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daily devotional
Evening...
Ecclesiastes 1:7
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from
whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
Everything sublunary is on the move, time knows nothing of rest. The solid
earth is a rolling ball, and the great sun himself a star obediently fulfilling
its course around some greater luminary. Tides move the sea, winds l stir the
airy ocean, friction wears the rock: change and death rule everywhere. The sea
is not a miser's storehouse for a wealth of waters, for as by one force the
waters flow into it, by another they are lifted from it. Men are born but to
die: everything is hurry, worry, and vexation of spirit. Friend of the
unchanging Jesus, what a joy it is to reflect upon thy changeless heritage; thy
sea of bliss which will be for ever full, since God Himself shall pour eternal
rivers of pleasure into it. We seek an abiding city beyond the skies, and we
shall not be disappointed. The passage before us may well teach us gratitude.
Father Ocean is a great receiver, but he is a generous distributor. What the
rivers bring him he returns to the earth in the form of clouds and rain. That
man is out of joint with the universe who takes all but makes no return. To
give to others is but sowing seed for ourselves. He who is so good a steward as
to be willing to use his substance for his Lord, shall be entrusted with more.
Friend of Jesus, art thou rendering to Him according to the benefit received?
Much has been given thee, what is thy fruit? Hast thou done all? Canst thou not
do more? To be selfish is to be wicked. Suppose the ocean gave up none of its
watery treasure, it would bring ruin upon our race. God forbid that any of us
should follow the ungenerous and destructive policy of living unto ourselves.
Jesus pleased not Himself. All fulness dwells in Him, but of His fulness have
all we received. O for Jesu's spirit, that henceforth we may live not unto
ourselves!
Morning...
2 Timothy 2:11 It is a faithful saying.
Paul has four of these "faithful sayings." The first occurs in 1 Timothy
1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners." The next is in 1 Timothy 4:6,
"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that
now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of
all acceptation." The third is in 2 Timothy 2:12, "It is a faithful saying-If
we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him"; and the fourth is in Titus
3:3, "This is a faithful saying, that they which have believed in God might be
careful to maintain good works." We may trace a connection between these
faithful sayings. The first one lays the foundation of our eternal salvation in
the free grace of God, as shown to us in the mission of the great Redeemer. The
next affirms the double blessedness which we obtain through this salvation-the
blessings of the upper and nether springs-of time and of eternity. The third
shows one of the dut ies to which the chosen people are called; we are ordained
to suffer for Christ with the promise that "if we suffer, we shall also reign
with Him." The last sets forth the active form of Christian service, bidding us
diligently to maintain good works. Thus we have the root of salvation in free
grace; next, the privileges of that salvation in the life which now is, and in
that which is to come; and we have also the two great branches of suffering
with Christ and serving with Christ, loaded with the fruits of the Spirit.
Treasure up these faithful sayings. Let them be the guides of our life, our
comfort, and our instruction. The apostle of the Gentiles proved them to be
faithful, they are faithful still, not one word shall fall to the ground; they
are worthy of all acceptation, let us accept them now, and prove their
faithfulness. Let these four faithful sayings be written on the four corners of
My house.
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Romans 3:23
(New King James Version)
(23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Sin is an overwhelming reality throughout the entire world.
Regardless of location, race, ethnicity, or gender, nobody escapes committing
sin because all are encumbered with a nature at war with God and thus not
subject to His law (Romans 8:7). In fact, mankind commits so much sin that it
seems that he is barely able to keep it contained. Satan's deception is so
thorough that most people on earth commit sin without being aware that they are
doing it!
The churches of this world have abandoned the law of God
and are badly divided by sectarianism. Buried under an avalanche of false
doctrines, they give no indication through the witness of their church members
that it can rise to offer any effective defense against sin's pervasive
influence. The churches have lost their power.
The world is filled with violence resulting from sin. We
are frequently assaulted by lies that are fully intended to mislead us from the
truth. Government, business, and individuals try to squeeze every dime out us
to increase their profits. We could examine each of the Ten Commandments in
this manner, but these few examples give an overview of the undeniable fact
that morality—of which God's laws are the standard—is almost completely swamped
by a veritable ocean of sin, with our own among the rest of mankind's.
That God has not blown up the entire planet is certainly a
testament to His confident vision that He can bring something beautiful and
good out of what He has made, despite man's tireless and unrelenting efforts to
destroy it. Above all, it speaks superabundantly of His grace. Is there
anything in God's great creation we in our enmity against Him have not
attempted to befoul, corrupt, and destroy completely through sin?
This situation cannot get any better unless sinning stops
or is stopped. History reveals that life in general can be made marginally
better in a given culture for brief periods, which happens occasionally after a
devastating war. Early on during a period of peace, when people are too
disgusted and exhausted to make war any more, they turn their attention to the
far more positive labors of reconstruction. Thus, the quality of life rises
because not as many people are sinning so egregiously.
Even so, no government or religion has enough spiritual,
moral, or physical power to stop sin in its tracks. Overcoming sin is a very
personal problem. It is not just the other person who sins: "All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). In this context, the glory
of God is that He, by way of contrast to us, is holy. He does not sin—ever!
Each person must take it upon himself to stop sinning.
Nobody can live life for another; the strong godly character of any person
cannot be transferred to another. Because of human nature's deceitful
self-centered pull, imitating another's evil example is relatively easy. All
one has to do is to go along with the flow of the crowd. But following true
moral instruction and imitating the good works of another so that one does not
sin are exceedingly more difficult. Each person must face the truth about his
own flawed character, allow himself to be convicted of his need to stop it in
its tracks, and then put righteousness into action.
One human cannot stop sin in another, for a person can sin
within himself in his lustful thoughts, and no one else even knows it has
happened. Overcoming sin is an individual burden each must strive to achieve
before God.
