A Daily Devotional

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Hurtful Riches


"There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt" (Ecclesiastes 5:13).

In this passage we have an irony indeed. Solomon was immensely rich, for God had promised him "I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like" (II Chronicles 1:12). Yet he warns those who legitimately became wealthy that there is a "hurt" in keeping their own riches.

The first harm that can come from not giving away the blessings from above is that God may cease blessing. Solomon detailed this in Proverbs 11:24, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." God often entrusts men with riches specifically so they can be a conduit to meet the needs of others.

A second harm is highlighted by Christ's encounter with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:21: "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." The Bible records that his money was such a snare that he left the Lord and the heavenly treasure being offered to enjoy his earthly riches.

A third harm is given in the same passage as our text. Verse 12 states "The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." Those that hoard things will not only miss the blessing of giving, but will often experience an increased anxiety with the maintenance of excess possessions. The simple joys of salvation and service, friends and family, and contentment with our portion is worth more than all the riches this world affords.

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The Way of Cain


"Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain" (Proverbs 25:14).

Cain initially was a religious man, evidently proud of his achievements as a "tiller of the ground" which God had "cursed" (Genesis 4:2; 3:17). He assumed that God would be much impressed with the beautiful basket of his "fruit of the ground" which he presented as an "offering unto the Lord." Cain became bitterly angry when God "had not respect" to Cain and his offering (Genesis 4:3-5).

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain," shedding the blood of an innocent lamb in substitution for his own sin and guilt before God, "by which he obtained witness that he was righteous" (Hebrews 11:4). Since "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17), Abel was merely obeying God's Word, but Cain, proud and self-righteous in attitude, was presuming to offer up his own merits in payment for the privilege of coming to God.

This was a "false gift," however, with no meritorious value at all before God, "like clouds and wind without rain." The apostle Jude warns against any such presumption, especially now that we can freely come to God through His own perfect "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). "Woe unto them!" says Jude, "for they have gone in the way of Cain . . . clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots" (Jude 11-12). This severe indictment was lodged against all who, like Cain, are superficially religious, but who, by their self-righteous resentment against God, are "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 4). We must not boast of our gifts to God, but only of His gift to us.

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He Shall Speak Peace


"And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9:10).

This wonderful prophecy follows immediately after the verse predicting the coming of the Messiah into Jerusalem riding upon a lowly donkey's colt (v.9). That prediction was fulfilled by Jesus as He came into Jerusalem on that last Sunday before His death and resurrection (Matthew 21:4-5), but the prophecy in our text was certainly not fulfilled at that time. There have been wars somewhere in the world practically every year since Jesus came. Nevertheless, the day will come when He shall indeed speak peace to all the nations.

There was a time early in the last century when the nations had fought a great war that was supposed to end all wars. They celebrated the armistice that ended that war on November 11, 1918, and established an annual holiday called Armistice Day. But many other wars followed that war, so the name was changed to honor the veterans that had fought in any of those later wars as well. However, there is still no real peace in the world.

The fact is that there can be no lasting peace between men and other men until there is peace between men and God. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can make such a peace, for He alone is the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Indeed, He has already paid the price to make such true and eternal peace, for He "made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself" (Colossians 1:20).

In that great coming day when He returns to Earth to establish His kingdom, "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth" (Psalm 46:9), "and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day" (Isaiah 2:17).

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In the Spirit

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).

When a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, believing on Him as the Son of God and personal Redeemer, the One who saves him from his sins, a wonderful event takes place. The Spirit of God enters his very body, there to reside and to guide his new life in Christ. Henceforth he is, whether he senses it or not, "in the Spirit." "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Romans 8:9).

The believer's body even becomes a temple in which the Spirit can reign over his life. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Corinthians 6:19-20).

In addition to leading us (through the Scriptures which He inspired and through the circumstances which He ordains), "The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). "Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit" (I John 4:13).

The indwelling, comforting, leading, witnessing Spirit is not alone, for Jesus promised that, when the Comforter comes to "be in you," then through the Spirit, "I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you" (John 14:17,20). Thus we can "be filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:19).

Such a marvelous relationship will surely transform our lives. As our text exhorts us: "If we live in the Spirit" we should certainly "walk in the Spirit." The practical result is then obvious. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

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Lean Not

"For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water" (Isaiah 3:1).

