A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Learning to Make This Day Count

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

The book of Psalms is divided into five “books.” Book 4 begins with the oldest psalm written by the psalms’ oldest author, Moses. This book was assembled after the Babylonian captivity following the Jews’ return to Jerusalem during the lifespan of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

Book 4 contains many parallels, including between Israel’s 40 years of desert wandering and the Babylonian captivity. Both scenarios, sadly, came about because a disobedient generation of Israelites defiantly rebelled against God.

Why put this psalm at the beginning of Book 4? The Holy Spirit through the pen of Moses wanted to impress on God’s chosen people then and now that there is only one Person in the universe who will teach His children to live in obedience. That person is Yahweh! God doesn’t want His people to repeat the same mistakes of the past, living life in disobedience apart from God’s wisdom. Think about the 40 years of wasted wandering and another 70 years in exile as a result of ignoring God’s precious Word.

Before we, living in the 21st century, cast proverbial stones at these people, let’s ask ourselves this question: How are we ordering our lives and allowing Yahweh to teach us so that we may “gain a heart of wisdom” as we live out the few numbered days we have on this earth?

Our goal as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should be to refrain from following the same sinful patterns of disobedience depicted in this psalm and make this day count for Yahweh. CM

[Soldier4Christ]

Follow Me

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19-20)

It was not unusual for a man with a political cause or message to develop a following in the Israel of Jesus’ day (see Acts 5:35-37, for example). It was even common for a Jew to follow a religious “master,” calling him Rabbi and becoming his disciple. But what made the disciples leave the lives they knew and follow Christ? Perhaps they hoped He would lead a successful rebellion against Rome, but He had done nothing to make them think so. Nor had He promised them a life of luxury and ease, but rather hardship and hard work in their new occupation as “fishers of men.”

However, John the Baptist had prepared the way for the Lord. He had trained at least most, possibly all, of the men who would eventually become Jesus’ disciples. “John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:35-37). Training by John even became a requirement for a potential replacement for Judas (Acts 1:20-22).

But a credible witness in John was not their only reason to follow, for they had a great body of compelling evidence. For example, Luke records in Peter’s case, Christ had already gained local recognition (Luke 4:14-15). Jesus had been to Peter’s house for dinner, where his mother-in-law had been healed (4:38-39). Christ had used his boat for teaching (5:3) and had miraculously directed them to an overwhelming catch of fish (5:6). In response, Peter and his partners “forsook all, and followed him” (5:11).

We have a much surer testimony and much more evidence. Should we not do likewise? JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Arrows in the Hand

“As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.” (Psalm 127:4)

This is the central verse in the 101 verses contained in a remarkable group of 15 psalms called “The songs of degrees” (Psalms 120–134). The central verse in the central psalm of this group is the preceding verse: “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3). The origin of these psalms and this peculiar superscript has always been uncertain. Four are said to be by David, one by Solomon; the other 10 are anonymous.

A reasonable supposition, however, is that they were composed by King Hezekiah after he had been miraculously healed of a lethal illness. “I will add unto thy days fifteen years,” God had said, and gave Hezekiah a miraculous sign as confirmation, causing the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz to go “backward ten degrees” (2 Kings 20:6, 10). In thanksgiving thereof, the king proclaimed, “Therefore we will sing my songs...all the days of our life in the house of the LORD” (Isaiah 38:20).

It is significant that the word for “degrees” is the same in both cases. It apparently means “steps” or “ascents.” The shadow miraculously ascended 10 steps back up the sundial after it had gone down, and Hezekiah’s life was miraculously extended 15 years. Perhaps, therefore, “my songs” mean the 10 songs the king composed in commemoration of the 10 degrees. He then added five songs of David to round out the total to 15, corresponding to his added “days of our life.” And right at the center was his great testimony to the blessing of children. He was childless at the time, but he had a son three years later (2 Chronicles 33:1) by whom he was able to continue the Messianic line promised to David through Solomon. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Like a Wave of the Sea

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” (James 1:5-6)

A contrast is set up in these verses between faith and doubt. Jesus taught that “if ye have faith, and doubt [same word as ‘waver’ in our text] not ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:21-22).

