A Daily Devotional

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The Sword Of The Spirit

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

In the battle which we are expected to wage against the principalities and the powers of this world as instructed in the famous charge in Ephesians 6, only one attack weapon is given to us. It is here identified as “the Word of God.” This great Sword, which is “quick, and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12), is to be that by which we live (Luke 4:4), speak (Acts 4:31), preach (II Timothy 4:2), teach and glorify (Acts 13:48).

This weapon of our warfare (II Corinthians 10:4,5) is not carnal (physical), but it is mighty (dunamis: capable, able) even with enough power to demolish the castles of the enemy and his most well-thought-out strategies (imaginations), as well as every high (sophisticated, important, prestigious) person, place, or thing that would (dare) exalt itself “against the knowledge of God.” This weapon is so sharp (like a two-edged blade—Revelation 1:16) that it penetrates “even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). In fact, the Word of God is capable of “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5).

Praise God! With such a weapon we can’t lose, unless we keep it in the scabbard. It is worth noting that the Greek term used here for “word” is the term “rema,” used specifically of the spoken word. In our “warfare,” in which we must stand against the forces of evil, our weapon is the spoken Word of God. The great truths of God do no good sheathed between the covers of our Bibles. “Faith,” which is the channel through which God operates in the lives of men, “cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word (rema) of God” (Romans 10:17). As Christians, we need to take out our swords, open our mouths, and preach the Word!

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Resurrection In The Old Testament



“Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isaiah 26:19).

Some have argued that the doctrine of a bodily resurrection was unknown to the Israelites of the Old Testament. In fact, this denial was a cardinal doctrine of the sect of the Sadducees at the time of Christ (Matthew 22:23).

Our text, however, makes it clear that this promise has always been known to the people of God. Long before Isaiah’s time, Job had said: “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And . . . in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25,26). After the time of Isaiah, the promise was still known. “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). Such promises were not referring to some vague “immortality of the soul,” as taught in pagan religions, but to resurrection of the body!

First, however, the Creator must become man, die for the sins of the world, and defeat death by His own bodily resurrection. In our text, in fact, Christ is saying that Old Testament believers would be raised “together with my dead body.” This was literally fulfilled when “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Matthew 27:52,53). Then, when Jesus first ascended to heaven (John 20:17), He led those who had been in “captivity” in the grave with Him into heaven (Ephesians 4:. All who have trusted Christ in the Christian era will likewise be raised from the dead when He comes again. He has defeated death and has promised, “because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).

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He Shall Never Be Moved

“LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1).

The first verse of the majestic 15th Psalm poses the question, “Who is worthy to be a guest of God?” The following verses provide us with a lofty list of actions and attributes which, if followed to perfection, would make one worthy.

First, we see that our personal character must be in harmony with God’s character. “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth” (v.2).

Next, our personal lives and relationships to others must be in order. We must not slander or do evil to others (v.3). Furthermore, we must hate evil while honoring and valuing good, and be workers of good. Our promises must be kept, even if it means personal loss (v.4). In financial matters, we must not lend money at high interest, nor take advantage of the poor (v.5).

Obviously, no human being can meet these qualifications. But all is not lost. “By grace are ye saved through faith . . . not of works” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Salvation does not depend on our keeping the list, for Christ kept the list, and God now sees us as if we had completely kept the list, as well.

This doctrine does not imply that the Bible condones sin. We are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10). He died to make His character available to us through grace. God is holy, and He demands holiness from His children. Through His grace, He makes us holy and empowers us to live in a holy manner. “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Romans 6:1,2).

These qualities and actions are not natural to man; they can only come from God. But since He has made such a life-style possible and gives us the power to adhere to it, He expects us to obey and keep the list. And then He promises, “He that doeth these things shall never be moved” (Psalm 15:5).

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The Good Seed


“Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8:11).

The Word of God is pictured by many beautiful symbols in the Scriptures, and perhaps one of the most meaningful is that of the seed, sown in the field of the world by the great Sower, the Lord Jesus Christ. The first reference to seed sowing in the Bible is in the story of Isaac, who “sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the L SIZE="-1">ORD blessed him” (Genesis 26:12).

