Truths to Live By

Feb 1 Accept your share of suffering

2012-02-01T06:00:00.003-05:00

2 Tim 1:8, "So do not be ashamed (aorist passive subjunctive, “you should not be…”) of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by God's power accept your share of suffering*~ for the gospel."

   It seems so obvious that we should never be ashamed of Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, especially in front of strangers who you will never see again, yet human nature resists being bold and open about its association with Christ. To be caught with gospel tracts in your possession or a Bible in hand would signal to everyone you are a follower of Jesus. Will everyone think you must be a fanatic? (By the way, the word “fanatic” means being a “fan” of something). At sometime we have to decide to take whatever criticism or rejection that might comes from being a follower of Jesus.
   Paul is advising Timothy to be ready to not be ashamed of being identified with him as a prisoner or with the gospel of Christ. When Paul wrote this letter, at approximately A.D. 66, anyone who was identified as a Christian brought criticism and frequently persecution, yet Paul commanded Timothy to accept his “share of suffering for the gospel.”
   Paul never saw his imprisonment as a bad thing. He never complained. He only saw it as an opportunity to spread the gospel. Could you have thought of a better way to get the gospel spreading among the Praetorian Guard? He considered himself a “prisoner for His sake.” He wrote to the believers at Philippi, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear” (Phil 1:12-14). This made it worthwhile.
   The command of the passage was for Timothy to share in Paul’s greatest desire, in fact, his highest purpose in life as he wrote was to “know [Christ] and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil 3:10). Thus Paul was bold and risky as he wrote, “Let those also who suffer according to the will of God, entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Peter 1:19).
   Any time a sinner is confronted with his sin, he may respond negatively, but it is a risk we have to take. "God's power” gives grace to endure anything. However, the grace flows when needed. We can count on it.

Psalm 34:9, “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 31 Have faith in God

2012-01-31T06:00:00.005-05:00

Mark 11:22 Jesus said to them, “Have~~ faith in God.

   Teaching moments are spontaneous opportunities to illustrate an important principle or truth. This was one of those moments. During a Jewish holiday, Jesus and His disciples had been walking back and forth from Bethany to Jerusalem. The previous morning they walked past a fig tree that was barren of fruit. Strangely, He declared, “Let no one eat fruit form you ever again” (11:14). He was setting up a future teaching moment.
The next morning, walking back into Jerusalem, they passed this same fig tree, only now “the fig tree dried up from the roots” (11:20). Shocked, Peter acclaimed, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away” (11:21). To which Jesus replied, “Have faith in God…” He would go on to explain what this illustrated lesson meant to their lives.
   The disciples were to have an unwavering trust in the omnipotent God who can do anything that He wills to do for His own purposes. The key to an unconditional faith is to have a “no-matter-what” trust and an “anything-is-possible” kind of confidence in the God who cares, though can sometimes seem silent to see if we trust Him, but He is always present, and can change things the way He sees best. Either response is fine with the one who has a trusting “faith.” Nothing can shake this kind of trust.
   If anyone fully gives his life over to God (Rom 12:1-2), then whatever God allows to happen to his life is okay. It belongs to Him. He can do with it whatever He wants, even if it means tragedies or miraculous interventions. Either one is okay, since now one’s life belongs to Jesus (“You were bought with a price”- 1 Cor 6:2). He makes no mistakes, regardless of what happens.
The believer can trust Him with His life! (Gal 2:20). This is the consequence of learning about the character of God in His Word, and His promises to be with us always and forever, then he consciously decides to trust Him to take care of His possession (the believer) as He thinks best.
   To the one who learns to trust God fully, he can be trusted with any answer his prayers. Jesus continues, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23). Jesus by using a hyperbole illustrated the boldness and virtual limitless possibilities for the believer with faith, who “does not doubt in his heart.”
   Continually having “faith,” which is not a made-up, forced or fabricated faith, but a faith that is derived from hearing, knowing, understanding and being willing to act upon the Word of God (Rom 10:17). Faith is always in accordance with the Word, and is fearless in fulfilling the purposes described in God's Word.
If, in God’s purpose, it is necessary to remove a mountain and cast it into the sea, even that is not a problem for our God. Believing prayer draws on the power of God to accomplish the impossible. Earlier Jesus had said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). As committed as you are to His Word and purpose in life, you can count on His power to assist you to accomplish His will.

Psalm 37:5 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 30 Reside in Him

2012-01-30T06:00:00.003-05:00

1 John 2: 27, "Now as for you, the anointing that you received from him resides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as it has taught you, you reside~~ in him."

   Since the beginning of time, and especially the age of the church, the evil one has sought to lead God’s people astray. Jesus warned the disciples that “many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and deceive many” (Matt 24:4-5). John’s readers were not deceived yet, but apparently, deceivers were active.
   The readers are assured that the “anointing that [they] received from him resides in [them].” Believers have already received the “anointing,” that is, the Holy Spirit, at the time of their conversion (Rom 8:9). This is clear from 2 Cor 1:21-22, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
   One of the results of the “anointing” is a capacity to recognize or know the truth, not in the sense of a new revelation, but simply knowing the difference between what is “true” and what is a “lie.” In 1 John 4:1 John wrote to “test the spirits” in order to discern the true from the false teachings. All believers have the same capability, and only need to recognize when He is clarifying whether the teaching under question is true or a lie. A key test is whether the new teaching contradicts the inspired Word of God as already revealed elsewhere.
   The power of the gospel (Rom 1:16), as it is preached, is the ability of the Holy Spirit to “convict” or “convince” the world of sin. The Spirit can teach even the unsaved of their need of a Savior as they hear the gospel message proclaimed.
   The believer is told not to “quench the Spirit” (1 Thess 5:19), that is, do not ignore the conviction He gives when we have disobeyed the commands. He will teach us when we are disobedient to His instructions. Have you ever had this experience? How do you respond?
   False teachers will become more prevalent in the end times according to 1 Tim 4:1-2, “Now, the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” Demons can whisper into a receptive mind ideas that appear to be new insights or revelations, but in fact, are doctrines of devils. Persons who want to receive a newer revelation than the Scriptures, can quench the Spirit’s conviction of what is true and, therefore are in danger of developing a “seared” conscience.
   Following the declaration that the “anointing abides in you” comes the command to “continually or habitually always be residing in him [or it].” The latter pronoun could be rendered “it,” that is, as the Spirit convinces you of what is true, abide in it. Do you consciously decide to live by what you learn in His Word?

Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 29 See or Examine our sonship

2012-01-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

1 John 3:1 (See*~ what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God's children– and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know him.

