Dial Daily Bread: The Best King Israel Ever Had (Next to King David)

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

He was the best king Israel ever had, next to King David. He did everything right. He followed the Law of Moses minutely. And he was not a legalist--his heart was in it. The grace of the Lord was with him.

King Hezekiah inspired the people of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of the divided nation. He engineered the finest celebration of Passover the nation had ever known. But at the height of his glory as the most devout of all Israel's kings, comes this startling detail: "God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31; didn't the Lord already know it all? This must be for us somehow!).

Then we are directed to Isaiah to get the story. The king had just enjoyed the most glorious defense the Lord gave him against the Assyrian invaders; then the prophet Isaiah told him, the time has come for you to die. But he turned his face to the wall, and sobbed like a child, Not fair!

The dear Lord granted him 15 years more wherein he made a fool of himself and sired the most terrible king Israel ever had--Manasseh (Isa. 38, 39). Hezekiah didn't know what was buried unseen within his heart; unknown sin did him in.

Now fast forward to our day: our great High Priest in His cleansing the heavenly sanctuary will not only enable us to overcome known sin, but do a deeper work also: overcome unknown sin. His much more abounding grace (cf. Rom. 5:20) is sufficient. His Holy Spirit is cooperating with Christ; now let us learn from Hezekiah how to let Him direct our steps.

Instead of dying physically, now we can experience the blessed crucifixion of self "with Christ" (cf. Gal. 2:20). We are not kings, but we have an important part in bringing to a close the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. Let's join in!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 3, 2008.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Christ’s Ministry as the World’s High Priest

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The ancient Israelite sanctuary was a revelation to our dull human senses of the reality of Christ's ministry as the world's High Priest in His heavenly sanctuary. The purpose of building Him a sanctuary was not to bottle Him up inside it, but to make it possible for Him to "dwell among them" (Ex. 25:8). The Lord Jesus loved His people; and love always wants to be near you.

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

His closing words to His followers were: "'Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen" (Matt. 28:19, 20). The "amen" means, "Yes! It is true! You can believe this!" In order for us to realize that He is "with" us we must "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5-8). Our "minds" must be surrendered to the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

This is an exercise for our souls--to expel our worldly thoughts and cares. "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matt. 6:6, King James Version). Remember, you are not taking the initiative to "find" the Lord; you are letting Him take the initiative to find you.

The two of you are together in that prayer--the Father and you. He cares about you; for He is lonely without you. Jesus and the Father are "one" and Jesus now belongs to us--forever. Delight in that thought of truth.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 2, 2009.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can National or State Governments Exercise the Principle of Agape?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Can we humans learn to treat each other as God treats us? Jesus told a parable of a man to whom the king forgave a debt of "ten thousand talents" and then went out and grabbed a poor fellow servant by the throat who owed him a mere hundred denarii, and ordered him, "Pay me!" (Matt. 18:23-35).

Jesus taught that we must forgive others as God has forgiven us. But that of course is impossible unless we understand corporate guilt--that we of ourselves have no righteousness, it is all imputed to us from Christ, its only source.

Enlightened by the Holy Spirit to understand and appreciate what Christ has done for us, we immediately look upon others in a new light. We reason from cause to effect; we sense that if our circumstances from birth had been the same, we might have turned out no better than this person we are tempted to hate. It's not a matter of superficial, transient emotion; it's a principle--the sin of someone else would be our sin but for the grace of Christ! This is not excusing the responsibility of sinners, or abolishing morality; it is redemptive human relations. It is "letting the mind of Christ be in" us.

Despised by the world in personal or international relationships, this heavenly principle of agapetranscends all religions and cultures. It costs far less than even one stealth bomber, and it works miracles in saving individuals and nations from ruinous violence.

This principle is based on the gospel truth of what Christ accomplished for the world. The Bible speaks of Him as "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), and "the Savior of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10). The rock-solid foundation of the gospel saves all who believe it from fanaticism or self-destructive naiveté.

Can national or state governments exercise the principle of agape? No, for they are secular institutions; but those who administer these governments can personally exercise that principle. Without any union of church and state, they can, like Daniel of old, seek wisdom from God at every step (see Dan. 9:1-5, for example). "Righteousness exalts a nation" (Prov. 14:34). All nations need it!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 4, 1999.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: An Expensive Object Lesson

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 5, 2000.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Two Harvests--Character That Develops in Two Kinds of People

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

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

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

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

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

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

Time to be alert! No time to sleep!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 3, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Does Our Salvation Depend on Maintaining a "Relationship" with Jesus?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

If you're river rafting in violently turbulent water, everything depends on your hanging on. You need a constant "relationship" with the boat.

We're in a turbulent great controversy with Satan. Does our salvation depend on our maintaining a "relationship" with Jesus? Many are the sincere people who get discouraged. They have to make a living; work presses hard on them. They are tired at day's end; morning comes too soon--back to the turbulence of daily life in a godless world. After some days or weeks (or months!) they realize, "I have neglected to maintain that 'relationship!'" Not enough time spent in prayer and Bible study! The precious "relationship" seems broken.

If you are one of those ("alive" rather than among the living dead) don't give up in despair. You need some Good News. The Savior takes the initiative to maintain that relationship or fellowship with you! It was never His idea to get you started or involved in a works program; His role is that of Good Shepherd seeking us, rather than vice versa.

Bible study and prayer arenecessary. But if you can appreciate the love of that Good Shepherd; if you can "comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love [agape] of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3: 18, 19), you see Him as the One who seeks to maintain that fellowship with you, as the Father did with Jesus (see Isa. 50:4; don't be "rebellious," vs. 5). "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17).

