Dial Daily Bread: Don't Forget Where the World's Savior Came From

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

If you have ever read the Book of Judges, you have been on one of the most depressing literary journeys possible. The violence, nonsense, and cruelty are almost unimaginable (with some relief--Deborah, Gideon, and Jephthah). But what a joy to read next a story of golden purity and love, about Ruth the Moabitess.

There seems no hint that she was a scholar or even knew how to read. She has won her place in world history simply because she unselfishly loved her bereaved mother-in-law. Well, maybe more than that--she came like a helpless little bird to seek shelter under the wings of the Lord God of Israel (2:12).

Naomi displays an unusual sense of contrition in calling herself "Bitter," in that while she "went out full, ... the Lord has brought me home again empty" (1:21). "The Almighty has afflicted me." Could she be repenting in a corporate sense for what may have been some perceived unbelief on the part of her deceased husband Elimelech? He had forsaken the Lord's "House of Bread" in Israel's inheritance (Bethlehem) for what he thought were the more prosperous fields of pagan Moab. And there in economic heaven he and his two sons died. Naomi would naturally wonder if God were not punishing the family for that unbelief; her painful memories were distressing.

But in that story is the nicest touch of sanctified drama. No outlandish miracle occurs, as we might expect in a story, only the outworking of human decency and kindness on the part of everybody around, including Boaz. Here are mixed together fidelity to upright principle, honorable self-denial, and then blossoming love. And suddenly the author leaves us breathless with the simple but astonishing disclosure: "Boaz begot Obed [by Ruth], Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David." Period!

Don't ever forget where Jesus, the world's Savior, came from.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 5, 2003.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Final Work of the One True High Priest

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

For 2000 years, the gospel has been proclaimed in the world. But is it being proclaimed in its fullness, in its pristine power? Jesus proclaimed it by His words, by His life and great sacrifice on His cross, and by His resurrection. His disciples proclaimed the gospel clearly, for they "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).

All kinds of sinners were redeemed from sin (see Paul's list in 1 Cor. 6:9, 10); and then he adds, "and such were some of you. But you were washed, ... sanctified, ... justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (vs. 11). The gospel was demonstrated to be "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16).

The "power" was in the message that Paul especially proclaimed. But in history an enemy arose who obscured its light. Jesus and Paul warned against his (or its) perversion of the gospel (Matt. 24:24; Gal. 1:6, 7; 2 Thess. 2:3-7). Daniel describes this great development in history as the "little horn" (8:9-25; 7:8, 20-25). Revelation describes the same power as "the beast" (13:1-17). John calls this power "the antichrist" (1 John 4:1-3). It obscures, twists, distorts, and misrepresents the pure true gospel so that its "power" to "save to the uttermost" is compromised.

It has been the curse of history. But now in the last days the gospel is to be restored in its full pristine power to be demonstrated again as "the power of God unto salvation" in the great antitypical or cosmic Day of Atonement, when the world's true High Priest "cleanses the [heavenly] sanctuary" (see Dan. 8:14). This work will involve preparing a people for translation to see Jesus come the second time.

Luther, Calvin, and the Wesleys were led by God to launch the great Protestant Reformation. But in their day they could not grasp the full light of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, that final work of the one true High Priest. That will fully recover "the truth of the gospel" that must "lighten the earth with glory" (Gal. 2:5; Rev. 18:1-4). Let that "light" come soon!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 1, 2000.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Last Great Trials of Faith

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Why is it that sometimes God doesn't answer His "phone" when sincere people call Him in prayer? Why did God let poor Job go through that horrible experience when He Himself had to admit that Job was "a perfect and an upright man" (1:8)? Why did He let David for ten long years be hunted in the wilderness like a wild animal when he was "the anointed of the Lord"? Why, when Jeremiah gave himself for service, did God let him suffer a lifetime of anguish (no restitution ever, like Job had!)? Is God fair?

Well, let's try to answer these questions. Job was honored to fight alone in the arena like a gladiator, given the job of defending God in His great controversy with Satan. Stupendous: a human being entrusted with that enormous responsibility--defending God! If Job had done what his dear wife said, "Curse God and die!" he would have proved that Satan is right, and forced God into profound embarrassment before the world and the universe. A terrible battle, but God had no choice: let him go it alone, apparently forsaken. (And the "church" of that day, his three friends, made his trouble worse.) Job was a forerunner of Christ, a tremendous honor.

