Daily Bread

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

An Unprecedented Heart-Cleansing

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Revelation 3:14-21 focuses attention on what Jesus Christ has to say to "the angel of the church of the Laodiceans." He is obviously trying His best to get that "angel's" attention. According to this message in Revelation, His problem seems the most difficult He has had in our 6000 years of human history. Unless He can find a way to solve the problem of "the angel's [being] ... lukewarm," how can He not emerge eternally embarrassed for His ultimate failure?

(1) Note that the message is not addressed to the church itself; no, the addressee is "the angel," the leadership of the church (cf. 1:20). The two are not the same.

(2) His "I will spue thee out of My mouth" means literally (in the Greek), "You make Me so sick at My stomach that I feel like throwing up." His pain of acute nausea is intense! He is loyal and He is kind, but that's how the Son of God says He feels about the leadership of His church. But who is He speaking to? Who is "the angel of the church?"

(3) "Leadership" = all levels from bishops down to local elders and kindergarten teachers. What makes Christ feel nauseous is the heart assumption of being "rich" in our "relationship" with Him, our loyalty to Him, when in fact of all these 6000 years we are the most pathetic spectacle strutting on the stage of the world and of the universe (vs. 17).

(4) In a last-ditch appeal, He begs us to sit in the kindergarten and learn what "faith" is--the "gold tried in the fire." What has blinded us is the vain assumption of an historical "enrichment" that is simply untrue (the literal Greek says, "you say ... I HAVE been enriched, when you are unconscious of your utter spiritual poverty," vs. 17).

(5) This strange Laodicean message is illuminated all through the Bible. For example, in his chapter 12:6-13:1, Zechariah saw in vision the final process of healing: "the house of David" (leadership, obviously) will lead the way to the cross where our corporate part in the crucifixion of Christ will become painfully apparent (vs. 10). Then comes hope!

(6) The result: an unprecedented heart-cleansing for both leadership and people (13:1).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 13, 2002.

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.

Monday, June 10, 2013

The Most Important Ministry of Healing

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you wondered why God apparently doesn't intervene to heal more sick people, miraculously? Medical science does heal many--but does that mean that the Great Physician has virtually abdicated His healing role to the medical profession?

Could there be a different circumstance today than there was 2000 years ago when Christ and His apostles did heal the sick, cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, even raised the dead?

We know that (a) the message of the cross was more vividly proclaimed then (1 Cor. 2:1-3; Gal. 6:14, etc.), resulting in (b) deeper, more thorough conversions, (c) making it safer for the Lord to work these miracles because (d) the healed persons would "henceforth" be "constrained to live unto Him who died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15).

We know Christ "is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8), which means He is still compassionate. He doesn't like to see people suffer, for He suffers with them (Isa. 63:9).

Therefore we can only conclude that the most important ministry of healing is proclaiming the only message that can reconcile alienated hearts to God--the genuine gospel of His grace, unmixed with any element of legalism or Babylonian confusion. A wise writer tells us that in the final work, "miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed" (The Great Controversy, p. 612). That must mean that in that same final work, the pure true gospel will again be recovered and proclaimed. If the Lord can give us the grace to be humble in heart today, we can begin at least to recover that blessing, and that will be Good News.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 29, 1997.

Friday, June 07, 2013

Let Your Soul Feast on the Psalms

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As we face the tumultuous events of the last days of earth's history, our Savior feels for us. He says, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1). "I will fear no evil, for You are with me," says Psalm 23:4. What the Bible says is don't give your permission for your heart to "be troubled." Choose to trust Him by setting your will on His side; Satan cannot terrify you without somewhere you give him your permission! Make your choice to believe.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" decides David in 27:1. We want practical, common sense counsel on how to control our emotions in time of trouble. "Come unto Me," says the Savior (Matt. 11:28). Saturate your soul with the story of His cross.

