A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

The Invitations of Christ
 
"He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour." (John 1:39)
 
This is the first of the gracious invitations of the Lord Jesus to "come" to Him. On this occasion, right after His baptism by John, He invited two potential disciples to come with Him to His dwelling place. Very likely, this was an outdoor mat somewhere, for He soon afterwards acknowledged that "the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). Nevertheless, one night of abiding with Jesus changed their lives. Soon afterwards, He issued another invitation to them. "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17), and they never went home again. First He invites us to come to see and know Him, then to come with Him to win others.
 
There is also the wonderful invitation to come to Him for relief from our burdens and cares. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). And note His promise to those who do accept His invitation: "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
 
There were also personal invitations. To Zacchaeus, the seeking sinner glimpsing Jesus from a sycamore tree, He said, "come down; for to day I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). To His friend Lazarus, dead and bound in a tomb, He cried, "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43), and not even the grave could prevent his accepting such a call.
 
There are other invitations from the Lord with gracious promises to those who come, but note especially the final invitation of the Bible: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Instant Creation
 
"Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created." (Psalm 148:5)
 
Certain Christian intellectuals today are promoting the concept of what they call "process creation," a euphemism for theistic evolution. This is a contradiction in terms, however, for creation by definition is supernatural and instantaneous. The Bible makes this plain.
 
Our text is in one of the beautiful "hallelujah" psalms in which the entire creation is exhorted to praise the Lord. The sun, moon, and all the heavens are included, and then the testimony of our text is given. As soon as God commanded, they were created, not over long ages, but immediately! God said "Let there be . . ." and it was so.
 
This is especially emphatic in the 33rd Psalm: "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:6, 9). This is also the testimony in the great "faith" chapter, Hebrews 11. The very first object of faith is the following: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:3). That is, the things which are seen (sun, moon, stars, etc.) were not made out of preexisting materials (things which appear), but by the spoken word of God.
 
There is not any need at all to compromise either God's omnipotence or His inerrant Word by such devices as theistic evolution, progressive creation, or process creation, for no natural "process" could ever generate the complex and beautifully organized systems of the creation. Compromising evangelical scientists and theologians who are intimidated by the ungodly philosophy of evolution should be corrected, not accommodated. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Promise Marches On
 
"Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." (Genesis 4:26)
 
The Bible is, ultimately, one Book. Like a good book, we must read the beginning to understand the middle and end. This truth applies to individual chapters as well. To understand Genesis 4:26, we must understand what precedes it.
 
Genesis 3:15 states, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Thus, Satan will have offspring ("thy seed"), Eve will have offspring ("her seed"), and Satan will seek to harm her offspring: "thou shalt bruise his heel." But Eve's seed will ultimately prevail: "it shall bruise thy head"--a bruise to the head would be a crushing blow. Based on these verses, we should expect to find many accounts in Scripture describing attacks of Satan on the seed of the woman.
 
The first such attack arrived quickly. Adam and Eve had two children (Genesis 4:1-2): one was righteous (Abel--Matthew 23:35), the other was a child of Satan (Cain--1 John 3:10-15). Though death was promised as a punishment for sin (Genesis 2:17), the first death was not from natural causes; Cain murdered Abel (Genesis 4:8). Clearly, Satan was trying to destroy the righteous seed of the woman.
 
Did God's promise fail? This chapter's closing verses gave the answer: "She bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son . . . then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." Satan's plan was foiled; God granted righteous seed.
 
God's promises will never be thwarted. What a cause for rejoicing! NTJ

[Soldier4Christ]

The Test of Expedience
 
"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." (1 Corinthians 6:12)
 
Christians are saved by the grace of God, not by works of righteousness. Therefore, in a sense, they are free to do whatever they please. "All things are lawful unto me." The Christian, however, is under a higher law, the law of love and of seeking to please and honor his Savior and Lord.
 
Therefore, when a question arises as to whether a certain act is right or wrong, the decision should be based on how the act impacts the cause of Christ. Does it help or hinder in the winning of the lost or in edifying the believer? Does it honor the Lord and His Word or bring reproach against His truth? For example, Paul concluded he could not afford to "be brought under the power of any" practice (e.g., drinking, smoking, gambling) that might limit the power of God over his actions and decisions.
 
In a similar passage, Paul says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not" (1 Corinthians 10:23). Thus, nothing is expedient for the Christian that does not edify (that is, "build up") spiritually either himself or someone else.
 
In a similar vein, he said elsewhere that "there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. . . . Let not then your good be evil spoken of . . . Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" (Romans 14:14, 16, 19).
 
