A Daily Devotional

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Instructing in Meekness

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves.” (2 Timothy 2:24-25)

In his second epistle to young Timothy, the imprisoned Paul admonished him to instruct those who oppose biblical doctrines, especially the gospel. But in verse 16, he said to “shun profane and vain babblings.” On one hand, Timothy was supposed to shun pointless arguments, but on the other, he was to humbly engage and instruct. How are believers supposed to know when to engage and when to disengage?

Paul gave answers in the intervening verses. We disengage when we see that the conversation is pointless. When we enter profane and vain babblings, arguing within their framework, then we “increase unto more ungodliness.” (2 Timothy 2:16). “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes” (2:23).

We engage, however, with those who oppose God’s truth, hoping that “God peradventure will give them repentance” (2:25b). We ready ourselves “for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2:21). Once spiritually prepared, “the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all” (2:24). Paul is concerned not only that believers “rightly [divide] the word of truth” (2:15) but also with the believer’s demeanor and behavior. Why would someone’s arguments be persuasive if their statements aren’t backed by godly character (see 1 Peter 3:15-16)?

Believers are to be “apt [skilled] to teach…in meekness” (our text). Meekness does not mean weakness but power under control. In the context of a conversation, meekness isn’t focused on winning an argument so much as reaching the other person with God’s truth. So, we avoid foolish babblings with some but instruct others skillfully and with meekness. BDT

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Habitual Joy

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Does godly thankfulness characterize your heart? Sometimes apathy or complaining will creep into the believer’s soul, causing a spiritual brain fog that robs him of the rich joy of being redeemed. Peter’s words “blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” highlight and honor Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). He is the believer’s source of all hope and joy because it is through Jesus that we can be saved from our sin.

In expressing joy in his salvation and future inheritance, Peter describes God’s “abundant [Greek polus] mercy” that has forgiven believers so they may be “begotton” (anagennesas), meaning “to cause to be born again.” God’s mercy meets our misery, and His grace meets our guilt. Because we can do nothing to merit such a magnanimous gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), godly and joyful thankfulness should be the natural consequence of recognizing the extent of this mercy and grace.

Peter also rejoices in the gift of “lively hope” that is given by the physical resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:49). “Lively,” also translated as “liveth” or “living” elsewhere, is used five times in 1 Peter (1:3, 23; 2:4-5; 4:5-6) and emphasizes the spiritual life available to us through our living Savior. The resurrected Christ is the foundation of hope for the believer in the inheritance to come—an assurance based solely on the reality of a risen Christ!

Believers have joy “through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:11). Are you exulting in the joy of your salvation? CCM

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus Christ, Lord over Creation

“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)

Darwin’s theory of evolution challenged the biblical account that our Lord Jesus Christ created all things, speaking everything into existence (Hebrews 11:1-3). Many Christians responded by trying to fit evolution into the Bible. This is done despite the fact that theistic selectionism—which believes God used natural selection as the driving force behind creatures’ amazing complexity—isn’t found anywhere in Scripture. Or science, for that matter.

During times of intellectual conflict, the Christian community tends to only focus on salvific points of the Christian faith. People justify this approach by saying “secondary issues” such as biblical creation are controversial and shouldn’t be addressed for the sake of Christian unity and getting along with more people.

But today’s church is starving for doctrinal precision. Compromising biblical creation weakens the church, debilitating its witness and impact. Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones wrote about the “essential nature” of biblical creation that “these early chapters of Genesis, with their history, play a vital part in the whole doctrine of salvation.”1

As Christians, we shouldn’t compromise or be silent about the doctrine of creation. We can stand with certainty on the authority and authenticity of God’s Word and duly honor Jesus as the Creator and Lord of all. CCM

1. D. M. Lloyd Jones, What Is an Evangelical? (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1992), 75-76.

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How Christ Learned Obedience

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8)

This is a very difficult verse. The Lord Jesus Christ is the very Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the omniscient God, perfect wisdom and complete truth. How could it be that one who knows all things would have to learn anything? Even more particularly, how would He have to learn obedience? He was always obedient to His heavenly Father. “I do always those things that please him,” Christ said (John 8:29). He surely did not have to be chastised like a disobedient child in order to learn obedience, as the verse seems on the surface to be telling us.

