A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Outward Appearances
 
"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
 
Man does, indeed, look on the outward appearance rather than inward convictions. This has always been true, but never more so than in these latter days, even among evangelical Christians.
 
There is very little emphasis in the Bible on such things, however. As far as dress and adornment are concerned, Paul said: "I will therefore that. . . . women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works" (1 Timothy 2:8-10). The same principle surely would apply also to men.
 
With respect to physical conditioning and development, the following is almost the only reference in the Bible: "Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things" (1 Timothy 4:8). The apostle Paul himself (probably the most effective and fruitful Christian of all) was a man of most unimpressive appearance (2 Corinthians 10:10). "I was with you in weakness," he reminded them, but nevertheless it was "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Corinthians 2:3-4).
 
There is nothing wrong, of course, with physical beauty or athletic prowess, unless they center attention on self rather than Christ, but it is the "inner man" of the heart, where true strength and beauty should be sought. Therefore, as Jesus said: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). The Lord looks on the heart, and so should we. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Wonderful Angel
 
"And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" (Judges 13:18)
 
This intriguing encounter occurred during one of Israel's periods of apostasy and servitude, when the people had been ruled for 40 years by the pagan Philistines. There was one godly couple in the tribe of Dan, however, who evidently had long been praying for a son, and God finally answered their prayers. "The angel of the Lord" came to give the good news to Manoah and his wife. The remarkable son who was to come was mighty Samson, who later would free his people.
 
But it is the Angel Himself who is most intriguing here. His name was "Secret," meaning "too marvelous even to comprehend." The same word is translated "Wonderful" in Isaiah 9:6, where it is cited as a name of the coming divine Son, whose name would also be "mighty God" and "everlasting Father."
 
This "angel of the Lord" was thus none other than God the Son in one of His rare pre-incarnate appearances, or theophanies, when the invisible God manifested Himself visibly to man. There are many created angels (Hebrews 12:22), or "messengers," of God, but on certain occasions, this One who is called "the angel of the Lord" (also "the angel of his presence," as in Isaiah 63:9, and "the Angel which redeemed me," as in Genesis 48:16), is clearly none other than God Himself. In such cases, it could only have been the pre-incarnate Christ, for the Bible says: "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18).
 
God had already revealed Himself in this way to great men of God, and now even to an unknown couple. Eventually this Angel, whose name is Wonderful, "was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14), and will one day dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Hebrews 1:1-3
It is finished. - John 19:30
TODAY IN THE WORD
This world has no shortage of discouragement. People all around us insist there is no God or that belief in Jesus Christ is foolishness. Those who stand against us mock us. Sometimes the people we love most break our hearts. Other times life just doesn’t go our way. Because of those disappointments and more, every believer at one time or another has felt the temptation to give up.

The book of Hebrews is the perfect remedy for the person on the verge of losing the will to carry on in the faith. Not only does Hebrews show the superiority and sovereignty of Jesus Christ, it also invites us into the finality of His salvation: His perfect, eternal rest.

Our opening passage in the study introduces several themes that recur throughout the book. First of all, Jesus, the Son of God, is the flawless communication of the identity of God. The concept of a visible earthly person or object representing a heavenly reality plays heavily throughout Hebrews, and Christ is a special example far greater than any other. Secondly, the dual concepts of creation (or birth) and inheritance (which is related to death) frequently arise in the discussion. Jesus is both Creator of all and Inheritor of all.

All of those themes converge into the overarching reality of God’s perfect rest. It is perfect because it is not merely a break from activity or suffering but rather a final stage of existence. The Son of God sat down, a position of rest, and one of honor and sovereignty as well! Jesus completed the work to save us and, unlike the examples from the Old Testament we’ll see over the next several days, Jesus’ journey into a glorious place of rest is final! And it is for us to share.

But the path Jesus traveled to arrive there should clue us in to the nature of our journey as His followers. When He “provided purification,” He did it on the cross. To follow Jesus into the salvation of His holy rest is not a sweet and gentle Sunday afternoon stroll. We are compelled to suffer, to strive, and to serve Him until the day we can meet Him in person.

APPLY THE WORD
Do not be discouraged. If life is hard, if it is painful, if it is more than you can bear, these are not signs that you are out of God’s favor. Those are reasons to pursue His holy rest. Unlike that feeling of fleeting relief when the work week is over and the weekend begins, the rest of Jesus Christ that awaits us as believers is permanent and eternal and glorious. Let your faith be so steadfast as well. Praise God for this assurance through His Word, His Son!

