December 31, 2012

“They May Have the Right to the Tree of Life” (12/31)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Revelation 19-22.

Those who believe salvation is by grace or faith alone will often charge those of us who believe that obedience is necessary for salvation as trying to somehow earn salvation. While we should answer this false charge, we must also not be afraid to affirm all that the Scriptures teach. Notice these words near the close of the final book of the Bible:

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12).

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14).

We will be judged according to what we have done. We will be rewarded if our deeds are good when judged according to the Lord’s word. If we wash our robes, or “do his commandments” (KJV), we will enter the city and partake of the tree of life.
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December 23, 2012

“Strangers and Exiles on the Earth” (12/23)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Hebrews 11-13.

Hebrews 11 contains several examples of ones who lived by faith. One of the characteristics that distinguished them as being people of faith was their understanding of their place in the world.

“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

These individuals knew, and were willing to confess, that they were “strangers and exiles on the earth.” They knew that the promises of God, though seen “from a distance,” were better than what they could hope to gain in this life without God.
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December 17, 2012

To Live on in the Flesh Will Mean Fruitful Labor (12/17)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Philippians 1-4.

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose” (Philippians 1:21-22).

Paul was confident in his hope of a home in heaven. This confidence was not based upon the belief that since he had been saved at one time, he would always be saved. Though many believe this today (“once saved, always saved”), Paul did not. He knew that if he quit serving the Lord, he would forfeit his salvation (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Paul’s hope was based upon the Lord’s promise to the faithful. Later, toward the end of his life, he would tell Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Paul could expect to receive his reward because he had fought, finished, and kept the faith.
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August 6, 2012

Stagnant in Spirit (8/6)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Zephaniah 1-3.

Zephaniah warned the people of Judah that judgment was coming against them from the Lord. The riches in which they trusted would be taken away. The houses in which they lived would become uninhabited. The blessings of the good land that God had given them would be lost.

“It will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil!’ Moreover, their wealth will become plunder and their houses desolate; yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine” (Zephaniah 1:12-13).

These people had allowed their sinful state to progress to the point in which they would receive God’s wrath because they were “stagnant in spirit.” They were no longer interested in spiritual things. All that mattered to them were those things which were temporal and material. They had no desire to serve the Lord.
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July 31, 2012

Abraham Does Not Know Us (7/31)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 59-63.

We sometimes wonder who is paying attention to us. Will anyone notice what we are doing? Will our good deeds be seen and remembered by others? Maybe not, but the following passage provides some encouragement.

“For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name” (Isaiah 63:16).

Generally, people like to be noticed for the good that they do. To be recognized by a well-known man of faith may seem important for many Christians. But ultimately, it is not all that important.
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July 27, 2012

If Only You Had Paid Attention (7/27)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 44-48.

God desires to bless and reward His people. But the rewards He promises are, and have always been, conditional.

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, and your offspring like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence’” (Isaiah 48:17-19).

Following God’s instructions by walking in His ways leads to a reward. During the time of the Old Law, this reward was physical prosperity, peace, and a continued preservation of the nation of Israel. Today is a little different. We may not have physical prosperity (1 Corinthians 15:19) or peace (2 Timothy 3:12). The nation in which we live could fall, leading to economic instability and hardship (Proverbs 27:24). But God does promise a reward to us if we are faithful today.
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June 16, 2012

There Is No Middle Ground (6/16)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8.

After Solomon completed his house and the Lord’s house, God appeared to him and restated His conditional promise to the king.

“As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’” (1 Kings 9:4-5).

However, though God was willing to bless Solomon for obedience, He was also willing to punish him for disobedience.
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