Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Fast forward today to the last part of the last book of the Bible—Revelation.

In chapter 20 we come upon the last great Judgment, when the second resurrection has already happened, and every human soul who has ever lived finally stands together before the Great White Throne. He who sits thereon is Someone very special before Whose face “the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them” (vs. 11).

The opening of the “books” is a simile for the final Judgment that faces every soul.

Every human soul who is saved will give thanks and praise to the Lamb one hundred percent for his/her salvation.

Every lost soul will face a revelation new to him/her: each will realize too late that Christ has already died for his/her sin—there is no need for them to come into final condemnation except they have treated the sacrifice of Christ in the same way that Esau treated the birthright that was his already. He “despised” it and “sold” it for a tiny, temporary indulgence of “appetite.”

When he realized what he had done, he cried buckets of tears (Heb. 12:16, 17), but he could not undo what he had done.

Esau’s judgment is more factually said in the Genesis story: Esau “did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way; thus Esau despised his birthright” (25:30-34).

All his life he tried to “repent” with his tears, but the birthright was gone forever.

Have you ever thought what your “birthright” is? It’s the eternal salvation that Christ has already purchased for you with His blood. And has given to you already.

The way Romans 5 describes it is this: “The gift of God is not to be compared in its effect with that one man’s sin [Adam’s]; for the judicial action, following on the one offence, resulted in a [judicial] verdict of condemnation, but the act of grace, following on so many misdeeds, resulted in a [judicial] verdict of acquittal. ... It follows, then, that as the result of one misdeed [Adam’s] was condemnation for all people, so the result of one righteous act [at Christ’s cross—the only one ‘righteous act’ ever performed on this planet!] is acquittal and life for all” (Rom. 5:15-18, REB).

At the end of the 1000 years the lost will at last understand this. They had the birthright, it was in their hands, but they threw it away.

Father, save us from ourselves, today!

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is a strange parable in Luke 16:1-12 that has puzzled people for hundreds of years. What do you make of it? Some wise commentators have even suggested that Luke made a mistake in putting it in his gospel—that Jesus could never have said such a thing. And it does appear that Jesus is praising dishonesty! Admittedly, this is a hard nut to crack, but if we succeed, there’s a sweet kernel inside.

What’s the story? This manager worked for a rich man, and embezzled his money. When he knew he would be fired, he made friends with a lot of his master’s debtors by cheating the master all the more, and ingratiating himself with them by slyly reducing their debts to the big boss. Then when he got thrown out on the street, he had some place to go; these people, grateful to him, gladly took him in. So at least he had room and board for the rest of his life.

Now, here’s the shocker: the big boss praised the wit and cleverness of the rascal, and Jesus tells us to go and do the same. He says that such clever street-wise people have more sense than God’s people! Now, what can this possibly mean?

(1) It’s obvious, the Big Boss in the story is the Lord Himself.

(2) It’s not so obvious but equally true, the scalawag steward is you and me; yes, WE have embezzled our Lord’s goods. Don’t try to argue out of it; we are eternally and infinitely in debt to Him. It’s too true, we have no righteousness of our own, not even 1%. Now, if you can’t get beyond this, you’ll miss the sweet kernel in the nut.

(3) We’re all going to get fired. Jesus says in vs. 9, “when YOU fail.” (The KJV rendering is correct, not when IT fails, that is, your money.) And it’s not IF, PERHAPS, MAYBE. It’s WHEN WE fail, for fail we shall, most assuredly, for in the judgment we won’t have an iota of our own righteousness to help us.

(4) So, says Jesus, get busy right now and ingratiate yourself with needy people all around you; use what time or money you have left to make friends for eternity.

(5) Then when you get to the pearly gates and you know you don’t deserve entrance, some dear soul will step up and say to the Lord, “This person helped me out when I was in distress; he gave me the gospel, that’s why I’m here. Please let him in.”

(6) THAT will make you happy!

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is comfort almost buried (at least many have not seen it!) in Isaiah 61:1, 2.

It’s Jesus speaking in prophecy of Himself:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed me to ... bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God ...”

Note: the abundant time of the loving acceptance of the Lord toward repentant sinners is as an entire year of 365 days, compared with only one day of His punishing “vengeance.”

Paul says that “where sin abounded, [the Lord’s] grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20). The “grace” wins out.

What saves us is not craven fear of punishment, although for millennia people have assumed that the only way to control wickedness is the terror of threatened punishment.

