A Daily Devotional

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Power Over Troubled Circumstances

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear.” (Psalm 46:1-2)

Psalm 46 may have been written after Yahweh’s great military victory over Sennacherib in his failed attempt to besiege Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:21-37). Trusting God resonates throughout this psalm, encompassing the physical (Psalm 46:2-3), the political (vv. 4-7), and the international (vv. 8-11).

Verse 1 captures Yahweh’s protective care, harnessing the words refuge, strength, and presence.

Our refuge—a refuge paints imagery of an impenetrable fortress surrounded by fortified walls (vv. 7, 11). “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). When our world goes topsy-turvy, we must trust in His providence (Psalm 62:7).

Our strength—our ever-present weakness is swapped with Yahweh’s power. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). God is exchanging our feeble weakness for His superior strength.

Our presence—Yahweh is always present (Psalm 73:23-24). Yahweh takes us by the right hand and leads us with His precious Word, especially when we find ourselves in places of trouble. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4).

Finally, look at Job when he was faced with hardships. He cried, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). When your world is turned upside-down, God is your refuge, strength, and ever-present help. While immersed in a troubling trial, my dear friend boldly claimed, “My adventure buddy, please be still and know that He is still God!” CM

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The Summary of Divine Grace

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.” (Micah 7:18-20)

The lengthy passage above is quoted in its entirety because, coming as it does at the end of Micah’s dual prophecy of imminent judgment of the sinful, rebellious nation of Judah and of the coming glorious reign of the Lord, it sums up the work of God’s grace in dealing with iniquity. Each of the three verses quoted describe a part. Such grace:

Pardons iniquity (v. 18). As sinners, we have the assurance of mercy instead of judgment. God pardons our iniquity, passes by our transgressions, and retains not His anger. Why? “Because he delighteth in mercy.”

Subdues iniquity (v. 19). As forgiven sinners who have tasted of His grace and mercy, we have assurance of deliverance in time of temptation. Why? Because “he will have compassion upon us.”

Performs what it promises (v. 20). When circumstances surround and difficulties discourage, we have confidence in the inheritance of covenant promise, just as Jacob and Abraham did. Why? Because “thou hast sworn,” and God’s own reputation is at stake.

Israel refused to respond to the warnings of the prophets to turn from their sinful ways. In doing so, they missed God’s great blessing and reaped His wrath. May God grant us the wisdom and conviction to accept His mercy and compassion and to believe He is still trustworthy regarding His promises. JDM

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Who Is Wise?

“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 107:1)

Psalm 107 is eminently practical, pointing our hearts to humble instruction. The psalmist writes to the spiritually thirsty so that God’s children will ask the important question “Who is wise?” The answer is the one who pays careful attention to the steadfast love (mentioned six times for emphasis) of Yahweh (v. 43).

The centerpiece of Psalm 107 includes a set of four vignettes describing predicaments and the sure guarantee of divine intervention. The first is travelers thirsty and lost, wandering in a solitary desert (vv. 4-9). Second is prisoners rotting in jail, left to die (vv. 10-16). Third, fools knocking on death’s door because of their sinful lifestyles (vv. 17-22). And fourth, seasoned sailors caught in a storm, at their wits end and nearing shipwreck (vv. 23-32).

Look at this imbedded template (the four p’s: problem, prayer, pardon, praise) as believers are pictured in each of these illustrations. When one has a spiritual problem, he should first cry out to our Creator in prayer. Oftentimes, we instead first reach out to friends, social media, or the “fixers” of this life. We can be so unwise, behaving as practicing atheists. Indeed, the Lord always hears our cry, and He never turns away the spiritually contrite but always pardons the humble. And when our Lord answers, consider the exhortation to praise Yahweh—repeated six times for wisdom’s reminder.

