October 31, 2023
Psalms 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him”
When we are in a trial or fighting a battle of faith, the war that rages within us, in our minds and emotions, can wear us down. Thoughts of despair and doubt can cycle through our minds and the enemy will keep whispering that it’s not going to work out, that we’re doomed to failure, and that we might as well admit defeat. Maybe we keep praying and praying until we have no more words to say and we’ve asked all our friends and church family to help us pray but nothing seems to be happening. If it’s a medical problem, our symptoms are still there, we don’t feel any better, and our doubts tell us that God is not going to help us or that He’s going to let us die. Perhaps it’s a family problem and our children seem to be drifting further and further away from the Lord and no matter how much we plead with them and pray for them, they will not surrender themselves to Christ. But today’s verse encourages us to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. The word “rest” used here, is a particular type of rest that means to stop, be silent, and to be struck dumb with astonishment. It is a command to our minds to stop the “negative thought generator” that keeps dominating our thinking and stop the futile struggle to fix what we can not fix. We’ve prayed the prayers, claimed the promises, and we’re standing on the Word of God. We’ve done what the Bible tells us to do and we’ve asked others to join with us in prayer. God heard us, God loves us, and God will never fail us. He always has a plan for us that will always work everything for our good. And rather than fight against Him and struggle to overcome His providence, there will be a time when we have to wait patiently for Him to fulfill His promises to us and set us free. It’s the words of Hebrews 10:35-36, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise”. We keep believing, and trusting His goodness, and we submit to Him, embrace Him with love for Him, and wait until the answer comes.
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October 30, 2023
3 John 1:11 “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God”
Growing up in church, I often heard people negatively testify about their Christian life. They would say things like, “It’s really hard to live a Christian life but it’s worth it”. Maybe it was because the churches we attended placed a lot of stress on being “perfect” and would often quote Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”. That all sure seems to contradict the words of our Lord in Matthew 11:30, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. Remember that Jesus gave the words in Matthew 5 as he was teaching the Jews under the law that if they could keep all the commandments from their heart, they would be perfect. The problem is that no one except Jesus could do it. It was such teaching that exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who pretended to be perfect and holier than everyone else. Praise God, Jesus set us free from the law and its demands of perfection. When we follow Jesus, it’s not about being perfect, it’s about doing good, doing what is right. In today’s verse, the word. “follow” is the Greek word “mimeomai” from which we get the word, “mimic” and means to copy or imitate. We do not copy or imitate evil but we copy or imitate good things. Although doing good is not the way we obtain eternal salvation, it is proof that God is in us and that we belong to Him. Even within the commands of the old law, it’s evident that God’s will for us is to do good as said in Deuteronomy 12:28, “Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God”. Living the Christian life is not some hardship and stressful walk where we struggle every day to live a perfect life. It’s about choosing to do what is good and right and turning away from what is wrong and against God’s will for us. In every situation, there is a good path forward and that is the way we honor God and honor others. It is summarized in Psalms 34:14, “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it”.
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October 29, 2023
Matthew 9:28 “and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord”
Do you believe God is able? No matter how impossible it seems, no matter how loudly your doubt is protesting, and no matter how many other people are shaking their heads in unbelief, do you still believe God is able? Do you believe God is a miracle-working God and that what He has done before He can do it again? If you believe, then hear what Jesus said in verse 28, “According to your faith be it unto you”. In the above verses’ scenario, our Lord was healing two blind men but the details of the circumstances of our situations are not the issue. Jesus proved that He can turn water into wine or raise someone from the dead who had been dead for four days. The Lord declared in Jeremiah 32:27, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”, and we know the answer is: Absolutely not. Sometimes the problem is not that we doubt that God is able, but that we doubt that He will do it for us. We read the Bible and we know Jesus is real and that all that was said about Him is true. We can visualize Him doing miracles and do not doubt accounts like Him feeding five thousand people with a little bit of bread and a couple of small fish. But it’s different when we need Him to come to our aid, especially when our problem seems overwhelming and we are battling fear and doubt. In those times, the Bible’s records of miracles seem far away. And yet, we have the assurance of Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”. He is the same Jesus as He was when He was helping people in Bible times although now He is eternally glorified and always working on our behalf. Not only is He able, but after He was resurrected, the Bible says in Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”. We have His promise in John 14:13-14, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”. He is more than able and He is willing to help us.
