“Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself.” — Philippians 2:3 When Paul wrote the church in the Roman outpost of Philippi (in modern day Turkey), there were positive things for which he commended them. But Paul realized that the only flaw that he saw in the Philippian church was a tendency to divisiveness, a tendency which ultimately was going to be destructive to that church. But he did his best to point out to them the danger, the rocks that lay submerged in the path of the ecclesiastical ship at Philippi. In order for them to be of one mind and one accord they had to acquire humility. He wrote to them, “Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you all, which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:4-5). Jesus humbled Himself by becoming a man. The Second Person of the Trinity took on human flesh. So, He was fully God and fully man. Then He humbled Himself in complete obedience, living a perfect life. Finally, He humbled Himself by dying on the cross. This was a degrading form of execution reserved only for slaves and non-Roman citizens. But God raised Him from the dead and vindicated Him completely. One day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Humility comes before honor. Christ has shown us the way. Lord, You who humbled Yourself so completely and received the name above all names, help me to have a true picture of You and, thus, a true picture of myself, resulting in humility… BY GOD’S STRENGTH AND BY HIS LIGHT, WE CAN SEE OURSELVES CLEARLY.
“The meek will He guide in judgment, and the meek He will teach His way.” — Psalm 25:9 Among the pagans, humility was not a virtue, it was a vice. I think of a man who described himself as a complete pagan. He scorned humility and all Christian virtues as being beneath the dignity of the pagan mind. His name was Adolf Hitler. I remember one time debating a modern humanist atheist on a radio show, and someone called and asked what they should do to become a Christian. I said, “First you need to get down on your knees and repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life.” Well, the host interrupted and said, “No, you should stand on your feet, be proud.” Well, that’s the humanist motto, “Be proud.” You know it is hard when you’re pretending to be a god to be humble, and that’s of course what humanists believe that they are. Lowliness of mind and humility, those are two virtues that are not seen very often. I recall reading about two men who were arguing, and finally one of them despairing of ever changing the mind of the other said, “I can see that I am going to do nothing today to change your mind, but I would prayerfully ask you to prayerfully consider if there might just be a possibility that you could be wrong.” A constant theme of the Bible is that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Paul asks a great question that helps encourage humility: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). O Lord God Almighty, You are so high and lifted up and yet You dwell with the humble of heart. As I walk with You, please develop in me a true humility that only You can bring. BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN ACQUIRE TRUE HUMILITY.
“Nor do I count my life of value to myself, so that I may joyfully finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.” — Acts 20:24 Some people think of trusting in God as if they don’t need to do anything else—just sit back on their lazy chair, watch TV or read a book, while God does all the work. Instead, we should take that guarantee of God, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV), and trust in Him. Let me point out to you, that doesn’t mean that you just rest and wait for God to drop all of these blessings down the chimney. It means that you work harder. Look at the Apostle Paul as an example. He was an indefatigable worker, and he never stopped. God used Paul in absolutely great ways because he was so committed to the task at hand. He was a tentmaker, and he refused gifts from many churches because he didn’t want to be a burden to them. But he was most concerned about the kingdom of God and the glory of Christ and the salvation of men and women. Where do those things rank in your list of priorities? Only you and God know. Taking God at His guarantee involves taking Him as Lord and Savior and Master. This is the One who died in agony for your sins, the One who loves you eternally and infinitely, the One who has redeemed you, the One who adopted you into His family and made you His heir. This is the One, Jesus Christ. Let Him use you for His glory and others’ good. Lord, forgive me for my spiritual laziness. Give me strength for today to serve You diligently. Thank You that in Christ we can do all things You set before us… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN BE USEFUL TO GOD’S KINGDOM.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but so much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” — Philippians 2:12 What exactly does Paul mean here in this verse? We know that the Bible repeatedly teaches that salvation is not something that we work for, but rather it is a gift: “http://...the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). It is not something that we obtain by our merit, for the Scripture says that it is by grace that we are saved, through faith, not of works, “so that no one should boast.” (See Ephesians 2:8-9.) Philippians 2:13 holds the key: “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (NKJV). God plants the desire within our hearts, and then He gives us the strength and the ability to do that which we now desire to do. In the same way that Christ said to Lazarus, “Lazarus, come forth,” Lazarus got up and came out and Jesus made him alive. Lazarus did nothing at all until God worked it in him and made him alive. I’ve often said that God just put a screwdriver in my “wanter” and turned it upside down, and suddenly to my astonishment, I found myself wanting to do things that I had never wanted to do before, and not wanting to do things which I had always loved to do before. Working out our salvation is not the same as working for our salvation. Beautiful Savior, give us the strength to work out Your salvation in our lives, knowing that You will one day hold us accountable. Keep us from backsliding or being negligent in our spiritual disciplines… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE WILL REACH HEAVEN, OUR HOME.