If you are too busy to eat breakfast, do you despair and say, "I'm no good! I'll never eat again!"? I think hunger will drive you to eat the first chance you get. So does the Savior's love drive you to respond to His continual seeking. His love, not craven fear, will motivate you to thank Him for not letting go of you (Isa. 41:10, 13). Count yourself among these: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 10, 2001.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What the Angels of Heaven Are Begging Us to Do

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The angels of heaven are begging the inhabitants of earth to read the book of Revelation (see 1:1-3).

As we come to the end-time, the sounding of "the seventh angel's" trumpet, John the prophet sees "lightnings" and hears "noises ["voices," King James Version], and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail"--the most awful spiritual "storm" in earth's 6000 years (11:15-19).

Next he sees the panoramic history of God's true church through the ages, focusing on their final witness of truth to the world (12:1-17).

Then he sees the monstrous deception of a counterfeit "christ" and its imitation gospel that leads "all who dwell on the earth" to worship this power except those "whose names are ... written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (13:1-8). The world is being catalyzed into two camps.

Next the prophet sees a savage burst of persecuting frenzy wherein multitudes who think themselves following that "Lamb" will repeat the essence of His original unjust crucifixion, on His people (13:11-17).

Then the prophet sees the raising up of a group of "144,000" who share a corporate oneness "in Christ" and bring the world to a final up-or-down vote on identifying the true Christ (14:1-15). It will also involve distinguishing the true Holy Spirit from its extremely clever opposite (18:2, 3). We're just about there. Living now is serious business.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 16, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."  

Dial Daily Bread: Take a New Look at Your Trials; You May Be Missing a Bonanza

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What do you do when you pray and pray and you don't get an answer? Or the answer is a plain No? Did I hear you say that all your prayers get a Yes answer? If so you are a most unusual person. Many people, especially children, are perplexed when they hear stories of some people always getting an immediate Yes answer; they don't seem to get such answers. Well, neither do I.

Even the apostle Paul had to suffer the disappointment of not getting a Yes answer to his prayers. He tells us about it in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. He had a painful physical problem, and three times he earnestly prayed, Lord, take this away; am I not serving You? And he probably said, like we do so often, "Don't I deserve something?" The Lord said No to his request: "My grace is sufficient for you," and with it you can endure this pain.

The children need to understand that if the Lord says No, it does not mean He doesn't love us; He does. His "No!" can be a greater proof of His love than if He lets us win the lottery.

We can be sure that He will always give us enough from His store of much more abounding grace that will enable us to bear the trial and endure its pain. That grace is often much better than to have the trial taken away from us. Why? Because His wonderful grace is strongest when we are at our weakest: "My strength is made perfect in weakness," He said to Paul (2 Cor. 12:9).

Paul immediately took the hint and capitalized on it: "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast [glory, King James Version] in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." In other words, my trials turn out to be a great bargain!

Take a new look at your trials; you may be missing a bonanza.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 29, 2008.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: If You Ask the Lord to Give You Some "Bread," Can You Believe That He Will?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

If you ask the Lord to give you some "bread," can you believe that He will? Or will He deceive you and give you a serpent or a stone? You say "that's an easy answer," but for some it may be a difficult leap of faith to believe the Lord actually loves them that much. Jesus says His yoke is "easy" but it may not always be easy to learn to believe! It may take years of listening.

If you know your pantry is empty and you ask Him to give you bread for your starving guest, will He bother even at an uncomfortable hour to get up and give you what you ask for? Well, you know the answer: you can't be a Christian unless you believe that He is kind, merciful, and loves you too much to disappoint you, even at "midnight." You must believe that He keeps His promises.

That parable in Luke 11 does not say that He will give you enough bread to stock your pantry for years to come, or enough to feed "five thousand" as Jesus fed them in His day; it says specifically, "He will rise and give [you] as many as [you] need" (vss. 5-8). He answers your prayer for understanding of Bible truth, but it will not make you suddenly omniscient, nor wise enough to hold thousands spellbound with your wisdom. But He will give you all the "bread" you need. So be humble; you will need more understanding tomorrow. Don't be proud of the little He graciously gives you today. That is precious enough but not good enough.

And He has promised that you will never lose the Bible study you do today, even if you may be tempted to think it has been boring. "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26). Many testify that truths they thought they have forgotten pop up even years later. So your continual "hunger and thirst for righteousness" that drives you again and again to the Word keeps that precious memory alive.

Many can give their testimony that when they have asked the Lord to teach them truth, the answer came when they least expected it--a sudden flash of understanding when they needed it the most. His promise is in Matthew 10:19: "It will be given to you in that hour what you should speak."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 3, 2004.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Does Jesus Really Need Us?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Does the Lord Jesus Christ really needus? Is He not the Omnipotent One? So is He not automatically the Victor in His "great controversy" with Satan? Does it really matter to Him if we are loyal or disloyal? And in the long run, won't He win irrespective of our loyalty?

Let's back up to the Great Event on Calvary's cross: When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane we read that "all the disciples forsook Him and fled" (Matt. 26:56). Let us not forget that Jesus, although He was the divine Son of God, had laid aside the prerogatives of His divinity, and He was now the "Son of man." He was living our life, as One of us, feeling as we feel.

The pain of those spikes driven into His ankles and wrist bones was horrible, but it was nothing compared to the pain of His soul when His chosen ones, the Eleven (Judas had already forsaken Him), turned away from Him. In the horror of the moment, could He have been tempted to fear that His mission might ultimately fail? After all, weren't these Eleven a prophecy of the ultimate end of His "great controversy" with Satan?

Wouldn't it have been wonderful if at least one of the Eleven had firmly declared to the Romans, "If you crucify this Man, you crucify me, too!"? But there is no such story in any of the four Gospels; there is no such Hero for any of us to exult in.

Whoever we could be today, the truth is that the Lord Jesus does need us to be loyal to Him. It's too late for Him to have to feel sad that we too have done what the Eleven did long ago. It's time for "144,000" of the weakest and most unworthy of earth's inhabitants to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). That's our glorious opportunity!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 15, 2009.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: There Will Be a Last Generation!