The bottom line is whom do we have in heaven but God? We need to call out to Him in prayer. When we do, He hears us and answers, bringing Himself the ultimate glory. His mercy endures forever. CM

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Incorruptible Things

“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.” (1 Peter 1:18)

Not all the wealth of the world can redeem a single soul, for gold and silver are merely corruptible elements in a world under “the bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21). Everything in the physical creation is decaying and dying. In fact, one day all these “elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Even the very seeds that transmit life are “corruptible seed” (1 Peter 1:23), and all mankind is “corruptible man” (Romans 1:23). Modern science recognizes this universal principle of decay as one of its most basic laws—the law of increasing entropy.

Even in this corruptible world, however, some things are incorruptible. There is the “incorruptible...word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). Even though “heaven and earth shall pass away,” the words of Christ “shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

We are redeemed, not by silver and gold, but “with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19). God Himself is the “uncorruptible God” (Romans 1:23), and He has “begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 1:3-4). We work, not as others “to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25).

Finally, these dying bodies will themselves be redeemed, “for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52-53). HMM

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Cities of Refuge

“Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.” (Numbers 35:14)

When the Israelites entered the promised land, God told Joshua to provide six “cities of refuge” into which those who had slain someone could flee for refuge until a trial could ascertain the facts and render a proper verdict. As such, these cities are a type of Christ, through whom “we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).

The names of the six cities are given in Joshua 20:7-8 as Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan. The meanings of these names seem planned especially to foreshadow this spiritual application.

Kedesh means “holy place,” and Christ in the New Jerusalem is the ultimate refuge, for “the Lamb [is] the temple of it” (Revelation 21:22). Shechem means “strong shoulder,” which answers to the “strong consolation” we have in Christ when we flee to Him for refuge.

Hebron means “fellowship,” and we who have come to Christ have been “called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). Bezer means “strong hiding place.” The Scripture assures the believer that “your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Ramoth means “high place,” and when we are hidden in Christ, God also has “made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Finally, Golan apparently means “enclosure for captives,” and this would speak of our being set free from sin and death to become captive to Christ. “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8). Thus, the cities are appropriately named both for their immediate purpose and as a picture of Christ as the Savior of sinners. HMM

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Jesus and the Flood
“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:38-39)

The Lord Jesus Christ not only believed in the special, recent creation of all things by God (note Mark 10:6-8), but also in the worldwide Flood of Noah’s day, including the special preservation of life on the Ark. The Flood in which He believed was obviously not a “local flood,” for He compared it to the worldwide future impact of His Second Coming.

Neither was it a “tranquil flood,” nor a “selective flood,” for Jesus said, “The flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27). It is clear that He was referring to—and that He believed—the Genesis record of the great Flood! There it says that the whole earth was “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:13), having first been filled with people, and that the resulting world-cleansing deluge was so cataclysmic that “every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth” (Genesis 7:23). Indeed, “the flood came, and took [literally ‘lifted’] them all away.”

This is what Jesus said, and what He believed, and therefore, those who are truly His disciples must also believe this. The destructive effects of the Flood can still be seen today not only in the biblical record, but also in the abundant evidences of cataclysmic destruction in the rocks and fossil graveyards all over the world. To refuse this evidence, as do many modern intellectuals, can only be because they “willingly are ignorant,” as Peter said in referring to this testimony (2 Peter 3:5). HMM

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God's Everlasting Covenants

“And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” (Genesis 17:7)

The phrase “everlasting covenant” (or “perpetual covenant”) is used no less than 16 times in the Old Testament, plus once in the New Testament. It always refers to a covenant promise of God to man, made in grace, for only He can make an everlasting promise.

The first everlasting covenant was made with Noah (Genesis 9:16), a promise never to send a worldwide flood again, sealed with the sign of the rainbow.

The second is recorded in today’s verse and was God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants. The promise was to give them “the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8), and the seal was to be the rite of circumcision.

Many of the “everlasting covenant” promises have to do with Israel. Some were stated unconditionally, but others were “broken” because of man’s rebellion against God’s covenant terms. One of the latter was the covenant of the Sabbath. “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath...for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:16-17).

