A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sword
 
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)
 
The Christian life is a life of war, and the Christian soldier must be a skilled swordsman if he is to survive and win. In our text, Jesus taught that a peaceful life would not be the Christian’s lot, but a life of swordsmanship instead.
 
The first "sword" mentioned in the Old Testament was not a sword of metal, but a "flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24). Likewise, the final sword mentioned in the New Testament is "the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth" (Revelation 19:21). This is the fiery sword with which the coming "man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) will be defeated "whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (v. 8). "He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked" (Isaiah 11:4).
 
The mighty "word of the LORD" by which "were the heavens made" (Psalm 33:6) is still a flaming sword, turning every way, for "out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword" (Revelation 1:16) as John saw Him in His present glory.
 
Furthermore, we can wield this same sword by His Spirit, for "the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword . . . a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
 
The Christian armor, as outlined in Ephesians 6:13-17, is all defensive armor with the one exception of the prayerful use of "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (v. 17). In this wonderful text, the spoken "word of God" is in view--the sword applied, on either edge, turning every way, probing exactly when and where needed in each encounter of every battle of the Christian warfare. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Lasting Noahic Covenant
 
"And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth." (Genesis 9:11)
 
When God gave Noah this promise, the world had just been through the devastating cataclysm that flooded the entire globe and destroyed all except those on Noah's Ark. The world was fearful and barren and there seemed nothing to prevent another such flood from coming on the earth.
 
Nevertheless, God's promise--not only to Noah but also to the animals (Genesis 9:9-10)--has been kept for over 4,000 years. God later reminded Job of this promise when He told him that He had "shut up the sea with doors. . . . And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed" (Job 38:8, 11). The psalmist also referred to this covenant. When the whole earth had been covered "with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled. . . . Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth" (Psalm 104:6-7, 9).
 
God has kept His Word, and there has never been another worldwide flood. Sadly, however, many modern compromising Christian theologians and scientists have said that the Flood must have been only a local or regional flood, in order (they hope) to please the evolutionists, practically all of whom insist that the earth is 4.6 billion years old and never had any global flood.
 
If that were true, however, then God has broken His promise. There have been numerous local and regional floods in the world since Noah's day. But God has kept His promise. The Flood indeed was a unique cataclysm in which "the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished" (2 Peter 3:6), and such a flood has never occurred again. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

With Christ
 
"For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power." (Colossians 2:9-10)
 
The book of Colossians begins with a stirring exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Creator (1:16) and Sustainer of all things (v. 17). He is the Head of the church, and preeminent in all things (v. 18). He is fully God (v. 19) and yet Redeemer (v. 20). On the other hand, believers, before they were reconciled, are described as "alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works" (v. 21).
 
It comes as somewhat of a surprise, then, in chapters two and three, to see that we are inexorably linked with Christ. Our lives and destinies are His--our identification with Him is total. We are not just reconciled, we are with Him in all things.
 
Notice, first, that we are "buried with him in baptism" (2:12). Furthermore, we are "quickened together |i.e., made alive| with him," no longer "dead in |our| sins" (v. 13), and "risen with him" (v. 12). Just as surely as God "raised him from the dead," we are born again; given new life.
 
Obviously, since we are "risen with Christ, |we should| seek those things which are above" (3:1). Our priorities should be His godly priorities (v. 2), for "Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (v. 1), and we are there.
 
Next, we are told that our "life is hid with Christ in God" (v. 3). To be hidden in Christ is to be totally immersed, covered, our sins concealed, our identity masked within His; indeed, remade into His. God accepts Christ and us, as well, as we are hidden in Him. The next verse amplifies this identification with the term "Christ . . . our life" (v. 4).
 
This identification will not be in vain, for when He "shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (v. 4). As our text teaches, we are "complete in him," for He is fully God, and we are with Him in all things. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Magnificent Obsession
 
"For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more." (1 Corinthians 9:19)
 
In his letter to the Ephesians (4:11-16), Paul had noted that Christ had given specific gifts to the church--apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Paul himself was all of these, however, and he wanted to win as many people as he could from all walks of life. He therefore sought to be "made all things to all men, that might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22).
 
This, indeed, was a magnificent obsession, and every Christian should seek to emulate it, as the Lord enables. Paul was not saying, however, that a man should become as a woman to win women to the Lord, or that a woman should become as a man to win men; neither should he become a humanist to win humanists. One should never dilute the doctrines of the faith or Christian standards of conduct in order to win commitments to the church.
 

Paul was not laying down guidelines for witnessing, either for the church or for individual Christians; he was giving his own personal testimony. Nevertheless, we should seek to be understanding and sympathetic to people of every background. "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God" (1 Corinthians 10:32).

