A Daily Devotional

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Form-Fitting

“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:6,10).

“Garbage in, garbage out” used to be an admonishment to computer operators when the data processing field was just getting started. In like manner, the new or even not-so-new Christian comes to learn that what he takes into his sensory system is what comes out, eventually. The way he thinks and behaves is modified by the experience he has gained.

The psalmist recognized this dilemma and reminds us that our Father desires truth inside our frame, in our minds. We know, however, that much error enters our minds and affects our activities. It does not lead to wisdom and is the basis for an unclean heart (mind), eventually manifesting itself in improper action-sin. The solution is to ask the Father to place a right spirit within us (v.10), replacing the spirit of rebellion and error, so that we can be “whiter than snow” (v.7).

Remembering that this psalm was written by David “when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba” (superscript), notice that the steps which must be taken are recognition that a change must take place, asking for the transformation to be made, and lastly, allowing the right spirit to flow into our minds.

Having decided to make a change, we can be certain of the outcome. Our heavenly Father promises that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

This is serious business involving our entire beings. “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

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The Word Forever


“So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever” (Psalm 119:44).

In Psalm 119 (the great “Song of the Word” with 176 references to the written word of God in its 176 verses), there are seven testimonies to the fact that the word is forever!

    The first, completing the first one-fourth of the psalm, is our text. God’s law will be there forever, and in our glorified bodies, in the new Earth, we shall keep it forever.

    The second such reference opens the second half of this great psalm. “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). Never will it be changed; it was there, waiting to be revealed in God’s time, before the creation of the world. It was there, and will be there, forever.

Note also the other references:

    (3) “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart” (v.111).

    (4) “I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end” (v.112).

    (5) “The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live” (v.144).

    (6) “Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever” (v.152).

    (7) “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (v.160).

There are similar assurances in the New Testament: “Heaven and earth shall pass away,” said Jesus, “but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The Apostle Peter wrote, quoting Isaiah 40:8, that “the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (I Peter 1:25).

How foolish it is, then, for anyone to build his life and entrust his soul to anything other than the one thing in this present world that will last forever-the written Word of God and its revelation of God in Christ.

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The Business Of The Father


“And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).

These are the first recorded words of the Lord Jesus Christ in His human incarnation. His mother had just gently rebuked Him, speaking of how she and “thy father” (meaning Joseph) had been searching for Him. He, in turn, gently rebuked her, reminding her of what she should have remembered from the angel’s message before His conception, that He had come into the world on the business of His Father in heaven, to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), and He needed to be about that business.

Finally, all the preparations for the accomplishment of the Father’s great business assignment had been completed, and Jesus willingly proceeded to the cross, on which the transaction price was to be paid. Nailed to the tree, bearing our sins, shedding His blood, He died in our place, paying the wages of sin, and thereby saving us from eternal death and judgment at the hands of a holy God. When He had drained God’s cup of wrath, and every prophecy had been fulfilled, the business was done and He could shout the great victory cry: “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

Then, in His last recorded words as in His first recorded words, He called on His Father in heaven. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). The Father’s business on Earth had been fully accomplished, all that He had been sent to do had been done, and now He could return home.

Well, not quite! After His resurrection and a quick visit when he ascended to “my Father, and your Father” (John 20:17), He returned for forty days to prepare His disciples for their assignment from the Father. “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you,” He said (John 20:21). And now we, also, must be about our Father’s business.

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Blessed Persecution


“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).

The eighth of Christ’s “beatitudes” is perhaps the most difficult of all to understand and accept. How can persecution possibly be a blessing? “Rejoice,” He said, “for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:12). The first prophet was Abel, and he was murdered by Cain. Moses was reviled, David was hounded by Saul, Elijah was pursued by Ahab and Jezebel, Jeremiah was imprisoned, Daniel was thrown in a den of lions, and Nehemiah was opposed and defamed. John the Baptist was beheaded, and later, all the apostles were bitterly persecuted with all except John dying as martyrs.

The Lord did not promise a blessing to all those suffering persecution, of course, but specifically to those persecuted for righteousness’ sake. “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,” Paul said, “not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).

Persecution of true Christians has continued through all the years since. It is more severe in some times and places than others, but it is always there to some degree. As Jesus said: “Because ye are not of the world, . . . therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). Furthermore, persecution will be more intense than ever in the last days. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (II Timothy 3:12,13).

