Daily Bread Archives

August 19, 2024August 19, 2024

Works Or No Works

¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. ~ Galatians 2:16

So, is it works or no works? Should we be concerned with works at all since it doesn’t profit anything? Woe! Just hold up a moment. Paul did not say that works profited nothing, he said that we are not justified by works. Meaning that we cannot achieve salvation by doing something.

We receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and our believing that He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. But it goes a little deeper than just that. Once we have accepted Jesus as LORD and Savior, then we must start living for Him. We must build a relationship through prayer and worship and learn about Him through the reading and the studying of His Word.

Think about this, if you walked into one of Walmart’s stores and begin bagging, that does not make you a Walmart employee, you would not even get paid. Matter of fact, management will probably ask you to leave the establishment. But if you filled out an application and went on an interview and you were successful and therefore hired, then you would become a Walmart employee, and then you would be allowed to bag groceries or whatever else Walmart patrons would purchase. It is the same with Jesus.

You do not become a Christian by doing good things, no matter how good the works are; if we are not doing the good works through Jesus, then it does not count towards salvation. But once we are saved through faith in Jesus, then we are expected to do good works, and if we do not do good works, then we will be in trouble and may even be in jeopardy of being disqualified from the race. Because it is a race and not a spectator’s sport, we cannot sit on the bench; we must participate; we must run the race.

Heavenly Father, please forgive me of my sin, and help me to live for You from now on by doing good works. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Stay On Your Guard

¹²… woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. ~ Revelation 12:12b^NIV

Satan is filled with fury. He is totally and completely angry; one could say he is filled with hatred. Who does he take it out on? The inhabitants of the earth and the sea.

Now, is it at all possible that Satan has ‘little helpers’ that help him achieve his dark agenda to destroy and not build up? To kill and not save. To destroy and annihilate without mercy.

Many preachers will tell you that the devil is a toothless lion walking around roaring. They claim he is a defeated enemy because Jesus defeated him on the cross. And believe me, that part is true.

There is no doubt that Jesus defeated Satan when He disarmed the powers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, according to Colossians 2:15.

But the truth is, for us, Satan is still a formidable foe. So-much-so that Peter warned us to be watchful and to stay alert because he (the devil) prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

So, be on your guard. Your enemy isn’t a toothless defeated foe. He is always seeking someone to devour. Someone to conquer. Someone to overcome and lead away from Christ. Therefore, always stay awake, watching and praying that you might not be devoured.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stay On Your Guard.

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See Outside Their Palm

¹ Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars. ² She has prepared her meat; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. ³ She has sent out her female servants; she calls out from the highest points of the city: ⁴ “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!” To the one who lacks sense, she says, ⁵ “Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; pursue the way of understanding. ~ Proverbs 9:1-6^CSB

I remember when the Avengers movie first came out. It featured a song by Sound Garden entitled Live To Rise. The song opens with these lyrics:

What if all you understand,
Could fit into the center of our hand,
Then you found it wasn’t you,
Who held the sum of everything you knew?

I want you to think about that for a second. Imagine if everything you knew could only fit into the center of your hand. In other words, the entire universe is filled with knowledge, but the only bit you know fits in your palm. That’s such a tiny bit of knowledge that you think you know a lot until you start paying attention to the world around you and realize the things you know are insignificant to the knowledge out there. Then, to top it all off, as if the small amount of knowledge you have isn’t enough, now it’s not even you who has the power over the amount of knowledge you have and over the actual knowledge itself.

This is the world we live in today. We have mainstream media that will report a complete lie but present it as the truth. Then, to make it seem like you are choosing the knowledge, there will be two different sides. One saying they’re for this, the other saying they’re for that. When in reality, if you zoom out far enough, you’ll see that, sure, they’re two different sides, but it’s the same coin.

Sadly, the majority of us (the Church and the world) are so easily influenced by what the mainstream media says that we can’t see that we’re being controlled. We’re being taught and told how to think. We’re being programmed by what we watch and listen to. The worst part is that very few ever realize it.

When you’ve been fed lies from such a young age, it’s difficult to see the truth. This is the importance of Christ in your life. The world pushes everything except Christ. Islam is okay. Atheism is okay. Buddhism is okay. Hinduism is okay. Even Judaism is okay. And even a watered down, Jesus loves everyone, there’s a no need for change Gospel that is accepted. Why? Because that’s not Jesus. None of those things are. As long as we change who Jesus is but keep the name, they’re okay. Why? Because the name is useless unless you know who Jesus actually is.

The Seven Sons of Sceva knew of Jesus. They knew His name. They knew there was power in His name, but they didn’t know Him. So what happened? When they faced a man with a spirit too strong for them, they were beaten to the point where they ran away naked (Acts 19:13-16).