   It may seem strange that a command would be necessary for us to “see” the manifestations of the Father’s love, but some things are easy to forget in the busy or unfair lives of different people. The aorist imperative means to “immediately decide to stare at” literally, and metaphorically, “take heed, perceive or become acquainted with by experience.” The idea is that the fact of the love of the Father for us must be ever present in our minds. It must be unforgettable. It must become sufficient for us. It must fill our soul.
   John had just told the readers how to see the reality of the new birth as it transforms godly behavior, and now he commands the reader to meditate on the greatness of God’s love, which the new birth displays.
   The specific focus of God’s love is that He has graciously decided to call us His "children"(teknon, "genuine descendants or offspring") The privilege of being born to earthly royalty pales in comparison to being part of the family of God. John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right [privilege] to become the children of God.”
   The expression “what sort of love” translates the word, potapen, “how great, exotic, something beyond what has previously been experienced.” How could the holy and majestic God of all creation welcome into His family the vilest of sinners (me) who has done everything that He abhors? Man can never imagine how much He must have afflicted His Son on the cross so that He could be just in forgiving us. We can only marvel in the fact that He was willing to allow His Son to suffer in such unfathomable ways so that He could accept us as His children and be just in doing so.
   John concludes with the warning that we should not draw a wrong conclusion. This indescribable privilege does not mean that we will be treated like royalty in this life. We should not expect any different treatment than His Son, Jesus, received in this world because, “it did not know him.” Now we are as different from the world, as He was. The world is not interested in knowing Christ as God’s Son, so believers cannot expect the world to understand their special relationship with God as His children. When the unbelieving world persecutes us for His name’s sake, it is because we are unashamedly associated with Him, However, He is with us through it all and promises to make it worthwhile for all eternity. Our self-worth does not come from the world’s acceptance, but it comes from the assurance that God has taken us into His family as His beloved children. Having this relationship as our reality is the indescribable joy of the believer. Is this enough to satisfy your heart's needs today?

Psalms 36:7, “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 28 Fear the right Person

2012-01-28T06:00:00.004-05:00

Luke 12:4-5, "And I say to you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom you should fear: Fear*~ the one who, after the killing, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear*~him!"

   “Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat.” It is considered a survival mechanism to motivate a behavior that minimizes or eliminates the threat. Fear generally relates to future events, real or imagined.
Jesus commanded his disciples to be fearless, even in the face of physical death, throughout their lives for proclaiming the Good News of Christ’s gracious salvation. The opposition, at worst, can only bring about a physical death, which is meaningless in comparison to the eternal death in hell. Jesus is certainly advising the disciples that faithfulness to Christ will likely result in a death sentence from the government, but this threat is not to be feared (yea, welcomed!). The fear men should have is to fear God, who alone has the authority to cast the unbelieving sinner into an eternal hell, and He has promised to do just that.
   God commands us to fear Him. Whomever you fear, you will obey. When people fear that the authorities are watching or will find out about their actions, they tend to obey the laws. On the contrary, people can to be quite lawless when they believe that no one is watching or will do nothing about their disobedience.
   Likewise, Christians can become presumptuous toward God because of His patience and long-suffering, deceiving themselves into believing that He will do nothing. They think that He is too loving and forgiving to punish them. Eve was deceived by Satan into believing that God would do nothing if she disobeyed Him. When she believed Satan's lie, she became vulnerable to disobedience.
   Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” The first lesson a believer should learn [“the beginning of wisdom”] is that it is a painful experience to disobey our Lord. The author to Hebrews wrote, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord. Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loves He chastens. And scourges every son whom He receives… But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.” Christians are forgiven their sins, but God will teach us not to be disobedient by some form of punishment to teach us to be obedient.
   If we do not fear this promise of God to chastise us, then we have a tendency to be morally loose. If we do fear that He will do what He says in His Word, then we will begin to take seriously His commands. This is a healthy motivation to learn what God expects of us as His children—this is where wisdom begins.

Psalms 103:17, “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—“

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 27 Do not continue in unbelief

2012-01-27T06:00:00.003-05:00

John 20: 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put~~ your finger here, and examine*~ my hands. Extend~~ your hand and put*~ it into my side. Do not continue~| in your unbelief, but believe."

   It is hard to understand how many of his disciples still did not “believe in Him” though they followed Jesus and heard all His teachings. Thomas remained skeptical until given irrefutable proofs that Jesus had arisen from the dead. He saw Him die. It had been 8 days and he had heard the testimonies. But Thomas was never there when Jesus appeared. This moment was planned specifically for Thomas. Jesus gives him a series of commands concluding with a command for all time and all people.
   When Thomas saw Jesus, he recognized that He was very different from Lazarus when Jesus restored him to life. His was not a physical body subject to physical limitation, nor was he an apparition of a spirit, because he could be touched. Jesus also ate with them. Here was a person with an entirely different form; a resurrected form that Jesus promised to all who believe in Him. Thomas became convinced by seeing and touching Him, and Jesus accepted his firm belief. Then Jesus promised that “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (20:29).
   Thomas could have taken the word of his cohorts who had witnessed the resurrection appearance of Jesus, but he wanted concrete evidence. In mercy, Jesus gave Thomas all that he needed and more. “Put your finger here…extend your hand and put it into my side.” How foolish were his doubts that Jesus was truly alive, which could only mean one thing: Jesus was, and had been, God incarnate in human form all these past three years. How foolish he must have felt for his past doubts, yet now how enlightened and convinced he felt. He was standing in the presence of God.
   In humble submission and conviction Thomas declared, “My Lord and my God!” You really are who You said You were. As far as we know his life was never the same. Tradition says that Thomas would carry the news of Jesus life and resurrection to the shores of India.
   Jesus was and is remarkably patient with His followers, but at some point we must cross the line: “Do not be continuing in your unbelief, but believe.” We can trust the record of Scripture that He is real and alive today. “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Sufficient evidence has been recorded for all time in God’s Word. We must decide to trust it (all of it) without doubting, then rely on His living presence, His perpetual power and His soon return. Do you need more proof than the written Word of God to trust Him and obey Him?

Psalms 73:28, “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 26 Do not be deceived about who is saved

2012-01-26T06:00:00.004-05:00

Eph 5:5-6, "For you can be confident [lit., “be knowing”] of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let nobody deceive~| you with empty words, for because of these things God's wrath comes on the sons of disobedience."

   Some have the notion that God’s grace is so forgiving that they can treat sin lightly as though it doesn’t make any difference. They think nothing will happen if they dabble in “harmless sins.” They say to themselves, “God is love, so all I have to do is to confess it to Him and He has to forgive me,” or "God loves me, so He will never harm me even if I keep sinning." It was not any different in the first century.
   Paul wanted to be very clear that anyone practicing “sexual immorality, impure [or promiscuousness] and greed [lust or covetous] (such a person is an idolater)” has no part with Christ in heaven. This is a typical description of how the Gentiles lived.
   If the “fear of the Lord” means that God will do exactly as He says in His Word, then we must “flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim 2:22), and “flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18). Only a fool would not heed these warnings. Paul had made it clear that such practices “must not even be named among you” (3:3). Even flippantly joking about such sins in conversations can encourage participation (5:4).
If we know God, our attitude toward sin has changed: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age" (Tit 2:11-12).
   We are commanded to “stop letting anybody deceive you with empty words” (5:6). Some were attempting to persuade the believers that there were no consequences to delving into sinful practices. After all, everything is forgiven. “Empty words” are without any truth to them. They are but a shell without reality, yet some people are so hungry for sensual experiences that they hide behind falsehood as excuses.
   Why should anyone who knows the attitude of God towards sin ever want to join in the sinful pornographic and lustful practices of the “sons of disobedience?” When God destroys them, you do not want to be around. These self-destructive and filthy practices attract God’s displeasure, which has present and eternal consequences.
The “sons of disobedience” are the “children of wrath” (Eph 2:2). In the next few verses Paul warns us not to become “partakers with them” (5:7), although previously they were habitually practicing such “darkness,” but now they “are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (5:8).
   The clearest evidence of God’s Spirit in a believer is that sin is not the same; it brings guilt and sense of shame, whereas before it was a desirable pleasure. The Spirit comes to “convict the world of sin” (Jn 16:8), thus the believer does not enjoy sin as before. Do not quench the Spirit's conviction, but repent and take steps to avoid any behavior that dishonors our Savior.

