“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us . . .”

— 1 John 2:19

Do you know someone who once seemed on fire for the Lord but then backslid into spiritual oblivion? If so, then you know the grief of watching someone slip from God’s grasp, especially when that person is someone you love. You might wonder what this person’s eternal future will be, hoping God’s grace continues to cover him or her. But you also might wonder whether this person was truly a Christian in the first place.

People who fall away from the Lord are called apostates. “Apostasy” means spiritual defection. The great apostate of all time was Judas Iscariot. Unfortunately, many people have followed his pattern.

Charles Spurgeon tells about a great hulk of a man in the village where Spurgeon first preached. This man was a fine-looking giant of a man but a drunkard as well. He often brawled in the local bar with those who dared to cross his path. And he would have nothing to do with religion, until one day when, to the amazement of all, this man asked Jesus to be his Savior. He joined a church, attended every service, and volunteered for any work that needed to be done.

But this man’s former companions made fun of him for turning to religion. After enduring about ten months of their laughter, he succumbed to their mocking. First he dropped away from the works. Soon he didn’t attend prayer meetings. For a while, he continued attending Sunday morning church, but his attendance became more and more irregular until he stopped attending altogether. He never completely returned to his former self, but often people saw him staggering drunkenly about the town. And when his unbelieving friends saw him like that, they said to each other, “Ha, there is your Christian! Hypocrites! That’s all they are.”

Was this man really a Christian? The Bible plainly teaches that God will preserve until the end the ones who are truly His. Whenever the genuine work of salvation happens in the heart of a man or woman, boy or girl, God will see that it perseveres until the day of Christ. But those with sham faith will eventually fall away.

If you know someone who once seemed to follow Christ but has since turned away, pray for that person today. Ask God to do a work of true salvation in that person’s heart so that he or she may know the fullness of life in Christ.

“Those who have denied Christ have
manifested the spirit of the Antichrist.”

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

— Philippians 4:4

Have you ever noticed that people who are constantly morose and miserable just don’t seem to get along with others? Everywhere the gloomy person goes, he or she runs into interpersonal problems such as rejection and poor treatment. On the other hand, have you ever noticed that happy people don’t seem to have many enemies? A joyful person finds very few relational problems. This type of person doesn’t quickly take offense and doesn’t offend people very often; rather, this person brings gladness into any situation.

How does a person maintain such a consistently joyful attitude? Does God want us pretending to be happy when we’re not? Not at all. God wants us to have true joy. So how do we cultivate this attitude? The Scripture says, “In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This is the wonderful secret God would have us know: We find fullness of joy in God’s presence. By spending time with the Lord we will have joy infused into our souls. We’ll discover the truth that Christ is indeed no killjoy but is in fact the great King and source of all joy.

Often, we don’t feel joyful because we haven’t spent enough time with God. But if we wait in the Lord’s presence, He’ll fill us with His joy. If we seek the fullness of His Holy Spirit, we’ll receive the fruit of joy. If we confess any sin that hinders us from rejoicing in the Lord, we’ll experience the joy of our salvation.

If you’re running a bit low on joy today, spend some quality time with God. Allow Him to saturate your soul with His joy. Then, as you go through the day, rejoice at every opportunity you have. Again I will say, rejoice!

“Life is a duty . . . Life is divine when duty is a Joy.”
Henry Van Dyke

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

— Romans 8:31

We cannot possibly fail with Christ’s love in our corner. Paul says, in what I call the “Golden Shield” of faith, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Who can fight against us and succeed? No one. God’s love shields us from all attacks of the Evil One and his followers. Despite such attacks, we are safe and secure for eternity. Who can be against us? The world, the flesh, and the Devil may try to defeat us, but all will fail.