There had to be a "David" so that when the Son of God became the Son of man He could also be "the son of David." David had to go through his experiences of feeling forsaken by God so that Christ could later read his psalms and be strengthened. David "the anointed one" was also a forerunner of Christ. The price? Pain and suffering; but it was worth it.

Jeremiah is honored as one of the greatest of the prophets; he will have the honor throughout eternity.

God must have "144,000" to honor Him likewise in the last great trials of faith (Rev. 7:1-4; 14:1-5). If He has only 143,999, His word will fail in the great controversy with Satan. Perhaps you are that last one who is so important. Hang on.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 29, 2000.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Why Doesn't God Heal More Sick People?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you wondered why God doesn't intervene to heal more sick people, miraculously? Medical science does heal many--but does that mean that the Great Physician has 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 the message of the cross was more vividly proclaimed then (1 Cor. 2:1-3; Gal. 6:14, etc.), resulting in deeper, more thorough conversions. The Lord could work these miracles because the healed persons would "henceforth" be constrained to "live for 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." 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.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Fellowship With the Prophets

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus told us to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when people lie about us and ridicule us and malign us, for His sake (Matt. 5:11, 12). Why? He gives two reasons: We have (present tense) a great reward in heaven, and we have fellowship with the prophets of old who were persecuted. But how can that be? They are dead!

No, not through Spiritualism! But you can appreciate the experiences that the prophets like Jeremiah and John the Baptist went through. In a very real sense, through the Bible you develop a rapport with them, you identify with them. You actually make their acquaintance in such a way that when you do finally enter the gates of the New Jerusalem, they will seem to you like old friends.

And better still, when they meet you, they will look in your face and see the development of character that will cause them to say to you, "You know what I went through! Let's sit down and talk, for we have something in common!" You will feel like you are a prince or princess in the kingdom of heaven, and when Jesus recognizes those who have suffered for His sake, you will be standing right there side by side with Jeremiah, or John the Baptist, or Paul, and you will feel right at home like you belong there.

That "great reward" that Jesus spoke of is not only a thing of the future; He made plain that it is present tense. You have that consciousness of fellowship even now, that you belong in their company, and that you are truly "accepted." Condemned on this earth, but honored by heaven! And that gives you a deep sense of humbleness, but also a holy joy at the realization that you are not entering heaven like a dog with its tail between its legs, merely surviving, merely existing there; but as a prince and princess of the Realm! Take heart, for all this is Good News!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 7, 1998.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What Really Happened on the Day of Pentecost

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

"Pentecost" is an important word to Christian people. It came 50 days after Christ's resurrection. The disciples met together to pray and study for 10 days before, so that by the time the Day of Pentecost arrived, they were finally in total harmony and unity, "all with one accord" (Acts 2:1).

A great blessing came on that day. The true and genuine gift of tongues was manifest so that everyone from all parts of the world who were gathered in Jerusalem heard the glad tidings in his own language so he could clearly understand it. The Holy Spirit was given in a fullness that has never since been equaled. What was it about the message of Pentecost that had such tremendous power that 3000 were truly converted in a day?

A wise writer has said, "Great truths that have lain unheeded and unseen since the Day of Pentecost are to shine from God's word in their native purity." Is there a "great truth" that shone clearly on the Day of Pentecost that even the apostle Paul did not preach? Yes, there is one: Speaking to that great crowd of thousands of people from many nations and languages, Peter boldly declared that they had crucified the Son of God: "Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). A few days later he told them, "You denied the Holy One and the Just, ... and killed the Prince of life" (3:14, 15).

Nothing in Paul's epistles is quite so strong, so directly confrontational! What happened on the Day of Pentecost? A repentance deeper than has ever been known. The murder of the Son of God is the greatest sin ever committed; repentance for that sin is the greatest a human heart can ever know.

Do you think it might be possible that Peter's sermon applies to us today? May the Lord hasten the day when His modern "apostles" will finally be in "one accord" in their understanding of the truth of the gospel!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 1, 1998.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Long Overdue Message

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As the U.S. prepares to observe another Memorial Day, we pray that the Lord may "make wars cease to the end of the earth [and] break the bow and cut the spear in two, and burn the chariots in the fire" (see Psalm 46:9). Millions sacrificed their lives in World War I to fight "the war to end all wars," and World War II sent many more millions into undeserved death. 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.