James explains that a doubter can be compared to ocean waves. Waves (in contrast to the tides that are caused by the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun) are caused by wind that imparts energy to the ocean water that scarcely attenuates until the wave crashes onto the shoreline, perhaps many miles from its original source of energy. A wave cannot stay in one place. It surges onto the shore and recedes backward. It rises up and sinks down. It contains much froth, as well as great energy, which cannot efficiently be harnessed for good but has the potential to cause great damage.

What an elegant picture of the doubting, half-believing soul. Willingly receiving onward and upward impulses, he cannot sustain them, quickly sinking to former depths, only to rise again, in an endless cycle, until ultimately dissipating all energy on some rocky shoreline of life. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).

In much the same way, Paul urges that we “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:14-15). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Assembling Together

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)

This verse is often cited as an incentive to regular church attendance, but it can also relate just as well to any gathering of two or more believers in Christ’s name. The Lord Jesus said: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

It is fascinating to note that the Greek word translated “assembling together” in this verse is used only one other time in the New Testament, and there it is translated “gathering together.” “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him” (2 Thessalonians 2:1). In this verse, Paul was reminding the Thessalonians of his previous letter to them, in which he had written about the return of Christ and the gathering together of all believers to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). Perhaps the writer of our text verse, since he was using the same unique terminology, was referring to the same event.

That is, whenever there is an assembling together of believers, it is in a sense a little preview of that great gathering in the skies when Christ returns, as we exhort one another to “look for him” (Hebrews 9:28), and so much the more, as we see the day approaching.

Since our text verse does not actually mention the church by name, it seems to apply to any assembling of believers. However, there is one very significant use of “church” in Hebrews, and it refers specifically to the coming meeting in the air, where we shall all gather at “the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Boldness in the Holy Place

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” (Hebrews 10:19)

In the ancient tabernacle only the High Priest was allowed to enter the “holy of holies” to commune with God, and that only once a year, on the great day of atonement. This most holy place was separated from the rest by a very heavy veil. When Christ died, however, as the one final and perfect sacrifice, “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Matthew 27:51).

This miraculous rending of the veil was intended by the Lord to symbolize the wonderful truth that we now have open access to come into the very presence of God, “by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Thus, as our text says, we no longer must go by way of priests and sacrifices to come to God. We can enter directly “into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.”

Because of what Christ has done for us, we can come boldly (not arrogantly or presumptuously, however) into God’s presence in prayer. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).

We can also have confidence (same Greek word as for “boldness”) in witnessing for Christ. After praying for boldness, “with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).

Just as did the apostles, in Christ we now “have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Ephesians 3:12). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Without the Shedding of Blood

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)

It is strange that so many people object to the biblical doctrine of salvation through the shed blood of Christ. Even some evangelicals will argue that the blood is merely a chemical mixture, and that it was the death of Christ that was the price of our redemption.

Chemistry aside, the Bible does indeed stress that “we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14), that He has “made peace through the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20), and that we are “now justified by his blood” (Romans 5:9). We receive His great work of propitiation—that is His sacrificial death for our sins—“through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:25).

Why this emphasis on the shedding of His blood, which seems offensive to so many people? Could He not have been put to death in other ways—drowning, stoning, asphyxiation, etc.—ways not involving the ugliness of bloodshed?