Psa 103:8-10 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 25 Do not [wrongly] suppose

2012-01-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

John 5:45, "Do not suppose*~ that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses [the Law, especially the Ten Commandments], in whom you have placed your hope."

   Whatever a person “supposes” about the world is how he sees life and reality. It thus becomes critical that his suppositions are true. Regardless of how sincere a person is, it does not change reality. To “suppose” something contrary to Jesus’ teaching is not a good idea. How absurd to believe something not true.
   Jesus was constantly correcting the beliefs of His generation so they could understand Him and reality. They thought Jesus was accusing them, but they supposed Moses was their defender and intercessor as he had been on earth, as when they sinned in the incident over the worship of the golden calf. (Ex 32:30-32). However, the next two verses indicate Jesus was talking about the law that Moses wrote, not Moses personally.
   This was an offensive confrontation against their pride of being faithful followers of Moses’ law, which they attempted to obey to the letter, even adding more rules of their own, just to make sure. The truth was that Moses would be their accuser, not their defender; for “he wrote of me” (5:46), but they had refused to believe both Moses and Jesus. Moses revealed the depth of their guilt, which Jesus promised to forgive.
   John the Baptist had pointed out Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The majority of his hearers turned a deaf ear, refusing to understand what this meant. Their worldview did not need another sacrifice for their sins, since they thought they were good enough, and were proud about keeping the Ten Commandments. However, they missed three great truths about the law:
   First, they exaggerated the commands and twisted their meaning so they could feel like they were obeying them. Their pride in their legalistic strictness and rigid rules gave them a false sense of approval.
   Secondly, they failed to understand that one act of disobedience to a command cannot be offset by a hundred acts of obedience. Naively many today, as well, believe that their “good” will outweigh their “bad,” thus gaining their acceptance before God. James wrote, “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws” (James 2:10). If you lie once, you are a liar (9th command) forever.
   Thirdly, they missed the entire purpose of the law, which was not a means of gaining approval, since no one could obey them. Rather the law was to reveal their failure as sinful people to live up to God’s standard, pointing to their desperate need of a means of forgiveness outside of themselves. Paul wrote, “The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal 3:24). The law [Moses] accuses us of our transgressions, so that we would flee to the Lamb of God, Jesus, for our forgiveness. Can you say, "Thank you, Jesus."

Psalms 86:5NLT, “O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 24 Come to the water of Life

2012-01-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

Rev 22: 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come*~!"And let the one who hears say*~: "Come!"*~ And let the one who is thirsty come*~; let the one who wants it take*~ the water of life free of charge.

   A three-fold invitation is extended by the Holy Spirit through the bride or the church. Any one who hears this incredibly gracious offer is commanded to urgently and immediately extend the invitation to the thirsty and whoever wants to taste of the water of life. They should come and take it now. The Spirit and the bride [the church] together are commanded to say “Come!” not as an optional invitation to possibly consider, but as a decisive invitation-command to obey immediately knowing that the time is short and the end is going to come suddenly, at which time the offer will end.
   Furthermore, the aorist command to “immediately decide to say” means to “advise or affirm.” It is given to everyone who hears of this incredible invitation to share it. To hear means more than just to listen, but to apply or obey personally the invitation then share it with others.
   God’s great concern is that everyone should get to hear of His grace, yet, sadly, only a few are telling it anyone else. Those who know the truth are silent or secretive. Are they ashamed to be identified with Him?
   Through the Scriptures the Spirit is speaking through the church members to the thirsty of the world, and to those who want to know the truth, if only someone would tell them. The power of the gospel (Rom 1:16) begins to work WHEN His people begin to obey the command to “say,” “Come to Christ now.” The power of the gospel is evident in illuminating the darkened mind, convicting the self-deceived sinner and drawing the spirit of the unbeliever to want to know Christ. We can trust in the power of the gospel.
   The thirsty and seekers of truth will be drawn to the gift of His gracious offer of the water of life. Jesus had promised the “water of life” to the Samaritan woman (John 4:10-15). He told the Pharisees, “whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:37), but they were neither thirsty nor willing, yet Jesus told them as well.
   The water was a symbol of the Holy Spirit, which likewise is free to drink and is incorporated into our physical being in an inseparable bond bringing its life-sustaining and purifying powers into our body and mind. Likewise, the Spirit is freely received and fused within our being. His life becomes an integral and inseparable part of our life forever, even though we could never be worthy of such a bond.
   What a truth to tell, yet many in our culture have yet to hear from those who know the story. Furthermore, many other languages and cultures have no one who has ever heard of Christ’s forgiveness. There is no “bride” or church to declare “Come to Jesus.” What is your plan to tell people to come to Jesus?
   Is it a coincidence that the first command Jesus gave after the resurrection was, “Go quickly and tell…” (Matt 28:7) is remarkably similar to His last command for all the church to “say [immediately], ‘Come.’”

Psa 66:5, Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 23 Walk in the light

2012-01-23T06:00:00.002-05:00

John 12:35 Jesus replied, "The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk~~ while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

   Jesus had just declared He would be “lifted up from the earth” to describe the “death he was going to die” (Jn 12:32-33), but the crowd thought the OT Scriptures said that the “Christ remains forever” (12:34), so if He is going to die, “who is this Son of man?” Rather than directly answer their question, He gives them a principle to follow even when they do not experience what they were expecting. He said, “[All of you keep on continually] walking…” in the “light” or truth of Jesus’ teachings not matter what happens.
   When He is gone, the darkness, from the lack of His personal guidance and His teachings, could overtake them leaving them with a sense of being lost as one who does “not know where he is going.”
   Doubt, frustration, and disillusionment are the results of having been deceived by evil powers or simply by self-centered and selfish expectations leading one to believe that we deserve better in life. In John’s Gospel, they wanted a Messiah who was important, powerful and permanent, but Jesus was a poor, unknown from Nazareth, not politically connected and, by His own declaration, He was temporary. Why should they put their trust in Him and risk their lives for someone who appeared to be a weak failure.
   When doubts arise, keep on walking in the light that you know in the Word. James said that “the testing of your faith produces patience” (1:3), which is the sign of being made “perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (1:4), that is, you become the likeness or characteristic of Christ. We cannot let our hurts, loneliness or disillusionments with our circumstances become our excuse to abandon Jesus on the trail, because they are all part of His plan to bring us to maturity, if we continue to trust Him.
   Jesus had declared Himself to be the Light of the world and promised His disciples that anyone who follows Him “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). Paul put it this way, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8). The key is in the next verse: “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light” (12:36). To walk, therefore, means to habitually trust and believe in the revelation of God in the person of Jesus and His recorded Word. These disciples would soon become the light for others to walk with, just as Jesus had been to them by enlightening them to the mind of God.
   The command was needed because in spite of the many miracles He had done in their presence yet, “they still did not believe in him” (12:37). Many might be following Jesus to see what happens, but have not stepped into the light with all their heart in abandon to trust Him fully for everything in life. Can anything discourage you from trusting in Christ?

