A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

By Any Means
 
"And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west." (Acts 27:12)
 
This seemingly insignificant phrase "by any means" (Greek ei pos) is actually used to express the urgency of attaining some object sought, along with the means for its attainment. It occurs just four times in the New Testament, and it is interesting that these four occurrences seem to follow a significant order.
 
The first of them is in our text above and expresses a search for physical comfort, as the mariners, transporting Paul to Rome, sought by any means to find a convenient place to spend the winter.
 
The second expresses Paul's search for spiritual ministry. When Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, he told them of his constant prayers: "Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established" (Romans 1:10-11).
 
Thirdly, there was his search for conversion of others. "For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them" (Romans 11:13-14).
 
Finally, and most importantly, there was Paul's (and, Lord willing, may it be ours also!) search for a Christ-centered life. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Philippians 3:10-11). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Word of the King
 
"Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" (Ecclesiastes 8:4)
 
Perhaps the archetype of absolute monarchs was Babylonia's King Nebuchadnezzar, of whom the prophet Daniel could say: "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory" (Daniel 2:37). The word of this and every true king was with power, the king being answerable to no man but himself, for his authority came from God. "For there is no power but of God" (Romans 13:1). Many kings have had to learn this truth the hard way, however, for they have found that God could remove them as quickly as He had ordained them when they abused that power.
 
But there is one King who will never fall; one "who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings; . . . to whom be honour and power everlasting" (1 Timothy 6:15-16). The Lord Jesus Christ has asserted, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18), and one day all creatures in heaven and earth will acknowledge: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things" (Revelation 4:11). In that day all "the kingdoms of this world |shall| become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).
 
This one, who is King of all kings, is also the One who is "called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). The word of this King is of such power that He could speak the mighty cosmos into existence. His word could calm a violent storm and call Lazarus back from death.
 
"The word of God is quick, and powerful" (Hebrews 4:12), and "his word was with power" (Luke 4:32). Therefore, "all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Mystery of Darkness
 
"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:5)
 
The Bible reveals that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5), and also that, in the ages to come, there will be no more darkness. God promises twice that there shall be "no night there" (Revelation 21:25; 22:5), in the very last references to night in the Bible.
 
Why, then, is there darkness, and where did it come from? God gives the answer: "I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness" (Isaiah 45:6-7). Light was always in and with God, but the darkness had to be created! And, it has a purpose, serving as a contrast to the light.
 
Men and women were created to love and have fellowship with their Creator, not as robots but in freedom. Darkness thus served as the choice that could be made against God and the light, for those so minded. Satan and his hosts of fallen angels and wicked spirits have become "the rulers of the darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12). The tragedy is that ever since Adam, men have "loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19), and so have been practicing "the works of darkness" (Romans 13:12), and deserving nothing but "the blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 13).
 
But our Creator has become our Redeemer. He "hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9), paying the great price for our redemption on the cross. The Father "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13); we are now free to enter into the eternal fellowship with God that He had planned before the world began. We should "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Son in the Old Testament
 
"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." (Psalm 2:7)
 
There are many today (especially Muslims, Jews, and Christian "liberals") who are monotheists, believing in one supreme God but rejecting the deity of Christ. They argue that the doctrine that Jesus was the unique Son of God was invented by the early Christians and that the God of the Old Testament had no Son. Orthodox Jews in particular emphasize Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD."
 
The fact is, however, that there are a number of Old Testament verses that do speak of God's only begotten Son. Note the following brief summary.
 
First, there is God's great promise to David: "I will set up thy seed after thee, . . . I will be his father, and he shall be my son. . . . thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Samuel 7:12, 14, 16).
 
Consider also the rhetorical questions of Agur. "Who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" (Proverbs 30:4).
 
Then there are the two famous prophecies of Isaiah, quoted so frequently at Christmas time. "Behold, a (literally 'the') virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (meaning 'God with us')" (Isaiah 7:14). "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: . . . and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
 
Perhaps the most explicit verse in this connection is our text. "The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son" (Psalm 2:7). Then this marvelous Messianic psalm concludes with this exhortation: "Kiss the Son, . . . Blessed are all they that put their trust in him" (Psalm 2:12). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Watchful Christian
 
"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. . . . And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." (Mark 13:32-33, 37)
 
Every believer, in all places and times, has been commanded by Christ Himself to watch for His return. Since we cannot know the day nor the hour, we are to be watchful always. There are at least eight references in the New Testament commanding us to watch for His coming.
 