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” — Revelation 12:11 In today’s world it doesn’t seem as if the Christians are winning. It seems that unbelievers have the victory; they have taken over the machinery of life. They run the government and the media and the schools and most everything else. But things are not necessarily what they seem, as the book of Revelation points out. At different points in that book Satan’s forces appear to be victorious. The beast makes war against Christians and kills them. They rejoice over their dead bodies lying in the street for three and a half days. And yet their rejoicing is premature and at last God breathes new life into them, and they stand upon their feet and soon have dominion over the world with Christ, the King of kings. Christ is ever pictured throughout the entire book, over and over again, as the victor. He is the victorious One, and because He is victorious, we who are in Him are victorious also, in spite of everything that may seem to be the other way around. Are believers in great tribulation? They shall come out of it. Are they killed? They shall stand upon their feet. Are they persecuted? They shall stand victoriously upon Mount Zion. Are their prayers not heard? Their prayers shall set the judgments in motion, and they will rule the world. Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will one day inherit the nations, as He’s been promised. It may look like that could never happen, but God is on the move—and His plans will stand. Jesus, King of kings, we praise and honor You for being the Ruler of the nations. Thank You for revealing what is to come. Thank You that we will be victorious with You, and that evil will one day be completely uprooted… BY HIS STRENGTH AND AUTHORITY, CHRIST WILL RULE THE NATIONS.
“There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.” — Proverbs 21:30 How wondrous it is when we see all of the anti-God powers of this world crumble before the power of our Lord. It is amazing as we see God working in history and how, so often when evil systems and empires and powers have seemed to rise to the very zenith of their power, that suddenly they wither and crumble away. So it was with Egypt in the days of the Exodus, as it would be later in Assyria, as it would be in Babylon, as it came to be in Rome when the barbarians came and knocked upon the eternal city of Rome. So it was with the Nazis, as they moved across Europe and then suddenly their power seemed to be broken and they, like a wounded octopus, drew their tentacles back to themselves to die in the mix of the rubble and ruin. So it was with the vaulted claims of fascism. Then in our own recent time, so it was also with many of the nations in the grip of communism. When it seemed that there was nothing that could stop its inexorable march across the world, suddenly, it seemed almost overnight to begin to crumble and collapse everywhere. God is sovereign and God is faithful and will protect and cause those who are His own to persevere. Persecutors of the church have, down through the centuries, discovered that God fights for His own. He is rarely early but never too late, as the Israelites discovered at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army bearing down on them—just before God destroyed it. How wondrous is our Lord! God of history, thank You for ruling in the affairs of men. Thank You that evil is only permitted for a given time and then will be stopped. Thank You for Your wonderful plan for the world… BY HIS STRENGTH, ALL HIS ENEMIES WILL BE A FOOTSTOOL FOR THE FEET OF CHRIST.
