A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

The Absence of Sin
 
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13)
 
For thousands of years the followers of God have battled against "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12) led by Lucifer, that old serpent, the arch rebel and self-appointed accuser of the saints of God. Although assured of the ultimate victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians have often suffered cruelly at the hands of Lucifer and his followers.
 
As Christians, the aching longing in our hearts for peace is really none other than the Holy Spirit, Himself, grieving at sin, and our own new, holy nature "groaning" to be free in its expression of the divine nature. It is the nature of the child of God to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6). It is the normal thing for one "raised" up and already seated "in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6) to long for the shackles of the "body of this death" (Romans 7:24) to be loosened. Under ordinary circumstances, our spiritual being--"the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24)--knows that we are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). Such knowledge openly declares that we "desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city" (v. 16).
 
If we have lost sight of the place that Jesus has gone to prepare for us, we become both forlorn and despoiled. But if we treasure the great truth that we will spend eternity with our Lord in His "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," we are comforted and encouraged, recognizing that both sin and all its effects will be absent. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Story of Nicodemus
 
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews." (John 3:1)
 
The man named Nicodemus appears only on three occasions in the New Testament, but these three reveal a most remarkable character. In a way, he has become a "type" of all those who come to Christ for salvation. This was not easy for him, both because he was a member of the Pharisees who vigorously opposed Jesus, and also because he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the governing council which would eventually vote to have Jesus executed.
 
First, Nicodemus was an interested inquirer, coming to seek an understanding of Jesus and His mission. Similarly, those who come to Christ today must come with an open mind and heart, willing to take the time to learn of Christ and of their own need of salvation.
 
The Lord told Nicodemus his need of regeneration and then of God's gift of eternal life to those who would receive Christ and His sacrificial death. Nicodemus evidently believed, for we next see him as a confessing convert, defending Christ in the midst of his own peers as they were seeking to arrest and imprison Him. "Nicodemus saith unto them, . . . Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?" (John 7:50-51). This was perhaps a weak defense, but Nicodemus was a new convert, and even this stand was resented and identified him with Christ in the minds of these powerful adversaries.
 
Finally, we see him as a devoted disciple, willing to suffer the loss of position and riches for Christ's sake—for this is undoubtedly what his action at the cross entailed. "And there came also Nicodemus, . . . and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus . . . for the sepulchre was nigh at hand" (John 19:39-42). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Priestly Intermediaries
 
"And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." (Exodus 28:1)
 
God granted Aaron and his descendants authority to "serve" as intermediaries between God and the people. The priests had no authority to forgive sins (forgiveness comes only from God), but they were given authority to oversee the sacrificial process. The high priest had additional duties, most notably offering "an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year" (Leviticus 16:34).
 
The Bible teaches us that "without shedding of blood is no remission" of sin (Hebrews 9:22), but also that "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4). Forgiveness is based on repentance, recognizing that one has offended God and turning from that sin. The very fact that blood sacrifices continued on a daily basis and by the high priest for the sins of all the people once a year, proves that those sacrifices were imperfect and insufficient. Moreover, since repentance was seldom a part of Israel's sacrifice, and even though the sacrifices continued, God judged the nation's sins by sending the people into captivity.
 
Thankfully, Christ acted to fulfill the law and eliminate the sacrificial system with the final sacrifice. "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). "There is no more offering for sin" (v. 18). He has assumed the office of High Priest, administered the final sacrifice, and made priests of all His followers. Just as the Old Testament priest, we have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (v. 19). We have no need for human intermediaries; we are believer-priests with a High Priest who has made it possible for us to come on His merits to the Father. Just as He gave certain authority to the Old Testament priests, He has given us this authority. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Instant Creation
 
"Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together." (Isaiah 48:13)
 
This is one of many passages in Scripture which not only tells us that God is Creator of both heaven and earth, but also that He created them instantaneously. Creation is not a "process," but a miraculous event! With a wave of the hand, so to speak, God simply called them into being.
 
This is also the testimony of the incomparable account of creation in Genesis. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). This primeval testimony does not say: "From the beginning, God has been creating heaven and earth" as theistic evolutionists would say. Creation of all things was an event completed in the past.
 
The divinely inspired psalmist agrees: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:6, 9). "For he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever" (Psalm 148:5-6).
 
