A Daily Devotional

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The Washing Of Regeneration

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).

The word “washing” (Greek loutron) is used only twice in the New Testament. There is the “washing of regeneration,” as in our text, and the washing in the Scriptures: “Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word” (Ephesians 5:25,26).

Since both the Word and Spirit of God are also said to be the effective agents in accomplishing the miracle of regeneration (see I Peter 1:23—“being born again. . . . By the Word of God,” and John 3:7,8—“Ye must be born again . . . born of the Spirit”), it is clear that the washing of regeneration is synonymous, symbolically, with the “renewing of the Holy Ghost” and also with “the washing of water by the Word.”

The true washing of regeneration is not a ceremony or ritual, but an eternal reality, “shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:6). It has nothing to do with “works of righteousness” (v.5), but only with “being justified by His grace” (v.7).

Now although regeneration by the Word through the Spirit, both symbolized by a cleansing bath in water, is entirely “according to His mercy,” there must be thereafter a continual “washing of water by the Word.” Jesus said: “Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. . . . If ye abide in me, and my Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:3,7).

The Word will first reveal our sins and then cleanse our sins through its gracious exhortations and promises. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy Word” (Psalm 119:9).

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Unto Me

“He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth Him hath mercy on the poor” (Proverbs 14:31).

Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). The Lord taught that our attitude in helping the needy is to be one of gladly giving or ministering to Him. We have found that even performing unpleasant kindnesses as to the Lord, Himself, makes any act sweet. Another translation of our text says, “Kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship,” and we have many opportunities to worship our Lord in this manner.

Remember Abraham of old, who took in three wandering strangers? He did not give them a crust of bread at the door; he killed a calf and prepared a feast for them under the tree. Only after Abraham had honored these strangers so, did it become clear to him that two of his guests were angels, and that the other was the Lord (Genesis 18)!

The Samaritan woman at the well may have missed a great blessing that day when Jesus said unto her “Give me to drink” (John 4:7). It appears that she didn’t grant His request, for no effort to respond on her part is mentioned, but soon she was asking for His “living water” (v.10). Christ, even though thirsty and “wearied” (v.6), reached out to this unbelieving woman, in His grace.

How many times have we turned away a needy one without so much as a look of kindness? Could it be that Jesus Christ comes to us periodically, knocking on our door or holding out His hand? How can we recognize Him? Only by faith that what He said was true, “If you do it to them, you do it to me.”

Lord, remind us at such times to minister lovingly to you and to those you send us.

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Memory Marker

“Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers” (Jeremiah 17:22).

Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet,” was told to stand at the gate of Jerusalem where the king entered and left the city, and thereafter at all the gates of the city to give this message: “Honor the Sabbath!” The people of Israel had been told “to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant” (Exodus 31:16). The Lord knew that a reinstitution of the Sabbath observance as commanded in Exodus 20:8–11, commemorating His mighty work of creation, would bring about a return of the peoples’ hearts to Him. “If thou . . . call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor Him: . . . Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 58:13,14).

The commandment for a weekly observance, when instituted by God in Exodus 20, was prefaced with the word “remember,” which means to “mark.” As we mark each week with an observance of the very first “rest” day, it should cause us to remember that “in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11), and the fact that as Creator, He is the sovereign controller of all things. As the children of Israel were drawn into idol worship, they had forgotten to observe one day in seven commemorating their absolute reliance upon and accountability to the Almighty Creator.

We, like Jeremiah, should not only remember our Creator, devoting one day in seven exclusively to Him in commemoration of His creation, but also encourage others to do so.

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The Prophet's Chamber


"And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither" (II Kings 4:9-10).

This sparsely furnished little room, built by a kindly woman and her elderly husband, was the prototype of all the so-called "prophet's chambers" that have been built for traveling teachers and evangelists ever since.

Little did this simple farm couple anticipate what fruit their kindness would bear one day in this very room. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers" the Bible says, "for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). In the first place, to show his appreciation, Elisha prayed that the Lord would give them a son, and God miraculously answered (II Kings 4:16-17).

Then, tragically, the boy died quite suddenly several years later while Elisha was at Mount Carmel, some 15 miles away. The Shunammite woman laid her son on Elisha's bed in the prophet's chamber, then rode hastily to find Elisha and bring him to the boy. The round trip must have taken her two days or more, and the boy's dead body lay on the prophet's bed in the little room all that time.

