From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
daily devotional
Evening ...
Jeremiah 2:18
And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?
By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah had
proved Himself to be worthy of Israel's trust. Yet they broke down the hedges
with which God had enclosed them as a sacred garden; they forsook their own
true and living God, and followed after false gods. Constantly did the Lord
reprove them for this infatuation, and our text contains one instance of God's
expostulating with them, "What hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink
the waters of the muddy river?"-for so it may be translated. "Why dost thou
wander afar and leave thine own cool stream from Lebanon? Why dost thou forsake
Jerusalem to turn aside to Noph and to Tahapanes? Why art thou so strangely set
on mischief, that thou canst not be content with the good and healthful, but
wouldst follow after that which is evil and deceitful?" Is there not here a
word of expostulation and warning to the Christian? O true believer, called by
grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, thou hast tasted of better
drink than the muddy river of this world's pleasure can give thee; thou hast
had fellowship with Christ; thou hast obtained the joy of seeing Jesus, and
leaning thine head upon His bosom. Do the trifles, the songs, the honours, the
merriment of this earth content thee after that? Hast thou eaten the bread of
angels, and canst thou live on husks? Good Rutherford once said, "I have tasted
of Christ's own manna, and it hath put my mouth out of taste for the brown
bread of this world's joys." Methinks it should be so with thee. If thou art
wandering after the waters of Egypt, O return quickly to the one living
fountain: the waters of Sihor may be sweet to the Egyptians, but they will
prove only bitterness to thee. What hast thou to do with them? Jesus asks thee
this question this evening-what wilt thou answer Him?
Matthew 5:13-15
(13) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his
savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but
to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (14) Ye are the light of
the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (15) Neither do men
light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth
light unto all that are in the house.
Our Savior Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5:13-14 that we are
the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world"-we who are also the weak
and the foolish of this world (I Corinthians 1:27). Mentally, when we hear such
praises from God, some of us look both ways and behind, and say, "He must be
talking about someone else." We struggle to overcome, and we feel we are always
"a day late and a dollar short." Though we wish with all our heart that we were
more like God, His image in us seems all the more elusive.
But Jesus did not lie in saying these things. As salt gives food
a rich, pleasant taste, we are those who are to give a good flavor to the lives
of those we encounter. There should be something in our conduct that shows the
fruit of the life to which God has called us.
He goes on to say that, if we are not "radiating with
flavor"-reflecting the teachings of God in our lives-what use are we,
especially to God Himself? Salt without flavor has no use, and it can even be
detrimental to the things it comes in contact with. Maybe its best use is to be
put on icy roads, to be ground under the tires of vehicles and then washed away.
In Christ's other metaphor, light illuminates what was once dark;
it reveals things that were hidden. Though we may be poor, considered old and
over the hill, uneducated and obscure, when we live our lives as He instructs,
we are a brilliant beacon to this tired and confused world. Our lives can shine
a spotlight on the solutions to many common problems experienced by our friends
and neighbors.
Jesus points out that we should not hide our light under a basket
(verse 15), but live it in the open for all to see. We can set a proper example
of the abundant way to live. We should give everyone we meet the light of our
loving concern, the light of our honesty, the light of joy and peace, the light
of godly family relations, the light of good work habits, and all the other
rays of light contained in God's way.
In doing this, we will initially bring attention upon ourselves,
and this may at times become uncomfortable. Righteousness has an uncanny
tendency to bring out the worst in carnal human beings. Ultimately, however, we
will glorify God the Father and His Son by it, promoting the cause of the
Kingdom of God.
John O. Reid
From Abstaining From Evil
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
daily devotional
Evening ...
1 John 1:7
The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
"Cleanseth," says the text-not "shall cleanse." There are multitudes who
think that as a dying hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh! how infinitely
better to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility of
forgiveness when I come to die. Some imagine that a sense of pardon is an
attainment only obtainable after many years of Christian experience. But
forgiveness of sin is a present thing-a privilege for this day, a joy for this
very hour. The moment a sinner trusts Jesus he is fully forgiven. The text,
being written in the present tense, also indicates continuance; it was
"cleanseth" yesterday, it is "cleanseth" to-day, it will be "cleanseth"
tomorrow: it will be always so with you, Christian, until you cross the river;
every hour you may come to this fountain, for it cleanseth still. Notice,
likewise, the completeness of the cleansing, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanseth us from all sin"-not only from sin, but "from all sin." Reader, I
cannot tell you the exceeding sweetness of this word, but I pray God the Holy
Ghost to give you a taste of it. Manifold are our sins against God. Whether the
bill be little or great, the same receipt can discharge one as the other. The
blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions
of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John; our iniquity is
gone, all gone at once, and all gone for ever. Blessed completeness! What a
sweet theme to dwell upon as one gives himself to sleep.
