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But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).
Bread, the staff of life, represents food and everything that humanity needs for physical life--even the land on which the food grows. Leo Tolstoy tells of a land-hungry man who went to a distant country where, for a thousand rubles, he was offered all the land he could walk around in a day. He was to put his money down on a certain spot and then walk until sunset. When returned to the money, all the land enclosed by his footsteps would be his. So the man started walking fast; then he ran, hurrying with all his strength. After great exertion he returned to the point of departure just as the sun was setting, but the task had been too great for him. He fell dead where he had started. Then all he could claim was a plot of ground six by three feet. Our heavenly Father knows that we have need of bread. He knows also that we cannot "live by bread alone." We have a spiritual hunger that can never be satisfied with material things. Jesus said, "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). He also said,, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). "Give us this day our daily bread" is a prayer to be daily prayed and daily answered. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart" (Jer. 15:16). Break Thou the bread of life, Dear Lord, to me, As Thou didst break the loaves Beside the sea; Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord; My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word! --Mary A. Lathbury MEDITATION PRAYER: "Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it" (Ps. 119:140). And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh (Gen. 9:14, 15).
The waters of Noah will not return. The rainbow is a teacher from generation to generation. Children ask its meaning, and reverent parents explain it to them: There will not be another universal flood. God's covenant with Noah still stands fast. Someday it will be completed in the eternal redemption of His people. So why should we worry about the clouds of trouble that darken the world? We never see the rainbow until a cloud arises. It has been said, "The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears." How often we fail to think of God's promises until we find ourselves in one of life's cloudy days. Then we search the memory and God's Holy Book for them. When the sky is dark, God's precious promises shine like a rainbow above our troubles. There is a rainbow about His throne (Rev. 4:2, 3). He always sees it there and remembers His promise. Our Savior, who pleads His blood for our sins, points to the bow as a token of God's peace with the human race. It was the prophet Ezekiel who saw that "as the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about" (Eze. 1:28). The more we know God, the more we shall trust His rainbow promise of peace and love. There's a rainbow in the sky; We cannot see it, yet it's true; Arching where the storm unfurls; Like God's promise to the world, There's a rainbow in the sky--- For you! MEDITATION PRAYER: "Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth" (Ps. 119:90). While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Gen. 8:22).
One morning after a terrific thunderstorm a little child came downstairs and asked, "Daddy, what was God doing last night? Was He making the morning?" The father replied, "Yes, dear, I guess He was." This is the promise of God: Day and night, the seasons one after another, will come. The earth had just been devastated by the Flood, the routine of life destroyed. Noah looked upon the scene of desolation and then turned to God in worship. Soon the smoke of his sacrifice ascended, and his faith was shown by his works. The great curse of the Flood was gone, and the Lord promised new blessings. The seasons and the succession of day and night are to continue as long as the earth endures. Sunset and sunrise, sunrise and sunset, is the record of history and astronomy. God's promise has not failed, nor will it fail. Whenever we see the sunrise, let us remember God's promise. "Seedtime and harvest" make life possible. "Summer and winter, and day and night" are His fulfilled promises. The God of Noah is the God of nature, the God of fulfilled and fulfilling promises. Over a fireplace in Princeton University is a motto written by Albert Einstein, which reads, "God is a scientist, not a magician." God's ways of upholding the universe we call the laws of nature; they are not erratic; they are dependable because they are based upon His promises. Modern science would be impossible if they were not. Let us learn from Noah to make God first in our lives. Have faith in God, nor day nor night shall cease; Have faith in God, the seasons' due increase; Have faith in God, from Him our life and peace; Have faith, dear friend, in God. MEDITATION PRAYER: "And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints" (Ps. 89:5). And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you (Rom. 16:20).