Isaiah lived and wrote during a time of spiritual poverty in the nations of Judah and Israel, as well as national decline. He foresaw and foretold in graphic detail the coming captivities of both nations, but was particularly concerned with the state and future of his homeland, Judah, and his hometown, Jerusalem.

The first several chapters of his book consist of a strong denunciation of the practices of the people of Judah. The nation was literally disintegrating due to rampant sin. In preparation for the coming national and ultimate judgments, Isaiah warned against personal pride and reliance on human resources. "The loftiness of man shall be . . . made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day" (2:17).

In our text, the words "stay" and "staff" are the masculine and feminine forms of the same word, both derived from the word meaning "support," translated "stay of bread." Thus, Isaiah uses this idiom and the next several verses to teach that God will remove any semblance of support for this sinful people, whether mighty man, soldier, judge, prophet, seer, elder, captain, artist, orator, or mature ruler (3:2-4), for the purpose of humbling them, "the people shall be oppressed, every one by his neighbor" (v.5), and demonstrating that the Lord, Jehovah Himself, could be their only real stay or staff. "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious" (4:2).

The word "stay" is elsewhere translated "lean," "rely," or "rest." "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

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Stir Up

"Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance" (II Peter 1:13).

It is apparently rather easy, in this day of football games, rock concerts, and race riots, to get the emotions of a crowd all stirred up. The stirring of emotions can be either good or bad, of course, depending on the cause.

In our text, the apostle Peter says we need to be stirred up by our memories - that is, our remembrances of His "great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature." For "he that lacketh these things," said Peter, "hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" and urgently needs "to have these things always in remembrance" (vv.4,9,15).

Something else needs to be stirred up, said Paul to Timothy. "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God" (II Timothy 1:6). Each believer has received certain gifts from God, but these need to be stirred up and used both boldly and wisely for Christ.

Finally, Peter says that the purpose in writing both his epistles was to "stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior" (II Peter 3:1-2). This was written especially for "the last days" (v.3), indicating that they should stir up, not their emotions, but their minds! To meet the critical needs of the last days, they should have their minds full of the Scriptures of both Old and New Testaments. These Scriptures should even be memorized, if possible, so they can be called up "by way of remembrance" whenever needed. The Holy Scriptures are simple enough to be received by a child, yet they can stir up our minds with their heights and depths, and will stir our hearts as well.

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A Bondslave and a Freeman


"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1).

Paul identified himself as a "servant (literally, 'bondslave') of Jesus Christ" as he began several of his epistles; and it is significant that he began the epistle to the Romans in the same fashion. The parallel phrase "bondslave of the emperor" was commonly used in governmental and commercial circles of the day, and the readers in Rome would fully understand the meaning of the new term.

The emperor of Rome not only was to be obeyed as a human slave owner and king, he also was to be worshiped as a god. Paul boldly proclaimed himself to be the bondslave of a different slave owner, the subject of a different King and the worshiper of a different God.

Paul knew and expected to convince his readers that this new doctrine he was preaching would quickly replace the imperialism of Rome, and he fully realized that this challenge would quickly be recognized and fought by Rome. Paul himself, not many years hence, would stand before the emperor Nero, not as an imperial bondslave, but a bondslave of the King of kings.

Long before Nero's executioner freed Paul from the limitations of his physical body, Paul had been made a "freeman of the Lord" (I Corinthians 7:22). The common title of the day, "freedman of the emperor," designated a bondslave of the emperor who had been elevated by the emperor to a higher position.

Paul had been, and all believers have been, ransomed out of the slave market of sin by Christ's blood, and have been set free from the guilt, power, and penalty of that sin. Our willing response should be to permanently place ourselves into enslavement to our redeemer, making us simultaneously both bondslaves and freedmen of the King.

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David's Army


"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men" (I Samuel 22:1-2).

As David was fleeing for his life from King Saul, a rather pitiful and unpromising company began following him, and they became the nucleus of what would soon be his army. Others joined them, and David trained them, "For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God" (I Chronicles 12:22). Soon they were no longer discontented misfits, but a remarkable array of "mighty men" (v.21). One group, for example, was said to be "men of war fit for the battle, . . . whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains" (I Chronicles 12:.

