A Daily Devotional

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When Less Is More?

“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him” (II Chronicles 32:7).

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the L SIZE="-1">ORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the L SIZE="-1">ORD pondereth the hearts” (Proverbs 21:1,2). King Hezekiah, of Judah, was a godly king, “and in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered” (II Chronicles 31:21). And so, when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah to capture Jerusalem, he came up against a man in God’s favor.

Hezekiah prepared for battle as best he could by stopping the outside water flow and reinforcing the walls. He made weapons and stationed his troops, but most of all, he encouraged his people to be strong and courageous, for a test was coming and they needed to buttress their inner emotions to be ready.

Unfortunately for Sennacherib, his heart was also in the hand of the Lord, for he boasted of his military victories and despised the gods of all the nations. “Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?” (32:14). The harangue went on and on against God and his servant Hezekiah until Hezekiah’s and Isaiah’s prayers were answered by God. “The LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour . . .” (v.21). Sennacherib returned home in shame, and was killed by his own children.

Here is a riddle. When is less more? When a man’s heart is in accord with the Lord’s hand.

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The Unperfect Substance

“Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16).

This is an amazing verse, testifying as it does to the omniscient fore-planning of our Creator for each human being. Each person has been separately planned by God before he or she was ever conceived; His eyes oversaw our “unperfect (not imperfect, but unfinished) substance”—that is, literally, our embryo—throughout its entire development. Not only all its “members,” but also all its “days” (the literal implication of “in continuance”) had been “written” in God’s book long ago. While modern evolutionists argue that a “fetus” is not yet a real person, and so may be casually aborted if the mother so chooses, both the Bible and science show that a growing child in the womb is a true human being. Instruments called fetoscopes have been able to trace every stage of embryonic development, showing that each is distinctively human, never passing through any non-human evolutionary stages, such as the evolutionists’ theory of “recapitulation” would imply.

Not much is known about how a baby receives its soul, but the baby is surely an eternal human being from the moment of conception, with all its future days already well known in the mind of God, “when as yet there was none of them,” as our text points out.

But that is not all. All those who are saved (or, like the innocents who die before birth, “safe” in Christ) and whose names, therefore, are “written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:, are also predestined “to be conformed to the image of His Son” in the ages to come (Romans 8:29).

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A Marathon

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

America has set aside this day as a day of memory. Today we remember and appreciate those who have defended America, her ideals, and her freedoms on the field of battle. We remember, and give thanks for them and the victories won.

The Bible many times uses figures of speech to communicate important principles regarding the Christian life. Military engagements, and the preparation, armaments, and dedication are frequently used in this way. Our text uses another figure, that of athletic “combat” rather than military, but the implications are the same.

The writer addresses readers who are convinced of Christianity, but have less than the complete dedication necessary for victory. The “cloud of witnesses” are those faithful warriors discussed in Chapter 11 who endured great opposition, yet did so in victorious faith (I John 5:4), thus encouraging us on to victory.

The competition will not be quickly over. The word “race” (Greek agon) implies agony, as in a marathon. We are to run with “patience” (better translated endurance). In Greek, the verb tense of “run” points to a lifelong habit of running, and “patience” is intensive. This is an endurance race we are in!

To win, we must eliminate any “weight,” such as false doctrine or legalism or shallow commitment which hampers our efforts. And, we must repent of and confess any sin (any act of disbelief) which negates our faith.

In America, where opposition to the Christian message and influence has flourished in recent years, we are called to join an ongoing “battle,” not just for the waning freedoms we love, but for the souls of men.

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Whosoever Will

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

One could not imagine a more clearcut invitation to receive God’s free gift of eternal life than this final climactic invitation of the Bible. Anyone who is thirsting for the water of life may come and drink freely, for Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37).

Whosoever will may come! “There is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11, plus about seven other references), and the Scriptures abound with “whosoever” assurances. “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:26). “Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (I John 4:15).

“Jesus Christ the righteous: . . . is the propitiation . . . for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:1,2). Therefore, “by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18).

Such promises as these, and many more in the Word of God, make it very clear that the substitutionary death of Christ is sufficient to “(take) away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), that salvation and eternal life are offered as a free gift of God’s grace to anyone who will accept it, and that anyone who will may come! It is only the voluntary act of our own wills that is required, but there are many of whom Jesus must say: “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40).

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The Elect Of God

“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33).

