Lord, hear our prayer:
Father, we praise you, not only for your power, your glory and your holiness, but also that you came to look for us even before we knew we were lost; that you found us before we had even asked for help and you welcomed us home even before we could ever hope to have deserved it. May our praises go on lifting Christ up, that he may draw people everywhere to himself.
Amen.
Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
“He who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” – John 6:57.
To feed on Christ is to get His strength into us to be our strength. You feed on the cornfield, and the strength of the cornfield comes into you, and is your strength. You feed on Christ, and then go and live your life; and it is Christ in you that lives your life, that helps the poor, that tells the truth, that fights the battles, and that wins the crown.
~ PHILLIPS BROOKS
Tuesday November 28, 2023
John 2:9-10
The master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man
at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk,
then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
The governor of the feast said more than he intended to say, or rather, there is more truth in what he said than he himself imagined. This is the established rule all the world over: “the good wine first, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse.” It is the rule with men; and have not hundreds of disappointed hearts bewailed it? Friendship first—the oily tongue, the words softer than butter, and afterwards the drawn sword. Ahitophel first presents the lordly dish of love and kindness to David, then afterwards that which is worse, for he forsakes his master, and becomes the counsellor of his rebel son. Judas presents first of all the dish of fair speech and of kindness; the Saviour partook thereof, he walked to the house of God in company with him, and took sweet counsel with him; but afterwards there came the dregs of the wine—“He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” Judas the thief betrayed his Master, bringing forth afterwards “that which is worse.” You have found it so with many whom you thought your friends. In the heyday of prosperity, when the sun was shining, and the birds were singing, and all was fair and cheerful with you, they brought forth the good wine; but there came a chilling frost, and nipped your flowers, and the leaves fell from the trees, and your streams were frosted with ice, and then they brought forth that which is worse, they forsook you and fled; they left you in your hour of peril, and taught you that great truth, that “Cursed is he that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.”
“For all of them sought to frighten us. . . . And now, God, strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9).
While God calls us to “love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us]” (Matthew 5:44), he also calls us to act with discernment and prayer. Loving others doesn’t mean we should be weak or passive. Part of loving others means discerning their hearts and motives.
“Blessed are the meek, because they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). When Jesus spoke about being meek, He wasn’t referring to weakness. Instead, He was teaching us to focus on others rather than ourselves. That doesn’t mean we should be passive toward those who wish to harm us. Part of practicing meekness is being aware of our enemies and dealing with them cautiously. Doing so successfully takes strength and discernment—necessary components of any godly work.
Nehemiah demonstrates these traits in his interactions with his enemies. When his opponents ask him to meet with them, Nehemiah discovers that they actually wish to hurt him. He resists their attack—even calling them on their deceit (Nehemiah 6:8).
Too often we allow ourselves to live passively. We enter into situations without thinking things through or recognizing that we’re about to be hurt by others. Yet we as Christians are at war against the evil in the world—not just against people, but also the unseen forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). When we feel oppression, we must resist the urge to be reactive. Instead, we must appeal to Christ, who can overcome it all. We must refuse to engage unless it’s on our terms, by the power of the Spirit and completely in His will.
Jesus introduced His answer to Nicodemus with the words “Most assuredly” (verses 3, 5, 11). “I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ”
What did Jesus mean by “born of water”? Some see it as baptismal regeneration. Others see it, along with “Spirit,” as spiritual cleansing. But it is so very important to interpret the Word of God in the context with which it is given. The problem here then is the difference between natural and spiritual births, for that is what Jesus is comparing for Nicodemus.
Everyone familiar with the natural birth knows that it is accompanied by water. Obviously, the spiritual birth is accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Thus Jesus reminded Nicodemus of the difference between the two: “born of the flesh is flesh,” and “born of the Spirit is spirit.” So, actually verse 5 is like the meat and cheese between two slices of bread used to make one sandwich. Verses 4 and 6 are analogous to the bread.
By the fleshly birth, a person is born into a natural, family with natural relationships and responsibilities. One born of the Spirit is born into a spiritual family with spiritual relationships and responsibilities. Therefore inn verse 7, when Jesus states “do not marvel” the word marvel renders a verb meaning “to wonder without understanding.” So, literally, Jesus said, “Stop wondering without understanding that I said, It is morally and spiritually necessary for you to be born again [from above].”