There is a wonderful passage in Paul’s Letters that on the surface at first seems to suggest that: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men ...” (2 Cor. 5:11).

But look a wee bit further:

“The love of Christ constraineth us: because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead [all would be dead if He had not died for “all”]; and that He died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them ...” (vss. 14, 15).

When your sinful heart contemplates, judges, comprehends that “grace,” suddenly the bands of wickedness are broken, you are set free, and “henceforth” you are “constrained” to “live unto Him who died for you” your second death; now nothing can stop you from giving yourself, heart and soul, to the Savior who died for you—yes, died your second death, entered hell to find you there and save you!

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It’s easy to say, “Oh yes, I believe John 3:16, that ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, etc.,’ but my problem is I can’t believe He notices me out of the six or seven billion people He has to love! Divide that love into a fraction of one-seventh billion—how much am I getting?”

And so many people go through life to their bitter end with human hearts bereft of that spine-tingling divine love. And if their human loves have failed them, they are all the more forlorn. If you would like to realize the close connection you have missed, take a good look at Psalm 139, word by word. It’s something good to read while you are on your knees. It’s a direct conversation with God, hand touching Hand. A few highlights:

(1) Fly to Timbuktu to get away from His love, but it follows you there (vss. 5-10).

(2) He took the time to create YOU bone by bone, sinew by sinew, nerve by nerve; yes, even every one of your brain cells designed to appreciate His concern for YOU. No scientist working with his electronic microscope could be more fastidious (vss. 13-16).

(3) All your foolish wanderings, your sins, your blindnesses, He has noted and forgiven in advance because He persists in loving you (vss. 14-16).

(4) There’s a “secret” between you and Him that no other human on earth can penetrate (vs. 15). He treasures that individual secret touch. When at last you look into the eyes of the Son of God you will recognize that although He knows all your guilty secrets He still loves and respects YOU.

(5) God never sends you a printed birthday card—He thinks specifically of YOU personally, and has a billion private good-will thoughts toward you as an individual (vss. 17, 18).

(6) Such love enlists you as a co-worker with Him in the great controversy raging between Christ and Satan. You cease being an empty cipher in this conflict, and share with Him the battle and the victory (vss. 19-22).

(7) Now you welcome His searching investigative-judgment of your inner heart (vss. 23, 24).

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is almost unbelievable encouragement buried in one of Jesus’ parables—a message for parents especially, but yes for teachers and anyone who wants to be a spiritual help to someone else. Ministering spiritual help to others is laying up treasure in heaven—preparing to experience a vast pleasure in God’s coming eternal kingdom when you at last see the fruit of your love and life labors.

The parable is in Luke 11. It tells of a man who has had an unexpected guest show up when he has no “bread” in his pantry to feed him. (That’s me, by the way! I have nothing of myself to set before people.)

So in his desperation he goes to his neighbor-friend at midnight and bangs on his door, “Please let me have some bread, not to feed myself but that I may share it with a friend of mine who has come in his journey, and I have nothing to set before him” (see Luke 11:5ff).

Maybe you know that desperate feeling in real life—you are not ready for guests yet they’ve come. The parable is beautifully crafted (as only Jesus could conceive of a parable!) to encourage us who want to help others on their path to heaven.

We may wonder sometimes if the prayer we are praying is “according to the will of God.” In this instance, don’t wonder: the Lord wants you to help others and He will give you the spiritual truth you need to make your ministry helpful.

“Asking to give” is an excellent title for this parable: you become a channel through which the blessings of heaven flow to someone else.

In the process, you yourself must be richly blessed; the water of life cannot flow through you unless on the way it refreshes you, the “pipe” through which it flows!

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What do you do when your world seems to come to an end? When disasters strike? Hopefully that’s not you at the moment, but it will be good to do a little thinking ahead of time.

David had problems and setbacks galore, but the nadir of his experience came at Ziklag. That’s when his world collapsed. Again and again he had been condemned and attacked by the nation’s leader who was the “Anointed of the Lord” (King Saul), driven into the wilderness like a wild animal. He was an exile from his own nation, taking refuge among the Philistines. While doing what he thought was his duty, the Amalekites raided his village where his family was considered safe. They burned his and the homes of his men, and took captive their families to be sold as slaves.

