A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Limitations on God's Promises

"Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 31:37).

The people of Israel, in spite of all God had done for them, continually rebelled against Him, even turning to other gods. One might think God would have destroyed them and started again, but He had made a promise first to Abraham, then to Isaac, and then to Jacob, that this nation would be His special people, and He would not break that promise.

In our text God reveals the "conditions" under which He would cast off Israel, but they are such that there is no possibility of their being met.

"If heaven above can be measured. . . ." Neither Abraham nor Jeremiah could have had any concept of the number of stars or the depth of space. Now, with modern telescopes, we see unthinkable distances, and even farther and farther as our technology increases. Estimates of the radius of the universe now stand at around 15-20 billion light years, and no end is in sight.

"If the foundations of the earth |can be| searched out beneath. . . ." Sometimes scientists claim they know more about the sun than they do the earth. But in reality, only one percent of the earth's radius has been explored. The pressures and temperatures which exist deep inside the earth are unthinkably great, and we don't even know how matter acts under those conditions. The promise to Israel is secure.

Scripture is likewise full of "exceeding great and precious promises" (II Peter 1:4) made to the believer. Our text indicates God's attitudes toward His promises. We need not worry that He will keep His Word.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sin of Complaining

"And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalm 106:15).

Christians who complain about their circumstances would do well to ponder this sobering verse and its background. God had greatly blessed His people, Israel, delivering them supernaturally from slavery in Egypt, protecting them against their enemies--even miraculously supplying daily bread and water for them in the desert.

Still they complained: complained about their food; complained about the imaginary luxuries they had left behind in Egypt; complained against their leaders. "And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and His anger was kindled" (Numbers 11:1). Finally, when they complained about the manna, "the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly." He sent them quail to eat in such abundance as to last "even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you." Then, "while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed . . . the Lord smote the people with a very great plague" (Numbers 11:10,20,33).

God has blessed every Christian with forgiveness of sin and eternal life. He daily fulfills His promise to supply every need (not every desire, however), and we should live a thankful life in return, regardless of our particular lot in this world. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Thessalonians 5:18). "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). "Do all things without murmurings and disputings" (Philippians 2:14). Complaining about what we don't have may well result in God taking away what we do have--and still worse--sending leanness into our souls.

[Soldier4Christ]

The One Real God

"For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens" (Psalm 96:5).

As the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians, "though there be |many| that are called gods, . . . to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him" (I Corinthians 8:5-6).

Every person has his own "god"; even atheists order their lives by some principle of their own choosing which thus becomes in effect their "god"! There are multitudes of others who follow various other gods. For example, the Hindus have almost innumerable gods. Muslims, on the other hand, strongly argue for just one god, whom they call Allah, but it was not Allah who "made the heavens." The truth revealed in the Bible is that it was God's "dear Son" by whom "were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth" (Colossians 1:13,16). Allah denies that he even has a Son, and he calls those who believe otherwise (meaning Christians) infidels. The Koran is alleged to consist of the verbally inspired words of Allah, but it (therefore, Allah) also denies the Trinity as well as the death and resurrection of Christ, and so also denies that the Son of God provides salvation for all who believe on Him. That is more than enough to prove that Allah is not the God of the Bible.

In our text above, the word "idols" simply means "vanities." It is all "in vain" to put one's faith for eternity in a false god. The Lord Jesus alone, having created all things and paid the awful price to redeem all things, alone can truly provide eternal salvation. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). He Himself verified that "I am the way, . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

[Def]

The One Real God

"For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens" (Psalm 96:5).

As the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians, "though there be |many| that are called gods, . . . to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him" (I Corinthians 8:5-6).

Every person has his own "god"; even atheists order their lives by some principle of their own choosing which thus becomes in effect their "god"! There are multitudes of others who follow various other gods. For example, the Hindus have almost innumerable gods. Muslims, on the other hand, strongly argue for just one god, whom they call Allah, but it was not Allah who "made the heavens." The truth revealed in the Bible is that it was God's "dear Son" by whom "were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth" (Colossians 1:13,16). Allah denies that he even has a Son, and he calls those who believe otherwise (meaning Christians) infidels. The Koran is alleged to consist of the verbally inspired words of Allah, but it (therefore, Allah) also denies the Trinity as well as the death and resurrection of Christ, and so also denies that the Son of God provides salvation for all who believe on Him. That is more than enough to prove that Allah is not the God of the Bible.

