Bible Truth Publishers
EmailRSS
Blogs

Daily blogs from Bible Truth Publishers

Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

October 2023

All months

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils (demons)” (1 Corinthians 10:20).
At least here in North America, tonight is what is called “Hallowe’en night.” Many children go from house to house in the evening, with the customary call, “Trick or treat,” and expect to be given candy or some other gift that they can eat. They are usually dressed up in all sorts of strange costumes, and people often put out carved up pumpkins, ghost-like figures, silhouettes of witches, etc. in front of their homes.
The word “hallowe’en” is a shortened version of the phrase “all hallows even (evening),” and has very bad associations. Among the ancient Celts in Scotland and England, it was a time of year when it was believed that the entrance of the spirit world was opened for spirits to pass through and haunt the living. People marked the occasion by lighting bonfires for protection, and dressing up like the spirits and creatures they believed could cross over that night. It was definitely connected with Satan and his demons.
It is not a good thing for Christians to be involved in all this, for it is not just something funny and harmless. Satan is real, and we should not become part of anything that has to do with him.

Monday, October 30, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite” (Proverbs 23:2).
When we are young we usually have good appetites, and it is nice to enjoy our food. This is not wrong, for the Lord has given it to us. But sometimes we are tempted to eat too much, and especially when we are served sweet things. This not only makes us gain weight, but is not good spiritually either. In the New Testament we are told not to be “brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12), which means not to be addicted to anything. We can have an addiction to food if we are not on guard.
Most of you know what diabetes is, but did you know that this year (2021) when I am writing this, is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin? It was discovered by Dr. Frederick Banting and a young medical student named Charles Best in 1921, at the University of Toronto. A modern researcher commented recently that type 2 diabetes could almost be eliminated if people were not overweight. It seems that more and more young people are tending to overeat. As Christians this is not a good testimony; rather we should use moderation in our eating.

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son” (Genesis 22:13).
You will remember that God had told Abraham to offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham was prepared to do this, for he knew that the Lord could raise Isaac up from the dead if necessary. But at the last minute the Lord stopped Abraham, and told him not to offer up his son. There was a ram (male sheep or goat) on the same mountain, caught in a thicket by his horns, and Abraham was able to offer the ram instead of Isaac.
Isaac is a picture to us of the Lord Jesus, who as the Son of God, was offered for our sins. But there was no substitute for the Lord Jesus; no ram could take His place. No, the blood of an animal would not do; the Lord Jesus had to bear the penalty for sin. Mount Moriah, where all this took place, was where Solomon’s temple was eventually built, and not far from where the Lord Jesus was crucified.

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Balaam…was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet” (2 Peter 2:15-16).
You can read about Balaam in Numbers, chapter 22. He was a false prophet, but he wanted the money that the king of Moab promised him if he would curse the children of Israel. The Lord clearly told Balaam not to go, and when he persisted in going, the Lord actually made his donkey speak to Balaam like a man. I am sure you have never heard an animal speak to you like that! You would think that Balaam would have been frightened when that happened, for only the Lord could make a donkey speak, but Balaam carried on a conversation with his donkey, as if this were quite normal!
Eventually Balaam did try to curse the people, but instead God made him say good things about them. He loved His people and would not allow Balaam to curse them. Later Balaam was killed in a battle with Israel. See if you can find the place in the Bible where it tells us this. It is in the book of Joshua.

Friday, October 27, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked” (2 Peter 2:7).
Lot was Abraham’s nephew, and he knew the Lord, but when he saw the well-watered area around the river Jordan, he chose that place in which to live. He then “pitched his tent toward Sodom,” even though it was a wicked city. Eventually he ended up living in Sodom, and it seems that he tried to improve the place. But it did not work, and he ended up losing some of his family, including his wife, when God destroyed Sodom.
All this is a solemn warning to us. Like Lot, we may want the advantages that this world offers, but we will find that the world will not improve under our influence. Rather, we will be defiled by all the evil that goes on there. We are to tell them about the Lord Jesus, and how to be saved, but we are not to try and work with the world to improve it. It is far better to be like Abraham, who lived separate from this world, but who was able to show them who the true God was. The people in Sodom did not respect Lot, but the world respected Abraham.

