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Daily Devotional “Stepping Out In Faith”

Daily Devotional “Stepping Out In Faith”
Be Different!
November 21, 2024

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“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrew. 11:8).

The life of faith begins with a willingness to forsake everything that displeases God.

Abraham is the classic example of the life of faith. As the father of the Jewish nation, he was the most strategic example of faith available to the writer of Hebrews.

But the people to whom Hebrews was written needed to understand that Abraham was more than the father of their race;

he also was, by example, the father of everyone who lives by faith in God (Romans. 4:11).

Contrary to popular first-century Jewish thought, God didn’t choose Abraham because he was righteous in himself.

When called by God, Abraham was a sinful man living in an idolatrous society.

His home was in the Chaldean city of Ur, which was located in ancient Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

God’s call to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3:

“Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you;

and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great;

and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Note Abraham’s response: “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him” (v. 4).

He listened, trusted, and obeyed. His pilgrimage of faith began when he separated himself from the pleasures of a pagan land to pursue God’s plan for his life.

So it is with you if you’re a man or woman of true faith.

You’ve forsaken sinful pleasures to follow Christ.

And as your love for Christ increases, there’s a corresponding decrease in worldly desires.

I pray your focus will continually be on fulfilling God’s will for your life, and that you’ll always know the joy and assurance that comes from following Him.

Prayer

Ask God for the grace and spiritual fortitude to walk by faith today.

Further Reading

Memorize 1 John 2:15 as a reminder to remain separate from the world.

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Daily Devotional “Using Spiritual Gifts”

Daily Devotional “Using Spiritual Gifts”
Be Different!
October 05, 2024

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

To be effective, spiritual gifts must be used in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in the power of the flesh.

One of the constant battles all believers face is to avoid ministering their spiritual gifts in the power of the flesh.

Even those of us who are called to be preachers (prophets) need to subject our spirits to other mature believers (1 Corinthians. 14:32).

As a pastor, I am not spiritual just because I stand behind a pulpit and preach.

Paul instructs us, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let others pass judgment” (1 Corinthians. 14:29).

Those who teach God’s Word are not infallible; therefore, they must allow other qualified believers to verify the truth of what they proclaim.

Whenever Christians rely on their own strength, wisdom, and desire to minister, whatever they accomplish is a mockery and a waste.

But whenever they minister by the Spirit’s power, the result is pleasing to God and has lasting value (“gold, silver, precious stones. . . .

If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward,” 1 Corinthians. 3:12, 14).

Essentially, all a believer needs to pray is, “Spirit of God, use me,” and divine energy will activate and flow through his or her ministry to fellow believers and unbelievers.

You can use your spiritual gift effectively by faithfully following three basic steps:

Pray—continually confess and turn from your sins (1 John 1:9) and ask God to use you in the Holy Spirit’s power.

Yield yourself—always determine to live according to God’s will, not the world’s (Romans. 6:16; Romans 12:12).

Be filled with the Spirit—let the Spirit control all of your thoughts, decisions, words, and actions.

Commit everything to Him, and He will minister through you.

Prayer

•Confess any and all times lately that you have counted on your human ability rather than on the Spirit’s power to minister to others.
•Pray that this week God would give you a clear opportunity to exercise your spiritual gift for His glory.

Further Reading

Read 1 Samuel 15:1-23.

•In what way did King Saul use his own insight rather than follow God’s command?
•What can be the consequence of such disobedience (vv. 22-23; see also 1 Samuel. 13:8-14)?

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Daily Devotional “Spiritual Gifts”

Daily Devotional “Spiritual Gifts”
Be Different!
October 04, 2024

“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

God wants every Christian to understand spiritual gifts and use his or hers wisely.

A spiritual gift is a channel through which the Holy Spirit ministers to the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians. 12:11).

The day we were born again into God’s family, His Spirit distributed to us a spiritual gift.

Therefore, having a spiritual gift does not mean a believer is “spiritual.”

What we really must ask is, “Is the channel clear?”

Hypothetically, someone could have all the recorded spiritual gifts and not be using any of them.

Or that believer could be greatly abusing some gifts.

In either case, such a person would not be spiritual.

It is also incorrect to equate a natural ability with a spiritual gift.

Someone might say, “My gift is baking pies”; another might say, “I’m good at playing the piano.”

Those are wonderful and useful abilities, but they are natural abilities, not spiritual gifts.

Paul illustrates the difference between abilities and gifts.

He could have used his knowledge of philosophy and literature to write and deliver great orations.

However, this is what he said to the Corinthians: “I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians. 2:1-2).

The Holy Spirit uses the abilities of people like Paul and speaks through them, but He expresses Himself in a supernatural way, which is not necessarily related to the person’s natural skills.

If we rely on our own ability to produce spiritual fruit, we hinder what the Spirit wants to do in us.

Instead, ponder what Peter says about using your gift: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God;

whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Prayer

Thank the Lord for the special spiritual gift He has given you. Ask that He would help you use it faithfully, to its full potential.

Further Reading

Read Romans 12:4-8 and list the spiritual gifts mentioned there. What does 1 Corinthians 12, especially verses 12-31, emphasize regarding the use of the various gifts within the church?

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Daily Devotional “A Healthy Church”

Daily Devotional “A Healthy Church”
Be Different!
October 02, 2024

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

God has given every believer certain gifts and functions to contribute to the health of the church and enable it to communicate the gospel to the world.

God fervently desires to reach the whole world with the gospel’s truth (Acts 1:8).

Therefore, the Holy Spirit has specially energized members of Christ’s Body, the church, to fulfill God’s great desire for the world.

In Old Testament times, Israel was God’s agency to reach other peoples.

During New Testament history, Christ and the apostles were the outreach vehicles God used.

Today the church is the channel God uses to tell the world about His nature and His truth.

The Lord wants this collection of believers to be strong and functioning well.

Besides providing the gifted church leaders mentioned in today’s verses,

it is God’s plan to equip every member with a specific gift that will help the church grow and be a healthy witness to its community.

Just as a human body has a variety of organs that must function and interact properly for the vitality of the entire body,

any believer’s consistent use of his gift helps to build up the church.

Spiritual gifts are not showered randomly, but God gives believers differing gifts so the church might display a composite reflection of Christ’s character.

Therefore, believers will never begin to reach their full spiritual maturity unless all the gifts are being ministered among members of the church.

For instance, if a pastor ministers by preaching, his people should communicate more effectively.

If someone ministers the gift of mercy, another believer receives the direct benefit but also learns how to show mercy.

As spiritual gifts are used, everyone is built up to be more like Christ and manifest His character traits.

By this process, the Holy Spirit helps the church to reflect the total Person of Christ.

How are you doing in contributing your gift to God’s plan?

Prayer

Pray that the leaders and all the members of your church would consistently display a unified, solidly biblical testimony to the community.

Further Reading

Read Acts 1:12-14; Acts 2:1-4, 37-47.

•How did the early believers demonstrate their unity?
•What were the primary results of the Spirit’s ministry on the Day of Pentecost?

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Daily Devotional “The Spirit Unveils The New Covenant”

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Daily Devotional “The Spirit Unveils The New Covenant”
Be Different!
October 02, 2024

“Take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians. 6:17).

“Whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Corinthians 3:15-16).

One of the most important truths the Holy Spirit unveils for us is the glory of the New Covenant.

The Old Testament contains many veiled statements, types, prophecies, and parables.

The Israelites didn’t understand most of those things because the Old Testament didn’t have plainness of speech.

Its glory was veiled and was even described as fading away (2 Corinthians. 3:13-14).

In contrast to the Old Covenant, the present New Covenant age is characterized by the clarity of all the key doctrinal and practical passages in the New Testament.

This progress from the veiled glory of the previous era to the unveiled glory of the present era occurred when the Holy Spirit came in the Book of Acts.

All that God wants us to know and do is clearly brought into focus now because of the teaching ministry of the indwelling Spirit.

The Spirit guides and enlightens New Covenant believers as they read and study God’s Word.

Therefore, there is no longer any need, for example, to unscramble the pictures and prophecies regarding Christ.

Thus Paul can say, “We use great plainness of speech” (2 Corinthians. 3:12, KJV).

He goes on to say in verses 17-18, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Those verses describe the essence of the Christian life: becoming like Jesus Christ.

The only way to do that is to know well the unveiled glory of the New Covenant and allow the Holy Spirit to change you more and more into the Savior’s image.

Prayer

•As you go through this day, ask the Lord to remind you often of the glory, clarity, and freedom you have under the New Covenant.
•Pray that all your actions would reflect this truth.

Further Reading

•Hebrews 8 begins a discussion and outline of the superiority of the New Covenant. Read this chapter, and record what it says are differences and improvements from the Old to the New Covenant.
•Who mediates the New Covenant?

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Daily Devotional “Repelling Discouragement and Doubt”

Daily Devotional “Repelling Discouragement and Doubt”
Be Different!
October 01, 2024

“Take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians. 6:17).

Discouragement and doubt are deflected when you know you’re secure in Christ.

The Roman soldier’s helmet was a crucial piece of armor designed to deflect blows to the head—especially the potentially lethal blow of a broadsword.

Soldiers of that day carried a swift and precise dagger designed for close- quarter hand-to-hand combat.

But they also carried a giant broadsword, which was a two-edged, three to four-foot long sword.

It had a massive handle that, similar to a baseball bat, was held with both hands.

With it they could take broad swipes from side to side or deliver a crushing blow to an opponent’s skull.

To protect us from Satan’s crushing blows, Paul tells us to “take the helmet of salvation.”

Now considering all he’s been telling us so far, he was not saying, “Oh, by the way, go get saved.”

Paul was addressing believers. Unbelievers don’t have to put on spiritual armor.

They aren’t even in the battle. Satan doesn’t attack his own forces.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Paul describes the helmet of salvation as “the hope of salvation.”

That implies Satan’s most fierce and powerful blows are directed at the believer’s assurance and security.

Therefore Paul was encouraging believers to have confidence in the salvation they already possess.

He knew that doubting their security in Christ would render them ineffective in spiritual warfare—just as a blow to the head renders one’s physical body incapable of defending itself.

As a believer, you should have the assurance that you are secure in Christ.

If you don’t, you haven’t put your helmet on, and that makes you vulnerable to discouragement and doubt.

Romans 8:29-30 assures us that all whom God justifies, He sanctifies and glorifies.

No one is lost in the process.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

That’s a wonderful promise. So don’t let your enemy rob you of the joy and assurance of knowing you belong to Christ, for the Lord will never let you go (Hebrews. 13:5).

Prayer

Praise God for your eternal security in Christ!

Further Reading

Read John 6:37-40.

•Who receives eternal life?
•How does Christ respond to those who come to Him?

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Daily Devotional “Extinguishing Satan’s Fiery Darts”

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Daily Devotional “Extinguishing Satan’s Fiery Darts”
Be Different!
September 29, 2024

“In addition to all, [take] up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one” (Ephesians. 6:16).

Don’t elevate Satan’s will above God’s will in your life.

In Ephesians 6:13 Paul characterizes Satan as “the evil one” who attacks believers with flaming missiles.

The Greek word translated “evil one” literally means “bad,” “vile,” or “wretched.”

All are apt descriptions of the archenemy of our souls, who seeks to maim and destroy us spiritually.

The term “flaming missiles” pictures one of the Roman weapons of Paul’s day: arrows that had pitch-soaked cotton material affixed to their tips.

In battle they were set on fire and shot at the enemy. As the arrow hit its target, flaming pitch spread onto clothing and other flammable surfaces.

Under such attacks a Roman soldier without a shield was in a perilous situation indeed.

Satan’s flaming arrows come in many forms: solicitations to impurity, selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment, greed, vanity, covetousness, and the like.

But whatever the specific form, all are seducing temptations aimed at eliciting ungodly responses.

Your faith protects you from such attacks when you elevate God’s will above Satan’s in your life.

When tempted by Satan, Jesus responded by saying in effect, “I will not violate my Father’s will by yielding to your devious schemes.

In His own time He will feed Me, anoint Me as Messiah, and give Me the kingdoms of the world.

I will not elevate your will and timing above His” (Matthew. 4:1-11).

Jesus could have created food. He is the Messiah and the sovereign Lord over the kingdoms of the world.

But He trusted the Father and yielded to His will, even though it meant personal discomfort and, eventually, the cross.

When Satan saw that Jesus’ trust in the Father was unshakable, he left Him (v. 11). That’s the power of faith.

I pray you will show similar strength in times of testing. Satan will flee from you if you “resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter. 5:9).

Prayer

Praise Jesus for His sinless character and His example of how to triumph over temptation.

Further Reading

Memorize James 4:7 as a reminder of the importance of resisting Satan.

•Meditate on the victory you have in Christ.
•What effect should that have on your daily living?

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Daily Devotional “Trusting God”

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Daily Devotional “Trusting God”
Be Different!
September 29, 2024

“In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one” (Ephesians. 6:16).

Intense spiritual warfare calls for intense trust in God.

An on-duty Roman soldier was always dressed for battle but didn’t employ his shield, helmet, and sword until the fighting started.

But we as Christians must be ready for battle at all times because our enemy is relentless.

We can’t afford to overlook a single piece of armor or slip into complacency or neglect.

In that regard, Ephesians 6:16 says in effect, “Now that you’ve prepared for battle by girding your loins with truth,

Protecting your vital organs with the breastplate of righteousness, and securing your feet with the gospel of peace, don’t forget to take up your shield.”

Two types of shields were commonly used by Roman soldiers.

One was a small, lightweight, round shield that was strapped to the soldier’s left forearm and used to parry blows during hand-to-hand combat.

The other, which Paul refers to here, was a large shield measuring about four-and- a-half-feet high and two-and-a-half-feet wide.

It was made of sturdy wood covered with metal and a thick layer of oil- treated leather.

The metal deflected arrows while the oily leather extinguished the fiery pitch that arrows were commonly swabbed with.

That type of shield was ideal for full-body protection.

In the initial stages of a battle, the front-line soldiers knelt behind their large shields to protect themselves and provide a defense barrier for the troops behind them who were firing offensive weapons.

The goal was to inch their way forward as a human wall until they could engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

As a believer, the shield that protects you is your faith in God.

If you never question His character, power, or Word, you’ll never fall victim to Satan’s attacks.

That doesn’t mean he won’t beseige you—but when he does, his assaults will be ineffective.

Prayer

Faith is a precious gift from God (Philippians. 1:29). Thank Him for it and ask for wisdom to apply it properly when spiritual struggles come (James 1:5).

Further Reading

Read Romans 8:31-39.

•Meditate on the victory you have in Christ.
•What effect should that have on your daily living?

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Daily Devotional “Selecting The Proper Shoes”

Daily Devotional “Selecting The Proper Shoes”
Be Different!
September 28, 2024

“Stand firm . . . having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians. 6:14-15).

Standing firm while in the conflict requires the right kind of spiritual footwear.

I’ll never forget a game that took place at the Rose Bowl during my college football days.

Being winter time and late in the football season, the field was in bad shape from several days of rain and an entire season of wear and tear.

However, the grounds crew painted the field green, so it looked much better than it actually was.

I had two pairs of football shoes: one with long spikes for bad turf and one with short spikes for good turf.

Thinking the field looked pretty good, I opted to wear the short spikes.

On the opening kick-off I caught the ball on the four- yard line, took two steps, and immediately landed on my backside.

That’s not unusual after a tackle, but in this case there wasn’t an opponent in sight! I slipped in the mud—my shoes betrayed me.

Since proper shoes are important in athletics, how much more so are they when fighting for your life.

Roman soldiers took great care in selecting just the right shoe.

Typically they wore a thick-soled semi-boot with straps securing it to the leg.

On the bottom of the soles were hobnails that protruded like the cleats of a track or baseball shoe.

The thick soles protected the feet from injury; the hobnails provided traction when maneuvering on the soil.

The Christian’s spiritual footwear is the “gospel of peace” (Ephesians. 6:15).

Romans 5:1 says, “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God has reconciled you to Himself through the death of His Son (v. 10).

Once you were His enemy; now you are His child. Once He opposed you; now He is on your side.

No matter how difficult your circumstances may be or how many opponents come against you, realize that the invincible God of the universe is on your side.

He makes war against His enemies (Revelation. 2:16), and against Him no one can stand.

So stand firm in that confidence. Focus on your Great Ally rather than your feeble enemies.

Prayer

Thank God for His peace, presence, and protection in your life.

Further Reading

Read Judges 7. How did Gideon demonstrate his confidence that God was on his side?

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Daily Devotional “A Righteousness That Glorifies God”

Daily Devotional “A Righteousness That Glorifies God”
Be Different!
September 27, 2024

“Stand firm therefore . . . having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians. 6:14).

A righteous life testifies to God’s transforming power and brings Him glory.

We’ve seen the importance of donning the breastplate of righteousness, but Scripture also discusses the consequences of failing to do so.

These consequences serve as warnings to anyone who is prone to neglect righteousness.

If you’re not committed to righteousness, you not only make yourself spiritually vulnerable, but also forfeit some of God’s wonderful blessings.

David prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation” (Psalm. 51:13).

His sin had robbed him of his joy and assurance.

