A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Survival Of The Unfit

“Ye were . . . redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19).

Darwin’s theory contemplates survival of the fittest and death to the unfit. God’s truth proclaims the opposite! Jesus, the fittest of all (“without blemish and without spot”) and sustainer of the entire universe (Colossians 1:17b), died so that the unfit might survive! See Him on the pages of Scripture reaching out to the blind, lame, and dumb; see the compassion of One who cared for those blemished with leprous spots; see Him stop a funeral procession and raise the dead! May we bow our hearts in praise of such a Savior!

He offered His “precious blood” to redeem unfit people like us. He took death upon Himself so that blemished sinners might survive and experience eternal life. Even death was unable to hold this One in its grip. Jesus proved His fitness over death itself! “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted” (Psalm 18:46).

Some have tried to further evolution along the supposed path to evolutionary advancement, but the redeemed follow a different path. May we who were once unfit-blemished with sinful spots but now washed in His precious blood, follow the lead of the Fittest-of-All by extending our hearts and hands to those who are not surviving very well. May we go to hospitals, love and adopt deformed children, care for the poor, and feed the starving. May we share the best news of all-that the Fittest came into this world so that the unfit might survive for an eternity with Him in heaven.

Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

[Soldier4Christ]

Where Is Wisdom?

“But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12).

Men have been searching for this most valuable of all treasures since time began. Eve first fell into sin as she was led by Satan to believe that the forbidden fruit would make her wise. Even before Abram left Ur of the Chaldees, the patriarch Job was asking this ancient question of his three critical friends, but they could not answer.

In this chapter, Job notes that while valuable metals can be dug from the rocks of the earth (Job 28:1,2), wisdom cannot be mined by hard searching and labor. Neither can it be purchased like some commodity (vs.13–19). In terms of modern categories, wisdom is not acquired through college degrees or philosophical meditation, or any variety of human experience or study.

It can only be found in God, Himself, for “God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof” (Job 28:23). “The fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

True wisdom is to be found in the Lord Jesus, “who of God is made unto us wisdom” (I Corinthians 1:30). In Him alone “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

Then, of course, since the Holy Scriptures constitute His written Word, we find wisdom there. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16).

If one desires wisdom-real wisdom-he must find it in the fear of the Lord, a departure from all evil, receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and sovereign Lord, and in diligence to learn and obey His Word. “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly” (Proverbs 2:6,7).

[Soldier4Christ]

Sojourners


"For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding" (I Chronicles 29:15).

All of God's people, whether ancient Israelites or latter-day Christians, need to recognize that we are mere "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). This world is not our home, as the old gospel song puts it, and we must not let our roots get down too deep in this materialistic world.

The words of our text are in David's last recorded prayer before his death. He was a great king and very wealthy in material things, but he still recognized that his real home was not in the earthly Jerusalem, but in heaven.

So should we. The apostle Paul wrote: "For our conversation [the Greek word here literally means `citizenship'] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). We are merely serving in this world as "ambassadors for Christ," and our business here, representing the court of heaven, is to urge men, "in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (II Corinthians 5:20).

Why should we spend so much time and money in beautifying a home on Earth when Christ has gone to prepare a mansion for us in heaven (John 14:2)? Remember Abraham, who by faith "sojourned . . . in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob" (Hebrews 11:9). "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city" (Hebrews 11:16).

Also remember Paul who had "no certain dwellingplace" (I Corinthians 4:11), not to mention the Lord Jesus Himself who had "not where to lay His head" (Matthew 8:20). We do well, therefore, to "pass the time of sojourning here in fear" (I Peter 1:17) -- that is, reverential fear of God (never fear of man), as good citizens of our heavenly country.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Righteous Judge


"That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25).

People often make erroneous judgments. Even those who are officially appointed or elected to judge others are sometimes mistaken, and so we have a whole system of appeals courts. Yet even the Supreme Court, composed as it is of fallible human beings, often seems to be wrong. But, as Abraham recognized long ago while interceding for the people in Sodom, we can be confident that the Judge of all the earth will do right!

He not only can judge our actions in relation to His revealed will but can also discern thoughts and motives and, therefore, "judge the secrets of men" (Romans 2:16), and He will do so in absolute rightness. Furthermore, "He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: . . . and my judgment is just," asserted the Lord Jesus (John 5:22,30). To those who reject or ignore His redeeming love, relying instead on their own worth, "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26-27).

