A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Love
 
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." (Genesis 9:1)
 
This was the first command given by God to mankind in the new world after the Flood. Actually, it simply renewed the first command given to Adam and Eve in the primeval world. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:28). The Old English word "replenish" means simply "fill," and the same is true of the Hebrew word (mala) from which it is translated. In fact, of its 220 occurrences, the King James translators rendered it "replenish" only seven times. Almost always they translated it by "fill" or the equivalent.
 
Thus, God’s first command to men and women was to multiply until the earth was filled. Despite our latter-day concerns about exploding populations, this goal is far from accomplishment today. "Filling," of course, would imply filling only to the optimum capacity for productive human stewardship of the earth under God.
 
The pre-Flood earth was filled in only 1,656 years, but it was "filled with violence through them," and God finally had to "destroy them with the earth" (Genesis 6:13).
 
In spite of man’s failures, the Lord has given a gracious promise: "And the LORD said, . . . as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD" (Numbers 14:20-21). This will not be man’s doing, however. When Christ returns in power and great glory as the destroying Stone, then "the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:35). The new earth will finally be filled with an innumerable multitude of the redeemed (Revelation 7:9), and "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Father of All
 
"Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?" (Malachi 2:10)
 
The message of Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, was primarily directed to the Jews of the restoration, who already were backsliding after being restored from their Babylonian captivity, and God's rebuke of their sinful behavior focused on the key to its correction. They needed to remember, first of all, that they were all brothers, because they all had the same Father. This was not a reference to their becoming spiritual children of God by the new birth, but a reminder of the even more basic fact that they had all been specially created by God in the first place. They should therefore be united in God's great calling of the Jews as God's chosen people, bearing His message to the whole world.
 
Although Malachi's message was primarily for the Jews, it also has all men in view. "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; . . . saith the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 1:11). There was an earlier covenant than the Mosaic and Levitical covenants—one which God made with all men after the great Flood, which has never been withdrawn.
 
This Noahic covenant, continuing for perpetual generations, does indeed remind us that all men everywhere are brothers, created by the selfsame Creator, and responsible to Him for their behavior toward one another, and for their stewardship of the earth under His ownership. Thus, Malachi's rhetorical questions remind us that the only way to resolve problems among the nations of the world is, first of all, to remind and try to convince them that they all were created by the one true "Lord of hosts," that they must someday answer to Him, and that He still loves them as a father loves his children. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Where Is Wisdom?
 
"But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" (Job 28:12)
 
Men have been searching for this most valuable of all treasures since time began. Eve first fell into sin as she was led by Satan to believe that the forbidden fruit would make her wise. Even before Abram left Ur of the Chaldees, the patriarch Job was asking this ancient question of his three critical friends, but they could not answer.
 
In this chapter, Job notes that while valuable metals can be dug from the rocks of the earth (Job 28:1-2), wisdom cannot be mined by hard searching and labor. Neither can it be purchased like some commodity (vv. 13-19). In terms of modern categories, wisdom is not acquired through college degrees or philosophical meditation, or any variety of human experience or study.
 
It can only be found in God Himself, for "God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof" (Job 28:23). "The fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28).
 
True wisdom is to be found in the Lord Jesus, "who of God is made unto us wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:30). In Him alone "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).
 
Then, of course, since the Holy Scriptures constitute His written Word, we find wisdom there. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16).
 
If one desires wisdom--real wisdom--he must find it in the fear of the Lord, a departure from all evil, receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and sovereign Lord, and in diligence to learn and obey His Word. "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly" (Proverbs 2:6-7). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Seeing the Father
 
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17)
 
James used three unique words in his description of the heavenly Father. The Greek phrase is ouk eni parallage e tropes aposkiasma. A good translation would be, "There is not any possibility of change nor place for a shadow to turn." Certainly, this is similar to John’s critical message: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).
 
We are told that the Lord Jesus, the Word "made flesh" (John 1:14), is "the light of the world" (John 8:12). Moreover, because He is also the "Lord of lords, and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14), He is the only one who "hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen" (1 Timothy 6:16). The great paradoxical mystery of the triune Godhead can only be seen and understood as we recognized the Lord Jesus Christ as "the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). Philip once wanted to "see the Father." Jesus simply told him, and us, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9).
 