“I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, ‘Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.’” — Daniel 8:16 Daniel is the only Old Testament book in which any angels are named, and two of them are named in that book. They are Gabriel and Michael, and both are mentioned in the New Testament. Gabriel announced the virgin birth to Mary. In Jude, we learn that Archangel Michael did battle with Satan, with Lucifer. We do have the name of that fallen angel (Lucifer) who did not keep his first estate, but other than those three, the names of angels are unknown to us. We see in Daniel 8 that Gabriel came in the form of a man. God spoke to Gabriel, and Gabriel came and appeared to Daniel. Daniel’s response to Gabriel is worth noting. When he came near, Daniel was afraid and fell upon his face. Apparently, this knocked him out because it says in the next verse that he was in a deep sleep. Now keep in mind of whom we are speaking. We are speaking of Daniel—one of the godliest men who has ever lived. This is Daniel who was not afraid to stand up to the likes of Nebuchadnezzar; Daniel who was willing to be cast in among the lions; Daniel who would not defile himself for any cause. This holy man, Daniel, we now find, is approached by Gabriel, and he is so overwhelmed that he literally passes out at the experience. Angels are God’s special servants to help further His kingdom. They are not to be worshiped, even though they are awe-inspiring. Jesus, King of angels, we thank You for these ministering spirits which You send to serve those who are to inherit the kingdom. Thank You for sending us angels to aid us, even without our always being aware of it… BY HIS STRENGTH AND WILL, ANGELS MINISTER TO US.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.” — Ephesians 2:8-9 Mankind inveterately seems to want to do something to earn salvation. They say, “Oh, that is too easy.” I think of a minister in South Africa who went down into the depths of a mine at lunchtime to preach the Gospel to some of the workers there. When the foreman heard the message of salvation, he said, “Oh, I don’t believe that. It’s too easy. We have to do our part.” As they got into the elevator at the bottom of the shaft, the preacher asked, “What do we have to do to get to the surface?” “Nothing. I just push this button.” “Surely you have to do something to help pull yourself up.” “Of course not. The elevator does it all. It was difficult to build, but it lifts us up in just a few seconds. There is nothing we have to do but push the button.” When God provided for us that “elevator” to Paradise, He did it at infinite cost, a cost which caused Him to bore a hole into the very pit of hell where Christ suffered and died and endured the wrath of God in our place. An infinite price has been paid. But for us, it is free; for us it is easy. It was not easy for Christ when He paid the price. We simply have to get in, and believe, and He will lift us to heaven by faith. Lord, give us strength for today to treasure the Good News in our hearts. Help us to share it with joy and gratitude. Thank You that You did all the heavy lifting in our salvation… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN RECEIVE HIS GIFTS.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” — John 3:17 Unfortunately, throughout the ages, the devil has distorted Christianity so much that the Gospel has often been obscured. Sometimes even church-goers don’t have a clue what real Christianity is all about. Sometimes, the “Christianity” being attacked by our culture today is such a false, twisted caricature that it bears little resemblance to the true faith. Indeed, it ought to be attacked. Recently, a lesbian who claimed to be a Christian came “out of the closet,” declaring war on historic Christianity—the religion of the cross. It turns out that as a child she had been placed naked on a cross by an adult for some twisted, religious reason. Today she resents and rejects the cross of Christ as the means of salvation. Woe to the person who did this terrible misdeed for it has caused her to reject a “straw man” of Christianity—not the real thing. But God’s timeless truths about the salvation He offers us in Christ are not made null by the sins of professing Christians. Even if the entire official Church were to become apostate, that would not nullify the Gospel. The true Gospel is a beautiful message. It is good news. But to understand the good news, we must come to grips with the bad news. We are all sinners before a holy God, who will not accept us as we are, “…‘til on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied,” as the hymn “In Christ Alone” notes. That is good news. Lord, give me strength for today to proclaim Your pure and simple Gospel. Thank You for preserving the true faith through centuries of wrong. Thank You for keeping and preserving me… BY HIS STRENGTH, OUR FAITH CAN BE PRESERVED.