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October 28, 2023
John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”
This verse is from Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. The Samaritans were part Jewish and part Gentile and were descendants of the Jews who were not carried away captive when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 BC. They believed in God but only accepted the first five books of the scriptures. They had their own temple, their own copy of the Torah, and their own ways of worship on Mount Gerazim. The woman at the well raised the issue about the worship of God and whether Mount Gerazim or the Temple Mount in Jerusalem was the place to worship. Jesus explained that true worship is when we worship in spirit and truth and said that God seeks such people to worship Him. When we worship in spirit, we are not focused on places, buildings, artifacts, or rituals. We are looking to God on a spiritual level and it becomes a matter of our hearts and not our heads. We identify with spiritual things as the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 “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. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual”. The woman at the well was looking at worship from a natural perspective but Jesus was telling her to look deeper and worship God from her heart and not with a routine or from a location. Because the Samaritans wanted to pick and choose what they believed and rejected all scripture as truth except the first five books of the Old Testament, they were rejecting the truth. Jesus said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth”. Those who worship God are open and welcoming to the Word of God and as we embrace the Word, we are embracing revealed truth. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. And Jesus said in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. We worship wherever we are, whenever we will, and we do it from our hearts with our faith reaching up to Him, claiming His promises. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
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October 27, 2023
Judges 8:34 “And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side”
There are many good promises in the Bible and many stories of hope. But this is one of the sad verses because it is the testimony of human depravity and foolishness. When Israel was in trouble, surrounded by enemies, and fearing for their lives, they would cry out to God and He would deliver them. Then almost immediately after they were safe, they would forget about God and turn back to their idolatry. We might find fault with the Jews in this but it is not only their pattern but it is the nature of people everywhere. God is good. He is kind, merciful, and full of grace. We owe our existence to Him and without Him, we can not sustain ourselves and live. But our world will clench its fists towards the heavens and declare God doesn’t exist and that they owe no allegiance to Him. The Bible says in Romans 1:28 that people do not even want to think about God and they believe it is useless to acknowledge Him. The heart of humanity is given in Malachi 3:14, “Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?”. It’s time to turn to the Lord with our whole hearts and acknowledge Him in all our ways. It’s time to keep His Word before our eyes always and be aware that He is always with us. When He brings us out of trials and when He answers our prayers and delivers us, those especially are times when we can not forget our God and live as if He doesn’t exist. May we repent of the sin of prayerlessness and declare our God as the Lord of our lives. Elijah gave the people a challenge in 1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him”. That same challenge still applies today: If God is real and if we believe in Him, Let’s put our faith into action and walk hand-in-hand with the Creator of the universe. We might think it is difficult to live in such a way with such unbelief all around. But we can be like Noah. In the darkest of times, when unbelief dominated the world, the Bible says in Genesis 6:9, “And Noah walked with God”.
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October 26, 2023
Mark 12:6-7 “Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours”
This parable is about God persistently sending prophets and messengers to backslidden Israel to encourage them to turn from their Idolatry and worship the True and Living God. But each time, they abused the prophets severely and killed some of them. Finally, God sent His only Son whom they should have honored and respected. But in their wicked minds, they believed that killing the Son would entitle them to have the kingdom for themselves. It’s hard to understand how sin can deceive to the place where all decency and common sense are destroyed but it does and we pay the price. In the parable, when the evil people killed the Son, the Bible says in Mark 12:9, “What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others”. The Lord allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed, the Jews driven from their homeland, and then He gave the gospel to the Gentiles. One of the points here is that they did not reverence God’s Son. God asked the question in Malachi 1:6, “If then I be a father, where is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear?”. The word fear means to greatly reverence and, in our world, we have reached the place of Romans 3:18, “There is no fear of God before their eyes”. Words like honor, respect, and reverence seemingly have no meaning in our time when parents are not honored, the Bible is not respected, God is not reverenced, and the things of the Lord are not considered holy. We often honor the people in our culture who sit in seats of wickedness and represent all that is against the truth. Our prayer is that we will return to the Lord and reverence Him and the things of God. We will respect the house of God and declare the Bible as the Word of God and attest that it is without error and infallible. 1 Peter 2:17, “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king (or president, even if we have to do it by faith and obedience to God’s Word).
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October 25, 2023
Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God”
The name of this final church age we are in, Laodicea, means “The justice of the people” or as we might call it, “Personal, individual, or civil rights”. The wisdom and knowledge of the Almighty God, looking forward in time, saw our age exactly as it would be and called it by name. The chant of people is that they want what they think they deserve and they will fight for it, looting, killing, and burning down the properties of others with no remorse. As the Bible prophesied, we are lovers of our own selves. What a sharp contrast to the Apostle Paul who said that he did not count his life dear to himself and only wanted to do the work of the Lord and finish that calling and ministry with joy. His life was fully surrendered to Jesus Christ and he did not hold back any part of it for himself. We used to sing songs in our churches like, “All to Jesus, I surrender: I surrender all”. Now we demand that God bless us, fill our homes with more stuff, and bail us out of all the messes we’ve gotten ourselves into. Our Lord Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. That’s a hands-down promise from the Creator of heaven and earth but somehow in our march for independence and self-reliance, we’ve tossed it aside and claimed what God has given us as our own, entitled possessions. Our world is as described in 1 Timothy 3:2, proud, unthankful, and unholy. Praise God for His people who see their lives as belonging to the Lord and who are willing to obey the call of Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”. All people will receive some kind of reward, some good and some evil but may the Lord help us to keep the words of 1 Corinthians 9:25 in mind: “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible”.
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October 24, 2023
John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”
Jesus spoke these words before He was arrested and crucified, telling His followers that they believe in God and they should also believe in Him. It might seem like a small point to those of us who grew up believing that Jesus is the Son of God and also a part of the Godhead. But myriads of people believe in God yet they deny that Jesus is God. The Bible says in 1 John 2:22-23, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also”. In Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah prophesied Jesus the Messiah as sharing all the attributes of God by declaring that He is, “The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. Our hope of a place in heaven is given to us in the above verses as a promise from Jesus Himself. He says that He is going away to prepare a place for us and that He will return for us, taking us with Him to that everlasting home He has prepared. We love His words, “That where I am, there ye may be also”. These words have comforted countless people in their times of sorrow when their loved ones passed from earth to eternity. They comfort us when we are uncertain about the future and wonder what lies beyond the grave. Jesus gave us the picture of the Father’s house where there are many mansions. Although many translations have retranslated this as “dwelling places”, in the light of God’s grace and goodness and the light of His promise of Ephesians 1:18, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”, mansions is a better fit. Today’s verses comfort us now as we watch the horrors of violence and the continual collapse of the world system around us. There are no voices of real, lasting hope except for the words of Jesus Christ and the hope of God’s promises. “Let not your heart be troubled”. Our Lord will not fail us, He will take us to the place He has prepared for us.
