Dial Daily Bread: Does Christianity Have Anything to Offer a Distraught World?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Consider this string of IF's:

• If God is a personal Being who can be described as a loving heavenly Father;
• If Jesus of Nazareth is the divine Son of God, the world's Savior;
• If His sacrifice on His cross is the world's moment of truth;
• If the Bible is the inspired word of God, given for the instruction and the uplift of mankind;
• If God has a plan of salvation that is effective;
• If there is hope for the world, a light at the end of our cosmic tunnel;

Then sin must somehow be eradicated from the vast universe of God.

The idea of an eternal conscious hell as the domicile of lost people (yes, lost angels, too), must mean the plague of sin with its agony, hatred, and suffering must continue forever in God's vast universe.

If the above has any significant content of truth, then the biblical doctrine of the Sanctuary (Leviticus, Old Testament; Hebrews, New Testament) must be the answer to the universal problem of sin (which is the source of all the agony that afflicts the world).

The idea that "God is love" (agape) is totally inconsistent with the idea that sin must be ineradicable from human hearts. The Hebrew Day of Atonement was the one day in the year that prefigured in type the final cleansing of God's great economy and "to bring in everlasting righteousness" (Dan. 9:24).

If Jesus Christ ministering as the world's great High Priest is incapable of developing a people as a corporate body who have "overcome" sin even as He "also overcame" (Rev. 3:20), then Christianity has nothing to offer a distraught world.

It's time to do some serious thinking about what the gospel means.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 21, 2004.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Living Soberly in Today's World

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There are those who joke about the scandals that have permeated U.S. news. The angels who observe all that happens on this earth (heaven is close to earth!) are not joking. When young people, even children, are being poisoned by cynicism and immorality, angels weep, for death is nothing to joke about. And sin and immorality produce death, not only for individuals, but for society. What the Bible calls "iniquity" can and does destroy souls--we can "die" reveling in our luxury.

It was immorality and depravity, sin, that destroyed the ancient world when only one family was preserved in the ark. Jesus has said that in this time of the end, it will be "as the days of Noah were" (see Matt. 24:37, 38). "Noah ... became heir of the righteousness which is [by] faith" (Heb. 11:7). While so many were joking about righteousness, Noah was sober.

Peter urges us to be sober right now: "Be serious and watchful in your prayers," "be sober, be vigilant" (1 Peter 4:7; 5:8). Paul says that the more we understand and appreciate the grace of God, it teaches us "that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:11, 12).

The time is coming soon when just staying alive will require careful thinking, sobriety. But that careful thinking will not be an obsession with self, or "how can I be sure I survive?" but a heart-union with Christ in the closing scenes of this earth's history. It will mean sharing His concern for souls, cooperating with Him. Being sober? Yes, but also being supremely happy; for there is no happiness living apart from Christ.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 25, 1998.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Two Great Truths Being Seen Clearly in These Last Days

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible clearly says something that some theologians haven't wanted to believe: "Jesus Christ the righteous ... is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:1, 2).

Our dear brother John Calvin couldn't see what it says; he maintained that it meant only that it's just "the elect" in "all the world" who are meant; not everybody (Calvin's Commentaries, 16th century). This seems still to be the greatest hurdle that many Christians have--to understand who Jesus is.

He is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42); He was sent to "give eternal life" to "all flesh" (17:2), to "give life to the world" (6:33, 51); He died the death which is the punishment for sin for "everyone" (Heb 2:9); He became the second Adam of the human race, reversing all the "condemnation" that the first Adam brought upon the race (Rom. 5:15-18).

Why couldn't John Calvin see the Good News? What blinded his eyes? He was living still in the "wilderness" of the Dark Ages, before the full light of the gospel was to be seen clearly after the 1260 years (Rev. 12:6). He was bound by the unbiblical idea that God's grace is "irresistible," that if God "wills" that a person be saved, that person's perverse "will" cannot "frustrate the grace of God." It means logically that one's going to be saved even if he disbelieves to the bitter end.

Two great truths are being seen clearly in these last days: (1) the extent of the "width and length and depth and height" of the love (agape) of Christ that "constrains" an honest-hearted person to serve Christ forever (Eph. 4:18, 19; 2 Cor. 5:14), (2) the terrible unbelief of people who want to "crucify [Christ] afresh, and put Him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:6, King James Version) and reject the "gift" that He has already given them "in Himself." They are lost not because of any arbitrary decree on the part of God, but because of their own perverse will, their unfitness for the companionship of heaven.

Nobody who "loves darkness rather than light" could be happy in heaven even if he was admitted (see John 3:18-20). So, in the end, God simply gives everybody what he or she has wanted, and has persistently chosen.

What are you choosing day by day, moment by moment? Self? Or Christ? Think deeply. The judgment is going on now; today could register your final choice.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 21, 1999.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Anointing--Is There Magic in the Sacred Oil?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Sickness is everywhere, and all too often it comes on us while we are too young. Moses said that "the days of our lives are seventy years; and ... by reason of [unusual physical] strength they [may] be eighty years" (Psalm 90:10), but to succumb to cancer or some other fatal malady before those allotted "years" is tragic.

It's in that circumstance that the afflicted person is to "call for the elders of the church ... [to] pray" and to "anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord." The idea is that "the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14, 15).

But is there magic in the sacred oil? No, for we are not idolaters. Then why "anoint with oil"? Is it mindless "obedience" to a stipulated rule? A stern, "Do what God says if you want to be healed!"? Or could there be significance here that we are prone to overlook?

The sacred oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. And James assumes that the "elders" will be mature people in the church body, consecrated to the One who died for us, whose "Christian experience" is such that they can "minister" the Holy Spirit to the afflicted person. It's not a mere physical act; there is spiritual enrichment involved here through real "forgiveness" that is more than mere pardon. It's setting free from sin.

A wise writer once said that nine-tenths of the diseases from which people suffer have their origin in the mind. Sometimes a false doctrine such as the endless torture of the lost can so alienate a person's mind from Christ that there is an acute case of heart-felt "enmity against God" (cf. Rom. 8:7). And this can be unconscious--lying beneath the surface. This becomes the pre-condition of fatal sickness.