He was indeed a Son, and He was never disobedient, but He had to become obedient through actual experience. He “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). The “things which he suffered” as the innocent Lamb of God are beyond all human understanding, and His willingness to obey His Father even in this (“nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done”—Luke 22:42) demonstrates the ultimate obedience.

There are many things that one can learn in theory but that are only really learned in practice. The Lord Jesus Christ knew all things by omniscience; nevertheless, He had to learn obedience by actual experience. “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things,...to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10).

Once having passed this test, He had been “made perfect,” as the succeeding verse assures us, and thus has become “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). No act of obedience that He urges upon us can ever be as difficult as the things He was willing to suffer to provide forgiveness and salvation for us. HMM

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The Days of Yore

“For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?” (Deuteronomy 4:32)

This challenge was given by Moses to the children of Israel as they were preparing to enter the promised land. It was vital that they cease all complaining and begin to behave in a manner appropriate to their stature as God’s chosen people.

For this they needed to regain a sense of historical perspective, and Moses urged them to study the history of the world since the beginning. Presumably, this would be possible only through studying the book of Genesis—“since the day that God created Adam [same word as ‘man’] upon the earth.”

It is significant that “the days that are past” were implied by Moses to have begun essentially at creation, with no hint of any long geological ages before that. The 25 or more centuries from Adam to Moses had provided enough history to instruct that particular generation about God’s plans for the world, to prepare them for their own key role in their accomplishment, and to appreciate the real meaning of their own lives as they awaited the promised redeemer who was to come someday with salvation.

Now, if the Israelites needed a true historical perspective, we need one today far more. In addition to what they had, we now also have the history of Israel, the first coming of Christ, God’s completed revelation, and the Christian dispensation from which to learn and profit. Our understanding of God and His purposes should be far greater than theirs, so we have much greater responsibility. May God help us to study and believe and understand all that has gone before, as recorded in His Word, so that we also can be prepared to fulfill our own role in God’s great plan of the ages for eternity. HMM

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Saints and the Universe

“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19)

This verse says that the creation itself—galaxies, the earth, and everything therein—expects “the manifestation of the sons of God.” What binds the future of the sons of God to the future of the universe?

When Adam sinned, God cursed both mankind and the ground—the dirt from whence he came and the stuff of this universe (v. 20). However, just as we both suffer “slavery to corruption,” we have a common hope for deliverance (v. 21).

Prior verses in Romans 8 identify Christ-followers as “the children of God” (v. 16) who become “joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (v. 17). Christ already received His glorified body. While in that body, “he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9), and He “is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus is in heaven for now but promises to return! Upon Christ’s ascension, the angels said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). After He returns with all His saints (Revelation 19), He will give His followers their own glorified bodies and will make a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

In this new universe God will “dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). So, “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22) as it and we together await our glorification. “Wherefore…hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). BDT

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The “Shall Nots” of Scripture

“The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” (Psalm 34:10)

Many worldly minded people tend to resent the Bible as a book of prohibitions, or “thou shalt not”s, as in the Ten Commandments. The fact is, however, that many of God’s most precious promises use the phrase “shall not” in a diametrically opposite way, not listing prohibitions but provisions!

As a beautiful example, there is the opening verse of the much-loved 23rd Psalm—“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Or, as in the words of our text, “they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.”

There is the great promise of salvation and everlasting life: “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation” (John 5:24). Following salvation, there is the promise of divine guidance. “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). With such assurances, we can rejoice with the psalmist: “The LORD...is at my right hand, I shall not be moved;...Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand” (Psalm 16:8; 37:24). No matter how great the trial, the Lord will not leave us. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee” (Isaiah 43:2).

God’s Word and God’s purposes can never fail. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). “Sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:14).

We should never resent God’s “negative” commands, for His gracious “shall not” promises are far greater! HMM

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A Tree of Life

“She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.” (Proverbs 3:18)

The tree of life in the Garden of Eden was a literal tree, whose marvelous fruit apparently had the medicinal ability to retard the aging process indefinitely, even for men and women under God’s curse (Genesis 3:22-24). This amazing tree will be planted again along the streets and rivers of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2-3).

The writer of Proverbs used this tree and its health-giving qualities as a symbol of four attributes of a God-centered, spiritual life that can bring blessing to all those touched by it. First of all, true wisdom is like a tree of life, imparting true happiness to all those partaking of it, then guarding it.

