Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
There are many good people in the world who want to live and let live, to be a help to their neighbors, they are morally upright, but they live with a serious problem: they are victims of an addiction. It may be the addiction of drugs; or the captivity of alcohol. In some cases (and these too are serious) they are addicted to food and their weight problem is out of control. All kinds of addictions assail us humans; we seek the solution to our problem.
Come January 1, these dear people believe that a New Year's resolution may help them; so they "resolve" in the next twelve months to rise above their addiction and conquer it. They promise themselves and often their family, "I'm going to lick this problem in this New Year!"
They are utterly sincere, and their hearts are right; they mean well and the Lord pities them. They just need to know the truth and to act on that truth, for Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). The truth is not the value of our own promises to do and to be good; our own promises are like "ropes of sand," they look good and our friends and loved ones hope that they will hold; but they don't.
The problem with making promises to God is that wonderful "I" that makes the promises. "Our beloved brother Paul" sees through the problem; he says that our "carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). The solution: stop relying on that "wonderful I" and begin relying on the Lord's promises.
Making promises to God is not the answer, because our promises are the "Old Covenant" that "genders to bondage," says Paul in Galatians 4:24. The New Covenant in contrast is believing God's promises to us.
A prayer to pray may go like this: "Father in heaven, thank You for giving me another New Year; thank You for loving me so much that you gave Your Son to me to be my Savior; yes, I do believe--but "help Thou mine unbelief." Those are the words of the distraught father in Mark 9:24 whose son was devil afflicted; Jesus had promised him "all things are possible to him that believeth."
The poor father set the stage for all of us: "Lord, I believe" he responded; but then immediately begged for forgiveness (as must we), for he added, "help Thou mine unbelief."
A New Year's resolution is not your solution; a New Year's choice and a New Year's prayer, is.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
A little thought demonstrates how reasonable is the idea of a "pre-advent judgment." Jesus says that the people who are privileged to be resurrected in glory when He returns of course will have been "accounted worthy" of that reward in a judgment beforehand (Luke 20:35). Otherwise, how could the angels know whom to call forth in the first resurrection ("blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection," Rev. 20:6), and whom to allow to sleep through until the dreadful second resurrection (vs. 5)?
Further, there will be two classes still living on earth when Jesus returns--those who are to be translated without tasting death, and those who will be unable to endure the sight of seeing Jesus come in glory. How will these two groups be distinguished unless there is a pre-advent judgment?
Jesus speaks of it in Luke 21:36: "Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy ... to stand before the Son of man." Those solemn words were spoken of today--this very day now dawning. The "accounting" is today's agenda.
Actually, no one can judge us against our will. This pre-advent judgment is determined by ourselves. God can never force anyone into heaven or hell against his or her own will. He gives us each a new 24-hour day that we may demonstrate to the world and to the universe exactly where we want to be. Your first conscious moments after waking indicate your free choice.
It's wisdom to remember what the Bible says--each day begins with "evening" (Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). Spend your last hour of each day in prayer and contemplation of heavenly reality; then your waking hour will also be "blessed and holy."
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 15, 2004.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Jesus opened before us an eternity of happiness when He told us that we are to pray to "Our Father which art in heaven," and when we pray, to close our "closet door" so we will be alone with Him in our prayer.
Usually, our favorite time to "close our closet door" and talk to Him is in the evening, after the day's hectic activities are over and it's time to go to bed. But we read in Psalm 121:3, 4: The Lord will not "let your foot stumble. … The Guardian of Israel never slumbers, never sleeps" (NEB). That means that all night long if you wake up, you can pray to "our Father which art in heaven." His Office is open, His "phone" is never off its hook!
He would love to hear from you! Even if the only tale you have to tell Him is of woe, of failure, of sin, of mistakes; your heavenly Father is in the business of hearing such tales. And not only hearing them over and over, but He does something about them: He heals your soul.
Right there at midnight, if that is the time you are awake and suffering from pangs of conscience, He wants to communicate with you. Don't think it's only a one-way "phone conversation" with Him; He is responding to you. He is deepening in your soul a conviction of sin; but not only that.
He also "convicts" of righteousness. Jesus explains that this is true because "I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more." He convicts you of how His character is different than yours, even though you cannot see Him in the flesh; this is always a ministry of hope.
Then, He convicts "of judgment, because the prince of this world [Satan] is judged," which means Satan is condemned in your life. Cast out. (John 16:8-11). Tell your "Father which art in heaven" a deep thanks! Wait before Him.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 23, 2008.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
There are many religions in the world. Only one claims relevance for the entire world and embodies a built-in compulsion for its proclamation to the world: "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). "This is indeed ... the Saviour of the world" (4:42). "The bread of God is He which ... giveth life unto the world"; "the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (6:33, 51). "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (there's the compulsion, Acts 4:12). "The gospel … is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles" (Rom. 1:16, GNB). "God our Saviour ... will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). He "is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe" (4:10). "He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). "The everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6).