The doctrine of election is a key doctrine of Scripture, but it is also controversial, so any discussion of it should, mostly, let the Scriptures speak for themselves. The Greek and Hebrew words for the “elect” are the same as for the “chosen,” and it is clear that whenever the elect are mentioned, it is God, not man, who has done the choosing.

For example, Christ elected the twelve to be His apostles, of His own volition. They are called, in fact, “the apostles whom He had chosen” (Acts 1:2). The Scriptures also speak of “the elect angels” (I Timothy 5:21) and even of Christ Himself as being the “chief cornerstone, elect, precious” (I Peter 2:6).

Most often, however, the term is applied to those who have been saved through faith in Christ and His substitutionary death, and they are said to have been “chosen in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). Having been chosen, these elect ones are then, in the fullness of time, drawn to Christ. As He said: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him;” and He also said: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:44,37). Finally, to make it crystal clear who does the choosing, Jesus said: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit” (John 15:16).

None of this eliminates our individual responsibility to “make (our) calling and election sure” (II Peter 1:10), but the grand purpose of this great doctrine is simply this: “Base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, . . . that no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Corinthians 1:28,29).

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Marriage And Food: Two Good Things

“Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving by them which believe and know the truth” (I Timothy 4:3).

Paul, in his instruction to his younger disciple, Timothy, knew that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (v.1). Timothy had to be warned and prepared for this, as do we. The message could not be ignored, for Paul had received it from the Holy Spirit, who had spoken “expressly” on these matters (v.1). Certainly we are in the “latter times,” and the message applies to us.

In addition to “speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (v.2), we will recognize these false teachers by two of their doctrines (among others described elsewhere in Scripture). We can look for a false show of spirituality or appearance of piety and self-denial—in this case “forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats.”

In both cases, however, to teach or believe so is to deny the clear teaching of Scripture, for both were created by God for His glory and our proper use, and are intrinsically good.

Marriage (Genesis 1:28; 2:18; 2:24) was one facet of God’s “very good” (1:31) design. “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled” Hebrews 13:4).

Furthermore, He created food to provide nourishment for mankind; first plants (Genesis 1:29; 2:16) then flesh (9:3). Everything He created, if in its proper use, is “good” (I Timothy 4:4) if “received with thanksgiving” (v.3) and “sanctified by the Word of God and prayer” (v.5).

Vows at a wedding and a word of thanks before meals: Thus we can enjoy Him, His creation, and His provision.

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With My Whole Heart

“With my whole heart have I sought thee” (Psalm 119:10).

The heart is that which thinks, wills, feels, and acts. It is the seat of our intellect and our emotions. If the Lord is in control of this innermost place, there is victory; if not, defeat. It is no wonder that Jesus said, “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart” (Matthew 22:37).

Six times in Psalm 119 David mentions the “whole heart.” These references reveal: His crying heart. “I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD” (v.145). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). His obedient heart. “Yea, I shall observe it (the law of God) with my whole heart” (v.34). “I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart” (v.69). “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” (v.11). His seeking heart. “Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart” (v.2). “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments” (v.10). The prophet Jeremiah also understood that God rewards the true seeker. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you” (Jeremiah 29:13,14). Those who seek still find (Matthew 7:7,8). “For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). His praying heart. “I intreated thy favor (literally face) with my whole heart” (Psalm 119:58). Coming to God face to face and beseeching Him to answer prayer is a marvelous privilege opened up for us by our Lord Jesus Christ. May we ever take advantage of our access into the holiest of all. “For through Him (Christ) we both have access by one spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18).

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Children In Heaven

“And (David) said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (II Samuel 12:22,23).

The death of a loved one is always a time of great sorrow, but the death of a beloved child is perhaps the keenest sorrow of all. Nevertheless, for the Christian believer, we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (I Thessalonians 4:13).

Our text verse makes it clear that, when a child dies (even one born of a sinful relationship such as this child of David and Bathsheba), that child goes to be with the Lord in heaven. Jesus said: “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

Heaven is thus a place where there are many “little children.” Their inherited sin-nature never yet has generated acts of willful sin, and their maker is Himself “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), so they are safe in Him. Although there are few specific Scriptures on this subject, what we do know, both from the love of God and the Word of God suggests that the souls of all little children are with the Lord in heaven, not only those from loving Christian homes, but also those who died in early childhood (and even before birth) from every time and place since the world began. There they, along with all those who were saved by personal faith in Christ and are now awaiting the resurrection, will receive new bodies when Christ returns to Earth. The old and lame will be young and strong again, and the children will grow to perfect maturity, for all will become “like Him” (I John 3:2). “God shall wipe away all tears” (Revelation 21:4), and all will say: “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30).

