A Daily Devotional

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Lovers Of Self

“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (II Timothy 3:2).

One of the dangerous teachings of the New Age Movement which has spilled over into modern evangelicalism is the notion of “self-love.” Many psychologists—even Christian professional counselors—are attributing society’s ills, especially among young people, to the supposed lack of a “positive self-image,” or “self-esteem” on the part of those exhibiting anti-social behavior. What they need, we are told, is to learn to love themselves more, to appreciate their own self-worth. The problem with this idea is that it is both unscriptural and unrealistic. People do not hate themselves. The Bible says that “no man ever yet hated his own flesh” (Ephesians 5:29).

Instead of learning to esteem ourselves, the Scripture commands us each to “esteem others better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). Even the apostle Paul, near the end of his life, considered himself so unworthy that he called himself the chief of sinners (I Timothy 1:15).

We are told by some Christian leaders that the measure of our great value in the sight of God is the fact that Christ paid such a high price—His own death—to redeem us. The fact is, however, that His death is not the measure of our great value, but of our terrible sinfulness. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

In fact, as in our text, the rise of this self-love idea is itself a sign of the last days, when men shall be “lovers of their own selves.” It is the main characteristic of New Age humanism, which is based squarely upon evolutionary pantheism.

Christ died for our sins because He loved us, not because He needed us. We should live for Him in thanksgiving for the “amazing grace, that saved a wretch like me!”

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The Wisdom Mine

“Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:20).

In one of his monologues, the patriarch Job compares his search for spiritual understanding to man’s explorations for metals and precious stones. “There is a vein for the silver,” he says, “and a place for gold. . . . Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone” (Job 28:1,2).

These all are easier to find than true wisdom. “It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold” (Job 28:16–19).

Neither have animals discovered it. “The fierce lion passed by it. . . . It is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air” (vs.8,21). “The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me” (v.14).

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (v.12). Job is driven to ask, “where must one go to find and mine the vein of true wisdom?”

It is certainly “not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought” (I Corinthians 2:6). The mine of evolutionary humanism which dominates modern education and scholarship will yield only the fool’s gold of “science falsely so called” (I Timothy 6:20).

Job found true wisdom only through God, and so must we, for only “God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof. . . . Unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:23,28). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the ever-productive mine “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

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The Unintentional Prophet


"And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation" (John 11:51).

Even after seeing the miracle of Lazarus restored to life, the high priest Caiaphas refused to believe Jesus was the Messiah and was more firmly resolved than ever to have Him put to death. He used the excuse that Jesus might cause the Romans to destroy the Jews religious system. So he said: "It is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (John 11:50).

But like Balaam of old, forced to prophesy what he did not intend (Numbers 24:10-13), Caiaphas was made to predict the true significance of Christ's coming death. Instead of His death being "expedient for us" -- that is for Caiaphas and his system -- it was indeed "expedient that one man should die for the people" (John 18:14).

This is a remarkable divine irony. Caiaphas, the chief religious representative of God to the people of Israel, should have known the Old Testament prophecies and gladly welcomed Jesus as the promised Messiah. Instead, he organized His trial and condemnation. Yet he was divinely inspired (without knowing or intending it) to point out the real mission of Christ to the Jews and the whole world -- that of substitutionary sacrifice for their sins. It is also interesting that, in 1992, the bones of this same Caiaphas were discovered in a tomb underneath the modern city.

So far as we know, Caiaphas died still rejecting Christ. Nevertheless, following Christ's substitutionary death, the evidence for His glorious resurrection (eternal, not temporary like that of Lazarus) became so clear and compelling that "a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7). Caiaphas did, indeed, manage to get Jesus crucified, but the result was salvation for multitudes.

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Remember


"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee" (Deuteronomy 32:7).

On this Memorial Day, as we honor the forefathers of our nation, especially those who gave their lives to preserve our land of the free, it is well to remember that our own national history is relatively brief.

It is striking to realize that the nation of Israel began with Moses and the millions he led out of Egypt to their promised home over three thousand years ago. Even then, they could look back over centuries of preparation.

Our text above records the words of Moses to the people as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. He exhorted them to remember their fathers -- Abraham and Isaac, and on back to father Adam himself (Deuteronomy 32:. They also had to overcome many struggles and difficulties, yet remained faithful to their calling and God kept His promise to give them a national home.

It is surely in order for us today to "consider the years of many generations" that have gone before us and left us a great legacy in our own country. That gift needs to be guarded now in our generation lest we, like the Israelites of old, descend into such unbelief that God's judgment falls on us too, as it did on them when they rebelled against God.