Now Isaac himself was the “seed” of God’s promise to Abraham, and he was a precursive fulfillment of the ultimate promised “seed, which is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Isaac’s sowing of literal seed in the land of the Philistines is thus a type of Christ’s sowing of spiritual seed throughout the world. As Isaac’s sowing brought forth a hundredfold, so the beautiful parable of the sower indicates that at least some of the seed “fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold” (Luke 8:.

Although not all seed will come to fruition, it must be sown throughout the world. Some of the seed will bear fruit, for God has said: “. . . that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my Word be . . . it shall not return unto me void” (Isaiah 55:10,11). “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. . . .” (I Peter 1:23).

The first of Christ’s parables is this parable of the sower. The second, complementing the first, indicates that the seed is not only God’s Word but also God’s children—those regenerated through the Word. “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man: The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:37,38). Thus we also become sowers of the Word, witnessing to the world and bearing good fruit, in His name.

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The Lord And King Cyrus


“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid” (Isaiah 44:28).

This is a remarkable prophecy, one of the main stumbling blocks of liberals, who use it as an excuse for their completely wrong notion of a “second Isaiah.” Long before Jerusalem was invaded and its temple destroyed by the armies of Babylon, Isaiah was already prophesying its rebuilding!

Furthermore, the great Persian emperor, Cyrus, whose nation would eventually conquer Babylon, was here named by God about 150 years before he was born and 175 years before he would fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy by giving Ezra authority to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1,2).

Since liberal scholars do not want to believe in miracles and fulfilled prophecy, they have decided that this prophecy could not have been written by the original Isaiah, but by some later writer living after Cyrus. The truth is, however, that God controls the future and can reveal it if He chooses, using this very fact as proof that He will keep His other promises. “Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, . . . I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou has not known me” (Isaiah 45:1,4).

God had also named King Josiah before he was born (I Kings 13:2; II Kings 23:15,16), with the specific prophecy concerning him waiting to be fulfilled for over 300 years after it was first spoken.

It may take a long time, but God will surely do all He has said. “I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9,10).

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The Light Of The Word

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

As the sun provides physical light for the world, so Jesus Christ is spiritually “the light of the world” (John 8:12). However, we clearly can see His light only through the light holder, the lamp, as it were, of His written Word. The Word, therefore, is a lamp and, since it contains and reveals the light, is also a light in its own right. Without the Holy Scriptures, this world would lie in the deepest darkness, but “the entrance of Thy Words giveth light” (Psalm 119:130).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the living Word, and “without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:3–5). Although He “was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9), when He, Himself, came into the world, those who were made by Him refused to receive Him. “Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

Just so, although the written Word has come into the world, the world does not receive it, either. The lamp and the light of the written Word have been in the world, in complete and final form, for 1,900 years, but men still reject and ridicule it, and the world still lies in darkness. Nevertheless, for those who receive it, there is wonderful light. “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light” (John 12:35,36).

God’s Word always brings light. His first spoken Word was: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), and wherever He speaks, God sees the light, and it is good!

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O My Soul


“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” (Psalm 42:5).

This expression (“O my soul”) is not used here by the psalmist as a trite exclamation, but as a plea of heart-searching introspection, concerned over the dark depression that was about to settle over him because of the oppressions of his enemies (Psalm 43:2). The question in our text is asked three times by him in these two short psalms (Psalm 42:5,11; 43:5), and each time he answers himself: “Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him.”

Yet God continued to withhold His answer. His enemies were taunting him about it (Psalm 42:3,10), and the psalmist, in spite of himself, found himself crying out “Why?” no less than ten times. Nevertheless his faith in God never failed, and it thus becomes a great testimony to us today, for he asked his “why” questions in submission to God’s will. When we are tempted to “go . . . mourning because of the oppression of the enemy” (42:9; 43:2), and still God seems to have “forgotten,” then is the very time we must continue to affirm: “I shall yet praise Him!” He is “the God of my life,” and “in the night His song shall be with me” (42:.