To anoint such a one with physical oil is meaningless unless "the elders" can minister a message of peace and oneness with Christ--"Be reconciled to God"! (2 Cor. 5:20). And there of course is the message of Christ's righteousness, the “most precious message" of what really happened on His cross, and what especially happens in His High Priestly ministry on this cosmic Day of Atonement.

In such an "anointing" the person who is mentally and spiritually wearied is refreshed, and God's healing physical virtue can flow in (the Greek word translated "sick" in James 5:14 is kamno, which means to be "exhausted"). "Come to [Him], all you who labor and are heavy laden, and [He] will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 16, 2003.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Don't Be Afraid of Your Prosecutors (Or Your Persecutors!)

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever been summoned with a subpoena to court? With not one but a battery of prosecuting attorneys inquiring into intimate details of your life?

The word "subpoena" doesn't appear in the Bible but the idea is in 2 Corinthians 5:10: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." The next verse speaks of "the terror of the Lord." Rather frightening!

"Dial Daily Bread" is devoted to telling Good News, but this sounds like Bad News. Jesus says, "There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (Matt. 10:26). But that verse itself is Good News, for He adds, "Therefore do not fear them," that is, don't be afraid of your prosecutors (or your persecutors!). Why? Because in that appearance before "the judgment seat of Christ" He will be your Friend, not your Enemy if today you will simply let Him.

The Father Himself refuses to condemn you (see John 5:22). Jesus also refused to condemn anyone in that day (see John 12:47, 48). Therefore the only "condemnation" will come from what is written of "the things done in the body," a record that is indisputable, recorded not only in the "books" of heaven, but in your own soul as well. Jesus won't have to say a word; the "book" will be open. Paul says, "Some men's sins are clearly evident, proceeding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later" (1 Tim. 5:24).

The Good News is: even though there are shameful things you don't want revealed, you can "send them on beforehand to judgment." You can get on your knees and confess them to your Savior; you can even let bitter tears fall. The Holy Spirit can teach your sinful heart to hate those sins; your heart can be truly converted; you can be a new person; and you can believe the promise, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Good News? Yes!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 13, 1998.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Did God Put the "Brakes" on Paul?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When the Apostle Paul became zealous and wrote his "epistles" to the Romans, the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, and others, was he slipping over the 50/50 line of "balance" between faith and works? Did God raise up the Apostle James to write his "epistle" in an effort to put the "brakes" on Paul?

It's not difficult to understand this problem. If we let James have his say we see that he is in no way opposing Paul. He is simply saying that genuine faith produces works of obedience to God's law (James 2:14). It's not faith and works. James is exactly in harmony with what Paul says when he writes that what's important is "faith which works" (Gal. 5:6).

May the dear Lord deliver us from our Old Covenant mindset of self: what's important in these last days is not saving our own poor souls and getting a crown to put on our own heads, but crowning the Son of God to be King of kings and Lord of lords. We are not mere spectators sitting on the bleachers watching the great controversy being fought to a close; we are down in the arena fighting "with Him" (Rev. 17:14).

Yes, we want to be saved, of course; but on this great Day of Atonement we have grown out of our childish concern for the ice cream and cake at the "marriage of the Lamb" and we have grown up to sense the concern of the Bride at the wedding. She is not thinking now of herself as she once did in her childhood, but of her Bridegroom. We can't set the clock back nor can we hinder it telling the time of day.

Faith has come to be seen as a heart-appreciation of His love (agape); the egocentric kind of "faith" is transcended and that love of Christ constrains us "henceforth" to think and to live "unto Him which died for [us], and rose again," and not unto ourselves (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). At last, self is crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20; 6:14), and He alone is honored.

--Robert J. Wieland

 

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 15, 2006.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Group Different From Any in All World History

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Book of Revelation describes a people who in the last days have permitted the Holy Spirit to mold them, to teach them, to train them, to be like Christ in character:

"I looked," says John, "and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion [a symbol of the church], and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand. ... These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. ... In their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:1-5). We can't wash any portion of God's word down the drain. It's written here for us to believe.

These people, as a group, are different from any others in all world history, for "they sang as it were a new song before the throne" (vs. 3). A "new song" means a new experience; and a new experience means they have heard and received a new message, a fresh proclamation of "the everlasting gospel" which has accomplished this wonderful achievement. Yes, "the gospel of Christ ... is the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16).

But this is a clearer proclamation of that gospel! Luther, Calvin, and the 16th century Reformers saw much light and were a blessing to the world. But in these last days we live in the time of the great three angels' messages of Revelation 14 and of that message of the fourth angel in chapter 18--"the everlasting gospel" is now more fully being revealed. Its purpose is not merely to prepare a people to die, but to prepare the corporate body of God's people for translation without seeing death. Granted, some will refuse this last days' ministry of Christ as our great High Priest; but there will be many who will honor Him by permitting the Holy Spirit to work upon their hearts.

Today those three angels are going everywhere in the world, proclaiming a most precious message. Soon the fourth angel will join them, and a Voice will sound from heaven in some way to every person in the world, "Come out of [Babylon], my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4).

That Voice is speaking to you! It is telling you the Good News that Christ has already saved you! You can be a new person; you don't have to stay in old, dark spiritual "Egypt" for He has set you free! The prison doors are open; walk out into the sunshine!

--Robert J. Wieland

From: A New Look at God's Law, 2000.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What Does It Mean for the Bride of Christ to "Make Herself Ready"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What does it mean for the Bride of Christ, "the Lamb's wife," to "make herself ready"? (Rev. 19:7). In trying to respond I would "walk humbly with [my] God" (Micah 6:8). Revelation was not written except with tears (5:4), and can be understood only by those who have accepted the "yoke" of Christ and are "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29).

There is, and there has been, no woman on earth who could qualify to be the Bride of Christ, the Son of God. "She" is "the church [who] is subject to Christ," not resisting Him, not crucifying Him again (Eph. 5:23-32; Heb. 6:6).

