January 31, 2023
Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward”
The story of Moses represents a choice of faith. He was raised in Pharoah’s household and could have been known as Pharoah’s grandson. He could have lived a life of the greatest privilege of the ancient world with immense wealth, honor, and all the pleasures Egypt had to offer. Instead, by faith, he chose to follow the ways of God and turned his back on Egypt and all it offered. As a side note, it is startling here to see that the Bible says he chose the reproach, the shame, of Christ. This was thousands of years before Jesus Christ was born testifying to the pre-incarnate Christ as declared in John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God”. The choice of faith is usually not the easy choice because it requires the submission of the flesh and our human will. Moses saw and knew all Egypt had to offer yet he looked at the whole picture and viewed the value of all things from an eternal perspective. His eye of faith saw the gold of Egypt as nothing compared to the vast treasures of the gift of God. He answered the question the Lord asked in Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” by rejecting the world and walking with God. The phrase “he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” literally means he looked away from Egypt and looked ahead to the time he would receive his reward from the Lord. Are we living our lives by choices of faith? Are we turning our backs on this world and what it offers and reaching out to the things of God? Have we made our decision about the value of what is offered by this world compared to the treasures of Christ? The Bible says in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. The ways of the world are unscrupulous and whatever pleasure it offers on its buffet of sin only lasts a few moments. People wildly pursue fleeting pleasure and then the price they pay is death and destruction. The world’s display of treasure is a mere façade and it will all pass away. Whatever we may gain from it will never bring lasting peace and contentment. But the choices of faith, made by following the eternal Word of God, may not be the easy choices but they have eternal value. At the conclusion of all things down here and in the language of the kingdom, we will hear the Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord”. (Matthew 25:21)
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January 30, 2023
Romans 15:14 “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another”
Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, we have the power to do what is right. That doesn’t mean we always make the right or best choices but still, we have been given the ability to live victoriously. And because God lives within us, we are filled with His goodness. He is the light that shines through us and we have the potential to shine in any darkness and be a witness and help to anyone around us. The Lord Jesus taught us in Luke 11:33, “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light”. He went on to say in Matthew 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid”. His will for us is to be filled with light and goodness with the goal being expressed in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. The Bible again says in Ephesians 5:8-9, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)”. God’s people have a purpose and it’s not just to occupy space on a church pew now and then or perform religious routines. We are ambassadors for Christ and we are filled with God’s goodness so that we can do good deeds in His Name. Today’s verse also tells us we are filled with knowledge. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 2:12, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God”. From the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, we have good counsel and the Lord gives us words that bless, encourage, and strengthen. Our hands and feet carry out actions of goodness. Our mouths speak words of truth, blessing, and good, sound Biblical advice. This is part of letting our light shine, of being the salt of the earth we are called to be. The light and salt were not given to us to be suppressed and hidden away but to use for God’s glory and we are told we are “able to admonish one another”. The word “admonish” means to teach, direct, and warn and shows our faith is not passive but active and alive. We might not see ourselves as filled with goodness and knowledge but God says we are. Even though we could argue this passage was written to the saints at Rome, it carries truth to us because it fits the pattern the Lord has set for His people to win the lost, encourage others, and do what is right in a world of darkness. We are fully able because He is able through us.
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January 29, 2023
Psalms 23:2-3 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake”
When we pray the Lord’s prayer, a part of it says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. The word temptation is not implying the Lord might lead us where we are tempted by something against His will for us but it means a place of tribulation and trouble. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, guides us to the green pastures and still waters. If many people could step back and look at their life and the situations they have created, they might realize what a disarray they’re in. It’s like what can happen to a house and property when we do not regularly carry off the trash, do some cleaning, and keep things in repair. Before long, even the most expensive and beautiful homes and properties can become a dump. The Lord wants better things for us and our families and a part of His plan is for us to have homes and lives free of unwarranted strife, stress, and anxiety. Jesus gave us His call and promise in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”. By their nature sheep are not designed for places where they are under attack from their predators or where they are in danger from the elements. They need the wisdom and care of their shepherd to protect them and direct them to where they are safe and at rest. God has a place for us where we are at rest. A place where we can walk in His blessings and be free from the torment of this world. He calls us to stand near Him and tells us in Psalms 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust”. Standing in the shadow of God is a place of perfect security and peace. His table is spread with blessings and His invitation is given for us to come and dine (John 21:12). In these stressful, perplexing, and dangerous times we need the green pastures and still waters of the Lord’s presence. We need to move away from the anger and noise of this world into the shadow of the Almighty God and He will lead us into a place of peace. We have His promise in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength”.
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January 28, 2023
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do”
God’s love for us is shown in these verses. It answers any thinking that He is vengeful or enjoys punishing us. His appointment for us, His plan, is not to pour out wrath on us but to save us through Jesus Christ. That alone is the greatest hope we can have and covers the entirety of our lives from birth into eternity. Jesus died for us so that we can live together with Him. Such simple truth sometimes gets lost in the mess of religion and religious activities. When the initial glow of the new birth wears off and we settle into our routines it’s easy to forget the inestimable value of our salvation and what it means for us. The last sentence in these verses reminds me of something that happened weekly when I was growing up as a child. I can still remember the prayer meetings at the church we attended on Thursday nights. One by one people would speak up and talk about how glad they were that Christ had saved them and often they would tell about prayers God had answered or situations He had rescued them from. Usually, they would conclude with a request that people would pray for them so that they might become stronger in their faith. When we have the comfort of the assurance of salvation and the hope that in Christ our future is eternally secure, we want others to have that same joy. The scripture tells us to comfort ourselves together and carries the meaning that we reciprocally, mutually, and actively encourage each other so that we may find comfort in what the Lord has done for us. We edify each other which means we say and do the things that help us all become stronger, more steadfast, and more resilient. It’s heartbreaking to see Christians fighting among themselves as if they are enemies and it is against the cause of Christ when churches have no heart or plans to build strong families and strengthen those that are discouraged. Ministerial teams or whatever jargon they use to call them currently, can get sidetracked by their programs and remain unconnected with the people they are supposed to be shepherding. Praise God for believers that see the people of God as a family and set themselves and their personal agendas aside to follow the truth of Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others”.
