Devotions for Dieters

Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

There will come a day when the diet is truly over. We must endure until that day with a strong spirit and an earnest desire to please the Lord. We have been blessed with much, and in some cases, too much. God has been good to give, and He will be equally good to help take away. Remember the Lord every step of your diet. Call upon Him for strength, for comfort, for hope, and for courage. He will hear you, and He will be sure to answer you. In time, you will come to that day, not too distant, when you can eat your bread with joy and without guilt, drink and make merry, and stand confident and proud that you have indeed glorified your Lord.

Today's thought: I will be a conqueror, through the mighty love of God.

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As Matthew begins his Gospel, he identifies Jesus as "the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1, ESV). As a descendant of Abraham, Jesus fulfilled the blessing God had promised. And as a descendant of David, Jesus fulfilled another promise God made: one of David's descendants would sit on Israel's throne forever.

What Does God Say?

"Son of David" is an important name because it shows that Jesus is the rightful heir to Israel's throne. Jesus could trace His biological ancestry through His mother, Mary, back to King David and that meant He fulfilled the promise God had made.

In 2 Samuel 7:12, the Lord promised David, "When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom" (ESV). He went on to talk about Solomon but there was more: "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16, ESV).

Through generations of turmoil, exile and destruction, even divine judgment, God reminded the Israelites of this promise. For example, Jeremiah 33:17 says, "For thus says the Lord: 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel'" (ESV). And in Psalm 132,

"The LORD swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
'One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne'" (132:11, ESV).

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, His people were oppressed and fragmented, eagerly hoping and praying for a King to sit on David's throne. So, when the angel made his announcements to Joseph, Mary and the shepherds of Bethlehem, his message referred to this promise. Just look at Luke 1:30-33, "And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end'" (ESV, emphasis added).

My Thoughts

This name didn't disappear after Jesus' birth. He was frequently called "Son of David" during His ministry. Here are a few examples:

Matthew 9:27-31 Matthew 15:21-28

Luke 18:35-53 Matthew 21:1-11

In each example, look for:

1. Who was addressing Jesus?

2. Why do you think they used this title?

3. What was requested?

4. How did Jesus respond?

5. What results do you see?

6. How does this scene reflect Jesus as King?

My Part

Being called the "Son of David" reflects Jesus' humanity and His right to be King of Israel. However, His kingship is ultimately over an eternal kingdom. One reference to Jesus as the Son or "Root" of David is in Revelation 5. There is a scroll, and only One is qualified to open the scroll. John records, "And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals'" (Revelation 5:5, ESV).

So, what does it mean for you to know Jesus as the Son of David today? Well, one day we will all bow before Jesus the King. As King, He will conquer the evil one; He will wipe out death and sin; and His kingdom will last forever. He's the ultimate King, the one you can submit to without fear, trust with every concern and worry and celebrate forever. Take some time today to praise and thank Jesus for being your King and make sure your heart is ready for His eternal kingdom.

Good to Go

Malachi 1-4, Revelation 22
Key Verse: Revelation 22:20

Jesus often told His disciples that He would one day leave them. But He also told them He would return for them: "I am going away and coming back to you" (John 14:28)

One day, as promised, He left. He ascended into the clouds from the midst of His gathered followers. But even then two angels promised, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

In the last chapter of the Bible, Jesus again makes the promise, "I am coming soon! . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (22:12-13). The final recorded words of Jesus are, "Yes, I am coming soon" (v. 20).

If you know Jesus as your Savior, you are awaiting that day when Jesus will come quickly. It will happen soon. Don't be caught unprepared. Jesus is "good to go"; He is ready to return. Are you ready for Him?

"Lord, help me to live in such a way that I won't be caught off guard when You return. Help me to keep short accounts with You. Help me to be good to go too."

Proverbs 8:35-36

Finding Life

Many people, especially in the field of astronomy, are eagerly seeking signs of life in outer space. A couple of years ago, NASA scientists shook the world by announcing that they had found evidence--embedded in a meteor that had fallen to earth--that primitive life once existed on the planet Mars. After all the hoopla died down, these findings were called into question. Others who have studied the data sent back by the Galileo space probe are suggesting the possibility of life on one of Jupiter's moons. However flimsy the straw, scientists seem ready to grasp it as long as it points to the possibility of life on other planets.

While the possibility of finding life in outer space is intriguing, we don't need to look there to find life. Real life is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth so we could know Him. God promises that anyone who comes to know Jesus in a saving way finds real life--a life of quality as well as quantity, a life that will experience the joy of being in His presence forever (Rev. 22:3-5).

Many people today are looking for life. If they aren't looking for it on other planets, they are searching for something special on this planet. They seek it in their pleasures and search for it in unfulfilling relationships. Quietly, but desperately, they hunt for something that will make their life worthwhile. Yet all the time God stands ready to provide the very thing they're lacking--a life that has meaning for today as well as eternity. All they have to do is receive Christ as their Savior.

If you are looking for life, look to the Lord. The apostle John wrote, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). You don't have to be a scientist to find life. You just have to know where to look.

