Dial Daily Bread: Encouragement for Those Who Suffer in "Sibling Rivalry"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is comfort and encouragement in an unlikely Bible story for those who suffer in "sibling rivalry." In fact, this individual's story is usually neglected: I speak of Jeremiah. He gets very bad press so that people actually turn away from his story, because he has been dubbed "the weeping prophet."

Depressing! Why read a story so sad that the author wishes he had rivers of water in his head so he could cry endlessly! (9:1; Lam. 2:11). Jeremiah is not a comedy drama; he belongs in the tragedy category. Leave his musty book in the attic.

But the man is so important that people thought that Jesus was Jeremiah (Matt. 16:14). God permitted an avalanche of persecution to fall on him; not just ten years or so of it such as Joseph and David endured, after which both were exalted to glorious honor. No, poor Jeremiah gets no reprieve from endless physical and spiritual torture:

(a) Dumped into a deep mud hole and left there to die had not an African gentleman at the court taken pity on him and saved his life (Jer. 38:6-13).

(b) Locked up in the stocks where common criminals are displayed publicly (20:2, 3). Yet he was God's chosen prophet from his pre-natal experience in his mother's womb (1:5). It seemed as though the God who called him had now abandoned him!

(c) The king himself had contemptuously cut up and burned the book that the Holy Spirit had inspired Jeremiah to write (36:21-23). How can an author be humiliated any more shamefully?

(d) But the most cruel blow the prophet is called to suffer is the "treachery" inflicted by his own personal family who should have been loyal. His brothers knew him, that he was sincere and genuine; but they organized a bitter campaign against him, complete with flattery to his face and a knife in his back (12:6).

But no, it's not tragedy; Jeremiah is now revered as the greatest of the prophets, and he shares his life story with Jesus. If you are called to suffer, rejoice with Him.
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Dial Daily Bread: Easier for Poor People to be Saved than Rich People?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it easier for poor people to be saved, than for rich people? The answer of course must be No; but the Bible is very clear that poor people are blessed more than the rich! Jesus loved both rich and poor, but He had nicer things to say to the poor. For example, He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). Do you know very many rich people who are "poor in spirit"? Again, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (vs. 5). Or, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (vs. 10).

The word "blessed" means "happy." Not happy in the sense of fun and games, but happy with that deep inward sense of peace, living in the sunshine of God's favor. I've known many poor people in Africa who lacked what you think are the basics of comfort, who were happy because they had found the Bible and a faith in Christ, who loved to study and to learn the plan of salvation and who rejoiced in spiritual life. They endured what we would call grinding poverty, and smiled, and they loved, and they would share their little with you in gracious hospitality. How could they be happy with so little of this world's goods? The answer is, those Beatitudes of Jesus; they had to be fulfilled!

The Father of our Lord Jesus is pledged to "bless" the poor who appreciate His love. The Bible is full of encouragement for poor people: "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6). "Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth. ... The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing [there is no promise that you'll never get sick, but there is the promise that the Lord will be your attending Physician and your special duty Nurse, for] Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness" (Psalm 41:1-3).

Are you poor? Be thankful for the special blessings the Lord has promised you, and rejoice. It may well be that the Lord is favoring you especially so that you will be that much more happy in the kingdom of heaven. The ticket for entrance is that list of "blesseds" that Jesus enunciated in Matthew 5. You can be sure that if you can be truly happy in heaven, you will be admitted, for "whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). Are you rich? Please read 2 Corinthians 8:9. There's hope for you, too!

Copyright © 2009 by Robert J. Wieland
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Dial Daily Bread: God's Honor at Stake

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

If you had been living 2000 years ago, what kind of a life would you have chosen? The world was much like it is today--full of selfish people bent on pleasure and sensual delight and amusement. There were the Roman overlords living in luxury in their fancy villas on the Mediterranean, flocking to sports events in the amphitheaters, eating luxury food, employing poor people to work for them. These upper crust people got the most out of life--or did they?

And now here comes that Man from Galilee who had not where to lay His head (Matt. 8:20), and He says to you, "Take up your cross and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Will you do so gladly? Will you turn your back on the pleasures and wealth of the Roman world, and follow Jesus through a life of self-denial and loving labor for others, spreading the news of justification by faith? Will you join His eleven surviving apostles and others?