No wonder, then, that when we are given a physical description of the resurrected Christ (the only physical description of the Lord Jesus, by the way), He is described by John as such: "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace" (Revelation 1:14-15). Centuries earlier, Daniel saw the preincarnate Word and noted: "His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass" (Daniel 10:6). All of us would do well to "see" our Lord this way when we seek His face in prayer. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Whom to Pray For
 
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men." (1 Timothy 2:1)
 
Let no one ever say that he has nothing to pray about, or that he doesn't know how to pray in God's will, for it is always in the will of God to pray for other people! This is a great gift that any Christian can give, even if he is penniless or bedridden. There are none so poor as to be unable to afford such a gift, nor can even the wealthiest give a finer gift.
 
Note just a few of the relevant commandments to believers: First, we are to pray for all fellow Christians: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:18). We should also pray for the lost. Jesus commanded: "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2).
 
There is a special command to pray for sick disciples. "Pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:16). We are even told to pray for our enemies. "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you" (Luke 6:28).
 
We are told to pray for Christian brethren who "sin a sin which is not unto death" (1 John 5:16), though if the sin has already led to physical death (as in 1 Corinthians 11:30), there is no warrant for further prayer in that case. Finally, we are especially admonished to pray "for kings, and for all that are in authority" (1 Timothy 2:2), and for the ministries of those who proclaim the gospel (Colossians 4:2-4). In short, in the words of our text, we should offer up supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all men everywhere, "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Paul's Prayer Life
 
"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers." (Romans 1:9)
 
The apostle Paul was a great man of prayer. He prayed "without ceasing" for the Roman Christians. To the Corinthian church, he wrote: "I thank my God always on your behalf"(1 Corinthians 1:4). Similarly, to the Ephesians: "|I| cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers" (Ephesians 1:16). The same assurance was written to Philippi: "Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy" (Philippians 1:4). And to the Colossians: "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you" (Colossians 1:9). "We give thanks to God always for you all, making men tion of you in our prayers" (1 Thessalonians 1:2).
 
Apparently every church except those in Galatia received this assurance from the apostle. He also prayed constantly for his personal disciples, Timothy and Philemon. "Without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day" (2 Timothy 1:3). "I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers" (Philemon 4).
 
Paul also preached what he practiced. "Pray without ceasing," he commanded in his first-written epistle; "In every thing give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). "Continuing instant in prayer" (Romans 12:12). "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Colossians 4:2). "Giving thanks always for all things" (Ephesians 5:20).
 
In addition to regular times of concentrated prayer, we should seek to be sensitive, moment by moment, to needs and opportunities for intimate, personal, conversational prayer with our ever-present Lord. Never was there a busier Christian than Paul, yet he somehow always found time to pray. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The New Jerusalem
 
"But Solomon built him an house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands." (Acts 7:47-48)
 
Scripture teaches that the Creator God could not be confined to a man-made temple, but it is also true that the temple in Jerusalem was indeed the house of God. God Himself had even stated that "for now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually" (2 Chronicles 7:16). Of course, there is no real conflict. God implies that this place would enjoy His special attention, favor, and name, but He never claimed it as a dwelling place.
 
Solomon even recognized this. He said, "Who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him?" (2 Chronicles 2:6).
 
Today God dwells in many temples, but they are not made with hands either. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? . . . the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Likewise, "what? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?" (1 Corinthians 6:19), and "ye are the temple of the living God" (2 Corinthians 6:16).
 
Not only is each individual believer the temple of God, but the corporate body of believers, the church, enjoys the same standing. Speaking of the melding of Jewish and Gentile believers into one body, Paul teaches that each believer is a stone in "the building fitly framed together |which| groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21). As individual building stones, we are "fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:19-20). The sanctuary of the living God is not a temple or a church auditorium, but hearts yielded to Him. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Friends of the World
 
"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (James 4:4)
 
This stern warning seems to be in conflict with our Lord's own instruction: "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations" (Luke 16:9). Some have used that concept to justify personal behavior that mimics the world's secularism so that we "might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). Others have suggested that the atmosphere of the church should be "friendly" to the world so that we can "seek" and "save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
 
Half truths are dangerous things.
 
There is no justification in the Scripture to be like the world, or to be "of the world" (John 15:19). "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" (1 John 2:16). That clear statement is preceded by the command "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). There is no ambiguity here!
 
Although we are to give the "glorious gospel" (1 Timothy 1:11) to "every creature" (Mark 16:15) that we "might gain them that are without law" (1 Corinthians 9:21), we are also "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:6), making sure that we speak "the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15), not "handling the word of God deceitfully" (2 Corinthians 4:2).
 
We must, therefore, be very careful that our witness results in those who are "born again, not of the corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Tender Plant
 
“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2)
 
The New Testament writers say nothing at all concerning the physical appearance of the Lord when He became a man. Human tradition would picture Him as a strong athlete or handsome star, but the Scriptures indicate otherwise.
 
