Dial Daily Bread: Guilty for Sins We Haven't Committed?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

A very wise writer who understood the gospel of Jesus clearly once made a statement that has raised eyebrows: "The record books of heaven contain a record of the sins that we would have committed if we had had the opportunity."

Someone questions: How can we be held guilty for sins we have not actually committed?

Is that fair?

Jesus taught the same principle when He said in Matthew 5:28: "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Our sin is a matter of the heart, not merely of the flesh.

Please note: the Lord Jesus is not saying that the temptation to commit adultery is the same as the sin of adultery. No!

It cannot be that temptation is the same as sin--if that were true that would make Jesus become a terrible sinner, which cannot be truth. No; temptation, no matter how terrible, is sin, if it is resisted and denied. Jesus was tempted "in all points like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).

We cannot say that temptation is the same as sin, for that would make Jesus our Savior into a terrible sinner if He was "tempted in ALL points LIKE as we are."

No one among us has ever been tempted to sin as greatly as Jesus was tempted! That temptation extended to His last moments on His cross: the temptation to come down from the cross and abandon us to our fate was a terrible one: But He said "No!" to it.

Let us remember: the death that Jesus died on His cross was not a peaceful sleep for a weekend; He took upon Himself our "second death" (see Rev. 2:11). The kind of death that Jesus died is a tremendous truth that grips the heart! (We will continue this tomorrow, the Lord willing.)

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

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Let's not denigrate the wonderful promise that the Lord Jesus makes to us in His Luke 11 parable--(and thank you, our beloved Gentile brother who has saved these fascinating stories for us!).

"Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey has come tome, and I have nothing to set before him?

"And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

"I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth" (vss. 5-8).

(a) There is enough "good news" in this parable for many sermons!

(b) The Lord Jesus is presented as in contrast to the unwilling neighbor who must be begged and pleaded to give him a bit of bread to give to someone else!

(c) You don't have to beg the dear Lord to answer this prayer; it's the prayer that He promises ALWAYS to answer with a resounding "Yes!"

(d) "Asking to give" is what the Lord Jesus loves to hear us pray!

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: The Relation Between "Faith and Works"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As we scour the Old Testament for encouraging stories, the one that just leaps at us of course is young stripling David facing that huge giant from Philistia.

(a) There is no "self" in David's demeanor before the giant.

(b) Goliath has ridiculed, insulted, blasphemed the God of Israel, who is also the God of the whole earth.

(c) David is not thinking of winning a victory as young men are prone to think; his heart is deeply touched by the glory of Christ's Being and His divine character.

(d) Therefore he forgets "self" in his overwhelming purpose to honor the Lord.

(e) Goliath has repeatedly blasphemed and challenged the Lord; for David, "self" is crucified with Christ; come what may, David devotes himself to the honor, not of Israel, but to the God of Israel.

(f) In a beautiful demonstration of the relation between "faith and works," David selects those five smooth little stones in the brook; it would not be good if David just prays "O Lord, please defeat that terrible giant!" Prayer is good; let's not denigrate it in the least; yes, we believe in prayer, and in prayer meetings; but sometimes action is needed besides just to pray.

(g) You and I could never have functioned in this crisis, for we don't know how to use slingshots skillfully.

(h) But the Lord used that skillful technique to win a great victory for the gospel.

(i) And that is what the Lord asks of each of us: let us consecrate what we have, humble as it may be, to His service. You may think that your level is the same "low estate" that Mary the mother of Jesus spoke of in Luke 1:48.

(j) But once you confess your personal "low estate," the Lord works to lift you up, because that is His character.

(k) The Lord does not work to put us down, but to lift us up.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: Enter In, Leaving All Your Pride Behind

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible invites us to "think of God."

And when we do, it is not to think of Him as some merely infinite electronic-like intelligence that pervades the universe, but we are to think of Him as Someone infinitely close and personal--"Our Father which art in heaven ..."

Sometimes we humans have had earthly fathers who left us confused and bewildered at the word "father." But here's what John 3:16 means to say to us--"God so loved the world [that is, every individual, personal sinner in it] that He gave His only Son for us [which means that He loved us more than He loved Him], who chooses to believe in Him should not go on perishing within himself, but should have eternal life [not an extension of our present worldly and often painful existence], but the kind of life that Jesus has in His resurrection life."

A child cannot "create" his father; but the way the Bible is speaking, the child [that is, you and I] can formulate a vision of what "father" should mean; that is included in the command to "believe." The Holy Spirit is personally present with every individual to make this a thrilling experience that you share with the Father in private.

Your personal memories of your earthly father may be deficient, but the heavenly Father is not limited by your personal, individual deficiencies; He has a road or route direct to your individual human heart and He invites you to "believe" in Him in His fullness of love (agape).