[Soldier4Christ]

Prophets from the Beginning
 
"That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation." (Luke 11:50-51)
 
God's true prophets have been persecuted from the beginning. Abel, son of Adam and Eve, was the first, according to Jesus, for his blood was shed by Cain "from the foundation of the world." A "prophet" in biblical terms was a man who proclaimed inspired words from God (not necessarily predictions of the future, but words inspired by the Holy Spirit--note 1 Peter 1:10-11; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
 
Evidently Abel was speaking God's own words to Cain when the latter slew him in jealous wrath. The Zacharias mentioned is probably "Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest," who was stoned when he prophesied against the people under King Joash (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), for he was the last prophet actually mentioned in the Old Testament as having been slain for his testimony.
 
Thus the period encompassed by the Lord's statement was the entire Old Testament period, "from the foundation of the world" to the coming of Christ. The same experience awaited most of the prophets used by God to pen the New Testament Scriptures. Thus does the world react to God's inspired Word!
 
There is another important truth in this passage. The blood of God's prophets began to be shed "from the foundation of the world," not just beginning almost five billion years after the foundation of the world, as modern evolutionists allege! This is striking confirmation that the world was made from start to finish in six literal days. See also Mark 10:6, Acts 3:21, etc., for similar incidental confirmations of this truth. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Awesome Word
 
"Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word." (Psalm 119:161)
 
This stanza of Psalm 119 is rich in descriptions of the way God's Word envelops the believer in awe and wonder. This initial focus is of the heart rather than the mind. Our minds are key to growth and maturity in Christ (Romans 12:1-2), but the heart must be engaged in our relationship with our heavenly Father (Luke 10:27).
 
The psalmist rejoiced in the Word of God "as one that findeth great spoil" (Psalm 119:162). Peter taught that the Word "liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). It is far more than written text; it is the very God-breathed words by which the Lord Jesus will ultimately judge the world (John 12:48).
 
Love for the Word of God can cause the godly to "hate and abhor lying" (Psalm 119:163) and begin to recognize the way that God exercises His "righteous judgments" (v. 164) on those who dare to flaunt their wickedness. Nothing, the psalmist noted, "shall offend them" (v. 165). That mature perception brings praise "seven times a day" (v. 164). It also brings "great peace" (v. 165), the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).
 
Reveling in the wonder and awe of the Scriptures brings a stable "|hope| for |our| salvation" (Psalm 119:166), which in turn produces an open obedience to the commandments of God and a "soul" commitment to guard the Word (v. 167). This godly lifestyle is assured by those who understand that "all |our| ways are before thee." (v. 168). "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Prophecy
 
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." (Deuteronomy 18:18)
 
Two types of prophecy must be distinguished. When a prophet foretells or predicts, he represents the future in light of the present. But frequently the prophetic message consisted of rebuking, reproving, counseling, or admonishing, i.e., forth-telling, rather than fore-telling. As such, he portrays the present in light of the future.
 
It is the predictive type of prophecy which provides such a strong argument for rational faith. Neither human intuition about the future nor limited Satanic control of the future can account for the hundreds of specific biblical prophecies that have been literally and specifically fulfilled. These could only come by Divine revelation from the One who both knows and controls the future.
 
Actually, predictive prophecy provides a double defense: Not only does it prove the divine origin, inspiration, and authority of Scripture, but since over half of the prophecies converge on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, it advocates His deity and Messiahship. One could hardly read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 or Psalm 22 without recognizing that these are prophetic portraits of Christ on the cross. Others, equally specific, deal with other aspects of His life and ministry.
 
Still others predict the coming Kingdom to be set up by Christ, in which we as believers will have a part. Having seen so many prophecies literally fulfilled, we can have complete confidence that these others will come to pass as well. "We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Worldwide Flood
 
"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)
 
Those Christians who accept the concept of the "geological ages" commonly have to explain away the great deluge by assuming it was not really a global flood. They realize that any flood that would rise until "all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered" and in which "every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground" (Genesis 7:19, 23) would undoubtedly eliminate any evidence of the supposed geological ages. Therefore, they have suggested modifying the Bible record to mean an overflow of the Euphrates River or some such phenomenon which would destroy just the peoples of the "known" world at that time.
 
There are numerous problems with this "local flood" notion, however. Appendix 6 of The New Defender's Study Bible, for instance, lists 100 reasons why the biblical Flood must be understood as worldwide and cataclysmic.
 
But probably the best argument is that such an argument makes God out to be a liar! God promised Noah that this kind of flood would never be sent on the earth again. There have been innumerable river floods, tsunamis, torrential regional rains, etc., in the more than four millennia since Noah's day. If God's promise referred only to some such flood as one of these, then He has not kept His Word!
 
But God does not lie, and He has kept His promise. There has never been another such Flood. "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar" (1 John 5:10). Theistic evolutionists, progressive creationists, and all others who believe the geological ages instead of God's Word should, it would seem, seriously rethink their position. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Neither Wine nor Strong Drink
 
"For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15)
 
Whether or not the Bible clearly commands total abstinence from alcohol for Christians, it is increasingly being recognized that alcohol is the most widely abused and dangerous drug of all—causing more fatal accidents and injuries, more broken homes, more sexual promiscuity, more job absenteeism, and more disease than cocaine or any other drug. Yet it is widely promoted socially and increasingly is being accepted even among evangelical Christians.
 
