Daily Bread

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Sheep in the Midst of Wolves"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it ever possible to follow Jesus Christ faithfully and not meet with opposition and even persecution? The Wise Man said that "when a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7); that sounds like if you suffer opposition and persecution your ways don't "please the Lord.” But Paul said that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). And Jesus said that He sends us all out as "sheep in the midst of wolves, ... and you will be hated by all for My name's sake” (Matt. 10:16, 22).

That can be a lonesome life, especially if you are enduring by yourself. Therefore Jesus hastens to assure you that in your lonely pain you have His companionship: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ... Not one [sparrow] falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. ... He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matt. 10:24-40). Yes! As you kneel in prayer asking for strength to endure, you will have the assurance that the Lord Jesus is enduring with you. The Holy Spirit will prod you to "endure all things” and to be "faithful unto death” (1 Cor. 13:7; Rev. 2:10).

Just beg the Lord to save you from inviting censure on yourself by cranky ways, by what gives reasonable people the idea that you are extreme or fanatical. A true follower of Jesus Christ will always "love [his] enemies, bless them who curse [him], do good to those who hate [him], and pray for those who spitefully use ... and persecute [him]” (Matt. 5:44). Never think that you are alone; not only is Christ with you through the Holy Spirit. In every struggle where truth contends with error, there are people watching who are honest in heart. Good will come.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 3, 2005.

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Saturday, November 12, 2011

The First Converted Sinner to Break Through the Old Covenant Fog

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

We read in the Bible that God was so good to ancient Israel--He gave them His holy law. The Ten Commandments plus a multitude of other laws and regulations. Their duty was spelled out so clearly that no one could misunderstand.

They always tended to forget so He sent them prophet after prophet to remind them of His law. These blessings made them different from the pagan nations around them.

"Wonderful!" you say. "What more could God have done for them? He let them know His will. If only they will obey His commandments--what a wonderful nation they will be!"

But that's where the entire system broke down. Generation after generation, they disobeyed. Once in a while they did a fitful legalistic effort at reform and repentance (union of church and state), but then back again to the familiar "blessing/retribution motif" which was mostly "retribution" until Israel's final national end in disgraceful failure in 702B.C.

The more commandments God gave them, the more they transgressed. Finally they were worshipping at their idolatrous shrines in a more lewd way than the pagan nations around them. "The Lord ... removed them out of His sight" (see 2 Kings 17). The experiment went on for the better part of two millennia, until they ended up murdering their Messiah, the very Son of God. What was wrong? Are God's people just too sinful for Him to be able to save them? And must this law/transgression syndrome go on forever?

The problem was simple: Israel fastened themselves under the Old Covenant at Sinai. It dominated their thinking ever after. It created "bondage" (Gal. 4:24). Paul was the first converted sinner to break through the fog. Isn't it time now to grasp the New Covenant?

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 20, 2002.

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"No Longer Under the Schoolmaster"

