April 30, 2021
2Kings 6:15-17 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
The Syrians were waging war against Israel and the Lord was revealing to Elisha every move the Syrians were making then Elisha would give this information to the King of Israel. When the King of Syria heard the man of God was the one relaying his army’s plans, he decided to capture Elisha and his army surrounded the city of Dothan where Elisha and his servant were staying. In the normal, natural context, it looked like an impossible situation for Elisha and when the servant saw the army with their horses and chariots, he was afraid and cried “alas”, a word meaning he was filled with pain, “what are we going to do?”. But in the unseen world of the things of the Lord, there was a different scenario and Elisha prayed God would open the servant’s supernatural vision and the servant could see the unseen realm and there was an army of God with chariots of fire surrounding the Syrian army. If you read the rest of the story, you will find that Elisha and his servant not only escaped, Elisha caused the King of Israel to show mercy and compassion on the Syrian army that he could have destroyed. As a result, the Syrians left Israel and didn’t return. This amazing account gives us a view of what is going on around God’s people when they are in situations that look hopeless and can’t see a way out, it’s just because we are looking at the problem with our natural eyes and thinking with our natural reasoning. The Bible says in Luke 1:37,” For with God nothing shall be impossible” and when we know that in every circumstance, God knows exactly where we are, what the trouble is all about, and He is working everything in our favor, this brings the peace in the storm.
Consider these verses: Psalms 34:6-8,” This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him”. The ability to see with the eyes of faith comes by knowing and believing what God’s Word says and declaring God is true no matter what the scene or plight around us appears. People can walk on water, Peter did, people can go through the fire and not be burned, the three Hebrew boys did, people can spend the night in a den of lions, Daniel did, young boys can kill ferocious giants, David did, people can be bit by venomous snakes and not be poisoned, Paul was. The Bible is filled with the truth about people that were protected, healed, provided for, sustained, delivered, and heavenly aided. The fear that comes when problems appear hopeless is because we’re not seeing things through the eyes of truth and the enemy is also inflating the natural view by bombarding us with fleshly reasoning, worldly negativity, and playing the “what if” game. Sometimes people around us add to the confusion because if they are only seeing with natural eyes and thinking from human reasoning, they will give us bad advice and supply more fuel for the fire of unbelief. When we pray the prayer Elisha prayed for ourselves, “Lord open my eyes that I can see”, we’re asking God to let us see from His eyes and this is a prayer we can pray in every situation, whenever we are overwhelmed with hopelessness. The servant in the story was in the trap of fear and couldn’t see the way out but with the Lord, there is always a fire escape from the flames. He is the Deliverer, the Protector, the Way Maker, the Shelter, the Shield, the Comforter, the Guide, the Strong Tower, and the Keeper. He is always with us, has already made the way, and He will open our eyes to see it’s all true.
April 29, 2021
Philippians 1:21-23,” For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better”
Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” is the key verse of this book and from the Christian life perspective, it’s the theme verse of the new birth. If you asked the person on the street, “what do you love and what do you live for?”, their answer would reveal somewhat of their life’s path and the source of their pleasure. But there is a moment in the life of a believer when their eyes are opened, they look at what this world has to offer, and as Paul said in this same book, 3:8, know from the deep of their heart it’s all a pile of dung. They know for a certainty that Christ is all that matters because without Him there’s no peace, no joy, no lasting purpose, and no hope for the future. It’s strange how we humans sink our faith and hope and bet the farm on a world that offers no solutions for its problems, no evidence of peace in its accrued wisdom, no security for its masses, no satisfaction from its materialism, and absolutely no promise for eternity. We pour our lives into pleasures that don’t satisfy our hearts, we lust after everything that in the end brings us pain and disappointment and run away from the truth that to live is Christ. When Paul wrote these words, he was well educated, well-traveled, had seen much of what the world offered, and had been in a position to receive wealth and fame. But when He came face to face with Jesus Christ, he abandoned all to follow the Lord and God’s purpose for his life, saying in 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”. For Christians, the life we live in this body, on this earth is all about Christ and what we do will be tested at the judgment seat of Christ: 1Cor 3:11-15,” For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire”.
Once we are settled as to the truth of what it means to live this life and have been convinced that it is Christ, we are in standing with the saints of whom it is said in Hebrews 11:13,” These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Notice the progression of their faith: They saw, they were persuaded, they embraced, and they confessed. At that point, heaven becomes an absolute reality and it’s compelling, beaconing, and welcoming light, causes the things of this earth to fade from view and desire as the scripture says in Hebrews 11:14,16,” For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city”. This is why Paul said he is “in a strait betwixt two” literally squeezed between two things. On one hand, there is the desire to do the work of the Lord here and see the results of that, being the salvation of souls but on the other hand, there is the hunger to be with Jesus in heaven where there is pure joy, peace, tranquility, glory, blessing, and absence of anything painful, harmful, unholy, unsatisfying, sorrowful, and dying which is far better. In Paul’s case, here’s what he said about his journey itself that intensified the yearning in his heart to be with the Lord: 2 Corinthians 11:24-28,” Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; weariness and painfulness, in watchings (sleeplessness) often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches”. When our heart, our nature, our mind, our journey, and our permanent address have been changed, we get homesick.
April 28, 2021
Matthew 25:14-15,” For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey”
In our English translation, people usually equate the meaning of talent, to be a gift or ability but it is a measure of a specific weight, often of silver and in the case of silver is 750 ounces: about $20,000 in today’s world. In Bible times, a talent was the equivalent of 20 years’ wages for a common laborer. The value of what the master committed to his servants was enormous. If we only interpret this parable as concerning a person’s ability to sing, play a musical instrument, teach and speak, or any other thing we ascribe to “talents”, then we miss the meaning because it is much broader and deeper than that although such things are well within the scope of the thought. Also, as with a lot of parables if we think the Lord is structuring the teaching so every aspect and detail of the lesson must fit a particular interpretation, then no parable will hold to that scrutiny but each parable is a story to teach general principles of truth and will not, rightly divided, support complex doctrinal systems. For example, in this parable, if we hold that the Lord is teaching a plan of salvation, then it will result in the obedient and trustworthy servants being saved by their resourcefulness and good works. So, the interpretation of parables or any other scripture for that matter must align consistently with revealed Biblical truth else the meaning will be lost or unbiblically confused. In this particular parable, it is good to see the talents as all the aspects of our lives and include our time, resources, money, gifts, abilities, opportunities, and in essence, the sum of all we are, what we possess, and what we are capable of doing. And no matter what we are, or have, there is a limited timeframe in which to complete the work our master has given us to do and the clock is ticking.
The circumstances of the seasons of our life vary and often when an opportunity is passed, we can’t bring it back and must move on to the next phase. Before I retired, our life was incredibly busy and there was hardly a moment it seemed, to take a break from the activities. I considered my job in social services as a ministry and I was able to witness and pray with people every day. Besides that, I was a pastor, preaching every week, teaching Bible lessons at mid-week services, conducting revivals, funeral services, weddings, and leading a small flock. My wife and I visited hospitals, nursing homes, did counseling sessions, visited and encouraged other families, did youth activities, and we were caregivers for my aged mother. There were times we were exhausted, burned out, and wishing for the day we had a less hectic life. Now, retired, no longer pastoring, unable to preach or even speak because of cancer surgery, my mother is deceased, and because of Covid, we’ve been restricted in most of our social contact. A lot of days I’m tempted to look around and think I’m not serving the Lord in any capacity and glance back at the times when we were full-speed-ahead with a sense of longing and wish we were able to do some of those things again. But this is just another phase and the Bible reminds us 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”. The Lord wants us to look carefully at where we are, what we have, what opportunities are within our sphere, and by the light and power of the Holy Spirit, put our hand to the plow and refuse to look back in accordance to Ecclesiastes 7:10,” Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this”. The imperative duty in any segment of our lives is to invest the talents we have in hand for the glory of the Lord and do not in any circumstance, make excuses like the wicked, lazy servant. He tried to blame his failure to wisely use the talent entrusted to him on the sovereignty of his lord and revealed he either didn’t understand his responsibility, the purpose of his master, or the consequences of his sin. It is far better to be conscientious, faithful, obedient, and deliberate in the smallest of matters than to slipshod through a slew of them. This is the point where we are now, even though I can’t speak I can still type and I want to remain faithful in this small matter of writing a daily devotion, posting a daily prayer, and a weekly Bible study until the Lord directs elsewhere or opens other areas in His harvest. May I encourage all who read this to go to the throne of grace, submit themselves to the Lord and pray the prayer of Paul in Acts 9:6,” And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”. Let Him show you what you’ve been entrusted with and put them to use, holding nothing back. Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.