We should try to "be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:24-25). Remembering it is "God that giveth the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:7), we should never compromise truth in order to gain converts, but "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15), beseech others, "be ye reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

A Nail in a Sure Place
 
"And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house." (Isaiah 22:22-23)
 
This prophecy was originally applied to Eliakim, the keeper of the treasuries in the reign of King Hezekiah. The wearing of the key to the treasuries on his shoulder was symbolic of authority. Isaiah, in fact, had used this same symbol in his great prophecy of the coming Messiah, saying that "unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6).
 
Eliakim thus became a type of Christ in his capacity to open and shut doors with his special key. The Lord Jesus quoted from this passage in His promise to the church at Philadelphia: "These things saith . . . he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name" (Revelation 3:7-8). This strong assurance has been a great bulwark to many who were trying to maintain a true witness during times of opposition and suffering.
 
But Eliakim was also called "a nail in a sure place," and in this also he becomes a wonderful type of Christ. Eliakim was trustworthy in his office, and so is Christ. The nail in a sure place speaks of stability in time of trouble, as Ezra later said: "Now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, . . . to give us a nail in his holy place" (Ezra 9:8). Eventually, of course, Eliakim’s nail had to be removed (Isaiah 22:25), but never that of Christ, for He is "an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast" (Hebrews 6:19) who will never fail. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Humanity's First Job
 
"God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:28)
 
This verse is often called the Dominion Mandate and is repeated and amplified in Genesis 9:1-7. The purpose is clear: accept the responsibility to bring into subjection all of earth's systems and creatures, effectively managing its resources, growing and expanding until the earth is filled with the fruits of that labor.
 
Man's First Job Description: When God made the garden "eastward in Eden" (Genesis 2:8) and placed Adam there, Adam was to "dress |serve| and keep |guard|" that special and lavishly designed estate (Genesis 2:8-15) in the unique role as initial occupant, but more broadly as God's steward for earth. There were no instructions on how to serve and guard, only the general "orders" from the Owner to the steward.
 
Man's Implied Responsibility: Since there were no instructions about the functioning systems of earth, Adam had to first learn about the earth's systems and processes (science) and then organize and utilize the discoveries in productive ways to help others and honor the Creator (technology).
 
The information about those practical inventions and products of technology had to then be accurately disseminated to everyone through business, education, communication, transportation, etc.
 
And finally, both the information and inventions had to be received so that the divine evaluation ("very good") was detailed in works of music, art, and literature, glorifying and praising God for all He had done in creating and making all things.
 
The ongoing responsibility is still in effect in us "as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Stewardship Conflicts
 
"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." (Psalm 8:6-8)
 
The commission to rule over earth was never withdrawn from mankind by the Creator. That "Dominion Mandate" implies authorization for the following human enterprises:

     
    • Discovery of truth--science, research, exploration
    • Application of truth--agriculture, engineering, medicine, technology, etc.
    • Implementation of truth--commerce, transportation, government, etc.
    • Interpretation of truth--fine arts, literature, theology
    • Transmission of truth--education, communication, homemaking

 
When that authority was first delegated by the Creator, earth was "very good" (Genesis 1:31). However, Adam's failure in his first assignment created an ongoing conflict with mankind's efforts on every front. Now, the "whole creation groaneth" (Romans 8:22) as the very ground from which all things are made (Genesis 3:17-19, 23-24) conflicts with the environment. "Thorns also and thistles" erupt from our efforts to cultivate (Genesis 3:18). Sin and death are the conditions of existence (Romans 5:12), and ignorance of God's ideas, ap art from God's revelation, is rampant (1 Corinthians 2:14). Humanity's drive to serve ourselves, not God or others (Ephesians 2:1-3), and the ability to obey comes only through God's new creation (Ephesians 4:17-24).
 
One day, all these wrongs will be righted with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Until that day, our mandate remains as stewards over earth. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Understanding Ownership
 
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Psalm 24:1)
 
The doctrine of creation is not merely a "scientific" debate. The opposite concepts of natural and evolutionary development versus the fiat creation of an omnipotent, omniscient, and transcendent Being impact every facet of our worldview. God owns the earth; He is its Creator (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1-2; Revelation 4:11; and hundreds of other passages throughout the Bible).
 
Christians who revere the biblical revelation of God are not to be in conflict with this most basic of all doctrines. God owns the living creatures that inhabit the earth (Psalm 50:10). He owns the metals that establish monetary value in the earth (Haggai 2:8). He claims ownership over our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19). He even states ownership of our very souls (Ezekiel 18:4). Nothing is excluded from the sphere of His ownership and kingship (1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Isaiah 45:12; Colossians 1:16-17). And we are to manage God's resources as stewards of the Owner.
 
