A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Tear Bottle
 
"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" (Psalm 56:
 
This is a remarkable insight into the tender heart of our heavenly Father. He has a tear bottle--in fact, perhaps a tear bottle for each of His wandering children.
 
Ancient "tear bottles" (or wineskins) have actually been excavated by archaeologists in Israel. These vessels were used to catch and preserve the owner's tears during times of grief or extreme pressure. This psalm was actually written by David when he was being pursued by Saul on one side and surrounded by Philistines in the city of Goliath on the other. David apparently not only had his own tear bottle, but also believed that God somehow was also storing up David's personal tears in His own heavenly bottle of tears.
 
There is a touching story in the earthly ministry of Jesus that provides another example: "Behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, . . . and anointed them with the ointment" (Luke 7:37-38).
 
The ointment was obviously not the same as the tears, but followed the washing by tears. Some scholars think these tears came from her bottle, which was emptied on His feet and used to wash them. Others think that those tear bottles that have been found actually contained the collected tears of mourners at a burial site.
 
In any case, God does know all our wanderings and sorrows and all our tears, and stores them up somewhere. Perhaps it is also a metaphor for His "book of remembrance," which is being "written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name" (Malachi 3:16). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

What the Creator Requires
 
"And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul?" (Deuteronomy 10:12)
 
In the final weeks before his death, Moses gathered the people of Israel together for a final look back at God's miraculous provision for the nation and a restatement of the Law. He repeated the Ten Commandments and reminded them of their supernatural origin (chapter 5). He charged them to remember the Law and to pass it on to their children, for God Himself had entrusted it to them (chapter 6). He insisted that they utterly destroy the enemies of God in the land, for their holy and special status as the people of God would be in jeopardy if they didn't (chapter 7). The longest section of the speech consisted of a command to remember their unique history: how God had supernaturally intervened for them on so many occasions (8:1-10:11).
 
Finally, Moses brought them to a time of commitment, charging them, in our text, to fear, obey, love, and serve the "LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul." Even the commandments were for their good (v. 13); they were not merely petty or malicious. In fact, throughout the lengthy lecture, Moses had several times adjured the people to love their Lord with their entire being (see 6:5; 7:9; 10:20; 11:1, 13, 22).
 
And why not? "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is" (10:14). The God who placed His sovereign mark on Israel (v. 15) deserved their total devotion, obedience, and service.
 
Does not the Creator God, who has done so much more for us than He had done even for Israel, deserve our total devotion, obedience, and service? JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

No Fear in the Days of Evil
 
"Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?" (Psalm 49:5)
 
This enigmatic question should be a real concern to elderly unbelievers--or of unbelievers of any age, for that matter. The "days of evil" seem specifically to refer to old age, as in Ecclesiastes 12:1, which exhorted young people to "remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them."
 
Those who have not "remembered their Creator" while young may one day come to realize that the iniquities which had been accumulating against their record day by day through a long lifetime had actually involved the venom of that old Serpent, which God long ago had warned would bruise the heels of the children of Mother Eve (see Genesis 3:15). Their sins, which will eventually become so numerous as to "compass them about," might even destroy them both now and eternally. After all, the devil will have "the power of death" (Hebrews 2:14) until that day when the true seed of the woman the Lord Jesus Christ (even though His own "heel" has been viciously "bruised" by Satan when the sins of the whole world were placed upon Him) will "crush the head" of that wicked one forever.
 
But because of Christ's great victory over Satan--when He both died for our sins and then defeated death by His resurrection, we need no longer fear death, even when the evil days draw nigh.
 
Though it is far better to accept His gift of salvation from sin and death while we are young, it is never too late, as long as we live. So, "wherefore should I fear in the days of evil?" "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and . . . perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John 4:16, 18). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Be Sure
 
"But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
 
Most things in this life are uncertain; nevertheless, there are some things about which we can be absolutely sure. Just as God warned Adam that if he disobeyed His Word, he would "surely die" (Genesis 2:17), so He warns us that we can be sure our sins will ultimately be exposed. "The foundation of God standeth sure" (2 Timothy 2:19).
 
On the other side of the coin, we can also be sure of God's mercy and faithfulness, and we can be sure of the truth of His Word. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place" (2 Peter 1:19). We also can be sure of His promised salvation. "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast" (Hebrews 6:19). Thus we can, through faith and patience, show "the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end" (Hebrews 6:11).
 
Finally, we can be sure that our Lord Jesus, who came once to die for our sins, will come back again to complete His work of redemption and reconciliation. The very last promise of the Bible consists of His gracious words: "Surely I come quickly" (Revelation 22:20).
 