April 27, 2021
Mark 10:21-22,” Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions”.
This story of the rich young ruler appears in three of the gospels but in this account of Mark, it gives an insight into the person of Jesus the other two don’t. The Lord, knowing all things, knew this man would come to Him, knew what He would ask, and knew what the young man’s response would be yet the Bible said Jesus looked at him and loved him. This is different from what we know about God concerning creation where the scripture says “God so loved the world”, this was one on one contact between this young man and the creator of all things and something about the Young man turned the Lord’s heart toward Him in a special way. Maybe He felt compassion for him because he was very successful and by the world’s standards was considered part of the elite yet the Lord saw his emptiness and need. Perhaps it was because he came to the Lord so openly and honestly and Jesus knew that what he really wanted he couldn’t have because his wealth blocked his way. There was something about him that got the Lord’s attention and touched the Lord’s heart. There were others in the Bible that the Lord saw in a different light as said in St John 11:5,” Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus” and even those in the community seemed to sense this exceptional relationship because when Jesus came to Lazarus’ tomb and the crowd saw Him weeping, the Bible says in St John 11:36,” Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!” When I read verses like these, it takes my mind to Psalms 103:13-14,” Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” and the word “pitieth means to express love, show compassion, to be kind. His regard for us is explained in the next verse that says remembers how weak we are and helps us understand what was going on in the Lord’s heart when He encountered the rich young ruler.
I love the words of the old hymn “Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling” and I especially love the lines that say, “O for the wonderful love He has promised, Promised for you and for me. Though we have sinned He has mercy and pardon, Pardon for you and for me”. Even as I’m typing this, I can’t keep from crying because even though I know He loves us, I can’t fully understand why. A sermon titled “Why I Love the Lord” could be preached from now until Jesus comes but one titled” Why the Lord Loved Me” wouldn’t even have a place to get started yet the Bible says in 1 John 4:19,” We love him, because he first loved us”. God knows it’s harder for some people to come to Him as he spoke about the rich young ruler and explained why the young man went away in sorrow, Mark 10:24,” But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” May the Lord put this in our hearts when we are impatient with others who seem to be unreachable: the great mystery of why you and I came to faith and others around us have not. It’s certainly not because we were more righteous, were smarter, or any other merit on our part but it’s a part of the perplexity of why some get saved and others who hear the same message and have the same opportunity do not and like the young man, walk away still empty, still hurting, and still sorrowful. I don’t believe the Lord stopped loving the boy when he couldn’t bring himself to make the move and walked away and I hope someday in heaven I meet the young man and he says, “you know what happened? I walked away that day but I couldn’t stop thinking about Jesus and how He looked into my eyes and I saw the depth of His love and one night I cried out to Him and saved me and, well, here I am by His grace.” And I hope there are many like him that we will see in heaven who at first maybe couldn’t or wouldn’t believe but then came face to face again with the God of second chances.
April 26, 2021
Romans 12:2,” And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
The world system is against God and it is under the influence of Satan. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, the Bible says in Luke 4:5-7,” And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine”. The Lord didn’t dispute the enemies claim to the power of the world’s systems and that’s a fact we usually forget about the world around us: it’s powered by hell and its influence on us is an attempt to shape us, mold us, and indoctrinate us into being like it. The warning here, don’t be conformed to this world, has as its key, the word “conformed” which means “fashioned like, in the same pattern “and has as a root, the word “echo”. If our life is just an echo and a pattern of the world, it’s a pitiful shame because the Lord has a higher calling for us. Our old nature of the flesh is already programmed and predisposed by our intrinsic sin to blindly follow the drumbeat of this world like the rats followed the pied piper of Hameln and the lie of the enemy is that we’re expressing our individualism when we’re really just groveling in sin like everyone else. The cross of Jesus has drawn a line of separation between those who belong to Him and those to whom one day He will say Matthew 7:23,” And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”. We are responsible to use God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit, to identify the world and what it consists of and take our stand, with conviction, against it. God’s Word tells us in 1 John 2:15,” Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” and in 1 John 2:17,” And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. “
The will of God is for us to be transformed and this word comes from the Greek “metamorphoo” from which we get metamorphosis and means “to change the fundamental nature of” and is the same word used when Jesus was transfigured and the Bible says, Luke 9:29,” And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering” and in Matthew, it says, “His face shone like the sun”. God says our transformation happens when we renew our mind and here, to renew doesn’t mean to refurbish, but to make brand new. By the new birth, we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and the Holy Spirit is our helper to change us into the new creature God has purposed us to be. But the warfare in our mind, the battle for control of our thoughts which the flesh and the enemy use to drag us away from God’s will for us, can only be won by the Holy Spirit using the Word of God to sever out the old and replace it with a completely new mind. Listen to the words of Hebrews 4:12,” For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. Much of motivational thought is about changing behaviors and changing our behaviors can be a good thing but the Lord has more for us because He will change who we are and He does it by the power of His Word that changes our minds. And from this renewed mind comes the transformation, the metamorphosis, into the new creature that no longer patterns and duck-walks after this world but follows after Christ. We are not the sow that was washed, our nature has been fundamentally changed. Then we can discern, “prove” what God’s will is and we have the nature and power to follow His will. That doesn’t mean the enemy throws in the towel on us because He still continues to fight against everything that belongs to the Lord even though he has been defeated and his destiny in the lake of fire has already been declared, but we no longer walk after the flesh because we have a new way of thinking and we have been transformed.
April 25, 2021
1Kings 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: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
When Elijah met the prophets of Baal on top of Mount Carmel, Israel was far removed from the worship of God in one of their cycles of sin and rebellion. We saw in a previous devotion that the Lord holds nations accountable for their ways and we know that after several cycles of good kings with a return to the Lord followed by evil kings and a slide into rebellion, God brought the destruction of Israel, their temple, and they are held in exile for seventy years. But the Lord also holds leaders accountable for their sins and what happened that day in the confrontation between Elijah the prophet of the Lord against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal was the Almighty God against the leadership of evil King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel and the sin they had paraded throughout the nation. The attempt to mingle the worship of God with the demonic pagan customs of the other countries was not new. When the Jews arrived at the foot of the Mount of God, Sinai, the Lord presented Himself to the nation and said, Exodus 19:4-6,” Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation”. And this is what the people told Moses to say to God on their behalf: Exodus 19:8,” And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.” Then when Moses climbed the mountain to meet with God on their behalf and was gone longer than they expected, here’s what they said, Exodus 32:1,” And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him”. This is the wishy-washy allegiance to the Lord that became the standard for this nation until they were dispersed by the Romans in 70 AD.
