DAILT DEVOTIONALS: 3.2.24

 TheLaw and the Spirit “Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meatoffering unto the LORD.” (Leviticus23:16) This commandment represents the initiation of the Jewish Feast of Pentecost (“fiftieth day”) that many years later was the day on which the Holy Spirit came to the church waiting in the upper room (Acts2:1-4). There were seven such annual “feasts of Jehovah,” all outlined in Leviticus 23, beginning with the Passover commemorating the deliverance from Egypt and culminating in the Feast of Tabernacles in memory of their entrance into the Promised Land after dwelling in tents in the wilderness. The middle feast of the seven was Pentecost, which seems to have been the anniversary of the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. It was scheduled 50 days after the “morrow after the sabbath” of the wave-offering of the “firstfruits” (Leviticus23:10, 15), which in turn seems to have been the Passover sabbath on the 14th day of the first month (Exodus12:2, 6). It was on the third day of the third month that God came down on Mount Sinai to give the law (Exodus19:1, 11, 16). Jewish time-reckoning included both the first and last days of a time period in figuring the number of days between two events, so both the Lord’s appearance on Sinai and the annual Feast of Pentecost seem to have been 50 days after thePassover offering. And so was the coming of the Holy Spirit! When the Holy Spirit came to the upper room, there were fiery tongues and a mighty wind (Acts2:2-3). On that great day, Peter announced to Israel, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts2:36), and we have received His great promise of the indwelling Law in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Hebrews10:15-17). HMM ------------------------ SeducingSpirits “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heedto seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1Timothy 4:1) These “latter days” are surely characterized by the tragic departure from the faith on the part of many. Unfortunately, even many of our churches have followed what should certainly be exposed as “seducing spirits,” embracing lies taught under the influenceof Satan. A list of such false teachings and practices within the church would surely implicate many. Let us look at the examples Paul gives in the next few verses. First, he identifies the leaders and teachers of these errors as hypocritical liars who intentionally deceive their prey. They have deadened any possibility of right attitude by hardening their minds and searing their consciences (v. 2). Next, we are given examples of their heresy: “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving” (v. 3). Many cults and pseudo-Christian groups have fallen into these traps, but both the institution of marriage and the provision of foods were specifically created by God for man’s enjoyment and blessing (marriage: see Genesis 1:28; 2:18, 24; foods: Genesis 1:29;9:3). They are to be “received with thanksgiving” to a loving Creator, “sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1Timothy 4:4-5). Each of these and all of God’s creation are “very good” (Genesis1:31) if used properly. But the main point of this passage is that we should guard against the heresy of false teachers and from imposing on ourselves and our fellow Christians a false piety—practices that may make us feel “holier than thou” but that in reality impugn God and Hiscreation. Rather, let us be among those “which believe and know the truth” (1Timothy 4:3) of God’s loving provision of creation. JDM -------------------------- ThePrayer of Faith “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committedsins, they shall be forgiven him.” (James5:15) Without examining the various interpretations of this somewhat controversial passage, we merely note that one of the main ingredients of effective praying is faith. There are others, of course (praying in God’s will, no unconfessed sin, unselfish motives, etc.),but all these must be “mixed with faith” to be effective (Hebrews4:2). There are many such exhortations to pray in faith. Jesus said, “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew21:22). Another example is James 1:5-6: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” And another: “Therefore I say unto you,What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark11:24). Every Scripture passage must be viewed in context, of course, including the context of the entire Bible. The “faith” we must exercise is not only a spiritual confidence that God will answer (and this, clearly, is necessary) but also faith in God as Creator(and therefore able to answer!), Christ as Savior (therefore justly willing to hear), and in the Holy Scriptures as the written Word of God. James warns any man without genuine faith, “Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-mindedman is unstable in all his ways” (James1:7-8). True biblical faith is faith in God the omnipotent Creator (Hebrews11:3), faith in Christ as redeeming Savior (John3:16-18), and obedient faith in the revealed Word of God (1John 3:22). Then we can believe in confidence that God will indeed answer our prayer of faith. HMM ------------------------ TheMagnified Word of God “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: forthou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalm138:2) The Word of God is not greater than God, of course, but is greater than His name, and this is itself inestimably magnificent. The “name” of God represents all that He is and all that He does and is supremely deserving of the praise of all His creatures. But we can only know His name—what He is and what He does—through His Word. The full exposition of His character of truth and His acts of love and mercy can be discerned only through His Word, which thus becomes greater than His name by manifesting and revealingHis name. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John1:12). We believe on His name, and thereby receive Him, by trusting His Word of truth and appropriating His forgiving mercy. We deny His name by doubting His Word and despising His proffered salvation. The Word of God is “light” (Psalm119:105), and “thy word is truth” (John17:17). It is living and energizing (Hebrews4:12). It is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, and righteous altogether (Psalm19:7-9). “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable....That the man of God may be perfect” (2Timothy 3:16-17). May God enable us, in full sincerity of heart and mind, to “worship” (literally to “bow down” to His Word) in everything He says—believing and obeying His promises and His commandments. There are many who charge Christians with placing too much emphasis on the written Word, but it is impossible to place too much emphasis on the Bible, for God Himself has magnified His Word even above His name! HMM ------------------------ TheAlabaster Box “And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabasterbox of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.” (Mark14:3) This unusual incident is reported also by Matthew and John, who says the woman was Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus and Martha. John says that she also “anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor ofthe ointment” (John12:3). This is a remarkable story of devotion, and, as Jesus prophesied, “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matthew26:13). At present-day prices, the lovely container and its aromatic contents would be worth at least several hundred dollars. Yet, Mary gladly broke her alabaster box (so it could never be used again) and poured its costly perfume over her Lord, fromHis head to His feet, thus anointing His whole body. Then, as the ointment ran down to His feet, she wiped them clean with her long hair. The disciples were shocked at this seeming waste, but “Jesus said, Let her alone....She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying” (Mark14:6, 8). Little did they know (still less did Mary know!) that in just one week His battered body would be laid in a grave, anointed with myrrh instead of spikenard, and wrapped in burial linens instead of Mary’s hair. But Jesus knew, and Mary had “donewhat she could” to show the reality of her love for her Lord. It had cost her dearly—not only in material possessions but also in sacrifice of all pride and self-esteem, and the Lord was honored. “She hath wrought a good work upon me,” He said (Matthew26:10), and that’s what counts. HMM ------------------------------ ARadical Situation - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separatedus. �Ephesians 2:14 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-radical-situation/- Listen One of the most memorable events in contemporary human history was the fall of the Berlin Wall. Built in 1961, it was a symbol of the tyranny of Communism and its repressionof the people under its control. After World War II, Germany was divided, and the Soviets took Eastern Germany and East Berlin. Ultimately, they built a wall around it, which divided the nation. A numberof people tried to escape, and many lost their lives in the process. In 1987, President Reagan made his now-famous speech there, saying, �Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!� Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union at the time, did not doit, but the people of East Germany ultimately did. It was a great moment for freedom when that wall came down. Going much further back in history, another wall came down that also was a symbol of tyranny and bondage. It was the wall of sin that Jesus Christ tore down because of whatHe did for us on the cross. We read about it in Ephesians 2:14: �For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke downthe wall of hostility that separated us� (NLT). It has been said that you can tell the depth of a well by how much rope must be lowered. As we look at how much rope God lowered from Heaven when He sent His own Son to diefor our sins, we realize how deep the well really was. It�s amazing to me how many people so casually consider the claims of Jesus Christ, acting as though they have all the time in the world to sort through various religiousideas and come to their own conclusions. They peruse religious ideologies like they�re looking at a menu and deciding what to have for dinner. They may start with a small order of Christianity, but they want to hold the guilt on that. Maybe they�ll have a side of Hinduism with a little bit of mysticism thrown in.They think they can pick and choose what they like�or even order � la carte. But they don�t see how radical their situation really is. What they don�t realize is they�re in the middle of a desert. They�re dehydrated and starving to death, without any resources to purchase food or water. They�re in trouble.But suddenly, God appears and sets before them a beautiful banquet table filled with the finest gourmet offerings. And He bids them to come and dine. Basically, they have a choice: they can eat and partake of what God offers them, or they can refuse to eat and then die because of their decision. But the price already hasbeen paid for the feast. There�s nothing they can do to earn it. This is the situation of humanity. God has laid out for us a clear path on which to walk and to know Him. And it�s the only way to come into a relationship with Him. ---------------------------------- The Blessed Interruption - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. �Ephesians 2:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-blessed-interruption/- Listen Ancient Ephesus was known for its cultural learning, its incredible edifices, and its spirituality. The people of Ephesus were very religious. They worshipped many gods anderected idols of every conceivable deity. These were religious people, but they did not know God. Their religion was their vain attempt to reach God through their own human efforts. Although there were numerous godsin Ephesus, the people of that city did not have a relationship with the one true God. Historians tell us that a great cloud of hopelessness covered the ancient world. Their philosophies were empty, and their traditions were disappearing. In addition, theirreligions were powerless to impact them in this life or to prepare them for the life to come. Yet, is that not a picture, in many ways, of our culture today? We have made incredible advances in technology, but people are searching spiritually. They�re asking the bigquestions: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? Sadly, so many are looking for truth in all the wrong places. They want the benefits of faith but not the restrictions of it. They have a form of godliness but deny the powerthereof. The Bible tells us that will be a sign of the last days. According to 2 Timothy 3:5, people �will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly� (NLT). There is only one way of reconciliation that God has made available to us. If we want reconciliation with God, it will come only through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:13 tellsus, �But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ� (NLT). Notice the words �but now.