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus Christ was emphatically clear about the future: this sinful, painful world is not to continue on and on ad infinitum for ages to come. "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3).

Note: He receives His people to Himself, not vice versa. He has taken the initiative all the way through: a conjugal love has motivated Him. Love is always the desire to be one with the beloved. Jesus is no different!

The story of the second coming of Christ is a love story; there is a Bridegroom involved and a Bride. The drama is played out on planet earth in view of the vast universe of God, as though this planet were the stage. The second coming of Christ is the denouement of history, the one grand event toward which through the ages humanity has moved steadily.

The prophet Daniel describes the Last Generation as "the time of the end" (11:35; 12:4). Jesus told His disciples, speaking of specific events, "Then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). There will be a Last Generation! Six thousand plus years of history cannot be for nothing!

The apostles had a clear understanding: "This we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [not everybody is going to pass through death!]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

The joy that Jesus will know will be unbounded, for He has personally, individually loved each one of His saints. The Last Generation will be the reunion. The long delayed wedding of two who have dearly loved each other is an occasion of great joy here on earth; think of a cosmic wedding! Four grand Hallelujah choruses with heaven's symphony orchestras accompanying the massed choirs. "The angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed [happy] are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.' [New Living Translation], ... who have the testimony of Jesus ... for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:7-10).

You are invited; now "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 28, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Is God Concerned About Our Exploring His Universe?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

Is God concerned about our exploring His universe? “The faith of Jesus” is very clear: God is our Redeemer, a personal God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, our Father, too. He is infinite; He flung the Milky Way in space, and yet He also notices when a little bird falls to our earthly ground. He has counted the hairs on our heads. He cares about each struggling human being, especially those who call upon Him. All this is what the Bible calls “present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

Now, how does this personal Creator of the universe look upon the intent of nations to invade His universe? This personal God and Father of us all “formed [the earth] to be inhabited” (Isa. 45:18); does that word “earth” mean also Mars? Does God intend for man to “inhabit” Mars as well as this planet we call earth? And does He intend for us to invade the great universe that lies beyond, through the expertise of NASA or others?

If we become clever enough to physically transport ourselves into God’s vast universe, we should go as emissaries from a planet that has first solved its own problems, that wars are ended and poverty and sin also.

Let our governments solve our world health care problems, our world crime, relieve our bulging prisons, comfort our suicidal youth, create a true heaven on earth with no hell mixed in, transform our cities to be “undimmed with human tears”; only then invade God’s great universe beyond our own appointed home.

And in the meantime, let’s let our Creator/Redeemer prepare us for the heaven He has long been waiting to inaugurate. Let’s stop resisting Him; let’s believe Him. Let’s stand on His side in the “great controversy between Christ and Satan.” It’s real; we’re in it today--right where we are.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 20, 2004.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: One GREAT Promise Not Yet Fulfilled

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

All the wonderful promises that Jesus made before His death must and will be fulfilled. But there is one GREAT promise that has not yet been fulfilled, and many Christians think it never will be. They are wrong! He will not fail.

That great promise is in John 16:13: "When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth." We usually think of the Holy Spirit as giving us happy feelings or of giving great power in witnessing and producing baptisms; we think that understanding "all truth" is of lesser importance. But over 200 times the Bible speaks of the importance of truth. In ordinary life, law courts, juries, judges, seek constantly to know the truth. Jesus says that it is so important that "the truth shall make you free" (8:32).

In His same promise that the Holy Spirit will guide us "into all truth" Jesus promised, "He will show you things to come." The wording is very similar to the opening of the Book of Revelation, "the revelation of ... things which must shortly take place" (1:1). The Book of Revelation was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise! And yet Christian people go in all different directions in understanding what Revelation is saying!

Likewise, there is confusion in understanding Daniel's prophecies; yet God commanded the angel, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision," and later the angel said to him, "I will tell you the truth" (8:16; 11:2). Paul spoke of his message as "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5). There is as much division in understanding that as there is in understanding Daniel and the Revelation!

What can bring about a unity and clarity of understanding these important truths? Surely when that great fourth angel of Revelation 18:1-4 begins to "lighten the earth with glory," the message that calls every sincere person "out of Babylon" will be a message of pure, unadulterated truth. We pray daily for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. An excellent place to begin finding the answer to that prayer is in honest, sincere, and humble listening to the Bible to permit it to tell us what the truth is in all these controverted areas. Jesus did not promise, "The Holy Spirit will tryto lead you into all truth," or "He wishesHe could lead you into all truth." No, He said He willdo so.

As surely as you read this, so surely is the Holy Spirit right now "leading" us into the truth that will bind us together in loving harmony of belief. Let's listen to Him!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 18, 2000.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A New Chapter in Righteousness by Faith

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The closer we come to what the Bible speaks of as "the end of the world" (Matt. 24:3), the more intimate will the people of God become with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Their acquaintance will become like that of a couple who meet, get slightly acquainted, then fall in love, become engaged, and finally marry; no woman on earth will become the "bride of Christ," but there is a body of people known as "the church" who will "make herself ready" for that epochal "wedding" (cf. Rev. 19:7, 8; Eph. 5:23-27).

A "paradigm shift" in understanding is a mild term to describe the upheaval that will occur in the spiritual experience of God's people as they near when Christ closes His High Priestly ministry in the Most Holy Apartment. This tremendous spiritual upheaval will be a new motivation supplanting our old egocentric one.

We have always responded to the desire to be saved, but it's still the desire for a reward. We have sung the little song, "I Shall Wear a Crown in My Father's House," we have contemplated exchanging "the cross for a crown," we have widely taught that "securing our own salvation is the highest duty of life."