As one king after another turned away from God and led Israel into wickedness, the Jews paid the price for their sin with drought, disease, enemy invasions, blights and insects destroying crops, natural disasters, and such but despite all the chastisement, they would not repent. Their leadership set the example of idolatry as the people watched their kings, governors, and other rulers bow down to their pagan images. These same rulers made it easy for the people to commit abominations when they built shrines to false gods, placed their images in them, and opened them to the public. All who passed by, families and children were tempted to enter these and because of innate sin, curiosity, and the open acceptance of this idolatry, they did. All the while, the same leadership allowed the temple of God to stand and the priests there continually went through the rituals as if in service the Lord God, offering the sacrifices, blowing the trumpets, observing the sacred feasts, and giving the impression that all is well. Now transposed that craziness on our culture today and see if fits. Leaders who are responsible for the integrity and wholesomeness of our “one nation under God”, lying, cheating, stealing, speaking out of both sides of their mouths, claiming God on one hand, and shaking hands with the devil with the other. Leaders that will be held accountable for their honesty of leadership making their back-room deals and sleight-of-hand maneuvers, smiling all the time saying, “all is well”. Those who lead us, make our laws, and supposedly enforce truth and justice legalizing the wholesale slaughter of children, forging legalization of drugs, kissing countries that torture and murder Christians, and at the same time trying to silence the voices of anyone who opposes their falseness. Elijah faced off with their predecessors on Mount Carmel, those who wanted to commingle the things of Jehovah with the rancid wickedness of the devil, and as long as this attempt continues, there can be no compromise as the Word of God says: “for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?”
April 24, 2021
Hosea 6:4, “O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.”
The Jews had periods where they were faithful to the Lord and lived according to His law but as Hosea says here, it was like morning clouds and dew on the ground: It didn’t last long. But this is not just a thing common to the Israelites, it’s characteristic of the whole human race for the best we can do, falls infinitely short of God’s standards. While our goodness is weak and temporary like dew in the morning, compare it to God’s goodness as expressed in verse three of this chapter: “his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth”. As I have said in a previous devotion, this was my frustration when I was a young man. I heard the demands preached for holiness, goodness, and obedience, and I would be convicted and resolved to follow through and be the Christian I believed they were telling me God wanted me to be. But usually, in a very short time, I would mess up and feel so guilty I dreaded even going back to church because I believed I had “let the Lord down”. After a while of this, I finally threw up my hands and quit trying because truly my goodness was like the dew. I learned to disguise what I believed was wrong, not that I was trying to hide it from the Lord, but I didn’t want the shame of appearing bad in front of my family and the church we attended, after all, my dad was the pastor. Over time, my heart hardened to the messages I was hearing, I no longer felt convicted, and I continued to play the part of the church-going pastor’s son like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When I look back at this time in my life and remember how it all started with frustration and guilt at my inability to measure up to the standards, I was told God expected of me to be accepted by Him, I’m convinced many others are in this same predicament and they need to see the truth about the matter.
All the great men and women of faith had their bad moments. Noah come off the ark and got drunk. Abraham had a child out of wedlock then abandoned the woman and their son Ismaeel. Isaac, trying to save his own neck, lied about his wife, trying to pass her off as his sister. Jacob was a chart-topping deceiver. Moses was a murderer. Aaron made an Idol and caused everyone to strip naked and dance around it. Samson consorted with a prostitute. David committed adultery with a married woman then had her husband killed. And then there’s almost 900 years of the Israelites and their kings going through cycles of revival, turning away from God, following other gods, being chastised, repenting, and returning to God and then the cycle started all over. The Lord said their goodness was like a morning cloud and the dew: it quickly goes away. Knowing all this doesn’t make us feel better about our failures and powerlessness to remain and do good, but it takes away the myth and false belief that God will only accept us if we do good and turns away from us if we error. This is why we place so much emphasis on the fact that by the new birth, we become the children of God and are made His heirs, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. What if, as a parent, I only loved my children and accepted them when they did everything right and told them that when they messed up, I’m going to beat the living daylights out of them? Or if they got in trouble, I kicked them out of the house and dropped them off in the woods somewhere and drove away all the while with my back turned to them? This type of parenting would produce some deranged children and this type of dogma in churches by legalistic teachers produces either self-righteous hypocrites or convinces people they are unfit for heaven. The rightly divided truth is 1 John 2:1,” My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”. Let’s live holy, do what is right, and follow hard after God but when we fail, let’s know He is a merciful, kind, and forgiving Father who is listening to our advocate Jesus who is pleading on our behalf.
April 23, 2021
Proverbs 29:1,” He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy”
Through our many devotions, we have seen that it’s not our goodness that gives us eternal life but we glory in the salvation of the cross through faith in Jesus Christ and have the comfort of knowing we are eternally saved by him. Although we rejoice and are filled with peace as children of God, it’s easy to push aside the fact that while the door of salvation is wide open right now in this dispensation of grace, this is not where it all ends. The Bible still declares before the new heavens and new earth come to be, God will deal with all sin and unbelief that haven’t been settled by faith in the Son of God. Consider that when Jonah finished his education in the belly of the whale and went speeding into Nineveh preaching like a wild man, the city repented from the king on down and the Lord didn’t destroy them. But by a hundred years later, the city had completely turned away from God and the Lord called the prophet Nahum to foretell its annihilation. As a type, Nineveh represents spiritual apostasy and the warning given to it was that it would not receive another chance: revealing there is a line of rebellion against the Lord that, when it is crossed, there are no more calls to repentance but the stroke of judgment then, a new beginning Nahum 1:9,” What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction (correction) shall not rise up the second time”. The same God that stopped Jonah’s scramble to get away from his mission of mercy and sent him preaching the salvation and forgiveness of the Lord to wicked Nineveh, a hundred years later destroyed that very city because they turned away from His truth. And while those of us who love and preach the grace of God through Jesus Christ give praise to the mercy shown through the Savior, there is a danger of sprawling continually in the one-sided view of God that somehow, He has changed His very nature since the cross and has mutated into a different God than the one that declared in our theme verse of Proverbs 29:1 that after a while of rejected reproof, the Lord brings destruction. It seems that we get caught up in the glory of the ark and the eight souls that were saved by the faith and obedience of Noah and completely forget the countless number of people that suffocated to death by the water of God’s judgment upon an apostate world. There was no rainbow in the clouds over Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities around them when Lot was dragged out by angels away from the judgment of the apostasy that reigned there and the same warning call still rings in our ears today in Jude 1:7,” Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”. An example of what? That there will come a time when the Lord, the patient, merciful God showing forgiveness to all who will call on Him, will turn to the sword of vengeance to settle His demand for justice. No sin ever committed will remain unpunished and the debt for it will either be paid by Jesus on the cross for those who believe on Him or by the death of the sinner because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B.C. just as Nahum had prophesied about 50 years before and shows that the Lord not only holds individuals accountable for their sin but also nations because when Nineveh fell, so did the Assyrian empire. The judgment of nations isn’t something we often think about but it’s a very common theme in the scripture and shows that the Lord views the structure of culture of a nation as good or evil and deals with it accordingly. Some of the scriptures that speak about this are Psalms 110:6,” He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries” and Matt 25:31-32, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats”. There is some indication that the last passage refers to the remnant of nations at the end of the tribulation but nevertheless, it reveals nations are accountable to the Lord for their deeds. When we look at the Assyrians and their capital of Nineveh, historical documents tell us they were one of the most savage, cruel, and ruthless nations that have been recorded in history. Their own writings tell how they impaled piles of bodies on stakes, severed people’s hands, and feet, leaving them to die and rot, filled mountains and riverbeds with the bones of slaughtered corpses, turned vast areas of soil and sand red with the blood of people they murdered, made pyramids of human heads, and they caused so much fear and anguish throughout their reign that when Nineveh fell, collapsing their empire, the people of the other nations rejoiced but were in awe that such a great power and magnificent city was obliterated. If we step back and remember that the Bible says Proverbs 14:34,” Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach (a disgrace, a shame) to any people”, then we stand on shaky ground when we turn away from God’s truth and His will for our nation. When we lose sight that what lifts us up is doing what is right before the Lord and try to claim our technology, our distorted sense of morality, our imagined “entitlement”, or anything else as our strength and shelter from deterioration, then we have fooled ourselves into believing we are not accountable to God. A nation built on the foundation of truth, then falls away after being repeatedly reproved and refuses to turn, is apostate and will be destroyed. Proverbs 29:1. If You are reading this and have not asked Jesus to be your Savior, it’s simple to do so because God made it easy for anyone who asks. You can pray this prayer or your own like it: Lord, I admit I’m a sinner and I turn away from my sin and ask You to forgive me. I believe Jesus died on the cross for me, was buried, and rose from the dead and I receive Him as my Savior. In Jesus name, amen. If you prayed this prayer, please fill out the contact form and let us know so we can rejoice with you.
