Daily Devotion by Ray Stedman

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 17TH​

A Bed of Suffering​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 2:18-27

So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Rev 2:22-23

The punishment that our Lord assesses against the church at Thyatira reflects the sickness that idolatry and immorality always bring. There are three parties involved: first, there is Jezebel herself. Jesus says: I will cast her on a bed of suffering. There is a note of irony or sarcasm there. He is saying, in effect, She likes beds, so I will give her one, but it will be a bed of agonizing pain. Then there is another group: I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely unless they repent of her ways. Those who commit adultery with her are those who practice immorality and idolatry. There was still a third group. The Lord says, I will strike her children with death. Children represent those who not only practice immorality but who teach it as well, as Jezebel was doing. The death, I believe, refers to spiritual death.

But notice the good news here: unless they repent of her ways. Our Lord always gives an opportunity for repentance. I have often thought that natural disasters are opportunities being given people to think again, to stop and look at what we are doing, and to change our ways. It is opportunity to repent, a slap in the face that says, wake up! The result of judgment and discipline within the church is that the church is purified, strengthened, and helped. People begin to take note of evil tendencies and become careful not to drift into the pattern of society around. They are willing to stand against the tide. That is what was needed in Thyatira, and it’s needed today. In those rare times that a church has to take disciplinary action against some member of the congregation because of sexual immorality, the result is always a purifying of people’s lives, a willingness to examine the morals of the day, and an increased understanding of the importance of being pure in these areas.

The churches will come to understand, our Lord says, that he searches the hearts and minds. Literally, he searches the kidneys and the hearts. Kidneys were in ancient times regarded as the source of feelings. If your kidneys are not working, you do not feel very well! They saw them as the source of feelings. Hearts were viewed as the source of choices, the decisions we make. Our Lord says that when you see him acting in judgment, you realize that your feelings are important and your choices equally so, and that each one will be held responsible for their choices. No one else can be blamed but we ourselves.

Father, search my heart and mind, reveal to me the areas in which I have compromised your standards, and give me the grace to come to you in sincere repentance. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Is there a "bed of suffering" that you have made for yourself? If so, take some time and come to him in confession and repentance.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 18TH​

Hold On To What You Have​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 2:18-27

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations — that one will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery — just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Rev 2:24-27

The phrase Satan’s so-called deep secrets indicates that when a church drifts in these areas of moral standards, it almost invariably involves the rise of mystic rites and rituals. People love to feel they are being let into special, secret things. You find these mystic cults arising in many of the movements of our day. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians he speaks of the deep things of God, (1 Corinthians 2:10). Whenever God has something good, Satan imitates it.

These dark and hidden matters are Satan's imitation of the wonderfully deep truths in the Word of God. Now to those who refuse these, Jesus says, Hold fast what you have. Do not let it go. Do not accept these degrading moral standards. It may be difficult to live for Christ in a worldly church, but hang on to your moral standards at least. Hold on, Jesus says, until I come. Then, Jesus says, He will rule them with an iron scepter. This is a quote from Psalm 2. It is a promise of reigning with Christ. It is referring not to the new heavens and the new earth, but to the millennial kingdom, the earthly kingdom over which the saints will share a reign with Christ.

Then our Lord becomes even more specific: I will also give him the morning star. You have to get up while it is still dark to see the morning star. In the book of Malachi, there is a great prediction by the prophet that the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in his wings (Malachi 4:2 KJV), i.e., the Lord Jesus will return in power and great glory. He will be like the sun appearing in the darkness of this world's night. But before the sun rises, the morning star appears.

He is saying that there will be an appearing of himself for his own before he comes in power and glory, visible to the world. It is a promise of the rapture of the church. He will appear for his own, who have been held and kept by the Spirit of God from the evils of the society around. It is not that they do not at times fall, but they invariably recover, and repent, and turn back to him. That is the sign that our faith is real. Those who have real faith will repent. Someone has well said, If your faith fizzles before you finish, it is because it was faulty from the first! True faith holds on to the end.

Lord, I desire to see the morning star, to be ready and to hold on to what I have until the Lord Jesus comes for his own. Amen.

Life Application​

What is your strategy to hold on to what you have until he comes?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 19TH​

Alive, But Dead​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:1-6

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Rev 3:1

Sardis was once one of the greatest cities of the world. It had been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. In the 6th century B.C. it was ruled by a fabulously wealthy king whose name, Croesus, became a byword for uncounted wealth. Sardis was built on a mountain spur about 1500 feet above the valley floor. It was regarded as virtually impregnable to military assault. The church in this city is the least attractive of the seven churches to whom these letters are written. Our Lord finds nothing to commend about it.

The way the Lord presents himself to each of these churches is a clue as to what the church needs. Here he calls himself him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. The seven spirits are a symbol of the Holy Spirit in his fullness. What this church at Sardis desperately needed was life by the Spirit. They needed also to remember that Jesus is Lord of his church. It is not left to the members to run the church, to set up its form of government or to determine the nature of its ministry, but it is the prerogative of the Lord in their midst. These were truths they had forsaken or forgotten in Sardis.

As in all these letters, the life of the church is revealed in its deeds. Our Lord says, I know your deeds. In Sardis these were works that were done to impress people. They had a good reputation, but the church was actually dead. The members of it were, for the most part, not even believers. They were what we would call nominal Christians. This indicates a church made up of people who outwardly professed Christ — probably many of them thought of themselves as believers — but who actually possessed no spiritual life. They were Christians in name only.