When Lord Nelson sent home to England his dispatches following the Battle of the Nile, he wrote, "Victory is not a name strong enough for such a scene as this." What will it be when the promise of our text is completely fulfilled? The word "victory" will not be strong enough for such a scene, such glory. This promise follows well on our text for January 1. Believers have the promise not only that the Seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head but that he will be bruised under their feet Victory will not come to God's children by their own power. It is God who will bruise Satan. In His conflicts with Satan our Savior left us an example. He used "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). In His three great temptations our Lord relied on the sword of the Scripture, and the enemy was not able to match its power. The Savior had only the Old Testament, but today we have the New Testament also to draw upon. Let us use this heavenly weapon, which is "sharper than any twoedged sword" (Heb. 4:12). So let us "keep looking up, going forward in faith," for the promise is that "God...shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Until then we may have victory every day. Let us often think of that word "shortly." What a joy to hear it! Soon, quickly, shortly, the victory will be ours, and Satan's head will be bruised. For this we must trust the God of peace. "And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). Have faith in God, His victory brings release; Have faith in God, each day thy joy increase; Have faith in God, soon comes His rest and peace; Have faith, dear friend, in God. MEDITATION PRAYER: "But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head" (Ps. 3:3). And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).
As he was nearing death Thomas D. Talmage, the great evangelist, was asked by his son, "What do you really believe now, Father?" Quickly the answer came: "Well, son, when I started to preach at twenty-five years of age, I held to one hundred doctrines; at thirty-five, I had fifty; at fifty, only twenty-five; later on, there were but ten; and now as I am facing eternity I hold only this one: I am a great sinner but Jesus Christ is a great Saviour." The word "Jesus" means "Saviour." It is our Lord's personal name and was given to Him at birth by angelic command. The word "Christ" means "Anointed," or "Messiah" (John 1:41). It was at His baptism in the Jordan River that Jesus was anointed by the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:38) and publicly proclaimed by the voice of God to be His Son (Matt. 3:16, 17). By His resurrection and ascension He was finally proved to be Christ in the full sense of the word. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). His name reveals three things about His salvation: First, He and He alone can save. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Second, He will save only "his people," the saved of all nations. (Compare 1 Peter 2:9; Titus 2:14; Acts 15:14.) Third, His name shows the breadth and depth of His salvation. He saves not only from the consequence of sin but from sin itself, showing that He is the source not only of justification but also of sanctification. His name is really the contents table of the whole Bible. Are we among His people? Is He our Saviour now? MEDITATION PRAYER: "Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people" (Ps. 3:8). And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Gen. 3:15).
Our text for New Year's Day is appropriate, for it is the first promise of God to fallen humanity. It is the first revelation of God's covenant of grace, the first gospel sermon, the first prophecy of redemption. It is the first promise of our Lord Jesus Christ to every believer--not only of a Saviour, but also of a Lord. When He was bruised at His crucifixion, the power of the serpent seemed supreme, but our Saviour said: "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:31, 32). Terrible was the bruising that our Lord endured, but even in the hour of apparent defeat He was victor. Soon the promise and prophecy of Genesis 3:15 will meet its complete fulfillment at our Lord's second coming and the final judgment. During the year that we enter today, we may suffer much from the serpent and his seed, but we are not to despair. Jesus our Saviour is our defender. We may be happy, too, as we trust in His strength. The psalmist exhorts, "Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them" (Ps. 5:11). We may be wounded at times and limp in our afflictions, but our Lord has set His foot on the serpent's head, and by faith we may have victory here and now, and at last reign with Christ Jesus, the Seed of the woman. Have faith in God, and in the virgin's Seed; Have faith in God, His promise meets our need; Have faith in God, from sin and Satan freed; Have faith, dear friend, in God. MEDITATION PRAYER: "Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake" (Ps. 44:26). Focus on Jesus JESUS, YOUR BEST FRIEND
