A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

What To Put On

"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).

People give much attention to what material clothes they should put on, but the New Testament tells us what spiritual clothes to put on. First we are to be "endued with" power from on high. This Greek word (enduo) is normally rendered "put on." That is, we are to put on power, and this is imparted only by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:, according to Christ's departing promise.

"Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. . . . put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof" (Romans 13:12,14). "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

Along with this, we are to "put off concerning the former conversation the old man," and then to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:22,24). Then we must "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).

These items of spiritual clothing--the power of the Holy Spirit, the light of God's presence, the new man in Christ, the resurrection life of the indwelling Christ, His imputed righteousness and holiness and all our spiritual armor--provide the foundation clothing for beautiful spiritual jewels and accessories. "Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: . . . Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; . . . And above all these things put on charity |love|" (Colossians 3:9,10,12,14).

[Soldier4Christ]

Things We Ought To Do

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matthew 23:23).

This sharp rebuke by Jesus to the legalists of His day should also be taken seriously by us today. Although we are saved by grace alone, there are many things we ought to do, not as a matter of credit toward salvation, but as gratitude for our salvation. Surely judgment, mercy, and faithfulness are high on such a list.

Other "oughts" of the born-again Christian life would include the following incomplete listing:

   1. Prayer: "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).
   2. Obedience to God as Priority: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
   3. Working and Sharing: "So laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
   4. Gracious in Speech: "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Colossians 4:6).
   5. Walking with God: "As ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more" (I Thessalonians 4:1).
   6. Heeding God's Word: "We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (Hebrews 2:1).
   7. Sanctified Behavior: "What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness" (II Peter 3:11).

[Soldier4Christ]

He That Is Spiritual

"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man" (I Corinthians 2:15).

The word rendered "spiritual" is the Greek word pneumatikos, from which theologians have coined the term "pneumatology," the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Thus a "spiritual" person is one who is not only born again spiritually through faith in Christ and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, but also tries diligently to follow the leading of the indwelling Spirit and to understand and obey the precepts of the Bible inspired by Him.

A spiritual person will have "the mind of Christ" (I Corinthians 2:16), able to judge all things by spiritual standards and Biblical revelation. He or she will "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit," knowing that "to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:4,6). As such, spiritual believers prayerfully make decisions seeking God’s will, they are "led by the Spirit of God" (Romans 8:14). And since they "walk in the Spirit," they "shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

They will often and repeatedly be "filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) for Christian service. Furthermore, they will manifest "the fruit of the Spirit" in their lives and personalities--that is, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22,23).

Yet while "he that is spiritual" is thereby able to discern and evaluate all things by such divine standards, he will find himself often misunderstood by unsaved relatives and acquaintances, for "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: . . . because they are spiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:14).

Nevertheless, "he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Galatians 6:.

[Soldier4Christ]

In A Moment

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51,52).

This is one of the greatest promises in the Bible, assuring us that "we" (i.e., all believers, whether dead or living when Christ returns) shall suddenly be changed, with our dead or dying bodies instantly transformed into incorruptible, immortal bodies, which can never die again.

This great change, when it finally occurs, will take place "in a moment." The Greek here is en atomo, "in an atom of time." This word, implying the smallest entity conceivable by the Greeks, is used only this one time in the New Testament. It is further described by "the twinkling of an eye," where "twinkling" is the Greek rhipe, also used only this once. Evidently there is nothing else in this present world comparable in rapidity to this miraculous change which will be called forth when "the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God" (I Thessalonians 4:16).

The great shout (probably uttered by Christ Himself as at the tomb of Lazarus) will instantly create new bodies for both dead and living believers. "The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive" (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).

Our new bodies will be like Christ's resurrection body. He "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Philippians 3:21).

Christ is able thus to create new bodies for us in a moment, just as when He created all things in the beginning: "He spake, and it was done" (Psalm 33:9).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Meaning of "Day"

"And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:5).

Many people today, professing to believe the Bible, have compromised with the evolutionary philosophy which dominates our society by accepting its framework of geological ages. This system interprets the rocks and fossils in terms of a supposed 4.6-billion-year history of the earth and life culminating in the evolution of early humans perhaps a million years ago. In order to justify this compromise, they usually say that the "days" of creation really correspond to the geological ages, arguing that the Hebrew word for "day" (yom) does not have to mean a literal solar day.

