Devotions for Dieters

1 Peter 5:10
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Cliff felt content. He felt good about the diet. He knew it was time to do something, so it didn't feel like such a great struggle. He prayed for God's help, and he felt God's presence with him. Sure, there would be unpleasantness, as there was whenever a sacrifice was involved, but it would all be well worth it. The prospect of being healthy and trim was very appealing to him. Cliff had confidence that God would bless him with strength, courage, and peace. With that kind of assurance, how could he go wrong?

Today's thought: If God will give me everything I really need, how can I help but lose weight?

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Bible Study

On a hot summer day when you've been outside working, there's nothing like a tall glass of cold water to quench your thirst. It does something for your body that a soft drink could never do. And even though a glass of water may seem plain by comparison, when that liquid touches your lips, you know it's exactly what you need.

Fellowship with other believers works in a very similar fashion. You get something out of your relationships with fellow Christians that you just don't get from other relationships. Let's look at what John had to say about that in his letter.

What Does God Say?

In the first chapter of 1 John, the apostle makes this statement, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" (1:7, ESV). "Walking in the light" means living like Jesus lived. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are saying that we commit ourselves to living the kind of life that brings honor to Him.

The relationship we begin with Jesus also brings us into a relationship with others who have put their faith in Him. John says this is a sign of our salvation (see 1 John 1:7).

That doesn't mean that we're wrong for having relationships with people who aren't born again. If we don't constantly seek the company of believers, it doesn't mean that we're not saved. But if you've ever spent long periods of time among non-believers and then felt the refreshment and invigoration that comes from fellowship with other followers of Christ, you know how true John's statement is.

My Thoughts

As you read 1 John 1:5-7, think about the following questions:

Why is a relationship with God necessary for a relationship with other believers?

What might prompt a person to claim fellowship with God yet still be walking in darkness?

Do you have solid relationships with other Christians? How does that help you as you walk with Christ?

My Part

One thing we need to understand is that our salvation is never based on what we feel. If today you don't particularly crave the company of other Christians, that doesn't mean you're not saved. Remember, salvation is based on who God is, not on what you do or feel. If you have given your life to Christ and accepted His redemptive sacrifice on your behalf, then nothing will ever change the fact that you are indeed saved. And secondly, if you're not involved in your local church, why not call today and find out what opportunities are available?

Bible Study from Back to the Bible Copyright © 1996-2008 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.bibleminute.org/

Misguided

Jeremiah 50, Hebrews 8
Key Verse: Jeremiah 50:6

When traveling by car, my wife and I usually have a road atlas in the front seat with us. Sometimes we have just the basic map that comes when you rent a car at an airport. At other times we use maps from the Internet. Then there are times we stop the car and ask for directions-a last resort for any guy!

It would be extremely rare today to get lost following a map. Technology and publishing advances provide us with accurate and highly detailed maps. Sometimes, though, a person you ask directions from can err and send you on the wrong path. Or, shunning the help of a map, we can get lost on our own.

God uses the images of being lost and misguided to challenge us. He said through His prophet Jeremiah that His people were like lost sheep that had been misguided, led astray, taken away from the places of rest. The image is not of physical but of spiritual wandering. It is a sad picture that God's people could be like wandering, misled animals.

You probably don't like it when you get lost while traveling or trying to find a certain place in town. Even a wrong turn can be annoying. And if someone gives you wrong directions, you know the irritability that you can feel.

So if that is how you react to getting lost on the road, how do you feel about wandering spiritually? The Bible is like your map. You need to read it and know it to keep from wandering. Also, watch out for those who give poor directions. Compare their teaching with the Word. Don’t be like lost sheep, led astray.

You need to read and know the Word to keep from wandering spiritually. Commit yourself anew today to reading, studying and learning the Bible.

1 Samuel 20:3

Living on the Edge

Some people live on the edge because they choose to. They bungee jump, sky dive and engage in other extreme sports just for the thrill of it. Others live on the edge not by choice, but because circumstances have placed them in dangerous places.

David fell into this latter category. He had sought to serve Saul faithfully and defend his country and his king with passion. But his success in these efforts only managed to arouse the king’s jealousy. When women came out of the cities singing David’s praises (1 Sam. 18:6-8), Saul became enraged and began to plot to do away with the young man he now viewed as a threat to his throne. David soon found himself only one step ahead of a king who was trying to kill him. But in the midst of these circumstances, David knew that God was with him and would preserve him (Ps. 34:6).

Many Christians today also live on the edge. They live in countries where the penalty for being a Christian is death. They live in nations where famine is claiming the lives of thousands. They live in drug-infested neighborhoods where drive-by shootings and gang killings are commonplace. Yet they also can claim God’s presence and protection (Ps. 34:7).

Perhaps you live on the edge. Though your life is not in danger, you may be living on the edge in terms of your job, your family or your marriage. Perhaps you feel that at any moment one or more of these could fall apart and leave you helpless. Put your trust in the God of David. Let Him provide what you need to move away from the edge.

A Chain Reaction

Let me tell you about a spiritual chain reaction that has the power to transform our lives. It begins in verse 169: "Let my cry come before You, O Lord; give me understanding according to Your word." Prayer leads to understanding. This is the first part of the chain reaction. Do you pray for understanding as you read your Bible? Do you pray, "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law" (119:18)?

