A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus, The Man Of Letters



“And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (John 7:15).

At the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus went up to the temple and taught. The Scriptures do not describe the teachings that so amazed the Jews, but Jesus gave the Father the credit for its content: “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me” (v.16). Further, He stated that anyone whose will is in accord with that of the Father would be able to discern the truth of His (Jesus’) message.

Not only that, He said, but if someone speaks authoritatively from knowledge within himself, he is simply seeking to bring recognition to himself. On the other hand, anyone who sincerely seeks to represent the Father and what He has said—one who desires to bring glory to Him, as Jesus did, would certainly tell the truth (vs.17,18).

Possibly the issue, at the time, was over whether it was right to do good on the Sabbath. He rebuked His listeners because they were not really following the law of Moses, as they professed. They did not hesitate to perform the good work of circumcision on the Sabbath (v.22), so what was unlawful about making a person whole on the Sabbath? (v.23). Jesus then summed up the basis for His claim that what He was doing was right. “Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but He that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know Him: for I am from Him, and He hath sent me” (vs.28,29).

Did Jesus have to learn any truth, or did He only have to reflect the message of His Father? Man’s learning is only valid as it approaches the absolute knowledge and truth of God, in whom there is no error. It is clear that Jesus already knew the truth, because it was given to Him by the Father. He didn’t have to learn it from man, or from His own experience, but from the Father, the source of all wisdom.

[Soldier4Christ]

This Is The Day



“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

This familiar verse is often quoted, or sung, on the Lord’s Day, or perhaps some other special day. In context, however, it refers to the day on which the Lord’s people would see Him and cry out in joy: “Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the L SIZE="-1">ORD” (Psalm 118:26).

And this is exactly what happened on that first “Palm Sunday,” when Jesus rode on the colt into Jerusalem, and the multitude began to praise God, saying, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38).

The Jewish leaders, however, and the city as a whole repudiated this response, and it soon became evident that they would seek to destroy Him. He wept over the city, “saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. . . . Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:42,44).

“At least in this thy day. . . . The time of thy visitation.” This was the day the Lord had made—the day prophesied for centuries—the day when Messiah would enter the Holy City as its King. But they would not have Him, and the Lord Jesus sadly had to pronounce coming judgment on them. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together, . . . and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. . . . Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37-39).

This will happen when Christ returns. In the meantime, this can be a wonderful experience for each individual who will say from his heart: “Blessed is He who comes to me in the name of the Lord,” receiving Him by faith. That day, for him, indeed will be “the day that the LORD hath made.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Preciousness



“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).

The verses leading up to our text explain why we are so special in God’s eyes. We find the key in verse 7, which, literally reads, “For you, therefore that believe is the preciousness, since the Greek word is a noun, and not an adjective. But what is this preciousness? The word literally means honor or honorableness, and in slightly different forms, is so translated in I Peter 1:7 and 3:7. But whose honor or worthiness is being discussed in this passage?

Peter answers both of these questions in the immediate context. Speaking of the Lord, he calls Him “precious . . . a chief corner stone, elect, precious” (I Peter 2:4,6). Christ, in God’s eyes, is precious. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Why is He precious? For His purity, love, desire for God’s will, etc.—all the ways (and more) in which we are not precious.

If we choose to remain in disobedient unbelief (v.7), the stone is made “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word” (v.. Christ, God’s beloved Son, and His atoning blood are so precious to God that there is a limit to His patience toward those who reject. God will not allow His Son to be “disallowed” or disobeyed without penalty. Worthlessness is the state of those who reject, and judgment awaits them.

If we disbelieve, we have no hope, but “he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded (literally, ‘shall positively not be disappointed’)” (v.6). Our faith is well-founded. If we place our trust in Him, His preciousness is transferred to us. When God the Father looks at one who truly believes, He sees not only Christ’s sinlessness, He sees His preciousness.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Circle Of The Earth


“It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22).

The discovery that the world is round is considered one of man’s greatest scientific achievements, often wrongly attributed to Christopher Columbus. Columbus was, indeed, a great and courageous thinker and explorer, as well as a Bible-believing Christian, but many scholars had long before so concluded, and many people had already migrated to the New World.

As far as the sphericity of the earth is concerned, the “flat-earth” myth of the Middle Ages was not the belief of many scholars of antiquity. The Bible, in particular, never hints of a drop-off point at the earth’s edge, or any such notion as that. Its few references to “the four corners” of the earth (e.g., Isaiah 11:12) literally mean “the four quarters of the earth”-that is, the four quadrants of the compass.

