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daily devotional
Evening...
Ephesians 1:11
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance.
When Jesus gave Himself for us, He gave us all the rights and privileges
which went with Himself; so that now, although as eternal God, He has essential
rights to which no creature may venture to pretend, yet as Jesus, the Mediator,
the federal Head of the covenant of grace, He has no heritage apart from us.
All the glorious consequences of His obedience unto death are the joint riches
of all who are in Him, and on whose behalf He accomplished the divine will.
See, He enters into glory, but not for Himself alone, for it is written,
"Whither the Forerunner is for us entered." Heb. 6:20. Does He stand in the
presence of God?-"He appears in the presence of God for us." Heb. 9:24.
Consider this, believer. You have no right to heaven in yourself: your right
lies in Christ. If you are pardoned, it is through His blood; if you are
justified, it is through His righteousness; if you are sanctified, it is
because He is made of God unto you sanctification; if you shall be kept from
falling, it will be because you are preserved in Christ Jesus; and if you are
perfected at the last, it will be because you are complete in Him. Thus Jesus
is magnified-for all is in Him and by Him; thus the inheritance is made certain
to us-for it is obtained in Him; thus each blessing is the sweeter, and even
heaven itself the brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved "in whom" we have
obtained all. Where is the man who shall estimate our divine portion? Weigh the
riches of Christ in scales, and His treasure in balances, and then think to
count the treasures which belong to the saints. Reach the bottom of Christ's
sea of joy, and then hope to understand the bliss which God hath prepared for
them that love Him. Overleap the boundaries of Christ's possessions, and then
dream of a limit to the fair inheritance of the elect. "All things are yours,
for ye are Christ's and Christ is God's."
Morning...
Jeremiah 23:6
The Lord our Righteousness.
It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and peace, to
think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. How often are the saints of God
downcast and sad! I do not think they ought to be. I do not think they would if
they could always see their perfection in Christ. There are some who are always
talking about corruption, and the depravity of the heart, and the innate evil
of the soul. This is quite true, but why not go a little further, and remember
that we are "perfect in Christ Jesus." It is no wonder that those who are
dwelling upon their own corruption should wear such downcast looks; but surely
if we call to mind that "Christ is made unto us righteousness," we shall be of
good cheer. What though distresses afflict me, though Satan assault me, though
there may be many things to be experienced before I get to heaven, those are
done for me in the covenant of divine grace; there is nothing wanting in my
Lord, Christ hath done it all. On the cross He said, "It is finished!" and if
it be finished, then am I complete in Him, and can rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory, "Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by
faith." You will not find on this side heaven a holier people than those who
receive into their hearts the doctrine of Christ's righteousness. When the
believer says, "I live on Christ alone; I rest on Him solely for salvation; and
I believe that, however unworthy, I am still saved in Jesus;" then there rises
up as a motive of gratitude this thought- "Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I
not love Him and serve Him, seeing that I am saved by His merits?" "The love of
Christ constraineth us," "that they which live should not henceforth live unto
themselves but unto Him which died for them." If saved by imputed
righteousness, we shall greatly value imparted righteousness.
2 Peter 2:4
(4) For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to
hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
"Hell" comes from the Greek tataroo, and it means "a place of restraint."
God did not spare the angels, but He cast them down to a place of restraint, a
kind of prison.
In Greek mythology, Tartarus was the lowest hell, the place where the
Titans (who rebelled against Zeus) were restrained. It is described as being as
far below Hades as heaven is high above the earth. As far as we can apply Greek
mythology, we can understand that these angels were cast so far down as to be
out of sight. Their place of restraint was so far down that one would think
they would never be able to crawl out.
God is trying to get across that the angels have been defeated—cast down
from heaven to the earth, as Revelation 12 shows. The earth, then, is a place
of restraint, a prison, for them.
To add to the imagery, they are bound in "chains of darkness." This
amplifies the thought that Peter is making: The demons are restrained. There is
some disagreement among scholars whether Peter uses the word that is translated
here as "chains" or whether he means "silo." Almost everyone understands what a
silo is. To an American, it is a tall, cylindrical object in which grain is
stored. To the Greek, a silo was an underground pit in which grain was stored.
Nevertheless, whether it is a chain or a silo, it does not matter. God is
trying to get across to us that the demons have been restrained.
They are being restrained because they are facing judgment. Unfortunately
for us, they are restrained in the place where we live! The earth is the silo,
the storage bin. We are sharing this place with them. Worse, as they would see
it, we are intruders in their space. They consider us invaders.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From Satan (Part 1)
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daily devotional
Evening...