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3. Do you know what it's like to be lonely? So alone that none but your own thoughts are ever your companion? Do you know what it's like as a child to want to paly with other children, and meet only ridicule? Do you know what it's like to wish for a retreat in the quiet of your home, but even there find mocking and sarcasm? Do you know how it hurts to have no one to talk to, no one to share with, even if he only listens? Have you ever felt the pain of rejection or the bitter disappointment of broken trust? Have you ever been invited by someone to get acquainted, and then had him come after dark so no one would see you together? Have you ever had people follow you everywhere so that they might distort something you say, and justify putting you to death? Have you ever returned to your hometown acquaintances, seeking to give friendship, only to have rocks thrown at you? Have you ever given of yourself until there was nothing left to give? Have you struggled against all the forces of evil, struggled until you actually sweat blood? Have you ever been rudely jostled by calloused men, while you were restrained by love from retaliating? Have you ever felt the sharp pain of thorns pressed deep into your scalp and temples? Have you ever had someone spit upon your bruised and bleeding face? Do you know how it feels to struggle through your own blood drops while dragging heavy timbers? Do you think you could stagger on, willingly, dying for those who hate, despise, and reject you? Have you ever felt the tearing, grinding crunch of nails being pounded through your hands and feet? Have you ever felt with every nerve of your body the jolt of a cross dropping into its deep, ugly hole? Have you ever hung from wounds gaping ever wider, while crowds taunted you and threw rocks at your lacerated body? Have you ever hurt? Have you ever suffered? Have you ever died, alone, for those who refused to let you be their friend? While on this earth, Jesus did. And all the time, He longed for companionship and communion. He still does. Won't you be His friend? Focus on Jesus THE ONLY RESOLUTION WORTH MAKING
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33. There was a father who wished his son would stop chewing his fingernails. He talked to him about it, but the son responded that his father's smoking bothered him. So they made a deal that the father would give up his smoking if the son would give up chewing his fingernails. Now the father is chewing his fingernails, and the son has taken up smoking! What sort of resolution do you make at the beginning of a new year? I'd like to suggest that almost all resolutions have to do with some problem in behavior. They are connected with something that should have been done that wasn't, or something that shouldn't have been done that was. Our scripture today reminds us that the God we serve is big enough to take care of all the necessities of our lives, when we seek Him first. He can take care of not only our physical necessities but all the rest of our needs as well--including the sorts of things we usually make resolutions about. Have you ever discovered that your promises were like ropes of sand? Steps to Christ, page 47, talks about it. Have you ever discovered for yourself the truth that "our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them" (ibid., p. 18)? All our efforts toward fixing up the external, behavioral areas of our lives are of no avail, because they simply focus our attention on ourselves and draw our minds away from Jesus, who is the only source of power. He has said that all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth. He is able to take care of that problem in your life you have been struggling with all year--the one you made the resolution about last year, and failed after the first three days. He's big enough to take care of every problem we face today. I would like to invite you today to make a resolution not to make any more resolutions, except one. It's the only resolution worth making. It has to do with the heart, not with externals only. And there is only one resolution that affects the heart, the motives, and purposes. It has to do with choosing the relationship with Jesus day by day, of seeking to know Him, of spending time with Him who is the answer to all life's questions. Focus on Jesus PERFECTION IS GOD'S WORK
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6. We are never going to become perfect by dwelling on being perfect. It is by dwelling on Jesus, on His love, on His sacrifice for us, on His spotless character, and then becoming involved in sharing His love with others, that we are changed into His image. The one who is the most involved in trying to help someone else know Jesus is the one who will be motivated to dwell most on Jesus himself. Let's get rid of all that we depend on instead of God, whether it's in justification, sanctification, or glorification. Let's make Jesus our dependence. Don't let the idea of perfection discourage you. In the first place, Jesus Himself allows for growth, and in the second place, even if you are perfect, you will be the last to know it, because your attention will be so completely focused on Jesus that you will not be looking at yourself. Checking yourself to see how perfect you have become is a dead-end street. It is in looking to Jesus that you are safe. While we are growing into the experience of total dependence upon God's power all of the time, remember this statement: "If in our ignorance we make missteps [Did Abraham? Yes. Did David? Yes. Did Elijah? Yes. Did the disciples? Yes.], the Saviour does not forsake us. We need never feel that we are alone. Angels are our companions. The Comforter that Christ promised to send in His name abides with us. In the way that leads to the city of God, there are no difficulties which those who trust in Him may not overcome. There are no dangers which they may not escape. There is not a sorrow, not a grievance, not a human weakness, for which He has not provided a remedy."--The Ministry of Healing, p. 249. I am thankful today that although I am desperately in need of the grace of the Lord Jesus, and in my ignorance have made many missteps, yet He has not left me--and He has not left you. Are you thankful for that? Let's not try to drag God's standard to our level of performance. Neither let us ever get discouraged because of our performance, but keep our eyes always on Jesus, continuing to choose His control, and the work that He has begun in our lives He will complete. |
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Joy of Troy Community Seventh-day Adventist Church
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