Lucifer's error was that he thought he could become like the Owner, usurping all the rights and privileges of the Creator (Isaiah 14:12-14). Israel's error was similar; they behaved as if their possessions were their own property (Malachi 3:8-10). The prodigal son claimed for himself the right of ownership and treated the money as if it were his own (Luke 15:12-14). The unfaithful steward made no effort to be productive (Matthew 25:24).
 
We have been delegated authority over the creation itself (Genesis 1:28), are required to be faithful with the "mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1-2), and are expected to administer "the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). May God preserve us from self-serving stewardship. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Understanding Management
 
"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods." (Matthew 25:14)
 
Several kingdom parables in the New Testament provide glimpses into two major principles: God's provision and our management of His wealth.
 
In the parable of the talents found in Matthew, the "talents" (money) belong to the "lord of those servants" (Matthew 25:19), and he gave to "every man according to his several ability" (Matthew 25:15). Each steward had the master's confidence and trust, and success of enterprise depended upon the servants' productivity. Each steward received varied amounts of resources according to the master, and the reward was based on faithful use of those resources.
 
Luke's parallel account (Luke 19:13-27) focused on the percent of return. In both cases, the stewards were essentially asked, "What did you do with what you were given?" Each had enormous freedom in his management and the opportunity to demonstrate his capabilities.
 
God funds His work through His people. The funding of the tabernacle building project (Exodus 35) is a good example. The Israelites were recently freed slaves who had all been given gold by the Egyptians until there was more than enough.
 
The funding of the temple during David's reign (1 Chronicles 28 and 29) is another excellent example. The leaders gave vast amounts of wealth and building materials, setting an example for the rest of the nation. Though they did not actually build it, they had the vision for it, and their children eventually did it. God works no miracles to meet critical needs except through the miraculous giving of His willing people. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Stewards of Mysteries
 
"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1)
 
"Minister" was the Bible translators' choice for the Greek word huperetes, which literally means an "under-oarsman." It most frequently is applied to officers of various kinds. "Steward" is the somewhat more familiar term, translated from oikonomos, which is the "house-law" for any enterprise that is large enough to require "officers." The first denotes an authority under a higher authority that is exercised within legal boundaries (Luke 16:1 and Romans 16:23).
 
These descriptive titles can apply to Christian leaders, but they are also standards that all followers of Jesus Christ are to emulate. We are of the "household of God" (Ephesians 2:19) and every man serves each other as "good stewards" of God's grace (1 Peter 4:10).
 
The limitation and exercise of authority demanded of the Corinthian readers was to "minister" and "steward" the "mysteries" (plural) of God. A practical dilemma is to select where each of us will serve with our time, talents, spiritual gifts, and resources. The primarly place is, of course, the local church (Acts 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:1).
 
Additionally, we are expected to give offerings (Acts 20:35; 24:17) to kingdom works that instruct in and clarify those mysteries of God. The Institute for Creation Research deals with the mystery of those early Genesis accounts that are so critical and controversial in our day. We are "stewarding" the nature of the Godhead's triunity (Colossians 1:12-16; 2:2), which displays the invisible character of God (Romans 1:20).
 
Today's unique requirements in our secular and scientific culture necessitate a concentration of specially trained stewards who can refute the efforts of those who deny the mysteries of God. We encourage your participation with us. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Logical Milk
 
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2)
 
This exhortation is directed to young Christians who have only recently trusted God's enduring Word, preached to them in the saving gospel of Christ.
 
Because of this miracle of regeneration just experienced, a new Christian must now "|lay| aside |the verb form here means to 'lay aside once and for all'| all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies" (1 Peter 2:1) and partake--as babes--of the "milk of sincerity." The word for "sincere" means, literally, "without guile," so he/she must now build all future progress in his/her new life--not on guile, but on guilelessness!
 
The phrase "of the word" is especially noteworthy. This is not the usual word for "word" (Greek, logos), but a closely related word (logikos) from which we get our words "logic" and "logical." It is used only one other time in the New Testament, where it is rendered "reasonable" in the classic passage dealing with "your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
 
Thus Peter is talking about partaking of a spiritual milk which is both logical and without guile. This can be nothing else (as seen in the context) than the incorruptible, eternal, regenerating Word of God, and the living Word (Jesus Christ) revealed therein.
 
Now the Lord Jesus is surely logical, for He is "the truth" (John 14:6). In this same chapter, Peter also notes that Christ was without guile (1 Peter 2:22). These attributes must be equally true of His written Word. The Scriptures are not full of secret meanings which only specially trained interpreters can fathom. They are sincere, meaning precisely what they say! Neither are they naive and unscientific, but fully logical and correct in everything they say. Therefore, they are genuine spiritual nourishment for babes in Christ and will certainly enable them to "grow thereby." HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Scattering Hammer
 
"Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29)
 
One of the most picturesque of the figures used to describe the Holy Scriptures is that of the hammer striking and shattering a rock. In this text, however, the "rock" is literally a mighty rock mountain.
 