However, each of us must first make sure that we believe His sure Word and have appropriated this sure hope. "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:10-11). We can be sure that our sins must be judged, but we also can be sure of His forgiveness, if we believe His sure promises and receive His sure salvation. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Relative Hatred
 
"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)
 
These seem like strange, even shocking, words coming from the Lord Jesus Christ as they do. It is obvious, however, that He is not urging hatred of one's relatives here, but rather is referring to hatred in a relative sense--relative to one's love for God and His will, that is.
 
Jesus has commanded us to "love thy neighbour" (Matthew 22:39), and even to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44), so it is certain that He expects us to love our families. But love for God must be paramount. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind" (Luke 10:27).
 
There are some cases, however, when, in so loving the Lord, "a man's foes shall be they of his own household" (Matthew 10:36). Happily, such cases are the exception, but if ever such a choice has to be made, the one who would truly be Christ's disciple must follow Him at all costs. For, as Jesus went on to say, "whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27).
 
Even in such unfortunate cases, we are still commanded to "honour thy father and mother" (Ephesians 6:2), and to "provoke not your children to anger" (Colossians 3:21). The Lord Jesus has left us the example. Though His mission was long rejected by His human family (John 7:3-5), He remained patient with them, while at the same time placing God first. "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother" (Mark 3:35). Eventually His mother was found among His disciples (Acts 1:14), as were at least two of His brothers (1 Corinthians 9:5). Thus genuine love for God will often find itself reflected later in the love of one's family for Him as well. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Price of Sparrows
 
"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father." (Matthew 10:29)
 
This fascinating bit of first-century pricing information, seemingly so trivial, provides a marvelous glimpse into the heart of the Creator. Of all the birds used for food by the people of those days, sparrows were the cheapest on the market, costing only a farthing for a pair of them. In fact, they cost even less in a larger quantity, for on another occasion Jesus said: "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?" (Luke 12:6). The "farthing" was a tiny copper coin of very small value, so that a sparrow was all but worthless in human terms.
 
And yet the Lord Jesus said that God knows and cares about every single sparrow! God had a reason for everything He created; each kind of animal has its own unique design for its own intended purpose. Modern biologists continue to waste time and talent developing imaginary tales about how all these multitudes of different kinds of creatures might have evolved from some common ancestor. Even some evolutionists have started calling these whimsical tales "just so" stories. They would really be better scientists if they would seek to understand the creative purpose of each creature, rather than speculating on its imaginary evolution.
 
The better we comprehend the amazing complexity and purposive design of each creature, the better we realize the infinite wisdom and power of their Creator. Then, all the more wonderful it is to learn that their Creator is our Father! He has placed them all under our dominion, and we need to learn to see them through His eyes, if we would be good stewards of the world He has committed to us. We can also thank our heavenly Father that we "are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:31). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Good Part
 
"But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42)
 
The two sisters, Mary and Martha, both loved the Lord Jesus and wanted to please Him. Jesus also loved them (John 11:5) and apparently was an occasional guest at their home in Bethany. Martha evidently felt that activity and service were pleasing to the Lord (and these, indeed, are good and important), whereas Mary simply "sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word" (Luke 10:39). To Martha's surprise and chagrin, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the "good part"--a part more important even than service and food.
 
Long, long before, the patriarch Job, whom God had said was "a perfect and an upright man" with "none like him in the earth" (Job 1:8), had also chosen that good part. "I have esteemed the words of his mouth," Job said, "more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12).
 
We today can sit at Jesus' feet and hear His Word only by reading and meditating on the Scriptures. Important as our daily responsibilities may be to meet our material needs and those of our families, we should make priority time available for this "good part." The same surely applies especially to Christian leaders. They may have many important tasks to perform in the service of God, but it is still more important for them to take time to "hear His word" in the Scriptures.
 
The unknown psalmist who wrote the grand 119th psalm had learned this truth: "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. . . . How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding" (Psalm 119:97, 103-104).
 
We today have a higher privilege than Job, or the psalmist, or even Mary, for we have all the Scriptures! If we truly desire "that good part," the Lord will surely provide the time, as He did for Mary. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Fellowship in the Gospel
 
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." (Philippians 1:3-5)
 
This poignant letter was written to a church that Paul founded early in his ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 16:12-15). He endured challenging opposition there, followed for days by a demon-possessed young girl, tossed into prison by an angry business community, beaten and locked immobile into wooden stocks (Acts 16:16-24).
 
Yet in that dark midnight, while Paul and Silas sang the hymns of the faith, God struck the jail with an earthquake and opened both the chains and the doors of the prison. The head jailor became converted, and along with the successful businesswoman Lydia, the seed of a flourishing church was planted (Acts 16:25-34).
 
