Devotions for Dieters

Matthew 4:11
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Victory! Steve felt he'd really run the good race. No matter how great the temptations had gotten lately, he had been able to withstand them. Christ was pulling him through the roughest times yet. Each time he beat back the temptations, he felt better than ever. It was as if God was rewarding him by making him feel so good. The pounds were coming off, and it was actually beginning to get easy. Steve never thought he'd come to say that. Steve was convinced. If God could make a diet tolerable, then God really could do anything!

Today's thought: I will not take part in devil's food!

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Have you ever looked up your family genealogy? Perhaps you have one of those big family Bibles that lists your family tree for several generations. Some people point proudly to the fact their ancestors came over on the Mayflower or they are related to the royal families of Europe.

But none of our genealogies are as well documented or as important as that of the One who was the "Lion of Judah." Let's look at the Bible to find out why.

What Does God Say?

Look up the following verses to learn some of the prophecies of Jesus, given thousands of years before His birth:

Born of the seed of woman: Genesis 3:14-15

Born of Abraham: Genesis 12:2

Born of Isaac: Genesis 26:4

Born of Israel (another name for Jacob): Numbers 24:17

Born of Judah, one of Jacob's 12 sons: Revelation 5:5; Hebrews 7:14

Born of David to sit on his throne forever: Jeremiah 33:14-15

Remember that this is the Messiah's earthly lineage. Today on the Bible Minute, we talked about the narrowing process this represents. The Messiah of Israel had to meet all the Old Testament requirements listed above.

Write out Galatians 4:4 and underline the portion that indicates Jesus met the first requirement. Look up Luke 2:1-6 and list at least three details about this birth.

The genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew 1:1-16 shows that Jesus met all the other requirements even as the line through which He must come narrowed from "born of a woman" to "descended from Judah"--one of Jacob's 12 sons. Read the following verses and note which of the above requirement was met.

Matthew 1:1
Matthew 1:1-2
Matthew 1:6

Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies. He fits every category the Bible says is necessary to be the Messiah of Israel.

My Thoughts

Jeremiah prophesied this about Jesus:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the L ord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'

"For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel" (Jeremiah 33:14-17, NASB).

1. God made a promise to whom (according to the verses above)?

2. What would the "righteous Branch" do?

3. What name would the "righteous Branch" be called?

4. How did Christ fulfill that promise?

This "righteous Branch" would come from the tribe of Judah; that's why He's sometimes called the "Lion of Judah." Read the following verses and answer the questions:

"Judah is a lion's cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples" (Genesis 49:9-10).

1. What did God promise would not "depart from Judah"?

2. How did that align with God's promise that a descendant of David's would sit on the throne of Israel forever?

My Part

Jesus is portrayed in a variety of ways in the verses above (as a lion, a branch, and a baby). Draw one of these images or another image that you associate with Jesus�?birth. Label your drawing and indicate why you find that image meaningful.

Rebellion Runs Deep

Zechariah 9-12, Revelation 20
Key Verse: Revelation 20:7

The signboard in front of a Littleton, Colorado, church near Columbine High School announced the sermon title for the Sunday after the tragic shootings at the school in April 1999. It asked the question, "Where Was God on Tuesday Afternoon?"

That was a question many people wanted answered. However, it was not an expression of sincere inquiry but of shifting blame. The world wants to shift the blame. Man has been doing that since Genesis 3 when Adam said, "It was the woman you gave me." The sad irony is that people also ask, "How can a loving God send anyone to hell?" Yet that Tuesday they wished that God would have stopped the killers, even by death if necessary.

Where was God? He was-as He always has been-continuing to offer His grace and forgiveness to sinful, inherently evil man. Not willing that any should perish, God was continuing to demonstrate loving patience.

Not all agree that man is evil, yet he is. Revelation 20 is often thought of as teaching about the Millennium. It does say a little about that subject, but the chapter really is about the sinfulness of man and how God takes a thousand years to prove that point.

For a thousand years God will restrain Satan while Jesus reigns on this earth. Without Satan and his deception, an ideal environment will be in place. Yet when Satan is released, man will still rise up in rebellion against God. Therefore, the problem with man is not our environment (culture) but our heart. The reality is that man's rebellion against God runs deep.

The answer to man's deepest need is not more metal detectors but Jesus. He alone can change the sinner's heart. Have you received Him as your Savior?

Proverbs 2:3-5

Searching God

One of the better-known treasure hunts of modern times is the quest to find the rumored wealth known as the "Beale treasure." The hunt began when an eccentric man who left the East for the gold and silver mines of the West returned home, supposedly hid a vast amount of wealth and then disappeared forever. All he left behind were several messages written in a mysterious code. When deciphered, one of those messages told of the treasure and its approximate location. The other documents, which no one has been able to interpret, supposedly pinpoint the site. Since the Beale documents first came to light, thousands of man-hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent attempting to break the codes and find the legendary treasure.

Solomon noted, however, that if we put the same amount of time and effort into a relationship with God as we do into searching for earthly treasure, we will find a fortune that is far greater. The reward for our efforts will not be silver or gold but an intimacy with God that is far more meaningful. Speaking as one of the richest men who ever lived, Solomon knew that living in the presence of an awesome God is the greatest treasure that can be found.

There is nothing wrong with material treasures. Abraham, Job, David and Solomon were all blessed with great wealth. But the focus of their lives was not on gaining possessions; it was on knowing God. Today, Christians face the same challenge. In a materialistic world that urges us to gather and hoard an abundance of things, what we really need is a closer relationship with God. That's the real treasure.

Make sure that you aren't cheated by earthly treasure. Put as much effort into drawing closer to God as you do in collecting possessions. Let your life be filled with His awesomeness, and you'll never want for wealth.