You may say, "Impossible! I've gone too far." You cannot have gone too far because the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior waiting to be recognized up until you draw your last breath; and if illness has caused weaknesses in your thinking ability, it is not too late for you to "cry unto [Him] out of the depths," for there "is forgiveness with Him that He might be [reverenced]" (see Psalm 130:1-4).

So, here is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, opening the gates of the New Jerusalem so that "all who would might enter, and no one is denied." Thank Him! Humble your heart [you can't respond with a proud heart!], and say "Amen!" and enter in, leaving all your pride behind.

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

Dial Daily Bread: "The Present Truth"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The apostle Peter coined a phrase that catches our interest in each succeeding generation of earth's history: "the present truth" (2 Peter 1:12). We often neglect one side of the history of Jesus--His "marriage." It's the "wedding" of all time and even of all eternity. The Son of God takes a Bride! It seems that that grand denouement of history is "the present truth." Weddings are festive occasions in all cultures and in all times; this Wedding causes all Heaven and the universe itself to break into singing. There are four grand Hallelujah choruses of joy unsurpassed and music never heard in all eternity:

(1) "The Lamb" is the Son of God, the "Word" who was "in the beginning," who "was with God," "who was God," the Creator in whom "was life; and the life was the light of men," the One who "was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1-3, 14). He is the Prince of Heaven, and He is also our King of kings and Lord of lords. He is getting married!

(2) He is the Great Protagonist in the "war in heaven" in which the battlefield was transferred to this earth. The struggle is with "the great dragon" who was at one time Lucifer and is now "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." "The marriage of the Lamb" comes simultaneous with the Lamb's final victory over Satan (Rev. 12:7-10; 19:1-9). The "Lamb's wife" is in the middle of the excitement.

(3) As any bride complements her husband, so "the Lamb's wife" has a role in this great final celebration. It just can't take place until she "makes herself ready"! All around the world it seems that Christian people are being drawn to ponder the current cosmic crisis of why and how the Bride-to-be has delayed her getting ready. Heaven is concerned.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: A Distortion of the Truth of Marriage

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Mary, the mother of Jesus was a virgin when she gave birth to our Savior.

But legends have grown up around her through the ages. One of them which is not inspired is the idea that Mary remained a virgin all her life; the Bible does not say so.

But if that were true, then it would mean that in God's sight virginity within marriage is more "holy" living than living in the normal God-given marriage relation of husbands and wives.

The Bible is clear that husbands and wives should live together in the God-given relationship of male and female as God has created us.

(a) A widely accepted distortion of the truth of marriage is the source of enormous confusion and immorality.

(b) The Bible is clear: "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not the other; except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency" (1 Cor. 7:3-5).

(c) Another version has it this way: "The husband must give the wife what is due to her, and equally the wife must give the husband his due. The wife cannot claim her body as her own; it is her husband's.

(d) "Equally, the husband cannot claim his body as his own; it is his wife's. Do not deny yourselves to one another, except when you agree to devote yourselves to prayer for a time and to come together again afterwards; otherwise, through lack of self-control, you may be tempted by Satan" (NEB).

(e) Clear, delightful common sense! All that the Bible teaches about males and females is that!

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

Dial Daily Bread: The Lord's "Everlasting Love"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Lord Jesus says to each one of us personally, "I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you" (Jer. 31:3).

(a) That is personal, individual, intimate love; not a cold electronic thing.

(b) It's the love of a Father--our heavenly Father.

(c) As intimate, close, personal as any earthly father's love can be. Only far more so.

(d) Some dear people feel that they have never known an earthly father's love; what can the dear Lord do for them? (I knew a boy in college like that--he was having a bitter time.)

(e) But truthfully, none of us have ever had a human father who could perfectly portray the love of our heavenly Father, for us.

(f) So, let no one be the least discouraged if you have never known an earthly father's love: kneel on your knees and make a choice to BELIEVE what you cannot SEE. He will respond to that prayer!

(g) The dear heavenly Father will not forsake you or neglect your prayer; He has already loved you with "an everlasting love," now ask Him to grant you the spiritual eyesight, the discernment, to recognize the gift He has already given you.

(h) If His love is "everlasting," that means that He loved you while you were still in your mother's womb. He was working on you even then, with that love.

(i) Please read Psalm 139: it is devoted to the pre-natal influence that the Holy Spirit exerted on your behalf.

(j) The "everlasting love" of the Lord Jesus is very real; now let your own choice be to respond to that love, to thank Him for it, to ask forgiveness where you have doubted it.

(k) Such a prayer comes "out of the depths" of your soul; "Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord" (Psalm 130:1).

(l) And immediately comes His assurance: "There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be reverenced" (vs. 4).

(m) Now make the psalm your own; may millions of prayers rise tonight based on that blessed psalm.

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

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus of Nazareth is the only Man in eternity who can say to everyone, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth" (Isa. 45:22).

To "look" means the same as "behold."