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Treasure In Heaven


“Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth” (Luke 12:33).

The Lord Jesus frequently warned us against trying to accumulate wealth here on Earth. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,” He said. Rather, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19,20). In our text above, He even says to sell what we have and give it away. To the rich young ruler, He said: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21).

God’s Word cannot contradict itself, however, so this teaching must also be balanced against a man’s responsibility to “provide . . . for his own, and especially for those of his own house” (I Timothy 5:. Similarly, “the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children” (I Corinthians 12:14).

We are also encouraged to “give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28) and to sow “bountifully” as “a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:6,7). Such instructions imply that by faithful labor in the vocations God has given us, we shall have the wherewithal to do such things. Ananias and Sapphira were punished, not for retaining part of their possessions for their own needs, but rather, because they lied about it (Acts 5:1–10). Our giving should be done “with simplicity”—that is, with “singleness” of heart (Romans 12:.

All we have is of the Lord, and should be used in ways that honor Him, in accord with His Word and His providential leading. We should provide judiciously for the needs of those dependent on us, but our own personal needs and wants should be kept minimal, so that more can be used in His service and to meet the needs of others.

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The Heart of Stone


"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 4:18).

The blindness mentioned in our text is the same word used to describe a kind of stone. In verb form, this word indicates a process and means "to make hard or to petrify." Often the word is translated as "hardness."

The people of Israel developed a hard heart and mind toward God and the things of God (II Corinthians 3:13-15) which continually brought both grief and anger to the Lord Jesus (Mark 3:5). Even the disciples suffered from this hardness (Mark 6:52; 8:17).

Our text is directed toward New Testament believers who are challenged not to become blinded or petrified as are unbelievers. This petrification in the moral realm can be compared to the loss of sensation in the physical realm--a kind of spiritual paralysis as when sensor and motor nerves no longer respond. "Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:19).

Petrification of once-living tissue usually takes place over the course of many years, as each organic molecule decays and is removed, with the space it occupied refilled with stony material dissolved in groundwater percolating through the host material. Or, it may take place as material is injected into the living tissue, thus stopping all life processes. In just such a way, the hardening of the heart can take place slowly, but finally petrification is complete. Petrification of wood can be stopped by removing it from the decay-and-replacement process, but natural processes cannot return it to its former state. Praise God that we can "put on the new man" (v.24) with a renewed (new) mind and spirit (v.23), no longer hardened toward the things of God.

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The Deception Of Eve

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (I Timothy 2:14).

Genesis 3 begins with those fateful words, “Yea, hath God said?” This is our first glimpse of Satan in the Bible, although Scripture teaches that he already had been at his work of deception in the heavenly realm, where a third of the angelic host followed him in rebellion against God. His own pride deceived him into believing he could be “like the most High” (Revelation 12:4; Isaiah 14:12–15), and he, in turn, used the same tactic, “ye shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5), on Eve.

Note that Eve, as the first woman, created by God’s own hand, was perfect. She and Adam enjoyed a world pronounced “very good” by the Creator, where sin had not entered. In reality, Eve threw away all that she hoped to gain when she disobeyed God. All her needs had been satisfied in the provision and fellowship of her Creator. After she and Adam disobeyed, they “surely” did die (Genesis 3:4). All that she hoped to possess was taken from her altogether, and she and Adam were banished from the garden. The spiritual knowledge she hoped to gain became a knowledge of evil—a terrible sense of her own guilty disobedience toward the loving Creator, the penalty for which was spiritual death and separation from God.

Eve may have been the first, but certainly not the last, to be deceived into throwing away that which is hoped to be gained. Whether it be for physical gratification, esthetic pleasure, or intellectual pride, millions still reject the Creator and are, like Eve, “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). But Eve, in her final recorded testimony (Genesis 4:25), indicates that she looked forward to that promised “seed,” her Savior, and the Savior of all who, though guilty as she, trust Him for salvation.

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An Anointing Memorial

“There came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as He sat at meat” (Matthew 26:7).

Mary of Bethany, Martha’s sister (Luke 10:39), was prompted to give Jesus a very precious gift. It was a box filled with spikenard ointment (John 12:3). She broke the box and poured the oil over Jesus’ head while He sat eating at the home of Simon, the leper. Breaking the box was necessary probably because it was sealed to keep the oil pure and unfermented.