TV comedy tells you to laugh your fears away, but that's a lie; we're living in the great Day of Atonement when peace of heart comes through serious-minded fasting and prayer. But genuine faith always lifts up the heart with a joy that actually triumphs over your emotions. Your soul sings, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13). Let your soul feast on the psalms that tell of Jesus' struggles with the temptation to be afraid and to doubt (22, 40, 69--many). He overcame!

Immense Good News is yet to flood the world with light even though evil is everywhere, for "another angel" comes with "great authority, and the earth [is to be] illuminated with his glory" (Rev. 18:1). His message will be "Christ and Him crucified" for Jesus said that when He "is lifted up" (that is, on His cross), He "will draw all men unto [Himself]" (John 12:32). Not all will let themselves be "drawn" but all will sense the drawing. You do, don't you?

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 20, 2005.

Thursday, June 06, 2013

The Most Cross-Centered Book in the Bible

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Paul, God's faithful servant, suffered a humiliating rebuke in his evangelism crusade in the great city of Athens. He made the mistake of trying to match philosophy with philosophy, trying to meet the Athenian scholars on their own ground. The result: near failure in soul-winning, although a few did respond.

When he came to the immoral city of Corinth, he says he "determined not to know anything among [them], except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). The book of Revelation is also a presentation of the cross of Christ. In code language, "the Lamb as though it had been slain" (5:6) is the same message as Paul's theme in Corinth. More than 25 times we find that word "Lamb" in Revelation--the book is the most cross-centered book in the Bible! It's the same as Paul's message of "Christ, and Him crucified." Without discerning this truth, the fanatics or enthusiasts find Revelation to be their playground.

As we near the end of time, their confusion will become more and more painful to endure. Each will proclaim that he knows the secret of "finishing God's work," "listen to me!" But he "multiplies words. ... The labor of fools wearies [everyone], for they do not even know how to go to the city!" (Eccl. 10:12-15). Are you bewildered by the multiplicity of voices crying "Lo here! or, lo there!" (Luke 17:21)?

Psalm 46 was written for this time of cataclysmic confusion when "the waters [are] troubled" and "mountains [are] carried into the midst of the sea." The counsel is, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth!" The language is that of Revelation 18:1-4. Be wise and patient; spend time on your knees alone with God so that you are ready to discern that true last-days' message of the cross.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 21, 2005.

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

The Most Winsome Presentation of Good News

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It's graduation time for many young people. What do we give them?

Seriously, without wanting to be trite, what do they need more than the gospel as Good News for their hungry young hearts? Whether or not you give them fun gifts and treat them like they deserve some great reward (instead, graduates need to acquire a sense of responsibility), they will get the fun they want, and it will sooner or later leave them hungrier than ever for something satisfying for their starved souls.

Try to find some books that will not be mere "baby food" and boring, but something that will stimulate their thinking and awaken them spiritually. Selecting the right gift will be more of a task for you than finding a gadget to buy for them.

Contemplate first the value of a young person knowing what is "the everlasting gospel," or what Revelation 14 describes as "the third angel's message" (let me add, "in verity"). Knowing the truth is a tremendous blessing to a young mind, for Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Free from the entrapments of deception; free from despair (depression is severe among young people); free from dead-end living for self. I cannot describe the blessing that reading one good book did for me when I was in my late teens or early 20's.

I'll recommend it herewith: it's a verse-by-verse study of Paul's Letter to the Galatians that I personally found not only interesting, but have treasured as inspiring to me in a life-long way: The Glad Tidings by E. J. Waggoner. Would your young person find it as helpful as I did when I was young? Well, I'm not all-wise by any means; all I can say is that it was and is the clearest, most winsome presentation of the genuine GOOD NEWS I have ever found.

Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 8, 1998.

