Daily Bread

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Moses and the "Conference" on the Mount

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Who was Moses? Would he fit in with our 21st century world?

These questions are not irrelevant because he is alive, somewhere. “The dead in Christ” are all asleep, awaiting the first resurrection at the second coming of Christ” (Rev. 20:6; 1 Thess. 4:14-17; John 5:28, 29). But Moses was granted a special resurrection (Jude 9)! He would doubtless have been granted translation without experiencing death as Enoch (Heb. 11:5), but Moses brought shame and disgrace on the Lord by losing his temper at Kadesh (Num. 20:7-13). In anger he struck the rock twice to bring water to the people rather than speak the word as the Lord had commanded him. In so doing he had given the people the impression that he--not the Lord--was providing their water.

But after he was especially resurrected, one would think that Moses would be lonely in heaven, for human companionship, except for Enoch and Elijah who were translated, for all the others who have believed in the Lord are “asleep.” But surely God would give Moses something meaningful to do to relieve his celestial boredom. And we have a brief glimpse in Matthew 17 of his assigned work; God sent him to minister encouragement to the Savior of the world in the conference on the Mount of Transfiguration (vss. 1-3).

Moses had an experience that enabled him to come close to Christ. His heart had been “enlarged” (cf. Psalm 119:32, KJV) in his appreciation of the sacrifice of Christ. He was qualified to minister to Christ. He and Elijah shared this deeper insight so that the two of them were sent on this unique errand. In his love for God’s people (“the church in the wilderness,” Acts 7:38) Moses asked for his own name to be blotted out of the book of life if thereby he could save Israel (Ex. 32:32, 33). That is a rare love--it’s agape! It motivated Christ.

The love that Moses knew did not precede the love that moved Christ; Moses learned it from Him, for Christ was first. But what’s important is that he did learn it! He opened his heart; he did not resist it. Moses had a point of intimacy with Christ. He was qualified to attend the conference on the Mount and speak words of encouragement to Jesus. Thank God that he did!

--Robert J. Wieland

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

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, April 09, 2014

Delivered From the "Bondage" of Egyptian Materialism

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It's one of the greatest stories ever told, and it's 100% true: a man destined for the throne of the then-greatest empire in the world turns his back on that bright career in order to share with Jesus the bearing of His cross.

Moses was no dummy. He "was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians [considerable!], and was mighty in words and deeds" (Acts 7:22). He had the equivalent of a dozen doctoral degrees. (He is in fact even to this day the most widely read author of all time.) His earthly path was strewn with flowers; was immensely popular as Egypt's Crown Prince; had won military victories that endeared him to the nation; the throne was his.

But he had learned about the sacrifice of Christ. True, he lived long before the incarnation of the Son of God, but that sacrifice was made "from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8), so that Moses could experience a heart-appreciation of the agape that led the Son of God to take those seven steps in condescension in our behalf that led Him to the "curse" of death on a cross for us (Phil. 2:5-8).

Here is a revelation that we need to understand. The world today is full of "the treasures in Egypt." Look for example what's in the shopping malls, the car dealers' showrooms, the department stores, the palaces the real estate dealers offer you. Many church members "esteem" those "treasures" as "greater riches" than "the reproach of Christ."

But look at what the agape of Christ did for a fellow-human being who by nature was born as selfish and world-loving as we are: "By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Heb. 11:24-26).

Take a look at that same cross that Moses looked at and you'll find "the treasures" of today fade into insignificance. Then you'll be delivered from the "bondage" of Egyptian materialism.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 31, 1999.

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Can Something Good That God Gives Turn Into Something Bad?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Could it ever be that something good that God Himself gives can turn into something bad?

