“For by grace you have been saved through faith…not of works…For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” — Ephesians 2:8-10 Suppose that you lived in the country 100 years ago, when horses and buggies were common. One day you came into the city and discovered that most people were putting the buggy in front of the horse and saying, “Giddy-ap, horse. Push, push,” and somehow they couldn’t get the horse to push the buggy at all. You would think to yourself, “How incredibly stupid can these city folk be?” And you would be right. Yet the vast majority of people in America today have the Gospel just that backward. The Bible contains two basic elements, like a horse and a buggy. It contains the law and the Gospel, and unless we get these in the proper relationship it never will work. The proper relationship between the two—as taught by the early church and by Augustine—is the great rediscovery that Martin Luther made and proclaimed to the world on October 31, 1517. It has dramatically changed the world. D.T. Niles said that in all other religions, good works are “in order to,” whereas, in Christianity, good works are, “therefore.” We’re not saved by good works. But when we’re truly saved, good works will naturally follow. Even in the Ten Commandments, God said, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Therefore, He decrees, “…you shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2 3). Having first been brought up and brought into God, therefore, we do good works. Lord, You are our righteousness. Thank You for raising up people throughout the centuries who shine the light on the true Gospel for all to see. Thank You for the clarity of salvation by faith, with works of gratitude to follow… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, HE SAVES US IN HIS STRENGTH WE DO GOOD WORKS.
“…as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” — Psalm 103:12 We need to avoid a trap of Satan—to so dwell on our failures that we can’t move forward. Our sins can disable us because every time we sin Satan has the same message for us, “Ah hah! Now you’ve done it. You’ve blown the whole thing. Certainly, Christ has no more need and use for you!” We need to forget those failures. We need to forget those sins, which are buried in the depths of the sea never to be remembered against us anymore. We need to forget the hurts of the past. In the Christian life—and especially, I can also say, in the Christian ministry—though it is filled with many blessings, it is also filled with many hurts. I think sometimes people must suppose that ministers have the hide of an elephant and nothing that they can do or say to them is going to hurt them. That is not true. I feel sometimes as if I have a thousand cuts where my brethren have cut me, from which I am bleeding. If I were to believe some of the messages, then I would certainly conclude I have never done anything worth any value at all in the ministry and I ought to give it up. Well, those things can hurt and those things can cut and those things can distract us, but Paul says those are the kinds of things that we are to forget. Let’s move forward, forgetting what lies behind and pressing on, in Christ. Jesus Christ, I come to You with my hurts today. Let me lay them at the foot of the cross… BY HIS STRENGTH, WE CAN RELEASE OUR HURTS TO JESUS.
“These great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth.” — Daniel 7:17 Daniel had a vision of four beasts that succeeded each other. They represented four worldly kingdoms—each one being brutal in its own way. They are not lifting up their eyes to God, but they are looking downward as the beast does. This is always true of godless politics. It always acts in a beastlike manner and, therefore, it is destructive of human life. It tramps and stomps on people; it devours much flesh; it kills millions of human beings. We think of the Persian Empire (the second kingdom prophetically described by Daniel), which later sent an army of two million men to attack Greece. History shows us that some of the battles of antiquity in which these nations engaged, were enormous battles with armies that included two, three, and four million soldiers, and the number of the people that were killed was absolutely astronomical. These beast-like kingdoms are all different from each other, whereas the kingdom of Christ, which arises in the days of the last of them (the Roman Empire), is the same, and it continues on from generation to generation and still remains the same. The truth is much simpler than error; goodness is simpler than evil. If you want to see something that is extraordinarily complex, try to follow the plot line of a soap opera. Evil is quite contorted and convoluted and extremely complex, but God offers something that is so much simpler: Good triumphs over evil. Lord, give me strength to live in the simplicity of the Gospel, to crave Your simple truths, and to live by them. You know, Jesus, that simple is not the same as easy, but Your grace is all-sufficient… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN RECOGNIZE THAT HE RULES THE NATIONS.
“I saw in the night visions, and there was one like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him…His dominion is an everlasting dominion…” — Daniel 7:13-14 Daniel had a dream in which he saw the rise of four nations, symbolized by four beasts, which came up from the Great Sea, which had been stirred up in great tumult by the four winds of heaven. So we see that first of all, looking at the origin of four kingdoms (the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman) they are earthly in nature. They rise up from the sea and are contrasted with the kingdom of Christ, which is a kingdom that comes down from above. Christ’s kingdom is given by God the Father. Secondly, we see here that these kingdoms are tumultuous in their nature. They are usually brought about by force, by revolution, by war, by usurpation of one sort or another, or by conquest. By contrast, the kingdom of the Son of Man is given to Him. These earthly kingdoms rise and fall. But when Christ’s kingdom is established, it is an everlasting kingdom, which extends from generation to generation on into the endless ages of eternity, and it has no ending whatsoever. As Christians, we can be grateful to be a part of the kingdom that will never fail. Sovereign Lord, we praise You that the nations are like dust on a scale before You. We praise You, Jesus, for Your eternal kingdom, which began in such a small way but is a mountain that will one day fill the whole earth… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN JOIN CHRIST’S EVERLASTING KINGDOM.
