December 31, 2022
Psalms 126:3 “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad”
The last few years have been times of trials and afflictions. We’ve seen America and the world deal with Covid and it’s still a raging issue. There have been great shifts in our culture and the standards of normalcy are being altered. The warning of Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” seems more relevant right now than we’ve ever seen it. Who would have ever thought people would be asking themselves, “Am I a male, female, or neither?”. Certainly, the words of Daniel 9:8 speak to us today as if they were written exclusively for us: “O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee”. And yet, the words of today’s verse are eternally true no matter the turbulence of the world or what our personal trials may be. The plans and purposes of God for His people are to do them good and to do great things for them. Sometimes it doesn’t seem the Lord is doing good as in the case of our good friends Jeff and Lisa Stout. This past year their precious son went missing and several months later, his remains were found amid the bewilderment of unanswered questions and suspicious circumstances. How can such things not cause us to question why God is allowing such tragedy and providing no answers? How can anything good come from pain and suffering like this and why would God not reward years of Jeff and Lisa’s dedication to Him with heaped-up blessings and not allow unthinkable horror? For a season, until the Lord makes His will and purpose known, we can only, by faith alone, plant our feet firmly on the rock of God’s unchanging, eternal promises and utter the words spoken by Job when he was mired in his heartbreaking trial, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:5). This is not a fatalistic view, it is the opposite of fatalism because it says God has given us the freedom and power to trust and that when there is predetermination at work, the Lord is the one working all things for our benefit and His glory. We are not victims of unalterable, negative circumstances but by faith, we can say, “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” and know that what we have declared is true. It may not look like God is bringing us into a place of blessing but He is and always will. If we only read the beginning of Job’s story, we would walk away thinking God is not good and that we have no hope. But the end of the story finds Job delivered from his trial and pain and more blessed than he was before his trouble began. We close out the devotions of 2022 with this declaration from Nahum 1:7, “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him”.
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December 30, 2022
1 John 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
The first part of this chapter is about our fellowship with the Lord and how when we follow Him, we walk in His light and are no longer in the darkness of sin. But this whole conversation of light and darkness and being honest about sin raises an important aspect of a believer’s life. Most people do not think they are absolutely perfect. Yet most people do not see themselves as sinful. We probably see the errors of others and can be quick to point out the evil of their ways but when it comes to our own sin, our nature has a way of trying to make ourselves look better than we are. The Lord speaks to us about this tendency in Romans 2:1, “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things”. A good example was the Pharisees of Christ’s time who thought of themselves as religiously superior to others even though they themselves were flawed to their core. Today’s verse is a life verse for us because it allows us to honestly admit that we are sinners and that is a wonderful place to stand because God’s eternal plan is to show mercy and forgive sinners. If we argue that we do not have sin, then we place ourselves outside the truth and away from the Lord’s salvation as if we do not need it. The Bible says that refusing to admit our sinfulness makes us a liar. God goes a step further in verse 10 and says,” If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar”. Calling the Creator of all things who is infinitely holy and righteous a liar, is a serious sin in itself. What the Lord wants for us is clearly stated as: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. We do not receive forgiveness by trying to hide our sin, explain it away, or adamantly denying it. We are forgiven when we own up to being a sinner and confess our sins to God. Confession for forgiveness’ sake is not made to any other person, priest, or group but directly to the One who has the power to forgive sins: our Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 9:6, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins” and our verse tells us He is faithful and just, that is trustworthy, to forgive us. Every believer should memorize this passage because we all sin and need the assurance the Lord has made the provision to clear our slate and keep us in His fellowship.
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December 29, 2022
Revelation 21:5 “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new”
In a few days, we will welcome a new year but we all know that starting a new year doesn’t mean things will be new. We will still be facing the same old problems and nothing will have changed. People will make their New Year’s resolutions and within a few days, they will fall back into their same old patterns. It’s not being negative. It’s just how things are in this life. We build new houses, buy new cars, and wear new clothes and in a short time, they look dated and old. There are a million houses that have avocado-colored bathtubs that once were the pinnacle of fashion and a few men out there are still wearing polyester leisure suits. All of creation is grinding down under the curse and entropy rules all matter. The Bible says in Isaiah 51:6, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner”. The original creation will come to an end. But the Lord promises He will make all things new. When we think about our future with God and that we will have new bodies, a new environment, and a new social order, and every detail will be new, it’s both unsettling and glorious at the same time. The scriptures tell us the world and all it encompasses will pass away and it will all be replaced with a new heaven and a new earth. This is not some symbolic, philosophical talk but a certain future promised by the Creator of all things. Just as we stand on the threshold of a new year, we are nearing the end of all things as we know them. The door of a new beginning lies directly ahead. If our only view of the future is what might happen on this earth to make things better, we already know it’s a lost cause. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” telling us that all the hope that Jesus offers is beyond what we can find in the here and now. There’s nothing wrong with making New Year’s resolutions such as studying our Bible more, praying more, getting in better shape, shedding a few pounds, or dropping some bad habits. Self-improvement can give us help us have a better life but it’s all just temporary. New and better things are coming. Things so good they are impossible to even imagine and it’s not just positive thinking, it’s reality. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9,” But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him”.
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December 28, 2022
James 5:17 “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months”
Great things are possible when we pray. That is the truth of this verse and when we stop and meditate on the story, the Lord is showing us it didn’t take a prayer meeting of hundreds of people praying to stop the rain, just one man praying earnestly. The people of Israel had walked away from God and were worshipping idols. Their King and queen, Ahab and Jezebel, were leading the nation deeper into wickedness and it looked as if there was no hope. Some might say we can see a parallel in our nation today with the wickedness and lunacy of our leaders. But Elijah knew the Lord’s will concerning Israel’s dilemma because God had given His Word on such a situation when He gave Israel the Levitical Law over 500 years before. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 11:16-17, “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you”. Elijah prayed earnestly but he prayed according to God’s will and this is the combination that brought results. When we know what the Lord has spoken in His Word about something and we give ourselves to earnest, heartfelt prayer, we can expect God to answer as He promised. Consider the Lord’s promise of Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” and realize that God can do bigger things, more wonderful things than we can ask or even imagine. What are the possibilities of prayer? We have an entire Bible filled with God’s revealed will to us. There are 66 books, 1,189 chapters, and 783,137 words that lay the foundation for our prayers concerning any possible thing we want to pray about. The possibilities of prayer are infinite if we will but simply pray. It is no wonder the enemy fights to keep us from praying because he knows what can happen when we pray. The sad truth is that people just do not take the time to pray even though God is waiting and willing to answer them. The verse today says Elijah was a man with a human nature just like us but he prayed for miracles and got them. The Lord gave us these words to encourage us to pray, to ask for great things, and then have confidence that He will answer us. Yes, God’s will is supreme and we must expect that the answers we get are always in His will. But with a Bible filled with promises, we have the assurance the Lord will always answer for our good.