(a) John the Baptist lifted his voice and "cried" saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

(b) To "look" in the sense of "behold" is to look earnestly with faith which is a heart appreciation of who Jesus is and what He has done and what He has given to "every man."

(c) The apostle Paul was at his keenest best in his thinking when he wrote Romans chapter five:

(d) "God's act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam's wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ" (see Rom. 5:15-21, New English Bible).

(e) Not one person in God's eternal kingdom will feel or will say that he deserves to be there.

(f) Salvation is totally by the grace of the Lord Jesus, yes, and by the grace of the Father.

(g) The sacrifice of Christ has made it possible for the Father to treat "every man" as though he has never sinned! This is monumental grace!

(h) To "believe" in Jesus is not the same as believing that 2 + 2 = 4; it is the human heart appreciating what it cost the Son of God to save us--He died our second death. He looked ahead of Himself down a tunnel which had no light at the end of it.

(i) Jesus did not simply go to sleep for a weekend (if you or I had suffered the physical agony of crucifixion, we would want to sleep for a weekend!).

(j) No, He went to hell and suffered the agony of hell--that was what it meant to die our second death!

(k) We are just little children, all of us, in our understanding! May the Lord be gracious and permit us to grow!

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

Dial Daily Bread: Invited to His "Party"--A Bible Study

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Don't you like to be invited to a party? And when you get there, to see your name on a place card at the table? That shows you were wanted and expected. Makes you feel good inside, doesn't it?

Well, can you understand and believe that the Lord has invited you to His party and that He has your name at a place setting at the table? That He is expecting you? That He has planned for you to be there, yes, you, individually, personally? Or does this make the Good News to be too good? Do you have to crowd in and elbow your way to the Table and write your own place card while your Host looks at you suspiciously because you feel so unworthy?

Here's a little Bible study for you to do:

(1) God has invited you to His grand "party" (Rev. 22:17).

(2) No one has a right to be outside, for we are all to worship the Lord only (Matt. 4:10).

(3) No one is outside against his own personal will (John 5:40).

(4) No one is outside because the gospel has not come to him (John 1:9; Rom. 10:18).

(5) No one is unjustly outside (Acts 13:46).

(6) No one is outside because God wants him to be outside (2 Peter 3:9).

(7) The only way anyone can be outside the grand "party" is because he/she has despised and rejected the personal invitation with his name on it that was placed in his/her hands (Heb. 10:29; Isa. 43:1; 49:1).

And while you're studying, read also John 3:16-19 to see for yourself how good the Good News really is. And plead with the Lord, yes, beg Him, PLEASE to help your unbelief (see Mark 9:23, 24; if we learn to pray that prayer we are told we can never perish). You may want to write those texts down--then please read them before you go to sleep tonight.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: Something Jesus Loves to Do

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is something that the Lord Jesus loves to do whenever He gets the opportunity: that is--to raise people up who are bowed down.

In Luke 1:46-48 we read that the Virgin Mary in her Magnificat said that "my soul doth magnify the Lord, ... for He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden." That "low estate" is an honorable place to be in because the Lord notices you there and He will do something about it to raise you up.

No matter who you are, if you confess to Him your "low estate," He will raise you up. That's what His business is--raising people up, not putting them down. He does not humiliate us, although He loves a proud person so much that He may permit that proud person to be laid low for a time. Sometimes a hospital bed is the best place for a person to find himself in; gives him an opportunity to think and to pray.

"The Lord raises up those that are bowed down" (Psalm 145:14).

He takes note of those who end up in the most awful places imaginable: He "raiseth up the poor out of the dust heap, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill" (113:7). The fact that you have been in the "dunghill" does not mean that the Lord considers you to be "unclean" and will avoid you; no, there is that precious promise that even if we end up in that awful place, the Lord will not abhor us and avoid us.

He shows no respect of persons: for "He raiseth up all those that be bowed down." Even when you realize that you should be "brought low" the Lord does not mark you there forever; His idea is constantly how can He raise you up?

Everyone who inherits eternal life in Christ will realize that he is "raised up" from the lowest depths in order to be there with God's people forever. "Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged" (Isa. 51:1). Isaiah records these encouraging words in the context of God's people enjoying life in the wonderful earth made new: they will never forget whence they have been hewed and "digged." Not one will strut about boasting of how he or she accepted the "offer" the Lord made; we will all rejoice in being the recipients of a gift GIVEN, pure and simple.

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

Dial Daily Bread: Making Him Happy--The Joy of Our Lives

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Today we have been praying for a lady who has an inoperable brain tumor.

It's a solemn thing: here is a life in the balance. How would any of us feel to change places with her?

We have read from the Bible that wonderful psalm of health and healing--number 103,which says:

(a) "Forget not all His benefits" (vs. 2). Our prayers must not be a selfish "gimme, gimme" as though we know what is best.

(b) We have been careful to add to our prayers the request, "according to Thy will, O Lord."