David was overwhelmed, “greatly distressed,” as were his men. They had already been severely tried many times; could they be sure that God would bless this man, that he would someday be king of Israel? Everything now had turned against David, and his case appeared hopeless. His own decision had brought them to this ruin. So his loyal supporters had a meeting and talked even of stoning him. “David, it seems that God is against you! Everything has gone wrong! You are the cause of this ruin for us!” The story is in 1 Samuel 30:1-6. “David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice, and wept until they had no more power to weep.”

Then he did something that you and I can do: “David encouraged himself in the Lord” (vs. 6). He did this before he had any supernatural evidence that God would bless! He chose to believe that God would not forsake him, not because he was himself faithful, but because he believed in the character of God. He repeated the faith of Job; even if God should prove unfaithful and should forsake him, he would still believe in God’s faithfulness. He has asked God for bread; it appears that God has ridiculed him and given him a stone. But David will remain full of faith even if God appears to be un-faithful! A terrible trial, but we too can gain the victory “in Christ.”

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Dial Daily Bread

Dial Daily Bread to me

show details Nov 4 (3 days ago)

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Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

I was reading the Book of Hebrews (bedtime reading? Yes!) in the Revised English Version (REV), and came across an interesting little detail:

In chapter 9, verse 28, the word “eagerly” occurs (but not in the KJV!):

“Christ ... will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him” (emphasis supplied).

The original language supports the little touch that the REV supplies.

(a) Those who believe and appreciate the pure gospel of Jesus eagerly want Him to return a second time.

(b) Their lives are dedicated to await His second coming because they have immersed themselves in the story of His first coming in the Gospels. They love the story.

(c) They pray the Lord’s Prayer with deep conviction: “Our Father which art in heaven, ... Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10). Soon! Yes, in my lifetime!

(d) There is nothing they want to see happen on earth as much as they want to see the Father’s will be done on earth.

(e) To this end they have dedicated their lives. Each new morning, and throughout each day they keep praying, “Father in heaven, take not Thy Holy Spirit from me; what do You want me to do today?”

(f) Eagerly awaiting Christ’s second coming gives those who love His gospel the joy of something heavenly to live for and work for, young or old.

(g) Join them today!

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it too late in history for God to have men and women who stand loyally for what is right, all alone, in the face of opposition? The Bible tells of many such heroes: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David hunted by King Saul like a wild beast, Jeremiah, and yes, Jesus Himself (“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him ?” John 7:48). Jeremiah was “shut up” in prison, silenced, tortured, despised by the kings of Judah; but he was right and they were dead wrong. In the final judgment day, which would you rather be—lonely Jeremiah in his dungeon or King Jehoikim or King Zedekiah on his throne?

In an issue of American History there is the story of William Penn, a foppish, worldly young man of London who became converted to the most active, self-sacrificing Christlike group of Christians of that day. He published a tract criticizing the Church of England, so that the Bishop of London threw him into the Tower. But God’s providence provided for him after his famous and wealthy father’s death to “purchase” from the King of England the largest real estate deal then known: the entire tract of land in the New World that is known as Pennsylvania. And he went on to write a wonderful book entitled, NO CROSS, NO CROWN. He helped enormously to prepare the way for the establishment of the United States of America as a refuge for persecuted people where they could find religious liberty. In the final judgment, which would you rather be? William Penn, or the lorldly Bishop of London?

You may today stand all alone for Christ and for His truth in your school, your office, your home, your neighborhood; but take courage. The dear Saviour has promised: “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32). No, it’s not too late to stand alone for Him!

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There are many worried people in the world today, especially the USA. The reason: the “economy” has taken a serious downturn.

The giant car makers, GM, Ford, Chrysler, are feeling the pinch.

Mervyns, a big and popular clothes store chain, is closing up its shops.

Many other shops and eateries are giving up, and business leaders are frankly worried.

It’s trite just to say, “Don’t worry; all will be well.” Rather, it’s time for some prayerful thinking.

We may be entering a really serious economic depression. This writer remembers 1929-31 when we were sometimes hungry for simple food. The great car makers came out with some really nice new models; but we couldn’t buy one. My father had to work for a dollar a day; and I mowed nice big lawns for a quarter. (Maybe we weren’t very smart!) But let’s read the Bible:

(a) The Lord “suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, ... that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live” (Deut. 8:3).

(b) This is a deep insight into how the Lord in heaven views our economic “depressions” down here on earth: He “suffers” them!

(c) He has a purpose in “suffering” them: to teach us something valuable to learn.