There is a divine purpose in all this, however, and this turns the suffering into a blessing. When His life truly becomes our life, He promises that we shall, indeed, possess the kingdom of heaven. “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him” (II Timothy 2:11,12).

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The Entropy Of Unconcern


“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (I Corinthians 15:34).

In this verse, the Greek word translated “shame” is the fascinating word entrope, meaning, literally, “turning-in.” It is used only one other time, in I Corinthians 6:5: “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?”

The scientist, Clausius, in 1865, selected this word (“entropy” in English) to describe the dissipation of energy, or state of disorder, in any functioning system. The famous Second Law of Thermodynamics which he helped demonstrate to be a universal law of science, states that the entropy (i.e., the disorganization) of any system always tends to increase. That is, any system which “turns inward” to derive the energy or information to keep working, will eventually run down and cease to function. It is this law which indicates that the very concept of evolution is essentially impossible. “Evolution” means “rolling outward,” and implies increasing complexity, whereas “entropy” means “turning inward,” and implies decreasing complexity.

In the context of our text, the unconcern of the Corinthian Christians that some in their number were “agnostic,” or ignorant about the very existence and nature of God their Creator, was a measure of their state of “entropy,” or “in-turning”-that is, their self-centeredness-and this was a shameful state!

There is no excuse for a Christian to be an “entropic” Christian-a self-centered, self-sufficient, self-righteous hindrance to the cause of Christ, indifferent to the unbelief and compromise all around him, concerned only with his own personal affairs and comfort. The urgent command to such a one is “Wake up!”

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The Roddery


“And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you” (Numbers 17:5).

It could be said that “the natives were getting restless” in the 16th chapter of Numbers, when the people grew weary of the leadership of Moses and Aaron. They didn’t like what had happened to Korah and his wicked companions when God made the earth open and swallow them, so they challenged God’s chosen leader, Moses, and in so doing, issued a challenge to God.

Enough was enough, and God sent a plague to consume the people. Moses and Aaron hurried to take a censor from the altar and offer incense among the people so as to assuage God’s anger. This was accomplished, but not before 14,700 people died in the plague (Numbers 16:49). As a result, God decided to settle this issue of priestly authority once and for all, and proposed a test.

God commanded that each tribe submit a rod with the tribe’s name on it, along with Aaron’s rod for the tribe of Levi. Then he laid them in the tabernacle, where God would meet with Moses to work a miracle-make a dead rod blossom. Whichever tribe’s rod blossomed would be the next set of leaders. This happened, and more, on the next day. Aaron’s rod was the one chosen, but it not only budded, it brought forth blossoms, and yielded almonds. That budded rod became a testimony against the rebels from then on.

Thus we read about a roddery, not a lottery, of twelve possible outcomes. In the lottery, chance is the overriding factor, but in this roddery, God’s will and perfect knowledge were the directing forces. In real life, there is no error or alternative-only certainty. “God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:7).

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Adam And Mrs.Adam


“Male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created” (Genesis 5:2).

In these days of sensitivity concerning sexism, it is important to focus on God’s own evaluation of the two sexes and their respective roles in the divine plan. As Creator of both, He alone can speak authoritatively about this matter.

Both man and woman were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and thus, in the categories of salvation, rewards, and eternal fellowship with their Creator, both are surely equal. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. . . . There is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26,28).

At the same time, when God created them, He named them both “Adam,” as our text notes. This is actually the same word as “man,” as in Genesis 2:7 (“the LORD God formed man”), etc. Thus it is Biblical to use the word “man” generically, when referring to the human race in general. When the woman was formed out of Adam’s side, Adam said, “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). Here a different Hebrew word is used for “man” (ish), and “woman” is isha.

Adam also gave his new bride a personal name. “Adam called his wife’s name Eve (‘life-giver’); because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20).

There is, therefore, nothing demeaning in using “man” as a generic term for both men and women, for this usage is sanctioned by God Himself. Nevertheless, each individual has his or her own distinctive personal name, and God deals with each of us individually on that basis. Our obedience and faithfulness to the divinely ordained role each of us is called by Him to fill, is God’s criterion by which He measures us for eternity.

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The Thoughts Of God


“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them” (Psalm 139:17).

The motivating inspiration for the greatest scientists of the past (Newton, Kepler, Maxwell, etc.) was often expressed by them as seeking to “think God’s thoughts after Him.” The great achievements of these God-fearing men of science have enabled us to understand just a little portion of God’s infinitely great and complex creation, but never can any group of men ever manage to think all His thoughts after Him. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 55:. “How great is the sum of them,” our text says. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it” (Psalm 139:6).