In our text above, the word "idols" simply means "vanities." It is all "in vain" to put one's faith for eternity in a false god. The Lord Jesus alone, having created all things and paid the awful price to redeem all things, alone can truly provide eternal salvation. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). He Himself verified that "I am the way, . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Pastor Roger,thank you
AMEN  AMEN
 Praise God for His Dear Son  Our Lord Jesus Christ who Died for Us..
GLORY!!!
 the creator of heaven and earth.    and me.
In Jesus Def. (+¸+)

[Soldier4Christ]

Made in Christ

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21).

Many men would boast of being "self-made" men, but no Christian can do this. Everything we are that is truly worthy and eternal was made in us by God through Jesus Christ. Our text is clear on this. We have been made righteous in Christ, but this was only because God made Him to be sin for us.

When He made us righteous in Christ, He also "made us accepted in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). Furthermore, we were "made nigh by the blood of Christ" (2:13). The contexts of these passages make it abundantly clear that our being made righteous, accepted in Christ, and nigh to God, is all of grace; we did nothing to merit such privileges.

This is not all. At the same moment, He also has "made us meet |`fit'| to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12). That we in our poverty should be made joint-heirs with Christ once again is only by His unmerited grace. "Being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7).

In promise now and in full reality later, He has "made us kings and priests unto God and His Father" (Revelation 1:6). Positionally, we even share His throne, for He "hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).

Without Him we are nothing; but in Him we have all things. He is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (I Corinthians 1:30). Truly, in salvation as well as in creation, "it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves" (Psalm 100:3).

[Soldier4Christ]

Living Waters

"A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon" (Song of Solomon 4:15).

There are eight verses in the Bible with the phrase "living water": four in the Old Testament, four in the New. All beautifully describe a spiritual truth under the figure of a flowing stream of refreshing water.

The first of these (in our text above) is a portion of the description of the lovely character of a bride as seen by her coming bridegroom, almost certainly symbolic of the Lord and His people. But then, through the prophet, God laments that "my people . . . have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). "They have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters" (Jeremiah 17:13). One day they shall return, however, and Zechariah prophesies that "living waters shall go out from Jerusalem. . . . And the Lord shall be king over all the earth" (Zechariah 14:8-9).

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus appropriated this metaphor to Himself as He spoke to a woman of Samaria: "If thou knewest the gift of God . . . He would have given thee living water" (John 4:10; see also v.11). "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). Later in Jerusalem He cried out to all, saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said |referring, no doubt, to the above Old Testament passages|, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). Then, in the last book of the Bible is found a special promise for those who die for the Lord's sake. "|He| shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Winds of the World

"The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to His circuits" (Ecclesiastes 1:6).

This is one of the Bible's many scientific insights, written long before such a process was discovered in the modern science of meteorology. The basic circulation of the atmosphere (which generates the winds of the world) is "toward the south" near the ground, which then "turneth about unto the north" aloft. The heated air near the equator expands and rises, then flows north to replace the colder, heavier air which has descended to the ground in the polar regions.

This simple north-south-north cycle is complicated, however, by the earth's rotation. Further complexities are introduced by the different topographical features of the surface (oceans, mountains, etc.), but the end result is a general circulation of the whole atmosphere, which "whirleth about continually, and . . . returneth again according to His circuits."

None of this was understood at all until very modern times, but this ancient verse in Ecclesiastes corresponds beautifully to modern science. In fact, it was not even known until recent times that air had weight, but the patriarch Job had noted about 4000 years ago that "He . . . seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds" (Job 28:24-25), and this fact is essential to the atmospheric circulation.

This is only one of many scientific principles implied in the Bible ages before men discovered them in their scientific research. In contrast, there are no demonstrable scientific errors in the Bible. This is not really surprising, for the same God who wrote the Word made the world! In Jesus Christ "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).

[Def]

The Winds of the World

"The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to His circuits" (Ecclesiastes 1:6).

This is one of the Bible's many scientific insights, written long before such a process was discovered in the modern science of meteorology. The basic circulation of the atmosphere (which generates the winds of the world) is "toward the south" near the ground, which then "turneth about unto the north" aloft. The heated air near the equator expands and rises, then flows north to replace the colder, heavier air which has descended to the ground in the polar regions.

This simple north-south-north cycle is complicated, however, by the earth's rotation. Further complexities are introduced by the different topographical features of the surface (oceans, mountains, etc.), but the end result is a general circulation of the whole atmosphere, which "whirleth about continually, and . . . returneth again according to His circuits."

