Today's Verse - Matthew 4:4 (NIV): Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

This verse, of course, comes from the temptation of Jesus in the desert, by Satan. The devil has challenged Jesus to end His fast. In answer, Jesus cites Deuteronomy 8:3. He also cites from the same book for the other two temptations, as well. In this verse, he compares His test, in the desert, to the test of the Israelites during the Exodus. In the desert, the Israelites were given manna instead of being forced to rely on their own capabilities to feed themselves. And, here, Jesus is replying that his spiritual needs are more important than the physical needs, and the implication is that God's word is sufficient to sustain Him, as well as any other man and that God will provide, as necessary, for Jesus' needs beyond that.

Today's Comments: The obvious implication of this verse for Christians today is that our own view of what we need for sustenance may be significantly different than that of what God thinks that we need. Do we need big houses and fast cars? Do we need our morning coffee at Starbucks or our evening cocktail and dinner at some expensive restaurant. Jesus went to the desert to fill himself with His father's word. He emptied Himself of worldly things to fill himself with spiritual things and to allow His faith to be tested. Now, I don't think that God wants us, necessarily to go to the desert and be tempted by Satan. But, He does want us to focus on spiritual things over material things. In other words, if we spend too much time on physical enjoyment, we will not spend any time at all on satisfying our spiritual necessities.

Today's Verse - Hebrews 2:1 (NIV): Warning to Pay Attention
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

I believe that Paul is asking us to play close attention to the truth that God has given us in the revelation of himself, as transmitted to us in scripture. We must not, then, allow ourselves to drift away from the truth, but must hold on to it.

Today's Comments: Pay attention to the truth, hold onto it, and resist the temptation to drift away from it. This is the lesson that Paul teaches and the lesson that the mainstream churches have failed to understand. Their relational, rational, existential and cultural focus upon the interpretation of scripture has pulled them away from the truth of the Gospel. They have denied the sinful nature of man; they have operated under the assumption that because God created man, man's sexuality, whatever it be, has become a part of that creation; and they are operating under the assumption that God must obey man's concept of rationality, thereby suggesting that maybe even God, as he has revealed himself in scripture, might not be clear enough without being subject to literary criticism and interpretation. Finally, there is no truth, as many mainstream churches see it. Truth is relative and depends upon cultural interpretations. In summary, many of our churches have failed to listen to Paul's warning to pay close attention and hold onto the truth. Our consequence is that in the relative truth of human kind, we may be losing the absolute truth of God.

Today's Devotion - Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV) -
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

When Paul talks about the prize for which God has called him, he is talking about Jesus winning Paul to apostleship. Paul does not want us to pay attention to what has been or happened before. He wants us to look forward to our future in Jesus Christ.

Today's Comments: In today's verse, Paul talks about his calling by Jesus Christ. In some way or other, all Christians are called by God: Some to teach, some to be deacons, some to be priests and bishops, some to be helpers, and some to use their special talents in toward helping others. Sometimes our calling is clear, and sometimes our calling needs discernment. Sometimes our calling changes, placing us into situations that we do not anticipate. For example, I always thought that my calling was toward military ministry. And, I thought that doors had been opened to me to become a chaplain in the State Military Reserve. However, right now those doors appear to be closing for the moment. Yet, at the same time, I have been asked to act as a civilian chaplain to an Army Reserve air unit at Los Alamitos. There are no Army Chaplains available to this group, and less than a month ago, one of their members committed suicide. They are meeting on August 7th to discuss that suicide, and I will be acting as their chaplain. Maybe my activities with this unit will allow me entry as a State Military Reserve Chaplain, but no matter what, I will press on to do that what God has called me to do.

Today's Devotion - 1 John 3:21-22 (NIV): 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

The relationship between us and God is a reciprocal one. It is similar to that between a father and a son, or a father and a daughter. God shows His love by giving us what we ask for, while we show our love by doing that which pleases Him. It explains to us why we pray and that God answers our prayers.

Today's Comments: I think that the flip-side to this verse and the commentary above is that when we don't do that which pleases God, then we may not receive answer our prayers. Does that me he punishes us? Perhaps, but I don't really take it that way. I think that it is more the fact that when we are disobedient, we fail to listen. And, if we fail to listen, we fail to hear God's answer to our prayers. God may not give us all that we ask; instead, He gives us all that we need. And, if we fail to fully acknowledge our need for a relationship with Him, that relationship becomes broken, and communication can become seriously impaired.