Of the two ways of life anciently, which would be the more enjoyable to you? Well, that's exactly where you are today. You have exactly the same choice. Nothing has changed: (1) the same selfish mind-set has captured the world today, and (2) the same pure Gospel of righteousness by faith offers the same alternative to selfish living.

The Bible clearly teaches that we are today living in the antitypical Day of Atonement, the grand climax to the drama of the ages, the great controversy between Christ and Satan. It's the war of all wars. It's not a matter merely of personal survival or personal happiness: it's the honor of God Himself that is at stake. Unless He has a people on earth who "give glory to Him" in this final battle, He will be embarrassed. Every one on earth will be drawn into this conflict on one side or the other; I suggest that taking up that cross to follow Jesus is by far the more exciting, more joyous alternative.

Do you agree?

Copyright © 2009 by Robert J. Wieland
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Dial Daily Bread: The Lord Thinketh Upon Me

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

With all the billions of human beings on planet earth that the Lord has to care for, can you be sure that He cares about little unworthy you?

Your answer, "yes" or "no," steers you to heaven or to the opposite. And your answer does NOT depend on miracles; in fact, if the only (or the main) reason you answer "yes" is certain miracles in your life, you are in for trouble. First, the devil can work miracles and fool you completely; and second, you can forget the miracles on which you base your faith.

You absolutely MUST believe: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Getting up at 3 or 4 in the morning and going outside is a blessing: you get to see the stars. Look! They are infinite in number--concrete examples of God's infinitude; yet the Lord cares for each one. You've never seen a heavenly collision, have you? "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things ... He calleth them all by names ... He is strong in power, not one faileth" (Isa. 40:26).

"But they are great stars! I am ... well, nobody!"

Remember that the Creator of them all, the Son of God Himself, made Himself to become a "Nobody" for your sake. He "emptied Himself" (Phil. 2:5-8). He died as a Nobody on a cross, forsaken by God His Father (so it seemed to Him, as it sometimes seems to you, Matt. 27:46). You MUST believe what the Bible says! Read it again--what happened to Him on the cross--it's Psalm 22. By faith alone He triumphed over that terrible sense of despair (read vss. 21-31). Identify with Him; sink yourself in Him, for He is life. Let self be "crucified with Him" and you will sense the resurrection with Him. Yes, say it: "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me" (Psalm 40:17). Choose to believe it!
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Dial Daily Bread: Guilty for a Crime Committed Before You Were Born?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

One of the strangest mysteries in the Bible is where we find Jesus blaming people of His day for a crime that someone else committed 800 years earlier. If someone were to blame me for starting World War I, for example, I would get huffed up because I wasn't even born when it started. How could Jesus, the Righteous One, be so apparently unfair?

The problem is in Matthew 23:35. Jesus is preaching His last sermon in the glorious Temple. Some may say that He was deliberately inviting His own death by laying out before the leaders their sins just as they were. (Why not be more political and soften up His words?) Then Jesus tells these august pastors of the flock that "YOU slew Zacharias ... between the temple and the altar." The story goes that the blood of this martyr stained the stones in the pavement forever! (See 2 Chron. 24:20, 21.)

Can't you imagine those scribes and Pharisees responding in indignation, "Why do You blame US for a crime committed 800 years before we were born? How unfair can You be?"

But like He always did, Jesus told the truth. The same awful sin that King Joash and the leaders of his day committed when they stoned Zechariah right there in the holy Temple, these religious leaders were already nursing in their hearts--for within a few hours they would crucify the Son of God. So, in a corporate sense, they were guilty also of the murder of Zacharias! The record of your sin is not like your electric light bill--you pay only for what you use; as sinners by nature we are truly guilty of all the sin ever committed--just give us enough time and opportunity. It wasn't only the Romans and the Pharisees who crucified Christ; "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" Yes, in a corporate sense.