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December 27, 2022
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”
In 1789, Ben Franklin wrote, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes” and about five months later, he passed away. While he was actually quoting something that had been published before, his words always remind us that most things in this life are uncertain. The unknown factors of life is the root of most fear and anxiety and we can even hear it in the words of Job when he was struck with calamities in Job 3:25-26, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came”. But we are given a promise from the Lord in today’s verses that are a fortress of hope. The first three elements of the promise are a formula for us to follow. First, the Bible says to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. This is an action of faith where we place all our confidence in God. Uncertainty is all around us and we do not always know the outcome of our circumstances. But we know and believe the Lord is omnipotent and unfailing and our faith in Him causes us to fasten our eyes on Jesus as our one and only Hope. Second, the Bible tells us not to trust in our own understanding. We can’t always plot a course of action because we do not know all the details and angles. Our perception is often unclear because of confusion and fear and our emotions may be driving us away from the best choices or causing us to react rashly. Thirdly, we are told to acknowledge God in all our ways. The way we think, act, talk, walk, and everything else must be given to the Lord. We do this by admitting He is the one with the answers and we look to Him by praying for His help and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us as we consider His Holy Word as our source of truth. Then we have the promise that the Lord will direct our paths which means He will make them smooth and straight. God will clear the way so that we are not overcome with confusion and uncertainty. The certainty of life is that when the Lord is leading us, all is well. It is the picture of the Good Shepard that goes before His sheep and they follow Him. Sure, there are many ways and choices we can make. But every way and choice that is not God’s best for us are ways of uncertainty and may lead to misery and destruction. The Bible says in Psalms 18:32, “It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect”.
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December 26, 2022
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”
The gift-giving is over and there are a lot of trash bags filled with leftover wrapping papers and boxes from yesterday’s Christmas. The tree looks bare and somewhat sad with all the presents missing and today begins the returns of clothes that don’t fit, things that are broken, and unwanted gifts. Soon we will take down the tree and box up all the festive decorations and move on to the next season. But the Lord has blessed us with gifts that are all connected to the greatest gift He gave the first Christmas and they are called fruit in today’s verses. Our Lord taught us in John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you”. This illustrative picture of believers as trees bearing fruit looks back to many scriptures such as Psalms 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”. Much like a tree offering the sweetness of its fruit to hungry people, the Lord has purposed that we produce and offer certain characteristics to people around us. It is the things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, gentleness, and faithfulness that show light and hope in the darkness and despair of our world. If people see professing believers acting in anger, bitterness, meanness, and the like we are sending them a scrambled message that contradicts the message of Christ. Our greatest prayer is that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that He will work through us to manifest His fruit to others that desperately need the Lord. People are hungry and thirsty for things to satisfy their hearts and souls and they search and look to whatever they can find in this world to satisfy their longings. They need God’s gift of life and we are the ones He chose to be witnesses and we do so by the fruit we bear. When hungry people see us loving, acting in kindness, showing mercy and forgiveness, and living with self-control they are drawn to what makes us the way we are. We offer the hope of Christ in a world that offers no hope. A kind word, an act of compassion and love, a decision to not take revenge, and a life lived powered by a gentle spirit are the ways of the Lord and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s His gift to us, a priceless treasure meant to share.
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December 25, 2022
Luke 2:7 “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn”
No matter that this precious verse has been read countless millions of times through the centuries, it never loses its majesty. We can picture the scene with Mary and Joseph looking with wonder at baby Jesus in the manger and remembering the words the angel spoke to them in the beginning. Perhaps they were thinking about what the future held for their little family and were amazed at the arrival of the shepherds at their temporary housing in the stable. But this verse describes in 29 simple words how the gift of God came to fallen humanity. And from the moment of the birth of baby Jesus a door was opened to heaven that remains open to this day and is described by John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”. Praise God for the words of the angel in Matthew 1:21, “and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”.
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December 24, 2022
Luke 2:4-5 “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child”
God used the registration and tax order of the Romans to move Joseph and Mary into Bethlehem where He had purposed Jesus to be born. From a human perspective, we might either believe God foreknew the events of the taxation and the result it would have on Joseph, Mary, and the birth of Christ or that He providentially arranged all the details, weaving it all together like a beautiful tapestry. I believe the later explanation and even that barely scratches the surface to grasp an understanding of God’s plan. What we know is that Nazareth is about 90 miles from Bethlehem and in those times, it was not an easy trip. It would have taken them several days, as much as a week, and Mary, a young teenage girl, was closing in on her time to deliver. From the scriptures here, it appears Joseph and Mary were not yet married but were still espoused, still in the stage of betrothal, and in those times, their circumstance would have been quite scandalous in their community. The pressure of public humiliation and the stress on them would have been emotionally heavy. Perhaps just having a good reason to escape Nazareth and travel where they could blend in with people who didn’t know them in a time where many people were uprooted and traveling to get to the city of their ancestry was a blessing. We admire Joseph and Mary’s courage, strength, and determination to follow through in their obedience to God’s call. When we follow God’s ways, it’s not always an easy journey even though the Lord said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. The peace comes to us in knowing He is always with us and every step we take is under His watchful eye. For Joseph and Mary, tradition has them using a donkey for Mary to ride and Joseph plodding alongside but they could as well have both been on foot and every dusty, strenuous step they took or every jolt of the donkey for Mary, was all for the glory of God. The Lord could have made it easier, by not involving them in a 90-mile trek close to the time for Mary’s delivery. But the ways of God are not our ways and when His plan came together in Bethlehem, it was a spectacular, world-changing display of God’s design. For hundreds of years, people have yearly pondered the story of Christ’s birth and all its elements. We have acted it out in nativity plays, decorated our homes with its scenes, and repeatedly read the story to our children and grandchildren. The world has tried to erase the account of the Lord’s birth, ban its displays from public view, and shift all the emphasis of Christmas to the hoopla we’ve come to expect from the merchandising and secularization of it all. But His birth split earth’s timeline, without His birth there would have been no calvary and no eternal salvation, and His life still changes us in ways that only He can.