It is to these "saints" and the "bishops and deacons" of the church at Philippi that Paul writes. The church has matured enough over the years of Paul's absence to have established leadership and a strong testimony in that pagan city. The "rememberance" of these faithful men and women gives rise to his thanks to God for their "fellowship in the gospel."
 
May we never take for granted the sweet friends that we have known in our churches. Their fellowship is far more valuable than business or political contacts. Theirs is the bond of an eternal brother or sister--theirs is the friendship that is "closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24).
 
The apostle John understood this: "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). And because we share in a love for the Lord Jesus, and walk together in the "light" of God's Truth, "we have fellowship one with another"(1 John 1:7). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Moses and Elijah
 
"And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." (Luke 9:30-31)
 
This is a mysterious passage. Peter, James, and John watched in awe as Christ was "transfigured" before them as Christ had promised (Mark 9:2). But how could Moses and Elijah be there? Moses' body had been buried by God in an unknown tomb in Moab some 1,500 years before, and no resurrection had yet taken place (Deuteronomy 34:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:22-23). Elijah had been taken alive into heaven in a chariot of fire over 900 years previously (2 Kings 2:11).
 
The fact is that this whole experience was a remarkable vision! Jesus said, after it was over: "Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead" (Matthew 17:9). Although they had just been awakened out of sleep (Luke 9:32), the disciples knew this was not a dream. All three had seen it together and "were sore afraid" (Mark 9:6).
 
This vision of the future kingdom was for the disciples' encouragement (and for ours, as well), for the Lord had just been warning them of His coming death, as well as the cross which they, themselves, must take up to follow Him (Luke 9:23). The kingdom of God would come on earth, in all its future power and glory. But first, He must die and rise again, and they must be His witnesses of these things.
 
But when He did return in glory, there would be two groups of people sharing His glory with Him: Moses, representing the resurrected saints, and Elijah, the "raptured" saints. "The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving
 
"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." (Luke 10:21)
 
We remember that, when the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He was, among other things, "leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21). One aspect of that example, no doubt, was His prayer life. He prayed and gave thanks before He fed the multitude (Matthew 15:36) and also when He ate with His disciples at the last supper (Luke 22:19). It is surely right, therefore, that we should give thanks in prayer before each meal, whether in a small group as with our family, or in a large public dining place.
 
Jesus spent much time in prayer. On at least one occasion, He "continued all night in prayer to God" (Luke 6:12), and no doubt a goodly portion of His prayer was thanksgiving prayer, as well as intercession. But there seems to be only one specific item of thanksgiving by Him actually recorded in Scripture, and that is the item in our text. (The same is also given, verbatim, in Matthew 11:25, so we can infer that the Holy Spirit considered it very important.)
 
That is this: the wonderful truths of salvation and forgiveness--eternal life in heaven and God's guidance and provision on earth--are easily understood by the simplest among us, even by little children, even though they often seem difficult for "the wise and prudent" to comprehend.
 
Many are the intellectuals who can raise all kinds of objections to God's revealed Word and His great plan of creation and redemption and who, therefore, will end up eternally lost. Many are the simple folk and children who just hear and believe and are saved. "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

When Messiah Came
 
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." (Daniel 9:25)
 
This remarkable prophecy, given through the angel Gabriel to Daniel the prophet, actually predicted the date of the coming of Christ nearly 500 years in advance. From the announcement to the coming of "Messiah the Prince," there would be 69 "weeks" (literally "sevens," meaning in this context "seven-year periods"). That is, Messiah would come as the Prince 483 years after the commandment was given to rebuild Jerusalem. There is some uncertainty about the exact date of the decree, as well as the exact length of these prophetic years, but in each calculation the termination date is at least near, or in some cases, exactly the time when Christ entered Jerusalem to be acknowledged as its promised King.
 
However, Gabriel's prophecy went on to say: "And after |the| threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off" (Daniel 9:26). That is, although He would come as promised, instead of being gladly crowned as King, He would be slain. Since the 483-year period terminated long ago, it is clear that Messiah must already have come, and then been put to death at that time.
 
The terms of this remarkable prophecy have been precisely fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone, and no one coming later could have done so. It is no wonder that He wept over Jerusalem, pronouncing her coming judgment, "because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation" (Luke 19:44).
 
We, like He, should weep and pray for Israel. Yet, in God's omniscient planning, "through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles" (Romans 11:11), and in this we can rejoice. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Reporting on the Parables
 
"And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country." (Mark 12:1)
 
This parable of the vineyard had an obvious meaning, for even "the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders" to whom He was speaking (Mark 11:27) "knew that he had spoken the parable against them" (Mark 12:12). The same parable and the events surrounding it are reported in Matthew 21:33-46 and Luke 20:9-16.
 