Not all will be eternally saved, for many choose to disbelieve and reject. When this religion was announced by an angel, he proclaimed, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Jews and Arabs in the Middle East need to know about it; so do Republicans and Democrats; so do blacks and whites; Orientals and Westerners; rich and poor; young and old. Iraq and Afghanistan need to hear it. No other knowledge can successfully counteract the evil that threatens life and happiness on earth today.
The proclamation of this saving knowledge is entrusted to a remnant church in the last days (Rev. 14:12; 12:17). A repentance symbolized by a mighty angel will make possible its proclamation, says Revelation 18, and for a brief time the entire world will be "lightened with his glory" (vss. 1-4). But never do we read that the entire world will accept the message! The Titanic will sink; but "whoseover believeth shall not perish." That number who will believe may be more than we have realized.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 18, 1998.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Can little children understand the deep things of God? Can they appreciate the sacrifice of Christ on His cross? Can their little minds unravel the apparent discrepancy between law and grace? Can their hearts grasp something practical in understanding "the breadth, and length, and depth, and height: and to know the [agape] love of Christ"?
The general impression that seems to prevail is no, they are not ready for anything like that. It would be boring to them. Their level is Sesame Street, and after watching it six days in the week, they are bored if anything essentially different comes in Sabbath School and the worship service. In some churches there are separate worship services for children where the same Sesame Street level again is prevalent.
Many parents (and church boards) are content if the children in the congregation can develop a pleasant and "fun" social fellowship among themselves, expecting therefore the children will stay in the church when they get older; they won't want to abandon that social fellowship.
Children need spiritual food or they will die spiritually; and when children who have died spiritually reach their teen years, it's difficult to resurrect them. That spiritual food they need is what Jesus describes as "the true bread from heaven, ... He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world, ... that bread of life, ... that a person may eat thereof, and not die, ... the living bread which came down from heaven, .. My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." And "except" the boys and girls "eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, [they] have no life in [them]" (John 6:32-53).
A challenge to pastors, teachers, and parents? Step #1: take some time for prayer.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 10, 2002.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
When you think of Elijah the prophet, you think of a towering personality bossing King Ahab about like he was a child, standing alone before a huge crowd on Mt. Carmel as the prophet's prayer brings heaven's endorsement in fire flashing from heaven.
But wait a moment. Think also of his humiliation: his years of apparently unanswered prayers up in the mountains of Tish as he pleaded for Israel's repentance, all apparently in vain.
The Lord had given him an understanding of truth, but it brought him pain as he was forced to watch his beloved Israel sink ever deeper in the horrible morass of Baal-worship. It seems that a precious knowledge of God's truth always brings pain to God's servant who must watch his people turn from it.
Elijah spent no one knows how many years in such apparently fruitless prayer, denying himself also in fasting. Finally the Lord invited Elijah to share the "Revelation 3:21" experience: "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne …" Come, Elijah: you have the good of My Israel on your heart: what do you say we do for them, to save them from utter ruin?
As we study the story, it seems that the 3-1/2 years of drought was Elijah's idea (James 5:17, 18). This drastic step was the only way the nation could be awakened to reality. (Yes, Elijah agreed with what James says when he told King Ahab there would no rain until he himself, unworthy as he may have been, gave the order for heaven to send it (1 Kings 17:1, "but according to my word.")
As the weary 42 months dragged by and all vegetation gradually dried up, the lone but sorrowful prophet was forced to watch the people suffer and some children die; he himself survived only by a little water trickling through the Brook Cherith, and casseroles the ravens brought him--and when even that brook dried up, the Lord sent him to the widow of Zarephath in pagan Sidon (giving Jesus a magnificent story to tell the people of Nazareth, Luke 4:25, 26).
You too have sincere prayers lifted heavenward daily for the good of someone else: Elijah never stopped praying, but he also let the Lord show him what to do to bring about an answer to his prayers.
Yes, pray; but such prayer may not be enough. Ask the Lord to deepen your knowledge of His gospel: that special "everlasting" one of Revelation 14:6, 7, which is the only way the Holy Spirit can reach the heart of your beloved one you are praying for. Come sit with the Lord on His throne: it takes more than fasting and prayer--it takes study and understanding, to be at-one with Him.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 7, 2008.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
What can give young people an experience that will capture their heart-devotion to Christ? What can keep them faithful in today's seductive allurements even through the trials in the ultimate mark of the beast crisis? For sure, deception has never been more subtle and enticing than it is today.
"But where sin abound[s], grace [does] much more abound" (Rom. 5:20). One thoughtful writer has said, "God has enriched the world in these last days proportionately with the increase of ungodliness if His people will only lay hold of His priceless gift." What is that "priceless gift"? An increased "enrichment" of His grace that is greater than the "increased ungodliness" that thoughtful people deplore. Youth will not respond to increased fear-laden propaganda. Spouting hell-fire and brimstone may frighten them temporarily, but they will soon relapse into their usual spiritual complacency.