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October 23, 2023
Matthew 12:34-37 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle (foolish, careless, useless) word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”
This is an age of profanity and vulgar, foolish language. The lyrics of songs, the movies people watch, television shows, and the common conversation of the world around us are filled with foul words, crass and dirty subject matter, and angry, hurtful language. Men, women, and children are spewing profanity. And according to the Bible, it is a display of what is within people’s hearts. The Scripture here says that whatever is overflowing within us comes out of our mouths. The world doesn’t think it matters what they speak and that it’s no one’s business how they choose to talk. They proudly speak garbage like they’re wearing a badge of power and authority. It’s as if they’re saying, “Listen to me and look at me”. I’m powerful and my nasty words are proof that I’m in control and someone to be reckoned with”. But God says every word that people speak that is useless, and careless (as in, “I don’t care what I say”), and foolish, they will have to face it in the day of judgment and God will use their words to either justify or condemn because the words are proof of whether their hearts were good or evil. Words matter because the Bible says in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” which is another way of saying that when people love to talk, they should be aware they will have to eat their words. The Lord is calling us to speak truth, kindness, respect, and honor to others. He is calling us to refuse the language of an evil, fallen, and soon-to-be-judged world and use the language that honors God and blesses others. If God has changed our hearts and we have the love and mercy of God within us, if the Holy Spirit lives in us and is bringing the words of Jesus Christ into our minds, then we have words flowing that glorify God and help others. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”.
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October 22, 2023
Psalms 121:1-2 “A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth”
This Psalm, identified by the scriptures as “A Song of degrees”, is one of fifteen Psalms (120-134) that perhaps pilgrims would sing as they made their way from all over Israel to Jerusalem to worship. All males had to journey to Jerusalem three times a year and there were other feasts and festivals in the Law of Moses when people journeyed to Jerusalem to worship. As they journeyed, they could see Jerusalem off in the distance and knew that the Lord God Almighty’s presence was there, upon the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant inside the temple, and that He was the help they needed. They asked, “From whence cometh my help?” and answered, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth”. Their journey represents the life journey of every person as we make our way on this earth. We need help. But too often we look to our own strength, what the world provides, the advice of other people, and have a desperate desire for someone or something to rescue us, make us happy, and fulfill our needs. And yet, the Lord is our helper and the rest of this Psalm tells us that He holds us steady, He keeps us, He protects us, and He preserves us. How does He do that? He does it all by the power of His Word as the Bible declares in Hebrews 1:3, “upholding all things by the word of his power”. The Lord is our source. We might have jobs, careers, parents that pay the bills, or some form of income but the Lord is the source of it all because He is our Creator and our life. He is listening to the cry of those who call to Him saying, Lord, I need You!”. When our backs are against the wall and we don’t see a way out, He is the way of escape and He will go before us to make the crooked places straight (Isaiah 45:2). I don’t know about you, but I believe I will lift my eyes above the failures and discouragement of this world and look to the Holy Hills of God where Jesus is sitting at the Father’s right hand, making intercession for us. Let’s claim His promise in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not”. The Bible says in Psalms 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”.
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October 21, 2023
Romans 5:3-5 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”
These are not exactly words we like to hear. The word tribulation here means great pressure, distressing circumstances, afflictions, and anguish of mind and we’re told that when we are going through such times, it’s a season of glory for us. To the rational mind, it’s a contradiction of thought except that in light of living for the Lord, we know that such times are moving us forward into a place of great victory. We must go through tribulations to grow and go higher in our faith. It’s still hard to see times of trouble as good places and find joy and rejoicing in them. But the Bible tells us in James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience”. The foundation for it all is that the Lord is always with us and He will never allow anything that will not work for our good. We must face trials because that is the nature of this life. Jesus said that offenses will come. Storms will hit us and our boat of life will get rocked. It happens to the saved and the unsaved but the difference is that for believers, God always turns the trials into blessings. He uses what the enemy purposed for evil to propel us forward into greater blessings. Even our Savior, who suffered tribulation and anguish as no other man, endured His season of pain and suffering because He saw that it was all taking Him to a place of complete victory for Himself and us. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. When we are in tough times if we will keep our eyes on Jesus, keep doing what is right, keep honoring God, and stay committed to believing His Word, the season of tribulation will pass and we will come out stronger, covered with grace, in a better place, and with a more powerful hope. God will fill our hearts with His love by the power of the Holy Spirit. Tribulations are a blessing in disguise.
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October 20, 2023
Matthew 24:37-39 “But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”
For 120 years Noah and his sons were building a huge boat and Noah was preaching as he worked, warning people that the flood was coming. Perhaps at first when they started the boat, people were curious about what they were doing and wondered about the message of the coming judgment. They watched for decades as the boat got larger and larger but they dismissed the warning of the flood as nonsense and continued about their perverse, sinful lives as if there was nothing wrong. That is the meaning of these verses showing us that the people had no regard for God’s Word and lived every day as if God didn’t mean what He said. We know from the Bible record that they were perverse and violent, and their imaginations and thoughts were evil continually. Our world mirrors that generation exactly with its addictions, violence, profanity, vulgar living, pornography, wicked entertainment, exploitation of children and the defenseless, and the list goes on. The message of the coming of the Lord is ignored as superstition and people go about their everyday lives as if all is well and there is no judgment coming. The idea that there is a tribulation when God will shake this earth in the near future seems absurd to them as they guzzle their drinks, party, addict themselves to pleasures and sins, build homes, buy cars, and take no thought for the eternal future of their souls. The Bible says that the people who were destroyed by the flood had no idea that the flood was coming until it was too late. They had ignored the warnings for years. Along with this, is that some churches are not warning of the coming of God’s judgment. Pastors and teachers do not preach the truth about this world being like the days of Noah and they seem embarrassed and reluctant to warn about the looming tribulation. It’s business as usual for them with their church models and religious routines. They seem blinded that people are marching towards the greatest catastrophe humans have ever known without any idea that it’s coming. But for believers, we know the Bible says in Matthew 24:33, “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors”. And like the warning to God’s people in Amos 4:12, “And because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel”.