Furthermore, the effect of the hammer is to "break in pieces." This phrase actually is a single Hebrew word which normally means "disperse," or "scatter abroad," usually used in describing the worldwide dispersion of the children of Israel. It was used even earlier for the first dispersion at Babel: "So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth" (Genesis 11:8). Perhaps most significantly of all, it is used in the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7: "Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."
 
This verse was quoted by the Lord Jesus just after the last supper and applied to Himself: "All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad" (Matthew 26:31). Combining all these themes, our text really seems to be saying: "Is not my word like a mighty hammer from heaven that shatters the great mountain and scatters it abroad?"
 
Our text is inserted in the midst of a stinging rebuke by Jeremiah of Israel's false prophets, contrasting their lies with the mighty power of God's true Word. Perhaps it is also a parable of the living Word, who is also the great Rock of ages, as well as the loving Shepherd. When the Rock was shattered, the living stones were ejected from the Rock. The sheep that were thus scattered from the Shepherd became the spreading fire of the written Word, and "they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Stewardship Warfare
 
"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (Galatians 5:9)
 
Most of us have seen ripples created from a pebble dropped in a pond. They also make good illustrations of what atheistic and naturalistic science does to truth.
 
The Bible uses a number of illustrations about the importance of getting rid of the source of the problems. The psalmist cried out for strength when he saw the enemies destroying foundations (Psalm 11:3). Jesus warned about the "leaven" of false doctrine (Matthew 16:12). And the prophet noted that if the stump is left, the tree will grow again (Daniel 4:23-26; contrast with Luke 3:9). These principle illustrations warn us to focus on the cause of the error, not the symptoms.
 
It is tempting to go after only the symptoms. The pain of abortion, pornography, flagrant promiscuity, widespread STDs, easy divorce, victimless crimes, political corruption, and so on are very real and terribly destructive. But the core rationale in the educated Western world for all the anti-God, anti-righteous, anti-authority beliefs is atheistic and naturalistic science.
 
Ephesians 6:12 explains that the real battle is "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." A great part of biblical stewardshp must involve direct opposition toward these "rulers of the darkness."
 
Our "intellectual" world needs the evidence that will expose the atheism in naturalistic science. Christian leaders must not only be trained biblically, but also in a defense of the faith "once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3). That work is extensive, time-consuming, and expensive, and those called to so labor must have the prayer support of other Christians. Please consider co-laboring with us. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Passion of Stewardship
 
"And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." (Mark 12:33)
 
The regular diet of TV and Hollywood productions--which have grown far worse in many ways than in the radical 1960s--is rarely scrutinized or criticized. Yet vitriolic attacks on "religion" in the media are both commonplace and increasingly intense. Is there a reason for this passionate aggression?
 
God has a rather "passionate" view about His character and His unique authority in the universe: "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. . . . 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 45:5-6, 18).
 
We do not and cannot know many details about the great work of God as Creator and on Calvary as Savior. What is very clear, however, is that the same God who created the worlds (Hebrews 1:2) also died on the cross (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17).
 
It is nothing short of blasphemy to profess that the omniscient and omnipotent God of love and grace would have effected His creation through the horrific, purposeless, waste-filled and age-long death of billions of living things prior to the rebellion of Adam (Romans 5:12). The naturalistic and volutionary scheme of atheistic man is contradictory to God's Word and His revealed character. We are to be committed to what God has said--whether the majority is passionately against it or not. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Stewardship Strength
 
"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." (1 Samuel 17:45)
 
Our Lord Jesus taught us to expect ongoing instability until He returned (Matthew 24:6). Sometimes, it seems, we must be reminded by circumstances that this world is not our home!
 
Psalm 2 is a rather important perspective for God's people to keep in mind. Physical circumstances often seem rather bleak, and the "bad guys" seem to have it their way much of the time (Psalm 73). But we are continually reminded that their apparent success should not trouble us (Psalm 37:1; Proverbs 3:31-34; etc.), for "he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision" (Psalm 2:4).
 
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (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 10:3-5).
 
This verse encourages the ministry of the Institute for Creation Research. We see ourselves as fighting the "imaginations" and the "strong holds" of those who would dare to set themselves against the authority of Scripture and the evidence of the Creator and His creation. The Western world has embraced the anti-God and anti-gospel message of evolutionary naturalism as its religion. ICR wages spiritual warfare against that terrible lie. The battle is very specialized in our world today. God has brought dedicated "warriors" to ICR to engage the enemy, and we invite you to join us in that mission with your support and intercessory prayer. HMM III