(d) Yes, of course, He loves us; but His love is serious—it includes valuable tuition.

(e) The Lord gives a serious warning about our common, everyday eating:

(f) If we gobble our food down thoughtlessly (easy for us to do!), without appreciating the infinite cost that the Son of God paid to make it possible for us, “we eat and drink damnation” to ourselves, “not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Cor. 11:20, 29).

(g) Thus simple daily living impinges on eternity; we are never far from judgment.

(h) But that’s Good News for anyone whose heart appreciates the “breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of the love (agape) that drove the divine Son of God to His cross, to die our second death.

(i) Let your heart be “enlarged” (Psalm 119:32) to contemplate, to “comprehend” what it cost Him to save you (Eph. 3:18)!

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The spiritual blessings you received yesterday are wonderful; but you need a fresh infilling today.

We’re not a bus running on a tank of fuel; we’re the old-fashioned streetcar that ran by a constant touch with the “third rail.”

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).

But that’s what we forget so easily to make sure we have.

It’s not merely human forgetfulness: there is sin in this forgetting. It’s a lack of appetite for heavenly bread. And that means we yearn for what this world provides; we’re in serious malnourishment. Skin and bones ends in death.

Jesus said, “You must work, not for this perishable food, but for the food that lasts, the food of eternal life” (John 6:27, NEB).

Think of the Lord as our Chef (He is!). I have observed that when someone cooks up something nice for the family, he/she is pleased when they express appreciation.

Oh, that rare appetite for heavenly food! The problem is that “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7), and that means a distaste for heavenly bread.

But “blessed [happy] are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matt. 5:6).

The glory comes next: “They shall be filled.” Oh, the joy of having a square meal of righteousness.

Make sure that you have it.

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Book of Hebrews is not cold, rational, sky-high theological philosophy; it’s intimate heart-to-heart fellowship “in Christ.” Your heart is warmed by the grace emanating from the heart of the Hebrews writer.

In chapter 2, Jesus assures us that He is our “Brother” in the flesh; and He is not ashamed to tell all the holy angels and inhabitants of unfallen worlds above, that we are His “brethren”(vss. 10, 11). He confesses to all the holy angels that even He, the divine Son of God, was not worthy to be our High Priest until He was “made ... perfect through sufferings.”

You would think that Jesus, the divine Son of God, was already “perfect” and therefore didn’t need any sufferings to “make Him perfect.” This inspired statement opens up a world or a universe of deeper understanding.

When sin arose in God’s universe, the situation moved Him to do things He had never done before; sin moved Him to an expression of love (agape) He had never revealed before. God is infinite; but He is not infinitely impassive! His own immense heart of agape was moved because its depths had never before been so stirred and opened up to the view of the unfallen universe, and yes,—the gaze of the world.

Not even the wisest, mightiest angel knew how to reach the impenetrable depth of the heart of a fallen human; and even the divine Son of God was helpless to do it until He gave Himself to die our “second death.”

Now, and only now in that light, can Jesus reach the most far-wandering heart of a lost human soul.

Because Jesus “poured out His soul unto death,” “even the death of the cross,” the Son of God who calls us wandering sinful people “my brethren,” can reach that wildly lost human heart!

If you are praying for someone, let your prayers be informed by that “much more abounding grace” of the Savior.

If you are desperately praying for yourself (and this sinner does), take heart; He will not withdraw the energy of that seeking love that the Holy Spirit communicates to us.

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible Book of Hebrews is often thought to be over our heads generally, but actually it is good bedtime reading. The Lord wants us to get a blessing from reading it. The important Figure in the book is someone named Melchizedek, a Priest appointed by the Lord to be our High Priest.

First of all, we ask what is a “High Priest”? He is the spiritual father of the nation of Israel. Everyone looks upon him as a friend; you would see him automatically as someone on your side. He is a wise counselor, and he does not hesitate to tell you the full truth about yourself, because only the truth can make you free (John 8:32).

The Father has appointed Jesus to be our High Priest; but in order for even Him to become qualified, He must suffer as we suffer.

That “suffering” must include His being tempted to sin, even as we are tempted, but must include also His gaining the victory over every temptation to sin: “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15, emphasis added).

Thus He “can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that He Himself also is compassed with infirmity” (5:1, 2).

It is clear therefore that in becoming one of us in His incarnation, the Son of God “took” upon His sinless nature which He brought with Him from heaven, our fallen, sinful nature which He assumed here on earth.