The very name of Jesus, the Son of God, is "the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). 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.

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-torn world," unless we serve as His agents in enabling Him to do so. "As [My] Father has sent Me, I also send 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, then in the Vietnam War, the Iraq and other wars, "Do not harm the earth ... till we have sealed the servants of our God on 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.
Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can We Find Some Good News in Matthew 5:8?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Can we find some Good News in these words: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8)?

If you are "pure in heart," that of course is Good News. But how many people have seen God? John 1:18 says, "No one has seen God at any time." So, how many people really are "pure in heart"? Romans 3:10 says, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Saul of Tarsus thought he was until he discovered the tenth commandment, which says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife," and he realized that the deepest thoughts, emotions, and feelings of his heart were not pure.

Hebrews 12:29 says that "our God is a consuming fire." It would be very bad news for anyone with an impure heart to see God! We may imagine that our hearts are pure when in fact they are not, because Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"

Perhaps this discloses the real reason why Jesus has not yet returned in the clouds of heaven. When people see Him come if they are not ready, it will be disaster for them, because "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels" it will be "in flaming fire" (2 Thess. 1:7-9). Only the "pure in heart" can "dwell with the devouring fire" when "the sinners in Zion are afraid; [and] fearfulness has seized the hypocrites" (Isa. 33:14). His coming is Bad News for the impure in heart!

So, where's the Good News? Here it is, in Psalm 51:7-13, the prayer of an adulterer and murderer crying out for salvation: "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ... Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ... Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You." And Joel says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (2:32).

Cry out for true cleansing of heart! If you are serious, and not a hypocrite, the Lord will cleanse your deep, inner heart.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 17, 1998.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: An Expensive Object Lesson

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus said something very strange that has puzzled many people since the day He said it: "Whoever falls on this Stone [Himself, His history as Savior of the world] shall be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Matt. 21:44).

The leaders of the nation were planning to kill Him; Caiaphas, the high priest, hated Him; Pilate the Roman governor would deliver Him to death, knowing He was innocent; and King Herod would agree to His death. The greatest judicial travesty in all history!

Jesus had just reminded them of the well-known story of building Solomon's temple. One large stone had baffled the workmen--they couldn't figure out where to put it and they abandoned it in the weeds, to the heat of summer and the storms and frost of winter. Finally, they discovered that it was the "chief cornerstone," where it proved to be an exact fit. So, said Jesus, He is the "[head] stone which the builders rejected" (vs. 42).

So far, it is clear. But why the idea of anyone "falling on the Stone and being broken"? Well, Peter was an example of such a person. A proud man, he was sure he would never give in to pressure and deny his Lord, but before the rooster crowed in the morning he had denied Jesus three times. Peter wept bitterly when he realized the sinfulness of his own heart. His repentance was deep. He "fell on the Stone and was broken." The love of self was broken up; his heart was broken. It was reported in early times that ever afterward there was a tear glistening in his eyes.

On the other hand, look at Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod: all they have is the final judgment. Christ will not grind them to powder--what will do it is their own history. He will not say a word to condemn them in that final judgment; they will do it themselves. They will salvage nothing for eternity.

A wise writer has used this text about the "Stone" in appealing to church members to let the Holy Spirit melt their proud hearts, and to teachers in Christian schools whose self-centered pride hides Jesus from the view of their students, and to ministers and church leaders who repeat Peter's denial of Christ. It's an "either/or" judgment we all face: self must be humbled eventually. Either by our own voluntary choice to take up the cross on which self is crucified, or to go on making self the center of our heart's devotion.

The former calls for tears of melted-heart repentance now; the latter points to "powder" being blown away like dust in a windstorm, an eternal record of nothingness. Herod, Caiaphas, and Pilate have given us an expensive object lesson.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 5, 2000.

Copyright © 2012 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "Protesting" in a Christlike Way

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It seems wildly inappropriate to think that there was ever a "war in heaven," but that's just what Revelation 12:7-10 describes. A war to the finish between "Michael" with His angels against "the dragon [Satan] and his angels." A careful reading suggests that it was Christ and the loyal angels who started the war, although this is opposite to most thinking today.

