Devotion of the Day

The Word or the World

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
John 17:14.

If you stand on the Word you do not stand in with the world. McLaren says, “The measure of our discord with the world is the measure of our accord with our Saviour.” Our Lord said the world hated Him and would hate us. “If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:18-19).

“The world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (I John 3:1). What has happened to all this today? The average church member courts the world’s favor and rejoices in being hail-fellow-well-met and shows off the world’s prizes and rewards. If to love the world is to be the enemy of God, we have some strange contradictions among us!

What some think is the world becoming more Christian is just Christians becoming more worldly. We can have the word or the world but not both. There is no concord between Christ and Belial. Read John 17; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; James 4:4; I John 2:15-17. We are strangers here. Don’t make yourself at home.

The daily devotions are from Day by Day by Vance Havner. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1953.

Devotion of the Day

His Blood and His Bidding

Christ died for our sins.
I Corinthians 15:3.

Come unto me.
Matthew 11:28.

Just as I am, without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

We do not come on the ground of His teaching, His character, His life, but rather on the ground of His death. The problem of our sin was not taken care of until Calvary. There is a salvation offered today on the ground of Christ the Example, Christ the Teacher, Christ the Ideal, but the sinner does not come on the plea that “Thy life was lived for me,” or “Thy example was revealed for me.” Christ’s life and example and teaching have their place and a great and glorious place it is, but I come in my sins because His blood was shed for me.

And then His Bidding. He invited me. He bids me come, just as I am. I don’t have to dress up. He will dress me up after I come. My righteousnesses—the best I am and can do—are but filthy rags, rags because they do not cover me and filthy because they only defile me.

HIS BLOOD: “But that Thy blood was shed for me.”
HIS BIDDING: “And that Thou bid’st me come to thee.”
May your answer be, “O Lamb of God, I come!”

The daily devotions are from Day by Day by Vance Havner. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1953.