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January 27, 2023
Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful”
In 2 Timothy 3, the Scriptures tell us that in the last days, before the return of our Lord, that people will be unthankful. These perilous times set people’s nerves on edge and in some, great anger boils right under their surface. Complaining and blaming others for all the ills seem to be a relief valve to let off steam and we can easily find ourselves joining in. It may well be we are seeing the foreshadowing for when the riders of the apocalypse revealed in Revelation 6 will appear. We are told that one of them, riding the black horse, will be given the power to take peace from the earth. The world views life from a Godless perspective and the sum of all the news, talk shows, and best-selling exposés of the current times fuel the cycle of fear, anger, and then, ingratitude. But for Christians, today’s verse links two things together: peace and thankfulness. When peace rules in our hearts, it is a foundation for thankfulness. The Lord tells us in 1 Peter 3:11 to seek peace and follow its ways and even in these uncertain times, God’s peace never changes and never fails. Thankfulness flows from us when our hearts are ruled by peace because we know that we are eternally redeemed, our needs will always be met, and Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is with us in the storms. Sometimes we say that we have a lot to be thankful for but it is more than that: we have everything to be thankful for. Thankfulness is not just a feeling, it is an affirmation of who God is, who we are as His children, and what our past, present, and future hold for us. Our past is under the blood of Jesus and has no power over us. In our present, we are blessed, covered with God’s favor, and the Lord is working all things together for our good. Our future is one of indescribable glory, beauty, and eternal perfection. Removing the sources of the world’s negative, complaining influences is one of the keys to allowing the peace of God to rule us. We wouldn’t allow our homes to be used as a garbage dump and neither should we allow our minds to be trashed. The phrase “and be ye thankful” tells us we have to purpose and direct ourselves towards thankfulness with a conscious effort. When we are at peace and pursuing the things that make for peace, the Holy Spirit will help us turn towards the pattern of always viewing our life and circumstances from a place of gratitude. When we open our eyes in the morning, a good way to begin our day is by saying, “Thank You Lord for another day of Your blessings and peace. I know You are with me and providing all my needs. I give myself, my home, and my family to You and help me to always be thankful”.
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January 26, 2023
Isaiah 53:3 “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”
The depth of mankind’s depravity can be seen in this verse. God sent His Son to save anyone that will trust in Him and yet people reject His gift of salvation. And not only reject it, but they kill the Son of God in their hatred of Him. It makes no sense because it’s like a man drowning in the lake and when people throw him a flotation device to save him, he gets angry and punches a hole in it and drowns while yelling, “I don’t need your help, I can save myself”. Yet the scriptures clearly tell us Jesus is rejected of Men. See that it is in the present tense because not only was He rejected when He was physically on the earth, He is still rejected today by the masses. So much so that the Bible says in Matthew 7:14, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”. We might think anyone and everyone would immediately seize the opportunity to go to heaven for free but they don’t and won’t. When we read the gospels and consider the life of Jesus from His birth to His death, they show us at the first, people seemed curious about the Savior and His message. They wanted to see the miracles and if they needed one themselves, they were quick to ask for it. They also liked the free food when He broke the fish and bread and followed Him after those miracles hoping to get another meal. But it didn’t take long until they began to reject Him and His teaching. Verses like John 6:66, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” show that their fascination with the Lord faded quickly and they rejected Him. They not only rejected Him, but they began to despise Him. The world’s treatment of Jesus has not changed and people will honor Buddha, Muhammad, animals, trees, and a million other things and religions as if they are gods but Jesus as the Son of God and the only Savior of the world is still rejected. And if you press the matter with them, you will discover they despise Him. Even in some circles that claim to be Christian, Jesus is rejected as being God in the flesh and some will not believe He is the only door to heaven. Dying people are offered an eternal cure that costs them nothing and still they scoff and turn away, choosing the deadly poison of sin instead of the Savior. The more we think about it, the more foolish we are shown to be. It perfectly fits the words of Romans 1:22, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools”. Our best hope is to pray for God to do as He said in Acts 26:18, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”.
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January 25, 2023
John 19:10-11 “Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above”
There is more than a hint of arrogance in Pilate’s words, “Speakest thou not unto me” with the emphasis on the “me”. The Lord Jesus was not answering the charges against Him, He was not begging for His life, and He was not intimidated by Pilate. It seemed Pilate was taken aback that Jesus was not aware that life and death were in the hands of the Roman governor. But the world has a small view as to where power lies and people think themselves to be far more important and powerful than they are. Human pride kicks aside reason and wisdom as if they are things to be discarded. God warns us of the consequences in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”. The haughty, proud ways of Sodom before it was destroyed are shown in Ezekiel 16:49, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good”. Notice that God was speaking to His people Israel but calling them the sister of Sodom. Forgetting to whom we owe our existence and who holds our future either to save us or destroy us is a grave mistake. Like Pilate, the world falsely believes it is in control of its own destiny and will not submit itself to the authority of the One who has all power in heaven and earth: The Almighty God. Pilate had no power because he yielded to the howling mob that was screaming for him to kill an innocent man and even when Pilate said “I find no fault in him”, he gave up the power to do what was right and set Jesus free and caved to the political pressure. Listen to his pathetic words as he washed his hands as if saying he didn’t really want to crucify the Lord: “ I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it”. In the end, Pilate proved power is just an illusion. It’s sometimes difficult and even impossible on this side of eternity to understand why God allows what He does. People hurt and abuse others and entire nations of people suffer while others don’t. But God will follow His purpose and plan until they are completed and then all things will be reconciled to Him. One thing is for sure, God has shown America great and extended favor and mercy. All the power and blessings we have enjoyed can only be explained by the truth that we have been covered by the grace of God. May the Lord open our understanding and give us an awakening to turn back to the One of whom Jesus said when He taught us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
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January 24, 2023
Matthew 7:11 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Jesus asks these questions in Matthew 7:9-10: “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?”. This is the first part of the teaching that Jesus is driving home to us. Certainly, if our children ask for some food, we would not give them rocks and snakes. Good parents want good things for their children and many of them work hard so their children can have a better life than they had. We want our children to be blessed, prosperous, and happy. When our children suffer or are in lack, we also suffer and desire to help them in any way we can. And all this despite that we ourselves are sinners, imperfect, sometimes selfish, and not always wise in our dealings. The second part then points us to our Heavenly Father and says that even more so than we want good for our children, He wants to give good things to us. Concerning His children, God is a giver and not a taker. He isn’t selling us blessings and favor or loaning them to us expecting us to pay off the debt later. Our Lord gave this teaching after He said in verses 7 & 8: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”. All these things help us keep in mind that the door to God’s presence is always open to us and that we should never hesitate to kneel at His throne of grace and boldly ask, seek, and knock. Whatever we need, whatever we desire, whatever problem we have, or any other thing He is ready to help us and give good things to us. It calls to mind what Jesus said in Luke 18:1, “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (that is, to give up, lose heart, or get discouraged). Doubts can come against us when we’re asking, seeking, and knocking telling us God is not going to answer us. The enemy offers many reasons why we should just quit believing that the Lord will keep His promise and if we listen to him, before long we’ll stop praying. But God’s Word is forever settled, firmly established, and fixed in heaven and if we’ll just hold fast to the Lord’s promises and not quit, we will get our answer. The little widow in the parable of Luke 18 got her answer from the judge because she was persistent in asking and God tells us to look to her for our example and keep asking. He will always give good things to His children and His ear is always open to our prayers.
