Daily Bread: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Light Is Stronger Than Darkness

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Modern inventions are truly marvelous. I can't imagine how computers work, or TVs, or a multitude of other electronic marvels. Even electricity--I don't know what it is and I doubt anybody really knows. That fundamental electric invention of Thomas Edison, the common light bulb, is a blessing to humanity everywhere.

There are also bad inventions, things that degrade and poison and kill. But there is one invention that I am glad no one has ever been able to invent--and that is a light bulb in reverse, a device that would snuff out the light.

In the gospel of John, chapter 1, we read: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (vss. 1-5).

The Word, capital W, is a name for Christ, the Son of God, who has been with the Father ever since the beginning, John says. And His life is the source of our life, and this life has brought light to mankind. What makes me happy is the statement that says, that the darkness has never been able to put out the light. And darkness never will be able to put out light, but light always puts out darkness. Thank God!

What this means is that light is stronger than darkness. Come into a room some midnight that is totally dark, and light one little candle, and the darkness will flee. That means of course that Satan and all his hosts of evil angels will flee at the very mention (in faith and reverence) of the name of Jesus.

Something else that is Good News is that love is stronger than hatred. Do you have to meet up with hatred in your home, your office, your business, among the neighbors? Love is stronger--believe it! And some more Good News--grace is stronger than sin. Stronger than all the allurements to sin that Satan and his devils in hell can invent. You need not be a captive to sin--except for your unbelief.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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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.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Have You Ever Been in Debt?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever been in debt? Signed a promissory note that came due and you couldn’t pay it? Day and night the burden rested on you, and you couldn’t rest.

A financial debt hanging over your head is bad enough, but there is another kind of debt that is even heavier to bear--and that is a moral debt. When David committed adultery and murdered Bathsheba’s husband, there was an awful load lying on his heart. He says in Psalm 32:4, 5, “Day and night Your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledge my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden.” Such guilt can take all the joy out of life; it can even kill.

In Colossians 2, Paul rejoices in the Good News of a debt paid, but more is involved than someone else paying it. Paul’s big idea is that we actually share in what Christ did, not that we contribute anything. We don’t contribute even 1 percent; but we identify with Christ in what He did to set us free. Let’s read the passage:

“You, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it our of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (vss. 13, 14).

Your debt is paid; your are free. But that doesn’t mean that you want to go in debt again. You share in the victory by identifying with Christ, and that means you appreciate what it cost Him to set you free. Forever afterward, as you walk in freedom you also walk in humble obedience.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Is It Wrong to Be "Fearful"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Perfect love, which is agape in the New Testament, works a miracle in every human heart where it finds residence--it casts out anxiety and fear. This is stated in 1 John 4:17, 18: "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

That statement is like a block of dynamite, yes, like a nuclear bomb. It blows all kinds of dust and cobwebs and confusion out of our minds. If you and I will let that special kind of love get into our hearts, the fear and anxiety that have shadowed us all our lives will be driven out.

Jesus is an example of no fear. You remember when His disciples were trying to keep their boat afloat in the Sea of Galilee the night the terrible storm swept waves over them and threatened to drown them all? They were actually terrified, for they cried out, Lord save us, we perish (Mark 4:38). Jesus was calm, unafraid. We read that "He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" (vss. 39, 40). Wow! When you are facing death as you are about to be drowned, is it wrong to be "fearful"? Jesus told them, Yes. Why? Well, the reason is that He was on board with them. And it is a sin to be afraid when you have Jesus on board.

Do you have Jesus on board in your little ship--your life? He won't force Himself on board, but if you invite Him, He will join you. Even if you are sinful, and unworthy, He tells us He came to save sinners, not the righteous. Have confidence in Him. Learn the lesson. Let the fear go!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Your Heart Can Sing for Joy

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As you go about your work and your life today, can you sing for joy? Or are you worried about your standing with God, fearful of the judgment, perplexed as to what God thinks about you?

If you trust your feelings, your emotions, you will be up and down, you can be discouraged. Your emotions are like a foundation of sinking sand. You need a foundation of solid rock. That foundation is the cross of Christ.

God did not say, “I will so love the world that I will give my only begotten Son IF, IF, IF … they do everything just right. The Bible does say, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son …” He already loved, He already gave His Son for you, for the world is you. (That is John 3:16, by the way). You are the one God loved and gave Christ to save. He has already redeemed you; He has already adopted you into His family. The Holy Spirit has already been given to you to convict you of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, because Satan has been defeated.

Yes, your heart can sing for joy! You have been elected to eternal life, and God is your Friend, your heavenly Father, your Savior. But does that mean that you and I can now live a life of disobedience to God’s law? No, of course not; but it does mean that this faith will work by love and will produce in our lives total obedience to God’s law. The Holy Spirit will convict you, will prompt you, will guide you today. Listen to Him, and let Him hold you by the hand.

The Good News is that God cares about you personally today. Tell Him, thank You!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.

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
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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.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Modern Baal Worship

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The last two verses of the Old Testament give us the wonderful Good News that the Lord will send us "Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5, 6). Elijah's specialty mission had been to confront the apostasy of Baal worship. This fact that Elijah is to return during the last days raises a reasonable question: could it be that the reason for the Lord sending him back is that the ancient worship of Baal is again current among us?

