Author: Daryl Pint

Saved by Grace, living by faith

Turning Point – Devotion

 

 

 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
2 Corinthians 10:3

As of 2023, there were approximately 12,500 nuclear weapons in the world with 90 percent belonging to Russia (5,889) and the United States (5,244).1 Those huge numbers are a holdover from the Cold War between Russia and the U.S. when the arms race was a way to intimidate each country’s main enemy. That has always been the way of the world: accumulate more and better material weapons.

The apostle Paul wrote that “we do not war according to the [ways of the world].” Paul doesn’t explain what war is. He assumes his readers know that we are in a spiritual war, and he wants them to understand the difference in the weapons we use. He goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 that our primary weapon is truth—“mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” of the enemy. His words remind us of God’s message to Zerubbabel: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

If you find yourself in a spiritual battle, don’t fight like the world. Turn to God and His truth, empowered by the Spirit, to find victory (Matthew 4:1-11).___________________________________________

It is understandable to prepare for either a pending battle or one that has the potential to happen. We see it throughout history. High walls, watch towers, weapons, training, guards, advance scouts, and in more recent times; spy planes, drones, satellites, advanced listening devices, data collection and search centers. The Army, Navy, Airforce, and special forces within each of them train continually and develop weapons all with the intent of “Preparing for Battle”.  We don’t know half of what is being used or developed for future battles.  Some will say we should all live in peace and stop spending and preparing for wars. Others will say we should not only prepare but that we should use what we have to bring about peace.

Whether we want to acknowledge it or not we are in a battle – “a spiritual war” between us and the wily stealth attacks from Satan. Paul specifically tells us to gear up for this battle: Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, and Word of the Spirit.

Do we recognize we are in a battle? We should be able to see the wily and crafty attacks of Satan. If we do not more than likely we are just babies in our Faith and understanding and knowledge of God’s Word.

How can we live honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions if we do not know the temptations we give into all the time, thinking that we are just passively living for Jesus?  Far too often our lives are lukewarm, weak, and willingly void of God’s Word and things of God. There is no discernment, or understanding of what is pure, right, and holy. Little commitment to studying God’s Word will not develop our training for the spiritual battle that encompasses us. How will we know truth, and righteousness, or hear the Holy Spirit speak into our lives, or how will our faith grow without continual desire to know and understand more and more from God’s Word about things of God?

Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit upon all who believe and that the Holy Spirit would and does lead us in all truth and righteousness. How many people neglect God’s Word and deafen their ears to the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit’s leading? Just because we are complacent and neglectful and blind and deaf does not mean there is not a spiritual battle going on for our hearts, minds, and souls. If we are not aware of temptations and attacks I would think our commitment to honor and glorify Jesus Christ is weak at best and non-existent at worst. Satan does not even need to tempt us or attack us – we are babies tossed around by what this world deems right. We are weak and unable to discern right from wrong or know what is godly living.

On this side of eternity, there will be no peace, and yet we can have peace in knowing our savior is in control, watches over us, and will have victory over all that is unholy. There will be Spiritual wars, worldly wars, hate, divisions, greed, pride, boastfulness, etc…… until the return of Jesus Christ. We do well to be continually in a state of readiness for what ever spiritual battle comes.

 

 

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

 

 

By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.

–Colossians 1:16

Someone has said about Jesus, “He is the Star of astronomy; the Rock of geology; the Lion and Lamb of zoology; the Harmonizer of all discords and the healer of all diseases. Great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him; Satan could not seduce Him; death could not destroy Him; the grave could not hold Him.”

What a magnificent description of the Lord Jesus Christ! Yet it pales in comparison to Paul’s description of Jesus in Colossians 1. The first fourteen verses of his letter are introductory. Paul expressed his excitement for what was happening in the Colossian church. Then he prayed for the Colossians what you and I ought to be praying for the people we care about: that they would know God’s will, obey God’s commands, and experience God’s power. Now, in verse 15, we come to the very heart of this letter.

Remember, the Colossian Christians were being tempted to embrace other doctrines and belief systems. They weren’t trying to discard Christianity but to add to Christianity. They were being told, “Jesus Christ is important, but you also need something else. You need Jesus Christ plus this philosophy or that experience.” Even today, people try to add to what Jesus did for us. They say in order to be saved, you need Jesus Christ plus good works, or Jesus Christ plus baptism, or Jesus Christ plus some other philosophy.

The apostle Paul said no. Jesus Christ is sufficient. He has sufficiently saved you, sufficiently secured you, and sufficiently empowered you to live a victorious life. You need nothing and no one other than Jesus Christ.