In our text for the day, the word for “circle” is translated “compass” in Proverbs 8:27: “(God) set a compass upon the face of the depth” (same as ‘deep,’ referring to the ocean). Other occurrences are in Job 26:10: “He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end,” and Job 22:14: “(God) walketh in the circuit of heaven.” All of these passages are best understood in terms of a spherical earth, with its basic shape at sea level determined by its ocean surface as controlled by gravity. The Hebrew word itself (khug) basically means a circle. Any vertical cross section through the earth’s center is a “great circle,” of course, with any “straight” line on the ocean surface actually representing an arc of such a circle.

This is only one of many “pre-scientific” insights of the Bible written by divine inspiration long before the rise of modern science.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Christians Calling


“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1).

The Christian’s calling in Christ is a high calling. Since we are encouraged to walk in a manner worthy of this calling, it behooves us to make careful study of it, lest our life-style bring reproach to the One who has called us. Consider the following sampling of the uses of this important word:

First, the calling is “of God” and irrevocable (Romans 11:29). We are called “by His grace” (Galatians 1:15) and “into the grace of Christ” (Galatians 1:6). We are called “out of darkness” and “into His marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). Furthermore, we are “called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). He has “called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace” (II Timothy 1:9). We are “partakers of the heavenly calling” (Hebrews 3:1), and in response, we should “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

The New Testament writers, as well, mention many things “to” which we are called. We are “called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Corinthians 1:9). We are “called unto liberty” (Galatians 5:13) and are now free to “serve one another” even though it means accepting the call to suffering. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps” (I Peter 2:21). The “eternal life, whereunto thou art also called” may not come easily, for it involves the “good fight of faith” (I Timothy 6:12). We are called “to glory and virtue” (II Peter 1:3), even “His eternal glory by Christ Jesus” (I Peter 5:10), for we are “called the Sons of God” (I John 3:1). “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (II Peter 1:10).

[Soldier4Christ]

Wondrous Things In The Word


“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalm 119:18).

The word “law” (Hebrew torah), as used in the psalms, actually refers to all the revealed Scriptures. We may well understand it today to mean the entire Bible. And we can, indeed, behold wondrous things in the Word, if we have eyes to see and hearts to believe, by the grace of God.

The adjective “wondrous” is often used to describe God’s mighty miracles in Egypt, and elsewhere (e.g., Psalm 106:22-“wondrous works in the land of Ham”). This would indicate that there are many evidences of divine origin that can be gleaned from the Scriptures, if our spiritual eyes are open to discern them as we search the Scriptures.

This 119th Psalm itself illustrates this truth. It has 22 stanzas (keyed to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each with eight verses (the number eight representing new life, since eight suggests a new beginning after the “completeness” represented by the number seven). In each stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter-aleph in the first stanza, beth in the second stanza, etc.-and the 176 verses (i.e., 8 times 22) of the psalm (the longest chapter in the Bible) have 176 references to the Holy Scriptures.

The great theme of the psalm is, therefore, the wonder and power of the life-giving, written Word of God. As the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead on the "eighth day," and as there are eight other instances of the dead being restored to life in the Bible, there are eight different Hebrew words used for the Scriptures in the psalm.

Life through the Word! This is also the testimony of the Gospel of Christ, revealed in "the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 3:15).

[Soldier4Christ]

Undeserved Suffering


“Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1).

This cry of the psalmist has been echoed times without number, by those persecuted for their faith. “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O LORD? arise, cast us not off for ever. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?” (Psalm 44:22–24). Consequently, one of the great mysteries of life is the suffering of the righteous. How can a God of love and power allow such undeserved suffering in His creation?

The fact is, however, that there is no such thing as undeserved suffering, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The reason there is suffering in the world is that there is sin in the world. Even though one’s particular experience of suffering may or may not be directly related to his particular sin, all of us are sinners before God, and therefore deserving of nothing but suffering and judgment in the sight of a holy God.

It is not suffering which is undeserved, but God’s grace and mercy! “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). There has only been one person in all history whose suffering was undeserved, and He suffered for us, “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Peter 3:18).

Our sufferings are not undeserved, but neither are they uncontrolled, for God “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). There are many good reasons why God permits a faithful Christian to suffer, but even if one cannot discern the particular reason at the time, he can at least “rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (I Peter 4:13).

[Soldier4Christ]

God and the Government



“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1).

Many difficult questions arise regarding a Christian and his government, but certain principles are very clear. First of all, government is a gift of God, and any form of government is better than anarchism, where "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). As Paul was writing the words of our text, the monstrous Emperor Nero, who would eventually have Paul executed, was at the height of his power, yet Paul said that whosoever "resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God" (Romans 13:2).