� We were on our way to a certain judgment, but God interrupted that when He sent Jesus. It was a blessed interruption. Because of the death andresurrection of Jesus and His shed blood, we now have been reconciled to God. Sin is the great separator in the world. Ever since it entered in, it has been dividing people throughout human history. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, sin immediately began its work of separation. It separated Adam and Eve from God. And ultimately, it separated their sons Cain andAbel. But at the cross of Calvary, Jesus eliminated the wall that separates us from God. He brought about reconciliation. We can come to God right now, but not because of our worthiness or because of the good deeds we�ve done. We come to Him because of a relationship with Him�and that relationshipwas purchased through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. ----------------------- Dealing with Guilt - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven�s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. �Hebrews 10:19 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/dealing-with-guilt/- Listen Sometimes, our consciences can condemn us. They go into hyperdrive and won�t let us alone, whispering, �You are unworthy. You have done wrong. You can�t approach God.� Yet the Bible tells us that God�s Spirit can cleanse us of a guilty conscience because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. Hebrews 10:19 says, �And so, dear brothersand sisters, we can boldly enter heaven�s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus� (NLT). And in 1 John 3:20, we read, �Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything� (NLT). This means that we can approach God no matter what we have done. However, the devil doesn�t want us to know this. He wants us to think that we can only approach God when we have done well. He wants us to believe that if we have been walkingclosely with the Lord, then we can pray. But if we�ve fouled up, we can�t. For example, maybe you�ve had a disagreement with your husband or wife. You think, �Maybe we should pray before we go to bed. But that would be hypocritical because we justhad a fight. How can we pray after we�ve had a fight?� Or maybe you�ve thought, �I can�t pray because I lost my temper in this situation,� or �I can�t pray because I just had an impure thought.� That kind of thinking is from the devil himself. The Bible calls him �the accuser of our brothers and sisters� (Revelation 12:10 NLT). And as you prepare to go into God�spresence in prayer, he�ll say, �Do you think you are worthy to approach God? You call yourself a Christian! What a hypocrite you are! What a failure and disappointment to God you are!� But he is a liar. And when Satan talks to you about God, he lies. He lies to you because he wants to keep you away from God. He also wants to keep you out of the Word of Godbecause he knows that is where the power is. That is how changes will take place in your life. When the Spirit of God convicts us, He will use the Word of God, in love, to seek to bring us back into fellowship with the Father. In contrast, when Satan accuses us, hewill use our own sins in a hateful way to drive us away from fellowship with the Father. God�s Spirit will make us aware of what we�ve done wrong, but He always will bring us back to the cross. When we have messed up, we need to go to the cross. When we have donesomething wrong, we need to go to the cross. We always need to go to the cross and to God in prayer. The devil wants to keep us away from God, and his accusations always will drive us away from the cross. God�s Spirit, however, always will bring us to the cross. ------------------------------------ The Only Way We Can Know God - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. �Hebrews 9:22 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-only-way-we-can-know-god/- Listen The classic hymn by Robert Lowry says, �What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O preciousis the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.� Sometimes, even people who are Christians say things like, �I think that other people may find their own path to God. Who am I to say they can�t know God if they haven�t comethrough Christ? I found my way to God through Christ. But maybe someone else has found their way through another path.� That may sound sweet and touching, but it is not biblical thinking. The Bible clearly teaches that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (see Hebrews9:22). This is God�s order. He set it up. In the Old Testament, a priest sacrificed an animal for a person�s sin. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ fulfilled all that the Old Testament pointed to. He became the Lambof God who took away the sin of the world (see John 1:29). Now, the only way that we can know God is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We can only come to God through Jesus Christ. And if we are not coming to Him through theblood of Christ, then we cannot know God. We don�t come to God because we seek to follow the example of Jesus alone. No one can do that. If anything, if we were to take an honest look at Jesus� life, it would showus how far we fall short. We don�t gain access to God because we try to live by the teachings of Jesus, as wonderful and profound as they are as the words of God to us. It isn�t following His teaching alone that does it. If we honestly look at the teaching of Jesus, it will make us aware of our own sinful condition. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, among other things, �But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect� (Matthew 5:48 NLT). He also said that Godlooks at our hearts as well as our actions. His teaching drives us to Him. So, can we approach God because we�re worthy? No. It is built upon a relationship that stands, no matter what our state may be. Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for us so that we could be forgiven of our sins. We put our complete trust in Him because it is only through His blood that we canapproach God. It is one thing to know that God has done this for us and to say that we believe it�s true. But we need to ask ourselves these questions: Have we applied it in our lives?Are we applying it to the situations that we�re facing? We have open access to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. ----------------------------------------- TheGood Pleasure of God �Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfillall the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.� (2Thessalonians 1:11) God�s good pleasure withholds judgment! �It is of the LORD�s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness� (Lamentations3:22-23). �The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works� (Psalm145:8-9). God�s good pleasure is to do good to His people! �The LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly� (Psalm84:11). �Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart� (Psalm37:3-4). God�s good pleasure forgives us! �Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassionupon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea� (Micah7:18-19). God�s good pleasure is to bring about His will! �For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts....So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void,but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it� (Isaiah55:9-11). �The Lord...is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance� (2Peter 3:9). When we live in God�s good pleasure, we are able to �delight� in Him. HMM III --------------------------- EntertainingAngels �Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.� (Hebrews13:2) Angels are not human men or women; they are spirits�in fact, �ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation� (Hebrews1:14). Nevertheless, God has given them the remarkable ability to take on the actual appearance of men when the need arises. The allusion in our text to some who have unwittingly played host to angelic visitors probably refers to Abraham, who entertained God and two angels, appearing as men, one hot day long ago in �the plains of Mamre,� and then to his nephew Lot down in Sodom,who offered the hospitality of his home to the two angels that evening (Genesis18:2; 19:1). Because of the wicked reputation of the Sodomites and then their rapacious desire to abuse Lot�s two guests, these angels the next day enabled Lot and his daughters to escape when there came down �fire from the LORD out of heaven� (Genesis19:24) to destroy that city. Most of us have never seen an angel�that is, unless we, like Abraham and Lot, have unwittingly encountered them. But the fact is that they are there when needed! �The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them� (Psalm34:7). In fact, the Bible records a number of miraculous occurrences that actually involved the agency of one or more angels to bring them about. For example, the prophet Daniel passed an entire night in a den of hungry lions because, as Daniel reported the next morning, �My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions� mouths, that they have not hurt me� (Daniel6:22). God indeed is able to deliver us when we have a special need and when we call on Him in faith. HMM -------------------------- PracticalLiving - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org We love each other because he loved us first. �1 John 4:19 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/practical-living/- Listen Often, we hear preaching that only emphasizes what we�re supposed to do for God. So, when we go to church, we start feeling guilty because we don�t measure up. We�re not givingenough, or praying enough, or evangelizing enough. We need to learn more about what God has done for us. In doing so, we�ll gain a greater appreciation for Him, and we�ll want to do more for Him. As 1 John 4:19 reminds us, �We love each other because he loved us first� (NLT). As we read the Bible, we will find that the primary emphasis is not what we should do for God but what God has done for us. Now, that is not to say that the Bible doesn�thave plenty to tell us about how we are to live and behave as believers. But we need to pay closest attention to Scripture�s emphasis on what God has done for us. In the first three chapters of Ephesians, the apostle Paul lays out what God has done for us. He�s essentially saying, �Here�s what God has done for you. In light of this,it�s time for you to walk spiritually. It�s time for you to use what God has given to you.� We could compare the first three chapters of Ephesians to being on a mountaintop. When Jesus was transfigured on a mountain, Peter, James, and John had the privilege of seeingit. And Peter, overwhelmed by what he saw, said to Jesus, �Rabbi, it�s wonderful for us to be here! Let�s make three shelters as memorials�one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah� (Mark 9:5 NLT). In essence, Peter was saying, �Let�s never leave this spot. Forget about the troubles down the mountain. Let�s just set up camp and stay here.� In the same way, we could read the first three chapters of Ephesians and say, �Forget about the next section. I like hearing about what God has done for me. Let�s not go anyfurther.� But we have to move on. And as we transition from chapter 3 to chapter 4, an important division takes place. Ephesians 4 begins, �Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord,beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God� (NLT). Notice that Paul begins with the word �therefore.� As I�ve often said, whenever you see the word �therefore� in the Bible, find out what it�s there for. It is always drawingon what has been previously said. While they were on the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James, and John didn�t know there was a man waiting with a very real need. He had a child who was possessed by demons andneeded a touch from Jesus. Sometimes, we wish that the Christian life could be a constant state of euphoria in which we�re always experiencing God in some wonderful way. But we cannot live on the mountaintop.We need to come back to the valleys, to the real world of practical living.