A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Keep Alive Thy Work

“O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).

Habakkuk had long been grieved by the apostasy and injustice in Judah. A sensitive man who trusted God completely, he could not understand why God allowed such rampant sin to go unpunished. Knowing God must have a reason for His actions, he asked, in faith, the question, “Why?” (1:3).

In love, God honors Habakkuk’s sincere question, but the answer caused him even greater concern: “For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs” (v.6). God could use the vicious Babylonians to punish His chosen people (vs.5–11).

This prompted the prophet’s second question, “How?” How could God use such an evil people to punish the Jews? (1:12–2:1). God patiently explained that Israel’s sins merited captivity, and furthermore, that Babylon’s sins would eventually be punished also.

Once Habakkuk knew God’s plan, he did not dispute it. Rather, his concern turned to his people—soon to be in captivity. He was afraid they would lose all knowledge of God in a heathen culture, and he prayed, “O LORD, revive thy work” (3:2) (literally “keep alive thy work”). This concern was answered by a majestic appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ (vs.3–15), through which Habakkuk understood that God would, indeed, judge His enemies (v.12) and deliver His people (v.13).

Habakkuk’s final response? Total submission to God’s sovereign control over all things. He claims that in spite of these overwhelming problems (3:18), “Yet I will rejoice in the L SIZE="-1">ORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Mind Control .

“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17,18).

A question that troubles many Christians is why most highly educated leaders in science and other fields—even theologians—seem to find it to difficult to believe the Bible and the gospel of Christ. The answer is in the words of our text: They are “alienated from the life of God” because of self-induced ignorance. It is not that they can’t understand, but that they won’t understand! They “walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened . . . because of the blindness of their heart.” They don’t want to believe in their hearts, therefore they seek an excuse not to believe in their minds. They are “men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (II Timothy 3:.

The sad truth is that Satan, himself, controls their minds. They may be ever so intelligent in secular matters, but the gospel, with all its comprehensive and beautiful simplicity, remains hidden to them. “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (II Corinthians 4:3,4).

Is there a remedy? Yes. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4,5). In this verse, the word “thought” is the same as “mind.” The weapons of truth, of prayer, of love, of the Spirit, can capture even such minds as these!

[Soldier4Christ]

Fringe Issues


“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (II Timothy 2:24).

One of the plagues of modern-day Christendom is that many take up side issues and deem them all important—a point of separation between them and other Christians. Health foods, dress codes, and church constitutions are not unimportant, but Christians can hold different opinions and still be walking with God. Note the Scriptural admonitions: “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace (i.e., primary issues); not with meats (i.e., fringe issues), which have not profited them that have been occupied therein” (Hebrews 13:9); “foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes” (II Timothy 2:23).

On the other hand, there are many Scriptural commands to hold “fast the faithful word” (Titus 1:9); to “keep that which is committed to thy trust” (I Timothy 6:20). Many of these points of “sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9) are absolutely essential, such as the Deity of Christ, the authority of Scripture, salvation by grace, the resurrection of Christ, and many others clearly and specifically taught in Scripture. Perhaps the rule might be, if it’s an essential doctrine, teach and defend it at all costs; if it’s a secondary doctrine, teach it in “meekness” and love (II Timothy 2:25). But if it’s a fringe issue, avoid strife over it, allowing brothers the freedom to enjoy their preferences.

Is creationism a fringe issue? No! Few doctrines are so clearly taught in Scripture. Is it crucial to salvation? No! But it is essential to adequately understand the great, primary doctrines, for it is foundational to them all. Furthermore, it is the subject of origins which the enemy has identified as a major battleground, vowing to destroy Christianity over this issue. Here we must stand, if we are to guard our faith.

[Soldier4Christ]

Unto Him That Is Able

“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24).

There are three wonderful doxologies in three New Testament epistles extolling the transcendent ability of God to accomplish and perfect our eternal salvation. One is our text above, assuring all who are “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21) that He is fully able to bring us joyfully into the presence of God in glory.

Then, look at Ephesians 3:20: “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Furthermore, His power is able to keep us forever. “Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25).

