "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, . . . and their foolish heart was darkened" (Romans 1:21). This darkening of the heart is soon followed by a darkening of the life: "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness. . . . Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient" (Romans 1:24,28).

In these days of moral confusion, with attitudes and actions once outlawed by society now being defended and favored (e.g., sexual promiscuity and perversion), and with once-honored attributes now ridiculed (e.g., chastity, spirituality), there are great pressures on Christians to compromise with these works of darkness. God and His standards do not change, however, and He still expects us to shun and reprove them.

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The People Said, "Amen"


"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord" (Psalm 106:48).

Many is the speaker who, after he has made some point which he considers especially good, will then say: "And all the people said, 'Amen'" (meaning "that's right!").

It is interesting to note the Biblical examples of such a demonstration. There are sixteen times in which this or a similar statement occurs in the Bible--all in the Old Testament. Twelve of these are found in Deuteronomy 27:14-26 with the people so responding after the pronouncement of a "curse" on those who commit various sins. The last curse is as follows: "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen" (v.26) in agreement with the judgment.

King David described his thanksgiving for the return of the Ark of the Covenant with, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord" (I Chronicles 16:36). When Jerusalem's wall restoration was being delayed and Nehemiah had to rebuke some of his people for their covetousness threatening God's judgment on them if they did not repent, then "all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise" (Nehemiah 5:13). After the wall was finished, as Ezra read the Scriptures to the people, "Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen" (Nehemiah 8:6). The final such reference is in our text.

If we follow Biblical precedent, therefore, whenever God's Word is read to a congregation, either in denunciation of sin or thanksgiving for blessing and revival, or simply in praising the Lord for His eternal goodness, it is appropriate for the people to respond with a heartfelt "Amen!"

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Getting Gain


"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain" (James 4:13).

These are days in which many people are overly consumed with the desire to "get gain" and acquire monetary wealth, whether in the stock market or land speculation or by becoming a star in music or entertainment or athletics, or whatever. But this is foolish. Jesus said, "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26).

Of far greater value than any worldly riches we could gain are the souls we can gain for Christ by faithfully living, serving, and witnessing for Him, wherever and however we can. This was Paul's goal. "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (I Corinthians 9:19-22).

Earthly riches can be squandered or lost or stolen, but heavenly riches are eternal. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth," Jesus said. . . . "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:20-21).

Finally, when this life is done after living it for Christ will come the greatest gain of all. "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

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Love from the Beginning


"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another" (I John 3:11).

The pungent phrase "from the beginning" occurs no less than nine times in the first three chapters of the little epistle of I John. Thus, while in one sense, Christ's command to love one another was a new commandment, in another sense it has been with us from the very beginning of the world. "Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning" (I John 2:7).

That this beginning is the same beginning as in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 is shown in the very first verses of John's epistle: "That which was from the beginning, . . . of the Word of life; . . . that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" (I John 1:1-2). Note also I John 2:13: "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning" (see also I John 2:14).

"Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father" (I John 2:24). This is an eternal commandment, for "God is love" (I John 4:16) and "love is of God" (I John 4:7). In the upper room, Jesus prayed to the Father: "Father . . . thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. . . . and I have declared unto them thy name,

. . . that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them" (John 17:24,26).

Love, therefore, has been at the center of God's plan from the beginning, but a new pattern and measure of that love was given us by Christ. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34).

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Help Me, O Lord


"Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy: That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it" (Psalm 109:26-27).

There is disagreement as to the proper interpretation of this psalm of David. Its center section (vv.6-20) consists of a strong denunciation and curse, while the beginning and ending sections petition God for judgment and deliverance (vv.1-5,21-31).

Most hold that David is speaking in both sections. If so, it is a bitter and vindictive spirit finding vent. "Let Satan stand at his right hand. . . . let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few. . . . Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: . . . Let the extortioner catch all that he hath. . . . Let there be none to extend mercy unto him" (vv.6-12).

Others would claim that David is quoting the curse of his enemy directed toward him and point to the use of the singular personal pronouns "he," "his," and "him" used thirty times in fifteen verses. Indeed, if this is the proper interpretation, the psalm becomes the plea of a persecuted man of God who entrusts his enemies' judgment entirely to the Lord. "But do thou for me, Oh God the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. . . . I became also a reproach unto them. . . . Let them curse. . . . I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul" (Psalm 109:21-22,25,28,30-31).

Like his master who had come after him "when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously" (I Peter 2:23).

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God's Shinning Face


"The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee" (Numbers 6:25).

This request is part of the well-known Mosaic benediction for the children of Israel (Numbers 6:24-27). The first occurrence in verb form of the word "shine" is in this verse, although in the noun form, translated as "light," it appears in the third verse of the Bible when God said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3).

True light comes only from God, since "God is light" (I John 1:5). As the world depends on the sunshine for its physical life, so we continually must receive the Son's shining in our hearts to sustain our spiritual life.

