Category: Grace Living (Christian Life)

Deceptions and Distractions #3

Sunday, November 26, 2023

“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law” (Romans 2:17-20 KJV).

May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to believe a lesson from Israel’s ancient history….

Satan exploited sin and peer pressure from the neighboring Gentiles to lead Israel away from the LORD God (for example, see 2 Kings 17:6-23, Jeremiah 3:1-25, Daniel 9:3-20, and Acts 7:37-43). Instead of learning the lesson of the Law—that they were sinners like everyone else—Israel paid attention to all kinds of foreign, wrong ideas. As opposed to reaching the point where they could share the Word of God with the nations, Israel grew haughty and self-righteous—“We have the Bible but you do not!” True, the Jews possessed the Old Testament Scriptures and knew the will of God. Still, did they esteem and do the will of God? Of course not! Read today’s Scripture, plus the rest of Romans chapter 2.

Regrettably, today’s professing church finds itself in Israel’s spiritual trap. Church members everywhere are at least partly familiar with Scripture—although tending to value religious tradition above the Word of God, waste large amounts of time learning the ways of the world, promote fear and ignorance because of their spiritual immaturity, and countless other tragedies. By means of his evil world system, Satan has been “waving his hand,” and nearly everyone has whiplash from looking from side to side. They are not concentrating on the Word of God rightly divided!

Our minds and hearts are designed to think about and value something. If we fail to ponder what is good, then what is bad will become the center of our attention and affection. Satan knows precisely how to use this to his advantage; he has had thousands of years of practice (!). If we can major on the minors, and minor on the majors, then he has us fighting his battles for him….

Deceptions and Distractions #2

Saturday, November 25, 2023

“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law” (Romans 2:17-20 KJV).

May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to believe a lesson from Israel’s ancient history….

Consider Deuteronomy chapter 4: “[5] Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. [6] Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. [7] For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? [8] And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?”

As the Gentiles watched, Israel was to demonstrate the values and life of the one true God (see today’s Scripture). The Jews held the codified record of what the LORD believed and did. If they walked by faith in that Divine revelation, Satan’s policy of evil in the Earth would be limited. Satan is no dummy. While he could not eliminate the Hebrew Bible, he could—and did!—use assorted methods to sidetrack Israel from it.

Go to a student listening to a teacher. Wave your hand so he or she looks toward your direction. No longer focused on the teacher, the person stares at you, and you exclaim, “Made you look!” This is Satan’s primary tactic: using distractions or counterfeits to get our eyes and minds off God’s words to us. This led to the downfall of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3, the spiritual destruction of Israel, and the debilitation of the Church the Body of Christ….

In Every Thing Give Thanks

Thursday, November 23, 2023

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV).

Dear saints, take a moment this Thanksgiving to learn a valuable lesson from the Holy Scriptures!

God wants “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). To be “saved” here means you have been rescued from the penalty of sin (hell and the lake of fire), and that you have a home in heaven, because you have trusted the death, shed blood, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for your sins. To “come unto the knowledge of the truth” is when a person who has trusted Christ, begins to understand why God saved him or her, and how God will use him or her for His glory. Although soul salvation is instantaneous, spiritual maturity is a life-long process (that is especially true regarding handling difficulties, the grace way!).

It is human nature to avoid difficulties and stress, to flee them, rather than confront them. This self-preservation is advantageous, particularly in “life or death” situations. However, running from troubling circumstances is not the way God has designed our life in Christ to function. Today’s Scripture says, “In every thing give thanks,” not “For every thing give thanks.” We do not thank God for our troubles; we thank God while we are enduring those troubles. This is tough, I know, but it takes time for us to learn it. Even the Apostle Paul had to learn this.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Be thankful in every thing. God’s grace is sufficient for you, dear saint, in all of life’s circumstances. When you learn this, you are “[coming] unto the knowledge of the truth.”

*Excerpted from our Thanksgiving 2012 Bible study with the same name. That study can be read here or watched here.

You may also see, “What are our spiritual blessings in Christ?”

Your Right to Eat Meat

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4,5 KJV).

Before we advocate animal rights, let us understand that we have a God-given right to eat them!

An animal rights activist once appeared on television to complain about the consumption of turkeys on Thanksgiving. He argued that turkeys “feel pain” when they are slaughtered, and thus we should not eat them. His line of reasoning was, “If we would not eat our pet dog, then we should not eat turkey.” Such people, despite their sincerity, are ignorant of today’s Scripture.