Little wonder that the apostles exhort us to praise such a wonderful God and Savior! But in addition to the three doxologies, the Word of God contains many other testimonies to the omnipotent ability of the Lord on behalf of His people.

“He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (II Timothy 1:12).

“He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

“The Lord Jesus Christ: . . . shall change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Philippians 3:20,21).

With such a Savior and Heavenly Father, we can join with Jude as he concludes his doxology: “To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 25).

[Soldier4Christ]

A Holiday For Atheists

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good” (Psalm 53:1).

There are many religious holidays, and April 1 would be a good holiday for atheists, humanists, pantheists, and others who deny the reality of an omnipotent, personal Creator God. The Word of God has made it plain that such a faith is the faith of a fool (the Hebrew word, nabal, means both “stupid” and “wicked”).

It is obvious that no one could ever prove atheism to be true, for it is impossible to prove a universal negative. In fact, there is such overwhelming evidence of designed order and complexity in the universe, especially in the marvelous structures of living organisms, that one must exercise an enormous amount of credulity to make himself believe that it all just happened! This is the New Testament testimony as well: “. . . they are without excuse: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:20–23).

Both ancient pagans and modern evolutionists have “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (same as ‘creation’) more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25), and this is inexcusable. The anomaly is that they usually boast of such folly as “intellectual” and “scientific,” when it is nothing but “abominable iniquity,” as our text calls it. They insist that their viewpoint is alone suitable for the public schools, claiming that since creationism implies a Creator, it is necessarily religious, and therefore not scientific. But they have rejected God purely and simply because “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge” (Romans 1:28). Their knowledge, no matter how copious and complex, is foolishness, without God. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

[Soldier4Christ]

How To Keep From Falling

“For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” (Psalm 56:13).

Once a person receives Christ as Savior, he must begin, then continue, in the Christian life. There will be many temptations along the way, however, as well as many pressures to recant, many sorrows, many difficulties. How is the “babe” in Christ to keep from stumbling and falling?

The answer, of course, is that we are kept by the same grace that saved us in the first place! The Lord Jesus died to save us from eternal death in hell; surely we can “be saved by His life” from falling while living (Romans 5:10). Our beautiful text verse anticipates this great New Testament truth. If the Lord can deliver my soul from death, surely He can keep my feet from falling! Other wonderful verses in the Psalms give the same assurance. For example: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the L SIZE="-1">ORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand” (Psalm 37:24).

It is important, of course, that each person professing faith in Christ be sure that his faith is real, founded on the true Jesus Christ as Creator, Redeemer and Lord, not a sentimental faith in “another Jesus, . . . or another gospel” (II Corinthians 11:4). As Peter urges: “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (II Peter 1:10).

And then, in the last words of the New Testament before the book of Revelation, we are directed again to Christ. “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 24,25). What a blessed assurance is this!

[Soldier4Christ]

Fainting

“When my soul fainted within me I remembered the L SIZE="-1">ORD” (Jonah 2:7).

Faint: to be weary, become weak, be consumed, be feeble! Such are the characteristics of those who faint. Certainly God has something far better for the Christian than fainting.

Please note the negative side to fainting: Don’t faint in the matter of prayer. “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). In other words, be persistent. Don’t faint when being rebuked by the Lord. “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him” (Hebrews 12:5). Our heavenly Father’s rebukes are good for us who are the sons of God. Don’t faint when serving. “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). The commendation to the church at Ephesus was, “For my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted” (Revelation 2:3).

Next, note the positive side to fainting: Remember God’s goodness and mercy. “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not” (II Corinthians 4:1). Remember God’s strength. “But they that wait upon the L SIZE="-1">ORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Remember that God never faints. “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? . . . He giveth power to the faint” (Isaiah 40:28,29).

[Soldier4Christ]

Hosanna

“And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9).

This was the shout of the throngs as Jesus entered Jerusalem for His last week of public ministry. Even though the multitudes were shouting His adoration, these were the same throngs that would be calling for His crucifixion just a few days later. Nevertheless, as they welcomed Him into Jerusalem that day, little did they know that they were fulfilling an ancient prophecy: “Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: . . . Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the L SIZE="-1">ORD” (Psalm 118:25,26), they cried.

