A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Watching for Christ's Return

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. . . . Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:42,44).

The new millennium has arrived without any special prophetic events taking place. Those who were predicting Christ's return may become skeptical about Biblical prophecy. But this would be a sad mistake. Regardless of just when it will happen, Christ will return, for so He promised, and He cannot either lie or fail. He has repeatedly made it plain that no one can determine the date of His coming. Not even He, while in His human limitations, knew that (Mark 13:32).

Again and again He urged us to watch and be ready for His return. He did not tell us to watch for the Antichrist or the revival of Rome's empire or a great apostasy or a great revival or a world government or anything else -- just for Him! Note some of His commands to do this (in addition to the two in our text).

"Take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:33).

"Watch ye therefore: . . . Lest coming suddenly, He find you sleeping" (Mark 13:35-36).

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 25:13).

In addition to such exhortations by the Lord Himself, the apostles also sounded similar warnings.

"Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews 9:28).

"Abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (I John 2:28).

Space limitations preclude listing others, but again in the words of Christ: "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (Mark 13:37).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Promise of Liberty

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage" (II Peter 2:19).

This chapter consists of a strong denunciation of false teachers. They are, among other things, sensuous, beguiling, covetous, and accursed (v.14). They desire personal wealth (vv.15-16), but their message is empty, and even destructive, and will be judged (v.17), appealing to the pride and lusts of their hearers (v.18).

In our text we see the false teachers are quick to make promises. Promises are cheap; they cost nothing. Satan first revealed himself to mankind with a promise: "Ye shall be as gods" (Genesis 3:5), and later attempted to seduce the Son of God with "all the kingdoms of the world" (Matthew 4:. Empty promises are Satan's golden hook, and many are the foolish ones who take the bait.

In this case, the false teachers promise liberty -- liberty to act without the shackles of responsibility and moral law. But they themselves are "servants of corruption," slaves of a most abhorrent mentality. And who are they to offer liberty? These are indeed "great swelling words of vanity" (II Peter 2:18), for slaves cannot rightly offer liberty.

How is this promise kept? Bondage. Bondage to that which has overcome. The liberty that sin promises is slavery, and the greater the sinner, the greater the bondage to the sin. There is perhaps no more wretched a state than to be in bondage to abject corruption in the name of liberty. It is a bondage of the spirit; a captivity of the soul. Of all states of slavery, it is the most lasting.

On the other hand, through grace we can "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free," with no need to be "entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1).

[Soldier4Christ]

A Test for False Prophets

"Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him" (Deuteronomy 13:4).

Our text for today seems somewhat out of place, for it is tucked into a passage dealing with false prophets: instructing the people of Israel in ways to detect one who would lead them into false worship. The penalty was death, "because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt" (v.10). The purpose was both purification and example, for "all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you" (v.11).

The chief test of a prophet was not his ability to perform signs and wonders (v.1). Elsewhere the test of total, lifelong accuracy was applied. "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously. . . . that prophet shall die" (Deuteronomy 18:22,20). A more immediate test lay in the absolute harmony of the prophet's message and deeds with the revealed Word of God, and the wholehearted commitment to the Lord Himself. This test takes the form of the holy standard set forth in our text.

Note that an inward attitude will be expressed, as given in the six action verbs. If we are to please God, we must "walk after" or "pursue" Him, and "fear" or "reverence" Him in all things. Furthermore, we must "keep" His commandments, striving to "obey" Him on every issue He addresses. He expects such a one to "serve" Him: to do His bidding. Finally, we must "cleave" or "cling" to Him, holding fast to Him in an ever deepening relationship. To do less is to fail the test used to discern false prophets, incurring at the least His displeasure; at the most His wrath.

[Soldier4Christ]

Things We Cannot Do Without

"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20).

There are many things in life we can well do without, but there are at least seven things a Christian simply cannot do without. These are outlined in the following listing.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ. Speaking of the heathen nations before Christ, Paul said: "At that time ye were without Christ, . . . having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).

2. Christ's shed blood. "Without shedding of blood is no remission." "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, . . . But with the precious blood of Christ" (Hebrews 9:22; I Peter 1:18-19).

3. Christ's sinlessness. The Lord Jesus "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, He could die for our sins.

