A Daily Devotional

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The Righteous Judge

“That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).

People often make erroneous judgments. Even those who are officially appointed or elected to judge others are sometimes mistaken, and so we have a whole system of appeals courts. Yet even the Supreme Court, composed as it is of fallible human beings, often seems to be wrong. But, as Abraham recognized long ago while interceding for the people in Sodom, we can be confident that the Judge of all the earth will do right!

He not only can judge our actions in relation to His revealed will but can also discern thoughts and motives and, therefore, “judge the secrets of men” (Romans 2:16), and He will do so in absolute rightness. Furthermore, “He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: . . . and my judgment is just,” asserted the Lord Jesus (John 5:22,30). To those who reject or ignore His redeeming love, “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26,27).

To those who have been redeemed through saving faith in Christ, there will, indeed, be a Judgment Day, but it will be for dispensing of rewards for faithful service rather than for salvation, and this also will be done righteously. “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous fudge, shall give me at that day” (II Timothy 4:.

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Believing/receiving

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

Many times men and women stumble over the concept, “faith,” or “believe” (essentially the same word) in Scripture, claiming that “faith” is too nebulous—too difficult to understand. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we have one usage of the word “believe” aptly defined in our text which helps to negate the charge. Note that “received” and “believe” are equated.

In the subject at hand, that is, in salvation, the definition of belief is of immense importance. In fact, the very purpose of the Gospel of John is “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (John 20:31). Right at the first of his Gospel, John makes it clear what is to be believed and what it is to believe. He does so by equating believing, at least as it applies to salvation, with simply receiving. In nearly every case in John’s Gospel where the word “believe” is used, if the word “receive” is substituted, the meaning of the passage stands.

For example, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The concept “receive” is easy to grasp. It means simply “to take hold of,” or “attain.” There is therefore no excuse for one to miss God’s free gift of salvation, claiming he does not understand all there is to know about faith. He only needs to receive Christ as God’s free gift, and “receiving” is simple. It needs no further definition. “He that ‘receiveth’ the Son hath everlasting life: and he that ‘receiveth not’ the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

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Hath God Said

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).

Satan ever seeks to plant doubts about God’s word in man’s mind: “Yea, hath God said . . . ?” That his tactics work becomes readily apparent when we study Eve’s response to the serpent’s question:

First, Eve omitted the word “freely” when she quoted God’s instructions about what they could eat in the garden. Doing so focused on God’s single limitation, rather than on His generous provision. Secondly, by adding the words “neither shall ye touch it” to God’s prohibition, Eve made God appear harsh in His demands. Lastly, when she changed God’s “ye shall surely die” to the less-definite “lest ye die,” Eve weakened the consequence of disobedience. All Eve’s focus was negative.

When Paul warned the Corinthians that “as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3), he expressed his fear that believers were vulnerable to this temptation as well.

The remedy? “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5).

We need a renewed mind (Romans 12:2), a mind willing to focus on the positive, not the negative. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:.

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Absent from the Body


"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:.

This wonderful phrase of hope--"absent from the body, present with the Lord"--was the most appropriate inscription we could think of to place on the gravestone of our youngest son when he died many years ago. He was a solid Christian young man with a good Christian testimony, so we are indeed "confident" that He has been "present with the Lord" ever since sudden cancer temporarily conquered his body some 17 years ago, leaving a beautiful wife and three young children behind.

Therefore, though we all miss him deeply, we "sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13). Sadly, however, there are many others who are "without Christ, . . . having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Although Christ has paid the full redemption price on the cross to have their sins forgiven and to give them eternal life, they spurn His love and so Jesus has to say, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40).

The times of judgment are coming, when they learn that "whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15). Right now, however, all who know Christ as their Lord and Savior can know, with Paul, that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

Furthermore, when Christ returns, "them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (I Thessalonians 4:14). And then He will change our old body, whether in the grave or still living "that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" and "we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (Philippians 3:21; I John 3:2).

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To God Be The Glory


“And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (II Corinthians 5:15).

The word of God is a great perspective adjuster. It teaches us that the fruit of our lives should always be to the praise of His goodness and glory. “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Hebrews 13:15). “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6). “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (I Peter 4:11). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. . . . He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: . . . according to the good pleasure of His will, To the praise of the glory of His grace” (Ephesians 1:3–6). “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ. . . . For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:20,21). “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (I Timothy 1:17).

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But God

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4,5).

God makes all the difference! There was a time when the whole world was in bondage to sin and death. But God!

But God “sent forth His Son, made of a woman, . . . to redeem them that were under the law,” and because He did, “the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

There was a problem, however, for every man individually was still a lost sinner, deserving to die under the righteous and well-deserved wrath of a holy God. But God!

But God “commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:. He died for us, suffering in our place, because He loved us. The issue is not yet settled, however, for how could a dead redeemer ever complete the work He was sent to do? But God!

But God “raised Him from the dead” (Acts 13:30). The price for sin was for ever settled and done, so that God, in full righteousness and in mighty power could raise His beloved Son, alive forevermore.