April 22, 2021
2 Timothy 2:19,” Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
Paul is instructing and encouraging Timothy here, warning him of error that is creeping into the church, and saying that this error is like a “canker”, or cancerous ulcer. He calls out two men as examples of this profane and vain babbling, Hymenaeus and Philetus, saying that their false teaching had overthrown the faith of some. When the enemy tried to silence the gospel at its beginning by waging a violent war against Christians. He discovered they were not afraid to die for the cause of Christ and in fact, this persecution made the church grow because people decided something worth dying for must be real. His next course of action was to pollute the message of Jesus and began a program of deception by using false teachers that appeared as God’s messengers to spread false doctrine as described in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15,” And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works”. This campaign of the devil was widespread and used many different tactics with some false teachers decrying basic truths such as the resurrection, some mixing Judaism into the message as if faith in Christ alone is not enough to satisfy God, others taught Christians can also participate in the pagan rituals that were a normal part of that areas cultures, and from there, heresies and false teachings combined, morphed, and themselves became their own “brands” of Christianity. This constant war upon the truth is still the ploy of the enemy and has resulted in attacks on all fronts by violently persecuting Christians in some areas, establishing false denominations and churches that pervert the message of Christ, raising up teachers of some notoriety that lead people astray, using organizations and companies to contaminate then aggressively merchandise error-ridden literature allegedly Bible based, and employing methods of distraction, compromise, and flesh-centered programs to keep believers from getting grounded in the ways of the Lord.
Despite all this hatred, scheming, and fighting against the cause of Christ, the Lord has established His church on a solid foundation and Paul declares this in his letter to Timothy in these words, “nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure.” The seal he speaks of here is a reference to Numbers 16:5,” And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him” and is taken from the account when a man named Korah rebelled against Moses’ leadership and tried to bring the poison of deception into the minds of people and overthrow God’s plan and His choice of leadership. The Lord is saying, “I know who belongs to me and who I have chosen” and a part of the seal is that those that belong to the Lord must turn away from evil. The book of Jude uses Korah as an example when warning against false teachers Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core (Korah). It is good to remember and meditate on the truth that we are personally anchored to Jesus Christ, our solid rock foundation as referenced in the parable of the wise man who built on the rock in Matthew 7:24, and then collectively as believers, as the church, noted by Jesus in Matthew 16:18 when He says He put His church on a rock and the gates of hell can’t overcome it. When we look at the confusion palming itself off as Christianity, it’s a comfort to know the Lord knows the tares from the wheat because He knows them that are His, and error will never supersede the everlasting truth.
April 21, 2021
Hebrews 13:5,” Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”
This verse is a reference to Deuteronomy 31:6,” Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” and it is part of the final words of Moses to the Israelites before his death. When we read them in Hebrews, it bears to mind that God’s Word applies wherever He sends it because there would be some that say the passage in Deuteronomy isn’t to the church because it was spoken to Israel and only applies to them but the Lord gives it to the church here in Hebrews and it’s a verse of great comfort. Also, one of the consolations concerning Old Testament passages that are meant for us today can be seen in Galatians 3:7-9,” Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham”. Then clarified a few verses later in Galatians 3:13-14,” Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” and carries the meaning that Abraham, who was born before the giving of the law, received covenants from God by God giving a promise and now we, joined with Jesus Christ who was a son of Abraham, can be assured the Lord has included us in the promises. We are part of the thread of God’s grace that began by promise to Abraham, connects Christ to him, and now reaches us and binds us with the same Word of promise. This particular passage in Hebrews 13, is a bedrock foundation for believers today and has for its premise, the eternally unshakable faithfulness of our Lord who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The word “conversation” here means lifestyle, the way we live, and the word “covetousness” means the love of money and it reminds us of 1 Timothy 6:10,” For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”. This is followed by the call for us to be satisfied with what we have and the origins of the Greek word translated content means to raise a barrier as if to ward off the temptation to look at what we have and be dissatisfied, wanting more or something else. We are children of God and everything that comes to us, comes through His hand and His unfailing promise is that there will never be a moment now or in the future that He will not be with us and He will never turn His back on us. That’s rock-solid assurance that we have no reason to be filled with anxiety, fear, uncertainty, dread, or worry because the creator of all things is with us. Believers should not think, live, and talk like those who do not know the Lord because we have not only been eternally changed by God’s grace, we are not like the unbelieving world because God is for us, with us, in us, and providing all things for our benefit and will do it every day of our lives and continue it into the forever. The words we speak, the thoughts we think, and the way we live (our conversation) should be rooted in the truth of God’s reality and reflect who He is and who we are now as born-again sons and daughters of the Almighty God. We are not waiting for God’s blessings; we are blessed now and these blessings have their source through Jesus all the way back to promises made to Abraham. Today, we rest in the goodness, faithfulness, sufficiency, and favor of God, tomorrow we will rest in the goodness, faithfulness, sufficiency, and favor of God, and this will continue as described 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, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen”. The Lord didn’t pull us from the pits of hell only to starve us to death, drown us in the river of despair, or wreck us with something that’s out of His will and He has certainly rescued us from the clutches of the devil, the certainty of death, and uncertainty of the future. Thank You Lord and thank you, Abraham.
April 20, 2021
Revelation 20:10,” And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”
The human race and its plight begin with deception in the garden and this heaven and this earth will end with the deceiver being cast into the lake of fire for eternity. Between these two bookends is the story of billions of living souls born into sin, given the opportunity to follow either truth or error and then taken off life’s stage to await judgment and each one of them so engrossed in the minute details of a life that’s compared to a flower of the grass that pops up, blooms, and then withers away. We fuss and argue over things that are so trivial yet we kill each other over them. We enslave ourselves to habits and passions that make our short lives miserable and yet we defend what we do with arrogance and pride. We pour ourselves into careers and obsessions that consume most of our waking moments, amass a pile of possessions, then we die and leave it all behind as is summed up in Ecclesiastes 2:11,” Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun”. Every aspect of this life, apart from the knowledge of the truth of God and His ways, is a deception on some level and the astounding thing is, people, live out their lives not realizing they have been deceived by the deceiver. For those of us who have come to faith in Jesus Christ it’s heartbreaking to see people all around us frantically living life, grasping at things, and searching for happiness and all the time, their life-meter is running, days are turning into weeks, into months, into years, and they remain stuck in the deception that they can have some kind of meaningful, satisfying life without the Lord. Jesus spoke to the people who had rejected His truth in John 8:44-45,” Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not”. When the deceiver came after Eve and Adam, he came with the weapon of deception and a bag of lies to derail God’s plan because that’s what this earth and everything on it is: God’s plan to redeem some of the billions of souls that appear for a short time on this planet and then, these redeemed ones will populate the next heaven and earth.