This test of expediency, therefore, if applied sincerely by the believer in terms of advancing or hindering the purposes of God in Christ, can be of great help in decision making regarding doubtful issues. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Scarlet Hope
 
"Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee." (Joshua 2:18)
 
These words were spoken to Rahab by Joshua's spies after she had protected them from discovery by the officials of Jericho. She had testified to the spies that "the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath" (Joshua 2:11). Therefore, "by faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Hebrews 11:31).
 
Rahab's spiritual salvation came because of her faith in the true God; she soon entered into the covenant family of Israel and eventually even became a member of the family line leading to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). Her physical deliverance, on the other hand, and that of her family depended on a "line of scarlet thread" suspended from her window, identifying her home as "under the blood," so to speak, when Jericho fell and all its other inhabitants perished.
 
This thin, blood-red line constituted a very slender hope for Rahab in the midst of such a scene of judgment and total destruction, but it sufficed. It is fascinating to note that the Hebrew word for "line" (occurring here for the first time in the Bible) is everywhere else translated by the key word "hope." Perhaps "line" soon came to mean "hope" because of this very experience, when a "scarlet hope" extended all the way from a repentant sinner to the very God of heaven! Note the same thought with the same word: "For thou art my hope, O Lord God" (Psalm 71:5).
 
"And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Sudden Creation
 
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)
 
Even a superficial reading of the account of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 impresses the reader with the idea of suddenness. God simply called the universe into existence from nothing and then quickly set about the rapid formation of certain features, interspersed with other direct creative acts. All of the events, whether creative or formative, seem to have happened over a brief period of time, such as the formation of the plants (Genesis 1:12), the animals (v. 20), and the sun and stars (v. 16).
 
Even aspects that were evidently formed by a process such as the continents and oceans (v. 10) and humankind (2:7, 22) seemingly took no great length of time.
 
This is especially true of the creation of light. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (1:3). No slow and sporadic arrival of light from distant stars is mentioned, nor a gradual heating up of the sun as interstellar gas collapsed and fused. Some evangelical advocates of the old-earth concept hold that God slowly cleared the atmosphere of left-over interstellar, dust which allowed the light from the sun and stars to penetrate to the earth.
 
But, if Scripture alone is our authority, then it happened suddenly and spectacularly. As discussed in our text, it happened just as suddenly and just as supernaturally as a new creature is created out of a dead creature at the moment of salvation. Sanctification may be a life-long matter, but "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17), literally creation. No more time is required for the transformation than for darkness to turn into light at the Creator's command. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Unfailing Presence
 
"And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." (Genesis 28:15)
 
This is the first of many promises of God's unfailing presence with those who trust Him. The words of our text were spoken to Jacob on his flight from the unwarranted wrath of Esau. Those expositors who unjustifiably accuse Jacob of fraud when he secured the birthright promised to him by God before his birth (Genesis 25:23) should note that God never rebuked Jacob, but instead promised His perpetual protecting presence.
 
Note also God's promise to Joshua: "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Joshua 1:5).
 
There is also His promise to His chosen people, Israel: "For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people" (1 Samuel 12:22).
 
There are many other such assurances in the Scriptures. One that especially reveals God's heart is Isaiah 41:17: "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them."
 
The most precious of all, however, is the assurance to all New Testament believers that "I will never |literally 'never, never, never'| leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). Paul teaches after an exhausting list of possibilities that nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). "Lo, I am with you alway," Jesus said, "even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Name and Recognition
 
"And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name." (Genesis 11:4)
 
The Bible has one Author (2 Timothy 3:16), and it is one Book. Therefore, it should be read as one book, from beginning to end, to understand its full meaning. The Tower of Babel incident (Genesis 11:1-9) illustrates how truth can be gleaned by reading the Bible as a unified whole. Why did God include Genesis 11:1-9 as part of Scripture?
 
First, consider the passage itself and the stated purpose for the Tower: "Let us make us a name" (today's text). Second, consider the surrounding chapters. Chapter 10 ends with the genealogy of Shem (whose name means "name"), and the rest of Chapter 11 (after verses 1-9) traces Shem's genealogy down to Abraham, to whom God promised, "I will . . . make thy name [Hebrew shem] great" (12:2). Clearly, these chapters have a theme--names and their significance. Third, consider the wider context of Scripture. The author of Genesis gives us few clues as to the names of the rebels at Babel. Yet the names of Abraham's physical and spiritual descendants (the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles, respectively) will be preserved for all eternity (Revelation 21:12, 14)! In the context of the whole of Scripture, Genesis 11:1-9 shows us the utter foolishness of trying to "make a name" for ourselves.
 