In the closing up of the Day of Atonement, a new motivation begins to take over: a concern for Christ that He receive His reward, that He be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords; our concern for Him eclipses that old one of egocentricity. This won't be righteousness by works; it will be a new chapter in righteousness by faith. At last, "perfect agape [will] cast out fear" (1 John 4:18). A new heart-appreciation of what it cost the Son of God to die for us will be grasped.

But this will not be the prized possession of the saints; it will be their communication to the world of "Christ and Him crucified" as the world has never before heard it in such clarity since Pentecost.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 26, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Christ Has Done Something for Every Human Being

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Everyone at some time has dreams, bad dreams, nightmares. But it seems that one always wakes up just before the final tragedy. According to the Bible, since the world began no human being has ever experienced the second death, that is, hell itself, with one Grand Exception--Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second or "last Adam" of the human race.

As the Head of the human race, He tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9), not the first death which the Bible calls a "sleep," but the real thing, the utter God-forsakenness which is "the wages of sin" (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 2:11; 20:14). He died your second death; there is no need for you to endure it! Christ has done something for every human being, accomplished it, and given him the benefit.

"The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). Christ is "the Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9). Not only is He "the propitiation for our sins," but also "for [the sins of] the whole world" (1 John 2:2). A wise writer has written, "He restored the whole race of men to favor with God. ... No sin can be committed by man for which satisfaction has not been met on Calvary, ... a thorough expiation."

You and I live today because of that "satisfaction." He has lifted the heart-burden of "condemnation" which sinful Adam passed on to us and has pronounced on "all men" that "verdict of acquittal" that Paul describes in Romans 5:15-18 (The Revised English Bible). That does not mean that everyone is automatically going to heaven; no, because many "receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. 6:1), and reject what Christ has already won for them. But "for every man" there is deliverance already achieved for those "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:14, 15).

But don't we have to dosomething? Of course; let your proud, sinful heart be melted; "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6); let the "constraint" of that love motivate you to live "henceforth ... unto Him which died for [you]" and not unto yourself (see 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, King James Version). Say "Thank You!" with your life.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 30, 1998.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Time for Resolutions?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

New Year's Day is traditionally the time for resolutions. "I will do better in this or that way during this new year!" And in practice, these New Year's resolutions usually fail before February comes around.

A wise writer has said that our promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand, and that the knowledge of our broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens our confidence in our own sincerity and causes us to feel that God cannot accept us. Such promises and resolutions made to God are the famous Old Covenant. The children of Israel made the Old Covenant at Mount Sinai when they responded to God's promise by saying, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (Ex. 19:8).

Sounds good, doesn't it? And some people understand the Lord as approving of their making the Old Covenant when He later said, "I have heard the voice of the words of this people, ... They are right in all that they have spoken" (Deut. 5:28). This is often interpreted as the Lord's enthusiastic approval of their Old Covenant promise.

But those who take this position don't read far enough. In the next verse the Lord sighs, "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear [reverence] Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them." Paul says that the Old Covenant "gives birth to bondage" (Gal. 4:24). That "bondage" brings darkness into your soul, even though you try ever so hard to be good.

No, your New Year's resolutions will not bring you victory and happiness. The Lord does not ask you to make promises to Him; He asks only that you believe His promises to you. His promise is the New Covenant; and for us to believe His promise is what makes Him happy. And in the end it makes us happy, too.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 2, 1998.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can We Follow Christ and Not Be in Warfare?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

Can anyone follow Christ truly and not be engaged in warfare? He Himself is heavily engaged in a war known as "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." He says to us, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ... Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ... He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:24, 34, 38). No room here for couch potatoes!

One area of conflict that has raged in minds and hearts for hundreds of years is "justification by faith." Yes, the battle has been going on for most of the 2000 years since Christ. One entire book in the New Testament is devoted to the conflict--the Book of Galatians. There was no way one could be a Christian then and not take a side either for what Paul declared is "the truth of the gospel" or for the false teachers who came from "Jerusalem" to oppose him. And the battle has not subsided even today! Bring up the subject in almost any church or Bible class, and you will see the sparks fly. Must the conflict go on and on forever? Or can those who choose to believe in Christ resolve the conflict and come into genuine and lasting heart unity? Is the Bible clear? Or is the very source of our faith itself muddled and confused?

God invites you to come to Him and get the issue settled once for all, so that your mind and heart are clear and your feet are set on the solid rock. David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps" (Psalm 40:1, 2),

Give God a day of your life and (on your knees) prayerfully read Galatians and Romans all the way through. Not somebody's paraphrase or "commentary" in which he has exercised his supposed "hermeneutic" privilege to twist poor Paul into subtle legalism; read an authentic translation, maybe more than one, for perspective (you have two eyes for perspective!), and make your choice to believehow good the Good News is.

Yes, read the Bible itself, and let the fog be blown out of your mind and heart. Don't be proud and jump to conclusions; test and re-test your convictions. We can trust the Bible! Just read it with simple common sense. Blessings!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 28, 2000.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "A Remnant" Will Receive the Full Gift of Repentance

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Lord has a special love for the Jewish people, according to Paul's Romans (chapters 9-11). The apostle's idea is not mere personal national or ethnic pride on his part; it's theological. That is, he sees the Jews as God's chosen descendants of Abraham who were called to win the world to reconciliation with God, and thus put an end to the misery that sin has caused to the human race.

But the Jews did what all of us have done--they sinned against God. The divine call to Abraham and his descendants did not abolish the sinful nature that they, along with all of us, inherited from the fallen Adam. That "carnal mind," says Paul, "is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7).

In God's special call to the Jews, He allowed them to demonstrate what that carnal mind can do when it does what it wants to do. The Jews were left on their own to act out to the full that enmity in that they crucified their God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

No pagan people have ever fallen that low. Jeremiah asks, "Has a [any other] nation changed its gods, which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit" (2:11). They have led the world in "enmity against God" and raised a cross on which they crucified Him in the most public manner possible.