To grasp the truth of Paul’s statement, think of the persecution the early Church endured. In the first few centuries of Christianity, Christ’s followers went through the most difficult persecution ever seen on this planet. For nearly three hundred years, in ten great waves of persecution, the Christian Church was under attack. The Roman pagan state used all of the hatred it possessed to try to destroy the Church. Everything the depraved and demonic mind could conceive of, the Romans did. They crucified Christians right side up and upside down; they burned Christians alive; they put Christians in sacks with vipers; they gave Christians to bulls to gore; they fed Christians to the lions. Yet nothing could break the Christian will. The Roman Empire eventually perished, but the Church remains to this day. The greatest persecution the world has ever seen (rivaled, perhaps, only by that of the Communists in our century) was unable to break the Herculean might of Christians armed with nothing but faith, prayer, and the Word of God.

This applies to us today as well. With such a Golden Shield, we may deflect all of the attacks against us (from without and from within) because of what Christ has done for us. Come what may, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. If God is for us, who can possibly be against us?

“Caesar and Christ had met in the
arena [Colosseum], and Christ had won.”
Will Durant

“. . . I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

— 2 Timothy 1:12

The year was 1943. Halfway around the world, a young pilot was flying his Corsair above the scattered islands of the Pacific, scanning his radar for the enemy. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw enemy planes. Before the young pilot knew it, one of them was on his tail. He rolled his plane over and dove down, back up again, turning, twisting, diving, doing everything he could to escape. But he had an expert fighter pilot on his tail. In the end, a burst of machine-gun fire pierced not only his plane but his body as well.

Mortally wounded, the young pilot somehow managed to land his disabled plane on one of the jungle islands of the South Pacific. He struggled to crawl clear of the plane in case it exploded. Five days later his body was found. He had, clutched in his hand, a scrap of paper on which he had written his last words: “When peace like a river . . .” That was all. His final words were the beginning of that wonderful hymn that goes like this: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”

Here was a young man who had learned somewhere—whether in his home or at church—Who held his future. When we recognize and acknowledge that God holds the future, we can be assured that whatever comes our way, even if it’s the worst scenario we can imagine, God can transform it into a blessing. Only when we place our entire trust in Him will we have the kind of assurance in our future that this young man had.

Are you walking through a peaceful river or through rolling sea billows today? Whatever your lot, place your full trust in the Lord. Only when we trust the One who holds the future will it be well with our souls.

“I have no fear . . . Christ is the Captain of my soul.”
Dorothea Day

“. . . you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

— 1 Corinthians 1:9

“Why do we have to say our prayers?” asks a little boy as his mother prepares him for bed. This child’s simple question echoes the sentiment in the hearts of many people much older and supposedly much wiser than he. Do you ever ask that question? And if so, have you found any answers?

One of the key reasons we pray is to commune with God. Prayer fosters a two-way relationship between us and the God who loves and cares for us. Consider a child growing up in a home where his parents have given him everything: life, love, food, clothes. In everything, the parents have provided the very best they could afford. But as the child gets older, he decides that he doesn’t have time for his parents, so he hardly ever comes home except when he has to. When he does, he stays busy in his room, rarely responding to his parents. Finally, the child grows into a man, goes out on his own, finds a job, and gets married. He never visits his parents; he never writes; he never calls.

What would you call such a child?

What would you call a person who receives life and love from his Father in Heaven, the Father who watches over him and provides everything he needs in this life, including the food he eats and the clothes he wears? He receives innumerable blessings, and yet he grows up, never talking to his Father, never visiting His house. Unconcerned with his relationship with his Father, he never prays. What do you call such a person? The Scripture calls such a person a “pagan,” a person without God, a godless human being.

But we who know the Lord delight in spending time with Him. Why do we pray? Not so that He will do more than we ask or think, although He does. We pray so we can walk with God.

Today, spend some time with your Father. Tell Him what’s on your mind and in your heart. And listen for Him to tell you about Himself, too. He wants a daily, two-way relationship with you more than you could ever imagine.