But this fits in with what the Bible says about Christ. Christ never lies down and lets the devil walk over Him. You remember at His temptation in the wilderness, He told the devil to "get out!" and the devil did (Matt. 4:10). Again when Satan used Peter to try to turn Him away from His cross, He said, "Get thee behind Me, Satan!" (16:23).

When Lucifer (who became "the devil and Satan") instigated the rebellion in heaven, he was spreading his poison all through the ranks of the holy angels. If Christ and they had not protested, sin would have filled the universe. They could not sit back and relax and condone a fictitious "peace and harmony" as we are often tempted to do when evil is about to triumph; they arose in vigorous protest. They started a war! They saw through the subtle lies that Lucifer was telling, and their souls were on fire in their love for truth. Their concern was for the security of heaven and the universe. They had to "speak up."

We might say that "Michael and His angels" were pro-test-ants, righteously so. And so will everyone be who takes up his cross to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). Love for souls, for your nation, for your church, for society, for the universe itself, yes, concern for Christ, motivates you to protest against injustice, against lies.

The first work of the Holy Spirit is to "convict of sin," that is, to protest against sin because sin kills (John 16:8; Prov. 8:36). Whatever your problem, the Holy Spirit will convict you of that sin before you repeat it. Before anyone chooses to transgress God's holy law, He continually says, "No!" He "convicts of sin" in love.

But be careful: it's not your job to do the work of the Holy Spirit. You can lift your voice against evil and not be obnoxious at the same time. You can "protest" in a Christlike way.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 24, 2002.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Christ's Universal Promise for the Last Days

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When some Gentiles from Greece invited Jesus to come (probably) to Athens, He responded with His memorable words about a grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying and then bearing "much grain" (John 12:20-24). But He must remain steadfast knowing that he would suffer in Jerusalem and die there for the world. He made a great promise: "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. This He said, signifying by what death He would die," that is, on His cross (vss. 32, 33).

That big "IF" and the universal promise of "drawing all" meets its fulfillment in Revelation 18:1-4. "Another angel" will finally "come down from heaven, having great power" (that "drawing" will be some people "lifting up Christ on His cross" as He has never before been "lifted up"). To "draw all" does not necessarily mean to win all. "All" will sense His drawing but not all will respond favorably; many will resist.

"Precious ones" are to be called forth from "Babylon," and a compelling power will move the honest in heart. God will restrain unbelieving relatives and friends so that it will be impossible for them to hinder those who feel the work of the Spirit of God upon them. The last call will be carried even to the most downtrodden of humanity, and the gospel message will close with power and strength. Servants of God will be endowed with power from on high to declare, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen," and souls scattered everywhere will answer the call.

What will give power to the message? Lifting up "Christ and Him crucified" in a clearer way than any movie or drama could portray. Why hasn't Revelation 18 yet been fulfilled? We can't lift up Christ crucified while we also lift up self un-crucified. But the Holy Spirit will solve that problem (see Zech. 12:10). There is Good News before us.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 15, 2004.
Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: God's Unwilling Messengers

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What can God in heaven do to awaken “this present evil world” in which we live? The story of Nineveh may illustrate how He works.

He cared about that wealthy pagan city (and Assyrian empire) with “more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left” (Jonah 4:11). He pitied their ignorance of truth, which Israel had “kept away from the world.” We do not read that He sent a literal “angel” to teach them (except for the angels at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, His messages have always been sent by humans under His guidance). So God chose Jonah and sent him, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it” (1:2).

But the messenger was unwilling; he did not have the compassion of heart that God had. Almost by coercion God sent him again, and his mission proved fantastically effective. “The people of Nineveh believed God, ... from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king …” (3:5-7).

For once Jesus’ prayer was answered, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”! The world’s most cruel empire was on the way to being converted! But the Lord’s messenger stumbled, staggered, and failed. Jonah could have become great, and the history of the four cruel empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, would have been different.

God also had a problem with His messenger to the Kingdom of Judah (worse than Assyria!) in Josiah its last “good” king. Almost fanatical in following the Spirit of Prophecy of his day (the books of Moses), he rejected its living demonstration in the message from Pharaoh Necho; and Josiah’s reformation failed (2 Chron. 35, 36).