To those who have been redeemed through saving faith in Christ, there will, indeed, be a Judgment Day, but it will be for dispensing of rewards for faithful service rather than for salvation, and this also will be done righteously. "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day" (II Timothy 4:.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Remnant


"It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left" (II Kings 19:4).

These words were part of King Hezekiah's plea to Isaiah for help in prayer against Rab-shakeh and the Assyrian army besieging Jerusalem. It marks the second time in which this particular word is used for "the remnant," the first being in Genesis 45:7, when Joseph assured his brothers that God had sent him into Egypt to preserve for Israel "a posterity" in the earth. However, this word (Hebrew, sherith) is prominent later in the writings of the prophets, who frequently refer to the faithful Israelite "remnant" during times of apostasy.

The same doctrine appears in the New Testament. Speaking of the children of Israel during the time of their dispersion among the nations because of their rejection of Christ, the apostle Paul says: "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Romans 11:5). There are many Jews even today who have received Jesus as their Messiah and personal Savior, even though Israel as a nation still rejects Him.

This Biblical doctrine of the remnant applies especially to faithful Israelites who witness to God's truth even in times of national apostasy. Nevertheless, the principle seems also to apply to so-called Christian nations as well -- such as the nations of Europe and America. Although nominally "Christian," each of these nations, like the church at Sardis, "hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Revelation 3:1), as far as true Biblical Christianity is concerned. Nevertheless, in each, there is still a remnant of real believing Christians, and these have the great responsibility to maintain a true witness for Christ in just such a time as this.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Groaning Creation

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22).

On the Sixth Day, man had been created in God’s image and likeness—the very climax and goal of creation (Genesis 1:26,27). But on this Sixth Day, God, made in the likeness of man, finished the even greater work of redemption.

Under the great Curse, the whole creation had long been groaning and travailing in pain. But now, the Creator, Himself, had been made the Curse (Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 52:14), and it seemed as though the Creation also must die. Though He had made heaven and earth on the First Day, now He had been lifted up from the earth (John 3:14) and the heavens were silent (Matthew 27:46). Though He had made the waters on the Second Day, He who was the very Water of Life (John 4:14), was dying of thirst (John 19:28).

On the Third Day, He had made the dry land, but now the “earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Matthew 27:51). He had also covered the earth with trees and vines on that Third Day, but now the True Vine (John 15:1) had been plucked up and the Green Tree (Luke 23:31) cut down. He had made the sun on the Fourth Day, but now the sun was darkened (Luke 23:45) and the Light of the World (John 8:12) was burning out. On the Fifth Day, He had created life, and He, Himself, was life (John 11:25; 14:6), but now the life of His flesh, the precious blood, was being poured out, and He had been brought “into the dust of death” (Psalm 22:15). On the Sixth Day, He had created man and given him life, but now man had rejected Him and was putting Him to death.

The creation has been groaning and travailing in pain ever since Adam’s sin, but its Creator has paid the price for its redemption, and therefore, it will someday “be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

[Soldier4Christ]

It Is Finished!


“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).

“On the Seventh Day God ended His work which He had made” (Genesis 2:2). Furthermore, “everything that He had made . . . was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

And so is His work of salvation! “Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled . . . said, It is finished” (John 19:28,30). The emphasized words (“accomplished,” “fulfilled,” “finished”) are all the same in the Greek original.

When all the relevant Scriptures had been fulfilled and the price of reconciliation (“the blood of His cross,” Colossians 1:20) fully paid, He could finally shout the great victory cry (Matthew 27:50), “It is finished!” As the finished creation was “very good,” so is our finished salvation. The salvation which Christ our Creator thus provided on the cross is “so great” (Hebrews 2:3) and “eternal” (Hebrews 5:9), that the hope thereof is “good” (II Thessalonians 2:16).

Then, finally, having finished the work of redemption, Christ rested once again, on the Seventh Day. As He had rested on that first Seventh Day, now He could rest again, His body sleeping in Joseph’s tomb.

He had died quickly, and the preparations for burial had been hurried (Luke 23:54–56), so that He could be buried before the Sabbath. On the third day (that is, the first day of the new week), He would rise again, as He had said (Matthew 16:21, et al). His body rested in the tomb all the Sabbath Day, plus part of the previous and following days, according to Hebrew idiomatic usage, “three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40)—but death could hold Him no longer. He arose from the dead, and is now “alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:18).

[Soldier4Christ]

Resurrection And Creation


“And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:17,18).

The two greatest miracles in all history were the Creation of the World and the Resurrection of its Creator. In the devotional studies for the past week, we have noted the remarkable parallels between the Week of Creation and the Week of Redemption, with both these incomparable work weeks completed with a day of divine rest.