Our text is from the greatest of the Messianic prophecies. It tells us that, as a child, He would “grow up as a tender plant,” like a “root out of a dry ground.” Humanly speaking, He was unimpressive. He had “no form nor comeliness” and “no beauty.” He was a very ordinary appearing man. In fact, when Christ became man, He “took upon him the form of a servant |literally 'slave'|” (Philippians 2:7). Matthew, referring to Isaiah 53:4, says that He even “took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17).
 
What all this means may not be clear, but it does seem to tell us that Jesus was a very ordinary sort of man, physically. Furthermore, humanly speaking, He was quite poor, having been raised in the despised town of Nazareth, in the impoverished province of Galilee. “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,” we are told (2 Corinthians 8:9).
 
Yet this ordinary person was none other than the incarnate Creator, the Son of God! He had come, as the “Son of man”--representing all people, most of whom are also just average men and women--“to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
 
Then, even His tender body was beaten beyond recognition and His meager possessions taken away, when He was “made . . . sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), and died in our place, to save us ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny in the world to come! HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Formed to Be Inhabited
 
"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else." (Isaiah 45:18)
 
This verse is the key proof-text for the "gap theory," which attempts to accommodate the evolutionary "ages" of geology by placing them in a hypothetical gap between the first two verses of Genesis.  Genesis 1:2 states: "The earth was without form" (Hebrew, tohu), but Isaiah says, "he created it not in vain" (same word, tohu). Thus, it is argued that the earth became "tohu" long after the primeval creation, as a result of Satan's rebellion in heaven supposedly allowing the geological ages to be inserted between these two events.
 
Actually, the meaning of tohu is very flexible; it occurs 20 times and is translated 10 different ways, depending on context. In our text above, Isaiah was not writing about the initial state of the creation, but the purpose of the creation, that purpose being to provide a beautiful and appropriate home for mankind.
 
The translation "in vain" was required by Isaiah's context, just as "without form" best fits the context in Genesis 1:2. There is no conflict, since the two passages are dealing with two different subjects, and Isaiah's message simply extols God's ultimate and certain goal for His creation.
 
When God first created the space/time universe, only the basic elements of the earth (Genesis 1:1) were created, with neither structure nor inhabitant, but that was not its full purpose. God had merely "created" the heavens according to this verse. But then, with great care, He formed the earth, made the earth, and established the earth, and all this was done to make it ready to be inhabited by men and women who would share His image and know His love. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Given by Inspiration
 
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
 
This passage is the most definitive of all passages on the inspiration of the Bible. It explicitly repudiates all the false concepts which men have developed to try to escape this vital doctrine.
 
For example, it repudiates the humanistic theory of inspiration, which says that the writers were "inspired" with the same quality of exalted feelings that inspired other great writers. But this verse attributes it not to human inspiration, but to the "inspiration of God."
 
Then, there is the partial theory of inspiration, which says that part of the Bible is inspired (the "religious" parts), but that part of it is not (the scientific and historical parts). But our verse says that all Scripture is inspired! The dynamic theory says the thoughts are inspired, but not the words. However, it is the Scriptures that are inspired, not the thoughts of the men who wrote them. The "Scriptures" mean the "writings"--the actual words written.
 
The encounter theory says the Scriptures are not inspired in themselves, but only become inspired when a reader "encounters" God through reading them. This, also, is false. The Scriptures are inspired regardless of how they affect the reader. Actually, the phrase "given by inspiration of God" is one word in the Greek, meaning "God-breathed."
 
Thus, plenary verbal inspiration and complete divine origin and authority of all the Holy Scriptures is the true biblical doctrine. When one does accept the God-breathed authority of Scripture, however, he has an infinite resource, serving as an inerrant framework for all true wisdom and knowledge, and leading him into full maturity in the Christian life. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Creation Evangelism
 
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31)
 
John's Gospel is perhaps the best tool with which to lead people to saving faith in Christ, for this was John's very purpose in writing. He presents the claims of Christ and evidence for the deity of Christ, along with His substitutionary death and resurrection, in a uniquely effective way.
 
It is very important to note, however, that John begins with an affirmation of the truth of special creation. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:1, 3). This creative word was Jesus Christ, for "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (v. 14).
 
John also points out the world's rejection of its Creator. "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not" (v. 10). The world, on the whole, then rejected--and still rejects--its Creator, who was "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (v. 9). But not all rejected, for "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (v. 12).
 