But in the great final Day of Atonement, all the failures of ancient Israel and Judah must and will at last be rectified in a repentance of the ages (Rev. 3:19, 20). Then at last  “Nineveh” will be given the Lord’s message (18:1-4), and Christ will be honored.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 18, 2000.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Overworked? There's Rest for Your Soul

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Are you one of those many people who have too much to do? Working two jobs just to make ends meet, exhausted at night, tired each morning? Too busy even to gulp down a little "daily bread" that the Heavenly Father promises to feed you (see the Lord's Prayer)? Your Heavenly Father has help for you.

The Sabbath is your day of rest (Ex. 20:8-11). "But you don't understand," you say, "today is not the Sabbath--it's Monday (or whatever day)! There's no 'rest' today!" Yes, but look again at that great fourth commandment, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy ..." "Remember" during your exhausting week that your Father has sweet "rest" for you, and the simple remembering will ease your burden today. That's part of what Jesus means when He says, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light," so "Come" even if it's Monday. Maybe every muscle aches and you're "bone-tired." To believe you have "rest" in Him is an immense relief to your "soul" right now, He says (Matt. 11:28-30).

"Yes, but you don't understand! I feel like I'm just a slave! Endless labor night and day! I never have time for myself!" Now the Lord opens another window in heaven to pour out a blessing upon you: Paul told the slaves of his day that they were especially beloved of Heaven (they still are!). "He who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men" (1 Cor. 7:22-24, NIV).

In other words, consider yourself the Lord's "slave" bought at His cross; not of the corporation you work for. He (not they) is a merciful Master. "Slaves, ... serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone, ... slave or free" (Eph. 6:5-8, NIV). You don't belong to yourself? "Remember": the Lord of glory became a "slave," giving up belonging to Himself, for you (Phil. 2:5-8). Be "free" in Him!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 29, 2002.
Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Abide in Christ--Seven Days a Week

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

For our happiness, our Creator and Savior has told us that "six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God" (Ex. 20:9, 10). Granted, we believe that. We gladly give Him that "seventh day."

But is there another bit of what may be seen as "holy time"? The remaining "six days" of the week are not an escape from God; seven days a week we are to "abide" in Christ and we are to invite, to welcome Him to "abide" in us (John 15:4). After the toil of each of "the six working days" the dear Lord "gives His beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2). Thus we awaken each new morning refreshed to "abide" another day in Christ, while we go about our lives. Jesus gave us an example for our encouragement about how to live those "six working days" of the week:

"In the morning, having risen a long time before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (Mark 1:35). This is not an example of deprivation of needed sleep which the Lord "gives His beloved," no; it's just a healthy way to live; it was His habit to go to bed early so He could do this (unless someone like Nicodemus would come and keep Him up late, see John 3:2).

In God's plan, each new day begins at sundown (Gen. 1:5). It was Roman paganism that changed this so it begins at midnight. On this cosmic Day of Atonement, those who follow our great High Priest in His cleansing His sanctuary, choose to "abide" in Him; we jealously guard that morning time when He awakens us (see Isa. 50:4, 5). Guard that evening hour too.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 19, 2005.
Copyright © 2012 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "Your Kingdom Come"--An Expectation Long Overdue?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we pray the prayer that may be over our heads in understanding: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10).

The "kingdom" has not yet "come." It's been awaiting establishment now for two millennia since Christ gave us this prayer of expectation; many who reverence the Bible as the Word of God wrestle with the conviction that it's overdue. It's been hindered. But they also are convicted that if there is any delay, the honor of God will be compromised. People wiser than I have said that.

The coming of "the kingdom" is equivalent to the great "another angel [who] came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle, and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Rev. 14:15). It's the grand close of probationary history of this earth.

The coming of the kingdom is also equivalent to the grand climax of Christ's work as the world's High Priest: "We have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, ... not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:14, 15, KJV).

The High Priest's work is to reconcile the alienated hearts of God's people to Him; another name for that is the ministry of the antitypical Day of Atonement (a simple Anglo-Saxon word, at-one-with-God-in-heart). Yes, for that to happen would be a miracle; but that's what the Lord's Prayer has been praying for all this long while!