With this in mind, there are two clear Christian duties: Peter, who later was also executed by Nero wrote, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: . . . that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (I Peter 2:13-15). Again from Paul: "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (I Timothy 2:1,2).

A Christian can accomplish far more to influence his government and fellow citizens for good by prayer and law-abiding behavior than by complaining, criticizing, and covert disobedience. On the other hand, he is also subject to God's higher law, and he must always remember that "our conversation (or "citizenship") is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20), and "we ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29) whenever there is a conflict between the ordinances of men and the laws of God. To understand and apply these principles in particular situations may be difficult, and may require much further study and prayer, but these are always the basic premises from which to begin.

[Soldier4Christ]

Afraid To Understand



“For He taught His disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask Him” (Mark 9:31,32).

When the Lord Jesus told His disciples about His coming death and resurrection, He could hardly have spoken more plainly, yet they "understood not." Not willing to believe that He meant what He said (with all its uncomfortable implications for their own futures), they were "afraid to ask Him" what He meant, lest He confirm that His words should be taken literally.

This was not the only time. Again and again, He told them that He would be crucified and then rise again, but they could not (or would not) understand. On one such occasion, Peter even rebuked Him, and said: “Lord: this shall not be unto thee,” but the Lord answered, “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:22,23). A refusal to take God’s Word literally, at least in this case, was said by Christ to be inspired by Satan!

Modern evangelical Christians no longer doubt the reality of His sacrificial death and bodily resurrection, for the evidence has become overwhelming, and these truths have become the glory and power of the Gospel. Nevertheless, fearful reluctance to take God's Word literally is still a great problem among some "Bible-believers." Whenever such a stand might become costly, many Christians eagerly accept non-literal ways of "interpreting" Scripture to fit their own preferences. This approach, of course, is especially widespread in modern accommodations of the creation/ Flood record of Genesis to the philosophies of modern evolutionary humanism. We should remember always that, just as in Christ's predictions of His death and resurrection, God always means exactly what He says in His Word.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Pillar And Ground Of The Truth



"These things write I unto thee, hoping to come into thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (I Timothy 3:14,15).

The church has been ordained by God to be the primary instrument through which His work on earth is to be accomplished. Here Paul uses three phrases to describe three aspects of the church:

   1. The house of God: The Christian family, with husband, wife, and children performing their God-given roles, provides a beautiful picture of the relationship of the church (the “bride” of Christ) to the Lord. The household of God consist of a family of believers where love controls and where He is honored. “Ye also, as lively stones, built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (I Peter 2:5).
   2. The church of the Living God: The ekklesia, or “called-out ones,” serve the living God. “The blood of Christ (shall) . . . purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).
   3. The pillar and ground of the truth: A pillar of a building is not used for support, but rather for display, by elevating or calling attention to something else. The ground provides the support. The church should function to support and display the whole truth in such a way that all men can see and believe it.

It should be a family of believers exhibiting brotherly love, individually and corporately serving the living God out of a pure conscience, defending the truth, and displaying it to the lost. May each of us as church members enjoy and support such a church.

[Soldier4Christ]

Heart-Felt Prayer

“Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens” (Lamentations 3:41).

It is so easy to let our prayers become routine and repetitious, and we need to remember that God listens more closely to our hearts than the phrases from our lips. The Lord Jesus cautioned us about this: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him” (Matthew 6:7,8).

Many people will lift their hands to pray or prostrate themselves on the ground. Some will stand; some will kneel. Some shout, some pray silently, some even leap and dance. Some will write out their prayers and then read them to an audience; others will pray eloquently and at great length. But the thing that counts far more than posture or eloquence is our attitude of heart. We must lift up our hearts to the Lord, not just our hands or our voices. Then He will hear in heaven!

We need to feel as the psalmist felt: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1). Our hearts need first to be right, of course-pure and true in His sight. “Call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22). “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22).

Our prayers must also come from a believing heart. “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” Otherwise, “let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” (James 1:6,7). With these conditions met, the Christian is ready to pray, but then he must pray from deep within his pure, true, believing heart, and God will answer. “The effectual fervent (one word in the Greek, energeo) prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

[Soldier4Christ]

Ascending Vapors



“He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries” (Psalm 135:7).

This striking verse is practically identical with Jeremiah 10:13 and Jeremiah 51:16, suggesting the possibility that the prophet Jeremiah may have written the otherwise-anonymous Psalm 135. The two Jeremiah passages do preface this statement with the note that there is “a multitude of waters in the heavens” in connection with the processes described in the verse.