Christ prayed for a corporate forgiveness to be given to them all, "for they know not what they do." Thank Him, and receive it.
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Dial Daily Bread: To All Who Suffer Pain in Church "Fellowship"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus did NOT say, "Come to church, or come to a Christian college, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and it will give you rest." I am sure He would be happy if that would give you "rest unto your souls," but often you meet stress and heartache there just as you do out in the cold world. Sometimes we can find ourselves, as Jesus said, "sheep among wolves" in a religious setting.

What Jesus DID say was, "Come unto ME, ... take My yoke upon you, and learn of ME, and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11:28-30; 10:16). No matter what the pressure may be that you find in church or in college, there is a path from where you are at this moment direct to the throne of grace where Jesus is "nigh at hand" to give you peace of heart in the midst of storms. He is an expert in enduring heartache in "church." The pagan world "outside" gave Him no persecution except (at the end) when the "church" of that day instigated it. When He said, "They that hate Me without a cause are more in number than the hairs on Mine head," "they" were church people. "I am become a stranger unto My brethren, ... I became a proverb unto them. ... They that sit in the gate speak against Me" (Psalm 69:4-12). They were Abraham's descendants, not pagans!

To all who suffer pain in church "fellowship" Jesus urges, "Come unto Me." But let's be sure: He does NOT say "come out of church fellowship"! No! In the midst of His suffering, Jesus was invited to leave "Israel" and go to Greece and find "rest of soul," but He refused. He would stay in fellowship with God's professed people, no matter how painful it might be, and bear His cross there (John 12:20-28).

In these last days there is lukewarmness in the church, there can even be "apostasy IN the church." Leaving the church is not the solution. The basic idea of the Bible truth of the Day of Atonement is the "cleansing of the sanctuary," not destroying it. "Come unto Me," says Jesus; and the closer you come to Him the more your heart and your life will be bound up in fellowship with Him and you will realize that the honor or the vindication of His name is bound up with the repentance of His church. He must win the heart of His church or "the marriage of the Lamb" can never come (Rev. 19:7, 8). Stay in the church; bear your cross "with Him." Cooperate with Him; let Him use you as one of His agents to help somebody else who is "weary and heavy laden." Help the church get "ready" for the wedding.
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Dial Daily Bread: The "Elijah" Message--Don't Overlook It

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

God's promise regarding Baal worship is tremendous Good News because it means He "will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5). Israel was in a terrible condition spiritually when the Lord sent him to King Ahab with his terrible news of drought and famine. But there was no other way to arouse the apostate people of God. Elijah was sent to them in love.

We want to be very careful that we know how to recognize "Elijah" when the Lord sends him again. Every one of us without exception should walk in fear and trembling lest we make the same mistake the Jews did in the days of John the Baptist. Their "Elijah" came and went and they had no idea what had happened! God always loves His people but He seems to take delight in taking them by surprise: ancient apostate Israel hated the messenger of the Lord when He sent him--Ahab and Jezebel wanted to kill him, and when the leaders of the Jewish church saw the new "Elijah" in John the Baptist they didn't recognize him. They said, "He hath a devil" (Matt. 11:18).

Wouldn't it be terrible if, in these last days we treated our new "Elijah" that way and didn't know what we were doing? Their "Elijah" was a humble man notably not dressed in "soft raiment" as "in kings' houses" (vs. 8). Someone very humble, "despised and rejected of men" as was Jesus, may "come already, and [we] knew him not, but [do] to him whatever [we] wish" (17:12). Let's study the story of John the Baptist.

God is faithful. Many people today "sigh and cry for all the abominations" they see in the "land" (cf. Ezek. 9:4), but let them not yield to sinful despair and "smite" their "fellowservants" in their frustration (cf. Matt. 24:48, 49). The "Elijah" message is here somewhere. Don't misunderstand and overlook it!
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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The last two verses of the Old Testament give us the wonderful Good News that the Lord will send us "Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5, 6). Elijah's specialty mission had been to confront the apostasy of Baal worship. This fact that Elijah is to return during the last days raises a reasonable question: could it be that the reason for the Lord sending him back is that the ancient worship of Baal is again current among us?