The only "church" mentioned in Revelation that could be a candidate seems to be the seventh of history, the last--Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-21). Reverent-minded scholars through the centuries have seen in verse 20 that "the Faithful and True Witness" identifies her with the bride-to-be of Song of Solomon 5:2-8, who spurned her only true lover (the "knocking at the door" is a direct quote from the Septuagint version that Jesus and the apostles used). Obviously, before the "marriage" can take place, "she" will do what He commands, "repent" (Rev. 3:19). The Song of Solomon represents her as seeking her lost Lover, almost in vain.

The "making herself ready" seems to suggest a repentance which she has at last chosen to receive, not reject (all true repentance is a gift from the Lord, Acts 5:31).

"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev. 19:8, King James Version). It's Christ's righteousness which has now at last been imparted, not merely legally imputed. It's His righteousness lived out in His church. It glorifies Christ, its Source. It's a beautiful demonstration to close the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

Let's remember: we can't believe in the Bridegroom unless we choose to believe also in "the Lamb's wife"--that she will repent. They are "one flesh"-to-be.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 3, 2004.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Mysterious Miracle in the Seed

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

God must have a terrific sense of humor. All the while that people created in His image arrogantly deny His existence and the record of His Creation, they are eating bread that constantly proclaims anew the miracle of creation. Each tiny seed with its embryo and endosperm sustains the very life of God's enemies.

Try to imagine yourself a single seed cast into the darkness of the earth. The soil around you is dry and powdery so that your bed becomes your tomb unless some precious rain from heaven falls. Only then can you awaken to fruit-bearing life.

In pre-scientific ages, people marveled at the mysterious miracle in the seed. The Creation story in Genesis tells four times of the divine miracle in every seed, renewed and extended in uncounted trillions of germinations since day three of Creation. Even today, the totality of scientific knowledge is powerless to invent one such life-giving seed.

A favorite theme of Scripture from early times compares seeds to the spoken words of God. "As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and ... water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give ... bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth" (Isa. 55:10, 11). Jesus built on this concept in His parable of the sower: "The seed is the word of God," He said (Luke 8:11).

Without moisture in the soil, changes in the permeability of the seed coat and inner layers cannot take place. And when the embryo germinates, the little plant must have rain for its searching roots to absorb nutrients for growth.

The Bible compares the Holy Spirit's action in the Christian life to showers of rain falling on thirsty plants. In other words, even Jesus' brilliant sermons cannot germinate into new life in human hearts without the gift of the Holy Spirit. Mountains of seed sown in a dust bowl would be wasted.

What can really change the hard hearts of men, women, and young people? Only that gift which is just as miraculous as the life imprisoned inside the seed--heaven's Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, all the preaching in the world is like sowing seeds on a parking lot.

--Robert J. Wieland

From: Signs of the Times, "A Season of Rain: The Coming Spiritual Awakening," November 1989.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "Solomon's Law"--A Lesson for Us Today

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The story of King Solomon is one of the most fantastic in all sacred history. He starts out apparently perfect with that most rare gift of wisdom. He gets everything added to it. Every year he collects "666 talents of gold" until he has tons of it, he enjoys peace with his prosperity, "and all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart" (1 Kings 10:14, 24).

Solomon, you have it made! You have brought heaven on earth, better yet, you are fulfilling God's promise to Abraham that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). And then, Solomon, you blew it; you turned right around and "went after Ashtoreh, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites." You built temples to pagan gods and set them up in our holy city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:1-8)! Why, oh why, would you do this? What made you fall like this?

This almost unbelievable history must have a lesson for us today--it's "Solomon's Law," which must be fulfilled again, more than 3000 years later until the lesson is learned. Add to Solomon's impressive "holy" obedience of his early years (with God's undeniable blessings) the factor of Old Covenant thinking, and the recipe calls for national apostasy to develop. Solomon reverses 500 years of Israel's history, takes them back to the "Egyptian" darkness from which they had been delivered.

Now, in our modern Christian history, if we add to all our "holy" obedience to the law (with God's undeniable blessings) the factor of Old Covenant theology, we also inevitably end up going to "Babylon" to learn methods of worship and patterns of thinking. We again reverse our own history. Those who have been sacredly commissioned to proclaim "Babylon the great is fallen" fulfill "Solomon's Law" by adopting Babylon's theology and worship. Solomon finally had the sense to repent. Lord, grant that same precious gift to us!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 26, 2002.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Growing-up Process Now Taking Place

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Quarrels and contention come because of our love of self, says the apostle James (4:1-3). Whether it's a marital, family, neighborly, or even a theological quarrel, we feel the pressing desire to justify ourselves by our defense of what we did or said, shielding ourselves from accusation.

How juvenile we can become! But thank God, there is a growing-up process now taking place. We have come to Daniel's "time of the end" (11:35, 12:4). It's not only a time when "signs" in heaven and earth proclaim that the coming of the Lord draws nigh (James 5:8), but it's a time for spiritual growth in preparation for meeting the Lord of glory face to face at His second coming. A blessed time!

The preparation process is the experience of "justification by faith." We don't seek to justify ourselves; we wait upon the Lord to do it for us, in other words, we wait for justification by faith. That's the meaning of David's telling us, "Wait on the Lord, ... wait, I say, on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (37:5). It will take Him some time, but it's so much better than fighting our way to "justification" on our own and winning our quarrel (we think)! "He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday" (vs. 6). "Wait patiently for Him" (vs. 7).

In this "time of the end" there is also the final cosmic Day of Atonement, the time for the special work of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. It's the ministry of the Savior as High Priest in preparing a people to stand in the final moments of time. "In your patience [you] possess your souls," says the Savior, speaking of this time (Luke 21:19); but patience is impossible unless there is faith--unless we believe "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5).