After all, we are a Gentile nation -- not God's elect nation Israel. There have been other such nations in the past, but "when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, . . . Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," and "God gave them up" (Romans 1:21-22,26).

By God's grace, we must continue to honor the God of our fathers, the freedom He has given us, and those who have won and kept these truths for us.

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Sins Of The Fathers

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Exodus 20:5).

This is the penalty for breaking the first or second of God’s ten commandments—worshipping other gods and making images thereof. There is certainly no salvation in any religion other than the true religion centered in our Creator and Savior Jesus Christ, “for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

But does God really condemn even the great grandchildren of those who break this commandment for the same sin? No, of course not. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son” (Ezekiel 18:20). “Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, . . . he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 18:19). There are many examples in Scripture (e.g., good King Hezekiah, son of wicked King Ahaz—see II Chronicles 28:24,25; 29:1,2).

Nevertheless, “the iniquity of the fathers” is indeed often visited on their children through many generations—not the guilt of their iniquity, but rather, through the impact and example of their teachings and practices. This is especially true for this great sin of rejecting the true God in favor of the pantheistic nature-gods of the many false religions of the world, ancient and modern. Each had its beginning in just this way. The original ancestor who started it “did not like to retain God in (his) knowledge” (Romans 1:28) and has thus influenced multitudes of his descendants away from God. It is vitally important that fathers teach their children to know the true God through Christ, “bring(ing) them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

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The Unique Son

“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee” (John 17:1).

These words, spoken by the Lord just prior to His crucifixion and most likely in the Upper Room, seem almost to beckon us, the readers, to look “to heaven” with Christ.

Consider the twice-iterated phrase, “thy Son.” All true believers are children of God, by adoption, but Jesus was and is God’s Son in a very special sense. The first chapter of John describes Him as “the only begotten of the Father” (v.14). Jesus, the unique Son of God, was with the Father in the very beginning (v.2), even “before the world was” (John 17:5).

The twenty-six verses of John 17 are sometimes divided into three sections—the first being referred to as Jesus’ prayer for Himself (vs.1–5), but this is insufficient. He asked the Father to “glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.” Jesus, in this first section, sought glory for the Father, too! In fact, this seems to be His primary goal.

“Man’s chief end,” according to The Westminster Shorter Catechism, “is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” The example of Jesus certainly serves as a pattern; we also should have as our primary goal to glorify the Father, but sadly we have failed personally, and in Adam. The cross loomed large for Jesus.

Praise God, His prayer was answered! He was able to rescue men from sin and eternal death on that cross; He was able to sustain the indignity of men there. The Father did glorify the Son, and part of this involved His raising His Son bodily from the grave. The Father also gave “Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11). May we so “bow” and so “confess.”

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Faith

“And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

It may come as a surprise to some that both Old and New Testament believers are justified only by faith. In fact, four New Testament epistles base their arguments on justification by faith on two Old Testament passages, each quoted three times, but with each one emphasizing a different aspect.

In our text, we see that Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith (i.e., belief, same word). This verse is quoted in Romans 4:3 in the midst of a formal argument on the just nature of God and the fact that we are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Here the emphasis is on counted. In Galatians 3:6, the word believed is emphasized, couched in the book dedicated to contrasting works and faith. “They which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Galatians 3:9). The book of James was written to encourage believers to good works as evidence of their faith, and our text, quoted in James 2:23 emphasizes righteousness. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).

The other Old Testament passage dealing with faith, which is also quoted three times in the New Testament, reads “The just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). When used in Romans 1:17, just prior to the description of the evil lifestyles of the wicked (vs.18–32), the emphasis seems to be on the word just. In Galatians 3:11, as noted above, the word faith is stressed. But in Hebrews 10:38, the author teaches that those who have been declared righteous by God live eternally by faith, and will be able to cope with persecution (vs.34–37).

Thus, the Old Testament doctrine that we are saved by faith in the work of God to solve our sin problem applies to every area of our lives and being, including our past sin, our present holy life and work, and our future eternal life.

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Heir Of All Things

“The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Psalm 16:6).

Psalm 16 is a Messianic psalm, climaxing in the great prophecy of Christ’s resurrection (v.10). It quite possibly reflects the prayer of the Lord in Gethsemane just before His betrayal and arrest. Yet, as He anticipated the awful “cup” He must drink (v.5), He could still look beyond the cross to the great inheritance He would one day receive from His Father. “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance,” He could say (v.5), and then, “I have a goodly heritage”!