But then Elisha prayed once again, and the most amazing event took place there (II Kings 4:33-35). For only the second time in history, a dead person was restored to life.

The Shunammite mother and her son are never heard from again. But for 3,000 years the testimony of a little chamber and the love and faith of the godly woman who prepared it as a simple service for her Lord and His prophet, and the godly mother who sacrificially loved her son, has been an inspiration and example to multitudes.

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Authority And Obedience


“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge” (James 4:11).

Some things are entirely under God’s authority. Judgment is one of these. We are instructed not to judge one another, for, as our text teaches, when we judge a brother, we are in reality judging the law (in context, God’s commands to us). When we do so, we are setting ourselves above the law, i.e., better than the law. In fact, we are setting up our own law in bold rebellion against God and His order.

Of course, this is strictly forbidden. There can be only one ultimate law giver (v.12), and He has given us clear teaching and principles on how we should act and what we may or may not do. His laws stem from omniscient knowledge of human character, and are designed not only with our best interests in mind, but also to make us keenly aware of our desperate need for a Savior. God is able “to save and to destroy” (v.12), and it would behoove us to respect Him, His law, and His authority. The fact that He will judge righteously—not with human justice—should bring both comfort and warning, for His is a holy standard. It is a comfort to know that evildoers, especially those who persecute us, will be justly judged. But take warning, our own deeds and attitudes come under the same Holy scrutiny. Rather than usurp God’s authority, we ought to love God’s authority, because even His laws stem from His love for us and are not excessively burdensome (I John 5:3).

Make no mistake. Human government has been granted authority in certain areas to make laws and to punish wrongdoers. (For example, see Romans 13:1–7.) But God’s laws must not only be kept distinct from man’s laws, but we must likewise not set up our own law.

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Come Forth As Gold

“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” (I Peter 1:7).

These words of Peter are certainly applicable today, but they have always been true. That proper character and testimony are of supreme importance to God was certainly recognized by godly Job in the midst of his heavy trials, for he claimed, “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). The context for this stirring statement of faith proves instructive.

Just as most people do, whether Christian or not, Job appealed to heaven for relief from his troubles (v.3). Job felt he was suffering unjustly, and wanted to state his case before God (v.4), but more importantly, Job desired to know God’s will in the matter. “I would (i.e., desire to) know the words which He would answer me, and understand what He would say unto me” (v.5). He knew God well enough to know that God had a purpose in his suffering, and Job asked for knowledge of that purpose. Job knew God’s goodness; that He would not punish him for his questions, and felt that greater understanding would give him strength to continue. But without God’s revelation, Job knew he was unable to understand or even find God (vs.8,9). God mercifully and lovingly allows trials to discipline, guide, and develop us. Such trials will, in the end, work to our advantage, as impurities are removed, leaving behind only that which is lasting and precious.

The goal of our lives should be to bring “praise and honour and glory” unto our Lord, and if tribulation can best accomplish these goals, so be it! As David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy Word” (Psalm 119:67). God knows what is best for us. He knows what He is doing, and we can rest in that fact.

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The Great Physician

“But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick” (Matthew 9:12).

It almost goes without saying that a person who is seriously ill would do anything to regain health. But the sad fact is, few people really pay attention to their health until they are threatened with its loss.

On the other hand, testimonies without number have been chronicled which relate an individual’s refusal to acknowledge the claims of Christ until he or she had been stricken with personal problems or physical illness. “You’ve got to be on your back before you can look up,” so the saying goes. But what does the Great Physician have to offer the one whose health seems to be strong from an outward perspective?

Instead of being well, however, the Bible says that everyone is born into this world with a dreadful disease in our souls called sin. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), “and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15). The sin disease is most tragic when we do not feel it and do not know we have it. “Because thou sayest, I . . . have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). Jesus Christ is the only One who can heal us, “neither is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12). And just as He never sent anyone away who came to Him on earth for physical healing (Matthew 12:15), so “him that cometh to me (i.e., Christ) I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

Certainly one of the most important steps in this process of being healed of our sin sickness is recognizing our desperate need for healing. When we say “Be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee” (Psalm 41:4), He will respond with forgiveness, grace, and healing.

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Ezekiel--son Of Man

“And He said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee” (Ezekiel 2:1).

This is the first of more than 90 times in which the prophet Ezekiel is addressed by God as “Son of man.” This seems quite remarkable, as this title also was Christ’s favorite title, using it 80 times, always applying it to Himself.