Next, “the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). A life exhibiting genuine righteousness, like one manifesting genuine wisdom, yields wholesome spiritual fruit to those in real contact with it.

The third figure is given in Proverbs 13:12. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Nothing is more rejuvenating to the spirit than for a dream suddenly to come true after long-continued hope has almost gone. An abiding, confident, always-continuing life of hope is a tree of life.

Finally, “a wholesome tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4). “Wholesome” here means “healing.” One can become a veritable tree of life by using the God-given privilege of speech not to complain or criticize, not in vulgarity or foolishness, but to help, encourage, instruct, and comfort.

May God help each of us to be a spiritual tree of life by attaining and demonstrating true wisdom, by living in genuine righteousness, by always maintaining an attitude of confident hope, and by speaking only words of edification that “minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). HMM

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Created by Christ

“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:9)

In the context of this verse, Paul is testifying concerning his divine call to preach the gospel, especially proclaiming God’s great plan to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

In support of this revolutionary concept, Paul refers to the great fact of creation. All men, and indeed “all things,” had been created by one God. Furthermore, it was by the Lord Jesus Christ that God created all things. Before the revelation of this mystery, the Gentiles had been “without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). The phrase “without God” (Greek atheos, from which we get the word “atheist”) is used only this once in the New Testament, and it indicates plainly the barrenness of all pagan religions. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).

Thus, by Jesus Christ all things were created, and by Jesus Christ “all things” will be gathered “together in one” in the “dispensation of the fullness of times” (Ephesians 1:10). This is all part of the same “mystery of his will,” according to the preceding verse, Ephesians 1:9. In the last chapter, Paul again refers to this now-revealed “mystery” when he urges the Ephesians to pray that he might be able to “make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).

Thus, the “gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13), which we, like Paul, are commanded to make known, is the glorious news that Jesus Christ is both Creator and Consummator of all things and that by His work of salvation, all who believe, whether Jews or Gentiles, receive eternal salvation. “All things were created by him,” and He has shed His blood “to reconcile all things unto himself” (Colossians 1:16, 20). HMM

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The Holy Ghost in David

“For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.” (Psalm 95:7-8)

It is an interesting coincidence that verses 7-11 of Psalm 95 are quoted almost verbatim in verses 7-11 of Hebrews 3. The two writers are both referring, of course, to the 40 years of wandering by the children of Israel in the wilderness.

The Hebrews reference contains an important insight on biblical inspiration. It is introduced by the words “the Holy Ghost saith” (Hebrews 3:7), showing that God was actually the real author of the psalm. Then, the same phrase (“To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation”) is quoted again in Hebrews 3:15, but this time it is introduced merely by “it is said.”

Then, remarkably, it is quoted still a third time (Hebrews 4:7), where it tells us that God was “saying in David” this grave warning. In other words, the same Scripture was attributed both to David and to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps even more significantly, the phrase “it is said” is seen to be equivalent to “God says.” All of this is a clear affirmation of the divine inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures.

Finally, the fact that the same warning (“Harden not your hearts”) is cited three times in the space of just 19 verses, all quoting the original warning in Psalm 95:8, must mean that God considers it extremely important that we harden not our hearts! It is possible that even a child of God can become so involved in doubts concerning God’s Word that he becomes useless to God and thus simply must be allowed to die in a spiritual wilderness, never knowing the great blessings of a life of obedient faith. “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart” (Psalm 19:8). Our hearts should rejoice at His Word, not be hardened against it. HMM

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Paul at the Finish Line

“Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4:21-22)

These are the final words of the apostle Paul, written shortly before he was beheaded. Despite his faithfulness and fruitfulness in the Lord’s service, he was now penniless, lonely, and cold. Yet he was not complaining. “I am now ready to be offered....I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (vv. 6-7).

He did yearn to see Timothy, his beloved son in the faith, before he died. “Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me” (v. 9). “Without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy” (1:3-4).

Paul made one especially touching request of Timothy. “The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments” (v. 13). Paul didn’t even have a coat in the cold prison, and winter was approaching. Yet, even under such miserable circumstances, he still desired to keep reading and studying, preparing himself better for any future service the Lord might still have for him.

What a contrast there would be between his present circumstances—abused by his enemies and forsaken even by most of his friends—and the glorious reception awaiting him in the near future! “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day” (v. 8).