4. Faith in Christ. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is" (Hebrews 11:6).

5. Faith-generated works. True faith in Christ inevitably produces good works. As our text reminds us, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).

6. True holiness. "Follow . . . holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Genuine faith in Christ both receives His imputed holiness and also generates practical holiness in the believer.

7. Heavenly chastisement. Unconfessed and unforsaken sin in a Christian's life must receive chastisement from the Father. "If ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye . . . not sons" (Hebrews 12:.

Without saving faith in the Lord, we have nothing of eternal value, but with Him, we have "all things" (I Corinthians 3:21).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Linen Clothes

"Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury" (John 19:40).

The Jews of Jesus' day prepared bodies for burial in a much different fashion than we do today. In our text the word "wound" actually means "to bind, tie, or wind," and bodies were tightly rolled up in long strips of linen cloth. Parallel passages in Matthew 27:59, Mark 15:46, and Luke 23:53 employ words derived from the Greek, hellisso, meaning "to coil," from which we get our word "helix."

The tightness of the winding can be inferred from the raising of Lazarus from the dead. After Christ had called him back to life, "he that was dead came forth, bound |same word as `wound'| hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go" (John 11:44).

On resurrection morning, after hearing the news of the missing body of Christ, Peter and John ran to the sepulcher. "Peter . . . went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped |same word as in our text| together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple . . . and he saw, and believed" (John 20:6-8).

John recognized, as we should, that only a miracle could account for the state of these linen clothes. If thieves had stolen the body, they would either have taken the clothes, or the clothes would have been strewn around, not lying in the same location and shape as they had been when the body was present. Previously, John "knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead" (v.9), but when he saw the linen clothes he "believed."

Christ miraculously rose from the dead. John believed; we have his eyewitness testimony. Can we do less?

[Soldier4Christ]

Joy in the Christian Life

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11).

The word "fun" is never mentioned in the Bible, and "entertain" is used only in reference to being hospitable. Such activities as "reveling" and "playing" receive nothing except condemnation in the Scriptures (with the exception of little children at play).

Yet there is growing emphasis today in many churches and parachurch organizations on providing "entertainment" and "fun times" for their members -- especially for teenagers and young adults. This is the way to reach them and keep them for the Lord, so they say. Perhaps so, but one wonders why neither the Lord nor the apostles nor the prophets ever told us so. Is this a program kept in reserve by the Lord just for the young people of this generation?

Actually, Christians can have something far better, more effective, and more lasting than fun and entertainment. In Christ, they can have heavenly joy! "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine," the Bible says (Proverbs 17:22), where the word for "merry" is more commonly translated as "joyful" or "rejoicing."

While the Bible never mentions "fun," it has many references to "joy" and "rejoicing." Here are just a few. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16). "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Peter 1:. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).

We must remind ourselves continually that the Lord Jesus daily, through His words, shares His joy with us, "that |our| joy might be full."

[Bernadette]

Three Psalms I read every day:  Psalm 51, Psalm 54, and Psalm 119 vs 1-32.  I especially like reading psalm 51 first thing in the morning and the last thing at night right before my evening prayers and reading of God's Word.

[Soldier4Christ]

What Sort of Work

"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" (I Corinthians 3:13).

This key verse of Scripture gives the principle by which God will evaluate our works in that great future day when all believers will be assembled before "the judgment seat of Christ" (Romans 14:10; II Corinthians 5:10). The non-believer will be judged elsewhere, while this will be a judgment of believers only, for when the purifying fire tries our works, "If any man's work abide . . . he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved" (I Corinthians 3:14-15).

Note carefully the basis for determining rewards or loss of rewards. It is not the amount of work done -- not the number of witnessing contacts or souls won to Christ, not the number of students taught in a school or the amount of money given to missions. Neither are rewards based on the type of work done; menial labor is no less eligible for heavenly rewards than is the ministry of the gospel.

The criterion of the eternal value of a believer's work on Earth is what sort it is! That is, what is the motivation of the work, the sincerity, the dedication? The Greek word translated "sort" definitely conveys the meaning of quality, rather than quantity of results or type of occupation. No matter the nature of the work, or its size. The question is, what sort is it? Jesus knows that "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luke 16:10), and so He will "give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:12).