In Christ’s case, of course, it means “representative man,” “perfect man,” “heir of man, and all God’s promises to man,” “man as God intended man to be.” As Son of man, Jesus as perfect man could take all the sins of sinful man upon Himself and redeem man.

David was the first to use the term, when He asked: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the Son of man, that thou visitest Him?” (Psalm 8:4). That this was revealed to him in a Messianic sense becomes clear when it is quoted in the New Testament (Hebrews 2:6–9), and applied strictly to the Lord Jesus. The prophet Daniel also used the title in a Messianic sense when he saw “one like the Son of man,” who came to “the Ancient of Days” to receive “everlasting dominion” over all men (Daniel 7:13,14).

Evidently the title as given by God to Ezekiel must also have been intended somehow in a Messianic sense, so that Ezekiel is, in effect, a type of the coming Savior. Ezekiel was a godly priest and scribe, but the Lord Jesus Christ is our “great high priest, that is passed into the heavens”—in fact, He is our “high priest for ever” (Hebrews 4:14; 6:20) and is “the Word of God” to the world (John 1:1,14; Revelation 19:13). It is significant that to Ezekiel was revealed more about the primeval fall of Satan (Ezekiel 28:11–19) and the glories of the coming kingdom (Ezekiel 40-48) than to any of the other Old Testament prophets. Truly, God “spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,” but now, He has “spoken unto us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1,2).

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Certain Hope

“Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Hebrews 6:18,19).

The noun hope, when used in the New Testament, does not imply a wishful attitude, but rather a joyous and confident expectation in something promised, which will certainly come to pass—in most cases, something good. Note especially the few times it is used with a descriptive adjective.

First, in a stirring benediction, Paul tells us that our good hope comes from both “our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father” (II Thessalonians 2:16). Furthermore, such hope is given to us along with “everlasting consolation,” or comfort, which shall last forever. The Father and Son have done this “through grace,” which brings eternal salvation.

Next, we are taught that we should be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). This blessed hope can be none other than “our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope” (I Timothy 1:1). He will certainly return, and this return will be glorious.

Furthermore, we have a hope which is actively alive. “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3). We have been (past tense) born again from the dead just as surely as Christ has been raised from the dead, for His resurrection accomplished it.

Our hope, under grace, is guaranteed by Jesus Christ: “a better hope . . . by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Hebrews 7:19), than that which was possible under law. In fact, it is a glorious hope (II Corinthians 3:11,12) by comparison. This kind of hope can be “an anchor for the soul.”

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Results Of Witnessing

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:.

If any Christian ever becomes discouraged in his witness for Christ, he should remind himself of the many blessings that are promised to those who faithfully bear testimony for His name’s sake. First of all, it brings unique joy when he sees the fruit it bears. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5,6).

There is also the inestimable worth of even one soul. “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).

Faithful witnessing will eventually lead to revival. In the early church, we are told that “daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42), with the result that “the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).

Then, there are special rewards in heaven for faithful witnessing, not least of which is the very presence of those who would not have been there otherwise: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (I Thessalonians 2:19). “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).

Best of all, however, is the simple knowledge that our witnessing shows Christ our love, and brings honor to our heavenly Father. “Herein is my Father glorified.” Therefore, “let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

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Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:.

“I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep.” Our familiar childhood prayer really has a strong Scriptural foundation. In the midst of great turmoil and danger, the child of God always can lay himself down to peaceful sleep, confident that his God is watching over him. “He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper [literally, ‘thy preserver’ or ‘thy security’]” (Psalm 121:3–5).

It is not only the child who can pray thus, of course. This prayer in our text was the prayer of David, in the midst of opposition and danger. “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about” (Psalm 3:5,6).

God will preserve us even through death itself, when that time comes. “If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” And indeed He will! “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:7,8).

Therefore, it is not good to take our fears, angers, frustrations, and regrets to bed with us. “Be careful (i.e.,‘full of care’) for nothing (i.e., nothing!); but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7). “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,” promises our caring and capable Savior, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Thus, when the day is over and the work is done, “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep.”

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Self Esteem

“Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3).

There is a great emphasis these days, even among Christians, on developing a positive self-image, building up one’s self-esteem, and seeking self-fulfillment. The emphasis is on one’s own self. But God’s Word teaches differently.