Yes, but we ourselves are still sinful—still dying. Our very nature keeps us still in bondage to sin, even though the price for our deliverance has been fully paid. But God!

But God, “who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. . . . For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:4–8). We cannot fully understand. But God does not require us to understand—only to believe, and receive.

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The Foot Of Pride

“Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked move me” (Psalm 36:11).

The contrast in this Psalm is not only between good and evil, but more specifically, between the man who lives without fear of God and the God in whom godly men trust.

The description of the evil man (vv.1–4) is an apt description of a modern-day humanist. He is convinced that God, if He exists, does not intervene in the affairs of men. He therefore sets himself up as an authority, deciding right and wrong on his own arbitrary scale. He has “no fear of God” (v.1), and arrogantly he “flattereth himself in his own eyes” (v.2), speaking “iniquity and deceit” (v.3). He is foolish, and even his humanitarian deeds are not good, in the ultimate sense. Furthermore, the modern-day humanist “abhorreth not evil” (v.4), insisting that such sins as promiscuity, homosexuality, witchcraft, abortion, brainwashing of children in pantheistic evolution, etc., are, in reality, to be desired.

The contrast with God consists of a list of some of His majestic attributes. “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light” (vv.5–9).

The wicked, with his “foot of pride,” will ultimately fall (v.11). But we can pray as David prayed, “Oh continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart” (v.10).

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The Riches Of His Grace



“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

The attributes of God are characterized by the “riches of His grace.” This amazing grace led Him to shed His blood as the price of our redemption.

No wonder men have developed the familiar acrostic for GRACE—“God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (II Corinthians 8:9).

Paul seems again and again to try to find descriptions for these riches. To the Romans he wrote of “the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering” (Romans 2:4) and of His plan to “make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of (His) mercy” (Romans 9:23). Speaking of God’s mercy, he exclaims, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Romans 11:33).

The inexhaustibility of these infinite depths of grace and mercy led Paul to call these attributes “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:. Desiring that all believers might learn to appreciate the tremendous future they have in Christ, he prayed that “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened;” somehow we might come to appreciate even now “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

Yet, marvelously rich and full though His grace is now, there is much more to come. “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, . . . That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4,5,7).

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Scriptural Reminders About

“But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay” (II Corinthians 1:18).

The apostle Paul in II Corinthians 1 and 2 reminds us of some marvelous truths about the Person and work of God. It would be good for us to lay these truths in our hearts and to daily remember them. God is a God of all truth: “But as God is true” (1:18). How basic it is to understand that “God is true.” He is true as to His nature and He is true as to His promises. “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God” (II Corinthians 1:20). God is a God of all comfort: “Blessed be God . . . the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (1:3,4). When the pressures of life overwhelm; when sufferings seem unbearable; when persecutions come with great force, remember that God is the God of all comfort. He is a God of answered prayer. “Ye also helping together by prayer for us” (1:11). Has it gripped our hearts that prayer really helps? That prayer works? Can a praying believer move the hand of God? Yes! “Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). He is a God of grace and peace: “Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:2). Someone once said that grace was imparted power and peace was implanted confidence. We need both. God is a God of all triumph: “Now 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 . . . and who is sufficient for these things?” (2:14,16).

No Christian is sufficient of himself. His sufficiency truly must come from God (II Corinthians 3:5).

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The Dominion Of Sin

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

The largest slave owner in history is “sin,” for multitudes are still enslaved thereby. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are?” (Romans 6:16). Sin is a hard master, its dominion is vast, and its reward is fearful, for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), yet many are content to remain in its bondage to any of a thousand varieties of moral slavery.

There is deliverance, however, for those who desire to be set free, because the grace of God can break the dominion of sin. As the psalmist prayed: “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me” (Psalm 119:133). After his great testimony to the perfections of the “law of the LORD” (Psalm 19:7–11), David could pray in sincere faith: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me” (Psalm 19:13).

Liberty from sin’s bondage is thus mediated by instructions from God’s word, but the incentive and power to obey it is God’s gracious gift through faith in Jesus Christ, who Himself received sin’s wages on our behalf. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Christ has broken the power of sin by conquering death itself. “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him” (Romans 6:9).

Because Christ alone has defeated sin, we are set free in Him alone. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34), but “being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18).

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Willful Sinning/god's Vengeance

“For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people” (Hebrews 10:30).

In the verses preceding our text, the writer of Hebrews explains how the work of Christ replaces the works of the law once and for all time. As a result, believers have access to God through the shed blood of Christ (v.19) who also serves as our high priest (v.21). However, if we sin willfully after we know the truth, then there is no more or other sacrifice possible, and we can expect serious judgment (v.27). There is great risk in rejecting “the blood of the covenant” (v.29).

Now, what about the two quotes which the writer cites in our text? They appear to come from Deuteronomy 32:35,36: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the LORD shall judge His people, and repent Himself for His servants, when He seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.”

These verses are part of a song that Moses sang to extol the virtues of God. In the midst of the lyrics Moses relates the behavior of Jeshurun (Israel), whose prosperity had turned the nation’s head away from God (v.15), the one who had made him; he “lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation.” At this time, Moses is about to transfer the leadership over to Joshua, and then die, before the Israelites enter Canaan. He clearly points the people to what their God will do for them, in or out of His grace and mercy. “Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people: for He will avenge the blood of His servants . . . and will be merciful . . . to His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43). Blessing or vengeance: Which will it be?