None of this was understood at all until very modern times, but this ancient verse in Ecclesiastes corresponds beautifully to modern science. In fact, it was not even known until recent times that air had weight, but the patriarch Job had noted about 4000 years ago that "He . . . seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds" (Job 28:24-25), and this fact is essential to the atmospheric circulation.

This is only one of many scientific principles implied in the Bible ages before men discovered them in their scientific research. In contrast, there are no demonstrable scientific errors in the Bible. This is not really surprising, for the same God who wrote the Word made the world! In Jesus Christ "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).

Pastor Roger
I want to have a big belly for the living water and yet be as light as a feather to be blowed  with the Spirit in the four winds so i can see him blow life in the dead bones.

 " Prophesied, unto the wind,
  prophesy son of man, and say to the wind,
  Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds,
  O breath, and breath upon these slain,
  that they may live. (Ezekiel 37:9 KJV)
good night (';')

[Soldier4Christ]

The Quick and the Dead

"And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead" (Acts 10:42).

This is the climax of the first Christian sermon to the Gentiles delivered by Peter in the house of the Roman centurion, Cornelius. Peter emphasized the truth that Jesus was not just the promised Messiah of Israel, but that "He is Lord of all" (Acts 10:36), and that it is He alone who will judge the "quick and dead."

This striking phrase occurs only three times in the Bible, each time denoting that Christ is Judge of all men. Paul wrote to Timothy as follows: "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; Preach the word" (II Timothy 4:1-2). Peter wrote concerning the gross Gentile sins from which his readers had been delivered: "|They| shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead" (I Peter 4:5).

The term "quick" is the same as "living." When Christ returns, "the dead in Christ shall rise first" (I Thessalonians 4:16), and then all believers, including those still alive in the flesh at His coming, "must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (II Corinthians 5:10). This will be the judgment of the "quick." All the saved are alive in Christ at "the resurrection of life."

But He must also judge the dead--that is, those who are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) at "the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29), "For the Father . . . hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5:22). "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God . . . and they were judged every man according to their works. . . . This is the second death" (Revelation 20:12-14).

[Soldier4Christ]

Behold the Lamb

"And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36).

As he spoke to two of his followers, John the Baptist was, in effect, telling them that they should henceforth leave him to follow Jesus. "And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus" (John 1:37). On the previous day, when John had first seen Jesus coming, he had said, apparently to all his disciples, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

This is the first use of the word "lamb" in the New Testament, and it is significant that it refers here to the Lord Jesus as the one great sacrifice for our sins. He is called "the Lamb" 30 more times in the New Testament, the final time no longer viewing Him on the altar but on His eternal throne (Revelation 22:3). Yet, even on His throne as our King, He is still the Lamb, and we can never ever forget that He once died for us that we might live with Him.

Long before this, Isaac once asked his father, "Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God will provide Himself a lamb" (Genesis 22:7-8). God did just that 2000 years later, when Christ, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:, "came into the world to save sinners" (I Timothy 1:15).

Then when God was ready to set His people free in ancient Egypt, He told them to place the shed blood of a spotless lamb on the doorpost of each home and said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). In fulfillment of all these ancient sacrifices and types, the once-for-all Lamb of God came, and "Christ our passover is sacrificed |even| for us" (I Corinthians 5:7).

Now, like John's disciples, it surely compels us, in the very depths of our souls, to "behold the Lamb of God," and follow Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Divine Power--Divine Nature

"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (II Peter 1:3-4).

Certain passages of Scripture simply take one's breath away. Our text for today is just such a passage.

To those He has called, God has promised "all things that pertain unto life and godliness." He has provided all that we need to live godly and productive lives. It is "His divine power" (emphatic in the Greek text), imparted to us in the person of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which makes this possible.

In order to properly utilize our resources, we must continue to grow in "the |full| knowledge of Him." Only then can we attain any measure of His "glory and virtue." He has empowered us to reflect His glorious character and virtuous acts as we know who He is and what He has done. In so doing, we are "partakers of the divine nature" (also emphatic in the Greek).

Initially, of course, at the point of salvation we are given the Holy Spirit, always present in the life of a believer. As we increase in the knowledge of Him and yield to the work of the Spirit, our nature is ever more conformed to the divine nature of Jesus Christ.

This appropriation of divine power to sample the divine nature comes to us through "exceeding great and precious promises" bestowed by His glory and virtue. Since God has promised, these promises are sure, and through them we have "escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

[Soldier4Christ]

The Obedience of Christ

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30).