Nicodemus’s problem was that he was reaching out for understanding rather than faith. If we understand something, it is not through faith. There is nothing wrong with understanding for it is important in its own right, but without faith, all our knowledge and understanding mean nothing in eternity.
Jesus often taught from spur-of-the-moment events. It is possible that at that very moment a breeze began to rustle the leaves of a nearby tree or blowing on curtains on the roof. In effect, Jesus said, “Do you hear that, Nicodemus? That movement of the leaves and the curtain is caused by a breeze. Do you see the breeze? Or do you understand it?” Of course, neither was true. Nicodemus knew the breeze was there only by the effect of its power and presence.
I read the following in one of my older hard-cover commentaries:
The ancients formed their language out of experience. They experienced an invisible force in nature, either a gentle breeze or a tornado. They called it pneuma. They recognized an invisible force (breath) in humans and animals. They also called it pneuma. Likewise, they saw a power in human religious experience, and they called it pneuma. Thus, depending upon the context, pneuma may mean any of these: wind, breath, or spirit.
So, most likely, Jesus chose this following example to try leading Nicodemus to comprehend the spiritual birth, the birth from above. “The wind [pneuma] blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit [pneuma].” G. Campbell Morgan suggested that this may well read literally, “The Spirit works as He wills.” We do not see the wind. But we accept it because we see its results. In like manner, we do not see the Holy Spirit. But we see the results of His work. We may well think of the Holy Spirit as the attending physician as each soul is born into the kingdom of God.
However, Nicodemus was so ingrained to the natural that he still didn’t comprehend the spiritual. So he asked, “How can these things be?” If he, a recognized and honored teacher, did not understand the figure of the wind, how could he grasp the deeper things of the Spirit?
Lord, hear our prayer:
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we praise you that you are almighty, all-knowing and all-loving. We praise you for your glory and for your sovereignty over your creation. We praise you with the words and thoughts that we have, but they can never do justice to all that you are. Our feeble attempts to worship you can never reach the heights of your majesty. Our finite minds can never unlock all that is contained in your infinite glory. Our kind words and good deeds and our devotion will never be the key to your love. Our service and commitment and obedience will never release us from all that holds us back or open the door of your kingdom. Yet despite all this, you love us with an unfailing love. Thank you gracious and merciful, Father.
Amen.
Thinking, praying, reading, studying the Bible – when we do these things, we are reflecting on the Word of God. To reflect is to contemplate and/or consider, and God wants us to deeply reflect on His Word so that we can better understand Him.
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven.” – John 6:51.
Christ calls Himself “the living bread”—the manna which came down from heaven. Remember how the manna fell. It lay all round the tents of Israel. The Israelite could not stir from his tent without doing one of two things—he must either gather the manna, or trample upon it. Every man living is doing either the one or the other now. Either the one or the other you are doing. Which is it?
~ F. WHITFIELD
Monday November 27, 2023
Matthew 16:26
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
This is my position: let the scientist stay in his field and I will stay in mine. I am as glad and thankful as anyone for the benefits of research, and I hope scientists will soon find the cure for heart disease, for I have lost many good friends from sudden heart attacks.
But listen to me now about the difference in meaning between the short-term matters of our physical beings and the eternal relationships between the believer and his God.
If you save a person from diphtheria when he is a baby, or save him in his teens from smallpox, or save him in his fifties from a heart attack, what have you done?
If that man lives to be ninety and still is without God and does not know why he was born, you have simply perpetuated the life of a mud turtle. That man who has never found God and has never been born again is like a turtle, with two legs instead of four and no shell and no tail, because he still does not know what life has been all about.
“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it finds rest in you.” Augustine’s prayer, spoken so many years ago, is still poignant for us today. It appeals to our created purpose: bringing glory to God. When we’re living outside of that purpose, we try to fill that void through other means.
In his first letter, John shows how the love of God and communion with Him ultimately brings a sense of peace and confidence: “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as that one is, so also are we in the world” (1 John 4:16–17).
God Himself has addressed the great rift we created between ourselves and Him. Through the sacrifice of His Son, He has made it possible for us to abide with Him and find peace in Him (1 John 4:15). Those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God experience this love that brings peace and confidence.
But this love isn’t merely an emotion or a feeling of fulfillment; it’s a growing desire to be like Christ. Because God dwells in us, we will become more like Him in love. We can be confident of His work in us when we display self-sacrificial love for our neighbor.