But then, that One who was “before all things” became also “the firstborn from the dead.” Only the Creator could redeem His lost creation, cursed and dying because of sin, by Himself taking the Curse and dying for sin. God, however, cannot die (in the sense of ceasing to exist), for He is Life itself. His mortal body could sleep in the grave, and His holy Spirit suffer the anguish of hell, but it was inevitable that He must conquer sin and death. The omnipotent Creator cannot possibly fail in His purpose in creation. In all things, He must have the preeminence, for it is only by Him that things exist at all!

Therefore, as Creation is the foundation of all true science, so the Resurrection is the centrality of all true history. All real facts of science support the primeval Creation, and the best-proved fact of history is the Resurrection. As the great Apostle preached long ago in the very center of all human wisdom and culture, in Athens, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth . . . hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:24,31).

[Soldier4Christ]

Alive With Christ


“Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him” (Romans 6:8,9).

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead both guarantees the future bodily resurrection of the believer and associates us positionally with Him now. Since He died for our sins, we, in effect, were “dead with Christ.” Therefore, when He defeated death and hell, and revived His own dead body in immortal power, He broke any dominion of death over Him or over those who were, positionally, with Him.

This is one of the grandest Scriptural themes of the Christian life. We were dead with Christ, but now God “hath quickened us together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). Not only have we been “made alive” (I Corinthians 15:22) with Him, but we have also been “raised” with Him up from the grave and then into heaven where we are “seated” with Him on His throne! “(God) hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

This means also that we have been glorified with Him and are actually reigning with Him. “The Spirit (Himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: . . . that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16,17).

But if all this is only true in position, what meaning does His resurrection life have on our daily lives now? Simply this—that, knowing these truths gives us the incentive and power to live them. “If (or, literally, ‘Since’) ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ, in God” (Colossians 3:1–3). “For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you” (II Corinthians 13:4).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Offense Of The Cross


“And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offense of the cross ceased” (Galatians 5:11).

The cross is profoundly offensive to the natural man, for it brands him as a hell-deserving sinner. It makes his only hope of salvation a humbling acknowledgment of Christ, the rejected Creator, as his personal Savior, who died for his sins.

It is especially sad when Christians seek to escape this offense of the cross by accommodating their preaching of the cross to the opinions of those who reject it. In the case of the Galatians, legalistic Christians were insisting that Christian converts from paganism be circumcised, in order to avoid offending the Jews. When Paul, instead, preached salvation by grace alone, he was persecuted for it.

This particular compromise has long been forgotten, but a multitude of others have arisen during the ensuing centuries to take its place. Whenever some new philosophy or practice becomes popular in the world, a Christian party will soon be found advocating its adoption in the church, ostensibly to promote easier acceptance of the gospel, but in reality seeking to mitigate the offense of the cross.

Whenever the pagan world follows after a new dress trend or a new music form, a new philosophy or a new life style, many Christians are sure to follow. Witness the widespread compromise with pantheistic evolution and its so-called geologic “ages” by Christian accommodationists, for example. Or, consider the current acceptance of Eastern or Freudian thinking by Biblical counsellors, or the common sanction of divorce for trivial reasons.

Instead of fleeing from the offense of the cross, we need to say with Paul, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

[Soldier4Christ]

Choose Life


"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Shortly before his death, Moses restated the law and the covenant between God and His people summed up in the greatest commandment: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Furthermore, Moses claimed that "this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven. . . . Neither is it beyond the sea" (Deuteronomy 30:11-13). Nothing about it was hard to understand. "But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it" (Deuteronomy 30:14).

Indeed, the evidence that God is Creator, Judge, Provider, and Redeemer is all around us. Our text informs us that "heaven and earth" are witnesses of God's nature. We have more than enough information than we need in order to respond. In fact, these things "from the creation of the world are clearly seen" so that those who reject are "without excuse" (Romans 1:20). Indeed, to ignore the evidence of Creation and the Flood, one must be "willingly ignorant" (II Peter 3:5). Rejection is foolishness.

"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil" (Deuteronomy 30:15). The choice is between blessing (v.16) and cursing (v.19). All lines of reasoning point toward the God of the Bible as the one true God. "Therefore choose life," as our text encourages us, "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life" (v.20).

[Soldier4Christ]

Alive With Christ


“Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him” (Romans 6:8,9).