The answer is yes, and an example is the manna that God gave the people of Israel in their 40 years of wilderness wandering. From its description that we read in Numbers 11, it was an appetizing and nourishing food. Scholars variously describe the language as cakes "fried in good oil," "as food newly baked," or like "wafers made with honey." Perhaps it was like delicious freshly baked bread; evidently it could be prepared in a variety of ways as a well balanced diet, and for a healthy appetite it was always appetizing. The Psalmist describes it as "angel's food" (78:25). Since God gave it to them, it was undeniably "good."

But the people had to eat it on the very day that it "fell" on the dew each morning. Moses told them, "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. ... Let no one leave any of it till morning. ... But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank" (Ex. 16:15, 19, 20). Something very good became very bad! It had to be eaten when God gave it. The reason: it was very nutritious, but like whole-grain flour that attracts bugs.

The manna is a symbol of the spiritual nourishment the Holy Spirit gives us day by day if we are willing to "eat" it. It's Bible truth, "fresh" each morning (Isa. 50:4, 5). The hungry soul finds things "new and old" in God's word that constantly invigorate him (Matt. 13:52). We are told to "bless the Lord"--in other words, make Him happy (Psalm 103:1, for example). How do you make a chef happy? You tell him his meal was super-delicious.

Now, ask the Lord for a second helping; tell Him you're hungry. That will make Him happy! There's nothing He loves more than to feed hungry people and watch them enjoy His cuisine. Eat His "manna" today. Learn to love it. Don't lay it aside until tomorrow!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 4, 2005.

Monday, April 07, 2014

The Most Decisive Event of All History

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on His cross was the most decisive event of all history--yes, let's tell the truth, of all eternity. The fate of God's throne was in the balance; Satan wanted to push God off His throne and take over.

The death that Jesus suffered on that cross was a different kind of death than anybody else had ever suffered. The truth is that only one Man has ever truly died since the world began--everybody else who has "died" has simply gone to sleep. Jesus' death was the real thing--it was total, eternal darkness, enduring death forever. The Bible distinguishes between two different kinds of death--the "sleep" that Lazarus suffered when he died (and which everybody experiences), and what Revelation says is "the second death" (2:11; 20:12-14). The latter is what Jesus died.

Sorry, some will object by saying, "But He didn't go through the Lake of Fire! And He was resurrected!" Do they mean to demean or belittle the sacrifice of Jesus? Read the entire passage--the horror that Jesus went through in order to save your soul and mine was worse than the physical pain that any fire could be. The commitment He made was infinitely total.

If Jesus was the only Man who ever suffered that kind of death, then the apostle Paul has to be the outstanding one who came to appreciate the dimensions of love (agape) which led the Son of God to die that death for us (Eph. 3:14-21). Therefore Paul, saved by grace, has proven forever that it's possible for 144,000 also (figurative or literal number) to "follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Rev. 14:4, 5). If "the love of Christ constrained" Paul to live only for Jesus, the universe can witness you and me constrained in this Day of Atonement to live only for Him, as He lived and died for us.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 10, 2005.

Sunday, April 06, 2014

FYI: Health Forum

Thursday, April 03, 2014

The Greatest Joy the World Has Ever Known

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible is crystal clear: we are living "in the last days" (2 Tim. 3:1); "the time of the end" (Dan. 12:4); the time for us to "endure" until then (Matt. 24:13); the time when we are to "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord will come" (vs. 42); the time when we are to "take heed to [our]selves, lest at any time [our] hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on [us] unexpectedly" (Luke 21:34). The "time of the end" is "today" (Heb. 3:13).

We are living in the very time described in Revelation 14:8 and 18:1-4 when "the present truth" (2 Peter 1:12) shouts in our ears that "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city," the very time when God calls to everyone whose heart has been stirred by the sacrifice of Christ on His cross, "'Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins.'" You simply can't enjoy the opulence and arrogant pride of "that great city" if you appreciate the atonement of Christ. You have seen "the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up" and have seen yourself as "unclean" in that light which streams from the cross (Isa. 6:1-5). If you are dallying in "Babylon," you are miserable. You want out.