(c) Once some Christian people were praying for a cancer victim and did not include that proviso, but demanded the healing, whether or no. The person was healed, but grew up to become a cruel criminal and brought the family nothing but pain and shame. To have prayed, "According to Thy holy will," would have been wise.

(d) Before there can be a physical healing, we must remember that the Lord "forgiveth all thine iniquities" (vs. 3). Sin must be renounced; confession must be made; there must be no obstacle between the soul and the Lord.

(e) We read the entire Psalm 103: it's time to listen to the teaching of the Lord.

(f) Yes, He "healeth all thy diseases" (vs. 3).

(g) He "redeemeth thy life from destruction" (vs. 4). In the world to come by the grace of the Lord Jesus we shall learn of many times when Satan had wanted to destroy us, but the Lord had sent His angels to preserve us. Anticipating that day by faith, we can thank the Lord Jesus now for all these blessings which we so easily forget.

(h) The psalm frankly tells us that the Lord wants us to enjoy the delicious things provided for us to eat--"who satisfieth thy mouth with good things" (vs. 5). Next time you eat some of those wonderful springtime ripe strawberries, remember that. "Bless the Lord" actually means, "Make Him happy!"

(i) Making Him happy is the joy of our lives!

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

Dial Daily Bread: The Father Is Free (at Last!)

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Paul was at his keenest best in his writing of Romans chapter five. He had done what he says we should do in Philippians 2:5-8, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus ..."

Here are blessed thoughts that had their origin in the mind of Jesus Christ, received by our "beloved brother Paul" (cf. 2 Peter 3:15), and written out for us to revel in:

(a) "Through one man [Adam] sin entered the world and through sin death, and thus death pervaded the whole human race. ...

(b) "But God's act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam's wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the GIFT [not mere "offer"!] that came to so many [everyone!] by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5, vss. 12, 15).

(c) That includes you and me! We have been given a GIFT, a most precious " judicial verdict of acquittal."

(d) Now the Father is free (at last!) to treat "every man" as though he has never sinned!

(e) So far as the Father is concerned, He has opened the gates of the New Jerusalem for you and me to come in and He makes us welcome inside!

(f) If you like it there, if you are happy in that environment, the Father says you can stay; the Father wants you to be saved; Jesus Christ wants you to be saved; all the holy angels want you to be saved; they are all dedicated to your salvation (see 1 Tim. 2:3, 4).

(g) Now don't interpose your own stubborn unbelieving will to negate what He says He has DONE, not merely OFFERED to do, for you.

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

Dial Daily Bread: Grant Us an "Enlargement of Heart"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Today some kind friends took me to a dental appointment. I told them not to wait for me, that I would walk home.

Well, maybe what the dentist had injected in to me was the problem, but I found that the walk home seemed to be much longer and wearisome than I had expected. I can't describe how thankful I was to finally set my foot on what is "mine," a bit of land that I could call "home."

Then I thought of what Jesus said in Matthew 8:20 that "the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head."

After that long and wearisome walk home, I was so thankful to find a spot of earth that I could call "home" or "mine" where I could lay my head and rest a bit. And at the same time I thought of our Lord, our Creator, our Redeemer, who while He was with us here on earth could not call any square foot of land "His."

Finally, "they" [which means all of us!] gave Him a tree to be His--a cross.

That is all that He ever had on this earth! He, the Son of God, our Creator, our Redeemer. The Prince of heaven.

And on that cross, that tree that they gave Him, the Son of God "poured out His soul unto death" (Isaiah 53:12). "Poured out" means like when you empty a bottle, you turn it upside down to draw from it its last drop.

Jesus held nothing back in His sacrifice of Himself; the death He died on that tree "we" gave Him was our second death; we are not to think of the death of Jesus as being a "sleep" for a week-end (He did rise again the third day!); if any of us had suffered the physical torture of being crucified (you don't die the first day--you might linger on for a week or more) you would be grateful to sleep for a week-end, just to slip into unconsciousness.

But that is not what Jesus endured; He entered hell itself--the unending, eternal hell; the fact that He was resurrected the third day did not lessen the magnitude of His commitment. As He hung on the cross, He could not see through the portals of the tomb, we are told by one who knew.

Our hearts are too shriveled up, too tiny, too earth-bound, to appreciate what Jesus did, and what His commitment meant to Him.

Peter tells us that the Father would not leave His soul in hell: "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption" (Acts 2:31).

Oh Father, grant us an "enlargement of heart" (cf . Psalm 119:32) to appreciate the sacrifice of our Savior!

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: Something New to Repent of

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

I have found something "new" to thank the Lord for, and also something new for me to repent of!

(a) I am thankful that I did not go down with that greatest of all ships, the so-called "unsinkable" TITANIC that went down well before I was born.

(b) So someone asks, How can you be thankful for some supposed "deliverance" before you were even born?