Whether you're a teen or a centenarian, this is "present truth" (2 Peter 1:12).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 22, 2006.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Delivered From the "Bondage" of Egyptian Materialism

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 31, 1999.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Bible and New Year's Resolutions

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Does the Bible say anything about New Year's resolutions? Well, ... yes. Israel had just come out of Egypt when the Lord had said to them (at Passover time), "This month shall be your beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Ex. 12:2).

Shortly afterwards, they made a New Year's resolution at Mount Sinai. In fact, it was something like saying it under solemn oath, for they were making this resolution to God: "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (19:8). It was like Peter's resolution, while not at New Year, was the same time of year: "Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended" (Matt. 26:33, King James Version).

In both cases, those who made this New Year's resolution failed to keep it. Israel began worshipping a golden calf in a mere matter of days, and in Peter's case, he was denying his Lord and Savior in a matter of hours.

Both of those "resolutions" were "old covenant" in principle. And the dear Lord doesn't want us to get ourselves into old covenant resolutions, for they "give birth to bondage," says Galatians 4:24, that is, they lead us into spiritual slavery.

The little book Steps to Christ tells why: "You desire to give yourself to Him [the Lord], but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you" (p. 47).

Stop right there. Here's the problem! The memory of your frequent failures to keep your promises makes you feel that you are no good and "that God cannot accept you" or respect you. And that is horrible slavery.

A far better way to face the New Year is under the "new covenant." Instead of promising God you will do better, thank Him that He has promised to save you, that Christ has given Himself for you already and bought you with His blood, and that you are precious in His sight. The new covenant is Good News, the "old" is bad news.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 1, 1999.
Copyright © 2018 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Stay Closer to the Lord Than to the Crowd at Times Square

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Everything God has told us in the Bible is plain common sense. God is reasonable, and fair. For example, the United States of America is taking extreme precautions because of possible terrorist threats, and many people are afraid. In such a time of crisis, we want to remember the promises that God has given us in the Bible of His protection in times of danger.

For example there is Psalm 91:5, 7: "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, ... A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you." Very comforting words! But is it fair for God to protect you miraculously when a "thousand" or "ten thousands" of people all around you perish? Where is the common sense or fairness in Psalm 91?

The context makes the promise plain and fair: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (vs. 1). Note that the word "dwells" means that he makes his home there every day. He doesn't run to that "secret place" only when the emergency comes; he has been staying there all along. It means that the Lord will lock the doors and windows when the "terror" comes, to protect him; he will "stay" in that secret place of safety.

God is merciful and gracious, but He is also fair and devoted to common sense. We can't deceive Him. If you wait until a forest fire is bearing down on your house to take out an insurance policy, you're too late. You must "dwell" in the insurance company's policy in order to be safe in the emergency.

It's only fair that God can see some evidence in your life that you really like to "dwell" in His "secret place." It has become your habit to say, "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress.' ... Because you have made the Lord ... your habitation, ... no evil shall befall you" (vss. 2, 9, 10). God is faithful: when terror threatens, "He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways" (vs. 11; Jesus made plain to us that "all your ways" means paths of duty and service; Matt. 4:6, 7).

Is this trying to build up an insurance policy? No; it's common sense in God's great economy. It's simply being fair and honest with the Lord. What is "the secret place"? Not a sudden works-trip-Bible-study-prayer exercise; no, it's simply loving and daily choosing to stay closer to the Lord than to the crowds in Times Square or at the Space Needle.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 26, 1999.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What's Wrong With the World?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What's wrong with the world?

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 12, 2007.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Happiest Mother of All Time

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

What was it that made the virgin Mary to be the happiest mother of all time? (That is, before that huge “sword” pierced her soul.) The happiness that Mary experienced is shared by many mothers, for God made woman to feel happy becoming a mother--we praise Him for that thoughtfulness and kindness!

But aside from that natural happiness that every woman is intended to know in motherhood, the virgin Mary was especially happy! We read of it in Luke 1:45: Mary has just learned that she is to become pregnant with the Messiah, and in her joyous enthusiasm she dashes off to “the hill country” to have a visit with a cousin, an elderly woman named Elizabeth, the priest Zacharia’s wife, who is 6 months pregnant with John the Baptist.

Elizabeth greets her and bestows upon her this supreme benediction: “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Every mother may share that blessing that comes from believing the Good News that the Lord is communicating to her.

Successful child-training comes from a mother believing the promises of God, but to believe requires a calm, thoughtful heart, free from fretfulness and impatience. Your child may annoy you or exasperate you. Now comes the real crisis: will you believe the Good News that God loves your child more than you do, and if you don’t get in His way, He will give you wisdom to train the child aright? Or will you doubt and disbelieve and allow Satan to put discouraging, fretful words in your mouth that will confuse your child?

Blessed is the mother who immediately reacts to every crisis, every problem, by believing the word of the Lord! A good prayer to pray every day is the one a distraught father once prayed: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). This dark world needs more mothers who will believe like Mary did, and refuse to speak unbelieving words!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 11, 1998.
Copyright © 2017 by “Dial Daily Bread.”

 

Note: Next week many of you will begin studying the new Sabbath School quarterly on "Stewardship: Motives of the Heart." For those who are not already receiving “Sabbath School Today” (SST) we would like to invite you to subscribe (SST is free). You will receive weekly essays on the lessons, some of which are prepared from the writings of Robert J. Wieland, author of “Dial Daily Bread.”

To begin a new subscription please reply to this e-mail with “Subscribe SST” in the body of the e-mail or in the heading. If you are already receiving “Sabbath School Today” there is no need to resubscribe; your subscription will continue.

Dial Daily Bread: A Case of Mistaken Identity?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus tells us that in the Final Day some dear people will stand "before the judgment seat of Christ" expecting Him to praise them for their lives of hard missionary work in serving Him, only to hear Him say sadly, "I never knew you"--a case of mistaken identity? (2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 7:21-23).

Their whole lives have been a failure while they thought they were riding high on success. Didn't people praise them highly and "all men speak well of" them (Luke 6:26)? But the Father was not the one answering their prayers, and He was not the one "well pleased" with them all this while. Their motivation was self; and human pride; and works.