Singing in Strange Places

"Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song" (v. 1). We have a tendency to want to sing the same songs in church, and there's nothing wrong with that. The psalmist isn't telling us to buy a new hymnbook. He means we should have a new experience with the Lord so that we will have a new song of praise to give to Him.

Every new valley that we go through, every new mountaintop we climb, every experience of life ought to be writing on our hearts a new song of praise. When we face a difficulty, we have an opportunity to have renewed faith and see God do new things.

In verse 1 the psalmist tells us to sing in the congregation. I can understand that command. I enjoy congregational singing when people sing to the Lord. "Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King" (v. 2). I am glad when God's people gather in a congregation of celebration, rejoicing in the goodness and the glory of the Lord.

But he also tells us we should be joyful on our beds. "Let them sing aloud on their beds" (v. 5). This could be while we're resting or recuperating from an illness. Perhaps you're lying in bed right now, and you don't feel well. Sing praises to the Lord upon your bed and worship Him. Then the psalmist says, "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations" (vv. 6,7). This is a picture of warriors on the battlefield, singing in the midst of the battle.

It is easy to sing in the congregation, not quite so easy to sing on our beds and difficult to sing on the battlefield. But if we sing, we'll glorify the Lord, and we'll grow. "He will beautify the humble with salvation" (v. 4). We'll be happier and holier and more beautiful if we sing to the Lord.

* * *

God brings you through different experiences so you may learn new dimensions of His love and grace. What difficulty are you facing today? Don't simply endure or waste it. Use it as an opportunity to find a new song of praise to God.

The Master's Minority

Revelation 3:7-13

First of all, He says, "Thou hast a little strength" (Rev. 3:8). He speaks then to a minority group, not to a majority group.

The world usually measures strength by numbers, but this is not the Lord's method. The Lord deals here with the remnant. It is through remnants among His people that God has done some of His greatest works.

We read in Isaiah 1:9 that the Lord would have destroyed Israel like Sodom and Gomorrah had it not been for a remnant, a minority group that stayed true to Him.

The Lord started the Church with 12, then there were 120, then on another occasion there were 500. The Day of Pentecost saw 3000 added to the Church, but this was still a small number compared to the world at large.

In the early foreign ministry of the Church we find Paul and a few associates canvassing the world with the Gospel. God apparently has always worked through a minority group.

Now what is the message that the Lord has for this minority group who believes the authority and inspiration of the Scriptures and who gladly bows to Christ's personal lordship?

The message for these is "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it" (Rev. 3:8). We hear so much today, almost too much, about closed doors. We must not overlook the open doors that are before us.

We must honor Christ, recognizing that He has absolute control of all history and that He has been given a name that is above every name.

Final authority lies with Him, and full and complete power to accomplish His aims resides in Him. So when He promises that an open door is before us and no one can close it, we should obey Him and enter.

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).

Sin in the Camp

Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken.

Israel had just won the biggest battle in its military history. The impregnable fortress of Jericho was destroyed by the mighty hand of God. The inhabitants of Canaan trembled in terror before the armies of Israel. But as is frequently the case, a great victory had made them susceptible to a great defeat.

With the ashes of Jericho behind it, Israel now faced the next battle in its conquest of Canaan. Situated east of Bethel, in the foothills of the Judean highlands, was the tiny town of Ai. When spies returned from scouting this town they reported that three thousand soldiers were needed to seize this tiny, indefensible town. What they did not know was that, whereas God had gone with them into battle at Jericho, because of sin in their ranks God would not go with them in battle at Ai. The Israelites soon learned that the difference between victory and defeat is not military strength but the presence of the Lord.

The men of Ai routed the Israelite force, slaying thirty-six of them and chasing the rest all the way to Shebarim. Licking their wounds, they returned to Joshua and the elders who immediately fell on their faces before the ark of the Lord. Joshua thought he had been abandoned by God, but the Lord quickly revealed to him that the defeat at Ai was due to sin in the camp of Israel. "So he rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes (Joshua 7:16). The tribe of Judah was indicated. Then all the families of Judah were marched before Joshua and Zerah pointed out as head of the sinning family. From the family Zerahites, man by man, they were escorted into the presence Joshua and Zabdi was taken. The household of Zabdi remained and Achan, the son of Carmi, was accused.

Joshua bade Achan to give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make a public confession. Achan confessed that his sin began innocently enough when he saw the spoils of war. But immediately that simple sight degenerated into covetousness and to actually taking the accursed thing. But worse than that, because he thought he could get away with his sin, he hid the beautiful garment and the silver and gold he took in the earth beneath his tent. Although succumbing to the temptation to sin was evil enough, Achan's greatest mistake was thinking that he could hide that sin from God.

That we can never successfully hide our sin from God is the teaching of Jesus' parable of the lighted candle. Luke 8:16-17 records, "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candle-stick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be made known and come abroad." The seeing eye of God searches even the innermost secrets of men. No sin, however large or small, escapes the eye of God.

Exodus 2 describes how Moses spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, and he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no man watching him he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:12). The very next day however Moses' sin was discovered and he had to flee from the land of the Pharaoh and spend the next forty years in Midian. Moses' sin was unsuccessfully hidden. Beloved King David had a similar experience. After sinning with Bathsheba and attempting to cover his sin through the death of Uriah the Hittite, the trespass of David soon came to light when Nathan the prophet pointed his finger in the king's face and said, "Thou art the man" (2 Samuel 12:7). In remorse King David said, "O God, Thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from Thee" (Psalm 69:5).

From the sad experiences of Achan and these others, let us learn well the truth that sin is never successfully hidden. We cannot hide our sin from God; we only can deal with it. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Don't try to hide sin today; let God forgive it instead.

MORNING HYMN
Depth of mercy! Can there be
mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear
Me, the chief of sinners spare?