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December 23, 2022
Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting”
750 years before Jesus was born, the words of the little book of Micah were penned and included the great prophecy of today’s verse. It brings to mind the Christmas carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and reminds us how of all places, God chose the humbleness of a little town and a lowly manger to present His Son. As it is with everything God does, the details of the story testify to His meticulous plans. The name Bethlehem means “house of bread” and identifies with Jesus as the bread of life. The more ancient name of the area given here, “Ephratah”, means “abundance” and “fruitfulness” and speaks of all the plans and purpose of God for His people to bless them, prosper them, and cause them to live filled with His Spirit. It pleases God to use what people see as weak and less desirable and then cover it all with His grace and provision so that it brings honor and glory to Him. The Bible says in 1Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence”. Even of Christ, the Bible says in Isaiah 53:2-3, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not”. It is the same with us in that God is not looking to use only people who are skilled, talented, and qualified. He wants to use those that will yield themselves to Him and allow Him to qualify, equip, and bless them. He’s looking for the little people of little Bethlehem so that when He is finished, they will shine for His glory. The story of Jesus’ birth is about humility, submission to God’s will, living within the parameters the Lord sets, and waiting for Him to move us. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time”. O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by; yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
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December 22, 2022
Isaiah 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this”
The angel Gabriel, as a part of the promise from God he gave to Mary concerning Jesus, said: Luke 1:32, “and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end”. When we consider the purpose of Christ is to save the lost, restore Israel and elevate the Jewish nation as the head of all nations, reconcile creation back to God, and take the throne as the Sovereign King over all things in heaven and earth, it appears He has failed in His assignment. As far as saving lost people, Jesus is willing but only about 30% of the world identifies as Christian and many of those do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. The prophecy of Isaiah and its reiteration to Mary by Gabriel speaks of things that to our natural understanding seem far-fetched and impossible. Antisemitism is on the rise, creation is in crisis, peace is nonexistent in our world, and the return of Christ as the Sovereign King seems like a fable to most people. But as we celebrate this Christmas, may the Holy Spirit give us the vision to look ahead at the not-so-far future and have faith that all the promises God declared concerning Jesus are going to be performed as today’s verse says, “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this”. A literal rendering of this is that God is unchanging in His determination to cause this to happen and it will unfailingly happen. Praise the Lord! That which was purposed for Jesus Christ to fulfill will be done exactly as planned. As we have mentioned before, the world is filled with scoffers, many of them claiming to be Christian, that smirk at these words as if they have some other truth to offer that makes these promises invalid and obsolete. They like to say what God promised was not literal and that the Lord’s kingdom has already come and that now the promises stand completed. Faithlessly peddling lies, they have infiltrated denominations, Bible colleges and universities, and church pulpits. They disguise their decrepit heresies under the guise of education and scholarship and their gibberish is published, posted, and called progressive, reformed, and current. But God’s Word stands as a rock, a fortress of truth, and has declared, is declaring, and will continue to declare Jesus Christ soon returning and establishing His kingdom. And no soothsaying mortal, babbling religious nut, or devil from hell can stop Him. The baby in the manger is no longer the infant child and the Bible says of Him in Revelation 1:7-8, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty”.
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December 21, 2022
John 1:10-13 “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”
It’s hard to comprehend the Christmas story as given to us in John 1. Take verse 10 for example, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not”. From our human rational sense, this makes absolutely no sense how the baby in the manger was the creator of the world He had just entered. And how He was the creator of Mary, the mother that gave birth to Him. The world saw Him as a baby, the son of Mary and Joseph and they watched as He grew up, became a teacher, and they still didn’t know who He really was. Knowing Him not, when He presented Himself as their Messiah-King, they killed Him. For others, there was always an ongoing argument about His identity as Jesus presented to His disciples in Luke 9:18-19, “And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again”. The same mess exists today concerning the thinking as to who He is. Some deny His existence altogether, dismissing Him as a fictional concoction of religion. Some will admit He was a historical figure but adamantly deny He was anything but just another man. Some claim He was an angel or heavenly being that appeared to give people inspiration and spiritual awareness. Then some see Jesus as another enlightened prophet or teacher in the ranks of and equal to Mohammed, Buddha, and such. But His identity as the Lord God Almighty, creator of all things belongs only to those who receive Him by faith, believing that His Name is the name of God their Savior. The difficulty people have recognizing Baby Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us, is a stumbling stone for their faith. Take Isaiah 9:6 as an example, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. A child who is the mighty God and The everlasting Father? That’s way beyond our ability to grasp without the aid of faith and the power of the Holy Spirit. And the unbelieving world, while they might barely tolerate baby Jesus in a manger, will never admit He is God. In fact, some war against any public display of the Nativity of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, wise men, shepherds, and a couple of sheep and cows, threatening legal action to have it all removed. They think portraying the mere birth of the Lord is a danger to their culture and society. They do not know who He is and imagine their surprise when He returns.
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December 20, 2022
Luke 2:13-14 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”
The night the Christ Child was born, the scriptures here tell us “a multitude of the heavenly host” appeared praising God and announcing peace. The word “host” is a military term meaning,” an army”. Angels have no personal benefit in God’s plan of salvation as we are told concerning the fallen ones in 2 Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment”. Yet they are shown here praising God upon the birth of Christ. Hebrews shines a light on this in 1:6, “And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him”. The mystery and the glory of the incarnation, God’s Word made flesh, can not be overstated because the man Jesus Christ is more than mere man: He is divine. It wasn’t just the son of Mary lying in the manger, He was also the first begotten of the Father and in fact, the only begotten Son of God. From a salvation sense, we who are redeemed are the children of God but we are adopted. Jesus is the only one conceived by the Holy Spirit and He alone bears the title expressed in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”: the only begotten of the Father. The satanic theology that teaches Jesus is, or was, an angelic being is blasphemy for the Bible says in Hebrews 1:5, part of the Word of God revealing the superiority of Jesus above angels, “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”. Christ as the Lamb of God being honored by angels is shown in Revelation 5:11-12, “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”. The angels appearing to the shepherds that night were praising God because He had come to earth and was displaying His glory, mercy, and grace for all creation to behold. The angels were seeing God’s nature of love manifested in a way that was extreme to them since those fallen from their ranks would never know such pardon for their rebellion. And so, the first Christmas carol was sung that Holy Night, an anthem of praise by an army of angels for the fulfillment of Isaiah 59:16, “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him”.
