A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Thy Word Is Settled Forever
 
"But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us." (Ezra 4:3)
 
When the Jews returned from their Babylonian captivity, they had been authorized by King Cyrus to rebuild their temple. Zerubbabel, their governor, and Jeshua, the high priest, re-established the ancient offerings and laid the foundations of the temple. But then a problem surfaced. The people of the land, who were practicing a corrupt monotheism, offered to join with them in the project. Zerubbabel and Jeshua wisely rejected it.
 
The wisdom of this harsh rebuff soon became evident. The compromisers then tried other ways to destroy the project. Since they were unable to subvert it by infiltration, they used political and social pressures to try to corrupt God's people and prevent the reestablishment of true faith in the land.
 
The principle involved in this record is timeless. To be honoring to the Lord and fruitful in His service, the Lord's work must be done only by His own people, without compromise in doctrine or practice.
 
Christians and Christian organizations today are subjected to repeated temptations to compromise with the world system, especially to humanistic philosophies, but this is the surest route to ultimate defeat. "Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness" (2 Peter 3:17).
 
This principle, if we follow Ezra's example, applies even to cooperation with other believers who compromise with the world (e.g., "theistic" evolution). Such compromise soon permeates the ranks even of the faithful, so must not be introduced at all. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

We Are His Image
 
"And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." (Colossians 3:10)
 
Man's body is made of the same "earth" material (Genesis 2:7) as the animals (v. 19) and as the earth itself (Genesis 1:10). Furthermore, he shares the created "soul" (Hebrew nephesh) and "spirit" (Hebrew ruach, same as "breath") with the animals (compare 1:21; 7:15, where nephesh and ruach respectively are used of the animals). However, he shares the created "image of God" (1:27) only with God Himself.
 
Ever since Adam and Eve first sinned, all people have been born in innate rebellion against Him. The image of God in man has been grievously marred, and we are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).
 
However, as our text reminds us, the image of God in man can be "renewed" through the great miracle of the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). And this includes more than just our soul/spirit nature, for we have His gracious promise that our own resurrection bodies will be "fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Philippians 3:21) when He comes again.
 
Evidently, God had all this in mind from the very beginning, when "in the likeness of God made he him" (Genesis 5:1). That is, He foreknew that He would one day become man, in the person of Jesus Christ, and so He created man in the image and likeness of that body/soul/spirit complex which He Himself would eventually assume.
 
In some mysterious way, Christ Himself is, in His eternal and glorified human body, the "image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15), and God amazingly has even predestinated us "to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29) and "we shall be like him" when we finally "see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Joshua's Long Day
 
"And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel." (Joshua 10:14)
 
One of the most amazing events of history occurred when "the LORD fought for Israel" to enable them to conquer and occupy the Promised Land, even to the extent that, on one occasion, "the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day" (Joshua 10:13).
 
Some quibble about the language employed, suggesting that Joshua thought the sun "moves," instead of the earth. The fact is, the motion of any heavenly body must be given in terms of relative motion (since all objects in the universe are moving in some way). Scientists normally assume the fixed point of zero motion to be the one which makes their equations most convenient to use, and this usually is the earth's surface at the location of the observer. Joshua's language was . . . quite scientific!
 
Furthermore, many scholars have documented numerous traditions of a "long day" (or "long night," in the western hemisphere) about the time of Joshua. The biblical story is well supported as a real fact of history. There was a long day!
 
Such an event required the direct intervention of the Creator Himself. He who had started the earth rotating in the first place, when He separated day and night (Genesis 1:3-5), now slowed it down again until it stopped, and the daylight continued until Joshua could rout the Amorites.
 
God may not usually answer prayers and fulfill promises by such a mighty miracle as this, but He does answer prayer and keep His Word, and this unique event shows He is willing and able to do whatever is needed to accomplish His will. "The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went. . . . Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people" (Habakkuk 3:11-13). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Creator of Wind and Calm
 
"But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!" (Matthew 8:27)
 
Waves large enough to cover a ship on a small lake in a short time could only have been generated by a tremendously powerful wind, and such a wind would require a mighty complex of forces in the atmosphere, triggered by the sun itself. Furthermore, even when the wind dies down, the waves will continue for a time. But suddenly both ceased at once, and "there was a great calm" (v. 26). No known natural force could have produced such a phenomenon, yet there it was.
 
A man had simply spoken a word: "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39). How could He control the sea? "The sea is his, and he made it" (Psalm 95:5)—that is how! And what about the stormy wind? God Himself "bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (Psalm 135:7), even when need be, the "stormy wind fulfilling his word" (148:.
 
God can use the storms of life to cause us to call on Him for deliverance. "For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. . . . Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still" (Psalm 107:25, 28-29).
 
