DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 2.24.24

 Howto Please the Lord “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” (2Corinthians 5:9) In this verse, Paul expresses the strong desire to be “pleasing to” (the idea behind “accepted of”) the Lord Jesus Christ. It should likewise be our own ambition—whatever we do and wherever we are—to please Him. This, of course, will make a difference in whatwe do and where we go! The Scriptures give us a number of specific ways in which we can be confident of pleasing Him. For example, “we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans15:1). That is, our criterion should be pleasing Him—not ourselves. Similarly, we are warned that “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans8:8). That is, our thoughts and deeds must not be governed by worldly considerations. By suffering, willingly, for His sake, we can please Him. “If, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable [‘well-pleasing’] with God” (1Peter 2:20). “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews11:6). We must walk by faith if we would please the Lord. This is not faith in the abstract but specific truth—faith to believe the revealed Word of God and to act on that faith. God is pleased with generosity. “But to do good and to communicate [to share what we have with others, for His sake] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews13:16). This certainly includes sharing the gospel as well as our material possessions. “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God” (1Thessalonians 2:4). Finally, when our ways please the Lord, we have this gracious promise: “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1John 3:22). HMM ----------------------- TheOrdinances of Men “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” (1Peter 2:13-14) The phrase “ordinances of man” literally means “human creations.” Since only God can really create, that means we must regard laws of legislatures or presidential orders or even kingly decrees as having divine authority. Therefore, in order to maintain a goodwitness before men, God expects us to submit to all these man-made laws and directives. That even includes such unpopular laws as speed limits. Christians should not be tax cheats or anything that tends to undermine legitimate authority, and certainly should never break any of the multitude of laws that are based upon or consistent with the lawsor commandments of God. We rightly must honor our leaders, not only great presidents such as Washington and Lincoln, but all who have positions of authority. Remember that “there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans13:1), even though there are occasions when (for good and justifiable reasons) God gives power to unworthy men. Such ungodly leaders will be themselves judged by God in His own way and time. Our job is simply to “render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor” (Romans13:7). The one great exception to this principle, of course, is when their laws go against the laws of God. Then, “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts5:29) and be willing to take the consequences. “If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1Peter 4:16). HMM -------------------- Spiritsof Truth and Error “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we thespirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1John 4:6) Here we are given assurance that we will be able to tell the difference in people by the way they respond to the Word of God. The emphasis is on the believer’s ability to discern a spirit (attitude or character) of truth or error among those to whom we witness. This is important because we are told not to cast “pearls before swine” (Matthew7:6) and to “shake off the very dust” from our feet against those who will not receive our witness (Luke9:5). Others disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness when they are really the ministers of Satan (2Corinthians 11:14-15). How can we tell which is which? The spirit of truth is relatively easy to discern. Those who hear the Word (Mark4:18-20) and receive the Word with all readiness of mind (Acts17:11) are of the truth (John18:37). Such people come willingly to the light (John3:21) and ask for a “reason of the hope that is in you” (1Peter 3:15). The spirit of error can be more difficult to discern. Its source is Satan (John8:44), who deceives (Revelation12:9) and uses his servants to manipulate and mislead (Ephesians4:14). Some of these run among God’s family and live “in error” (2Peter 2:18). They can be fruitless trees and “raging waves...foaming out their own shame” (Jude1:12-13), or like “tares” among the wheat that even the angels have trouble recognizing (Matthew13:38-40). These won’t listen to truth. Our job is to be ready to give the answer to the one and to reject the other. HMM III -------------------------- TheBeginning of the Creation “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God createdunto this time, neither shall be.” (Mark13:19) The phrase “from the beginning of the creation” or equivalent occurs at least six times in the New Testament, indicating beyond question that the world was created at a definite beginning-point of time. All other cosmogonies, on the other hand, are evolutionarycosmogonies, which deny a real beginning for the space/time cosmos at all. What almost seems a redundancy in our text is the phrase “the creation which God created.” Evidently the Lord thought it vital to stress the fact of divine creation, especially as the great last-days “affliction” draws near. That the “creation” mentioned in this verse refers explicitly to the cosmos is evident from the parallel passage in Matthew 24:21, where the same prophecy is rendered as follows: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time.” Here, “world” is