(c) The answer is that corporately I share the guilt of those people who gloried in the handiwork of man and boasted that they had built something that even "God cannot sink." That was idolatry pure and simple; and since I have been born with a sinful nature which I have inherited from the fallen Adam, my mind is what the Apostle Paul says is "carnal." Here's what Paul says:

(d) For "the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7).

(e) Wherever there is human idolatry, there you will find me, unless the Savior the Lord Jesus in His much more abounding grace has delivered me.

(f) Yes, I would have joined in the proud boasting of the masses in what we ourselves have built; if I had been there, I would have made every effort to get a ticket and get on the TITANIC on its maiden voyage, exulting in that pride of idolatry.

(g) I am a man, and I share in the idolatry of many men, over automobiles. (Women may not understand this; my wife never could understand it.)

(h) So I have found something "new" I hadn't realized, to repent for. That's a blessing right there--the privilege of the gift of repentance.

(i) It's time to thank the dear Lord that He has already saved us from this sin (and many others!) and has already given us this gift or repentance (repentance is not something that we "do" on our own--no one can repent unless the Lord in His great mercy gives him that gift; read Acts 5:31: Our "Prince and Saviour [gives] repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins".

(j) It's the Lord Himself through the Holy Spirit who takes the initiative in saving us!

(k) In His eternal kingdom not one of us will "boast" the slightest that we helped to save ourselves!

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

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What do you suppose was the greatest temptation Jesus had to face? You know of course He was tempted--the Bible says "in all points like as we are." His temptations were real--they bored in to His inmost soul. Well, the greatest temptation He had to face was the temptation to doubt who He was. And if the truth were known, that's the greatest temptation you have to face also--to doubt who you are.

For example, think back to Jesus' temptation in the wilderness after His baptism. Three times the wily old enemy, Satan, zeroed in on Him at the deepest core of His being--"if Thou be the Son of God," command these stones to be bread; "if Thou be the Son of God," do a hang-glide from the top of the temple tower; "if Thou be the Son of God," claim the empires of the world as Yours and I'll give them to You, for they are mine, the devil said; just play ball with me, be reasonable, let's cooperate.

Do you think that was a temptation? "If You are who You think You are"--You have delusions of grandeur like a mental patient who thinks he is Napoleon. Yes, Jesus gained a victory then, but remember that the enemy came back again and again on this point of doubting His real identity as the Son of God.

Finally at the very end, something happened that helped to crystallize it all in Jesus' mind and heart when Mary washed His feet with tears. He realized that He was the only person in all of world history to be so honored; no one, not even Alexander the Great, had ever had his feet washed with human tears. Yes, Jesus realized, He was the King of kings and Lord of lords. Now He was ready for John 13. At that last supper, He got up, stretched Himself to His full height, laid aside His expensive robe, and knowing fully that He had come from God and went to God, He humbled Himself to wash His disciples' feet. He could not have done that until He had known for sure, and felt for sure, who He was. He could never have faced the cross until He had that assurance; and even on the cross that last temptation was flung at Him--"if Thou be the Son of God come down from the cross"!

Who are you? Do you know? You cannot be truly humble until you realize your true identity in Christ, redeemed by His blood.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: "I Am With You"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The ancient Israelite sanctuary was a revelation to our dull human senses of the Reality of Christ's ministry as the world's High Priest in His heavenly sanctuary.

The purpose of their building Him a sanctuary was not to bottle Him up inside it, but to make it possible for Him to "dwell among you" (Ex. 25:8). The Lord Jesus loved His people; and love always wants to be near you.

The earthly high priest was everybody's "grandfather," someone sympathetic to each one's need; Jesus is not a heavenly policeman trying to catch you in something wrong, but a heavenly Attorney at court seeking to defend you.

His closing words to His followers were: "'Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen'" (Matt. 28:19, 20). The "amen" means "Yes! It is true! You can believe this!"

"I am with you!" We cannot see Him; for He is physically beyond our sight--which is a great blessing, otherwise only a few could "see" Him physically and the great masses of us would be bereft of His presence.

In order for us to realize that He is "with" us we must "let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," according to Philippians 2:5-8. Our "minds" must be surrendered to the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

This is an exercise of our souls--to expel our worldly thoughts and cares. "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matt. 6:6). Remember, you are not taking the initiative to "find" the Lord; you are letting Him take the initiative in finding you. The Two of you are together in that prayer--the Father and you. He cares about you; for He is lonely without you. Jesus and the Father are "one" and Jesus now belongs to us--forever. Revel in that thought of truth--on your knees.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: A Matter of Unbelief

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As the 1890s were drawing to an end and a merger with the beginning of the 20th century, the State of Michigan was growing and developing. At that time the most progressive printing plant was in the city of Battle Creek--the Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Founded by dedicated members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Review and Herald had been solemnly dedicated to the Lord for the publication of books and articles proclaiming the nearness of the second coming of Christ, and the preparation of heart necessary for us to have in order to be ready for it.

