DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 11.25.23

 Misuseof the Bible “...his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, whichthey that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2Peter 3:16) It is vitally important for every Christian to study and use the Scriptures, for they constitute our only real authority (note Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 14:26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; etc.). In doing this, however, it is just as important that we not misuse the Scriptures, for this can be almost as dangerous as ignoring them altogether. Many people twist the Scriptures, seeking to make them fit some opinion of their own, hoping thereby to give a pseudobiblical authority to their peculiar prejudices, instead of allowing the Lord to say what He means. Such distortion of Scripture has generateda plethora of cults and heresies—past and present. This was essentially Christ’s view of the Pharisees: “In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew15:9). Similar—perhaps even worse—is claiming to receive new Scripture, or perhaps new (and authoritative) insight on existing Scripture. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it” (Deuteronomy4:2). “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs30:6). Cults and heretics distort and supplement the Scriptures, but still deadlier are the liberals who try to explain away the Scriptures. “If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life” (Revelation22:19). This act of distorting and then denying God’s Word (“Yea, hath God said....Ye shall not surely die,” Genesis 3:1, 4) was the very lie of Satan that brought sin into the world. No wonder the Bible warns so severely against it! HMM ------------------ TheLord Our Shield “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” (Psalm3:3) The beautiful metaphor of God as our shield and our protector from evil is used over 15 times in the book of Psalms, the first being in our text above. The very first time it is used in the Bible, however, is also the first time the word “shield” itself isused. That was the time when God assured Abram, after his battle with the armies of the northern kings, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield” (Genesis15:1). This was a great comfort to Abram, there in the land of the Canaanites, where evil and enemies surrounded him on all sides. But consider also a few of the many “shield” promises in the book of Psalms. One of the most beautiful and most uplifting is Psalm 84:11: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” And consider also this wonderful promise: “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler [same word] to all those that trust in him” (Psalm18:30). In the same psalm appears this great testimony: “Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great” (Psalm18:35). Three times in Psalm 115 appears the injunction to “trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield” (Psalm115:9-11). Similarly, “thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word” (Psalm119:114). The final reference in Psalms to the Lord as our shield is “Blessed be the LORD my strength....My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me” (Psalm144:1-2). HMM ------------------ CertainMen “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation.” (Jude1:4) Jude speaks severely of these “certain men” who were “before ordained” (literally “written about beforehand”) for a very specific judgment. The context relates back to the period of the Old Testament, although Jude later identifies others who are apparentlyactive in the early churches. A purification of 30 days was required of “certain men” who were (apparently) undertakers during the time of Moses. They were “defiled” by their contact with dead bodies according to the law but must still keep the Passover—albeit a month after the other Israelites(Numbers 9:4-11). God does not allow excuses. Later, “certain men” among the Israelites who had apostatized and become “children of Belial” were to be destroyed, along with their city and all of their possessions, after it had been definitely determined that they had left Israel and become part of a cultcommunity (Deuteronomy 13:13-16). God does not take prisoners! During the time of Jeremiah’s ministry, God allowed the evil king Jehoiakim to send “certain men” down into Egypt to capture the prophet Urijah so the king could kill him (Jeremiah26:22-23). God does allow evil men to gain the upper hand temporarily as He brings about the fulfillment of His prophetic warnings—in this case, the captivity of Judah by Babylon. Jude speaks of “certain men” who had been “written before” (prographo) as historical examples of those among the New Testament saints who were “denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 4b). Peter puts it this way: “But there were falseprophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2Peter 2:1). HMM III ---------------------------- TheAngelic Shout “...when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job38:7) The phrase “shouted for joy” in this verse is actually a single word (ruwa) in the Hebrew, and it can carry a number of meanings. It is most frequently translated simply “shout,” as when the army of Joshua surrounding Jericho shouted and the wallsfell down (Joshua6:20). In Psalm 100:1, it is translated “make a joyful noise.” It can refer to a shout of alarm or shout of triumph, as well as a shout of joy, but it always refers to a loud shout. In fact, it comes from a root meaning “to split”—a noise that would split eardrums or shatter glass. In the context of Job 38, the Lord is reminding Job and his friends of the great primeval event of creation. When the earth—which is destined eventually to house God’s throne in the eternal ages to come—was established on solid foundations (on the third dayof creation), a resounding noise like mighty thunder—or, better, a gigantic angelic anthem—echoed throughout the universe. An “innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews12:22), identified in the poetic structure of the Hebrew parallelism in our text as both “morning stars” and “sons of God,” shouted exultantly and sang in unison when the solid earth appeared. The angels probably were created on the first day of the creation week, immediately after the creation of the universe itself. Even though Satan and other angels later rebelled against God, most of the angels still obey Him, and one day we ourselves will actuallyhear them singing His praises and shouting for joy when He returns to Earth (1Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 4:9-11; 5:11-14; Psalm 148:1-6). Therefore, “praise ye him all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts” (Psalm148:2). Someday, we shall join them in a “joyful noise” at God’s throne. HMM -------------------- TooCool - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. �All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,� he said. �But do it here in this land.� �Exodus 8:25 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/too-cool/- Listen Pharaoh had finally buckled. He wanted the plagues to stop. So, he called in Moses and Aaron and said, �All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God. . . . But doit here in this land� (Exodus 8:25 NLT). As we watch Pharaoh try to manipulate Moses, we see a picture of how the devil tries to manipulate us. This is the anatomy of a compromise. What did God tell Moses and Aaron to do? He told them to put three days� distance between Egypt and themselves and then offer sacrifices to Him (see Exodus 3:18). However, Pharaoh told them they could go and offer their sacrifices to God, but they needed to do it in Egypt. Pharaoh was trying to force them into making some concessions. He was saying, in effect, �If you don�t want to worship the gods of Egypt and have to worship your God, thengo do it. Just don�t go very far. Stick around.� Maybe you�ve seen this trick before, perhaps even in your own life. After you give your life to Christ, the devil essentially says, �I didn�t want you to do that, but I willconcede that you have gone over to the other side. Let�s strike a deal. Don�t get too fanatical here. Can we still have a little fun together? You don�t have to give up all your old friends and lifestyle. You can still believe in God. But be practical.� That is what the devil does with us: �Go ahead, but don�t go too far. You don�t have to believe all this stuff.� Moses, however, said no. He knew they had to go. Some people have believed in Jesus, but they haven�t gone very far from their old lives. They�ve stayed close enough for the enemy to still have a foothold. They are stillinfluenced by ungodly friends and things that have dragged them down. They are still engaged in a lifestyle they should have repented of long ago. For example, how many generations have been destroyed by drugs, sex, and rock �n� roll? It�s amazing how each successive generation acts as though they�ve discovered it themselves.The fashions may change (or sometimes don�t), but they get into the same things that previous generations did. We need to obey God. We need to commit the nonbelievers in our lives to the Lord. If they�re going to come to Christ, they won�t come to Him through our compromise. In fact,it will drive them away. Sometimes we think we can reach people for Christ if we just do what they do and relate to them on their level. Then they will believe and think we�re really cool. But noone has ever come to Christ that way. Nonbelievers come to Christ because Christians living genuine lives before God aren�t afraid to let their lights shine. Sometimes we�re trying so hard to be cool and relatable that we forget about being righteous. We forget about standing up for what is right. ----------------------------- Our Place of Safety - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. �Psalm 91:2 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/our-place-of-safety/- Listen The plagues had grown progressively worse. God�s plague on the Nile River was a blow to everyone, but the Egyptians adapted and got by. The frogs were a horrible nuisancetoo. But the third plague brought physical pain that seemed almost unbearable. In the third plague, God afflicted the Egyptians with gnats. This was especially difficult, because the Egyptians were fanatics about cleanliness, but they were covered withthese insects. The gnats also penetrated their nostrils and ears, which would have been very painful. Interestingly, while Pharaoh�s magicians duplicated the Nile turning to blood and the plague of frogs, they couldn�t duplicate this one. This reminds us that although the devil has considerable power, there are limitations to it. We might think that just as God is omnipotent, so is Satan. And just as God isomniscient, so is the devil. But that is not true. God knows everything; Satan has limited knowledge. God has all power; Satan clearly has limited power. Even after these plagues, Pharaoh�s heart continued to harden. So, God sent the fourth plague: an invasion of flies. Exodus 8:24 says, �And the Lord did just as he had said.A thick swarm of flies filled Pharaoh�s palace and the houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt was thrown into chaos by the flies� (NLT). Meanwhile, God intervened in an amazing way for His people. From the fourth plague on, God protected the land of Goshen in Egypt where the Israelites lived. While other peoplein Egypt suffered through the plagues, God protected this area. Psalm 91 gives us this promise: �Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and seehow the wicked are punished� (verses 7�8 NLT). These are wonderful, comforting words. But they are conditional. This psalm contains a series of conditional promises that are ours�if we do our part. God promises that Hewill protect us. He promises that His angels will be around us. But what do we need to do? We must �live in the shelter of the Most High� (verse 1 