The merest suggestion that we have a problem with Baal worship creates abhorrence: "Impossible! We may be worldly and backsliding, but we're not that bad!" Then why does the Lord say that we need Elijah to come back? On quiet reflection we begin to realize that something is wrong with our spiritual devotion. Could it be "Baal worship," and what is it? It was prevalent in Elijah's day, but Jeremiah wrote a book (Elijah didn't!) describing what it was. Some points of identity emerge:

(1) It was an unconscious apostasy in ancient Israel which crept upon the nation surreptitiously (see Jer. 2:23, 25; 16:10, 11; 11:13, 18, where the people deny its existence).

(2) It was combined with the worship of the true Lord and God in His Temple in Jerusalem, so it was difficult for anyone to tell where one began and the other ended. It was all woven together (7:9, 10, 30).

(3) The religious leaders at the headquarters of the nation aided and abetted this process of amalgamation (23:11, 13, 15, 26, 27).

(4) Elijah and Jeremiah themselves would not have been able to discern the subtle presence of the apostasy had they not been enlightened by the gift of prophecy (1 Kings 17:1, Elijah cited "the Lord God of Israel" as his authority; Jer. 11:18).

Modern Baal worship is serious: it is the worship of self disguised as the worship of Christ. Therefore religious leaders are terribly prone to it, for they are often flattered by the people. God, save us!

[More tomorrow.]
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Dial Daily Bread: Isaiah 45:22--Too 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 unto Me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else." Could we have misunderstood? Verse 21 confirms it: "There is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour." If He were only just, we would all perish; but He is also a Saviour! 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" 43 times in the Old Testament and the idea of "turn the face" 53 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 believeth in Him should not perish [from the bite of the serpent of sin], but should 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 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 unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth" means, comprehend the amazing character of God, who could destroy us because of His justice, but who is our Saviour 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!"

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Dial Daily Bread: The Ten Commandments--New Covenant or Old?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It comes as a shock to many people to realize that the famous Ten Commandments are primarily ten promises, not ten rigorous, burdensome prohibitions. The secret is realizing what the Prologue means: "I am the Lord your God, who has brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Ex. 20:1, 2). God is telling us, I have already redeemed you; I have already delivered you out of slavery; I have already brought light to you, new hope, new joy; now, believe that I am your prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God, your Friend, your Savior; and then, says God, I guarantee you will never come under the bondage of breaking this perfect "law of liberty" (see James 2:12). You will sing with David, "I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts" (Psalm 119:45).

The Ten Commandments can be read with the dark glasses of the old covenant, complete with the fire, and thunder, and lightning, and earthquake of Mt. Sinai. That's how ancient Israel read them, and look at their pathetic history of backsliding, defeat, and finally the destruction of their beautiful temple and of their city Jerusalem. It was all old covenant ever since Exodus 19, like a dark day of heavy clouds with only an occasional peek of sunshine.

The "ten" can also be read with the eyes of the new covenant, and suddenly they come into focus as God's ten grand promises of victory over all temptations. For example, take the seventh: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14). The old covenant glasses make it sound like a kill-joy prohibition that multitudes think is virtually impossible to obey. "Doesn't God want us to have any fun?" Some serious-minded people grit their teeth and clench their fists and determine to obey under fear of hell fire if they transgress. They are living under the old covenant; and seriously, the problems they face in their own hearts are so severe that they cannot imagine how they can be obedient, and still be happy.

But there is a Savior, and He belongs to all of us. If we are willing to understand what He has already done for us (not merely what He may offer to do for us IF we will take the initiative first and do everything just right), and if we understand how He has taken the initiative to save us, what it cost Him to do so, how "He bare us on eagles' wings, and brought us to Himself" (19:4), and if we sense the love that led Christ to His cross, then He says, the promises of the new covenant will open your blind eyes, warm your cold heart, give you repentance, and transform you into the person that your spouse can fall in love with. It may sound impossible to you, but "the gospel ... is the power of God unto salvation," here, not just as pie in the sky (Rom. 1:16).

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Dial Daily Bread: Does God Have Problems Difficult to Solve?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Does God Himself have problems that He finds difficult to solve? How could Someone both omniscient and omnipotent have any kind of difficulty? Isn't everything in this universe easy for Him? He has infinite resources, an innumerable "staff" of willing, capable servants, the holy angels.

