A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Jabez
 
"And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow." (1 Chronicles 4:9)
 
Though neither his parents nor descendants are included, the name of Jabez has apparently been inserted in the genealogical lists of I Chronicles because of a notable prayer of his. In spite of its seemingly selfish nature, his prayer was answered when he "called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it might not grieve me!" (1 Chronicles 4:10).
 
The birth of Jabez had evidently been accompanied by some kind of pain or sorrow, for the name he was given means "to grieve." Perhaps his brothers had been a grief to his mother in some way, and he wanted to compensate. Since the account does not elaborate, we don't know the background.
 
In any case (precisely because we don't know), it is doubtful whether this prayer should be taken as a model prayer for modern believers. The prayer taught by Jesus to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them provides a more certain guide (see Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).
 
In that prayer, the first request is not to "bless me" but rather "thy kingdom come" and then "thy will be done." Neither did He tell us to pray for a larger "coast" (that is "territory") but simply to provide "day by day our daily bread."
 
Sometimes God does answer what may seem to be a selfcentered prayer, but there should always be a God-centered reason when we pray such a prayer, and Jabez no doubt had such a reason. We never want to have our prayers answered in the sense of Psalm 106:15 — God "gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Coming Generations
 
"That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children." (Psalm 78:6)
 
Each generation of people tends to regard its own times as the most significant of all, toward which all past history has been merely a preparation. The fact is, however, that God has "been our dwelling place in all generations" (Psalm 90:1), and He is equally concerned about any generations yet to come.
 
This is why He stresses repeatedly that the great truths concerning God's creation, His character, His great work of salvation, and His long-range plans for the ages to come be transmitted faithfully from one generation to another. "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare
thy mighty acts" (Psalm 145:4).
 
Our modern scientific generation almost idolizes new research, new gadgets, new discoveries, and new amusements. The God of eternity, however, is not so concerned that we develop new ideas as that we not lose those precious truths which He has already given us. "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth" (Psalm 119:89-90). Christ said: "That which ye have already hold fast till I come." "Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Revelation 2:25; 3:11).
 
The great principle of true education is given by Paul in 2 Timothy 2:2: "The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." The great account of Christ's crucifixion, especially, is to be taught forever. "They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this" (Psalm 22:31). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Shaking the Earth Terribly
 
"And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." (Isaiah 2:19)
 
Ever since the convulsions of the Flood, the earth's crust has been in a state of instability, causing earthquakes from time to time all around the world.
 
But there are earthquakes yet to come which will exceed anything ever yet experienced. The earthquake prophesied in our text was also predicted in Revelation. "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; . . . and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And . . . |they| hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from . . . the wrath of the Lamb" (Revelation 6:12-16). But when these judgments of God are in the earth, those who have rejected the love of the sin-bearing Lamb of God still will remain unrepentant and will merely seek to flee His anger.
 
God is long-suffering, but "the great day of his wrath" will surely come (Revelation 6:17). "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; . . . I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations" (Haggai 2:6-7). "The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly" (Isaiah 24:19). Finally will come "a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. . . . And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Revelation 16:18, 20).
 
Those who belong to Christ, however, will be delivered from the wrath to come: "This word . . . signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, . . . that those things which cannot be shaken may remain" (Hebrews 12:27). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Finding Grace
 
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (Genesis 6:8)
 
This is the very first reference in the Bible to the great concept of the grace of God. In the midst of the most violent and wicked society that history has ever seen, there was one man who was "a just man and perfect in his generations" (Genesis 6:9), and the reason why he was different was that he "found grace in the eyes of the LORD."
 
In this first mention of such a vital doctrine, it is stressed that the grace of God is not something which is either earned or learned. It cannot be gained by good works or by much study. Grace is found! "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). The eyes of the Lord had to search diligently in an earth "filled with violence" (Genesis 6:13) to find a man whose heart was open toward God. But when He did find such a man, "Noah found grace!"
 
In a beautiful pattern of divine inspiration, it is significant that the first mention of grace in the New Testament stresses the same great truth. It appears in the words of the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary: "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor |literally 'grace'| with God" (Luke 1:30). Thus Mary, like Noah, "found grace with God." Noah was chosen by the Lord to save a believing remnant through the Flood by the building of the Ark of safety, and Mary was chosen by the Lord to bring into the world the One who would take away its sin, the eternal Ark of Salvation.
 