But how do you know that Jesus is sufficient for your salvation? How do you know that Jesus is sufficient to carry you through whatever trial you’re experiencing right now? Paul answered those questions by demonstrating that Jesus Christ is central in three important realms of this universe: He is central in creation, He is central in the church, and He is central in salvation. When you understand the centrality of Jesus in the universe, you’ll understand why He is sufficient for all your needs.

51.z. Wilderness – 16.e. “Doing What’s Right”

 

Deu 24:5-15  “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken. “No one shall take a mill or an upper millstone in pledge, for that would be taking a life in pledge. “If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. “Take care, in a case of leprous disease, to be very careful to do according to all that the Levitical priests shall direct you. As I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt. “When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to collect his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge. You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the LORD your God. “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the LORD, and you be guilty of sin.

 It is of great consequence that love be kept up between husband and wife; that they carefully avoid every thing which might make them strange one to another. Man-stealing was a capital crime, which could not be settled, as other thefts, by restitution. The laws concerning leprosy must be carefully observed. Thus all who feel their consciences under guilt and wrath, must not cover it, or endeavour to shake off their convictions; but by repentance, and prayer, and humble confession, take the way to peace and pardon. Some orders are given about pledges for money lent. This teaches us to consult the comfort and subsistence of others, as much as our own advantage. Let the poor debtor sleep in his own raiment, and praise God for thy kindness to him. Poor debtors ought to feel more than commonly they do, the goodness of creditors who do not take all the advantage of the law against them, nor should this ever be looked upon as weakness. 

 It is not hard to prove that purity, piety, justice, mercy, fair conduct, kindness to the poor and destitute, consideration for them, and generosity of spirit, are pleasing to God, and becoming in his redeemed people. The difficulty is to attend to them in our daily walk and conversation. (Henry)

Jesus died and rose from the grave for our redemption, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Upon His ascension, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to indwell, fill, guide, lead, empower, instruct, convict, and give us power over sin and fleshly and worldly temptations. Fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, patience, goodness, self-control, and faithfulness. When we seek to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions we are an open vessel for which the Holy Spirit will work toward that end. When we are consumed by things of this world and the busyness of life and neglect or complacent of His Word, we are not. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word are inseparable. We do well to intentionally choose to honor Jesus Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions – all of the time, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit with inner sensitivity to that quiet small voice continually speaking into our lives. Growing and maturing in this sensitivity to the Holy Spirit will affect our lives and those we come in contact with. We will see the world for what it is and have eyes and ears to be led by the Holy Spirit and be a beacon of light for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.

Turning Point – Devotion

 

 

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18    For 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.  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.  Therefore comfort one another with these words.

And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
1 Corinthians 15:49, NIV

The Bible isn’t shy about telling us about our resurrection bodies. Job said, “And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:26). Philippians 3:21 says Christ “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.” John wrote, “We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2). Revelation 21:4 says, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain.”

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul wrote, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in the twinkling of an eye…. The dead will be raised incorruptible” (verses 51-52).

Yes, we endure pain and suffering here on earth, but because of the resurrection we’ll soon have glorified bodies, free of illness. What a glorious hope and wonderful anticipation! Shift your focus today toward what’s ahead!

There is a resurrection after death. Let this never be forgotten. The life that we live here in the flesh is not all.

51.x. Wilderness – 16.c. “Slaves, Vows, and Lending”

 

 

Deu 23:15-16  “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.

Obadiah 1:14    Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress.

Deu 23:19  “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest.

 Exodus 22:25   “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

 Luke 6:34-35   And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Deu 23:21  “If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

 Psalms 76:11    Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;

 Psalms 116:18    I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,

 Ecclesiastes 5:4-5    When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

Deu 23:24  “If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag.

 Romans 12:13     Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

 Hebrews 13:5   Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where the borrower gets, or hopes to get, it is just that the lender should share the gain; but to him that borrows for necessary food, pity must be showed. That which is gone out of thy lips, as a solemn and deliberate vow, must not be recalled, but thou shalt keep and perform it punctually and fully. They were allowed to pluck and eat of the corn or grapes that grew by the road side; only they must not carry any away. This law intimated what great plenty of corn and wine they should have in Canaan. It provided for the support of poor travellers, and teaches us to be kind to such, teaches us to be ready to distribute, and not to think every thing lost that is given away. Yet it forbids us to abuse the kindness of friends, or to take advantage of what is allowed. Faithfulness to their engagements should mark the people of God; and they should never encroach upon others. (Henry)

We have all seen warning labels on things we buy. Don’t use this electric device in water, Don’t put your hands in front of the saw blade, Don’t put this plastic bag over your head, Don’t touch the surface when it is hot, Don’t drink this, etc…. Many of these are self-evident but you have to know someone somewhere has done this. 