Therefore, "whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:23-24).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Faithful Lord

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil" (II Thessalonians 3:3).

The Lord Jesus Christ has many wonderful attributes, not the least of which is His faithfulness. That is, He is believable and trustworthy, sure to do all He promises. He will keep us from the evil one and from being overcome by evil in our lives, as promised in our text. Also, "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted |that is, `tested'| above that ye are able" (I Corinthians 10:13). Why does He care for us so?

In the first place, He is our Creator, and has a distinct purpose and will for our lives. Therefore all who are His can safely "commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (I Peter 4:19). He will keep us to the end; Paul said, "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then follows his confident assurance: "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it" (I Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Even when we yield to the temptations along the way, and fall into sin, He promises: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9), because He has paid the penalty for all our sins, and He is "a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).

With such a faithful Savior and Lord, we surely ought to trust Him fully. In spite of this, we often doubt Him and His Word, but even this does not change His love toward us. "If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself" (II Timothy 2:13). Indeed, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called" (I Corinthians 1:9), for His very name is "called Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11).

[Soldier4Christ]

Forsake and Follow

"Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him" (Luke 5:10-11).

Perhaps we take too lightly the fact that the disciples "forsook all, and followed Him." This action involved at least two aspects, the leaving of their former life and the realignment of their loyalty.

The word "forsook" is used in a variety of extreme situations, including the "putting away" of a spouse (I Corinthians 7:11-12; also "leave," v.13), and even death. "Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up |same word| the ghost" (Matthew 27:50). This leaving implies a complete severing of a situation or relationship.

Furthermore, they forsook all. For Peter, James, John, and Andrew, this involved leaving a prosperous business; for Matthew, a prestigious position of wealth; i.e., their careers. Certainly each left their livelihood, security, training, possessions, relationships, hopes -- everything! "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).

Next, the disciples needed to restructure their lives and loyalties to those of Christ. The word "follow" implies a unity of purpose and direction. Jesus told the rich young ruler to give up all vestiges of his materialistic life "and come, take up the cross, and follow me" (Mark 10:21).

Christ issues the same call to discipleship to each of us. Peter asked Him the question which we frequently ask. "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Matthew 19:27). Christ answered, "Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (v.29).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Builder of the House

"He who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but He that built all things is God" (Hebrews 3:3-4).

Perhaps the single greatest category of evidence for supernatural creation is in the nature of the creation itself, which everywhere shows such intricate design that it could not have come about by random chance. Consider the earth: Its size, mass, distance from the sun and moon, rotational wobble, chemical makeup, etc., are critical within very narrow limits. Any significant deviation in any of these, or other characteristics, would make life impossible.

But inorganic molecules, planets, and galaxies are simpler by several orders of magnitude than even the tiniest living organism. The marvelous genetic code which regulates life, growth, and reproduction, is so unthinkably complex, so obviously designed, that it would take a "willingly ignorant" (II Peter 3:5) mind to conclude a naturalistic origin for it. Life at every stage and at every level of investigation shows symmetry in its order, purpose in its function and interdependence between its parts; all of these are clear marks of design by an intelligent designer.

The evidence speaks so eloquently that even "the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20) if they choose not to believe, and therefore to merit and face His wrath (v.18).

"All things were created by Him, and for Him" (Colossians 1:16). Mankind can take no pride in it nor rebellious solace in the idea of naturalistic origin, for "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Lord Shuts the Door

"And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in" (Genesis 7:16).

The Scriptures show that when God appoints a time of great judgment He prepares a door of deliverance for the minority who repent and seek Him. In the days of Noah, there were only eight who had the faith to believe God's revelation of a coming catastrophe. No doubt the fateful day dawned as had many before it. But it was to be an historic day, for "the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark" (Genesis 7:1). Our text records how God Himself closed the door on an entire generation that had rejected Him.

Matthew 24 draws a parallel between the judgment of Noah's day and the impending Second Coming of Christ: "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (vv.38-39). We live in a day when the door is still open. Revelation 3:8 records, "I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." In John 10:7, "Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door. . . ." But the day will come when God Himself will divinely shut that door (Revelation 3:7).