It may not be God’s will to set us free from the “noise of Thy waterspouts” (42:7) or “the deceitful and unjust man” (43:1), but His light and truth will still lead, and we can yet praise Him, despite the circumstances.

In our text, the psalmist praises God for “the help of His countenance.” In the verses which echo this verse (42:11; 43:5), his testimony is slightly—yet significantly—changed. “I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance.” Even in a dark night of “O my soul,” I can see Him by faith, and my countenance is full of joy.

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Learning By Example


“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (II Timothy 3:14).

When Paul wrote these words to Timothy, they were in the midst of his foreboding prophecy of coming apostasy and persecution. Furthermore, he knew that he, himself, would soon be executed, and that these might well be his final teachings to his young disciple and to others through him. It is remarkable that in such a setting the Spirit of God impelled him to use the example of his own life as the best and most-fitting climax to his great ministry. “Just keep on believing and doing what I have been teaching you—that which you have seen put into practice in your own life.” These teachings and practices had just been recounted in verses 10–11, and what a remarkable summary they provide of a genuine Christian life! Doctrine—my teachings, sound and true to God’s Word; Manner of life—my Christ-like behavior and habits; Purpose—my sole aim, to honor God and do His will; Faith—my faithfulness to His Word and its demands; Longsuffering—my patient forbearance; Charity—my showing true Christian love; Patience—my cheerful endurance in hard times; Persecutions—the unjust opposition heaped upon me; Afflictions—sufferings and tortures which I endured.

The Apostle Paul had maintained this strong and consistent Christian testimony for over 30 years following his conversion, and could in all good conscience and true humility cite his own example as a true teaching aid for others to study and follow.

May Paul’s example be ours, and may our lives likewise become true examples of Christianity for any who are watching us today.

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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 Scripture 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 is “the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth” (Revelation 19:21), and this is the fiery sword with which the coming “man of sin” (II 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.. “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 two-edged 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 two-edged 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.

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Magnificent Obsession


“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more” (I 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 (he) might by all means save some” (I 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 as a whole 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 offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God” (I 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” (II Timothy 2:24,25). Remembering it is “God that giveth the increase” (I 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” (II Corinthians 5:20).

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Committed To Thy Trust


“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith” (I Timothy 6:20,21).

Paul exhorted his disciple, Timothy, and by implication, exhorts us to “keep” (literally, to guard or preserve) that which was placed in his trust. The context implies that the entire teaching of Paul is in mind, as well as Timothy’s position of ministry.

Not only was he to preserve truth, he actively was to “avoid” error. Systems of thought were available which masqueraded as “science” (literally “knowledge”). These systems were not merely neutral, but were in opposition to the truth.

There can be no doubt that godless humanism, particularly as it finds its false scientific justification in evolution and uniformitarianism, has been responsible for the loss of faith in many professing Christians. Much of what is called “science” in universities today could better be described as “profane and vain babblings.”

But today’s students are not alone in their error. Back in the 1800’s, when uniformitarianism and later evolution were first being championed by only a small minority of scientists, theologians led the way to their broad acceptance. Rushing to embrace Lyell’s principle of uniformity and the concept of an old earth while still holding on to a charade of Biblical authority, theologians proposed the tranquil flood and local flood concepts. Likewise, theologians proposed theistic evolution, the day-age, and gap theories to accommodate evolution, and their theological grandchildren enjoy the majority voice at most evangelical seminaries today.

It is time that Christian laity as well as those standing in our pulpits today regain “that which is committed to (their) trust,” and avoid “science falsely so called.”

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The Fight Of Faith


“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (I Timothy 6:12).

Faith which is genuine saving faith in Christ is not characterized simply by a single act of belief, but by a life lived in faith. Scripture uses many vivid figures to describe it.