What a blessing it could be if before they stand before Jesus in final judgment they could pause long enough to pray Psalm 141. David is concerned lest he presume upon the mercy of the Lord: "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips," that is, I fear for myself! (vs. 3). I (that is, self) am my own worst enemy!

David wants someone who truly knows the Lord to rebuke and correct him. That's never fun, is it? "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him reprove me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it" (vs. 5; the King James Version has the idea that his reproof "shall not break my head," that is, injure me).

Knowing the truth about ourselves is "excellent" Christian experience--and the sooner the better. The first work of the true Holy Spirit is to "convict [us] of sin" (John 16:8). Let's welcome Him! Then the truest joy can come.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 19, 2005.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: How to Brighten the Lives of Children Now and Forever

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

I remember as a child the festive excitement from Thanksgiving on through Christmas. Then I remember the letdown feeling that came with December 26--how dreary the future seemed--364 boring days until another Christmas can come again!

It wasn't only that there would be no more presents: we didn't have much in those days anyway. It was the joylessness of no more Christmas songs about the birth of Jesus until late next year, no more telling of the Bethlehem story; we must put the shepherds and the Wise Men away from our focus of attention; the "Star in the East" won't shine again for a year. It was going to be a bleak eleven months. For this child, life revolved around Christmas.

No one in my little circle seemed to know how to tell really what were the "good tidings of great joy" that the angels told the shepherds the night when Jesus was born. The theological definitions were of course in words beyond my childhood grasp--atonement, justification, righteousness by faith, reconciliation; they all were over my head.

But what I would have loved to hear would have been the story told in simple words, how Jesus by His life and death had already given me eternal happiness that would brighten all my 365 days in the year to come. Each day would be a better-than-Christmas "in Christ." I needed to understand the character of the Father and of His Son (there were shadows in the non-Christmas preaching I had heard about the wrath of God and an ever-burning hell). Once my thankfulness for my few Christmas presents wore off, I frankly didn't know what to be thankful for any more. The somber non-Christmas life I was facing from December 26 on was not very bright.

I suspect that there are still other children as bewildered as I was. Even though we can "put away childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11), I pray that the Lord Jesus may teach us through His Holy Spirit how to tell the pure Good News to children in an intelligible way that will brighten their lives now and forever.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 24, 2004.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Thank God We Can Receive a "New Mind"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In telling us the story of the birth of Jesus, Luke tells how, when Joseph and Mary (great with Child) came to the inn in Bethlehem, the innkeeper told them there was "no room in the inn." (If the Innkeeper had known, he could have given them his room and gone down in history as the greatest Innkeeper of all time!)

We never know what marvelous opportunity has come to us at any moment each new day; only if we are moment by moment connected with the Holy Spirit by faith can we be prepared.

There is never any "room" for Jesus anywhere in this sinful earth. Jesus was the target of violence more than any other children, for He was hated when He was a Baby. King Herod sent soldiers to kill all the babies in the environs of Bethlehem in his hatred of the one Baby--Jesus (Matt. 2:16-18).

Paul reminds us that "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). We don't like that word "carnal mind," but we all have it by nature. We inherited it from our fallen father Adam; it is our nature to be at "enmity" with God, and therefore at enmity with the Lord Jesus.

But thank God we can be converted, and we can receive a "new mind," for Paul says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). Paul would never say "Let this or that be," unless it were possible for it to be!

And this "new mind" is not something we have to work for or attain to, for Paul says, "Let" it be; don't stop the Holy Spirit from giving you this "new mind." There is nothing He wants to do greater than that! On your knees, ask Him for it.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 23, 2008.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: God's Demonstration of His Love for the Lowly and Humble

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In the Bible story of the birth of Jesus, the Lord has demonstrated His love for the lowly and humble of earth.

It was two lowly shepherds camping out in the fields, watching over their flocks by night, to protect them from lions and other predatory animals, that the angels appeared.

Doubtless the brilliant light and the loud singing of the angels may have frightened the humble creatures--although as soon as I say that I think that the Lord would not want to frighten these creatures with His presence. Lambs are a symbol of Christ, "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29).

And the holy angels did not want to intrude upon the lowly shepherds, for they were discussing the prophecies of the Bible that predicted the coming of the world's Savior. Doubtless some of them wondered, "Wouldn't it be great if that world's Savior should be born now? The prophecies of Daniel (9:24-27) tell us of His coming; and the time has come!"

The angels of the Lord come only when they are welcomed, and these humble shepherds welcomed them through their love of the Bible prophecies!

And the Virgin Mary herself proclaimed her humility in life when she said of herself, "[The Lord] has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant" (Luke 1:48).

The Lord spoke well of the Reality of humility: "Thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him [or her] who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones'" (Isa. 57:15).

There are some crumbs of truth there even for us to enjoy at this late date.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 11, 2008.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Blessed Indebtedness

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In this age it is often considered foolish to pay your bills and keep out of debt, to avoid living on borrowed capital. Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no one anything except to love one another." It's good sense indeed to owe nothing except what you have collateral to cover (for example, a home for your family to live in).

A rather common expression in the King James Version is "gird up your loins" (1 Peter 1:13; Eph. 6:14). Even Jesus said we should have our "loins girded about," meaning, Be ready to go almost on a moment's notice (Luke 12:35). Don't let yourself be entangled with worldliness, "lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting [which means too much of anything], and drunkenness [anything that weakens your clear judgment], and cares of this life [credit card debt?], and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them [including even the elders, pastors, and Bible class teachers??] that dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke 21:34, 35).

In simple language, what does it all mean? It's now true, more than any time in the past, that "there is not much time left, ... For this world, as it is now, will not last much longer. I would like you to be free from worry" (1 Cor. 7:29-32, Good News Bible). In other words, right now is "borrowed time." (Even a nation that lives on borrowed capital is in danger.)