Nevertheless, He has forgiven them, for when their leaders incited the Romans to drive the nails through His wrists and ankle bones, the Messiah prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). That means He has forgiven all the Jews in a corporate or legal sense; but they as individuals can never receive the blessing of that forgiveness until they realize what the sin is (not only was, for it continues), and open their hearts to receive the gift of repentance which will always lead to confession and recovery of what they threw away.

Paul says that "a remnant" will come to realize the truth and will receive the full gift of repentance(Rom. 11:5). They will lead out in the last gospel task of lighting the world with the glory of "the everlasting gospel" which will be "the third angel's message in verity." Those who were called to herald it to the world have refused to do so, "just like the Jews" who refused to evangelize their world for thousands of years.

Thank God that repentance is possible. God has faith in human beings that they will eventually respond appropriately. But why must we delay that wondrous time any longer?

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 14, 2007.
Copyright © 2019 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 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 © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Has Anyone Thought About the Innkeeper in Bethlehem?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Has anyone thought about the poor innkeeper in Bethlehem who said he had "no room" in his inn for Joseph and Mary and the Baby Jesus?

"I couldn't help it! I didn't know who Joseph and Mary were or who the expected Baby was!" he may wail. Ah yes, Innkeeper; but you could have given them yourroom! If you had done so, you would have gone down in history as the most blessed innkeeper ever.

The Innkeeper in fact is "us"; we never know from one day to the next what opportunity may suddenly be ours.

The Lord Jesus teaches us the significance of the most lowly opportunity that may confront us when we least expect something important. He says, "Inasmuch as you did it [anything good or bad] to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:40).

The Lord is not trying to compile a list of all the bad things we have done or said in an effort to make a case against our entering His kingdom; He wants to amass a host of good things so that He can say to us individually and sincerely, in the presence of the universe, "Well done, good and faithful servant! ... Enter into the joy of your Lord!" (vs. 21).

There is nothing that gives the Lord Jesus more pleasure than saying this to humble people who feel like they don't deserve any honor in God's kingdom.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 21, 2008.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Beginning of Eternal Life “in Christ”

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

That grand day when “Jesus stood and cried out” so all the world could hear Him (and heaven too), “If anyone thirsts, ... come to Me and drink” (John 7:37), He knew that some people are not “thirsty.” Even He cannot force them to drink. They go through life bereft of a drop of the “water of life.” They may be billionaires, but don’t envy them.

There’s much being said about how important it is to drink more water for our health. We should drink it even if we don’t feel thirsty, doctors tell us. Maybe we can learn to develop a thirst mechanism that will keep us healthy (?).

Suppose you’re not “thirsty,” but in cold logic you sense that you are spiritually dry; you know that your heart is into worldly pleasure, self-seeking, empty vanity: can you make a life choice that involves doing what Jesus said—“cometo [Him] and drink” even if you don’t feel like it?

You cannot save yourself; and no, you cannot come to Him on your own for He said, “No one cancome to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). The “drawing” is a very real tug on your heart; the Spirit of God is active. He is working even when you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after a disturbing dream; “come” right then! Get out of bed onto your knees and thank Him from the depths of your soul that it was only a dream.

You read about people who never stop thanking and praising the Lord. It’s our eternal choice. Isaiah reminds us that we don’t “own” an iota of character perfection; “’their righteousness is from Me,’ says the Lord” (54:17).

Yes, begin where you are with a prayer of thanks that you have been saved from a hell on earth; just that, nothing more profound. (It’s the truth!) That will be for you the beginning of eternal life “in Christ.” That choice will be “the right action of your will,” for it will make an entire change in your life, for eternity.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 10, 2007.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Fascinating Christmas Story Hidden in a Most Unlikely Place

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is a fascinating Christmas story tucked away, hidden, in the most unlikely place: a book called The Great Controversy. It presents details that are not in the book on the life of Christ, The Desire of Ages.

A special angel was appointed to visit the earth to find who was prepared to welcome the long-awaited Messiah. He visits the palaces of kings; the offices of philosophers, teachers, rabbis, the synagogue elders, the leaders of the one true church on earth of that day with headquarters at Jerusalem; even the high priest's palace. Will the angel find anyone whose humble, contrite heart is longing for the coming of the long-awaited world's Redeemer? If he finds such a person, he will give him the glad news that He is about to be born! But sadly, he finds no one, and is about to return to heaven with the shameful news when he spots a group of lowly shepherds camping in the fields. They love to think and talk about the prophecies. They are not discussing politics, buying presents for each other, worldly possessions, or pleasures; they express their longing for the coming of the world's Redeemer.

The angel cannot contain his exuberance! He tells them the glad news and directs them to "the wretched hovel prepared for cattle" in Bethlehem where they will find the One who "unto you is born this day ... a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

As that angel encircles the earth today, visiting the homes, schools, churches of the people who claim to be God's one true people, does he find anyone talking about the coming of the long-awaited "latter rain" of the Holy Spirit? Does anyone care that it has been delayed more than a century?

Does anyone wonder why? Does anyone long for its return? Or is there a secret fear that if and when the blessing comes, a lot of worldly "fun" will come to an end? Yes, it's true: the path to Bethlehem will lead on to a cross, which anyone who follows Jesus will also bear.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 14, 1998.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can We Actually Open or Lock the Gates of Heaven?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

Jesus said something both wonderful and terrible when he said to His disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23). It was a parallel statement with the one in Matthew, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (16:19).

As authority figures to other people (that is, parents, teachers, preachers and pastors), can we actually open or lock the gates of heaven to people? Jesus says Yes!If in a fit of temper a parent tells a child, "You are lazy! You'll never amount to anything!" that child will have to carry that burden all his life unless somehow he finds the true gospel that gives him relief from that "burden."