That’s true of us as well because joy is directly proportional to obedience.

If you’re pursuing greater righteousness, you’ll know greater joy.

You might also forfeit some of your heavenly reward.

John said, “Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward” (1 John 8).

I believe that New Testament rewards are various capacities for service in heaven.

The greater your reward, the greater your capacity to serve God.

Somehow your current righteousness and faithfulness to God affect what you will do for all eternity.

Don’t allow sin and negligence to diminish your reward!

Without righteousness you will also suffer loss of opportunity to glorify God.

When thinking or behaving unrighteously, you violate your reason for existence, which is to glorify God in everything (1 Corinthians. 10:31).

Instead of exalting Him, you bring reproach on His name.

Instead of causing others to see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew. 5:16), you breed confusion and mockery.

Peter says to us, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that . . . they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter. 2:11).

When unbelievers scrutinize your life, what do they see?

Does your righteousness testify of God’s saving and sanctifying grace?

Prayer

Ask God to give you an increased hunger and thirst for righteousness as you seek to live to His glory today.

Further Reading

Memorize 2 Corinthians 5:21 as a reminder of God’s marvelous grace to you.

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Daily Devotional “Fulfilling God’s Law”

Daily Devotional “Fulfilling God’s Law”
Be Different!
September 26, 2024

“In order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).

If the Holy Spirit resides within us, we will be able to fulfill the demands of God’s law.

Augustine once said, “Grace was given, in order that the law might be fulfilled.”

When God saves us He, by His Spirit, creates within us the ability to obey His perfect law.

Because we now live “according to the Spirit”—walking by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit—we are able to do the righteous things God’s law requires.

Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord no longer expects His law to be lived out only by means of an external code of ethics?

Now holiness, righteousness, and obedience to the law are internal, the products of the indwelling Holy Spirit (see Ezekiel. 11:19-20).

God’s salvation is more than a spiritual transaction by which He imputed Christ’s righteousness to us.

It is more than a forensic action by which He judicially declared us righteous.

As great and vital as those doctrines are, they were not applied to us apart from God’s planting His Spirit within our hearts and enabling our lives to manifest the Spirit’s fruit:

“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians. 5:22-23).

We need to remind ourselves regularly that God’s purpose for us after He redeemed us was that we might live a holy life filled with good works (Ephesians. 2:10; Titus 2:14).

Whenever you are disobedient to God’s will and purpose, you are quenching the Holy Spirit and fighting against yourself and what you know is right.

Such disobedience makes about as much sense as the person who holds his breath for no reason and therefore makes his lungs resist their natural function.

The believer who disobeys, especially one who persists in a sin, prevents the Spirit from naturally leading him along the path of holiness.

We are not perfect after our salvation—that won’t happen until glorification (1 John 3:2-3)—but the Holy Spirit will empower us to live in ways pleasing to God, which is the kind of righteousness that fulfills His law.

Prayer

Thank the Lord that you don’t have to meet the demands of the law solely by your own strength.

Further Reading

Read Romans 6.

•What happened to your old self at the time of your conversion?
•How must that affect the way you live?

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Daily Devotional “Spirit Filled Submission”

Daily Devotional “Spirit Filled Submission”
Be Different!
September 24, 2024

“Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).

Spirit-filled believers will submit to one another.

To the world, submission implies personal weakness or the coercive dominance of one person by another stronger, more intimidating individual.

Such perspectives, however, are unbiblical.

The noted expositor Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes submission’s original meaning in a military context, which helps us understand its scriptural definition:

It is the picture of soldiers in a regiment, soldiers in a line under an officer . . .

and if he [the soldier] begins to act on his own, and independently of the others, he is guilty of insubordination and will be punished accordingly.

Such is the word the Apostle uses; so what he is saying amounts to this—that we who are filled with the Spirit are to behave voluntarily in that way with respect to one another.

We are members of the same regiment, we are units in this same great army. We are to do that voluntarily which the soldier is “forced” to do.

In addition to Ephesians 5:21, the New Testament repeatedly expresses the importance of submitting to one another.

Philippians 2:3-4 tell us how mutual submission ought to operate:

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;

do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

And Hebrews 13:17 commands us to submit to our spiritual leaders:

“Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

The only way we can possess any of those traits or exhibit any of that behavior is to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then we will be able to voluntarily and joyfully submit to the Lord and one another in love, just as the apostle John urges:

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

Prayer

Examine your heart and see if your attitude has been a biblically submissive one.

Ask God’s Spirit to reveal and correct any sinful shortcomings you’ve had in that regard.

Further Reading

Read Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Timothy 5:21; James 2:1. List comparisons and contrasts between these verses and what Philippians 2:3-4 says about mutual submission.

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Daily Devotional “Spirit Filled Gratitude”

Daily Devotional “Spirit Filled Gratitude”
Be Different!
September 23, 2024

“Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father” (Ephesians 5:20).

Sincere thanks to God will result at all times if we are truly filled with the Spirit.

I’m convinced that gratitude is the single greatest act of personal worship we can render to God.

And today’s verse plainly asserts that thankfulness should be a well-rounded,

consistent response to whatever God allows to happen in our lives (see 1 Thessalonians. 5:18).

Such a thankful attitude is impossible in our own strength, but as the Holy Spirit indwells us,

He graciously and mercifully enables us to be thankful at all times, without exception.

It follows that if a Spirit-filled believer is enabled to give thanks at all times, he will also be strengthened to give thanks “for all things.”

Implicit in Paul’s words are the hard things (see also James 1:2-5; 1 Peter 2:20-21);

but there are also dozens of blessings that we must not neglect to be grateful for.

Here are some primary examples: God’s goodness and mercy (Psalm. 106:1), the gift of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians. 9:15),

the gospel’s triumph (2 Corinthians. 2:14), and victory over death (1 Corinthians. 15:56-57).

The Spirit-filled Christian will always display his gratefulness in the name of Christ to God the Father.

We could not be thankful at all if it were not for the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

So to be thankful in His name simply means it will be consistent with His character and deeds (see Ephesians. 1:5-8, Ephesians 1:11-12).

God is the ultimate object of all our thanksgivings,

and Father is the name that highlights His loving benevolence and the constant flow of His gracious gifts that come to those who know Him (see James 1:17).

We just can’t escape the importance of our continually offering thanks to God on every occasion, for everything.

Hebrews 13:15 presents us with this excellent summary:

“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

Prayer

Think of something you have not thanked God for in the past. Confess that neglect, and begin thanking Him for it regularly from now on.

Further Reading

Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-23.

•How was that opportunity for gratitude different from those mentioned in the lesson?
•How did Jehoshaphat demonstrate His trust in God?

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Daily Devotional “Spirit Filled Song”

Daily Devotional “Spirit Filled Song”
Be Different!
September 22, 2024

“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

If we are Spirit-filled, we will have songs of praise in our hearts and on our lips.

Once a Christian knows about being Spirit-filled and walking by the Spirit, it is still fair for him or her to ask, “But how can I know if the Holy Spirit is really at work in my life?”

Ephesians 5:19 answers this question by declaring one of the unmistakable evidences of the Spirit’s full operation in our lives—we will have a song in our hearts.

The Bible does not give us much detail about the practical use of music and song, but there are enough references so that its significance to God and His people is clear.

The Israelites praised God after He rescued them from the Egyptians (Exodus. 15).

The Psalms are filled with songs and praise, epitomized by the final verse, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (150:6).

In the New Testament, Jesus and the disciples closed the Last Supper by singing a hymn (Matthew. 26:30).

Paul and Silas sang while they were imprisoned at Philippi (Acts 16:25).

During his vision in Revelation 5, the apostle John sees this:

“When He [Christ, the Lamb] had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb,

having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song” (vv. 8-9).

That “new song” John was about to hear sung before God’s throne was not just new chronologically—it was new qualitatively.

Here as elsewhere in the New Testament, “new” is used in relation to God’s salvation,

which means it makes perfect sense for us to sing a new song—one that is far better than the world’s songs—if we are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Words of genuine praise should well up in our hearts often and at the appropriate times break forth from our lips as we reflect the joy of the Spirit-filled life.

Prayer

Thank God specifically for some of your favorite hymns.

Further Reading

Read Revelation 5:1-14 for the complete context of John’s new song.

•What is the song’s theme?
•How many eventually join in the praises?

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Daily Devotional “Being Filled with The Holy Spirit”

Daily Devotional “Being Filled with The Holy Spirit”
Be Different!
September 21, 2024

“Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

God wants every aspect of the believer’s being to be under the complete control of the Holy Spirit.

Pleroo, the basic Greek word for “be filled,” offers three shades of meaning that illustrate what Paul’s command to be Spirit-filled means.

First, the word describes the pressure of wind filling a ship’s sails and moving the vessel across the water.

That parallels the Holy Spirit’s leading us down the pathway of spiritual obedience.

We aren’t primarily motivated by our own plans and desires, but we allow the Spirit’s gracious pressure to move us in the right direction.

The well-known pain reliever Alka-Seltzer effectively illustrates the second meaning, permeation.

If you drop two Alka-Seltzers into a glass of water, they immediately fizzle and soon transform themselves into clear bubbles throughout the water and permeate it with a distinct flavor.

That’s how God wants the Holy Spirit to fill our lives, so that there will be no doubt in others’ minds that we possess the distinct and pervasive savor of the Spirit.

Pleroo’s third and primary shade of meaning is that of domination or total control.

In Luke 6:11 the scribes and Pharisees “were filled with rage” when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath.

Jesus said, “Sorrow has filled your heart” (John 16:6) when He described the disciples’ reaction to the news that He was soon departing.

In those two examples, pleroo denotes an emotion that thoroughly dominated the people’s thoughts and excluded everything else.

In regard to earthly concerns, such overwhelming feelings can be wasteful, foolish, and even harmful.

But it is beneficial and completely in agreement with the Lord’s will when we yield every thought, feeling, and action to the absolute domination of the Holy Spirit.

This yielding will occur in our Christian lives only when we obey another of Paul’s commands, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Colossians. 3:16).

In practice, the Spirit-filled walk is a matter of knowing God’s Word and obeying it.

Prayer

Ask God to forgive you for the times when you have not allowed His Spirit to completely fill and control your life.

Further Reading

Read and compare Isaiah 6 and Revelation 1:9-18.

•What reactions did the prophet Isaiah and the apostle John both have to the notion of God’s overwhelming power and control?
•What other general similarities are present in their visions?

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Daily Devotional “Attacks On God’s Character”

Daily Devotional “Attacks On God’s Character”
Be Different!
September 19, 2024

“Stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians. 6:11).

One of Satan’s most effective tactics is to challenge God’s credibility.

Paul’s exhortation to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians. 6:11) refers to the various tactics Satan employs in spiritual warfare.

One of his tactics is to call God’s character and motives into question by raising doubts about His Word.

He used that approach in the Garden of Eden, when he said to Eve, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Genesis. 3:1).

In one brief statement Satan disputed and distorted God’s Word.

God didn’t forbid them to eat from any tree.

They could eat freely from every tree except one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:16-17).

Satan followed his distortion with an outright denial of God’s Word: “You surely shall not die!” (3:4).

He implied that God lied when He said that sin will result in death.

Satan then went on to tell Eve that if she ate the fruit, she would in fact become like God Himself (v. 5).

The implication is that God was withholding something good from Eve, and to keep her from seeking it, He intimidated her with empty threats of death and judgment.

Do you see the insidious nature of Satan’s approach? Tragically, Eve didn’t.

Rather than trusting and obeying God, she believed Satan’s lies and concluded that the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise.

Then “she took from its fruit and ate” (v. 6).

Satan deceives and spreads his lies from generation to generation (2 Corinthians. 11:14).

Although he is subtle, his attempts to discredit God by disputing, distorting, and denying His Word should be obvious to discerning Christians.

Don’t be victimized by Satan’s attacks.

Become strong in the Word through systematic Bible study.

Yield to the Spirit’s control through prayer and obedience to biblical principles.

Prayer

•Ask God for the discernment to recognize Satanic deceptions, and the wisdom to pursue truth.
•Pray for God’s enabling as you discipline yourself for diligent Bible study.

Further Reading

Read 1 John 2:12-14. How did John describe those who are strong in the Word?

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Daily Devotional “The Extent of Satanic Opposition”

Daily Devotional “The Extent of Satanic Opposition”
Be Different!
September 18, 2024

“Stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians. 6:11).

Satan opposes everything God does.

The believer’s conflict with the forces of darkness is rightly called spiritual warfare since Satan and his evil world system are hostile toward everything God does.

By nature they are anti-God and anti-Christ.

Satan is the antithesis of every godly attribute. God is holy; Satan is evil.

God is love; Satan is the embodiment of hatred.

God redeems His children; Satan damns his. Jesus reveals grace and truth (John 1:17), but Satan “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.

Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

God gives life, whereas Satan breeds death (Hebrews. 2:14).

God produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians. 5:22-23).

Satan produces immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and the like (vv. 19-21).

God uses trials to prove the genuineness of your faith and increase your joy and spiritual endurance (James 1:3).

Satan uses temptation in an attempt to destroy your faith and silence your testimony.

God grants freedom from the bondage of sin, while Satan wants to enslave you to sin for all eternity (2 Timothy. 2:26).

Jesus is your advocate, pleading your cause before the Father (1 John 2:1).

Satan is your accuser, blaming you incessantly for things God has already forgiven (Revelation. 12:10).

As Satan opposes everything God does, he’ll also oppose God’s children.

When he does, don’t be overly concerned or think of it as odd or unfair.

Expect trials, be prepared, and rejoice because they show you’re a threat to Satan’s system and an asset to Christ’s kingdom.

Prayer

•Thank God for the joy of knowing Christ and being free from sin’s bondage.
•Ask Him to use you today in a powerful way for His glory.

Further Reading

Read Romans 14:17 and 1 John 2:16-17. What characterizes the kingdom of God? The evil world system of Satan?

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Daily Devotional “Empowered For Service”

Daily Devotional “Empowered For Service”
Be Different!
September 15, 2024

“Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us . . .” (Ephesians 3:20).

Through the Holy Spirit, God gives His children all the spiritual power they will ever need to live the Christian life.

It’s a joy to know that spiritual gifts are not like toys whose packages say “batteries required.”

What the Spirit provides is not dependent on perishable batteries for power.

Instead, when the Spirit secures our new life in Christ, He also empowers and strengthens us with every spiritual resource we’ll ever need to serve Christ and minister to others.

The Holy Spirit draws from an infinite supply of strength and power, as Paul indicates in Ephesians 3:20.

In verse 16 he had just prayed that the Ephesians would “be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”

Paul was certain that God’s Spirit can do far more in the lives of believers than most of us ever imagine.

So many of us don’t get past the phrase “to Him who is able,” and with that failure we limit how much the Holy Spirit can do in and through us.

Paul had much more than a theoretical understanding of the Spirit’s infinite power supply—he experienced it firsthand.

Even when he was stretched to the limit physically and spiritually, he said, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians. 4:8-9).

We can’t attribute his inner perseverance to any other source than the Holy Spirit.

No matter how difficult or discouraging our own circumstances become, we have the very same Spirit. If we’re hindered, we don’t have to be frustrated.

If we’re puzzled, we don’t have to be in despair.

If we’re persecuted, we don’t have to face it alone.

If we’re dying from a physical disease, we can be alive in heart and spirit.

Our outer person might be exhausted and hard-pressed, but we have the assurance that our inner self is being renewed with fresh strength daily from the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians. 4:16).

Prayer

Thank God today that even before your life encounters a crisis, you have the Holy Spirit as a source of strength and power to help meet that challenge.

Further Reading

•Moses was uncertain that he could or would be empowered for God’s ministry. Read Exodus 3:1—4:17. What excuses did Moses raise?
•How did God deal with each one?

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Daily Devotional “We Need One Another”

Daily Devotional “We Need One Another”
Be Different!
September 14, 2024

“To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

The Holy Spirit uses believers to minister to other believers.

Right in line with modern culture’s emphasis on personal independence, it’s often easy for one to say, “If I have the all-sufficient Holy Spirit living within me, that’s all I need to live my Christian life.”

That is true, but because you are not completely sanctified, you do not always allow the Spirit to fully do His work.

Therefore, God needs to use other believers to minister the Spirit’s correction, exhortation, or encouragement.

The Bible is very clear about this. The Epistle to the Hebrews says God wants followers who do not waver in their profession of faith.

And a primary way Christians will fulfill that is by regularly meeting together and seriously stimulating one another to love and good works (Hebrew. 10:23-25).

We don’t have to look far for the proper setting in which to meet regularly and encourage one another.

It’s any Bible-believing local church that is exercising its spiritual gifts.

These special gifts are simply the loving channels through which the Holy Spirit ministers to those within the fellowship of believers.

Today’s verse suggests that each of us has a gift, and this truth is explained a little more in verse 11:

“One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

Here the apostle Paul reveals yet one more way in which the Holy Spirit sovereignly helps us and others to become more mature.

What’s remarkable about the Spirit’s working through us is that we become extensions of His voice.

Perhaps you’ve thought of that comparison at times when you’ve shared the gospel with the lost.

But the analogy fits equally well when you reach out and minister to someone within your church.