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December 19, 2022
Luke 2:8 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night”
The shepherds in the Christmas story were camping out in the pasture fields, watching over their flocks. Some people believe the shepherd fields of Bethlehem, which are only about 6 miles from Jerusalem, were the place where temple sheep and lambs were raised and kept to be slaughtered and sacrificed in the temple. Alfred Edersheim in book 2 of “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” written in the 1800s, looks at ancient Jewish sources that tell how the shepherds that watched over the temple flocks near Bethlehem, were trained to care for the lambs so that they might protect the ones destined to be sacrificed. This adds a stunning dimension to the Christmas story that places Jesus as the Lamb of God in the place where untold thousands of lambs had been raised to be sacrificed. The complexity of the location of the Lord’s birth that identifies Christ with David in the city of David, the interaction with the shepherds identifying Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the placement of His birth identifying Him with sacrificial lambs, and the humbleness of the tiny town identifying our Lord as the poor, meek servant points us to the wisdom of God who ordered every detail before the world began. Shepherds figure prominently throughout the Bible with Abel, Abraham, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, Laban, Jacob’s twelve sons including Joseph, and Amos, and as here in today’s verse, the shepherds who came to honor Jesus all being shepherds, keepers of flocks. There was something special in the way God dispatched an entire heavenly host of angels to appear to those shepherds and something marvelous about the way they were privileged to hear and see an army of heavenly beings praising God. The Bible says after the angels appeared to them, the shepherds went to see the child “with haste” indicating they moved with speed. They were chosen to be the first besides Mary and Joseph to see the light of salvation, wrapped in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger. Jewish tradition says that when lambs destined as temple sacrifices were born, they were also wrapped in a cloth to protect them from injury. We love to see the little children acting out the nativity dressed in bathrobes and kitchen towels draped over their heads portraying the part of these men. And the picture of the shepherds with a sheep or two in the stable, bowing before the manger is not what we would expect as the first setting for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords but that’s how God planned it. After this King was grown, He said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” and again in verses 14-16, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd”
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December 18, 2022
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”
Four times in these two verses and another time in verse 20 that follows them, the word “reconcile” is used to describe God’s purpose for manifesting Himself in Jesus Christ. We are familiar with the meaning of “reconcile” when we use it to describe the reuniting of people who are estranged from each other. Their relationships were broken, they were separated in opposition, and for a while, they were completely divided. This is what sin did to the human race. It separated us from our creator and became a barrier that kept us from approaching Him. Most modern preaching and teaching never mentions humanity’s original sin in Adam and certainly avoids pointing out we are separated from God by something we can’t fix on our own. The current aberrant mainstream theology, all tidied up in casual, technological glitter, presents Jesus as an add-on, an accessory to our lives to enrich them and make them better. No changes are necessary. We just go through the motions of mumbling their little “repeat after me” formulas and it sets our minds at ease that something, whatever it is, is fixed. And if we splash a little water on it with a baptism addendum of some kind, the initiation is complete. But the Christmas story is about God entering the world in a body like ours with one intent and purpose: to be tortured beyond description and then die a most horrible, bloody, painful death in our place so that our sin will no longer separate us from Him. Believers cannot gaze with eyes of faith on the infant Jesus in the manger without looking ahead to see Him writhing in pain as His flesh is ripped from His skeleton by Roman whips, His face, and body beaten by the fists of the people He was suffering to save, and their spit dripping off His precious face and beard when they expressed their disgust for Him. And then there is the cross, the most excruciating death a person can endure and it’s all because God is at work rescuing and reconciling His creation to Himself through Jesus Christ and He is doing it all by Himself. Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high”. Note the part that says “when he had by himself purged our sins”. We are not reconciling ourselves to God, He is drawing us to Himself and He gets all the praise, honor, and glory because as the Bible says in Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord”.
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December 17, 2022
Matthew 2:1-2 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him”
Every Christmas, there are always rebuttals against the Christmas traditions we have concerning the birth of Jesus. There’s always the argument that December 25 isn’t when Christ was born and people go to great lengths to try to prove it was some other day. Many of them have valid arguments but truth be told, only God knows the exact date. So those who want to argue this moot point cannot themselves prove another date is correct. Why not just realize no one knows the date and let’s keep the tradition we’ve enjoyed for hundreds of years and celebrate the meaning of Christmas and arbitrarily use the traditional date as a common denominator for all believers? I believe it’s possible to honor Jesus in such a way without squabbling over an unknown date. A similar point is the mysterious wise men. Tradition says there were three and that they were kings but again, all that is unbiblical. But you have to admit, “we three kings of orient are” makes an awesome Christmas carol unlike much of the rubbish we now air to replace the ones that point people to the Lord. The wise men, translated from the Greek word “magos” of which Thayer says “a name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, and sorcerers were most likely astrologists and men who studied the heavens, ancient writings, and prophecies. God used them to witness and pay homage to His Son. The Bible tells us in verse 11, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him”. Baby Jesus was announced and praised by angels, witnessed by shepherds, worshipped by the Magi, hated by Herod, and declared by Simeon and Anna in the temple. We love to see all the elements of His story combined in the nativity as sort of a conglomerate even though we know the events and details were spread out and didn’t happen in the exact timing and chronological order we depict them. We are not altering God’s Word nor are we misrepresenting the birth of Jesus. We are summarizing an event that God purposed before the world began and carried out meticulously. There will never be another Christmas just as there will never be another Calvary and resurrection. But every Christmas and Easter we will continue to remember our traditions because they remind us of how much God loves us and, along with Thanksgiving, they are special times for families and friends to celebrate together with good food, joyful memories, and time well spent. It reminds us of Ecclesiastes 2:24, “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God”.
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December 16, 2022
Matthew 1:5 “And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse”
The book of Matthew begins the Christmas story in verse 1 with, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” identifying the Lord’s humanity and connecting Him to the kingship of David and the covenant of Abraham. Then, beginning with Abraham, the genealogy of Christ is given. Most people skip over this section with all its begats and names too difficult to pronounce. But when we look at the stories and circumstances behind the names, it is a treasure trove of God’s grace and providence. Today’s verse tells us how Rachab, which is spelled in other places as Rahab, was one of the Lord’s ancestors. Her account is in Joshua where she is a prostitute, living in Jericho. She assisted the spies Israel sent into the city and kept them from being caught. When Israel defeated Jericho, she and her family were saved and the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:31, “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace”. She married an Israelite man and became the great, great, great-grandmother of David. The family tree of Jesus Christ on His human side identifies Him with us all on every level. Some people might be embarrassed at having a Rahab or someone of a dubious reputation in their historical line and they might be tempted to hide it or spin the story. But God recorded it openly because it testifies to His unfailing mercy and grace. It tells how He is willing to save anyone that will come to Him in faith and it gives us courage that no matter where we’ve been and what we’ve done, the Lord wants to use us. Rahab is in the story alongside Abraham as the people God chose to bring His son to a lost world. Can you see that in the Christmas story and does it speak to you about the hope that’s in the name of Jesus? We have no right to point at people as if we can determine who the Lord can use because God’s mercy reaches to the heavens and His grace is boundless. He delights in saving those that appear unsavable and using those that have been cast aside. The enemy lies to us about people in our families or others we know well that have made so many mistakes and scarred themselves until it seems they are hopeless saying that they’re past the point of redemption. But God’s Word shouts like a trumpet in Romans 5:20, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” and we can stand on that promise when it seems those we love are too far gone to save. Let’s remember Rahab this Christmas season and rejoice that her story of hope is what baby Jesus is all about.