Do names matter to God? Yes, but what matters more is from whom we seek our "name"--our recognition and approval. Only One approval holds sway in the end: "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8). For those who confess, a great destiny awaits: "his name shall be in their foreheads" (Revelation 22:4). NTJ

[Soldier4Christ]

Old Testament Love
 
"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:18)
 
Many people have mistakenly rejected or neglected the Old Testament on the basis that it speaks about a vindictive God of judgment in contrast to the New Testament God of love manifest in Jesus Christ. This perspective, however, is completely wrong.
 
One day a lawyer asked Jesus, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).
 
Both of these commandments were recorded, of course, in the Old Testament. The first one in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is perhaps the most revered of all passages to the Jews: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." The second great commandment is the one in our text for the day. This law is buried deep in the Pentateuch, in the unlikely heart of the book of Leviticus. In the New Testament it is even called "the royal law" (James 2:8).
 
Thus, the great underlying theme of the Old Testament is love--love for God and love for others--and this truth is stressed by Christ Himself in the New Testament. Even greater is God's eternal love which was ours from before the world and that will never end. "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sinner's Prayer
 
"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13)
 
Evangelists have often urged lost men and women to pray this "sinner's prayer" if they desired to be saved. The account does say that this publican, after praying thus, "went down to his house justified" (v. 14).
 
But there is more here than appears on the surface. It is not merely God's mercy that is needed for He has already been merciful to let us continue to live at all. The word translated "merciful" is used only one other time in the New Testament and is there translated "make reconciliation for." Speaking of the saving work of Christ, it says that He came "to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17). It is also closely related to the words for "propitiation" and "mercy seat."
 
This parable of the Pharisee and the publican is set in the context of the Jewish temple worship, where sinners would bring their sacrificial offerings to cover their sins, knowing that "it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11). Such sacrifices were completely worthless, however, if offered in a spirit of religious pride and/or self-righteousness, like those of the Pharisee. There must be repentance and faith in God's promise of forgiveness through the death of an innocent substitute, pre-figuring the true Lamb of God whose coming death would truly make eternal reconciliation for the sins of the people. The publican prayed in this vein, and he was saved.
 
In our day, on the other side of the cross, a sinner's saving prayer must say, in effect: "God, be propitiated to me on the basis of the death of Christ for my sins." Such a prayer, offered in sincere repentance and faith in God's promise, brings justification before God. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Divine Designer
 
"Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?" (Isaiah 40:12)
 
The answer to this rhetorical question can only be God, the divine Designer of all the intricate interrelationships of His great creation. Four of the disciplines of natural science are implied here, and in each case a key principle of that science is anticipated.
 
The emphasis is on the precision of the divinely allocated quantities of each component. First, there is the precise balance of the waters of the earth between the oceans, rivers, groundwater, and atmospheric waters. Hydrology is the science of earth’s waters, and life on earth is dependent on the fine tuning of the components of the hydrologic cycle. "He looketh to the ends of the earth. . . . To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure" (Job 28:24-25).
 
The atmospheric heaven also has been carefully dimensioned in size and composition to make life possible, as formulated in the science of meteorology.
 
The "dust of the earth" is nothing less than the basic chemical elements out of which all things are made. The accuracy with which elements combine with each other is based on their valences, and all of this is involved in the study of chemistry. The principle of isostasy ("equal weights") is the fundamental principle of the science of geophysics, involving the weights of mountains and hills, continents, and ocean basins.
 
God does not deal in chance and caprice, even with inanimate physical systems such as mountains and waters. Not even a sparrow can "fall on the ground without your Father" (Matthew 10:29). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Definition of Faith
 
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
 
The marvelous "faith chapter," Hebrews 11, is an amazing chapter. Here, faith is defined not as some intangible wishfulness, but as "substance" and "evidence." Let us look closely.
 
First of all, faith must have a legitimate object, nothing less than the mighty Creator by whom "the worlds were framed" (v. 3) out of nothing but His omnipotent Word.
 
Beyond this, faith is further defined, not by what it is, but by what it does! The man of faith comes to God by "a more excellent sacrifice," like that of Abel (v. 4), typifying the sacrifice of Christ. Faith will, like Enoch, live to please God (v. 5), and will, like Noah, prepare an Ark (i.e., do whatever necessary out of obedience to God) "to the saving of his house" (v. 7).
 