If a preacher or pastor tells his congregation similar Bad News, he can close the gates of heaven against children and youth. We may wonder why they drop out of the "family" when they reach their teens, but that was the reason. In a fit of anger, a husband or wife can tell his or her spouse words that wound forever: "There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword" (Prov. 12:18). Sometimes the words are so painful that they are like a barb--it hurts even to draw them out in repentance. You are indeed an authority figure even to your spouse!

But there's another half to that verse: "But the tongue of the wise promotes health." Yes, don't forget the Good News side to what Jesus said: we can say Good News to children and youth, yes to spouses, words that will be the opening of the gates of the New Jerusalem to their souls.

Let us thank God for a new today wherein we can apply some healing balm to the wounds we have made, and we can tell someone some precious Good News. There is nothing to thank God for more earnestly than that we have another day in which to receive His precious gift of repentance with another opportunity to use those "keys" the right way.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 18, 1998.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Biblical Picture We Have of Jesus

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The biblical picture we have of Jesus is of Someone always happy, always on top of the world, healing the sick, cleansing lepers, cuddling children in His arms, healing Peter's wife's mother of fever, raising the dead son of the widow on her way to the funeral, calling Lazarus out of his tomb, miraculously feeding five thousands--here's the one Man on earth living in the bright sunshine of His heavenly Father's blessed approval, "in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). We want to live like Him!

But never has there been anyone so plunged into the horror of deepest depression, as this Jesus. From the highest top He must be cast down to the lowest bottom. Writhing in the agony of the darkest curse of God, He cries out in anguish, "Why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). This is no Hollywood acting; the cumulative pain of the entire world's horror of despair is penetrating His deepest sense of feeling and conviction. Not only is the burden of the world's guilt of sin being laid upon Him, He is being "made … to be sin" (2 Cor. 5:21) in His own deepest soul. At last we see what it's like for a man to be in real hell where the last ray of hope is gone.

The crucified wretches that the pagan Romans torture by the thousands are given a sedative so they can black out; not Jesus. He won't taste it (Matt. 27:34). Every cell of His being must remain conscious to know the utmost horror of hell.

But wait: "You will not leave My soul in Hades," He says (Acts 2:27). Before the resurrection can come the third day, He must believe His way out of hell on His cross; His soul must be resurrected there in spirit, so He can die in glorious triumph, shouting so heaven can hear Him, "It is finished!" Take your Bible and read Psalms 22 and 69.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 17, 2005.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Impossible to "Backslide," Unless ...

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When Jesus was about to leave His disciples alone in this unfriendly world, He encouraged them with a promise: He would send the Holy Spirit as His Stand-in, His Replacement, a "Comforter" (says the King James Version), yes, His very Presence. In John 16:7-11 He describes how it's best "for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."

The Holy Spirit is Jesus Himself "abiding" with us, living with us as our Companion, unseen but no less real than when Jesus walked personally with the disciples by the Sea of Galilee. He walks with us "unseen" as verily as the resurrected Jesus walked with those two disciples Sunday evening on their way to Emmaus, when their eyes were "holden" and they did not see Him (Luke 24:13ff.). He talked with them along the way. So He does with us.

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is determined that we shall not "backslide"--ever! Jesus, as the Holy Spirit, takes the initiative day by day, prodding us, reminding us, yes, "convicting" us of sin (John 16:8, The New King James Version). More than that, He personally reminds us of "righteousness" which means He won't let us forget the way we should live; at every crossroad we come to He "convicts" us of the right way to go.

He never abandons us to wander in a fog! And if we listen to that prodding, that reminding, that "conviction of sin and of righteousness," and we don't beat Him off and insult Him, then He graciously "convicts [us] of judgment," meaning, "the prince of this world" [Satan] is "judged" [cast out] of our lives (John 16:11). He "convicts" us of triumph over sin; we see His power in our lives.

In other words, in plain language, it's impossible for us to "backslide" unless we do what Stephen said the scribes and Pharisees did: "you always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51). The Holy Spirit says He will take you by the hand as a father leads a little child, or maybe the Hebrew means, take you in His "arms," but He says we squirm away from Him (see Hosea 11:3, 4, Good News Bible). There's no need for backsliding--it's time to see it as sin!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 15, 2004.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Greatest Sin of All time

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

The righteousness of Christ now can cleanse the one greatest sin of all time. According to John's profound statement in 3:14-19, it's the sin of unbelief, not the mere passive ignorance of never knowing truth, but the active sin of disbelieving truth. "He who believes in Him is notcondemned ..." That "not" discloses the darkest guilt of sin.

But what is unbelief, this sin of disbelieving? It's the sin committed by the most righteous people on earth, those to whom God's Messiah was sent (the Savior of the world). They made the eternal Prince of glory become the slain "Lamb of God" by the people who slew Him. The cross of Christ extends its arms over the universe of God--the truth of eternity encapsulated in time at Calvary for us to "see."

Unbelief is the sin of cherishing hard hearts that cannot be melted, of eyes that cannot shed tears of repentance, of souls that "survey the wondrous cross" with callous disregard. It's the sin of hearts unmoved by the love (agape) that "constrains" any believing heart to total consecration to the One who died our second death for us. It's poisonous sin, the most subtle and deadly of all time.

Unbelief is the sin that infiltrates the great world church of Laodicea, the "seventh" and last of all time, the church that torments the resurrected Son of God to the point of acute nausea (Rev. 3:14-21). Each individual professed believer in Christ is a microcosm of the world church, no one holier than everybody else, all sharing a corporate sin of unbelief, all desperately needing a corporate repentance before God, all awaiting the long-promised Elijah who will proclaim a heart-reconciliation, the final atonement.