The merest suggestion that we have a problem with Baal worship creates abhorrence: "Impossible! We may be worldly and backsliding, but we're not that bad!" Then why does the Lord say that we need Elijah to come back? On quiet reflection we begin to realize that something is wrong with our spiritual devotion. Could it be "Baal worship," and what is it? It was prevalent in Elijah's day, but Jeremiah wrote a book (Elijah didn't!) describing what it was. Some points of identity emerge:

(1) It was an unconscious apostasy in ancient Israel which crept upon the nation surreptitiously (see Jer. 2:23, 25; 16:10, 11; 11:13, 18, where the people deny its existence).

(2) It was combined with the worship of the true Lord and God in His Temple in Jerusalem, so it was difficult for anyone to tell where one began and the other ended. It was all woven together (7:9, 10, 30).

(3) The religious leaders at the headquarters of the nation aided and abetted this process of amalgamation (23:11, 13, 15, 26, 27).

(4) Elijah and Jeremiah themselves would not have been able to discern the subtle presence of the apostasy had they not been enlightened by the gift of prophecy (1 Kings 17:1, Elijah cited "the Lord God of Israel" as his authority; Jer. 11:18).

Modern Baal worship is serious: it is the worship of self disguised as the worship of Christ. Therefore religious leaders are terribly prone to it, for they are often flattered by the people. God, save us!

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 10, 2004.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

A New Covenant Story

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It's been a sublime truth only dimly comprehended and kept in the background for millennia: the divine Son of God loves the corporate body of "Israel" as one man loves one woman. It surfaces in the Bible occasionally.

There is Ezekiel 16 that details Israel's "life" from abandonment as a baby at birth to Christ's adoption of "her" and His loving upbringing of her; then the paternal love metamorphoses into conjugal love as she becomes a stunningly beautiful woman. All the centuries of Israel's existence from Jacob to Ezekiel are the life span of one woman personified. Her infidelity is powerfully portrayed.

Then there is Hosea: the poor man is captive to the love he has for this lady Gomer. (She must have been somebody to attract all those men and still keep the love of Hosea!) He can't help himself--that's the nature of the love that "is as powerful as death ... Water cannot put it out, no flood can drown it" (Song of Solomon 8:6, 7). The prophet is driven back to that one woman in spite of her repeated addiction for infidelity. At last her heart of hearts is won for him and her conjugal love becomes also the holy "reverence" for a husband that Paul describes in Ephesians (5:33) that a manly husband unwittingly inspires. The tragic sounding plot ends in the major key.

And Jesus also cannot help Himself: He loves His bride-to-be. He must describe His second coming as a Bridegroom coming to a wedding (Matt. 25:1-13).

Finally, at the end of the last book of the Bible, the Revelator describes the climax of the cosmic Day of Atonement as a love alienation finally resolved. The very dilatory bride is conscience-driven to "make herself ready" to recompense the faithful love of her long-disappointed Bridegroom (19:7, 8).

It's a New Covenant story; now it's time for us to be concerned that our Savior receive His reward. That's what's back of the Day of Atonement.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 11, 2006.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Whom Do We Truly Worship?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It was the greatest love affair that has ever been on this earth: a man had met the woman of his dreams. His loneliness had been the most painful ever felt on earth, his life a profound emptiness until he came face to face with her--then suddenly his life was thrilled with meaning. She was the perfect fulfillment of his dreams, every cell of his being in love with her. There was "no rose in all the world" until she came, no star that shone until her light arose on him.

The one man who has known the most of what it means to be a man in love was Adam, and the woman whom he loved was Eve. She was indeed God's gift to him, as the Hebrew tries to tell us, "an help meet for him" (KJV), or "answering to him" (Gen. 2:18). Just perfectly what his soul longed for.

And then she had transgressed the holy law of God, her sin the prototype of billions of sins on earth to come. And she seemed to be so happy in her new-found freedom of rebellion against God; a new life, a new freedom, a new wonderment. That gorgeous creature, the glorified serpent had introduced her to real l-i-f-e and she became an instant "missionary" for her new life treasure. She longed to share it with her husband. So Eve became thetemptress of all time.

In a flash Adam knew what had happened when she handed him the forbidden fruit; God had not forbidden them totouch it--only to eat it. Holding it in his hand, Adam had not sinned. He knew what was involved; he saw these 6000+ years of anguish stretching before them. But oh, how could he separate himself from her, the woman of his dreams, his love? Seizing the fruit he thrust it into his mouth--love for her must win this struggle, not devotion to God. And so sin entered this world.

Has any man ever sacrificed the love of woman for fellowship with Christ? Christ Himself knows love for a "woman," love that absorbs His soul. We sinful humans can only pray, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief," or transliterated, "Lord, I love You, but help my weakness in my love for her (or him)!"

None of us can be "worthy" of Christ; but He says the truth: there comes a time when we must yield "the dearest idol I have known, whate'er that idol be" in devotion to the One who went to hell for us, for He alone is agape (Matt. 10:37; Luke 14:26). We're closer to Eden than we may have thought. Whom do we truly worship?

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 20, 2007.