The last reference is the most important of all: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21). HMM

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The Indwelling Christ

“And they glorified God in me.” (Galatians 1:24)

One of the greatest doctrines of the Christian faith is the amazing truth that the Lord Jesus Christ indwells each believer through His Holy Spirit. “Christ liveth in me,” said the apostle Paul (Galatians 2:20), and, since that was true experientially as well as doctrinally, he could invite people to see Christ and hear Christ and follow Christ by seeing and hearing and following him. This might seem incredibly arrogant if it were not real.

He could say, for example, that “it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me” (Galatians 1:15-16). And he could say, as in today’s verse, that those who heard him “glorified God in me.” He also commanded, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9).

The Lord could say to His disciples, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9), and no one thinks it inappropriate because He fully manifested the heavenly Father in word and deed. Similarly, Paul said that “the truth of Christ is in me” and referred to “Christ speaking in me” (2 Corinthians 11:10; 13:3), noting that Christ was “mighty in me toward the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:8).

This was not boasting, for Paul acknowledged that “in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18). Still, he was bold to exhort, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Now the same Spirit of Christ who dwelled in Paul also indwells all true Christians, for “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9). We should be able to say with Paul, in practice as well as theory, that “Christ liveth in me.” HMM

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Holy Conversation

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.” (2 Peter 3:11)

The picturesque phrase “holy conversation” occurs only twice in the New Testament, both in Peter’s epistles; one in his very first chapter, 1 Peter 1:15, the other in today’s verse. The other is, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” This distinctive King James rendering does not really mean “clean speech” but assumes the older, more precise meaning of “conversation,” namely “behavior,” especially behavior that involves other people. The Greek word translated “holy” primarily implies “dedicated to God.” Thus, holy conversation simply means living in such a way that our entire manner of life is oriented to honor God and to influence other people to honor Him.

These two exhortations of Peter tell us why we should live this way. The first incentive is simply the holiness of God Himself: “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). We have become children of God through faith in Christ, and we should therefore behave “as obedient children, not fashioning [ourselves] according to the former lusts in [our] ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14).

The second incentive given just before the words of today’s verse is the ever-imminent return of Christ, following which, eventually, “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:10). Incentives, both past and future, are thus given for holy living in the present!

Eight of the 13 occurrences of “conversation” (Greek anastrophe) are in Peter’s epistles, stressing his vital concern that Christians ought to demonstrate “all holy conversation and godliness” in their lives. HMM

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God's Great, Unsearchable Deeds

“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:1-3)

Psalm 145 is the only psalm in which “A Song of Praise” appears in its title. This is David’s last of nine acrostic poems, in which the first word in each verse begins with a successive Hebrew letter, with the format conveying both completeness (from A to Z) and the importance of memorization and meditation.

Also note the alternation between exclamations of praise (vv. 1-2, 4-7, 10-12, 21) and descriptions of Yahweh’s greatness, goodness, and steadfast love (vv. 3, 8-9, 13-20). God does “great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number” (Job 5:9). Implied are both the wonder of God’s activity and the inability to plumb the depths of His nature, including His greatness, might (Psalm 145:3), wondrous deeds (vv. 4-6), and saving righteousness (v. 7). David expands this theme, stressing God’s dependability in answered prayer for personal protection (vv. 14-20).

The New Testament echoes this elevation of God’s awesome acts. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). Paul underscores Christ’s fathomless treasures in the preaching of the gospel (Ephesians 3:8).

So, believers, bask not only in the wonder of His redemptive gospel but also in His provision in life’s irregularities. Finally, by praising and speaking the good news to others, we teach all generations about our Lord Jesus Christ’s great works. CM

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Passing Over to the Other Side

“He saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side.” (Mark 4:35)

After a long day of ministry, Christ commanded His disciples, “Let us pass over unto the other side,“ knowing full well what would come to pass.

The story after this verse is a lesson we should take to heart. We cannot expect everything to be smooth on the waters of life in our journey to heaven. In other words, sickness, loss, and disappointment afflict all His children in this fallen world. But through affliction, we are taught many important lessons.

As the story continues, “there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And [Jesus] was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (vv. 37-38). Indeed, though we might also be in a threatening place, Christ is right there in the boat with us.