Note to the Reader: A "Dial Daily Bread" subscriber told us that he has loaded a PDF file of The Glad Tidingsonto his iPod, and is enjoying it immensely. The file, which has an introduction by the author of these messages, is available on the following Website. You might want to tell your graduate about it.

http://www.1888mpm.org/files/The Glad Tidings_1.pdf

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, June 04, 2013

Is a Fool More Difficult for God to Save?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is a prayer in the Bible that can be the last ditch stand for any human in distress. It's the one that will always be answered in kindness and grace: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13; the little Greek particle ho makes the publican pray, "God, be merciful to me, the most sinful sinner!") But is there any prayer in the Bible like, "God, be merciful to me, a fool"?

Is a fool more difficult for God to save than a plain ordinary sinner? King Saul confessed to David, "I have played the fool, and erred exceedingly" (1 Sam. 26:21). He had been persecuting David, "the anointed of the Lord." But we do not read that King Saul prayed for God to have mercy on him; he finally ended his brilliant career in suicide.

In rejecting Jesus, the Jewish leaders accused Him of tremendous delusional grandeur: "For a good work we do not stone You; but .. because You, being a Man, make Yourself God" (John 10:32). As Jesus hung at last on His cross apparently "forsaken" by His Father, and ridiculed by the crowd, Satan wrung His heart with fierce temptations.

Only a few short hours before, He had regaled His disciples with prophecies that He "the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, [and] then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; and before Him shall be gathered all nations" (Matt. 25:31, 32). Now behold Yourself, says Satan, naked on a Roman cross, forsaken of Your Father, ridiculed by all the people; how could you have been plunged from Your delusions of grandeur any lower than You are! If Jesus was tempted, He wondered if His enemies may have been right all along.

As we read Psalm 22 (the transcript of His prayer as He hung there), we find that He was sorely tempted to think of Himself as less than human, "a worm" (vs. 6). The agony of forsakenness was not cosmetic; He drank the cup of hell to its dregs. When finally by His faith He broke through the darkness of the second death into the sunlight of His Father's acceptance, His prayer indicates that he had been tempted to think of Himself as the Fool of all fools: "Save Me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild buffalo! You have answered Me. ... You who fear the Lord, ... He has not despised nor abhorred ... the Afflicted, nor has He hidden His face from Him, but when He cried to Him, He heard" (vss. 21-24).

Man may despise a fool, but God does not "abhor" a repentant one. If any "forsaken" sinner anywhere in the world reads this, let him or her take heart.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 7, 2004.

Monday, June 03, 2013

Standing Alone for Truth

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Suppose the whole world (your world!) condemns you for believing what you see in the Bible. Suppose your convictions of truth force you to stand utterly alone. For example, suppose you are convinced in your soul that 2 + 2 = 4, but everybody around you ridicules you and says that it's 5--could you stand firm for what in your soul you believe is right?

(1) Your first prayer to God will be, "Lord, save me from being a fool, a fanatic." If you're the only one who can see something, Conventional Wisdom insists that you must be wrong. You will walk carefully, humbly, and you will study and persevere in prayer. It's probably easier to stand alone for political convictions in Congress or the Senate, than in your church for a religious issue.

(2) If it is really true that you are standing alone for Jesus, you will be patient and entrust your convictions to His leading. You will be sympathetic to those who believe what the Bible says, "In the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Prov. 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). Even if you find yourself condemned and ridiculed for the truth's sake, you will remain sweet and pleasant in the midst of contention. Why and how? Because you are in fellowship with the One who was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3). You will remember that there no such thing as truth except in agape (Eph. 4:15).

(3) You can't read the Bible and not see that a time of severe test is coming when the "mark of the beast" will be urged upon everyone. To receive the alternative, "the seal of God," will be immensely unpopular (Rev. 13:11-17). One of the surest evidences that the Lord loves you is to find yourself even now placed in situations where your conscience forces you to stand alone for truth--if that grace of Christ keeps you sweet and pleasant during your ordeal. The Holy Spirit is preparing you to meet future trials.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 27, 2002.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Is There Good News for Loneliness?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How can you be happy when no one's with you? You can be lonely in a crowd of people in the mall; in church; in school; in the office; even in your own family; and of course when you're the only person within your four walls. Is there some Good News for loneliness? Yes!