The idea of being an extension of the Holy Spirit’s ministry ought to encourage you toward greater faithfulness in using your spiritual gifts to help other believers.

Likewise, it should make you more sensitive to the Spirit’s correcting and edifying work in your life as others come alongside and minister to you (Colossians. 3:12-13).

Prayer

Ask the Lord to keep you always faithful to the commands of Hebrews 10:23-25.

Further Reading

Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-7.

•What kind of example did the Macedonians set regarding aid to other believers?
•How should that motivate us (v. 7)?

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Daily Devotional “The Spotlight Stays on Christ”

Daily Devotional “The Spotlight Stays on Christ”
Be Different!
September 13, 2024

“‘When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me’” (John 15:26).

After He has drawn us to Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us give Christ the preeminence.

In the spiritual realm it is important that our attention be kept focused in the right direction—toward the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit, through the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, helps us understand what such focus is all about:

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (12:1-2).

John 15:26 is one of two references in the Gospel of John in which the Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ (see also John 16:14-15).

Commentator Leon Morris tells us, “This bearing of witness was not an end in itself.

Behind it was the purpose ‘that all might believe through him.’”

It has always been the Spirit’s desire that people recognize Christ’s authority and submit to His will (Philippians. 2:9-13).

Thus Paul further reminds us that “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians. 12:3).

We saw yesterday that the power and wisdom of the Spirit are crucial if any individual is to be transformed from spiritual condemnation to spiritual life.

After that, it is just as necessary that we rely on the Holy Spirit to keep us focused on Jesus Christ and our ongoing responsibilities of obedience and service to Him.

How foolish it is for any of us who profess Christ to then follow Him by looking to our own strength rather than His glory.

We forget that the Spirit has given us a clear view of the freedom involved in following Jesus as Lord:

“But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians. 3:16-17).

Prayer

If you have tended to focus more on yourself than on Christ, confess that sin and ask that God would renew your focus on His Son.

Further Reading

Read the following passages from John’s Gospel, and identify the witness to Christ in each one: John 1:6-8; John 5:31-37; John 8:18; John 10:25; John 12:17.

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Daily Devotional “Living One Day at a Time”

Daily Devotional “Living One Day at a Time”
Be Different!
September 04, 2024

“‘Do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own’” (Matthew 6:34).

The believer is not to worry about his future.

British pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Although it is very right to think about the future, it is very wrong to be controlled by it.”

He was right, because worry is a tremendous force that will endeavor to defeat you.

It will try to destroy you today by making you upset and anxious.

But if it loses today, it will take you into the future until it finds something to make you worry about.

In Matthew 6:34 Jesus says that you have enough to deal with today.

Take the resources of today for the needs of today, or you will lose the joy of today.

Lack of joy is a sin too. Many people lose their joy because of worry about tomorrow, and they miss the victory God gives them today.

That is not fair to Him. God gives you a glorious and blissful day today;

live in the light and fullness of the joy of that day, and use the resources God supplies.

Don’t push yourself into the future and forfeit the joy of today over some tomorrow that may never happen.

Learn this one little statement: fear is a liar.

It will cause you to lose the joy of today. What’s more, God gives strength for only one day at a time.

He doesn’t give you grace for tomorrow until tomorrow.

When the Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever” (Hebrew. 13:8),

it means He will be doing the same thing tomorrow that He was doing yesterday.

If you have any questions about the future, look at the past.

Did He sustain you then? He will sustain you in the future.

Since there is no past, present, or future with Him, there is no need for you to worry.

Prayer

Praise God for being the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Further Reading

Read Lamentations 3:21-24.

•What never ceases and never fails (v. 22)?
•What does that say about God (v. 23)?
•What does that give you (v. 21)?

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Daily Devotional “Covering Sin”

Daily Devotional “Covering Sin”
Be Different!
September 03, 2024

“[Love] bears all things” (1 Corinthians. 13:7).

Love confronts sin but protects the sinner.

In 1 Corinthians 13:7 Paul mentions four qualities of love that are closely related:

bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things.

That might sound like love is indiscriminate and accepting of anything that comes along, but “all things” in that verse is qualified by the context.

Love rejects jealousy, bragging, arrogance, and so on (vv. 4-6), but it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things that are within the parameters of God’s Word.

“Love bears all things” speaks of love’s willingness to cover sins and protect sinners from further harm.

That’s opposite our tabloid-mentality society in which gossip is big business and people seemingly have an insatiable appetite for exposes and “true confessions.”

Love seeks to protect, not expose. It confronts and disciplines sin but never broadcasts failures or wrongs.

It feels the pain of those it loves and is willing to take that pain upon itself when necessary—as Christ did when He suffered for our sins.

In the Old Testament, the mercy seat was the place where the blood of atonement was sprinkled to cover the sins of the people (Leviticus. 16:14).

That covering prefigured the perfect covering of sin that Christ brought through His death on the cross (Romans. 3:25-26).

All who trust in Him are forever covered with the mantle of God’s love.

You cannot cover sins in the redemptive sense, but you can help protect and restore its victims.

Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.”

First Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”

When you hear of someone’s sin, what is your first reaction?

Do you think the worst of him or even gloat over his failures?

Or do you expect the best and want to protect him from further exposure, ridicule, or harm?

Are you willing to confront sin when necessary and even help bear the burden that person might be carrying?

How you react indicates the quality of your love.

Prayer

•Thank God for covering your sins with Christ’s blood.
•Commit yourself to loving others in a way that truly bears all things.

Further Reading

Read Isaiah 53:3-12.

•How is Christ pictured?
•What did He endure on your behalf?

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Daily Devotional “Forgiving Others”

Daily Devotional “Forgiving Others”
Be Different!
September 02, 2024

“[Love] does not take into account a wrong suffered” (1 Corinthians. 13:5).

If you love someone, you won’t keep a record of their offenses.

It is reported that when the Moravian missionaries first went to the Eskimos, they couldn’t find a word in their language for forgiveness.

They had to combine a series of shorter words into one compound word: Issumagijoujungnainermik.

Although the word appears formidable, its meaning is beautiful, being translated: “Not-being-able-to-think-about-it-anymore.”

You’ve probably noticed that unforgiving people usually have good memories.

Some can hold a grudge for a lifetime. But love never keeps a record of wrongs committed against it.

It forgives and is unable to think about them anymore.

That’s what Paul had in mind when he said that love “does not take into account a wrong suffered” (1 Corinthians. 13:5).

The Greek word translated “take into account” was used of the entries in a bookkeeper’s ledger.

Those entries helped the bookkeeper remember the nature of each financial transaction.

In contrast, love never keeps a record or holds others accountable for the wrongs they’ve committed against it.

The greatest example of that kind of love is God Himself.

Romans 4:8 says, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

Second Corinthians 5:19 adds, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.”

Every sin we commit as believers is an offense against God, but He never charges them to our account.

We are in Christ, who bore our penalty on the cross. When we sin, we are immediately forgiven.

If you love others, you’ll forgive them as God has forgiven you.

Instead of holding them accountable for their offenses, you’ll look beyond their sin to their potential in Christ.

You’ll heed Paul’s admonition to “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians. 4:32). That’s the character of true love.

Prayer

•Is there someone from whom you’ve been withholding forgiveness? If so, recognize it as sin and confess it to the Lord. Then be reconciled to that person right away.
•Thank God that He doesn’t keep an account of your sins (cf. Psalm. 130:3).

Further Reading

What does Matthew 18:21-35 say about forgiving others?

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Daily Devotional “Godly Anger Versus Selfish Anger”

Daily Devotional “Godly Anger Versus Selfish Anger”
Be Different!
September 01, 2024

“[Love] is not provoked” (1 Corinthians. 13:5).

Self-centered anger cannot coexist with love.

The great eighteenth-century preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards had a daughter with an uncontrollable temper.

When a young man asked Dr. Edwards for his daughter’s hand in marriage, he said no.

The young man was crushed. “But I love her and she loves me,” he pleaded.

“That makes no difference,” Edwards replied, “she isn’t worthy of you.”

“But she is a Christian, isn’t she,” the young man argued.

“Yes,” said Edwards, “but the grace of God can live with some people with whom no one else could ever live.”

That may seem harsh, but Jonathan Edwards knew what his would-be son-in-law hadn’t yet learned: the presence of selfish anger indicates the absence of genuine love.

“Love,” said Paul, “is not provoked.” It isn’t given to sudden outbursts of emotion or action.

It doesn’t respond in anger to offenses committed against it.

Paul wasn’t talking about anger over sin and its terrible consequences.

That’s righteous indignation, which Christians are expected to have.

When Jesus drove the merchants and moneychangers out of the temple (John 2:14-15), He was genuinely angry because His Father’s house was being desecrated.

But He never reacted that way when He was personally attacked or maligned.

In the same way, it’s right for you to be angry when others are mistreated, when God is offended, or when His Word is misrepresented.

But love always bears up under personal attacks.

Such graciousness is foreign to our society, which teaches us to fight for our personal rights and retaliate when we don’t get what we think we deserve.

That has produced greedy and loveless people who want little more than personal success and comfort.

Anyone who dares to stand in their way is in danger of incurring their wrath.

As a Christian, you must resist such influences by focusing on your spiritual duty rather than your rights.

If you expect nothing from the world, you won’t be angered or disappointed when nothing comes.

Remember, God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).

So humble yourself before Him and He will exalt you at the proper time (James 4:10).

Prayer

Ask God for the grace to forgive those who wrong you.

Further Reading

According to Ephesians 4:26-27, how should you deal with anger?

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Daily Devotional “The Sin of Worry”

Daily Devotional “The Sin of Worry”
Be Different!
August 31, 2024

“‘Do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on’” (Matthew 6:25).

To worry about the future is to sin against God.

Someone has said, “You can’t change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future.”

Worry does ruin the present, but even more important for the believer is to recognize that worry is sin. Let’s look at why that is so.

Worry means you are striking out at God. Someone might say, “Worry is a small, trivial sin.”

But that’s not true. More important than what worry does to you is what it does to God.

When you worry, you are saying in effect, “God, I just don’t think I can trust You.”

Worry strikes a blow at God’s integrity and love for you.

Worry means you are disbelieving Scripture. You can say, “I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.

I believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of every word,” and then just live your life worrying.

You are saying you believe the Bible, but then worry about God fulfilling what He says in it.

Worry means you are being mastered by circumstances.

Let the truths of God’s Word, not your circumstances, control your thinking.

By worrying, you make the circumstances and trials of life a bigger issue than your salvation.

If you believe God can save you from eternal Hell, also believe He can help you in this world as He has promised.

Worry means you are distrusting God. If you worry, you’re not trusting your Heavenly Father.

And if you’re not trusting Him, perhaps it’s because you don’t know Him well enough.

Study God’s Word to find out who He really is and how He has been faithful to supply the needs of His people in the past.

Doing so will help give you confidence for the future.

Allow His Word to indwell you richly so that you aren’t making yourself vulnerable to Satan’s temptations to worry.

Prayer

Review the four points given above, and confess any sin to God.

Further Reading

Read Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7. What antidote to worry do both verses give?

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Daily Devotional “Materialistic Christians”

Daily Devotional “Materialistic Christians”
Be Different!
August 30, 2024

“‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth’” (Matthew 6:19).

You cannot pursue both God and riches.

Ours is a society consumed with material things.

Status, success, and importance are all too often measured by a person’s financial worth.

Those with wealth flaunt it; those without wealth fake it.

People often rack up huge debts in their desperate and futile pursuit of happiness through accumulating material things.

Sadly, that same materialistic mind-set permeates the church.

Instead of offering an alternative, that of being distinct from the world, the church joins the world in its pursuit of riches.

Most tragically of all, the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is lost in the process.

It is not wrong to have possessions. Job, Abraham, and Solomon were among the wealthiest men of their day.

But it is wrong to covet, to make the pursuit of material things the main goal of your life, to serve mammon instead of God.

“Do not love the world,” wrote the apostle John, “nor the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

James addressed these scathing words to those whose focus is on material things:

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

Behind much of the pursuit of riches in the church is a lack of trust in God’s provision.

Instead of finding security in His promise to supply all our needs (Philippians. 4:19), we seek it in a house, a bank account, or a stock portfolio.

God did not give us our money and possessions so we wouldn’t have to trust Him.

He gave them to us to enjoy (1 Timothy. 6:17) and to test the legitimacy of our spirituality (Luke 16:11).

Whether you are rich or poor, your attitude toward your possessions and how you handle them is a test of your spirituality. How are you doing?

Prayer

Pray with Agur, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs. 30:8-9).

Further Reading

What do the following verses teach about our attitude toward wealth: Psalms 49:5-9; Psalm 52:7; Psalm 62:10?

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Daily Devotional “Maintaining Doctrinal Purity”

Daily Devotional “Maintaining Doctrinal Purity”
Be Different!
August 29, 2024

“[Love] rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians. 13:6).

Love never compromises God’s Word.

Paul has just given us a list of things that love does not do:

become jealous, brag, act arrogantly or unbecomingly, seek its own, become provoked, keep track of wrongs suffered, or rejoice in unrighteousness.

Now he comes to the first of five things love does: “[Love] rejoices with the truth” (v. 6).

The contrast in verse 6 is between love’s inability to rejoice in unrighteousness and its joy when truth prevails.

“Truth” refers to God’s Word, which is the standard of righteousness.

Paul could have said, “Love doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with righteousness,” but he went beyond the mere deeds of righteousness and addressed its standard and motive.

Love won’t tolerate false doctrine or sinful behavior, but it rejoices when God’s Word is taught and obeyed.

The psalmist said, “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies. . . . I have more insight than all my teachers . . . .

I understand more than the aged. . . . I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Thy word.

I have not turned aside from Thine ordinances, for Thou Thyself hast taught me.

How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

From Thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm. 119:97-104).

That’s the testimony of one who rejoices in the truth.

Often Christians are willing to compromise sound doctrine for the sake of loving others.

They believe that doctrinal precision is somehow divisive and unloving.

But Scripture says, “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. . . .

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.

This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward” (2 John 6-8).

Biblical love always operates within the parameters of God’s Word and spiritual discernment (Philippians. 1:9-10).

The most loving thing you can do is live according to biblical truth.

Doctrinal compromise simply diminishes the quality of love and plays into the hands of the evil one.

Prayer

Ask God for wisdom and discernment to keep your love within its proper biblical bounds.

Further Reading

Memorize Philippians 1:9-11.

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Daily Devotional “Letting the Forg Lift”

Daily Devotional “Letting the Forg Lift”
Be Different!
August 27, 2024

“‘Do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on’” (Matthew 6:25).

God’s Word commands us not to worry.

A story I once read reminded me that worry is like fog.

According to the article, dense fog covering seven city blocks a hundred feet deep is composed of less than one glass of water—divided into sixty billion droplets.

In the right form, a few gallons of water can cripple a large city.

Similarly, the object of a person’s worry is usually quite small compared to the way it can cripple his thinking or harm his life.

Someone has said, “Worry is a thin stream of fear that trickles through the mind, which, if encouraged, will cut a channel so wide that all other thoughts will be drained out.”

All of us have to admit that worry is a part of life.

The Bible commands us, however, not to worry. To break that command is sin.

Worry is the equivalent of saying, “God, I know You mean well by what You say, but I’m just not sure You can pull it off.”

Worry is the sin of distrusting the promises and providence of God; yet we do it all the time.

We don’t worry about anything as much as we worry about the basics of life.

In that regard we are similar to the people whom Jesus addressed in Matthew 6:25-34.

They were worried about having sufficient food and clothing.

I suppose if they were to try and legitimize their worry, they would say, “After all, we’re not worrying about extravagant things.

We’re just worrying about our next meal, a glass of water, and something to wear.”

But there is no reason for a believer to worry about the basics of life since Jesus says He will provide for him.

You are neither to hoard material possessions as a hedge against the future (vv. 19-24) nor be anxious about your basic needs (vv. 25-34).

Instead of letting the fog of worry roll in, it’s time to let it lift.

Prayer

“Rejoice in the Lord always. . . . Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians. 4:4, 6).

Further Reading

What counsel does 1 Peter 5:7 give?

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Daily Devotional “A Little Piece of Bread”

Daily Devotional “A Little Piece of Bread”
Be Different!
August 26, 2024

“Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for [the Lord] Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

God promises to provide for all your needs.

In World War II the death of many adults left many orphans.

At the close of the war, the Allies provided some camps to feed the orphans and to try and find a place to relocate them.

The children began to develop and grow, receiving the finest food and care.

But in one of the camps, the officials became perplexed because the children couldn’t sleep.

They would eat three good meals, but at night they would lie awake.

The camp authorities brought in some doctors to do a study of these orphans to find out why they couldn’t sleep.

The doctors came up with a solution.

Every night when the little children were put to bed, someone would come down the row of beds and place in each little hand a piece of bread.

So the last thing the children experienced at night was grasping a piece of bread.

In a matter of days they were all sleeping through the night. Why?

Even though they were fed to the full during the day, experience had taught them that there was no hope for tomorrow.

When they had that bread tucked in their hands, they knew that at least they would have breakfast the next day.

Similarly, God has given you a piece of bread for your hand.

That bread is this promise: “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians. 4:19).