There are thousands of churches like that around the world today. It is what gives non-Christians such a negative impression of Christians. They see the profession, but there is no life in those professing. Nothing backs them up. The church at Sardis was a church that had a reputation of being alive, but it was really dead. There was a time when this church was alive, when it was filled with people who knew the Lord. They served the homeless and the needy of the city. That is the way they won a reputation. They appeared to be a people committed to good works, but now there was no life there.

This church in Sardis was so devoid of life that it actually had no struggles going on within it. That is the difference between it and the other churches. There were no Jewish accusers of this church. There were no false apostles here. There were no domineering Nicolaitans who needed to be guarded against. There were no female seducers, as at Thyatira. There was nothing! Zip — that was the ministry of the church at Sardis!

Lord, keep me from thinking that the absence of struggles is an indication of your favor. Give me that life that comes only from your Spirit. Amen.

​

Life Application​

How is it possible that a church with a reputation for good deeds can be devoid of spiritual life? What are the evidences of the Holy Spirit in your life?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries. For permission to use this content,

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 20TH​

Wake Up!​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:1-6

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Rev 3:2-3

What does a dead church like Sardis need? Our Lord wastes no time in telling them. It is interesting that he still owns this church. He does not say, I have nothing to do with you. He gives them a way of recovery, and he still reveals himself as Lord of the church. As we look at these steps to recovery, they will also help us to identify a condition of death in a church.

The first thing a dead church needs is to wake up. These words in Greek are staccato commands, like a slap in the face. This was the need of the church in Sardis. Wake up! Face your failure! Feel the dullness of your services! Smell the deadness of your life! Ask yourself, What has gone wrong? Why are our services so dreary, so dull, so unattractive? Why do people not want to come? A church in this state needs to ask itself some very serious questions.

Second, Strengthen what remains. What was that? Jesus has already told them what there is of value in the church. I know your works, he says. They were good works, but they were incomplete. The actions were right, but the motives were wrong. They were not doing them for the right reason; they were doing them to impress people. They were trying to display and enhance a reputation they had. They were concerned as to whether people around would see what they were doing. But Jesus says even those good deeds were about to die.

All through the Scriptures we are told that God judges not the things we do, but the reason we do them. He is judging whether our work is done out of love for him and gratitude for what he has done for us, and not caring whether we are praised for them or not. Mother Teresa, who did such a wonderful work in Calcutta, said, We try to pray through our work by doing it with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus. That helps us put our whole heart and soul into doing it. The dying, the crippled, the mentally ill, the unwanted, the unloved — they are Jesus in disguise. What a wonderful spirit! That is what this church in Sardis so desperately needed.

Third, they needed to remember what they received and heard; to obey it, and to repent. The idea in Greek is not what they heard but how they heard. He is referring to the ministry of the Spirit. When these people first heard the gospel, they had heard it by the Spirit. The Word came to them in the power of the Spirit. How do you bring the Spirit's life back into a church? Scripture only suggests one way. In its briefest form it is, Repent and believe. Repent! Look at yourself and see your wrong attitudes, your wrong outlook, your self-appraisal as unacceptable before God. Then believe! Cast yourself upon the grace of Jesus. Receive from him the word of grace. He will impart to you the life of the Spirit of God.

Lord, I desire to be awake and alive to the presence of your Spirit in my life. Reveal those areas where my motives are impure. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Ask the Father to renew the fullness of the Spirit in you. Evaluate your motives and repent of that which might grieve the Holy Spirit within you.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 21ST​

A Promise to the Faithful​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:1-6

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Rev 3:4-6

Now a promise is given to those in the church at Sardis who are faithful to the Lord. White garments are a symbol of redemption. In Revelation 7 we read of a great multitude of people who come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). Clearly, white garments are a sign of being redeemed, being saved by the grace of God. These are said to be worthy, not because they have lived good moral lives, but because they had washed away their sins in the blood of the Lamb. They were worthy because God imparted to them the righteousness of Christ. This is the gift which he gives to all who come by faith to him. You need no longer to try to earn your way into a good relationship with God. You can never do so, but you are given it by believing his Word and receiving his forgiveness.

The Lord promises these people three specific things:
First, they will be dressed in white; i.e., they will be given his own righteousness. Many hymns reflect this great truth:

Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
'Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

Second, he promises: I will never blot out his name from the book of life. That promise bothers many people because they think it implies that some can be blotted out of the book of life. But the Lord does not say anything about anyone's name being blotted out. His words are simply assuring that those who trust him will never be blotted out. He is addressing the fears of the redeemed. Many Christians are troubled by the thought that perhaps they can lose their salvation. Sometimes when we have done things we are ashamed of, we ask ourselves, Am I no longer a Christian? Have I lost my salvation? Our Lord knows that, and he is here reassuring such. No, you need not be disturbed. If you are really a believer, I will never blot out your name from the book of life. That word never, is the strongest negative in the Greek language. It should be translated, I will never, ever, under any circumstances, blot out your name from the book of life. What wonderful reassurance!

On the contrary, says Jesus, I will acknowledge you before my Father and the angels in heaven. This is the third thing. When we arrive in glory, our lives will be visible to everybody. Jesus tells us, That which you have done in secret will be shouted from the house tops (Luke 12:3 KJV). Everything is wide open; no aspect of life can be hidden away. Knowing that, many of us are a little afraid to appear in glory. We know truths about ourselves that we do not want known. But Jesus says, When you stand there with your entire record exposed for everybody to see, I will look at you and say, You are mine. I will acknowledge your name before the Father and all his angels. This sinner, this defiled person — I want the universe to know — he is mine!