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October 19, 2023
2 Peter 3:8 “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day”
This verse repeats the point of Psalms 90:4, “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night”. It tells us that God does not see time as we do and His view is not confined to the way we live our days. It is a blessed truth that can help us when the enemy comes to attack us with regrets about our past. He might remind us of all the wasted years and time we spent doing nothing for the Lord or all the missed opportunities that passed us by and we could have obeyed the Lord more faithfully. “See what a failure you are?”, He says, “Now it’s too late to fulfill your calling or do anything of value to honor the Lord so you might as well quit”. But it’s not too late because whatever days we have left on this earth if we will give them to the Lord and serve Him, each day is like a thousand years in His sight. This truth is evident in the parable of the farmer in Matthew 20 who hired people to work in His fields. Those who were hired the last hour got paid the same as those who worked all day. While that may not seem fair by the scale that we use to value wages and hours worked, in God’s view of things He sees all the same. It’s not too late to dedicate ourselves fully to serving the Lord and He will not chastise us for the past when we could have been more faithful. What if you have 20 years left before Jesus comes or He calls you home? That’s 7,300 days and in God’s view, the same as 7,300,00 years. Seven million and 3 hundred thousand years we can honor God. If that seems too good to be true, then take 2 Peter 3:8 by faith and follow the Lord. The enemy is a liar and when he speaks, he always speaks a lie. He wants to steal as many days as he can from us so that we will not bring glory to God. But there are opportunities everywhere to serve the Lord, especially by serving others. As the Bible says in Colossians 3:23-24, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ”.
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October 18, 2023
Romans 9:20 “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?”
This verse looks back to a similar verse in Isaiah 45:9, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?”. In other words, who do we think we are to argue back against the One who created us as to why He created us the way He did? Does the clay pot speak out against the potter and demand an explanation as to why it was created as it was? The potter forms the vessel as he chooses and the vessel owes its existence to its creator. God formed us as He chooses and we owe our allegiance to Him. The enemy would have us focus on what we don’t have or how we differ from someone else. Adam and Eve could have had all of the Garden of Eden to enjoy its fruits, beauty, security, and blessings. Instead, the enemy pointed out the one and only thing that was forbidden to them. And then, all they had was not enough: they wanted the one thing that their Creator set off-limits to them. The Bible says in Psalms 139:14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well”. The world and the enemy are always there to point out things they label as flaws or differences in us. And so many people get trapped by thinking they are not pretty enough, not smart enough, not rich enough, not popular enough, not talented enough, and so on. But the Lord has made sure we are well equipped to achieve His will for us and when we submit ourselves into the hands of our Creator like a pliable piece of clay yields to the hands of the potter, the Lord will take us higher than we dreamed we could go. The Bible says we are more than conquerors, that we are planted like a thriving tree beside the water, our cup runs over, and whatever we do will prosper. The enemy wars against us because he knows that we are a child of God and that God has created us to please Himself. The enemy also knows that when we submit to our creator and let Him do for us that we can’t do for ourselves, then we will live in victory. We will be a vessel of honor to our Lord.
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October 17, 2023
Romans 12:18 “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men”
This verse means that on our part, as much as we are able to make it happen, to live at peace with everyone. Sometimes we can do everything in our power including apologizing, accepting the blame, and asking for forgiveness but the other side will still be determined to hold a grudge, get revenge, and allow anger to drive them. It’s an ugly picture when people could live in peace and choose instead to fight. The horror unfolding in the Middle East is the result of centuries of hostilities, hatred, and the refusal to work together for the common good of all. Decades of peace talks, resolutions, and fresh starts have not helped them to lay down their hatred and learn to live with honor and respect for each other and in peace. Praise God we know that soon the Prince of Peace will come and His plan of peace will change this world for the good. But it is the same when families, coworkers, and neighbors allow wrath and pride to dominate them, People get hurt, children are raised in dysfunction, and love is absent. A lot of it follows the old adage, “Our tempers get us in trouble and our pride keeps us there”. There is a better way to live as the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:31, “And yet shew I unto you a more excellent way”. Then chapter 13 opens and it describes the power of God’s love and how it transforms us from angry, vengeful, and selfish people into people who are like Jesus Christ. It talks about living in patience, kindness, humbleness, and truth with each other. On our part as believers, when we live according to Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”, it sets the stage for a life of more peace, better homes, greater blessings, and stronger churches. The Lord tells us to be the ones in any situation that try to make peace and says “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). In the well-known words of Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (A bright future filled with hope).