“Daniel spoke and said: I saw in my vision by night…Four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse from one another.” — Daniel 7:2-3 In the book of Daniel, two dreams are described. The first is Nebuchadnezzar’s and the second is Daniel’s. In these two dreams, the same four earthly kingdoms are described. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a great image whose head was of gold and whose shoulders and chest were of silver, loins of brass, and its feet and legs of iron mixed with clay with ten toes. Scholars believe this was a vision of the four great world kingdoms that were to ensue. Babylon is the first, the head of gold, to be followed by the shoulders, the Medo-Persian empire, and then the Grecian empire, or Macedonian, if you will, of Alexander the Great, followed by the Roman Empire and its ten rulers. In Daniel 7, we find a similar picture of the same forthcoming world empires. In each case, these were to be succeeded by the kingdom of Jesus Christ, which would have no end. Nebuchadnezzar saw these kingdoms in terms of their outward glory. Daniel, with spiritual eyes, saw the same kingdoms as beastly. We are in the world, but not of the world. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. God is sovereign over the nations, and one day Jesus will inherit the nations. The God we worship is not only the great Creator, but He rules over the world. Jesus, Ruler of the Nations, we praise You that You are sovereign over all of history. You raise up and You tear down whom You will, but all for the greater good of the advance of Your kingdom. Help us not to fear men, but only to fear and reverence You… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY.
“Do not be frightened by your adversaries. This is a sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and this from God.” — Philippians 1:28 When Paul wrote the Philippian Christians in the first century, Christianity was illegal for the most part. In fact, during the Roman Empire, there were ten waves of serious persecution against the believers. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold—but always there. One of the incredible things about the Christians, which the Romans noted, is that they weren’t afraid. I remember reading a dialogue between a Christian who was chained to an iron bed, which was being heated red hot and he was being killed. They were still threatening him and calling upon him to recant, and he was laughing at them and saying in effect: Do your worst. You can do nothing but send me into the presence of Christ the sooner. You can do nothing but transfer me into paradise. I am not afraid of you. This was terrifying to them. It was a token to them of their own perdition. They realized that this was the true God that these people worshiped. Are you terrified by the adversaries? Some Christians never even see an adversary because they do not speak boldly for Christ, they don’t really encounter them. Oh, they may see the adversaries of Christ, but the adversaries of Christ never see them. They are focusing on those Christians who are active, those Christians who are involved in the struggle. May God give us grace to boldly and lovingly speak His truth in our day, as anti-Christian bias continues to heat up. Dear Lord, we are reminded of the hymn which says, “The body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still.” Forgive us for any fear when facing death at the hands of persecutors. Thank You that Your kingdom advances, even sometimes through martyrdom… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN FACE THE OPPOSITION OF MEN.
“…be eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” — Ephesians 4:3 In Philippians, Paul tells us that we are to stand fast in one mind and one spirit, striving together for the faith of the Gospel. The word striving together in Greek is the word from which we get athletics, and in fact it would be a team sport, probably team wrestling. The Greeks had a form of wrestling where one team of 5 or 6 people would line up here, and the other team would line up there, and at a signal, they would all leap at each other and there would then be a mass of individuals wrestling. Well, we are to strive to wrestle together for the faith of the Gospel, for the propagation of the Gospel of Christ. You know there is nothing that will solve church problems more than an outward look at the enemies that are all around us. The early church had to deal with the Roman pagans who thought Christians were atheists because they didn’t have idols. They had the Greek sophists there around them. They had the Jews who were persecuting them. They had all sorts of problems out there, so generally, they wouldn’t be fighting with each other. The problems of the peacetime army are notorious, and that’s what happens. The church is involved in warfare. I assure you one thing; if you had 5 or 6 men on a wrestling team wrestling with others, they no doubt had some differences among them, but I assure you they would learn to work together—or they would quickly lose. Dear Lord, forgive us that Your church on earth is fraught with factionalism. Forgive us for any way in which we contribute to this disunity. Give me strength for today to be a positive force for unity in Your body… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN STRIVE TO BE A UNIFYING FACTOR IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.