One can speculate with many “what if?” questions, but we must go by the Word of God. It remains true, theologically as well as biologically, that “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11, also Genesis 9:4). The basic rationale of sacrifice—the death of an innocent substitute to provide life for the guilty—has centered from the beginning (when God provided coats of skin for the nakedness of Adam and Eve) on the spilled blood of sacrificial animals to atone for (that is “to cover”) the sins of the one bringing the offering, until finally “the Lamb of God” could be offered by God as “one sacrifice for sins for ever” (Hebrews 10:12). When the blood gushed from His pierced side, His spotless life was poured out at the foot of the cross, and the price of our redemption was fully paid. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

A Good Name

“A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

It seems odd at first that Solomon would link these two maxims together. How is the day of death better than birth, and what has this to do with the value of one’s good name? The great king had once enjoyed a name synonymous with godliness and great wisdom, but his name had eventually become so sullied with the excesses of wealth and fleshly indulgence that he began to long even for death. It is a tragic thing for godly young people to allow their good names to be ruined by careless carnality, thenceforth never to be able to fulfill the promise their lives once seemed to carry. Solomon could employ all the most costly ointments and other comforts to ease his declining years, but they could never redeem his good name. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:1-2).

The Christian believer has a double incentive to maintain a good name, of course, for his words and deeds inevitably reflect, for good or ill, on the name of Christ as well. When we cause our own names to be damaged, we also (as David did) give “great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14), and there are, sadly, many such enemies eagerly watching for us to give them yet another occasion to “blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called” (James 2:7).

In a very real sense, of course, even those who do maintain a good name all their lives can joyfully anticipate the day of death. Christ has promised: “I will write upon him the name of my God...and I will write upon him my new name” (Revelation 3:12). That will, indeed, be a “good name” and one we shall enjoy forever! HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Same Mind

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)

The days of the early church were the days of its greatest power because they were days of its greatest unity. “They, continuing daily with one accord...and singleness of heart.” “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul:...and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 2:46; 4:32-33). It was not long, however, before divisions, contentions, and schisms crept in. Therefore, the New Testament contains many exhortations toward a restoration of the unity—and thus the power—of the early church. Note the following examples.

“Be of the same mind one toward another” (Romans 12:16). “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God” (Romans 15:5-6). “Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11). “Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8).

Real unity, of course, must be both “the unity of the Spirit” and “the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:3, 13), and “the same mind” must be nothing less than the mind of Christ. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Gospel by Revelation

“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12)

In writing to the believers in Galatia, Paul was concerned that they were “so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (v. 6).

What was Paul’s gospel that he was so concerned about? “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever” (vv. 3-5). Furthermore, he added that “if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (v. 9). They were not to listen even if Paul or “an angel from heaven” (v. 8) preached another gospel.

Paul’s gospel, on the other hand, was “not after man,” i.e., not the sort of thing that men would make up. Human religions are all man-glorifying and God-degrading, blurring the difference between the two and tempting man with the age-old taunt: “Ye shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5). In contrast, the gospel that Paul preached recognized man’s utter sinfulness and worthlessness and rested in a glorified Christ for His finished work.

Paul had not “received it of man.” This was not the tradition among his people. “Neither was I taught it,” said Paul, even though he had been taught extensively in the religion of Judaism. On the contrary, he was taught the gospel “by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” We can therefore not only be sure of its accuracy, but, also with Paul, join in the “ministry, which [he] received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Aroma

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Incense in Scripture has a variety of rich and meaningful usages, particularly as related to the blood sacrifice. “And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon:...And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee” (Exodus 30:1, 6). Without this incense, it was impossible to meet with God in this prescribed way. It was to be offered both morning and evening (vv. 7-8). Great care was to be taken in its preparation (vv. 34-36), and it was not to be used for any other purpose (vv. 37-38).

In the New Testament we find a totally different application of this principle. As in our text, we see that Jesus Christ Himself has become an offering and a “sweet-smelling savour” to God. His freely offering Himself is an example to us to live a life of sacrifice and love.

While He was the final sacrifice, we are to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is [our] reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). This may even take the form of material “things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

In the mind of God, our life of sacrifice is a sweet-smelling savor. “Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). Without our willing, living sacrifice, we cannot approach God, but with it we are a “sweet savour of Christ.” JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Hints of Redemption

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced the dreadful curse on all of His creation, from mankind to the animal and plant kingdoms and even the earth itself (Genesis 3:14-19). From that point on, everything began to die, but at the same time God predicted the coming Redeemer who would set things right.