Psalms 119:35, Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 22 Keep the commandments

2012-01-22T06:00:00.003-05:00

Matt 19:17 He said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep*~ the commandments."

   The world and all religions are convinced that anyone can decide to be good enough for heaven, but the issue is that we will all face a holy God for His acceptance. Jesus had just told His listeners “little children” should not be hindered from coming to Jesus “for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (19:14). Then this rich young ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (19:16), as though one good deed would out-weigh all his bad deeds.
   Earlier in the conversation Jesus had said that heaven is so easy to enter that a child will easily find it. Now Jesus’ response to the inquiry of this rich ruler is harsh because he knew what was in his mind and heart, as He does all seekers. There is only one way to come to God.
   Jesus’ opening remark corrected the ruler’s wrong view of Jesus’ deity and eliminated all human hope of ever being good enough to become acceptable: “There is only One who is good,” referring to God. Was there a pause to see if he would respond with something like, “That is why I called you ‘good’ – You are God in human form and I am not worthy?” But there was no such response.
   So Jesus gave him a second test, “If you want to enter into life, immediately decide to keep or obey the commandments.” He wanted to see if the rich ruler would admit his failure to be holy and confess his sins. He was using the law to produce conviction of sin and a sense of desperate unworthiness in the man’s heart, but pride quenched the Spirit’s work again.
   When the young ruler asked, “Which one?” he revealed his desire to brag about his self-righteousness. Jesus quoted five of the ten commandments concluding with, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (19:19). Blinded by his own ego, pride, self-importance and self-delusion he boasted that he had always obeyed these commandments. He refused to recognize he was a sinner and by no means would he ever admit to such disobedience.
   The first sign of a lost person is found in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” The truth is that he had disobeyed all these commands and selfishly had ignored the needs of his “neighbor.”
   With one final attempt to break through his pride, Jesus said to go and sell all that he had and give it to the poor, then “come and follow me.” The difficulty the ruler felt in being unwilling to sell his possessions, should have revealed his covetousness (violating the 10th commandment) to confess, “Lord, I see how selfish and covetous I have been. I’m a sinner by every measure in the commands of God’s Word. Can there be any mercy for such a sinner as I?” That should have been his question.
   Instead he went away sorrowful, but not with the sorrow that leads to repentance, rather he left with the sorrow of unwillingness to be broken, which leads to self-centered remorse and self-pity. There was no change. His love for money and possessions revealed his disobedience to the first and tenth commandments (Ex 20:3, 17). If he would have come as a child in simple faith despite his unworthiness, he would have been welcomed, forgiven and freed. Have you learned that no one can be good enough for God?

Psalms 69:5 O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You.

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 21 Save yourself from this generation

2012-01-21T06:00:00.004-05:00

Acts 2: 40, "With many other words he testified and exhorted them saying, "Save yourselves*~ from this perverse generation!"

   Peter knew that men must be told the truth about themselves, about God and especially about the love of Christ. Otherwise they will destroy their lives and forever be separated from God because of their sins. Peter could not remain silent.
   He “testified and exhorted” his audience. The imperfect tense of “exhorted” means that he never stopped telling them. The word “exhorted” means to “call upon, admonish, beg, instruct, encourage, or teach.” He was compelled to use every oral expression possible to persuade his audience to turn to Jesus. Paul wrote of his compelling urgency to speak when he wrote, “since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech” (2 Cor 3:12). Do we really believe that the hope of the gospel is the only hope for the lost?
   Peter challenged his audience with an aorist command meaning to “immediately decide to save yourself,” not in the sense that they could effect their own salvation, but in the sense that individually each one must decide whose side they are on, whether that of their perverse generation with all its customs, traditions, culture, vices, philosophy, and self-seeking sensualities, or the side of God in Jesus Christ.
   People of all ages must decide whether to dance to the music of the perversity in their generation or sing a new song. Long before Christ, Moses wrote of those who pretended to be Jews, but had yielded to the perversities of their generation: "They have acted corruptly toward [God]; To their shame they are no longer his children, But a warped and crooked generation" (Deut 32:5).
   Then after Christ, Paul wrote to all who would follow Christ: “that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked [same word as our text] and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (Phil 2:15-16a).
   Being saved from a “perverse generation” does not mean isolation. It means to be strengthened internally so that the generation in which we live does not affect us; but rather, we have an impact on it, pointing it to the Savior who alone can change all sinners like us now and for eternity. Vices of perversity are self-destructive. Flee to Jesus for His transforming power to make you free to walk with Him.

Psalms 95:10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.’

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 20 Don’t stop the children

2012-01-20T06:00:00.003-05:00

Matt 19:14, “But Jesus said, “Let the little children come*~ to me and do not try to stop~| them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

   How Jesus loved little children! The disciples were rebuking the parents for bringing their children to Jesus for Him to touch and pray for them. Perhaps they thought that Jesus was too important or too busy to be bothered with children. Was this a waste of time in the midst of more important issues? To emphasize the importance of this issue, Jesus gave a double command to cease and desist (“let the little children come” and “Cease trying to stop them”).
   Apparently the disciples had missed the recent lesson (18:2) on children, when He called a child in the audience to come to Him and said, ”Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” He then added that the characteristic of a child that He admires is humility (18:4), a willingness to trust Jesus’ word without question. Further He warned that anyone who “causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (18:6). Causing children to doubt truth, or encouraging children to be tempted to experience sinful behavior has horrible consequences.
   The beauty of the gospel is that it can be understood by young children. The gospel is not a mystery reserved for the initiated or a highly intellectual theory requiring years of research. On the contrary, the gospel is amazingly designed for anyone who wants to know God and live with Him forever. When children, or anyone, recognize that they have disobeyed God’s commands, such as “Honor your parents” (5th commandment), “Do not bear false witness or tell a lie” (9th commandment), “Do not steal” (8th commandment) or “Do not covet” (10th commandment), they can understand their sinfulness, that is, they are not a "good person." Then they see their need for forgiveness. Jesus said He came to save sinners, not those who thought they were good people. Jesus welcomes anyone seeking His forgiveness and acceptance, regardless of age. Care and patience should be taken to assure this basic understanding for a sincere commitment to Christ.
   These children evidently knew enough to want to come to Jesus. The term for “children” (paidion) usually refers to K-9 age children. Jesus knew that the future of His Church was in the hands of these little children.
   Jesus also knew that the humble, open receptivity of these children was in stark contrast to the stubborn pride of the religious and intellectual people who let their education, pride or sophistication quench the simple faith needed to believe in Jesus. Anyone of any age who comes to Christ in faith with a willingness to trust whatever Jesus says has a warm welcome from Jesus now and later in the kingdom.
   Encourage and pray for all the children ministries that you know.

