A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

In-Law or Outlaw?
 
"To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law." (1 Corinthians 9:21)
 
The preaching of the gospel weighed heavily on Paul, and in this passage (vv. 5-23), as well as surrounding chapters (8:1-11:1), he explained the lengths to which he would go to be able to preach and to avoid being a stumbling block to potential hearers. Since he closes the section with the exhortation "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (11:1), we would do well to observe his methods.
 
The message of the work of Christ Jesus burned within Paul. "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (9:16). He would preach willingly or unwillingly (v. 17), for no financial gain (v. 18), or personal glory (v. 16), but he had to preach. "I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more" (v. 19), he said. He would even make himself acceptable to the Jews (v. 20) by not breaking their law, even though he knew he was no longer bound by it.
 
In our text, Paul explains his approach to the Gentiles, those who were "without law." He could not behave in a licentious, sinful, lawless manner, for God's holy nature demands holiness. The Greek word anomos, translated four times in this verse as "without law," is contrasted in the parenthetic comment to ennomos, "under the law." Paul was not lawless. Even though not under the Mosaic law, he had voluntarily, out of a heart of love for the Savior, placed himself under a set of new and better restraints, that of the law of Christ, "that I might by all means save some" (v. 22).
 
Christians of today have, to a great extent, benefited from Paul's unquenchable thirst for souls. He had partaken of the sweet fruits of the gospel and preached "that I might be partaker thereof with you" (v. 23). Should we not willingly follow his example? JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Without the Shedding of Blood
 
"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22)
 
It is strange that so many people object to the biblical doctrine of salvation through the shed blood of Christ. Even some evangelicals will argue that the blood is merely a chemical mixture, and that it was the death of Christ that was the price of our redemption.
 
Chemistry aside, the Bible does indeed stress that "we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:14), that He has "made peace through the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:20), and that we are "now justified by his blood" (Romans 5:9). We receive His great work of propitiation--that is His sacrificial death for our sins--"through faith in his blood" (Romans 3:25).
 
Why this emphasis on the shedding of His blood, which seems offensive to so many people? Could He not have been put to death in other ways--drowning, stoning, asphyxiation, etc.--ways not involving the ugliness of bloodshed?
 
One can speculate with many "what if?" questions, but we must go by the Word of God. It remains true, theologically as well as biologically, that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11, also Genesis 9:4). The basic rationale of sacrifice--the death of an innocent substitute to provide life for the guilty--has centered from the beginning (when God provided coats of skin for the nakedness of Adam and Eve) on the spilled blood of sacrificial animals to atone for (that is "to cover") the sins of the one bringing the offering, until finally "the Lamb of God" could be offered by God as "one sacrifice for sins for ever" (Hebrews 10:12). When the blood gushed from His pierced side, His spotless life was poured out at the foot of the cross, and the price of our redemption was fully paid. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Father of Glory
 
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him." (Ephesians 1:17)
 
This is one of Paul's most personal and precious prayers involving all the persons of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is called "the Spirit of wisdom," and the Father is called the "Father of glory."
 
One may note many wonderful attributes of our heavenly Father simply by noting the titles by which He is known to the apostles. Not only is He "the Father of glory," as in our text, but James calls Him "the Father of lights" (James 1:17). To Peter He is the "faithful Creator" and "the God of all grace" (1 Peter 4:19; 5:10).
 
The writer of Hebrews speaks of Him as "the God of peace" and "the Father of spirits" (Hebrews 13:20; 12:9). To John, "God is love" (1 John 4:16); to Jude, He is "God our Saviour" (Jude 25).
 
The epistles of Paul are rich with such beautiful ascriptions to the Father. One of the greatest is 2 Corinthians 1:3: "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort."
 
He is also "the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God" (1 Timothy 1:17), and the "one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:6). The heavenly Father is "the God of hope" (Romans 15:13), but He is also "God the Judge of all," and to the ungodly, "our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:23, 29).
 
Most importantly, the Father of glory is "God our Father" (1 Corinthians 1:3), because He is "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), and "truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Follow Me
 
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." (Matthew 4:19-20)
 
It was not unusual for a man with a political cause or message to develop a following in the Israel of Jesus' day (see Acts 5:35-37, for example). It was even common for a Jew to follow a religious "master," calling him Rabbi and becoming his disciple.
 
But what made the disciples leave the lives they knew and follow Christ? Perhaps they hoped He would lead a successful rebellion against Rome, but He had done nothing to make them think so. Nor had He promised them a life of luxury and ease, but rather hardship and hard work in their new occupation as "fishers of men."
 
