A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus Sees and Cares

"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19)
 
What the Father sees, the Son sees, and what the Father does, the Son does, for "I and my Father are one," said the Lord Jesus (John 10:30). God sees everything, of course, for "the eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3), but it is noteworthy that there are just seven occasions where John's gospel stresses specifically that Jesus saw a particular event and then took special action to do something about it.
 
At Jesus' baptism, two seekers followed Him and "Jesus turned, and saw them following" (John 1:38). He invited them to come and they followed Him from that day on. Nathanael, a devout Jew, also followed Him when Jesus said, "When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee" (v. 48).
 
There was an incurable cripple at a pool and "when Jesus saw him lie" (John 5:6), He said, "Rise, . . . And immediately the man was made whole" (vv. 8-9). There was a hungry multitude: "Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him," and He prayed, and soon "they were filled" (6:5, 12).
 
Next, Jesus "saw a man which was blind from his birth," and soon the once-sightless man could testify, "Whereas I was blind, now I see" (9:1, 25). Not only the lame and blind, but also the grieving came to His attention. When Mary's brother Lazarus died, Jesus "saw her weeping." Then "Jesus wept" and soon "he that was dead came forth" (11:33, 35, 44). Finally, even while Christ was dying on the cross, He "saw his mother" and provided for her care (19:26).
 
Jesus sees those who hurt, or grieve, or hunger, and He cares. For, after all, He is our Father. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Dark Valleys

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)
 
There are many dark valleys mentioned in Scripture, and these typify the many sufferings and hard experiences through which the people of God must pass. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Philippians 1:29).
 
The valley of Achor--which means "trouble"--was so named because sin in the camp of God's people had caused great defeat for their armies there (Joshua 7:25-26). Willful sin inevitably must result eventually in a trek through the dark vale of trouble and defeat.
 
Then there is the vale of tears called Baca, or "weeping." Opinions differ as to whether this was an actual valley in Israel, but it came to symbolize a time of deep loss and sorrow. Repentance and restitution will lead one out of the valley of Achor, but God's comfort will guide through Baca. "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. . . . Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well. . . . They go from strength to strength" (Psalm 84:5-7).
 
Perhaps the darkest valley of all is the valley of the shadow of death. All must enter that valley once at least--some may even travel it often before its thick darkness finally conquers them. For those without Christ, it is a valley of great fear; there have been multitudes "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:15).
 
But for those who know the Lord, they need fear no evil for God is with them. Even His guiding staff and buffeting rod are comforting for they prove the love of the Shepherd. No wonder the 23rd Psalm is the most requested passage of Scripture by those deep in this dark valley. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Much Yet to Do

"Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." (Joshua 13:1)
 
There is no set "retirement age" for the Christian, for there is always "yet very much land to be possessed." Joshua had survived 40 years in the wilderness, then led in the long hard conquest of Canaan, and was now at least 80 years of age. Not only was he "old and stricken in years," but God even told him he was old! But instead of allowing him to settle down to enjoy a few retirement years in his hard-won new home, God sent Joshua out once again for further conquests.
 
That must always be the case with those who love and serve the Lord. There is still much Scripture to study and learn, many people yet to reach with a gospel witness, many with whom to share God's love and comfort, much money yet to be earned to give to missions. Even those who must retire from active service or become confined at home still have much praying to accomplish.
 
No one who knows the redemptive love of Jesus Christ is ever too old to possess more "land" for the Lord. "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing" (Psalm 92:12-14).
 
Old age eventually comes to everyone who survives youth and middle age, but that does not mean it is time to quit. "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come" (Psalm 71:17-18). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Without Form and Void

"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." (Jeremiah 4:23)
 
The language in this verse is clearly patterned after Genesis 1:2, the description of the primordial earth: "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." That it is a metaphor, however, and not an actual reference to that primordial earth is evident from its context. The previous verse speaks of "my people" (that is, the people of Judah) and the following verse of "the mountains" (there were no mountains as yet at the time of Genesis 1:2).
 
Furthermore, the broader context makes it plain that the prophet is speaking of a coming judgment on the land of Judah because of the rebellion of its people against their God (verse 16 specifically mentions Judah, and verse 31 mentions Zion). The land is to be so devastated that the prophet compared its future appearance to the unformed and barren earth at its very beginning.
 