Psalms 119:73 “Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 19 Produce Fruit

2012-01-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

Luke 3:8, "Therefore produce fruit*~ that proves your repentance, and don't begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!"

   A persecuted Christian in China once told me that he never wanted persecution to cease in China, because it was the only way to determine who the genuine Christians were. True believers always change from the inside out betraying their true identity.
   John the Baptist was insistent that those who had “changed their minds” about their own sinfulness and wanted forgiveness from God should make sure they understood that an inward change always results in an outward change as well.
   One of the main ways to “prove your repentance” is to demonstrate that God lives within you by the evidence of the “fruit of the Spirit,” that is, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” which will be evident in every relationship (Gal 5:22-23).
   Paul goes on in Galatians to describe specifically how this works out in practical ways. If “we are Christ’s,” then we “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (5:24), therefore, he tells “us not [to] become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (5:25). We do not compete with each other to see who is the most spiritual or most qualified, but we should always demonstrate His love by how we care for others just as He does.
   James wrote that faith without deeds is dead or empty (James 2:14-26), whereas genuine repentance and faith always produces a progressive change that becomes increasingly evident, because the life of God has been planted within the believer. As we grow in our understanding of God’s action and attitudes we want to be like Him. What formerly seemed okay or fun is now often seen as sinful behavior. The awareness that Christ had to shed His blood in order to forgive our sins, now takes the excitement out of sinful practices. The believer does not have to try to change, it just happens because our inner nature has changed.
   The Jews tended to wrongly presume they automatically had God’s blessings because they were descendents of Abraham, no matter how they behaved. We Gentile believers might also presume that God has forgiven us because we were baptized, go to church, or have Christian parents, while continuing to live a carnal, self-centered, egotistical lifestyle. We must beware of a shallow, nominal or fake Christianity. We can only be related to Christ through a personal and individual faith in His promises. No one can have faith for another, or piggyback on someone else’s faith.
   God is not impressed with a superficial, mechanical or ritual religion that does not change the person's heart. Rather, God seeks people who have a heart-felt commitment to Christ, and are genuinely desirous to be like Him (especially by demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit). Do you sense the conviction of the Spirit when you sin? Do you have an inward desire to change? Fruit is the result of the life source of the vine flowing into the branches. If we are bonded to the Vine of Christ, His fruit will be inevitable in our lives.

Psalms 1:3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 18 Listen to Him

2012-01-18T06:00:00.003-05:00

Matt 17:5, "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen~~to him!"

Peter, James, and John had just witnessed the miraculous transformation of Jesus’ normal human appearance into His heavenly glorified splendor as the bright Shekinah glory of the OT. Can you imagine being privileged to have witnessed this scene? They knew Jesus was extraordinary with divine powers, but now they saw His divinity that Jesus had chosen to cover with His humanity. Paul wrote, “But [He]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2:7-8^NKJ).

The single glimpse into the reality of this amazing Person was when Jesus was momentarily transformed before their eyes. This revelation set the stage for the purpose of the moment: the only message to man given directly from God the Father: “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” The whole episode was to make sure His disciples continually took seriously everything He said.

Peter later described this moment of witnessing Jesus’ transformation as secondary to possessing the record of the words of God: “And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic Word made more sure [i.e., more certain than witnessing Jesus in His glory], to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place…” 2 Pet 1:18-19^NKJ. To Peter, who was there, it was more important for him to have the record of God’s messages to man in the Scripture than it was to have seen Jesus transformed. The lesson applied is to respect and listen to everything God says in the Bible’s instructions.

Everyone becomes like the one(s) to whom he listens! The most repeated command in the Book of Revelation is “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…” Rev 2:7. This is repeated nine times in Revelation (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 20, 22; 13:9). These verbs forms mean a continuous and habitual practice of all the recorded instructions to the churches. Are we listening, as we read, for a command to obey today? Do we really want God’s Word to tell us what to do? Some prefer to be ignorant of what He says so they do not have to consciously disobey what they know to be right, in order to do what they want.

When a cohort or acquaintance asks for something, we can debate it and ignore it with little consequences. When a policeman asks us to do something, we had better do it, especially when we think he is watching. When a President or a king asks us to do something, men will die to obey it without question or hesitation. When the King of kings asks us to do anything, which of these three responses do we practice?

Psa 85:8“I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints—but let them not return to folly.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 17 Love, Do Good and Lend

2012-01-17T06:00:00.002-05:00

Luke 6:35, "But love~~ your enemies, and do good~~, and lend~~, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people."

   Some commands have immediate benefits, while others have eternal consequences. Obedience to these three commands are promised “great” reward, primarily from God Himself. The main reason for granting this reward is because we have chosen to behave like God Himself who “is kind to ungrateful and evil people.”
   The three commands are present imperatives, which means they are meant to be continual or habitual actions of Jesus’ followers. The remarkable uniqueness of Christians is that they are to “love your enemies.” If by “love” we mean the emotional sensation of attraction and affection, then this becomes an extremely contradictory command. However, “love” is a command; therefore, it is an action to be done, not a feeling to be felt.
   Perhaps it would be good to see the opposite action of love. If it were an emotion, the opposite would be hate. On the other hand, if love is an action verb, then the opposite is selfishness. The line is drawn between these two actions by defining who is the beneficiary of the actions: in selfish actions, I am the beneficiary, and in loving actions, others are always the beneficiary, regardless whether I benefit from them or not.
   Now it is a possible command to obey with the empowerment or filling of the Spirit in a believer. We cannot feel warmly towards those we despise, but we can decide how to benefit our enemies or the “ungrateful and evil people” in our lives, just as our God seeks to do as well. If it is the “goodness of God that leads to repentance,” why can’t we add, “and the goodness of believers?”
   If the command to “love your enemies” is somewhat generic, the command “do good” is a slightly more specific clarification of what love is to do. Then the command “lend, expecting nothing back” is even more specific.
   My father once told me, “If you ever want to make your best friend your worse enemy, then lend him money.” The minute you attempt to collect from him, he will respond as your enemy. If you ever give someone money that you care about, remove all hope or expectation of ever recuperating those funds. In your mind, think of it as a gift and let it go. People matter more than your money.
   The killer of all relationships is selfishness, such as demanding rights, seeking personal gratifications, believing in the importance of personal needs being met by someone else, seeking fairness or getting even, while never giving up anything for the benefit of someone else. We must choose who we want to be like. Do we really want to be like God or do we prefer His selfish, self-centered, and self-serving enemy, Satan? Will you pray, “Lord, teach me to be like You in caring more about winning the hearts of other undeserving people to Your gracious and generous love.”