That's one of the problems that Jesus is well acquainted with. He says, "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me" (Isa. 63:3). "I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none" (Psalm 69:20). Not one disciple even was there to say a word of encouragement to Him in His dying hour, for "they all forsook Him and fled" (Mark 14:50).

You can be sure that such a One is near to you when you are lonely, for "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me" (Psalm 23:4). Note: that's not talking only about your death bed: it says "the shadow of death," that is, the dark lonely experiences we have even as teenagers that are the "shadow" of what will come much, much later.

In your loneliness, you hunger for human companionship; that's OK, and natural. But that will ALWAYS disappoint you. Even the best husband or wife in the world cannot take the place of the "Friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24). That 23rd Psalm assures you of companionship that alone is totally satisfying.

Mystics talk about "practicing the presence of God," so they set a chair out for "Him" to sit in. You don't need even a whiff of idolatry! Even if Jesus were to come and sit down in your guest chair, He wouldn't be as close to you as He is in fact through your faith. A Friend closer even than someone who has his/her arms around you, for the promise is that "He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:17).

Check it out; get on your knees and talk to Him; you'll know how close He is, because He will for certain respond to you, and always with some kind of message of hope. But don't hoard Him to yourself; somehow, share Him with someone else who is lonely.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 12, 1999.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Dominant Element of the Final Message

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The story of Joseph in the Bible is no fairy tale; Egyptian history and archeology attest how true to historic life the details are. It fits well in the Hyksos era, for the Pharaohs were not native Egyptians. They could well have employed a Hebrew in a high government post. Egyptian records show how there came a change in national economy when all the land except in temples was acquired by the crown. We can trust our Bible story!

Is Joseph a type of the church that will proclaim a message that "lightens the earth with glory" in our last days? This special church is given "the spirit of prophecy" as Joseph was gifted (see Rev. 12:17; 19:10). It must pass the test of moral purity, as Joseph passed the test with Potiphar's wife tempting him. "Fornication" or "adultery" is not to be even mentioned among that people who "overcome even as Christ overcame" (Rev. 3:21).

The church that proclaims a message that lightens the earth with glory will suffer persecution, as Joseph suffered it from his brothers and even his father. The last-days' message will save people; lives will be changed; characters will become "at one" with God. Joseph saved many people's lives; the "remnant church" will proclaim a message that will lead many souls to eternal life.

But every one who will partake of the blessing will know first-hand "the chastening of the Lord" (Heb. 12:5-12). That will make more distinct how much the Lord loves him or her! That agape will be the dominant element of the final message.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 26, 2007.

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.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Only Good News This Dark World Has

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The true gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thoroughly Good News this dark world has. Every human being is by nature a descendant of the fallen head of the human race--Adam; the Bible calls that fallen nature "the flesh." The "works" or "fruit" of the flesh is an endless catalog of evil that always ends in misery.

But Paul dares to tell us in Galatians that if we have chosen to give ourselves to Christ and to "walk with the [Holy] Spirit," He will hold us by the hand so we won't stumble into those allurements of sin, even though our sinful nature would push us into it. "Ye cannot do the [evil] things that ye would" (5:16-18).

BUT ... Proverbs gives you the same Good News that Galatians does ("wisdom" is Christ, cf. 1 Cor. 1:24): "Wisdom ... will provide you with life--a pleasant and happy life. You can go safely on your way and never even stumble. ... The Lord will keep you safe [from sin!]. He will not let you fall into a trap" (3:21-26). "Your insight and understanding will protect you and prevent you from doing the wrong thing" (2:11, 12, GNB). Same as Paul's Good News!