Another word for that is "the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary" (see Dan. 8:14), a phrase that makes sense only if it is understood as the cleansing of the hearts of God's people from all sin, known and also unknown. The honor and vindication of Christ in the great controversy with Satan is involved in thus establishing "the kingdom." That is our true motivation, something that transcends our concern for saving our own souls.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 16, 2007.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Greatest "Evangelism" of All Time

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The greatest "evangelism" of all time was what happened at Pentecost. It was not emotionalism, and what brought the deep conviction of truth on people's hearts was not the miracle of the apostles' speaking foreign languages, even though a "sign and wonder" indeed. The apostles proclaimed what had happened when the Son of God died on His cross.

They didn't "mince words": "You murdered the Prince of life, the Son of God!" They laid the guilt of the ages upon the souls of those Jews and Gentiles. There was no political "correctness," no attempt to make the message palatable to "win" the top leaders. It was the most direct super-confrontation that has ever been between lay people and religious society leadership (read about it in Acts 2:23, 36; 4:10; 5:30, etc.).

Ordinary people like the apostles could never have galvanized themselves to tell it like they did had it not been for the ten days of repentance they spent beforehand. They had knelt very low in self-humiliation. The Holy Spirit had eleven men in whom self had been "crucified with Christ." This made it possible for the Son of God to be exalted in them.

Why was it the prototype of all genuine "evangelism"? What Jesus had said a short time earlier happened: "On the last and most important day of the festival [Feast of Tabernacles] Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, 'Whoever is thirsty should come to Me and drink. As the scripture says [Song of Solomon 4:15] "Whoever believes in Me, streams of life-giving water will pour out from his heart."' Jesus said this about the [Holy] Spirit" (John 7:37-39, GNB). That was the "former rain." The "latter rain" will be a re-play.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 22, 2005.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What Was Esau's Problem?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread:"

The story of Esau should wake every one of us up, and sober us. He wasn't a bad man; his brother Jacob appears in the Bible to have been more of a crook than he, deceiving his old father, and also deceiving Laban. No such serious crime is recorded of Esau. We don't read of his stealing anything or telling lies. He is the fine biblical example of an upright, decent man who minded his own business and didn't hurt anyone else. But he despised his birthright, sold it, and lost it forever; and all his tears afterwards were for nothing. Paul points to him as a warning to all of us: Look "diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God ... like Esau" (Heb. 12:15, 16).

What was Esau's problem? The record doesn't indicate any crime: he didn't appreciate what God had given him in his birthright! He "fell short of the grace of God," that is, his heart wasn't moved by "grace," no contact was made. The "birthright" was the inestimable privilege of being a progenitor of the coming Messiah, the Savior of the world, to get his name listed in Matthew 1 or Luke 3 as shareholders with Christ in saving the world.

Through the birthright was to come the blessing of Abraham to whom God promised that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). That didn't appeal to Esau; he was "profane," not that he necessarily swore curses, but his thinking and feeling were only worldly, untouched by the "grace of God." No tears ever came in his eyes; the thought of a cross on which the Prince of glory should die for the world was boring to Esau.

The Bible says something that on the surface sounds awful, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated," God said (Rom. 9:13). That doesn't mean that God rejected Esau; it means that He appreciated the devotion of Jacob and let Esau go his own way--let him have what he wanted. Esau illustrates John 3:18, he shows us what it means to "not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

"Not believing" is not doing bad things necessarily; it is cold-heartedness, being "profane" in the sense of not being moved by the grace of God, nonchalantly watching Jesus die on His cross. It's what Jesus says permeates the church of Laodicea from top to bottom (Rev. 3:16-18). Yes, Christ loves everybody; but He can't force people to enter His kingdom who would only be bored if they got there. He has too much self-respect.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 8, 2000.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: An Outlandish Idea?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it an outlandish idea that the apostle Paul writes, that there is something "lacking in the afflictions of Christ" that God's people can "fill up" (Col 1:24)? Didn't Christ already suffer everything bad that we humans can suffer? Well, let's ask one question: did Christ suffer broken bones? The apostle John says of Him, "Not one of His bones shall be broken" (John 19:36), and he is quoting Exodus 12:46 and Psalm 34:20.