Oh, yes, it does--at least in Genesis chapter one! God, knowing that the pagan philosophers of antiquity would soon try to distort His record of creation into long ages of pantheistic evolution (as in the Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and other such ancient cosmogonies), was careful to define His terms! "God called the light Day," and that was the first day with its evening and morning. All subsequent days have followed the same pattern--a period of darkness (night), then a period of light (day).

One may quibble about the exact length of the day if he insists (e.g., equatorial days versus polar days), but there is no way this definition can accommodate a geological age. This is the very first reference to "day" (or yom) in the Bible, and this is given as an actual statement of the meaning of the word.

This ought to settle the question for anyone who really believes the Bible. One may decide to believe the evolutionary geologists if he wishes, instead of God, but he should at least let God speak for Himself. God says the days of creation were literal days, not ages. "In six days the LORD made heaven and earth" (Exodus 31:17).

[Soldier4Christ]

Prepared Hearts

"For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments" (Ezra 7:10).

It does not come naturally into our hearts to seek, obey, and then teach others the words of God as found in the Scriptures. Therefore, like Ezra, we must prepare our hearts.

The Hebrew word for "prepare" means to "stand erect," and thus takes special effort. One's natural "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9) not at all inclined to "stand up" for the word of God.

But Ezra did, even in the court of a pagan king and in the midst of the enemies of God's people in a far country, and even among the backslidden people of his own nation. He prepared his heart, fixing it in firm faith on the laws and promises of God. And, because he did, he could testify: "I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me" (Ezra 7:28).

On the other hand we read, for example, of King Rehoboam whose rebellion and sin led to the dividing of Israel into two kingdoms and eventually into the captivity. These judgments came because, unlike Ezra, Rehoboam "did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD" (II Chronicles 12:14).

Thus, our hearts need to be prepared to seek God and His word, but how do we get them prepared? First, we must come to Him in true humility. "LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear" (Psalm 10:17).

God is then the One who actually prepares our hearts! "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD" (Proverbs 16:1). We can only prepare our hearts to seek and serve God if we humbly call on Him to do the preparing.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Peacemaker

"And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20).

People often say that they hope some day to "make their peace with God," not realizing that this is absolutely impossible. Men and women are completely lost, dead in trespasses and sins, utterly unable to save themselves. A peace treaty involves negotiations over the terms of peace, but one who is dead cannot negotiate anything. The only one who can make peace between spiritually dead sinners and God is God Himself, for only the living God can bring life out of death.

As our text indicates, Jesus Christ is the only true Peacemaker, for He "made peace" between sinful, spiritually dead men and women and the living, all-Holy God, and He could only do it through "the blood of His cross." He had to die for our sins before we could ever be reconciled to God.

Thus, " He is our peace"--and only He (Ephesians 2:14). The peace we obtain when we "get right with God," as they say, is not of our doing at all. The only way we can be true "peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9) is to lead people to Christ.

The Lord Jesus Himself has made this crystal clear. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. . . . These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 14:27; 16:33). Peace, in fact, is one component of "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22), not the fruits we produce with our own efforts. He is our great Peacemaker, and we receive that peace when we receive Him. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

[Soldier4Christ]

Made In Christ

"But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (I Corinthians 1:30).

The Greek word ginomai, translated "is made" in this verse, is most fascinating. It is rendered many different ways--"become," etc., as well as "be made." Most often it is simply translated "be." It basically means "begin to be," or "be caused to be." It is even applied to the work of Christ in calling the universe into being. "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3). "Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:3).

It is frequently used also to denote the marvelous work of Christ in and on the believing Christian. As our text says, He becomes wisdom to us who lack wisdom; He is made our righteousness, although we were sinners; we who are unholy receive our sanctification in Him; and when we were lost, He became our redemption. "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become |same word, ginomai| the sons of God" (John 1:12). All that Christ is, we are made through His great sacrifice for us.