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December 15, 2022
Psalms 124:1-2 “A Song of degrees of David. If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us”
This Psalm is one of the 15 Psalms from 120 to 134 that are noted in our Bibles as songs of degrees or ascents. They are thought to have been sung by the Jews as they walked upward to the temple mount in Jerusalem, journeying there for the annual feasts. This one calls us to look back at the times all the odds were against us and we were boxed in by our enemies yet the Lord brought us out. This Christmas season we celebrate Jesus Christ as Emmanuel, God is with us present tense. Today’s verses celebrate a past tense of that, God was with us in the times we would have been defeated or destroyed without Him. We may relate to King David as we see a picture of the shepherd boy who killed Goliath who later became king by God’s choice. What we might forget is that his life and reign were times of great trouble, conflict, war, and uncertainty as Israel battled the Philistines, Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and others. Family strife, revolt, and civil war within Israel added to David’s troubles. He had his hands full of problems during his life. This gives even more meaning to these verses because David did not take the credit for his victories for himself but here and repeatedly in the Psalms, He ascribes all the glory and honor to the Lord. When we read these words, may the Holy Spirit help us remember the times that, had it not been for the Lord on our side, we would have had no hope. Twice in this passage, those words “if it had not been the LORD who was on our side” are given as if we might be prone to forget and so we are. Not only do we forget how God delivered us, but when our troubles pass and we’re no longer in our dire situations, we tend to forget how desperate and fearful we were as if our harrowing circumstances were not so bad after all. Maybe we were sick, at death’s door and the Lord healed us or He brought us out of a place where we were helpless and sinking. Perhaps it was a season of darkness and depression where we lost a loved one, went through a divorce or great financial loss and hopelessness had sealed us in. Then God’s light came through, hope was restored, joy returned, and we were set free to live again. But after it’s all better and we’re back in a place of victory we are prone to forget the enormity of our trouble and how it was only by the grace of the Lord being for us and working all things for our good that we survived. May we pray a prayer something like, “Lord, I want to remember all the times that if it hadn’t been for You being on my side, I would not be here today. Thank You for Your faithfulness to help me in times of trouble so that I can declare You are my Emmanuel, my God who is with me”.
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December 14, 2022
Hosea 11:1” When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt”
This verse is a good example of how God hides details in plain sight throughout the Bible. If we were to read this without knowing the Christmas story, we might think it is only referring to the exodus of Israel from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. But it has at least a double meaning because it is also referenced in Matthew when Herod was trying to kill the Christ child and Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt. They stayed there until the angel of the Lord told them it was safe to return home as the Bible says in Matthew 2:15, “And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son”. So, Hosea was speaking of both the redemption of Israel from Egyptian slavery and also the time Jesus and his parents were in Egypt. The Word of God speaks to us in a multilayered fashion sometimes combining literal meaning, prophetic meaning, spiritual meaning, and personal meaning in the same place. Literal truth can also be allegorical truth and carry parallel meanings as we see in the parables of our Lord where He used the literal to explain the spiritual and also the literal as prophetic pictures. The entire episode of Jesus going into Egypt and then returning to Israel doesn’t end with the literal story because it prefigures the salvation of Egypt in the future as described in Isaiah 19:22, “And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them”. The scriptures tell us in Isaiah 19:24-25,” In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance”. Yes, even Egypt and Syria, who have thousands of years of history as sworn enemies of Israel will be brought to salvation by Jesus Christ who visited the Egyptians as a baby, paving the way for that time when He will redeem them, calling them, “Egypt my people”. Jesus is not only our Savior, but He is also the Savior of the world. While we tend to see the Lord through the eyes of our dispensation of grace with the patterns of churches, ministries, preaching, denominations, revivals, the plan of salvation, and such, He is far more than that. We have not yet seen the completion of the promise God gave to Abraham in Genesis 26:4, “and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the son of Abraham will fulfill this decree of God when He brings peace to this world and blessings to every nation.
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December 13, 2022
Matthew 2:16 “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men”
This is the part of the Christmas story that makes us cringe, the slaughter of innocent children by the insane king, Herod. Herod was paranoid, delusional, and murderous. He had his wife and sons killed, believing they were plotting against him and throughout his reign, in his paranoid, delusional fear, he ordered the death of many. Just the thought that there was a baby born who could possibly overthrow him, sent him into a wicked rage, and as today’s verse says, he ordered the death of all children in the Bethlehem area two years old and under. The destruction of those children, in the hopes that one of them was Jesus, shows the hatred of the Son of God even at the beginning of His life. Later, there were attempts to destroy Him such as when He preached in the synagogue in His hometown, Luke 4:28-29, “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong”. The Lord spoke of Himself in John 15:25, “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause”. The hatred of Jesus was the fuel for people to want Him dead and led to His arrest, torture, and crucifixion. The name of Jesus is still despised and hated today and speaking in His name or praying in His name is unwelcome in public. And we might think that the murder of innocent children by Herod was atrocious but every day in every country of our world, children are abused, neglected, and exploited. The enemy targets our precious children because they are defenseless, weak, and vulnerable, and they are the hope of the future. The widespread evil acts against children now are no different than Herod’s insane murder of them. May the Lord use the account of the murder of the innocent children in the Christmas story to soften our hearts towards the little ones and honor them as God honors them. In Matthew 19:13, the disciples were trying to keep children away from the Lord but Jesus responded in verse 14, “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven”. Christmas is about baby Jesus but it’s also about children and their hope for the future. The generations coming on need the opportunity to enjoy being children. They deserve to be raised in caring, loving homes that protect and nurture them. They need to hear the Bible stories as we did when we were growing up and they need to hear about Jesus, the reason for Christmas, and the hope of the world.
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December 12, 2022
Luke 1:31-33 “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end”
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and gave her a prophetic promise that consisted of eight parts. Five of those were fulfilled during the time Jesus was on the earth, namely: (1) thou shalt conceive in thy womb, (2) and bring forth a son, (3) and shalt call his name JESUS. (4) He shall be great, (5) and shall be called the Son of the Highest. These declared the man Christ Jesus as He entered this world and walked as a human. The Bible gives us the incarnation of Jesus in St John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. The miracle of His conception and birth, the glory and majesty of His name, His greatness in every way, and His oneness with His Father comprise the essence of Jesus. But the final three parts of the prophecy have not yet been fulfilled. (6) the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David (7) he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and (8) of his kingdom there shall be no end. It is reasonable to think that when Jesus, riding a donkey, presented Himself as king on what we call Palm Sunday, had the nation accepted Him as their king at that moment, these final 3 prophecies would have come to pass at that time. However, their response was to cry “away with him, crucify him” and “we have no king but Caesar”. It’s eye-opening to remember that as the Lord was nailed to the cross, the Bible says in John 19:19, “And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS”, a testimony of Christ Jesus’ identity. Jesus died, was buried, arose from the dead, and ascended to heaven without taking the throne as was prophesied. But for about 2,000 years there has been a timeout in Gabriel’s prophecy but let us not think for a moment that it has been disannulled. Praise the Lord for the 2,000 years that God has allowed the gentiles to become part of His family. As we now are closing out the final church age of Laodicea, the world is getting ready to realize the fulfillment of the last 3 prophecies. Jesus is coming again declared in Revelation 19:16 as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”. The mouths and pens of the foolish theologians and hirelings that have dismissed the coming of Jesus as “symbolic” and scoffed at the teaching of a literal kingdom and kingship of Christ will be stopped at His appearing and the words spoken to Mary before that first Christmas will be fulfilled exactly as the Lord declared through His angel, Gabriel.