Thank you, Father, for these ringing words of assurance: I have security in my Lord Jesus, he holds me by his mighty hand, and I shall never perish but have eternal life as he has promised. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Do you know the wonderful assurance that you can never be booted out of the book of life?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 22ND​

Open Doors​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:7-13

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.
Rev 3:7-8a

Everyone knows that our historic city of Philadelphia means brotherly love. The biblical city was located about 28 miles southeast of the city of Sardis. The church in Philadelphia is unique among the seven churches because it is the only church the Lord registers no complaint against.

The Lord begins by telling them plainly who he is and what he does. He is holy and true. He is holy — morally perfect. His character is without flaw or blemish. And he is the true one, the one behind all that really exists. What he does is: he holds the key of David. In the days of Hezekiah, the Lord raised up a godly man named Eliakim, of whom God said, I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David.

What he opens, no one can shut, and what he shuts, no one can open (Isaiah 22:22). Our Lord refers back to that passage in Isaiah and applies it to himself: I am the one who shuts and no one can open, and opens and no one can shut. His will cannot be opposed. He governs the events of history on earth. He will open some doors; he will close other doors. What he opens no one can shut; what he shuts, no one can open. No human power can contravene what he determines.

Jesus tells the church that he has placed before them open doors of ministry and service, and no one can shut them. The Apostle Paul uses this analogy about himself. On his second missionary journey, he tried to go into the province of Asia to preach the gospel but was forbidden by the Holy Spirit; it was a shut door. Then he tried to go into Bithynia, but was not allowed of the Lord — another shut door. But when he came to Troas, he learned that the Lord had opened a door for him into Europe. In past years the Lord opened doors previously closed — in Poland, East Germany, The Czech Republic and Hungary. It is wonderful to see how the people have responded to that open door. Other doors still remain closed and Christians are forbidden to practice their faith there. They are tightly closed doors. We are encouraged to pray for these, but it takes the One who opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens for those prayers to succeed.

Lord, thank you that you open doors no one can shut, and close doors no one can open. You are sovereign over my life and I pray that I would have discernment to follow you in the way you lead. Amen.

​

Life Application​

In your own life and ministry, can you identify closed and open doors for ministry?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 23RD​

A Little Power​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:7-13

I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Rev 3:8

As the letter of our Lord to the church at Philadelphia continues, he writes, I know that you have little strength. There is no word in Greek for I know. What it literally says is, …because you have a little power and have kept my word and have not denied my name. The church is being given the reasons why the Lord opened a door for them. What the text actually says is, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut because you have a little power and have kept my word and not denied my name.

This teaches us that an open door is given when a church fulfills the conditions that will allow it to move through that door once it has been opened. Chief among those conditions is that it has discovered the power of the Spirit. It is not so much strength as it is power — power obtained by faith, i.e., by expecting God to act. Individuals in the church sense that God can do something. They look for an opportunity, and when they respond, a door opens for continued service which may grow even wider so others may enter with them.

Ephesians 2:10 is one of the most exciting verses in the New Testament. Paul says, We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. That is why you have been made a Christian — that you might do good works — deeds of help, mercy, kindness, witness, love, comfort, counsel and strength. That is what each member of the church is capable of doing. And then comes the exciting part: which God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in them. When you are confronted with a need, it may appear insignificant at first. Perhaps it is a neighbor with a heavy heart; perhaps it is a family member who has what may appear to be a minor problem.

When you respond to that, however, it becomes an open door. Ministry may grow out of it which will challenge and bless you as you go on. Notice that the Lord says to this church, you have a little power. This stresses the fact that most churches hardly realize the potential they have for ministry. Each believer has been given spiritual gifts and has been commissioned by him to use those gifts to bless people and meet their needs. Yet how few of us enter into this! What vast potential resides in a single congregation if everyone would exercise the ministry that has been given them!

The presence of the Spirit is promised to each church without any condition whatsoever. When we know Christ, the Spirit comes to live within our hearts and to reside there. But the power of the Spirit is given only to those churches who learn to keep his word and not deny his name! Those two things are central in the ministry of every church.

Lord, thank you for creating me in Christ Jesus for good works. Thank you that you have prepared them beforehand. Help me to be faithful in walking in them. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Reflect on the ministry opportunities the Lord has placed before you. In what ways has God uniquely equipped you with "a little power" to respond?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 24TH​

The Synagogue of Satan​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:7-13

I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars — I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
Rev 3:9-10

The church at Philadelphia was responsive and ready to be used. As a result, the Lord told them he will use his power to open doors to make their enemies respect them and acknowledge God's blessing upon them. Those who claim to be Jews though they are not referred to certain Jews in that city who claimed to be spiritual descendants of Abraham but in actuality were only his physical descendants; their attitude toward the truth of God was far removed from Abraham's faith. The Lord himself continually confronted the Pharisees who claimed to be Abraham's descendants, but Jesus said to them, You are of your father the devil (John 8:44). So here in the city of Philadelphia Jesus refers to this Jewish opposition as the synagogue of Satan.

But something amazing happens. What causes these Jews to come at last and bow before the church and acknowledge God's blessing upon them? It is because the church responds to the opposition and hostility with knowledge of the love of God which these Jews do not possess, even though they have the Scriptures. As a result, they come at last and acknowledge God's blessing on the church at Philadelphia.

