Daily in the Word: a ministry of Lancaster Baptist Church
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I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:14-17
When we think about God's unlimited power, one of the first and most obvious demonstrations is creation. Simply by speaking it into existence God created the world out of nothing. “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:8-9). Another commonly-thought of display of God's power is the miracles we see both in Scripture and in our own lives. God is not bound by what is possible for us. He has all power, and is able to work in whatever way is needed to accomplish His purpose. The seas can part, the sun can stand still, the barren can have children and the overwhelming enemies can be defeated.
Often people do not think of the gospel in terms of it being a demonstration and display of God's power, but there is no greater miracle than a child of the devil who is lost and headed for eternity in Hell to become a child of God who is saved and headed for eternity in Heaven. That kind of transformation is beyond any human power but it poses no challenge for God. “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26).
We have the only message with the power to transform eternal destinies, and must be faithful to share it.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Psalm 46:1-4
God's people are not exempt from the troubles and problems that come from living in a fallen world. We face the same kind of loss, pain, hardship, sickness, and uncertainty that the world faces. The difference is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God. He never abandons or forsakes His children. Even an earth-shattering event that reshapes the landscape in dramatic ways does not have to shake our faith in His eternal and unchanging love and provision for us. “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Sometimes we fall into the trap of doubt, wondering if God can be relied on. This is especially true when God does not work on our schedule. But God's love for us never fails, and even when we cannot see how He is working, He has not turned His back on us. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Mercy may seem slow, but it is sure. The Lord in unfailing wisdom has appointed a time for the outgoings of His gracious power, and God's time is the best time. We are in a hurry; the vision of the blessing excites our desire, and hastens our longings; but the Lord will keep His appointments. He never is before His time; He never is behind.” The Lord is not a distant deity who must be approached with caution lest disaster results. He is a loving Father who graciously cares for the needs of His children and wants what is best for them.
We need never doubt God's goodness or love, even when He does not work on our schedule or in our line of vision. We can always know He is working.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
Psalm 29:3-7
Much of our world views God as something of a joke. He is often portrayed in popular culture as a doddering old man disconnected from the world and unwilling or unable to do anything about what is happening. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is all powerful, and He is active and involved in every part of His creation. He has the ability to do anything, even that which is humanly impossible, simply by commanding it to happen. If we truly understood the glory and power and majesty of God, we would hold Him in the fear and awe and reverence which He deserves.
The casual attitude of the world toward God can easily infect the church as well. He is just as high and holy today as He has been throughout history. God has not changed His holiness or become lessened in His perfection. We need a renewed sense of God's greatness. When Moses brought the people to Mt. Sinai to receive the law from God, they were terrified by the physical manifestation of God's power and presence. “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (Exodus 20:19). As children of God we have been given the privilege of entering His presence with confidence because the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been credited to our account and our sins were placed on Him. We now have direct access to God and are encourage to boldly approach His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).
This access to God should not lead us to treat God in a cavalier way or to think less highly of His power and glory. He is still the holy, almighty God, and we should worship and revere Him as such. He is our loving Father who works powerfully in this world—and in our lives.
God is our loving Father whose greatness deserves our respect and obedience.
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psalm 2:1-5
Since the rebellion of Satan even before the world was created there have been many attempts to overthrow God's rule and cast away His laws. Many of the most powerful empires in history were in direct opposition to God and His Word. Though they may have flourished and grown for a brief time, they quickly withered away. Nothing that man can do poses any challenge to God. It is laughable to think that anyone or anything could stand against Him for as much as one second. There is not even the beginning of a basis for comparison between us and Him. God said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).
Despite this reality, people act as though God's commands and directives are optional. Governments pass laws making it legal to do things God expressly forbids. Society loudly voices approval for things that are abominable in God's eyes. Even some churches are changing their beliefs and practices, leaving behind the Bible for human reasoning as their guide. Though God's mercy and patience are great, He is not weak or incapable of meting out judgment. And the Bible tells us that He will one day judge the world in His righteousness.