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October 16, 2023
Psalms 27:13 “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living”
Sometimes it may seem there is so much evil, so much suffering, so much destruction in the world that there is no hope. St Jude’s and Shriner’s Hospital commercials break our hearts when they show children who have cancer and are suffering from all types of illnesses. Social media is filled with people who are requesting prayer for all types of terrible situations. And now, the unthinkable slaughter of innocent people in Israel and the war that is following where people are hurting beyond words. On a personal level, sometimes we are hit with troubles that hang on, sickness that is unexpected and frightening, and failures and disappointments that take away the joy of life. The enemy whispers that there’s no way out, that this is our final straw, and that we are going down. It all temps us to give up, to lose heart, and wonder if there will ever be any peace and joy for this world. David was at this point when he wrote the words of this Psalm. Enemies were attacking him and people were spreading lies about him. He said it would cause him to give up hope and give in to destruction except his faith arose and he saw that God is good. He believed that God never intended for humanity to fall into sin and then the curse of sin. God has better things for us than war, fighting, sickness, and death. All that is terrible and all that is causing harm is from the fallout of sin and the enemy. The devil is the thief and he kills, steals, and destroys. But the Lord came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. God is good and all who turn to Him can count on His kindness and favor as the Bible says in Psalms 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”. The Lord is going to establish this earth in peace and His goodness will flow like a mighty river throughout the earth. The curse will be abolished and people will be well and whole. Can you arise in faith and testify of the goodness of the Lord? Even in the face of trials and adversity can you declare Psalms 106:1, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever”? Let’s speak it by faith even when we can’t see how God is going to do it, He will do it according to His will and from the place of His eternal goodness.
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October 15, 2023
Psalms 103:11-12 “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us”
The Lord uses the vast distance between the earth and the heavens to describe the greatness of His mercy to us. We tend to think God’s mercy is less than that, especially when the enemy tries to tell us we’ve messed up too much to be worthy of God’s grace. Maybe it’s a good thing that sometimes when we are outdoors, especially at night when we can see the stars, that we look up and pause for a moment and remember this verse and the depth of God’s mercy. The three verses that proceed these say, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities”. The words here, “He will not always chide”, means He will not keep throwing our sins up to us and drag out the conversation as humans usually do. People love to keep arguments and the “blame game” going and will ride that horse for years. God is slow to anger and when He forgives us, the Bible says He removes our transgressions as far as the East is from the West. We can imagine an infinite line with one arrow pointing east and one west and rejoice to know the Lord will never remember our sins against us. Although God does demand accountability for sin either in the body of Jesus on the cross in our place or on the final day of judgment when unbelievers will stand before Him, the greatness of God’s mercy and His love for forgiveness reveals God as a God who takes no pleasure in the punishment of sin. The Bible says in Ezekiel 33:11, “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”. The scriptures describe Him in Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us”. Jesus came not to condemn us, but that through Him we might be saved. Psalms 100:5, “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations”.
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October 14, 2023
Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”
When God spoke these words of promise to Abraham, He wasn’t just speaking about Abraham but to all those who would descend from the promised seed. God will bless those who bless the Jews and He will curse those who curse them. We are watching the current horrible, unthinkable scenes from Israel unfold and cannot imagine what kind of people would find pleasure in torturing and murdering innocent people including children, babies, and the elderly, and do it all in the name of the god they supposedly serve. It’s the same people who will then cower and hide themselves behind their women and children when they fear having to answer for their crimes. All those who curse the Jews will be cursed and it makes no difference how many weapons they have, how loudly they protest, or how much money they have. God’s Word will never fail. When God set the Jews aside for a season following their rejection of the gospel, the Bible says in Romans 11:11-12, “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?”. The diminishing of the Jewish nation has resulted in the door of salvation being fully opened to us Gentiles and the world has known the richness of God’s favor and mercy. It’s sad that we do not put our blessings into perspective and give the glory to God and realize we are being blessed because of the promises God gave to Abraham. Look again at the words, “And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed”. The call from God, the promises given, the land granted, and the salvation for all through a Jewish Savior were all an act of God’s Sovereignty and will and His plan will be carried out without fail. All Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26) and all those who honor the descendants of Abraham will be blessed. When they come into their fullness, this world has never seen a time when such great blessings will abound. Zechariah 2:11-12, “And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again”.
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October 13, 2013
Psalms 95:6-7 “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand”
We can worship the Lord while sitting, standing, or lying down. David said in Psalms 63:5-6, “My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches”. But how long has it been, if you are physically able, since you knelt before the Lord our maker and worshipped Him? The Bible tells us about Daniel’s worship and praying in Daniel 6:10, “He went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God”. When we worship and bow down, kneeling before our God, and we do it with a trusting, humble heart, it is a most precious time but one which the enemy fights us so hard to keep us from. The devil would not bow to the Lord in heaven because he was determined to overthrow God and become god himself. He rebelled and was cast out. His desire is that people will worship and follow him and when he knows the saints of God are kneeling before the only Almighty, True, and Living God, he is determined to stop them. Many people no longer bow down and kneel before the Lord. Most churches have completely done away with kneeling in prayer. Truth be told, most of them have done away with prayer altogether except for a little ceremonial prayer that fits into their little pre-planned worship schedules. Nowadays if children and young people are going to learn how to pray and worship, kneeling before the Lord and following the example of mature, Godly people, they are not going to learn it from most churches or their parents. One of the things I remember while growing up, was the daily sound of my dad’s voice coming from one of the upstairs bedrooms as he, on his knees, cried out to God, pleading for the souls and safety of his family. He is gone to be with our Lord but his lessons of worship and prayer still burn in my heart to this day. May we return to the old paths of bowing down and kneeling before the Lord our maker because He is our God and we are His people, the sheep of His mighty hand.