What manner of man can do such things? Only the God/Man, Jesus Christ. He is the omnipotent, living Word, the "Creator of the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 40:28). It is He by whom "were all things created," and it therefore follows that "by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:16-17). "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
 
If this eternal Word (who was "made flesh" and was now sleeping in a small boat on the Sea of Galilee) could speak the mighty cosmos into being, it is no great thing for Him to speak peace to a stormy sea or to bring rest to His loved ones in their times of turmoil and fear. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Scripture Memorization
 
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalm 119:11)
 
The memorizing of Scripture has become almost a lost art among Christians today, and it is a great loss, for storing Scripture in the heart can be a great blessing in one's Christian life and witness.
 
The example of the early Christians is clear: Peter, Stephen, Paul, and others quoted extensively from the Old Testament in their impromptu sermons (Acts 2:17-21; 7:32-34; 13:33-35; etc.), and the same has been true of most of the great preachers and teachers of the Word ever since. There are multitudes of situations where it is of great help to be able to cite from memory an appropriate Scripture passage.
 
In our present generation, there have been many Christian lay organizations--the Gideons, the Navigators, the Bible Memory Association, and others--that have strongly urged their members to memorize Scripture and have experienced great blessing as a result. Any Christian can do it if he tries and will find his Christian life strengthened in the process.
 
But the main reason for memorizing Scripture is the Word itself in effect commands it: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).
 
The Lord Jesus Himself, in His humanity, no doubt learned the Scriptures as a boy (Luke 2:47, 52) and then quoted from them extensively in His many discourses, "leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21). He provided a perfect illustration of the validity of our text, defeating Satan in each of his three temptations simply by quoting a Scripture verse that He had long before hidden in His heart (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). For the Word truly to be in our lives, it needs to be in our hearts. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Scripture and the Christian Life
 
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether." (Psalm 19:7-9)
 
Most Christians spend little time in the Word of the Lord, and this is a great tragedy. It is the necessary food for health and joy in our spiritual lives. "The sincere milk of the word" (1 Peter 2:2) is for "newborn babes" and the "strong meat" is for those who are not "unskilful in the word of righteousness" (Hebrews 5:12-13). "Thy words" are also "honey to my mouth" (Psalm 119:103), and "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord" is the very bread by which "doth man live" (Deuteronomy 8:3).
 
Not only are the Scriptures basic in salvation (2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 1:23), but also in sanctification and cleansing day by day: "That he might sanctify and cleanse with the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26).
 
The Scriptures also provide daily guidance for those who will use their directions: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). Every Christian must be a seed-sowing witness for Christ, and "the seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). In the Christian’s armor, the sole offensive weapon is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17), and this means a victorious life and testimony for the Christian who uses it.
 
The wonderful testimony of David in our text is the Old Testament equivalent of the great assertion by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

This Work Was of God
 
"So the wall was finished. . . . And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God." (Nehemiah 6:15-16)
 
There have been so many occasions throughout history when God worked mightily, either to establish or to preserve America; there can be no doubt that God has uniquely blessed this country. There have always been those who would destroy, establish themselves as dictators, or who have scoffed at or hindered the American experiment in freedom, but in His grace and in His time and way, He has responded with victory.
 
Similarly, there were many times in the history of God's chosen nation of Israel when mighty victories were accomplished. In the events surrounding our text, a ragged band of exiles had returned from captivity in Babylon and were attempting to rebuild the broken-down walls of Jerusalem. The detractors were many, saying it couldn't be done--but it had to be done!
 
Satanically inspired opposition came through ridicule (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:1-3); threats of invasion (vv. 7-9); discouragement (v. 10); fear of attack (vv. 11-23); internal friction (5:1-5); diplomatic treachery (6:1-8); and lying prophets (6:10-14). But in the face of each threat, Nehemiah was equal to the task. "We made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night" (4:9), and eventually, as we read in our text, "the wall was finished."
 
Nehemiah's victory was preceded by his confession of his own sins and that of the people (1:6-11), and the purification and dedication of the people. It was followed by great rejoicing and blessing. Would that America's present leaders and people would follow this godly example. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Ready and Able
 
"That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17)
 
The word "perfect" in this verse is artios, and it is used only this one time in the Bible. Its basic meaning seems to be "fitted," or "fresh." Then, the words "thoroughly furnished" are one word, exartizo, in the original, which--interestingly enough--is essentially this same rare word (artios) with the prefix ex (meaning "out of") added. It is only used one other time where it is translated "accomplished" (Acts 21:5).
 