Revelation 21:1-5,” And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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 he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. These verses tell the truth of what this life is all about. It is a preparation event for the main event and the deceiver, the liar, and father of lies has fabricated an elaborate web of lies, cheats, and deceits to snare every person born to believe something other than the truth. How many people do you know that live as if there is no eternity, even people who profess faith, their view is this life, pleasures of this life, possessions of this life, the minuscule details of the things of this life, the politics of this life, and so on. But there are some who know all this down here is just for a moment and what lies ahead, just over the next hill, is our destination. Oh for that glorious day when the deceiver is put away forever.
April 19, 2021
1Timothy 1:15-16,” This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting”
In the verses previous to these, Paul thanks God for saving him and calling him into the ministry and describes himself before his conversion: 1 Timothy 1:12-13 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious (violent abuser). Then in verses 15-16, he says the Lord chose him as a pattern, an example, to other people of what God is willing to do. Those who knew Paul before he came to Christ found it hard to believe he was actually a follower of Jesus that he had once fought against (Acts:9,26) of him and sometimes today when we hear of a person that was so much against the Lord that becomes a Christian, there might be a tendency to question the sincerity of their conversion. Yet the Lord sets apart such startling encounters as a testimony to His purpose to display His grace and mercy for the universe to see. Consider these verses that speak of the mystery of God’s grace and mercy in 1 Peter 1:10-12,” Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into”. Even the angels are in awe of what the Lord does in the salvation of lost souls and a wonderful picture of this is seen in the mercy seat where two angels of gold stare down on the place where the blood is sprinkled as proof of the atonement as if they are gazing in astonishment at the mercy of the Almighty God, who showed no mercy to rebellious angels but shows loving-kindness, forgiveness, and grace to sinful humans.
It’s pathetic that today we have scrubbed the words “sin” and “sinner” from our theology and our pulpits make it sound as if God really doesn’t have to be merciful because we really aren’t that bad. The torture, agony, indescribable pain, and death the Lord Jesus Christ suffered on the cross was in our place because Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. Period. This is the crux of what Christianity is all about and Paul writes that once he was a horrible, mean, vicious, and degenerate, albeit religious, person and he calls himself the chief sinner but God showed him mercy. In Romans 3:23 where the Bible says, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, we wince as if it is distasteful to declare this but calling it the way God said it, is what makes our salvation so wonderfully precious, shows God so marvelously unspeakable in His kindness and forgiveness, and the cross of Jesus so praiseworthy. Paul, the fellow who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote the Christian doctrine that allows us to even have Christian theology, called himself a sinner and says the Lord saved him to show others that God will reach deep into sin, show mercy, and then raise the sinner up high with Himself and if He did it for Paul, He will do it for anyone. It may sound strange but there’s something wonderful about being a sinner because unless we were, there’d be no need for this plan of God through which He displays love, kindness, mercy, and grace to us dirt-constructed creatures, and then He gives us His promise that for eternity He will put us on display us as He declares in Malachi 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels”.
April 18, 2021
1Corinthians 10:13,” There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”
Looking back over the daily devotions for the past three months, I see there are several dealing with trials and tests and that’s perhaps because so many people, including myself, are going through difficult and life-changing events. Yesterday, we looked at Joseph and the incredible circumstances he endured. He was seventeen when he was sold into slavery and for the next thirteen years, he was a slave to Potiphar and at least two years in prison. Yet all those years, even while in prison, the Lord had His hand upon him and Joseph was able to ride out this unpleasant and sometimes miserable period of his life until, when he was thirty years old, he was victorious. It was a similar story with Job when he went from a time of great prosperity and peace to poverty and affliction and some Bible teachers say the period of his trial was around nine months. But during that time Job maintained his integrity and the Bible says in Job 1:22,” In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” which means he didn’t blame God or become angry against Him. When it was over, Job was victorious and like Joseph, exalted to a place of honor by Almighty God. The conclusion of it all for believers is that we will all go through trials and sometimes they will be intense and even painful but there is a divine purpose for them that sometimes God doesn’t explain, but they are necessary else He wouldn’t permit them. When we see the testing or trial as bad, bad luck, “just the way it is”, punishment, hopelessness, or any other way other than a setup for something better God has in store, it makes the trial into something it is not and is disheartening also to others who have to go with us through the fire like our spouse, children, coworkers, and others who love us. This is unfortunate because we are blinded to the truth that these things never change: God is good, He always works for us and on our behalf, He is perfect in all His ways, He is following a plan He purposed not only before we were born but before He created the world, and we will emerge from the trial in victory. If these truths would be our testimony in the trial instead of the negative, what a witness we would be for the glory of the Lord.
Our verse of 1 Corinthians 10:13, says we will never go through a trial that other people do not face and God will never allow a trial we are unable to tolerate. Also, we have the promise that our God, the faithful God who cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18), has already prepared a way for us to exit. A fireman can enter a burning building, do what he needs to do including rescue someone, then exit the flames unscathed because he has the equipment, training, and courage to handle the inferno. We are well equipped to handle anything the Lord allows us to encounter or endure and whatever we need to complete the tribulation and exit, He will provide. As we do this over and over in our Christian walk, we find the meaning of 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”. We learn to pray in the times of trials prayers like, “thank You Lord that You are with me in this fiery trial and You are working all things for my good, thank You Father that You have purposed this in my life for my benefit and Your glory, Lord, thank You that You will bring me through this and You have already provided a way to escape because You promised”. We don’t have to say, “lord deliver me” because we have his word that He will. During the trial, we can testify to others, “I know God has a purpose for this because He will always do what is right for me and even though I may not see the answer right now, I trust in Him because He is faithful”. Finally, during the trial, we can worship like Job when he was in his great tribulation Job 1:20,” Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped”. All of us can worship when our heart is overflowing with praise and joy, the music is good, and things are going great but when the trials come, we can stand firm, know God is with us, will not forsake us, and is always honoring His Word to work good on our behalf then begin to worship the Almighty True and Living God by faith. There will always be an exit.
April 17, 2021
Psalms 105:17-21,” He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance”
The story of Joseph is a longer Biblical account than any of the previous six patriarchs, Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and his story forms the bridge between a handful of wandering nomadic Hebrew tribesmen in Genesis, to a nation of millions of Israelites in Exodus. In all the other Patriarchs we see their graphic blunders and failures as we read their accounts but not so with Joseph: his life is presented as flawless and not because he was perfect by any means but because the Holy Spirit pictures everything in his life as typifying Christ in some fashion. Some say there are over one hundred parallels in the life of Joseph and the person of Jesus and the narrative of Joseph is one of the main Bible stories we hear from our earliest ‘childhood Sunday school lessons. The events of Josephs’ life from a child on, is one event after another in God’s sovereign plan to create a nation from the descendants of Abraham and in the first part of his life, Joseph pays a heavy personal price of suffering and pain but later is rewarded for his faithfulness most spectacularly. Joseph’s brothers hated him and when they decided to get rid of him, it was no coincidence that a caravan of Ishmaelite merchantmen on their way to Egypt, happened by at their exact location while Joseph’s brothers had him in a pit trying to decide what to do with him. God’s plan called for Joseph to be separated from his father and the rest of his family, then end up in Egypt where after many twists and turns in his story, Joseph would be in a position to bring the rest of his family to Egypt where their descendants would live for the next four hundred years.