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October 12, 2023
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love”
This passage is about the love of God and how the love of God gives us confidence towards the day of judgment. Verses 16-17 say, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world”. The word “perfect” here means mature or complete and reveals that when we are confident of God’s love for us and when we have received Christ and the truth of His unconditional love, then we have no reason to fear His judgmental wrath. God’s judgement against our sin was poured out on Jesus Christ at His torture and crucifixion and God allowed the suffering of Christ to substitute for us. The love of God and Jesus His Son for us takes away our fear and its torment. Some people might say this contradicts the scriptures that tell us to fear the Lord but that is a word that means honor and reverence and not the tormenting fear of being judged as a sinner and given a sentence of everlasting punishment. This carries further into our daily lives when we stand in God’s love and know that nothing will ever separate us from that love (Romans 8:35-39). That perfect love assures us that God will never abuse us, cast us aside, or stop working all things for our good. Although He may correct us as His children, He will never punish us as unbelieving lawbreakers. Any torment we might face in this life is from the world, our flesh, or the enemy and we should never blame God for what He does not do. When we know the Lord is always working out of love on our behalf, we also know we have no reason to fear because God will always do what is right for us. We take the purposeful action of Psalms 56:3-4, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me”. There is no fear in love.
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October 11, 2023
John 15:15 “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you”
Our identity with Jesus Christ is fulfilled on a lot of levels and one of those is that we are friends with Him. We are not friends as the world knows friendship because God’s unconditional love for us has drawn us to Himself in ways that nothing on this earth can mirror. And on the one hand, while we serve the Lord, we are also heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Our friendship with Him can not be separated from our obedience as servants because Jesus said in John 15:14, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you”. The picture of the servant as a friend might be foreshadowed in the relationship between Abraham and his servant, Eliezer. From the Bible text, we know that the bond between Abraham and Eliezer was so strong that Abraham trusted Eliezer in matters that went far beyond that of master and servant including the story of when Abraham sent Eliezer to find a wife for Issac. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:24 that, “There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” and we know the Lord is speaking ultimately of our friendship with Him. In every moment of our lives, we can rely on the friendship of our Savior. He understands us and our circumstances. He knows what our heart is saying even when we can’t speak the words. Jesus knows how we feel, what burdens we carry, and the loneliness we experience, and He is always listening and ready to help us. Just knowing He is always with us makes the difficult parts of our journey bearable because we are never alone. We can tell Him everything, cry out to Him when we need Him, and ask for His help in all things, and He will never turn us away. We don’t get on His nerves, wear out our welcome, or infringe on His time. The Bible says in Psalms 27:8, “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek” telling us that the Lord wants us to come to Him personally, face to face as friend to friend. Jesus is our Lord and Savior and He is our friend.
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October 10, 2023
John 11:21 “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died”
Martha and Mary had sent a message to Jesus when their brother Lazarus became sick. They were hoping Jesus would come, heal him, and all would be well. But Jesus deliberately delayed His journey and when He arrived at their village, Lazarus was dead and had been buried for four days. Martha believed in the Lord and believed that if Jesus had been there, her brother would not have died because she believed Jesus could have healed him. But Jesus had a much greater plan, and that was to raise Lazarus from the dead and show that He has power over death. Sometimes we desperately want the Lord to intervene in our situations and like Martha and Mary, we wait in faith knowing that if He will only speak the Word and move on our behalf then all will be well. And even though our faith is like Martha’s when she said in verse 22, “But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee”, we want Him to step into our problems and help us without delay. That day, Jesus performed a far greater miracle than healing the sick or even raising the dead. He showed He could not only bring Lazarus back to life, but He could do it after Lazarus’ body had started to decompose. It set the stage for His declaration in verses 25-26, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die”. Sometimes the Lord wants to go beyond our expectations and answer us in a spectacular way. The Bible says in Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”. When the Lord doesn’t seem to be working His grace on our time schedule or when we are not getting answers to our prayers when we think we need them, then let’s expect that He has something far better in mind than we are wanting and asking for. An inventory of our lives shows us He is blessing us every day with far greater blessings than we deserve. He is already doing exceeding abundantly beyond our basic needs and praise God He will continue to exceed our expectations more and more as we trust Him more and more.
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October 9. 2023
Hebrews 1:3 “Who being 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”
The Bible tells us in Revelation 4:11 that God created all things that exist and that He created it all for His pleasure. The words here, “And upholding all things by the word of his power” tell us that the universe and everything it contains are held together and sustained by the powerful Word of God. That includes you and me. God created us in His image and the Bible says in Acts 17:28, that “In him we live, and move and have our being”, or our existence. If the Word of God is the source of power, the reason, that we are alive and continuing to live, then why is it that the Word of God is not highly exalted, treasured above all else, and trusted for every detail of our lives? Take for example Psalms 107:20, “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions”. He was speaking of people who were physically sick, made clear by the preceding verses 17-19 where it says they were so sick they couldn’t eat and were almost dead from affliction. When Jesus said “Be healed” to people in the gospels, they were healed. And the Word of God is eternal. It is not confined to linear time because God is not bound by time. Our faith in what God says in His Word opens limitless possibilities for all those who will believe Him. When a man with a horribly afflicted son came to Jesus asking for help in Mark 9, Jesus said to him in verse 23, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”. Jesus could perform any miracle even the raising of the dead. And yet in some places He visited, the Bible says in Matthew 13:58, “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief”. Our unbelief, our disregard of God’s Word, and our refusal to take God at His Word and stand on His promises, block us from receiving more than we can imagine. The enemy and our own unbelief keep us from ransacking the Word of God and hiding it in our hearts to declare its truths in any situation. If only that would be the way we live, to speak forth God’s Words of truth every day, and in all our circumstances, we would see mightier things done than we’ve ever seen.