Next, understanding leads to freedom. "Let my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your word" (v. 170). The psalmist asks for the freedom that comes from the truth of God. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). The greatest bondage in the world is the bondage to lies. If you believe a lie, you are in slavery; but if you believe God's truth, you live in freedom.

The third stage in this spiritual chain reaction is found in verse 171: "My lips shall utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes." Freedom leads to praise. When we understand the statutes of God, we can sing. Knowing His Word makes us want to praise Him.

Finally, praise leads to witnessing. "My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness" (v. 172). As a result of our witness, people may come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

* * *

Read the Word of God and pray, and let the Spirit begin this life-transforming chain reaction in your life.

The Religion God Wants

James 1:26,27

When Jesus Christ is really indwelling a person, it will result in true religion. The word "religion" as used in James 1:26,27 is not synonymous with the word "salvation." James used it in the sense of an outward expression of that which is inward.

The inner faith in Jesus Christ as one's personal Saviour results in salvation; expressing that faith outwardly is one's religion, according to the way James used the word.

When one has faith in Jesus Christ, it is only normal and natural for this faith to express itself outwardly. There will be a new motivating power within, and that new desire is an evidence that you are a child of God.

The manifestation of Christ's life through an individual is proof that that person is rightly related to Jesus Christ by faith. In other words, faith in Christ will result in love for others, and this is what James referred to as "pure religion."

The Lord Jesus Christ showered His love on those who could not help themselves and who could not, or would not, return His love at that time. When we know Him as personal Saviour, we will have this same kind of love. We will love those who are helpless and unable to return our expressions of love.

It is relatively easy to be friends with those who are friends in return or to give to those who give in return.

However, our Christianity is woefully deficient if we give in order to receive or if we give and expect an even larger gift in return. This is not pure religion.

So when a person is rightly related to Jesus Christ--when he has pure and undefiled religion--he will express the love of Christ to those who are in dire circumstances and unable to return similar expressions of love.

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).

The Gift of Criticism

And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them.

It was after a church service one morning in which the minister had preached on spiritual gifts that he was greeted at the door by a lady who said, "Pastor, I believe I have the gift of criticism." The pastor looked at her and asked, "Remember the person in Jesus' parable who had the one talent?" The woman nodded her understanding. "Do you recall what he did with it?" "Yes," replied the lady, "he went out and buried it." The pastor suggested, "Go, thou, and do likewise!"

The Pharisees and Sadducees apparently felt they too had the gift of criticism. Frequently they attempted to ensnare the Lord Jesus. As was the Master's habit, He entered Jerusalem, crossing the Mount of Olives; and "early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down and taught them" (John 8:2). His reappearance in the temple provided an opportunity for the Pharisees and scribes to lay a subtle snare for Him. They brought a woman taken in the very act of adultery. The Feast of Tabernacles had just been celebrated, and acts of immorality during that festive week were not unusual. The scribes attempted to put Christ in a dilemma by quoting the law of Moses. They knew that if He answered that the woman should be stoned, He would violate the Roman law, which forbade such acts. However, if Jesus answered that the woman should not be stoned, He would be violating Moses' law (Deuteronomy 22:24).

The religious leaders were not so much interested in the adulterous woman as they were in Jesus' response to her situation. Their criticism of her was motivated by their desire to entrap Him. But Christ knew well how to repel such attacks by an appeal to higher principles. The same law that adjudged the guilty to be stoned to death also required the witnesses to cast the first stones. Jesus' statement, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her," was sure to bring an end to their criticism. The crowd, one by one, stealthily left the scene. Ironically the only one who was left was the Lord Jesus, the only one of the crowd who had lived a perfect life and had a right to condemn her.

This very teaching is reiterated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8. Paul asks the hypothetical questions, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? . . . who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:31, 33-34). Only the mind of God could conceive of a plan whereby the one person who lived a righteous life and had the right to condemn us was the very person who laid down that life to die for us. The woman taken in adultery was speaking to the one who did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.

One businessman keeps a fairly large stone on his desk. The stone is mounted and lettered with one word: "First." This acts as a constant reminder to him of Jesus' words, "He that is without sin . . . let him first cast a stone." When his employees enter his office and there is reason to criticize them for their lack of achievement, the man looks at the stone and recalls his own shortcomings. He deals with his employees in mercy and grace.

This passage of Scripture does not teach us to look the other way when people sin. It does not teach us that we ought to condone adultery or any other crime. What it does teach us, however, is that it is not the responsibility of a Christian continually to be on the lookout for sin in other Christians--or anyone else for that matter. If we have lived a perfect life, we can be watchdogs on others who have not lived a perfect life. But we have enough trouble keeping ourselves in line; we need not constantly be critical of the way others live. Jesus was teaching the critical religious leaders of His day that although the woman was a great sinner, she was no greater a sinner than they were. We must remember the same as we meet others today.

MORNING HYMN
More like the Master I would live and grow,
More of His love to others I would show;
More self-denial like His in Galilee,
More like the Master I long to ever be.