Only a message of "grace" gets enthroned in young people's hearts. Thank God, His Holy Spirit is working to "enrich the world" with a message of much more abounding grace that is more than complementary to the devil's abounding sin of today. Youth are bombarded with Christmas carols but few are encouraged to stop and think about what the angel said to the shepherds at Bethlehem: "Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people" (Luke 2:10, GNB).
Those parents, teachers and pastors who have a heart burden to help youth must ponder that message: fear is not the motivation that will work! The shepherds were "terribly afraid," says Luke; but the angel said, That fear is not what I want to awaken in your hearts; I want you to appreciate how good the Good News is which I bring you! Children and youth need massive injections of the "news" of that grace. And don't be afraid that "news" about "grace" will encourage sin; nothing else can motivate anyone to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts" (Titus 2:12).
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 20, 2000.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Have you ever noticed how many intimate details of the birth of Jesus that Luke tells? Neither Mark nor John say anything about His birth; yet Luke, a Gentile, gives us a clearer picture than even Matthew. Do you suppose in later years he sought out the Virgin Mary and interviewed her as a reporter would? Thank God she told it all to him! And could it be that Luke wants us Gentiles to feel welcomed into God's family?
(1) He alone tells the story of the birth of John the Baptist (1:5-25);
(2) and of Gabriel's announcement to Mary (vss. 26-37). Very intimate details.
(3) Luke alone tells of Mary's ready faith-response, and of that giant sword of Goliath yet to be thrust through her heart (vs. 38; 2:35). Let your heart be pained in sympathy for her!
(4) Luke alone tells of Mary's almost breathless journey up the hills to Elizabeth's home, so she could confide her gigantic secret with her closest friend (vss. 39-45).
(5) We thank Luke for sharing her exquisite poem of thanksgiving (vss. 46-55), that seems so like the heart-broken Hannah's psalm of gratitude (1 Sam. 2:1-10). Mary shared some special "humiliation" with Hannah that made them kindred spirits (cf. Luke 1:48; Greek, tapeinosis--compare that word in Acts 8:33). Luke discloses a very literate, sensitive, and polished lady of exceptional abilities.
(6) Only Luke provides us a fitting entrée to the thrilling story behind the birth of the world's Savior. A totally self-less man must prepare His way (Luke 1:57-80, John 3:29, 30; only a self-less people can prepare the way of His second coming; Rev. 14:1-5, 14, 15).
(7) Only Luke tells the beautiful story of the shepherds ready to welcome Him (2:1-18). It humbles our pride just to think of it.
The raucous din of the Season almost drowns out the precious story. Linger over it.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 22, 2002.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
How much does God love you, personally? Your happiness (here and forever) depends on how you believe it. None of us was born already believing; we all have had to learn how to believe; and for that we need the Good News in the Bible. Winning the lottery is not the way to learn that God loves you; everything of human happiness you've been given can take wings and fly away.
You may say that "God so loving the world that He gave His only begotten Son" sounds too far away--2000 years ago. But the Bible reveals His ongoing love for you. For example:
(1) Your Savior takes you by the arm to lead you "in the paths of righteousness." He actually takes you by your hand and says, Come, let's go to happiness! He loves you like a father loves a little son who is just learning to walk. Read it in Hosea 11:3, 4: "I taught Ephraim [My people] also to go, taking them by their arms; … I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love." No, He doesn't force you; but He does everything possible short of it. If you don't refuse, He will be to you the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23.
(2) Isaiah says that He actually takes you by the hand to lead you to heaven: "I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee" (41:10, 13).
(3) If you make a mistake and take a wrong path in your blindness or foolishness, He does not forsake you. He will do for you what He did for Saul of Tarsus who was hell-bent on taking the wrong path. The Lord put obstacles in his path to make the wrong way seem like kicking against the goads (see Acts 26:14). Yes, the Lord made it "hard" for Saul to be lost! Isn't that personal love?
(4) And the Savior continually reminds you that He has made His "yoke .. easy, and [His] burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).
You believe it, or you dis-believe it; but if you are having trouble believing it, He "helps [your] unbelief" if you will let Him (Mark 9:24). In fact, ask Him to; you can never perish if you pray that prayer.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 20, 2002.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
What role will God play in the final judgment? And in human day-by-day life? Someone is injured or dies in an accident: did God ordain that tragedy? Someone gets cancer: did God give it to him/her? Does God act in the final judgment like a judge in a traffic court--His decision is the final word? The usual answer implies that yes, God is the Big Boss. He has the power; if you're smart, you'll knuckle under; He is the Judge in the grand Traffic Court. Don't ask questions.
But there are some things that Jesus said that appear to give a different idea. Rather emphatically He said, "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, ... because He is the Son of man" (John 5:22, 27). You catch your breath when you realize what He said: we are all going to be judged by a human being! (Christ's divinity in no way negates the fact that He is also human, and will remain so for all eternity.) In other words, the judge and the jury are our peers! This is at last "court" where not only does justice bear sway, but mercy also.