But there is another question that has been raised about this parable, as well as all the other parables that have been reported in two or more different gospels. That is, if the Bible is inerrant in its very words as Jesus taught (e.g., Matthew 5:18; John 10:35), then why did the writers often vary in their reporting of the words of the parable?
 
It should be remembered, however, that Jesus probably spoke in Aramaic, whereas the written accounts were in Greek. Furthermore, two of the writers (Mark and Luke) were not present at the time, so would have to obtain their accounts from someone who was there (e.g., Luke 1:1-2). Flexibility in translation and reporting is always possible with different translators and different reporters.
 
The doctrine of divine inspiration of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16), however, applies not to the process, but to the result. The Spirit of God was free to use the writer's own research, vocabulary, and style in reporting an event, so long as there were no factual errors or irrelevancies in the final result. In fact, such minor differences often give greater depth and credence to the reported event, since they help in proving that the different writers were not in collusion, but simply telling of a real event from different perspectives. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

He Knows
 
"I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first." (Revelation 2:19)
 
Seven times in the letters to His seven representative churches in Revelation 2 and 3 the Lord Jesus says: "I know thy works" (Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15). Whatever we are doing--or not doing--He knows!
 
Sometimes such knowledge can bring--or at least should bring--great consternation. He knows, for example, all our hypocrisies: "I know . . . that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Revelation 3:1). He also knows when our outward display of religious activity masks a real heart-attitude of compromising self-interest. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot" (Revelation 3:15).
 
Yet He also knows when our service is genuine and our testimony is God-glorifying and faithful. "I know . . . thy labour, and thy patience. . . . I know . . . thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith" (Revelation 2:2, 13).
 
Of these seven testimonies of His knowledge, the central one is in our text. He knows when we really love Him, for the "charity" mentioned is nothing less than agape, or unselfish love. He knows all about our sincere "service" and true "faith" in His Word, as well as our "patience" of hope.
 
Perhaps the most precious of His assurances, however, is that to the suffering church at Smyrna. "I know thy . . . tribulation, and poverty" (Revelation 2:9). When He says that He knows, the sense is that He understands, because He has been through it all Himself. Therefore, "we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

God with Us
 
"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD." (Genesis 4:1)
 
Here is Eve's testimony concerning the first child born to the human race. To understand it, we need to recall God's first promise: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; |He| shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). These words, addressed to Satan, promised that the woman's "seed" would destroy Satan. Thus, that seed would have to be a man, but the only one capable of destroying Satan is God Himself. Eve mistakenly thought that Cain would fulfill this promise, and when he was born, she testified: "I have gotten a man--even the Lord" (literal rendering).
 
Over three millennia later, essentially the same promise was renewed to the "house of David," when the Lord said: "Behold, |the| virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:13-14). The definite article reflects the primeval promise that the divine/human Savior, when He comes, would be born uniquely as the woman's seed, not of the father's seed like all other men. His very name, Immanuel, means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). He is "the Word . . . made flesh" (John 1:14).
 
While questions have been raised about the precise meaning of almah (Hebrew word translated "virgin"), there is no question in the New Testament: "Behold, |the| virgin |Greek parthenos, meaning 'virgin' and nothing else| shall be with child" (Matthew 1:23). "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman" (Galatians 4:4). "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Remembered through All Generations
 
"I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever." (Psalm 45:17)
 
The 45th psalm is a beautiful Messianic psalm, speaking prophetically of the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the psalm is quoted by the writer of Hebrews, calling Him "God," and promising not only eternal remembrance, but also everlasting dominion: "But unto the Son, he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom" (Hebrews 1:8, citing Psalm 45:6).
 
But the writer also said He would be remembered in all generations. That has proved true, so far! As others have frequently noted, this man lived on earth only thirty-three years, never traveled more than a few miles from His home, never wrote a book, never raised an army, never ruled over so much as a village, let alone a kingdom, never married or had children, never enrolled for any formal education, and finally was executed as a criminal.
 
Yet He has, indeed, been remembered through all generations following His all-too-short career two thousand years ago--and remembered with love and deep reverence and gratitude by millions of people in all nations ever since. Furthermore, though He never wrote a book, others have written innumerable books about Him, while another psalmist assured us that His words would also be preserved "from this generation for ever" (Psalm 12:7).
 
And all this has come to pass! Herein is a marvelous thing! Indeed, He was, and is, God and this was demonstrated by His flawless character, His amazing teachings, His unique miracles, His volitional, sacrificial death, and His mighty defeat of death itself by His bodily resurrection and ascent into heaven. HMM