Psalms 119:98, “You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 16 Work and Serve

2012-01-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Col 3:23-24, "Whatever you are doing, work~~ at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve ~~ the Lord Christ.

   Motivation for why we do things is very important in Scripture. One of the chief defects of the first century slave was the lack of motivation to behave with zeal unless threatened with punishment. The principles taught in the commands for slaves are general principles that apply to modern employees as well. The temptation for the slave was to do as little as one could get away with.
   One can only imagine the difficulty for one of the 100 million Roman slaves in the first century who desired to honor the Lord. It must be clear that the priority of the NT was to spread the gospel and not to be clouded with social concerns. These circumstances are comparable to our modern employee-employer relationship. If the first century slave could follow these principles, then any employee today can as well, for the honor of our Lord.
   A Christian slave owed complete obedience to his master as though his service were a ministry to the Lord Himself; however, the principle can be applied as to all employees. The phrase “whatever” extends beyond what might be a normally expected obligation. The present tense meant they were to “continually or habitually be working with all their souls or hearts” (psuche), that is, action done with all their strength.
   Negatively, we are not to serve men, that is, not to be men-pleasers. No attempt is to be made to impress human authorities or manipulate their approval. We are not to make sure we are seen and heard looking good or busy. Jesus had warned in Matt 6:1 that anything done just to be seen or approved of men would receive no reward from Him. Only the Lord could know what motivates our behavior, but He never misses a single thought. We are to always be doing excellent work whether anyone is looking or not.
   Two aspects of the motivation are to be kept in the servant’s mind: (1) whatever one does it is “as to the Lord and not for people.” The Lord who sees all and knows all, looks for what He can reward. (2) They were to be continually knowing or thinking of their “inheritance from the Lord as the reward” for their faithful service, which makes life’s efforts worthwhile. Under Roman law a slave could not inherit anything; however, Paul gives dignity and hope to the servant by describing the reward that will be given personally from the Lord.
   Even while remaining slaves (or employees), believers are continually or habitually to be serving the Lord Jesus. The triple repetition of the focus toward the Lord suggests that the slave/employee is to be constantly repeating in his mind that his loyalty is focused on Christ, which transcends his devotion to his human master. This makes it easier to bear the harsher and unpleasant features of his enslavement or employment. Whatever your task, it is to be done as for the Lord Himself. Can you keep this focus today?

NLT Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does.

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 15 Listen to God’s Word

2012-01-15T06:00:00.003-05:00

Luke 16:29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond*~ to them.'

   In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Rich Man is suffering in the pains of the reality of hell while pleading with Abraham to send someone to tell his five brothers about the reality of hell. He was convinced that surely if his brothers talked with someone sent back from the dead, they would believe such a messenger.
Abraham responded, “They have the Old Testament prophets, they MUST RESPOND to them.” This is the message of Abraham, through Christ’s message to the world. If people want to know the reality of eternity, then they must learn well the revealed Word of God and obey what they find. If his brothers had not responded to the major message of God in His Word, then they would not listen to messenger, even if he claimed to be from the grave.
   The truth is that God is amazingly gracious with His creatures, but they have to choose to follow what He has said. If they choose to live in this life without God, paying no attention to His Word, then God will let them do so in this life, and then likewise forever without God in the next life.
   What Jesus is revealing in this story is a principle that applies for everyone, everywhere, at all times: God’s primary means of communicating His will and the hope of mankind is through His now written Word.  Men want any other means to hear from God, except a revealed written Word. They will listen to anything declaring to be a special revelation from visions to reading into providential circumstances, from voices in the head to seeing signs in whatever is experienced. All these are supposedly God’s responsibility to intervene in a life to catch the attention of a deviant soul and bring him to submission.
God’s plan is quite different. We are to adjust to His plan, rather than convince Him of a better plan. He came to reveal His will, He declared His will, then He inspired His chosen disciples to record His will for all time. Now the only way we will ever know His will is to search it out in His written Word.
Secondly, He is revealing the principle that miraculous messengers or signs are not the life-changing element that will convert a soul. The brothers would have been shocked, amazed, awe-struck by the appearance of such resurrected souls with a message directly from hell, but it would have had no life-changing power. People can be convinced of a miracle, but still not want Jesus to tell them what to do, much less to reign in their lives. They may be so awestruck to the point they superficially worship God more than ever, but fail to yield to His commands.
It always comes back to a heart issue. Each person must believe from the heart, that is, they must want His Word to be their guide in everything it says. They must want Jesus to be their authority and constant companion in this life. Miracles are only effective in convincing people that God is real, but it does not mean that they will want Him in every part of their lives.
   This is why Abraham told the Rich man, “No! This is not how God works with men.” The only way to know the truth that will free the sinner from his sins is through the written Word of God. This is the message we have to teach and share. Have you responded to all you know in His Word? Will you share these thoughts with someone this week? Make sure those you care about know God's Word.

Psalms 119:66 NET, “Teach me proper discernment and understanding! For I consider your commands to be reliable.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 14 Do not be afraid He will take care

2012-01-14T06:00:00.004-05:00

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid~|, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom."

   Whatever we fear, there is a tendency to surrender to it or to avoid it. In this context Jesus is warning His followers not to be worried about the loss of material security or possessions, which tends to distract a follower from committing to the important issues of spiritual realities. On the other hand, those who pursue the advancement of the kingdom of God in this world will receive sufficient for their needs providentially from God’s material provisions.
   Jesus had just given the command not to fear in verse 4 (not to fear persecution) and verse 7 (not to fear being unnoticed) and now we are not to fear being abandoned or not having sufficient provisions. He warned them about covetousness in verse 15, which is one of the root causes of this fear of not having a secure income. In verse 22 Jesus said not to “be anxious” about what you will eat or wear. Then He gives a series of illustrations concerning how God takes care of less important creatures to demonstrate how much more He would surely take care of His servants. The entire world seeks things in this life, but Jesus wants His followers to seek everything that benefits His kingdom now and to come.
   The “fear” in this context is the worry that one’s personal needs might not be met if he were to give his whole life to fulfill God's will in the world; that is, a fear that He might not take care of us as well as we could take care of ourselves. He does not show us how He will do it, nor does he give us a legal contract that would give us any earthly security. He only gives us His promise. Can you trust Him alone, or do you need a safety net, some financial security, just in case He does not come through with what you need?
   For many, the thought of giving up a secure career or potentially lucrative position in order to play a significant role in completing the Great Commission is so foreign and almost painful a concept that only a few ever take it seriously. Many are scared that they will not have financial support to finish the task, so they give up the idea. Jesus is commanding us not to be afraid to commit to a significant role in God’s mission in the world, regardless of what we might have to give up now to make it happen.
   Are you afraid of the will of God? What if God burdened your heart for an unreached people group in India or China? Would you be willing to trust God for your provisions? What if God wanted you to be more generous in your giving? Could you trust Him for the provisions, then would you release your resources to someone else? God has a tendency to lead His children towards a cross … something that could cost you everything. Are you still willing to listen to His voice in your inner man? A cross is never cheap. However, there is a kingdom on the other side, “it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be focused on it. Never be afraid to pour out your life and resources for His Kingdom. Is there a burden on your heart that you are afraid to face or take on?