So fully did Jesus become as one of us yet without sin that when He prayed He had to “offer up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, ... and was heard in that He feared; though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all that that obey Him [hear Him]” (5:7-9, emphasis supplied).

Read about Him; drench yourself in His story.

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

One of the most serious problems we have is what to do when we feel depressed. It’s easy for some one to tell you, “Snap out of it!” But you can’t. All kinds of remedies are suggested: some say, “Go take a drink of alcohol”—we know that’s not good! Or, “Take some drug”—that’s not good. Or, “Get out and help somebody else in trouble”—always good advice, but when you’re depressed, you don’t have the energy to do so. “Go see a psychiatrist”?—Well, that depends on who the psychiatrist is. If you spell it with a capital P, your divine Psychiatrist, your Saviour, I say YES. But often we don’t know how to talk with Him; does He listen or answer us? Let’s be honest: we do need help.

Here’s where it is—at the cross of Jesus, for without understanding His cross we can’t understand His High Priestly ministry. No one has ever been so depressed as Jesus was as He hung there in the darkness, “made to be sin for us who knew no sin,” feeling forsaken by His Father, without hope, seeing no light ahead. His broken heart cried out sincerely, “My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

If you are depressed, you need something more solid than a shot of pop psychology to stir your emotions. You need some rock-bottom truth to stand on, irrespective of your feelings. And here it is: when Jesus felt totally forsaken by His Father, the truth was that His Father was near, suffering with Him. His Father had never forsaken Him! Jesus only FELT forsaken, because He had been “made to be sin for us.”

A “broken relationship” does not mean that God has turned His back on you. There in the darkness Jesus chose to believe that His Father accepted Him when everything else, His feelings, said the opposite.

There in the darkness He built a bridge called THE ATONEMENT, the reconciliation, on which you and I can walk into the light of eternal life. Jesus was “made to be sin” itself, yet He believed and trusted, while in the total darkness. So can you; and so WILL you as you appreciate what it cost the Son of God to save you from the darkest hell. Say Thank You, even though it’s dark outside and inside. “Be ye reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20).

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Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it possible to e-mail Jesus, to send Him a question and get an answer back?

Some will probably say “No,” implying that He’s too busy running the universe to bother with little e-mail messages from everyone here and there. But it seems to me that what Jesus said in the Bible indicates that the answer has to be Yes. Not that you will use AOL or Yahoo or whatever “server”; but if you wish to ask Jesus a question, and you are willing to think it out reasonably and you are serious as you ask it, He has promised to respond. “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”; all this He says (see Matt. 7:7). Sounds encouraging! But I will say again, be serious; no fooling around thoughtlessly.

The problem is not getting His attention; the problem is getting your attention when it comes to His response. If you are playing around like a foolish, fickle little child who doesn’t know what he wants, “let not that person think that he shall receive anything of the Lord” (James 1:7). But if you mean business, He has promised that the Holy Spirit will be sent to you as a “Comforter,” the word meaning literally “One who is called to sit down beside you and never leave you” (John 14:16). And His assignment from Jesus includes answering your questions: “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. ... He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you” (16:13, 14).

But let us remember that God has promised specifically that He will answer our questions by directing our attention to what He says in His word, the Bible. He will not by-pass the prophets and apostles whom He sent. The Holy Spirit will direct you to the Bible; He will enlighten your mind to comprehend what it says. For example, suppose you want to send Jesus this e-mail: “Jesus, please tell me—will I be saved eternally or will I be lost?” He will answer: “Our Saviour ... will have all persons to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). “He hath chosen [you] in Him before the foundation of the world, that [you] should be holy and without blame before Him in agape: having predestined [you] unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Eph. 1:4, 5).

There’s your answer; but now what will you do with it? Are you willing to “come unto the knowledge of the truth,” willing to study and learn; or do you prefer to waste your time on TV? Are you also willing to be “holy and without blame”? Takes effort!

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Dial Daily Bread

Psalm 130 is the cry of a burdened soul who knows that he is lost eternally and in disgrace, but for the much more abounding grace of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is the cry of King David when he was overwhelmed with guilt for his double murder of adultery and murder, when the king cried out in anguish, “Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me!” (Psalm 51:11). David knew he was lost forever, except for that “grace” of Christ. The pain of his guilt was tremendous.

If that anguish has come upon you, do not give up in despair; “the Savior of all men” still loved David, and He still loves you.