Then Jesus threw another bomb into our theology when He said, "If any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world" (12:47). That seems to indicate that the familiar evangelistic appeal is flawed: "Today Jesus is your Savior, your Defense Lawyer; if you don't get baptized, tomorrow He will be your Prosecuting Attorney and your Judge!"
Jesus makes plain how that is backwards: if you believe in Him, only then will He be your judge, and He will vindicate you! But if you believe not, He will refuse to judge [condemn] you: your judgment [condemnation] will be entirely a do-it-yourself process (vs. 48). In the end, even Satan will bow and confess the justice of his own self-condemnation (Rev. 5:11-14). Truth will help you with your day-to-day problems. Not force but love pleads, "Be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:14, 20).
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 26, 2000.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Imagine the joy you would feel if you were saved from death either by drowning, or illness, or an accident; you are ever after elated. Can you even begin to imagine the infinitely greater joy you would feel if you could realize you have been saved from what the Bible calls "the second death"?
When old Simeon "blessed" Mary the mother of Baby Jesus in the Temple, he told her that "a sword shall pierce through thy own soul" (Luke 2:34, 35). The word he used was the Greek one for Goliath's enormous sword, thus describing the pain that she would know at the crucifixion of her Son. Probably no other human has felt quite the extent of that pain: she knew that His conception and birth were that of a virgin; she knew the angel had announced it all to her; she knew His righteous, loving character as no one else could know; and yet now He is stripped naked, crucified like a common criminal before her eyes. Greater than her concern for her own salvation was the anxiety she felt for the world and the very universe of God--is the plan of salvation a failure? Is the great controversy lost? How she agonized! Has any other human been so stricken with any "sword" that pierces the "soul"?
She must have been in such pain through the long weekend Jesus lay in His tomb. Now imagine her soul-bursting joy when He is risen! That is the same joy God wants us to know. But we must not remain infants spiritually: we must grow up "unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13), so our heart can be stretched outsize enough to savor what has happened, to appreciate what He has done for us.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 27, 2005.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
More than 120 years ago the Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to the leadership of my church. It became known as "the message of Christ's righteousness."
Note: it was not the "message of Christ's holiness." There is a vast different between "righteousness" and "holiness."
The Lord Jesus Christ was "holy" at His birth (cf. Luke 1:35); but He was "righteous" at His death (cf. Rom. 5:18). The glorious "plan of salvation" stretches between the "holiness" of Jesus at His birth and the "righteousness" of Jesus at His death on His cross.
For example, we read of the "holy angels," but we never read of the "righteous" good angels who did not fall with Lucifer; they are always "the holy angels."
The difference is spelled out clearly in Romans 8:3, 4, describing what happened in between Christ's holy birth and His righteousness at His death on the cross: "God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
From His holiness at His birth, the Lord Jesus "took" upon His sinless nature (which He had brought from heaven) our fallen, sinful nature and "condemned sin" in that fallen, sinful nature; that's how "holiness" was transformed into "righteousness."
No angel ever performed that feat, because no angel ever took "sinful flesh" to contend with, as we must do and as Christ "took" upon Himself. The vaults of heaven rang with the praise of Jesus Christ who accomplished that mighty deed; He proved that One can take our fallen, sinful nature or flesh, live in it, and yet "overcome" sin, defeat it, condemn it, in that same fallen, sinful nature (cf. Rev. 3:21). Satan, the great Enemy of God's universe, has been defeated forever!
Jesus Christ is an Evangelist: He wins souls. He is winning "144,000" who will "overcome" as He overcame. These people "follow the Lamb [the crucified Christ] wherever He goes" (14:1-5). You and I are invited; let's do something that wasn't done 120 years ago--let's wholeheartedly receive the most precious message.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 22, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
When I was a boy, grocery wagons came to our door. My mother used to enjoy patronizing them. But they don't come any more. Now we must go to the market, and the grocer stays there until we take the initiative to go to where he is.
Fine. No problem. But let me ask a question: Is Jesus like the old-fashioned grocery wagons coming to your door, or is He waiting in His "shop" for you to come to Him?
He tells us that He is sending the Holy Spirit to us (John 16:7). Further, He says that means, "I will come to you" (14:18). The Holy Spirit is His presence able to be everywhere; to reject the Holy Spirit is to reject Christ. His first work is to convict us of sin (16:8), not to torment us or annoy us, but to show He loves us because to cherish sin is to "love death" (Prov. 8:36). We are closer to Christ today through the work of the Holy Spirit than the disciples were to Him over 2000 years ago.
Did you know that the Holy Spirit is God's divine alarm clock that wakes us up to remind us "it's time for breakfast"--time to receive some spiritual nourishment, some "bread of life"? We need it to energize us spiritually for another day, just as your body needs some temporal food in order to live, work, and go to school. Yes, this is Good News!