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January 23, 2023
John 13:10 “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all” (the “not all” speaks of Judas)
The Lord spoke these words as He was washing His disciple’s feet and they help us understand our predicament concerning sin. In Bible times as they didn’t have indoor plumbing and baths, people went to a stream or bathhouse to bathe. Afterward, as they made their way home, walking, they were clean but their feet became dirty and dusty again. When they entered their house, they would rewash their feet. The teaching is that we have been washed, bathed by the Word of God and the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us. God no longer sees us as unwashed and dirty. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost”. And speaking of the church, God’s people, He says in Ephesians 5:26-27, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. Jesus died for us once for all and we do not get saved, washed, over and over because just as we do not get born repeatedly, we do not get the new birth repeatedly. But our dilemma is that our feet, representing the part of us that is in contact with the fallen world around us, need to be washed by repentance and confession over and over. Not to save us again, but to keep us separated from the flesh, the world, and the devil that are bent on contaminating us. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Ours is not a question of “if we will sin” but “when we sin” and Jesus is our advocate that hears our confession and washes our feet just as He did to the disciples. Another thought here is that the Lord told us we should wash one another’s feet. While we usually associate that with compassion and humility, we can also see it as acts of kindness in helping others who have erred. After we are saved, the Lord washes our feet when we sin, we follow His example and reach out to others who have sinned and become part of their restoration. Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted”. We all have daily dirt on our feet because in this life we will never follow God’s ways perfectly. But there are times we may make such wrong choices we step in mud holes that cover us with more than a little dust. Our Savior does not refuse to wash our feet even when mud is lodged between our toes.
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January 22, 2023
Genesis 26:12 “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him”
When we read this verse by itself, it doesn’t seem that Isaac’s glorious harvest is such an unusual thing because, after all, he was the promised son of Abraham and had the blessings of the covenant following him. But it is verse one that makes us stop and view the situation in a different light: “And there was a famine in the land”. Crops were not growing and seed was precious so Isaac was no doubt tempted to pack up what he owned and move away to a place where there was rain and opportunity to plant his good seed. The Lord spoke to him and said in Genesis 26:3-4, “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”. Isaac remained in the land of famine and sowed seed by faith. The Lord blessed it and caused it to produce a hundred times its initial quantity. Perhaps all of Isaac’s neighbors thought he was a lunatic and wasting his life-saving seed and maybe even Isaac himself wondered how the seed was going to grow in the parched ground. But a miracle of faith happened when he stopped looking at the circumstances and sowed despite the famine. The seed sprouted, the grain matured, and there was a fantastic harvest. When we go through seasons of famine, when there is lack, spiritual dryness, and uncertainty, it is hard to sow in faith. We are tempted to leave the place God has placed us and doubts arise that if what we are doing will ever accomplish anything. As the old saying goes, the grass starts looking greener somewhere else and we’re tempted to stop what we’re doing, cease from giving, and look around for what may seem better opportunities. God’s promises and blessings are not dependent on anything except that what He has promised, He will perform. Famine, seasons of lack, trials, opposing forces, discomfort, attacks by the enemy, failures on our part, or any other thing cannot stop the Lord from blessing what we sow in faith. He has given us His Word that whatever we sow we will reap and when we continue to faithfully do what is right, we will receive blessings from His hand. Even in times of famine, He will bless us. When we are at our weakest, we will reap a harvest. The Bible says in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”. In the times when we feel like quitting, when it seems we’re getting nowhere, let’s keep sowing by faith. God will not fail us.
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January 21, 2023
Philippians 2:9-11 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
The Jewish teachers and rabbis tell people it is forbidden to speak the name of God except by the high priest in the temple, in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. They believe any other time, it would dishonor His name. Since there is no temple and hasn’t been for almost 2,000 years, the name of God can never be spoken. They refer to him as “HaShem” which literally means, “The Name”. When they write God, they spell it G-d, believing it is forbidden to even spell His name. A sorrowful part of this is that while they have made rules about speaking and writing the name of God such false and binding traditions, they have a history of walking away from God, serving idols, and making their man-made traditions more sacred than the worship of God. But God has never demanded or wanted such a separation of Himself from people that they are forbidden to call on Him and call Him by His name. Today’s verse tells how He has revealed Himself to us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, And that name, the name of Jesus, has been given to us to speak, sing, praise, pray to, shout, and openly declare to the world as the remedy for sin, the safety for souls, the surety of eternity, and the soothing salve for all humanities sorrows. All heaven bows at the name of Jesus and every person, every demon, and the devil himself will all bow their knees to Jesus Christ and confess He is Lord of all. Those who fight to keep people from praying in the name of Jesus or mentioning His name in public are testifying to their fear of the power of His name. Their “politically correct” hog slop shows how the enemy and the world have an agenda under the false guise of “let’s not offend anyone” designed to silence the Name of Jesus of which the Bible says in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”. Those who despise His name and refuse to trust Him will soon meet the King of Kings and Lord of Lords face to face and their knees will buckle and their tongues will declare that He is Lord. Oh, how blessed and wonderful it is to speak His name while we are alive on this earth and have breath to utter “Jesus, He is the Son of God!”. How amazing it is to pray in His name knowing that when we do so, we have the promise that the ear of God is open to us and the favor of God is upon us just because of the name of Jesus. He is exalted and His name will be the reconciliation of all things to God.
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January 20, 2023
1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”
When we read the Old Testament, we understand how God chose Abraham and through him, brought the nation of Israel into being. The Jewish people enjoyed the privileges and blessings of being a chosen people and their history is the text of most of the Bible. Even though the promises the Lord made to them have not all been fulfilled, those promises are still being fulfilled today. But today’s verse is not focused on the Jews but on all of us who have become the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. The new birth has brought us into God’s family just as chosen, just as blessed, and just as special as if we were the natural descendants of Abraham. We have a standing with God that makes us people set apart and crowned with favor. The word “peculiar” here does not mean strange or different in the sense we sometimes use it but is translated from a word and its roots which mean: a specialty, one’s own precious possession. It has its counterpart in the phrasing of Isaiah 43:21, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise”. Halleluiah! The enemy tries to portray us as outcasts, a band of bedraggled social misfits. He stirs the world to view us as unlearned, and out of touch, and he causes the shakers and movers of society to dismiss believers as a nuisance and a threat to progress. But he knows we are children of the King of heaven and earth and he knows we are identified by the royal blood of Jesus Christ. By the love and grace of God, we have been called out of darkness and now we are children of the light. 1 Thessalonians 5:5, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness”. God calls us a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation and that is who we are. The Lord tells us in Ephesians 5:8, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light”. We have a right to hold our heads high and follow the ways of God because we have been called out to praise the Lord in the midst of a dark, deceived, and sin-poisoned world. We belong to the Lord as His chosen, special, anointed, and precious children. It always makes me think of the words of the Bill and Gloria Gaither hymn, “Child of The King”: “Now I’m a child with a Heavenly home. My Holy Father has made me His own. And I’m washed by His blood, and I’m clothed in His love and someday I’ll sing with the angels above. Oh, yes, oh yes, I’m a child of the King. His royal blood now flows in my veins and I who was wretched and poor now can sing, Praise God, praise God, I’m a child of the King”.