by The Everlasting Covenant . org

In ancient Greece, the truant schoolboy, who with truancy in his heart played hooky, avoiding the responsibility of learning the lessons appropriate and needed for his betterment and future good might meet with the startling presence of his custodian, the slave assigned by his parents to oversee his activities. This servant was given a special task of helping the lad to discover his need of educational advancement and his responsibility to his parents, as well as to enforce upon him their good pleasure concerning the management of his young life. This custodian, called in Greek, the "pedagogos", was often empowered by parents to reprove, instruct, and punish the child should he be found in insubordination to their will and instructions. The rebellious truant boy might, no doubt, be roundly condemned and whipped by the consciencious custodian, as he attempted to impress upon the youth the importance of his responsibilities. So is the Law of God to the sinner. The law has a specific role, according to Gal. 3, of being our pedagogue or custodian to lead us to Christ. While the law is identified as our "schoolmaster" in the King James Version, it is actually Christ who is truly our "schoolmaster" or teacher in Paul's parable. While we are cavorting at the swimming hole of sin, wasting away our capabilities and shunning responsibility, the Law custodian, at the good will of God, the parent, condemns and punishes us. It is a loving purpose. God wishes for us to have a good future, even eternal life. But we must have righteousness for this to be. So the law stands to condemn us as long as we are away from Christ; for it is certain that the only way we may have righteousness is not from the Law custodian who is not prepared or capable of doing that work, but only from our true School Teacher, Christ. As long as we are running away and resisting, the servant persistently does his duty, cajoling, encouraging, inducing, blocking, confronting, reproving, and otherwise inhibiting our freedom of movement. To use Paul's terminology, the Law is there to shut us up, imprison us or otherwise confine us until faith comes unto righteousness. The custodian is not there to make the truant comfortable, but highly uncomfortable. So, the Law's condemnation of sin must be presented faithfully before the sinner. It's claims must be upheld. The Holy Law of God still demands obedience. This is the condition of eternal life. Its claims derive from the highest Authority over us to whom we shall ultimately have to give an account. Perhaps the skillful pedagogue/custodian might appeal to the heart of the Greek child, his sense of honor and love for his parents. At last, the child sees the goodness of the command and perceives that what is required is in his best interest. Now he feels ashamed of dishonoring his parents and sorry for disappointing them. The faithful custodian escorts the humbled child to school. Once the child has become connected to the School teacher in faithful school attendance, the pedagogue's task has been accomplished. Nevertheless, He will stand by if perchance, the student should change his mind and try to slip away from class, which, of course, would once again place him at discord with his parents desires concerning his future well-being. When the child is at school, then the custodian has no problem with him. The child is fulfilling that which is required of him. He is not condemned. He is no longer "under" the mistakenly-titled "schoolmaster". So with us, only when we, becoming ashamed of our rebellious ways and perceiving the love of a Divine Parent come to Christ, the Saviour from Sin, thus fulfilling in our lives through faith in Christ the right doing of the Law, that the Law can release us. When we have obtained in Christ the right-doing that the Law faithfully demands, then the Law custodian will have no problem with us. We meet its approval. Then we are at peace with our Custodian. The Law custodian itself will witness before our Divine Parent, that our schoolday and school responsibilities of righteousness have been met. Then, we are no longer condemned or punished. We are no longer under the Law because Faith, Righteousness by Faith, has come.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Something to Live For

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

I would like to ask a question: Is it fun to follow Christ? You may say, "That's a silly question, because fun means going to Disneyland, or going camping, or watching TV, and you don't think of following Christ in terms like that!"

Well, in Galatians 6:14 Paul says, "I glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ," and in Philippians 1:21 he says, "To me to live is Christ." Paul couldn't have said those things unless he meant that, for him it was the greatest pleasure of his life to follow Christ. That's what was happiness for him; and if we were to translate what he says, it would come out very close to be fun for him. He tells us to "set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Collosians 3:2), in other words, what the world calls "fun" soon gets stale and makes you bored.

Happy people are those who have something to live for, a cause to which they can devote themselves unselfishly. It doesn't make them fanatics, but it does give meaning to every day of their lives. And the service of the Son of God is the most joyous of all causes! He left His home in heaven, came to this dark earth, lived and died in order to redeem the human race. He purposes to restore the earth to its original state before sin entered, and to grant eternal life to all who really want it in that earth made new wherein dwelleth righteousness (that's 2 Peter 3:13).

Would you like some fun? OK, throw yourself heart, soul, everything you have for now and eternity, into devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ! Then you'll share in the joy that Paul knew.

--Robert J. Wieland

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

Thursday, November 10, 2011

A New Covenant Psalm

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever thought of the 23rd Psalm as a New Covenant psalm? David is not asking for anything, he is not worried about anything; he is simply declaring how wonderful the Lord is to him. There is no bargaining with the Lord, no attempt to make a tit-for-tat agreement with Him. The Lord is his Shepherd; he will never "want” for anything. As a loving Shepherd, the Lord will make him to lie down in green pastures, will lead him beside "still waters,” will heal him, "restore” his soul, will lead him in "paths of righteousness,” in other words will lead him in such a way that when life is over and David looks back, he will see that everything that has happened to him was the best, even though at the time he couldn't see how.

That's like the fantastic promises the Lord made to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, 3. (In Galatians 3:15-17 and in Romans 4:13 Paul says that those promises were the New Covenant.) Abraham did not bargain with the Lord, strike an agreement with Him, do a tit-for-tat "contract.” The Lord simply promised Abraham the sky, out and out; no strings attached (read it--it's astonishing). Abraham's part of the "contract” (if you want to call it that) was his melted-heart response, "I believe.” The lesson is clear: it's what the Bible has been trying to tell us all along: righteousness comes through believing God's promises!

David believed, that "even though he walks through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord is with Him.” Even in his last extremity, the Lord "anoints his head with oil and his cup runs over,” and therefore "goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life.” Good News for you today!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive:

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

A Beautiful Lesson From Jesus

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Did you know that Jesus was arrested one time and taken to court? Have you ever been arrested and taken to court? It's a scary experience. The police in Jerusalem arrested Jesus on the charge that He should be put in prison, yes, and even executed because He had publicly broken the Sabbath. The rulers at the time argued that He was destroying the very foundation of their nationhood. The story is in John 5.