“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.” — Proverbs 12:24 The Scriptures teach that we should be diligent in all areas of our lives. You know we say that it’s wonderful that certain people have certain gifts and they can play, they can sing, or they can paint or do whatever it is. Yet it is because these people have been diligent, whereas we have been slothful. While we have been just lazy and relaxing, they were applying themselves to improve the talents and gifts that God has given them. Isn’t it wonderful there are some people who are tremendously effective soul winners in personal evangelism? Well, they have been working at it. Isn’t it great that there are people who are great apologists for Christ and can take on the skeptic and deal with him at his level? But it didn’t just “happen” that way. The same is true in the spiritual world. I am sure that it would impugn the very character of the kingdom of God to suppose that the tender plant of God’s grace can flourish in the garden of a sluggard. God calls us to diligence. May we be so in our study of the Word of God, in our prayer, in our determination to try to improve in the various qualities and characteristics of our lives. We should pray He blesses us with more diligence. In all things, it is by His grace. But in all of these things by His grace, He gives us certain abilities and certain gifts and then He expects us to exercise them diligently. Lord, give me strength for today to be more diligent in life, using my gifts and talents for Your honor and glory. I ask Your forgiveness for any laziness on my part… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN USE OUR GIFTS AND DEVELOP OUR TALENTS.
“…for you have been born again, not from perishable seed, but imperishable, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” — 1 Peter 1:23 Jesus can change anyone. Malcolm Muggeridge of England was a witty journalist and the editor of the English satirical magazine, Punch. He became a convinced socialist during the days of Stalin. In the words of author Lloyd Billingsley, Muggeridge felt that the USSR “had a future, whereas Britain and the West had only a past.” He became the Moscow correspondent for the liberal British newspaper, Manchester Guardian. Before leaving for the “worker’s paradise,” he and his wife “cheerfully burned their bridges” destroying diplomas and their marriage certificate and other vestiges of bourgeois society, as they embraced Communism. But when they arrived in “Utopia,” they were disillusioned. Eventually, he realized that man cannot bring utopia on earth, Muggeridge became a Christian and used his writing skills to bring glory to Christ. Through the years, I’ve seen thousands of people come to Christ. All of them have a story to tell in one way or another. Some stories are more dramatic than others, but as long as they truly come to Christ, they are on their way to heaven. I think of a man whose whole family rejoiced when he was converted. His daughter told my wife: “I’ve got a new daddy. And I like him better than the old one.” Of course, among the finest testimonies are those of individuals who grow up in a Christian home and love and serve the Lord faithfully all their lives, without ever going on the path of the prodigal son. It doesn’t matter how you come to Christ—what matters is that you come to Christ. Lord, give me strength for today to walk with You in the new life You bring. Thank You, Jesus, that You make all things new and have changed our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN EXPERIENCE THE NEW BIRTH.
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise. Which, having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.” — Proverbs 6:6-8 John Wesley had a saying: You should make all the money you can, save all the money you can, and give all the money you can. As a Christian leader, Wesley was referring to making money in ways that please God. Any money-making venture that steals from others displeases the Lord. We do well to earn as much as we can, especially during our productive years. The Scriptures also encourage us to save for a rainy day. We cannot presume upon tomorrow. As to giving all we can, I must say that my ministry has been significantly blessed by some productive, wealthy Christians who invested in the kingdom. It is certainly a fact that there are those who have been extraordinarily industrious and creative in the making of wealth and the building of businesses and great enterprises, and God has blessed them abundantly. God has used such men as this in an incredible way in the work of the kingdom of God. We need to see money in its proper perspective. I think when we see money for what it is, simply an opportunity to do good for the kingdom of God, then we can see it in an entirely different perspective. May God grant each one of us such diligence in the affairs of this life that we may be able to do just that. Make all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can. Lord, give me strength for today to do my part in bringing in income, to save for a rainy day, and to generously bless those around me in need. Thank You for all the opportunities You provide for us, even in unexpected ways… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN VIEW MONEY AS A MEANS, NOT AN END.