This psalm is one of the Messianic psalms, and the plea, “Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD,” is essentially the meaning of “Hosanna.” The crowds were acknowledging Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Son of David, and the “chief priests and scribes . . . were sore displeased” at this (Matthew 21:15). But this also had been predicted in the psalm: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22,23).

As a result of this repudiation by these leaders of His people, the Lord wept over Jerusalem and was forced to prophesy its coming judgment, quoting once again this ancient prophecy: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, . . . Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37–39).

One day He will, indeed, be made the great “head stone of the corner,” and all His people will acknowledge Him. In the meantime, the prayer of the prophecy is appropriate for each unsaved person to pray today: “Save now, O LORD.”

[Soldier4Christ]

To Be Or Not To Be

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The verb “to be,” in its various forms and tenses, enjoys wide usage throughout Scripture. Verses employing it, as it relates to us, contain many of the greatest and most precious truths. Consider the following sampling:

Past Tense: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:. “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God” (v.10). “You hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). “You, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled” (Colossians 1:21).

Present Tense: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven” (Romans 4:7). “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” (I Corinthians 3:16). “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (I Peter 1:5). “By the grace of God I am what I am” (I Corinthians 15:10). “Beloved, now are we the sons of God” (I John 3:2). “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:9,10). Note also our text verse.

Future Tense: “It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:2). “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:17). “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. . . . And they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:3–5).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Dispensation of Grace


"If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward" (Ephesians 3:2).

So-called "dispensationalism" has had both its advocates and opponents among Bible-believing Christians. The Greek word translated "dispensation" (oikonomia), from which we derive our English word "economy," actually means an "economy," or also, a "stewardship."

The number and nature of the various "dispensations" or "economies" through which the Creator has dealt with His human creation during the course of history has been the subject of considerable discussion and variation among commentators. Possible distinct dispensations might include the post-Eden economy instituted after sin and God's curse came into the world, the post-diluvian economy established by Noah after the Flood, and the economy begun by Abraham when God began to work especially with the nation of Israel. However, none of these are actually called "dispensations" in the Scriptures, so any such listing is bound to be somewhat arbitrary.

There are two dispensations, however, specifically called such in Scripture. One is the "dispensation of the fullness of times," when God will "gather together in one all things in Christ" (Ephesians 1:10). This will be the eternal economy of the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21-22).

Then there is this present "dispensation of the grace of God." We, like Paul, have been called as "stewards of the manifold grace of God" (I Peter 4:10). So, like Paul, each of us could say that "a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me" (I Corinthians 9:17), and that "I am made a minister [or 'servant'], according to the dispensation of God which is given to me" (Colossians 1:25). Thus the dispensation of grace is a real stewardship responsibility committed to each believer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Redeemed!

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19).

How glibly we use the terms redeemed, redemption, and ransom. But what do they mean, and more importantly, what did Christ’s act of redemption mean?

Three Greek words and their derivations are used in the New Testament to denote various aspects of this truth. In our text, “redeemed” comes from the Greek word lutroo, which means to set free, to buy back, or to ransom. Christ’s innocent blood, sacrificed for us, bought us back. “By His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).

But redeemed from what or from where? From slavery to sin. Jesus taught, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34). Thankfully, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13). The Greek word used here isexagorazo meaning to buy up, to ransom from the market place (i.e., agora), which could be called “the slave market of sin.” He ransomed us, He redeemed us, from the horrors of slavery to sin by His death on the cross.

The final root word is apolutrosis, which means “to ransom in full.” He has paid the full penalty! Nothing more need be paid or done! Indeed, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He said as He died. In Him, and in Him alone “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Each of us needs to appropriate His plan, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23,24).

[Soldier4Christ]

Our Sins

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

As Christ hung on the cross, the Jewish leaders felt that He was guilty of blasphemy—a mere man, claiming to be God. In short, they felt that He was dying for His own sins. Their tragic misconceptions, however, were predicted centuries before, as recorded in the treasured 53rd chapter of Isaiah. “We hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. . . . We did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (vs.3,4).