It is the same today. Although "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11), only "few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14). God's grace is available to all if they will but believe and accept it, but it takes a seeing heart and a hearing soul to find it. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Omniscience of God
 
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." (Psalm 147:5)
 
Consider the great rhetorical question asked by the apostle Paul: "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?" (Romans 11:34). The most learned scholars of every age are mere infants in knowledge compared to Him. "There is no searching of his understanding" (Isaiah 40:28).
 
Everyone who believes in God acknowledges that God, by definition, is omniscient. He created all things and upholds all things, and thus understands all things. He even knows all the future, for He is "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" (Isaiah 57:15), and He created time itself.
 
Now, while every believer acknowledges this, few really live as if they believe it. Most of the time, we live and speak and choose just as though God neither knows nor cares what we do. But He does know! "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, . . . and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether" (Psalm 139:2-4).
 
Furthermore, as our text reminds us, He is not only omniscient, but omnipotent. He is "of great power." He has created all things, and because "he is strong in power; not one faileth" (Isaiah 40:26). Because He is omniscient, He knew how all things should be made, and because He is omnipotent, He made them that way. There would, obviously, be no thought whatever of a trial-and-error, random-mutation, survival-of-the-fittest, extinction-and-redevelopment sort of creative process with such a God.
 
Just as He made His creation "very good" (Genesis 1:31), so we, also, as believers saved by His grace, are "his workmanship" (Ephesians 2:10). He does know, and does care, and does work, in all our ways. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

In the Spirit
 
"Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3)
 
Paul the apostle had founded a number of churches in Galatia, leading many Gentiles to saving faith in Christ, but soon found that his teachings were being undermined by Judaizing Christians with their legalistic insistence on circumcision before these converts could really be Christians. Therefore, Paul had to remind the Galatians rather sternly that they had received the Holy Spirit as their in-dwelling guide and witness when they accepted Christ and that was sufficient evidence of their salvation.
 
Believing Christians today also have received the Holy Spirit, and thus have already been redeemed, "so, having begun in the Spirit," we do not need any further "fleshly" actions to be saved. Good works are vitally important, but they are the results of, rather than prerequisites to, salvation; "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit," Paul writes, for if we "walk in the Spirit, |we| shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:25, 16).
 
We need to realize the tremendous privilege of the Spirit's presence within us once we have believed on Christ. In His resurrection body He is in heaven, but the Holy Spirit has been sent by the Lord, to be with us and in us. God, therefore, can and does hear even our silent prayers, and we should be "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18), for we "have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Ephesians 2:18). It is through Him that we "worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3). We must remember that "ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if an y man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Disobedient Midwives
 
"But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive." (Exodus 1:17)
 
Shiphrah and Puah were two courageous women. In the time of Israel's slavery in Egypt, they risked their lives because they knew that Pharaoh was wicked and wrong to order the murder of the Hebrew male children. Were the record merely to note their courage, we would applaud their actions.
 
However, the Scripture tells us that they lied to Pharaoh when he asked them why the population was still growing. Indeed, we are told that "God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very might" (Exodus 1:20). Opponents of Christianity frequently use this incident to charge God with a "tolerance" of evil--or worse yet, that God approves of any means to obtain His own ends.
 
Tamar (Genesis 38:24) and Rahab (Joshua 6:25) both prostituted themselves, and yet their children are in the direct lineage of the Messiah. Some of the worst kings in history were used by God to accomplish His will. God even sent a "lying spirit" (1 Kings 22:22-23) to do His bidding. What about this? Does God "do evil, that good may come?" (Romans 3:8).
 
No. "God cannot be tempted with evil" (James 1:13) and it is "impossible for God to lie" (Hebrews 6:18). God is absolutely holy (Exodus 15:11; Amos 4:2; etc.) without any "darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). It is absolutely clear in Scripture that God will work "all things after the counsel of his own will" (Ephesians 1:11). Even "the wrath of man shall praise thee" (Psalm 76:10). However difficult it may be to understand an apparent conflict in give n circumstantial instances, we must "judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

One Sacrifice Forever
 
"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God." (Hebrews 10:12)
 
Ever since Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord in the first generation, and Noah "offered burnt offerings on the altar" after the Flood (Genesis 8:20), and then especially after God through Moses established the regular tabernacle offerings, including "the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings" (Leviticus 9:22), it has somehow been understood everywhere that God (or "the gods" in pagan cultures) must be approached and appeased by sacrificial offerings, with innocent animals substituting for those offering them.
 