Furthermore, according to our text, when God spoke into existence the heavens and the earth, they both proceeded to "stand up together!" He did not create the heavens 15 billion years ago, then the earth only about five billion years ago, as some creationists allege. They stood up together! "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Exodus 20:11).
 
It is important to recognize the recent creation of all things, not only because God said so, but also because the multi-billion-year framework of cosmic evolution, pushing God as far away and long ago as possible, is merely the modern pseudoscientific way of getting rid of Him altogether! Christians should not compromise with such a system! HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Shining Path
 
"But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 4:18)
 
This beautiful promise is inserted in the midst of a sober warning against taking the broad, well-traveled path of the ungodly. "Enter not into the path of the wicked. . . . Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. . . . The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble" (Proverbs 4:14-15, 19).
 
In contrast to the path of darkness, there is the shining path of the just, leading all the way to "the perfect day" where there is no more night (Revelation 22:5).
 
And what is the light that keeps the pathway shining? "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). "The LORD is my light and my salvation. . . . lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies" (Psalm 27:1, 11). It is a frightening experience to drive a dark highway or walk a treacherous pathway on a dark night when there are no lights to shine on it, but that is exactly the peril of the soul without Christ. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Jesus said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of li fe" (John 8:12).
 
The longer and farther we travel in the light of His Word, the brighter grows the path. How vitally important, therefore, that we keep in His Word and to His Word, for this is our one light in this dark place. "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life" (Proverbs 6:23). "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Flowing Faces
 
"They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed." (Psalm 34:5)
 
This is a fascinating verse, speaking of the wonderful afterglow on a believer's countenance when the Lord has answered an urgent and specific prayer. The previous verse contains such a testimony: "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." So does the following verse: "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" (vv. 4, 6). The answered prayer had been so remarkable that it had even required angelic intervention (v. 7), prompting David to exclaim, "O taste and see that the LORD is good" (v. 8).
 
As a result, their very faces, instead of exhibiting shame in defeat, had become "lightened" in triumphant joy. This unique adjective, normally used to describe a fast-flowing stream of water, has a root meaning of something like "sparkle." As applied to flowing water, the picture is of a fast mountain stream tripping over the rocks in a cascade of jets and bubbles--a "sparkling" stream. When applied to individual believers, it tells us that their faces became "sparkling," or "radiant." The King James rendering of "lightened" is as good as any, speaking of such a wonderful deliverance that their countenances seemed actually to "light up" with joy.
 
Every Christian can also have such a lightened countenance, for the same God who answered their prayers will answer our prayers today when we pray according to His will and ask in faith. "Ask, and ye shall receive," says the Lord, "that your joy may be full" (John 16:24). As the Lord's blessing becomes more real with each prayer answered, our countenances may become flowing countenances, and glowing countenances, like a sparkling mountain stream. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Christ and the Writings of Moses
 
"For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:46-47)
 
This sharp rebuke by Jesus to the Jewish leaders who were seeking an occasion to have Him executed came as the climax to a long message following His miracle at the pool of Bethesda. These Jews always made a great show of allegiance to the teachings of Moses in the Pentateuch, so Jesus pointed out that this was hypocritical, since Moses "wrote of me"--yet they refused to "believe my words."
 
There are many "Christian" intellectuals today who are, if anything, involved in even greater hypocrisy, professing to believe in Christ while rejecting the plain teachings of Genesis and the other books of Moses. The Lord Jesus, for example, taught that "from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female" (quoting Genesis 1:27) and also that, therefore, "shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (quoting Genesis 2:24). But these compromising Christians insist that He was quoting from two contradictory accounts of creation, and also that men and women were there not at the "beginning" of creation, but came along about 4.5 billion years after the creation of the earth and about 15 billion years a fter the beginning of the cosmos.
 
The Lord also taught that the Genesis Flood was global and cataclysmic (Luke 17:26-27), whereas the compromises argue that it was either local or tranquil or both. They also commonly seek to explain away the miracle of the Red Sea parting, the daily bread from heaven, and other mighty miracles recorded in the books of Moses. Rejecting Moses and his teaching to their shame, how can they really believe in Christ when they reject His words? HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Gates of Hell
 
"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
 
Many take this verse to teach security, that although Satan and his henchmen are attacking, the church and the Christian are safe within their fortress. In fact, many commentators and translators understand "gates" metaphorically, feeling that since gates are strong and important, they can be viewed as synonymous with "power," implying that the "power of hell" is marshaled against the church.
 