However, John the Baptist had prepared the way for the Lord. He had trained at least most, possibly all, of the men who would eventually become Jesus' disciples. "John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus" (John 1:35-37). Training by John even became a requirement for a potential replacement for Judas (Acts 1:20-22).
 
But a credible witness in John was not their only reason to follow, for they had a great body of compelling evidence. For example, Luke records in Peter's case, Christ had already gained local recognition (Luke 4:14-15). Jesus had been to Peter's house for dinner where his mother-in-law had been healed (4:38-39). Christ had used his boat for teaching (5:3) and had miraculously directed them to an overwhelming catch of fish (5:6). In response, Peter and his partners "forsook all, and followed him" (5:11).
 
We have a much surer testimony and much more evidence. Should we not do likewise? JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Complete Supply
 
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
 
The key to this promise in today's verse is the need that must be met by the riches of the Great King as we render our service in His Kingdom. But how vast those needs can be and how different the supply is!
 
Millions of Israelites needed food in the wilderness, and the manna came fresh from heaven each day for 40 years (Exodus 16:35). Gideon needed victory over the innumerable Midianites, and God caused confusion to fall on his enemies (Judges 7:22). Elijah needed a powerful demonstration of God's authority, and fire came down from heaven (1 Kings 18:38).
 
In the New Testatment, a crippled man needed a new hand (Mark 3:5), a blind man needed new eyes (John 9:5-6), and a dead man needed life (John 11:43-44). Jesus made the best wine anyone had ever had when the party needed supply (John 2:10-22). He calmed the sea when the disciples needed freedom from their fear (Mark 4:38-39). And He pulled Peter up from the sea when he needed rescue (Matthew 14:30-31). No matter the size of the need, the resources are more than sufficient.
 
More often than not, however, the need is spiritual. We all need God's forgiveness from the "sickness" of sin (Mark 2:17). When we first come into His kingdom, we need the "milk" of the Word (Hebrews 5:12). We all need the wisdom to "walk honestly toward them that are without" (1 Thessalonians 4:12).

[Soldier4Christ]

Arrows in the Hand
 
"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth." (Psalm 127:4)
 
This is the central verse in the 101 verses contained in a remarkable group of fifteen psalms called "The songs of degrees" (Psalms 120-134). The central verse in the central psalm of this group is the preceding verse: "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward" (Psalm 127:3). The origin of these psalms and this peculiar superscript has always been uncertain. Four are said to be by David, one by Solomon; the other ten are anonymous.
 
A reasonable supposition, however, is that they were composed by King Hezekiah, after he had been miraculously healed of a lethal illness. "I will add unto thy days fifteen years," God had said, and gave Hezekiah a miraculous sign as confirmation, causing the shadow on the sun dial of Ahaz to go "backward ten degrees" (2 Kings 20:6, 10). In thanksgiving thereof, the king proclaimed, "Therefore we will sing my songs . . . all the days of our life in the house of the Lord" (Isaiah 38:20).
 
It is significant that the word for "degrees" is the same in both cases. It apparently means "steps" or "ascents." The shadow miraculously ascended ten steps back up the sun dial after it had gone down, and Hezekiah's life was miraculously extended 15 years. Perhaps, therefore, "my songs" mean the ten songs the king composed in commemoration of the ten degrees. He then added five songs of David to round out the total to 15, corresponding to his added "days of our life." And right at the center was his great testimony to the blessing of children. He was childless at the time, but he had a son three years later (2 Chronicles 33:1) by whom He was able to continue the Messianic line promised to David through Solomon. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Like a Wave of the Sea
 
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally. . . . But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." (James 1:5-6)
 
A contrast is set up in these verses between faith and doubt. Jesus taught that "if ye have faith, and doubt |same word as 'waver' in our text| not . . . ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matthew 21:21-22).
 
James explains that a doubter can be compared to ocean waves. Waves (in contrast to the tides which are caused by the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun) are caused by wind which imparts energy to the ocean water which scarcely attenuates until the wave crashes onto the shoreline, perhaps many miles from its original source of energy. A wave cannot stay in one place. It surges onto the shore and recedes backward. It rises up and sinks down. It contains much froth, as well as great energy, which cannot efficiently be harnessed for good, but has the potential to cause great damage.
 
What an elegant picture of the doubting, half-believing soul. Willingly receiving onward and upward impulses, he cannot sustain them, quickly sinking to former depths, only to rise again, in an endless cycle, until ultimately dissipating all energy on some rocky shoreline of life. "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).
 
In much the same way, Paul urges that we "be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:14-15). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Lazarus and the Rich Man
 
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried." (Luke 16:22)
 
Many scholars believe that the episode reported in Luke 16:19-31 actually happened; that it is a true story. If it is a parable, it is not identified as such, and it is the only one in which the name of a participant is given. Christ related the story as if it were true. But whether history or parable, we can learn much from the contrast between these two dramatically different men, their deaths and destinies.
 