Let's not cap off history by crucifying the Lamb of God afresh. Let's overcome where ancient Israel failed.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 20, 2005.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What Is the Cause "Backsliding"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What is the cause of "backsliding"? From time immemorial it has been the problem of God's true people. Jeremiah says they have been "slidden back, ... in a perpetual backsliding" (Jer. 8:5). God says through Hosea, "My people are bent on backsliding from Me" (Hosea 11:7).

Their backsliding was apparent as early as the time of the Judges, just after the time of Moses--the story is up and down continually, mostly down, right on through the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament. Finally in 586 B.C. the kingdom of Judah (God's true people) suffered massive destruction. But even in Babylon and ever afterward, the "backsliding" went on until they rejected and murdered the Son of God.

God continually has invited His people to "return" to Him (Jer. 3:12, 14), and He has promised to "heal your backslidings" (3:22). The word does not occur in the New Testament, but the word "lukewarm" is there, just as bad, maybe worse, describing God's true people in these last days (Rev. 3:17).

Why is it that so often after we have had a wonderful series of "revival meetings" and our hearts have been stirred, that after a few weeks we find we have begun backsliding again? The world has crept in; we have gotten too busy to keep our promise to give the Lord quality time in Bible study and prayer and witnessing, and again we lose that plateau experience. Is it possible that there is a fundamental reason why this problem has gone on for thousands of years?

The problem began at Mount Sinai, from the time of Moses. From that truly "mountain-top" experience in meeting the Lord and hearing Him speak His holy law with His own voice with fire and thunder and earthquakes, in only a few weeks the people had backslidden to worshipping idols (Ex. 32:1-6). The problem: they had fastened themselves under the Old Covenant (19:8). We need the New!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 14, 2004.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Let's Make the New Covenant Clear to Our Children

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Parents who believe “the everlasting gospel” don’t want to be misled into “the mark of the beast.” They sincerely want to “follow the Lamb wherever He goes,” long to receive the “seal of God,” and are burdened for their near-teen daughter who loves to read. They’ve been reading the Bible. Yes, also books about the Bible, but they’ve been reading the Book itself, and that includes the Old Testament.

The child is curious; she doesn’t want anything held back. But they’re confused: sometimes the true God comes through as kind and merciful, forgiving, and loving; but there are also times where He seems hard, threatening severe punishment on His people who seem bent on rebelling against Him. Much in the books of the Old Testament prophets seems frankly difficult reading for a sensitive child.

But how can one understand the way God so often threatens His people of old? Why that seemingly endless conflict? Why the almost constant unpleasant tension between God and His people? Actually, you don’t see it until you come to Exodus 19. In Genesis there’s a pleasant relationship between God and His people, for example, God making those fantastic promises of “blessings” to Abraham and his descendants, and His tender dealings with Isaac and Jacob. He writes His holy law on their hearts.

Then suddenly, a change: He must write it on tables of stone amid thunder, lightning, trumpet blowing, earthquakes, and a fearful death boundary around Mount Sinai. And almost from then on, rebellious people slipping back into pagan worldliness right into the Book of Malachi, until finally we get to Matthew where they crucify their Lord of glory.

What happened in Exodus 19? The people themselves formed the Old Covenant (vss. 4-8), whereas Abraham had believed the New Covenant. The New one is the one-sided promise of God; the Old is the "faulty" promise of the people. That's why a major portion of the Bible is the "Old Testament" (or covenant), leading us back to where Abraham was to be "justified by faith" under the New Covenant (Gal. 3:24). Let's make the New Covenant clear to our children!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 1, 2001.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Pearl Harbor Day Has Something in Common With the Fall of Babylon

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The history of Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7, 1941) has something in common with the history of the fall of Babylon. Cyrus conquered that greatest city and empire of the ancient world when they were reveling. While the city of Babylon was given over to drunken feasting and partying, his soldiers stealthily diverted the water of the Euphrates River into a swamp, allowing his soldiers to enter the city at night. They found the river gates open and easily took the city.

Pearl Harbor Day found our military and naval defenses virtually "asleep." That "day which will live in infamy" has a built-in warning attached to its history: "When they [we] say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them" (1 Thess. 5:3).

This great nation has enemies today. It gained its independence over two centuries ago by a war of attrition in which at Christmas time when the British military were celebrating, George Washington led his rag-tag soldiers in a surprise attack, a minor incident that was symbolic. Hopefully it will never be forgotten.

Now, thanks to the security guaranteed by our Constitution, we enjoy unprecedented "peace and safety" with almost obscene prosperity. These are "the last days [when] perilous times shall come: For [people] will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Tim. 3:1-4). Entertainment, movies, sports, novels, sensuality, wild materialism--these are the obsessions. It's like a tidal wave of ungodliness pouring over a nation. And of course, as the Holy Spirit is steadily resisted, more and more, violence and cruelty become commonplace.

But there is Good News: where sin abounds, grace is seen to abound "much more" (Rom. 5:20). There are people still who keep alert, in tune with Heaven. Especially among youth, the thoughtful, sensible ones "come out of Babylon." They swim upstream against the corrupt-flowing tide of popularity, and permit their hearts to be deeply influenced by the Holy Spirit who reminds them of the Son of God who remained unmoved by the world's temptations. In a world of sin, they cooperate with Heaven. You can be one of them!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 8, 1998.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Jesus and John Standing Together in Ministry

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus taught us to visit people who are unjustly persecuted and imprisoned (Matt. 25:34-46). But there is no record that He visited His faithful but persecuted forerunner, John the Baptist, whom King Herod had unjustly imprisoned in a dungeon (Mark 6:17).

At this time Jesus was free to travel about Galilee and preach; in fact, he was enjoying tranquil days with crowds following Him. Poor John, whom Christ had designated as the greatest of the prophets (Matt. 11:11), at this time was languishing in his dungeon, alone, virtually living on the meager reports his disciples were able to bring him of the work Jesus was doing. John longed for Jesus to assert His Messiahship. When it should happen of course would also mean John's release and he would join the Messiah in the grand work to be done.