This ultimate fulfillment will be at Armageddon. The same Hebrew words (tohu for "without form," and bohu for "void") occur again in this context in an awesome scene of judgment described by Isaiah: "For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations" (34:2), gathered together in the former land of Edom to fight against Jerusalem when Christ returns, "and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion |i.e., tohu|, and the stones of emptiness |i.e., bohu|" (34:11). Instead of the regular surveyor’s line and markers ordering the property boundaries, God’s judgment will bring such disorder and barrenness to the land that it almost will seem to revert back to its primeval state at the beginning of time. "Nevertheless we, . . . look for new heavens and a new earth" (2 Peter 3:13), and that earth will be beautiful and bountiful with "no night there" (Revelation 22:5). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Grace, Mercy, and Peace

"Paul . . . To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." (2 Timothy 1:1-2)
 
Of the thirteen letters written by the apostle Paul, only the three to Timothy and Titus use this three-fold greeting: "Grace, mercy, and peace." The other ten letters use the more common "grace and mercy." Why the distinction? The Holy Spirit is never whimsical nor capricious. Perhaps, since these three letters were the only ones addressed to pastors that Paul had trained, there was a more poignant emphasis intended.
 
Grace (charis) is the foundational core of God's gift of salvation to those who trust Him (Ephesians 2:8). It is also the essence of the "gifts" that we received from the Holy Spirit to minister to each other (1 Corinthians 15:10). The charis is the basis for charisma that we receive. Those who have been entrusted with leadership responsibilities are reminded that the measure of those gifts is still God's charis (Romans 12:3, 6).
 
Mercy is often understood through God's forgiveness both in justice delayed and sentence nullified through Christ. It is also what the Sovereign Godhead responds with when we ask for His help. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
 
Peace is much more than mere lack of anxiety. It is "not as the world giveth" (John 14:27), but rather a supernatural, non-circumstantial contentment that is only given to the Lord's Twice-Born. This peace is "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding" and is specifically designed to "keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
 
May this grace, mercy, and peace be a regular portion of your walk in the kingdom as you serve the Lord Jesus. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

"Very Good"

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31)
 
On several occasions during the Creation Week, God had declared aspects of His creation as "good" (vv. 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). But once His crown of creation was in place, the very image of Himself (vv. 26-27), He pronounced it all "very good" and ceased His creative activity (2:1-3).
 
Just what does it mean to be "very good" in God's eyes? This term is used elsewhere in the Old Testament by men and regarding men, but here God Himself, the sinless, ever-living One, declares creation to be just what He wanted--able to accomplish and fulfill each of His plans and desires for it. Whatever else may be said about this creation, at the very least it must have been without death, being a phenomenon anathema to Him.
 
Death is identified as "The last enemy that shall be destroyed" (1 Corinthians 15:26). "Death reigned from Adam to Moses" (Romans 5:14), and "it is appointed unto men once to die" (Hebrews 9:27). Indeed, "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22). The source of this condition is known as the curse pronounced on all of creation due to man's rebellion against God (Genesis 3) as had been promised (2:17). Even today "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and since all sin, all must die. Truly, sin has ruined God's original sinless, deathless, "very good" creation.
 
But the story does not end there. The very Creator who pronounced the awful curse of death as the penalty for sin has Himself died to pay that penalty and one day will repeal the curse (Revelation 22:3) and abolish death (21:4). The creation will be returned to its original created intent, and all will once again be "very good." JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Living Truths

"He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err." (Mark 12:27)
 
Sin and death are grim realities in the world, but these are only temporary intruders, as it were. The God of creation is the living God; and "Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16) is our living Savior, alive forevermore. It is appropriate, therefore, that the term "living" is applied over and over again to great truths of the Christian faith.
 
For example, the Holy Scriptures are called "the lively oracles" (Acts 7:38). "Lively" and "living" represent the same Greek word zao; thus the Bible is God's "living word." Jesus Christ called Himself "the living bread which came down from heaven," sent down by "the living Father" (John 6:51, 57). He also promised that all who believe on Him would find "living water" flowing through their lives (John 7:38).
 
He has opened for us through His substitutionary death and justifying resurrection "a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Hebrews 10:20). Furthermore, He has thereby "begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).
 
The Lord Jesus is the foundation of the great house of the Lord into which we come through Him. "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 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 2:4-5). In this holy temple we are therefore urged to "present |our| bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is |our| reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Our God is, indeed, the God of the living! HMM
 

[Soldier4Christ]

Tragic Lot

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." (Psalm 1:1)
 
One of the most tragic figures in all of Scripture is that of compromising Lot, Abraham's nephew, who renounced the land of promise for the sinful society of Sodom, ultimately to lose everything of importance.
 
His slide into apostasy, as traced in Genesis 12-19, seems to parallel the progression described in today's text of not becoming a godly believer.
 