Many, having some knowledge of sin, sincerely want to do
this. However, the Bible reveals there is a major "catch." It can be
accomplished only in a close, successful relationship with God because the
enabling power to overcome sin must be given by God within that relationship.
Once one becomes more thoroughly aware of the exceeding
sinfulness of sin within himself—so aware and concerned about what God thinks
of him that he wants to do something about its very real existence in his
life—it elicits the question, "What must one do?" Notice the word "do." Does
this not indicate activity of some kind? In other words, are we willing to
expend some measure of energy—work—to begin stopping sin in our lives?
The person who experiences a deeply felt guilt regarding
his sinful nature and broken relationship with God comes to understand from his
study of God's Word—a work in itself—that it frequently appeals to the disciple
to keep the commandments of God—another work. Yet, the world so often objects
that works are not required for salvation, that one could become confused.
Obviously, something or somebody is wrong somewhere along
the line. God's Word contains no contradictions, and in many places, it
definitely commands the doing of works. At least eight times the Bible says we
will be judged or rewarded according to our works. Since the Bible does call
for works, could people be confused as to precisely when they are to be done?
John W. Ritenbaugh
From Is the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Three)
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Evening...
Psalm 36:9 In Thy light shall we see light.
No lips can tell the love of Christ to the heart till Jesus Himself shall
speak within. Descriptions all fall flat and tame unless the Holy Ghost fills
them with life and power; till our Immanuel reveals Himself within, the soul
sees Him not. If you would see the sun, would you gather together the common
means of illumination, and seek in that way to behold the orb of day? No, the
wise man knoweth that the sun must reveal itself, and only by its own blaze can
that mighty lamp be seen. It is so with Christ. "Blessed art thou, Simon
Bar-jona:" said He to Peter, "for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto
thee." Purify flesh and blood by any educational process you may select,
elevate mental faculties to the highest degree of intellectual power, yet none
of these can reveal Christ. The Spirit of God must come with power, and
overshadow the man with His wings, and then in that mystic holy of holies the
Lord Jesus must display Himself to the sanctified eye, as He doth not unto the
purblind sons of men. Christ must be His own mirror. The great mass of this
blear-eyed world can see nothing of the ineffable glories of Immanuel. He
stands before them without form or comeliness, a root out of a dry ground,
rejected by the vain and despised by the proud. Only where the Spirit has
touched the eye with eye-salve, quickened the heart with divine life, and
educated the soul to a heavenly taste, only there is He understood. "To you
that believe He is precious"; to you He is the chief corner-stone, the Rock of
your salvation, your all in all; but to others He is "a stone of stumbling and
a rock of offence." Happy are those to whom our Lord manifests Himself, for His
promise to such is that He will make His abode with them. O Jesus, our Lord,
our heart is open, come in, and go out no more for ever. Show Thyself to us
now! Favour us with a glimpse of Thine all-conquering charms.
Morning...
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.
This day is notable in English history for two great deliverances wrought by
God for us. On this day the plot of the Papists to destroy our Houses of
Parliament was discovered, 1605.
"While for our princes they prepare
In caverns deep a burning snare,
He shot from heaven a piercing ray,
And the dark treachery brought to day."
And secondly-to-day is the anniversary of the landing of King William III, at
Torbay, by which the hope of Popish ascendancy was quashed, and religious
liberty was secured, 1688. This day ought to be celebrated, not by the
saturnalia of striplings, but by the songs of saints. Our Puritan forefathers
most devoutly made it a special time of thanksgiving. There is extant a record
of the annual sermons preached by Matthew Henry on this day. Our Protestant
feeling, and our love of liberty, should make us regard its anniversary with
holy gratitude. Let our hearts and lips exclaim, "We have heard with our ears,
and our fathers have told us the wondrous things which Thou didst in their day,
and in the old time before them." Thou hast made this nation the home of the
gospel; and when the foe has risen against her, Thou hast shielded her. Help us
to offer repeated songs for repeated deliverances. Grant us more and more a
hatred of Antichrist, and hasten on the day of her entire extinction. Till then
and ever, we believe the promise, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall
prosper." Should it not be laid upon the heart of every lover of the gospel of
Jesus on this day to plead for the overturning of false doctrines and the
extension of divine truth? Would it not be well to search our own hearts, and
turn out any of the Popish lumber of self-righteousness which may lie concealed
therein?
Matthew 5:3
(3) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
"Poor in spirit" does not mean to conduct ones life without
vitality, nor does it mean that a person is weak. Would we ever accuse Jesus of
being weak? Jesus was the personification of humility. People think of humility
as weakness because they are judging carnally by man's spirit, by sight. But
the Spirit of God, the faith of God, judges according to things not seen—the
Kingdom's standards.
Here is a definition of poor in spirit from a commentary by Emmet
Fox on the Sermon on the Mount:
To be poor in spirit means to have emptied yourself of all desire
to exercise personal self-will and what is just as important to have renounced
all preconceived opinions [prejudices] in the wholehearted search for God. It
means to be willing to set aside your present habits of thought, your present
views and prejudices, your present way of life, if necessary, to jettison in
fact anything and everything that can stand in the way of your finding God.
When Jesus counseled us in Matthew 18:4 that unless we became as
little children we would not even be in the Kingdom of Heaven, He was not
holding up a child's innocence or purity as a model. He was not counseling us
to become childish but to have a child's unconcern for social status, honor, or
anything similar. When we are carnal, pride is such a master that we have
little choice but to follow it. It is plowing the way before us. One who is
truly poor in spirit, however, can ignore pride and follow God's lead.
John W. Ritenbaugh
From Faith (Part 7)
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