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off” (2 Peter 1:9).
What did Peter mean when he talked about being able to “see afar off?” The nation of Israel was used to expecting earthly blessings, and in the Old Testament, if they were faithful to the Lord, they could expect a long life and prosperity. But they had forfeited all that by their disobedience, and had been allowed by the Lord to be taken into captivity.
Under grace, if they believed on the Lord Jesus, they now had a heavenly hope. Seeing “afar off” means looking beyond this world to eternal blessing with Christ in glory. Many in this world are seeing only what is in this world, and do not really think much about eternity. But the Lord has made us not only for time, but for eternity. He wants us to live in view of eternity; He wants us to “see afar off.” What we do in this world will have eternal consequences, as well as consequences in this life. It is important to take a long-term view of things.

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:2-3).
This is a precious truth that is often forgotten by believers today. We may try to get wisdom and guidance for our Christian pathway from other sources, such as psychology, books written by men, or from various kinds of counselors. However, from this verse we learn that there is not one thing that we need in order to live in this world for God’s glory, that is not found in the knowledge of God, and in His Son Jesus Christ.
It is true that we may have to learn different things from the knowledge available in this world, such as training for a particular career. But anything that concerns life and godliness cannot be found in the wisdom of this world. No, the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that “God made foolish the wisdom of this world” (1 Corinthians 1:20). God’s wisdom is not just an improvement on man’s wisdom; it is the exact opposite of it. If we learn more of Christ, we will have all we need to walk the pathway of faith.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Today we have the third “must” in John, chapter three. We might call this “the servant’s must.” John the Baptist is speaking here, and telling people that, as the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, he must decrease, while the Lord Jesus would increase. John was not concerned about himself; he wanted only to see the Lord Jesus honored. When the Lord Jesus began His earthly service, John gradually faded out of the picture, and was put in prison. Later, Herod beheaded him because of an oath he made to a young girl who danced in front of him on his birthday. You can read this story in Matthew 14. But John did what he was supposed to do, and his work was done.
This is a good verse for you and me to remember too. It is easy to want to be someone great, even among the people of God, but the only One worthy of honor is the Lord Jesus, and our wish should be to see Him increase. Those who want an honored place among Christians are trying to get the glory that belongs only to God. Let us be content to honor our Lord Jesus Christ.

Monday, October 23, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).
In this 3rd chapter of John the word “must” is used three times. We saw one of those times yesterday — “Even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” We might call that “the Savior’s must.” In our verse today, we have what we might call “the sinners’ must.” Many people in this world want to get salvation through their own efforts, and at first Nicodemus wanted to have it this way too. He had to realize that God has only one way to be saved, and that is by having a new life in Christ. He had to be born again.
Some people try to tell us that it does not matter how we come to God, but we read in Acts 4:12 that “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” There is no other way to be born again.

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14).
You will remember that when the children of Israel murmured and complained as they were going through the wilderness, the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. They bit the people, and many died. But when Moses cried to the Lord, He told him to make a serpent out of brass and put it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten by one of the snakes and looked at the serpent on the pole, was healed. You can read this story in Numbers, chapter 21.
The Lord Jesus bore our sins on the cross, and He was “made sin for us.” That means that He suffered the judgment of God for sin. The serpents had caused the people to die, and it was a serpent that was made of brass, and put on the pole. Just as one look at the serpent on the pole healed a person, so one look to the Lord Jesus can save us today.
Notice that the Lord did not take away the serpents, but He provided a cure for their bite. The Lord does not take sin out of this world today, but through His Son He has made a way for our sins to be washed away.