But this is not the case. The Greek word appears only a few times, and in no case can it be understood to mean power. It always means gates--either literal gates in a literal wall or a figurative entryway. Our text is not talking about the "power" of hell, but the "gates" of hell. The picture is not one of Christians cloistered within their castle while Satan attempts to destroy them, but one of Christians on the attack. The forces of evil are the desperate ones huddled within their stronghold, while the church is battering down their gates!
 
The same teaching is found elsewhere: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). These verses sound the battle cry, and the battleground is the minds of men. We are commanded to cast down (literally, demolish) improper reasoning and arrogant philosophy, capturing every thought (literally, mind) for Christ, thereby destroying the bastions of evil.
 
Christian, there is a time for defense, but let us never forget we are to be on the offensive as well. The Christ who leads us into the fray will surely lead us to victory! JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Slaves of Christ
 
"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22)
 
There are several words translated "servants" in the New Testament, but the most common is doulos, as in our text, and its actual meaning is "bondservants," or "slaves." Its root meaning is to tie or bind and was commonly applied to the slaves in the Roman empire at the time of Christ.
 
The apostle Paul had reminded the Roman Christians that they were the slaves of sin (Romans 6:17) before they had been saved, having yielded their members "servants to uncleanness and to iniquity" (v. 19). In Christ, however, "being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (v. 18). Those who are slaves to sin will ultimately receive the wages of sin, which is death (v. 23), but the wages (or "fruit") of righteousness is holiness and everlasting life, as Paul answers us in our text.
 
Thus it is not a burden, but a high privilege to "become slaves to God." Paul even called himself, though an apostle, a "slave of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; etc.), and so did James, Peter, Jude, and John (James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1; Revelation 1:1). We are certainly no better than they, to say the least, so we also need to recognize that if we are genuine Christians, we are slaves of Christ. Since "ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23), much less "slaves of sin," but of Christ.
 
This means, of course, that we belong to Him, and He has the right to do as He wills with His own. We have been "bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20), and we owe Him full obedience. As a slave is expected to respond to the voice of his lord, so we must hear and obey His Word, without equivocation. "So now yield your members |slaves| to righteousness unto holiness" (Romans 6:19). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Divine Detours
 
"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt." (Exodus 13:17-18)
 
No driver enjoys having to take a detour, but there is usually a very good reason for it, and we accept it with little question. A divinely prescribed detour in our personal goals, however, often becomes a focus of complaint and discouragement. Detours and delays of one sort or another occur in the life of every Christian, but they are always for good reason. Remember Christ taught that when we have "been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:21). Trials and detours prepare us for greater responsibility and blessing.
 
The experience of the children of Israel is a prime example. What started as a detour of perhaps 100 miles developed into a delay of 40 years before they were actually prepared to enter the Promised Land. A mob of slaves--carnal and fearful, selfish and complaining, critical and greedy, worldly and idolatrous--somehow had to become a nation of responsible citizens--disciplined and courageous, industrious and law-abiding, God-fearing and spiritual. This transformation required time and chastening and miraculous guidance, but it was all for their ultimate good and for God’s glory.
 
What God does with His own is by definition right, and we’ll understand it better later on. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Problem of Pressure
 
"For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life." (2 Corinthians 1:8)
 
Every Christian must endure times of great pressure, for this is part of our training for God's service in eternity. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Philippians 1:29). "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).
 
Probably none of us, however, will ever be called on to endure the pressures experienced by Paul. When one feels that he or she is "pressed out of measure, above strength," it would be salutary simply to read again his frightful experiences recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33.
 
And then read how Paul dealt with these pressures! His testimony is found in the three verses following our text verse for the day. "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf" (2 Corinthians 1:9-11).
 
The answer to the awful pressures of life and circumstances, therefore, is not to rely on our own strength and ability to overcome them, but to trust in the God who can raise the dead! Our own prayerful trust is to be supported also by the prayers of our friends, so that they also can share the joy when deliverance comes. Let us regard such pressures, then, as an opportunity for growth, for prayer, for trust, and for joyful testimony when God delivers. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Grace of Quietness
 
"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." (Matthew 12:36)
 
"Let your speech be always with grace," the Scripture says (Colossians 4:6), "seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man," and "study to be quiet, and to do your own business" (1 Thessalonians 4:11).
 