actually the Greek kosmos, referring to the ordered universe of heaven and Earth. Thus, according to the Bible, the entire universe (including even time itself) came into existence at the “beginning” when God created it, as recorded in Genesis 1:1. Note especially the significance of Mark 10:6 in this connection: “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” Jesus was here quoting from the account of the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis1:27) and included what seemed an almost incidental confirmation that God created them not after many billions of years of cosmic evolution but from the very beginning of creation! Man and woman were not divine afterthoughts, as evolution would imply,but were the very reason why God created the universe in the first place. HMM ----------------------- Job’sWhirlwind “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind.” (Job38:1) What form would the Lord take if He were to speak with us? The Lord spoke to Abraham and others in the appearance of a man. “And [Abraham] lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him” (Genesis18:2). At the end of their conversation, “the LORD went his way” (Genesis18:33). God appeared as an angel to Hagar, Sarah’s servant and Abraham’s concubine. “The angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly” (Genesis16:10). Hagar did not react with the fear that others did when accosted by angels appearing in bright glory, such as the shepherds “keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke2:8). And the Lord looked quite different to Moses when He “appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (Exodus3:2). But God spoke to Job from within a whirlwind. Perhaps storm clouds had approached as Job’s cadre conversed. Job stated, “He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them” (Job26:8). Moments later, Elihu said, “Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou” (Job35:5). Whether natural or supernatural, the whirlwind arrived, and God granted Job the direct discourse he had longed for (Job23:3-5). Whichever mode God chooses to reveal Himself, it is always the right one. Nowadays, any literate person to whom the gospels are available shouldn’t lament over God’s silence like Job did. God ultimately chose to reveal Himself through His Son and “even whenwe were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)” (Ephesians2:5). Praise our Maker, who reaches out to us. BDT ---------------------------- Jesusas Job’s Mediator “Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.” (Job9:33) Like a clear light that might dispel Job’s dark and miserable thoughts, this righteous but suffering man longed for mediation with the God he had trusted for so long. His soul ached for a daysman, or mediator—someone to understand exactly all of Job’s intentions,thoughts, sins, and faith, and who had perfect knowledge of the plans and purposes of God above. This kind of mediator could wrap one arm around Job’s shoulder, his other arm around God’s “shoulder,” and reconcile the two. When God shockingly showed up and “answered Job out of the whirlwind” (Job38:1), He did not supply a mediator. However, He did show He had been listening the whole time and had some purpose for Job’s trials. That was enough to reestablish Job’s trust and worship. God provided all Job needed at that time, but what about Job’sdesire for a mediator? What about all of our desires for that same kind of mediator? For who but a mediator could ever restore sinners to a right standing with a holy God? Jesus, God incarnate, became the exact mediator that Job had earnestly hoped for. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1Timothy 2:5-6). The Lord Jesus, our long-awaited Mediator, came at last! His coming both fulfilled Job’s longing and offered hope to those who, like Job, submit themselves to God’s mercy. BDT -------------------------- SweetNaamah “Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.” (Songof Solomon 1:16) These words begin King Solomon’s tender expressions of love to his beautiful young wife. Solomon wrote a thousand and five songs (1Kings 4:32), but apparently this was his favorite, for he called it his “song of songs” (Song1:1), and it clearly centered on his beloved, whom he called “my sister, my spouse” no less than four times (Song4:9-12; 5:1), thereby intimating both their spiritual and marital relationship. Rehoboam was Solomon’s only son, as far as recorded, and his mother’s name was Naamah (2Chronicles 12:13), meaning “pleasant.” Since he was 41 years old when he inherited Solomon’s throne and since Solomon had only reigned 40 years (2Chronicles 9:30), the marriage of Solomon and Naamah must have been formalized when Solomon was quite young, long before he was married to Pharoah’s daughter or any of his other 700 wives. Naamah was then and always his one real love, in spite of his spiritualdefections in old age. His counsel to young men near the end of his life was “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days...of thy vanity” (Ecclesiastes9:9). Note that Solomon called her “fair” and “beloved” in our text, and then “pleasant.” The Hebrew word for “pleasant” is very similar to “Naamah,” as though Solomon were calling her by a shortened form of her name as a term of endearment. The same word is occasionallytranslated “sweet.” Naamah was surely a sweet, pleasant maiden but also a capable woman in mind and heart, fit to become a queen. Solomon’s song for and about her is an inspired ode to true marital love and thus can even be a figurative testimony to the love of Christ, the “greater than Solomon,” for His church (Matthew12:42). HMM --------------------------- TheImportance of Reading “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1Timothy 4:13) In this video age, Christians are in grave danger of forgetting the