What it boils down to is that we are living in that unique time of "the day of atonement." It's not the one literal day of the year that Jews observe as "Yom Kippur;" it's the grand original, the antitypical, cosmic, REAL "Day of Atonement" that was prefigured in the Israelite sanctuary services of long ago. Now is the grand time that the angel described to Daniel as "then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." It has come on time after the 2300 "days," 2300 literal years, which the angel singled out as "the appointed time" to bring us to this "time of the end" (8:14; 11:35; 12:4). It's the important time when Daniel said, "the wise shall understand" (12:10). It's the same time that Jesus spoke of, "Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." It's a time to be awake for joy (Luke 21:36).

Around the world there are millions who are waking up; they believe that those 2300 years have expired as Daniel said. They see that the world is now in the ongoing fulfillment of Revelation 14, and has been ever since the early part of the 19th century (since 1844, to be exact, for the Bible prophecies are exact). This is the time when the great angel proclaims "to every ... tongue, and people, ... 'the hour of [God's] judgment has come'" (vss. 6, 7), the time for the greatest joy the world has ever known.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 5, 2004.

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

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Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Saved by HIS Faith

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Sometimes we say that we are saved by our faith in Christ, and we want to emphasize this so we don't lapse into the idea that we are saved by our works. But again we want to be careful that we grasp the truth accurately. Truth saves (John 8:32) and error produces the lethal lukewarmness that permeates the church of the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-21).

God's people in the last days are distinguished in Revelation as those who demonstrate two great identification marks: they (1) "keep the commandments of God and (2) the faith of Jesus" (14:12). The former is not possible to "do" except by the latter. But it never was their faith; it was something they have received from Jesus.

Thus we are not saved by OUR faith in Jesus, but by HIS faith. He alone is "the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2). That is, in all the 6000 years of human history Christ is the one Man who has totally believed the saving truth. His faith alone works by love (Gal. 5:6).

He is the one and only human being who has fully experienced what it is to be "forsaken" of God (Matt. 27:46). No one else has been capable of sensing to the full what that means; it was He alone who has been "made ... to be sin for us who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, no one else has ever "tasted" lostness as fully as He did as He hung on that cross in the darkness. It was HIS faith that saved Him from eternal despair! God saw fit to record the story in Psalm 22 (and also 69).

The faith that we are to exercise is therefore second-hand; we got it from Him! Rightly defined, it is a heart-appreciation of what it cost Christ to save us; it is to "comprehend with all saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love [agape] of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:18, 19). Our salvation is in "comprehending."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 31, 2005.

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, April 01, 2014

Can Proud Human Hearts Be Changed by Simply Believing?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It seems like a fantastic idea, but it's like a golden thread throughout both Old and New Testaments of the Bible: proud, sinful, selfish, lustful, wicked human hearts (ours!) are changed by simply believing what the apostle Peter says are "exceedingly great and precious promises"!

And they're not man's "promises." They are the Lord's. Can it really be true that there is power in something as simple as believing God's promises (that appear to be so wild and extravagant)? God virtually promised Abraham the sky. And the old man is "the father of us all."

For instance, in the Old Testament we read that He picked up the only monotheist He could find in the ancient world, called him into exile to "a land that [He] would show him," promised it to him "for an everlasting possession." Paul got the idea: it was almost infinitely more than that tiny little strip of land known as Canaan; it meant the whole earth! (Rom 4:13). And no way could the "possession" be "everlasting" for Abraham unless this "exceedingly great and precious promise" included the gift of eternal life, which Abraham couldn't enjoy as a genetic inheritance for he was born a sinner under condemnation like all of us. And further, no way could he be "the heir of the world" unless it became the "new earth." And again, no way could he be "the heir" of such a new earth unless he was given the gift of "righteousness," for Peter insists that only "righteousness dwelleth" there (2 Peter 3:13).