His Father has promised: “I shall give thee the (nations) for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Psalm 2:. As the Son of Man, He becomes the heir of all the promises made to the first man, Adam, and therefore must “have dominion . . . over all the earth” (Genesis 1:26). Accordingly, we read, “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and His name one” (Zechariah 14:9).

Therefore, God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2). As Son of God, He had created all things, and as Son of Man, He will inherit all things.

Then, by His amazing grace, He has promised that we will share in His great inheritance! “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7). “The Spirit (Himself) beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16,17), “begotten . . . again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (I Peter 1:3,4). We do indeed, with our Savior, have a goodly heritage.

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Multitudes In Hell

“The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword” (Ezekiel 32:21).

The subject of hell is largely ignored today, even by evangelical teachers and pastors. This is a tragic mistake, because multitudes are there already, and multitudes living today will soon be there. It is good to preach the love of God, but God also commands us: “Others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire” (Jude 23).

The Lord, through Ezekiel, has given us a graphic picture of those in earlier ages who are now in Hades, awaiting the final judgment. The great Pharaoh of Egypt, along with his countrymen, had practiced the Egyptian religion with all its complex concepts and rituals, but religion, in itself, will not keep one from hell. When Pharaoh died and had “gone down” to “hell” (actually, this word in the Old Testament is sheol, equivalent to the Greek Hades, a great pit deep in the core of the earth), he found many there already, from the centuries before him. Some specifically named (see verses 22–30) are Asshur, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, and Zidon, each with their multitudes. Esau, Jacob’s brother, was also there (same as Edom). These, significantly, come from all three original branches of Noah’s family. All had come from a godly ancestor, but that did not save them. “When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but . . . worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:21,25).

All of this verifies the warning of Christ: “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13). Only those who worship the true Creator, receiving Christ as personal Savior from sin, will be saved.

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Seducing Spirits

“Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1).

These “latter days” are surely characterized by the tragic departure from the faith on the part of many. Unfortunately, even many of our churches have followed what should certainly be exposed as “seducing spirits,” embracing lies taught under the influence of Satan. A list of such false teachings and practices within the church would surely implicate many. Let us look at the examples Paul gives in the next few verses:

First, he identifies the leaders and teachers of these errors as hypocritical liars, who intentionally deceive their prey. They have deadened any possibility of a right attitude by hardening their minds and searing their consciences (v.2).

Next, we are given examples of their heresy: “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving” (v.3).

Many cults and Christian off-shoots have fallen into these traps, but both the institution of marriage and the provision of foods were specifically created by God for man’s enjoyment and blessing (marriage: see Genesis 1:28; 2:18,24; foods: see Genesis 1:29; 9:3). They are to be “received with thanksgiving” to a loving Creator, “sanctified by the Word of God and prayer” (vs.4,5). Each of these, and all of God’s Creation is “very good” (Genesis 1:31), if used properly.

But the main point of this passage is that we should guard against the heresy of false teachers, and even from imposing on ourselves or our fellow Christians a kind of false skepticism—practices which may make us feel “holier than thou”but which, in reality, impugn God and His Creation. Rather, let us be among those “which believe and know the truth” (v.3) of God’s loving provision for His creation.

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The Deceitfulness Of Riches

“And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:18,19).

There is currently a widespread teaching among evangelicals that material prosperity is a right which accrues to the Christian who will do certain things. This “prosperity gospel,” however, is merely a false front for the old-fashioned sin of “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

The Lord Jesus, in His parable of the sower, warned that this “deceitfulness of riches,” along with “the cares of this world” and then “the lusts of other things” could soon choke out whatever place the Word of God might once have had in the believer’s life. In no way does the Lord ever promise material wealth to a Christian, but the desire for money and its power has surely crushed the spiritual lives and testimonies of multitudes. “They that will (i.e., desire to) be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts. . . . For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:9,10). If, by His grace, the Lord does enable a Christian to acquire wealth, it should be regarded as a divine stewardship and opportunity for ministry.

The apostle Paul, who died penniless in this world but with great treasures laid up in heaven, expressed it thus: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come” (I Timothy 6:17–19).

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Where To Get Counsel

“Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:24).

One of the marks of these latter days is a great proliferation of counseling needs and services. Not only have the numbers of professional psychologists and psychiatrists multiplied, but also those of investment counselors, guidance counselors, marriage counselors, and others in great variety.

No doubt all of us need occasional advice from wise counselors, and some—even born-again Christians—may require professional help for serious psychological problems. Where, then, should one go to get such counsel?

Not to a non-Christian counselor! “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1). “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me” (Isaiah 30:1). The tenets of humanism, especially the supposed animal ancestry of mankind, have infected the secular psychological professions more than almost any other, and counsel based on such a foundation can be devastating.