importance of reading. The word translated “reading” in this verse is the Greek anagnosis, a compound word meaning essentially “renewed knowledge.” A sermon or lecture is knowledge heard; an educational film or video is knowledge seen; but reading is knowledge that can be read, rehearsed, reviewed, and renewed again and again,until fully and securely learned. In fact, it is necessary for students to take notes, even when hearing a sermon or seeing a film, if they expect to retain any knowledge received by such means. The importance of reading is also pointed out by the verb used in the verse. “Give attendance” means, literally, “continue steadfastly.” It is so translated in Acts 2:42: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” Reading and studying the Scriptures are especially necessary for a fruitful Christian ministry, but even this is not really enough. The Bible also commands us always to be ready to give an “answer” (Greek apologia, a systematic defense) to everyone who asks a “reason” (Greek logos, a logical explanation) for our Christian hope (1Peter 3:15). To do this requires steadfast continuance in the study not only of the Bible but also of other sound literature as well. A truly effective and influential Christian is an informed Christian, armed with facts and sound counsel, prepared andcapable both in his own professional field of practice and in his spiritual service as a Christian witness. It is significant that Paul, just before his martyrdom and while imprisoned in a damp, cold Roman dungeon, still desired his books to read (2Timothy 4:13). The conscientious Christian must never cease to study and to grow in grace and knowledge (2Peter 3:18). HMM --------------------- ABag with Holes “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filledwith drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” (Haggai1:6) This biting description of a frustrating lifestyle, penned by one of the Jewish post-exilic prophets, is both preceded and followed by this appropriate admonition: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways” (Haggai1:5-7). When a professing believer somehow never seems to have enough, and his money bag seems filled with holes, it is time for him to consider carefully his ways before the Lord. After all, our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and is well able to supply all our needs. In context, Haggai is rebuking the people of Judah for tending to their own welfare and neglecting the work of God. “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in yourcieled [paneled] houses, and this house [that is, the unfinished temple in Jerusalem] lie waste?” (Haggai1:4). Herein is an eternal principle. Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things [that is, food and drink and clothing]. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew6:32-33). If these necessities of life are not being provided, we urgently need to consider our ways. Are God’s kingdom and His righteousness really our first concerns? We often quote the wonderful promise “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians4:19). But we must remember that this promise was given to a group of Christians whose “deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality,” because they “first gave their own selves to the Lord” (2Corinthians 8:2, 5). HMM ------------------------ Songof the Rock “And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out ofthe hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.” (2Samuel 22:1) This is the first verse of a remarkable poem inserted here near the end of 2 Samuel. With certain significant exceptions, it is the same as the 18th Psalm. David wrote many wonderful psalms, but this is the only one also found in the historical books and somust have special significance. In view of 2 Samuel 23:1-2 (“these be the last words of David”), it may even be David’s last psalm, as slightly modified by him from Psalm 18, just before his death. In 2 Samuel 22:2-3, he ascribed nine wonderful names to God: rock, fortress, deliverer, God of my rock, shield, horn of my salvation, high tower, refuge, Savior. In the midst of this unique list of metaphors appears his statement of faith “In him will I trust.” Although this psalm flows from David’s personal experiences, these words are quoted in Hebrews 2:13 as coming from the lips of Christ in His human incarnation. Thus, the song is actually also a Messianic psalm. Its testimonies go far beyond the experiences of David, reflecting the mighty events of Christ in creation, at the judgment of thegreat Flood, and His work as our Redeemer. It is significant that the concluding name in David’s list is Savior, which is the Hebrew yasha—essentially the same as “Jesus.” Two of the names (Hebrew cela and tsur) are translated “rock” but refer to different kinds of rock. They are the same words used for the rocks from which God provided water for His people in the wilderness (Exodus17:6; Numbers 20:11), except that the order is reversed. One is the great rock of provision, the other the smitten rock of judgment. Our God of creation, Jesus Christ, is our daily sustenance but first must also be our sin-bearing Savior. HMM ------------------------- TheMercy of the Lord “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” (Psalm145:8) Not one of us deserves God’s mercy, for “we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah53:6), and “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans3:23). What we deserve is death and eternal separation from the God who made us. Nevertheless, “it is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations3:22). “He hath not dealt with us after our sins....For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him” (Psalm103:10-11). It is by His mercy, not our merit, that we are saved. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus3:5). “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, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians2:4-5). It is “according to his abundant mercy” that He has “begotten us again unto a lively hope” (1Peter 1:3). In fact, one of the very titles of God is “the Father of mercies” (2Corinthians 1:3). Over and over the psalmist assures us that “his mercy endureth for ever” (26 times in Psalm 136:1-26; also Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; etc.). His mercy is not only infinite but eternal. How can one possibly reject His mercy? “Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering?” (Romans2:4). Sadly, most do. Instead, the divine challenge is “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to thisworld: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans12:1-2). This is our logical response to God’s great mercy! HMM ---------------------- Howcan we keep the covenant? � Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com There are many times in life where we want to do something, maybe we even commit to doing it, but somehow life happens and we don�t do it. As a coach, I would often ask anathlete why wasn�t the play or drill executed properly. The answer was something like, �Coach, I�m trying.� My response was, �Well, trying ain�t doing.� The Apostle Paul had the same problem. He writes in Romans 7:18-19, �I know that nothing good lives inme, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.� If we know the Ten Commandments, for example, we know what is rightto do, but we often struggle unto the law of sin. In Exodus 24, Moses finished telling the people the laws of the covenant with God, and the people responded with, �Everything that ADONAI has spoken, we will do and obey.� Then Moses sprinkled the blood on the people saying, this is the blood of the covenant...� This is the Mosaic covenant, a type and a place holder of the better covenant to come. In Jeremiah 31:33, God speaks concerning a new covenant, �For this is the covenantwhich I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says LORD, �I will put my Torah (law) in their minds and write it on the their hearts.� Now fast forward to Matthew 26:28, where Christ spoke to his disciples in fulfillment of this prophesy, �Forthis is my blood, which ratifies the New Covenant, my blood shed on behalf of many, so that their sins may be forgiven.� Hebrews 10:1 says the Torah was a shadow of the good things to come, �but not the very image....Therefore, it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated year after year, bringto the goal those who approach the Holy Place to offer them.� In the Messiah, no further sacrifices are necessary, �For by a single offering he has brought to the goal for all time those who are being set apart for God and made holy (verse 14).� Christ Jesusis the true Torah of God. He said in Matthew 5:17 that He came not to abolish but to complete the Torah, and to complete our understanding of the Torah and the prophesies concerning Himself. Certainly, the fulfillment of these scriptures concern the finalredemption of Israel, but Christ made the way for us to be included in the New Covenant by His blood! In this is the trying and doing of keeping of the Covenant. Psalm 1:2 states, �Blessed is the man whose delight is in the Law of the LORD, and who meditates upon the Law day and night.� Paul writes in Romans 7:22, �For I delight inthe law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and brining me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.� So how do we keep the Covenant? There are 613 �Mishpatim,� or rules, foundin the Law of God. Like Paul, we would have no chance but to try. Herein, is the Covenant Keeper within us�Christ Jesus made us free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:3: �For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sendinghis own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.� If Christ be in us, His Spirit of Life, we can be Covenant Keepers. ----------------------------- The Heart of God - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org The Lord isn�t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyoneto repent. �2 Peter 3:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-heart-of-god/- Listen The heart of God is for everyone to be saved. However, some people argue that it�s wrong to say that God loves everyone because if someone isn�t one of God�s elect, then God doesn�t love them and therefore didn�t diefor them. This is foolishness. We ought to take the gospel to every person because we don�t know who the chosen are�or are not. All we know is that God wants everyone to believe. As Dwight L. Moody pointed out, �The whosoever wills are the elect, and the whosoever won�ts are the non-elect.� Our responsibility is to bring the gospel to everyone we can. The apostle Paul wrote, �So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all thewisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ� (Colossians 1:28 NLT). There is no denying the fact that the Bible appeals to the will of man. Jesus said, �Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believesin me will never ever die� (John 11:25�26 NLT). Revelation 22 tells us, �The Spirit and the bride say, �Come.� Let anyone who hears this say, �Come.� Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely fromthe water of life� (verse 17 NLT). We get hung up on the hows and the whats of predestination, and we miss the whys. Why did God choose us from the foundation of the world? For what did He predestine us? Weneed to know the answers to these questions. God chose us so that we could have fellowship and intimacy with Him. God wants us to be His children. Ephesians 1:5 says, �God decided in advance to adopt us into his ownfamily by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure� (NLT). Our sin separated us from God, but God adopted us into His family. That is why the Bible says, �And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into ourhearts, prompting us to call out, �Abba, Father� � (Galatians 4:6 nlt). This is the affectionate cry of a child. An English equivalent of �Abba� is �Daddy.