No matter how deep is the guilt of the sin that torments you, the Savior has not given up on you and you must not give up on Him.

The Good News in Psalm 130 is in verse 4: “There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared [reverenced].”

Especially for the one who is in “the depths” is that promise precious!

Perhaps it is only those who have been in “the depths” who can appreciate the heights of that more abounding grace of Christ!

But don’t put the Lord’s grace on trial; don’t abuse it; walk softly, as did the exceedingly wicked King Ahab when he finally repented: “[King] Ahab put sack cloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me?” (1 Kings 21:27-29).

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Dial Daily Bread

In a discussion we got hung up on a question about a little unknown boy. His unknown mother had baked him five little barley loaves, and cooked two small fishes, all to be his lunch. Whatever fun outing he had planned for himself that day, he changed his plans and went instead to hear Jesus preach. (That showed some faith, didn’t it?) At the meeting, his interest was such that he came down near the front and apparently mingled with the Twelve. Hungry late in the day, he wanted to eat his lunch as much as anybody else, but he heard Jesus tell the Twelve to feed the people, 5000. He heard the apostles bewail their lack of food, and childlike in his gladsome enthusiasm told Andrew that he would give his lunch to Jesus. (That showed a commendable denial of self for a hungry boy, didn’t it? Was he motivated by the love of Christ? Was he helping Jesus, or only as a 2-year old “helps” you sweep the floor?) See John 6:1-11.

Jesus accepted the little boy’s sacrifice, thanked His Father for the pitifully little gift in His hands, prayed for His blessing upon it, and forthwith fed the 5000 with its multiplied bounty.

Now for the question: did He NEED that little boy’s sacrificial lunch? If the child had refused to give it, could Jesus have fed that multitude?

Thereupon in our discussion, we split. Most said, “Yes, He could have brought manna down from heaven!” I asked, “Suppose we individually refuse to do our duty in telling the world the gospel message, can the Lord use someone else?” “Yes,” was the immediate response; “He’ll use the angels; they’ll finish the work!”

To me that sounded like a dangerous cop-out. Why bother to answer the Holy Spirit’s convictions of duty? Reach for your remote and flip on your TV. The angels will finish the work!

I maintained that the Lord Jesus needed that little boy’s gift of his lunch. Yes, He COULD have brought down manna from heaven, but He WOULD NOT any more than He could change those stones in the wilderness into bread (Matt. 4). I believe that little boy was tremendously important that day. Jesus really did need Him. (The conclusion of course is, He really needs you, too; if you cop out, someone will be lost.) Am I wrong??

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

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How can you pray, if you don’t know how, and you feel like you’re too unworthy to try?

The disciples of Jesus were far from being perfect, yet they came to Jesus and asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

What followed was “Prayer 101,” and we would like to join the class.

The four Gospels teach us several prayers that we can pray, unworthy as we are, which are guaranteed to be answered with a “Yes!”

(a) The poor sinful publican in Luke 18:13, “standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner” (the original Greek has it, “the sinner,” contrasting himself with the Pharisee supposedly praying next to him). You know that the Lord received that prayer and answered it!

(b) The poor distraught father in Mark 9:24 prayed, “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.” You know, that prayer is always answered, no matter how unworthy you may be!

(c) The prayer that Jesus prayed for us all in Luke 23:34, you know has been answered for you and me. When the wicked men were driving the spikes through His hands and ankle bones, He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!” A heart that is thankful for that forgiveness is the heart with which you and I come to Jesus in prayer, unworthy though we surely know we are.

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

Dial Daily Bread

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Book of Hebrews is excellent bedtime reading because it is brimful of GOOD News that rejoices hearts. We want to read in the Bible the truth that stretches our minds and hearts to “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love (agape) of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:16-19). The mental exertion is well worthwhile!

For example, look at this from Hebrews: “The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (7:19).

That “better hope” makes us “perfect”! Ready for the second coming of Jesus. That’s the “better hope” of the New Covenant—the promises of God rather than our own weak, faulty promises (cf. Steps to Christ, p. 47).

Hebrews is a comment on the story of the 144,000 who stand before God “without fault” (Rev. 14:1-5; a literal number, or it could be a symbolic number; there is room in that wonderful group for you and me because Jesus promised us, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37; that promise is still good today!).

But the Book of Hebrews also has a stern warning for us: ”How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ... ?” (2:3). “Neglect” means to forget, to disregard, to pass over thoughtlessly.