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December 11, 2022
1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”
In the days of the early church, most places where Christians lived were idolatrous and there were many temples and shrines dedicated to false gods. The pagan worship places had their own priests and temple servants. It was a common practice for people to bring meat offerings to these temples as sacrifices and the offerings were divided into three parts. One part was burned, one part was given back to the worshipper to take back home to eat, and one part was given to the priests. If the priests didn’t want to keep their part, they sold it in a temple meat market at a low price and people came to the markets to get this bargain meat. Parts of at least three chapters in the New Testament are given to discussion as to whether Christians should buy and eat meat that was part of an offering to idols or if they were eating with someone and it was pointed out the meat was from a pagan temple if they should eat it anyway. The scriptures summarize it all by saying that idols are fictional and therefore anything offered to them is not an issue unless people are offended and discouraged by the idea and then, for the sake of their consciences, they should not eat the meat. While all that does not apply to us today, the balance between liberty and love is still very important. We may be free in areas where others have convictions but we should not allow exercising our freedom to wound those who are offended by our actions. Today’s verse gives us a standard to govern our behaviors and the guide is that no matter what we eat, drink, or anything else we do we should decide if we can do it for the glory of God. An example might be that some people believe Sunday is a holy day and others may believe all days are the same. This is mentioned in Romans 14:5, “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind”. If I am one of those who believe all days are the same and have the freedom to do on Sunday what I do on Monday I might still refrain from mowing my grass or such on Sunday lest I offend someone who isn’t convinced as I am. No matter the depth of our freedom in grace, the principle of love for others should be our deciding factor and then we can do what we do for the glory of God. When we examine our attitudes and actions by asking ourselves, “can I do this to honor the Lord?”, that one thing can enrich our lives for Christ and be a testimony for Him to others.
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December 10, 2022
Matthew 1:19-20 “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost”
Not a great deal of space in the Bible is given to Joseph but what is provided, reveals a remarkable man, filled with integrity, wisdom, and faith. A hot-tempered, proud man might have taken such personal offense at discovering his bride-to-be was carrying someone else’s child that he would have demanded the justice of the law of Moses which was to stone her to death. Or at least, have her publicly shamed by formally breaking the betrothal, making himself look innocent and righteous. Joseph did nothing of the sort and the Bible shows he did not make a quick decision but as he was considering the option of secretly breaking the engagement, he was still thinking, pondering what to do. We are inclined to make choices and decisions driven by emotions and on the spur of the moment rather than to wait and seek God’s wisdom. How many murders, rifts in families, destructive arguments, and messes that are difficult and painful to resolve could be avoided if only we would not jump to conclusions and make quick, foolish choices? Praise the Lord for the example of Joseph who waited and pondered his course of action until the Lord stepped in and gave him understanding. The phrase that he was “not willing to make her a public example” speaks loudly about what was within Joseph and the strength of his character. What it seemed Mary had done, betrayed him and scandalized their future, did not cause him to take revenge on her but he was concerned about her future as well as his own. It is a reminder of 1Corinthians 13:4-5, “Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil”. Joseph embodied the truth of James 1:19-20, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God”. Joseph’s response to the angel’s words to him is recorded in verses 24-25, “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS”. He obeyed God. Whatever Joseph and Mary may have faced in the future with people perhaps counting the months from their marriage to the birth of Jesus, they took it on faith, knowing what had come to them in the miraculous birth of Jesus was beyond their understanding. There could have been no greater earthly dad for Jesus than Joseph because the Lord purposed it that way.
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December 9, 2022
Luke 1:30 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God”
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary out of the blue with the words, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women”. The Bible says Mary was troubled by his words, meaning she was greatly disturbed and confused about what was happening. It was then Gabriel spoke the words in today’s verse and the plight of humanity was changed forever. The Bible doesn’t tell us Mary’s age but most people who study the customs of Bible times think she was very young, between 14 and 16 years old as that was the common age for girls to be betrothed for marriage. And there was nothing remarkable about Mary as to her social status and even her tiny hometown of Nazareth was nothing more than a village of 400 or so people. Yet God singled her out, choosing her specifically for one of the greatest miracles and blessings of all time and creation: to be the mother of Jesus Christ. She was told, “thou hast found favour with God”. When God’s favor is upon us, when He uses us to set parts of His plan in motion there is nothing more wonderful and yet, there is nothing more humbling because we know He has not chosen because of great abilities or accomplishments on our part but because He needed a vessel of service that will bring glory and honor to Him. But God’s favor causes things to happen that are not ordinary and even ordinary people, like Mary when she was filled with the Holy Spirt upon meeting Elizabeth said in Luke 1:46-49 “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name”. It’s common for people to seek the favor and approval of others and it’s common for us to hand out accolades and rewards to those that achieve greatness in this life. But when God takes the lowly, those unnoticed by the world, and even those that have been dismissed and discarded by a ruthless society, and shines His glory and favor on them, it is a wondrous thing. As we enter into the celebration of Christmas, let’s remember it was common people like Mary and Joseph and common little villages like Nazareth and Bethlehem that were spotlighted by the Almighty. A stable setting with a manger and an entourage of lowly shepherds was what God chose to introduce His Son to the world. One touch of God’s favor outshines all the gold and glamor offered by man.
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December 8, 2022
Ephesians 3:17-19 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God”
Most people who believe there is a God, struggle at some time to believe He loves them completely and that His love is not based on their performance, goodness, or ability to return His love. This is one of the ploys of the enemy, to create doubt in our minds that the Lord loves us because he knows when we fully believe God loves us, it opens us up to the fullness of God. That’s the principle of today’s verse that God wants us to know how wide, long, high, and deep his love is. When we don’t understand God’s love and we believe we have to earn His favor or duck and dodge His anger, it sets us up for frustrating cycles where we try to do good, fail miserably, and then get swallowed up in guilt because we didn’t measure up. Then the very idea that God loves us is cast into question because we were not able to consistently earn His love. To make matters worse, many religions and religious people reinforce this mindset with their teaching that personal holiness determines our level of favor with God. The upside-down theology that works produce holiness and holiness wins God’s love and favor has kept many Christians discouraged and defeated on their journey. The Biblical order is that the Word of God produces faith (Romans 10:17) and faith, powered by love, produces good works (Galatians 5:6, James 2:22). But the love of God towards us is neither given to us as a reward for our works nor held from us because of our imperfections but it is the very nature of God. The Bible does not say God is wrath, God is temperamental, God is foul-tempered, or any such thing but it plainly says “God is love”. Notice our verse says we can know the love of Christ and that love passes (exceeds, goes beyond) knowledge, a seeming contradiction as how can we know something that is beyond knowledge? The word know means to become acquainted with, get the feel of through experience, and perceive while knowledge means things we generally know through our intelligence. God’s love has dimensions: it is wide, long, deep, and wide and when we know it, it goes beyond our understanding and anchors us (rooted and grounded), and fills us with the fullness of God. We can perhaps infer from this that not understanding the greatness of the Lord’s love produces a shallow, wavering, and unfulfilled Christian life. Rooted and grounded in love is a product of being steadfast in the knowledge of the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 8:7, “Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also”.