There was no work in the world in progress at that time more important than this. (Even today there is no work being done anywhere as important!)

But some unwise participants in the work embraced the idea that if the Publishing House were to introduce job printing as business, they could make extra money for the institution that would make it possible to print the gospel message more cheaply, and therefore (so the idea went) could make possible a greater distribution of the good truth-filled literature.

So the managers embraced the job-printing idea, and had the typesetters and press operators of necessity seeing and reading this non-Christian literature, some of it downright wildly pagan.

The young people who were the pressmen and proofreaders were forced to see and read this literature promoting paganism!

Ellen White said that the Lord loved those youth too much to allow them to poison their minds by having to read and print this garbage. The Review and Herald Publishing House had been dedicated to the Lord in solemn prayer; this invited Him to enter into the crisis and to act.

Solemn warnings were uttered by the Lord's messenger, and went unheeded.

Finally, the Lord was forced to withdraw His special protection. Someone had left some oily rags used for cleaning the presses in a heap in the basement; they ignited, and the entire building went up in flames. The unbelief of His people forced the Lord to let matters take their course.

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

Dial Daily Bread: Daniel's "Time of the End" Is NOW

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The only Bible that Jesus had when He was with us 2000 years ago was what we know as the Old Testament.

Of all the books in the Old Testament that Jesus especially urged us to "understand" is the Book of Daniel. He said, of that Book of Daniel: "Whoso readeth, let him understand" (Matt. 24:15).

(a) In the early years of the nineteenth century, sincere Christians in England and America began in a collective sense to realize that Daniel's "time of the end" of 12:4 is NOW.

(b) They were especially attracted to Daniel 8:14 which says, "Unto two thousand three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

(c) Understanding the prophecies of Daniel 2 (the great image with feet of clay) and Daniel 7 (the "four beasts" that came up out of the sea and the "little horn" that became so prominent and so terrible (vss. 23-25), they were deeply convicted by the Holy Spirit that we are now living in the "time of the end" and that God's call to "come out of Babylon" applies to us (see Rev. 18:1-4).

(d) The 2300 "days" in Bible prophecy they understood to mean 2300 "years" literally.

(e) Thus they came to see that Daniel 8:14 brings us to the year 1844 as the culmination of that long period.

(f) "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" engrossed their attention; we are living in the very end of time!

(g) "The sanctuary" is the one in heaven where Christ ministers as the world's High Priest.

(h) Thus 1844 marks the time when He shall commence His final ministry for mankind in preparation for His second coming; He must make a people to be "ready" for His coming!

(i) This calls for seriousness in living--not gloom, no, but solemn joy in appreciating His final ministry in preparing a people worldwide who will be translated at Christ's second coming, as He promised.

More tomorrow the Lord willing!

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: That "Hunger and Thirst"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

TIME magazine for April 6 reports that the number of people watching TV's prime time shows has dropped from 75% in the 1950s, to the new bottom of 18% (page 62).

This is supposed to be "bad news": but in fact it may be very good news. For sure it would be good news if those 57% of ex-viewers were reading the Bible instead. Maybe some of them really have "grown up" spiritually to where TV shows sicken them (as they should in many cases) and they are turning to the Bible for evening amusement or occupation.

That's not a crazy idea: even for "faithful" Christians, too often plain Bible reading is a boring exercise when the Holy Spirit (He is God) would be delighted if they did "hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6).

The Bible is fascinating and excellent bedtime reading!

(a) Ask the dear Lord to show mercy to your soul by giving you (as a gift!) this "hunger and thirst after righteousness."

(b) If we knew who the Lord Jesus is, how close He has come to us, the Reality of His presence, we would hunger for it is impossible to hold Jesus in any higher esteem than we hold His word, the Bible. He is "the Word" (cf. John 1:14).

(c) If you walked into a room where Jesus was seated, would you want to be near Him?

(d) Mary Magdalene loved to sit at His feet and listen to Him talk while her sister Martha busied herself with the clutter of cooking.

(e) To be quite honest, what would you rather be doing if Jesus were in your guest room?

(f) Let me encourage you: there is not a soul on earth more naturally bored with Bible reading than myself; that's true, not only from my own honest confession but from what the Bible says, for it says that "the natural mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). And that "natural" or "carnal mind" is what I have by birth and by experience.

(g) But I must also confess: when I have knelt and humbled my proud soul before the Lord Jesus, and begged Him for forgiveness and acceptance, and asked Him to give me that "hunger and thirst," He has begun to do so.

(h) I remember it was in my teenage years at college that I first became deeply convicted that I did not love the Bible and therefore could not say honestly that I love the Lord Jesus; you may think I was crazy, but I chose to humble my soul and fast (yes! I stayed away from the cafeteria) for several meals and stayed on my knees asking the Lord to teach me something directly about loving the Bible!

(i) Did the Lord answer my prayer?