“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant…” — Matthew 25:21, KJV We only have one life. We have to make it count. But count for what? What is the purpose of life? We are deluged with positive thinking types of messages these days. Some of them are outwardly Christian. However, if you dig a little deeper, often you find essentially a humanistic message with a Christian veneer. The key question is this: In whom is our trust? Ourselves or God? Positive thinking beats negative thinking. But best of all is sanctified positive thinking. Americans are consumed with success. However, what is the ultimate success? Is it not making it to heaven? To be successful in this world only and then be cast into eternal hell is ultimate failure. True success means not only going to heaven but helping others to get there also by spreading the Gospel. The world tells us repeatedly to trust in ourselves, and to have self-confidence. Our goal instead, should be to have Christ-confidence. Are we putting all our emphasis on this life only or the next? It’s an important question. On the one hand, some worldly success can actually be counter to God’s purposes. On the other hand, it is a sin to bury our talents. God has given them to us so that we may glorify Him in all we do. To achieve real success in life, we should strive to serve the Lord so diligently that one day He will look us in the face and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Lord Jesus, please help me to do the right things for You as a thank You for the salvation You have earned by Your blood. If there is anything in my life that would keep You from saying “Well done” at the end of my life, please prune it away… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN SO LIVE AS TO BE COMMENDED BY CHRIST.
“In the days of these kings the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to another people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” — Daniel 2:44 Shelley, in one of his sonnets, tells of meeting a traveler from Egypt who, in a trek across the desert wasteland, came upon the remains of a marble statue. All that remained on the pedestal were two feet and the lower part of two gigantic legs. Lying in the sand was the cracked remnant of what had been the head. When the traveler rubbed the sand away from the pedestal, he found this inscription: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” He turned and looked and as far as the eye could see, there was naught but the sifting sand. Whatever kingdom and glory he once realized had all disappeared. Daniel was shown things about some of earth’s kingdoms, including ancient Babylon, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, and Rome as well. The rulers of these kingdoms boasted great things, but soon they passed away and they became nothing more than a chapter in a history book. What is the Babylonian empire today? What is the Medo-Persian empire today? What is the Macedonian empire today to anyone? Simply historical points of interest on the continuum of time. However, in the days of the Roman emperors, the God of heaven established a new kingdom, that of our Lord Jesus, which will never be destroyed. It continues to fill the whole earth to this day. Jesus, King of kings, give us strength and insight and clear thinking today so that we might see You as You really are—the King of all kings, the Ruler of the nations. Open our eyes that we might see You on Your throne… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN BOW THE KNEE TO THE TRUE KING OF KINGS.
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” — Romans 1:22 We know that many a young man or woman has lost his or her faith because they have come to believe that evolution is a proven fact. This is tragic—especially when you consider the scientific evidence itself. Micro-evolution (small changes within a kind) is proven. But macro-evolution (all creatures can be traced back to one common ancestor) is fraught with assumptions and contradicts the evidence we have, such as the fossil record. One time a scientist from France made a remark about the idea of common ancestry through biology, remarking: “Evolution is a fairy tale for adults.” And that is precisely what it is. The number of fables and stories and fictional novels that have been spun out of evolution must be counted in the tens of thousands. It is a fairy tale for adults. In fact, one noted evolutionist recently wrote this, “We may weave stories, we may create scenarios, it all depends on…” On what? How do you think he finished that sentence? On the scientific facts? On the indisputable evidence? No. He said, “It all depends on the extent of our imagination and the credulity of your audience.” You can make up any kind of story you want, and they are forever weaving stories on the least thread of evidence at all—their fairy tales for adults. In the text above, Paul summarizes the state of those who have rejected God who has made Himself manifest in His creation—professing to be wise, they became fools. God of wisdom and might, teach us Your wisdom that we may not become fools. Keep our minds clear and focused so that we may not believe false and incorrect teachings… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, HIS TRUTH WILL SHINE FORTH.
“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.” — Ezekiel 36:26 For those who truly believe in Jesus, God promises a heart transplant. This is what being born again is all about—the old has passed away and in Christ, all things are made new. When we come to understand the glorious Gospel of His grace—that totally undeserved, unmerited, unworked for grace—that Christ came and did it all: He paid the penalty for our sins upon the Cross; He endured the punishment of Hell; He purchased for us a mansion in paradise; and He offers all of it to us freely if we will but place our trust in Him and receive him into our hearts as Lord and Savior. Only then, in that day you will find a new you looking at you in the mirror, and you will have reached the starting gate. Some people seem to think that this is the final goal. No, it is just the beginning. I’m sure that many a 22-year-old or so, after having worked arduously for four years in college and more years before that, finally is handed a diploma and told, “This is the commencement.” They would like to think that this is the end and that now they can retire and rest. So too, the Christian life begins with a new birth. Growth is absolutely essential in any kind of life—how much more so the Christian life. Reading the Bible, praying, fellowship with other believers, corporate worship, and sharing the Gospel are some of the means of that growth. Father, thank You for taking my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh. Thank You for the gift of regeneration and of justification. Now I ask that You may help me in the process of sanctification, of growing in You. Don’t let anything hold me back… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN DAILY ACCESS THE MEANS OF GROWTH.