If you have that piece of bread in your hand, you can sleep.

You don’t need to stockpile for the future.

God is the owner of everything in the world, and He controls all the assets to provide for you because you are His child.

Life for the Christian consists not in the abundance of things he possesses (Luke 12:15), but in being content with the things that he has (Hebrews. 13:5).

Prayer

Thank God for His promise to provide for all your needs.

Further Reading

In Psalm 37:25, what was David’s testimony about the Lord?

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Daily Devotional “The Lord Who Provides”

Daily Devotional “The Lord Who Provides”
Be Different!
August 24, 2024

“Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns;

and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, ‘In the mount of the Lord it will be provided’” (Genesis 22:13-14).

When God provides for a believer, He’s being true to His name.

The Old Testament gives God many names, but one of the most lovely is Jehovah-Jireh, translated in verse 14 of today’s passage as “The Lord Will Provide.”

It is so much a characteristic of God that it’s His name.

We would never question that God is love and great and mighty and holy and just and good.

But some question whether God provides.

They doubt and are afraid that God isn’t going to meet their needs.

That is exactly what the Lord speaks to in Matthew 6:25-34 when He says, in summary, “Don’t worry about what to eat, drink, or wear.”

The Lord is still Jehovah-Jireh. That is His name, and it is synonymous with one of His attributes.

God is a God who provides, and that is why David said, “I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread” (Psalm. 37:25).

The world digs and scratches and claws to make sure it has enough.

Unlike the world, your Father knows your needs, and He will always give you what you need.

You don’t have to own everything, and you don’t have to control everything to meet your needs.

You can receive what God gives you to invest in His eternal kingdom and put away all anxiety about your needs.

Worship God with your life, and rest assured in His promise to provide for you.

Prayer

First Timothy 6:8 says, “If [you] have food and covering, with these [you] shall be content.”

Does contentment characterize your life? If not, confess that to the Lord, and thank Him for the many ways He so faithfully provides for you every day.

Further Reading

Read the following passages, which show God’s faithfulness to provide: Deuteronomy 2:7; 1 Kings 17:1-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7. In what different ways does He give that provision?

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Daily Devotional “Showing Kindness”

Daily Devotional “Showing Kindness”
Be Different!
August 23, 2024

“Love is kind” (1 Corinthians. 13:4).

Kindness repays evil with good.

Two men going opposite directions on a narrow mountain trail met each other head on.

With a steep cliff on one side and sheer rock on the other, they were unable to pass.

The harder they tried to squeeze past one another the more frustrated they became.

The situation seemed hopeless until one of them, without saying a word, simply laid down on the trail, allowing the other man to walk over him.

That illustrates kindness, which doesn’t mind getting walked on if it benefits someone else.

The Greek word translated “kind” in 1 Corinthians 13:4 literally means “useful,” “serving,” or “gracious.”

It isn’t simply the sweet attitude we usually associate with kindness; it’s the idea of being useful to others.

It’s the flip side of patience. Patience endures abuses from others; kindness repays them with good deeds.

God committed the supreme act of kindness when He provided salvation for lost sinners.

Titus 3:3-5 says, “We also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us.”

Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy, and My load is light” (Matthew. 11:29-30).

The word translated “easy” is translated “kind” in 1 Corinthians 13:4.

Jesus was saying, “Trust in Me and I’ll redeem you and show you My kindness.”

Since “you have tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter. 2:3), you should be anxious to show kindness to others.

That’s what Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to do.

He knew they had the capacity, but they needed to repent of their selfish ways and allow love to dominate their lives.

Prayer

The evil world in which we live gives abundant opportunity for you to express kindness to others. Ask the Lord to help you take full advantage of every opportunity to do so today.

Further Reading

Read Matthew 5:38-48, noting the practical expressions of kindness Jesus instructed His followers to pursue.

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Daily Devotional “Winning Through Non-Retaliation”

Daily Devotional “Winning Through Non-Retaliation”
Be Different!
August 16, 2024

“Love is patient” (1 Corinthians. 13:4). Love does not retaliate.

We usually think of patience as the ability to wait or endure without complaint—whether it’s with people or circumstances.

But the Greek word translated “patience” in 1 Corinthians 13:4 refers specifically to patience with people.

It literally means “to be long tempered,” and speaks of one who could easily retaliate when wronged but chooses not to.

That kind of patience is a spiritual virtue reflective of God Himself (cf. Galatians 5:22).

It can’t be duplicated on a purely human level. But for Christians, it’s to be a way of life.

Paul said, “I . . . entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love” (Ephesians. 4:1-2).

God Himself is the supreme example of patience.

Peter said, “[He] is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter. 3:9).

Those who reject His grace are despising “the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience” (Romans. 2:4).

In the Greco-Roman world of Paul’s day, retaliating for a personal insult or injury was considered a virtue.

Non- retaliation was interpreted as a sign of weakness.

Our society is much the same. Our heroes tend to be those who fight back with physical strength or litigation.

But that isn’t God’s perspective, nor was it Christ’s in praying for His killers, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

As you consider your own patience, remember that retaliation isn’t always blatant and forceful.

It’s often subtle—like withholding affection from your spouse when he or she has wronged you, or withdrawing from a friend who has hurt you.

But godly love never retaliates. It cares more for the feelings of others than for its own.

Remember the Lord’s patience toward you, and allow His Spirit to produce similar patience in you.

Prayer

If you are harboring resentment toward someone who has wronged you, confess it to the Lord and do everything you can to reconcile with that person.

Further Reading

Read Genesis 50:15-21.

•What fear did Joseph’s brothers have?
•How did Joseph react to their plea for forgiveness?
•How did God use the brothers’ sin to accomplish His own purposes?

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Daily Devotional “Being Devoted to God”

Daily Devotional “Being Devoted to God”
Be Different!
August 15, 2024

“‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’” (Matthew 6:21).

The believer is to have a single-minded devotion to God.

British pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones told the story of a farmer who one day went happily to his wife and family to report that their best cow had given birth to twin calves, one brown and one white.

The farmer said, “I suddenly had an impulse that we must dedicate one of these calves to the Lord.

We will sell one and keep the proceeds; the other we will also sell, but give the proceeds to the Lord’s work.”

His wife asked him which one he was going to dedicate to the Lord.

He replied, “There is no need to bother about that now.

We will treat them both the same way, and when the time comes, we will do as I say.”

And off he went. A few months later the farmer entered his kitchen looking unhappy.

When his wife asked him what was troubling him, he answered, “I have bad news to give you. The Lord’s calf is dead.”

We laugh at the story because we all tend to lay up treasure on earth.

We want to be rich toward self but poor toward God.

Jesus speaks directly to that wrong thinking by saying “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew. 6:21).

Your heart and your treasure go together—they both need to be in Heaven.

Our Lord is speaking of a single-minded devotion to God and His cause that is undistracted by the world.

Jesus is not saying that if you put your treasure in the right place, your heart will then be in the right place, but that the location of your treasure indicates where your heart already is.

Spiritual problems are always heart problems. God’s principle for His people has always been,

“Honor the Lord from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce;

so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs. 3:9-10).

What about you? Is that the principle by which you live?

Prayer

Ask the Lord to help you have a single-minded devotion to His kingdom.

Further Reading

Read Luke 6:38 and 2 Corinthians 9:6. What is the common principle in both verses?

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Daily Devotional “Love in Action”

Daily Devotional “Love in Action”
Be Different!
August 14, 2024

“Love is patient . . . kind . . . not jealous . . . does not brag . . . is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly . . . does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians. 13:4-7).

Love is difficult to define, but it can be described by the behavior it produces.

Paul painted a portrait of the kind of love Jesus wants to produce in every believer.

It is, in fact, a portrait of Christ Himself, who is love’s highest expression.

Unlike most English translations, which include several adjectives, the Greek forms of all those properties are verbs.

They do not focus on what love is so much as on what love does and does not do.

Set against the backdrop of the Corinthians’ self- promoting behavior, Paul’s words are a strong rebuke.

He says in effect, “Love is patient, but you are impatient.

Love is kind, but you are unkind toward those who disagree with you.

Love is not jealous, but you envy those with certain spiritual gifts.

Love does not brag, but you are proud of your theology.

Love is not arrogant and does not act unbecomingly, but often you are rude and ill-mannered toward one another.

“Love does not seek its own, but you are self-centered.

Love is not provoked, but you quarrel among yourselves.

Love does not take into account a wrong suffered, but you hold grudges against each other.

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but you delight in one another’s failures.

Love rejoices with the truth, but you distort and disobey God’s Word.

“Love bears all things, but you are defensive and resentful.

Love is eager to believe the best about someone, but you are quick to assume the worst.

Love never gives up and can tolerate incredible opposition, but you are weak and intolerant.”

Paul wanted the Corinthians to see the deficiencies in their love in light of the truth and make the needed corrections.

You and I must do the same.

So as we explore each of love’s characteristics, ask the Holy Spirit to purify your heart so others will clearly see Paul’s portrait of love on display in you.

Prayer

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, substituting “Jesus” for “love.” Then praise Him for all His excellencies.

Further Reading

What does 1 John 3:13-18 teach about love?

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Daily Devotional “Keeping The Treasure Safe”

Daily Devotional “Keeping The Treasure Safe”
Be Different!
August 12, 2024

“‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal’” (Matthew 6:19).

Heaven is the only safe place for treasure.

In the Orient during biblical times, wealth was basically preserved in three ways.

There was no paper, there were no bank books, there was nothing to match the kind of system we have.

Wealth was identified in literal commodities: garments, grain, and gold or precious metals.

Garments in the Bible were always an expression of wealth.

In Judges 14:12 Samson told the Philistines that if they could answer his riddle, he would give them “thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes.”

But there is one problem with garments—moths eat them.

Have you ever noticed that moths don’t eat what you wear, only what you store?

We tend to hoard, and a lot of our treasure is invested in our garments, waiting for moths to destroy them.

Grain was another source of wealth.

The rich fool said he would tear down his barns and build larger ones to store all his grain and goods (Luke 12:18).

In Matthew 6:19 the Greek word translated “rust” literally means “eating.”

The problem with grain is that mice, rats, worms, and vermin like to eat it.

The third commodity was gold or precious metal.

The problem with this one is, where can a person hide it? He might keep it in his house, but a thief could break in and steal it.

Therefore, it was common to find a secret place in a field and in the dark of night dig a hole and bury it.

But thieves would lurk around at night and watch where men would bury their treasure, then later dig it up.

Nothing you own is completely safe from destruction or theft.

And even if you keep your possessions perfectly secure during your entire life, you are certainly separated from them at death.

That’s why Jesus said you should lay up treasures in Heaven “where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal” (v. 20).

What about you? Are you putting your treasure in a safe place?

Prayer

Thank the Lord for providing a secure and eternal place where you can invest for His glory.

Further Reading

Read James 5:1-3. What happened to the commodities there?

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Daily Devotional “Balancing Knowledge and Love”

Daily Devotional “Balancing Knowledge and Love”
Be Different!
August 12, 2024

“If I . . . know all mysteries and all knowledge . . . but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians. 13:2).

True knowledge is always governed by love.

Christians should never take knowledge for granted.

The ability to learn of Christ and grow in His truth is a blessing beyond measure.

Paul prayed that we would be “filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians. 1:9).

That’s what enables us to live in a way that pleases God (v. 10).

But knowledge must be governed by love, just as love must be governed by knowledge.

In Philippians 1:9 Paul says, “This I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.”

In 1 Corinthians 13:2 he says that knowledge without love is nothing.

That’s a God-ordained balance you must maintain if you want to be effective for the Lord.

In 1 Corinthians 13:2 Paul uses a hypothetical illustration to emphasize the importance of love:

“If I . . . know all mysteries and all knowledge . . . but do not have love, I am nothing.”

The Greek word translated “mysteries” in that verse is used throughout the New Testament to speak of redemptive truth that once was hidden but now revealed.

For example, Scripture speaks of the mystery of God in human flesh (Colossians. 2:2-3), of Christ’s indwelling in us (Colossians. 1:26-27), and of the church as Christ’s Body (Ephesians. 3:3-6, 9).

“Knowledge” in 1 Corinthians 13:2 refers to facts that can be ascertained by investigation.

It’s impossible to know every mystery and every fact in existence in the universe, but even if you did, without love your knowledge would be useless.

Knowledge alone breeds arrogance, but love builds others up (1 Corinthians. 8:1).

Maintaining a balance of knowledge and love is a practical principle that influences the decisions you make every day.

For example, if you have a choice between going to a Bible class or helping a neighbor with some immediate need, the better choice is to help your neighbor.

You will have other opportunities to learn the Word, but it might be some time before you have a chance to show Christian love to your neighbor.

Prayer

Ask God for the wisdom to keep knowledge and love in proper balance.

Further Reading

Read Luke 10:25-37.

•How did the lawyer try to justify himself to Jesus?
•How did Jesus illustrate love for one’s neighbor?

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Daily Devotional “Being A Wise Manager “

Daily Devotional “Being A Wise Manager “
Be Different!
August 11, 2024

“‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth’” (Matthew 6:19).

Wealth comes from God, and we are to manage it wisely for Him.

John Wesley was a godly man who devoted his life to serving the Lord.

What is not as well known perhaps is that he was rich, gaining most of his wealth from his published hymns and other works.

At one point in his life he gave away 40,000 pounds sterling—a fortune in those days.

When he died, his estate was worth only twenty-eight pounds, for he had given nearly everything to the Lord’s work.

It is not wrong for Wesley, or any other believer, to own possessions or be wealthy.

Both the Old and New Testaments recognize the right to material possessions, including money, land, animals, houses, clothing, and every other thing that is honestly acquired.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “It is [God] who is giving you power to make wealth.”

God gives us the abilities and resources to obtain wealth. Job, known mostly for his suffering, was a wealthy man.

Theologian Gleason Archer wrote, “Job was reputed to be the richest man of his time in all the region. . . . He was the largest stockholder on Wall Street, so to speak.

Thus it could be said that this godly man had proved to be a good businessman, a fine citizen, and a father of a large family.

As such he enjoyed the highest standing of any man in his community.”

In 1 Corinthians 4:7 the apostle Paul asks, “What do you have that you did not receive?”

The implication is that we receive everything, including our material possessions, from God.

You are right to provide for your family, make reasonable plans for the future, make sound investments, have money to carry on a business, give to the poor, and support the Lord’s work.

But you are wrong if you are dishonest, greedy, covetous, stingy, and miserly about possessions.

To honestly earn, save, and give is wise; to hoard and spend only on yourself is unwise and sinful.

Prayer

Thank the Lord for providing for your temporal needs.

Further Reading

Read 1 Timothy 6:17.

•What are the rich instructed not to do?
•What does God richly supply you with? Why?

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Daily Devotional “Handling Possession Properly”

Daily Devotional “Handling Possession Properly”
Be Different!
August 10, 2024

“‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth’” (Matthew 6:19).

A true believer is not to hoard earthly possessions.

You may remember this old adage: “The miser says coins are flat that they may rest in stacks; the spendthrift says they are round that they may roll.”

In Matthew 6:9 Jesus is specifically talking about the miser.

The Greek verb translated “lay up” is thesaurizete, from which we get the word thesaurus—a treasury of words.

Jesus is using a play on words by saying, “Do not treasure up treasures for yourselves.”

The context of the passage shows that He is referring to stockpiling or hoarding.

The Greek also conveys the idea of stacking or placing something horizontally, as one stacks coins.

When something is stacked, it is not being used—it is in a passive condition.

Conversely, whenever the Greek has the idea of a vertical sense, it speaks of an active use—being invested for some worthwhile purpose or goal.

Jesus is here referring to wealth that is being placed in stacks—simply being stored for safekeeping;

it is stored that way to make a show of wealth or to create an environment of lazy indulgence (cf. Luke 12:16-21).

It’s clear from this passage, as well as from many others in Scripture, that Jesus is not advocating poverty as a means to spirituality.

He only once told a person to “sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Matthew. 19:21).

In that particular case, the young man’s wealth was a barrier between him and the lordship of Christ.

It was a test to see if he was fully committed to turning over the control of his life to Christ.

His response proved he was not (v. 22).

Unlike the rich young man, you are a follower of Christ and are to be fully committed to Him, no matter what it may cost you.

If you have that kind of commitment, you will seek God’s kingdom first instead of hoarding earthly possessions (cf. Matthew. 6:33).

Prayer

Ask the Lord to help you live unselfishly, not hoarding earthly possessions.

Further Reading

Read Proverbs 3:9, Proverbs 13-15; Proverbs 8:10, 19; Proverbs 16:16. What virtues are better than temporal riches?

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Daily Devotional “The Source of True Love”

Daily Devotional “The Source of True Love”
Be Different!
August 09, 2024

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God. . . . We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:7, 19).

True love cannot be generated on the human level. It’s a gift from God.

Scripture often makes seemingly impossible demands of us.

For example, Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew. 5:44).

That’s easy to say, but how is it possible? Our natural tendency is to love our friends and hate our enemies.

But Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward have you?

Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same?

And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others?

Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (vv. 46-47).

Israel viewed tax-gatherers as traitors, and Gentiles as spiritual outcasts.