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October 8, 2023
Joshua 23:14 “and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof”
Our faith is built upon the foundation that God’s Word is eternally true. In today’s verse, Joshua is dying from old age and he tells the people of Israel that everything God promised them came to pass and not one Word of God failed. This truth is repeated many times in the scriptures and we summarize it by saying that God’s Word is infallible, meaning that it is without error, infinitely trustworthy, and not capable of failing. Some people have tried to ascertain that the church or its leaders are also infallible but that is a gross error because heaven and earth, including people and churches, will pass away but God’s Word will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). God alone is truth, not people or institutions no matter how lofty they have exalted themselves and claimed to be inerrant. So, when God says in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”, He means exactly what He says and nothing on earth or in heaven can change this truth. How about the myriads of other promises in the scriptures? When the Holy Spirit opens our understanding to them and they speak to our hearts, we can lay claim to their promises just as surely as Romans 10:9 or John 3:16. Many fundamental churches have done a great job through the years preaching the plan of salvation. And because of the preaching of Jesus Christ and the blood of His cross alone for the forgiveness of sins, countless people have believed God’s promise of salvation and been saved. But the Lord has many other promises for us in His Word that are ours for the receiving when we believe them just as we believed His promise to save us. It is all by grace through faith. Not one Word of God will ever fail. It cannot fail because God and His Word are eternally inseparable. His Word is who He is just as much as He is Light, Truth, Love, and Salvation. He is not a man that He will promise and then be unable to keep His promises. People do that. But He is the Lord God Almighty and what He has promised us, He will perform.
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October 7, 2023
Exodus 14:13-14 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace”
Moses and the Israelites were in a crisis. They were blocked from going forward by the Red Sea and Pharoah’s army was quickly approaching them to stop them and carry them back to Egypt as slaves. All the happiness and rejoicing they had when they were finally able to leave Egypt and head towards the promised land was gone and they were in despair. The Bible says in verse 10, “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD”. At that point, Moses didn’t know what to do and he wasn’t sure what God was going to do but he knew the Lord had to do something because there was no other way to escape without God’s intervention. So, he told the people to stop marching and watch what God was going to do. His words were words of faith because even though he didn’t know how God would do it, he knew God hadn’t delivered them with a mighty hand out of Egypt only to allow them to be crushed by Pharoah and his army and dragged back into bondage. We know how this episode ended because it is one of the most famous examples of God’s miraculous power to deliver in the Bible. There are times when the Lord wants us to stop struggling, stop trying to fix everything that’s awry, and wait until He steps in and fights for us. Moses’ words, “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” are wonderful to hear but hard to do because sometimes we feel so pressured to get ourselves out of a situation that we are willing to do anything but wait on the Lord to move. But when we’ve tried our best and we are trapped like the Israelites with no discernable way out, then our rescue from heaven is coming. God saved us body, soul, and spirit and He is not going to let the enemy and this world defeat us and destroy us. We have the promise of our Lord in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”.
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October 6, 2023
Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”
When the disciples were in a panic, thinking they were going to die because they were in a boat with Jesus and a severe storm was beating down on them, Jesus asked them this question in Luke 8:25: “Where is your faith?”. We might ask ourselves the same thing when we are being pummeled by the storms of life because it’s easy to believe when things are going smoothly but when faith gets tested by trials it’s a different story. Someone once said, “Sometimes I feel like I’m on top of the mountain and sometimes I feel like the mountain is on top of me”. But our Lord tells us how to prepare for life’s inevitable storms. We zero in on His Words and make them the pattern, the formula for how we live. We obey His words and our life gets established on the unshakable truth of God just like a house that gets built on a solid rock foundation. The Lord never promises us that we will be exempt from life’s trials. We will all face troubles, deal with aging, be confronted by this evil world, be concerned about our families, experience the death of people we love, and battle illnesses. All those troubles, called rain, floods, and wind will beat against us but we will not fall because we are established on the solid rock of truth. The other side of this story concerns people who ignore the teachings of Jesus and will not follow the ways of God. The same rain, floods, and wind hit them but the outcome is different: Their life can not withstand the pressure of the storms and they will fall. In the words of our Lord when describing their catastrophe, said: “And great was the fall of it”. The importance of living by the truth of God’s Word is given in James 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” and in verse 25, “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. When the storms pass and our house is still standing, we know it’s because our faith moved us to live according to the Word of God and that foundation is solid and sure.
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October 5, 2023
Isaiah 43:1-2 “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”
The Lord is calling to us as the One who created us and the One who saved us from our sins. This is double ownership because we belong to Him in every sense. When we see God in this way, we know we are not alone and that no matter what comes our way, the Lord will not allow us to be destroyed. Although these words were originally spoken to the people of Israel, we are the faith-descendants of Abraham and we are the redeemed ones in Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of God’s plan of grace. He is telling us to “Fear not” because we belong to Him. The wonderful words, “I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine” tell us of our Heavenly Father’s love for us and His eternal care for us. It is the perfect love of God and the Bible says in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love”. God’s presence and power are always with us and He mentions the destructive forces that may come against us like the raging waters of a flood or a rushing river and He promises He will be with us and that such troubles will not overcome us. We remember the miracle of the Red Sea parting and the Jordan River being supernaturally dammed up so God’s people could cross in safety and we know God is for us and nothing can be against us. Even the fire like the furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar can not harm us and we take comfort when the world and the forces of hell are plotting against us to destroy us. Our God will never fail. We are waterproof, floodproof, fireproof, and hellproof. We can not be destroyed because Jesus promised in John 10:28-29, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand”.