Another result of this church’s responsiveness to the Lord is that he will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. This promise is a reference to what our Lord himself calls the great tribulation — a time of distress that will come upon the whole world. It is particularly sent to test the inhabitants of the earth. This is referring to those who live as though this life is all there is, who live upon the earth and for the earth and for the things of earth. That is what the time of testing is sent to reveal.

But the promise to the church is specifically that it is to be delivered from the hour of trial. Actually the word is not from, but out of — to be delivered out of — not just the trial but out of the very time of the trial! This is one of the clearest promises in the Bible of the rapture of the church before the great tribulation begins. It is a promise of the departure of the church, which Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4, For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV).

Thank you, Father, that you ordain the times and seasons of life here on earth. Thank you, that you will protect your people from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Am I, like the church at Philadelphia, ready to be used? How can I be more alert to opportunities the Lord brings my way?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR JULY 25TH​

A Promise to the Victorious​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 3:7-13

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Rev 3:11-13

Once again we have a renewal of Jesus' wonderful promise, I am coming soon. Jesus has been describing a time when the greatest trial that the earth has ever known will come, the great tribulation. It is in relationship to this event that Jesus says he is coming soon. As the world nears that final, climactic upheaval, we should hear again his promise that he is coming soon.

In relationship to that promise his word is, Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. As the times get harder for Christians, as hostility increases and the world becomes more and more secular, then we must be careful that we do not give up and go along with worldly attitudes and pursuits. We must not allow a desire for status, prestige, fame, a beautiful home and the things the world lusts for, to become central in our thinking. Hold on to what you have, says Jesus, because there is danger that someone may take your crown. That is not a reference to the possible loss of salvation. What it is speaking of is your opportunity for service in the eternal ages. That is the reward which is offered, the opportunity for even greater service.

There are two promises given to the victorious ones. First, Jesus says, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and never again will he leave it. A pillar is a symbol of strength and permanence. Our Lord is promising those who hold on to what they have, a position of strength and permanence in the life to come.

Second, Jesus says three names will be written on the victorious. The first is, the name of my God. This is a promise that believers will become godly. If you are maturing as a Christian, each year you ought to be more patient, compassionate, understanding of others, and mature in your judgment. Second, Jesus says, I will write [on him] the name of the city of my God. Revelation gives a vivid description of the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband. That is a picture of loving intimacy; someone captured by the beauty and goodness of another and longing to be with him or her. Those who stand fast in the midst of a decaying world will know the intimacy of a husband's love for his bride.

Last, says Jesus, I will also write on him my new name. When our Lord's work of redemption is finished, he will have a new name, but it is a name that no man knows (Revelation 19:12). Jesus is the redemptive name of our Lord. It means Yahweh saves. But when the work of redemption is finished, when we are all home in glory with him, Jesus will be given a new work to do. No one knows what it is, but the church is promised a share in those vast new labors! In the new heavens and the new earth, redemption will no longer be required, but a new role will be given our Lord, and in that new work the church is called to share.

Father, I am so grateful for the glorious hope of the new heavens and the new earth. Help me to hold on to what I have so that no one will take my crown. Amen.

​

Life Application​

When the Lord says, "hold on to what you have," what comes to mind for you to hold on to?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for July 26th​

Faithful and True​

Read the Scripture: Revelation 3:14-21

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
Rev 3:14

The city of Laodicea was part of a tri-city area, closely associated with the cities of Colossae and Hierapolis. Laodicea was noted throughout the Roman province of Asia for its wealth, its commercial life, and its medical practice. As the banking center of Asia, it was the most prosperous of the seven cities. Many large, beautiful homes were built in this city, and probably some of them were owned by Christians. Laodicea also had a flourishing clothing industry. A breed of black sheep were raised around this area, and the wool was woven into special clothes that were sold here. The city was also noted for its eye and ear salve. All of this will explain some of the references we find in this letter to the church there.

As in all the letters, our Lord introduces himself in a significant way. His opening description forms the key to what the church needs. He was first of all the Amen. We are all familiar with this word; we utter it when we close a prayer or when we want to express our agreement with a statement. But it is also a word that Jesus used frequently. He begins many statements with the words, Truly, truly, I say to you. Actually, in Greek, that is Amen, Amen. It indicates that Jesus is saying something extremely important and true.

Also, our Lord calls himself the faithful and true witness. He has emphasized his truthfulness before in these letters, but here he adds the word faithful. He not only tells the truth, but he tells all the truth. He does not hide anything. He speaks plainly and clearly and reveals the whole truth.
The third phrase, the ruler of God's creation. is better translated, the beginning of God's creation. It is the same word that the Gospel of John opens with: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). Jesus is the origin, the beginning of God's creation, but not merely of the old creation, i.e., the physical universe in which we live. Jesus is also the source of the new creation that God is building. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5, If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17a). We are part of a new world that the Lord is bringing into being. It has already begun, and that is the point: old things have passed away; behold all things have become new, (2 Corinthians 5:17b KJV).

This church in Laodicea particularly needs to know that truth. At the end of his letter to the Colossians, Paul says, See that [this letter] is read also in the church of the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16b). So the Laodiceans were to be familiar with the letter to Colossae, and it is in that letter that Paul emphasizes Jesus' link with creation. He is the firstborn of creation (Colossians 1:15), and the firstborn from among the dead (Colossians 1:18b), which is the new creation. This church at Laodicea needs to be told important truth, the whole truth, and especially truth about how to relate to God's new creation.