Yet even traitors and outcasts show love and kindness to those who reciprocate.

Jesus calls us to a much higher standard of love—one that is impartial, like God demonstrates when He “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (v. 45).

As we see from God Himself, it extends even to those who aren’t worthy:

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans. 5:8).

Despite generations of rebellion and slander against His holy will and name, God sacrificed His beloved Son, thereby providing the means by which sinners can be saved.

Out of love, Jesus willingly endured the pain and shame of the cross and paid the price of our redemption. Now that’s divine love in action!

God commands you to love as He loves: impartially and sacrificially.

That may sound impossible on the human level but remember that God never requires you to do anything He hasn’t already enabled you to do.

At the moment of your salvation, the Holy Spirit took up residence within you and began producing the fruit of love (Galatians. 5:22).

You don’t have to muster it up on your own. All you have to do is invite the Spirit to take control, allowing Him to govern your thoughts and actions.

As you do, His precious fruit will be multiplied in your life.

Prayer

•Thank God for the love of the Spirit He has placed within you.
•Ask Him for opportunities today to learn how to love more perfectly.

Further Reading

Memorize Galatians 5:22-23.

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Daily Devotional “Filling Up An Empty Word”

Daily Devotional “Filling Up An Empty Word”
Be Different!
August 08, 2024

“I show you a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians. 12:31).

Biblical love is characterized by humility, obedience to God, and self-sacrifice.

In our society, love is a common word but an uncommon experience.

Often those who use the word most understand it least.

Many who think they’ve found love have really settled for something far less than God intended for them.

For many, love means a romantic or sexual relationship.

While Scripture has much to say about intimacy within marriage, the word love takes on a different meaning in the New Testament.

Even Ephesians 5:25 (“Husbands, love your wives”) doesn’t refer to romantic love.

Other common errors include equating love with emotionalism or sentimentality, or confusing it with a friendly spirit of tolerance and brotherhood toward others—often apart from any consideration for doctrinal purity or biblical convictions.

But biblical love is none of those.

The “more excellent way” Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 12:31 is love that comes from God Himself and conforms to His holy attributes.

We have no capacity to generate it on our own.

The Greek word for that kind of love is agapé, and it is characterized by humility, obedience to God, and self-sacrifice.

John 13:1 says of Christ’s love for His disciples, “He loved them to the end.”

That literally means He loved them to perfection—to the limits of love.

In verses 4-5 He demonstrates His love by washing their feet. Love is humble. It focuses on meeting needs.

In addition, love is obedient and willing to make sacrifices for others.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

God made the supreme sacrifice for us in that He “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).

First Corinthians 13 applies to Christians of every generation because we all face the danger of misusing our spiritual gifts.

As we study it and other passages about love, ask yourself if your love is all that God wants it to be.

If not, take note of what changes you need to make in light of what you’re learning.

Prayer

•Thank God for loving you.
•Ask Him for wisdom and grace to understand and walk in love.

Further Reading

Read John 14:23-24, noting how Jesus described those who love Him.

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Daily Devotional “A Hymm of Love”

Daily Devotional “A Hymm of Love”
Be Different!
August 07, 2024

“I show you a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians. 12:31).

Without love, spiritual gifts are meaningless.

First Corinthians 13 has been called the hymn of love, a lyrical interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes set to music.

It’s a beautiful portion of Scripture that comes as a breath of fresh air in a book dealing with one problem after another.

This chapter has often been isolated from its context, but its real power lies in the balance and correction it gives to the rest of the book.

The Corinthians, like all Christians, had been gifted by God at the moment of salvation to benefit the church in a special way.

But many were abusing their gifts, seeking prominence for themselves rather than ministering to one another.

So in chapter 12 Paul discusses the concept of spiritual gifts, in chapter 14 their proper use, and in chapter 13 the need to minister them in love.

Like many Christians today, the Corinthians forgot that spiritual gifts can operate effectively only in a person who is truly spiritual.

They had the gifts of the Spirit but they weren’t displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians. 5:22), the first of which is love.

In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul begins, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

Love must be the motive and driving force behind everything we do!

How has God gifted you for ministry? Are you ministering your gifts in love?

Prayer

Ask God to purify your love and make you a more effective minister of the gifts He has given to you.

Further Reading

Read 1 Corinthians 12.

•Who distributes spiritual gifts?
•Which gifts did Paul mention?
•What is their purpose?

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Daily Devotional “Spiritual Growth and Rewards”

Daily Devotional “Spiritual Growth and Rewards”
Be Different!
August 05, 2024

“Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you;

for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you” (2 Peter 1:10-11).

The pursuit of virtue results in assurance now and eternal reward later.

Assurance is a great blessing, as Peter tells us in verse 10 of today’s passage.

However, it is not the only thing you will enjoy if you are pursuing godly virtues.

Years ago a Jewish teenager named Marvin learned about the additional blessing of rewards from the lady who led him to Christ.

Before he left home to join the Marines as a struggling, often persecuted believer, she told him:

“You’re a true Christian, Marvin. . . . One day when your earthly life ends you will go to Heaven because of what the Messiah has done for you.

But if, when you get to Heaven, there is a great big parade and if in the front of the parade there is a great big band—if you don’t change your way of living, you’ll be so far back in the line that you won’t even hear the music.”

Marvin got the message and eventually became a dedicated Christian teacher and evangelist.

You and I also must be living our lives in light of eternity—laying up treasures in Heaven, pursuing the virtues symbolized by gold, silver, and precious stones, not giving attention to those lesser things represented by wood, hay, and straw (see 1 Corinthians. 3:10-15).

Those of us who earnestly pursue the virtues of 2 Peter 1 will receive a superabundant reward.

And that’s not a crass motive for good works, because all believers will one day place their crowns (rewards) before God’s throne as an act of homage (see 2 Timothy. 4:7-8; Revelation. 4:10).

Examine yourself to see if there’s any moral virtue in your life.

If you see none, you can’t assume you’re saved.

If you see some and it’s growing, though not perfectly, you can be “certain about His calling and choosing you” (2 Peter 1:10).

And you can be confident His reward “will be abundantly supplied to you” (v. 11).

Prayer

Thank the Lord for the eternal rewards that await those believers who have been faithful.

Further Reading

Read Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 2:7; and 1 Timothy 6:17. What do those verses say about God’s blessings and rewards?

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Daily Devotional “Discernment Between Truth and Error”

Daily Devotional “Discernment Between Truth and Error”
Be Different!
August 04, 2024

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God;

and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world” (1 John 4:1-3).

God’s children are able to discern false doctrine.

A sure mark of every false religious system is doctrinal error, particularly about the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Those systems deny that He is Savior and Lord, God in human flesh, the only way to the Father (John 14:6) because salvation comes only through Him (Acts 4:12).

A sure mark, then, of all true children of God is that they believe the truth about Jesus Christ and do not deviate into doctrinal error.

Although they may be temporarily duped by false teaching, they will not be permanently deceived by it.

The apostle John wrote, “[False teachers] are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.

We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us.

By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:5-6).

When you were saved, you were clear about who Christ was.

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ,” writes John, “is born of God” (1 John 5:1).

Had you not passed that doctrinal test, you wouldn’t have been saved.

God’s children distinguish spiritual truth from doctrinal error because the Spirit of truth (John 14:16) indwells them.

“O Timothy,” Paul exhorted his beloved son in the faith, “guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (1 Timothy. 6:20).

I pray that you will guard the precious treasure of truth entrusted to you in the Scriptures and so assure your heart that you belong to the God of truth.

Prayer

Thank God for revealing His truth to us in the Bible.

Further Reading

Read John 1:1; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9. What do they teach about the Person of Christ?

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Daily Devotional “Agape Love”

Daily Devotional “Agape Love”
Be Different!
August 01, 2024

“. . . And in your brotherly kindness, Christian love” (2 Peter 1:7).

Sacrificial love proves genuine faith.

Classical Greek had three common terms for love.

As we saw yesterday, phileo (philadelphia) is the love of give and take, best expressed in friendship.

Eros is the love that takes—one loves another strictly for what he or she can get out of that person.

It is typical of the world’s sexual and lustful desires, which are always bent toward self-gratification.

Agape is the love that gives. It is completely unselfish, with no taking involved.

This is the highest form of love, which all the other virtues in 2 Peter 1 ultimately lead to.

It seeks another’s supreme good, no matter what the cost.

Agape was exemplified perfectly by Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

But what does this highest type of love look like?

A brief survey of the one anothers in the New Testament gives an excellent picture. We are commanded to:

Edify one another (Romans. 14:19).
“Serve one another” (Galatians. 5:13).
“Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians. 6:2).
Submit to one another (Ephesians. 5:21).
Forgive one another (Colossians. 3:13).
Instruct one another (Colossians. 3:16).
“Comfort one another” (1 Thessalonians. 4:18).
Rebuke one another (Titus 1:13).
Encourage one another to do good (Hebrews. 10:24-25).
Confess our sins to one another (James 5:16).
“Pray for one another” (James 5:16).
“Be hospitable to one another” (1 Peter 4:9-10).

The Lord Jesus Christ was involved with individuals.

He was a true friend who caringly, lovingly, and sensitively interacted with feeble, needy, and unimportant people and made them eternally important.

Nevertheless we still find people spiritualizing love into a meaningless term.

“I love so-and-so in the Lord” really means, “He irks me, but I guess I have to love him if he’s a believer.”

Don’t let yourself say that. Instead, display genuine love.

Prayer

Thank God that Christ showed agape love toward you on the cross.

Further Reading

Memorize one of the verses in the list of one anothers, and apply it at every appropriate opportunity.

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Daily Devotional “Brotherly Love”

Daily Devotional “Brotherly Love”
Be Different!
July 31, 2024

“And in your godliness, brotherly kindness . . .” (2 Peter 1:7).

Real Christian discipleship will include practical brotherly love.

A genuine love for God will invariably lead to a love for others.

That’s what Jesus said of the two great commandments (Matthew. 22:36-40) that summarize the Ten Commandments.

The apostle John also related love for God and love for others:

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

The kind of love that’s called “brotherly kindness” in today’s verse is very practical.

It’s a translation of the Greek philadelphia, which might best be rendered “friendship.”

We are to be affectionate toward one another. But that does not always happen, especially for those attending big churches.

There I fear many people sit on the periphery without developing any relationships.

They come to the morning service and then go their way.

But that’s not Christian discipleship; we’re to add friendships to our faith and be involved in others’ lives.

People in many different churches want to know more about discipleship, as if it were some complex program surrounded in mystery.

But discipleship is simply friendship with a spiritual perspective.

Disciples will talk about God, the Scripture, ministry opportunities, and prayer requests—not merely sports, the weather, gardening, or home remodeling.

Each is concerned how the other handles the daily affairs and important matters of life.

I would encourage you to build friendships and be a part of a Bible study and fellowship group—but make sure your small group does not become exclusive and keep out newcomers.

I once talked to a pastor who had attended one of the annual pastors’ conferences at my church.

I asked him what impressed him most about the conference, and he said, “The love of the people for each other.

I was drawn to tears when I sensed them worshiping God in the midst of genuine love.”

He had seen an application of Jesus’ words, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

You can’t get more practical about Christian love than that!

Prayer

Pray for other members of your small group. If you’re not in one, ask God to lead you to a group.

Further Reading

Read 1 John 4:7-19.

•With whom does love originate?
•What are the results of that love?

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Daily Devotional “Proclaiming the Excellencies of God”

Daily Devotional “Proclaiming the Excellencies of God”
Be Different!
July 29, 2024

“That you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter. 2:9).

You are an ambassador of the living God.

The privilege of proclaiming the excellencies of God takes us back to 1 Peter 2:9, but we consider it here because it summarizes the purpose of all our Christian privileges.

The Greek word translated “proclaim” is an unusual word used only here in the New Testament.

It means “to advertise” or “publish,” and refers to making something known that would otherwise be unknown.

“Excellencies” speak of powerful and heroic deeds.

You are an ambassador of Christ, having the great privilege of proclaiming what God has done for His people.

That was an intrinsic part of Hebrew worship.

For example, Psalm 103 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;

who pardons all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit;

who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The Lord performs righteous deeds, and judgments for all who are oppressed.

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (vv. 2-8).

It would be an honor to be an ambassador of the United States, representing this country’s power and capabilities to other countries.

But you have an even greater honor: to represent the power and capabilities of the living God.

When you have an opportunity to speak for Him, you can rightly say, “I have the privilege of announcing the mighty and heroic deeds of the living God, who has called me into His service.”

Because you are in Christ, you have glorious privileges that include union with God, access to the Father, spiritual sacrifices, security, affection, dominion, possession, holiness, illumination, and compassion.

What greater honor can there be than to proclaim the excellencies of the One who has granted you such marvelous privileges?

Prayer

•Thank God for calling you as His ambassador.
•Ask Him for the courage and integrity to represent Him well always.

Further Reading

Read Psalm 147, noting all the mighty deeds of God there proclaimed.

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Daily Devotional “Receiving Compassion”

Daily Devotional “Receiving Compassion”
Be Different!
July 28, 2024

“You once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter. 2:10).

Because of God’s compassion, He withholds the just punishment of your sin.

Hosea had a unique role among the prophets.

God used him and his adulterous wife, Gomer, as living illustrations of His love for unfaithful Israel.

When Gomer gave birth to a daughter, the Lord told Hosea to name her Lo-ruhamah, which means “No mercy,” because His mercy for Israel would soon come to an end.

When Gomer later gave birth to a son, the Lord said to call him Lo-ammi, which means “Not mine,” for He no longer considered Israel His people.

Yet He offered this hope, saying, “It will come about that, in the place where it is said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ it will be said to them, ‘You are the sons of the living God'” (Hosea. 1:10).

In our Scripture for today, Peter applied that Old Testament text to the New Testament church, just as Paul did in Romans 9:25-26:

“I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved.’

And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”

God rejected unbelieving Israel, but extended His compassion to anyone willing to trust in Christ.

It is particularly true that Gentiles in the church were once not the people of God, but now have received mercy and are God’s beloved children.

God’s mercy includes His general providential care for all mankind, but Hosea, Peter, and Paul were speaking of His special compassion—first in salvation, then in daily blessings—for those who belong to Him.

By it He withholds the punishment we deserve for our sins and grants us His lovingkindness instead.

As you reflect on God’s mercy in your own life, let Psalm 136:1 be the song of your heart:

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever” (KJV).

Prayer

Memorize Psalm 59:16-17. Recite it often in praise to the Lord.

Further Reading

What do these verses teach about God’s mercy: Psalm 103:11, 2 Corinthians 1:3, and Titus 3:5?

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Daily Devotional “Illuminated by the Spirit”

Daily Devotional “Illuminated by the Spirit”
Be Different!
July 27, 2024

“That you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter. 2:9).

God has granted you the ability to understand the truth and live accordingly.

In the natural realm, darkness can be a debilitating and frightening thing.

The story is told of a missionary who was on board ship one dark night when suddenly he was awakened by the frantic cry of “Man overboard!”

Immediately he arose from his bunk, grabbed the portable lamp from its bracket, and held it at the window of his cabin.

He couldn’t see anything, but the next morning he was told that the flash of his lamp through the porthole emitted just enough light to enable those on deck to see the missing man clinging to a rope.

They rescued him seconds before his strength would have given out.

The light had shone just in time to save the man’s life.

In the spiritual realm, darkness is even more devastating because it represents sin with all its disastrous consequences.

First John 1:5-6 says, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

Unbelievers are characterized as children of darkness.

They are enslaved to Satan, the prince of darkness, who blinds their minds so they don’t see the light of Christ’s glorious gospel (2 Corinthians. 4:4).

They love darkness and reject light because they don’t want their evil deeds to be exposed (John 3:19-20).

Christians, however, have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light (1 Peter. 2:9).

That refers to God’s taking the initiative to save us.

As an unredeemed sinner, you could never have turned from darkness on your own because you had neither the ability nor the desire to do so.

God had to grant you saving grace and the illumination of His Spirit so you could recognize truth and respond accordingly.

That blessed privilege is known only to Christians. What a joy—not only to recognize God’s truth, but also to walk in it daily!

Prayer

Thank God for illuminating your mind and enabling you to see spiritual truth. Pray diligently for others to be so illuminated.

Further Reading

Read 1 John 1:5—2:11. Contrast the children of darkness with the children of light.

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Daily Devotional “Diligence and Excellence”

Daily Devotional “Diligence and Excellence”
Be Different!
July 24, 2024

“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence” (2 Peter 1:5).

God’s provision does not preclude our responsibility.

There are some who believe that since God has provided everything needed for the Christian life, believers should expect Him to do everything for them.

Their motto is, “Let go and let God!”

If Peter had a motto for the Christian life, it would have been more along the lines of the popular World War II song, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!”

Peter knew the Christian life is a struggle in which believers need to expend the maximum effort to equip themselves with godly virtues—the virtues that, when present in our lives, produce assurance of salvation.

He therefore prefaces the list of those virtues in verse 5 by saying, “Now for this very reason also,” thus pointing us back to God’s provision of salvation in verses 1-4.

That provision is not meant to eliminate our efforts in living the Christian life but to enable and encourage them.