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January 19, 2023
Psalms 30:1 “A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me”
The title of this Psalm says it was written for the dedication of David’s palace. Yet in all its words, David or the palace is not praised but the Lord is honored and exalted. It causes us to think that we should always look at how the Lord has blessed us and dedicate what we have and what we are able to do, to God. The phrase, “for thou hast lifted me up”, acknowledges that it is the Lord that gave us what we have and made us what we are. The image of being lifted from a lower place to a higher one appears many times in the scriptures. Sometimes it speaks about us being trapped in a pit and God lifts us out. Or maybe it is a picture of our feet stuck in muck and mire, sliding and slipping and God lifts us out of the mire and puts us on solid ground. Or it is times when we have been beaten down like the man the Good Samaritan rescued and the Lord lifts us out of the ditch and takes care of us. But no matter what has driven us to our knees or trapped us, the Lord is the lifter of our head as declared in Psalms 3:3, “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head”. David’s greatness was not due to his own abilities but because God chose him, anointed him, and made him what he was. David’s palace was a testimony that the Lord was with him and was his provider. This is said in verse 7, “LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong”. Whenever we are down, when we have fallen, when it seems we are trapped in a pit, and when our head is bowed low from trouble and sorrow, God will lift us up and He will bring us out. A great promise is given to believers in 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”. We have words of encouragement for others who have been brought low: Job 22:29, “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person”. Jonah went down into the ocean depths but the Lord lifted him up and delivered him. Jesus went down into the grave and then descended into hell for us. But God raised Him from the dead and now, through the preaching of the gospel, He is lifted up just as the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up and all who look to Him have the hope of salvation! The hand of God reaches down to where we are and lifts us up to where He is.
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January 18, 2023
Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest”
For many of us, labor is something we try to get away from if at all possible. We like time off, vacation days, and retirement. Our workouts are not usually from chopping a cord of firewood but from a few minutes on the treadmill or at the gym. We might have a small garden we tend, but few if any of us hitch up the mules and plow until dusk so our families will survive the winter. In the realm of God’s work, it’s much the same with a handful of people doing the work and the rest dropping in on a church service occasionally. The picture of this verse is an agricultural setting where precious crops are ready to be harvested and there is an awesome opportunity for a fantastic harvest. The problem is that the size of the harvest means more workers are needed. This harvest is the field of souls and they are ready to be brought into the kingdom of God. All the preparation has been done when Christ died, was buried, and arose from the grave. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” pointing out that the resurrection of Jesus is the first of God’s great harvest. A heaven-sent vision of people where they are, and where they will live eternally will change the way we pray for them and think about them. Jesus said to direct our prayers to God, called the Lord of the harvest, the one in charge, that He would send more workers into the fields. Wonder how many parents and grandparents are praying, “God, call my children and grandchildren into Your service”? We pray for their safety and prosperity but we might venture that few pray that they will be called to serve the Lord. Servants of the Lord, who are the laborers in His harvest, are not honored by this world and the people who have dedicated their lives to doing God’s work are often persecuted, mocked, and scorned by others. Sometimes when we pray for the Lord to send people into the harvest, He is really awakening our hearts to the need and calling us to serve. Isaiah gives us the classic response to the call of God concerning the opportunity to work in His harvest in Isaiah 6:8, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me”. The Marines may be looking for a few good men but God is looking for anyone with a willing mind as He said in 2 Corinthians 8:12, “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not”. Let’s begin to pray for a revival, a harvest of souls in these last days and pray that the Lord will call young and old into His fields.
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January 17, 2023
Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth
How often on a normal day do you look heavenward and think about the Lord and His coming kingdom? This verse tells us to “set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth” which is a way of saying, “keep your mind, thoughts, eyes, and desires focused on the things of the Lord”. An unchangeable truth is that we cannot keep the things we have down here. No matter how much we love them, take care of them, and obsess over them, the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out”. Rulers and wealthy people of the past were buried, surrounded by their treasure, so they could have wealth in the afterlife, and when their tombs were plundered later by grave robbers, all that was buried with them remained. When we are conceived, the only thing we possess or will ever possess that will pass from this life into eternity is our immortal soul. The unthinkable thing is that people will covet, work for, fight over, and hoard piles of junk and earthly wealth but they will completely neglect the most priceless thing they have: their soul. Jesus asked the question in Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”. These verses in Colossians 3 remind us in verse 3 that we are dead and is describing what has happened when we are saved and our state of being, identity, and home address are changed. When Jesus was nailed to the cross and died there, in God’s mind and for our eternal state of being, we were identified with Him and were crucified with Him. Although the flesh is still with us temporarily, it was struck a mortal blow at Calvary and the new man, created by the new birth is now who we are. We are alive with Christ in God and what we possess and where we live have nothing to do with the things of this earth. We are citizens of heaven and all its treasures and possessions are ours as heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. When we waste our time here enslaved to the thoughts of what this world offers, we are bound by things that will soon pass away. But when we direct our gaze above, allowing the Holy Spirit to open eyes of understanding to the things which are eternally ours, we come in line with 2 Corinthians 4:18, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”. Considering today’s verse, may the Lord help us to turn our attention more and more often to Him and what He has prepared for us and break the habit of being distracted by the things on this earth.
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January 16, 2023
Lamentations 3:26 “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD”
This speaks to our response in times of trouble and adversity. God always knows our situations and He never allows us to end up in a place that He cannot or will not help us. For believers, hope is synonymous with trust because our hope rests on God’s unfailing promises to us. Our trust or faith in Him is that He will always work everything for our good. When trouble or adversity strikes us, we can be driven by our emotions to become desperate, fall apart and try to fix our situation. We can complain bitterly, accuse, act in anger or remorse, turn to substances for relief, or try any number of quick fixes that in the end, never solve the problem and usually make things worse. Or, we can stop complaining, questioning, arguing, seeking the world’s advice, and begin to wait until the Lord brings us out or turns things around. For most of us, it’s hard to wait when we want immediate relief. We’re reminded again of Abraham and Sarah when they waited and waited for a child, they knew God had promised. After a while, they decided to take action, took matters into their own hands, and made a huge mess that’s still with us today, 4,000 years later. This does not mean if the house is on fire we should sit quietly on the couch and wait for God to extinguish the flames. Many of our circumstances can be solved by us just doing the right things but when it’s a problem or situation that we can’t resolve, the Lord will not abandon us. Consider Psalms 30:5, “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. For a while, we may cry, feel overwhelmed, have sorrow deep within us, and think there is no hope but as our emotions come under the control of the Holy Spirit, God’s promises remain unchanged. The Lord will move in our favor, the storm will pass by, and joy will come. The word salvation in today’s verse is not talking about our eternal salvation through the blood of Jesus but to times we are saved from our troubles. Our testimony will always be that of Psalms 34:6, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles”. People may write us off as a hopeless cause as they did David in Psalms 3:2, “Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God”. But we will hope and quietly wait for the Lord and He will not fail us and God’s Word tells us this is a good thing. Let’s read again His promise in Isaiah 40:30-31, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”.