God knows the intent of our hearts. These miscellaneous laws are given because the intents of our hearts is known by God and our heart’s intent would naturally flow towards what God says not to do. 

 

51.w. Wilderness – 16.b. “Be Holy in all things”

 

 

Deu 23:14  Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

 Genesis 17:1     When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

 2 Corinthians 6:16     What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

When our heart deep purpose is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do, our awareness of the presence of God becomes a beacon of light that reveals right from wrong, good from bad, holy from unholy, pure from impure, and that which pleases God from that which does not. 

How are we to know what is right, good, holy, pure, and pleases God? Being able to understand this and apply it in our lives is a life long maturing growth (being sanctified) in our knowledge and understanding of His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Neglecting time in His Word stops all growth and maturing. How are we to honor and glorify Jesus Christ if we do not know what pleases God and what does not? 

It all comes down to an intentional choice to honor and glorify Jesus ever second from when we awake to when we sleep. If this is our desire above all else we will cherish time in His Word, study it, and apply it.  We will hunger and thirst for it. We will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We will be aware of God’s continual presence. We will grow and mature in our knowledge, understanding, and application of it in our lives. 

There is so much to distract us from living in the aware-presence of God. When our minds are being consumed by the mindless and meaningless is exactly what Satan wants. Satan wants to fill your life so full that God is all but forgotten throughout the day and he wants you to be satisfied like that. 

There are Christian radio stations that play heart felt music that worships and praises God. I think this is good but it does not and should not replace a single minute in God’s Word. There are stations that have various ministries proclaiming God’s Word. I think this is good and allows us to hear God’s Word proclaimed and explained. There are those who proclaim it and teach it well and those that fluff around the edges of holiness. However, having your own time in God’s Word will never be wasted. You will find that studying and reading God’s Word each day will have some connection to what you will hear being proclaimed through radio ministries. I once told a friend of mine, ‘it is good to hear what God is saying to and through these radio ministry pastors, however nothing is as good as having the Holy Spirit lead you into a new truth through your own time in His Word.” 

Real Life – Devotion

 

 

James’ bluntness in calling believers “sinners and double-minded” might have shocked his original readers. Today, many professing Christians would certainly be offended by this, yet how true the Word of God is. The fact that he called them double-minded revealed the division of their affections. In their attempt to love God and the world, they had drifted away from Him.

In your life, as well as mine, we must be ever vigilant to guard against double-mindedness. In 2 Kings 17:33, we read a stinging criticism of God’s people, “They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.” You cannot worship God plus something or someone else. He will not allow it.

An altar is a place to meet and worship the one true God—to worship at any other is a second altar, where a double-minded person is found. Believer, our God is jealous (Exodus 20:5). He will not share His affections with anyone who worships at an altar other than His. Those who profess Christ for appearance’s sake but have not served Him with a pure, unadulterated heart will be surprised at the end of all things.

The double-minded believer can never be close to God, but James’ call to “draw near” assures us that God welcomes all who earnestly return to their first love. What or who holds the highest place of your devotion? Now is the time to make sure that your life and words agree with one another.

Today, may you and I be known as single-minded lovers of God and devoted followers of Christ.

Turning Point – Devotion

 

Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 3:16-19

The author of an old book about prayer, The Kneeling Christian, said, “It is not too much to say that all real growth in the spiritual life—all victory over temptation, all confidence and peace in the presence of difficulties and dangers, all repose of spirit in times of great disappointment or loss, all habitual communion with God—depend upon the practice of secret prayer.” When we think God doesn’t hear our prayers, it’s not because He’s far away. He is nearer than we can imagine. Perhaps He knows our request isn’t really for our good. Or maybe the timing isn’t right. Sometimes we must “wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). Perhaps a sinful habit is hindering our prayers.

Remember—God is always very near and working on our behalf. When we see immediate answers to our prayers, we should rejoice. When He doesn’t answer immediately, we should trust. The time we spend in prayer is precious because we are entering into and recognizing the presence of a God for whom nothing is impossible. Give Him time to work!