True faith will, like Abraham, go out as God leads, "not knowing whither he went," even "dwelling in tabernacles" (literally "tents") (vv. 8-9) if need be, as he looks for that city with sure "foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (v. 10). Such faith will even, like Abraham, offer up to God the greatest love and joy of his life, knowing that God will keep His Word (vv. 17-19).
 
Like Moses, the man of genuine faith will choose rather "to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" (v. 25). Faith is even willing to be "stoned . . . sawn asunder . . . slain with the sword," if need be, for the promises of God (vv. 37, 39).
 
We are saved by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but since we are "created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Ephesians 2:10), our faith should motivate us to action. "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

An Acceptable Sacrifice
 
"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." (1 Peter 2:5)
 
Our text instructs us that we, as a corporate church and as individuals, are designed for the purpose of offering up acceptable sacrifices to God. These are not animal sacrifices as before, but "spiritual" sacrifices, made "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." What kinds of spiritual sacrifices are acceptable?
 
Prayer: An amazing scene is recorded for us in heaven, for an angel is seen at the altar offering up to God incense mingled with "the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 8:4, see also 5:8). Our prayers are precious to Him.
 
Giving: The use of our financial resources for the furtherance of His kingdom becomes "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God" (Philippians 4:18).
 
Praise: In some way, not fully comprehended by us, we can "offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).
 
Good work and sharing: "But to do good and to communicate |share| forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Hebrews 13:16). Remember, we are saved entirely by God's grace, but also created specifically unto good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
 
Ourselves: We have a distinct privilege in that we may "present |our| bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is |our| reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
 
God is a magnificent God! He can be trusted with our prayers, our resources, our praise, our works, and our lives. His perfect sacrifice has made it possible for our sacrifices to be meaningful. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Fallow Ground
 
"For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." (Jeremiah 4:3)
 
Fallow ground is ground that has been plowed and readied for sowing, but then is withheld and allowed to lie useless and unproductive. God, through His prophet, had to rebuke His people, not only because they had left their prepared ground unused, but because they were actually sowing their seed on thorn-choked ground. That is, they were turning to idols and forsaking God.
 
The word "fallow" occurs one other time in the Bible and to the same effect: "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12). It is poor stewardship and a bad testimony, at best, for the people of God to ignore His righteousness and fail to cultivate His grace in their lives, choosing instead the philosophies and pleasures of the ungodly world around them.
 
Now, if the ancient Israelites had much unfruitful fallow ground in their lives, many modern Christians are still more blameworthy, for we have far greater opportunities and privileges than the people of ancient Israel.
 
Most of all, we have the complete Word of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit, yet our lives are even more cluttered with the thorny ground of worldliness and paganism than theirs. We urgently need to break up our fallow ground, to sow righteousness, and reap mercy.
 
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Galatians 6:7-8). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Justice for the Righteous
 
"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain. . . . And she again bare his brother Abel." (Genesis 4:1-2)
 
Genesis 4 details the interaction between these brothers. Abel was righteous (4:4), and Cain was wicked (4:5-7). Consequentially, Cain murdered Abel (4:8). God interrogated Cain, and Cain feigned ignorance (4:9), though God saw the entire event (4:10). At this point, the story takes an unexpected twist.
 
The rest of the narrative (Genesis 4:11-15) sets up a dilemma, which is never resolved in the rest of the Old Testament. Abel's murder demanded justice--either vindication for him or capital punishment for Cain. Yet neither occurred. Cain lived, and God made no mention of Abel's fate either in this passage or in the rest of the Old Testament.
 
The words of Genesis 4 make this dilemma all the more acute. Though Abel does not personally appear in the rest of the Old Testament, the word for his name does: "Vanity of vanities . . . all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). The word for "vanity" in Hebrew is the same as the word used for "Abel." Thus, both the details of the passage and the word used for Abel's name raise the question: Was Abel's life lived in vain?
 
In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews holds up Abel as an exemplary model of living by faith (Hebrews 11:4). How can Abel's short-lived life encourage us to walk by faith?
 
The answer is found in two stunning events that take place between Abel's life and the writing of the book of Hebrews: Christ's death and resurrection. Like Abel, Christ was murdered. Unlike Abel, He rose again! Now we, with Abel, can be justified together. God did not forget justice. Instead, He delayed it, "having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect" (Hebrews 11:40).
 
The account of Cain and Abel sets up a tension to point us to the glory of Christ. NTJ