If I understand Islamic theology, I think the answer would be No, God has no really difficult problems. And if I understand strict Calvinist theology (which may be more strict than Calvin himself was), again the answer would be No; His sovereign will just gets done, that's all. And in either case, it's up to you and me to submit to Him, if we want to be happy. That's all.

But when we kneel down at the feet of Jesus and listen, and "abide" in Him, and identify with Him (which is what it means to be "in Christ" experientially), we begin to sense that He has burdens that are heavy for Him. Although He invites us to "come" and find "rest of soul" because His "yoke is easy, and [His] burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30), we find that He has not yet found that "rest" Himself. He still can't keep Sabbath. His burden is heavy.

Whether or not we identify with Him, He identifies with the human race in starkly genuine sympathy--"believers" and so-called "unbelievers" alike. "In all their affliction He [is] afflicted" (Isa. 63:9). Incomprehensible? Well, it's time we should begin to realize reality. He carries an enormous load of pain as He feels the agony of all on earth who are in pain of any kind. The "all power" He has is to feel for others.

In our finite judgment, probably the most severe problem He has is what to do about the "sibling rivalry" that has wounded His "body," the church. It began with the conflict between Cain and Abel, and ran through all the millennia of the history of God's true people on earth right up to the "sibling rivalry" that exploded within the "Israel" of Christ's day when the majority rejected and crucified Him. God knows that the only solution is AGAPE (John 13:34, 35). But how does the Holy Spirit "shed that AGAPE abroad in our hearts" (Rom. 5:5) if we are unwilling to surrender to it? Can we get out of the kindergarten and begin to share His burden?

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Dial Daily Bread: A Special "Handicapped" Section in the Kingdom?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Does God have "handicapped" "parking spaces" for a certain class of people who think they cannot overcome sin? Does He have a double standard for His everlasting kingdom? Can some "saints" plead that their evil temper is so deeply rooted in their genes that they cannot overcome? Or their sexual lust? Or their love of money? Or their habitual lying? On and on.

A false gospel which Paul calls "another gospel ... than that which we have preached unto you" (Gal. 1:6-8) says "YES!" You can cling to your besetting sins--you'll have a special "handicapped" section in His kingdom. To change the metaphor, the idea is you'll be given a white robe of righteousness that only legally "covers" your filthy robes underneath that you keep on wearing.

In contrast, the true gospel says you give up every stitch of those filthy robes so that the white robe of Christ's righteousness is not only LEGALLY "imputed" to you but is also EXPERIENTIALLY "imparted" to you; it no longer hides cherished character deformity underneath. We find the idea surfacing all through Scripture: "to him that overcometh ... even as I also overcame" (Rev. 3:21); "these ... have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (7:14); "they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb" (12:11); Christ as High Priest "is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25); "the God of peace ... make you perfect in every good work to do His will" (13:20, 21); "be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).

An impossible standard? If all we have is that counterfeit "other gospel" Paul warns against, the "gospel" of "Babylon [that] is fallen"--yes; but thank God for the Good News of the true "gospel [which] is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16).

The problem is our spiritual pride that insists on remaining "handicapped" when healing is not only offered us but is given us "in Christ." Let's humble our proud hearts and learn to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" [by faith--the only kind there is!] (Matt. 5:6).

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Dial Daily Bread: Confused by "Righteousness by Faith"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Are you confused by conflicting ideas of "righteousness by faith"? Many are! It's quite likely that preachers, theologians, writers, have muddied the waters for you. Try reading the naked Bible. Yes, reading it, not merely listening on the radio or on tapes to some preacher read it whose voice betrays his own confusion or hard-heartedness (one who reads the Bible in public [or on a tape] must humble his/her soul before God before daring to do so). Here's a brief suggestion: try reading the Gospel of John. (We who try to learn New Testament Greek usually begin there, for John's Greek is the most simple of any New Testament writers.) But before you open the Book do offer a sincere prayer that the same Holy Spirit who inspired the apostle will condescend to inspire your mind and heart to grasp what he writes--then you and John will be kneeling together at the throne of grace!