� God predestined us to be adopted into His family. But that is not all. He also predestined us to be holy and without blame. In Ephesians 1:4 we read, �Even before he madethe world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes� (NLT). This is the outgrowth of relationship. Realizing that we are children of God and that He has forgiven us causes us to want to live a life that honors Him. Holiness speaksof inward purity. And blamelessness speaks of outward purity. It means that we live it both on the inside and the outside. As we spend time walking with God, we will want to become more like Him. ----------------------------- God�s Greatest Creation - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. �Psalm 139:16 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/gods-greatest-creation/- Listen Without question, people are God�s greatest creation. We are His crowning achievement. In fact, the psalmist David wrote about the intricacies of the human body that God created.He said, �You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother�s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous�how well I know it� (Psalm 139:13�14 NLT). David continued, �You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my lifewas recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed� (verses 15�16 NLT). As we look at Scripture, it appears that God has a plan for each of us, even before we were conceived. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, �The Lord gave me this message: �I knewyou before I formed you in your mother�s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations� � (Jeremiah 1:4�5 NLT). These verses, among others, certainly lay to rest any warped concept that the Bible would somehow allow for abortion. This masterpiece of God�s creation, the human being, is incredible. Scientists estimate that adult human bodies contain 16 trillion cells, all carefully organized to performlife�s various functions in harmony. Consider these statistics about the human body and the amazing things it is capable of: The nose can recognize 10,000 different aromas. The tongue has about 6,000 taste buds.And the brain contains 10 billion nerve cells. Each nerve cell connects to as many as 10,000 other nerve cells throughout the body. In fact, the body has so many blood vessels that the combined length could circle the planet two and a half times. God has custom-designed each of us with our own DNA blueprint, which every cell contains. And if you were to write out your individual blueprint in a book, it would requirean estimated 200,000 pages. God, of course, knows about every word on every page. We have the astounding capacity to store millions of bits of information, keep it in order, and recall it when necessary. We are �wonderfully complex,� as Psalm 139 tellsus. And God�s plan for those who put their faith in Christ is even more amazing. We don�t have to be afraid because His motive is always love for us. Ephesians 2:6�7 tells us, �He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can pointto us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus� (NLT). God wants to spend all of eternity revealing to us His kindness, goodness, and grace. He wants to spend eternity showing us how much He loves us. ------------------------------------ Whenthe Lord Comes �After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thyshield, and thy exceeding great reward.� (Genesis15:1) This is the first of the great �I am�s� of Scripture, and it was given to Father Abraham at a time of both great victory and great despondence. The Lord had enabled Abraham�s little army to vanquish a much larger Amorite host, but then, still childless, hewas suddenly overwhelmed by his loneliness and vulnerability in an alien land. Then Jesus came! When Christ much later affirmed His eternal self-existence to the Pharisees (�I am,� He had said), He claimed that Abraham had seen His day and rejoiced (John8:56). This experience, recorded early in Genesis, was, no doubt, that great occasion. As the living Word (John1:1) by whom all things were made (v. 3), He assured Abram that He Himself would provide all needed protection (�thy shield�) and all needed blessing (�exceeding great reward�). And then it was that �he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him forrighteousness� (Genesis15:6). The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal existing Creator and Redeemer of all things, is no less able today than then to be our protection�and our provision as well. Note also that it was the Word of the Lord that came to Abram in a vision. This is the first use of the Hebrew word dabar in Scripture to mean �word,� and here it is the Word of God personified. This still further identifies the vision with the pre-incarnate Christ, who would eventually become God�s incarnate Word (John1:1, 14). Thus, as to Abram, God says, �Fear not!� Adam, indeed, was justifiably afraid when he heard the voice of the Lord (Genesis3:10), for he had only a fig leaf for a covering. But, like Abram, we have a strong shield, which is none other than the Lord Himself. HMM ------------------------- TheLord and Inspiration �And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying...� (Leviticus 1:1) This introductory verse to what many erroneously consider a dry and difficult book of the Bible actually introduces a remarkable phenomenon. All the rest of the chapter consists of a direct quotation from the Lord Himself. In fact, most of the rest of the bookalso consists solely of the direct words of God, except for an occasional interjection of a statement that God was still speaking. In all, 717 of the 832 verses in Leviticus (that is 86%) consist of the very words of God, directly quoted. This is more thanany other book of the Bible, except for the books of the prophets, some of which also consist almost entirely of verbatim statements from God. The same situation is found in lesser but still substantial degrees in other historical books, not to mention theextensive quotations from the sermons and discourses of Christ in the four gospels. While it is true that the Holy Spirit used many different means by which to convey the Scriptures (all of which are verbally inspired and fully inerrant) to writing, it is also true that on many occasions what amounts to the �dictation� method was used by Him.Evangelicals have often been intimidated by the scientists� ridicule of this �mechanical theory� of inspiration, but they should not be. God is well able to use whatever means He chooses to reveal His word to men, and we should simply take Him at His word! Leviticus is a guidebook for the consecration and cleansing of God�s people�especially His priests. In the New Covenant, all believers are priests and therefore are expected to be consecrated and pure. �But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, anholy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light� (1 Peter 2:9).HMM ---------------------------- Becauseof God�s Grace - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can�t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. �Ephesians 2:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/because-of-gods-grace/- Listen Christians have no grounds whatsoever for boasting. There is nothing to boast about. We didn�t become Christians because we were born into a Christian family, were relativelymoral people, or did a number of good deeds. Therefore, we have absolutely nothing we can take credit for. And if we find ourselves bragging about anything that we have done to obtain our salvation, either we are not saved, or we don�t understand what it means for God to forgiveus. In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul makes a bedrock statement about the Christian faith: �God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can�t take credit for this; itis a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it� (verses 8�9 NLT). This is a foundational Christian doctrine. Yet it�s surprising how many people don�t grasp the simple yet profound truth that we are Christians entirely and solely becauseof the grace of God. Earlier in Ephesians, Paul spoke of God�s mercy. Here, He speaks of God�s grace. God has dealt with us in grace, which is getting what we don�t deserve: His forgiveness, Hispardon, and adoption into His family. Someone has accurately defined grace as �God�s unmerited favor.� This grace came in spite of what we were and what we did. Grace is getting what we don�t deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. And justice is getting what we deserve. We never want to ask God to give us justice because, in doing so, we�re asking Him to give us what we deserve. And what we deserve is Hell. Thankfully, God has not dealt withus according to justice because Jesus Christ met God�s righteous requirement at Calvary. The death of Jesus satisfied the justice of God. An effective testimony (your story of how you came to faith) always will glorify God and never will glorify the past. Some Christians make their lives before Christ soundso juicy and interesting that they make the present seem dull. That is an inaccurate testimony. If you are honest about what you were before you became a Christian, then you must talk about the spiritual state you were in. You were separated from God and in rebellionagainst Him. A good testimony never will glorify the past; it always will glorify the Lord. Every Christian has a testimony because the power of God has gloriously transformed every person who has put his or her faith in Jesus Christ. It�s important to realize that salvation does not come from anything that we�ve done. So, let�s not boast about what we�ve done or what we gave up to follow Jesus. Granted,we may have given up some things, but they�re nothing compared to what God gave us in their place. If we don�t realize that, then we don�t know how dark our state was, how miserable of a condition we were in, and how far we were separated from God. ------------------------------- Better Off, but Not Better - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all asgarbage, so that I could gain Christ. �Philippians 3:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/better-off-but-not-better/- Listen If ever there was a man who had a spiritual pedigree, it was the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul. He was someone who had done it all. In his own words, he said, �Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-bloodedcitizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin�a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law� (Philippians 3:4�5 NLT). Then, a few verses later, he made an amazing statement: �I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes,everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ� (verses 7�8 NLT). Paul was saying, �I know all about self-righteousness. In fact, I obeyed the law so carefully, there was no one who could claim that I broke God�s commandments.