From: [email protected] daily devotional
Evening...
Acts 16:14 Whose heart the Lord opened.
In Lydia's conversion there are many points of interest. It was brought about
by providential circumstances. She was a seller of purple, of the city of
Thyatira, but just at the right time for hearing Paul we find her at Philippi;
providence, which is the handmaid of grace, led her to the right spot. Again,
grace was preparing her soul for the blessing-grace preparing for grace. She
did not know the Saviour, but as a Jewess, she knew many truths which were
excellent stepping-stones to a knowledge of Jesus. Her conversion took place in
the use of the means. On the Sabbath she went when prayer was wont to be made,
and there prayer was heard. Never neglect the means of grace; God may bless us
when we are not in His house, but we have the greater reason to hope that He
will when we are in communion with His saints. Observe the words, "Whose heart
the Lord opened." She did not open her own heart. Her prayers did not do it;
Paul did not do it. The Lord Himself must open the heart, to receive the things
which make for our peace. He alone can put the key into the hole of the door
and open it, and get admittance for Himself. He is the heart's master as He is
the heart's maker. The first outward evidence of the opened heart was
obedience. As soon as Lydia had believed in Jesus, she was baptized. It is a
sweet sign of a humble and broken heart, when the child of God is willing to
obey a command which is not essential to his salvation, which is not forced
upon him by a selfish fear of condemnation, but is a simple act of obedience
and of communion with his Master. The next evidence was love, manifesting
itself in acts of grateful kindness to the apostles. Love to the saints has
ever been a mark of the true convert. Those who do nothing for Christ or His
church, give but sorry evidence of an "opened" heart. Lord, evermore give me an
opened heart.
Morning...
1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.
Heaven is a place where we shall never sin; where we shall cease our constant
watch against an indefatigable enemy, because there will be no tempter to
ensnare our feet. There the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at
rest. Heaven is the "undefiled inheritance"; it is the land of perfect
holiness, and therefore of complete security. But do not the saints even on
earth sometimes taste the joys of blissful security? The doctrine of God's word
is, that all who are in union with the Lamb are safe; that all the righteous
shall hold on their way; that those who have committed their souls to the
keeping of Christ shall find Him a faithful and immutable preserver. Sustained
by such a doctrine we can enjoy security even on earth; not that high and
glorious security which renders us free from every slip, but that holy security
which arises from the sure promise of Jesus that none who believe in Him shall
ever perish, but shall be with Him where He is. Believer, let us often reflect
with joy on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and honour the
faithfulness of our God by a holy confidence in Him. May our God bring home to
you a sense of your safety in Christ Jesus! May He assure you that your name is
graven on His hand; and whisper in your ear the promise, "Fear not, I am with
thee." Look upon Him, the great Surety of the covenant, as faithful and true,
and, therefore, bound and engaged to present you, the weakest of the family,
with all the chosen race, before the throne of God; and in such a sweet
contemplation you will drink the juice of the spiced wine of the Lord's
pomegranate, and taste the dainty fruits of Paradise. You will have an antepast
of the enjoyments which ravish the souls of the perfect saints above, if you
can believe with unstaggering faith that "faithful is He that calleth you, who
also will do it."
Genesis 49:22
(22) " Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Numbers 23:9—God's vision of Israel as spoken by the mouth of
Balaam—sets us on the right path to finding Joseph's walls, the bounds of his
habitations. God describes Israel as "a people dwelling alone, not reckoning
itself among the nations." Clearly, God does not envision Israel integrated
into the world. Rather, He has always wanted Israel to be separated from it.
This vision has a number of applications, one certainly pertaining to the moral
sanctification God intends Israel to display in the Millennium. God's vision
for Israel is a people distinct from all others—His people, not partaking of
the curses of this world's international intrigues, imbroglios, poverty,
disease, etc. As we know, those days are yet to come.
Relevant to national Israel today, however, the passage likely has
geographic significance. God fulfilled His vision of an isolated Israel by
situating some Israelites in England, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand—on
islands. (Australia is a continent-sized island.) He located America and Canada
in the New World, effectively isolating them from other major nations by vast
oceans. By doing so, God insulated Israel from the world.