Many people have tried to calculate the date of Christ's coming. But Jesus said, "In such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44). If anyone "thinks" he has figured out the time, we can be sure that calculation is wrong! If even the Lord Jesus Himself, within the self-limiting confines of His humanity, did not know the time of His return, it is unscriptural and presumptuous for any of us to think we can determine it.
 
In fact, the very reason for its uncertainty is to stimulate watchfulness on the part of the believer. When a believer starts to "say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming" (Luke 12:45), there arises a real danger that he will fall into sinful habits.
 
The daily attitude of "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" is a real incentive for one to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:13, 12). "When he shall appear, we shall be like him," John promises, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). We should continually "abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The New Heavens and New Earth
 
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." (Isaiah 65:17)
 
There is a glorious future awaiting the redeemed. Although God's primeval creation of the heavens and the earth is eternal (note Psalm 148:6, etc.), these are now groaning in pain under the effects of sin and the curse. When the Lord returns, they will be "delivered from the bondage of corruption into . . . glorious liberty" (Romans 8:21), and God will make them all new again, with all the scars of sin and death burned away by His refining fires (2 Peter 3:10).
 
There are four explicit references in the Bible to these "renewed" heavens and earth. In addition to our text, which assures us that they will be so wonderful that this present earth and its heavens will soon be altogether forgotten, there is the great promise of Isaiah 66:22: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain." Thus, that heavens and earth will remain eternally, and so will all who dwell there, with their true spiritual children. Note also that both God's "creation" and "making" powers will be applied to the new heavens and new earth, just as they were to the first (Genesis 2:3).
 
The third and fourth references are in the New Testament. "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13). Not only will no sin be present there, neither will the results of sin and the curse. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; . . . And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:1, 4). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Wisdom and Prudence
 
"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." (Matthew 11:25)
 
The attributes of wisdom and prudence are prized very highly by the world and its leaders, but worldly wisdom and pragmatic prudence are incapable in themselves of comprehending the spiritual concepts in the plan of God. The Lord Jesus, in fact, considered this very truth a cause for thanksgiving! One does not need either education or wisdom to appropriate the true wisdom of God, for even a young child (in fact, only one who becomes like a child) is able to understand true wisdom. "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).
 
The fact that most of the world’s scholars reject the Word of God is not surprising, because God promised this would be the case! "It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent," for "the world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Corinthians 1:19, 21). Genuine wisdom and prudence are found only through the revealed Word of God. There, however, "he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence" (Ephesians 1:8). God desires that our "faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. . . . But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:5, 7-8). The abounding wisdom and prudence of God are hidden from the wise and prudent of the world, but are life and joy to all who come with the believing trust of little children. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

His Word Is with Power
 
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power." (Luke 4:32)
 
God’s words, whether spoken by Jesus or written in Scripture, are indeed full of power, and it is noteworthy how many and varied are the physical analogies used to characterize and emphasize its power.
 
For example, consider Jeremiah 23:29. "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" The fire analogy is also stressed in Jeremiah 20:9, when the prophet became weary of the negative reaction against his preaching: "Then I said, I will not . . . speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."
 
God’s Word is also called a sharp sword wielded by the Holy Spirit. As part of the Christian’s spiritual armor, we are exhorted to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing 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).
 
Even more significantly, perhaps, it is compared to light, for light energy is really the most basic of all forms of energy, or power. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path." "The entrance of thy words giveth light" (Psalm 119:105, 130). The first spoken words of Christ our Creator were "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3).
 
But no earthly form of power can compare to the power in the words of the One who is Himself the living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is actually "upholding all things by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Moderation
 
"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." (Philippians 4:5)
 
There are three important aspects to this instruction. First, we are to be "moderate," the core meaning of which is to be equitable or fair, with further associations of mild and gentle.
 
The Greek word rarely appears in the New Testament. Twice the qualifications of church leaders include this characteristic (1 Timothy 3:3 and Titus 3:2), both times stressing the "gentle" aspect of the term. Once, and importantly, the term is used in a broad sweep of adjectives outlining the "wisdom that is from above" (James 3:17)--all aspects, incidentally, fleshing out the idea of "fair" or "equitable."
 