(j) Well, I was nobody special in any way; I would encourage any other teenager to believe that the Lord did indeed notice me, and paid attention to me, and did indeed give me just the faintest beginning of a love for His word, the Bible.

(k) What He gave me, minimal as it was (thank the Lord), I have never lost, all these many years.

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

Dial Daily Bread: "Wine Is a Mocker"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Today we were privileged to visit a famous wine-producing area. We saw the beautiful homes of the wealthy wine-producing merchants, the exquisitely carved walnut woodwork, the delightful stained glass windows, the impressive gardens. Wine produces wealth!

But I couldn't get out of my mind a verse of Scripture; it kept coming back into focus: "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink,that puttest the bottle to him ..." (Hab. 2:15).

I know and I honor Christian young people who because of that verse of Scripture, youth who need jobs for their education expenses, cannot accept employment in a supermarket because that entails handling the sale of intoxicating beverages.

Why does the prophet of God say "Woe ..." to these people?

The Bible is clear-cut and strong in its denunciation of intoxicating liquor. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1). "He who loves wine ... will never grow rich," that is, will never be blessed in his life (Prov. 21:17, NEB).

The use of even mildly intoxicating drink is intensely dangerous because it creates the appetite to come for hard liquor, and it appeals to youth of good moral character who otherwise would not be enticed into evil.

Yes, the wealthy people who built these mansions that we visited today are in the Lord's hands for final judgment (as are we all!); we cannot judge them. But as I visited these palatial homes today I could not resist the deep conviction of a clash in values here: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). The Bible multiplies blessings pronounced upon the poor. "To this man I will look," saith the Lord, "even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word" (Isa. 66:2).

Says the very wise man who wrote portions of the Book of Proverbs: "Two things have I required of Thee [Lord]; deny me them not before I die: remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Prov. 30:7-9).

Well, the only word we can think of to say after that, is AMEN!

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

Dial Daily Bread: The Gift of Repentance

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It's fantastic, phenomenal, the wonder of heavenly angels who watch how the great bulk of humanity prefer Bad News to Good. When Someone came into our midst bringing us Good News, "we" were so upset with Him that "we" rose up and crucified Him. (Someone says, Ah yes, but that was 2000 years ago and those were bad people; we are different. We have learned our lesson; we would never do that.)

Here's the root of our problem: the Bible says we are all the same--by nature. The New English Bible renders Romans 3:23 as, "All alike have sinned," and that is clearly what Paul says for in 8:7 he adds, "The carnal mind is enmity against God." That "carnal mind" is standard DNA equipment for "all" of us, none "exempted" from that universal inheritance, not even the Virgin Mary. All humans are born in a state of separation from God; we have to learn how to believe Good News (Mary learned!). We can claim no superiority of virtue over those of 2000 years ago. In a corporate sense, "they" were "we."

We cannot believe what Jesus says unless we believe that His "yoke is easy" and His "burden is light." But for sure, honest common sense tells us that believing that Good News is not "easy." Continually we humans, in the church or outside, slide into that groove of unbelief like the Israel who couldn't "enter into" their Promised Land "because of unbelief" (Heb. 4:6). Unbelief is still our corporate sin. But we don't have to stay in it.

If today, "compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses" after these millennia of history, we choose to go on in it, we shall draw upon ourselves the well-deserved condemnation of the ages (12:1; 6:4-8). We don't have to live in unbelief; we can repent of it, because the Holy Spirit is giving the GIFT of repentance (Acts 5:31). Let's grab it.

When we choose to believe how good is the true Good News, what a burden is lifted from our hearts! "By the adoption of children" the "Father has made us accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:3-6), members of the heavenly family! Don't walk away from it.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: What Are "Guardian Angels"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What are "guardian angels"? Does everybody have one? Why do they protect some people and not others? It's good for us to ask questions. We need to know how to get those angels detailed to serve us. They are more efficient than armed bodyguards or the President's Secret Service aides. Please note:

(1) We live in Enemy-controlled territory, his majesty the devil being "the prince of this world" (John 14:30).

(2) It is coming increasingly under his control, "defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth," not merely in a physical sense but also morally (Isa. 24:5, 6). When "the princes of this world" expelled Christ from the world (1 Cor. 2:8) they chose a criminal in His place, and crucified Him (Acts 3:14, 15). Jesus is therefore persona non grata in this wicked world (cf. 1 John 5:19).

(3) But although He is in exile from this earth, He has sent His vicar, the Holy Spirit, to be with those who believe in Him (John 14:16, 17; 16:7-13). His presence with God's people is equivalent to Jesus personally being with them (14:18). For centuries, the Holy Spirit has not only "comforted" Christ's loyal believers, He has also exercised a restraining power on the evil in the world (Rev 7:1-4).

(4) Guardian angels are detailed to be "ministering spirits, sent forth [detailed] to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation"--Heaven's Secret Service agents sent to protect "royalty," who by faith have become members of the "family of God" (Heb. 1:14; Eph. 3:15; 1 Peter 2:9).