We must, says Peter, live our Christian lives by “applying all diligence” to develop godly virtues.

Heading the list of virtues that should characterize our lives is “moral excellence.”

The Greek term arete can also be translated “virtue.” In classical Greek literature, it often referred to the ability to perform heroic deeds.

It refers to the quality that makes someone or something stand out as excellent.

An arete knife was one that was sharp and cut well; an arete horse was one with speed and endurance; an arete singer was one who sang well.

“Moral excellence,” it should be noted, is not an attitude but an action.

In fact, some suggest the meaning “moral energy” for it—the moral energy that gives us the power to do excellent deeds.

Our model for that kind of active excellence is Jesus Christ, who “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).

Never waver in your pursuit of excellence.

In the words of Paul to the Thessalonians, “Excel still more” (1 Thessalonians. 4:1).

Prayer

•Thank God for supplying everything you need to live the Christian life.
•Ask Him to help you to be diligent to develop godly virtues in your life.

For Further Study

Read Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 8:17; Proverbs 12:27; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 21:5. What do those passages teach about the importance of diligence?

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Daily Devotional “The Ministry of the Holy Spirit”

Daily Devotional “The Ministry of the Holy Spirit”
Be Different!
July 23, 2024

“By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13).

Experiencing the ministry of the Holy Spirit is evidence of genuine saving faith.

In John 14:26, Jesus described the Holy Spirit as “the Helper.”

One of the most important ways He helps us is by assuring us that we belong to God.

Several works of the Holy Spirit, if present in our lives, give evidence of the genuineness of our salvation.

In 1 Corinthians 12:3 Paul writes, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

Apart from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, you would not know who Christ was, nor would you confess Him as Savior and Lord.

If you have experienced that work of the Holy Spirit, that is evidence you are a true child of God.

Another essential ministry of the Spirit is that of illuminating Scripture.

First John 2:27 says, “The anointing which you received from Him abides in you . . . His anointing teaches you about all things.”

Do you understand the Bible when you read it? Does it convict you of sin?

Does it lead you to rejoice and worship God?

If so, that is evidence of the Spirit’s illuminating work in your life.

Do you long for intimate fellowship with God?

That, too, is the result of the Spirit’s work in your life (Galatians. 4:6).

Do you feel compelled to praise God? The filling of the Spirit produces praise (Ephesians. 5:19).

Does your life manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians. 5:22-23)?

Are one or more of the gifts of the Spirit operating in your life (1 Corinthians. 12)?

Those, too, are evidences of the Spirit’s work in your life.

All of those ministries of the Holy Spirit are the way He “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans. 8:16).

If they are manifest in your life, they provide evidence that you abide in God and He in you (1 John 4:13).

Let the Holy Spirit’s work in your life dispel the dark shadows of doubt.

Prayer

Pray that God would help you examine your life for evidence of the Spirit’s work.

Further Reading

Read 1 John 3:24.

•What is our part in obtaining assurance?
•Are there any commandments you are willfully violating? If so, confess them, repent of them, and begin to experience the blessedness of assurance.

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Daily Devotional “The Sacrifice of Praise”

Daily Devotional “The Sacrifice of Praise”
Be Different!
July 22, 2024

“Offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter. 2:5).

Praise consists of reciting God’s attributes and mighty works.

“Praise the Lord” is a common expression today.

Some see it as a catchy slogan, others commercialize it, still others reduce it to nothing more than “P.T.L.”

But despite such attempts to trivialize it, praising the Lord remains the believer’s expression of love and gratitude to a God who has been abundantly gracious to him.

That was the cry of David’s heart when he said, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice.

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm. 34:1-3).

That will be the song of believers for time and eternity!

God desires and deserves your praise.

That’s why Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through [Christ] . . . let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” But what is praise?

Is it merely saying “praise the Lord” over and over again, or is there more to it?

Two aspects of praise are obvious in Scripture. First is reciting God’s attributes.

That was the typical means of praise in the Old Testament.

For example, Psalm 104 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty, covering Thyself with light as with a cloak” (vv. 1-2).

The second aspect of praise is reciting God’s works.

Psalm 107:21-22 says, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving kindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!

Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His works with joyful singing.”

Praise involves reciting God’s attributes from a heart of love, giving Him honor and reverence for who He is.

It also involves reciting what He has done on behalf of His people.

Your praise should follow the same pattern so it will be an acceptable spiritual sacrifice to your loving God.

Prayer

Read Psalm 103 as a prayer of praise to God.

Further Reading

Scripture mentions other spiritual sacrifices that believers should offer. Read Romans 15:16, Ephesians 5:2, Philippians 4:10-18, Hebrews 13:16, and Revelation 8:3, noting what those sacrifices are.

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Daily Devotional “A Living Sacrifice”

Daily Devotional “A Living Sacrifice”
Be Different!
July 21, 2024

“Offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter. 2:5).

Every faculty you have is to be used for God’s glory.

In Romans 12:1 Paul pleads with believers to present their bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice, which is an appropriate and acceptable act of worship.

But as someone has rightly said, the problem with living sacrifices is they tend to crawl off the altar.

That’s because sacrificial living demands spiritual discipline and constant dependence on the Holy Spirit.

We as Christians aren’t always willing to do that.

According to Paul, the motivation and ability for self-sacrifice are found in the mercies we’ve already experienced in Christ.

In Romans 1-11 he mentions several, including love, grace, peace, faith, comfort, power, hope, patience, kindness, glory, honor, righteousness, forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, security, eternal life, freedom, resurrection, sonship, intercession, and the Holy Spirit.

Because you’ve received all that, you should gladly surrender every faculty you have for holy purposes.

“Body” in Romans 12:1 also includes your mind. Verse 2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

A transformed mind is the key to transformed behavior.

Prior to your salvation, you had neither the desire nor the ability to make such a sacrifice.

But because you are a new creation in Christ, you are not to “go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but . . . as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans. 6:13). One practical implication?

Abstain from sexual immorality. Know how to possess your own body in sanctification and honor (1 Thessalonians. 4:3-4).

You are a holy priest, and your priestly work begins with presenting yourself as a living and holy sacrifice.

Is that your desire? Are you a faithful priest?

Prayer

•Thank God for His bountiful mercies toward you.
•Commit this day to Him, asking for the grace to live a holy life.

Further Study

Read Romans 6.

•What choices do you have as a believer that you didn’t have as an unbeliever?
•What is the benefit of being God’s slave?

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Daily Devotional “Offering Spiritual Sacrifices”

Daily Devotional “Offering Spiritual Sacrifices”
Be Different!
July 20, 2024

“You . . . are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter. 2:5).

Spiritual sacrifices are acts of praise and worship offered to God through Jesus Christ.

The primary mission of a Hebrew priest was to offer acceptable sacrifices to God.

That’s why God gave detailed instructions regarding the kinds of sacrifices He required.

For example, if a lamb was offered, it had to be perfect—without deformity or blemish.

Then it had to be sacrificed in a prescribed manner.

It was a serious offense to offer sacrifices in an unacceptable manner—a mistake that cost Aaron’s sons their lives (Leviticus. 10:1-2).

The Old Testament sacrificial system pictured the supreme sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

When He died, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple split in two, signifying personal access to God through Christ.

From that moment on, the Old Testament sacrifices ceased to have meaning.

As the writer of Hebrews said, “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God. . . .

…For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Hebrews. 10:10-14).

Christ’s sacrifice was complete. Nothing further is needed for salvation.

The spiritual sacrifices that believers are to offer aren’t sacrifices for sin, but acts of praise and worship that flow from a redeemed life.

They’re the fruit of salvation and are acceptable to God because they’re offered through His Son.

Since Jesus is the only mediator between God and man, your access to God is through Him alone.

Anything that pleases Him is acceptable to the Father.

Seeking His will, His plans, and His kingdom all are aspects of offering up acceptable spiritual sacrifices.

In effect, your entire life is to be one continuous sacrifice of love and praise to God. May it be so!

Prayer

When you pray, be sure everything you say and every request you make is consistent with Christ’s will.

Further Reading

Read Hebrews 10:1-18, noting how Christ’s sacrifice differed from Old Testament sacrifices.

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Daily Devotional “Your Priestly Service”

Daily Devotional “Your Priestly Service”
Be Different!
July 19, 2024

“You . . . are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter. 2:5).

Christians share common spiritual characteristics with Old Testament priests.

Peter identified believers as holy priests, but many Christians don’t really know what that means because priests aren’t part of our culture as a whole.

The primary purpose of an Old Testament priest was to offer acceptable sacrifices to God on behalf of the people.

Priests were chosen by God Himself, specially cleansed through prescribed ceremonies, clothed in a prescribed manner, and anointed with oil as symbolic of God’s Spirit upon them.

They were expected to obey God, love His Word, and walk with Him.

Faithful priests had a positive impact on believers and unbelievers alike.

Malachi 2:6 says they “turned many back from iniquity.”

Verse 7 adds that “the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”

Those qualifications are paralleled in Christians, whom God regards as the only true priests.

You were chosen by Him from before the foundation of the world and cleansed by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

You are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Your purpose is “to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter. 2:5).

Scripture tells you therefore to present your body a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans. 12:1).

Obedience, love for the Word, and communion with God should characterize your life; saints and sinners alike should see Christ in you and be affected by what they see.

The priesthood of believers is a high and holy calling to which no one is suited apart from God’s grace and power.

But be assured that He who called you will accomplish His good pleasure in you.

Be committed to that goal each day as you lean on His resources and trust in His sufficiency.

Prayer

Thank God for the priesthood He has entrusted to you. Ask Him to use you today to influence others in godly ways.

Further Reading

Read Leviticus 8 and 9, which tell of the consecration and inauguration of the Aaronic priesthood.

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Daily Devotional “In Order that you May Know”

Daily Devotional “In Order that you May Know”
Be Different!
July 16, 2024

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

The apostle John presents eleven objective and subjective tests for assurance of salvation.

The New Testament epistles are filled with enough material on assurance to fill volumes of commentaries.

Yet there is one small epistle, 1 John, that was written to deal exclusively with the issue of assurance.

The apostle John states his reason for writing this letter in our verse for today:

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life”.

John did not want his readers to doubt their salvation; he wanted them to have full assurance of it.

Certainly what John wrote in this epistle will not disturb genuine believers, but it will alarm anyone who has a false sense of assurance.

In fact, he directed his letter to those who have placed their faith in Christ, which is the bedrock of all assurance: “I have written to you who believe.”

There is no place for self-examination outside of faith in Christ.

That’s why everything John says about assurance is predicated on faith in Christ and the promises of Scripture.

Throughout his epistle, John maintains a delicate balance between the objective and subjective grounds of assurance.

The objective evidence makes up a doctrinal test, while the subjective evidence provides a moral test.

John moves in and out between the two kinds of tests as he presents a total of eleven criteria that will indicate whether one possesses eternal life.

As you study through these tests for the next eleven days, they will confirm for you, if you are a genuine believer, the reality of your salvation.

But if you have been given a false assurance, you will know where you stand and what you need to do.

Prayer

If you are a true believer, ask God to use these upcoming days to give you a greater love for Him.

If you’re not sure if you truly know our great Lord and Savior, ask Him to reveal Himself to you so that these next few days will be life-changing ones.

Further Reading

Read John 20:31. How would reading through the Gospel of John also provide assurance of salvation? Begin such a reading plan.

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Daily Devotional “Joy in God”

Daily Devotional “Joy in God”
Be Different!
July 15, 2024

“We also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:11).

The final link in the chain that eternally binds believers to Christ is their joy or exultation in God.

Perhaps nowhere outside of Scripture has Christian joy been expressed more beautifully than in these stanzas from Charles Wesley’s hymn “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”:

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come;
And leap, ye lame for joy!

Galatians 5:22 says that “joy” is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, and as such it is one of the great securities of salvation.

The Greek for “joy” means “to exult,” “to rejoice jubilantly,” or “to be thrilled.”

What is our motivation to be so thrilled? Paul says it’s because we received reconciliation from Christ.

God gives us abundant joy both in our salvation and ultimately for who God is.

Thus our present sense of internal joy is an additional guarantee of our future salvation.

One of the reasons David was a man after God’s own heart was his rejoicing in the Lord for the Lord’s own sake.

He said, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm. 34:3).

Other psalmists echoed that same joy. One wrote, “For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name” (Psalm. 33:21), while another said,

“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre I shall praise Thee, O God, my God” (Psalm. 43:4).

As you make God the focus of your joy, He will grant you an assurance only He can give.

Prayer

How often do you exult in what God has accomplished for you? Ask God to give you a greater joy in Him as you learn more about Him from His Word.

Further Reading

•Look up “joy” in a concordance and determine the percentage of the references that refer to joy in one’s salvation.
•What significant application can you make from those verses?

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Daily Devotional “Coming To Christ”

Daily Devotional “Coming To Christ”
Be Different!
July 12, 2024

“Coming to [Christ] as to a living stone” (1 Peter. 2:4).

Jesus Christ is the source of every spiritual privilege.

Often Christians speak of salvation as “coming to Christ.”

That’s an accurate, biblical description, for Jesus Himself said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew. 11:28);

“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35);

“If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). Those are metaphors for salvation.

Coming to Christ initiates all your spiritual privileges because in Him God “granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter. 1:3).

Paul said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians. 1:3).

The Greek word translated “coming” in 1 Peter 2:4 conveys more than initially turning to Christ for salvation.

It implies remaining with Him. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament it was used of those who drew near to God for ongoing worship.

It was also used of Gentile proselytes—those who chose to identify themselves with God’s people.

When you came to Christ, a permanent relationship of intimate personal communion was established.

Before that, you were rebellious toward God, without hope, and alienated from God’s promises.

Now you’ve been born again to a living hope, you abide in Him and in His Word, and you have wonderful spiritual privileges.

Indeed, you are a privileged person, and the greatest of those privileges is your personal relationship with Christ Himself.

Continue to draw near to Him today through prayer and worship.

Prayer

Tell Jesus how much you love Him and how you want your relationship with Him to be all it should be.

Further Reading

Read Ephesians 2:1-22.

•How did Paul describe our spiritual condition before salvation?
•How are sinners reconciled to God?
•What analogy did Paul use to describe our relationship as Christians to Jesus Christ?

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Daily Devotional “Enjoying Spiritual Privileges”

Daily Devotional “Enjoying Spiritual Privileges”
Be Different!
July 11, 2024

“Coming to Him as to a living stone . . . you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. . . .

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. . . .

You are the people of God. . . . You have received mercy” (1 Peter. 2:4-10).

You have enormous privileges in Christ.

A university student once confessed to a pastor, “I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t believe in God.”

“I see,” the pastor replied. “Please tell me about the God you don’t believe in.”

The student proceeded to describe a vengeful, unfair, arbitrary cosmic ogre who delighted in watching earthlings stumble through life in search of meaning and direction.

After listening to that portrayal of God, the pastor wisely replied, “I don’t believe in that God either.”

Like that student, most people have a warped view of God because they can’t see beyond their circumstances and the conditions that plague our fallen world.

Their distorted world view keeps them from understanding God’s goodness and mercy.

But we as believers understand because we see beyond the physical realm and experience His grace and kindness in many ways.

Scripture speaks pointedly about the duties and responsibilities of Christians, but all of that is balanced by the rights and benefits that we have in Christ.

In writing to Christians who were experiencing severe persecution, the apostle Peter reminded them of their privileges and called them to praise God for His abundant grace (1 Peter. 2:9).

That is your calling as well.

This month we will consider many of those privileges, including your union with Christ, access to God, priestly role, spiritual security, election, dominion, and inheritance.

The implications of them all are staggering and should be a source of great joy and thanksgiving as you study them from God’s Word.

Prayer

•Thank God for the privilege of being His child.
•Pray that He will strengthen and encourage you with the truths you learn from these studies.
•Regardless of your circumstances, learn to focus on God’s glory and grace, allowing them continually to fill your heart with praise and worship.

Further Reading

Read 1 Peter 1:3-9 and 1 Peter 2:4-10. Make a list of the spiritual privileges Peter mentions.

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Daily Devotional “Sacrificial faith on Display”

Daily Devotional “Sacrificial faith on Display”
Be Different!
July 10, 2024

“In the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:25-26).

True faith willingly makes whatever sacrifices God requires.

It’s understandable that James would use Abraham as an illustration of living faith—especially to his predominately Jewish readers.

Rahab, however, is a different story. She was a Gentile, a prostitute, a liar, and lived in the pagan city of Jericho.

How could such a person illustrate true faith?

Rahab knew very little about the true God but what she knew, she believed, and what she believed, she acted on.

She believed that God had led His people out of Egypt and defeated the Amorite kings (Joshua. 2:9-10).

She openly confessed that the Lord “is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (v. 11).

Her faith was vindicated when she aided the Hebrew spies who entered Jericho just prior to Joshua’s invasion.

Both Abraham and Rahab valued their faith in God above all else.

Both were willing to sacrifice what mattered most to them: for Abraham it was Isaac; for Rahab it was her own life.

Their obedience in the face of such great sacrifice proved the genuineness of their faith.

James calls each of us to examine ourselves to be sure we have a living faith.

The acid test is whether your faith produces obedience.