“He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish as a branch.” — Proverbs 11:28 While the book of Proverbs encourages diligence and honestly earning wealth, it also has some warnings against putting one’s hope in untrustworthy riches. First of all, it says that it is always insecure. If a man places his dependence on wealth, it will in due time fail him, and only in his imagination is it a sure defense. Proverbs 23:5 says, “Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” The Bible says also that if it is obtained in any other way than by honest labor it is useless, even worse than useless. So, if it is obtained by falsehood, by tricks, by misrepresentations in business, for example, it is likely to be, according to the Bible, as a vapor driven to and fro. Wealth obtained that way will never rest until finally it makes its way into the hands of the righteous. The Bible also says that there are certain spiritual and moral dangers in the pursuit of wealth and that one needs to pursue it with caution. Paul says the love of money is the root of all evil, and those that would hasten to be rich are going to indeed fall into a snare. And if that seeking of riches involves any deviation from the uprightness which God requires of us, then it is worse than death. Better is a little with righteousness than great treasure without it. Lord, give me strength for today to see through the deceitfulness of wealth. Please purge away any money-love in my heart. Help me to work diligently and wisely for that which You provide… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN TRUST IN HIM, NOT OUR BANK ACCOUNT.
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.” — Proverbs 29:2 The United States Constitution was signed September 17, “in the year of our Lord,” 1787. Today, we are often led to believe that it was a product of secularism. But that is not true. Before the founding fathers ever sat down to write a Constitution, they had behind them more than 150 years or so of constitution-making of sorts by various Christian settlers of this country. The Mayflower Compact of 1620 was the first such example. The Pilgrims put on paper a political charter based on the biblical concept of covenant. This was the first of about 100 or so charters, compacts, frames of government, paving the way to the Constitution. In 1639, a Puritan colony produced the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which mentions the importance of “the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.” That document was inspired by a sermon and was a key step on the way to the U.S. Constitution. That is why Connecticut prides itself as being “the constitution state.” A study of the 55 founders who met in Philadelphia in 1787 and produced what has been called “the miracle in Philadelphia” found that at least 52 of them were men in good standing with Trinitarian churches. These were not secular men, but Christians. While John Adams was not present during the proceedings, he nonetheless played a pivotal role in the nation’s founding. He said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Pray for America to get back on the right track. Oh, Lord, help us to live our lives pleasing to You, so that we, too, may influence the people around us and build something strong and lasting in Your name… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN HELP RETURN THIS NATION TO HIM.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1 If we get the subject of origins (creation-evolution) wrong, what else do we miss? Nonetheless, the assumption of so many today is that science has somehow disproved God. Consider the testimony of the late Dr. Dick Lumsden, biology professor and former dean of Tulane Graduate School. Dr. Lumsden dogmatically taught evolution to his classes until one day a student politely asked him a number of pointed questions. She asked him questions such as: “How does evolution fit with the fundamentals of information theory?” “Aren’t the odds of random assembly of genes mathematically impossible?” “Last month you showed us how mutations were genetic disasters. How, vis-à-vis natural selection, could they randomly produce new and better structures, improved species?” “Where exactly, in the fossil record—is the evidence for progressive evolution, the transitional forms between major groups?” Initially, Lumsden dogmatically defended evolution, trying his best to answer her questions. But after an honest evaluation of the issue, he concluded that evolution was scientifically bankrupt: “I realized that the origin and diversification of life by evolution was a mathematical, physical, and biochemical impossibility, that the evidence for it was at best circumstantial, and a lot of what we really knew about biology was outright contradictory to the hypothesis.” Dr. Lumsden became a reluctant creationist first and later a Christian. For those willing to look at the evidence, creation is the better explanation of origins. The opening sentence of the Bible says it all. And if God did that, then can He not do the rest? Lord, give me strength for today to be a witness for You. We praise You that all of creation shouts out, pointing to Your creative power. We praise You that You can transform even a skeptical college professor… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN RECOGNIZE WHAT HIS HANDS HAVE MADE.