Let us be ready and waiting lest today should be the eventful day. The Bible tells how some will, once again, be unprepared. "When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are" (Luke 13:25).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Glorious Gospel

"According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust" (I Timothy 1:11).

In the opening chapter of Paul's first letter to Timothy, his "son in the faith" (v.2), Paul gives various instructions concerning the proper teaching of doctrine, "which was committed to |his| trust," and which now Paul was passing on to his followers. He took great care to charge Timothy to "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 1:13, and elsewhere). Before launching into a testimony and defense of God's grace in salvation (vv.12-17), Paul gives stern warning against false doctrines and false teachers (vv.3-11). These teachers, "having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm" (I Timothy 1:6-7). He even lists various sinful characteristics and actions of these false teachers (vv.9-10), covering basically the same ground as the Ten Commandments.

The things in this list, Paul claims, are "contrary to sound |literally healthy, wholesome| doctrine." This doctrine, which is "according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God" is held up as the standard by which we evaluate any teaching or attitude, not a man-made system of ethics or code of conduct.

This glorious gospel, the good news, proclaiming the entire person and work of the great Creator/Redeemer Jesus Christ, must be the basis for all "sound" teaching and lifestyle. Paul later wrote that these "wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and . . . the doctrine which is according to godliness" (I Timothy 6:3) bring spiritual health, while any contrary teaching brings spiritual poverty and corruption. "From such withdraw thyself" (v.5).

[Soldier4Christ]

In-Law or Outlaw?

"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" (I Corinthians 9:21).

The preaching of the gospel weighed heavily on Paul, and in this passage (vv.5-23), as well as surrounding chapters (8:1-11:1), he explained the lengths to which he would go to be able to preach and to avoid being a stumbling block to potential hearers. Since he closes the section with the exhortation, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (11:1), we would do well to observe his methods.

The message of the work of Christ Jesus burned within Paul. "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (9:16). He would preach willingly or unwillingly (v.17), for no financial gain (v.18), or personal glory (v.16), but he had to preach. "I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more" (v.19), he said. He would even make himself acceptable to the Jews (v.20) by not breaking their law, even though he knew he was no longer bound by it.

In our text, Paul explains his approach to the Gentiles, those who were "without law." He could not behave in a licentious, sinful, lawless manner, for God's holy nature demands holiness. The Greek word anomos, translated four times in this verse as "without law," is contrasted in the parenthetic comment to ennomos, "under the law." Paul was not lawless. Even though not under the Mosaic law, he had voluntarily, out of a heart of love for the Savior, placed himself under a set of new and better restraints, that of the law of Christ, "that I might by all means save some" (v.22).

Christians of today have, to a great extent, benefited from Paul's unquenchable thirst for souls. He had partaken of the sweet fruits of the gospel and preached "that I might be partaker thereof with you" (v.23). Should we not willingly follow his example?

[Soldier4Christ]

Without the Shedding of Blood

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22).

It is strange that so many people object to the Biblical doctrine of salvation through the shed blood of Christ. Even some evangelicals will argue that the blood is merely a chemical mixture, and that it was the death of Christ that was the price of our redemption.

Chemistry aside, the Bible does indeed stress that "we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:14), that He has "made peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20), and that we are "now justified by His blood" (Romans 5:9). We receive His great work of propitiation -- that is His sacrificial death for our sins -- "through faith in His blood" (Romans 3:25).

Why this emphasis on the shedding of His blood, which seems offensive to so many people? Could He not have been put to death in other ways -- drowning, stoning, asphyxiation, etc. -- ways not involving the ugliness of bloodshed?

One can speculate with many "what if?" questions, but we must go by the Word of God. It remains true, theologically as well as biologically, that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11, also Genesis 9:4). The basic rationale of sacrifice -- the death of an innocent substitute to provide life for the guilty -- has centered from the beginning (when God provided coats of skin for the nakedness of Adam and Eve) on the spilled blood of sacrificial animals to atone for (that is "to cover") the sins of the one bringing the offering, until finally "the Lamb of God" could be offered by God as "one sacrifice for sins for ever" (Hebrews 10:12). When the blood gushed from His pierced side, His spotless life was poured out at the foot of the cross, and the price of our redemption was fully paid.