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).
Many years ago, I had a friend who grew up in a Christian home, and who I believe was a true Christian himself. However, he tended to joke about, and make fun of, just about everything. Finally, someone asked him once, “Aren’t you ever serious about anything?” His reply was rather disturbing, and he did not use very good English. He said, “I don’t take nothin’ seriously.”
However, the Bible talks about serious things, like life and death, and time and eternity, and we need to be reminded of them. Our verse today also reminds us that we are close to the end of all things. If Peter could say that more than 1900 years ago, how much closer we are today! The Lord is coming soon, and then judgment will fall on this world. As Christians we have nothing to fear from coming judgment, but we should be sober, and act as if we understand what is going to happen.
This does not mean that we should go around with a long face. No, we can be pleasant and even enjoy some fun, but we should be serious about serious things.

Friday, October 20, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1).
The word “flesh” in the Bible can have two meanings. Sometimes it simply means our bodies, and sometimes it means our old sinful nature. Here in this verse it means our bodies. The Lord Jesus suffered in His body, when He refused to sin. For example, when He was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, He was hungry, and Satan suggested that He make bread out of stones. The Lord Jesus had the power to do that, but because He had no command from His Father to do it, He remained hungry rather than step out of the path of obedience.
You and I may suffer in the same way. If we were hungry, and walking by an apple orchard, it would be tempting to climb over the fence and steal some apples. But that would be sin. It is better to go on being hungry, rather than commit the sin of stealing. In refusing to sin, we suffer in the flesh; that is, in our bodies.
We may often have to suffer in this world, in order not to sin, but it is worth it, for then we are pleasing the Lord, and enjoying His company.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew [hate] evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue [make an effort to get] it” (1 Peter 3:10-11).
These verses are in 1 Peter, but they are really a quotation from Psalm 34. See if you can find them in that psalm. They were written as promises to Israel, but Peter, who was the apostle to the Jews, quotes the same verses to encourage believers to live good, morally upright lives.
Does this mean that if we live to please the Lord, we will never have any trouble in our lives? There are some groups of Christians who teach that, but it is not true. Even godly Christians can have trouble and difficulty in their lives. However, it is generally true that those who live to please the Lord, even as Christians, can expect the Lord’s blessing in their lives. Even if we do experience trouble, we will be conscious of the Lord’s care over us, and His continued desire for our blessing. Following the Lord is always a happy path, even if the Lord allows some difficulty in it.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye….For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:13-14, 18).
In our verses today we have two sides of the Christian life. We are told to be “ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1), and this means doing good to others whenever we have the chance. No one will harm us for doing that, for this world likes those who are ready to help. For the same reason they were quite happy for the Lord Jesus to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and raise dead people to life again.
However, we may suffer “for righteousness’ sake,” as the next verse reminds us. This is because doing what is right brings in God’s claims. Sometimes we must refuse to do something because it is not right, or we may do something because it is right, and in both cases the world may not like it. We may remind people that they are sinners before God, and they will not like to hear that. We may refuse to get involved in the affairs of this world, or join its organizations, clubs, etc., and they will not like that either. But then we are walking in the same steps as the Lord Jesus, for He also suffered for righteousness’ sake, all the way to Calvary’s cross.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from [stay away from] fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).
There is a difference between a stranger and a pilgrim. A stranger is someone who is in a place where he is not at home. Perhaps some of you have been in a foreign country where the customs were different and where people spoke another language. It might have been nice for a visit, but you felt like a stranger there. Maybe people noticed that you were different, and asked you where you were from. A pilgrim, however, is someone who is on his way home. He is not at home, but he knows where he is going, and he has a plan that will take him home.
As Christians, we are both strangers and pilgrims. This world is not our home, but we are definitely on our way home. Because of this, Peter asks the believers to whom he was writing to stay away from fleshly lusts. Fleshly lusts are what our old sinful nature likes to do, and they only hinder us in living for God’s glory. A pilgrim does not get “sidetracked” by things around him; he is anxious to get home, and he does everything possible to get there.