Here's a morsel of Good News: that text again in Romans 13:8--yes, you are in debt, to love someone today with the love wherewith the Son of God has loved you. Blessed indebtedness, for He has "capital," "collateral," to cover you.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 21, 1999.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Luke’s Intimate Details of the Birth of Jesus

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever noticed how many intimate details of the birth of Jesus that Luke tells? Neither Mark nor John say anything about His birth; yet Luke, a Gentile, gives us a clearer picture than even Matthew. Do you suppose in later years he sought out the Virgin Mary and interviewed her as a reporter would? If so, thank God she told it all to him! And could it be that Luke wants us Gentiles to feel welcomed into God's family?

(1) He alone tells the story of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25);

(2) and of Gabriel's announcement to Mary (vss. 26-37). Very intimate details.

(3) Luke alone tells of Mary's ready faith-response, and of that giant sword of Goliath yet to be thrust through her heart (vss. 38; 2:35). Let your heart be pained in sympathy for her!

(4) Luke alone tells of Mary's almost breathless journey up the hills to Elizabeth's home, so she could confide her gigantic secret with her closest friend (vss. 1:39-45).

(5) We thank Luke for sharing her exquisite poem of thanksgiving (vss. 46-55), that seems so like the heartbroken Hannah's psalm of gratitude (1 Sam. 2:1-10). Mary shared some special "humiliation" with Hannah that made them kindred spirits. Luke discloses a very literate, sensitive, and polished lady of exceptional abilities.

(6) Only Luke provides us a fitting entrée to the thrilling story behind the birth of the world's Savior. A totally selfless man must prepare His way (Luke 1:57-80; John 3:28-30; only a selfless people can prepare the way of His second coming; Rev. 14:1-5, 14, 15).

(7) Only Luke tells the beautiful story of the shepherds ready to welcome Him (2:1-18). It humbles our pride just to think of it.

The raucous din of the Season almost drowns out the precious story. Linger over it.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 21, 2003.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Let's Listen to the Angels

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The beautiful song says, "O pause beside the weary road / And hear the angels sing." Let's listen to what they said to the shepherds at Bethlehem (Luke 2:9-14):

(1) "Fear not." But you say, "I do fear, and I can't help it!" "Fear hath torment" (1 John 4:18). You can choose to believe and to fear not! Listen on for the reasons.

(2) "I bring you good tidings." God never brings you Bad News. The bad news that King Saul heard the night he died was not from the Lord, but from Satan. Even if you're on your deathbed, the Lord has only "good tidings" for you!

(3) "Of great joy." Not ordinary joy. The "good tidings" is objective; you cannot make good news or "do" it, but if you believe the objective good tidings, then the joy becomes subjective--a part of your experience.

(4) "Which shall be to all people." Sinners?? "All people" are! Yes, the good tidings are for you, unworthy as you feel yourself to be. The gospel is universal. Christ died the second death "for every man" (Heb. 2:9). "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6).

(5) "Unto you is born this day ..." Christ is born "unto you," as surely as when a mother delivers a child, the nurse says, "to you is born" this child. The child belongs to the mother. Jesus belongs to you.

(6) "In the city of David ..." There must come that name of the sinful king; he must be remembered, not for his sin, but for his repentance.

(7) "A Saviour." Not a possible, maybe, perhaps, offer of a Saviour if, if, if ... but in fact "the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42), "the Saviour of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10). Some Christian people argue against the angel's message, insisting that He is not "the Saviour of all men," He merely would like to be, if, if, if ... Are you a sinner? Then the truth is, He is now (present tense) your Saviour.

(8) "Which is Christ the Lord." Eternal Son of God, once crucified, soon to be the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 25, 1998.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: In Thanks, What Will You Do for Him?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

That divine cry of dereliction on Christ's cross, "My God. Why have You forsaken Me?" is the world's moment of truth. In becoming the Son of man, the Son of God became our second Adam, the new corporate Head of the human race.

When the first Adam sinned in Eden, "we" sinned in him, because each of us is "adam"--that is our name. Each of us is his fallen descendant; he could do nothing other than pass on to us his fallen, sinful nature in alienation from his Creator, destined to "perish" eternally.

From Christ's birth in Bethlehem, He lived in the sunshine of oneness with God. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government [of the world and of the universe] shall be upon His shoulder" (Isa. 9:6, KJV). But He took on His sinless nature our sinful nature that He might meet the awful problem of sin in our flesh, sin's last lair; God sent Him "unto us" "in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, [He] condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). As our second Adam, Christ won the awful battle.

But now as Head of the human race He enters into the darkness of hell on His cross, dying our death, doing what in John 3:16 He says He doesn't want us to do--He tastes what it means to "perish." It's terrible beyond any words. We can't grasp it unless we understand Galatians 3:13: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written [quoting Moses], Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (cf. Deut. 21:22, 23).

Thus He was "made to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). For you personally, intimately, not only instead of you but as you, He dies your second death. Now in thanks what will you do for Him?

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 17, 2005.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "Knocking at the Door"

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

Have you ever been despised and rejected by someone important in your life, whom you deeply loved? You remember the pain was wrenching.

Can we conceive of Jesus Christ experiencing that? On an infinitely grander scale? For millennia our human souls have been concerned for our own salvation; in my youth I remember sincere, grey-haired ordained elders declaring to me that the most important issue in life is the salvation of our own souls. This is almost universally accepted as the essence of orthodoxy. "Evangelism" is crafted on that premise. But there's a more important issue.

In undertaking the salvation of this world, Jesus took our humanity upon Himself; He knows how we can love; the “one” so deeply loved by Him as His bride-to-be is His church.

Has He known the bitterness of unrequited love, as we can know it--only on a cosmic scale? Can the companionship of multitudes of holy angels compensate for what His heart yearns for in the absence of His church's response to His love?

The pain of Calvary was for only a few hours (we think); indeed, it was intense. But the Hosea-like pain of extended nuptial alienation is Calvary's pain extended.

Christ declares Himself as endlessly "knocking on the door" of His Beloved (Rev. 3:20), waiting for a "certain one" (tis, Gr.) to respond as a satisfaction to His own lonely divine-human soul. He is still the One "despised and rejected." He wants to be with His people on earth, even though earth rejected and expelled Him; heaven is simply no longer "home" for Him.