Note that Nicodemus opened the dialogue with a compliment for Jesus. “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God.” In Nicodemus’ mind he knew that no man could do the signs that Jesus did (John 2:23). The word “know” used in this verse means to have perceptive knowledge. Nicodemus had thought the matter through and had concluded that Jesus was most assuredly from God.
For Nicodemus to call Jesus a rabbi was the supreme compliment among the Jews. Especially, since Jesus was not an accredited teacher among them. Now a question arises to some; did Nicodemus come as a representative of other members of the Sanhedrin, or strictly on his own? When Nicodemus started the conversation with “we,” it certainly opened the possibility of either question. It is possible that John did not record the entire conversation, but, to the benefit of those who read it, he gave the heart of it.
In any case, Jesus took no note of Nicodemus’ compliment. Instead, He used shock treatment on him. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” In John’s Gospel, “Most assuredly” or as some versions, “verily, verily” always introduces a solemn statement by Jesus. Had Jesus said that Gentiles must be born again, Nicodemus would have said, “Amen.” Jews regarded Gentiles as being outside the mercy of God. One rabbi had said they were but fuel for the fires of hell.
But as a Jew, Nicodemus thought that he was already in the kingdom of God. Imagine, therefore, his shock to hear that he must be born again even to see, let alone be in, the kingdom of God! To see means to see with perception. In place of “see” we would use the word perceive: meaning – to see through, to understand the kingdom of God.
Even today some people have strange ideas about what it means to be a Christian.
Many years ago the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission made a series of television programs called Christ Is the Answer. It was debated much like the series, The Chosen, is debated in “Christian” circles today. Paul Stevens, one of the creators, insisted that in every film the characters having part in the message were to be Christians.
One day he and the director were selecting people to play these roles. When they had finished, Paul asked, “Are all these people Christians?” The director replied, “Certainly! Every one of them is an American citizen!”
He held the same mistaken notion as Nicodemus. Being an American citizen no more makes a person a Christian than being a Jew makes one a part of God’s kingdom.
In light of Jesus’ words, Nicodemus expressed his surprise. “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Obviously, Jesus was thinking and speaking of a spiritual birth, while Nicodemus thought of a second physical birth. In fact, the Greek word for “again” (anōthen) may mean that, or it can mean “from above.” Apparently, Jesus chose this word for that very reason. He had to lead Nicodemus away from the idea that his natural birth meant he was already in the kingdom. He wanted him to understand that a spiritual birth from above was necessary. For example, being born to Christian parents does not make a child a Christian.
Dear Lord, hear our prayer:
Righteous and gracious Father, Lord God, we thank You and praise You for reconciling us to Yourself so that we might be called Your children. Lord, empower us with Your Holy Spirit to stand upright in a wicked world and anoint us to let the life and light of Christ Jesus, Your Son and our King to be reflected through us, as meeker vessels we are, yet we know that it is only by Your power and anointing that we can accomplish anything for You and Your Kingdom. Forgive us dear Lord, Almighty God, for our weaknesses, frailties and especially for our transgressions. Give us the strength to forgive others and through that forgiveness demonstrate to our brothers and sisters, Your abounding and unending love. Teach us daily, to be more and more like You, in the mighty name of Jesus, our Redeemer, we ask these things.
Amen and AMEN.
60
The Cross of Christ is the Jacob’s ladder by which we ascend into the highest heavens. There we see joyful Patriarchs, expecting Saints, Prophets ministering, Apostles publishing, and Doctors teaching, all Nations concentering, and Angels praising. That Cross is a tree set on fire with invisible flame, that illuminates all the world. The flame is Love: the Love in His bosom who died on it. In the light of which we see how to possess all the things in Heaven and Earth after His similitude. For He that suffered on it was the Son of God as you are: tho’ He seemed only a mortal man. He had acquaintance and relations as you have, but He was a lover of Men and Angels. Was he not the Son of God; and Heir of the whole world? To this poor, bleeding, naked Man did all the corn and wine, and oil, and gold and silver in the world minister in an invisible manner, even as He was exposed lying and dying upon the Cross.