nlt). We must also �make the Lord [our] refuge� and �the Most High [our] shelter� (verse9 NLT). When we do that, the promises of Psalm 91 are ours. God wants to be our hiding place. This means that God will protect the believer. What may happen to nonbelievers as they reap the consequences of their sin won�t happen tobelievers because they are seeking to live godly lives. Does that mean Christians won�t suffer? No. Does that mean Christians won�t die? No. But it does mean that Christians won�t die before their time. They will die when their day has come and not a second before. And when death does come for Christians, God promisesthey will be taken into His presence in Heaven. God will protect us. He will protect us on earth until our final day. --------------------------------- WhatBegan at Philippi �Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi...Gracebe unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.� (Philippians1:1-2) The church at Philippi was birthed on one of Paul�s missionary journeys. He was summoned there in a vision by an unidentified man in Macedonia (now Greece) pleading for him to come and help them (Acts16:9-10). Recognizing the call was from the Lord, he went immediately. Paul�s European ministry began with the conversion of Lydia, who worshipped God and readily followed Paul�s teachings (Acts16:14). Paul soon traveled to Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens, where he encountered much hardship and persecution. But the work he had begun in Philippi continued, eventually spreading throughout the continent. The intensely personal letter he later wroteto the Philippian church contains some of the most important doctrinal truths concerning Christ and our victorious life in Christ in all of Scripture. God�s sovereign plan included Europe. He saw to it that the governmental roadblocks and personal opposition were ultimately unsuccessful. Today, many individual Christians trace their ancestry back to Europe. Great evangelistic movements and worldwide missionaryefforts over the centuries have European roots. The God-ensured preservation of the Scriptures primarily occurred there as well. Many of the important Bible study tools and preaching helps come through the Western church. Many seminaries and Bible colleges,as well as hospitals and humanitarian efforts, stem from the Western tradition. Today, great numbers are thankfully turning to Christ around the world, but much of the Church�s work began in Philippi as a faithful witness fearlessly and sacrificially preached the Good News of Jesus Christ. JDM ------------------------------------- TheSon of Thankfulness �And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she calledhis name Judah; and left bearing.� (Genesis29:35) This verse is the testimony of Jacob�s first wife, Leah, at the time of the birth of her fourth son. It also is significant in that it contains the first mention of the Hebrew yadah, often rendered �praise� but more often �thank� or �thanks.� In fact, she even named her son Judah, which is essentially the same Hebrew word. Although Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were all older sons of Leah, God chose Judah to be the father of the tribe through which Christ would come into the world. Whenever Leah spoke to her son, she would actually be calling him �Thanks� and thus in effect rememberingher gratitude for this gift of a special son. We also continue to give thanks every day for that special Son of the tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as Judah later was willing to offer his own life for his brother Benjamin (see Genesis 43:9) out of love for both his brethren and his father, so this distant grandson of Judah was willing to lay down His own life to save those whom He was glad to call His brethren (Hebrews2:11-12). In the last reference to Judah in the Bible, this son of Judah is called �the Lion of the tribe of Judah� who will one day be acknowledged as King over all the earth (Revelation5:5). The last mention of �thanks� in the Bible is when the elders of the church in heaven cry out: �We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and has reigned� (Revelation11:17). We surely have much for which we thank God, but most of all we are thankful for the Son of God, our Creator, Savior, and coming King. HMM ------------------- TheUnknown Creator �He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.� (John1:10) This verse is surely one of the saddest, most poignant verses in all the Word of God. In the Lord Jesus Christ, our Creator/Redeemer, �we live, and move, and have our being� (Acts17:28). The atoms of our bodies are sustained by Him (Colossians 1:17), yet multitudes ignore Him, ridicule Him, and take His name in vain. What presumption!What foolishness! Once He even entered visibly into the world He had created so that people actually could hear His words of life and see His works of love. But they willfully refused to acknowledge Him, and then hung Him on a cross to die. The height of irony and the depth of foolishness are reached when those whose very minds and bodies were created by Christ refuse even to admit the fact of creation. In effect, they turn Psalm 100:3 upside down and claim, �It is not he that hath made us�it is we ourselves!