Secondly, today's verse tells us to make our moderation "known unto all men." That is demanding, since it is more difficult to apply equity to all people rather than just attempt to be fair and gentle in our dealings. Surely the Holy Spirit is insisting that our inner character be "moderate," so that the resulting actions will flow from a person's character rather than his circumstance. As noted of those of the Corinthian church, they were "manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:3). Everybody "reads" us, and what others decide about us must include the reputation of fair and gentle behavior to all.
 
Finally, the reason that this requirement is so significant is because "the Lord is at hand." Although a quick application might lead one to think, "The Lord is coming back soon," the time element is not at all implied in the sentence. A better translation may be "the Lord is alongside," "he is close," or even "the Lord is with you." It is easy, sometimes, to forget that God indwells us through the Holy Spirit and that our every action and thought are known by our Creator (Psalm 139:3-4). HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

The Aroma
 
"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." (Ephesians 5:1-2)
 
Incense in Scripture has a variety of rich and meaningful usages, particularly as related to the blood sacrifice. "And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: . . . And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee" (Exodus 30:1, 6). Without this incense, it was impossible to meet with God in this prescribed way. It was to be offered both morning and evening (vv. 7-8). Great care was to be taken in its preparation (vv. 34-36), and it was not to be used for any other purpose (vv. 37-38).
 
In the New Testament we find a totally different application of this principle. As in our text, we see that Jesus Christ Himself has become an offering and a "sweet-smelling savour" to God. His freely offering Himself is an example to us to live a life of sacrifice and love.
 
While He was the final sacrifice, we are to "present |our| bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is |our| reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). This may even take the form of material "things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God" (Philippians 4:18).
 
In the mind of God, our life of sacrifice is a sweet-smelling savor. "Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish" (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). Without our willing, living sacrifice, we cannot approach God, but with it, we are a "sweet savour of Christ." JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Ye or Thee
 
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matthew 6:6)
 
In perhaps His primary teaching on giving, prayer, and fasting, Christ used an interesting blend of singular (thee, thou) and plural (you, ye) pronouns. Since even pronouns as recorded in Scripture are inspired and profitable, there must be a lesson to be learned from them.
 
Although Christ begins the passage using the plural pronoun--"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them" (v. 1), evidently addressing the large group assembled--He switches and speaks in the singular. In the verses dealing with giving (vv. 2-4), with praying (vv. 5-6), and with fasting (vv. 17-18), He uses the singular pronoun and singular verbs over 30 times, but each teaching is balanced by a comparison, in the plural, to those who practice these deeds wrongly (vv. 1, 5, 16).
 
Evidently, our Lord is stressing the need to do these things privately, as opposed to publicly. Public giving and public fasting are often done to gain the praise of men, and to appear overly spiritual. "They have their reward" (v. 5). Public prayer is certainly not improper, and indeed Christ uses the occasion to teach on public prayer by giving what has come to be called "The Lord’s Prayer" (vv. 9-13), again in contrast to improper public prayer (v. 7). But public prayer can never totally substitute for private prayer, for there is a continuing need for the intimately personal "closet" time with our God. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (v. 6).
 
In each case, "thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (vv. 4, 6, 18). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Children of Light

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)
 
There are a number of beautiful metaphors used in the Bible describing those who have become true "children of God" (1 John 3:10) by the new birth. As children tend to take on the characteristics of their parents as they grow, so God's spiritual children should be growing in the grace of God and the knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:18).
 
Similarly, Christians are called "children of light, and the children of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Therefore, as in our text, we should "walk as children of light."
 
The Lord Jesus spoke of us as "children of the kingdom" in Matthew 13:38. We should, therefore, live and speak as those born into the kingdom of God, and as faithful subjects of the King of kings.
 
Christ also called us "children of wisdom" (Matthew 11:19), and this surely implies that we should, in our understanding and in our decisions, have "the mind of Christ" who "is made unto us wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:16; 1:30).
 
In contrast, note the metaphors applied in the Bible to those who have not (at least not yet) become children of God by being "born again" through faith in the triune God. We ourselves once "were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Ephesians 2:3). We--and they--were also called "children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2; also in Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6).
 
Unbelievers are also called "children of this world" (Luke 16:8), and even "children of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38) and "children of the devil" (1 John 3:10).
 