Lord, you are the faithful and true witness, the first born of all creation. Thank you for making me a new creation in Christ. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Am I growing deeper in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the word made flesh? Am I growing to not just know more about him, but to more intimately know him?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for July 27th​

The Compromising Church​

Read the Scripture: Revelation 3:14-21

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Rev 3:15-16

Laodicea was a church that was neither hot nor cold, it was merely lukewarm. They were suffering from what someone has well called the leukemia of non-commitment. Archaeologists have discovered an interesting fact about this city. It had no local water supply but obtained water through an aqueduct from the hot springs at Hierapolis, some six miles away. If you were staying in a motel in Laodicea and turned on the tap to get a cold drink, and tasted the water, you would probably spit it out again because it was lukewarm. Traveling that distance, the hot water had partly cooled down, and it would be repulsive. The word our Lord actually uses here is not spit out but vomit. He will vomit out the church because it was nauseating to him. What created this condition? There is only one answer. It is compromise! When you want to make something lukewarm, you mix together hot and cold.

We do this continually with regard to air temperature. There are times when I arrive at church in the morning and it is very cold. Some are even wearing overcoats! We humans do not like extremes of temperature. We do not like it to be cold, and we do not like it when it is hot. So what do we do? For our comfort we mix the two together. We come out with what is comfortably warm.

That is what was happening in the church at Laodicea. They were compromising spiritually for comfort's sake. It is much more comfortable to attend a church where nobody takes doctrinal issues very seriously, where, for comfort's sake, you avoid discussions over issues. This church was compromising its teaching for the sake of peace. They had enough truth to salve the conscience without becoming fanatics, but enough coolness to calm their wills without freezing people out. It was a comfortable church. You could have attended this church for years and it would have probably been very pleasurable, but nothing much would be happening. You would not be challenged, rebuked, corrected, or exhorted, but only encouraged and respected, because it was not only a comfortable church, but also a compromising church. What does Jesus think of a church like that? Yuck! It’s nauseating! Repulsive! The people may like it, but Jesus does not. It may make them comfortable, but it makes him sick!

Search my heart, Lord, for ways in which I have become lukewarm in my walk with you. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Are you more prone to sacrifice truth for the sake of love, or love for the sake of truth? How do you keep the balance?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for July 28th​

The Age of Laodicea​

Read the Scripture: Revelation 3:14-21

You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Rev 3:17

There is a big difference between you say and you are. Our Lord points out this difference. This is the Faithful and True witness speaking, the one who tells the whole truth, even though it hurts. This church at Laodicea was smug, self-sufficient and complacent. They had plenty of money. Perhaps they had beautiful buildings, gifted preachers, great music, and the respect of the community. They thought they were doing well. But when Jesus looks at it, he says, You are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Why such a difference in these two views? It is because they were being measured by two different standards.

I might say to you, What is the temperature today? and you would look at a thermometer and say, It is 32 above zero. But I might check another thermometer and say, No, you are wrong. It is zero. The truth is, we would both be right, because one thermometer was Fahrenheit and the other was Centigrade. Zero in Centigrade is 32 above in Fahrenheit. If you use two different standards of measurement, you will never be able to agree on what the true temperature is. That is what was happening here. They were being measured by two different standards. Laodicea was using the standards of the world. It was pleasant, comfortable, approved by the community around, and they thought they were doing well. But Jesus is using the standard of what he intended his church to be like.

Jesus tells us plainly what his church is to be like. It is to be salt. He said, Salt that loses its saltiness is good for nothing (Matthew 5:13). A church that is salt should be salty. It should be spread throughout the whole area, flavoring whatever it touches. The church is to function not only when it meets on Sunday, but out where people are during the week. That is where it is to tell the good news and to be salt, flavoring life with a different flavor, which does not go along with the willful, wicked ways of the world, but which chooses to walk in truth, righteousness, love and honesty.

Laodicea is much like the church of the 21st century. It is characterized by the phenomenon of the people dictating what will be taught. Laodicea is where the people tell the pastors what to preach. There was once a time when the church taught that the natural life with which we were born, was something that needed to be crucified. Jesus said it himself, He that comes after me must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24). But we are living in a day when churches are openly advancing self, saying we should discover its possibilities. Once the inerrancy of Scripture formed the bedrock of all evangelical churches, but now churches that call themselves evangelical are denying the inerrancy of the Word. Once there was a great urge within the church to evangelize the lost, but in many churches we are being told that God is too loving to condemn anybody. This is truly the age of Laodicea.

Lord, you have called me to be as salt in this world, but I confess that so often I prefer to blend in. Help me not to lose my saltiness. Amen.

​

Life Application​

By what standard do you measure your spiritual condition?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for July 29th​

Buy This From Me​

Read the Scripture: Revelation 3:14-21

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Rev 3:18

The key to this verse is the three little words buy from me. Jesus has everything the church at Laodicea really needs to function. It is nice to have buildings and beautiful music. These are not wrong, but they are not what the church needs. What it needs is what our Lord describes here, gold, white clothing, and eye salve. He alone possesses them. That is why it really does not make any difference whether we are persecuted, hounded by the government, put to death, or patronized and accepted. What the church needs is to be obtained only from Jesus, and our Lord tells us what it is.