There are two texts in the Bible that make this plain: (1) Isaiah 50:4: "The Master, GOD, has given me a well-taught tongue, so I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, ... opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders. ... and I didn't go back to sleep, didn't pull the covers back over my head. I followed orders" (The Message, Peterson). (2) Jesus goes door to door knocking, hoping someone will "hear My voice, and open the door" (Rev. 3:20). All this is "much more abounding grace." Don't receive it in vain (Rom. 5:20; 2 Cor. 6:1). One suggestion: get to bed early enough at night so you can "hear" Him in the morning!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 12, 2001.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
I bristle when I hear someone say (in all good intention), "Everybody has to die someday," when the Bible says precisely the opposite: "Listen, … we shall not all die" (1 Cor. 15:51, GNB; it's a good translation; our KJV says, "We shall not all sleep").
The inspired apostle Paul wants to make doubly sure we don't misunderstand: "I do not want you to be ignorant ... concerning those who have fallen asleep." He goes on to explain that there will be a generation of people who "are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:13-15).
They will have no advantage over those who died and who come up in the "first resurrection" at the call of Christ at His second coming, for "we [who remain alive on earth at that time] will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first" (vss. 15, 16).
Then comes what he calls "the blessed hope." The two parties will have no advantage over each other: "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (vs. 17).
"The blessed hope" is explained elsewhere: "The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, ... while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13, NIV).
In other words, we are not to look forward to death, but to meet the Lord at His second coming. This has always been "the blessed hope" cherished by the pioneers of faith in the second coming of Christ.
And Paul can't talk about "the blessed hope" without remembering in the same breath what He endured for us on His cross: "Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good" (vs. 14)
This precisely is the work that Jesus as our "great High Priest" is now performing in His solemn cleansing of the sanctuary. Do we understand every minute detail perfectly? No, but our hearts tremble with excitement to contemplate it.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 10, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Millions of people around the world are longing for the second coming of Christ. They realize that this world is like the Titanic facing an iceberg. "Lord, save us!" is the cry of many.
But few realize what must happen before Christ can return. Jesus' words in Matthew 24:14 remind us that God is fair and merciful; it would not be just for Jesus to return until all have had the privilege of hearing the gospel message that alone can prepare them for His coming: "This gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." And Revelation 14:6-12 tells of three angels who proclaim the "everlasting gospel" to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people," symbolizing the work of the church to whom Christ has entrusted the mission of proclaiming the Good News of His salvation.
Revelation 18 describes the work of "another angel," a fourth, who joins the three "with great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory." Then will come the final warning, the final proclamation of the gospel that will make possible a final judgment, so that Jesus can return. But before the church can be empowered to proclaim such a message, there must come the blessing of the latter rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit ("and when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin," John 16:8). He will give the final gift of repentance.
But as it was when Christ was born in Bethlehem, few are concerned about the coming (or the delay!) of the latter rain. But there are some like the aged Simeon, to whom "it was revealed … that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:26). And there was old Anna who "looked for redemption" and was concerned for it more than for worldly wealth and pleasure (vss. 37, 38). These two recognized in the Baby in Mary's arms the long-awaited Savior of the world!
Are you and I concerned for the promised gift of the latter rain? The few who are so concerned will, like Simeon and Anna, recognize the gift! There could be no disaster worse than sleeping through that blessing.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 24, 1998.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
For untold generations, malaria wreaked its havoc until finally some scientist discovered that it was caused by the bite of an anopheles mosquito. Then, some relief was found.
For many generations, a mysterious spiritual disease has afflicted the Christian church. It's known as "lukewarmness" (see Rev. 3:14-21). Church leaders have wrestled with the problem. It has often been assumed that putting church members "to work" solves it. But the relief has always been temporary. Huge baptisms or accessions in Third World cultures have been assumed to be free from this First World "Christian" disease. But when economic "rich and increased with goods" improvement comes, the same spiritual disease permeates the huge Third World congregations. It's endemic. What message can fortify "believers" from this alluring materialism?
Meanwhile we are tantalized by the biblical assurance that "the gospel of Christ … is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16), not the progenitor of lukewarmness. Where is the "mosquito" that causes this disease? Could the deceptive Old Covenant be the problem?
Here's where sacred history comes on-stage. Throughout ancient Israel's centuries, Baal worship kept infiltrating generations of God's true people. Only occasional brief revivals under kings like Hezekiah or Josiah brought temporary relief. The source of the problem? Always, the Old Covenant thinking their fathers embraced at Mt. Sinai and bequeathed to their children.
God's plan was that His New Covenant promise to Abraham be embraced so that the ten commandments could be seen as ten promises of deliverance from spiritual lukewarmness. Much more abounding grace, through faith, would "work." But Israel embraced their own promises to obey. Result: their Old Testament history. The lukewarmness of today is the equivalent to Baal worship of long ago. Subtle. But there is a remedy.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 21, 2002.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Is it possible that our Enemy, Satan, could be pulling a fast one on us while we are asleep as Christians?