In fact, this situation in Mark’s gospel must have been extremely threatening, because at least four of the disciples were experienced fishermen and had known the Sea of Galilee and its storms from their youth. But, “he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (vv. 39-40). By affliction, we are shown our weakness, which we need God to strengthen.

All of our trials wean us from the world, make us long for heaven, and cause us to seek Christ’s help. Psalm 119:71 declares, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” JPT

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From Darkness to Light

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:3-4)

The initial aspect of God’s newly created world was one of darkness in the presence of the all-pervading waters. Since “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), the darkness had to be specially created (Isaiah 45:7) before God could then call for the light to appear in the darkness.

This would later serve as a striking picture of the entrance of light into the darkness of a soul born in sin. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The light enters our soul by His Word. “The entrance of thy words giveth light” (Psalm 119:130).

This great theme, contrasting the darkness of the soul without Christ to the glorious light He brings when that soul receives Him by faith, is found often in Scripture. “[Christ] hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). “The darkness is past, and the true light now shineth” (1 John 2:8). Jesus even called Himself that true light that divided the light from the darkness. “I am the light of the world,” He claimed. “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

And because we have received the true light, we should henceforth live in the light of His truth. “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:12). God’s light is good. In the Holy City, “there shall be no night there” (Revelation 22:5). HMM

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Two Days and Two Thousand Years

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)

There are two measurements of time that are key to understanding the thrust of this passage. The word for day is hemera, meaning a 24-hour day as it is used in this passage, and the word for a thousand is chilioi, which also means 1,000 years.

We mortals experience time one way; we are constricted to a 24-hour day, one evening and one morning. A thousand years’ worth of days (365,000) seems like a lot of time to us, especially when we look at the pre-Flood ages of people, such as Methuselah. He lived an incredible 969 years (Genesis 5:27). But from God’s perspective, his entire earthly stay was like “one day.”

It’s all about perspective, isn’t it? From our perspective, it’s been around 2,000 years (730,000 days) since the Great Commission was given to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations….Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). But from our Lord’s perspective, it’s only been two days!

Having a taste of how the eternal God experiences time changes how we live. Are we telling people about the gospel? God is “temporarily” withholding a future fiery cataclysm (2 Peter 3:10) because He is “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (v. 9).

Believer, let’s get to doing the work of our Master and Lord! CM

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The Book

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1)

This verse about the book begins the New Testament. This book and Scripture from Genesis to Revelation contain not the words of mere men but of God Himself. Every word was written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It’s appropriate to thank God daily for giving us His Book and the life-encompassing trove of wisdom it contains that we need for salvation and daily living.

The famous 19th-century preacher J. C. Ryle said, “The poorest Englishman who understands his Bible knows more about religion than the wisest philosophers of Greece and Rome.” How we approach this book is no light matter. We must read and study the Scriptures diligently, having a sound determination to believe and practice all we find in them, praying for the instruction and power of the Holy Spirit in all of it.

After this introductory statement to Matthew’s gospel are 16 verses tracing the lineage from Abraham to David to Christ’s family. We shouldn’t think that these verses are useless or less inspired than the others. From these we learn that the sovereign God always keeps His word and promises. The almighty God promised that in Abraham’s seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed and that He would raise up a Savior of the line of David (Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 9:7).

True Christians should acknowledge this lesson and take comfort that their Father in heaven “which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6) and that “God is not a man, that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19). JPT

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The 'I Wills' of Christ

“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” (Mark 1:41)

When the Lord Jesus makes a promise, that promise is sure to be fulfilled. When He made the above promise to the leper, “immediately the leprosy departed from him” (Mark 1:42). The promise may not always be carried out as rapidly as this, but it will come.

Look at some of the wonderful “I wills” of Christ. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19) is His promise to all His true disciples (that is, those who follow Him). But first they must come to Him, and to those who come He promises, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

Another gracious promise to all who come: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He also promises special love to those who obey Him. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them,...shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

There is a tremendous promise in John 14:13: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” He even emphasized it in the next verse: “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

He has also promised to come back again, and we can be certain He will do as He said: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). But probably the greatest of all His promises was given in His intercessory prayer. “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory” (John 17:24). HMM