The knowledge given to us of God's sovereign power and the certainty of His ultimate victory provides us the confidence to face the challenges of life with peace and faith. “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me” (Psalm 56:11).
No person or power on earth can derail God's plan for our lives and our future.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
God calls His children to live in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. Despite what the world around us may say or think, there are things that are right which we should do and things that are wrong which we should not do. God's standard of holiness and His commands are unchanging and they are the proper measure of how we should live. The key to living obediently and doing what is right is not in actions but in our thinking. Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said, “Behind every tragedy of human character lies a long process of wicked thinking.” Our thoughts are not random things over which we have no control. It is within our ability through the power that God provides His children to ensure that our thoughts are obedient to what honors and glorifies God.
If we let our thoughts control us, our enemies—the world, the flesh and the devil—will quickly fill our minds with things that will lead to sinful actions. If we humble ourselves before God and place our thoughts under His control, we will reject the things that lead us away from Him. We cannot control everything that enters our mind, but we can control what lingers there. So God calls us to bring our minds into the captivity—or under the control—of that which is in obedience to Him. The prayer of the psalmist is a good one for us: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
The process of conforming our behavior to God's commands begins with making our thoughts obedient to His truth.
Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive. Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
Jeremiah 13:16-18
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet at a time when God's people were far away from Him. The final kings of Judah were a collection of weak and wavering men who led the people to worship false idols instead of the true God. They were proud of their power and achievements, but they failed to recognize that they were on the brink of judgment. Centuries later, Herod discovered a similar lesson when he accepted glory and credit that belonged to God: “And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:22-23).
Whether it is an individual or a nation, humility is a vital characteristic for those who wish to receive God's grace and blessing. In fact, pride prevents us both from seeing our need for God's grace and from God giving it to us. "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6). Every good thing that we accomplish is possible because of the talents and resources God provides for us. Every achievement and victory is gained because of the opportunities we receive from Him and the power He gives us. There is no place for pride, yet we are constantly tempted to lift ourselves up rather than humbling ourselves before God. If we truly see Him as the great and powerful God that He is, we will realize that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). And we will not take credit for that which He gives us and does through us.
Pride prevents us from experiencing God's grace, but humility allows us to receive and enjoy every good gift from God's gracious hand.
What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
1 Corinthians 10:19-22
In Pilgrim's Progress John Bunyan described the town of Fair Speech that Christian and Hopeful came to on their journey to the Celestial City. One of the most prominent residents of the town was named Mr. Facing-Both-Ways. He was easy to get along with, because he never took a firm and settled position on anything. Charles Spurgeon said, he “made all his money as a waterman [using his boat to ferry passengers across a river], by looking one way and pulling the other.” The temptation to try to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the things of God invariably leaves us crippled and unable to move forward in either direction.
Living for Christ is an all or nothing proposition. We do not take part of God's Word and part of our culture and part of tradition for our doctrine. We either accept what God said fully, or we do not really accept it at all. The world in which we live is filled with alternatives to fully committing to God. But He is looking for nothing less. He does not want us to be focused on the past because He knows if we are, we will eventually return to the things we left behind to follow Him. “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned” (Hebrews 11:15). Instead of trying to straddle the line between God and the world we must focus all of our love and attention on Him.
Looking back toward the things of the world keeps us from properly following Jesus.
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:19-21
When Brian Lee stood before a federal court in San Diego in 2014, he was finally held to account for his crime against the elderly couple who had hired him to set up their estate. Lee set up the trust fund as requested, but quickly began embezzling from his clients. Over a period of ten years, he stole more than $1 million from them before he was finally caught. In addition to his prison sentence, Lee was ordered to make restitution of the stolen funds. United States Attorney Laura Duffy who prosecuted the case said, “It is gratifying to achieve justice on behalf of these senior citizens, who unfortunately placed their trust in Mr. Lee. We hope that this case serves as a deterrent to other fiduciaries and trust administrators who might seek to take advantage of vulnerable victims.”