Many days we all live in a routine of ordinary events: we get up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat supper, mow the grass, go to bed, and the next day we do it all over. The Lord’s providence in our life is witnessed by His sustaining power in keeping us alive, keeping us healthy and strong enough to work, keeping us plugged into the framework of His continual preservation of everything He has created. For example, God has ordained that life will continue and food and water be provided for His creation as He said in Genesis 8:22,” While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease”. The Lord is upholding all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). When we understand that even though a day may seem an ordinary day, it is still testifying that the Creator of heaven and earth is miraculously at work preserving His creation and that He is ever-present with us to perform His will, answer our prayers, strengthen us in our circumstances, and bless us with His favor. But there are times when God works in our lives to turn us in some direction, place us in a different position, change our speed of life, or some other way that affects the trajectory of our course and it’s all because it is at that moment in His plan, there has to be movement out of the normal. Often the measures the Lord uses to accomplish this is not what we would choose for ourselves but His ways are perfect. Consider Joseph’s time in prison and the account of it in Psalms 105 where it says they hurt his feet with fetters (shackles) and laid him in iron which means they cut his neck with a collar of iron and Joseph was a faithful, honorable, and obedient believer. Yet these were defining, predestinated moves in God’s plan for him to get him where the Lord had purposed. The Lord didn’t explain why He ordered this path for Joseph and many times He doesn’t explain to us why He takes us through the trials we go through but like Joseph, when we remain faithful even when the situation seems harsh and unfair, the Lord will bring us out with a strong hand and honor us with His favor on the other side of the trial. Job, after all his trial and loss, the Bible says in Job 42:10,12,” And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning”. Joseph became ruler over all the land of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, married an Egyptian princess, and made it into Hebrews 11:22 honor roll of faith. You and I have the promise of Mark 10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Remember that in the KJV, there is a distinction of pronouns and the “you” here, means “you all” else it would have been “thee” which is singular to whom it is personally addressed. The Lord never takes us through the fire without blessing us and we have the assurance that even in situations like Joseph, God is always working both to do His good pleasure and at the same time, all things for our good. What a mighty, amazing, and wonderful God we serve!
April 16, 2021
2Corinthians 12:7,” And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”
Before Paul’s conversion, his self-willed ambition was to destroy the church and the Bible says in Acts 8:3,” As for Saul, he made havock (brutally ravage, maim, tear-down, break) of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison”. But the Lord had called him for a different purpose as Paul himself described in Galatians 1:15-16,” But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen”. The Lord set Paul apart for Himself before Paul was born and the Bible declares his mission in Acts 22:14-15,” The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard”. After his conversion, the Lord didn’t allow him to be taught the gospel by other people but Paul says in Galatians 1:11-12,” But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ”. There’s no doubt that in God’s plan to establish the truth of salvation by grace through faith and to witness this truth in the New Testament, 28 percent of which was written by Paul, this man was one of the most important servants of the Lord yet he was not invulnerable to pride.
So, he was “given” a thorn in his flesh to help keep him humbled and when we think of a gift, it’s never something painful but in Paul’s case, the word thorn means “a stake for impaling; a surgical instrument; the point of a fishhook” and was so harrowing to Paul the Bible says he pleaded to the Lord repeatedly to remove it but the Lord would not and said, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. Furthermore, the scripture says this thorn in the flesh was a messenger, an angel of Satan, which “buffeted” him the word meaning “to strike with the fist and reminds us of Job in Job 2:7,” So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown” and the same word is used to describe the torturing of our Lord in Matthew 26:67,” Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands”. There have been guesses as to exactly what this demon of Satan did to Paul but the Bible does not tell us. However, we do know the Apostle gained victory over it by submitting himself to the Lord as he declares in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10,” Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong”.
This account shouldn’t frighten us because it isn’t in the Bible to imply that such a thing is a normal occurrence in the life of a believer: very few are called and purposed of the Lord in the way Paul was used. But it does explain why some people who are called and used of the Lord often go through trials that have some people thinking they must be doing something wrong since it looks like they are being punished. In the case of Paul, he himself did miracles for others as given in Acts 19:11-12,” And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” but still he was afflicted with this thorn in the flesh and only by the revelation of the truth in God’s Word can we understand why this contrariety existed: he could heal but he remained impaired. Through the eyes of faith, we can see that in the will of God the things that do not make sense to our natural mind have a reason in the plan of God, and in every situation, the Lord gives the grace to trust His providence. Then, by faith in Him, those that seem weak become strong: sometimes emerging from great trials in glorious victory in the name of the Lord and sometimes going through the fire like Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna but in every case, the Lord’s grace is sufficient.
April 15, 2021
Ephesians 5:15,” See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Most of us have moments when we look at ourselves and the way we live and think we need to make changes such as a resolution, a change in our diet, a rededication to the Lord, or something we think will make our life better. But the way we live daily is who we really are and most of the time, when the momentum of our new decisions goes away, we fall back into our old patterns. Sometimes we might decide to change the way we eat and make healthier choices and we do well at it for a while but in time, the temptation of sugar, salt and fat, wears down our resistance, and Kit Kat bars, powdered doughnuts, ice cream, and snacks somehow reappear in the kitchen cupboards. As difficult as it is to make better, sometimes life-saving choices in the way we eat or take care of our bodies, our walk of faith is impossible to accomplish on our own and only by the work of the Holy Spirit to guide us and grant us grace and power can we be transformed to live as God wills. This is what the verses for today’s devotion address: the way we live as believers and are a part of the section of Ephesians that deals with our everyday life, walking in the Spirit. When we earnestly consider this, it slows our incredibly busy life down to where we begin to examine the way we are walking step by step. When children learn to walk parents mark their first step as a milestone in their growth and then until they learn the skills of walking, it’s a step-by-step process of walking, falling, getting up, holding on to things for assistance, and doing this sequence repeatedly until soon they are running. How we live before God and others is so important, God gives us this verse in Hebrews 12:1,” Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”. We are not just living for ourselves but there is a cloud of witnesses both in the unseen realm and all around us in our daily interaction with people that are affected in some way by the way we walk. Some are cheering us on and others are getting a portrayal of the Lord and the path of faith by the way we live. Even so, there is an even higher purpose to consider when we are looking at the way we live as expressed in 2 Timothy 2:3-4,” Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” showing the daily walk is a warfare and we are soldiers under the command of the captain of our Salvation.
We are to walk “circumspectly”, a word that means “carefully, precisely” and brings us the thought that our choices, deeds, words, conversations, actions, and so on, should be considered deliberately in the light of God’s Word lest we walk as fools. This is coupled with the phrase “redeeming the time” which means to “rescue from loss” and speaks of making the most of opportunities. Every day, as we live before God in the view of many witnesses, there are various opportunities to do what is right and as we walk carefully, aided by the Holy Spirit, we say the things that are true and appropriate, we do the things that are honest and becoming a Christian, we turn away from all that is deceptive, harmful or degrading to others, and live as unto the Lord. We know the will of the Lord, it’s not confusing or complicated and the Holy Spirit is always present to aid us as we conform our will to the will of God. When we walk in faith, carefully, deliberately, and see each opportunity as a means to wisely glorify God, we are at our very best and this is the life that testifies to our cloud of witnesses that living for God’s will is an imitation of our Savior who did always those things that pleased His Father. The promise the Lord has given us in this matter, takes us back to verses we considered in a previous devotion: Galatians 6:9-10,” And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith”.
April 14, 2021
Isaiah 46:9-10,” Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure”
The almighty will of the Almighty God is the beginning and end of everything that exists. The Bible says creation began and even now continues to exist because God brought it into being by His will and by His word and sustains it by His will and by His word: Revelation 4:11,” Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”, the phrase “for thy pleasure” in the Greek means “because of your will, from your determination, choice, decree”. When we consider Hebrews 11:3,” Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” and Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist”, then all creation, especially us humans, are the result of God wanting to create then performing His will. He knows everything, wills what He chooses, and brings it to pass and nothing can stop Him from doing what He decrees. All creation continues to exist because He is the sustaining power of all things Job 12:7-10,” But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind”. Even creation that is not living and breathing testifies to the will of God: The electrons of atoms continue to orbit their nucleus, the earth, and other planets continue to orbit the sun, all the cycles and seasons of nature continue their course, and the earth maintains it’s precise distance from the sun so that it neither gets too cold or too hot for life to exist. The evaporation/rain cycle, jet stream, ocean currents, and all other aspects of creation from the largest phenomenon to the most microscopic detail are a testimony to the will and word of the Lord, omnipresent in His creation.