When life is over, you will take not an iota of credit to yourself. You will gladly confess, "By grace [I] have been saved through faith, and that not of [myself]. IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD" (Eph. 2:8, 9). Isaiah reminds us, "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord" (54:17).

Believe that today, and your heart will overflow with gratitude. You'll have heaven on earth.

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 18, 2006.

Monday, May 27, 2013

The Long Overdue Message

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As another Memorial Day goes into history in the U.S., we pray that the Lord may "make wars to cease unto the end of the earth [and] break the bow, and cut the spear in sunder, and burn the chariots in the fire" (that is, the murderous tanks and assault bombers; see Psalm 46:9). The very name of Jesus, the Son of God, is "the Prince of peace" (Isa. 9:6). Millions sacrificed their lives in World War I in order to fight "the war to end all wars," only to have died in vain as World War II sent many more millions into undeserved death.

The angels announced at His birth that Jesus would bring "on earth peace [and] good will toward men" (see Luke 2:14). But the Prince of peace was "despised and rejected of men," and expelled from the world He came to save. Those whose lives spanned much of the 20th century lived through the most bloody years the earth has ever known in its 6000 years of history.

According to the Bible, the only way that the Prince of peace could bring peace to the earth without being "frustrated" and stymied would be for His people to cooperate with Him in His work. In other words, it's useless for us to pray, "Prince of peace, please bring peace to this hate-filled, war-riven world," unless we serve as His agents in enabling Him to do so. "As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you," He declares (John 20:21). He is the Vine, we are the branches that must be intimately bound with Him for His purposes to be worked out in the earth.

He spells out the formula in Revelation 7:1-4. There He promises that He will undertake to "hold the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow," provided His people on earth proclaim "the seal of the living God." He commands those terrible four winds that began to break loose in World Wars I and II, in the Vietnam War, the Iraq and other wars, "Hurt not the earth ... till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."

It's an illusion for God's people to assume that horrible wars contribute to the progress of God's work by bringing conviction to hearts and taking away our "idols." It's not His plan to forcibly remove our "idols"! War terrorizes people so they can't even contemplate the Gospel. No, war has no redeeming evangelistic value. Now let us learn what is His "sealing message" and commit ourselves to proclaim it. It's the long overdue message that is yet to "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). Lord, please awaken us!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 31, 2004.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

On the Cross Jesus Was Thinking Especially of Children

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In that last hour as He hung upon His cross, Jesus was thinking especially of boys and girls. The proof of this is found where we have perhaps overlooked it--Psalm 22.

That is the psalm that details for us the transition in His thoughts on the cross from His despairing cry, "My God why have You forsaken Me!" to His last triumphant, joy-filled shout, "It is finished!" Psalm 22 reveals His thoughts as though a stenographer was recording them.

The last few verses of Psalm 22 have been rather confusing in many translations. Note how Peterson seems to have caught the idea:

"Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers; give glory, you sons of Jacob; adore Him, you daughters of Israel. He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do His own thing; He has been right there, listening. ... From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before Him. ... All the poor and powerless, too--worshiping! Along with those who never got it together--worshiping! Our children and their children will get in on this as the word is passed along from parent to child. Babies not yet conceived will hear the Good News."

And then comes that one Hebrew word, the last word of Psalm 22 that defies translators:

ASAH, the word that means "It is finished!" Jesus' last thoughts were of the grand Loud Cry that closes the gospel dispensation when the earth is lightened with the glory of the final message, when the Voice from heaven calls all of God's people to "Come out of her [Babylon]."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 3, 2002.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Christ's On-going Priestly Ministry

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

By His uplifted cross and His on-going priestly ministry, Christ is drawing "all men" to repentance. His gracious love is so strong and persistent that the sinner must resist it in order to be lost.

Is this "good news" too good to be true? To be frank, some people say it is! They have the idea that it's not fair to let Jesus do all the work of saving us--somehow we must work to help Him save us.