What about Christian counseling? The best Counselor, of course, is Christ Himself, for He is the “Wonderful Counsellor” (Isaiah 9:6), and He “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). Indwelling us is His Holy “Spirit of truth” and Christ has promised that “He will guide (us) into all truth” (John 16:13). Best of all, we have His inspired Word, which is “perfect, converting (that is, restoring) the soul: . . . sure, making wise the simple. . . . Right, rejoicing the heart: . . . pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:7,8). The true Christian counselor, therefore, must always provide counseling in accord with Scripture, prayerfully guided by the indwelling Spirit of Truth. In this way, as promised in our text, He will guide us with His counsel throughout our lives, and finally receive us into glory.

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Cleaning Up

“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves" (Mark 11:15).

Housecleaning is a necessary part of housekeeping. It takes effort to preserve a place for its proper service; no one likes to live or work in a place that is dirty, run down, or filled with inappropriate clutter. Jesus was no different when it came to His Father’s house. In Mark 11:11, we read that Jesus came “into Jerusalem, and into the temple” to see the condition of things, and returned to Bethany with His twelve disciples to spend the night. The next day, He returned to the temple and, in short, He routed them out! Then He taught them why this should be: “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves” (v.17), quoting from Jeremiah 7:11.

Sacrifices were a part of each Jew’s religious practice. But, instead of selecting an acceptable sheep from the flock or acquiring an acceptable bird to offer as a sacrifice as specified in the Mosaic law, it had become convenient to come empty handed and buy a token gift from the profiteering merchants there to offer to God. But God knew what was happening! “Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:11). “And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not, . . . and I will cast you out of my sight,” (vs.13,15).

Since we ourselves are the temple today, we need to clean house now and then. Get rid of the attitudes and behaviors that make our temples unfit as a place of prayer and communion with God. We bring all kinds of trash into the sanctity of our meeting place with God and expect to hear from Him, but “He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

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Sufferings

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps” (I Peter 2:21).

Peter’s first epistle, written during a time of horrid persecution, deals with the matter of suffering. Peter reminds us that Christ suffered for us and that it is a privilege to suffer for Him. We are “called” to suffering, and should “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try” us (4:12).

Christ’s suffering was foretold (1:11), as is ours. We see that He had patience, humility, and submission in His sufferings (2:23) in order to bear “our sins in His own body on the tree” (2:24). He suffered unjustly “the just for the unjust” (3:18), not only in His spirit, but “Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh” (4:1), being witnessed personally by Peter (5:1).

Since we are likewise “called” to suffer, Peter explains that we will be “suffering wrongfully” (2:19) as well, even “when ye do well” (v.20). We will “suffer for righteousness sake” (3:14) and “for well doing” (v.17). To avoid being taken by surprise, we are to prepare ourselves to suffer “in the flesh” (4:1), if need be. We will “be reproached for the name of Christ” (4:14) and should “not be ashamed” if we “suffer as a Christian” (4:16). It is much better to suffer in such a way than to have done something evil to deserve it (v.15).

Suffering while following Christ’s example is “acceptable with God” (2:20), and even makes us “happy” (3:14 and 4:14). Through it we can “glorify God on this behalf” (4:16) because it is “according to the will of God” (4:19). There is even a magnificent reward awaiting the sufferer (5:10).

In view of all of this, there is little wonder that Peter says, “rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (4:13).

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Blood On Our Hands

“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:18).

Ezekiel had been called as a prophet and “watchman” (Ezekiel 3:17; 3:7), to warn the sinning Israelites of impending judgment, because of their persistence in compromising their worship of the true God with the pagan pantheistic evolutionism of the Canaanite nations around them. Soon they had adopted the immoral life styles that almost invariably develop from diluted confidence in God as Creator/Savior.

One could easily draw a sharp parallel between ancient Judah and the apostasy and moral degeneration of modern Christendom. The wicked (that is, “the nations that forget God”) are surely going to be “turned into hell” (Psalm 9:17), if they do not soon repent, whether or not they hear the warning of any watchman. They have already rejected the evidence of God in creation and conscience, so they are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Nevertheless, the Lord does call us who have His Word to do all we can “to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life” (that is, in the present context, to tell them that their Creator and Judge has died for them, to become their Savior). If we fail to do this, then we become, in effect, their executioners with blood on our hands. Even the “righteous” need to be warned, “that the righteous sin not” (Ezekiel 3:21). “Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked” and he ignores or rejects the warning, “thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 33:9). We have a great responsibility, as well as a wonderful privilege, to warn men of impending judgment, and then to tell them of the Savior.