So, it all ends up full circle: God's "exceeding great and precious promises" mean the out-and-out gift of "righteousness by faith." And that was the meaning of those seven promises the Lord made to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, 3, and then later swore to in chapter 15--staking His very existence and His eternal throne on His keeping them.

Now, we return to our question: does it make sense that we, sinful selfish people by nature can be changed, converted, purified, transformed, even "sanctified," by believing those "promises"? Believe it or not, that is Peter's idea: "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, ... exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:3, 4).

"Escape" is what we desperately need, for we face the second death without it. The "corruption" of lust surrounds us and would permeate us. But it's true: our "escape" is only in believing those "promises." Let's join together in our own heart-felt prayer: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23, 24). We are told we can never perish if we pray that prayer.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 6, 2004.

Monday, March 31, 2014

"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.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Access to the "High and Lofty One"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

"The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ... dwell[s] in the high and holy place," says Isaiah (57:15). How could you or I ever make contact with Him when He is so apparently inaccessible?

Then--wonder of wonders! He tells us where we can find access to Him: "I dwell ... with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit." Would you like to meet this High and Holy One? Okay, get acquainted with someone whose spirit is contrite and humble--maybe in your office or workplace, or there might be some such student at your school.

The Lord has His home there with such a person. Don't let yourself be fooled; it might turn out to be the janitor. Ignore or despise him or her and you end up treating Christ like His people did long ago.

And perhaps you are the person who is of a humble spirit and you find yourself being battered in subtle ways in our modern cultural barnyard. The Bible assures us that if there is anywhere someone who does indeed follow in the footsteps of Jesus, that person is bound to suffer some kind of abuse from his or her fellowmen (ponder 2 Tim. 3:12).

What really hurts is when that cultural barnyard turns out to be your church (that can happen!). When it does, we are driven back to Isaiah 57: "I dwell ... with him also ... of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." The idea of the word is to "make alive," almost to resurrect. The word "spirit" has a small s--means the source of your own personality, the real you. You have something that keeps you happy and sweet even when you are abused.

Isaiah makes the point more clear in chapter 66: "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. ... But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word" (vss. 1, 2). It's the "trembling at [His] word" that makes God feel at home to "dwell" with you, not "trembling" in the sense of terror, but to be thrilled with delight in reading His word. Use your new day to get better acquainted with Him!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 23, 2003.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

"See" What Happened at the Cross

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When the New Testament speaks of "the flesh," it's the sinful nature we all have--the source of our temptations. It's not the world outside of us that tempts us--it's the world inside of us. If you live like a hermit in the desert, the "flesh" within still tempts.

Paul explains the only way it can be handled: "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24). Millions want to know how they can do that. It's not some "work" to DO. And to pray, "God, please crucify my flesh!" is not the way, like pushing a computer button. The way is simple, but the believing (faith) does take time.

Paul prays for us in Ephesians 3:14-21, not that we might DO some wonderful work, but that we might SEE something wonderful: "that ye .. may be able to comprehend ... what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love (agape) of Christ," which of course is displayed only at His cross. If an angel had videoed the crucifixion, it might fill the theaters, but that would not help; we "see" it, "comprehend" it, with the eyes of faith. It takes "a thoughtful hour." On your knees, alone with your heavenly Father. With the Bible open before you.

"See" the cross therein. Psalm 22 was put there for this purpose; also Psalm 69. Yes, David wrote them both, but it's Jesus Himself talking from His cross! Read them in several translations, if you can. Read them slowly, no hurried impatience. God inspired both so that you might identify with your Savior, and begin to sense those grand dimensions of a love that no preacher can adequately portray.

"Comprehend" what happened there, "see" it, and Galatians 6:14 will come alive for you: "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I [am crucified] unto the world."

How does it work? "I am crucified with Christ ..." (2:20; "self"). "The world" will have no more impact on you now than it had on the repentant thief who also was crucified with Him. And you will share what he had--he was the happiest man who has ever lived, for he heard those words, "You will be with Me in Paradise."