"Sins against a holy God;
Sins against His righteous laws;
Sins against His love, His blood;
Sins against His name and cause;
Sins immense as is the sea-
From them all He cleanseth me."
Luke 23:42-43
(42) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom. (43) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt
thou be with me in paradise.
Jesus said He would be in the grave three days and three nights after His
crucifixion. Then could the thief have been with Christ in Paradise that very
day?
Notice Luke 23:43 carefully. Jesus said that the crucified malefactor
would be with Him in Paradise. If we can prove where Jesus went when He died,
then we can prove if the malefactor really went to Paradise that day.
In I Corinthians 15:3-4. Paul reiterates: "For I delivered to
you"-speaking to Christians-"first of all that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
Notice that Jesus was buried-it does not say the body was buried, and
that the soul went to Paradise. It reads that He-Jesus, Himself, entirely-was
buried. He was dead for three days. He died for our sins. Then He came to life.
He arose!
John gives us further proof of where Jesus was. "Now in the place where
he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein
was never man yet laid. There"-in the tomb, the grave-"laid they Jesus" ( John
19:41-42). It was Jesus who was laid in the tomb, not merely the body of Jesus.
Jesus was dead!
To make this even plainer, look at Acts 2:31. Speaking of Christ, Peter
quotes the prophet David as follows: "He [David] seeing this before spake of
the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his
flesh did see corruption."
This verse, translated in the King James Version, proves that Jesus was
not in Paradise, but in hell. The word "hell" ought to be rendered "grave." The
originals inspired Greek word used by Peter was hades, meaning the "grave." It
does not mean a fiery, burning hell. The Bible uses another word for that.
Hell or the grave is not Paradise. Since Jesus did not enter Paradise
that day-the day of the crucifixion-then neither did the malefactor enter it.
Christ has "preeminence" in all things, we read in Colossians 1:18. Therefore
the malefactor who repented could not have preceded Christ to Paradise.
Whenever the repentant malefactor enters Paradise, Christ will be there too! He
said so: "With me shalt thou be in paradise."
Since we know where Jesus was when He died, we now need to locate
Paradise. Notice II Corinthians 12:1-5. Paul speaks of one whom He knew who had
marvelous visions and revelations from the Lord. In a vision he was "caught up
to the third heaven"-God's throne! "He was caught up into paradise, and heard
unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." Then Paradise is
located in the presence of God's throne.
Let's continue with the Bible description of Paradise. Turn to Revelation
2:7. "To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the Paradise of God" (American Standard Version). Observe that the
tree of life is in the Paradise of God.
Next, turn to Revelation 22:1-2. These two verses are referring to "the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" ( Revelation
21:2, ASV). In this city, which is also a type of the church, we find "a river
of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of
the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and
on that was the tree of life. . . ." (ASV). The New Jerusalem contains the tree
of life. In the New Jerusalem is the Paradise of God.
Jesus said the repentant malefactor would be with Him in this Paradise.
The New Jerusalem is not yet finished. Jesus is still preparing a place for us
in it ( John 14:2). Not until after the Millennium will it be fully ready (
Revelation 20:1-5). Not until then will it descend to earth-not until then will
the repentant malefactor enter Paradise!
Then what did Jesus mean by saying, "Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise"? You probably have assumed that Jesus promised the thief that he
would be with Him in paradise that very day. Nothing could be further from the
truth!
Remember the thief had asked earlier, "Lord, remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom" ( Luke 23:42). The plain fact is that Jesus has not yet come
into His Kingdom ( Luke 11:2; 19:11; I Corinthians 11:26; I Thessalonians
4:13-17; I Corinthians 15:23, 49-52).
Additionally, proper punctuation helps explain Luke 23:43. Most
translations are improperly punctuated in order to make it appear that Jesus
would be in Paradise that day. But the Bible proves Jesus was not in Paradise
that day. A comma placed before the word "today" is incorrect. The comma should
follow it-"Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Open your Bible to this controversial verse. Notice the punctuation.
Remember that punctuation was not used in the inspired Greek which Luke wrote.
It was added into the Greek and English centuries later. The punctuation in
this verse was added by men.
Here is exactly, word for word, the order in the inspired original Greek,
which you can verify at any public library: "Verily I say to thee today, 'With
me shalt thou be in the Paradise.'" By using the word "today," Jesus was
stressing the time of His promise-not the time He would be in Paradise.
The repentant malefactor crucified with Jesus is still dead and buried.
Jesus alone is the firstborn from the dead ( Romans 8:29; Acts 26:23; I
Corinthians 15:23). But the time is coming when this man shall be resurrected
also and eventually shall enter the Paradise of God promised to come to this
earth.
Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)
From What Is the Reward of the Saved?