First, gold refined in the fire. Peter tells us that our faith is like gold refined in the fire: More precious even than gold that perishes, though it be tried by fire, (1 Peter 1:7). Faith in God. Faith in his Word. Faith comes from Jesus. As we look to him our faith is awakened and stirred. We then see how true the Scriptures are, how they explain life and fit with what we experience daily. This awakens a sense of confidence and faith, and that is what this church needed. It lacked faith in God but was resting on its own abilities or the world's resources.

Then, second, they needed white clothes to cover their shameful nakedness. Everyone is morally naked before God. Every one of us knows something about ourselves that we would not want anyone else to know. But God knows! He sees us in our nakedness. What does he offer for it? The righteousness of Christ! White clothes stand for redemption, for righteousness imparted by Christ. We are no longer to be clothed with our own self-righteousness, but we are to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ himself, a perfect righteousness which God accepts. White clothes stand for a changed character; they mark someone who has taken his robes and washed them in the blood of the Lamb.

Then the third thing that is needed is eye salve. Laodicea was noted for its eye ointment. Jesus says they need spiritual eye salve that will enable them to see. Everywhere in Scripture we have mention of an anointing of the Spirit that opens eyes to understand the truth of God. John speaks of this in his first letter. He says, The anointing that you received from him remains in you and you do not need anyone to teach you, but his anointing is real, not counterfeit, and teaches you all truth (1 John 2:27). That does not do away with the need for human teachers. It means that unless the Spirit within you is opening your eyes to the meaning of truth taught, it will fall upon deaf ears. But if we have the Spirit of Christ within, our eyes are opened to understand the Word of God and we see the Bible in a new, fresh and wonderful way.

Lord, I desire to get from you what I can get nowhere else. Grant me greater faith, a new sense of my righteous standing before you, and spiritual eye salve to see more of your truth written in the Word. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Reflect on these three things the Lord provides: gold, white clothing, and eye salve. Which of these do you particularly need right now?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for July 30th​

A Gracious Offer​

Read the Scripture: Revelation 3:14-21

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Rev 3:19-20

This is one of the most beautiful sections of Scripture, a most gracious offer to change which our Lord makes to individuals within the church of Laodicea. Our Lord is simply telling this church, despite its terrible weakness and failure, I love you, and it is because I love you that I rebuke you and discipline you. Does that remind you of the way your father treated you? Did he ever take you aside and discipline you for something and say as he did it, I am only doing this because I love you? You go away saying, I wish you didn't love me so much! But Jesus speaks with bluntness because he loves this church, and he offers them a wonderful way out.

Verse 20 is one of the finest explanations in the whole Bible of how to become a Christian. I have used it hundreds of times and seen it work. It has three simple divisions: First, there comes a sense that Christ is outside your life and knocking at the door of your heart, wanting to come in. That occurs when you feel your life is not what you want it to be. You feel empty and disturbed about yourself. You hear the good news in song and word about Jesus, the kind of Lord he is and what he can do. You sense the knocking of Christ and you want him to come in. You begin to be awakened to your need, and you sense him offering to enter your life. That is step number one.

Then the second step is very important. You must open the door. He will not open it. He is not going to force himself upon you. He never forces anyone into salvation. He offers it to you. Everywhere in Scripture Jesus offers himself to people, and he grieves over the fact that people do not receive his offer. So he offers himself here, if you will open the door. You must invite him in. You must say to him, Come in, Lord Jesus. Enter my life. Be my Lord and Savior. Deliver me from my sins.

Then the third step is very clear. He will enter in! He says so. You do not have to feel him enter. He does not say he will give you the feeling that he is there, although certainly that will come in time, but he says, If you open the door I will enter in and remain with you. We will eat together and be together. It is a beautiful picture of permanently dwelling with you. He will move in to live with you.

There may be some reading this who have never opened their hearts to Christ. If you turn away from his knocking you will remain lost, and, eventually, if you never repent, you will enter eternity lost forever. But our Lord says if you will open the door, and say in your heart, Lord Jesus, come into my life and deliver me, change me, save me; I receive you, Lord, he will enter. John promises in his Gospel, Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

Lord Jesus, I open the door of my heart and ask you to come in and be my Savior and Lord. Thank you that you are faithful to do all that you have promised. Amen.

​

Life Application​

Is there someone in your life that you can share this life-changing good news with today?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for July 31st​

Two Thrones​

Read the Scripture: Revelation 3:14-21

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Rev 3:21-22

Again, the promise is to share in our Lord's reign. The true church is intended to reign with Christ. But our Lord makes a careful distinction here. He distinguishes between his throne and his Father's throne. The Father's throne is the sovereign government of the universe. God is sovereign over all and the whole universe is under his control.

Every human event comes under his jurisdiction. When our Lord had overcome, when he had endured faithfully to the end of his life, he sat down at his Father's throne. When he ascended, He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

But Jesus also has a throne. He calls it my throne. The overcoming Christian is invited to reign with him on it. In Scripture that throne is called the throne of David. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he told her that she would have a son, that he would be called the Son of God, and that the Lord would give unto him the throne of his father David, and he would reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:32-33). The house of Jacob is the nation of Israel. So this is a promise particularly relating to the time yet to come, when Jesus assumes the throne of David and Israel is made the head of the nations. It is the millennial kingdom. The church, resurrected and glorified, is to share with him in that reign. That will continue into the new heavens and the new earth.

But this is a particular promise looking to the coming kingdom on earth, when Jesus will reign over the earth. Our Lord had explained this to his disciples in Matthew, Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). You could not put that any plainer, could you? That is our Lord's amplification of this promise here.