But the example of John the Baptist is worth considering. The angel Gabriel testified that he would be "great in the sight of the Lord" and then added that he would "drink neither wine nor strong drink," implying a connection between the two. Indeed, Christ called John the greatest man who had ever lived up to that time (Matthew 11:11)--that is, greater than even Abraham, Moses, or Daniel!
 
Then the very same verse says that John would "be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb," and he is the only man of whom that was ever said. Again there seems to be a connection, for no one could simultaneously drink wine or strong drink and also be filled with the Spirit. The apostle Paul also warned concerning this conflict when he said: "Be not drunk |literally, 'begin to be drunk'| with wine . . . but be filled |that is, 'be continually being filled'| with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
 
Drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation may or may not be permissible, but that does not make it right. "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient" (1 Corinthians 6:12). At least in John's case, being great in God's sight and being filled with the Spirit were closely associated with abstinence from alcohol. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

No More Fears
 
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." (Psalm 56:3)
 
"The only thing to fear is fear itself." This is a nice platitude, but it is altogether pointless without trust. There is no antidote to fear except trust in One who is able to deliver us from the thing we fear.
 
The first mention of fear in the Bible is significant. Adam said to God, "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid" (Genesis 3:10).
 
Indeed, one should be afraid when he has ignored or rejected God's Word, for "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). The same warning to sinners of all the ages is given in the Bible's final reference to fear. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, . . . shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).
 
In contrast, note the last mention of fear in the Old Testament and the first in the New, both speaking of the entrance of the Son of God into the world. "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings" (Malachi 4:2). "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife . . . she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21).
 
Thus the remedy for the fear of man or anything else is the true fear of the Lord. "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4). He has already endured everything we could ever fear, even death itself, that through His victory He might "deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:15). Therefore, since "the LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

A Model Church
 
"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father." (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
 
Paul had begun the work at Thessalonica, and when forced to leave, he maintained an active interest in and contact with the Thessalonian believers. The book of 1 Thessalonians contains both encouragement and commendation for these believers. In the context of our text verse, he mentions some of their strengths, and it would behoove us to take note and apply these strengths to our churches.
 
Paul mentions the triad of faith, love, and hope so common in New Testament writings. The "work of faith," that past work of salvation in the believer's life, is amplified in verses 4-6, where we see that God has chosen to work His work of grace in them through the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit (v. 5). Their reception of the Word had been with both affliction and joy (v. 6).
 
Next, Paul commends their "labour of love." They were committed to both outreach and missions, as we see in verses 7 and 8. Their testimony had not only affected the local area, but was "spread abroad." Moreover, they had entered into proper worship of God, maintaining purity of doctrine (v. 9). The "labour of love" to others will inevitably follow as a means of serving God.
 
Lastly, Paul commends their "patience of hope"--their expectant joyful outlook on the future, waiting for Christ's return (v. 10).
 
May our own churches have this same perspective on the past, present, and future work of Christ. May our own lives give attention to the same details, and have the same goals and outlook as those of the Thessalonian church. Purity in doctrine and a life of service constitute the best way to wait for our Lord's return. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Allegories in Scripture
 
"Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar." (Galatians 4:24)
 
This verse is often used as a justifying proof text for allegorizing biblical narratives. Here Paul is saying that the ancient conflict between Abraham's wives, Hagar and Sarah (the mothers of Ishmael and Isaac, respectively), was a spiritual allegory, depicting the conflict between law and grace.
 
Many of the early church fathers indulged in such an allegorical approach to Scripture, attempting to harmonize Christianity with Greek philosophy. Modern theological liberals often do the same thing whenever modern scientific philosophy seems to conflict with a biblical narrative. The most important example is the story of creation in the very first chapter of the Bible. The allegorical interpretation of this record denies its historicity, but tries to retain its supposed "spiritual" message by finding a devotional application in its narratives. Similarly, the record of the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 is explained away as an allegory of the yielding of "every man" to temptation.
 
However, the only narrative actually called an allegory in Scripture is the one mentioned in our text. In fact, this is the only time the word for "allegory" (Greek, allegoreo) is used in the Bible at all. It is significant that Paul's use of the word does not suggest in any way that the story of Hagar and Sarah was not real history. There are numerous other references to Abraham, and at least three to Sarah, in the New Testament, and all clearly treat them as real persons.
 