If you have been afraid to read the naked Bible for fear you will be misled (yes, there have been fanatics!), make a choice to believe what the Saviour of the world has promised: "Ask and it shall be given unto you. ...What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? ... Your Father which is in heaven [will] give good things to them that ask Him," not fanatical or poisonous ideas (Matt. 7:7-11; Luke explains those "good things" to be the Holy Spirit, Luke 11:13). It's a healthy thing to be afraid of fanaticism! Plead with the Father to save you from pride, for fanaticism is spiritual pride. A good, healthy prayer to pray daily is in Romans 12:3, "not to think of oneself more highly than [one] ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Now, with confidence that the Father is not teasing you but that He respects your humble prayer, start reading John. Remember, no commentaries for now, maybe later. (If you can kneel while you read John, good.) By the time you get to John 3:16, much of the confusion will be cleared out of your mind, like sunshine after a storm. You will see that it is God's job to tell you Good News, and it is now your job to believe it (that's the same as exercising that "measure of faith" God has already given you; and lo and behold, what happens? Righteousness by that faith; yes, willing and happy obedience to all the commandments of God--reconciliation of your alienated heart to Him and to His holy law. Another word for that? Salvation.

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Dial Daily Bread: A Sin God Cannot Forgive

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is a sin that God cannot forgive--not because He doesn't want to, but because it's impossible to. And the only reason why is because the sinner doesn't want it to be forgiven. He has made the decision to cling to his sin forever. That is why it is called "unpardonable." The Savior cannot force him to let go of it.

Is such a person happy after he has committed it? The common idea may be that no, he is very miserable. But it is more likely that he is remarkably carefree and lighthearted, always laughing, telling jokes, chuckling. He could be eternally smiling, even a sparkling personality. The Holy Spirit is no longer convicting him of sin! Jesus said that His first work with any of us is this: "When He is come, He will convict the world of sin" (John 16:8). The holy nerve of conscience has been severed, and the sinner goes on through life with no voice getting through to reprove him of wrong doing.

If the result of committing the unpardonable sin were a feeling of destitution, of woe, the sinner might desire reconciliation with God--which is what the Lord wants for him. The True Witness says to "the angel of the church of the Laodiceans," "I would thou wert cold or hot." If the "angel" were "hot," he would be cooperating with the Lord Jesus; if he were "cold," he would be shivering with extreme discomfort and would seek the heat.

The Laodicean "angel" cannot go on forever in a lukewarm state; something somewhere, sometime, will have to crack. For the "angel" to remain insensitive, lukewarm, is perilously close to a sin against the Holy Spirit.

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

Dial Daily Bread: Does God Consider You a Homeless Outsider?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever been tempted to doubt you belong in God's house? Does He consider you a homeless outsider? When you feel sinful and unworthy and have fallen short, you wonder. One day a Bible writer (who, we don't know!), came to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem feeling guilty and unworthy to enter in. Then he saw a sight that encouraged him: a little sparrow had made its home in some little nook or cranny in the most holy section of the Temple, right near the sacred altar. There it was, twittering in joy, laying its eggs and rearing its young in that part of Solomon's glorious temple where even the ordinary priests had no permission to enter! In fact, only the great high priest of Israel was permitted to enter that twice-sacred spot, and that on only one day in the entire year. And there was the little sparrow, totally unconcerned about the stay-away rules of Leviticus, confident of a welcome in the house of the Lord!

Then the poet wrote Psalm 84: "How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord. ... Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young--a place near Your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God" (vss. 1-3, NIV).

It is possible that Jesus had that poem in mind when He told the disciples, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:29-31). If you own a home and if your soul is generous, you will enjoy making visitors feel welcome. It will be fun for you. Jesus says, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). That word translated "pleased" means that it's fun for the Father to do that! He enjoys welcoming sinners to His house. It's constantly "open house" night and day. "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!'" (Rev. 22:17). Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened" (Matt. 11:28). "Burdened" with what? More than carrying sacks of cement or office work! "Burdened" with sin, convictions of selfishness, vain regrets.

"Blessed [happy] are those who dwell in Your house" (Psalm 84:4). You are invited; come as you are, don't try to dress up first. For once the Pharisees were right, "This Man welcomes sinners!" (Luke 15:2).

