DAILY DEVOTIONALS:

 ThouShalt Not “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, orthat is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” (Exodus20:4) Many secularists criticize Christianity as being a religion of negativism filled with prohibitions. In response, Christians often try to blunt this criticism by stressing Christian love and freedom from the law. The fact is, however, that the New Testament also contains many prohibitions, including a restatement of all those in God’s laws as expressed in the Ten Commandments. The first of these in our text prohibits idolatry. Six others also begin with “thou shaltnot.” “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain”; “Thou shalt not kill”; “Thou shalt not commit adultery”; “Thou shalt not steal”; “Thou shalt not bear false witness”; “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus20:7, 13-17). It is inappropriate for any Christian to ignore these commandments. Godly behavior is more important now than ever before. Not only are these prohibitions all repeated in the New Testament, but there are numerous other “shalt nots” as well, all directed toChristians saved by grace, apart from the works of the law. For example: “Be not drunk with wine” (Ephesians5:18); “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians4:26); “Mind not high things....Be not wise in your own conceits” (Romans12:16); “avenge not yourselves” (Romans12:19); and many, many others. There are numerous positive aspects to the Christian life, of course, but there are also things a Christian should not do. We do not work for our salvation, but we must work out our salvation, putting off the works of the flesh and putting on the works of a regenerate life. HMM ----------------------- Madein Christ “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of Godin him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Many men would boast of being “self-made” men, but no Christian can do this. Everything we are that’s truly worthy and eternal was made in us by God through Jesus Christ. Our text is clear on this. We have been made righteous in Christ, but this was only becauseGod made Him to be sin for us. When He made us righteous in Christ, He also “made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Furthermore, we were “made nigh by the blood of Christ” (2:13).The contexts of these passages make it abundantly clear that our being made righteous, accepted in Christ, and nigh to God, is all of grace; we did nothing to merit such privileges. This is not all. At the same moment, He also has “made us meet [‘fit’] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12). Thatwe in our poverty should be made joint-heirs with Christ once again is only by His unmerited grace. “Being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus3:7). In promise now and in full reality later, He has “made us kings and priests unto God and his Father” (Revelation 1:6). Positionally, we even share His throne,for He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Without Him we are nothing; but in Him we have all things. He is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians1:30). Truly, in salvation as well as in creation, “it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). HMM ----------------- YoungMen “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye haveovercome the wicked one.” (1 John 2:14) There are two commendations about the “young men” (typically applied to those under 40) that John notes. They are “strong” (vigorous, healthy, both physically and mentally) and the word of God “abides” (remains, endures) in them. These are those who have comethrough their believing childhood, no doubt guided and counseled by the “fathers” in their lives, who are now active in the “good fight of faith” (1 Timothy6:12). Like Abraham, they are “strong in faith” (Romans 4:20), not staggering under the burden of unbelief. Like the leaders in the church at Rome, they are willingto “bear the infirmities of the weak” (Romans 15:1) and to be alert, standing “fast in the faith” (1Corinthians 16:13). Even though they would have faced opposition from among professing Christians, they were “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2Timothy 2:1). These are the ones who refused to handle the “word of God deceitfully” (2 Corinthians 4:2) but gladly received it as “it is in truth, the word of God” (1Thessalonians 2:13). They know that “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and have taken timeto store the Word in their heart (Psalm 119:11). These “young men” know that if God’s “words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be doneunto you” (John 15:7). Those attributes make possible the result: “Ye have overcome the wicked one.” Safe in the secure saving faith of God, guided by the great truths of the Word of God, these young men have not been “overcome of evil” but have “overcome evil with good” (Romans12:21). HMM III ---------------------- Surprisesin Heaven - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. �1 Corinthians 3:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/surprises-in-heaven/- Listen In the Old Testament we find an account of David and his men who were returning home after God gave them success in battle. Some of the men had stayed behind and watched theirequipment and supplies, and the men who had engaged in the fighting didn�t want to share the spoils with the others. However, David told them, �No, my brothers! Don�t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us.Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike�those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment� (1 Samuel 30:23�24 NLT). Whether God has called you to a ministry where people see you or to a ministry where you support others who are seen, God will bless you and reward you in that final day. Maybe you think that your life isn�t really making a difference or that what you have offered to God doesn�t mean much. But you will be in for some surprises in Heaven becausewhat seems of little value on earth will be of great value in Heaven. I read about a man who was cleaning out his attic and found an old blue-and-white vase. He decided to take it to an auction and sell it, thinking he might get, at best, perhaps$100 for it. But to his utter amazement, the vase sold for $324,000. The buyer recognized it as an original piece from the Ming dynasty. What may not seem to be valuable now will be worth more later. We all have gifts that God has entrusted to us. What we need to do is be faithful with what God has called usto do. ---------------------------- A Life That Makes a Difference - by GregLaurie � www.harvest.org So let�s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don�t give up. �Galatians 6:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-life-that-makes-a-difference/- Listen In many ways, people mock us and deride us for our beliefs as Christians. They accuse us of things that simply aren�t true because we stand up for our principles. Just remember that we are not home yet. One day Jesus will welcome us home, and we will hear the words �Well done, my good and faithful servant� (Matthew 5:21 NLT). That is why the Bible reminds us, �So let�s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don�t give up� (Galatians6:9 NLT). I remember hearing the late Alan Redpath talk about a message he heard many years ago when he was a young accountant. The speaker was talking about having a saved soul buta lost life. In other words, it is possible for us to be saved and forgiven of our sin yet waste our lives by not serving the Lord. Redpath kept thinking about the words �saved soul, lost life,� and he ultimately made a commitment to the Lord. He prayed, �Lord, I want to serve You. I don�t bring a lotto the table, but what I have is now Yours.� Some Christians are basically throwing their lives away and living for themselves. Maybe that describes you. And maybe you think it�s too late and that God could never useyou. It isn�t too late for you to recommit your life to God and say, �Lord, I want my life to make a difference. You have given me something to do. You have given me certain abilitiesand talents, and I want to serve You. Whatever role You have for me, I want to be a part of what You�re doing.� Don�t waste your life. If you will step forward and make yourself available, God will help you do what He has called you to do. ------------------------------------- Tothe Fourth Generation �Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visitingthe iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.� (Deuteronomy5:9) This seemingly unwarranted penalty imposed on the innocent grandchildren of the idolater cannot possibly negate the later promise of God through the prophet Ezekiel: �The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neithershall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him� (Ezekiel18:20). And certainly it cannot obviate the clear promise of Christ Himself in the last chapter of the Bible: �Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely� (Revelation22:17). Anyone who desires to do so may accept the Lord�s gracious offer of salvation, regardless of the possible wickedness or anti-Christian religion of any of his ancestors. At the same time, a man should realize that his decision to follow a false religion and then bring up his children in that false religion will almost certainly affect his grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well. Many of the latter will actually be childrenwhile their great-grandfather is still alive. It�s a simple fact that most children (though not all) will continue in their parents� �religion.� They can, if they wish, choose to leave their parents� religion and become Christians, but most will not. What a great responsibility, therefore, each father has! He should quickly accept Christ (whose credentials as our Creator and Redeemer are impeccable!) as his Savior and Lord, and then diligently train his own children �in the nurture and admonition of theLord� (Ephesians6:4). HMM ----------------------- TheMost Boring Life on Earth? - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. �Psalm 119:2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-most-boring-life-on-earth/- Listen Before I committed my life to Christ, I thought that Christians lived the most boring lives on earth. I saw Christianity as a list of things that you could not do. My perceptionwas that Christians hung out with dull people and spent their time praying and singing songs. In a nutshell, I thought Christianity was no fun. When a lot of people think about the way of following Jesus Christ, the way of obedience, they foresee misery and restrictions. Most nonbelievers view the Christian life asone of gloom and, worst of all, boredom. However, after becoming a Christian, I discovered the opposite was true. My priorities changed. And I found that the holy way�the godly way, the way of obedience�is in realitythe happy way. We see in Psalm 119, as well as in other places in Scripture, that happiness is always connected to holiness. And we also find that happiness is not something that we shouldseek outright. Pursuing happiness, in and of itself, generally is a futile search. Rather, happiness is a result of seeking something else. Speaking about God, the psalmist wrote, �Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts� (Psalm 119:2 NLT). There are two ways that we can live our lives: the right way and the wrong way. There are two paths that we can take: the narrow road that leads to life or the broad way thatleads to destruction (see Matthew 7:13�14). And there are two foundations that we can build on: the solid rock or sinking sand (see Matthew 7:24�27). As a result, we will live either the holy and happy way or the miserable and unholy way. Everything we need in life to be happy, everything we need to be fulfilled, is foundin a relationship with Jesus Christ. ---------------------------- IfI Perish �Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drinkthree days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.