Today's Verse - Acts 4:13 (NIV):
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

The idea this verse seeks to convey is that Peter and John preached the name of Jesus without fear, that they were ordinary uneducated men who had no training in the Jewish faith (they also may have been perceived as men who could not write), and yet they were outspoken and had been close companions of Jesus.

Today's Comments: I don't think that it takes a rocket scientist to preach the name of Jesus. In fact, it is interesting to see that many of those who we consider to be our educated elite hold agnostic or atheistic views, some even displaying open hostility to the Christian faith. Is it because these people think more of themselves and their degrees than they do of God and their fellow man? That seemed to be true with respect to the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees who witnessed the preaching and healing of Peter and John. They were more interested in preserving their traditions and their jobs than they were in trying to understand the truth. Despite wide witness to their acts of healing a cripple, these people had closed their minds to the reality that was going on around them. They were willing to condemn the truth in order to live a lie.

Is that what is happening in society today? In the Episcopal Church? We must ask ourselves, "do we stand with or against God?"

Today's Devotion - Proverbs 11:24 (NIV): One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

The meaning of this proverb is that ultimately, prosperity comes from giving back to God that which is duly God's.

Today's Comments: There is another saying that we all know: "We reap what we sow." Generosity is always a good investment. Yet, I am not sure that this verse dooms one to monetary poverty, if he or she holds back their giving. I believe that it can also refer to the idea that one who gives feels a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction while the one who is miserly, may still be rich with material things, but in his or her heart lacks self-worth.

I can't help think about the visit that I made to one of our parishioners today who is in a convalescent hospital living out her last days. She seemed so grateful to see me. And, when she held my hand, I felt a peace that I don't often feel. I think that the joy of helping somebody feel good is greater than practically any other joy that one can feel. One who make others feel good will also make himself or herself feel good, as well.

There is an interesting video that was recommended on Kim Komando's Web Site that illustrates my point. It will take about sixteen minutes of your time, but I think that you will enjoy it. It is called Validation. Click on the hyperlink in the title to view it, and enjoy.

Today's Verse - 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV): For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.

Asa, King of Judah, decided to take things into his own hands, instead of relying upon the Lord for deliverance. Hanani, the seer, reminded this king of Judah that, because he made a treaty with the king of Aram, instead of relying upon the Lord, Asa would continue to be at war.

Today's Comments: This verse reminds us that we must be fully committed toward God. There is no question that our disobedience seriously impairs our relationship with Him.

Archbishop Robert Duncan of the ACNA recently published an email concerning the Episcopal Church's commitment toward the God of the Bible. I think that the verse above applies to the choices that the ECUSA is making. There is no question that the ECUSA is currently at war with its membership and will continue to be so until it decides to follow God's revelation as is given to us in the Bible:

22nd July, A.D. 2009
Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

Two Cities: One Choice
An Open Letter to the Anglican Communion

Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There are times in the history of God’s people when the prevailing values and behaviors of those then in control of rival cities symbolizes a choice to be made by all of God’s people. For Anglicans such a moment has certainly arrived. The cities symbolizing the present choice are Bedford, Texas, and Anaheim, California. In the last month, the contrasting behaviors and values of the religious leaders who met in these two small cities made each a symbol of Anglicanism’s inescapable choice.

Jerusalem and Babylon come to mind as the Scriptural cities which are enduring symbols of choices to be made by God’s people, and of what can happen when God’s people make a choice for something other than God’s Way, God’s Truth, God’s Life, as set out in God’s Covenant, whether Old or New.

Charles Dickens contrasts London and Paris in the last quarter of the
18th Century in his Tale of Two Cities. Both cities are in crisis, but one operates from received values and behaviors, while the other attempts to re-make the world to its own revolutionary tastes.

St. Augustine of Hippo in his De Civitate Dei contrasts the City of God and the City of the World, explaining the fate of Rome in terms of the favor that comes from conforming to the behaviors and values of the Heavenly City as over against the Earthly City.

The Anglican Church in North America, whose leaders met at Bedford, Texas, from June 20th to June 25th, embraced the values and behaviors familiar to Christians in every age: daily repenting of human sin in disobeying the one Lord, embracing the need (both personal and corporate) of a divine Savior, and recommitting to the proclamation in word and deed of the gospel of transforming love. The unity at Bedford, despite very real differences, was palpable.