We can say indeed that Jesus suffered all the pain that we humans can suffer, for none of us has been literally crucified--a horrendous experience. But here indeed is something that those who suffer broken bones can consider: they are honored in some little way to "fill up in [their] flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ" (says Col. 1:24), permitted the high honor of being "partakers of Christ's sufferings" (1 Peter 4:13).

Those who endure suffering (whether from physical pain, or mental and emotional torture thrust upon them uninvited) are privileged to demonstrate to the world and to the universe what it means in one little way to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4, 5). They have experienced something special in common with Him. They have a point of contact with Him, an intimacy that they will recognize reflected in His eyes when at last they see Him face to face. When He takes them by the hand, He will squeeze their hand with a special touch of oneness with Him. No longer will they bemoan their "burden" and complain that "it's not fair!" They will recognize their position as princes and princesses in the great kingdom of God, entrusted with a special task to honor Christ.

There was once a great man who suffered agony uninvited. In so doing, he was highly honored. Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (13:15). It's not that God wanted to "slay" him, but it seemed that way to Job (it was Satan doing it). And Job broke through the clouds and embraced a genuine faith--believing in the goodness of God in total darkness. So can you.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 25, 2000.

Copyright © 2011 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Heavenly Father Will Never Give Us a "Stone"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In His delightful little story in Luke 11 Jesus tells how the man who begged his neighbor for some bread for his unexpected guests kept on begging at midnight until the wearied neighbor finally got up and gave him all he needed (vss. 5-8). Then comes the heart-warming assurance from Jesus: if we continually "beg" the heavenly Father for some "bread," He will never give us a "stone."

Continual praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit means continual hunger and thirst for "bread" and the "water of life." It means continually feeling in need, feeling wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Rev. 3:17); continually sensing that our "pantry" is empty. There is no point in continually "asking" unless we have that continual hunger and thirst. God has trouble "feeding" anyone who isn't hungry.

Perhaps before we beg for the "bread" we should ask Him to give us an appetite that feels our emptiness; makes us aware that entertainment only masks the unconscious malnutrition of our souls. Often we pray for answers that it seems the Lord wisely delays to give us; but for certain, a prayer, "Lord, show me my need! Reveal to me my selfishness, my hypocrisy, my buried sin,"--that prayer will be answered quickly because it is the kind of prayer John says must be answered for it is "according to God's will" (1 John 5:14).

Lastly, Jesus' little story tells a secret: when you ask for "bread" in order to give it to someone else (not yourself!) that is what brings a guaranteed answer in the positive. What a thrill of joy we experience when we learn to "ask to give."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 19, 2000.
Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can John the Baptist Encourage Today's "Prisoners"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Can John the Baptist be an encouragement to people who are in distress? Jesus declared him to be such a wonderful man that "there has not risen one greater" than he in all history (Matt. 11:11). Yet Jesus left him to suffer unjustly, alone, a prisoner of the wicked Herod. He naturally wondered if God had forsaken him. He had done nothing to deserve this monstrous injustice.

There are "prisoners" today; some in jail when they know they are innocent of the crimes charged against them. History testifies of cases (even executions) of innocent people; and some suffer illness that they fear is a lethal judicial sentence; some are pained by the loneliness and rejection of those they love.

Can John the Baptist encourage them? He was never set free until the executioner came! Yes, the Lord "hedged [him] behind and before" and he could not "flee from [His] presence." Even if he "made [his] bed in hell, behold, [the Lord] was there." When John said, "'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,' even the night [became] light about me. Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day" (Psalm 139:5-12). Angels from heaven dwelt with John in that lonely dungeon; his heart was filled with the sense of the nearness of the Lord. Never was he forsaken.

Whoever you are who suffer alone in injustice, remember why the Lord Jesus did not deliver John from his prison: He knew of the millions of His loyal believers of later generations who would suffer injustice. John's experience is an encouragement to each one. Each can claim the New Covenant promises as his, even if he knows he is unworthy.

The Lord is your Shepherd; you are not alone as you walk through the valley; let Him anoint your head with oil and run your cup over and set you down to His banquet "in the presence of [your] enemies." Let His Holy Spirit melt away the bitterness in your heart. And let the happiness steal in upon your soul, for you "shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." All that the New Covenant needs is for someone to believe it, for it is the promises of the Lord.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 3, 2004.

Copyright © 2015 by "Dial Daily Bread."