What happened is that Jesus had seen a sick man who was very discouraged because he had been sick for 38 years. Time after time he had hoped he might be healed, only to be disappointed again and again. Jesus felt sorry for him, and healed him. He told him, "Pick up your mat and go home." When the Jewish leaders saw the man doing this they rebuked him. He shot back, "The same man who healed me told me to do this--so it has to be OK." "Who healed you?" they demanded to know. The man didn't know who Jesus was, but later Jesus found him and told him not to sin again lest something worse happen to him. Then the men went straight to the authorities and told them it was Jesus who had healed him. That's how the arrest came about.

But Jesus was no tame prisoner. When the Jewish leaders in the courtroom accused Him, He turned around and accused them in powerful and eloquent words, and boldly claimed that He had come from God and that God is His Father. His accusers were silenced. Then Jesus said something that we must look at today. In verse 30 He said: "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." That was the secret. Jesus said NO! to His own will so that He might say YES! to His Father's will for Him.

You and I are always tempted to want our own way in everything. But that always makes us selfish. We can learn a beautiful lesson today from Jesus: the lesson of saying NO! to self, and saying YES! to the Holy Spirit. Jesus opens a window into His own heart and shows us that He was tempted just like we are tempted. But He said NO to that temptation to have His own way. And we can learn from Him. Then what happens? We become happy!

--Robert J. Wieland

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

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

A Precious Story From Isaiah

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There's a precious story in the Bible that may have been missed (or maybe you've known it all your life). It's in the Good News version of Isaiah:

"The LORD said to me, 'No matter how shepherds yell and shout, they can't scare away a lion from an animal that it has killed [for food]; in the same way, there is nothing that can keep Me, the Lord Almighty, from protecting Mount Zion'” (31:4).

You don't have to live in Africa to know this: when a hungry lion has run and run and finally caught its prey and sits down to enjoy his hard-earned meal, nothing can shy him away from it. Don't you dare try to wrest it from him! You'll see a lion ferocious at his worst.

So, says the LORD Almighty—(your personal Friend and Savior), will He protect you fiercely from anyone who might try to harm you!

We all have often needed that encouragement.

But there's a second story here:

"Just as a bird hovers over its nest to protect its young, so I, the LORD Almighty, will protect Jerusalem and defend it'” (vs. 5). Substitute your name for "Mount Zion” and for "Jerusalem,” and you have the New Covenant message the Lord wants you to grasp.

He is like a super-angry hungry lion and like a quiet mother bird, both. (He created them both so they could teach us a lesson about His character.)

The people in Isaiah's day couldn't forget that vivid lesson! Neither can we.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 6, 2006.

Monday, November 07, 2011

A Basket Case Lady Can Help Us

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Nobody could have invented the Gospel story as told by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. No novelist or playwright could have dreamed up such a plot with all its improbable happenings.

For example, the Gospel of Mark. When you get to the last chapter, the "improbables" leap from the page. Jesus is resurrected. You would expect that He would appear first to the disciple who followed him the most closely, John, the man of whom nothing shameful is recorded in the main story. He was a good man, upright, honorable. But no, Jesus does not appear to him at all. He appears first to a woman who had a terrible reputation, a basket-case woman out of whom He had cast seven devils. Her name: Mary Magdalene. That takes your breath away, and incidentally gives all the basket-case people in the world wonderful new hope.

And then, Jesus tells her to go tell His eleven disciples that He has risen from the dead, and these men, John included, simply don't believe it. Any novelist inventing this story would have His close disciples fawning over Him, paragons of leadership wisdom. No, the eleven turn out to be myopic, blind, unbelievers right here at the most wonderful morning in world history when Jesus has risen from the dead.

And here again is the divine wisdom and compassion shining through, which proves that this gospel story is the truth of God. All of us have that same weakness, that same sinful unbelief that plagued the eleven disciples. And we all need healing, so we can learn to believe.

The problem is that hard hearts cannot believe; the heart must be softened, melted, humbled in repentance--and that is where the basket-case lady can help us. She was possessed of seven devils; and having sunk down to the lowest depths, her heart was melted, and she learned to believe.

You don't have to have seven devils cast out--just know and confess that were it not for the grace of Christ, you would have seven devils. Your deliverance is Good News.

--Robert J. Wieland

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