There is such a thing as the sin of talkativeness, and many Christians are beset by it. Note some of the pertinent Scriptures: "He that hath knowledge spareth his words. . . . Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding" (Proverbs 17:27-28). "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:2).
 
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19). "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matthew 5:37).
 
"In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks" (Ephesians 5:4).
 
There are many other such warnings, of course, but the one in our text is perhaps the most sobering of all. Evidently God has a sort of "tape recording" of all our conversations, and we shall be required some day to explain all those words which were not gracious and edifying. We would do well before the record of our idle and pointless conversations (not even to mention any that are hurtful or profane) mounts any higher to forsake the sin of talking too much, and to cultivate prayerfully the grace of quietness. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The New Creation
 
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
 
To appreciate this wonderful verse properly, it is helpful to remember two things. In the New Testament both "creature" and "creation" represent the same Greek word and so can be used interchangeably. Secondly, in both Testaments only "God" or "the Lord" can be the subject of the verb "create" or "created," because God alone is the Creator. Men can "make" things, or "form" things, but only God can create!
 
As far as the physical creation is concerned, the work of creation was finished long ago (Genesis 2:1-3; Hebrews 4:3, 10) except for the very special case of miracles (e.g., the miracle of the multiplied loaves and fishes).
 
Nevertheless, He is still the Creator, and the miracle of regeneration is a spiritual creation which does occur every time an individual truly receives Christ as Savior and Lord and is thereby "born again." Only God can create! No psychologist, or guru, or anyone else can make a "new man" of an "old man." Only God is Creator, and an unregenerate person must be "born of the Spirit"--that is, God the Holy Spirit--to be truly "born again" (John 3:3-8).
 
But then he does become a new creation, and his life is changed! We "put off . . . the old man," and "put on the new man, which after God is created |note--'created'!| in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:22, 24). We "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" (Colossians 3:9-10). This is Christ's work, for "Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Reward According to Work
 
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." (Revelation 22:12)
 
Although the Scriptures teach clearly that it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5), they do teach that we are "created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Ephesians 2:8-10).
 
Good works will never produce salvation, but they will produce heavenly rewards. "The fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide . . . he shall receive a reward" (1 Corinthians 3:13-14). Note that the criterion is not how much a man's work may accomplish, but what sort it is.
 
The greatest reward could well be the joy of hearing the Lord Jesus say to us at His judgment seat: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: . . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21).
 
But if we wonder just what the particular reward will be, perhaps our text may give us a clue. Remember that, in the ages to come, His servants shall serve Him (Revelation 22:3). There will be work to do! Not drudgery or sweaty labor, but glorious work, enjoying God's great creation and helping in the accomplishment of His holy purpose in creation. In an infinite universe, with endless time, we can never run out of useful, rewarding work to do, as we serve Him.
 
He says He will "give every man according as his work shall be." Perhaps this suggests that our work here, with the interests and abilities God has given us, will have some relation to our work there, using those same interests and abilities. In any case, we can be confident that our "labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Thanksgiving
 
"Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:11)
 
The themes of praise and thanksgiving are very prominent throughout Scripture. The word "praise" and its derivatives occur over 330 times, and "thanks," with its derivatives, over 150 times. When applied to our relation to God, "thanks" are given to Him for what He has done for us, and "praise" for who He is and what He has done for the whole creation. If frequency of occurrence were an indicator, we might conclude that thanksgiving is important and praise-giving is twice as important!
 
In any case, every Christian believer has a tremendous amount to be thankful for. As in our text, we have been "enriched in every thing to all bountifulness," and it is sad to hear so many complaints and laments coming from Christians who feel they deserve more and better than they have already received from God's good hand.
 
We are told that the Lord Jesus, instituting the Lord's supper, gave thanks, all the while knowing that the very elements He was blessing spoke of His body that would soon be broken and His blood that would soon be shed. No wonder, therefore, that the apostle Paul reminds us: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
 
Whether in bountifulness of material blessing or in the invaluable school of suffering and discipline, we can please God by a thankful heart and life. A key evidence that a Christian is truly "filled with the Spirit" is that he or she is habitually "giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:18, 20). May God's Spirit "cause through us thanksgiving to God!" HMM