It is noteworthy that the prayer of our text occurs seven other times in the Scriptures. These are as follows:

"Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake" (Psalm 31:16); "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; Selah" (Psalm 67:1); "Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, Cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved" (Psalm 80:19; also vv.3,7); "Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes" (Psalm 119:135); "O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake" (Daniel 9:17).

Since God, in His omnipotence, dwells "in the light which no man can approach unto" (I Timothy 6:16), He shines on us for salvation, spiritual illumination, and daily guidance only through His Son, the Word made flesh, for "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). "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" (II Corinthians 4:6).

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Salvation vs. Assurance of Salvation


"But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him" (I John 2:5).

The New Testament is emphatically clear that we are saved entirely by the grace of God through faith in Christ. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; . . . it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:.

But how can we know for sure that our professed faith in Christ is genuine and we are really saved? Many who claim to be Christians are not truly saved, for Christ said: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21).

Now, note that John's main purpose in writing his gospel was to win people to saving faith in Christ. "These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name" (John 20:31). Then the ultimate purpose of his first epistle was to assure them they were saved. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life" (I John 5:13).

His epistle, in fact, gives us several tests to prove our faith. One is in our text--we keep (literally "guard against loss") His Word. Also: "Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments" (I John 2:3). Then: "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (I John 3:14).

Thus, we can not only have salvation, but also assurance of salvation if we love and guard His Word, seek to keep His commandments, and love all others of like precious faith. Finally we have the indwelling witness of the Spirit. "Hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us" (I John 3:24).

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The Sin Unto Death


"If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it" (I John 5:16).

The "sin unto death" is, in context, a sin committed by a Christian "brother," not an unbeliever, and so is not the so-called "unforgivable sin," the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Christ said the latter sin cannot be forgiven, "neither in this world, neither in the world to come" (Matthew 12:32). It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to convict unbelievers "Of sin, because they believe not on me" (John 16:9). If a person irrevocably rejects Christ, even after he fully understands the evidences of His deity, His substitutionary death with its offer of salvation, and the awful consequences of eternity without Him, then he "hath done despite to the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29). In effect, he has put his faith in Satan rather than Christ, and there is nothing more that God's Holy Spirit can--or will--do. This is the truly unforgivable sin.

The Christian can persist in some known sin, though not the sin of total unbelief or willful apostasy (a true Christian will not commit that kind of sin). If he deliberately continues to practice ungodliness in life or doctrine, however, refusing to repent, not even responding to God's chastening discipline (note Hebrews 12:5-11), then the only recourse of the Lord may be to send physical death, although not eternal spiritual death, for such a person is delivered "unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (I Corinthians 5:5).

This is a fearful prospect even for the believer, and should be a sober warning against persistence in any known sin. "He shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (I Corinthians 3:15).

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Little Children


"And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:2-3).

Many adult Christians have the mistaken notion that little children are too young to understand the gospel, and so should not be allowed to decide for Christ until they are much older. The problem, however, is not the children; it is the adults who find it hard to understand! They must become like little children before they can really comprehend the way of salvation and be converted. Jesus said, "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. . . . Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein" (Luke 18:16-17).

After all, what is there to understand? A very young child, instructed in the Scriptures from infancy as God has commanded his parents (note II Timothy 3:15, which uses the Greek word for "baby" as the state in which young Timothy began to know the Bible), can surely comprehend that the God to whom his parents pray made him, that he has sinned against God when he does wrong, that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for his sins, and that Jesus can save him and take him to heaven. An adult may require much explanation and may imagine many difficulties, but a child will simply believe--and that's enough!

The word for "little child" or "little children" actually means children who are not much more than toddlers. It is the same word rendered "young child" when the wise men came to find Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:8, etc.). Little children should, by all means, be taught the gospel, and should be encouraged to come to Christ before they grow too old to understand with their hearts!

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Morning Prayer


"Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee" (Psalm 143:.

This is a beautiful and meaningful prayer with which to start the day, and one which God must delight to answer. It is very simple, with two requests and two declarations, yet it can reach the very heart of God.

Because we trust implicitly in His Word, we hear Him speak through it, as we read it at the beginning of the day. And as we hear Him speak, we rejoice again in His loving-kindness, especially in saving our souls and guiding our ways.

Then we are emboldened once again to lift up our very souls to Him (not just our voices!) and ask Him for clear guidance in the way in which we should walk today.

The psalmist also prays, and so should we: "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness" (Psalm 143:10). God will "cause to know the way wherein should walk" by the Holy Spirit, if we sincerely desire to know and to follow His will, and to be led in the paths of righteousness. He will never lead us, of course, in any path contrary to His revealed Word. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).

But when He is given all priority in our lives, when we love and study and obey His Word, and when we sincerely call on Him for daily guidance in His will, He will surely answer. "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6). "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (I John 5:14-15).