� (Esther4:16) This is the courageous testimony of Queen Esther as she prepared to risk her own life in order to save the lives of her people. It was a capital crime for anyone to intrude into the king�s throne room unbidden, but she was willing to do so in order to do thewill of God, knowing that �we ought to obey God rather than men� (Acts5:29). In the same spirit, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to enter the fiery furnace rather than to worship the humanistic gods of Babylon, testifying to Nebuchadnezzar that �our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods� (Daniel3:17-18). God did deliver Esther and the three Jewish youths, but there have been many through the ages who have died for their faith rather than deny their faith. All the apostles (save John) died as martyrs, for example, and so have countless others throughout thecenturies. �They loved not their lives unto the death� (Revelation12:11) if it meant denying their Savior. Believers in many nations are suffering such persecutions today, and the time is coming when the last great God-rejecting king of the earth (called the �beast� in Scripture) will �cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed� (Revelation13:15). If a similar choice confronts us, may God give us the grace to say with Paul, �Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death� (Philippians1:20), and with Esther: �If I perish, I perish.� HMM ----------------------- WorkingOut Our Salvation �Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.� (Philippians2:12) We are not told here to work for our salvation, but to work it out�that is, to demonstrate its reality in our daily lives. Our salvation must be received entirely by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians2:8-9), or else it is not true salvation. Works can no more keep our salvation than they can earn it for us in the first place. It is not faith plus works, but grace through faith. Nevertheless, a Christian believer, if his salvation has been real, can testify that �I will show thee my faith by my works� (James2:18). Good works�consisting of a righteous and gracious lifestyle, considerate of others and obedient to Christ�s commands�are the visible evidences of salvation. We have been �created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained thatwe should walk in them� (Ephesians2:10). The context of our text, in fact, assures us, on the basis of Christ�s sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, and exaltation (Philippians2:8-11), that �it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure� (v. 13). God is thereby enabling us to �work out� our salvation in visible practice, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. Thus, it is beautifully appropriate that the life of a genuinely born-again Christian, possessing true salvation, should be �blameless and harmless, the sons of God,...as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life� (vv. 15-16). We do need to �examine[ourselves], whether [we] be in the faith� (2Corinthians 13:5), and we are admonished that �we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments� (1John 2:3). HMM ------------------------------ Heart, Soul, and Mind - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org �You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.� This is the first and greatest commandment. �Matthew 22:37�38 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/heart-soul-and-mind/- Listen When the Pharisees were trying to set a trap for Jesus, they asked Him this question: �Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?� (Matthew 22:36NLT). Jesus told them, � �You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.� This is the first and greatest commandment� (verses 37�38 NLT). In our culture when we speak of the heart, we�re generally referring to our emotions. For instance, we might say, �My mind is telling me one thing, but my heart is tellingme another.� So, what did Jesus mean when He said, �You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind�? Is this saying that we should merely do this from our emotions and disengage our intellect? No. In the original language, the heart refers to the core of a person�s being.The soul refers to what we would call emotion. And the mind refers to intellectual vigor and determination. Therefore, our love for the Lord should be intelligent, feeling, and willing. Notice that God wants all three. However, some may love the Lord with all their minds but not with all their souls. They believe certain things to be true, but they are not emotionally engaged. There areothers who love God with all their souls but not all their minds. They relate to God emotionally, but they don�t fill their minds with God�s Word. The Bible calls for balance. It�s telling us to love God with every fiber of our beings. We love Him with our intellectual ability, our emotional passion, and our strength.We should love God with everything we have. --------------------------------