The rich man, of course, surrounded himself with luxury (v. 19) while Lazarus struggled each day just to survive until the next poverty-filled and pain-wracked day (vv. 20-21).
 
No one can escape the grave, however, and in the passage of time, both died. But, rather than reducing those two different individuals to the commonality of death, their differences actually are heightened. The rich man, "being in torments" (v. 23), was aware of the comfort of Lazarus in "Abraham's bosom" (v. 22). The interchange between the rich man and Abraham, and the timeless instruction Christ gave, are well known.
 
Note also the contrast between "carried" and "buried" in our text. The beggar's body was no doubt unceremoniously dumped into a pauper's grave, while the rich man's corpse was placed in a costly sepulcher, and his funeral attended by many friends and mourners. But look beyond the earthly spectrum. While the rich man begs for mercy and relief from torment, the poor man's eternal spirit is "carried" (literally, "carried off" or "borne away") by a convoy of angelic beings into the presence of God, where "now he is comforted" (v. 25). For Lazarus, and indeed for all who die in the Lord, "death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Assembling Together
 
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)
 
This verse is often cited as an incentive to regular church attendance, but it can also relate just as well to any gathering of two or more believers in Christ’s name. The Lord Jesus said: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).
 
It is fascinating to note that the Greek word translated "assembling together" in this verse is used only one other time in the New Testament, and there it is translated "gathering together." "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him" (2 Thessalonians 2:1).
 
In this verse, Paul was reminding the Thessalonians of his previous letter to them, in which he had written about the return of Christ and the gathering together of all believers to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). Perhaps the writer of our text verse, since he was using the same unique terminology, was referring to the same event.
 
That is, whenever there is an assembling together of believers, it is in a sense a little preview of that great gathering in the skies when Christ returns, as we exhort one another to "look for him" (Hebrews 9:28), and so much the more, as we see the day approaching.
 
Since our text verse does not actually mention the church by name, it seems to apply to any assembling of believers. However, there is one very significant use of "church" in Hebrews, and it refers specifically to the coming meeting in the air, where we shall all gather at "the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect" (Hebrews 12:23). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Grace
 
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Philippians 4:23)
 
The basic form of today's verse appears 13 times in the New Testament. In Scripture, repetition is not for lack of something to say, but the Holy Spirit's intentional emphasis on something.
 
God extends His grace to the very creation itself by merely keeping the universe together (2 Peter 3:7), intending thereby to "speak" and supply knowledge (Psalm 19:1-4) sufficient to display His very nature and power in such a way that there can be "no excuse" about His existence and care for humanity (Romans 1:20).
 
In seven of the 13 times, this "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" is focused on "you." God's grace is very personal. Everything that He has done is because He loves you and me beyond any grasp of our earthly imagination. No one is beyond the touch of God's grace: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
 
Once, in contrast, God says some will turn "the grace of our God into lasciviousness" and deny Him who has bought and paid for all the horrible sin that they embraced to spite such grace (Jude 1:4). No wonder the apostle Paul calls such people "abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate" (Titus 1:16).
 
The Lord twice focuses His grace on our spirits, indicating God's intimate knowledge of our innermost thoughts (Romans 8:26). Paul noted that God's grace is "exceeding abundant with faith and love" (1 Timothy 1:14), and he insisted that His grace is designed to be "glorified in you" (2 Thessalonians 1:12). Like today's verse, most of the prayers for us end in "Amen." And that's the way it should be. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

Hereby Know
 
"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit." (1 John 4:13)
 
It is surprising to note that this phrase "hereby know" occurs eight times in the little epistle of 1 John. Each of these listed below is given as a means of both testing the genuineness of our professed faith in Christ and then of giving assurance and comfort to the true believer.
 
"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3).
 
"But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him" (1 John 2:5).
 
"Hereby perceive |same Greek word as 'know'| we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16).
 
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him" (1 John 3:18-19).
 
"And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 John 3:24).
 
"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God" (1 John 4:2).
 
"We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6).
 
The eighth and last such reference is our text for the day. Note that the common thread running through all is the importance of the indwelling Spirit of truth, leading those who know the Lord into lives of doctrinal purity, obedience to God's Word, and love toward the brethren. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Soldier's Duty
 
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." (2 Timothy 2:3-4)
 
As Paul came to the end of his earthly life, he took great pains to encourage his disciple to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1) and to guard and pass on the precious teachings that Paul had taught him.
 