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January 15, 2023
Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn”
When the majority of people have truth as their foundation and do what is right, it produces blessings, light, and a pervasive sense of joy and security throughout our society. We are happy, and productive, and have a strong hope for our future and our children. But when the truth is abandoned and society becomes contaminated with lies and rebellion against God and His ways, there is a darkness that settles in, creeping into every area from the government down to the homes of families. The uneasiness that God’s people are sensing right now is the awareness of the Holy Spirit within us that the darkness of wickedness, like a massive, destructive storm, is upon us. From the chaos of our government to the form of Godliness in our churches. From the brainwashing by God-rejecting education to the destruction of our families the winds of confusion, uncertainty, and despair are taking away our confidence that things are going to be ok. A drive through our city streets and a peek into most families show the effects of alcohol and drug abuse, a rise in homelessness, skyrocketing depression, and people addicted to everything except the things of God. There have been dark times before and it took reformations, awakenings, and revivals sent from heaven to turn people around and restore what was abandoned. Each time the Christian world looked like it was going to collapse, the Lord intervened and we pray now for a great revival, an awakening of God’s people to turn to Jesus with all their hearts. May the Holy Spirit drive us to our knees to seek the Lord and turn away from the lukewarm religious mess dominating our churches. Jumbo screens and following church models are not changing our hearts. There must be a return to the pure Word of God and only when we are drawn to the things of God by the Holy Spirit can this happen. We can’t revive ourselves; it must be a heaven-sent event. The Bible says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice” and this must be our fervent prayer. We are desperately trying to find joy and happiness in the things offered by this world. We’re always looking to entertainment, food, bigger houses, vacations, medications, carnal pleasure, and whatever else the world offers to make us happy and it’s a vicious cycle that leaves us exhausted and unsatisfied. Jesus still says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. Let’s pray for leaders that will do what is right, for ministers that will preach the unvarnished truth, and for dads and moms that will abandon all except what’s best for their families. And above all, let’s pray for a soul-shaking, sin-killing, devil-defeating, heart-changing, and nation-saving revival.
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January 14, 2023
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”
Some have taken these verses to mean that we wage a war of ideas, philosophies, and doctrines against the corrupt thinking of this world. If that is the case, our example is the temptation of Jesus when He confronted Satan face to face and answered the devil’s reasonings. The Lord’s weapon was the Word of God which He spoke to counter all Satan’s ideas, reasonings, and suggestions. The Word of God, which Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12 calls the sword of the Spirit, defeated all the weapons the devil used to attack our Lord. But there is another set of meanings in these verses that speak to us about the battles that rage within us, battles to control our thoughts and patterns of reasoning. We think thousands of thoughts every day and it’s impossible to control all of them. But we don’t have to let our thoughts dominate us until we dwell on them, especially those that are against God’s truth. Fear and frustration, revenge and retribution, covetousness and greed, all have their roots in thoughts that are unhealthy and contrary to God’s Word. The scriptures here tell us to bring our imaginations, reasonings, and thoughts under control so that they are aimed toward Christ. We do so by allowing the Holy Spirit to make us aware of what we’re thinking and acknowledge those thoughts. Then we begin to replace them by pattering our thoughts according to what the Lord tells us in His Word. When someone does us wrong, the thoughts of anger and hurt start us thinking about how we can get even and pay them back. We acknowledge that we are thinking those thoughts and then begin to remind ourselves to love our enemies, that God will vindicate us, and that He tells us to overcome evil with good. We might see something we like and our thoughts begin to take us down the path of covetousness or dissatisfaction with what the Lord has already provided. We acknowledge those thoughts and then begin to confess that God will supply all our needs and that He will withhold no good thing from us. No matter what thoughts enter our minds, we must filter them and determine if they honor God and are true according to His Word or if they need to be thrown out and replaced with thoughts that are God’s best for us. It takes time to change the way we think because we’ve been programmed by this world to think according to its patterns. But the Lord wants us to walk in truth, to be free from the bondage of lies, and to be filled with joy and peace. His will is given in Ephesians 4:23, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind”. When the devil comes looking for some space in your head to hang out and torment you, tell him, “No thanks, I have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
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January 13, 2023
Micah 7:8 “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me”
Notice the Bible does not say here “if I fall” but “when I fall”. This is not defeatism, that mindset that we are doomed no matter how hard we try, but it is the reality of living, doing, and experiencing life. Sometimes, we all fall down. Even with our best plans in place and every good intent, we fail, come short, error, miss the mark, and whatever else we call it. But there is a resilience in God’s people from the inward power of the Holy Spirit that helps us stand back up, regain our composure, and keep moving forward. This verse is reminding those who are against us, who rejoice when we face plant and maybe even had something to do with our demise, that their hatred for us and their hope that we will be defeated is a waste of their time because we’re going to get back up. The Bible speaks of this again in Proverbs 24:16, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” where the word “mischief” means a calamity. When believers fall, God helps them stand again, restores them, and gives them the strength to go on. But when those who will not trust the Lord fall, it is a calamity. They are like the foolish man who built on the sand in Matthew 7:27. When his house fell, the Bible says “great was the fall of it”. Today’s verse goes on to say “when I sit in darkness”. Again, not if, but when. There will be times when we can’t make sense of our situation. Our circumstances seem unfair and we go through suffering and sorrow. There will be times the Lord seems far away and our prayers go unanswered or they get answered in ways we don’t want. Those are times of darkness and confusion. But the promise is that “the LORD shall be a light unto me”. Jesus was agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane and was all alone, praying so intensely he bled through His skin. It was a dark, lonely, place. But in Luke 22:43, the Bible says in this dark, lonely place in His life, “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him”. God never fails us and in trials that are so difficult we feel all alone, He is the light of Hope and our door of escape. We might have enemies that hate us, falsely accuse us, and plot evil schemes against us. We might fall under the weight of our trials or even our own trespasses but God’s love and care for us never changes. By His grace, we will rise, take our stand, and walk in His light. We can not be defeated because Jesus cannot be defeated. We are safe: our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
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January 12, 2023
Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent”
If you believe we are living in the final church age, Laodicea, then you believe the appearing of our Lord will be in the near future. Unbelief of this glorious event has spread like an evil disease throughout our religious world until even Christians are blinded by the imminence of Christ’s return. The warning of today’s verse is given as a wake-up call to the lukewarm, self-centered, prosperous, proud, and pathetic flock. The Lord tells them he is correcting them because He loves them but demands that they repent. The word “repent” is an action verb meaning to change the way we think for the better, turn around, and head in a different direction. Repent is coupled with the verb phrase “be zealous” which means to be heated to the boiling, burning point and driven to act. We might say this to be so much on fire for the Lord that we turn away from all that is not of Him and burn with the desire to steadfastly follow His ways. This is not repentance unto salvation but is the state of the prodigal son when he came to his senses knee deep in hog muck, turned his heart and feet towards home, and took off to return to his father. It is the action of a revival that leads to restoration where we turn our backs on the enticing vileness of Laodicea and run into the open arms of a loving, forgiving God. This tepid, materialistic, entertainment addicted church age is far from God’s ways but so blinded by the intensity of their worldly pleasures they cannot see nor will they admit the crown of God’s favor has fallen from their heads. We foolishly wear the coverings of their deception and shame like a badge of honor, stop our ears to the truth, and run, stumbling as we go, deeper into apostasy. But God, who is rich in mercy and grace is reaching out, encouraging, and coaxing us to turn away from the ways of this world and walk in the light of His truth. Let’s remember His words in Jeremiah 6:16 to the people of Israel when they had turned away from God’s will and blessings: “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls”. It is not too late to believe the words and promises of Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”. May we sing, as a prayer, the words of the old Hymn “Revive Us Again”: Revive us again, fill each heart with thy love. May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. Hallelujah! Thine the glory, hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.