The Episcopal Church, whose leaders met at Anaheim, California, from July 8th to 17th, blessed the values and behaviors of a re-defined Christianity: enabling a revisionist anthropology, budgeting litigation rather than evangelism, and confusing received understandings of Scriptural truth, not least concerning the necessity of individual salvation in Christ Jesus. At Anaheim, there were those who valiantly stood against the revolutionary majority, and their pain and grief at what was happening was heartbreaking for all who saw it, not least for their brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church in North America.

The North American poet, Robert Frost, once wrote: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by. That has made all the difference.” For Anglican Christians, for the Instruments of Unity (Communion), for interdependent Provinces, for ordinary believers, there is a choice to be made. The choice is between two religions, two roads, two cities, two sets of conflicting values and behaviors. In Deuteronomy, chapter 30, Moses sets the choice as between blessing and curse, life and death. For contemporary Anglicanism the present choice is this stark.

I write this humbly and as a sinner. I also write it as one whose hope is in Christ alone, and with deepest love for all for whom He died and rose again.

Faithfully and Obediently,


The Most Reverend Robert William Duncan, D.D.
Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America
Anglican Bishop of Pittsburgh

Today's Verse - Romans 12:3 (NIV):
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

As Christians, we must be modest in our opinions of ourselves, and we must try to judge ourselves as we really are, not as we fancy ourselves to be.

Today's Comments: I think that each of us is important in God's eyes. We all have our own special gifts, and we should use them in whatever ministry that God calls us to participate in. It is our responsibility to determine the use that we give those gifts. And, when we tend to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, we will surely misuse those gifts. We should ask God to grant us the understanding of ourselves and our gifts and the ability to use those gifts for the purposes that they are intended and for the glory of God.

Today's Verse - John 16:13 (NIV): But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

The Holy Spirit came to guide us in all things, and He speaks to us from God the Father. As the pillar of fire and the cloud led the Israelites to the promised land during the Exodus, so the Holy Spirit, who speaks to us with the authority of the Father leads us in our quest for the truth. He will eventually reveal to us all that is to come.

Today's Comments: Kenneth Copeland, in his discussion of this verse treats that which is said as the key to prosperity and riches that is promised by the prosperity gospel. He implies that, by tapping into the Holy Spirit, we can overcome any problem that we have and enrich our lives.

While I know that God answers prayers, the answers that we get are not necessarily the answers that we are seeking. They are the answers that God knows are best for us. It is not a question of my will be done; it is a question of thy will be done.

I cannot help but be reminded of events yesterday, when I came within eight feet of loosing my life. I was traveling West on Yorba Linda Blvd in my 1970 Ford Torino GT Convertible, with the top down, approaching Brookhaven Avenue, when, to my left I heard a loud crash and saw a Scion automobile crash into a line of two cars waiting to make a left-hand turn on Brookhaven. I saw the Scion jump the center divider and plow into the light pole. I immediately applied my brakes, which had been replaced only the week before along with my rear tires. As I slid to a stop, the light pole came toppling down toward my car and cleared the front end of my car with not much more than two feet to spare. Had I, instead, advanced another eight feet, the pole would have fallen on me and no doubt would have killed me or inflicted serious injury.

I truly believe that the chronology surrounding my brake replacement and rear tires, as well as the timing of my arrival were guided in some way by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it was a message to remind me that He is still guiding my life, and I must maintain my trust in Him. Perhaps it was a message reminding me to continue waiting until He is ready to disclose His plan for my ministry. I am sure that I will find out. In the meantime, I thank Him for preserving my life, yesterday. And, I ask that His will be done as He wishes, not as I may want.

Today's Verses - Luke 6:22-23 (NIV): 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

Paul exhorts Christian believers to comfort in knowing that because of their persecution they are assured of being God's people, and because of their faith in Jesus Christ, they will share in God's kingdom with those prophets who came before.

Today's Comments: We, as human beings, can draw happiness from two sources: things of the world and our faith in God. The Beatitudes remind us that it is the things from God that bring us lasting joy and happiness and that the things of the world are just fleeting and temporary. What we sometimes mistake for happiness in the world include material goods, wealth, social status, power and influence. Such things may bring us temporary satisfaction, but that satisfaction can easily turn to dissatisfaction, as we want for more or fail to get our way in all that we desire, or get caught in conflict with the desires and aspirations of others. True happiness can only come from our love of God and neighbor and our obedience to God's commandments. Everything else in the world is fleeting.