Putting these concepts together, Paul seems to be saying that the "man of God" is not necessarily a man who is sinlessly perfect, but one who is both fresh (ready to meet present needs) and fully equipped (able to meet present needs).
 
And, of course, it is significant that this splendid testimony to what a man of God can be--and should be--follows immediately upon Paul's grand testimony to the inspiration and power of the Holy Scriptures. The Scriptures, first of all, "are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). Then, they are "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (v. 16).
 
"Doctrine," more specifically, is teaching. "Reproof" is evidence or conviction. "Correction" is a word used only this one time, and it means setting straight. "Instruction" is chastening. Then, the end result of the perfect teachings, the convicting evidences, the correcting influences, and the chastening cleansing of the Holy Scriptures is to produce men and women of God who are both ready and able to meet the critical needs of the times in which they live.
 
By the same token, the large numbers of nominal Christians who do not diligently study, obey, and apply the Holy Scriptures in their lives are not either ready or able to face the awful challenges (vv. 1-14) of these last days. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Beware of False Teachers
 
"Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." (2 Peter 3:17)
 
Peter's final epistle, especially chapters 2 and 3, is the classic New Testament passage on the false teachers that would plague the church in the "last days" (v. 3). In addition to the characteristics listed in the introductory verse, 2:1 (e.g., slipping in surreptitiously heretical teachings, denying the redemptive work and Lordship of Christ), a number of their attributes are predicted for our guidance, as follows:
 
They will "wrest the scriptures" (3:16), distorting their literal meaning to conform to their own philosophical preferences. This will involve using "feigned words" (2:3)--that is, plastic words, words with devious meanings to make them say what their users wish to convey. They may well be very eloquent and seductive in their speech, "when they speak great swelling words of vanity" (2:18).
 
They will deny the doctrine of special creation and the judgment of the worldwide Flood (3:5-6), teaching instead that "all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (v. 4), and will scoff at the Second Coming. They "despise government" and are "presumptuous" and "selfwilled . . . not afraid to speak evil of dignities" (2:10).
 
They both practice and defend immoral acts, "having eyes full of adultery" (v. 14). Yet they maintain their religious ties because they have hearts "exercised with covetous practices" (v. 14), seeing nothing evil in taking money for personal gain from those whose faith they seek to undermine.
 
This is, indeed, a fitting description of many modern liberal theologians, religious bureaucrats in the big denominations, "New Age" preachers, college teachers of religion, etc. Although this is not a pleasant subject, Christians urgently need to awaken to what is happening, and "beware"! HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus and Jonah
May 24, 2009
 
"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17)
 
The Bible's most famous "fish story" has been the target of skeptics for hundreds of years, but it was confirmed by none other than the one who Himself had prepared the great fish: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40).
 
Jonah may actually have died and gone to "hell." "Out of the belly of hell |Hebrew Sheol| cried I," said Jonah, "and thou heardest my voice" (Jonah 2:2). The testimony of Jesus was similar: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell |i.e., Sheol|; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 16:10; also Acts 2:27). Jonah also prayed: "yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God" (Jonah 2:6). His prayer ended: "Salvation is of the LORD" (v. 9), and this is the very meaning of the name "Jesus."
 
Thus, 900 years before Christ died and rose again, Jonah died and rose again, a remarkable prophetic type of the mighty miracle that the Lord would accomplish one day to bring salvation and life to a world dead in sin. Only the power of God could direct a prepared fish to save Jonah, then three days later allow him to preach repentance and salvation to the lost souls in Nineveh. Then, finally God Himself, in Christ, died on a cross for the sins of the world, and this time it took the infinite power that created the very universe itself to bring His own soul back from hell and, three days later, to rise again. This is "the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead" (Ephesians 1:19-20). Truly, "a greater than Jonas is here" (Matthew 12:41). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

What Mean These Stones
 
"When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know." (Joshua 4:21-22)
 
The poet George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." In the life of every nation, there are "memories" that must be preserved if that nation is to retain an awareness of its unique role among the nations of the world--indeed, among the long list of nations throughout history.
 
Long ago, God Himself instituted "memorials" so that the key events of history might be remembered. The rainbow was to remind God of His covenant to preserve life on the earth after the awful destruction of the Flood (Genesis 9:8-17). Jacob set up a stone after he had seen the ladder and spoken with the angel of the Lord (Genesis 28:12-22). Joseph insisted that the children of Israel take his bones with them into the land of promise (Genesis 50:25).
 
In our text, Joshua is told by the Lord to take 12 stones out of Jordan and make a monument to commemorate the beginning fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham centuries earlier. That day, Israel was to enter the "promised land" and start its conquest of Canaan.
 