(5) Common sense sees that those thus protected must be people whose lives are dedicated to "the King's business," to Jesus.

(6) We cannot hazard a guess about others, why they apparently didn't have angels' protection; good sense would tell us that when we pray "in the name of Jesus" we must sincerely be living for Him.

(7) Ask for an angel guard; that is, "pray without ceasing," as families. Then - let us not fear but believe that "the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear [reverence] Him, and delivereth them" (Psalm 34:7). If you can read this, that means you have their protection thus far!

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: His Much More Abounding Grace

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

If this is in any sense repetition, let me say that the Good News in Romans Five is so very GOOD that it deserves repetition a thousand times:

"God's act of grace is all out of proportion to Adam's wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many [everybody!], its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many [that is, everybody!] by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.

"And again, the gift of God is not to be compared in its effect with that one man's sin; for the judicial action, following upon the one offence, resulted in a verdict of condemnation [on everybody!], but the act of grace, following on so many misdeeds [all of ours!], resulted in a verdict of acquittal" (Rom. 5:15, 16, REB).

It takes your breath away when you begin to realize what it says! The Samaritans were right when they confessed that Jesus Christ is "the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42).

(a) That means that Jesus Christ already is YOUR Saviour!

(b) It means that you stand before the Father as though you were sinless.

(c) It means that the Father is free to treat every sinful human being as though he had never sinned!

(d) It means that Christ has opened the gates of the New Jerusalem so that "whosoever will" may enter (read Rev. 22:17): "Come!" say the Spirit and the bride.

(e) "'Come!" Let each hearer reply.

(f) "'Let the thirsty come; let whoever wishes accept the water of life as a gift'" (Rev. 22:17).

Not as a reward to be earned; not as something gained by living a good life; you must be humble enough to receive that eternal life as a free gift of His much more abounding grace.

(g) It does not mean that He will force anyone to live in the New Jerusalem against his personal will; everybody who will live there will be praising the Lamb of God all the time for they know that their salvation is totally due to His much more abounding grace.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: What Does the Cross of Christ Mean?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What does the cross of Christ mean? Is it important to understand what happened there? Or is it a theoretical puzzle that only scholars and theologians should wrangle about?

Consider Scenario A: Christ died so as to make it possible for "every man" to be saved IF HE DOES SOMETHING FIRST--believes and obeys. And if one does not believe and obey, then the death of Christ on His cross does him no good. The sinner will then have to die for his own sins. He will die the second death just as if Christ had not already died his second death. (Thought through logically, in this view, Christ didn't.)

This view is very reasonable and superficially logical, and is widely popular. The sinner's faith must be exercised prior to his being justified.

Consider Scenario B: When Christ died on His cross, He not only died for every man; He did more--He died the second death of "every man." Thus there is no reason under heaven why any one should ever have to die the second death; Christ already died it for him! The sinner who dies the second death at last is not dying to pay for his sins because his sins were already paid for by the sacrifice of Christ. "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." The sinner dies at last only because of his unbelief, because he despised what Christ actually and already accomplished for him (John 3:16-19). Many do!

Further, in the view of Scenario B, the sacrifice of Christ has enabled the Father to treat "every man" as though he had never sinned, because Christ's death has given "every man" a "[judicial] verdict of acquittal" (Rom 5:15-18, NEB). What Christ has already done for "all men" has preceded any man's personal faith. It's something called "grace."

Does it make any difference to your heart which view you believe?

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: The Great Reality of All Time

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible declares that Christ is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev.13:8).

(a) That means the cross is far more than the Event which happened at Golgotha.

(b) What we have seen took place at the cross is the revelation of the cross--which is an eternal Reality.

(c) The arms of the cross reach from Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained.

(d) The cross is the great Reality of all time.

(e) Because of that sacrifice for "all men," the Father is free to treat "every man" as though he has never sinned!

(f) That is the same as saying that Jesus Christ has achieved for "every man" a "[judicial] verdict of acquittal," which is what the Bible says Christ has GIVEN, not merely OFFERED, "every man" (see Rom. 5:15-18, New English Bible).

(g) The Apostle Paul dedicated his brilliant mind to the control of the Holy Spirit; and Romans Five is what he wrote as a result!

(h) When Adam sinned, the entire planet earth sinned at the same time; and by virtue of His sacrifice of Himself on the cross, the Son of God has GIVEN, not "offered," "every man" a "judicial verdict of acquittal."

(i) Some may think that means He has taken "every man" into eternal salvation; no, even though the Lord Jesus has accomplished this great gift, for "every man," "every man" remains free to exercise his own choice of what to do with this great truth.

(j) But the Bible is clear, "God so loved the world that He gave ..." all He had, not merely "offered."

(k) Our job is to LET Him have His way with us; to "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (see Phil. 2:5-8).

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