Note some of the other things we are made in Christ, by His grace. We are "made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). We are "made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7). "We are made partakers of Christ" and also "made partakers of the Holy Ghost" (Hebrews 3:14; 6:4).

In fact, when we receive Christ, old things pass away and "all things are become |same word| new" (II Corinthians 5:17). These wonderful attributes are given to us and appropriated right now by faith and will be accomplished in full perfection when Christ returns and "we shall see Him as He is" (I John 3:2).

[Soldier4Christ]

Thou Shalt Not

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" (Exodus 20:4).

Many secularists criticize Christianity as being a religion of negativism filled with prohibitions. In response, Christians often try to blunt this criticism by stressing Christian love and freedom from the law.

The fact is, however, that the New Testament also contains many prohibitions, including a restatement of all those in God's laws as expressed in the Ten Commandments. The first of these in our text prohibits idolatry. Six others also begin with "thou shalt not." "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain"; "Thou shalt not kill"; "Thou shalt not commit adultery"; "Thou shalt not steal"; "Thou shalt not bear false witness"; "Thou shalt not covet" (Exodus 20:7,13-17).

It is inappropriate for any Christian to ignore these commandments. Godly behavior is more important now than ever before. Not only are these prohibitions all repeated in the New Testament, but there are numerous other "shalt nots" as well, all directed to Christians saved by grace, apart from the works of the law.

For example: "Be not drunk with wine" (Ephesians 5:18); "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26); "Mind not high things . . . Be not wise in your own conceits" (Romans 12:16); "avenge not yourselves" (Romans 12:19); and many, many others.

There are numerous positive aspects to the Christian life, of course, but there are also things a Christian should not do. We do not work for our salvation, but we must work out our salvation, putting off the works of the flesh and putting on the works of a regenerate life.

[Soldier4Christ]

To the Fourth Generation

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me" (Deuteronomy 5:9).

This seemingly unwarranted penalty imposed on the innocent grandchildren of the idolater cannot possibly negate the later promise of God through the prophet Ezekiel: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteous of the righteousness shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (Ezekiel 18:20).

And certainly it cannot obviate the clear promise of Christ Himself in the last chapter of the Bible: "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). Anyone who desires to do so may accept the Lord's gracious offer of salvation, regardless of the possible wickedness or anti-Christian religion of any of his ancestors.

At the same time, a man should realize that his decision to follow a false religion and then bring up his children in that false religion will almost certainly affect his grandchildren and great grandchildren as well. Many of the latter will actually be children while their great grandfather is still alive. It is a simple fact that most children (though not all) will continue in their parents "religion." They can, if they wish, choose to leave their parents' religion and become Christians, but most will not.

What a great responsibility, therefore, each father has! He should quickly accept Christ (whose credentials as our Creator and Redeemer are impeccable!) as his Savior and Lord, and then diligently train his own children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

[Soldier4Christ]

If I Perish

"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16).

This is the courageous testimony of Queen Esther as she prepared to risk her own life in order to save the lives of her people. It was a capital crime for anyone to intrude into the king's throne room unbidden, but she was willing to do so in order to do the will of God, knowing that "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

In the same spirit, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to enter the fiery furnace rather than to worship the humanistic gods of Babylon, testifying to Nebuchadnezzar that "our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king. . . . that we will not serve thy gods" (Daniel 3:17,18).

God did deliver Esther and the three Jewish youths, but there have been many through the ages who have died for their faith rather than deny their faith. All the apostles (save John) died as martyrs, for example, and so have countless others throughout the centuries. "They loved not their lives unto the death" (Revelation 12:11), if it meant denying their Savior.

Believers in many nations are suffering such persecutions even today, and the time is coming when the last great God-rejecting king of the earth (called the "beast" in Scripture) will "cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Revelation 13:15). If a similar choice should ever confront us, may God give us the grace to say with Paul that "Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death" (Philippians 1:20), and with Esther: "If I perish, I perish."

[Soldier4Christ]

Violence in the Kingdom

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12)

When John the Baptist first began to preach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matthew 3:1), he issued a strong call for repentance and then immediately encountered resistance from the nation's religious leaders, whom he called a "generation of vipers." Jesus came soon afterward, preaching the same message (Matthew 4:17), and although many followed Him, He also quickly encountered opposition.