Just as Jeremiah's detractors begged him with the request, "Is there any word from the Lord?" so we would love to get some direct e-mail message from Christ, some fresh, up-to-the-minute "bulletin" from Heaven's media office.
Well, we have it in Luke 21--a message as appropriate now as any could be in this cosmic Day of Atonement: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting [on gourmet food], and drunkenness [literal or on video games], and cares of this life [making payments on the boat or SUV], and so that day [of last opportunity to save our souls] come upon you unawares" (vs. 34).
It is phenomenal how in a time of world terror never so pervasive, our temptations to indulge in a Vanity Fair life are so insistent. The more distressing the news of widespread human misery, the more alluring are the solicitations that appeal to our native-born covetousness. Not only big cities like New York and London have their giant temple-like retail stores, but the "big box" stores like Wal-Mart have come even to our small towns. The malls are our new cathedrals of architectural grandeur and heart-worship. Whether we have Republicans or Democrats to thank, we have money to spend and time to spend window-shopping.
We have metamorphosed into that "certain rich man" whose "ground brought forth plentifully" so that he had to build a "greater barn [to] bestow all .. his goods" (12:16-18). One of America's big businesses now is these huge storage places where all the "stuff" you can't crowd into your garage, you "bestow all [your] goods" there. And we say to ourselves, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry" (vs. 19). That's where we are, and that's who we are.
But wait a moment: we're living in the final period of Christ's ministry in the Most Holy part of the heavenly sanctuary; all heaven is concerned that a people, a corporate body of saints, be prepared for the close of probation; yet never in 6000 years of human history has "the ground of a certain rich man [you and I] brought forth [so] plentifully." Is there a certain clever master intelligence behind this phenomenon? Maybe you can find some missionary work to do in the grand architecture of the mall; but if not, that's no place to spend hours worshipping. Not since Christ began the last phase of His heavenly ministry.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 9, 2004.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
When the Lord says something, He means it; when He promises to "send" us "Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord," He intends to do it, and He will.
But wait a moment: He sent the blessing of Elijah the first time, but the leadership of Israel excited the people against him so that Satan succeeded in shutting away from the people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them in Elijah's ministry.
As is well known, it was God's design that Israel be a light to the world of that day, and God had sent Elijah as His agent to help Israel communicate it, but the light that was to lighten the whole earth of that day was resisted by the leadership of Israel, and was in a great degree kept away from the world.
If Satan succeeded through Ahab and Jezebel then in neutralizing Elijah's message and ministry in a great degree during the time of the terrible famine ("three years and six months," James 5:17), we can expect that the same enemy of Christ will do his best to neutralize the work of that "Elijah" whom the Lord will send today.
But those who believe the most precious message that the Lord will send through "Elijah" now must not despair even though Satan seeks everywhere to "kill Elijah" again. The prophecy of Malachi must meet fulfillment. Some human agent or agents will respond to the Holy Spirit as Elijah once did; self will be crucified with Christ. "Elijah" will again be willing to be a fool for Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 11:16, 23). He will honor the Lord as the prophet did long ago.
The new "Elijah" will have his "Brook Cherith" to hide by; he will have ravens to feed him, perhaps from "Ahab's" gourmet table; the Lord will provide a "widow of Zarephath" to sustain him in abject poverty until Mt. Carmel comes.
Let's be ready to stand with him boldly when he again challenges Israel at the new Mt. Carmel. It will be too late this time to stay with the silent 7000 in the crisis (1 Kings 18:21; 19:18), afraid to step out of the closet publicly.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 4, 2006.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The best Good News you will ever hear comes from the lips of Jesus when He says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). In the Greek Old Testament used in the days of Christ (LXX), that word "rest" is used continually to describe what one gets in keeping the Sabbath. Why is this true? Because His presence is in the Sabbath. At a time when Moses was worried sick, afraid to face each new day with its problems, the Lord promised him, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest" (Ex. 33:14).
When we keep the Sabbath holy, when we cherish that precious gift He gave us from the Garden of Eden, as each Sabbath steals upon us with the setting of the sun Friday evening, we enter anew into the presence of Jesus. On that day He meets with us in a special way. Oh yes, He is with us every day, but He is with us in the program of work. He says, "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work" (Ex. 20:9). So, at the market place, in the shop, the factory, the office, wherever, as we go about our toil on the "six working days" (Ezek. 46:1) the Lord is with us in a working capacity. He Himself was a carpenter, a mechanic.
So we work with Him side by side these six working days. Wonderful! But on the Sabbath, Jesus lays down His tools, closes His carpenter shop, and goes to the house of God with other people who also "come" in response to His invitation, and we rest "with Him." He teaches us; He comforts us; He encourages us; each new Sabbath day we "learn of Him," for He says, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me" (Matt. 11:29). We learn more and more about who He is, what it cost Him to save us, why He had to die on a cross. And our souls are knit with His soul, we become one with Him, His joy fills our hearts. And then comes verse 30: "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
Oh, the joy of keeping holy the Sabbath day of rest--not merely physical rest (good as that is!), but the rest of soul, a day of heaven upon the earth. That wonderful word "rest" means rest from self, rest from anxiety. It's what the Bible speaks of as "justification by faith." I don't want to miss this precious gift!