And what is His name? In context, His name is given as "the Word," "God!" "the true Light," (vv. 1, 9). Only after this is He revealed as the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah (vv. 29, 34, 41), names which imply His functions and attributes.
 
If we would be more effective evangelists, we would do well to follow the approach used by John. Christ must first be accepted as the omnipotent (but offended and rejected) Creator, before He really can be understood and received as incarnate, dying, sin-purging, glorified Savior. HMM

[nChrist]

Creation Evangelism
 
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:31)
 
John's Gospel is perhaps the best tool with which to lead people to saving faith in Christ, for this was John's very purpose in writing. He presents the claims of Christ and evidence for the deity of Christ, along with His substitutionary death and resurrection, in a uniquely effective way.
 
It is very important to note, however, that John begins with an affirmation of the truth of special creation. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:1, 3). This creative word was Jesus Christ, for "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (v. 14).
 
John also points out the world's rejection of its Creator. "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not" (v. 10). The world, on the whole, then rejected--and still rejects--its Creator, who was "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (v. 9). But not all rejected, for "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (v. 12).
 
And what is His name? In context, His name is given as "the Word," "God!" "the true Light," (vv. 1, 9). Only after this is He revealed as the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah (vv. 29, 34, 41), names which imply His functions and attributes.
 
If we would be more effective evangelists, we would do well to follow the approach used by John. Christ must first be accepted as the omnipotent (but offended and rejected) Creator, before He really can be understood and received as incarnate, dying, sin-purging, glorified Savior. HMM

AMEN! I've thought about this many times, and I must agree completely. John is one of the most beautiful books in the Bible, and it's wonderful for those who might be seeking Christ. It's also wonderful for new Christians who need to establish a foundation. In the past, I've recommended books like Ephesians, but John is easier to understand.

[Soldier4Christ]

What Jesus Saw
 
"And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following." (John 1:37-38)
 
There are seven times in the Gospel of John where "Jesus saw" something which led Him to action. First, when Jesus saw the two disciples mentioned in our text, He invited them to come with Him, and their lives were changed forever. Then, the next day "Jesus saw Nathanael" (John 1:47) and also called him as one of the twelve disciples.
 
At the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, there was a man who had been crippled for 38 years. But "when Jesus saw him" (John 5:6), He healed him and made him whole. Back in Galilee, as He was teaching His disciples, "Jesus . . . saw a great company come unto him" (John 6:5), and this soon led to the great miracle of the feeding of 5,000 men with just five loaves and two small fishes.
 
Another great miracle took place, presumably in Jerusalem. As He was passing by, "Jesus . . . saw a man which was blind from his birth" (John 9:1) and proceeded to open his eyes. At the small town of Bethany, a close friend of Jesus named Lazarus was worse than blind--he was dead! His two sisters, Mary and Martha, along with many friends, were mourning bitterly when Jesus finally came. But "when Jesus therefore saw . . . |Mary| weeping" (John 11:33), He also wept and then called for Lazarus, already dead for four days, to come forth alive from the grave, and he came!
 
Then, at the cross as He was being crucified, His own mother was there, as well as His beloved disciple John. "When Jesus therefore saw his mother" (John 19:26), He commissioned John to care for her after He was gone.
 
Our Lord Jesus does see us, and sees our needs, and He does care. And there is a soon-coming day when He "shall wipe away all tears from |our| eyes" (Revelation 21:4). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Paul's Method for Success
 
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
 
Success has become a modern fetish, it seems--from selfhelp seminars, to multi-level marketing schemes, to the yuppie mentality. A motivational and success-oriented mindset has even spilled over into the church. Instead of employing such worldly methods, however, we should emulate the lives and methods of successful biblical examples, such as the apostle Paul.
 
In this passage, Paul explains his secrets. First, he kept his attention on important things. Earthly things were of no value (vv. 7-8), while the knowledge of Christ and His sufferings was of great value (vv. 8, 10). Paul's desire was to acquire the "righteousness . . . which is through the faith of Christ" (v. 9), and to attain eternal life (v. 11).
 
Second, he had a proper view of himself. He knew he was imperfect (v. 12) and incomplete (v. 13), having worth only through the work of Christ. Third, he didn't dwell on past mistakes. Once forgiven through repentance and faith in Christ, he knew that he need no longer bear the guilt for his mistakes, and must not let them hinder his present ministry.
 
Fourth, Paul looked forward to the future, stretching himself to reach his goals (vv. 13-14). And his goals were high--"the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (v. 14).
 
What is the prize which awaits those who are successful in this high calling? "Our |citizenship| is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (vv. 20-21). JDM