In fact, it wasn't long before John was beheaded and Christ was crucified. The kingdom of heaven in its early development indeed was suffering violence. And it has continued thus ever since. Most of the apostles suffered martyrdom and untold millions of true followers of Christ have met with similar opposition and persecution right up to this present time, all over the world--sometimes by pagans (imperial Rome), later by the Moslem hordes, by atheists (Communism), and all too often even by institutionalized nominal Christianity.

Yet, in spite of all the powerful forces that Satan has been able to raise against the Lord Jesus and His true church of blood-redeemed sinners, Satan has not prevailed. The real kingdom of heaven (now in the spiritual realm, but destined to cover the earth as well when Christ returns) continues to grow. "Since |John's| time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it" (Luke 16:16). Here the word "presseth" is the same Greek word translated "violence" and "violent" in our text.

That is (amazing as it seems), throughout the ages the more violent the opposition to God's true kingdom has become,the more invincible has been its growth. It does not win "by force," however, but by truth and love.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Moments of God

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer." (Isaiah 54:7,

This gracious promise to Israel gives a beautiful insight into both God's character and the relation of time to eternity. God can be a God of wrath, for He must punish unforsaken sin in His people, but He is much more the God of mercy. His prolonged judgment on His chosen people of Israel is only "for a small moment" compared to His "everlasting kindness" towards redeemed Israel in the ages to come.

This theme occurs a number of times in Scripture. "For his anger endureth but a moment;" said David, "in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). To the people faithful to God during a time of judgment against their nation or against the world, God says: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers . . . hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast" (Isaiah 26:20).

Thus, a time of testing or judgment may extend over many days, or years, or even centuries, but this is only a moment in relation to the endless ages of blessing yet to come.

As applied to Christians, this concept is stated explicitly in the only occurrence of the Greek parakutika ("moment") in the New Testament. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17). "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. . . . They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 65:17, 25). May God give us eyes of faith to see these "moments" of God in their eternal setting.

[Soldier4Christ]

Look Back

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." (Isaiah 51:1)

While it is not good to dwell too much on the past--whether in pride of past accomplishments or despondency over past failures or grieving over past losses--it is well never to forget what God has done for us. In this passage, Israel is reminded of Abraham and Sarah who had been lifted out of the pit of paganism, and cut out of the rock of idolatry, and whom God had greatly blessed.

David, looking back, had written that God "brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay" (Psalm 40:2). Paul looked back and said: "In time past . . . beyond measure I persecuted the church of God. . . . But when it pleased God, who . . . called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me . . . they glorified God in me" (Galatians 1:13, 15, 16, 24).

Whatever our own background may be--bigoted skeptics, or flagrant sinners, or self-righteous hypocrites--God has indeed, if we are now saved by His grace, lifted us out of a pit and set us on a solid rock. We were "strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). But God "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13).

"Such were some of you," wrote Paul of such gross sins as fornication, idolatry, homosexuality, adultery, and thievery, as well as covetousness and drunkenness. "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 6:11). An occasional look back will help us to remember more often to look up in humble thankfulness for the grace of God.

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What We Have Now in Christ

"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:15)

The one who is trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord has many wonderful possessions which cannot be seen with our physical eyes, but which are as real and permanent as if we were already in heaven. Many of these (only a few of which can be listed here) are noted by the present tense of the verb "have" (Greek, echo).

First of all, as our text indicates (and these are the words of Christ!), we who believe in Him have--right now--eternal life. Our sins have been taken care of by the sacrificial death of Christ, "in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7; see also Colossians 1:14). Our sins will be remembered against us no more, because we have already been eternally redeemed. Then, also, in spite of all our sins and failures, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

One of the great resources we now have, but use so seldom, is the capacity to "think God's thoughts after Him." "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Having the mind of Christ should keep us from sin. Nevertheless, "if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1). Not only do we have an advocate defending us, but we have a priest as our mediator. "We have a great high priest, . . . Jesus the Son of God" (Hebrews 4:14).

Finally, we already "have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Corinthians 5:1). And all this is only the beginning! "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard . . . the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).