In any case, this thrice-mentioned mechanism beautifully summarized what we now call the hydrologic cycle, and it did so over 2,000 years before the cycle began to be understood by modern scientists. In order to provide rain to water the earth, there must be vapors ascending all over the earth (that is, evaporation from the world’s great oceans), winds then blowing from God’s unseen treasury (actually the global atmospheric circulation), and, finally, lightnings for (or “with”) the rain (electrical discharges associated with the condensation and coalescence of the particles of water vapor in the atmosphere). All of this repeatedly transports purified waters from the ocean back over the lands to fall as rain and snow, there finally to run off back to the oceans after performing their life-sustaining ministries on the lands. “Unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again” (Ecclesiastes 1:7).

Not only does this hydrologic cycle sustain physical life on Earth, but it also is a type of the spreading of God’s Word, giving spiritual life. “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, . . . So shall my Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please” (Isaiah 55:10,11).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Tongue Of The Learned



“The LORD God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4).

The prophetic words of our text were spoken by the Lord Jesus in the context of His suffering: “I gave my back to the smiters . . . I hid not my face from shame and spitting” (v.6)-and His attentiveness to the will of His Father despite the suffering-“The LORD God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back” (v.5). The amazing love of Christ is seen in the fact that, in the midst of His intense personal pain, He could still continue, even on the cross, “to speak a word in season to him that is weary,” as He comforted His mother, spoke salvation to the dying thief, and even sought forgiveness for His executioners.

In all this, He was “leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (I Peter 2:21). How easy and natural it is to complain and rebel when we are suffering. We seek comfort and counsel from others, when we (like our Exemplar) should be comforting others with “the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (II Corinthians 1:4).

Though we cannot comprehend it fully, we must simply believe the mystery of the incarnation. God became man, in Jesus Christ, and the omnipotent one “learned . . . obedience” (Hebrews 5:. He was omniscient, yet somehow, He “increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52), as well as stature, and as He studied God’s Word, wakening “morning by morning,” He learned (!) to hear the voice of the Father, thus receiving “the tongue of the learned,” that “gracious words” might proceed out of His mouth (Luke 4:22).

May the Lord grant each of His younger sons and daughters this gracious “tongue of the learned,” as we, like His Firstborn, awaken each morning to hear His voice.

[Soldier4Christ]

For Or Against



“And Joshua went unto Him, and said unto Him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my LORD unto his servant?” (Joshua 5:13,14).

The Israelites had come to a place of testing. Behind them the Jordan was at flood stage, preventing any retreat. In front of them was the walled city of Jericho with its imposing defensive systems which prevented any advance. Joshua’s task was to get the nation of Israel ready, and to wait. They were delayed in order to be obedient to the commands which had been forgotten during the forty years in the wilderness (vs.5–12). God will not fight His battles with unclean vessels. God prepares His soldiers not only outwardly and physically, but also inwardly and spiritually (Colossians 2:11,12). Paul tells us that we must be circumcised in the heart, not by hands, but by the Spirit (Romans 2:28,29). Obedience is one’s preparation for any service to God.

After their preparation, Joshua, the commander-in-chief, saw a man dressed for battle. He saw only two possibilities, and confronted the man with a question: “Whose side are you on, ours or theirs?” Notice the answer: “Neither; I am here to take over.” The warrior, as we see in Joshua 6:2, is the Lord Himself. He essentially says to Joshua, “I am not on your side; I am here to take you on my side.” In response, Joshua surrendered his position of authority. “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship.” Next, Joshua sought His instructions: “what saith my LORD unto His servant?” Lastly, Joshua submitted to His orders (5:15).

There is no neutrality in the spiritual battle led by Jesus, commander of the Lord’s host. “He that is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30). We can be sure God is on our side only when we have made sure that we are on His side.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Dreamers



“It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against Mount Zion” (Isaiah 29:.

The dreamers of this world are not only the utopian idealists and the contemplative meditationists. The really impractical dreamers are those who most pride themselves on being pragmatic materialists and scientific naturalists, dreaming that by their own efforts they can bring about perfection on earth. The fact is that this world is not the real world, but only a temporary world which, like a dream, will soon fade away in the light of God’s eternal day, when we awake in His presence to experience the world as God intended it.

In our text, it is significant that the sleeping men are dreaming only about eating and drinking. In the same manner, those whose interests and desires are centered in this world only, will find all their objectives have turned to nothingness. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever”(I John 2:16,17).

In that great day when the real world arrives which will last for eternity, all the “multitudes” in “all the nations” of the world-those who have ignored the will of God and who have thus, in effect, been “fighting against Mount Zion”-will finally awaken, but it will be too late. How urgent it is that men now awake to God’s Word and God’s will. “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).