But the weary days dragged by without a visit from Jesus, not even a letter. Was the Messiah oblivious of the lonely suffering of His servant?

No, but John was still cooperating with Jesus, though he didn't realize just how he shared that honor. Jesus thought of the unnumbered believers in Him who in centuries to come would suffer alone in prisons, tempted likewise to think themselves forsaken and hopeless. Surely He thought also of those who would lie on beds of illness, tempted to think that they had been forgotten by Heaven.

The truth was that while Jesus was enjoying those bright days of ministry in Galilee before "the shadow of a cross arose upon a lonely hill," He did think of John suffering in his dungeon; He appreciated his loyalty. The lonely prophet has been a comfort to all the apparently forsaken sufferers ever since. Behold them--Jesus and John standing together in ministry! Now may we accept gladly our fellowship with Him in ministry!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 2, 2005.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: How Shall We Understand Romans?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

How shall we understand Romans? Paul's Letter stirs up a lot of controversy; the issue of course is righteousness by faith, and it is not a side issue, quibbling about non-essential trivia. It's about the very heart of the gospel, "the third angel's message in verity." Luther said Romans is the clearest Gospel of all. Can you explain it to someone else, verse by verse?

For today's "Dial Daily Bread," we’re simply including a passage from Romans, as it is found in Eugene Peterson's paraphrase (The Message). He may not be perfect in his rendition (no translation is perfect!), but he certainly grasps the heart of what Paul is saying:

(This is Romans 4:10 and onwards): "Now think: was that declaration [that Abraham was justified] made before or after he was marked by the covenant rite of circumcision? That's right, before he was marked. That means he underwent circumcision as evidence and confirmation of what God had done long before to bring him into this acceptable standing with himself, an act of God he had embraced with his whole life.

“And it means further that Abraham is the father of all people who embrace what God does for them while they are still on the 'outs' with God, as yet unidentified as God's, in an 'uncircumcised' condition. It is precisely these people in this condition who are called 'set right by God and with God'! ...

“That famous promise God gave Abraham--that he and his children would possess the earth--was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God's decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered [experienced] when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust [faith] completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That's not a holy promise; that's a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise--and God's promise at that--you can't break it."

Yes! this rendition understands the New Covenant correctly!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 8, 1997.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: How Abraham Got Out From Under the Old Covenant

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What good does it do to promise that you will be good? Does it help for you to promise God that you will never sin again? Does He want you to make any such promise?

If you have ever tried to get an alcoholic to stop drinking, or a smoker to stop smoking, or gamblers to stop gambling, you probably have learned that our promises are like "ropes of sand."

It may surprise you that God has never asked us to make promises to Him. He has asked us to choose, yes; to make a commitment, yes; but never has He asked us to promise to keep His Ten Commandments. Rather, He has asked us to believeHis promises that are in those ten.

James calls the Ten Commandments "the law of liberty" (James 2:12). Correctly understood, the Ten Commandments are ten promises that if we will believe that the Lord has brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, He promises that we shall never tell a lie, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, etc. And if we believe the glorious Good News of His deliverance, we shall "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." And we shall honor our father and our mother; and we shall never take the Lord's name in vain.

Abraham got out from under the Old Covenant when "he believed in the Lord," and his faith "was accounted to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). The Lord made seven wonderful promises to him in Genesis 12:1-3, but Abraham made no promises in return. He simply "believed in the Lord." That's all God wanted him to do; that was the New Covenant; and all the obedience and the works followed. But Abraham's descendants, coming out of Egypt 430 years later, made a promise to the Lord in Exodus 19:8, "all that the Lord has spoken we will do." That was the Old Covenant. It's that simple!

Are you living under the New Covenant or the Old? If you're in "bondage," the reason has to be the Old Covenant. Come, get under the liberty, the freedom, the joy, of the New Covenant!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 23, 1998.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Question Important to Understand

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

"Why did a God of love order all the killings in the Old Testament?" It's important to understand because one's future life may be shadowed by unbelief and confusion. How can you love a God who orders killings, even of little children? We have only a short time to consider a problem that has filled lifetimes of scholarship. God help us:

We don't have two different "Gods" in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but we have two different ways of looking at one true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The dividing line comes at Mount Sinai, and those two different ways become the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant (Ex. 19:3-8). Two ways of looking at God!

Please note: there were no such "killings" before Mount Sinai--only the God of love revealed in His seven grand promises to Abraham and to his descendants (Gen. 12:2, 3). He promised to givethem "all the land which you see ... and to your descendents forever" (13:15). "The Lord your God," not their sword, will drive out the pagans before them (Deut. 4:36-39; 9:4-6). Like in His promises to Hezekiah to "drive out" the Assyrians, and to Jehoshaphat, "The battle is not yours, but God's. ... You will not need to fight ... stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (2 Kings 19:20-35; 2 Chron. 20:15-17).

If Israel would believe the New Covenant promises of God, He would be able to send "the hornets" to drive out the Canaanites (Deut. 7:20). Sometimes (few!) the people temporarily believed and actually saw it happen (Joshua 24:12). 

In Israel, "all the families of the earth [were to be] blessed," not killed (Gen. 12:3); only when pagan nations tried to destroy His people did God destroy them--in love to the world, for they were a curse that would corrupt the earth as in the days before the Flood.

Even today, confusion permeates the church over the Old and New Covenants. Is salvation by self-centered faith plus works of obedience? Or is it by heart-melting "faith which works by agape" (Gal. 5:6, King James Version) and itself produces obedience? And still today the Old Covenant followers "persecute" the New, as Paul told the Galatians (4:22-29). This is serious business!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 17, 2002.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."