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January 11, 2023
Hebrews 9:12 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us”
When God struck Egypt with the tenth plague, the death of all the firstborns in the land, the only thing that saved anyone was the blood the Lord instructed them to smear on the sides and across the tops of their door frames. The Lord said to them through Moses in Exodus 12:13, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt”. They killed a sacrificial lamb, collected its blood, obeyed God’s decree by putting the blood on their doors, and then everyone inside the house was protected from death because of the blood. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb as was declared in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. The only thing that takes away our sin is the blood of Jesus Christ. When we believe in Christ for salvation the Bible says in Romans 3:24-25, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood”. There is nothing we can do, say, or abstain from doing that can cover our sins and make us fit for heaven just as there was nothing Israel could do or say that would protect them from death except trust in the power of the blood. Just how powerful is the blood of Jesus Christ to remove our sins? The Bible says it washes all our sins away. All of them from the least to the greatest, the oldest to the most recent, the hidden ones, and those that are in plain sight, get cleansed away by the blood of Jesus when we come to Him for salvation. The blood of Christ is for God’s benefit first of all because, without the blood, He sees our sin and His holiness demands the death of the sinner. No amount of love or grace can stop His judgment against us because His all-consuming holiness has decreed the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). But God’s plan to redeem us was to send His Son to die in our place and when the blood of Jesus was shed, God allowed His blood to be the payment for our sins. May our faith in the blood of Christ grow until we rest assured that we stand clean and whole in God’s eyes, completely forgiven by faith in His blood. The blood will never lose its power, it will never fail to cover sins, it will always satisfy God, and it is the blood that has obtained eternal redemption for us. Heaven is praising the Lord and declaring His blood for salvation in Revelation 5:9-10, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation”.
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January 10, 2023
Romans 4:20-21 “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform”
Do you believe God is able to do what He promised? Our unbelief places limits on God and we begin to doubt that He means what He said or we think that there is something that can keep Him from doing what He said He will do. These verses are about Abraham when he was about 100 and his wife Sarah, 90. They were far too old to have children yet the Lord had promised them a son and Abraham refused to consider their age but believed God was able to do what He promised. This is one of the foundations of faith, believing that God is able no matter what circumstances or human reasoning says. In Matthew 9, two blind men followed Jesus crying out for mercy and the Lord asked them in verse 28, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?”. They answered “yes” and they were healed because they believed Jesus was able. It is a question we should ask ourselves when we are looking to God, praying for Him to act on our behalf: “Is God able to do what I am asking?”. When we can answer with an affirmative, “yes”, then we are ready to trust Him to do what we have asked. When you were saved, you heard the Word of God in your heart that told you Jesus would save you if you asked Him. At some point, you believed He was able to do just that and by grace, through faith, you were saved. There are many people that hear the same truth of salvation but they will not believe the Lord is able to save them. Maybe they think they don’t need to be saved, or that they have committed too much wrong to be saved. Perhaps they’ve been taught by some false teaching that only some people have been destined to be saved and they think they are not part of that group. But they do not receive salvation because they, for some reason, will not believe the Lord is able to save them. It is the same in any situation whenever we come to the Lord, asking and trusting Him for help. We must begin by believing He is able, that He can and that there is no limit to His power. Someone once said that “the only thing that God cannot do is fail”. The Lord is able to deliver us, strengthen us, provide for all our needs, comfort us, sustain us, heal us, fix what we’ve messed up, direct us, and an innumerable list of other things. Look at the promise of Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”. Can you put your name in that promise and believe God is able on your behalf? Something like, He is able to do for (your name here) exceeding abundantly above all (your name here) can ask or think. Abraham believed God was able to keep His promise and may we have that same faith that trusts the Lord to do what seems impossible.
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January 9, 2023
Exodus 14:14 “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace”
After the tenth plague of death struck Egypt, Pharoah told Moses to get out and take the people of Israel with him. As they marched away from the place where they had been captives and slaves for 400 years it’s impossible to imagine the sense of freedom and joy they had. But they hadn’t been gone long when Pharoah changed his mind and came after them with his army of chariots to capture them and take them back to Egypt. The people panicked and began to cry out in despair that Moses had led them out of Egypt to be killed in the desert. It was then that Moses told them God would fight for them and to “hold their peace”, a phrase meaning to be silent and to neither say nor do anything. We know that when the Lord was finished, the Egyptians were destroyed and the Israelites were safe on the other side of the Red Sea. For us, the Christian life is often warfare where we are pitted against the world system, the devil and his henchmen, and our own fallen nature. But God is in control of our destiny and He knows how to defend us against our enemies. He holds our past, present, and future in His hands and He knows far better than we do how to deliver us from all our battles. That doesn’t mean we are not supposed to take a stand against evil and things that are wrong but it means that when we make the right choices and keep doing what is right, the outcome of victory belongs to God. The Israelites had no army, no weapons, and no ability to win a war against a trained, strong, and ruthless Egyptian army. But the Lord used the miracle of parting the waters of the Red Sea to defeat Pharoah and his soldiers that day. He will always stand with us in our trials and repeatedly in the scriptures He promises us that His sword, not ours will defeat our enemies. The Lord knows every time you have been attacked, falsely accused, and plotted against. He has heard every word spoken against you and your family. He has recorded every deed and act of malice against You. And He has promised in Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord”. The phrase “give place unto wrath” means to make room for God’s wrath to work and don’t crowd it out with our own attempts at vengeance. Be quiet, stay calm, and let the Lord fight our battles. Our faith trusts in God’s promises to fight for us and our faith tells us to listen to the words of Jesus when He said to Peter to put away our swords. He said in Deuteronomy 20:4, “For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you”.