The Memorial Day that we celebrate in the United States began with the ending of the Civil War. Since then, our country has added many memorials. Each of them, whether a mere plaque, a lone statue to a notable person, or a vast and sweeping edifice, are all intended to "remember" some significant event and the people who made history during that time. Typically, we honor the dead who paid the ultimate price that we might live on--and we should. There are others, though, whose sacrifices in time and treasure were enormous. May our thanks this day "remember" all of them. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Strength Through Weakness
 
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)
 
Here is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. How could the apostle Paul actually find pleasure in being persecuted or reproached, in being placed in distressing situations, and having to endure bodily pain or weakness? There could be no pleasure at all in such things were it not "for Christ's sake."
 
Paul was a great man of faith and prayer, and he prayed earnestly that God would remove what he called a "thorn in the flesh" (v. 7), evidently some painful infirmity that he felt was hindering his ministry. God answered his prayer, however, by saying, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (v. 9).
 
Somehow, one of the most powerful testimonies to the truth of Christianity is given when Christians exhibit patience and joy and fruitfulness in the midst of suffering--whether that suffering be due to illness, or persecution, or loss, or any of a hundred situations that could be unbearable apart from Christ. In Paul's case, he said that his "thorn" could not be removed "lest I should be exalted above measure" (v. 7), because of the great experiences God had given him as a Christian.
 
"Grace groweth best in the winter," and we can testify with the psalmist, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes" (Psalm 119:71). One thinks, for example, of Fanny Crosby, blind since early childhood, yet enabled to write 8,000 beautiful hymns in her 95 years.
 
The struggling church at Philadelphia was assured of an open door because it had "little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name" (Revelation 3:. It is precisely when we recognize our own weakness in the flesh that we can become strong in Christ. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Thanks Be Unto God
 
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)
 
There are innumerable things for which we could--and should--give thanks to God. But there are three notable gifts mentioned by Paul in his letters to the Corinthians in which he was led to use this particular exclamation: "Thanks be to God." We shall do well to look at these great blessings, and then--like Paul--pour out our own thanks to God for them!
 
The first is in our text above, giving thanks for God's gift of victory. And what victory is that? "Death is swallowed up in victory" (v. 54), and death has lost its terrible sting for the believer, for Christ conquered death forever when He died for our sins and rose again.
 
The second is similar, yet goes beyond even the first gift: "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place" (2 Corinthians 2:14). Not only victory over death, but victory in life!
 
By the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ, we are enabled to triumph over circumstances and "shew forth the praises of him who hath called |us| out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9). But the greatest gift of all is Christ Himself! Therefore, we join with the apostle Paul as he exclaims, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15). "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). The value of this gift is beyond language to describe, "unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:. The Lord Jesus Christ is both our Creator and Savior, giving us triumphant peace and joy in life, and eternal victory over death. Thanks be unto God! HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Sing and Give Thanks
 
"Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." (Psalm 30:4)
 
When we do remember God's holiness and then remember how the mighty seraphim in the heavenly temple are continually crying out "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 6:3), and then further remember the prophet's prayer acknowledging to God that: "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Habakkuk 1:13), and then still further remember that, as Paul said: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" (Romans 7:18), we can only marvel at the infinite mercy and grace of God. He has not only forgiven our sins, saved our souls, and promised us eternal life, but "daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation" (Psalm 68:19). What can we do except to perpetually "sing unto the Lord, . . . and give thanks," as David exhorts us in our text for today.
 
But how can this be? A God who is too pure and holy even to "look on iniquity," yet promises unworthy creatures such as us that "goodness and mercy shall follow |us| all the days of |our lives|: and |we| will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever" (Psalm 23:6). How can that be?
 
This could not be, of course, were it not for the incredible love of God in Christ, who "hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). "The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
 
Therefore: "Be ye thankful. . . . singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Colossians 3:15-17). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

In Everything Give Thanks
 
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herds in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
 
It is easy to be happy and cheerful in times of prosperity, when one has all the comforts of an affluent lifestyle, and everything seems to be going well. The testing times come, however, when these material comforts are somehow taken away, and one feels defeated and all alone.
 
Except for God! Whatever else may fail, God "will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). Since we still have the Lord (assuming we have trusted Him for forgiveness and salvation, through Christ), we can always "rejoice in the Lord, . . . in the God of my salvation."
 
Job, for example, lost all his possessions, then his children, finally his health, and even his wife turned against him. Yet he could say: "the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21).
 
God has commanded the Christian: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not for everything, but in everything!
 
This has always been one of the greatest testimonies a Christian can give to an unbeliever--the testimony of a life rejoicing in God's salvation even in the midst of trouble. This was the example of Christ Himself, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). "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). HMM