On this grand Day of Atonement, a change has come: the most important question in life is now for us to honor and vindicate Him. He deserves His reward; it is He who must be "crowned," no longer we who seek that honor.

 —Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 15, 2006.
Copyright © 2017 by “Dial Daily Bread.”

Dial Daily Bread: God’s Richest Blessing May Be in the Disappointment We Suffer

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

Many times we tell stories to the children about wonderful answers to prayer. We tell them about Daniel in the lions' den, of David fighting Goliath, of Peter saved from prison, and of course many modern stories of people's marvelous answers to prayer.

That's all good, and I do not doubt the truth of those stories. But I am concerned about something else--sometimes there are children who have prayed for something but did not get it. I knew one little boy whose grandmother was very sick, and he prayed that she might get well; but she did not get well. She died. When children ask the Lord for something, but don't get it, then hear all these wonderful stories, they wonder what's wrong with them. Why doesn't the Lord answer their prayers too?

Well, we must think about this. We must be honest. Not all prayers get a marvelous “Yes” answer. If you don't get what you asked for, that does not mean that God does not love you, or that He did not hear your prayer. He said “No” instead of “Yes.” And often His “No” is more loving toward us than a “Yes” would be. If a young child asks for a sharp knife, a loving father or mother will say “No.”

God's richest blessing may be in the disappointment that we suffer. If God is like a Santa Claus to Christians, giving them everything they ask for, many people would join the church who are not at all converted, and that would not be good at all.

God's people suffer in this world along with those who are not His people. When they suffer, God suffers with them. He never forsakes them. We must remember Jesus on His cross--He prayed to the Father but He says God did not hear Him (that's in Psalm 22). Jesus felt that His Father had turned His back on Him, because He prayed, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). There are many people in the world who have to suffer, not because God doesn't love them, but because they are faithful servants of Jesus, who honor Him by enduring their suffering.

The Good News is that God will never forsake you; He does hear every prayer you pray; and He will give you what is best for you and what is best for others. Even the little boy's grandmother who died--someday we will know why the Lord permitted that--and we will love the Lord more because we will know that His answer was because He loves us. We can trust Him, because He died for us on His cross.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: 1994 Phone Message.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "Grafting" Back Into the Vine

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The world is in turmoil. Fear of terrorism is everywhere. And what's the main root cause of this terrible fear? Basically, America's fervent support of the state of Israel. This has been encouraged, almost dictated, by Protestant Christians who believe that the Bible teaches that God's promises to Abraham will be fulfilled by His blessings on a literal, political modern Israel.

Such a vision encouraged President Truman's initial endorsement. That state must eventually recover the boundaries of ancient Israel in the time of Kings David and Solomon, yes, achieve world domination. Theology, true or false, has immense consequences.

But for many centuries Bible-reading Christians also have believed that Abraham's true descendants have always been (and still are) those who have his faith, not just his DNA. They see in the Bible how ancient national Israel rejected their political nationhood when they rejected their true Messiah. "We have no king but Caesar!" they proclaimed officially (John 19:15).

God's New Covenant promises to Israel will be fulfilled by "grafting" individuals back into the Vine, along with believing Gentiles who are "grafted" in--all by faith in Christ, who is the true Vine. "And so," in this way, "all Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:1-26).

Just now, on this grand cosmic Day of Atonement, the Holy Spirit is working diligently "grafting in" repentant sinners from the ranks of literal Jews and from the myriads of "Gentiles" everywhere. "Therefore consider," says Paul, "the goodness and severity of God" (vs. 22). Let the Holy Spirit "graft" you in; don't "resist Him in His office work."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 14, 2003.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can We Find Some Good News in the Southern California Fires?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

[This "Dial Daily Bread" was written during the October 2007 wildfires in Southern California, so evacuation numbers are for 2007 (if interested, you may find details at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2007_California_wildfires

Similar weather conditions were in place then as with the current situation in Southern California. This "DDB" seems relevant today.]

___________________________________________________                       

This daily mini-Bible study likes to concentrate on happy subjects, and find good things to say about discouraging topics. But we're struggling to find something good to say about the calamity in Southern California.

Imagine--over 350,000 people evacuated from their homes! Imagine what "evacuation" means--how do you "evacuate" without getting on the freeway to get out, and can you imagine 350,000 people clogging the freeways? They can be one vast parking lot.

I used to live in the San Diego area; I never dreamed I would see things like this before the Bible's "seven last plagues" of Revelation 16. Can we find some good news? Yes:

(1) Innumerable acts of kindness are being done by people, even strangers; the Holy Spirit has not yet been withdrawn completely from the earth!

(2) There is evidence that the love of God is still active; in wrath He has remembered mercy (Hab. 3:2).

(3) In the disasters described by the prophet Ezekiel his "woes" usually ended with the promise, "you shall know that I am the Lord" (35:9, for example).

(4) It's always, yes always, good news to learn to "know the Lord." Even the final "lake of fire" at the end of the millennium (the 1000 years of Revelation 20:11-15) demonstrates the mercy of the Lord. The lost will say "Thank You" for that "Lake" rather than exist forever in tortured consciousness of their own utter self-condemnation. They will "welcome destruction," says a very wise writer.

(5) Is God sending these terrible disasters? Is Southern California more wicked than any place else, thus deserves them? This same question was asked Jesus after a local disaster: "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?" He answered: "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:2). Jesus didn't bring that disaster but He brought good out of it, for all the world to learn.

(6) There is precious good news in this remark of Jesus: it's possible for all of us to "repent" because repentance is a universal gift that the Holy Spirit tries to give us (if we will believe and receive the gift; John 16:8).