First of all, it is the door by which men and women enter the family of the redeemed. When Paul first preached the gospel to the Gentiles, he reported how God “had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). Then, it becomes a “household of faith” (Galatians 6:10) to all who have entered the door. Thus we live day by day in a house called faith! “The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11).

Faith is also work. “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith” (I Thessalonians 1:3) is vital, because “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). “By grace are ye saved through faith . . . not of works.” Nevertheless, we are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:8–10).

Furthermore, there is a fight of faith! “Fight the good fight of faith,” commands our text for today. The Christian is constantly under attack by the devil, and it is only through faith that we can stand. In the wonderful words of Ephesians 6:16, our faith becomes an invincible shield, “able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” one. But we must take it, and actively use it. When we do that, “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4).

Let us, therefore, like Abraham, be “strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20). Our faith is well placed, for it centers on Christ, the mighty Creator, living Savior, and coming King. There is a door of faith, then a household of faith, followed by the work of faith and the fight of faith, with the shield of faith, and all of this is in the wonderful “word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:.

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Acceptable Sacrifices


“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (I Peter 2:5).

In the Old Testament theocracy of Israel, it was the responsibility of the Levitical priesthood to be “daily ministering and offering often times the same sacrifices” in atonement for the sins of the people, and this continued until Jesus Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Hebrews 10:11,12). The old priesthood has now been set aside. Only the sacrifice of Christ and our identification with Him through faith is acceptable for our salvation.

Nevertheless, there is a new priesthood—a spiritual priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices—and it is vital that we who are now His priests offer sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God. The first and most basic sacrifice is set forth in one of the Bible’s key verses: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Three other acceptable sacrifices are outlined in the concluding chapter of Hebrews. “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15,16).

The continual offering of praise to God, in all circumstances acknowledging His wisdom and goodness, is an acceptable sacrifice. Doing good works—not for our salvation but because of our salvation—is acceptable. So is “communicating” (Greek koinonia)—sharing what we have with others. With these sacrifices, God is “well-pleased.” It is our high privilege, as His holy priesthood, to offer up these spiritual sacrifices.

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Pleasantly Full


“And it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell” (Colossians 1:19).

Oh that we could know what is in Christ so that we could experience His fullness. Scripture tells us that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men” (v.4). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. . . . And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (vs.14,16,17). Part of Christ’s fullness is the visible expression of our invisible God.

Likewise He was responsible for the creation, for “all things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (v.3). David, likewise, knew of this handiwork: “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). The response of the creation should be “let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together” (Psalm 98:7,8).

Beyond Jesus’ fullness and that of the creation, there is a fullness of time; the expression of events, in order, according to His timetable. “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him” (Ephesians 1:10).

No doubt Jesus, as God, looked upon His creation of the world and time and took pleasure in it, calling it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Likewise, as our text teaches, the Father took pleasure in revealing His character, bodily, in the person of Jesus, in all His fullness.

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God And The Nations

“Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing” (Isaiah 40:15).

God has a divine purpose for nations, as shown by the fact that there will even be “nations of them which are saved” (Revelation 21:24) in the new earth, outside the New Jerusalem. Nations were evidently first established after the dispersion at Babel when God forced the original post-Flood families to separate and to establish their own distinctive communities by confusing their languages (Genesis 11:9).

It thus has been natural and useful, in God’s economy, for each nation to develop a sense of national pride and patriotic loyalty. However, this has often been corrupted into militant expansionism or ethnic idolatry, and God has eventually had to put them down. Nations need to remember that they are really “a very little thing” in God’s sight, as a drop in a bucket or the fine dust on a scale. Indeed, He “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). Job testified, back in the very early days of the world’s nations: “He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again” (Job 12:23). No matter how powerful and self-reliant (or how weak and dependent) a nation may seem to be, “the kingdom is the LORD’S: and He is the governor among the nations” (Psalm 22:28).

Therefore, if a nation desires that its “time before appointed” be long and fruitful, and “the bounds of its habitation” be the optimum for (its) divine mission, it must be careful to honor and serve the true God of heaven, for “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God,” while “blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 9:17; 33:12).