TV off, radio off, do what Jesus says: “Shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret” (Matt. 6:6). “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living [while I am still alive!]. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:13, 14). All this is within that “shut door,” where you get to know “your Father which is in heaven” intimately.

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

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Around the world today (the holy Sabbath) millions are studying in the Bible about the “atonement.”

That is not a Latin word; it’s a plain old Anglo-Saxon word that means simply two estranged, alienated people become “one” again. A happy experience.

But think of the heavenly joy that comes to us as we realize that this gulf of alienation from God has been bridged by an “at-onement” with Him again.

In our case, our natural state is estrangement from the Lord, for “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7). It’s a condition of never-ending ill-at-ease; it puts you out of synch with the universe itself, which means you are an alien from the blessed kingdom of God.

Atonement 101 is the realization that the bridging of the gulf of alienation is 100 per cent the work of the Lord Jesus; it required His coming close to us. We sinners had nothing to do with the atonement; it was all done outside of us.

That meant that the divine Son of God must step down from His high and holy place to where we are, that He might bring us into one-ness with Himself. As Philippians 2 says He “made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant [slave], and was made in the likeness of men” (vs. 7).

Contemplating this, we see the nuts and bolts of the “atonement” taking shape; “made in the likeness of men” means that He took upon Himself the poor fallen nature of humanity, coming as close to us in our fallen state as it was possible for Him to do. If anyone lets himself doubt that Reality, He is frustrating the atonement at its very beginning.

Step number two: “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself” (vs. 8). It simply means that as the Baby Jesus grew up, He continued to renounce His original exaltation as the Vicegerent of God, and accepted in Himself the subjective judicial verdict of condemnation that the fallen Adam has given to all of us; and in so doing, Christ as the “second” or “last Adam” has transformed that judicial verdict of condemnation into a judicial verdict of acquittal for “every man.”

It was done for you and me before we came along; it is left for us to be thankful for it eternally.

And then the most marvelous something happens in our alienated human hearts: we are reconciled to God and to His law of righteousness; the ill-at-ease alienation is healed and bridged: we are “at-one” with Him and therefore with His great unfallen universe.

Oh sinner, do not “frustrate” this “grace of God.” Paul said he would not do it (Gal. 2:21), and thank God, neither can we if we have begun to appreciate the “breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the agape of Christ, which passeth knowledge” (Eph. 3:17-19).

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

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It’s a strange but delightful promise the Son of God makes to us—that He will dwell with us, live with us, share our abode with us: He “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3). Imagine living in such “places”!

You and I may live in shacks in Shanty Town—but the Lord Jesus says He will live with us there, share our humble abode, partake of our lowly hospitality as our permanent Guest. His holy presence with us makes our shack become a Palace. It is transformed into a “heavenly place,” the loftiest abode in the universe.

Never again are we to be lonely; life each new day becomes a fresh, glorious adventure, for we never can anticipate the new and unimagined joy that becomes ours, dwelling with Jesus in a divine intimacy.

Even Jesus Himself shares with us the unimaginable joy of living in “heavenly places,” for in verse 20 we read that the Father “raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the [same] heavenly places.”

In the case of Jesus there is a super magnificent heavenly joy involved, for Jesus was “dead,” and no one can ever appreciate life like someone who was “dead”—the only such Man so far is Jesus, and now it’s we also through living faith in Him.

Our brother and fellow-believer in Christ, the beloved apostle Paul, has a glimpse of what it all means. He has a unique insight: he sees us as having been “dead,” but he also sees our present life therefore as being a “resurrection” from death. Interesting insight!

This transforms life for us: it makes our present “boring,” ordinary existence to be transformed into magnificent resurrection life.

If this is a new idea to you—thinking of your present life as a resurrection life already having exited from death—don’t thank me for it; I am nobody, I could never have thought of it—thank the Lord. Your eternal life “in Christ” has already begun; you may yet go to sleep a bit; but if your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, nothing can ever take it out (aside from your own choice, which, God forbid!).

“I am come,” says Jesus, “that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

That’s your life today; it transforms your what-you-thought-was-your -mere-existence into the most glorious life in all of the universe—life with Christ, its Creator, its Sustainer, and the Savior of it all.

And there’s no end to it, ever!

Get on your knees, thank Him that it’s true. And then rise, to serve Him gladly forever.

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