December 15 Daily Devotional

Bible Readings:

Matthew 28:18-20, King James Version:
¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:18-20, English Standard Version:
¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Romans 13:1, KJV:
¹Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Romans 13:1, ESV:
¹Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Galatians 5:1, 13, KJV:
¹Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage....
¹³For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Galatians 5:1, 13, ESV:
¹For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery....
¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

1 Peter 2:13-17, KJV:
¹³Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
¹⁴Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
¹⁵For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
¹⁶As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
¹⁷Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
1 Peter 2:13-17, ESV:
¹³Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ¹⁷Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

1 John 3:2-3, KJV:
²Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
³And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
1 John 3:2-3, ESV:
²Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ³And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Devotional:

Americans glory in their independence. Our land is the "land of the free and the home of the brave," it is said. The political freedom we enjoy is only one of the freedoms we long for. The school child dreams of the time when he will not have to turn in homework nor answer examination questions nor explain his failure to do all the work assigned. He longs to throw off the shackles of authority. The youth waits for the day when he will reach the age of 21 when he will be legally no longer under the jurisdiction of his parents. The returned veteran of World War II takes advantage of a government loan so that he may start his own business and thereby render himself accountable to no one but himself. Of course, no one ever rids himself of authority. Indeed, in this land of ours we have surrendered our liberties to the extent that the situation is becoming quite serious for the lover of freedom. In our quest for liberty in one field we have had to sell other rights. And that surrendering of privileges is often for the bowl of perishable pottage, and in exchange for benevolent authority we bow our necks to tryanny.

The one authority to which man is always accountable is God. The creature is in the hands of the Creator as the clay is in the hands of the potter. And even though the carnal mind is enmity against God, is not subject to the law of God, and cannot be subject to that law except by God's sovereign grace, yet man can never take himself from the sphere of God's authority. The end of this brief time on earth ushers man into the presence of Him with whom we have to do, the Judge of all men. Man would escape his captors on earth, and he often does; he defies the efforts of men to entrap and enslave him; he also ignores the authority of God's law, but at the end of his life [?] there is a door which opens and at once closes behind him, the door to the judgment hall of God from which there is no outlet. In this court there is no consultation in the judge's chambers in which the accused may bargain for his freedom. There he must bend his knee.

But the idea of submission to authority need not he abhorrent. Indeed, the Christian may sing, in the words of George Matheson:

Make me a captive, Lord,
   and then I shall be free;
Force me to render up my sword,
   and I shall conqu'ror be.
I sink in life's alarms
   when by myself I stand;
Imprison me within Thine arms,
   and strong shall be my hand.

My heart is weak and poor
   until it master find;
It has no spring of action sure—
   it varies with the wind:
It cannot freely move
   till Thou hast wrought its chain;
Enslave it with Thy matchless love,
   and deathless it shall reign.

In the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour we may break the grip of the tyranny of men, This is not to deny that authority which God has reposed in the state and in the home, but it is to assert the supreme authority of the "totalitarian Christ." And to love the Lord Jesus Christ is to be placed in a position above that of our first parents even in their innocency. Their willingness to submit to their Creator was tested, but the bondservant of Jesus Christ is the receiver of grace which will operate until he is made perfect in holiness from which he will never lapse, when his obedience to the Creator and Redeemer will be unquestioning. The joy of heaven will be found not in independence but in submission. The posture of the perfected saints is prostration before the throne of the Lamb. "They are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them" (Revelation 7:15).

We are very happy to make available to you this month these devotionals by the late Rev. LeRoy B. Oliver. They originally appeared in The Presbyerian Guardian during the late 1940's.

The description of his "Your Family Altar" page in The Presbyterian Guardian also fits this Web page: "The page is designed for both private and family use, whichever is most convenient in your case. If you do not have family worship in your home, we hope you will begin, and suggest using these readings. They should not, however, take the place of reading books of the Bible, or the Bible itself, through in regular course." It is those who abide (continue) in the Word who are truly Christ's disciples, who know the truth, and who experience freedom in Him (John 8:31-32). May these devotionals be used for the building up of God's people and to the glory of God.