(7) This painful disaster, with world news coverage, educates us all in a happy lesson about Reality; it's another proof of God's love: "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out [when we "evacuate" we probably won't even carry our important personal papers with us]. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content" (1 Tim 6:7, 8). Precious contentment! Enjoy it today.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 23, 2007.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What God Wants More Than Anything to Give You

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When we read Matthew 24 or Luke 21, the conviction is overwhelming that we're living in what Daniel says is "the time of the end" (Dan. 11:35; 12:4).

At the same time, the conviction overwhelms us that the last message Revelation says must "lighten the earth with glory" will be the lifting up of Christ on His cross (18:1-4; John 12:32, 33). God has honest-hearted people all over the world. Lifting up their Savior on the cross will "draw" them all to Him.

"The Lord will make a short work upon the earth" (Rom. 9:28). It won't take a long time for the Lord to "finish the work" once He has a people whose hearts are moved and melted by His agape-love seen at the cross.

That "short work" will accomplish not only the proclamation of "the truth of the gospel" to all the world in one generation (Gal. 2:5; Matt. 24:34), what we have thought must take decades or even centuries to prepare God's people to meet Christ when He returns. First Thessalonians 4:16, 17 will be completely fulfilled. God's people will get ready to be "translated" as Hebrews 11:5 describes Enoch's experience. All done in "a short work"!

Now is the time when the Lord's "beatitude" is being fulfilled: "Blessed [happy] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6).

Are you hungry and thirsty? There's nothing the God of heaven wants more than to give you that hunger and thirst. Ask for it!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 4, 2004.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Ancient Struggle Between Esau and Isaac

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When the Titanic plowed into the jagged edge of an iceberg, everybody on board suddenly realized his corporate involvement in the ship. No little group or individual could go on feasting and partying to the jazz music; a common fate now faced everyone.

What the captain and crew had done intimately involved everyone--captain, crew, millionaire and steerage passenger. Flooded compartments below deck meant your first class stateroom would soon be flooded. The lights were going out.

Some of us live in lands of peace and prosperity. Can we go on partying while the Middle East is locked in a human struggle that involves an "old covenant" bondage universal in principle? Abraham's family was in reality the human race, for in an "everlasting covenant" God gave him the whole world as "an everlasting possession" (Rom. 4:13; Gen. 17:8, 7).

The Israelis and Arabs epitomize the ancient struggle between Esau and Isaac, both sons of Abraham--one by "the flesh," the other by "promise." But fleshly Jews or Arabs are not Abraham's true "seed": "Those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted as the seed" (Rom 9:8).

"If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise [covenant]" (Gal. 3:29). That is: neither fleshly "Isaac" nor "Esau" has a divine advantage over the other. The Israelis and Arabs contend for a land and a Temple Mount too small for both; their conflict points to the universal struggle for the domination of this planet. Of the common father both claim, Acts 7:5 says, "God gave him no inheritance in [Canaan], not even enough to set his foot on."

If the Lord and Master of us all had also "nowhere to lay His head" (Matt. 8:20), it's time we should each realize that by right we don't "own" even a "foot" of this present earth. Real security is only "in Christ," "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42). Below decks are already flooded; don't set your heart on a stateroom.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 21, 2000.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "Look to Me"--Too Easy and Simple to Be True

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It seems too easy and simple to be true, but there it is in Isaiah 45:22. The Lord says, "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." Could we have misunderstood? Verse 21 confirms it: "There is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior." If He were only just, we would all perish; but He is also a Savior! And there is our hope.

Could the translation be wrong, it seems so simple? The Hebrew word panah means to "turn the face" and is translated as "look" over 40 times in the Old Testament, and the idea of "turn the face" over 50 times. It involves a choice to face reality, not merely a passing, involuntary glimpse. Is it possible that there is salvation in turning your face towards God? That's what Isaiah says!

In Numbers 21 we find the story of the snakes that bit the murmuring Israelites. The Lord told Moses to make a snake out of brass and lift it up on a pole so that those who looked at it earnestly would be healed. And Jesus tells us in John 3:14, 15 that Christ crucified on His cross is the fulfillment of that type. And in the familiar 16th verse He explains further, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish [from the bite of the serpent of sin] but have everlasting life." In other words, to "believe" and to "look" are the same--a choice to face reality.

In Ephesians 3:14-21 Paul explains that the looking and the believing are the same as "comprehending with all the saints" the grand dimensions of the love (agape) of Christ. This is true, because John says that God is agape (1 John 4:8).

So our text, "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth" means, comprehend the amazing character of God, who could destroy us because of His justice, but who is our Savior because of His agape. Yes, comprehending that character of unearthly love will heal you of the poisonous bite of sin. It will change you, from the inside out. "Look!"

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 5, 1998.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Jesus' Solution to John 6:28

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

After 2000+ years, how much progress have "we" made as God's people? Think of them then: expecting their Messiah to come “almost any time,” just as we are expecting the same Messiah to return "almost any time now." At least, "soon." They knew 2000 years ago, just as we know now, that there must come a great reformatory movement among God's people in order to be ready for the Messiah.

There was an atmosphere of expectancy among God's people then, as there is now. And uppermost in their minds was a question that, frankly speaking, is in ours today: "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" (John 6:28).

Today there are seminars and sermons presented in the churches that are variations of that question. "What program, what duty, what plan, shall we do that we might have that great reformatory movement of revival in preparation for the return of our Messiah?"

There is diligent study in the Bible and inspired writings that yield a multitude of quotations about duties to "do"--about health reform, diet, good works, tithes, offerings, witnessing, devotionals--ad infinitum. And some sincere people are brilliant and have re-phrased the question, so it reads: "What shall we not do, to work the works of God?" "What worldly habit must we give up in order to have that great reformation?”

Each "expert" has a new program that this time will "work," if only we will "do" it, or give up doing this or that which is "worldly." There must be something we can "do" (or not do) to cure the worldwide disease of lukewarmness that everybody agrees afflicts the church. We long for some program, some new idea, some plan from some fertile minds.

Could it be that Jesus had the solution 2000 years ago? "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom [God] sent" (vs. 29). The solution is not doing something, but seeing something.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 1, 2001.
Copyright © 2017 by "Dial Daily Bread."