One famous television pastor has even developed his own un-Biblical definition of sin: “Sin is any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem.” Then he even presumes to define being born again as being “changed from a negative to a positive self-image.”

Such concepts are diametrically opposed to Scripture, though often cloaked in pseudo-Biblical garb, and they are leading multitudes away from the true gospel and true Christian life. We do not need a positive self-image, but a realistic self-image, to see ourselves as God sees us. Paul warned: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

Paul served Christ faithfully for thirty years, yet still esteemed himself as “chief of sinners” (I Timothy 1:15), and testified that it was only “by the grace of God I am what I am” (I Corinthians 15:10). Jesus said: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:23). “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Corinthians 1:27–29).

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The Sleeper

“Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).

The message in our text provides an attention-getting warning to those who claim to be Christians but indulge in or even allow the evil practices of Ephesians 5:3–7. A Christian does not, and, indeed, cannot live a life of fornication, or uncleanness, or covetousness, or filthiness, or foolish talking, or jesting (vs.3,4), for no such person “hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. . . . For because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (vs.5,6). Those who practice such things are “fools” (v.15).

While we, as Christians, must always be willing to bring the saving message of God’s grace to the sinner, we must not be “partakers with them” (v.7) in their sins, and, indeed, must “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (v.11). Instead, we must “reprove them” (v.11), pointing out the consequences of their actions and focusing their attention on Christ, who “hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour” (v.2), in payment of their penalty. All that must be done is to accept this forgiveness. In doing so, we who are “light in the Lord” (v. will shed light in their darkness, for “all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light” (v.13).

As children of the light (v., our lives must exhibit the “fruit of the Spirit . . . goodness and righteousness and truth” (v.9). We must prove “what is acceptable unto the Lord” (v.10), “walk(ing) circumspectly, . . . wise(ly)” (v.15), “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (v.16).

The sleeper in our text, whether he be an unbeliever or a professing Christian, is “asleep”—locked in moral insensibility. “Awake, Sleeper!” Paul would say, “and accept the God-given remedy for your plight!”

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The Third Firmament

“And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above” (Ezekiel 1:22).

The English word “firmament” in the Bible is a translation of the Hebrew raqia, meaning “expanse.” Its meaning is not “firm boundary” as Biblical critics have alleged, but might be paraphrased as “stretched-out thinness” or, simply, “space.”

Its first occurrence in the Bible relates it to heaven: “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. . . . And God called the firmament Heaven” (Genesis 1:6,8). This firmament obviously could not be a solid boundary above the sky, but is essentially the atmosphere, the “first heaven,” the “space” where the birds were to “fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven” (Genesis 1:20).

There is also a second firmament, or second heaven, where God placed the sun, moon, and stars, stretching out into the infinite reaches of space. “And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth” (Genesis 1:17).

The firmament in our text, however, is beneath the very throne of God, and above the mighty cherubim (Ezekiel 1:23), who seem always in Scripture to indicate the near presence of God. This glorious firmament, brilliantly crystalline in appearance, must be “the third heaven” to which the apostle Paul was once “caught up” in a special manifestation of God’s presence and power, to hear “unspeakable words” from God in “paradise” (II Corinthians 12:2–4).

All three heavens “declare the glory of God” and all three firmaments “show His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Therefore, we should “praise God in His sanctuary” and also “praise Him in the firmament of His power” (Psalm 150:1).

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The Holy Spirit In The Old

“Then He remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, Where is He that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His flock? where is He that put His Holy Spirit within him?” (Isaiah 63:11).

There are several explicit references (and many other implicit references) to this third Person of the Godhead in the ancient Scriptures. One of these is in our text, and in the preceding verses, which also mention the second Person of the Godhead. “For He said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so He was their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit: therefore He was turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them” (Isaiah 63:8–10).

It was possible to “vex the Holy Spirit” then, just as it is possible for a believer to “grieve . . . the Holy Spirit” today (Ephesians 4:30). Today, a Christian may also “quench . . . the Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5:19), an experience similar to that of David when he had deliberately committed a gross sin and finally cried out: “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).

In addition to these specific references, there are approximately forty references in the Old Testament to “the Spirit of God” or “the Spirit of the LORD”—the first being at the very point of creation when “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). All three persons of the Godhead are seen in action in Isaiah 48:16: “Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the LORD God, and His Spirit, hath sent me.” God the Holy Spirit was, indeed, “put within” Moses and His people long ago, just as He indwells each believer today.