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October 4, 2023
Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ”
Verse 1 of this chapter speaks of helping someone who is struggling in their faith, someone who is encumbered with a sin or problem: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness”. It is followed by today’s verse that tells us to come alongside those who are burdened down and help them in their times of trouble. There is no place for “minding our own business” in matters when others need our help and encouragement. And while verse 5 says, “For every man shall bear his own burden”, there is no contradiction here because verse 2 speaks of us helping each other in our walk with the Lord. Verse 5 speaks of our ultimate responsibility of answering to the Lord personally for our actions and the way we choose to live. We look out for those who are struggling and carrying heavy burdens and the Lord gives us the wisdom and ability to help them. When the Bible says that such a thing is fulfilling the law of Christ, we know it is speaking of the law of love where our love is being shown by our actions. The scriptures say in 1 John 3:17, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”. Taking communion or worshipping together does not necessarily promote unity in the body of Christ because they are usually a personal thing with the Lord. But when we roll up our sleeves, pitch in our resources, and practice being a good neighbor like the good Samaritan in Luke 10, the love of God is witnessed in action. And even better when we are able to come together as a group of believers and help people, it promotes wholeness and unity among God’s people as nothing else can. The old-school practices of barn-raisings, food poundings, and free-will offerings to those in need should be our examples of how the church has a history of coming to the aid of people in need. But we speak primarily here of the will to see others under a load of trouble and help them. What a wonderful way to show the love of God.
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October 3, 2023
John 21:6 “And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes”
This miracle took place after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The disciples were not sure what they were supposed to do next after their Lord was taken away and Peter said in verse 3 to the other disciples, “I go a fishing”. The Bible says they responded, “We also go with thee”. They were thinking of returning to their old lives and the way they lived before Jesus called them to follow Him. Sometimes when our path gets hard and it seems God is far away, we are not sure what to do. It’s tempting to abandon it all and return to what we did before Christ came into our lives just like the disciples. But they fished all night long and didn’t catch any fish. We can be sure they tried all their fishing tricks and worked hard at their old career and yet they had no success. Once Jesus becomes our Savior, we are not what we used to be and our old life no longer exists. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, 3 he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Once the Israelites crossed the Rec Sea by the power of God and the waters crashed back into place and shut off their path from Egypt, they had been delivered and they no longer belonged in their past. Jesus proved to His disciples the words He had already spoken to them in John 15:5, “Without me ye can do nothing”. They never returned to their old life of fishing but they became what they were called to be: Fishers of men. We have been changed, delivered from the kingdom of darkness, and moved into the kingdom of the Son of God. We are no longer a part of this world system but our citizenship is in heaven and we are the children of the Most High God. Our past is under the blood and our sins have been eternally removed. We forget those things which are behind us and we press towards what the Lord has purposed for us. We are not yet what we shall be, but praise God we are not and will never be again what we once were!
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October 2, 2023
Judges 7:7 “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place”
The Midianites had over 135,000 soldiers and when Gideon took charge of Israel’s army, he had 32,000 men. Already they were outnumbered more than 4 to 1. But God told Gideon there were too many Israelite soldiers in the army. After Gideon sent everyone home who was afraid and all those who drank water by kneeling and putting their mouth directly in the stream, there were only 300 men left. It was then that we have today’s verse where the Lord promised Gideon that He would use those 300 men to defeat the Midianite army of over 135,000 and He did just that. Sometimes we are in difficult situations that we know are too big for us and on our own, we can not win. If we just had more money, a better doctor, some more help from others, and more resources we might stand a better chance. After all, while 32,000 men were far less than the Midianite’s 135,00 it looked like Israel might have a better chance than with just 300. But God wants us to trust Him, not our own abilities and strength. The Bible tells how God spoke in Gideon after he was left with just 300 men in Judges 7:9: “And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand”. God, not Gideon or Israel’s army won the victory and God gets all the glory. The Lord uses situations when our back is against the wall to show us we don’t have to figure it out because He has already moved on our behalf to win the battle. The victory belongs to the Lord. The medical report might look hopeless. The financial mess might look like we’re going down. We might be in situations on our jobs or in our homes that overwhelm us. But like the story when Gideon and 300 men went up against 135,000 Midianites, God had already planned their victory and He is working in our lives to show Himself strong on our behalf. The scripture says in Deuteronomy 31:8, “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed”.
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October 1, 2023
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
We expect people to lie or at least not be as truthful as they should be. We sometimes hold back from telling what we know if it seems in our best interest with the old saying, “What they don’t know won’t hurt them”. We classify lies on a scale from white lies which we accept as normal and sometimes useful to bold-face lies which we regard as shameful. The Bible speaks emphatically of our human nature in Romans 3:4, “Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar”. Not that people always tell lies but that God always speaks truth and we don’t. But today’s verse reminds us that God is not a man and He never lies. In fact, the Bible says in several places like Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18 that God can not lie and that it is impossible for Him to do so. He is Truth. There is no shadow or stain of darkness in Him and whatever He says, He will always keep His Word. He will never have to say He was wrong or that He made a mistake and didn’t mean what He said. Our faith in God is not just founded upon His eternal existence but also that the Word of God is just as sure and eternal as God who spoke it. Concerning His Word, the Bible says in Joshua 21:45, “There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass”. The scriptures declare in Psalms 119:89, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” and in 1 Peter 1:25, “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever”. God cannot break His promises and when we anchor our faith and hope in the Word of God, we can be sure we have an eternal hope. What God says is fully trustworthy because His Word is synonymous with His existence. Read His Word, hear His Word, honor His Word, and trust His Word. Let the Word of God sink down into your very being by meditating on its truth and refusing to allow anyone or anything to shake you from your confidence in God’s Word. Psalms 119:140. “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it”.
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