"In Christ," you rule the flesh; you are its boss. Like Him, you "condemn sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3, 4). Take charge; choose. Welcome to joy!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 29, 2003.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Whatever the Father Was to Jesus, He Is the Same to Us

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Has there been some mystery in your life that has always perplexed you? Like the untimely loss and death of a loved one; or the crushing disappointment of a love lost, or betrayed, that you had hoped would lead to a happy marriage?

When Jesus told us how to pray (to "our Father which art in heaven"), He told us of the only way we can find peace and reconciliation with God after such bitter disappointment.

Our heavenly Father is infinite; at first thought, this truth may tempt us to wonder if the comfort He can give us is real and effective; how can it be if the Father is an infinite being? Don't forget that He was also the "our Father which art in heaven" to Jesus during His 33-1/2 years of sojourn with us in this human life. Whatever the Father was to Jesus, He is the same to us. His being infinite does not in the least lessen the personal attention He gives to us each one.

Take for example, the way that the Father in heaven manifested Himself to Jesus (as a teenager?) when He awakened Him from sleep early in the mornings. The story is in Isaiah 50:4, 5: "The Lord God hath given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learned."

As a Teenager or as a Youth (Jesus was a Youth all His life among us here!), He may have loved to sleep in each morning; teens are proverbially difficult to awaken in the morning! But the Heavenly Father (the same as your Heavenly Father!) persisted in waking Jesus up to start each new day.

Jesus had to go to school! He had to learn how to "speak a word in season" to the weary crowds, or to the solitary inquirer like Nicodemus who "came to Jesus by night" long after office doors should be closed! (John 3:2, 3). Those early morning awakenings and "schoolings" taught Jesus the wisdom He needed so desperately, which is why He said, "I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: ... because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me" (5:30).

That same "our Father which art in heaven" will awaken us and teach us, day by day!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 12, 2008.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Should People Be Warned? Or Won?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What's wrong with the world?

The Lord Jesus Christ has His answer: "Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matt. 24:12). Is love the problem? Or the lack of it? Could we translate that to mean that people are disobeying the holy law of God? Yes, of course that's true. And do they need to be warned?

But is it wiser to say that people are disregarding the holy law of God because they do not truly know what that "loveof God" means? Could it be that instead of needing to be warned, people need to be won?

If we had a meter that could determine the extent of our true obedience (like a thermometer determines how warm we are), it would register the awareness there is in our soul of the love of Christ; and that would directly correlate with the extent of our obedience to the law of God.

The reason? "He who loves another has fulfilled the law. ... If there is any other commandment, [it] is all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:8-10; that is not teaching we should love self; Luther got that right long ago: now you love others as you have always previously, naturally, loved yourself).

Our "love-thermometer" is not to measure our love for Christ; it is to measure our appreciation of His love for us.We are not saved by our love for Jesus. We are saved by His love for us.

We will gain an incalculable blessing if we will get on our knees and spend "a thoughtful hour in contemplation of the life of Christ, especially its closing scenes." Let His love, not yours, wash through your soul. Don't begrudge the time!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 12, 2007.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Two Harvests

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In Bible imagery, rain is usually a blessing. There is "the latter rain" which comes at just the right time to ripen a thirsty crop for harvest. But think of a farmer worried about his crop in Israel long ago. Early rain was a blessing that made the seed sprout. The barley matured to a certain place in plant growth that seemed to promise a rich harvest this year; but now the growth is stunted. Drought came at just the wrong time. An enormous crop that never matures for harvest is an agricultural disaster. The farmer doesn't have modern irrigation; he is dependent on rain from heaven.

You can imagine the distress in the family, the earnest prayers going up day by day for the Lord to send the long-awaited "latter rain." It must come from Him!