There are several hints of the coming Redeemer in these early chapters of Genesis. Dr. A. T. Pierson, a Bible scholar of the late 1800s and early 1900s, mentioned an unnamed Hebrew scholar, a Jewish rabbi, who held that the names of the 10 pre-Flood patriarchs (Adam to Noah) formed a redemptive sentence when read together. Keep in mind that certain meanings of some of these names are lost in antiquity, but the exercise is interesting, if not definitive. According to the rabbi, Adam means mankind; Seth is appointed; Enos, mortality; Cainan, wailing for the dead; Mahalaleel, God be praised; Jared, He shall descend; Enoch, a mortal man; Methuselah, dismissing death; Lamech, the weary; Noah, rest. Stringing the translations together yields the following sentence: “Mankind is appointed [to] mortality, wailing for the dead. God be praised. He shall descend, a mortal man, dismissing death, [bringing to] the weary rest.”

Modern scholars prefer Enoch as dedicated man, Methuselah as when he dies, judgment, Lamech (uncertainly) as conqueror, and Cainan (very uncertainly) as humiliation. Our sentence now reads, “Mankind is appointed [to] mortality, [bringing] humiliation. God be praised. He shall descend, a dedicated man. When He dies [as] judgment, [He will] conquer, [bringing] rest.” JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Born to Die

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Especially as noted in the gospel of John, Christ identified many reasons why He had been born. Consider the following sampling of verses and references. First and foremost, Christ came to redeem those who would believe: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). But under that umbrella of redemption come many other aspects.

Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). God’s will was paramount even in judgment (John 5:30) as well as resurrection. “This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). It also governed His teaching (7:16-17). In everything, Christ sought to bring glory to His Father (7:18).

Many aspects of Christ’s work are to be realized in this life, for He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). His desire in it all was that we might have an eternal relationship with God. “That they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

But the primary goal was to bring to climax His redemptive strategy. He knew that none of the other aspects of His work had any effect without atonement for sin, which was only possible if a blood sacrifice was made for that sin. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). This was the reason He came to Earth. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Blessed Assurance

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” (Isaiah 32:17)

As expressed in the old gospel hymn, the “blessed assurance, Jesus is mine” is a “foretaste of glory divine.” According to our text, this “assurance for ever,” together with true peace of soul and quietness of spirit, are products of the “work of righteousness.”

The New Testament exposition of genuine righteousness makes it clear that we who have received Christ’s work of righteousness by faith have been “made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

Thus, salvation is the priceless possession of those to whom Christ’s work of righteousness has been imputed, through faith. On the other hand, the assurance of salvation, accompanied by quietness and peace of heart, is “experienced” only by saved believers who practice the work of righteousness in their daily walk with the Lord. If we truly have salvation, then we ought to manifest the “things that accompany salvation....For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name....And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end” (Hebrews 6:9-11).

We can, indeed, know that we are saved simply through faith in His work and His Word (e.g., 1 John 5:13). Nevertheless, to know that one’s faith itself is genuine, God has given us this test of faith. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3).

This is surely blessed assurance of salvation and a foretaste of glory divine! HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Resurrection and the Believer

“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18)

The resurrection of Christ is no less crucial to the gospel than the death of Christ. If He did not rise from the dead, then we who believe in Him “are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Christ’s resurrection assures us, first of all, of our justification. Speaking of Abraham’s faith and the imputation of God’s righteousness to him, Paul writes, “For us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25).

God imparts to us the power to serve Him effectively through the resurrection, “that [we] may know...what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:18-20). As the passage continues, Paul declares that through the resurrection Christ is now “the head over all things to the church, which is His body” (vv. 22-23 and also in our text).

In His resurrected and glorified state, Christ continues His ministry to us. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens....Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14, 16).

Finally, Christ’s resurrection assures us that we too will one day be resurrected, if we should die before He returns. “He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14). JDM