Originally, all people and animals were herbivores; they only ate vegetation. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so” (Genesis 1:29,30).

Then, sin entered, and God incorporated meat into the human diet: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Genesis 9:3,4).

When we ignore the fact that God gave us animals to eat, and we demand that others must also abstain from meat for religious (nature-worshipping) purposes, that is a “doctrine of devils” in this dispensation (1 Timothy 4:1-5). The creature should not be worshipped; only the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be worshipped (Romans 1:25). As long as we thank the Lord for whatever creatures we eat, consuming animal flesh is acceptable and godly. It does not sit well with the pantheists—who exalt nature as God—but it is approved of the living God, and that alone ultimately matters.

Ignorance Preferred—and Granted!

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

“But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 14:38 KJV).

If ignorance is preferred, it must be granted!

Recently, a Christian coworker in ministry told me how he has been reaching a long-time friend with the Gospel of Grace. For nearly three years now, he has shared Bible verses with her—to no avail. She maintains she does not understand what he is trying to teach her. Also, she relentlessly expresses her desire to stay in her works-religion cult. He asked me why the Holy Spirit is not working to open her eyes and cause her to see her need for Jesus Christ. In fact, he is frustrated with the whole matter, even contemplating breaking off contact with her.

The Scriptures are very simple, friends. If we have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit lives in us. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We carry the Holy Ghost around with us, and, as we walk by faith in God’s words to us (Romans through Philemon), He Himself works in us. How silly we are if we wonder if God ever “opens the eyes” of those we reach!

Furthermore, when we share His inspired words with others—the Scriptures the Holy Spirit wrote—He will illuminate those souls. “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4). “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” (2 Timothy 2:7). If we want to know the truth, we will know it. The Holy Spirit gives us light and comprehension through His words, but we must be willing to let our eyes be opened and be willing to keep them opened. If the will to learn is absent, if the desire to be corrected is lacking, what is left is willful ignorance. It is not that the Holy Spirit failed to work, but rather the audience consciously refused His work. We must (!!!) respect free will!

The Greatest Veteran

Saturday, November 11, 2023

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:14,15 KJV).

Today is Veterans’ Day in the United States, so let us especially thank the “Greatest Veteran of All Time.”

We thank veterans, living and departed, the often-forgotten men and women who risked their lives to secure our freedom. Just as we remember flesh-and-blood veterans who fought for our physical liberty, we reserve our worship and utmost respect for the least esteemed Veteran, He who secured our spiritual liberty.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Through Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary, we have eternal victory over sin, death, hell, and Satan. Everything that God has planned for us is dependent upon Christ’s victory at Calvary.

Jesus Christ nailed the Mosaic Law to His cross (today’s Scripture). His sinless blood covered our failure to obey God’s laws; Jesus’ righteousness annulled our unrighteousness (sin). Christ not only liberated us from sin and its penalty (the everlasting lake of fire), but today’s Scripture affirms He also triumphed over Satan himself!

Christ has “spoiled [destroyed] principalities and powers [Satan’s power], he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it [His cross].” Jesus Christ destroyed Satan’s plans. Through Christ’s cross, God has “delivered us from the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13), Satan’s evil system of Ephesians 2:1-3.

During a recent cemetery visit, I noticed American flags flying above deceased veterans’ headstones. These individuals can no longer hear or regard our thanks, but Jesus Christ’s body is not decaying in some tomb. If there ever was a Veteran most worthy of our gratitude, it is our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He died in battle, allowing Himself to be executed on a Roman cross of shame and scorn, He resurrected. He is alive and well today, alive forevermore!

Saints, eternity will ring with our thanks to the Veteran worth thanking, the Lord Jesus Christ.

*Adapted from our 2010 Bible study, “The Greatest Hero.” The Bible study video can be viewed here.

Emulation #1

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

“If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them” (Romans 11:14 KJV).

What is “emulation?”

Read today’s Scripture in context: “[11] I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? [13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.”