� Yet Paulwas saying that the things that he once considered valuable were worthless to him. They no longer meant anything. We shouldn�t feel arrogant as believers. Paul reminded the Christians in Ephesus, �God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can�t take credit for this; it isa gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it� (Ephesians 2:8�9 nlt). Christians are not better than non-Christians. Are we better off? Yes. But are we better? No. I�ve often described myself as one beggar telling another beggar where to findfood. We need to be humble because it wasn�t that long ago that we, too, were separated from God. Sometimes people who were raised in a Christian environment or in a home where Christian values were honored develop a resistance to the gospel. There can be boasting in aspiritual pedigree. Sometimes, we feel so proud of ourselves as Christians. We might sit in church and think, �Here I am at church while my children are in Sunday school, learning the Word ofGod. Right next to me is my spouse of twelve years. We�ve never had any problems in our marriage to speak of. Everything is going well in our lives. We�re very spiritual people.� But we�d better be careful because the Bible says that pride goes before a fall (see Proverbs 16:18). And 1 John 2:16 warns, �For the world offers only a craving for physicalpleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world� (NLT). The devil is cunning. If he doesn�t catch you in other sins, he might get you through pride. You might just slip and fall. So don�t boast. ------------------------ Tothe Praise of His Glory �Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the goodpleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.� (Ephesians1:5-6) Theologians of great ability and unquestioned sincerity have argued the meaning of predestination for centuries. Since the question involves the eternal, inscrutable counsels of the infinite Creator, it is evidently impossible for finite humans to comprehendits full meaning. But we don�t have to understand it before we can rejoice in its truth. The Scriptures (especially our text) teach that the purpose of God�s predestinating work is that we might glorify Him and His amazing grace! We have been predestinatedto become adopted sons of God, �to the praise of the glory of his grace.� Then it is said that we have been predestinated to a great inheritance, in order �that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ� (v. 12). We have been �sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,� and, again, this is all �unto the praiseof his glory� (vv. 13-14). Note also that He has �predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself� (v. 5). �We have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will� (v. 11).We have also been predestinated �to be conformed to the image of his Son� (Romans8:29)�predestinated unto eternal holiness, sonship, heirship, and Christlikeness! Surely such gifts are cause enough for us to praise eternally the glory of His grace. That is, indeed, what we shall do in the ages to come. �Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen� (Ephesians3:21). And since we are to be testifying to the praise of the glory of His grace throughout all ages, it behooves us to do so now as well. HMM ------------------------- The Master�s Chisel - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org For we are God�s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. �Ephesians 2:10 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-masters-chisel/- Listen History tells us that the artist and sculptor Michelangelo, commenting on one of his works, said, �I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.� In the same way, God sees what we can become. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, �For we are God�s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good thingshe planned for us long ago� (NLT). Or, as the New King James Version translates this verse, �For we are His workmanship . . .� This word, translated as �masterpiece� or �workmanship,� comes from the Greek word poiema, which is the basis for our English term poem or work of art. It�s a word that speaksof something that is perfect. It carries the idea of rhythm, orderliness, and beauty. Now, when I look at my life, I don�t necessarily see rhythm, orderliness, and beauty. And I guarantee that I don�t see perfection. Maybe you feel the same way. However, God is saying, �You are My work of art. You�re My masterwork.� Understand that God isn�t a doting father who cannot see his child�s faults. No, He is our all-knowingyet all-powerful Father in Heaven who can envision what we will be. We are wonderfully complex. And we�ve been made in His image. Before I started preaching, I used to do graphic arts. I often sat at my drawing board just thinking, and then I began to sketch. Sometimes, people walked up and asked whatI was drawing, and typically, I said that I wasn�t sure. I was still envisioning it. It�s simply the way artists work. In the same way, we might look at ourselves and see a blank canvas, but God sees the finished work of art. God can look at us and see what we will become, even before we actuallybecome it. We tend to see our flaws and our imperfections, but God sees us for what we will be. For example, Jesus gave Simon a new name, Peter, which means �rock.� Now, all those who knew Simon probably thought it was kind of funny that Jesus named him that. A rock,after all, speaks of solidity. It speaks of something stable, strong, and dependable. And Simon wasn�t those things. But essentially, Jesus was saying, �It�s all right. You�re going to grow into that name. It will take some time.� And later, when Peter was a leader in the church, no onequestioned whether he was a rock. We may look at ourselves right now and say, �I don�t get it. This doesn�t look like a work of beauty.� But God is saying, �Hang on. I can see what I can make you into. You need to be patient because you�re a work in progress.� It doesn�t happen overnight. It will take your entire life on this earth. In fact, it won�t be finished until you get to Heaven. But then you will see that you indeed area perfect work of art, that you are God�s masterpiece.