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 31, 1998.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The Lord has promised to "send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Who is the "you"? The entire human race corporately? The entire church corporately? The answer may be yes. But each of us as individuals can latch on to the promise and ask the Lord to send Elijah to us personally--if we will welcome him. Yes, the Lord is serious; He has promised. How would you like to have a personal visit with the man who confronted King Ahab and all Israel? He will tell the truth if you are prepared to hear it. But remember: there is no truth except in love (agape; Eph. 4:15). Elijah is a man of true love. He is not unkind, harsh.
What will Elijah's work be? "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Mal. 4:6). It will be "heart work"! Melting human hearts; reconciling alienated hearts; restoring the ministry of love; as hearts forgive one another in love, some tears will come; hearts that have been dead will be quickened (an old fashioned word that means made alive again); communication between estranged hearts will be opened again; forgiveness will be given one to another; cold relationships will become warm; Elijah's coming will be Ephesians 4:31, 32 redivivus: "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you."
Elijah will come, that's for sure, because the Lord promised to send him. He will be sent to this generation "if [we] will receive it" (see Matt. 11:14); if not, then he must await a future generation. But for sure the Lord doesn't want to send Elijah if he will have to take refuge again outside of "Israel" at some Brook Cherith or at some widow woman's house in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9).
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 4, 2005.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Jesus has never forgotten that He identified Himself with humanity. If there is war, according to Isaiah 63:9, in all the "affliction" multitudes will suffer, and Jesus will "identify." "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them."
How does Jesus look upon this world with terrorism looming in our shadows? How does He look upon those who believe in Him scattered in "every nation, kindred, tongue, and people"? Or upon those who don't yet know how to believe in Him?
Well, "the angel of His presence [will] save them." He doesn't promise fat salaries to make payments on the new SUV, but He does promise, "Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isa 33:16). Likewise, when the world was crumbling around him, God promised the faithful Baruch, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest" (Jer. 45:5). Slim pickings? Yes, but something to be profoundly thankful for if we can humble ourselves to understand the truth as it is today.
When He was with us in the flesh, Jesus said, "The Son of man hath not where to lay His head." If we will "see" what the New Testament apostles sensed, we will "identify" with Him today. Share His concern for human suffering. Never eat a meal without a prayer for those who are hungry. Be thankful for a warm bath, a drink of clean water. Most of all, fulfill His anointing "to bring good news [the Gospel!] to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to announce release to captives" (Isa. 61:1, GNB). Yes, go "about doing good, and healing all who [are] oppressed of the devil" (Acts 10:38). Whatever comes, God grant us to think and feel as Jesus does, to be one with Him, to cooperate, to identify.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 27, 2002.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
There are honest-hearted people scattered in all cultures and kinds of religious faith who will gladly open their hearts to Jesus when they hear His message clearly. He says, "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd" (John 10:16).
That's the grand final ingathering of souls that Revelation 18:1-4 speaks of--when a message lightens the earth with glory, and God's people now in "Babylon" hear the Voice from heaven that says with authority, "Come out of her, My people." That Voice has been nearly silenced through a period of three centuries, but "the Scripture cannot be broken" and God's word must be fulfilled (John 10:35). The Voice will yet be heard. Isaiah describes the Loud Cry ingathering: "'Lift up your eyes, look around and see; all these gather together and come to you. As I live,' says the LORD, 'you shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament. ...'" (Isa. 49:18, NJKV).
Jesus pleads with His Father that these "other sheep" become one, that is, united (John 17:21). Now they are scattered; some keep the seventh day, many keep the first; what will bring them into "one"?
It will be the cross on which the Lord was crucified; they will understand in unison what He accomplished. Today, they are divided in that vision: some see that the cross was meant only to make an offer to the world, that Christ's sacrifice does us no good unless and until we decide to believe and receive the offer.
Others believe that all the good we have ever known is the purchase of that sacrifice; that it proclaims that Jesus became our "last Adam," reversed the judicial condemnation that the first Adam put on the human race, and by virtue of His sacrifice Christ pronounced on "all men" a "judicial ... verdict of acquittal" (Rom. 5:16, REB); that He "tasted death for every man" (Heb. 2:9); that He earned the title "Savior of the world" (John 4:42); that He gave Himself to "every man" and will save every soul who will let Him do so and will stop resisting Him.
As time goes on, the Holy Spirit will deepen convictions of truth in people's hearts; and truth always unites--it never divides honest people.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 1, 2007.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
"God so loved ... that He gave ..." (John 3:16). You know what it says .. His only Son, that we might not "perish"--we fear it all our lives from cradle to grave, to be water spilled on the desert, forgotten forever. Our part is to "believe in Him."