Our finite and usually very silly minds, are not able to grasp the truth of a God that is so infinitely far above us and so infinitely unlike us: Job 11:7-8,” Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?”. This was the thought that came to me today while I praying for one of our children and describing to God all that was going on in their life as if He didn’t have a clue about the circumstances. He knows everything and is omnipresent with His creation and doesn’t need my ideas about how I think He should solve a problem that troubles my heart because I realized that when I was praying, I was also thinking about a solution. I saw two or three possibilities and was mentioning them to God as if I was suggesting that any one of the band-aids I had made up in my mind, would be good and I wanted Him to choose one and get on with fixing things. What an arrogant bunch of nincompoops we are when we’re in a frame of mind like that. My mind ran to Isaiah 40:13,” Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counseller hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”, and I cried out to the Lord, not with any instructions, but to thank Him that He gave us Romans 11:33,” O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”. Our children, and us, and everyone we know and pray for, need the Lord, acting in His wisdom and His will, in His grace, mercy, and compassion and that’s the perfect solution to every problem, the cure for all that’s sick, the fix for all that’s broken, the antidote for all that poisonous, the restoration for all that’s demolished, and the infusion of life for all that’s dying and decaying.
April 13, 2021
Philemon 1:1-2,” Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house”
For over two hundred years after Christianity began with the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, believers didn’t meet in church buildings but rather in the houses of believers. Depending on the size of a particular city, there might be several houses, often ones with enough room to accommodate the number of believers in their geographic area and depending on their size, each house church had its own pastor or in some cases, a bishop, or pastor, overseeing several. In verse 2 here in Philemon, it seems Philemon’s house was the house church or one of them, in the city of Colosse and is one of several places in the New Testament where house churches are mentioned: Romans 16:5, Colossians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 16:19. Christians who meet and worship in homes rather than church buildings, have been a part of Christianity since day one and they continue to this day with some studies showing the house church as a choice or in some places a necessity, is booming. A few years ago, a Barna study/report showed in America, in a typical month, 9 percent of adults totaling 43 million people, attend a house church, and that places the numbers somewhere between the attendance of the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptists. This study counted only people who attend house churches as their normal church experience, not people meeting in a house as a “pod” of an established church. In other countries, the house church is the norm of which China is the largest with 120 million Christians and 90 percent of them attending house churches. This devotional isn’t about my belief that Christianity should return to house churches but an observation that what comes into our mind when we think about attending church may not actually be a good picture of where people all around the world are in their worship and reminds us of the words of our Lord in Matthew 18:20,” For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.
It is a great comfort to me to know that globally there are millions of Christians assembling to worship, some in established churches and some in house churches, some openly and others in secret at the cost of their lives but in all, the Lord is being honored and their faith is being expressed. The scripture says in Hebrews 10:24-25,” And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”. The first part of the verses, to consider each other and to encourage each other in love and good works, is connected with the instruction to continue to assemble together. So, the will of God for the assembly is not just so we can be blessed and feel better but it’s to encourage others and silences many of the excuses people make for not worshiping in an assemble of people: I don’t feel like going, I’m burned out with church, I have other things to do, I’ve been hurt too many times, I don’t get anything out of it, I don’t like the people there, and so on with the introspective obsession: we assemble first to encourage and strengthen others then we attend for ourselves. This principle is stated again in 1Thessalonians 5:11,” Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” and gives us pause when we consider a lot of churches have become just like our neighborhoods where no one even knows the person’s name beside them anymore let alone be in a position to actively encourage them in their faith. This makes me think that perhaps we should always consider our homes a sort of church, our family the assembly, and we can encourage each other, read the Bible, sing hymns, and pray together. I believe there was a time when this was normal for many Christian homes. When people visit us, it could be our outreach ministry to encourage them and offer to pray with them and make that a part of our household pledge of Joshua 24:15,” as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”.
April 12, 2021
Titus 1:12-13,” One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith”
Paul and Titus had been working together on the island of Crete and for reasons not explained, Paul had to leave and left Titus behind with quite a formidable task: helping establish the churches that were there and contending with those opposing the cause of Christ. One of Titus’ main tasks was to continue to set the churches that had been planted in order and ordain qualified leaders who would continue the ministry because there was so much opposition to the faith as described in Titus 1:10-11,” For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake”. For centuries, the island of Crete was the center of worship of the Minotaur, a half-man half-bull creature of mythology and this bull-worship cult pervaded all aspects of life on ancient Crete and interestingly, is linked to the worship of Moloch, the half-man half-bull demon god of the Canaanites. The Israelites were commanded in Leviticus 18:21 not to sacrifice their children to Moloch and anyone who did was to be stoned to death. This also brings to mind the golden calf episode where the Israelites turned their back on the Lord at the base of Mount Sinai and created an idol of worship fashioned in the genre of the bull worship religion and suffered the chastisement of the Almighty for their sin. So, when the character of the Cretians is described in Titus 1:12, that they are liars, evil beasts which means “wicked wild animals”, and slow bellies which means “lazy, idle, gluttons”, and the Holy Spirit inspiring this epistle declares this is true, this gives us insight to the battle against the truth of the Lord that was being waged there. It wasn’t just a battle against a few opposing views but one against deep, centuries-old wickedness that influenced the entire culture from the enemy himself in one of his demonic strongholds. Titus had been assigned a very difficult task.
Sometimes it seems the Lord has called us to serve Him in places and in circumstances that are so difficult every battle is one step forward and two steps back. It may be the place you work is frustrating, people are not supportive, conditions are less than ideal, and some pitfalls keep getting you down. Or maybe it’s where you are called to minister and there’s always a conflict, there’s a shortage of resources, and you seem to be stuck there even though every day you’re tempted to quit. Consider this verse in Ephesians 6:12,” For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. Through the lens of this verse, we are better able to understand the battles we face knowing they are usually not just confrontations with people or hardships from random adversities, but there are forces behind them, powered and directed by the enemy from the unseen world. However, just as Titus was able to tackle the task at Crete, we are well able to fight a good fight and finish the work because the Lord has fully equipped us, supplied us with the armor of God referenced in Ephesians 6:13-17, given us authority to use the Word of God in Jesus’ name, and we will be victorious. The enemy is real and the Bible says in 1Peter 5:8,” Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” but notice it says “as a roaring lion”. He’s not a lion, he just raises a ruckus like one but Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the enemy is no match for the Christ in us the hope of glory. When it seems the Cretians have risen from the dead and have come to make war against us, we proclaim Psalms 91:15-16,” He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation”. In the difficult tasks and trials, the Lord will always cause us to triumph because 2Corinthians 10:4-5,” (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds) 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”.