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

Dial Daily Bread: Self-respect vs. Self-esteem

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is a world of difference between self-respect and self-esteem. One is a healthy, God-given, sanctified consciousness of common sense, and the other is a sinful sense of self-importance and pride. One is that blessed fruit of “grace” that teaches one “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3, KJV). Another version: “Be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you” (TEV). Another: “it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves” (Peterson).

Evidently, God wants us to “interpret” ourselves, but to do it “soberly,” with reasonable common sense, anticipating the final judgment when each “must ... appear before the judgment seat of Christ ... [to] receive ... according to that he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). The self-esteem approach leaves one liable to a rude shock before that “judgment seat,” hearing the dear Lord say, “Depart from Me” when the self-esteemers will arrogantly remonstrate with Him (Matt. 25:41-45). Of their glittering careers when they were sure that they had “prophesied in [His] name ... and done many wonderful works” and heard “all men ... speak well” of them (Luke 6:26) the Lord will be forced to say, “I never knew you” (cf. Matt. 7:21-23). Sad, it was somebody else apparently blessing you!

It sounds corny, but it’s biblical: when you seek to “interpret” yourself rightly, look around and thank the Lord that “a living dog is better than a dead lion.” When you’re invited to a banquet, “do not sit down in the best place. Lest one more honorable than you be invited ... and you ... with shame ... take the lowest place” (Luke 14:8-10).

Sanctified common sense! Better to practice it now than at last.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: God's HELP WANTED Sign

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

God has a HELP WANTED! sign in His window. Seriously, it's a job opening that He needs desperately to fill. Even though He is omnipotent, He is helpless to fill this vacancy Himself.

The position He needs to fill is that of foot in His body--the lowest down job. Specifically, the Bible says that "the Head" (that is, Christ Himself) "cannot say unto the feet, I have no need of you" (1 Cor. 12:21). The "body" especially needs feet or it cannot go where it should. (You may feel deeply unworthy to be the "foot" in "the body of Christ." Okay, maybe you are just the toenail--don't underestimate yourself. You'd find it difficult walking if you had no toenails!)

This job opening that God has is glimpsed in Ecclesiastes 9: "A great king ... besieged [a little city] ... and built great bulwarks against it." Its case appeared hopeless. But apparently someone prayed: "Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city" (vss. 14, 15). Wonderful!

But did the citizens stage a parade in his honor? "Yet no man remembered that same poor man." Being that "poor wise man" whom no one notices--that's God's job opening, right now.

He has always found it difficult to find qualified applicants, never more so than today. Just as the Vice President has an office very close to the Oval Office in the White House, the successful applicant for this job in God's "office" is close to Christ Himself. The two have something in common: Christ was [really, IS] "despised and rejected of men" (Isa. 53:3). "The Redeemer of Israel [says] to Him whom man despiseth, to Him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, ... He shall choose Thee" (Isa. 49:7). The job carries most unusual perks.

Don't be scared, humble but honored "Toenail." Do your duty and be happy--close to Christ.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: Did Jesus Have to Pray?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Why did Jesus pray? Did He have to pray?

We read that He was God in human flesh, "Immanuel, God with us" (Matt. 1:23). Did "God" need to pray to "God"? If Jesus was the Son of God, couldn't He accomplish His mission on His own without getting down low on His knees every day and talking humbly to His heavenly Father about His problems? It takes time to pray and He had lots to do; none of us prays unless we feel the need to pray. Did He feel such a need? Or was He simply acting out a charade as an example for us to copy? And what did He pray for?

The stark truth emerges that Jesus in His incarnation HAD to pray, or He would have gone under. Isaiah says that "the government" of earth and heaven was "on His shoulder," a weak, human shoulder (9:6). On His own He had to fight the infinite battle of eternity known as "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." The enemy of God had invented something never before known in the universe, a virus that threatened universal death, and it had taken up residence in fallen human flesh or human nature. That virus was sin, and it had to be defeated in that same fallen human flesh or nature, or the universe eventually would have had to succumb to sin and its "wages, ... death" (Rom. 6:23).