Thomas Traherne (1637 – September 27, 1674) was an English poet, Anglican cleric, theologian, and religious writer. Traherne’s writings frequently explore the glory of creation and what he saw as his intimate relationship with God. His writing conveys an ardent, almost childlike love of God, and is compared to similar themes in the works of later poets William Blake, Walt Whitman, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. His love for the natural world is frequently expressed in his works.
The work for which Traherne is best known today is the Centuries of Meditations, a collection of short paragraphs in which he reflects on Christian life and ministry, philosophy, happiness, desire and childhood. This was first published in 1908 after having been rediscovered in manuscript ten years earlier. Before its rediscovery this manuscript was said to have been lost for almost two hundred years and is now considered a much loved devotional.
*Pastor’s Note: A.B. Simpson was a very well respected Canadian preacher, theologian and author who lived from December 15, 1843 to October 29, 1919. My prayer is that you will be blessed and inspired by his poetry as much as I am.
When I shall reach my home in glory,
And see my Saviour face to face,
This shall be all my song and story,—
A sinner saved by grace.
I’ll tell how by His blood He bought me
With all our lost and ransomed race,
And how so tenderly He sought me
And saved me by His grace.
I’ll tell them how His Spirit sealed me
And cleansed me from each sinful trace,
And how when sick and worn He healed me
And saved me by His grace.
I’ll sing how lovingly He led me
At last to yonder heavenly place,
And how He shepherded and fed me
And kept me by His grace.
Yes, when I reach my home in glory
And see my Saviour face to face,
This shall be all my song and story,—
A sinner saved by grace.
Scripture References: 1 Kings 17:1-6, Luke 8:1-3
Herman Brown went into business in 1909, building roads in the Texas Hill Country. He worked hard and faithfully, becoming a foreman and then a contractor. Political patronage and legal connections brought him a road-building contract. Having borrowed to the limit to finance a project, he found himself broke when rains made further work impossible. He couldn’t even afford feed for his mules. At that point a local merchant gave him feed on credit. Years later when Brown was a successful contractor, he heard that the merchant had gone broke in the Depression and lived in poverty. Within a few days the old man received a check in the mail big enough to erase money worries for the rest of his life. His kindness had been remembered.
We never know when a kindness shown will become a kindness returned. Given the vagaries of life, any of us could someday be the object, not the origin, of the generosity we now express. Those who faithfully help others in their distress seldom lack help in their own.
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “ A man living in a luxurious penthouse in some major city can be as lost from God as much as any man living in the slums of that same city. Yet you will most likely not find a rescue mission on that block of penthouse apartments. We are so attached and enamored with material things that we sometimes forget that a person’s economic or social status does not count with God, for as His Word expressly states, He shows no partiality to the status of His creation. In Nicodemus we have a case of one who is up when it comes to status, yet out when it comes to God’s Kingdom.
“Nicodemus” means “a conqueror of the people.” Whether he conquered anyone else, Nicodemus won a victory within himself, but only after a deep inner struggle.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee, which means that he was a conservative in his theology. He accepted the Old Testament as the Word of God. He believed in angels, miracles, and the resurrection from the dead. He was the opposite of the Sadducees who accepted only the five books of Moses as Scripture and denied all the rest of the things mentioned above. We assume that as a good Pharisee, Nicodemus also lived by the meticulous and multitude of rules devised by the rabbis for governing the conduct of one’s life. Someone once called Nicodemus “the fairest flower of Judaism.”
Also, Nicodemus was a man of prominence. He was “a ruler of the Jews.” He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews. Among all the Jews in Palestine, he was one of seventy men, plus the high priest, who comprised this lofty body. Under the Romans, this body had the final say in civic and religious matters. The Romans reserved to themselves the right of capital punishment. Jesus also called him a “teacher.” To the Jews this was the supreme title (John 3:10). Nicodemus is the only member of the Sanhedrin who dared speak a word of defense for Jesus during His public ministry, an act which required great courage in the face of such burning opposition (John 7:50-52). And judging by the amount of myrrh and aloes he supplied for Jesus’ burial, he must have been a man of some wealth (John 19:39).
Yet, in spite of all these things, when Nicodemus went to Jesus in secret, he was outside the kingdom of God. He was a lost man. He had risen in this life. However, he was an outsider insofar as eternal life was concerned.
Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night.” Why “by night”? Was it because he did not want it known that he visited Jesus? Or that he knew where to find Him at that time? More likely, he came at night in order to have an uninterrupted and somewhat secret visit with Jesus. At the Passover season, Jerusalem and its vicinity was crowded with pilgrims. So it can be assumed that such a visit would be nearly impossible during the day.