Christ is our great example in all things--even in that of obedience to the Father and His will. As the perfect Son, He obeyed His Father in all things. "I do nothing of myself," He said, "but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:28-29).

There are three specific references in the epistles to the obedience of Christ. One of the most profound passages in the Bible is Hebrews 5:8: "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered." How could the omniscient Son of God have to learn anything? There are some things that cannot be learned in books but only by experience, and obedience in hard circumstances is surely one of these. Jesus learned obedience by actual experience.

Christ obeyed His Father, even after praying that the bitter cup might be taken away. "Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:.

Had He been disobedient, as was Adam, we could never have known salvation. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). Jesus was, indeed, always perfectly obedient to His Father's word, "leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps"(I Peter 2:21).

As our text emphasizes, His obedience consisted simply of seeking and following the will of His Father in all things. "Not my will, but thine" (Luke 22:42).

[Soldier4Christ]

King of Kings and Lord of Lords

"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Revelation 17:14).

There is coming a time--perhaps not too far in the future--when all the kings and other rulers of the world will "have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast" (v.13), the great humanistic world system of the last days, whose Satan-possessed leader will then have power "given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" (13:7).

Only one opponent will remain, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, against whom "The kings of the earth . . . take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us" (Psalm 2:2-3).

So they will proceed to "make war with the Lamb," but they will lose! At the final "appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . He shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (I Timothy 6:14-15). He, who as God's sacrificial Lamb, has taken "away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), is greater than all kings and rulers.

No longer as the submissive Lamb before His shearers (Isaiah 53:7), but as the "Word of God," out of whose once-silent mouth now "goeth a sharp sword" with which He shall "smite the nations." He will have "on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:13,15,16).

Indeed, the kings and leaders of the whole world will think they can successfully "make war with the Lamb," but He "shall overcome them." In that great day that is coming, it will be far better to be with Him, than with them!

[Soldier4Christ]

Giving Thanks for Christian Friends

"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers" (I Thessalonians 1:2).

We all have much to be thankful for. It is certainly appropriate to give audible thanks for our daily bread, whether in private, at a family meal, or in public at a fine restaurant. In fact, Jesus set the example. When He miraculously fed the multitude beside the Sea of Galilee, He began with a prayer of thanksgiving: "He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them. . . . And they did all eat, and were filled" (Matthew 15:36-37).

It is good to give thanks for our food and shelter and clothing, but the blessing of having Christian friends is even more thankworthy. The first letter to the Thessalonians was possibly Paul's first Spirit-inspired letter to Christian friends, and Paul began with a testimony of thankfulness to God for them (see text above).

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he began similarly: "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" (Philippians 1:3), and to the Colossians, he started the same way: "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you" (Colossians 1:3). The same when he wrote his epistle to the church at Corinth: "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 1:4).

Even when writing to the Christians at Rome, whom he had not yet met personally, he wrote: "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all" (Romans 1:. He also thanked God for his personal friends Timothy (II Timothy 1:3) and Philemon (v.4).

Throughout our Christian life journey we develop lasting Christian friends, and can thank God for all of them. What a blessing to have such friends, and how fitting it is to give God special thanks for them at this time.

[Soldier4Christ]

He Is the Owner

"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But if a man be just . . . he shall surely live, saith the Lord God" (Ezekiel 18:4,5,9).

What an awesome statement! The eternal Creator of all mankind asserting His ownership over each man's soul to do with it what He deems proper.

What is the worth of one eternal soul created in the image of God? The Creator is the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills. Indeed, the earth and all the galaxies are His, but there is something about a soul that is of far greater worth. A soul can choose, can worship its Maker, and can reflect the very nature of God. Nothing else in all creation has these powers. Yet He owns all souls. He has an unquestionable right to them, and they will never be taken away, for He has created them. Furthermore, their numbers are growing for He has given His subjects the command and power to reproduce. At each conception He supplies a newly created, eternal soul. Truly, His wealth is great!

How should we respond to His ownership? By obedience! By choosing to act according to His will as revealed in reason, our conscience, and above all, in His written Word, we ascribe to Him the glory due Him. We must jealously guard our affections, reserving the adulation which He deserves for Him alone. We must lovingly care for His creation, including the many fellow souls whom He brings across our paths.

Above all, we must avail ourselves of His gracious provision of mercy and forgiveness through the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus Christ. At that point, He performs another creative act, for "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature |or creation|: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17).