Today's Verse: 1 John 3:8 (NIV) -
He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

According to A Handbook on the First Letter of John, this verse states that the righteous man lives according to the norms of the devil while sinners live according to the devil's norm. It was because of the devil that Christ came to undo or wipe out the devil's work.

Today's Comments: We all know that the devil was the first sinner. One cannot worship God and give allegiance to the devil at the same time. The two are diametrically and totally opposed. We also know that it is only because of the seed planted in us by the Holy Spirit, when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, that we can resist the prince of darkness. It is only through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit that we can expect to achieve righteousness in the eyes of God.

Despair and Hope

Today's Verses: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV) - 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

When Paul wrote his First Letter to the Thessalonians, he wanted to reassure this church that those Christians who had died under the Roman persecution had not died in vain. Paul is contrasting those Christians who have hope in Christ and those non-Christians who do not. He is sending words of encouragement so that those in the church do not give up out of despair.

Today's Comments:

During the years that Paul wrote his letters, many considered death as the absolute termination of existence. There were also many other ideas concerning existence after death, as well. As Christians, however, we believe in the resurrection of the dead, and Paul, here is stating the creedal formula to which we currently adhere:

• On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven
• We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
  

It is upon that hope, that Paul exhorts all men to action. We have absolutely no idea as to when Christ will return. But until he does, we are urged to live our lives as Christ would want us, loving our God and our neighbor.

Our Worldly Problems

Today's Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV) - 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

According to A Handbook on Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul sees our worldly troubles as being secondary and short-lived. The troubles which we see now are minor, as compared to the glory that we will see in the future. So, we should not fret.

Today's Comments: I wonder if the current problem in the Episcopal Church is one of these "little problems" that Paul might have talked about. Does the denomination in which we worship define what we are as Christians, or is it the community in which we worship? I am beginning to think more and more that it is the latter. It is those with whom we will share eternal life that seem to be most important. The denomination has to do with the physical building. The community in which we worship has to do with the real building--- building ourselves up to do that which Christ wants us to do--- to love the Lord our God, and our neighbor.

Those Who Seek the Lord Lack No Good Thing

Today's Verse: Psalm 34:10 (NIV) - The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

This verse states that, unlike the rest of creation, men have the option of seeking the Lord any time, and He will give us those things that he knows that we need.

Today's Comments: Notice, the verse says that those who seek the lord will lack no good thing. The important word here is not "thing" but "good." Kenneth Copeland and his prosperity gospellers would have us think that we should never suffer but that the riches will pour out upon us, as long as we seek the Lord in the "right" way or mode. Contrary to the claims of Brother Copeland, our reward, is not riches on Earth; it is eternity with God in Heaven. Therefore, God gives us what we need so that we will achieve our eternal reward.

Prayer and Submission

Today's Verses: James 4:2-3 (NIV)
2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Whatever we want, we can submit to God, and he will give us answer. But, we must also make sure that we pray for the right things.

Today's Comments: Ken and Gloria Copeland, along with other prosperity gospellers suggest that God will grant our prayers for whatever we want, as long as we pray in the right way. James, however, warns us against worldly goods and pleasures. Motive for prayer should be love of God and love of neighbor, not love of self. For example, we can pray for healing in ourselves, but once we are healed, we should use our health for giving glory to God and helping others. We can pray for wealth, but once God gives it to us, we must use that wealth in the service of others and to glorify God. We submit ourselves to God in prayer; we should not be demanding.

Jesus Christ, God for All Men

Today's Verse: Romans 15:13 (NIV) -
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This verse is written not only for the Roman Jews, but also Roman Gentiles who are also able to obtain justification for their sins through their faith in Jesus Christ.

Today's Comments: Christ came so that all men may believe in Him and be saved. It is through Israel that Christ came to minister to all men. While it was the Jewish Christians who brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, it is both Jew and non-Jew who are entrusted with spreading God's revelation in scripture to the world.

The Lord's Harvest

Today's Verse: Mark 4:26-29 (NIV) - The Parable of the Growing Seed:
26 Jesus also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

This is but one parable that Jesus spoke abut the Kingdom of God. Like the farmer who sows seeds, God sows his Word to all the world. Only in those who truly accept God's Word, will fruit be produced . And, in God's time, that fruit will result in a bountiful harvest.