Monday, October 16, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:1-2).
There are some big words in our verse today, such as malice, hypocrisies, and guile. However, instead of my telling you what they mean, perhaps you can look them up this time, if you do not already know these words. They are all negative things that should not be part of a Christian’s life. The Bible uses all of these words quite often, so it is good to know the meanings of them.
In order for us to grow as Christians, we need to get these things out of the way. To illustrate this, we can talk about a flower or a vegetable garden. If you have small plants that you wish to grow, it is important to pull out the weeds first. If we do not get rid of the weeds, they will absorb the nutrients and moisture from the soil, and the good plants will not grow properly.
We are all like babies in this verse, for in the sense that Peter speaks of milk, we never outgrow the need for it. We need the Word of God all our lives, for as Christians, we should never stop growing.

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“The queen of the south (the queen of Sheba)…came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh…repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here” (Luke 11:31-32).
The queen of Sheba came mainly because she had heard of Solomon’s riches and wisdom; the people of Nineveh needed forgiveness and redemption, for they were wicked people. The queen of Sheba went away more than satisfied; she was overwhelmed by what she heard and saw, for it was far more than she expected. (You can read about her in 1 Kings 10). The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s message, when he warned them of coming judgment. They were no doubt greatly relieved not to have come under God’s judgment.
If we come to the Lord Jesus, we too will be more than satisfied, for He is made unto us “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). We all need salvation through His finished work on the cross, but He is much more than this to us. All the wisdom we will ever need to live for His glory down here is found in Him, and His glory will far exceed all that we could possibly imagine. Truly, “a greater than Solomon [and Jonah]” was on earth at that time, and is now here, by faith, for us.

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Luke 10:21).
We all like to be considered smart, and it is nice to have a good brain. In natural things our minds can do many things, such as solving math problems, inventing useful things, enabling us to write a good book, painting a good picture, or playing a musical instrument well. All these things are good and right in their place.
However, a good mind is not any special advantage in spiritual things, for intelligence in the things of God comes through the heart and the conscience, not through the mind. Yes, we need a mind in order to read the Bible and understand the words, but it is the Spirit of God that makes us understand the meaning of the words. The wisest people in this world cannot understand the Bible, or come to know God, without the Spirit of God helping them. But the simplest believers who come in faith can understand, because the Lord reveals it to them.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head” (Luke 9:58).
During the time of His earthly service, the Lord Jesus did not really have a home. Yes, it is clear from the Bible that he lived in Capernaum for some time, and perhaps at other times He may have rented a house, but much of the time He had nowhere to go and rest. When others went to their homes, He, the Creator of this world, often went to the Mount of Olives and spent the night there.
When some wanted to follow Him, He reminded them of this, showing that there was a price to be paid for following the One who was “despised and rejected of men.” All down through the ages, Christians who have wanted to follow the Lord Jesus have sometimes had to leave their homes and live without any certain place to spend the night. During the time called the Reformation, in the 16th century, those who were leaders often lived in small huts or cabins in the dense forest, where no one could find them. But it was worth it, for they were following in the steps of their Master.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth…might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).
“The word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:25).
When we trust the Lord, sometimes He tests our faith. He does this by allowing us to go through some serious problems, and perhaps we think that He is not listening to us, or caring about us. But all this is precious to the Lord, for He does care, and He knows all that is happening to us. We can safely trust Him, for as we read in our second verse, His Word endures forever.
An older brother used to remind us that “the Lord may TEST our faith, but He will never DISAPPOINT our faith.” This is true, and when we trust Him even when things are not going well, it pleases Him. When we get home to heaven, He will reward us for our faith in Him.
Sometimes gold is tested with fire, because there are people who make “fake gold.” But this fake gold will not stand up in the fire. However, real gold will withstand the hot fire, because it is real. It is the same with our faith. It endures even when things are not going well, because we know that the Lord will not fail us.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [living] hope…to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).
In this world, we sometimes have to make reservations for things like restaurants, hotels, plane flights, etc., and it is important to do this. But have you ever made a reservation and then, when you reached the place, found out that they did not have it? This has happened to me several times. I carefully reserved something, only to find out that someone had either lost it, or forgotten to mark it down. These things happen in this world, for people sometimes make mistakes.
In our verses today, we have an inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us. That does not mean that the inheritance is heaven, but rather that the reservation is up there. Do you think anything can go wrong with a reservation like that? No, for God never makes mistakes, or forgets to do something. That inheritance is for sure, and we will get it.
The inheritance is all created things, and the Lord Jesus is going to receive it, but then He will share it with us. We can look forward to this wonderful reservation!