Paul compared Timothy's life in the ministry of the gospel to the life of a soldier. The Greek word translated "endure hardness" is used twice more by Paul, each in this book. "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions |same word|, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5). Paul holds himself up as an example of such endurance when he claims: "I suffer trouble |same word|, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound" (2 Timothy 2:9).
 
As soldiers of Jesus Christ, we are to avoid entangling ourselves with something that will hinder our effectiveness. The word "entangled" means "entwined," or "involved with." The soldier must be able to draw his weapon freely and use it effectively, and cannot do so if something is clutching onto him, binding his arms and legs.
 
Our text follows the well-known admonition: "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (vv. 1-2). The goal of a soldier is to please his leader. So must be our goal in the warfare at hand, preserving and passing on the truth. As Christians, we have been chosen to be in the army of the General who Himself died to assure our ultimate victory. He deserves our total devotion. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Furtherance of the Gospel
 
"But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." (Philippians 1:12)
 
The infrequently used word "furtherance" (meaning simply "advancement") occurs elsewhere only in Philippians 1:25, where Paul speaks of the "furtherance and joy of faith," which he hoped to see in the Christians at Philippi, and in 1 Timothy 4:15, where it is translated "profiting." There, Paul urged young Timothy to continue studying the things of God "that thy profiting may appear to all."
 
Paul wrote this epistle while he was unjustly imprisoned in a Roman jail, and no doubt he remembered the time when he had first met many of his Philippian Christian friends as a result of being imprisoned and beaten in a Philippian jail (Acts 16:12-40). In fact he had often been imprisoned (2 Corinthians 11:23) and had suffered severely in many other ways for "the furtherance of the gospel."
 
Indeed, during the two years or more he was a prisoner in Rome, he not only taught God's Word to many who visited him there (Acts 28:30-31) but also wrote at least four of his inspired epistles there (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon--possibly even Hebrews). And these have been of untold blessing to millions down through the years. In ways which Paul could never have imagined, it was true indeed that these things which had happened to him had "fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel."
 
The apostle Paul had the spiritual insight to realize that what seemed like great problems and difficulties could be used by God to the "advancement" of the gospel. Rather than complaining or even quitting when the Christian life gets hard, we must remember that God can make even "the wrath of man" to bring praise to Him (Psalm 76:10). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Redeemed of the Lord
 
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." (Psalm 107:2)
 
This hymn of praise for God's providence centers around four examples of God's deliverance from particular problems. The four situations are as follows: Lost travelers who are out of provisions far from a city (vv. 4-5), prisoners imprisoned for their own rebelliousness (vv. 1-12), those who have been brought to physical illness due to their sin (vv. 17-18), and sailors who face shipwreck on stormy seas (vv. 23-27). In each case, the individuals prayed for deliverance which resulted in God's miraculous rescue and a response of praise.
 
This cycle reminds us of the pattern during the time of the Judges when "every man did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Due to their rebelliousness, God brought the people of Israel into captivity over and over again. Each time, in the midst of their oppression, they cried unto the Lord, who raised up a judge and empowered him to vanquish the enemy and free the people.
 
The exact same pattern can be found in Solomon's prayer of dedication for the temple. He recognized man's tendency to rebel and forget the Lord's provision when things are going well, thus eliciting God's judgment. But God has always used times of trouble to bring men and women back to Himself. He is a God of grace and mercy and love, desiring to forgive and restore those who repent and call to Him for deliverance (2 Kings 8).
 
The same truth applies today. We still tend to rebel, and He remains long-suffering, willing to forgive and restore upon repentance. "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Secret Faults vs. Presumptuous Sins
 
"Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." (Psalm 19:12-13)
 
David, the author of this majestic psalm of praise to God for His revelation of Himself and His nature to man, voices his own frustration at his inability to mold his life totally in accordance with God's revealed plan. He recognizes and asks for God's forgiveness for his failure to measure up, and asks for strength to avoid habitual sin patterns and willful rejection of God's way.
 
God had already made a careful distinction between these types of sins. "The priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. . . . But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously . . . the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him" (Numbers 15:28, 30-31).
 
Paul also recognized such a difference. Keep in mind that all sin is abhorrent to God and must be repented of, resulting, of course, in His forgiveness. But Paul claimed that even his blasphemous, murderous persecution of the church was done "ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13). His plea of ignorance did not excuse his guilt, but through it he "obtained mercy" (v. 13) and "grace" (v. 14).
 
This is a "pattern to |us| which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting" (v. 16). Let us not be guilty of willful, presumptuous sin, but on these occasions when we do fall, we can be thankful that our "longsuffering" (v. 16) Savior still affords us such mercy. JDM