Today's Comments: While God sows the Word to all the world, it only flourishes in soil that is properly prepared. Only through learning about God in scripture, being obedient to His commandments and seeking him out can we properly prepare to receive His grace. Like we add fertilizer to enhance the harvest of our crops, we need the Holy Spirit to dwell in us so that we may properly grow our spiritual selves in preparation for the Lord's harvest.

Sonship Is Not Easy

Today's Devotion: Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV) - 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies b and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
b Some late manuscripts "enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you"

According to the Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, the concept of "an eye for an eye" existed as a means of preventing unrestrained vengeance. It became, however, misunderstood and used as a means to exact the vengeance that it was supposed to prevent. To be sons of God or children of God suggests that one should reflect the character of God. God has given the gift of life to everyone; he created all mankind out of love, despite the fact that mankind has done evil and spiteful things to both God and each other.

Today's Comments: How difficult it is to be like God. It is easy to love our neighbor, as long as he agrees with us. But once our neighbor disagrees and causes us injury (usually to our pride), we want revenge. We want our eye for an eye, plus more. We forget that, despite the disobedience of God's creation, He sent his only son to atone for our sins. Jesus, the Son, prayed for those who persecuted Him. He demonstrated true Sonship. If we claim that sonship, we must also love and pray for those who persecute us.

Today's Verse: Proverbs 22:7 (NIV) - The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

This proverb offers an observation about the world as it exists. There are, of course, more poor than rich. Wealth creates power and influence, while poverty creates dependence and servitude.

Today's Commentary: In the end, however, God will even things out. It is not how much power and influence that we have that counts in God's eyes. It is how much that we love Him and our neighbors. We can use power and wealth either for God's purposes and to help our neighbor, or for our own selfish intentions.

Perhaps this verse also offers a commentary on our current economic situation. Many in this country, in order to satisfy their material wants and desires, have selfishly used borrowing as a means to enrich themselves. Yet, that debt, in this economic downturn, has caught them upside down, and instead of enjoying their intended riches, they have lost their homes and belongings and have become servants to their debt and those who they owe.

Today's Verses:

James 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

This verse requires no explanation. We all know how much damage that we can do with words that we say with our tongue.

Today's Comments: As I once stated, the old adage that sticks and stones will break your bones, but names will never hurt you, has been disproved time and time again. Wars have been started over simple words spoken by the tongue. Empires have fallen over verbal disagreements as to what words mean. And now, as tomorrow begins the National Convention of the Episcopal Church, we may see the damage within our beloved church that tongues can do. I pray for sanity on both sides. I pray that God's counsel through scripture will prevail and that His wisdom will reveal itself in our restraint and love for one another. If our church is to break up, it will because of the tongue. It will be the words which define marriage; it will be the words of defiance against the whole of the Anglican Communion; it will be the words of men who fail to honor the Word of God in scripture. These words will come from the tongue.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Today's Verses: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV) -
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Paul, in stating his words in this way, suggests that he is fighting a real war against opposing forces with weap0ns given to him by God.

Today's Comments: These verses make me think of Luther and his hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

The second verse is especially meaningful. We cannot defeat the forces of darkness without God's help. It is the divine power that God gives us that enables us to win. It is only by relying upon God that we will prevail.

Today's Verses: Romans 3:3-4 (NIV)
3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”[a]
[a] Psalm 51:4

What Paul is saying here is that it does not matter what man does. God is always faithful and that his judgments will prevail.

Today's Comments: This morning in our men's' Saturday breakfast discussion group, we discussed inerancy in the Bible. Once any church opens up the Bible to literary and cultural criticism, faith is thrown aside and human reasoning and cultural consideration become the lenses through which everything is interpreted. Once that cat is out of the bag, man can now interpret scripture to mean anything that he pleases; truth becomes relative; and man can sin as he pleases, because he now interprets what God says is sin as being "right. for a particular cultural setting. We forget too easily that God creates the judgment criteria, not men.

I do not think that God would have allowed scripture to be errant, if he is truly interested in giving His grace to mankind, his creation of love. If we agree on this, then we must either assume that scripture is God given or is only the product of humans. I prefer to believe that all scripture is God given. After all, God would not want it any other way, because of His love for us.