Yet it is surely right to try, for God has commanded man to “have dominion” over the earth (Genesis 1:26), and this implies understanding its processes and systems. We are to seek also to incorporate His thought patterns into ours, for He said to “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

In fact, our whole mission, in one sense, as summed up in II Corinthians 10:5, is to be “casting down imaginations (or ‘reasonings’), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” We should, indeed, strive to think God’s thoughts after Him, not only in our scientific research, but in every area of our lives.

There is one thing certain, of course. God’s thoughts will never contradict His revealed Word, so this is the place to start. God surely “understandest my thought afar off” (Psalm 139:2), and He desires our thoughts to conform to His. For if we are truly Christians, “we have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16).

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Questioning The Resurrection


“Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (I Corinthians 15:12).

Our text comes from one of the mountain-peak chapters of Scripture, expounding the great theme of the resurrection-first the past resurrection of Christ, then the future resurrection of those who “are fallen asleep in Christ” (v.18).

In verses 12 through 19 of this chapter appear seven skeptical suppositions, each beginning with the small but potent word “if.” The first of these is in our text above. The others are enumerated below:

“If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen” (v.13). “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (v.14). “If so be that the dead rise not (we are found false witnesses of God)” (v.15). “If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised” (v.16). “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (v.17). “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (v.19).

Then, in a single, glorious answer to all these doubts and questions, the Apostle Paul dispels the “ifs” with a “but!” “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (v.20).

And, indeed, all these issues are settled by the great victory won over sin and death and the grave by our Lord Jesus Christ! Our faith is not vain, but sound and sure; our preaching is not vain, but positive and powerful. Because Christ is risen, there will be a future resurrection of the dead, and our witness of God is true. Our sins are forever forgiven, and our hope in Christ makes this life one of peace and joy, not misery. The bodily resurrection of Christ is the most certain fact of history, and the resurrection of those whose faith is in Christ is the most certain hope of the future.

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Read The Bible


“And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them” (Deuteronomy 17:19).

This was the divine prescription for one called to be a leader of God’s people. He must have God’s word “with him” and he must “read therein all the days of his life” if he truly desired to live effectively before God and the people.

The Bible, there on the shelf, is the most important thing in our lives! We believe in God, in Christ, in heaven, in angels, in salvation, in eternal life, and a host of other things we have never seen or heard or touched. It is the Bible that tells us about them; otherwise, we would never have known. It is our one link, in this world, with that world. It is, therefore, inestimably important to our well-being in eternity.

We must hear it often, for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). “Give attendance to reading,” Paul said (I Timothy 4:13).

Hearing and reading are necessary, but not sufficient. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, . . . rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). The Berean Christians received a timeless commendation, for they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

It is also important to memorize Scripture. “Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart” (Proverbs 7:2,3).

Finally, we must meditate on God’s word. “O how love I thy law!” We should feel with the psalmist, “it is my meditation all the day. . . . I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:97,99). Therefore, read, study, memorize, obey, and proclaim the written word of God-the Bible!

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Forgiveness


“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).

In Matthew 18:21, Peter asks the Lord, “How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Jesus answers (v.22): “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Jesus then goes on to tell the story of the king who forgave the large debt of one of his servants, only to later find that the same servant refused to forgive a much smaller debt owed him by another. As a result, the unforgiving servant was cast into prison and held accountable for the debt. Jesus, turning to Peter, then says: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (v.35).

The first mention of the word “forgive” in Scripture is found in the story of godly Joseph, whose life foreshadowed Christ’s, in many ways. After their father Jacob’s burial, Joseph’s brothers sent a messenger to him saying that Jacob had made the following request of him: “Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil” (Genesis 50:17). Joseph’s reply (after he had wept) is the key to being able to forgive others: “Fear not: for am I in the place of God? . . . Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them” (Genesis 50:19,21).

Of Jesus Christ, it is said, “when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to Him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:23). The same just but forgiving Lord who commands us to do likewise unto others will enable us to do so to the extent to which we are willing to commit our lives to “Him that judgeth righteously.”

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Word And Deed



“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1).

The contrast between our words and deeds is often quite notorious, with many excusing their refusal to consider Christianity or church attendance with the claim that many Christians are hypocrites. This all-too-true charge has likewise been the theme of many cynical clichés. “Why don’t you practice what you preach?” “He talks a good game.” “Do as I say-not as I do.” Whatever truth there may be in these clichés, they certainly did not apply to the Lord Jesus Christ. As Luke began to write the Book of Acts, he recalled that his gospel had recorded what “Jesus began both to do and teach.” In the last chapter of his gospel, he had recorded the common recognition of the disciples that “Jesus of Nazareth . . . was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19).