At present, the nation Israel is fallen before God. In other words, the God of the Bible is currently reaching the world without converted Israel. He is not forming the nation Israel today, but rather developing the Church the Body of Christ. This is the Apostle Paul’s ministry and message. Salvation and blessing are being extended to the Gentiles or nations without Israel’s kingdom, without Israel’s covenants, without the prophetic program. Understandably, this was extremely offensive to the Jewish people in Paul’s day and it is still unpopular now—even among “Christian” church members. It is most inconvenient for a Jew to accept the fact that he is no different from a Gentile in God’s eyes. Nonetheless, the Holy Bible is true.

“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13). By proclaiming this truth, Paul was “provoking to emulation” a certain group of people, to the intent he would “save some of them.”

Let us search the Scriptures for more insight into this principle….

ARCHIVED: “Should Christians observe All Saints’ Day?”

Arrayed in Hypocrisy

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:27,28 KJV).

“Looks can be deceiving” is not only true during Halloweentime, but confirmed year-round within Christendom.

Today is Halloween, when children dress up and feign themselves to be creatures they are not. Likewise, many church leaders today wear “Christian” garbs, but their ministries do not bring the Lord Jesus Christ glory and honor. They promote their denomination, and seek to perpetuate it, rather than serve and exalt the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Bible manifests these who appear to be good, as “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

In today’s Scripture, Jesus Christ exposed Israel’s corrupt religious leaders who misled the nation in His day. In His Parable of the Tares, Matthew 13:24-30,37-43, Christ explained how just as He had sown good seed (wheat, believing Jews) in Israel, Satan had also sown tares/weeds (unbelieving Jews). Tares resemble wheat; unbelieving Jews resemble believing Jews. The unbelieving Pharisees and scribes, for instance, looked like God’s people (believing Israel). Judas Iscariot was another example of Satan’s tares—the apostles never realized who Judas really was until it was too late!

But Satan’s counterfeit believers are not confined to Israel’s program. Today, within local assemblies of the Body of Christ, there are people feigning themselves to be Christians: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Beloved, beware of the church leaders who are arrayed in hypocrisy, “and avoid them” (Romans 16:17b). If their teaching does not agree with the rightly divided King James Bible, you have no business as a child of God to be listening to them.

*This is excerpted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

You may also see our special study, “Should Christians celebrate Halloween?” In addition, “What does the Bible say about ghosts?”

Perceive Ye How Ye Prevail Nothing? #7

Sunday, October 29, 2023

“The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him” (John 12:19 KJV).

Behold, the lamentation of professional religious leaders whose system is in jeopardy!

In Acts chapter 5, while the Sanhedrin members consider killing Christ’s Apostles, a dissenting or disagreeing voice interjects: “[34] Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; [35] And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. [36] For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. [37] After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. [38] And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: [39] But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”

Gamaliel—a well-known rabbi or Jewish teacher even now (2,000 years later!)—was willing to give the Apostles the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they really were serving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was thus open to sparing their lives, and they were delivered from execution (read verses 40-42). If they were following a false “messiah”—who were multiplied during that time, including Theudas and Judas of Galilee (verses 36,37)—the movement would be manmade and thus fizzle. However, Gamaliel might have had some spiritual light from Joseph of Arimathaea or Nicodemus, his Messianic Jewish colleagues of the Sanhedrin (Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50,51; John 3:1,2; John 7:45-53). Not necessarily a believer, Gamaliel was nevertheless quite right in warning, “But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

Perceive Ye How Ye Prevail Nothing? #6

Saturday, October 28, 2023

“The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him” (John 12:19 KJV).

Behold, the lamentation of professional religious leaders whose system is in jeopardy!

The same religious leaders who had so viciously opposed and killed the Lord Jesus kept violently resisting Him in resurrection as His Little Flock (filled with the Holy Ghost) conducted their ministry during the early Acts period. Sermon after sermon is preached to call Israel to repentance (change in mind) and faith (in Jesus as Christ/Messiah). The response is overwhelmingly negative, with just a believing remnant. By the time of chapter 5, the Apostles, having been imprisoned and subsequently freed by the angel of the Lord, are now recaptured and on trial before the Sanhedrin (Jewish Supreme Court).

We read in chapter 5 of Acts: “[25] Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. [26] Then went the captain with the officers [the Jerusalem Temple police!], and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. [27] And when they had brought them, they set them before the council [Sanhedrin]: and the high priest asked them, [28] Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.

“[29] Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. [30] The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. [31] Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. [32] And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. [33] When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.”

Let us see if the Apostles will live or die….