When we are trusted with something that belongs to someone else, it places a great responsibility on us. This is true for more than just financial and material things. It is true in the spiritual world as well. Paul reminded Timothy that he had been given the truth, and warned him not to let anything chip away at his faith. The very first temptation hinged on Satan questioning the veracity of God. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” (Genesis 3:4). We have been given the unchanging and eternal truth in the Word of God, and we must not allow anyone or anything to undermine our trust in it. The truth has been given to us to keep, not just for our own benefit, but to make an impact on the lives of those around us and on the future.
The truth God has given us must be both guarded in our hearts and shared with others.
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
George Müller was a notorious sinner in his younger days. He started stealing money from his father when he was just ten years old. Before long, he developed a serious drinking habit, and was widely known for his immoral behavior as a student. His speech was foul, and yet when a fellow college student invited him to a prayer meeting, he agreed to go. Müller later wrote, “I had no Bible, and had not read in it for years. I went to church but seldom. I had never heard the gospel preached, up to the beginning of November 1825. I had never met with a person who told me that he meant, by the help of God, to live according to the Holy Scriptures.”
That night Müller's eyes were opened to the love of God. He said, “What all the exhortations and precepts of my father and others could not effect; what all my own resolutions could not bring about, even to renounce a life of sin and profligacy: I was enabled to do, constrained by the love of Jesus.” Every person born into the world is a sinner. Whether those sins are flagrant and open, or instead internal and largely concealed from the world they are real. Every person needs a Saviour, and Jesus is the only way to Heaven. The power of the gospel not only changes our eternal destiny, but it changes our lives here on Earth as well. It transforms us from being like the world to becoming more and more like Jesus.
The power of the gospel dramatically alters the hearts and minds of those who receive it.
They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them: But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.
Psalm 106:34-39
The land that God had promised to Abraham for his descendants hundreds of years before the Exodus from Egypt was famous for evil. Idolatry and immorality were present everywhere in Canaan. When the time for the Israelites to enter the land, God gave them specific and explicit instructions to not make treaties with the people living there, but instead to drive them out of the land. They did not heed His command. “Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out” (Joshua 17:13). When they could have won a complete victory, they settled for less than full obedience would have given them.
We too live in a culture filled with wickedness. Our assignment is spiritual rather than physical. God has not told us to drive out evil people, nor has He told us to withdraw ourselves from any interaction with the world to avoid sin. Jesus prayed, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). But in one way our assignment is very much like the one given to Israel. We are to keep our hearts fully devoted to God, and not mix our worship of Him with the practices of the world. If we begin to let the world creep into our lives, it will not be long before we become more like the world instead of more like Jesus.
We cannot mix the things of the world with the things of God and expect our lives to be pleasing to Him.
What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 2:18-20
Idolatry was widespread across the nation of Israel. Though God had warned the people not to adopt the gods and goddesses of the people around them, they ignored Him. Though He had commanded them to not make images to worship, they routinely did. It was common practice in those days for there to be large idols of the various deities in the temples, and then people would make smaller versions to put on display in their homes as an evidence of their devotion. The prophet Habakkuk pointed out the absurdity of worshiping something that you made with your own hands. The tree or rock had no life or power before it was shaped and decorated as an idol, and idols have no power after they are turned into a “god” either.
We may not create household idols to worship like the Israelites did, but it is easy for us to put other things in God's rightful place. The English Puritan John Fawcett wrote, “To cleave to any created object, and to look for happiness from it, is to make an idol of it and set it up in God’s place. Should this object be a friend, a brother, a wife, or a child, the idolatry is still odious in the eyes of that God, to whom we owe our chief affection. Our warmest passions, our most fervent love, desires, hopes, and confidences should always have God for their object. It is His desire that our happiness should not center in any of the good things of this life.”
Anything that we put ahead of obedience to and love for God has become an idol to us.