No matter what you claim, if righteousness doesn’t characterize your life, your faith is dead, not living.

James likened that kind of faith to hypocrites who offer pious words to the needy but refuse to meet their needs; to demons, who believe the truth about God but are eternally lost; and to a lifeless, useless corpse.

Those are strong analogies, but God does not want you to be deceived about the quality of your own faith.

I pray that you are rejoicing in the confidence that your faith is genuine.

God bless you as you live each day in His wonderful grace.

Prayer

Ask God for the grace and courage to face any sacrifice necessary as you live out your faith.

Further Reading

Read Joshua 2:1-24; Joshua 6:1-27; and Matthew 1:1-5.

•How did Rahab protect the spies?
•How did God bless Rahab?

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Daily Devotional “Enjoying Friendship With God”

Daily Devotional “Enjoying Friendship With God”
Be Different!
July 09, 2024

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God.

You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone” (James 2:21-24).

You are a friend of God if you love Him and obey His Word.

Can you imagine life without friends—those precious people who love you despite your failings and who stand by you through joys and sorrows—those to whom you’ve committed yourself and whose companionship you treasure?

They are without question one of God’s greatest gifts, yet there is an even greater gift: friendship with God Himself.

Jesus spoke of such a friendship in John 15:13-16, describing it as one of intimacy, mutual love, sacrifice, and commitment.

In verse 14 He says, “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”

That’s the kind of friendship Abraham demonstrated when he obeyed God and prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice (Genesis. 22:3-10).

Isaac was the son through whom God’s covenant to Abraham would be fulfilled.

Killing him would violate that covenant and call into question the character of God, whose Word forbids human sacrifice (Deuteronomy. 18:10).

It took unquestioning trust for Abraham to obey God’s command.

When he did, his faith was on display for all to see.

The Greek word translated “justified” in James 2:21 has two meanings: “to acquit” (treat as righteous) or “to vindicate” (demonstrate as righteous).

James emphasized the second meaning.

When Abraham believed God, he was justified by faith and acquitted of sin (Genesis. 15:6).

When he offered up Isaac, he was justified by works in that his faith was vindicated.

Faith is always the sole condition of salvation, but saving faith never stands alone—it is always accompanied by righteous works.

That’s the test of true salvation and of friendship with God.

As a friend of God, treasure that relationship and be careful never to let sin rob you of its fullest joy.

Prayer

Praise God for the privilege of being His friend.

Further Reading

Read Genesis 22:1-19, noting the faith and obedience of Abraham.

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Daily Devotional “Dead faith Versus Demonic faith”

Daily Devotional “Dead faith Versus Demonic faith”
Be Different!
July 08, 2024

“Someone may well say, ‘You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:18-20).

Even demonic faith is better than dead faith!

In recent years there has been an alarming rise in the number of professing Christians who believe that there’s no necessary relationship between what they believe and what they do.

They say you can’t judge a person’s spiritual condition by what he or she does because salvation is a matter of faith alone—as if requiring works violates the principle of faith.

It was that kind of reasoning that prompted James to issue this challenge:

“You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).

The Greek word translated “show” means “to exhibit,” “demonstrate,” or “put on display.”

His point is simple: it’s impossible to verify true faith apart from holy living because doctrine and deed are inseparable.

Can you know if someone is a Christian by watching his behavior?

According to James, that’s the only way to know! In verse 19 he says, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

In other words, affirming orthodox doctrine isn’t necessarily proof of saving faith.

Demons believe in the oneness of God, and its implications fill them with fear, but they aren’t saved.

The phrase “you do well” is intentionally sarcastic.

The implication is that demonic faith is better than non-responsive faith because at least the demons shudder, which is better than no response at all.

You can’t be a Christian in creed only—you must be one in conduct as well!

James makes that very clear. Don’t be confused or deceived by those who teach otherwise.

Continually aim your life at bringing glory to God through obedient application of biblical truth.

Prayer

Reaffirm to the Lord your commitment to abide by His Word.

Further Reading

Read John 8:12-47. Make a list of doctrines and deeds that characterize dead faith and a corresponding list of those that characterize true faith.

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Daily Devotional “Is Assurance Objective or Subjective?”

Daily Devotional “Is Assurance Objective or Subjective?”
Be Different!
July 07, 2024

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

True believers will see the glory of Christ reflected in their lives when they examine the genuineness of their salvation.

Assurance of one’s salvation has been a key issue throughout the history of the church,

Especially the Reformers’ reaction to the Roman Catholic Church’s assertion that since salvation is a joint effort between man and God, the outcome is in doubt until the end.

John Calvin, the leading sixteenth-century Reformer, taught that believers can and should be assured of their salvation.

He made the grounds for assurance objective, urging believers to look to the promises in God’s Word to gain a sense of personal assurance.

Later Reformed theologians (including the seventeenth-century English Reformers known as Puritans),

however, recognized that genuine Christians often lacked assurance.

So they emphasized the need for practical evidences of salvation in a believer’s life.

Thus they tended to emphasize a subjective means of establishing assurance, counseling people to examine their attitudes and actions for evidence of their election.

The question is: Should Christians derive assurance through the objective promises of Scripture or through subjective self-examination?

The Bible teaches that both will lead to assurance.

The objective basis for salvation is the finished work of Christ on our behalf, including the promises of Scripture (2 Corinthians. 1:20).

The subjective support is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians, including His convicting and sanctifying ministries.

Romans 15:4 refers to both aspects of assurance: “Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction,

That through perseverance [subjective] and the encouragement of the Scriptures [objective] we might have hope.”

The Holy Spirit applies both grounds of assurance to believers:

He “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Roman s. 8:16).

Are you sure of your salvation? Ask yourself the objective question:

“Do I believe?” If you truly believe, you can be sure you are saved (John 3:16; Acts 16:31).

The subjective question is: “Is my faith real?” That’s why Paul said, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Use the remaining days of this month as an opportunity to take the test.

Prayer

Ask God to reveal your true heart attitude toward Him. Make Psalm 139:23-24 your prayer.

Further Reading

Read 2 Corinthians 3:18.

•How might this be considered part of Paul’s test?
•What should true believers be looking for in their lives?

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Daily Devotional “The Need for Assurance”

Daily Devotional “The Need for Assurance”
Be Different!
July 06, 2024

“Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you” (2 Peter 1:10).

Every true Christian should enjoy the reality of salvation.

A sad fact of contemporary Christianity is that many in the church greatly misunderstand what the Bible teaches about the assurance of one’s salvation.

As a result many genuine believers struggle with doubts about the reality of their salvation,

while many professing believers are confident they are saved when in truth they are headed for Hell.

Such a misunderstanding is unnecessary since Scripture makes it abundantly clear that believers should not only enjoy assurance of their salvation but cultivate it as well.

That’s why the apostle Peter said, “Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you.”

Peter’s command establishes the need for self-examination.

Only by testing one’s assurance by God’s Word can anyone know for sure if he is saved or not.

Yet most preaching today minimizes or ignores assurance altogether, encouraging people to view any doubts about their salvation as attacks by the enemy.

The unfortunate result is a false assurance that the Lord categorized as follows:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven;

but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me’” (Matthew. 7:21-23).

What a terrifying and haunting pronouncement!

Because a clear understanding of one’s salvation is so vital, Scripture encourages true believers with the promise of full assurance,

while making false professors uncomfortable by seeking to destroy their false sense of security.

A true believer’s sense of assurance should not ebb and flow with the emotions;

it is meant to be an anchor even in the midst of life’s storms.

But a false professor has no right to assurance.

For the next month, we’ll look at what God’s Word teaches about assurance and how you can have it.

Prayer

Thank God that He not only grants you salvation but also gives you His Word as a mirror to reflect and confirm the transformation He has made in your life.

Further Reading

Read John 10 and 17. Make a list of the verses that reflect the security every true believer has in Christ.

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Daily Devotional “Integrity Brings True Success”

Daily Devotional “Integrity Brings True Success”
Be Different!
July 05, 2024

“So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius [even] in the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Daniel 6:28).

True success is more a matter of character than of circumstances.

By anyone’s standards Daniel was a remarkably successful man.

After entering Babylon as one of King Nebuchadnezzar’s young Hebrew hostages, he quickly distinguished himself as a person of unusual character, wisdom, and devotion to his God.

Within a few years Nebuchadnezzar had made him ruler over the province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men.

Many years later Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, promoted him to third ruler in his kingdom, and later King Darius made him prime minister over the entire Medo-Persian Empire.

As successful as Daniel was, being successful in the world’s eyes was never his goal.

He wanted only to be faithful to God. And because he was faithful, God honored and exalted him in Babylon.

But God’s plans for Daniel extended far beyond Babylon.

Daniel’s presence in Babylon opened the door for the Hebrew people to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-3), and it also paved the way for the Magi’s visit to Bethlehem centuries later (Matthew. 2:1-12).

Those wise men heard of the Jewish Messiah through Daniel’s prophecies (Daniel 9).

God used Daniel in marvelous ways, but Daniel was just one part of a much bigger picture.

Similarly, God will use you and every faithful believer in marvelous ways as He continues to paint the picture of His redemptive grace.

As He does, He may exalt you in ways unimaginable, or He may use you in humble ways.

In either case, you are truly successful if you remain faithful to Him and use every opportunity to its fullest for His glory.

Prayer

Thank the Lord for Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and for the principles we have learned this month from their lives.

Pray daily that your life, like theirs, will be characterized by godly integrity and that God will use you each day for His glory.

Further Reading

Memorize Joshua 1:8 and 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.

•What key to success did God give Joshua?
•How does the apostle Paul describe a successful servant of Christ?
•Would your friends and relatives characterize you as a truly successful person?

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Daily Devotional “Integrity Draws Men to God”

Daily Devotional “Integrity Draws Men to God”
Be Different!
July 04, 2024

“Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language who were living in all the land: ‘May your peace abound!

I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;

for He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever.

He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions’” (Daniel 6:25-27).

It doesn’t take a lot of people to make an impact for Christ; it merely takes the right kind.

Today’s passage proclaims the sovereignty and majesty of the living God and calls on everyone throughout the nation to fear and tremble before Him.

Those verses could have been written by King David or one of the other psalmists, but they were written by a pagan king to a pagan nation.

His remarkable tribute to God’s glory was the fruit of Daniel’s influence on his life.

God doesn’t really need a lot of people to accomplish His work; He needs the right kind of people.

And Daniel shows us the impact one person can have when he or she is sold out to God.

That’s how it is throughout Scripture.

For example, Noah was God’s man during the Flood, Joseph was God’s man in Egypt, Moses was God’s man in the Exodus, and Esther was God’s woman in the days of King Ahasuerus.

So it continues right down to the present.

When God puts His people in the right place, His message gets through.

As a Christian, you are God’s person in your family, school, or place of employment.

He has placed you there as His ambassador to influence others for Christ.

That’s a wonderful privilege and an awesome responsibility.

Prayer

Thank the Lord for His marvelous grace in your life and for the opportunities He gives you each day to share His love with others.

Further Reading

The key to Daniel’s fruitfulness, and to yours as well, is given in Psalm 1.

Memorize that psalm, and recite it often as a reminder of God’s promises to those who live with biblical integrity.

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Daily Devotional “Integrity Will be Vindicated”

Daily Devotional “Integrity Will be Vindicated”
Be Different!
July 03, 2024

“Then Daniel spoke to the king, ‘O king, live forever!

My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.’

Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den.

So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children, and their wives into the lions’ den;

and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones” (Daniel 6:21-24).

God will always vindicate His people.

One of the challenges of the Christian life is to react properly when being unjustly accused.

Our natural inclination is to defend ourselves, which is appropriate at times.

But there are other times when we must remain silent and trust the Lord to defend us.

Apparently Daniel said nothing in his own defense when he was charged with disregarding the king’s decree to stop praying.

Of course the charge itself was true, but his motives were righteous, and he knew he was innocent before God.

Therefore, like Jesus Himself before His accusers, Daniel chose to remain silent and entrust himself to God, who “judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:22-23).

Vindication doesn’t always come quickly, but in Daniel’s case it did.

God affirmed his innocence by protecting him from the hungry lions.

King Darius affirmed his innocence by putting his accusers to death.

That was swift and decisive judgment.

Never lose heart or feel that God has abandoned you when evil people seem to prevail.

The day will come when God will vindicate you.

When He does, His judgment will also be swift and decisive.

Prayer

Pray for a loving attitude toward those who unjustly accuse you.

Further Reading

Read James 5:7-11.

•What encouragement does James give to those who suffer at the hands of evil people?
•Who does he use as an example of someone who suffered with patience?
•At what point in time will God’s people be vindicated?

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Daily Devotional “God’s Choice of the Poor”

Daily Devotional “God’s Choice of the Poor”
Be Different!
July 02, 2024

“Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

But you have dishonored the poor man” (James 2:5-6).

Showing favoritism to the rich is inconsistent with God’s choice of the poor.

Wealth and poverty are not necessarily spiritual issues.

Many wealthy people are godly Christians and many poor people are unbelievers.

But generally speaking, God has chosen poor people to populate His kingdom.

Jesus said, “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

And again I say to you, it is easer for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew. 19:23-24).

That’s because rich people tend to be bound to this world and have a false sense of security.

Many of them not only reject Christ, but also persecute believers (cf. James 2:6-7).

Regardless of your financial status, if you love God, you are rich in faith and an heir of His kingdom (James 2:5).

That means you’re saved and will inherit the fullness of your salvation and the richness of God’s eternal blessing. That’s a marvelous truth!

Don’t let riches cloud your good judgment.

God expects Christians to honor and care for their poorer brothers and sisters in Christ.

You can’t do that if you’re showing partiality to the rich.

Prayer

If God has blessed you with more resources than you need, be grateful and ready always to share with those in need (1 Timothy. 6:19).

If you struggle to get by, thank Him for what He does provide and for teaching you greater dependence on Him.

Further Reading

Read 1 Timothy 6:6-19.

•What is God’s standard of contentment?
•What pitfalls await those who desire wealth?
•What constitutes true riches?

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Daily Devotional “Guarding Your Motives”

Daily Devotional “Guarding Your Motives”
Be Different!
July 01, 2024

“If a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,

and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’

and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’

have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?” (James 2:2-4).

Favoritism is motivated by an evil desire to gain some advantage for yourself.

The story is told of a pastor who never ministered to an individual or family in his church without first checking a current record of their financial contributions.

The more generous they were with their money, the more generous he was with his time.

That’s an appalling and flagrant display of favoritism, but in effect it’s the same kind of situation James dealt with in our text for today.

Picture yourself in a worship service or Bible study when suddenly two visitors enter the room.

The first visitor is a wealthy man, as evidenced by his expensive jewelry and designer clothes.

The second visitor lives in abject poverty. The street is his home, as evidenced by his filthy, smelly, shabby clothing.

How would you respond to each visitor?

Would you give the rich man the best seat in the house and see that he is as comfortable as possible?

That’s a gracious thing to do if your motives are pure.

But if you’re trying to win his favor or profit from his wealth, a vicious sin has taken hold of you.

Your true motives will be revealed in the way you treat the poor man.

Do you show him equal honor, or simply invite him to sit on the floor?

Anything less than equal honor reveals an evil intent.

Favoritism can be subtle. That’s why you must be in prayer and in the Word, constantly allowing the Spirit to penetrate and purify your deepest, most secret motives.

Prayer

•Praise God for His purity.
•Ask Him always to control your motives and actions.

Further Reading

Some Christians confuse honor with partiality. Giving honor to those in authority is biblical; showing partiality is sinful. Read 1 Peter 2:17 and Romans 13:1, noting the exhortations to honor those in authority over you.

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Daily Devotional “Ministering to the Poor”

Daily Devotional “Ministering to the Poor”
Be Different!
June 30, 2024

“If a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say,

‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?” (James 2:2-4).

You must show equal respect to poor and rich alike.

Partiality is an age-old problem that exists in almost every area of life.

Perhaps its most common manifestations are racial, religious, and socio-economic discrimination.

By implication James denounced partiality in any form, but in James 2:2-4 he specifically mentions preferential treatment of the rich over the poor.

He knew such favoritism was devastating not only because it is sinful, but also because the majority of believers in the early church were poor, common people.

Discriminating against them would have struck a blow at the very heart of the church!

From its inception the church has upheld the priority of ministering to the poor.

Acts 2:44-45 says, “All those who had believed were together, and had all things in common;

and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”

Paul organized a relief fund for the needy saints in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians. 16:1-4), and during one severe famine,

“in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.

And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders” (Acts 11:29-30).

God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, but some of James’s readers were dishonoring them (vv. 5-6).

That had to stop! We too must honor the poor by treating them with dignity rather than prejudice, and meeting their needs whenever possible.

Be alert to those around you whom you might help in some practical way.

Prayer

Ask the Lord to keep you sensitive to those around you, and for wisdom to know how to respond to their needs.

Further Reading

Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, noting the kinds of people God uses to accomplish His purposes.

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Daily Devotional “Integrity Glorifies God”

Daily Devotional “Integrity Glorifies God”
Be Different!
June 29, 2024

“Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.’

Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon” (Daniel 3:28-30).

God is honored when you are faithful.