Psalms 56:3-4, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 13 Watch out not to lose rewards

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

2 John 8, "Watch out~~, so that you do not lose the things we have worked for, but receive a full reward.

   Everyone wants to get full value for his service. However, in every contract there are clauses that, if violated, can nullify the full benefit of the contract. Let it be clear, this verse is not describing anything to do with salvation, rather it refers to the rewards of faithful service. Rewards are not a free and unconditional gift as is our salvation. They are a measure of the value of our effective service for Christ’s kingdom.
   False teachers had invaded the churches by the end of the first century with doctrines contrary to the revealed Word. Evidently, their winsome and persuasive personality and abilities to do phenomenal wonders and miracles (Matt 7:21-23) deceived many followers of Christ. How could this happen?
   The FBI teaches its agents to memorized the face of a genuine $20 bill, so that they can identify counterfeit bills in a moment. The key to not being deceived by false teachers is to know the clear teachings of the revealed and written Word of God thus enabling a believer to recognize error and contradictory ideas. This is no mystical or intuitive secret.
   The warning in this present command means a continual or habitual practice of discerning and examining all teachings, philosophies, ideas, and stories that supposedly are Spirit led. John commanded in 1 John 4:1, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” The only sure objective measure of truth and falsehood is the Word of God. Paul wrote, “If anybody thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor 14:37).
Always ask the question, “Where does it say that in the Scripture?” Error is always based on logic, deductions, imaginations and mental impressions, which add to or contradict the clear text of Scripture.
   All of our life’s works for the kingdom of Christ are symbolized or equated to “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw” in 1 Cor 3:12. These shall be tested by fire to make evident what was genuine and acceptable “quality” service (3:13). We are not told what these symbols represent, but gold, silver and precious stones can withstand the test of fire. The rest is consumed and disappears. If I could speculate a moment, this sounds like the wood, hay, and straw might represent potentially good things done for the wrong motives or actions nullified which might have been rewarded.
The Apostle John, like all sincere leaders, want their followers to be fully honored for all their effective service for the church. John revealed that the believer could diminish their potential reward if they allowed themselves to be deceived by false teachers. In verse 6 he wrote that true “love [is] that we walk according to his commandments,” but “many deceivers have gone out into the world” (v. 7). Rather than being cautious, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God” (v. 9). The standard that everyone must be measured against is the first century apostolic “teaching” (v. 10), which, along with Jesus’ teaching, laid the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20). Lets know it well, and live it faithfully, thus not be deceived. How high on your priority list is knowing clearly God's Word?

Psa 18:30, “As for God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 12 Follow Jesus as a servant

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

John 12:26, "If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow~~  me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

   As long as following Jesus meant the possibility of fame, power and fortune the disciples were willing and able. In Mark 10:37 two of His disciples, James and John, asked, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Jesus asked them if they could “drink the cup [bitter cup of suffering NIV] that I drink and be baptized with the baptism [of suffering NIV] that I am baptized with? They said to Him, ‘We are able’” (10:38-39).
A few minutes later the other disciples caught on that these two were trying to get the best and most powerful positions in Christ’s kingdom, which made them mad with jealousy. It seems obvious all of them were following Jesus because of how they expected to benefit personally. However, Jesus was not going to a glorious earthly kingdom at this time, but to a cross… and they were to follow Him there.
   Jesus had just taught how He thinks and lived: “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Jesus did not cling to His life in glory, but let it go to be sent to earth to suffer and die for the redemption of others. After the resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, “As the Father as sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
   To serve and follow Jesus meant the loss of personal ambitions, a giving up all personal benefit and a commitment to serve Christ’s interests and purpose in the world as He indicated in the Great Commission. To follow Christ is not the way of earthly power and honor, but of humility and death … especially to self.
   This is not an option or just for a select few followers. It is for every believer who wishes to be a follower of Christ. He died to fulfill the mission of redemption for us, and now He expects us to likewise live for the redemption message to the last people group on the planet, till every people has heard.
   Most remained spectators in the beginning, but later became followers of Jesus giving up their lives for the amazing message of the cross. The perspective of eternity with Christ makes the present seem shallow.
   How does a person serve Christ? Negatively, it is evident that anything done to the believers was perceived directly by Jesus as being done to Him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4), yet Saul had never even seen Jesus. Persecuting believers was the same as persecuting Jesus. Jesus had taught, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt 25:40). We serve Jesus by serving His followers and completing His world mission.
   Will it be worth it? Jesus said, “the Father will honor him.” The delight of God in eternity will be to honor all who voluntarily gave up their lives to follow Christ in reaching and serving others for His honor and glory. Would your prefer earthly honor or the Father’s honor? It is your choice. Follow your dreams or dream to follow your King today.

Psalm 22:30, “A whole generation will serve Him; they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 11 Do not judge others

2012-01-11T12:27:00.003-05:00

1 Cor 4:5, "So then, do not judge~| anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God.

   How easy it is to be critical, even cynical of people, which destroys their credibility and acceptance before others. Such attitudes presume to judge the motives and intents of someone else’s heart and mind. As good as your guess may be, it is still only a guess, because only God can see the reality in every heart. Playing God's role has dangerous consequences both because one usurps the place of God in judging His own servants, and secondly, there is the high probability that such critical judgments are mistaken, exaggerated or out of context resulting in cruel injustices.
   God told Samuel a great truth: “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature… For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
   Why is it so hard to let God be the judge of His people? Could it be a selfish motive for vengeance or jealousy encourages our critical spirit? Could it be pride so we would look better than the person we are criticizing? God is so different than we are.
   Paul writes that God “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts.” This could be a scary experience, except for one factor: God has promised to never remember our sins. Isa 43:25, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake. And I will not remember your sins.” Heb 10:17, “Then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” It is clear that this in-depth examination or judgment of the hidden motives of our inner man have nothing to do with revealing for all our secret sins.
   Peter described how God can do this: “for love will cover a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). God intentionally covers or blocks out of His mind all that is ugly, detestable and repugnant in our lives. He does this, according to Isa 43:25, “…for My own sake,” that is, so that He can be free to fellowship with us. He chooses not to see what is offensive to His holiness. When He thinks of us, He only thinks of “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if any virtue and anything praiseworthy…” (Phil 4:8). If God thinks this way about us, we are commanded to think the same way about others.
   The last phrase of how we are to think of others, “… anything praiseworthy” suggests the last part of our verse: “Then each will receive recognition from God.” He is not judgmental or critical of us seeking to destroy who we are, rather His inspection is to find every last thought, dream or motive that sought His honor and His glory, anything that He can justify what He wants more than anything to do to us: give us “recognition” or “praise” forever before all the saints of heaven. God only wants to praise us for our faithfulness. That is all He is about… consequently, this is how now we must think about others as well.