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The Meaning Of Man

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3,4).

This question has been posed as a rhetorical question by many generations of skeptics, especially in our present generation when the tremendous size of the universe is often used to argue that God, if He exists, could not possibly be interested in such a small speck of dust as our own planet. But, essentially, the same argument was used against Job by one of his three “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2), over 3500 years ago. “How then can man be justified with God? . . . yea, the stars are not pure in His sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?” (Job 25:4–6).

This dismal type of reasoning, however, is utterly fallacious. Significance is not a function of size, but of complexity, and the human brain is surely the most complex physical system in the entire known universe. Rather than being insignificant nonentities, men and women have been created in the very image of God and are the objects of His sacrificial, redeeming love.

The most wonderful measure of man’s importance is the fact that God, Himself, became a man! “Christ Jesus . . . being in the form of God, . . . took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5–7) to be able to take our death penalty upon Himself. Furthermore, God’s love for man is measured not only by His substitutionary death for our sins, but also by His eternal creative purpose for us. He has redeemed us so that “in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).

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For Thy Name's Sake

“For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me” (Psalm 31:3).

In this psalm of misery and mercy, we see David’s testimony. “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in Thy righteousness” (Psalm 31:1). His faith was strong, but afflictions and opposition were on all sides. He appeals to God for relief (Psalm 31:2) and is confident of the reply, and that that reply will reflect God’s omnipotence and grace. His total trust was in this benevolent God. “Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth” (v.5), which of course was quoted by Christ at the moment of His death on the cross (Luke 23:46).

But note David’s grounds for appeal to God for action: “For thy name’s sake,” as recorded in our text. David’s heartfelt desire here is more than merely relief from his persecution, but for the glory of God and the honor of His name. God’s name and reputation are at stake when His children are being persecuted. Indeed, the national leaders of Israel had frequently prayed for God to act on the same grounds (for example see Exodus 32:12). Even in the New Testament we are encouraged to pray in that name: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).

Even though we are always warranted in using this plea in our praying, we must do so in recognition of and submission to the fact that there are limitations. God will never contradict His nature or His word, and in His sovereignty He knows better solutions to each problem than we can ask for. His greater plans must always take precedence. But when these prerequisites are recognized and accepted, the prayer in His name and for His glory is the one which prevails.

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The Weight Of The Wind

“For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the waters by measure” (Job 28:24,25).

It was only discovered by scientists in modern times that the air actually has weight. This passage in Job, however, written thirty-five or more centuries ago, indicated that the two great terrestrial fluids of air and water forming Earth’s atmosphere and hydrosphere are both “weighed” by God’s careful “measure” to provide the right worldwide balance of forces for life on Earth.

Another remarkable “weighing” act of God is noted in Job 37:16. “Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge?” Clouds are composed of liquid drops of water, not water vapor, and water is heavier than air, so how are they “balanced” in the sky? “For He maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapor thereof: Which the clouds do drop and distill upon man abundantly” (Job 36:27,28).

Meteorologists know that the weight of the small water droplets in the clouds is “balanced” by the “weight of the winds”—air rushing upward in response to temperature changes. Eventually, however, the droplets coalesce to form larger drops which overcome these updrafts and fall as rain. “By watering He wearieth the thick cloud” (Job 37:11). The coalescence is probably triggered electrically in the clouds themselves, “When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder” (Job 28:26).

Although these verses are not couched in the jargon of modern science, they are thoroughly scientific and up to date. “Lo, these are parts of His ways: but how little a portion is heard of Him? but the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26:14)

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Modern Science In An Ancient

“Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?” (Job 12:9).

The book of Job is one of the oldest books in the world, yet it contains numerous references to natural systems and phenomena, some involving facts of science not discovered by scientists until recent centuries, yet recorded in Job almost 4000 years ago.

A good example is in 26:7. “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.” While ancient mythologies may imagine the earth to be carried on the shoulders of Atlas or on the back of a giant turtle, Job correctly noted that it is suspended in space. The force of “gravity” is still not understood, and it is quite reasonable to believe that God Himself holds it in the assigned place in His creation.

There is a reference to the rotation of the earth in 38:14. “It is turned as clay to the seal.” This speaks of the smooth turning of the globe to receive the sun’s daily illumination.

“The springs of the sea” are mentioned in 38:16, even though it has only been discovered in recent decades that there are springs of water emerging from certain parts of the deep ocean floor. The fact that mountains have “roots,” consisting of rocks of the same nature and density as the mountains themselves, is noted in 28:9.

The infinite extent of the stellar heavens, contradicting the ancient pagan notion of a vaulted sky with stars affixed to a sort of hemispherical dome, is suggested in 22:12. “Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are” (see also Isaiah 55:9, etc.).

There are many other scientific insights in this remarkable book and no scientific errors. The logical conclusion, as our text says, is that “the hand of the LORD hath wrought this.”