This was still true among Jewish worshippers of the true God even in Jesus' day, and they all understood that "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). In those days, "every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins" (Hebrews 10:11) just tentatively "cover" them.
 
But no more! Now, in personal faith, we need simply to "behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). When we put our full trust in Him, "we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" and He has promised that "their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. . . . there is no more offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:10, 17-18).
 
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. . . . For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry" (Hebrews 9:28; 10:37). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Alive with Christ
 
"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him." (Romans 6:8-9)
 
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead both guarantees the future bodily resurrection of the believer and associates us positionally with Him now. Since He died for our sins, we, in effect, were "dead with Christ." Therefore, when He defeated death and hell, and revived His own dead body in immortal power, He broke any dominion of death over Him or over those who were, positionally, with Him.
 
This is one of the grandest scriptural themes of the Christian life. We were dead with Christ, but now God "hath quickened us together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:5). Not only have we been "made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22) with Him, but we have also been "raised" with Him up from the grave and then into heaven where we are "seated" with Him on His throne! "|God| hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).
 
This means also that we have been glorified with Him and are actually reigning with Him. "The Spirit |Himself| beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: . . . that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16-17).
 
But if all this is only true in position, what meaning does His resurrection life have on our daily lives now? Simply this--that knowing these truths gives us the incentive and power to live them. "If |or, literally, 'since'| ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3). "For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you" (2 Corinthians 13:4). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Love Is Obedience
 
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3)
 
The disciple John is known as that disciple who had a special love for Jesus and vice versa. He was identified as that disciple "whom Jesus loved" (John 20:2). His writings give a clear picture of the love that God has for us, as well as the kind of love we should have in response to Him. John does not identify this type of love as an emotional or sentimental feeling. It is more than affection; it is total obedience to Him, as noted in the following sampling of verses. "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in him" (1 John 2:5). "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments" (2 John 6). Such a view of love may come as a surprise to some, but it reflects total submission to His kingship. This is the proof of our love for God as seen in our text and elsewhere.
 
The other side of love is love toward men, and John has much to say of this matter as well. "And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also" (1 John 4:21). He elsewhere writes "that we love one another" (2 John 5); and "these things I command you, that ye love one another" (John 15:17). Paul even picks up the theme: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:9-10). In summary, love to man is a principle that works no ill towards one's neighbor, but, in contrast, seeks his greater good. Christ's human half-brother calle d it "the royal law" (James 2:8). Love to God yields obedience to all His commandments. Both kinds of love are mandated by God. "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Offense of the Cross
 
"And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased." (Galatians 5:11)
 
The cross is profoundly offensive to the natural man, for it brands him as a hell-deserving sinner. It makes his only hope of salvation a humbling acknowledgment of Christ, the rejected Creator, as his personal Savior who died for his sins.
 
It is especially sad when Christians seek to escape this offense of the cross by accommodating their preaching of the cross to the opinions of those who reject it. In the case of the Galatians, legalistic Christians were insisting that Christian converts from paganism be circumcised in order to avoid offending the Jews. When Paul, instead, preached salvation by grace alone, he was persecuted for it.
 
This particular compromise has long been forgotten, but a multitude of others have arisen during the ensuing centuries to take its place. Whenever some new philosophy or practice becomes popular in the world, a Christian party will soon be found advocating its adoption in the church, ostensibly to promote easier acceptance of the gospel, but in reality seeking to mitigate the offense of the cross.
 
Whenever the pagan world follows after a new dress trend or a new music form, a new philosophy or a new lifestyle, many Christians are sure to follow. Witness the widespread compromise with pantheistic evolution and its so-called geologic "ages" by Christian accommodationists, for example. Or, consider the current acceptance of Eastern or Freudian thinking by biblical counselors, or the common sanction of divorce for trivial reasons.
 
Instead of fleeing from the offense of the cross, we need to say with Paul, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Lessons for Angels
 
"Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:12)
 
This is an amazing revelation. Many Christians speak of what they call the "simple gospel," and yet its scope is so great that angels, whose wisdom and power are far greater than those of human beings, are continually learning about its riches as they watch from heaven.
 