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December 7, 2022
(A Tribute to Jeremy Stout)
Psalms 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints”
I remember that very energetic, dark-eyed little boy running around the church I pastored, grinning from ear to ear with a gleam of mischievousness all over his face. Like most things that get swept along with time, it seems like not so long ago even though it’s been well over 30 years. Jeremy Stout didn’t have a care in the world and that’s the way it should be for children, the chance to enjoy a fun-filled childhood and to be raised by loving, caring parents. Jeff and Lisa are exactly that: parents who love their family intensely and want more than anything else for their children and grandchildren to put their faith in Jesus Christ because when all is said and done, that’s the only thing that matters. When Jeremy went missing over seven months ago, we all hoped he was taking a break somewhere and would call soon and say he was ok and that he’d be home soon. But that wasn’t the case and when his body was found last week, it brought that sense of finality that all those who knew and loved him had been dreading. The feeling of finality for believers is false because it supposes that death is the end and we know that’s far from true. When I heard that Jeremy’s body was found immediately today’s verse came to me and hope, like a tidal flood, filled me with the truth that we will see him again and that it will be soon. All the questions of why, how, what could have been done differently, and a million other unanswerable ones don’t matter because God has him exactly where He wants him: in His presence. That’s the meaning of today’s verse as it relates to this memorial devotion for Jeremy. We come to this earth for a short time and our ultimate purpose for being here is to have the opportunity to choose whether we want to live eternally with the Lord or not. And no matter what we accomplish down here, all that will end and pass away except for that choice concerning our eternal destiny. God made us to share eternity with Him and while we are living, He is patiently waiting for us to choose life and Him. When we do, He is longing for that day when we are delivered from the suffering, sorrow, and disappointments of this life and enter into His presence and the everlasting life and goodness He has prepared for us. Jeremy’s death was precious to the Lord because he will never again be in pain, never be hurt by the things this life can dish out. He is face-to-face and in the arms of the One who loves us unconditionally and has, from the beginning, purposed all of creation to redeem His saints to himself. As it has been said, this life is a temporary place to choose and get ready for the next life, which is eternal. We will miss Jeremy’s quick and easy smile, his boundless energy, his love for those around him, his willingness to help people, and his testimony that he has placed his faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God. But we will not miss him for long because soon and very soon we will be together with him, and all of God’s people, to never be separated again.
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December 6, 2022
Ezra 9:5-6 “And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens”
In 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and carried away the Jews as captives. Seventy years later, the Lord began moving His people back to the land He had given to them. They returned in several waves and among them were 3 men the Lord anointed to be their leaders. Nehemiah was responsible for rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. Zerubbabel was tasked with rebuilding the temple and Ezra, a priest and scribe had the burden of restoring worship and the return to the ordinances of the Law. During the 70 years that Israel was not established in their land, there was disarray and no spiritual leadership, no structure of worship, and no observances of the law. Consequently, there was a great departure from the ways of God. When Ezra saw how far the people had fallen away from God and the severity of their sinfulness, it shocked him to his core and the Bible said he ripped his clothes and sat down astonished. Then he began to pray as recorded in today’s verses and his prayer is one of the great prayers of the Bible as he called out to God to have mercy on his nation. We can glimpse his heart in his words as he approaches the Lord, identifying himself with the people using the pronouns “our” and “we”. He says he is ashamed and embarrassed to even reach out to God because the sin of the nation is piled up so high it is over their heads and reaches to the sky. Maybe as we read the words of Ezra God will give us an understanding of where our nation stands and how that for so long, we have continually drifted away from the truth that we are not aware of how far we are in our trespasses. The gradual decay of our ways and cultural norms has desensitized us to the stench of our sin until we are no longer able to recognize that we are far, far from the Lord. Ezra confessed that Israel was in a state of confusion as are we today, and he called for God to send an awakening, a revival to draw the people’s hearts back to God. He prayed for families and children that they would have a future of blessings and may we hear the words of his prayer and pray the same for our families and children. Like Ezra, we can say that our punishment is less than we deserve and we can look to the Lord with confidence that He is full of mercy and grace. He is willing to answer us from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our lands if His people that are called by His name will humble themselves and pray, and seek His face.
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December 5, 2022
Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death”
If the unbelieving world admits to Jesus as a historical figure, they will not believe in His death, burial, and resurrection and they do not believe He is eternally alive as the Son of God. And by an unbelieving world, we are also referring to religions and denominations of Christianity that deny the deity of Christ and His oneness with God the Father. Several years ago, my wife and I were visiting a family when during our visit, 2 representatives from an organization that claimed to be Christian knocked on the door. Our hosts invited them in and we listened to what they had to say. Mostly, they talked about the end of time and what was going to happen in the future. I asked them if they believed Jesus Christ is God and they began their programmed response of a lot of talking without giving a Yes or no answer. I opened the Bible to 1Timothy and read aloud “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”. At that moment the man stood up, walked over to me, and jerked my Bible out of my hands while rambling some nonsense that I was not qualified to understand what the Bible was saying. It was a bizarre scene but revealed that the deity of Jesus Christ is a sore point with the unbelieving world and it doesn’t take much to irritate them. The Lord appeared to John on the island of Patmos when John was there in exile, punished because he preached about Jesus. Jesus spoke the words of today’s verse and leaves no doubt about His resurrection and power over death and hell saying that He has the keys to both and this signifies that whoever has the keys holds the power. God appeared in a human body in the person of Jesus Christ. The unbelieving world nailed God to the cross when they nailed Jesus there. In one way of saying it, God came down to the people He created and loved, became as one of them, and they hated Him and killed Him. The proof of the world’s rebellion against their creator is seen every time we look at a picture or symbol of Jesus hanging on the cross. He was alive, then He was dead, but death had no power over Him and He arose in victory to never die again. The Lord died in our place and experienced death for every person so that we can have eternal life. No wonder He can say I “have the keys of hell and death”.