“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” — John 3:3 The spiritual life is in some ways analogous to the physical. In our physical lives, we are born, we grow, and we die. In the spiritual world, it is also necessary for us to be born and to grow, but we never die. Jesus said, “…whoever believes in Me has eternal life” (John 6:47). The Christian life begins with a new birth. Jesus declared it as the great imperative. He said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). I think of an evangelist who came to a town and preached on that very text, and he said, “You must be born again.” The next night the crowd regathered and he preached “You must be born again.” And the third day again, “You must be born again.” Finally, one of the elders said to him, “Sir, why do you keep preaching on the text “you must be born again”? He replied, “Because you must be born again.” Have you? Have you experienced that life-transforming change that only God by His Spirit, through faith in Jesus Christ can bring about? As the Bible says, “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is what is meant by the “new birth.” That is the new beginning of the Christian life. Dear Lord, it is such a privilege to be born again, to know that although I have messed up, I can be forgiven and can start afresh. Thank You that the old is gone and the new has come... BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” — Luke 6:46 How sad it is that there are many professing Christians who think of God as some sort of a genie in a bottle who is there to help them fulfill their plans. They call upon God when they want to when they need help to do what they want to do. Thus, Christ is their servant and they are the masters. The Scripture makes it plain that we are the bondservants of Christ. He is our Master and, therefore, we need to be available to Him. The greatest ability the Christian needs is availability. Are you available to God? Are you available to Him today and each day to use you? Offer yourself each morning to God, to Jesus Christ as Master and Lord of your life, and you will be amazed at what will happen and the opportunities for service you will have that will make the end of your day a glorious thing. As you lie down at night, you will know that God has used you and that your life has had eternal significance. People will be brought into your presence who have deep needs, those who have need of Jesus Christ, and you will have the pleasure of pointing them to the Savior. Your life will begin to bud and blossom and bring forth fruit abundantly to the glory of Jesus Christ, if you are available to Him and if you sincerely pray, “O God, use me today.” This is a prayer He will answer. Forgive us, Lord, for too often playing church. Forgive us for treating prayer like a spiritual vending machine, where we insert our coins, and out comes the product. Lord, You are our master, not our genie. We submit to You today with gratitude… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN SUBMIT TO JESUS OUR LORD.
“He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” — Psalm 23:3 Did you ever think about the fact that we were born to be led? Now that sort of goes cross-grain for many of us because many people would much prefer to think of themselves as leaders than the led. But if we are Christians, we are born to be led because we are sheep—and sheep must be led. We all profess such: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. . . He leads me beside still waters…” (Psalm 23:1, 2). I remember riding in a bus down from Jerusalem to Jericho years ago and seeing on the left side of the road a great flock of animals with a man right in their midst. Half of the animals were in front of him, and half of the animals were behind him, and they were all moving gradually up the hill. Our perceptive guide said, “If you will note carefully, you will perceive that all of the animals in front of the shepherd are goats, and all of the animals behind him are sheep because, you see, sheep will naturally follow, but goats have to be driven with a stick or a whip.” Whose agenda are you following today? Is it yours, or has it been submitted to the Spirit of God that He might lead you? You will find that as the Spirit of God guides and leads your life, you will live a life more exciting and adventurous than ever you dreamed the Christian life could be. Heavenly Father, thank You for making us sheep and not goats. Help us to follow Your leading and not to get ahead of You and away from You. Help us to faithfully complete the task well that lay before us now… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN ENJOY HIS CLEAR LEADING.
“… And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” — Matthew 4:19 Are you living an adventure, or are you living a humdrum monotony? When it comes to truly following Christ, life is one of the most thrilling and most exciting adventures the human spirit can know. What is an adventure? It would be interesting to have people answer that, wouldn’t it? It may be something very different than you might think. Actually, “adventure” comes from the Latin words ad and venire, which mean to “come to,” which are exactly the same roots from which we get the word “Advent.” An Advent means the “coming to” this world by Christ. An adventure is a “coming to.” It is a coming to Christ. The Christian life is a supernatural life. The spiritual man was dead, and only as the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, comes and quickens our lives will there be the slightest stirring in the garden of our soul. We need to pray that the Spirit would fill us and enliven us, that He would bring us to spiritual life and joy that only God can give, and that He would empower us to live for Him, to overcome temptation, and to serve Him throughout our lives. It is the work of God’s Spirit to sanctify us in this way. Life is never the same after that. Lord, forgive us for ever believing Satan’s lie that following You is boring while rebelling against You is exciting. Thank You so much for the Christian adventure. Lord, give me strength for today to follow the prompting of Your Spirit… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE.