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January 8, 2023
Mark 1:35 “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed”
Are you old enough to remember when most everything shut down in the evenings? Stores and restaurants closed for the day, businesses locked up, and employees went home. Even television stations (long before cable) went off the air. There was very little traffic on the roads and life went into a sort of slow motion until the next day. Now, nothing ever shuts down and with it, lives filled with anxiety and stress are the new normal. Jesus had busy days with crowds following Him, people hoping for a miracle pushing to get close, and His enemies watching His every move. And then there were the ever-present 12 disciples tagging along and asking questions. The picture we get in today’s verse is of the Lord getting up long before daybreak and going off somewhere where He could be alone to pray and no doubt, enjoy the solitude. Even then, the next two verses say, “And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee”. They wouldn’t leave Him alone and when they found Him, they didn’t seem to respect His need for some privacy but told him, as if reminding Him of His duties, “everyone is looking for you”. We need to take some time away from our hectic, non-stop schedules and pour out our hearts to the Lord. The constant commotion and movement of the world distract us from the still, small voice of truth and we lose sight of the things of God. Have you ever heard yourself say, “I just need some peace and quiet”? Don’t feel bad about being that way, our Lord set the example for us. Many people’s lives are so busy they seldom get alone with the Lord and they hardly ever find a quiet, peaceful place to pray, read God’s Word, and let their minds think about what God is saying to them. TVs, cell phones, hordes of people, and impossibly packed schedules rob us of those precious moments with God that our souls need. Jesus needed such times and if the Son of God, perfect in every way needed them how much more do we? We can pray anywhere and at any time but the Lord told us in Matthew 6:6, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly”. The word “closet” here means a secret place, a spot where one can rest and refresh, a place off the beaten path. May the Lord help us to make the time and find a place where we can shut off the phone, open His Word, and talk to our Heavenly Father. It is promised to us in Hebrews 11:6 that the Lord “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”.
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January 7, 2023
Philippians 3:13-14 “but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”
We don’t know exactly what Paul is speaking about here when he says he forgets things that are behind him. Perhaps it was his life before he became a Christian and all the evil he did towards believers during that time. Or maybe it was all he had accomplished for the Lord or failed to accomplish because either could tempt him to swell with pride or mourn with sad regrets. But the language in these verses is that of a runner, leaning forward as he runs with his eyes straight ahead on the finishing line. Our mistakes of the past have been covered by the blood of Jesus and God will never remember them against us anymore. Our successes have been recorded and will be part of our history at the judgment seat of Christ. All glory for them will be attributed to the Savior. The Lord is calling us to remain focused on the right here, right now, and to refuse to let our past control our thinking and state of mind. Yesterday is in the books and if we allow regrets or try to live under the glory of past success to control our present, we will be robbed of the joy of living each day. Look around you and see how God has blessed you. He gives blessings to be enjoyed and His will is for us to put our past where it belongs, behind us, and reach forward to even better things He has purposed for us. The Lord didn’t save us from destruction only to allow us to drown in despair and regret. The Bible says in 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”. Jesus lived and died a substitutionary death so that we can have the fullness of joy and peace and live declaring, “my cup runneth over”. The Lord has better things for us and the best, as they say, is yet to come. Some people have made New Year’s resolutions to get in better shape, exercise, walk, and run until they get stronger. May we resolve to run this spiritual race by forgetting those things which are behind us and reaching for God’s best for us. Let’s forgive people who have done us wrong. Let’s forgive ourselves for all the mistakes we’ve made. Let’s allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to heal us from the pain of regret. Let’s count our blessings and not our disappointments. And let’s confess the truth over our lives, homes, and families. I am eternally saved by the mercy and blood of Jesus Christ. I have all I need and more because the Lord always provides. I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might. I have the mind of Christ and He has filled me with the Holy Spirit. God has forgiven my past, present, and future sins and my best days are not behind me, they are ahead.
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January 6, 2023
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”
God gives us His promise many times in His Word that He is always with us. There are times when we may not give much thought about His presence because at the particular moment, there is nothing wrong and we feel safe and secure. But circumstances can quickly change and we can go from smooth sailing to hurricane conditions in a moment. Wisdom tells us that the continual presence of the Lord is one of the greatest promises for believers. No matter the situation, we are assured we are not alone even when the way is so dark and confusing, we can’t make sense of it. One of the most well-known passages in the Bible, Psalms 23:4, says: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”. We face sickness, heartaches, disappointments, loss, grief, pain, suffering, and all else that life heaves at us, and at each moment of every struggle, the Lord never moves from our side. He was with the Hebrew men in the fire, He was with Daniel in the den of lions, and our daily affirmation should be, “thank You Lord that You are with me and always will be”. The Lord tells us in today’s verse to not be afraid or dismayed, a word meaning to look around in bewilderment as if wringing our hands in hopelessness. You might be going through something right now that has shaken you to your soul and from where you stand, there are no answers as to why it happened or how you’re going to get delivered. Yet God’s promise is the same as it is for every situation: He is with you. I can testify the Lord was with me through my cancer surgery and He walked with me every step of the grueling recovery. It was not an easy road but He gave me strength and held me by His grace. Even now with no voice and unable to do many of the things I once loved He never leaves me and covers me with mercy and grace. Besides His presence, comfort and peace, He has blessed me with a wonderful wife that has walked with me in patience and love. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:22, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD”. A part of raising our families to know and follow the Lord is to teach them that God is eternally with us. They need to know that it is not us walking with Him because we falter in that attempt. But He is walking with us. Psalms 139:7-10, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me”.
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January 5, 2023
Colossians 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”
We who believe in the Trinity of God, attempt to explain it by saying that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons. These persons are manifested as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and all are coequal and one. Now having said that, I dare you to think about it for a while and then try to explain it so it’s understandable. There have been volumes written about the trinity and none of them singularly or collectively have ever explained it. Theologians and Bible thumpers alike discuss it, point out scriptures that testify to the 3-in-one God, and go to lengths to try to explain how there’s a trinity but there are not three Gods. And after it’s all said, the mind-bending mystery is no more explained and understandable than it was when the conversations, lectures, and lofty-worded sermons began. From a human rationale, it’s easier to be a unitarian, believing that there is one God who appears sometimes as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit. And were it not for the occasions where all three are manifested at the same time like the baptism of Jesus where Christ was in the water, the Father’s voice was speaking from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, it might be rationally safe to stand in the unitarian ranks. So, at 66 years old and having pondered the trinity of God all my life and never being able to grasp the completeness of what it means, I always settle in faith at some point and rejoice that the ways of God are infinitely above my understanding. After all, the very fact that God can speak words and reality as we see it appears, is no more understandable than the trinity so what’s the point in thinking we have to understand and explain everything about God? We take it by faith or we don’t take it at all. When God appeared as Jesus Christ and walked this earth as a man, it didn’t make the Godhead more understandable but it directed our attention to someone like us who not only represents and resembles us but is the combining of the created with the creator. This is the glorious presentation of 1 John 1:1-2, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us”. The fulness of the Godhead is in Jesus. Consider the conversation between Jesus and Phillip in John 14:8-9, “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”. We have all we need to see and understand about God when we look at Jesus Christ. All of God is in Him.