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December 4, 2022
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered”
There is an old adage that says “the more I know, the more I realize how little I know” and concerning our many and diverse situations and circumstances we are usually left saying “only God knows”. And that is a wonderful and peaceful thought because the Creator of all things knows the end of all things from the beginning and can certainly see all the aspects of everything about us. We come to God on the ground of faith and before His throne of grace with the assurance that His ears are listening to our prayers and that He has promised He is willing and ready to help us. Our problem is spelled out in this verse that we do not know “what we should pray for as we ought” because we cannot see from God’s omniscient view. Our prayers are usually a mixture of cries for help along with suggested ways God can solve our situation. But the Holy Spirit steps in and speaks on our behalf in our time of weakness and bewilderment which is the meaning of our “infirmities”. The Lord’s will for us is not to simply get us out of a mess we’re in, fix a problem we have, give us what we want, or bring us relief from our pain or suffering. But it is stated in verse 28 that He has purposed to work all things together for our good. It’s not wrong to pray, as part of our requests and intercessions to the Lord, that the Holy Spirit will help us humble ourselves to God’s will and that He will freely intercede for us. As part of our yielding to God, we might pray something like, “Father, may Your Holy Spirit pray for me in this matter because I know that You are working all things for my good. Help me want what You want and teach me to pray according to Your will”. The idea of the Holy Spirit praying “with groanings that cannot be uttered” carries the idea of sighs, moans, and whispers that are not our words but a heaving of our heart towards heaven. Maybe you have been in such a frame while praying that you did not have words to say and found yourself connected to the Lord with unintelligible cries. The Bible says in verse 27, “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God”. We can come away from this with the joy that we are not on our own even when we come before the Lord because God has sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and to be our helper. When the Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers, He knows how to help us pray according to God’s will and this unity of our need with the Spirit’s intercession brings us the answers.
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December 3, 2022
Mark 8:23-25 “And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly”
This miracle is enshrouded in mysteries, circumstances that are not part of other miracles. Before He healed him, the Lord took the blind man by the hand and led him away outside the town, perhaps away from a gawking crowd. Then Jesus spit on his eyes, perhaps to soften the accumulation of dried discharge that may have had his eyelids stuck shut and no miracle was needed to unglue the lids just moisture if that was the case. When the miracle happened, it was incomplete in that the man could see, but could not see clearly as if he needed his vision corrected. It is the only recorded miracle that took place in stages, a sort of progressive miracle. It shows us God does not limit Himself in the ways He accomplishes His will. When He is working in our lives to answer our prayers and direct our steps, He doesn’t always accomplish things the way we think He might or the way He does for others. Sometimes He works quickly, even instantly and other times it seems like He isn’t working at all because things are progressing step by step. It’s good to remember that when the Lord is answering our prayers or bringing something to pass, the circumstances require that He arrange things in the lives of others whose lives are interconnected with ours. The blind man eventually got his miracle completed, his vision was perfect and it’s not because Jesus was not able to do it instantly but because the ways of God belong to Him and He does as He pleases. Our faith tells us that God is performing His will in our lives to work all things for our good even if we do not see any monumental evidence. We will see miracles happen both fast and slow. We will see God’s providential hand move on our behalf. We will experience seasons and moments when we didn’t know How God was going to help us but He always proves Himself to be faithful. And again, let’s not forget that the Lord tells us repeatedly to be still and wait for His purpose to come to pass. And as far as Jesus spitting in the man’s eyes is concerned, one fellow said “I’d rather have God spit in my eye than for the devil to give me a big hug”.
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December 2, 2022
Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”
Over 300 years ago, a fleet of 11 Spanish ships carrying gold, silver, and precious stones, sank off the east coast of Florida during a hurricane and their cargos were scattered over the ocean floor. Over the years and even until now pieces of their treasures have washed ashore and divers have found many of their artifacts giving the name of this part of Florida the “Treasure Coast”. It’s the stuff kids dream about of pirates, ships, sunken treasure, and secret maps with the “X” marking the spot. What is your treasure and where do you keep it? Some people have a safe or two where they keep their guns, jewelry, important papers, and the such locked up. We’ve seen a lot of movies and TV shows where the robbers were able to find a safe hidden behind a painting and figure out a way to open it. Other people hide their valuables in the freezer or other spots they hope no criminal would think of looking. Jesus tells us that whatever we esteem as valuable is always connected to our hearts. Our desires, hopes, our dreams, and expectations are linked to the security, value, and promises offered to us by our most valuable possessions. Our treasures are insurance in case of emergencies, they are part of our legacy and inheritance we want to pass down to our family, and they make us feel important and special especially if we own something unique and priceless. But like the lost treasure carried by the 11 Spanish ships, God warns us that when we treasure the things of this world, we will always lose them. Because if we don’t lose them to the misfortunes of life, we will certainly die and leave them behind. It can be hard to change the way we think about what’s most valuable and ascribe the greatest value to the things of the Lord because the glitter of this world is so visible to us and some of it is within our reach. Heaven seems so far away and it requires faith to turn away from what is offered by this life and begin investing in a place and a future we can’t see. But one of the meanings of the word translated “treasure” here is a “deposit” and what we do in the name of Jesus and for His glory is a deposit in heaven’s bank. Sometimes we use the word “reward” when we speak of heavenly things and that is not an error because the Bible teaches among other places, in Revelation 11:18, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth”. Jesus taught us to concern ourselves with making heavenly deposits rather than obsess with the fleeting, temporary treasures of this life and that who we are, the essence of our hearts will always be joined to what we value as treasure.
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December 1, 2022
Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons”
With this year’s Thanksgiving Holiday in the rearview mirror, we’re quickly cruising toward Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The two verses above speak to us of one aspect of Christ’s appearing that, when considered, puts a lot in perspective: God’s timing. The phrase “But when the fulness of time was come”, carries the meaning, “at the right time” and puts us in mind that God has everything planned to the infinitesimal detail. Jesus was born exactly when God had purposed His birth, at the right place, and to the right parents. Everything about the Lord’s appearing on this earth fulfilled the plan God put in motion before He began creation and there’s nothing that can happen that will derail His plan. In the scope of the scriptures and concerning how God has been carrying out His redemptive plan, the giving of the law was at a specific time and served its purpose until Christ fulfilled it and ushered in the church age and day of grace. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” and while today’s verses show the birth and life of Jesus were accomplished at exactly the right time, God is working in our lives with the same intent and purpose. He knows every detail about us from the number of hairs on our heads to the number of days we have on this earth and He is at work, unfailingly, to accomplish His will in us. Our lives are so much better, so more fulfilling when we bow and submit our will to His and stop resisting His ways. For example, take 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” which is a promise that when we yield to the will of God, there is an appointed time when He will bring His purpose to fruition in us and it will be a time and season of great blessing. The Bible reminds us repeatedly to wait on the Lord because, on our part, it can seem like it takes God a long time to bring things to pass. But the Lord controls the universe and all of our life’s bits and pieces are subject to His plan. From our choice of careers, who we marry, where we live, and especially our place in the ministry it’s easy to forget the Words of our Lord in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. His timing is perfect.
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