Now for the last time in these letters, we hear our Lord say, He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches — not what the churches say about themselves, or to the world, but what the Spirit says to the churches. We are to receive truth from God and dispense it to the world. But we do not originate truth. We do not think up the things that we would like to believe and spread that abroad. We are responsible to hear what the Spirit says to the churches and then to pass it along, as we function as salt and light in the world.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the hope you give me to sit with you on your throne. Give me ears to hear what you are saying to the churches today. Amen.

​

Life Application​

As you finish this study on the letters to the seven churches, what do you feel the Spirit is saying to today’s church?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for August 1st​

Two Churches​

Read the Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
Matthew 13:24-26

How can the church be both sin-ridden and salt and light? How can the church be both a source of disillusionment and a source of illumination at the same time? The answer, as found in the Bible, is this: What we call the church is really two churches! One is selfish, power-hungry, and sinful. The other is loving, forgiving, and godly. One is a false church masquerading as Christianity, but whose head is Satan. The other is the true church, founded by Jesus Christ, mirroring His authentic character through acts of love, self-sacrifice, courage, and truth.

For some reason, we are surprised when confronted by this counterfeit church. For some of us, a painful encounter with this false church creates so much pain and disillusionment that we actually begin to doubt the reality of God's true church! But we shouldn't be surprised or disillusioned when we bump up against counterfeit Christianity. Jesus Himself predicted that the false church would come. In the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds), Jesus says that he plants wheat in the field of the world. The wheat represents Christians, whom he calls the sons of the kingdom. But after the wheat is planted, the Devil comes in and plants weeds. These weeds look like wheat but produce no grain. They are, in effect, false or counterfeit wheat. These weeds represent false Christians, whom Jesus calls sons of the evil one. Outwardly, they look like the genuine article. The wheat and weeds grow up together and are indistinguishable from each other.

Soon, workers notice the weeds growing among the wheat and ask if they should dig up the weeds. The Lord's answer: Absolutely not! Uprooting them would destroy the wheat along with the weeds. Instead, let both grow together until the harvest. The harvest will take place at the end of the age when Jesus sends His angels into the field to separate the weeds from the wheat. The weeds will be burned in judgment, but the wheat will be gathered into his Father's barns.

No wonder the church presents such a confused picture to the world! If we insist on viewing these two distinct churches as one and the same, it will leave us baffled. But, you may ask, isn't there any way we can separate the true church from the false? It has been tried many times before, and every attempt has failed because the separation has been attempted on the basis of external factors: doctrinal purity, moral conduct, ritualistic practices, and even affiliation with the government! Roman Catholics insist they have the true church. Baptists scorn such claims and declare that they have the true pattern. Other sects and denominations declare, A plague on both your houses — we are the true church! The battle has raged for centuries. The result of all this confusion has been that the church has been robbed of its sense of identity.

Lord, grant me peace that you know the difference between the wheat and the weeds, and that judging between the two is not up to me.

Life Application​

Have I been judging others for not being a part of the "true church"?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for August 2nd​

The Divine Strategy​

Read the Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-3

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3

What does the apostle say to the Ephesian church in the face of so many desperate cries of human need? What is his answer to the pleas for justice and relief from oppression all around him? Simply this: Live a life worthy of the calling you have received!

We desperately need this practical admonition of the apostle. The One who has called us sees life much more clearly than we do. He has devised a strategy that will actually remove the root cause of human darkness and misery — not just cover the cancer of sin with a Band-Aid. When the church is faithful to its calling, it becomes a healing agency in society, able to lift a whole nation or an empire to a higher plateau of healthy, wholesome living.
In his monumental history of the world, The Story of Civilization, Will Durant compares the influence of Caesar and Christ.

He says of Jesus: The revolution he sought was a far deeper one, without which reforms could be only superficial and transitory. If he could cleanse the human heart of selfish desire, cruelty, and lust, utopia would come of itself, and all those institutions that rise out of human greed and violence, and the consequent need for law, would disappear. Since this would be the profoundest of all revolutions, beside which all others would be mere coup d'etats of class ousting class and exploiting in its turn, Christ was, in this spiritual sense, the greatest revolutionist in history.

The true church is here to effect that revolution. The false church is here to oppose it. But true Christians actually promote the cause of false Christianity when, through ignorance or mistaken zeal, they deviate from the divine strategy and disobey their divine calling. We mere humans cannot improve on the divine program. Nor are we left in doubt as to what that calling is. If Christians are to give intelligent obedience to their Lord, they must give highest priority to understanding what He wants them to be and do.

Father, remind me of my true calling and give me strength to live it out in my daily life. Keep me focused on living out what Scripture and the Spirit have made clear about the Christian walk.

​

Life Application​

What have I forgotten about my true calling, and how can I return to it?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for August 3rd​

For the Praise of His Glory​

Read the Scripture: Ephesians 1:7-14

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:11-12

Think of that! The phrase we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ refers to us who are Christians as having been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. The first task of the church is not the welfare of human beings. Our welfare is definitely important to God, but that is not the church's first task. Rather, we have been chosen by God to live to the praise and glory of God, so that through our lives his glory will be revealed to the world.