Genesis 8:11
The dove came in to him in the evening.
Blessed be the Lord for another day of mercy, even though I am now weary with
its toils. Unto the preserver of men lift I my song of gratitude. The dove
found no rest out of the ark, and therefore returned to it; and my soul has
learned yet more fully than ever, this day, that there is no satisfaction to be
found in earthly things-God alone can give rest to my spirit. As to my
business, my possessions, my family, my attainments, these are all well enough
in their way, but they cannot fulfil the desires of my immortal nature. "Return
unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." It
was at the still hour, when the gates of the day were closing, that with weary
wing the dove came back to the master: O Lord, enable me this evening thus to
return to Jesus. She could not endure to spend a night hovering over the
restless waste, not can I bear to be even for another hour away from Jesus, the
rest of my heart, the home of my spi! rit. She did not merely alight upon the
roof of the ark, she "came in to him;" even so would my longing spirit look
into the secret of the Lord, pierce to the interior of truth, enter into that
which is within the veil, and reach to my Beloved in very deed. To Jesus must I
come: short of the nearest and dearest intercourse with Him my panting spirit
cannot stay. Blessed Lord Jesus, be with me, reveal Thyself, and abide with me
all night, so that when I awake I may be still with thee. I note that the dove
brought in her mouth an olive branch plucked off, the memorial of the past day,
and a prophecy of the future. Have I no pleasing record to bring home? No
pledge and earnest of lovingkindness yet to come? Yes, my Lord, I present Thee
my grateful acknowledgments for tender mercies which have been new every
morning and fresh every evening; and now, I pray Thee, put forth Thy hand and
take Thy dove into Thy bosom.
Morning...
2 Samuel 5:24
When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, then
thou shalt bestir thyself.
The members of Christ's Church should be very prayerful, always seeking the
unction of the Holy One to rest upon their hearts, that the kingdom of Christ
may come, and that His "will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven;" but
there are times when God seems especially to favour Zion, such seasons ought to
be to them like "the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees." We
ought then to be doubly prayerful, doubly earnest, wrestling more at the throne
than we have been wont to do. Action should then be prompt and vigorous. The
tide is flowing-now let us pull manfully for the shore. O for Pentecostal
outpourings and Pentecostal labours. Christian, in yourself there are times
"when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees." You
have a peculiar power in prayer; the Spirit of God gives you joy and gladness;
the Scripture is open to you; the promises are applied; you walk in the light
of God's countenance; you have! peculiar freedom and liberty in devotion, and
more closeness of communion with Christ than was your wont. Now, at such joyous
periods when you hear the "sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees,"
is the time to bestir yourself; now is the time to get rid of any evil habit,
while God the Spirit helpeth your infirmities. Spread your sail; but remember
what you sometimes sing-
"I can only spread the sail;
Thou! Thou! must breathe the auspicious gale."
Only be sure you have the sail up. Do not miss the gale for want of
preparation for it. Seek help of God, that you may be more earnest in duty when
made more strong in faith; that you may be more constant in prayer when you
have more liberty at the throne; that you may be more holy in your conversation
whilst you live more closely with Christ.
James 3:14
(14) But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not,
and lie not against the truth.
Self-Seeking - A speaker once said, "Young people feel like they have to
'find themselves,' so they search this and that, here and there, all in an
effort to 'find themselves.' So, what if you spend all this time and energy to
find yourself, and in the end you discover nobody's home?"
Humorous but so true! The loneliest people on the planet are those
focused on themselves. If I am brutally honest in recalling the lonelier times
of my life, I was lonely mostly because I was focused too much on myself. We
learn to recognize self-focused people by their constant talking about
themselves, their achievements, their experiences, their things, their
opinions. They drone on endlessly.
One author writes, "People sometimes talk about themselves because there
is nothing else rattling around in their heads." Such people usually have a
better way of doing almost everything, yet one often wonders why they are not
more successful in life. They ache to express an opinion and believe in their
abilities so wholeheartedly that they must be restrained from taking charge.
One learns that, when around them, a person's value is significant only in
regard to their personal plans, and they will seldom alter their course to fit
another in.
Test: How much of our needs and desires fills our agenda each day?
Conversely, how much room do we make for others? I used to say with pride, "I
usually don't do anything I don't want to do." I meant that I was master of my
choices and in control of my life, but I was actually saying, "My plans, ideas,
and schedule are far more important than anyone else's."
Brian Wulf
From Are You Sharp-Tongued? (Part Two)
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