Lot is first mentioned as traveling with Abram and Sarai from their homeland to Canaan in obedience to God's command (Genesis 12:4-5; 13:5). A petty problem arises which surely could have been resolved (13:6-10), but Lot chose (v. 11) to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly" (v. 13).
 
Lot soon found a home in the city itself, not content to merely herd his flocks in the fertile valley. By standing in the way of sinners, when Sodom was attacked by enemies, he was captured (14:12) and later rescued by Abram (vv. 14-16).
 
Lot's identification with wicked Sodom did not end there, as it should have, for when the city's wickedness was beyond God's forbearance, Lot was found sitting in the seat of the scornful, a leader of the city, sitting in the gates with the town fathers (19:1). Lot was a "just" |or "righteous"| man, "vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked" (2 Peter 2:7), but his actions (Genesis 19:8) and his lack of spiritual influence even within his own family (vv. 14-16, 31-38) testify to the horror of such a compromising lifestyle.
 
May God grant us all the persevering faith of Abraham and not the compromising faith of Lot. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Flame of Gifts

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, with is in thee by the putting on of my hands." (2 Timothy 1:6)
 
The apostle Paul uses more unique words in his writings than any other Bible author. Such is the case with the verb anazopureo, translated as "stir up" in our text for today, which is a compound of three Greek terms.
 
Ana, a primary preposition and adverb, is most often translated as "again" or "each," depending on its context. Zoon is a frequently used noun meaning "life" or "living creature." And pur is a root word meaning "fire" or "fiery." Since it is only used this one time in the Scriptures, the translation is a bit difficult to coin an adequate English word or phrase.
 
"Bring the fire alive (again)" is certainly implied from the syntax. "Make each fire alive" would empathize the implied multiplicity of gifts. The tense indicates an ongoing process, and the direct object (the gift) seems to emphasize the need for Timothy’s action--since God gave Timothy the special leadership gift(s) when Paul personally ordained Timothy.
 
Paul’s first letter to Timothy implies that the young disciple had allowed the "fire" to grow weak in his ministry. Difficulty, discouragement, or doubt can attack anyone. Apathy, pessimism, worry, or lack of confidence can spin into lack of support or encouragement from friends or coworkers. Whatever the cause, the results are the same.
 
We can quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) so that we no longer sense His leading. We can even grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), bringing conviction to us in an effort to bring repentance and restoration. Such discipline is not pleasant but is necessary (Hebrews 12:11). But If we are to live in active joy while serving the Lord, we must "stir up" the gifts that He has carefully given us. HMM III

[Soldier4Christ]

False Prophets and True

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:11)
 
In the apostolic period, two main gifts of the Spirit were those of the apostle and prophet. In fact, the church itself was "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 2:20). One function of these men was to receive and transmit God's revelation to His people--first verbally, then eventually written in permanent form in the New Testament. "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Ephesians 3:5).
 
The apostle Paul revealed also that such prophecies would cease once they were no longer needed. "When that which is perfect |or 'complete'| is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (1 Corinthians 13:9-10). Clearly in the context, this refers to the complete revelation of God. When the last book of the Bible was transmitted to the church by the last living apostle, the Lord warned us neither to "add unto" nor to "take away from the words of the book of this prophecy" (Revelation 22:18-19).
 
But many false prophets have indeed "gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1), just as Jesus warned, and they have "deceived many." One of them, a self-asserted seventh century "prophet" from Arabia, received certain "revelations" from a "god" that were vastly different from those of the God of the Bible, and his followers now number over a billion.
 
There have been others, before and since, and the Lord Jesus warned us always to "beware of false prophets" (Matthew 7:15). The basic criterion by which to test any alleged prophecy, ancient or modern, is whether or not it fully conforms to the written Word of God, the Bible. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sin of Complaining

"And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." (Psalm 106:15)
 
Christians who complain about their circumstances would do well to ponder this sobering verse and its background. God had greatly blessed His people, Israel, delivering them supernaturally from slavery in Egypt, protecting them against their enemies--even miraculously supplying daily bread and water for them in the desert.
 
Still they complained--about their food, about the imaginary luxuries they had left behind in Egypt, and against their leaders. "And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled" (Numbers 11:1). Finally, when they complained about the manna, "the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly." He sent them quail to eat in such abundance as to last "even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you." Then, "while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed . . . the LORD smote the people with a very great plague" (Numbers 11:10, 20, 33).
 
God has blessed every Christian with forgiveness of sin and eternal life. He daily fulfills His promise to supply every need (not every desire, however), and we should live a thankful life in return, regardless of our particular lot in this world. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). "Do all things without murmurings and disputings" (Philippians 2:14). Complaining about what we don't have may well result in God taking away what we do have—and still worse—sending leanness into our souls. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Finger of God

"This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not." (John 8:6)
 
During His earthly ministry Jesus never wrote a book or any other document, so far as we know, but it is recorded that He wrote with His own finger in the sand, and that what He wrote turned away those who had sought to stone a woman caught breaking one of God's Ten Commandments.
 