Angels, like humans, are created beings. They are not omniscient, and they evidently are learning more and more about Him as they observe the outworkings of His great plan of creation and redemption through the lives of redeemed men and women on earth. In fact, "the principalities and powers in heavenly places" are somehow being instructed "by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:10-11).
 
Satan and the angels who are following him in his long war against God are also learning. They learned long ago that they could not destroy Job's faith in God, nor Peter's testimony for Christ, though they surely tried! And they will soon start learning, in the "everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41), that God alone is Creator and eternal King.
 
Now if angels are still learning about God and His ways, though they have already been in God's presence for thousands of years, we can also learn from them, that our future translation to heaven will not immediately enable us to understand all things. We, like they, shall continue learning forever "the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Romans 11:33). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

In No Wise
 
"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42)
 
This little phrase "in no wise" is a translation of two single-syllable Greek words, which in effect become a double negative, stressing that the thing mentioned will absolutely never occur. The expression is also sometimes translated "in no case," "by no means," or "not at all." It is therefore very instructive to notice a few such items which can never ever happen.
 
For example, as our text says, any small kindness done in the name of Christ or one of his followers will never go unrewarded. Jesus even said, "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God |like| a little child shall in no wise enter therein" (Luke 18:17). But He also said: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). Both His warnings and His assurances are pointedly positive! Mere outward righteousness will never suffice. "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees," He said, "ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20).
 
For those who do come to Him, however, He promises that "I will never |that is, "never in any case whatever"| leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). And as far as the Scriptures are concerned, He has said that "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18).
 
Finally, when the holy city comes down out of heaven, and the eternal ages begin, "there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, . . . but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 21:27). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Why the Righteous Suffer
 
"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:5-6)
 
God had said that Job was "a perfect and an upright man" and that there was "none like him in the earth" (Job 1:8). Yet Job suffered as few men have ever suffered. After a fruitful life of great prosperity and highest esteem in the community, he suddenly lost all his possessions, all his children, his health, the love of his wife, and the respect of his closest friends. His friends, presuming to defend God's character, insisted Job must have been guilty of some terrible secret sin. But Job, in all good conscience, while still trusting God, felt he had to defend his own integrity against these false charges.
 
Nevertheless, despite Job's spotless record of moral righteousness, when he encountered God Himself, he could only despise his own proud self-righteousness and prostrate himself in dust and ashes. Similarly, the beloved disciple, John, after a long life of faithful service, fell like a dead man at the feet of Christ when he saw Him in His glory (Revelation 1:17). Daniel also saw Him in this fashion, and even after his long, exemplary life, all of his apparent goodness and work suddenly appeared like corruption (Daniel 10:5-9).
 
In the presence of God, even the most holy among men appear vile, and the sins of pride and self-righteousness and self-sufficiency--which almost inevitably are still present in their hearts--must somehow be purged before they are fully like Jesus.
 
This is why Job and Daniel and Paul and all other godly men and women must suffer in some degree as training for heavenly service. "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). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Lord Was with Him
 
"And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand." (Genesis 39:3)
 
Joseph deserves special recognition among the Patriarchs. His story encourages us, as he remained faithful in adversity and gracious in success. Yet we do disservice to the biblical message if we only see the circumstantial side of the story. The LORD was with him. It is always instructive to see how the rest of the Bible applies God's personal intervention in our lives. Please note the emphasis in these other key passages:

     
    • Joshua (Joshua 6:27)--leadership fame
    • Judah (the tribe in Judges 1:19)--military might
    • Samuel (1 Samuel 3:19)--complete obedience
    • David (1 Samuel 18:12)--God's favor
    • Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:7)--leading a zealous revival
    • Phineas (1 Chronicles 9:20)--wise leadership
    • Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:3)--his faithfulness
    • John the Baptist (Luke 1:66)--total commitment
    • Scattered Jews (Acts 11:21)--their witness

 
Because God was with the various people, they were successful. Yet because they were obedient to God's use of them, God was with them.
 
The Lord Jesus promised the saints: "I am with you always even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). But that promise is given to us as encouragement to teach all nations "to observe, all things" as the Lord Jesus commanded us--because all power (authority) is His, and His alone. If we "abide" in Christ, we can ask whatever we want "and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). However, the absolute qualifier is the abiding. If we do not abide in Him, we cannot produce "fruit" (John 15:4). If we are "in the flesh," we "cannot please God" (Romans 8:8). God will be with us if, when, and as we are not "weary in we ll doing" (Galatians 6:9). HMM III