Returning to the metaphor of our text, "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light" (1 John 1:7), then we can no longer "walk in darkness," for we have "the light of life" (John 8:12). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Preached in All Creation
 
"If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister." (Colossians 1:23)
 
Many times Christians piously say, "Why get worked up over creation, why don't you just preach the gospel?" But such a question reveals a faulty knowledge of what "the gospel" consists of, for, as has been noted many times on these pages, the gospel consists not only of the redemptive work of Christ, but His entire person and work as well. The message of the "everlasting gospel" is to "worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Revelation 14:6-7). Elsewhere, the gospel includes His coming Kingdom (Matthew 4:23, for example). From creation to redemption to ultimate restoration, all is "good news," all the work and person of Christ.
 
In our text we see that the gospel "was preached to every creature," or perhaps better translated, "in all creation." What was the message of the gospel for which Paul was so jealous? The answer is found in the preceding verses.
 
Christ is preeminent, literally "the firstborn of every creature" (v. 15), totally God (v. 19). He is the Creator of all things, both physical and spiritual (v. 16), and continues to maintain His creation (v. 17). He leads the church, assuring victory over death (v. 18). He is the Redeemer, the perfect sacrifice for sins (vv. 20-22), providing each believer total sanctification (v. 22). He will ultimately restore all of creation to i ts original created intent (v. 20).
 
Only as we recognize and believe the teachings of His Word on the entire "good news," from creation to consummation, can we hope to victoriously "continue in the faith grounded and settled." JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Man and His Labor
 
"Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening." (Psalm 104:23)
 
The 104th Psalm is a beautiful psalm of creation and the Flood, supplemented by God's providential care of His creatures in the post-Flood world. Our text makes man's activity seem almost incidental in the grand scope of God's activities on behalf of His whole creation.
 
Nevertheless, it reminds us of God's first great commission to mankind concerning that creation. "Have dominion . . . over all the earth . . . to dress it and to keep it" (Genesis 1:26; 2:15). This primeval mandate, though still in effect as man's stewardship responsibility for the earth and its creatures, has been seriously impacted by sin and the curse. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake," God told Adam; "in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" (Genesis 3:17, 19).
 
And so it is that men (women, too!) must work, and the work often is laborious, and stressful, and unappreciated. Yet the divine rule is "that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands . . . That ye may walk honestly . . . and that ye may have lack of nothing" (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). "For . . . if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
 
Thus labor is necessary, even for those who don't know the Lord. But it is far better if we work, not just to earn a living, but to please the Lord. "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23).
 
Whatever our job may be (assuming it is an honorable occupation), it can be regarded as serving Christ and as helping to fulfill His primeval-dominion commandment, and even as helping to lead others to know Him. Therefore, whether the work is easy, or hard, we should be "always abounding in the work of the Lord . . . your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Walking in Truth
 
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4)
 
The important word "truth" is a key word in the apostle John's vocabulary, occurring more in his writings than in those of any other New Testament author. In the one-chapter epistle of 3 John, it occurs six times.
 
He addressed his epistle to "Gaius, whom I love in the truth" (v. 1). He rejoiced over "the truth that is in thee" (v. 3). He urged his readers to be "fellowhelpers to the truth" (v. 8) and commended Demetrius, who had a good report "of the truth itself" (v. 12). But he was especially pleased to hear that his beloved disciple, Gaius, was walking in the truth (v. 3).
 
Every godly Christian parent, pastor, teacher, or personal soul winner knows exactly how John felt. There is no greater joy to such mature believers than to know that their children--whether physical or spiritual children--are sound and growing in Christian faith and practice, understanding, and believing God's truth, obeying His truth, living the truth, walking in the truth. But there is great sadness when such a one begins to "turn away their ears from the truth" (2 Timothy 4:4) and to walk again in step with the fables of the world. When they "walk in darkness" and "do not the truth" (1 John 1:6), this brings pain and sadness to those who have loved them and tried to lead them in the light of God's truth.
 
And what is the truth? John's very first mention of truth was in relation to Jesus Christ, whose glory he had beheld in His incarnation as "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). In fact, Christ Himself claimed, "I am . . . the truth" (John 14:6). Then He also said, "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). "And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth" (1 John 5:6). To walk in the truth, bringing joy to the Father, is to believe on Christ, and then to trust and obey His word as illumined by the witnessing Spirit. HMM