Paul has left us a worthy example. He kept the faith, gladly suffered the loss of all things for Christ (Philippians 3:8), and was still studying, witnessing, teaching, encouraging, and exhorting, even to the day of his death. HMM

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When God Doesn’t Hear

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

People often complain that God doesn’t hear their prayers, especially when God does not respond in the way they would like. But He can hear, all right! “He that planted the ear, shall he not hear?” He even hears our thoughts. “Thou knowest...my thought afar off” (Psalm 94:9; 139:2).

It is not that God cannot hear, but it may be that we have not met the conditions for answered prayer so that He will hear. Probably the most important of these conditions is obedience to His Word. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,” said Jesus, “ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). But, “if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3).

There are other conditions, of course. “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:6). “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,” said Jesus (John 14:13). “If we ask any thing according to his will...we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Even if we do meet all the conditions, however, He may not answer immediately or in the way we prefer, and He might even answer no. After all, He knows better than we just what is best for us, and He will see that “all things work together for good” for us if we truly “love God” (Romans 8:28).

But, first of all, we need to check our lives in relation to His Word. Then, “if our heart condemn us not...whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments” (1 John 3:21-22). HMM

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Waiting Patiently

“I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.” (Genesis 49:18)

This heartfelt cry of the dying patriarch Israel expressed his lifelong, but still unfulfilled, yearning for the coming of God’s promised Savior. This is the first occurrence in the Bible of the word “salvation” (essentially the same in the Hebrew as “Jesus”). It is also the first occurrence of “waited for,” meaning, essentially, “looked for” or “waited patiently and expectantly for.” This attitude of Jacob (Israel) has been shared by the people of God even to the present day.

Significantly, the first occurrence of the equivalent Greek word in the New Testament expresses the same concern on the part of no less a man than John the Baptist when he inquired expectantly of Jesus: “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3).

Even though He has indeed come, bringing salvation, we still must wait patiently for the complete fulfillment of His promises when He comes again. It was the prayer of Paul that the Lord would “direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

It is not only believers who wait for “the redemption of our body.” Because of sin, “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now,” and “the earnest expectation of the [creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” when it “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:23, 22, 19, 21).

Finally, it is significant that the last reference in the Bible to waiting for something once again deals with the same promise. “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:21).

It may seem long, but the promise is sure. “Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). HMM

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The Three Appearings of Christ

“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” (Hebrews 9:24)

Although we usually think in terms of two appearances of Christ, once at His first coming and again at His second coming, the ninth chapter of Hebrews specifically refers to three “appearings,” each involving a different Greek word. With reference to His first appearing, we read: “Now once in the end of the [age] hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (v. 26). The word used here means “to make manifest.” It is the word used in 1 John 3:5: “He was manifested to take away our sins.”

His second coming is the topic in Hebrews 9:28, where the word means to show oneself visibly. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

But there is also a third appearing mentioned in Hebrews 9, and this is the one in our text referring to Christ’s present and perpetual appearance on our behalf in the presence of God in heaven. The word here means “to inform,” referring to His advocacy on our behalf as our “defense attorney,” so to speak. Not only did Christ die for us; not only will He come for us; right now, He is interceding for us!

This work of Christ on our behalf is vitally important, although we do not think of it nearly as much as we do His two other appearings. This appearing affects us right now, every day, and is of infinite value. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2). “Wherefore 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). HMM

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Trust in the Lord

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalm 37:3)

Sprinkled throughout this psalm are various pictures that provide the assurance of God’s victory—not only in His eternal plan, but also in and through the lives of His precious saints.

Trust is the most basic of the characteristics of our relationship with the Lord and sets the foundation for all the rest. The Hebrew word carries the meaning of confidence or boldness and is often used in such a way that it would imply we are to “gain support” and “lean on” the One in whom we trust. The expanded definition of trust is contained in Proverbs: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

But merely having great confidence in the God of creation is not enough. We must “do good” (our text). The entire New Testament book of James is devoted to this theme: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). “O that there were such an heart in them,” God told Moses, “that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

If we would enjoy the blessings of God, we must embrace the plan of God. If we are to expect the promise that we will “dwell” and “be fed,” then we must submit to the instructions of our Lord, who told us to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). HMM III