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Naming Names


"Their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some" (II Timothy 2:17-18).

Many Christians decry the citing of actual names of those Christian leaders who teach heretical doctrines, saying that such an act is "unloving." Paul, however, considered it an important evidence of true love to warn against those who would "overthrow the faith of some" realizing that generalities would be useless.

Not only did Hymenaeus and Philetus make Paul's list, but so did Demas (II Timothy 4:10), Alexander the coppersmith (II Timothy 4:14), the Cretians (Titus 1:12), another Alexander (I Timothy 1:20), and even Peter (Galatians 2:11-14) when he began to teach legalism. Likewise, the apostle John warned against Diotrephes (III John 9) and the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6).

On the other hand, Paul was much more generous with name recognition when he was giving out commendations (e.g., Romans 16:1-15; Colossians 4:7-17). We undoubtedly need to follow his example in appreciating by name those who are faithful in teaching and living the truth.

Likewise, we need to be ready and willing to name those individuals, churches, schools, and other organizations that are denying Biblical inerrant authority, compromising the doctrine of special creation, requiring humanistic works for salvation, or bringing in other heretical doctrines. We obviously need to be sure of our facts when we do this and also to bring such charges only if motivated by genuine concern for those apt to be led astray if we don't speak out. But then we must, indeed, "mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" (Romans 16:17).

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The Goal of Teaching


"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" (I Timothy 1:5).

As Paul begins his instruction to his disciple Timothy, his "own son in the faith" (v.2), he warns him about false doctrine (v.3) and petty, fruitless arguments (v.4). He contrasts such false teaching with his own teaching, the goal or "end" of which is three-fold:

First, Paul would like to see his ministry produce "charity [i.e., agape love] out of a pure heart." This is God's kind of love which He has bestowed upon us, undeserving as we are. Once He has purified our hearts and taken up residence there through the power of His Spirit, we can love with such a love.

Second, proper teaching should lead us to "a good conscience." Our lives must be free of unconfessed sin and uncluttered by wrongs not made right with others. The false teachings and improper attitudes and actions Paul is condemning (vv.3-4), frequently lead to strife and fabrications. The response to these must be strong, yet proper.

Third, "unfeigned faith," a sincere faith without hypocrisy, should result. It must be our own faith and not that of others, not even family members (II Timothy 1:5). We have a reasonable faith shored up by a great weight of evidence and logic, and proper teaching should strengthen and confirm it.

May God continue to "gift" the church with godly teachers like Timothy, "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13).

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Absolute Trust


"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before Him" (Job 13:15-16).

The patriarch Job was, according to God's own testimony, the most perfect and upright man in all the earth (Job 1:, yet he was subjected to the most severe testings that anyone (except Christ Himself) ever had to endure. He lost all his great possessions and his large family in a single day, then was afflicted for months on end with a most loathsome and painful disease. He lost the respect of all who had once honored and followed him and was even accused by his closest friends of being a wicked sinner and arrogant hypocrite. Worst of all, the God whom he had loved and faithfully served all his life had apparently completely ignored his prayers for deliverance, or even for understanding of what was happening to him. Finally, a presumptuous young religionist related what he (falsely) claimed was a divine message that even God had accused Job of sin and hypocrisy.

Yet, despite all this, Job never once lost his faith! "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him," he insisted. "For I know that my redeemer liveth" (Job 19:25), and "He also shall be my salvation" (text verse).

What an example has been provided us by this ancient patriarch, whose knowledge of God's Word, God's love, and God's great salvation through faith in Christ, was only a small fraction of what we know now, with God's complete revelation before us. The apostle James well reminds us of "the patience of Job," probably the greatest example of all "the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience" (James 5:10-11). We can, like Job, know that He who created us deserves absolute trust.

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There shall Be No Night


"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 22:5).

In the account of the creation, we read that the first word from God was "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). He did not actually create or make light, as He did everything else, since God is light (I John 1:5). He did create darkness, however (Isaiah 45:7), and then divided the light from the darkness. "And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night" (Genesis 1:5).

Although the darkness of night can be a time of blessing through rest and sleep, it also soon came to symbolize spiritual darkness. Most evil deeds are done at night, and Christians are warned to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Ephesians 5:11). God has called us "out of darkness into His marvelous light" (I Peter 2:9).

In that wonderful age to come, when we go to dwell in our eternal home in the Holy City, the city gates "shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there" (Revelation 21:25). "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Revelation 21:23).

The sun and moon will still be functioning in the heavens, however, for "He hath also stablished them for ever and ever" (Psalm 148:6). In fact, all the stars will also shine for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:3). Our God is the Creator, not an un-creator. As wise Solomon noted: "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever" (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

The sun and moon will still be there, but their light will not be needed in the Holy City where we shall live, for the Lamb of God will also be the Lamp of God. He is the Light of the world and where He is, in His eternal glory, there can be no night.