� Not only do modern men deny His creation, they also reject His salvation, thinking they can save themselves. It is important to note that John 1:10 specifically refers to the refusal of the �world� to know Him as its Creator. It was made by Him but would not acknowledge His work of creation. How then could the world ever �receive� Him as its Savior (v. 11)? Only itsCreator could ever become its Savior, since no one else in all creation was both deserving and capable of such a mission. Even more inexcusable than those who rejected Him when He was here in the world are those who reject Him today. With all the marvelous evidences of creative design in nature as revealed by modern science, plus the unanswerable evidences of His own bodily resurrectionfrom the dead, it is wicked foolishness for modern men and women still to reject Him as their Creator and Savior. HMM ----------------------- Forthe One Who Has Everything - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me? �Psalm 116:12 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/for-the-one-who-has-everything/- Listen What do we give to God, who has everything? The Bible gives us some ideas as to what we can give to God as we begin this holiday season. In Psalm 116, we find a number of things that we can do to show our thanksgiving to God. The psalmist speaks of God�s blessing in his life and specifically thanks God forprotecting him from danger, even potential death. As he reflects on that, he considers what he can offer to the Lord. In verse 12, the psalmist poses this question: �What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?� (NLT). And in the next verse, he gives us the answer: �I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord�s name for saving me� (verse 13 nlt). We think nothing of cheering on our favorite teams at a game. We wear their jerseys and yell and scream. And we see this as relatively normal. But when we go to church and see people lifting their hands in praise to God, we call them fanatics. Is there not a place for verbally praising God? Yes, there is. Is there not a place for lifting our hands to the Lord in worship? Yes, there is. The psalmist wrote, �Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer� (Psalm 63:3�4NLT). It is biblical to lift our hands to the Lord. It�s a good thing to do. We shouldn�t be reluctant to lift our hands in praise to God. Nor should we be hesitant to verbally sing His praises. Sometimes during a time of worship in a church service, we just stand there and don�t even try to sing. Why is that?God wants to hear our praise. If you�re married, don�t you like to hear �I love you� from your husband or wife? There is a place for saying �I love you.� In the same way, when we come into God�s presence,we should praise Him. We should let Him know that we love Him. Maybe you�re thinking that you don�t have all that much to be thankful for today. You may be going through a hardship right now or a time of crisis. But perhaps you need toput things into perspective. Take the apostle Paul, for example. One of the main themes of Philippians is joy. Again and again in this epistle, Paul wrote that we need to have joy in the Lord. Meanwhile, Paul was facing some very difficult circumstances personally. He was a Roman prisoner at this time, and his trial was coming up shortly. He faced acquittal or death.He didn�t know what lay ahead. Yet Paul said, �I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. . . . I have learned the secret of living in every situation� (Philippians 4:11�12 NLT). Paul showsus that we can learn to find joy and contentment in a troubled world. On this day set aside for giving thanks, let�s offer the One who has everything our verbal praise. --------------------------------- Nada. Zip. Zero. - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the LORD our God from among these animals. And we won�t know how weare to worship the LORD until we get there �Exodus 10:26 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/nada-zip-zero/- Listen The hail was hard to face. Pharaoh was cracking. After God sent a plague that brought disease upon the Egyptians� livestock, the boils followed, afflicting all the Egyptiansand their animals. Still, Pharoah refused to let the Israelites go. So God sent hail, the seventh plague, which not only killed people and animals, but it also destroyed the plants. In fact, the Bible says, �it left all of Egypt in ruins� (Exodus 9:25 NLT). Even Pharaoh�s magicians weren�t able to intervene at this point. They could no longer imitate the miracles, and they were so overpowered by the boils, they were immobilized(see Exodus 9:11). Eventually, Pharaoh brought in Moses and Aaron and said, �Go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?� (Exodus 10:8 NLT). Moses told him, �We will all go�young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds� (verse 9 NLT). In other words, they were taking everyone. Then Pharaoh attempted a compromise. He said they could go, but the women and children needed to stay behind. But Moses refused. After two more plagues, the hard-hearted Pharaoh tried one more compromise: � �Go and worship the Lord,� he said. �But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even takeyour little ones with you� � (verse 24 NLT). He was fighting for every inch. Why would Pharaoh care about their animals? It was a victory, albeit a small one, and a foot in the door. Imagine how tempting this would have been for Moses. He could have said, �You want our animals? And then you will let the rest of us go? It�s a deal.� Instead, Moses told him, �All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind� (verse 26 NLT). In other words, �Pharaoh, read my lips: You get nada, zip, zero, nothing. You don�t get an inch. We�re taking everyone and everything, and we�re leaving, whether you likeit or not.� As Christians, that is what we need to say when the devil tempts us to compromise. He whispers, �All right, I can�t have all of your life, so let me have this one area. Itwon�t go any further.� Like Moses, we need to say, �No, you get nothing.� Little things lead to big things. That�s why we can�t make deals with the devil. We can�t negotiate with Satan. There can be no compromise. If you are not prepared to go faraway from him, then you�re never going to make it, because he will manipulate you. It�s time to break free. Is there an area of your life that you need to deal with? It is a problem and a potential weakness. God brings these things to our attention for a reason. It isn�t to driveus away in despair and guilt. Rather, it�s because He wants us to deal with them. Identify that area of your life where you�re compromising, and then take action. Make a decision to dedicate it to God.