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January 4, 2023
Romans 7:21 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me”
When some people say it’s hard to live a Christian life, they are usually referring to the struggle within us to do what is right every day, all the time, and in every situation. Being forgiven of our sins by faith in Jesus does not eliminate our humanness and as long as we are in this world, we now possess a dual nature. A part of us the Bible refers to as the body and the flesh is drawn towards the very things that are against God’s best and answers to the pull of sin. Even when we allow the Holy Spirit to help us exercise some self-control and form new patterns and ways of living that subdue our sin nature, the struggle still wars within us. Sometimes we can go all day mostly doing what is right and then, while we are asleep, in our dream life we become thieves, liars, and villains, showing that the old nature is still with us. Romans 7 is revealing our inability to obey the Levitical law, or any law or set of rules, to achieve a right standing with God. While we may have the desire to do the right things we’re often derailed by our own human nature and end up doing, saying, or thinking the very things that are against God’s perfect will. Consider Romans 7:18-19: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will (that is the will to do what is right) is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do”. Do you ever find yourself in such a predicament? Maybe you’ve acted in a way that wasn’t like Christ, said shameful things, treated someone badly, or put yourself in a bad situation because of anger, foolishness, or outright craziness. Surely our goals and aims are to live dedicated to Christ and to rise above such unruliness but it all comes with the territory of simultaneously walking in two worlds. This is not an attempt to give ourselves a free pass to do whatever we want and then excuse errors away by saying we couldn’t help it but it is the admittance of the law or rule that is given in today’s verse: When I would do good, evil is present with me. The Apostle Paul then asks in verse 24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”. The answer is given in verse 25, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin”. God tells us to set our aim high and avoid sin. But when we error, we know Jesus has mercy on us, gives us the grace to imitate Him and walk in His ways, and forgives us when we do sin as declared in 1 John 2:1-2, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation (payment) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”.
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January 3, 2023
2 Timothy 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing”
The New Testament uses two words translated as “crown”. One refers to a royal crown such as a king would wear. The other, from the word “stephanos”, is called a crown of victory and was given in Bible times to those who completed and won the victory in an event. The scriptures tell us that believers are eligible for five crowns, all crowns of victory: the incorruptible crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of life, the crown of glory, and the crown of righteousness given in today’s verse. Even so, they are another mysterious part of our life in heaven and the Bible tells us that those around the throne of God cast their crowns at the Lord’s feet in an act of adoration as if saying, “all glory and honor belongs only to God”. The Apostle Paul is confident of this crown and he also says it is for everyone who loves the Lord’s appearing. To love the Lord’s appearing carries a multifold meaning because He appeared on earth as a baby in a manger but ascended back to heaven. Now we wait for another appearing as given in Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” where the phrase “without sin” literally translated means that He will not be dealing with sin as a sin-offering this time. The heartbeat of every believer is looking forward to the day when we will be with Jesus, an event and hope that is described in Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”. We love His appearing we just finished celebrating as Christmas and we love the unfailing promises that He is coming again. It is the blessed hope that tells of a bright future where all suffering, sorrow, sickness, and death will vanish away and we will be joined with our loved ones and all of God’s people from the beginning of creation. We love the words of Revelation 21:3-4, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away”. And yes, crowns will be given to God’s people and we will inherit all things as heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. May the Lord remove all the barriers from our understanding and spiritual sight and daily give us a glimpse of the things God has prepared for us. May the Holy Spirit stir our hearts to esteem our future with the Lord far greater than anything offered by this world.
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January 2, 2023
Hebrews 2:11-12 “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee”
When we’re reading the Bible, it’s so easy to quickly read over verses like the ones above and miss the blessing of what they say. The Holy Spirit is revealing that we are part of the family of God and that Jesus is not only our Savior, but He is also our brother. If we insert defining clarifiers in the verse in parenthesis’ it might read something like this: For both he (Jesus) that sanctifieth and they (all of us believers) who are sanctified are all of one (unified as one in God’s family). This corresponds to the phrase in verse 10 where believers are referred to as “many sons”. What an encouraging, wonderful thought that we are in God’s family and Jesus acknowledges us as His brothers and sisters. This speaks to us about our Lord’s statement in Matthew 12:47-50, “Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother”. Jesus was not dishonoring His earthly mother and family but He was revealing the eternal plan of our Heavenly Father to unite His people into the great family of God. Jesus is not ashamed to call us his family and these verses tell us He is joined with us in exalting the Father by singing praises with us. See the reference to our Lord and His disciples in Matthew 26:30, “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives”. Jesus was not ashamed of the thief dying beside Him on the cross and publicly declared that man would be with Him in paradise. And though He is God in the flesh, (glorified flesh now), He is not ashamed of you and me just as we are not ashamed of Him. This one family of God goes against the grain of all the world’s splintered groups and denominations where each claim to have some special position with God that makes them closer to Him than others. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all”. Hallelujah that Jesus our Savior and brother is also our advocate with the Father. He represents us, standing up for us as our redeemer/family member before the consuming holiness of the Almighty.
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January 1, 2023
1 Chronicles 16:29 “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness”
In our amazing relationship with our God, He is the giver and we receive all good things at His hand. We have nothing to offer Him that He needs or expects as repayment for what He has done for us. Looking at it from an Old Testament perspective the Bible says in Micah 6:6-7, “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”. Everything in the universe belongs to God because He created it. When we attempt to “give” something to the Lord, we’re offering Him things He already owns. Yet from the depths of our gratitude, because He has given us life and eternal life, blessed us, and remained faithful to us, we sense the need to offer something to God as a token of our thankfulness. Today’s verse is a repetition of Psalms 29:2 and is an invitation for us to draw close to God with something in our hands as an offering. We give glory to God. All glory belongs to Him and if we ascribe glory to anything else as if what glory we see there is apart from God, we are robbing God. The glory of creation, the glory of man, and the glory of all power and excellence should be declared as evidence of the Lord’s doings. When we give our testimony that He alone is glorious and worthy of all praise, we are giving glory to God. May we never try to take glory for ourselves or say that someone or something else deserves what belongs only to the Lord. Then the scripture tells us we can bring an offering. We usually equate this with money but anything that can be given in the name of the Lord is an offering to Him. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”. Our gifts and offerings to those in need are offerings to the Lord. And then our God wants us to come into His presence and worship Him. It is a holy place of reverence where God’s purpose for His creation is fulfilled. Perhaps it is the greatest gift we can offer to the Lord: the gift of ourselves, completely surrendered, holding nothing back, and offered as a living sacrifice. We can start this new year with the joy of knowing we have something to offer to the Lord that’s in agreement with His Word. We can give Him all glory. We can give to others and the Lord’s work knowing we are giving as unto the Lord. And we can daily enter His presence, something He has desired so much He gave the sacrifice of His Son to welcome us there.
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