In many remarkable ways David was a type of Christ, his life foreshadowing the experiences of the greater "son of David" who would come a thousand years later. In such a parallel, his army is a type of the earthly "host of God," the great company of those who have chosen to follow Christ, each of whom has been called to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (II Timothy 2:3).

The followers of Christ were once also in distress, for the "base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen" (I Corinthians 1:28). He is now "the captain of their salvation" (Hebrews 2:10), urging that each one should strive to "please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (II Timothy 2:4). When He is finally ready to take the kingdom, these will be with Him in His triumphant return and eternal reign (Revelation 19:14; 22:5).

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He Who Made the Stars

"Seek Him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is His name" (Amos 5:.

This striking exhortation is inserted in the midst of a prophetic rebuke by God of His people Israel. They were rapidly drifting into pagan idolatry, and Amos was trying to call them back.

His exhortation, given almost 3,800 years ago, is more needed today than it ever was before. Modern pagan scientists have developed elaborate but absurdly impossible theories about the chance origin of the universe from nothing, and the evolution of stars, planets, and people from primordial hydrogen. But the mighty cosmos and its galaxies of stars - even the very constellations, such as Orion and the Pleiades (the "seven stars"), as well as the solar system - were made. All of these had to be made by an omniscient, omnipotent Creator, who certainly had a glorious purpose for it all.

Similarly, the global evidences that waters once covered all the earth's mountains (i.e., marine fossils and water-laid sediments at their summits) cannot possibly be explained - as evolutionary geologists try to do - by slow processes acting over aeons of time. God, the Creator, had to call massive volumes of water forth from their original reservoirs and pour them out on the earth in His flood judgment on a rebellious world.

All of these witness to the fact of creation and judgment, not to impotent "gods" personifying natural forces. Men urgently need to seek the true God of creation and salvation before judgment falls again, for "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).

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The Flesh of a Little Child


"Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean" (II Kings 5:14).

The familiar story of Naaman the Syrian was cited by the Lord Jesus as an example of God's concern for people of all nations: "Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian" (Luke 4:27). It is also a striking picture of salvation.

Naaman was a great and highly acclaimed general, but nevertheless was stricken with an incurable and loathsome disease. Similarly, any natural man, no matter how powerful, is afflicted with the lethal disease of sin. Before this proud official could be cured of his leprosy, he had to humble himself in several ways. First, he had to accept the advice of a slave girl from an enemy nation; then journey to that nation and its prophet, whose God his own nation had repudiated; travel still farther at the word of the prophet (who would not even come out to meet him); and, finally, immerse himself seven times in the despised river Jordan. Though he resented being so humiliated, his condition was hopeless otherwise, so he finally did all these things, and God marvelously healed him!

The leprous flesh became as the flesh of a little child again, but first he had to manifest the obedient faith of a little child. The same principle is true for every lost sinner. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up" (James 4:10). Jesus said: "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4).

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The Terror of the Lord


"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences" (II Corinthians 5:11).

The use of the English word "terror" in this verse as a translation of the Greek, phobos (from which we get our word "phobia"), indicates that the frequent Old Testament phrase, "fear of the Lord," means much more than implied in the modern euphemism, "reverential trust." The only other New Testament use of this phrase is in Acts 9:31: "Then had the churches rest . . . and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."

These two passages seem to be informing us that, when a church is "walking in the terror of the Lord," its members will be seeking every means whereby to "persuade men" to come to Christ, and therefore its numbers will increase.

This impassioned persuasion of the lost is motivated by knowledge that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (II Corinthians 5:10). That is, we know that the Lord Jesus, who died for lost sinners and has commissioned us to tell them of His great salvation, will be highly displeased if we don't do so, or if our testimony is compromised by our selfish lives. At His judgment seat, "the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. . . . If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (I Corinthians 3:13,15).

The terror of the Lord, when we appear before Him in that day, is not the only motive for witnessing, of course. "The love of Christ constraineth us," and when our testimony is received (our motives being "manifest unto God" and even to the "consciences" of those to whom we witness), then the glorious result is "a new creature" in Christ! (II Corinthians 5:14,17).