Unfortunately, the disciples, especially Judas (John 12:5), didn’t understand the gesture, and complained to Jesus that it was wasteful. Jesus reflected on the act and the response, and then spoke of it as a “good work” (Matthew 26:8–10).

Jesus went on to interpret the significance of the good work, explaining that the poor would always be a part of society, but His physical presence would not. In addition, there was a very special implication to the act: “She did it for my burial” (v.12). Indeed, there were only a few days left before the opportunity for such physical expressions of love would no longer be possible.

Perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned by this loving act was that even small acts of love and concern will have long-lasting effects.“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” (v.13). What can be said for sacrificial giving to the cause of Christ? First, that He should be the focus of our attention in all that we do; second, that we should give our best to Him in gifts and service; and lastly, that our love for Jesus can result in good works that have eternal fruition.

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Quoth The Dove, “forevermore”

“I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:18).

A familiar American poem by Edgar Allan Poe has the haunting refrain “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’” It deals with sadness, death, and forlornness. The reader is somehow left with the impression that death in the end may win. Conversely, our text, recorded long before by the apostle, contains a message of hope, triumph, eternal life, and joy.

The Spirit, in Scripture, is compared to “a bodily shape like a dove” (Luke 3:22). Jesus told His disciples that the same Spirit would “bring all things to (their) remembrance, whatsoever (He) said unto (them)” (John 14:26). John, “in the Spirit,” heard the words uttered by Jesus and recorded them.

The word of the fictitious raven need not prevail. Instead, the words of Jesus, written down by one inspired by the heavenly Dove, abound with truth. They echo throughout the corridors of time: “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore . . .” (text verse).

Jesus, speaking to living people, once said, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). Mere earthly existence is not life, according to Jesus. Life is knowing the Father and the Son personally (John 17:3), and it is the Spirit who raises spiritually dead people to life.

The connecting link is faith. We must bow our hearts in repentance and faith, and pray: “Creator Jesus, you own me, but I’ve really messed up. I’m sorry. I need you to save me from sin, death, and hell. Only your blood shed for sinners on Calvary’s cross can wash me pure. Please be my Savior. I come to you for life and trust you alone to give me life for evermore. You said, ‘. . . him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out’ (John 6:37). I come to you, Jesus. Be my Lord—‘for evermore.’”

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Outward Appearances

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature: because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).

Man does, indeed, look on the outward appearance. This has always been true, but never more so than in these latter days, even among evangelical Christians.

There is very little emphasis in the Bible on such things, however. As far as dress and adornment are concerned, Paul said: “I will therefore that . . . women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array. But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (I Timothy 2:8–10). The same principle surely would apply also to men.

With respect to physical conditioning and development, the following is almost the only reference in the Bible: “Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things” (I Timothy 4:. The apostle Paul himself, probably the most effective and fruitful Christian of all, was a man of most unimpressive appearance (II Corinthians 10:10). “I was with you in weakness,” he reminded them, but nevertheless it was “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (I Corinthians 2:3,4).

There is nothing wrong, of course, with physical beauty or athletic prowess, unless they center attention on self rather than Christ, but it is the “inner man” of the heart, where true strength and beauty should be sought. Therefore, as Jesus said: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). The Lord looks on the heart, and so should we.

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Prophets From The Beginning


“That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation” (Luke 11:50,51).

God’s true prophets have been persecuted from the beginning. Abel, son of Adam and Eve, was the first, according to Jesus, for his blood was shed by Cain “from the foundation of the world.” A “prophet,” in Biblical terms, was a man who proclaimed inspired words from God (not necessarily predictions of the future, but words inspired by the Holy Spirit—note I Peter 1:10,11; II Peter 1:19–21).

Evidently Abel was speaking God’s own words to Cain when the latter slew him in jealous wrath. The Zacharias mentioned is probably “Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest,” who was stoned when he prophesied against the people under King Joash (II Chronicles 24:20–22), for he was the last prophet actually mentioned in the Old Testament as having been slain for his testimony.

Thus the period encompassed by the Lord’s statement was the entire Old Testament period, “from the foundation of the world” to the coming of Christ. The same experience awaited most of the prophets who wrote the New Testament Scriptures. Thus does the world react to God’s inspired Word!

There is another important truth in this passage. The blood of God’s prophets began to be shed “from the foundation of the world,” not just beginning almost five billion years after the foundation of the world, as modern evolutionists allege! This is striking confirmation that the world was made from start to finish in six literal days. See also Mark 10:6; Acts 3:21; etc., for similar incidental confirmations of this truth.