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” (2 Peter 3:14-15).
While we are waiting for the Lord Jesus to come, there is a right attitude and a right way for us to live. We are to walk in peace, and to lead good, morally upright lives.
But we are to remember that if the Lord does not come right away, it’s because He wants more to be saved, as we had yesterday. Several years ago, at a Bible conference in another country, someone said, “We have been hearing about the Lord’s coming for a long time. Why doesn’t He come and take us home?”
I asked the audience, “How many here were saved in the last ten years?” About half of the hands went up. Then I asked, “How many here were saved in the past twenty years?” About three-quarters of the hands went up. Then I said, “I was waiting for the Lord to come more than twenty years ago. But if He had come then, most of you would have missed out on being saved! Aren’t you glad He waited for you?” They all agreed.
Again, let us be patient, as the Lord is, and be willing to wait for more to be saved.

Monday, October 9, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Behold, the husbandman [farmer] waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).
The Lord knows how bad this world is getting to be, and He is not indifferent to it. But He is waiting for the “precious fruit of the earth.” What is this? He is waiting for more people to be saved. He is like a farmer who plants his seeds, or has his fruit trees, and he anxiously looks for a good crop. He may have to wait a long time, until the proper rains come, and the fruit matures.
The gospel has been going out for nearly 2,000 years now, and millions have been saved. Yet the Lord is still waiting, for His house must be filled. How many will it take? We do not know, but if the Lord can have patience and wait, surely we can too. It will be worth it to see more people in heaven!

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his ear, and healed him” (Luke 22:51).
When the soldiers of the chief priests came to arrest the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword to defend Him. He ended up cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest. But the Lord Jesus was so gracious. He not only told Peter to stop, but He reached out and healed the man’s ear. The Lord Jesus knew He was going to the cross; it was His Father’s will. He wanted to show love and grace, even to one of the men who had come to arrest Him.
We do not hear anything more of this servant, but I am sure that he never forgot how the Lord healed his ear. There is a good lesson for all of us here. Let us seek to show kindness and love to others, even to those who may have wronged us. They need to experience the love and grace of God.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord…stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7-8).
As we see things going more and more wrong in this world, it is easy to get impatient and to want the Lord to do something about it. After all, how bad can things get before the Lord steps in and deals with them?
In the first few verses of this chapter (James 5), we have a description of how rich men sometimes cheat poor people out of their proper wages, and how they live in pleasure while others have very little. This is true in many parts of the world today, and it is a real cause for concern. I read yesterday that some families in one country in this world are having to sell one or more of their children, in order to get money to feed the rest of the family. We all feel how awful this is!
But you and I are not to try and set the world right. The Lord says, “That is My job, and I will look after it.” There is judgment coming upon this world, but the Lord is waiting patiently for something, and we should be patient too. We will see on Monday what the Lord is waiting for.

Friday, October 6, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
This verse goes along well with what we had before us yesterday. We may have plans of our own, but God has called us according to His purpose. What does this mean? If we read the next verse in the chapter (vs. 29), we find that God wants us to be “conformed to the image of His Son.” He wants us to be more and more like Christ, and He orders our lives for that purpose.
He may allow difficulties in our lives, and of course we sometimes cause problems for ourselves by wanting our own way. It is worth it to have the Lord direct our lives if we become more like Christ through it all. An older brother used to remind us that ‘the secret of a happy Christian pathway is to take your circumstances FROM the Lord, and your difficulties TO the Lord.” This is a good thing for all of us to remember.