The enemy holds the knowledge of the majority because he has successfully divided and conquered. He’s divided us by race, convincing us Christianity is a white man’s religion. He’s divided us by politics so that we never actually pay attention to the policies; we just vote based on party. He divides us by denominations so that we don’t actually search the Word of God for Truth; we just cling to whatever the doctrine of our denomination says.

We no longer know nor understand the things that the first Church did. We read their writings, and we’re dumbfounded. We can’t grasp their ideas or teachings. I don’t believe it’s because we’re dumber. I believe it’s because we’ve become more and more ignorant over the years. We no longer have the knowledge we should because someone else is holding it, and we don’t even realize that there’s more than just what we’ve been taught.

God’s desire is that we have understanding and knowledge so that we aren’t easily deceived and overcome. He promised to give knowledge to anyone who is willing to ask and seek it out. There’s so much out there; don’t let the world keep you from knowing and understanding it. Always remember that knowledge is power.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and See Outside Their Palm.

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Fight The Illness

¹³ Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. ~ Matthew 7:13-14^CSB

One of my favorite childhood shows was Avatar. In Avatar, there is a character named Zuko. For the majority of the show, Zuko is the antagonist, trying to take away the hope of the world because he believes his father will restore his honor. Then, one day, he comes to a crossroads, and his uncle convinces him it’s time to let go of this mission before it destroys him, so he does. When he does, he falls into a bad illness. An illness that his uncle describes as not being of this world but an illness within himself because of his decision.

See, Zuko’s decision was good. He gave up his father’s mission to take away the hope of the world. But that’s when the spiritual attack, if you will, happened. This is the same for us today. When we begin doing good and fighting the evil within us, we begin to see a spiritual attack against us. Whether it’s a physical illness, anxiety, depression, something else within us, or it’s on the outside with people all of a sudden betraying you, turning on you, or causing problems in your life. This is the time the Devil comes, right before harvest. Right before the breakthrough so that you will never truly reap your harvest. You’ll never truly see your blessing or the good things God has in store for you.

This is the importance of hanging on. This is the importance of never giving up. We have to make it through the night or order to see the sun rise and experience the day. Therefore, choose the right path, even if it’s hard. Even if it’s narrow and you feel like you can’t make it. Even if it takes away those you love, when you follow God, nothing can compare to the reward He has in store for those who love Him and run the race set before them.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fight The Illness.

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Go In His Strength

¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ~ John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy, and that includes relationships, especially the one with the LORD Jesus. How does the enemy do this? By throwing up spiritual obstacles in your path. Trapping you in strongholds that keep you from moving forward. The enemy will use many different spiritual blockers so that he can limit, stunt, or even kill the spiritual growth of your relationship with the LORD.

This is the importance of building a strong relationship with Christ and crucifying the flesh every single day. We have to nurture, nourish, and grow our relationship with Jesus because it’s our relationship with Him that brings power. Power to overcome the enemy. Power to change our lives. Power to go from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When we begin to understand that the only way to fight for our soul is to surrender ourselves completely to the LORD, then we will finally be able to overcome. We’ll be given life and life more abundantly. We’ll be given a hope and a future. We’ll be able to stand, even when under attack. Why? Because no longer will we be going in our strength, but in the strength of Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go In His Strength.

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Make A Stand

¹³ Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? ~ Esther 4:13-14

When we stand silent as others are persecuted because it does not affect me, so I don’t want to get involved. I’m not political, but what you don’t realize is that it will affect you eventually.

Martin Niemöller, a prominent German Lutheran pastor who sympathized with many of the Nazi ideas and supported radical right-wing political movements in the 1920s and early 1930s, said:

First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

Niemöller spent eight years of his life in Nazi prisons and concentration camps because by the time he realized that the noose was also tightening around his own neck, it was too late. Open your eyes to the direction the world is moving in. Don’t believe that you alone will stand because you’re not currently being affected. Don’t believe that they will somehow find you favorable even though you no longer identify with what they are doing because it now affects you and your family. Don’t wait for it to be too late to make a stand because when it affects you personally, that changes everything.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Make A Stand.

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See Through The Corruption

⁹ I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ¹⁰ The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. ¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹² So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. ~ Romans 7:9-12

I was watching the movie Tron Legacy the other day, and something stuck out to me. The villain in Tron, Clu, wasn’t created as a villain but as a good man with a good purpose. He was created to make the grid perfect, but through seeking that perfection he became corrupt. The man who created the grid and Clu said this about him.

Clu can’t create programs. He can only destroy or repurpose them.

The Devil is the same way. After God created all things, He looked at His creation and saw that it was good. The Devil was there, and God saw that he, the Devil (Satan), was good. He was created for a purpose but corrupted himself, just as Clu did. And just as Clu could not create but can only destroy or repurpose. Satan doesn’t create; he takes what is already there, what is already good, what is already filled with purpose, and corrupts it for his own gain.