“Prayer does not change God, but changes him who prays.”
Soren Kierkegaard

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

— 1 Timothy 6:6-7

Do you ever feel caught up in “keeping up with the Joneses”? Do you often feel a twinge of jealousy when a neighbor or friend shows off a new purchase, or are you content with what you own?

Many people are in love with this world’s goods whether they have them or not. I think of a man who started out well. He succeeded in business. He lived his life as John Wesley encouraged: “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” This man tithed regularly, and God blessed him as he did so.

But as this man became more and more prosperous, he found tithing more and more difficult. One day he came to Peter Marshall, the famous Senate chaplain of decades ago, and said, “Dr. Marshall, I have a problem. I’ve tithed now for some time. It wasn’t too bad when I made $20,000 a year. I could afford to give the $2,000. But, you see, doctor, I now make $500,000 a year, and there’s just no way I can afford to give away $50,000 a year.”

Dr. Marshall said, “Yes, sir. I see that you do have a problem. I think we ought to pray about it. Dear Lord, this man has a problem, and I pray that you will help him. Lord, reduce his salary back to the place where he can afford to tithe.”

This man started out having mastery over things, but ultimately things had mastery over him. Maybe you know someone like this man . . . maybe it’s you.

Money makes a wonderful servant but a terrible lord. Yet many people are completely enslaved by it. They give all their thoughts to money. If they’re not thinking about how to get more of it, they’re thinking of how to hold on to what they have. That is a form of slavery.

Many people have lived in small cottages and managed to gain very little of this world’s goods. Yet their hearts were fixed upon God. Some Christians are poor; some are wealthy. The important thing is “godliness with contentment.” These two combined are “great gain.”

Are you the master of your money and possessions, or are they your master? If you find that the latter is true, pray that God will reverse that trend, and then watch as He answers your prayers.

“Own your possessions. Don’t let your possessions own you.”
Anonymous

“[Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strengthened in faith…and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

— Romans 4:20-21

Are you fully convinced that what God has promised He is able to perform? If you’d like a surefire way to test the strength of your faith, then stretch your wings in the area of stewardship. Tithe as God has commanded, and watch Him perform as He has promised in Scripture. Paul tells us, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” We need to trust God’s promise, go about our daily work, and know that He will supply all we need. God gives a second promise that goes beyond the first one. God has said, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…and prove Me now in this . . . if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10). And God makes yet another promise which goes beyond the first two. We find this promise in Mark 10:29-30, where Jesus says to us, “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time . . . and in the age to come, eternal life.”

You might consider today’s standard of living and balk at giving away some of your hard-earned money. But we all need to keep in mind that our God is not limited by inflation or other problems with the economy. The only thing that limits God is our unbelief. Stewardship and God’s fulfillment of His promises aren’t matters of money; they’re matters of faith.

Do you believe that God can and will do all He has promised? Then put your money where your mouth is. Exercise your faith by being a good steward of all He has given you. If you refuse to waver in the face of God’s promises, being fully convinced that He can fulfill them, you’ll find that He will abundantly bless you.

“We cannot serve God and mammon,
but we can serve God with mammon.”
Robert Speer

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”

— 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Do you dread going to work or tending house, viewing labor as a curse on your life because of the Fall? Well, it isn’t. Before sin ever touched this earth, God commanded Adam to tend the garden. God created us to have meaningful employment and to earn our keep. And He created a context in which we could live and prosper.

God reveals that context in His Word. While the Bible isn’t an economics textbook, it does say a great deal about how we can thrive. The Bible says that if a person does not work, that person shall not eat. (Of course, this principle doesn’t refer to a person unable to work.) The Eighth Commandment, “Thou shalt not steal,” makes it clear that we can own property, ruling out certain economic systems such as communism. In fact, I believe free enterprise is a Biblical principle. Most people didn’t understand this until 1776, when Adam Smith wrote his famous book on economics, The Wealth of Nations. This book sparked the worldwide spread of capitalism. Before that time, most people lived a hand-to-mouth existence, spending about ninety percent of their income on food. But between 1800 and 1850, wages quadrupled as people pursued scriptural economic principles, and from 1850 to 1900, wages quadrupled again. This was especially true in America, where free enterprise had its freest reign.