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15).
We all like to make plans for the future, and perhaps we speak rather confidently of what we will do tomorrow, or next week, and even next year. If we always made those plans in perfect fellowship with the Lord, we could be confident that we would be able to do what we had planned. But the Word of God recognizes that sometimes we make our own plans, and they are not the Lord’s plans. That is why we should always say, “If the Lord will,” we will do this or that.
We notice that first of all, our verse says, “If the Lord will, we shall live.” We must recognize that we may not even be alive later today, or even one hour from now. The Lord could say to the wealthy farmer in Luke 12, “This night thy soul shall be required of thee.” But even if we are alive, the Lord may allow circumstances to come along that prevent our being able to carry out our plans. My wife and I planned a trip in early 2020, but then Covid-19 came along, and it had to be canceled. But what the Lord allows in our lives is always for our blessing, and we should not resent it if He changes our plans.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4).
This will be our last meditation on food, for now. But here we see that we are permitted to eat any creature, as long as we do so with thanksgiving. In the Old Testament certain animals were unclean, but now, under Christianity, we may eat any creature. In some parts of the world they eat things that we would not wish to eat. For example, I have seen short, fat, ugly worms for sale in the market in one country we visited, all wriggling around in a big jar. Many people bought them, took them home, cooked them, and ate them. We know from the Bible that John the Baptist ate locusts, which are like a big grasshopper.
Many years ago I knew a woman who enjoyed a good dinner at a friend’s home, but afterward, the hostess told her that the meat had been venison (deer meat). The woman was so upset that she went to the bathroom and vomited it all up. In North America we enjoy beef, but in some countries you would never be served beef; people do not eat it.
The Lord recognizes that different cultures are used to different diets, and this is quite all right, as long as it is received with thanksgiving. God has given it to us.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“In the latter times some shall depart from the faith…commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1, 3).
Here we find another scripture related to food. The expression “the latter times” refers to the time after the apostles had gone to be with the Lord, when Satan started to introduce error into the church. One of these errors was to insist that people should not eat certain foods, or should not eat them on certain days. Over the centuries many professing Christian groups have tried to make rules about food, telling people not to eat certain things. One large group used to say that no one should eat meat on Fridays, while another group says that Christians should not eat pork. Other rules were that people had to fast (stop eating) on certain days, and those who disobeyed were sometimes killed.
In our verse, the Apostle points out that all this is a “doctrine of devils” (demons), for God has given us food, and intends us to enjoy it. We do not need to be ashamed of enjoying good food, for it is a gift from God. But we should not be addicted to it, or be continually thinking about it. It is meant to nourish our bodies so that we can use them for the Lord.

Monday, October 2, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“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).
This verse goes along well with the one we had yesterday, for it reminds us that our bodies are not our own, but rather the Lord’s. Some years ago there was a demonstration of women in Canada who were upset at the way they were being treated, and one of them carried a placard that said, “Our bodies — our own!” She meant that women ought to be able to decide what happened in their bodies. But as Christians we are given bodies that we are to look after, because our bodies are now the place where the Holy Spirit lives. If a member of the Godhead lives in us, how careful we ought to be with our bodies!
This does not mean that we constantly worry about what we eat or drink, for we can spend too much time being concerned about our food, what vitamins we take, and so on. But we are told to eat and drink in moderation, and to use wisdom in the care of our bodies. Let us never forget that a Divine Guest — the Holy Spirit, is living in us.

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Copy linkPrint
“He saved others; Himself He cannot save” (Matthew 27:42).
The Lord Jesus had indeed saved many others, even raising some from the dead. He had clearly shown His power as the Son of God; there should not have been any doubt as to who He was. Yet when He was on the cross, the Jewish leaders said that He was not able to save Himself.
Could the Lord Jesus have come down from the cross? Surely He could have done this, but then how would you and I be saved? How would our sins be put away? He had to remain on the cross in order to suffer for sin, and complete the work His Father had given Him to do. It was not the nails that held Him there, but His love for us, and His obedience to His Father’s will.
Himself He could not save; He on the cross must die;
Or mercy cannot come to ruined sinners nigh.
Yes, Christ the Son of God must bleed
That sinners might from sin be freed.
← November 2023September 2023 →