 

51.v. Wilderness – 16.a. “Laws Concerning Sexual Immorality”

 

 

Deu 22:13-30  “If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then hates her and accuses her of misconduct and brings a bad name upon her, saying, ‘I took this woman, and when I came near her, I did not find in her evidence of virginity,’ then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate. And the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to marry, and he hates her;  and behold, he has accused her of misconduct, saying, “I did not find in your daughter evidence of virginity.” And yet this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloak before the elders of the city. Then the elders of that city shall take the man and whip him, and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name upon a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife. He may not divorce her all his days.  But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.  “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.  But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her. “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.  “A man shall not take his father’s wife, so that he does not uncover his father’s nakedness.

All this simply reinforces the principle that virginity was valued, highly valued, in Israel. Today, far too many people – men and women – sell themselves cheaply by easily giving away their virginity.

Adultery was not to be condemned with a double standard; if it was wrong for the woman, it was wrong for the man, and vice-versa. Though the death penalty for adultery was carried out rarely, it still had value. It communicated loudly and clearly an ideal that Israel was to live up to, and it made people regard their sin much more seriously. Today, we have done away with this ideal, and people don’t care much about adultery – and society suffers greatly as a result. (Guzik)

These and the like regulations might be needful then, and yet it is not necessary that we should curiously examine respecting them. The laws relate to the seventh commandment, laying a restraint upon fleshly lusts which war against the soul. (Henry)

The laws in this section have the design of fostering purity and fidelity in the relation of the sexes, and also of protecting the female against the malice of sated lust and the violence of brutal lust. (Unknown)

In considering these plain-spoken laws it is just to remember that with all their imperfections they represent an advance in social ethics; an upward stage in the struggle against debasing practices and the sinful passions and lusts of humans. (Cambridge)

51.u. Wilderness – 16. “You shall not and You shall make”

 

 

Deu 22:5-12  “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God. “If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long. “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it. “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together. “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.

God’s providence extends itself to the smallest affairs, and his precepts do so, that even in them we may be in the fear of the Lord, as we are under his eye and care. Yet the tendency of these laws, which seem little, is such, that being found among the things of God’s law, they are to be accounted great things. If we would prove ourselves to be God’s people, we must have respect to his will and to his glory, and not to the vain fashions of the world. Even in putting on our garments, as in eating or in drinking, all must be done with a serious regard to preserve our own and others’ purity in heart and actions. Our eye should be single, our heart simple, and our behaviour all of a piece.(Henry)

The dramatic rise in cross-dressing, transvestitism, androgynous behavior, and “gender-bender” behavior in our culture is a shocking trampling of this command and will reap a bitter harvest in more perversion and more gender confusion in our culture.  This command to observe the distinction between the sexes is so important, those who fail to observe it are called an abomination to the LORD. This was not only because cross-dressing was a feature of pagan, idolatrous worship in the ancient world, but also because of the terrible cultural price that is paid when it is pretended that there is no difference between men and women.

 If Israel would obey this commandment, they would find blessing and long life, both as individuals and as a nation. What possible connection can there be between showing kindness to bird’s nests and eggs and little baby birds and national survival? First, because obedience to the smallest of God’s commands brings blessing. It puts us into a properly submissive relationship to Him, that this always brings blessing to us.Second, because kindness and gentleness in the small things often (but not always) speaks to our ability to be kind and gentle in weightier matters. If someone is cruel to animals, not only is that sin in itself, but they are also much more likely to be cruel to people. If Israel allowed such cruelty to flourish, it would harm the nation.

 God commanded that a railing be made for the rooftop, so someone was protected against falling. Failure to build in a safe way would bring guilt (liability) on the owner or builder of the home. They were responsible for the safety of those who would use the home. Many people, in regard to sin, get too close to the edge and fall off. Then it’s too late! We need to have “railings” protecting us from the edge. Such railings will not only protect us, but others also.

You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed: Each of these laws was meant to separate Israel from her pagan neighbors, who would commonly combine unlike things to achieve what was thought to be a “magical” combination.

You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together: So, in pagan cultures it was common to combine different kinds of seed in a vineyard; or to plow with an ox and a donkey together; or to wear a garment of wool and linen mixed together. When God commands Israel to not do these things, it isn’t so much for the sake of the combinations themselves, but so Israel would not imitate the pagan, occult customs of their neighbors. As Paul says, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

You shall make tassels on the four corners of the clothing: This command was also to distinguish Israel from their pagan neighbors; in this way, an Israelite man was immediately known by the clothes he wore. “A symbolic meaning is given to these tassels in Numbers 15:37-41, namely that they are a reminder to Israel to keep God’s law.” (Guzik)