Psa 119:66, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge. For I believe Your commandments.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 10 Be firm in your commitment

2012-01-10T06:00:00.003-05:00

1 Cor 15:58, "So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm~~. Do not be moved! (adjective) Always be outstanding (participle) in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

   If we believe that the real world begins after the resurrection and that all of this life in time and space is but the proving grounds for the unending life with Christ, then we have developed a transforming worldview. Paul’s conclusion after establishing this great truth is that we are commanded to be steadfast, immovable, abounding and knowing, all of which are the compliment of the main verb telling us what we are to be.
   The present imperative(~~) is to be “continually being firm” means someone who is “settled, seated or resolved” about the reality of the resurrection (the context) and eternal rewards from Christ then even martyrdom is not seen as negative, indeed, quite the opposite.
   To be “immoveable” means “not moved from side to side” as the “unstable” person in James 1 who doubted God’s purpose in suffering, thus becoming as one standing in the waves of the ocean being rocked back and forth. What we believe about reality either stablizes us or makes us unstable.
   To be “abounding” means to “exceed the number expected or required. This is the word used in Eph 1:7-8 to describe the “riches of His grace,” because God out does Himself towards us, the undeserving of any of His favors. We should determine to out do ourselves in service for our King, ignoring the often repeated advise to “take it easy.” One of the models of this perspective was Epaphroditus who “came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life" (Phil 2:25, 30).
   To be “knowing” the value of the rewards that Christ has planed for His servants. The word means to turn your attention to this theme, to focus on it, to keep it in your thoughts and values of what is important to you.  Though we many not know the particulars, we can trust Him that our “labor [for the kingdom] is not in vain.” Jesus said that “I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he as done” (Rev 22:12). This is not how good we are or how many times we went to church, but what did we personally accomplish for His kingdom. If He can trust us to finish His task now, He will reward us with greater responsibility in eternity.
   These are to be habitually and continually in our thoughts and practices, because we are to be motivated and responsible for how we remained committed in our actions to His kingdom, not wasting time or being self-indulgent, rather taking on kingdom projects at every chance. Nothing we do for Christ is missed or overlooked.
   Lord, keep me from discouragement in Your service. Teach me to trust you to reward my every act of faithfulness, even when men do not see it.

Psalms 18:1-2 "I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 9 Live out what God put in

2012-01-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

1 Peter 1:17, "And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, live out*~ the time of your temporary residence here in reverence."

   Whatever a person is on the inside or in his thought-life, should be reflected in a similar behavior. People follow externally what they believe internally. The believer, if a sincere follower of Christ, who addresses God as his Father must know that He is the impartial Judge of everyone’s individual works.
   The notion of calling God as your Father recalls Jesus’ teaching of how to pray, “Our Father…” (Matt 6:9), which continues the image the Peter has presented as having been “born again to a living hope” (1:3), then he continued the image of being “obedient children” (1:14), who had been born of imperishable seed (1:23). The conditional clause, “if you address…” could also be translated “Since you address…,” which would indicate an ongoing actual state of communion between the reader and God. Peter is not casting a doubt about their salvation, but assuming that this relationship exists, how should the reader behave?
   However, the readers should beware of presuming on the grace of God’s mercy, treating it as a license to sin with immunity. The believer is to be conscious of the fact that God judges the believer “impartially,” that is, with no special privileges for His children. God is Father-Judge, not a Santa Clause-type person who only gives “goodies” and closes His eyes to our evil doing. Don’t be deceived. If we are His children then we must expect His chastisement when we are disobedient (Heb 12:4-6).
   The phrase “in reverence” or “with fear” (phobos) is in the emphatic position to indicate that Someone is watching and He has no favoritism to blink at our sins without teaching us a lesson to despise sin as He does. If He promises to do this, then we had better “fear” that He will punish, thus we should live to avoid such chastisement.
   A second focus of motivation in order to be released from the addiction to sinful habits is the fact that we “were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers” (1:18). It cost a horrible suffering for God to be just in forgiving undeserving sinners.
   Salvation is primarily an inward work of the Spirit (“believe or trust in the heart”). Now Paul is calling us to “immediately decide to henceforth live out,” what the Spirit has worked into the believer. If we trust Him inwardly, then we must trust Him externally in how we obey what He says. The transformed mind (Rom 12:2) motivates a transformed life.
   Lord, help me to demonstrate how much you mean to me.

Psalms 19:9NET, “The commands to fear the LORD are right and endure forever.
The judgments given by the LORD are trustworthy and absolutely just.”

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.

Jan 8 Do not be deceived

2012-01-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

Gal 6:7, "Do not be deceived~|. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows,"

   It is so easy to get wrong ideas or have beliefs that are based on false concepts. This is why it is essential that everything we think or believe is based on biblical truth. What a person believes is how he will live.
   Paul had just concluded a description of the Christian freedom acting in the opposite direction from the works of the flesh (Gal 5:13-26) concluding with the statement: “If we live by the Spirit [i.e., as a Spirit-indwelt persons], let us also walk by the Spirit [i.e., empowered by the Spirit, thereby enabled to conquer the works of the flesh] (5:25). The next chapter opens, “if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him… keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (6:1). We are to help each other be obedient to these commands, not criticizing and hurting each other.
   Paul then warns the readers literally, “Stop deceiving yourselves,” implying there had been thinking wrong thoughts like, “God did not do anything to me,” or “Nothing happened, so I guess God will let me get away with this secret sin.” We only deceive ourselves. God is slow to anger (that is why He asks us to be), so He may not bring chastisement immediately, but He never fails to do so. Refuse to listen to any thought that justifies or makes it easier to be disobedient in any way.
   Two reasons are given for why letting one’s wrong thoughts deceive himself are not good: first, “God will not be made a fool” or “God is not mocked.” When we show contempt for God’s commands, we make Him look like a liar, or a fool for not punishing us immediately. Such arrogance will be taken care of eventually, and we will know why, if we are honest. Are you conscious of sins that you regularly commit that you think you have gotten away with? Get rid of anything that facilitates your sinning.
   Secondly, there is a “payday someday,” or “a person will reap what he sows.” No one can deceive God; whatever seeds you plant in the early spring will sprout and bear its same fruit by harvest time. Planting seeds of secret sins when revealed may destroy your reputation, damage a ministry, destroy relationships, or bring you to the point of death. God is committed to keeping you from sin, but if you insist, it will totally destroy you?
   Lord, keep me from thinking you do not care about whether I sin or not, and give me a sensitive heart to know when I am justifying my sin or presuming I can get away with it.

Job 13:9, “Will it be well when He searches you out? Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man?"

For a year's daily devotional of these Bible studies, order a copy of the book Truths to Live By at Branches Publications for your copy.