What is God's glory? It is God himself, the revelation of what God is and does. The problem with this world is that it does not know God. In all its seeking and wanderings, its endeavors to discover truth, it does not know God. But the glory of God is to reveal Himself, to show the world what he himself is like. When the works of God and the nature of God are demonstrated through the church, he is glorified. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

People can see the glory of God in the face of Christ, in his character, his being. And that glory is also found, says Paul, in our hearts. God calls the church to reveal to the world the glory of his character, which is found in the face of Jesus Christ. This is stated again in chapter 1 of Ephesians: And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (Ephesians 1:22,23).

That is a tremendous statement! Paul says that all the fullness of Jesus Christ is to be seen in his body, which is the church! The calling of the church is to declare in word and demonstrate in attitude and deed the character of Christ who lives within his people. We are to declare the reality of a life-changing encounter with a living Christ and to demonstrate that change by an unselfish, love-filled life. Until we have done that, nothing else we can do will be effective for God.

Lord, grant me courage and strength to reveal the character of Jesus Christ by my attitudes and actions. Show me how to be your feet and hands to the world.

​

Life Application​

Evaluate your current circumstances and ask God to show you how to better reflect the life of Jesus in them.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for August 5th​

Relentless Love​

Read the Scripture: John 13:31-35

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:34-35

The supreme mark of the life of Jesus Christ within the Christian is, of course, love. Love which accepts others as they are. Love which is tenderhearted and forgiving. Love which seeks to heal misunderstandings, divisions, and broken relationships. This love is never manifested by rivalry, greed, ostentatious display, indifference, or prejudice. It is the very opposite of name-calling, backbiting, stubbornness, and division. Here we discover the unifying force which enables the church to carry out its purpose in the world: Christlike love. How do we reflect God's holiness?

By our love! How do we reveal God's glory? By our love! How do we witness to the reality of Jesus Christ? By our love!

The New Testament has very little to say about Christian involvement in politics, or defending family values, or promoting peace and justice, or opposing pornography, or defending the rights of this or that oppressed group. I'm not saying Christians should not be concerned about these issues. Obviously you cannot have a heart filled with love for human beings and not be concerned about these things. But the New Testament says relatively little about these things because God knows that the only way to solve these problems and heal broken relationships is by introducing a totally new dynamic into human life — the dynamic of the life of Jesus Christ.

The life of Jesus Christ is what men and women truly need. The elimination of darkness begins with the introduction of light. The elimination of hatred begins with the introduction of love. The elimination of sickness and corruption begins with the introduction of life. We must begin with the introduction of Christ, for that is the calling to which we have been called.

The Gospel germinated in a social climate much like our own — a time of injustice, racial division, social unrest, rampant crime, unbridled immorality, economic uncertainty, and widespread fear. The early Christian church struggled to survive under persecution so relentless and murderous, it is beyond our ability to imagine. But the early church did not see its calling as one of fighting injustice and oppression, or demanding its rights. The early church saw its mission as one of reflecting God's holiness, revealing God's glory, and witnessing to the reality of Jesus Christ by demonstrating relentless love, both toward those within the church, and those outside.

Father, keep me focused on reflecting the character qualities given to me by the life of Christ within me. Help me show unending love to everyone.

​

Life Application​

Is my first priority to love and act like Jesus before others?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries

 

[Obadiah]

A daily devotion for August 6th​

Equality​

Read the Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.
2 Corinthians 8:13-15

Certainly no one can read the Bible without realizing that no believer has the right to enjoy this world's goods while his brother is in need. That is very clear, is it not? John wrote, If anyone has this world's goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? (1 John 3:17). Don't tell me you love God, he says, if you know that your brother is in need and you are doing nothing about it; don't say you love God! Your songs about God, your prayers to God are utterly meaningless while this naked fact remains: your brother is in need and you are doing nothing about it.

One side of this matter of giving is that in prosperity we are to relieve the needs of others. But there is another side as well. In adversity we are to receive the gifts of others. I find often that Christians who are in need, genuinely in need, out of a mistaken sense of pride, refuse to accept the gifts of others. They feel they are receiving charity, and they will have nothing to do with charity. That reflects a complete misunderstanding of that wonderful word charity. Charity is simply another word for love. It is wrong, in the mistaken pride of our hearts, to refuse the offer of love. This is not to be. It reveals an unscriptural and carnal pride.

In the family of God, there is to be an equality so that your abundance at one time may be the means of supplying another's need, for there may very well come a day when, a change of fortune occurring, you may be the one in need and their abundance shall supply your need. This is in clear accord with the basic relationship of members of the body of Christ.

To illustrate this, Paul quotes from the Old Testament the story of the manna that fell in the wilderness. He pictures the man who went forth with greed in his heart to gather up this wonderful substance and fill his pots and pans with this delicious stuff called manna. Paul says that here was a man who went out and gathered all he could get, hoping to have an abundance of this wonderful food. But those who gathered like that, in greed, found that what they could not use in one day turned to a foul mass of corruption, while for those who gathered little, God met their need by the sharing of others and there was an abundance. Those who gathered little lacked nothing. Paul is simply saying that if we fail to give in prosperity, God will curse what we have and make it become a curse to us. If we attempt to accumulate more than we actually need and do not give that which is in abundance with us, it shall turn, in the providence of God, to cursing in our hands. On the other hand, if we fail to receive in adversity, God will judge us for our carnal, stubborn pride.

Lord, help me understand this principle of equality within the body of Christ. You provide for all of us, and we can provide for each other because of your gifts.

​

Life Application​

In my abundance, how may I give more to others? In my lack, how may I receive gifts from others graciously?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.