The Scriptures are good. They are life. They are living and breathing, yet Satan will take one verse out of context and manipulate it to his own desire. What is Satan’s ultimate desire? To separate mankind from God forever, just as he will be separated from God forever.

Here’s the problem, because the Devil manipulates Scripture and deceives some with his lies, many want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. This is the importance of searching through Scripture and studying it for yourself. Paul tells us to study Scripture to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15). It doesn’t say to study someone else’s beliefs, truths, and opinions. No. Paul tells Timothy to study the Word of God so that he can rightly handle the Word of Truth and, therefore, show himself approved.

The Scripture is good. It is perfect. It is God-breathed and good for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), but that doesn’t mean Satan cannot manipulate and twist it for his own desires. Therefore, know the Scriptures for yourself. Seek the Truth of the LORD and not the truth of others. Study the Scriptures and strive to live your life in accordance with them, not with the world. So that when the Devil comes with deception and lies, you may be able to see through his lies and hold tightly to the Truth.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and See Through The Corruption.

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Watch What You Build On

39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again. ~ Psalms 78:39

Many people believe in some form of reincarnation. The belief is that if you don’t get it right the first time, you’ll get another chance, another opportunity to do better. Many cling to this belief because it gives them a false sense of security.

It’s like building your house on the sand and expecting the foundation to not be moved when the rains and the floods come. The LORD alone is our firm foundation. And according to our firm foundation, we only get one chance at this life. We only get one opportunity to get it right and run the race set before us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch What You Build On.

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Stop Raging

⁴He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. ⁵Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, ⁶“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” ~ Psalms 2:4-6

According to the Psalmist, God is not overly concerned with the raging of the nations. Matter of fact, God is not concerned at all about their raging, for He sits enthroned in the heavens, and He laughs at their feeble attempt to dethrone Him. What does this mean?

He holds them in derision, or scorn, or mockery, or disdain. They do not threaten Him nor worry Him, and neither do they make Him anxious. He is God the Almighty. In His time, He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury. He will not let any of them escape.

Does this mean God is a malicious God seeking the punishment and destruction of His own creation? No. God is a good, loving, just God. He is love. This is why He sent Jesus. There’s no way we could ever save ourselves or make ourselves clean enough to enter His presence. So, He sent Jesus to take our sin upon Himself and take it away from us. No longer do we have to be at war with God. No longer do we have to remain His enemy. Now, we can fall down at His feet and ask for forgiveness, and He will forgive us. Why? Because His desire is that none should perish but all come to repentance.

There are only two options: Continue to rage against God and perish, or repent, follow Him, and be saved. The choice is yours.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stop Raging.

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Blind Faith

²⁴When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” ²⁵He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” ~ Matthew 17:24-27

Isn’t it kind of peculiar that the collectors of the two-drachma tax did not address Jesus Himself at all, but rather, they went to Peter as if Peter might say, “No, He doesn’t,” and then they would have something to accuse Jesus of? Also, it seemed as if Peter was due for tax as well since Jesus said to take the shekel and pay His tax and Peter’s tax as well. But the collectors did not seem to be bothered at all about Peter not paying. Their only concern was Jesus not paying the tax.

That is how accusers work. They are only concerned with the one they have targeted. The one they have decided to persecute. They don’t care how wrong someone else is as long as they point out your faults and bring attention to what you are not doing. Have you ever noticed that when someone wants to do something and they are told that they cannot do that certain thing, they sing out, “Well, so and so did it?”

That is exactly what these collectors were doing. They were watching and waiting for Jesus to slip up or to do something wrong. But Jesus’ question to Peter was a subtle way of saying, “I am exempt from paying the Temple tax because I am the Son of the Living God.” But obviously, they would be offended by that and become furious. So, to avoid the drama, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing.

He said, “Go and cast a hook into the sea, and the first fish you catch, open up its mouth, and a shekel will be in it. Use it to pay the Temple tax for both of us.” And what does Peter do? He goes fishing. Where he got a hook and a line from, I have no idea, but he got one. There is no record of Peter resisting or questioning Jesus about the absurdity of the command. Go catch a fish and open its mouth, and you will find money. He doesn’t think about how far-fetched it is; he just obeys and goes.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in precarious situations, and the LORD tells us to do something that, to us, sounds insane. So, we think to ourselves, this cannot be God; this does not make sense. And we do not do it because we do not want to look stupid. But here is the thing. When the Spirit tells us to do something, no matter how silly or how ridiculous it may seem to us, God’s word will never fail. We must follow God with blind faith, without questioning, without thought of how ditzy it makes us look. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Heavenly Father, please help me to trust You and be obedient to Your every command, no matter how ludicrous it may sound to me. Increase my faith, O LORD, that I might trust you even more. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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