When a well-known National Football League coach was asked why he always had a Christian minister on the sideline with his team, he explained,

“I’m not even sure if I believe in God, but in case there is one, I want Him on my side.”

King Nebuchadnezzar seems to have had a similar attitude when he blessed the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and decreed that anyone speaking an offense against Him would be torn to pieces and have their homes reduced to rubbish.

Nebuchadnezzar believed that certain peoples or nations had their own gods, and even though he didn’t believe that the God of the Hebrews was the one true God, he had just witnessed dramatic proof that He was more powerful than the gods of Babylon.

Therefore, he acknowledged Him as the supreme God and took steps to ensure that no one would offend Him.

No doubt he also reasoned that having a God like that on his side would be a definite advantage.

Regardless of Nebuchadnezzar’s motives, his decree glorified God by exalting Him over Babylon’s false gods.

More important, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s integrity glorified God by demonstrating the power and influence of an uncompromising life.

When the king caused them to prosper in Babylon, the name of the Lord prospered with them.

Prayer

Pray daily to live as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego lived and to be used as they were used.

Further Reading

According to Ephesians 3:20, what is God able to accomplish through you when you live with integrity? Are you trusting Him to do so?

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Daily Devotional “Integrity Never Stands Alone”

Daily Devotional “Integrity Never Stands Alone”
Be Different!
June 27, 2024

“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he responded and said to his high officials, ‘Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?’

They answered and said to the king, ‘Certainly, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘Look!

I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!’” (Daniel 3:24-25).

God will never leave His children alone.

King Nebuchadnezzar was livid with rage when he had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego bound and cast into the fiery furnace.

But his rage quickly turned to astonishment when he saw four men loosed and walking around unharmed by the flames.

Clearly something supernatural and beyond his control was occurring.

Although he described the fourth person as being “like a son of the gods,” he did not have the Son of God in mind.

As a pagan he would not have understood an Old Testament appearance of Christ, such as occurred to Abraham in Genesis 18.

But he understood enough to believe that God had “sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him” (v. 28).

I believe Nebuchadnezzar was correct.

God sent an angelic messenger to comfort those young men and to explain that they would not be harmed by the fire.

God would turn their darkest hour into their greatest triumph.

Others in Scripture have been similarly encouraged by special angels from the Lord.

God honored Elijah, for example, by having angels personally serve him food at an especially discouraging time in his life (1 Kings 19:4-7).

If you are a Christian, God has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews. 13:5).

He will be with you in every circumstance. When necessary, He will dispatch His angels to minister to you in special ways (Hebrew. 1:14).

Let that truth encourage you today, especially if you are undergoing a trial.

Prayer

Praise the Lord for the protection and encouragement He has given you in the past and for His promise of similar blessings in the future.

Further Reading

According to 1 Peter 2:18-23 and 1 Peter 4:12-16, how should Christians respond to persecution?

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Daily Devotional “Siding With God’s Enemies”

Daily Devotional “Siding With God’s Enemies”
Be Different!
June 25, 2024

“Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?” (James 2:6-7).

You can’t accomplish God’s purposes by siding with His enemies.

Favoritism has a way of blinding its victims to reality.

James wrote of Christians who were trying to impress a rich man so they could benefit from his wealth and social status (vv. 2-3).

The rich man represented the enemies of Christ, yet they gave him preferential treatment anyway.

The poor man represented those whom God chose to be rich in faith and heirs of His kingdom, yet they treated him badly and dishonored him (v. 6).

That’s not only inconsistent, it’s foolish! You can’t accomplish God’s purposes by siding with His enemies.

Some ungodly rich people tyrannized Christians by withholding their wages and even putting some to death (James 5:4-6).

They forcibly dragged Christians to court to exploit them by some injustice or inequity.

They blasphemed the fair name of Christ. The phrase “by which you have been called” (v. 7) speaks of a personal relationship.

Typically new converts made a public proclamation of their faith in Christ at their baptism.

From then on they were called “Christians,” meaning, “Christ’s own,” “Christ’s ones,” or “belonging to Christ.”

So when people slandered Christians, they were slandering Christ Himself!

That anyone could overlook those evils and show favoritism to the enemies of Christ shows the subtle and devastating power of partiality.

Today, the circumstances may be different, but the principles are the same.

So for the sake of Christ and His people, remember the three reasons James gives for not showing partiality:

You and your brothers and sisters in Christ are one with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the glory of God revealed (v. 1);

God has chosen the poor to eternal riches (v. 5); and God has called you by His name (v. 7).

If you desire to be like Christ, you cannot be partial. Be fair and impartial in all your interactions with others.

Prayer

Is there a personal or business relationship in which you are showing favoritism to gain some advantage for yourself? If so, confess it to the Lord and correct it right away.

Further Reading

Read Romans 15:5-7.

•How should Christians treat one another?
•What impact will we have if we obey Paul’s admonition?

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Daily Devotional “Looking Beyond Externals”

Daily Devotional “Looking Beyond Externals”
Be Different!
June 24, 2024

“My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism” (James 2:1).

Your true worth is based on the value of your soul, not on external considerations.

Jesus is “our glorious Lord” (James 2:1)—the Sovereign One who rules over all His creation, and the One in whom the fullness of God’s glory is revealed.

John said, “The Word [Jesus] became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Paul said, “In Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians. 2:9).

As God, Jesus shares the impartiality of the Father. He knows that a person’s worth is based on the value of his soul, not on external considerations.

That’s why He always looks on the heart and never judges on externals alone.

That was evident in the way Jesus dealt with sinners when He was still on earth.

He never hesitated to confront them—whether they were influential Jewish religious leaders or common folks.

Even His enemies acknowledged His impartiality when they said, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any” (Matthew. 22:16).

Like the Father, Jesus also extended the offer of salvation to men and women of every race, social class, and moral standing.

That’s illustrated by the parable He told in Matthew 22:1-14 about the marriage of a king’s son (an illustration of Himself).

The invited guests (Israel) didn’t show up, so the king commanded his servants to go out and gather everyone they could find to furnish the wedding with guests.

As a result, people of every station in life attended the wedding, just as people of every station in life are called to salvation.

As you have opportunities to minister to others today, don’t be influenced by externals such as looks, clothing, or economic level.

Do as Jesus did: treat them with compassion and speak the truth without compromise.

Prayer

Praise the Lord for His impartiality, and ask Him for special grace as you reach out to others today.

Further Study

Read Matthew 20:1-16. How does that parable illustrate the impartiality of God?

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Daily Devotional “Integrity Triumph Under Fire”

Daily Devotional “Integrity Triumph Under Fire”
Be Different!
June 23, 2024

For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.

“Then [Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego] were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.

But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up” (Daniel 3:21-23).

When God doesn’t deliver you from a trial, He refines you through the trial.

When facing excommunication at the Diet of Worms, Martin Luther wrote to the Elector Frederick, “You ask me what I shall do if I am called by the emperor.

I will go down if I am too sick to stand on my feet. If Caesar calls me, God calls me.

If violence is used, as well it may be, I commend my cause to God.

He lives and reigns who saved the three youths from the fiery furnace of the king of Babylon, and if He will not save me, my head is worth nothing compared with Christ.

This is no time to think of safety. I must take care that the gospel is not brought into contempt by our fear to confess and seal our teaching with our blood.”

Luther was willing to risk even death for the sake of Christ.

Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego before him, he valued integrity above his own life, and in his loneliest hour drew encouragement from their experience.

Often we pray to avoid trials when God wants to use them for our greater good.

But trials test the genuineness of our faith and purge us of sin and shallowness like a refiner’s fire purges gold.

The process may be painful, but the result is more precious than the purest gold (1 Peter 1:7).

Prayer

Pray that you might face each trial with wisdom, patience, and a clear sense of the Lord’s presence.

Further Reading

Read Acts 20:22-24.

•What was the apostle Paul’s perspective on the persecution that awaited him in Jerusalem?
•What was his ultimate goal?

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Daily Devotional “Preservering in the Word”

Daily Devotional “Preservering in the Word”
Be Different!
June 22, 2024

“One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).

Doers of the Word are persevering learners.

The phrase “and abides by it” in James 1:25 demands our close attention.

“Abide” translates a Greek word that means “to stay beside,” “remain,” or “continue.”

The idea is that a doer of the Word continually and habitually gazes into God’s perfect law.

In other words, he is a persevering learner.

When you have that level of commitment to the Word, you will be an effectual doer—one who is in union with God’s will and seeks to obey it above all else.

As you do, God will bless you. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be successful in the eyes of the world, but your priorities and perspectives will be right and the Lord will honor what you do.

This verse is a call to carefully examine yourself in light of God’s standards.

That’s not a popular thing in our society because many people have an aversion to serious spiritual thought and self-examination.

I believe that’s why Christian television, music, and other forms of entertainment are so popular.

Escaping reality through entertainment is far more appealing to most people than gazing into the mirror of God’s Word and having their spiritual flaws and blemishes exposed.

But if you desire to be like Christ, you must see yourself for what you are and make any needed corrections.

To do that, you must continually examine your life in the light of Scripture.

Can you imagine what the church would be if every Christian did that?

Can you imagine the changes in your own life if you did it more consistently?

Only the Holy Spirit can enable you to be a doer of the Word.

So yield to His leading through prayer and confession as you continue to study and apply God’s Word.

Prayer

Whenever you study Scripture, ask the Spirit to illuminate your mind and heart, and to use the Word to transform you more and more into the image of Christ.

Further Reading

Read Colossians 3:16-17, noting what Paul says about responding to the Word.

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Daily Devotional “Gazing into the Perfect Law”

Daily Devotional “Gazing into the Perfect Law”
Be Different!
June 21, 2024

God blesses you when you obey His Word.

James 1:21-24 contrasts hearers of the Word and doers of the Word.

Hearers don’t respond to Scripture or benefit from its truths—though they may study it in depth.

Doers receive it in humility and obey its commands. James 1:25 adds that they are blessed in what they do.

That means there is blessing in the very act of obedience.

James calls Scripture “the perfect law, the law of liberty” (v. 25).

It is “law” because it’s God’s obligatory behavioral code.

Grace doesn’t eliminate God’s moral law—it gives us the spiritual resources to obey it, and forgiveness when we fail.

That’s how Jesus fulfills the law in us (cf. Matthew. 5:17).

Scripture is “the perfect law” because it is complete, sufficient, comprehensive, and without error.

Through it God meets every need and fulfills every desire of the human heart. In addition, it is “the law of liberty.”

That may sound paradoxical because we tend to think of law and freedom as opposites.

But as you look intently into the Word, the Holy Spirit enables you to apply its principles to your life, thereby freeing you from the guilt and bondage of sin, and enabling you to live to God’s glory. That’s true freedom!

“Look intently” translates a Greek word that pictures bending down to examine something with care and precision.

Stooping implies humility and a desire to see clearly what Scripture reveals about your own spiritual condition. It’s an attitude as well as an action.

As you study Scripture, let this be your underlying attitude:

“Lord, as I gaze intently into your Word, reveal the things in my life that need to be changed.

Then grant me the grace to make those changes so I can live more fully to your glory.”

Prayer

Memorize Psalm 139:23-24 and make it your sincere prayer.

Further Reading

Read Hebrews 4:12-13.

•To what is God’s Word compared?
•What effect does the Word have on those who are exposed to it?

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Daily Devotional “Examining Your Faith”

Daily Devotional “Examining Your Faith”
Be Different!
June 11, 2024

“Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22).

God wants you to know whether your faith is genuine or not.

Our studies this month center on James 1:19-2:26, which deals with the issue of true faith—a most important consideration indeed.

Knowing your faith is genuine is a wonderful assurance, but thinking you’re saved when you’re not is the most frightening deception imaginable.

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus speaks of those who call Him Lord and even do miracles in His name, but aren’t redeemed.

Second Timothy 3:5 speaks of those who have a form of godliness but deny its power.

They’re religious but lost. Sadly, many people today are victims of the same deception.

They think they’re Christians, but they’re heading for eternal damnation unless they recognize their true condition and repent.

Deception of that magnitude is a tragedy beyond description, but you need never fall prey to it because James gives a series of tests for true faith.

This month we’ll be applying one of those tests: your attitude toward God’s Word.

That’s an especially crucial test because the Word is the agency of both your salvation and sanctification.

The Holy Spirit empowered it to save you, and He continually works through it to conform you to the image of Christ.

That’s why Peter said, “You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God. . . .

[Therefore] like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter. 1:2-2:2).

Jesus Himself characterized believers as those who abide in His Word and obey His commandments.

They receive the Word with an attitude of submission and humility.

However, unbelievers resist and disobey the Word (John 8:31, John 43-45).

Psalm 119:155 says, “Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Thy statutes.”

As you study this test of true faith, ask yourself, Do I pass the test?

I pray that your answer will echo the words of the psalmist: “I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end” (Psalm. 119:112).

Prayer

Ask God for clarity and confidence about your faith in Christ.

Further Reading

Read the book of James, noting the instructions he gives regarding Christian living.

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Daily Devotional “Our Ultimate Example”

Daily Devotional “Our Ultimate Example”
Be Different!
June 04, 2024

“And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).

Jesus Christ, as the sinless sufferer, is the only model we need as we endure life’s trials.

Prior to his death in 1555, the English Reformer and martyr Hugh Latimer expressed his convictions this way: “Die once we must; how and where, we know not. . . . Here is not our home; let us therefore accordingly consider things, having always before our eyes that heavenly Jerusalem, and the way thereto in persecution.”

Latimer knew much about how to face suffering, but he knew that Jesus Himself was the final model regarding how to deal with suffering and death.

That model is summarized in today’s verse, which is a quote from the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 53.

All the horrible physical and verbal abuse Christ endured just prior to the cross, along with the evil tearing down of His perfectly virtuous character, was unjustified, and yet He did not strike back.

As the Son of God, Jesus had perfect control of His feelings and powers.

Jesus found the strength to endure such an abusive final trial when He “kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Literally, Jesus kept handing Himself and all His circumstances, climaxing with His death on Calvary (Luke 23:46), over to the Father.

The Son had complete trust in God, the just and fair Judge of the entire earth (see Genesis. 18:25).

We can follow His example and endure persecution and unjust suffering without answering back, whether it be in the workplace, among relatives, or in any social setting.

The key is simply entrusting our lives, by faith, to a righteous God who will make everything right and bring us safely into His glory (1 Peter 5:6-10).

Stephen and Paul are notable role models for how we can triumph over life’s persecutions and hardships, even death.

But those great men were themselves merely “fixing [their] eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrew. 12:2). We must do the same.

Prayer

As you daily experience life’s normal difficulties and challenges, ask God to help you better remember the perfect example Jesus set in facing the worst of pain and suffering.

Further Reading

Read Hebrews 1:1-2 and 4:14-16.

•Compare and contrast what these passages tell us about Christ’s deity and humanity.
•What do they reveal about the superiority of His example?

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Daily Devotional “Dead to the Law”

Daily Devotional “Dead to the Law”
Be different!
December 03, 2023

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“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ” (Romans 7:4).

The law can no longer punish those who have died with Christ.

It’s an axiomatic truth that laws don’t apply to dead people. No policeman would issue a ticket to a drunk driver who was killed in an accident.

Nor was Lee Harvey Oswald tried for killing President Kennedy, since he himself was killed by Jack Ruby.

In Romans 7:2-3 Paul uses marriage to illustrate that truth: “For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.

So then if, while her husband is living, she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man.”

Paul’s point is simple: death ends a marriage because the laws regarding marriage don’t apply to the dead.

The same principle holds true in the spiritual realm.

Since believers have died with Christ (Romans. 6:3-7), the law can no longer condemn them; it no longer has authority over them.

Paul’s use of a passive verb (“were made to die”) indicates that believers don’t make themselves dead to the law; they were made dead to the law through a divine act.

The only provision for paying the penalty the law demands is the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.

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To the Corinthians Paul wrote, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians. 5:21).

The apostle repeated that truth in Galatians 2:19-20: “For through the Law I died to the Law, that I might live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

Prayer

Thank God that you are no longer under the law’s condemnation (Romans. 8:1).

Further Reading

Read Romans 3:20; Romans 7:12; Galatians 3:24-25. Since the law can’t save anyone, what is its purpose?

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Daily Devotional “The Sin of Worry”

Daily Devotional “The Sin of Worry”
Be different!
September 3, 2023

“‘Do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on’” (Matthew 6:25).

To worry about the future is to sin against God.

Someone has said, “You can’t change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future.”

Worry does ruin the present, but even more important for the believer is to recognize that worry is sin. Let’s look at why that is so.

Worry means you are striking out at God. Someone might say, “Worry is a small, trivial sin.”

But that’s not true. More important than what worry does to you is what it does to God.

When you worry, you are saying in effect, “God, I just don’t think I can trust You.” Worry strikes a blow at God’s integrity and love for you.

Worry means you are disbelieving Scripture. You can say, “I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.

I believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of every word,” and then just live your life worrying.

You are saying you believe the Bible, but then worry about God fulfilling what He says in it.

Worry means you are being mastered by circumstances.

Let the truths of God’s Word, not your circumstances, control your thinking.

By worrying, you make the circumstances and trials of life a bigger issue than your salvation.