As far as His words are concerned, “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29). “And they were astonished at His doctrine: for His word was with power” (Luke 4:32). Even His enemies said: “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46).

But His actions spoke even louder than His words! He “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). Those who observed His deeds “were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well” (Mark 7:37).

In all these attributes of His human life, He was, of course, “leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (I Peter 2:21,22). May we, indeed, continue what He “began both to do and teach.” “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 3:17).

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The Gift Of Suffering



“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).

According to the Bible, God both possesses infinite power and manifests infinite love. Undeserved suffering in the world, however, has long been one of the chief arguments of atheists. They maintain that if God exists, He is either powerless to prevent such suffering or is too unloving to care.

In reality, there is no such thing as unmerited suffering, “for all have sinned,” and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23; 6:23). One person may indeed suffer because of the sin of someone else, but even that person has undoubtedly brought suffering to others on other occasions.

Neither is there such a thing as purposeless suffering, for God makes even man’s wrath to praise Him (Psalm 76:10). When Adam sinned, God cursed the ground for man’s sake (Genesis 3:17), and multitudes of lost sinners have come to Christ for salvation as a result of the sufferings they have experienced in a world under God’s curse.

As far as believing Christians are concerned, they are given the privilege of being “partakers of Christ’s sufferings” (I Peter 4:13). Jesus Christ is the only One who never really deserved to suffer, since He alone was sinless, but “Christ also suffered for us. . . . The just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Peter 2:21; 3:18).

Thus, our text assures us that the experience of suffering “in the behalf of Christ” is a gift of God’s grace (the word “given” is, literally, “graced”). One day it will all be over (Revelation 21:4), but until then, “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (II Corinthians 4:16,17).

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Curiously Wrought

“My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:15,16).

This marvelous picture of an embryonic child growing in its mother’s womb not only is scientifically accurate, but also shows clearly that God is concerned with the developing infant from the very moment of conception.

Verse 13 introduces this pen-picture, saying: “Thou hast covered me [literally ‘shielded me’-a striking reference to the protection of the embryo as it grows] in my mother’s womb.” Verse 14 says the child is “wonderfully [that is, ‘differently’] made.” Each baby is designed to be like all human beings in over-all aspect, but uniquely different in detail.

Then, our text says that God was secretly making “my substance”-that is, the skeletal frame-and also “embroidering it [the meaning of ‘curiously wrought’) in the lowest parts of the earth.” This seems to be a remarkable anticipation of the double-helical DNA molecular program which organizes the beautiful structure of the whole child. God first made the “lowest parts,” or elements, of Earth matter, then formed Adam’s body from this “dust of the ground [earth]” (Genesis 2:7).

The “substance, yet being unperfect” is one word in the Hebrew, meaning “embryo.” All of its members were written in God’s book before they existed-probably from the foundation of the world. Then He “fashioned” it (same word as when He “formed” Adam’s body), and watched over it continually thenceforth. What a tremendous revelation this is, of God’s providential care of each new human being who comes into the world!

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Created; Formed; Made


“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7).

There are three main verbs used to describe God’s work of creation in Genesis. These are “create” (Hebrew bara), “make” (asah), and “form” (yatsar). The three words are similar in meaning, but each with a slightly different emphasis. None of them, of course, can mean anything at all like “evolve,” or “change,” on their own accord.

All three are used in Genesis with reference to man. “And God said, Let us make man in our image. . . . So God created man in His own image. . . . And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground” (Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7).

Although the subject of creation is commonly associated with Genesis, it is mentioned even more frequently by the great prophet Isaiah. The words bara and yatsar are used twice as often in Isaiah as in any other Old Testament book, and are applied uniquely to works of God. All three verbs are used together in Isaiah 45:18 in order to describe, adequately, God’s purposeful work in preparing the earth for man: “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.”

God created, formed, made, and established the earth, that it might be the home of men and women. But what was God’s purpose for the people who would inhabit it? Our text answers this most fundamental of questions, and, once again, all three key verbs are used: “I have created him . . . I have formed him, . . . I have made him . . . for my glory.”

This Biblical perspective alone provides the greatest of all possible incentives to live a godly and useful life. The reason we were created is to glorify God!