The woman was repentant, however, and Jesus forgave her, evidently indicating this by what He wrote with His finger on the ground. This He could do because He, as God, had written this very commandment Himself with His own finger long before. "And he gave unto Moses . . . two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18). Moses testified: "And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly" (Deuteronomy 9:10).
 
There are only two other references to the "finger of God" in the Bible. When the Lord through Moses brought the great plagues upon Egypt, Pharaoh's magicians were able to imitate Moses' first few miracles, but soon their deceptive "magic" could no longer compare, and they had to confess, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19).
 
There is one final mention of God's finger in the New Testament. When the Pharisees charged that His power to cast evil spirits out of demon-possessed people had been given to Him by Satan, He affirmed rather, "I with the finger of God cast out devils" (Luke 11:20). Jesus is able both to forgive sins and to defeat Satan, because He is the Creator of the universe and all its laws. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Limitations on God's Promises

"Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 31:37)
 
The people of Israel, in spite of all God had done for them, continually rebelled against Him, even turning to other gods. One might think God would have destroyed them and started again, but He had made a promise first to Abraham, then to Isaac, and then to Jacob, that this nation would be His special people, and He would not break that promise.
 
In our text God reveals the "conditions" under which He would cast off Israel, but they are such that there is no possibility of their being met.
 
If heaven above can be measured: Neither Abraham nor Jeremiah could have had any concept of the number of stars or the depth of space. Now, with modern telescopes, we see unthinkable distances and even farther and farther as our technology increases. Estimates of the radius of the universe now stand at around 15-20 billion light years, and no end is in sight.
 
If the foundations of the earth [can be] searched out beneath: Sometimes scientists claim they know more about the sun than they do the earth. But in reality, only one percent of the earth's radius has been explored. The pressures and temperatures which exist deep inside the earth are unthinkably great, and we don't even know how matter acts under those conditions. The promise to Israel is secure.
 
Scripture is likewise full of "exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4) made to the believer. Our text indicates God's attitudes toward His promises. We need not worry that He will keep His Word. JDM
 

[Soldier4Christ]

The One Real God

"For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens." (Psalm 96:5)
 
As the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians, "though there be |many| that are called gods, . . . to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him" (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
 
Every person has his own "god"; even atheists order their lives by some principle of their own choosing which thus becomes in effect their "god"! There are multitudes of others who follow various other gods. For example, the Hindus have almost innumerable gods. Muslims, on the other hand, strongly argue for just one god, whom they call Allah, but it was not Allah who "made the heavens." The truth revealed in the Bible is that it was God's "dear Son" by whom "were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth" (Colossians 1:13, 16). Allah denies that he even has a Son, and he calls those who believe otherwise (meaning Christians) infidels. The Koran is alleged to consist of the verbally inspired words of Allah, but it (and therefore, Allah) also denies the Trinity, as well as the death and resurrection of Christ, and so also denies that the Son of God provides salvation for all who believe on Him. That is more than enough to prove that Allah is not the God of the Bible.
 
In our text above, the word "idols" simply means "vanities." It is all "in vain" to put one's faith for eternity in a false god. The Lord Jesus alone, having created all things and paid the awful price to redeem all things, alone can truly provide eternal salvation. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). He Himself verified that "I am the way, . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Made In Christ

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30)
 
The Greek word ginomai, translated "is made" in this verse, is most fascinating. It is rendered many different ways --"become," etc., as well as "be made." Most often it is simply translated "be." It basically means "begin to be," or "be caused to be." It is even applied to the work of Christ in calling the universe into being. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3). "Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:3).
 
It is frequently used also to denote the marvelous work of Christ in and on the believing Christian. As our text says, He becomes wisdom to us who lack wisdom; He is made our righteousness, although we were sinners; we who are unholy receive our sanctification in Him; and when we were lost, He became our redemption. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become |same word, ginomai| the sons of God" (John 1:12). All that Christ is, we are made through His great sacrifice for us.
 
Note some of the other things we are made in Christ, by His grace. We are "made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). We are "made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7). "We are made partakers of Christ" and also "made partakers of the Holy Ghost" (Hebrews 3:14; 6:4).
 
In fact, when we receive Christ, old things pass away and "all things are become |same word| new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). These wonderful attributes are given to us and appropriated right now by faith and will be accomplished in full perfection when Christ returns and "we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). HMM