This biblical example, therefore, tells us that if we draw allegorical applications from its historical records, it can only be on the basis that the events themselves really happened. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

According to the Word
 
"Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word." (Psalm 119:169)
 
The closing 22nd stanza of Psalm 119 repeats many of the themes of the previous 21 and summarizes this epic to the majesty of the Word of God.
 
Seven passages contain prayer for "understanding," which depends on the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds (John 14:26). Our finite minds cannot understand God's eternal truths apart from revelation and the "mind of Christ" granted at salvation (1 Corinthians 2:16).
 
Thirteen passages use "according to thy word." Nothing that we can do pleases God more than our efforts to "magnify" His Word in our lives and ministries (Psalm 138:2). Every sentient creature will be judged by what is "written in the books, according to their works" (Revelation 20:12).
 
Eight stanzas include the prayer to have God "teach." Again, apart from the Holy Spirit in our "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17), we would be empty of both understanding and wisdom. Through reading and meditating on God's Word, after salvation, we grow effective and gain maturity.
 
The writer also promised in eight stanzas to "not forget." Our minds need to become stabilized with memorized Scripture and our hearts ready and sanctified with the stored Word of God so that we can "give an answer" both to those who ask us (1 Peter 3:15) and when we need guidance for our own life decisions (Colossians 1:10).
 
The psalm ends with a prayer for all: "Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts. I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments" (Psalm 119:173-176). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Living and the Written Word
 
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
 
The Holy Scriptures and the person of our Lord Jesus Christ are so inseparably bound together that whatever calls into question the integrity and authority of one correspondingly casts aspersions on the other. Let us not be guilty of saying that the written Word and the incarnate Word are in all aspects the same, but the Bible does clearly reveal Christ as "the Word . . . made flesh, |who| dwelt among us" (John 1:14). "And his name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13).
 
In carefully worded arguments, Christ time and again called attention to the fact that the teachings of the Old Testament Scriptures were actually teaching about Him. "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. . . . For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:39, 46-47). "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).
 
Therefore, those who diligently search the Scriptures find in them sufficient testimony to Christ, and where there is faith in the witness of Scripture, there will be faith in Christ and His words. But if men reject the testimony of Scripture, they will not even be convinced by His miraculous resurrection from the dead.
 
Christ claimed that all of Scripture pointed to Him. On the road to Emmaus, He taught that all three popular divisions of the Old Testament traced one progressive Messianic revelation. To understand the New Testament, we must know the Old, for both tell the same story, each amplifying the other. They are forever inseparable. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Our Ministry to Angels
 
"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." (Ephesians 3:10)
 
There is "an innumerable company of angels" in heaven (Hebrews 12:22) who serve as "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Hebrews 1:14).
 
At the same time, it is instructive to realize we also have a ministry to the angels. Despite their great power and knowledge, angels are not the "heirs of salvation" themselves, and so will never personally experience that peculiar type of love and fellowship which we share with our Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, as personal beings with the free will to reject their role as God's servants if they choose, they are intensely interested in our salvation. "Which things the angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:12).
 
In addition to serving for the protection and guidance of individual believers, apparently certain angels are also assigned by God to serve Christian congregations functioning corporately, especially in true local churches. Paul mentions the observing presence of angels in the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 11:10), for example.
 
In His letters to the seven representative churches, Christ addressed the individual angels of each church (Revelation 2:1, etc.). That these are heavenly angels (not human pastors or other human church leaders) seems probable from the fact that the word "angel" is used 65 other times in Revelation, and always refers to real angels.
 
Finally, the words of our text for the day give a special incentive for our lives, for there we are reminded that it is through God's dealings with "the church" that His holy angels are able to learn for themselves "the manifold wisdom of God." HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Confirmation of the Gospel
 
"Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace." (Philippians 1:7)
 
The gospel, of course, embraces all the truths concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ, from creation to consummation. Since these truths have been under Satanic attack throughout all the ages, it is vital that the gospel both be defended against its enemies and confirmed in the hearts and minds of its friends.
 
The word for "defense" (Greek, apologia) is the same as "answer" in 1 Peter 3:15 where we are commanded to "be ready always to give an answer . . . a reason of the hope that is in you." The word for "confirmation," on the other hand, is essentially the same as "established," or "stabilized," as in Colossians 2:7: "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith." Thus the saving gospel of Christ--from its foundation in genuine creationism to its consummation in His coming kingdom with its central focus on the crucifixion and resurrection--is both to be defended against false teaching and established as truth. These two aspects correspond in general to apologetics in defending the faith and Christian evidences in establishing the faith.
 
This is not merely a job for certain theological or scientific specialists, however. All believers need to be "partakers" of this grace (literally "convinced co-participants"). Real "partakers" do not just go along for the ride, but are firmly committed and fully comprehending supporters. However, both those who lead out in such a work, as well as those who are "partakers," are exhorted to do so in grace! "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Colossians 4:6). HMM