From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] daily devotional
Evening ...
Psalm 113:8
That He may set him with princes.
Our spiritual privileges are of the highest order. "Among princes" is the
place of select society. "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His
Son Jesus Christ." Speak of select society, there is none like this! "We are a
chosen generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood." "We are come unto
the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in
heaven." The saints have courtly audience: princes have admittance to royalty
when common people must stand afar off. The child of God has free access to the
inner courts of heaven. "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto
the Father." "Let us come boldly," says the apostle, "to the throne of the
heavenly grace." Among princes there is abundant wealth, but what is the
abundance of princes compared with the riches of believers? for "all things are
yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." "He that spared not His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things?" Princes have peculiar power. A prince of heaven's empire
has great influence: he wields a sceptre in his own domain; he sits upon Jesus'
throne, for "He hath made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for
ever and ever." We reign over the united kingdom of time and eternity. Princes,
again, have special honour. We may look down upon all earth-born dignity from
the eminence upon which grace has placed us. For what is human grandeur to
this, "He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus"? We share the honour of Christ, and compared with this,
earthly splendours are not worth a thought. Communion with Jesus is a richer
gem than ever glittered in imperial diadem. Union with the Lord is a coronet of
beauty outshining all the blaze of imperial pomp.
Numbers 22:22
(22) And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the
LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his
ass, and his two servants were with him.
God was angry because Balaam went when He had specifically told him,
"Don't go unless they come to you and ask you." Nothing in God's Word says that
they did. Instead, it says that Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his
donkey, and off he went.
God gave conditional permission. The condition was only if he was asked
again, but he was not asked again yet went anyway. Balaam was one of those
people who, if you give him an inch, he takes a mile. If he was not
specifically told, "You shall not go," then he thought that meant he could go
ahead and leave.
In like manner, there are those who think, "Well, because the Bible does
not say 'Thus saith the Lord,' it is okay!" We can see many things in Balaam's
character that are similar to what many people today mimic due to the fact that
they are not listening to God either. God was very specific with Balaam, but
all he heard was, "Go ahead!" He tuned out the part that began with if.
This is why God was angry with him. He was so angry that He came out
against him, to stand in his way. Maybe the most intriguing detail here is that
the word adversary is, in Hebrew, satan, which means generally "adversary,
enemy, foe." God came out against Balaam the same way that Satan comes out
against us, when God allows him to do so. God set Himself up as Balaam's enemy.
In reality, by leaving without fulfilling the conditions, Balaam chose to
join Satan's side. God, then, visibly to the donkey but invisibly to Balaam,
set Himself up as the adversary to Balaam.
Balaam showed God that he would do what Balak wanted him to do. In
counterpoint, God will do something to try to get Balaam to change, to turn.
God does not come out against Balaam as a normal enemy would-to do him harm-but
to turn him around and give him a chance to repent. But Balaam would have
nothing to do with that. He had set himself up as an enemy of God, and he never
turns himself around.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
From Balaam and the End-Time Church (Part 2)
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
daily devotional
Evening ...
Joel 2:8
Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path.
Locusts always keep their rank, and although their number is legion, they do
not crowd upon each other, so as to throw their columns into confusion. This
remarkable fact in natural history shows how thoroughly the a Lord has infused
the spirit of order into His universe, since the smallest animate creatures are
as much controlled by it as are the rolling spheres or the seraphic messengers.
It would be wise for believers to be ruled by the same influence in all their
spiritual life. In their Christian graces no one virtue should usurp the sphere
of another, or eat out the vitals of the rest for its own support. Affection
must not smother honesty, courage must not elbow weakness out of the field,
modesty must not jostle energy, and patience must not slaughter resolution. So
also with our duties, one must not interfere with another; public usefulness
must not injure private piety; church work must not push family worship into a
corner. It is ill to offer God one duty stained with the blood of another. Each
thing is beautiful in its season, but not otherwise. It was to the Pharisee
that Jesus said, "This ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other
undone." The same rule applies to our personal position, we must take care to
know our place, take it, and keep to it. We must minister as the Spirit has
given us ability, and not intrude upon our fellow servant's domain. Our Lord
Jesus taught us not to covet the high places, but to be willing to be the least
among the brethren. Far from us be an envious, ambitious spirit, let us feel
the force of the Master's command, and do as He bids us, keeping rank with the
rest of the host. To-night let us see whether we are keeping the unity of the
Spirit in the bonds of peace, and let our prayer be that, in all the churches
of the Lord Jesus, peace and order may prevail.
Amos 5:13
(13) Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an
evil time.
The people feared to protest openly the injustices in their society. Why
would people be afraid of pointing the finger at somebody who is doing wrong?
Because they knew that if they did, that would be the end of their advancement
in society and at work. They did not want to blow the whistle on anybody else
because they would get the reputation of being a troublemaker-and there went
their future.
The word prudent indicates anyone who wants to succeed. "You would not
want to spoil your prospects with this company would you? Just look the other
way. Keep your eyes shut. Sure, we are stealing a little bit. Sure, this isn't
quite legal. Sure, the government does not know about these shipments. Sure, we
are getting these things into the country illegally. But what difference does
it make? If you just keep your eyes shut, the company will pay you, and you
will get ahead." Thus, those who wanted to succeed just kept their mouths shut.
The evil went on.
On the other hand, the person who has really come in contact with God is
so concerned about righteousness that he will do everything in his power to
create a righteous community. Whether that righteous community is his family,
his neighborhood, or his church.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From Prayer and Seeking God
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