In the Bible, this describes the condition of the Lord's church in the last days. The enormity in the size of acreage that the farmer has planted in barley is not good news unless the crop gets that most precious latter rain at the right time. Diligent labor is effort wasted if it doesn't result in a harvest of mature grain ripe for the sickle.

Jesus teaches that "the harvest is the end of the world" (Matt. 13:39). But there are two harvests--character develops in two kinds of people: those ready to meet the Lord at His return; and those whose rebellion against Him has also matured (Rev. 14:16-20).

A "sickle" is used in both harvests, one by Jesus coming in glory, the other by some other "angel" whose "sharp sickle" reaps a harvest cast into the "great winepress of the wrath of God." There must be two kinds of "latter rain."

Time to be alert! No time to sleep!

--Robert J. Wieland

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

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.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

If Anyone's Life Work Is a Total Loss, Can He Still Be Saved?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

A wise author has written: "Should we come to the close of life with our work undone, it would be an eternal loss" (The Ministry of Healing, p. 452).

Sober thought!

"AN eternal loss": it doesn't necessarily say a TOTAL eternal loss.

The apostle Paul can help us here. It is true that each of us has a life work that we are called to do, and if we come to our end of life with that work neglected, it will be a tragedy: it will be like planting a crop and reaping no harvest. "He who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. ... If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, [or] wood hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest: for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:8-15).

Do we have a right to say that if anyone's life work is a total loss, he can still be saved? Yes, says Paul; but he will be like someone in a forest fire--he will escape with only the clothes on his back; everything else just ashes.

What the Lord wants your life work to be only He can tell you; what we know for sure is that He wants you to be happy when you meet Him face to face. When we come up to the One who sits on the Great White Throne before "whose face the earth and the heaven [flee] away" (Rev. 20:11; yes we must "all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," 2 Cor. 5:10), we will see the cross of Christ looming high "above the throne." Yes, the cross is higher than the throne! It's something that even the Father bows to! In that moment, we will see our life as it should have been.

If you are still short of your death-bed, kneel and plead with Him to help you surrender to the "constraint" of that love (agape) of Christ. Don't try to "earn" a reward, but truly "believe" in Him so the fountain of living water may flow out of your empty heart to bless others (cf. John 7:37, 38).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 17, 2007.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Fear? Those Who Believe in Jesus Won't Know It

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus made a promise that we hang on to: "I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3). World population desperately clings to that as their only hope.

The second coming of Christ is not bad news even to those who say they don't believe in Him, for many, when they finally hear the gospel presented clearly, will believe. They've been waiting for it all their lives. And for those who finally steel their hearts and souls against it, they'll be glad that their hell is now at an end. Christ is always only "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people," as the angels originally said (Luke 2:10).

The coming last days' events have terrorized many who say they long for Christ to come again, but they cannot bear the bad news that has given so many youth their nightmares and frightened them out of the church. The "mark of the beast," for example, enforced by a death penalty as Revelation 13:15 predicts: it's not God's intention that our lives be shadowed by that heavy cloud of apprehension. Those who have come to understand "the everlasting gospel" of 14:6, 7, "the third angel's message in verity," walk into that crisis with "the joy of the Lord" on their faces. It will be the greatest soul-winning thrill they have ever known because at last the glorious days Isaiah predicted in chapters 49 and 60 will be happening all around them. (God will never let Isaiah come to nothing!)

Fear? Those who believe in Jesus won't know it, no matter how precarious their situations may seem to be. They have at last learned what the love is that is agape, which "casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). It does it! At long last they have looked at the uplifted cross on which the Son of God died the world's second death; they have "comprehended with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge." Super-astounding as the truth may be, they are "filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:17-19). How could the desperate rantings of a frustrated devil with his empty "mark of the beast" threats disturb their peace now?

They are not enduring these trials "alone"! "Lo, I am with you always" is ringing in their souls' ears. "Yea, though [they] walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [they] will fear no evil, for [the Lord] is with [them]" (Psalm 23:4).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 24, 2007.