In other scriptures, God is more specific about modern-day Israel's
boundaries. When he addresses Israel in prophecies that have clear, latter-day
application, He refers to Israel as residing at the coasts (or coastlands) and
in the isles. Additionally, Israel dwells in the north and west. Taking
Jerusalem as the geographic starting point, Israel will reside to the north and
west of the Middle East in the time of the end. Here are a few passages.
» Hosea 11:10: In context, God is prophesying about Ephraim's
return—from the west—to his inheritance. (Often God uses Ephraim as an emblem
for all Israel, much as the word Washington often refers to the United States
as a whole.)
» Isaiah 49:1, 8-13: Again, God is describing His re-gathering of
Israel. The "coastlands" and "people from afar" (verse 1) may refer to the
lands of Israelites living in the southern hemisphere (see also Isaiah 41:1).
Others will return "from the north and the west" (verse 12).
» Jeremiah 3:12: God tells Jeremiah to "Go and proclaim these words
toward the north and say,
'Return, backsliding Israel. . . .'" This cannot refer to the
ancient Kingdom of Israel, north of Judah, for it was already in captivity long
before Jeremiah's day. God is telling Jeremiah to go further north and warn His
apostate people.
» Jeremiah 31:7-10: God promises He will save His people residing
in the north (verse 8). Those of His people in the "isles afar off" (verse 10)
are probably those of New Zealand and Australia.
Joseph runs "over the wall" when he attempts to extend his
influence beyond the isolated lands God gave him. This extension of influence
can be cultural, economic, and even military. From a modern policy perspective,
America stays within her walls as long as she follows a national policy of
isolationism—remaining isolated from foreign nations as much as possible. When
America follows a course of internationalism—the doctrine that it is proper to
intervene (passively or even militarily) in other nations' affairs—she usually
starts to overclimb the walls God established for her.
It is fair to see American history as a slow march from
isolationism to internationalism. That is, America started out isolated,
purposefully distinct from other nations. Ever so slowly, though, she began to
take an internationalist stance, overclimbing the wall, until she finally
became deeply entangled in the military and economic affairs of the world's
nations.
Charles Whitaker
From Globalism (Part Three): America Runs Over the Wall
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daily devotional
Evening...
Exodus 35:8 Spices for anointing oil.
Much use was made of this anointing oil under the law, and that which it
represents is of primary importance under the gospel. The Holy Spirit, who
anoints us for all holy service, is indispensable to us if we would serve the
Lord acceptably. Without His aid our religious services are but a vain
oblation, and our inward experience is a dead thing. Whenever our ministry is
without unction, what miserable stuff it becomes! nor are the prayers, praises,
meditations, and efforts of private Christians one jot superior. A holy
anointing is the soul and life of piety, its absence the most grievous of all
calamities. To go before the Lord without anointing is as though some common
Levite had thrust himself into the priest's office-his ministrations would
rather have been sins than services. May we never venture upon hallowed
exercises without sacred anointings. They drop upon us from our glorious Head;
from His anointing we who are as the skirts of His garments partake of a
plenteous unction. Choice spices were compounded with rarest art of the
apothecary to form the anointing oil, to show forth to us how rich are all the
influences of the Holy Spirit. All good things are found in the divine
Comforter. Matchless consolation, infallible instruction, immortal quickening,
spiritual energy, and divine sanctification all lie compounded with other
excellencies in that sacred eye-slave, the heavenly anointing oil of the Holy
Spirit. It imparts a delightful fragrance to the character and person of the
man upon whom it is poured. Nothing like it can be found in all the treasuries
of the rich, or the secrets of the wise. It is not to be imitated. It comes
alone from God, and it is freely given, through Jesus Christ, to every waiting
soul. Let us seek it, for we may have it, may have it this very evening. O
Lord, anoint Thy servants.
Morning...
2 Chronicles 25:9
And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred
talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered,
The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.