But in this century, we’ve turned from some of those Biblical principles. A misapplication of the concepts of justice and charity have created in our nation “social justice” (in other words, welfare). Public welfare is neither just nor charitable, because it forcibly takes money from one person and gives it to another. Public welfare also tempts people to take advantage of public money and to fight for as much of it as they can get. It destroys private charity and creates vice and laziness.

I challenge you to apply Biblical principles of economics in your life and to cultivate a responsible work ethic. Resolve today that whatever task comes your way, you’ll work for God’s honor and glory. As you do, He will bless you for your obedience.

“America will last until the populace discovers it can vote for
itself largess [gifts or handouts] out of the public treasury.”
Alexis De Tocqueville

“. . . God is love.”

— 1 John 4:8

In the beginning, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” As He did so, He made us able to give and receive love in relationships with each other and with Him. He created us in His perfect love.

But now we bear few signs of that love. In our sinfulness, we have distorted His kingly nature and have all but destroyed the image of God in us. And with that, we have distorted and destroyed our experience of love.

How can we love again as God created us to love? On our own, we can do nothing to restore God’s image or His perfect love within us. No effort or striving can perform the task. A little child can take an egg in his hand and crush it, but all the skill in the world could never restore it. All the knowledge, power, and technology that can split atoms and place man on the moon cannot restore that egg to its original form. How much less can we, by our own wisdom or strength, restore God’s image—His perfect love—to our souls.

But in Christ, love is restored. Christ pours His love on humankind as He poured out His life in atonement for our sins. Though we’re unworthy, Christ’s sacrifice lights the fragile flame of love in our hearts, making it burn strong and clear. As the flame of Christ’s love ignites each of us, those around us will catch the fire, and Christ will restore His love to the whole world.

Today let God fill your heart with His love, and as He does, let His love flow through you to those around you. One by one, as He restores His love to each of us, He’ll restore His love to the whole world.

“From heaven [love] came, to heaven returneth.”
Robert Southey

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:7

Have you ever said to yourself or to someone close to you, “I just don’t feel that I have faith”? Have you ever doubted the steadfastness of your belief in God because you didn’t feel happy or excited about your relationship with Jesus Christ?

Many Christians confuse faith with feelings. They think that if they really have faith, they’ll feel certain emotions. But faith isn’t based on feelings. Feelings are like the waves of the sea, in constant motion and continual change. Our feelings change from day to day and from hour to hour. But faith underlies all of that like the rock beneath the waves. Faith is about trusting in Jesus Christ, who never changes.

One day Martin Luther, that great man of faith, experienced one of his frequent periods of depression. While in this depression, Luther’s arch-enemy, Satan, came to him and asked if he felt his sins had been forgiven. Luther responded that he knew that his sins were forgiven because God had declared that truth in His Word. The Scripture does not say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then thou shalt feel saved,” but “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” And so, even as he felt depressed, Luther had faith based on scriptural truth.

Charles Spurgeon tells us that a good illustration of faith is the limpet. The limpet is a small creature that dwells by the sea and clings to rocks. If you manage to sneak up on one and strike it with a stick, it falls from the rock. But if you hit a neighboring limpet, the first limpet becomes aware of potential danger. At that point, you can hit that limpet until you break your stick, and it will never fall off because it clings to the rock for its life. “That,” said Spurgeon, “is an illustration of faith.”

Faith is clinging to Jesus Christ, not some fleeting feeling. So no matter how you feel today, tenaciously hold onto Jesus Christ. When in doubt, don’t gauge your faith by your feelings. Go to God’s Word, and read His promises. Stake your faith on God’s promises, clinging to them for your very life, because when the waves of your emotions roll over you, God’s promises will remain steady beneath you.

“Often our feelings have more to do with
our digestion than with our religion!”