But is it easier for some to believe than for others? If so, it's not fair. Some of us sail through life with first-class tickets, bubbling with spontaneous good cheer; life is a constant picnic. For them it seems easy to "believe."
Others find it an uphill endeavor to "believe." The Bible describes both camps, first class and tourist: "All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast" (Prov. 15:15). And Solomon seems to leave us there, too busy to sympathize with those of us who seem to slip into the category of "the afflicted." He just congratulates those "of a merry heart."
What makes the difference between the "picnickers" and the "afflicted"? Will power? It will fail you at last. Fate? No; trust the astrologers with their Zodiac and you have "affliction" forever. Genetics, DNA? Do mom or dad program you for one or the other? You get no help blaming or praising them.
Then, did God "program" you one way or the other--to the endless picnic or the endless heartache? If so, He's not fair--and to think that way is the very opposite of "believing" John 3:16. The answer is: God as your Father cares both for the apparent "picnickers" (they can fall into the dumpster overnight, just let cancer strike) and "the afflicted" (who share pain with His Son, and whom He especially appreciates). The Father reveals Himself in His Son who was and is in the camp of "the afflicted."
The only "hard" part of being "saved" is learning to "believe" how good the Good News is--and He is a Master at teaching you how: "Learn of Me," He says; "Come." Be a pupil in His class; stay there--yes, in His kindergarten. Keep praying, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief," and you can never "perish," never (Matt. 11:28-30; Mark 9:24).
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 30, 2001.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Do you ever lie awake at night, unable to sleep? If so, use that time as an opportunity to pray. The Bible says that God "visits us in the night" (Psalm 17:3). Your best Friend! So, have a meeting with Him. "In the night His song shall be with" you (42:8). In the hours of darkness is a good time to "call to remembrance" the history of His many kindnesses to you (see 77:6). As a youth, Jesus says, "I have remembered Thy name, O Lord, in the night" (119:55). It's a time of joyous communion, for "even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee: but the night shineth as the day: ... Marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (139:11, 12, 14). "Commune with your own heart upon your bed" (4:4).
If you're awake at night and you can't sleep, it's also an excellent time to confess your mistakes and selfishness to the Lord; after his sin with Bathsheba, David could not sleep. "Day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: ... I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." Then David goes on to say that this is the way to peace of heart for all of us (32:4, 5, 6).
It's always in mercy that the Lord "visits" us at night; He doesn't want to hurt us; He wants only to save us from ourselves. Let the tears of contrition come, if the Holy Spirit touches your heart. On one occasion David said, "Day and night I cry, and tears are my only food" (42:3, GNB). A visit with your Savior thus at night will turn into joy on the morrow. "His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (30:5).
Empty, thoughtless smiles are superficial "Christian experience," and you are soon floundering in a sea of trouble over your head. But these tears of repentance in your "visits" with the Lord at night become a solid foundation of lasting peace of heart. Then no one and nothing can faze you in any "daytime."
This tidbit hors d'oeuvre of spiritual nourishment has been a little chat with David, not with me; I am nobody. It's Good News: learn not to waste your nights! "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (126:5). You can have a genuine "Christian experience."
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 7, 1999.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Dear Mrs. ______________ :
You write that you got up early yesterday morning to spend some "quality time" with the Lord--prayer and Bible study so as to maintain your "relationship" with Him. But then you couldn't help noticing how disheveled the house was and how messy the kitchen, so you felt you had to straighten things up, and voila! the "quality time" was gone and the burdens of the day were upon you again. "So am I losing out with God?"
Let's "walk softly" here, like repentant Ahab. There are times when a wise doctor keeps a patient in a coma on intravenous feeding; but normally a healthy person eats because he's hungry, not because of stern cold duty. Your problem may not be that your 24-hour day is too short (that would be God's fault). Probably good sincere people have pounded into you a wrong idea of God (maybe even from the pulpit). God is not waiting for you to maintain a relationship with Him; He wants you to know He is maintaining a relationship with you. It all begins with His initiative, not yours. He wants you saved more than you want to be.
When Jesus came, He changed our ideas about His Father. The Good Shepherd is not waiting for His lost sheep to find Him; He is seeking the sheep (Luke 15:3-32). The text about "seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6) needs a clearer translation. The Hebrew verb there for "seek" is not the common one, looking for a lost object; it means "pay attention to Me because I am near! I'm not far away, ever!"
This idea of working hard to maintain our relationship with the Lord is a subtle Old Covenant idea that has crept in. When you begin to grasp His seeking love, His cross, you will "hunger and thirst" for His "truth of the gospel." It will expel your love for amusement; it will heal you of your Bible boredom. But we "walk softly": if you are in a spiritual coma, yes, force yourself to read your Bible and pray. But please ... believe the New Covenant.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 25, 2010.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to: dailybread@1888message.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