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Statement of Christ's Purpose


"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15).

Schools, businesses, and institutions are all well advised to develop and live by a "statement of purpose" if they are to be successful, evaluating each activity by its effectiveness in fulfilling that purpose.

As Christians, we should also have a well-defined purpose. Each individual's specific purpose will vary somewhat, depending on that person's giftedness, background, and circumstances; but since Christ is our example, each Christian's statement of purpose should reflect His priorities and values.

In many ways Mark's Gospel provides the most vivid and explicit insight into the work of Jesus, and in this book we see Jesus often repeating His statement of purpose. "Jesus came . . . preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying . . . repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). Jesus Christ had come with the specific purpose of saving the lost, and everything He did pointed to that end. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (2:17).

Christ not only preached to sinners, but He trained and sent out His followers to see that His mission was effectively carried out, even after He was gone. "And He called unto Him the twelve, and began to send them forth. . . . And they went out, and preached that men should repent" (6:7,12). Regarding His approaching death, He explained: "The Son of man came . . . to give His life a ransom for many" (10:45). As He left them, He commanded, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (16:15).

Our priorities should be the same as His. If everything we do points toward this end, His mission will thereby be accomplished. "Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it" (8:35).

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By Any Means

"And 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; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west" (Acts 27:12).

This seemingly insignificant phrase, "by any means" (Greek, ei pos), is actually used to express the urgency of attaining some object sought, along with the means for its attainment. . . . It occurs just four times in the New Testament, and it is interesting that these four occurrences seem to follow a significant order.

The first of them is in our text above and expresses a search for physical comfort, as the mariners, transporting Paul to Rome, sought by any means to find a convenient place to spend the winter.

The second expresses Paul's search for spiritual ministry. When Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, he told them of his constant prayers, "Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established" (Romans 1:10-11).

Thirdly, there was his search for conversion of others. "For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them" (Romans 11:13-14).

Finally, and most importantly, there was Paul's (and, Lord willing, may it be ours also!) search for 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).

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The Word of the King

"Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" (Ecclesiastes 8:4).

Perhaps the arch-type of absolute monarchs was Babylonia's King Nebuchadnezzar, of whom the prophet Daniel could say: "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory" (Daniel 2:37). The word of this and every true king was with power, the king being answerable to no man but himself, for his authority came from God. "For there is no power but of God" (Romans 13:1). Many kings have had to learn this truth the hard way, however, for they have found that God could remove them as quickly as He had ordained them when they abused that power.

But there is one King who will never fall; one "who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings; . . . to whom be honor and power everlasting" (I Timothy 6:15-16). The Lord Jesus Christ has asserted: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18), and one day all creatures in heaven and earth will acknowledge: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things" (Revelation 4:11). In that day all "The kingdoms of this world (shall) become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).

This one, who is King of all kings, is also the One who is "called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). The word of this King is of such power that He could speak the mighty cosmos into existence. His word could calm a violent storm and call Lazarus back from death.

"The word of God is quick, and powerful" (Hebrews 4:12), and "His word was with power" (Luke 4:32). Therefore, "all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen" (II Corinthians 1:20).

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Being Thankful for Grace

"Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20).

This is the day which Americans set aside to reflect on the blessings of God which have been showered on us in the previous year. All other holidays, even Christmas and Easter, can be skewed into a non-Christian meaning, but not Thanksgiving. Historically, it was a time to give thanks to God for the bountiful harvest, and experientially, while there are those to whom we should give thanks for particular favors, there is only one to whom we can give thanks for the blessings of life. Nothing else makes sense.

Christians, of course, have much more for which to give thanks than the non-believer, or at least they have the eyes with which to see and the heart with which to recognize God's blessings. Indeed, Paul instructs us that "In every thing (we should) give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Thessalonians 5:18); the tense of the verb implying a habitual, continual thanksgiving.

But specifically, we should be thankful for His grace, which, as explained in our text, completely overwhelmed our sin, and instead brought salvation and freedom from guilt. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:.

Note that in our text the word "abound" appears three times. Both the offense and sin exist in abundance. But the abundance of grace comes from a different Greek word which means literally "to exist in superabundance." But there is more. It is further modified by the prefix "much more," implying a grace that is beyond superabundance.