This is just another way of saying that "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). The Lord Jesus Christ does the "work" of seeking and saving you; now it's your job to let Him do it. Stop resisting Him through cherished unbelief.

Jesus insists on the metaphor of the Good Shepherd: "the ninety and nine" are safe in the fold; the Shepherd has had a long, hard day working; he is tired and hungry; his beloved wife has cooked his favorite supper and she urges him, "Come, sit down, and enjoy your meal I have prepared for you; you have worked hard enough today. Look at the lowering dark clouds, feel the wind picking up, a wild storm is brewing, dear!"

But the shepherd says, "I can't enjoy rest and the delicious meal you have cooked for me; I must go and find that one lost sheep!"

Why does the Shepherd say this?

He loves the one lost sheep!

And who is the lost sheep?

You.

And I.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 2009.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Grace to Endure Pain and Disappointment

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever been angry with God? For any reason? You prayed for something that you felt you needed, maybe healing, maybe happiness in marriage, maybe for a child, maybe for an honest job--and your prayer wasn't answered. Seemed like Heaven was closed to you. This is a common problem many people have; and some just turn their backs on the Lord. "If He doesn't care enough for me to help me, I'm through with Him!" But that's not the solution! Let's try to help a wee bit:

(1) God never promised He would be your lowly servant, to come and go at your request.

(2) He never promised that His children would be exempt from suffering, disappointment, pain. If He did "exempt" them, people would profess to follow Him who only wanted material benefit. Heaven would get crammed with hypocrites.

(3) Though He hasn't promised you "exemption" from what all human beings have to endure, He has unequivocally promised to give you grace (an inner peace) to endure your pain, sorrow, disappointment, in a way that honors your Savior.

(4) That endurance (Rom. 5:1-5) immediately admits you to the privileged inner circle of those who are "partakers of Christ's sufferings" (1 Peter 4:13).

(5) Bearing your suffering (whatever kind) in that spirit then qualifies you to be a member of the Lord's University Teaching Staff where you are given the joyous labor of helping someone else in his/her suffering. I'm serious! A Christian psychiatrist told me that a humble lay member who has genuine faith and sanctified understanding, can help a needy person as much as psychiatrists can. (I didn't say that--he did.) See Exodus 19:4-6; if Israel had been willing to believe the New Covenant, they would have become a "kingdom of priests," psychiatrists.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 18, 1997.

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.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

A Flame That Burns in the Coldest Atmosphere

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The "love chapter," 1 Corinthians 13, does not make a lot of sense unless that word that Paul used--agape--is understood. Jesus also used it in Matthew 24:9-14, where He described the moral rot that pervades society worldwide, today: "Because iniquity shall abound, the agape of many shall wax cold."

The word "many" in the original is "the many," meaning the masses, that is, almost everybody. But there are a few exceptions, for He adds immediately, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." That is, those who hold on to their agape, not letting it get cold. Agape has to be warm, or it is gone. There we see the difference: it's warm-heartedness or cold-heartedness. One leads to eternal perishing, the other to eternal living.

What must wake us up is the fact that if we are exposed unrelentingly to the iniquity that is in the world, our agapewill grow cold. The word for iniquity in the original is anomia, which means heart-animosity against the law of God. The way to avoid contamination with that iniquity is not to bury yourself in a lonely cabin in the woods, even if you spend all your time reading the Bible, or joining a commune of super-spiritual people who isolate themselves. Jesus wouldn't do that.

There was iniquity everywhere in His day, too; but He mingled with people. The word agape describes a love that comes only from heaven; it is shed abroad in the heart of the believer by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5); because its source is the cross of Christ, its warmth never dies out of the heart of the believer; and no matter how chilling is the immoral atmosphere all around the believer, its built-in warmth is such a glowing fire that all of Satan's temptations are powerless to freeze it. A flame will burn even in the coldest atmosphere! The glow in your heart is lit by the flame of love revealed in God's gift of His Son. Don't take your eyes off that cross!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 3, 1998.