In the human nature which Christ had "taken," He had to win the fearsome struggle with sin; He had to "condemn sin in the flesh," in "the likeness of sinful flesh" (8:3). No gladiators fighting hand to hand in the Roman Colosseum ever had a more fearsome personal struggle. Jesus was forced to battle on His own with none of His divine prerogatives; divine, yes; the Son of God, yes, but with no special advantage over us except His faith. His righteousness must be limited to righteousness by faith. He must be "the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2), the Author or Inventor of faith itself. But that's just what He gives to us--"the saints ... keep ... the faith of Jesus" today (Rev. 14:12). Accept His faith! Let that Author teach you how to pray!

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

Have you ever done or said something foolish, even stupid, and you feared it might hurt someone else? And you hesitated to pray because you knew the fault was totally yours?

The dear Lord has hidden in His word something that is a blessing to you in this particular circumstance.

David has been anointed by Samuel with the assurance that God would lead him to become king of Israel. But everything has gone against him. He knows King Saul is "the anointed of the Lord," by God's choice. But Saul has been violently opposing David, forcing him to hide in caves like a runaway criminal.

David has endured these trials for years, and prayed earnestly. But finally the strain proves too great even for his faith. In 1 Samuel 27 he gives in to unbelief: "And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in the coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand" (vs. 1).

Sorry, David; that was raw unbelief. The great progenitor of the Messiah has stumbled. His faith was not perfect when he sought refuge among the enemies of God's people.

David made friends with Achish, their king. Then the problem became critical when Achish, determined to conquer Israel, "said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men" (28:1).

David is now in a terrible predicament. How can he refuse to help Achish who has apparently saved his life? And how can he, anointed to someday be king of Israel, join in a war against his own people? If you have fought against your own people how can you someday become their shepherd?

We don't have any special psalm that expressed David's desperate prayer this time. Psalm 34 is his prayer the first time he fled to Achish. But perhaps he found it difficult to pray this second time, when his mistake of unbelief landed him in the middle of the army attacking Israel, bent on killing "the anointed of the Lord."

But note how the dear Lord saved David out of this impossible trap: "The princes of the Philistines" didn't trust him and protested to Achish, "Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him [Ziklag], and let him not go down with us to battle" (1 Sam. 29:3, 4). Had not these pagan "princes" delivered him, David could never have become king of Israel!

Yes, the Lord saves His people out of their stupid mistakes even when their faith falters. And don't say that David was more important than you; God's concern is the same for you. Cherish the faith of "the Son of David." He "lived" in David's psalms; you do the same.

Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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Dial Daily Bread: The Simple "Hearing of Faith"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

We are grateful that skilled scientific observation enables medical doctors to understand how certain medicines work to bring healing in the body. Now, does the Bible help us understand how certain truths can bring healing from sin? It's not magic; truth in Christ itself saves.

For example, there is a little phrase in Paul's Letter to the Galatians that opens a door into a room filled with light: "the hearing of faith" (3:2, 5). These people were worldly, hard to reach, materialistic, probably given to sensuality; they were Gentiles. But Paul's ministry had captured their attention, and their conversion was phenomenal. They gladly suffered persecution for their faith; their heart gratitude to Paul was so great that he says they would gladly have torn out their eyes to give to him if they could (4:14, 15).

What sort of truth-presentation accomplished this wonder? In 3:1 Paul lets us catch a glimpse of it: the Holy Spirit enabled him to tell the story of the cross so vividly that the people forgot who they were or where they were--they saw Christ "set forth" so graphically that He was "crucified in their midst."

It's their response that is captured in that little-known phrase: the simple "hearing of faith." Paul asks, Did you experience this by legalism ("works of law"), or by simple listening with heart-appreciation? (This is important for us to understand because the light that will "lighten the earth with glory" will be the same spiritual phenomenon.)

That word "hearing" is the simple Greek word from which we derive our word "acoustic." When it is combined with the prefix "hupo" (which means "under") we have "hupakoe," which is the Greek word for "obey" or "obedience." True obedience is not produced by any egocentric concern, whether fear of being lost or hope of reward!

And now we have the secret unraveled: this elusive "obedience" that we have spent decades, yes, more than a century, seeking, is produced by "listening" to the truth of what happened on the cross. But it must be graphically portrayed.

Preachers, if you find the people not listening, don't necessarily blame them. Maybe you should repent of feeling "rich and increased with goods," and humbly beg for some healthy "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (which of course is only "by faith").

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