Preface To God's Hymnal

Read Psalm 1:1-6

Have you ever read the preface to the hymnal used in your church? Few people ever do. The preface to God's hymnal (the Book of Psalms) is Psalm 1. It begins with a word we often use--blessed. Nowhere does Scripture tell us that God blesses programs or promotions. But it does teach that He blesses individuals. He blessed Abraham so he might be a blessing to others. And He blesses us so we might bless others.

What you delight in is what will direct your life, so be careful what you enjoy. The blessed person delights in the Law of the Lord (v. 2). He delights so much in the Word of God that he meditates on it during the day. Meditation is to the soul what digestion is to the body. It means assimilating the Word of God.

The blessed person is like a tree (v. 3). A tree has roots. The most important part of your life is your "root system." Don't be like the ungodly, who are like chaff (v. 4). Chaff doesn't have roots. It is blown away by every wind that comes along. Your root system is important because it determines your nourishment. It also determines your stability and your strength when the storm comes and the wind starts to blow.

People can't see your root system, but God can. Praying and meditating on the Word of God will cause your roots to go down deep into His love.

God delights in blessing His children. But we must prepare ourselves for His blessings by first appropriating the resources He has given us. Delight in the Word of God and feed on it. But do more than occasionally read the Word; meditate on it constantly. Make it your source of spiritual nourishment, and God will bless you with strength and stability.

Obeying God's Call

Genesis 12:1-3

Abraham was chosen, or elected, on the basis of the sovereignty of God. He had no Bible, so he was not able to receive his call through God's written Word. God sought a man, and on the basis of His sovereign will and purpose He chose Abraham.

As to calling or electing we are reminded of Peter's words: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Pet. 1:2). Abraham was not chosen because of any merits in his life. His was a supernatural call based on God's own purpose and will.

When God calls according to His own purpose and will, it is always a call for the good.

Abraham had no choice in the matter. God did not ask, "Abraham, would you like to be the man that I can use?" Instead, God said, in effect, "Abraham, I want you to come out of your country."

Abraham was called to begin a special, chosen nation through which salvation would eventually come to all mankind.

There was much involved in this great call. God staked His whole plan of redemption on the possibility of a man's being willing, by his faith and obedience, to become the bridgehead for delivering an erring world.

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9).

Christ our Anchor

And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood.

After the death of Solomon the empire of Israel was sharply divided. The ten tribes to the north comprised the northern kingdom; the two tribes to the south formed the southern kingdom. For the most part, the kings of the south were a mixture of good and bad. Without exception, the Jewish kings of Israel, the ten tribes to the north, were all bad. In 2 Kings 3 is the story of a northern Jewish king who failed to call on God and a southern Jewish king who remembered to call on God.

The defeat of Ahab at Ramoth, and the subsequent dominion of the Assyrians over the territory east of the Jordan, encouraged the king of Moab to revolt against Israel. Mesha refused to pay his annual tribute of one hundred lambs and one hundred thousand rams. The scriptural account of this revolt receives absolute confirmation from the Moabite Stone, discovered in 1868 and now reconstructed at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Jehoram, the king of Israel, sought help from Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to march against Mesha of Moab in retaliation for his rebellion. Jehoshaphat agreed. They planned to enter Moab by way of the wilderness of Edom. The king of Edom, a vassal of Judah, joined the expedition.

After a seven-day march through the desert, the armies of the Jews and Edomites were without water. They would soon die if something was not done. Jehoshaphat, who wished to consult a prophet of Jehovah, soon learned that Elisha was in the camp of Israel. Elisha told them to dig trenches over the plains and promised that God would both fill them with water and give a complete victory over Moab. This they did throughout the night in order to prepare for God's divine provision of water in the morning.

When the enemy armies of the Moabites rose up early in the morning, the red rays of the rising sun reflected from the waters that God had miraculously sent to fill the Jewish trenches (2 Kings 3:22). The Moabites misinterpreted the red hue of the water to be a lake of blood. They assumed that the allied armies had turned on each other and destroyed themselves. Thus the Moabite armies charged out of their camp to help themselves to the supposed spoils of war.

Rushing in disorder upon the Israelite camp, they were met by the whole army of the Jews and pushed back into their own country. The cities of Moab were razed, stones were thrown into the fields, wells were filled, and fruit trees were cut down. A great deliverance was given to Israel and to Judah because one king, Jehoshaphat, had not failed to seek help from Jehovah. In the midst of a disastrous situation he remembered the words of his forefather David, "In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust" (Psalm 71:1).

"Can you imagine the captain of a ship, driven about by rough winds and desiring to drop anchor, trying to find a suitable place on board his own vessel? Such a thing seems ridiculous. He hangs the anchor at the prow, but still the boat drives before the wind; he casts it upon the deck but this too fails to hold it steady; at last he puts it down into the hold but has no better success. You see, an anchor resting on the storm-driven craft itself will never do the job. Only as it is thrown into the deep can it be effective against wind and tide. In the very same way, that person whose confidence is in himself will never experience true peace and safety. His actions are as futile as one who seeks to keep the anchor aboard his own ship. So cast your faith into the great depths of God's eternal love and power" (author unknown).

Although Jehoram would have been content to go into battle alone, Jehoshaphat would find contentment only in dropping his anchor in the love and wisdom of Jehovah. Let's not settle for less today.

MORNING HYMN
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?