A very important question this seemed to be to the king of Judah, and
possibly it is of even more weight with the tried and tempted O Christian. To
lose money is at no times pleasant, and when principle involves it, the flesh
is not always ready to make the sacrifice. "Why lose that which may be so
usefully employed? May not the truth itself be bought too dear? What shall we
do without it? Remember the children, and our small income!" All these things
and a thousand more would tempt the Christian to put forth his hand to
unrighteous gain, or stay himself from carrying out his conscientious
convictions, when they involve serious loss. All men cannot view these matters
in the light of faith; and even with the followers of Jesus, the doctrine of
"we must live" has quite sufficient weight. The Lord is able to give thee much
more than this is a very satisfactory answer to the anxious question. Our
Father holds the purse-strings, and what we lose for His sake He can repay a
thousand-fold. It is ours to obey His will, and we may rest assured that He
will provide for us. The Lord will be no man's debtor at the last. Saints know
that a grain of heart's-ease is of more value than a ton of gold. He who wraps
a threadbare coat about a good conscience has gained a spiritual wealth far
more desirable than any he has lost. God's smile and a dungeon are enough for a
true heart; His frown and a palace would be hell to a gracious spirit. Let the
worst come to the worst, let all the talents go, we have not lost our treasure,
for that is above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Meanwhile,
even now, the Lord maketh the meek to inherit the earth, and no good thing doth
He withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Colossians 2:8
(8) Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty
deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of
the world, and not according to Christ.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Colossians 2:8-10 gives another general definition of Gnosticism,
as well as how to combat it. Paul is writing about a philosophy like Stoicism,
not a specific religion, such as Judaism. This is important to recognize, since
in verse 16, Paul mentions the Sabbath and holy days, and it is commonly
assumed that Paul condemns their observance. Yet, he does not—he warns against
a philosophy that disparaged the feasting and joyous observance of the Sabbath
and holy days. This is why Paul tells the Colossians to "let no one judge you"
with regard to eating, drinking, or observing the weekly and annual
Sabbaths—rather than what is commonly read into Colossians 2:16: "There is no
reason to keep the Sabbath or holy days." Christians in Colossae were being
pressured by the ascetic society around them, which would have looked down on
their feasting.
This is confirmed in the rest of Colossians 2, which deals
primarily with asceticism (see especially Colossians 2:21-23). Some branches of
Gnosticism adhered to asceticism as a way to free the eternal spirit by living
regimented, plain, and insular lives. (Conversely, some Gnostics went to the
other extreme—practicing hedonism—believing that what they did with their
bodies did not make any difference since only spirit mattered.)
Paul says that this philosophy and its associated doctrines were
plausible, but they were not based on solid arguments. He calls them "vain
deceit" (KJV) or "empty deceit" (NKJV). They may sound good, depending upon
one's inclination, but they endanger church members. The apostle writes that
they would be "spoiled" (KJV), which does not necessarily mean being
"corrupted," but rather of being "plundered," hence the NKJV's use of
"cheated." This empty philosophy would rob or cheat them of their faith, their
hope, their understanding of God, their relationship with God, their vision,
and the purpose that God is working out. Once introduced, it would begin to
steal away all of their true, spiritual riches.
Paul also provides two possible sources of this unsteady
philosophy: "the traditions of men" and the "rudiments of the world." Examining
the "rudiments of the world" first will help to explain the traditions of men.
Other translations call them the "elements of the world," the "basic principles
of the world," or "the powers of the world." In using this term, Paul is
referring to the demonic powers that make this world, this cosmos, what it is.
The source of this philosophy of salvation through special knowledge is Satan
and the demons.
This explains why, when we read the histories of various religions
and their branches, the same patterns arise time and again. Man does not have
it within himself to pass along accurately and dependably ideas that go back to
the very beginning. With an incessant drumming, the powers of the world keep
prompting men and women in the same vain deceits that directly contradict the
truth about God and His purpose for mankind.
Humans certainly play a role in handing down these traditions.
Sunday school teachers and theologians perpetuate the Gnostic myths of the
immortality of the soul, of eternal consciousness, of progressive revelation,
of each person having a spark of goodness within that just needs to be fanned
into a flame, and of each soul or spirit existing before in heaven and
returning there upon death. Men pass these traditions on to other men, but the
powers of the spirit world keep these messengers on their track and blinded to
the truth.
The last phrase in Colossians 2:8—"not according to Christ"—is a
simple one, but it encapsulates what this is all about. Not a single branch of
Gnosticism had the truth about Jesus Christ. That knowledge can be found only
in God's Word.
David C. Grabbe
From Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Two: Defining
Gnosticism
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