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead both guarantees the future bodily resurrection of the believer and associates us positionally with Him now. Since He died for our sins, we, in effect, were “dead with Christ.” Therefore, when He defeated death and hell, and revived His own dead body in immortal power, He broke any dominion of death over Him or over those who were, positionally, with Him.

This is one of the grandest Scriptural themes of the Christian life. We were dead with Christ, but now God “hath quickened us together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). Not only have we been “made alive” (I Corinthians 15:22) with Him, but we have also been “raised” with Him up from the grave and then into heaven where we are “seated” with Him on His throne! “(God) hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

This means also that we have been glorified with Him and are actually reigning with Him. “The Spirit (Himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: . . . that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16,17).

But if all this is only true in position, what meaning does His resurrection life have on our daily lives now? Simply this—that, knowing these truths gives us the incentive and power to live them. “If (or, literally, ‘Since’) ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ, in God” (Colossians 3:1–3). “For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you” (II Corinthians 13:4).

[Soldier4Christ]

Lessons For Angels


“Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into” (I Peter 1:12).

This is an amazing revelation. Many Christians speak of what they call the “simple gospel,” and yet its scope is so great that angels, whose wisdom and power are far greater than those of human beings, are continually learning about its riches as they watch from heaven.

Angels, like humans, are created beings. They are not omniscient, and they evidently are learning more and more about Him as they observe the outworkings of His great plan of creation and redemption through the lives of redeemed men and women on Earth. In fact, “the principalities and powers in heavenly places” are somehow being instructed “by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10,11).

Satan and the angels who are following Him in his long war against God are also learning. They learned long ago that they could not destroy Job’s faith in God, nor Peter’s testimony for Christ, though they surely tried! And they will soon start learning, in the “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41), that God alone is Creator and eternal King.

Now if angels are still learning about God and His ways, though they have already been in God’s presence for thousands of years, we can also learn from them, that our future translation to heaven will not immediately enable us to understand all things. We, like they, shall continue learning forever, “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33).

[Soldier4Christ]

Paul's Method For Success



“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14).

Success has become a Twentieth Century fetish, it seems,—from self-help seminars, to multi-level marketing schemes, to the yuppie mentality. A motivational and success-oriented mindset has even spilled over into the church. Instead of employing such worldly methods, however, we should emulate the lives and methods of successful Biblical examples, such as the Apostle Paul.

In this passage, Paul explains his secrets. First, he kept his attention on important things. Earthly things were of no value (vs.7,8), while the knowledge of Christ and His sufferings was of great value (vs.8,10). Paul’s desire was to acquire the “righteousness . . . which is through the faith of Christ” (v.9), and to attain eternal life (v.11).

Second, he had a proper view of himself. He knew he was imperfect (v.12) and incomplete (v.13), having worth only through the work of Christ. Third, he didn’t dwell on past mistakes. Once forgiven through repentance and faith in Christ, he knew that he need no longer bear the guilt for his mistakes, and must not let them hinder his present ministry.

Fourth, Paul looked forward to the future, stretching himself to reach his goals (vs.13,14). And his goals were high—“the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (v.14).

What is the prize which awaits those who are successful in this high calling? “Our [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body” (vs.20,21).

[Soldier4Christ]

The God Of The Gourd


“And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd” (Jonah 4:6).

In the brief story of Jonah, the Lord has given us a striking insight into His providential ways with His people. He “prepared” four special instruments for revealing His will and His great concern for the people God wanted to help. Each involved a very ordinary thing, functioning in an extraordinary way (providential miracles, as it were).

First, “the LORD had prepared a great fish” (Jonah 1:17), both to save Jonah from drowning and to enable God to convince him of the urgent necessity of fulfilling the ministry to which He had called him. Then, after he had preached in Nineveh and God had spared the city, Jonah became angry and wanted to die, so “the LORD God prepared a gourd . . . that it might be a shadow over his head” (4:6). Jonah was thankful for this providential shade from the heat, but he was still not thankful for the sparing of Nineveh. Therefore, “God prepared a worm” and by the next day, “it smote the gourd that it withered” (4:7). Furthermore, “God prepared a vehement east wind” (4:, and the blasting heat angered Jonah more than ever, so that he again wanted to die.

Finally Jonah was able to hear what God was really saying to him in all these circumstances, and he realized the tremendous scope of God’s mercy and compassion for the lost.

As with Jonah, God speaks to us through ordinary things in providential circumstances. Whether by a marvelous deliverance or a comforting provision, a sudden loss or a mighty storm, God leads us into His will and transforms our lives and hearts to conform to His love. “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).