But not so! God did not punish Him for His sins, but for ours. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (v.5). “For the transgression of my people was He stricken” (v..

The penalty for sin has always been death, and even though “He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him” (vs.9,10). He was the perfect “offering for sin” (v.10) and “He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (v.12). Justice has been served! “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many” (v.11).

Furthermore, through His death, even our griefs have been borne and our sorrows carried (v.4). In addition to all this, our peace has been gained through His chastisement and our healing has been accomplished with His stripes (v.5).

Such considerations can drive us only to the most complete prostration of wonder and amazement. Necessitated because “all we like sheep have gone astray,” God’s justice has been satisfied, because Christ, in love, has taken upon Himself “the iniquity of us all.” As in the hymn: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Under Sin

“But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:22).

The Scriptural doctrine of total depravity does not mean that an individual can do nothing good or moral (at least from man’s perspective). Even an unsaved person can be honest, devoted to his family, working for decency in his community and performing all sorts of humanitarian deeds. But the Bible says that in God’s eyes, we are totally “under sin,” and there is nothing an individual can do to alter this tragic situation. Perhaps comparing the terms “bad” versus “bad off” helps put it in focus. To be sure, much of what mankind practices is hideously wicked, and even our good deeds “are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), in God’s estimation. Evolutionary humanists may tell us we are getting better, but the Creator tells us we are desperately evil, with no hope outside of His plan.

There are several aspects of our sin in God’s Word. First, there is personal sin: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one can argue that he does not practice sin.

Next, we all desire sin. This internal nature plagued even the godly men of Scripture (Romans 7:25). The fruits of this nature are sin and death, with an apt description of the attendant evils listed in Galatians 5:19–21, and elsewhere.

Finally, we have inherited sin through Adam: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). The natural man is spiritually dead, and physically dying, without Christ. “By grace are ye saved through faith” in the substitutionary nature of His payment for sin, “not of works,” for we are incapable in our natural state of good works (Ephesians 2:8,9).

[Soldier4Christ]

Twelve Legions Of Angels

“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).

In I Chronicles 27:1–15, David assembled twelve “courses” (i.e., legions) of fighting men to protect him at all times. Each of those “legions” would serve him one month out of the year when the nation was at peace, but presumably all would have reported for duty in time of war. Since each contained 24,000 warriors, they combined to form an immense personal army of bodyguards numbering 288,000.

By contrast, Christ, David’s greater Son, had at His command “more than twelve legions of angels.” These were not mere soldiers, as those guarding David; these were angels. Let us consider the power of just one angel in the days of King Hezekiah. “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” (II Kings 19:35). Simple multiplication shows that 288,000 such angels could handle 53 billion soldiers! And Christ had access to more angels than that!

Humanly speaking, Christ did not have to submit to brutality and death. But Christ was not only human; He was also the offended but loving God who had come to redeem His own. “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13: had “come to do Thy will, O God. . . . By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:9,10). “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). “All this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled” (Matthew 26:56).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Alabaster Box

“And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on His head” (Mark 14:3).

This unusual incident is reported also by Matthew and John, who says the woman was Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus and Martha. John says that she also “anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment” (John 12:3).

This is a remarkable story of devotion and, as Jesus prophesied, “wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matthew 26:13). At present-day prices, the lovely container and its aromatic contents would be worth at least several hundred dollars. Yet Mary gladly broke her alabaster box (so it could never be used again) and poured its costly perfume over her Lord, from His head to His feet, thus anointing His whole body. Then, as the ointment ran down to His feet, she wiped them clean with her long hair.

The disciples were shocked at this seeming waste, but “Jesus said, Let her alone. . . . She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying” (Mark 14:6,8). Little did they know (still less did Mary know!) that in just one week His battered body would be laid in a grave, anointed with myrrh instead of spikenard, and wrapped in burial linens instead of Mary’s hair. But Jesus knew, and Mary had “done what she could” to show the reality of her love for her Lord. It had cost her dearly—not only in material possessions, but also in sacrifice of all pride and self-esteem, and the Lord was honored. “She hath wrought a good work upon me,” He said (Matthew 26:10), and that’s what counts.