Robert Hawker: Piercing Heaven – Puritan’s Prayers
Dear Lord of your people, let every evening toll the bell of recollection to call home my poor wandering heart.
And when the tumult of a busy, unsatisfying, and troublesome world is over, oh for grace to do as my Lord did: to send the multitude away, and get up apart into the holy mountain of faith and love in the Lord Jesus, to meditate and pray!
Amen.
PEOPLE these days often celebrate the myth of rugged independence, praising the self-made, self-reliant individual. Yet whatever feats people may accomplish on their own, far greater achievements are won by dedicated, united teams working together toward common goals.
The writer of Ecclesiastes recognized this. He placed a high value on companionship for four reasons:
Have you made the effort to establish a solid, lasting friendship with one or two other people? If not, you are missing out on some valuable benefits that God intended for you. It is not wrong to be alone or to be independent by nature. But all human beings need someone with whom to share themselves. That is how God has made us.
Saturday November 25, 2023
Isaiah 38:17
Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness.
The financial panic of 1907 started with a run on the Knickerbocker Trust Company of New York that exhausted the bank’s reserves in a day and a half. In a matter of weeks, the panic had spread across the country, and banks everywhere closed. According to legend, one family was especially hard hit. Their investments and business enterprises foundered, and their dreams for the future evaporated. But they were resourceful, for they had two assets they could still use. The first was the mother’s cooking skills, and the second was an old adobe building near the train station.
And so, the Hilton family opened their first hotel.
There’s an old saying that if life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. Problems bring possibilities to us that would not have otherwise occurred, and it’s important to prayerfully consider how we can turn liabilities into assets.
In Isaiah 38, King Hezekiah suffered a debilitating illness, but by the end of the story, much good had come from it, including an extension of his life and a song of praise. If you’re suffering through bitterness and pain now, remember that God has promised to work all things together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Look ahead in hope, and look around in resourcefulness. Make some lemonade.
Our greatest lessons come out of pain.
RICK WARREN
Good news from a distant land is like cold water to a parched throat.
PROVERBS 25:25
THE reason for this magnanimous graciousness on the part of Abram and his conduct toward Lot we have already seen. First of all, Abram believed God’s Word that He would take care of him no matter what the immediate sacrifice might be, and would ultimately give him the land which He had promised to him. This was the triumph of Abram’s faith. But I think there is another reason suggested in the text here which is very important. We read, for instance, in Genesis 13:7, “The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.”
There must be reason, since we believe in verbal inspiration, why the Holy Spirit caused Moses to insert this particular sentence in the record here. It is, indeed, very suggestive. Here were two brethren, Abram and Lot, who claimed to be worshippers of the one true Jehovah, and claimed to be men of faith; yet they were fighting and quibbling and striving with each other, and in that way were losing their testimony. There can be no reason to doubt that the Canaanites and the Perizzites were looking at Abram and Lot critically and wondering whether there would be any evidence of the reality of the faith which they both professed to have. Abram, recognizing this fact, was willing to be the least, and for the time being take a definite loss in order that his testimony might not be hindered, the name of the Lord might not be smirched, and no reproach brought upon the cause of the One in whom He claimed to trust.
This portion of Abraham’s history certainly holds a tremendous lesson for us in these days of sectarianism and separation among believers. Today too, the Canaanite and the Perizzite are still in the land and are looking critically and scrutinously at all those who profess to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly the quibbling and the dissension and the division and the fighting among believers is construed by them as an evidence that we are not what we profess to be. May the Lord teach us from the lesson of Abram to have more charity, to be willing to be the least, and for conscience’s sake to take loss if need be, in order that the Lord Jesus may truly be exalted; “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” – Romans 14:7.
Faithlife Corporation produces the Logos Bible Software, and offers a free Bible App as well as a Basic Fundamentals program. Check them out, they are worth the effort. Clicking on the image will open another window and take you to their site.
BibleGateway.com is a Christian website designed to allow easy reading, listening, studying, searching, and sharing of the Bible in many different versions and translations. A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages. It is a GREAT tool to have!
This site is dedicated to answering question based on a Biblical foundation and perspective. It is a GREAT site to check out!
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
You must be logged in to post a comment.