April 11, 2021
2Corinthians 10:10,” For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible”
People are all about appearances and quick to judge, either to approve or denounce, everything by only what they see and it is more so now than ever before in this age of visual media saturation. The scripture above, 1 Corinthians 10:10, described what people thought about Apostle Paul when they saw and heard him in person and while there are no paintings or statues made during his life, there are some writings that describe him as “short, bald, bowlegged, and with eyebrows knit together” (Robertson: Word Pictures in the New Testament). The word “weak” in the target verse means feeble, sick, without vigor, and the word “contemptible” means of no account, least esteemed. Paul himself says, concerning his appearance and preaching in 2Co 10:1 his presence is “base”, in 1Co 2:3-4 he was weak, in fear and much trembling, and in 2Cor 11:6 his speech was “rude”. These details along with him having a “thorn in the flesh”, depict someone that might not be favorable to the eyes or satisfying to the ears but one that was chosen, anointed, and used more mightily by the Lord than perhaps any other person in the New Testament and perhaps the entire church age. In my mind, just because people want what is pleasing to their flesh, he would not be a welcome candidate for most modern pulpits large and small, keynote speaker of Bible conferences, or role model for the seminaries and theological schools. Although Paul wasn’t pleasing to the eyes and wasn’t a compelling orator the Lord said of him in Acts 9:15, “he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel”. Concerning people’s inclination to only be attracted to the stuff that entices them or is aesthetically and culturally pleasing, the lukewarm Laodicean church age has addicted itself to this hedonism and abandoned what is anointed by the Holy Spirit and sanctioned by God in favor of their facades and methods that fascinate the eyes and titillate the senses. The Lord forecast this in Jude 1:17-19,” But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers (false teachers) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts (covetousness, longings). These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit”.
I wonder how many people have looked at themselves and thought, “the Lord can’t use me because I’m not a great person like Apostle Paul” never realizing what made Paul great was the power of the Lord. Years ago, we went to church with two elderly sisters that lived together and one of them was a deaf-mute and had been so all her life. During one service, the deaf one signed to her sister that she wanted to sing and stood up and began to make unintelligible noises but the Holy Spirit moved like a hurricane through the sanctuary as people began to praise the Lord, cry, some went to the altar, and while the deaf-mute continued her song, we were all changed more than if a famous Christian singer was singing or a well-polished speaker was delivering a sermon because it was the Lord doing His business through someone who wasn’t qualified by the world’s standards. My dad and I saw the same thing happen at a camp meeting we were attending and we had been there three days listening to some of the great preachers of our time. But on the last day, they called on a man who wasn’t even a preacher but was a deacon in a local church and they asked him to “say a few words”. When he stood, he was so shy before the great crowd of people he dropped his head behind the podium and began to speak into the microphone, and at that moment, a movement of the Holy Spirit began as I had never before seen and there was throughout the building, a wave after wave of glory, refreshing, and power that filled us like bolts of electricity, reminiscent of Acts 2, as that humble man talked about the Savior. What we need, is to stop thinking like the world and start filling our hearts and minds with the truth that God will use what He has chosen and usually it’s not at all like the pattern the world would choose but the Lord chooses the Pauls, the deaf-mutes, the least esteemed speakers, and then He qualifies them, fills them with the Holy Spirit and they do His will. The Bible makes a clear distinction between Diotrephes, who wanted to be seen as a great leader in 3 John 1:19, and those like Paul who loved the Lord only wanted the will of the Lord to be done. We need revival and if you have witnessed any Diotrephes with their unanointed, over-prepared, speak-a-lot/say-nothing, every sentence about me-me-me, and whatever else, calling itself ministry, then you know we need some Pauls and deaf-mutes. If you have ever tasted God’s Bread, still steaming hot, fresh from the oven, and served up by the power of the Holy Spirit with a cool refreshing glass of the Water of life, then you will never be satisfied by the left-over, cold, stale, and half-moldy stuff with putrid worldly sauce being palmed off as “spiritual food”, hawked and merchandised by hirelings. Lord, cleanse me, wash me, forgive me of anything that is not of You and fill me with the Holy Spirit because I need revival and my family needs revival and we need to taste the bread from heaven and drink the water of life.
April 10, 2021
Psalms 30:5,” …weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”
When I was studying this afternoon, my mind wandered back to a few times in my life when I was going through tough situations and it felt like I couldn’t go on and I remembered that through it all, the Lord remained faithful to me even though during the trial, He seemed far away. I would ask you to Pause for a minute and think back to the worse time in your life. Maybe it was the death of someone dear to you, or a time of sickness for you or a loved one, perhaps someone abandoned or betrayed you, or it could have been a time you were bound by addiction or suffering depression but no matter what it was, all of us can tell a story of a time or times when we were so overwhelmed it seemed like the end of our world. Nothing anyone said helped and if you were like me even though I appreciated people caring and trying to help, many times I was so miserable I just wanted to be alone and during those seasons. It often seemed like God just wasn’t listening and helping and I would pray and pray again and again, read the Bible, quote scripture, claim promises but nothing seemed to be changing. One particular time I remember, I was pastoring but I was under a cloud of deep despair and depression for no apparent reason I could think of and it went on for several months. While I continued to study and preach each week my heart was so heavy it was burdensome just to go through the motions and people would ask me, “what’s going on? You seem sad and distant” but I didn’t have a good answer because it was a trial I couldn’t explain. It was so frustrating and embarrassing for me because I was the one standing in the pulpit every Sunday talking about how great God is and that He was our source and strength but all the while I was so despondent, I was wishing the Lord would take me on home to heaven immediately. The Lord brought me out of the valley in His good time and I realized that for years prior when I had heard someone talk about how depressed they were, I would say in my mind, “Oh come on now, we all have problems” but after my experience, I had compassion for anyone going through such a trial and even to this day, I will never think “Oh come on now” when I hear someone is depressed or discouraged but I can pray for them with personal understanding and heartfelt empathy.
There will be times of weeping and in this verse, it shows it may endure for some length of time: for a night is stated here but it might be days or longer but it will come to pass and it will be followed by joy. And when we feel like the Psalmist in Ps 77:7-9,” Will the Lord cast off forever? and will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? doth his promise fail forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?”, we can say no, it’s just a night of weeping but joy comes in the morning. The Lord knows our human condition and Himself wept while He was here on earth and He promises in Psalms 16:11,” Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore”. One of my dear family members, while she was living, loved the Lord but always seemed to have a negative, sad view of life, and always sounded like she expected the worse in every situation. I asked her one day why she always seemed that way and she said, “I don’t want to get my hopes built up high, and that way I won’t be disappointed if things don’t work out well”. My heart was saddened for her because I have a completely different view that weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning and I know The Lord has declared Psalms 128:1-2,” Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee”. If this devotion catches you at a time when you or someone you know and love are weeping, heavily burdened, and sorrowful, look back at times when you have been in similar circumstances and the Lord proved Himself to the faithful God He has declared Himself to be. And not only for you, but me, my wife, and everyone you know that is a child of God, we can all testify that this weeping is just for a period of time: It will be followed by joy and in fact, in his presence, there is fullness of joy.
April 9, 2021
Ephesians 2:10,” For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
This verse follows the verse we used closing yesterday’s devotion that declares we are saved by grace through faith and that it is not by our works. Sometimes the strong teaching that places salvation’s emphasis on grace alone, apart from man’s efforts, is misunderstood by those who believe such doctrine is an excuse to live without restraint. Certainly, this is not the case because we wholeheartedly believe the Bible in Titus 2:11-12,” For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”. The Holy Spirit, ever-present in the body of every believer, will not lead us into compromise with this world but will, as part of His work in us, convict us to live according to the will of God which is expressed in 1Peter 1:13-14,” Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance”. God’s grace which brings us to salvation and through faith, completes the new birth and is the means by which we are forgiven and saved but what follows in the life of a Christian, is the operation of God’s will and providence to conform us to the image of Christ as stated in Romans 12:2,” And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. Those who say they belong to Christ and continue in sin unchastised, are showing there is no work of transformation and the Lord warns us against them as possible apostates in 1John 2:19,” They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” and in Hebrews 12:8,” But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons”. Our salvation is complete in Jesus apart from our efforts and goodness but the works that follow salvation are a normal part of God working in us as a changed new creation Titus 2:7,”In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works”.
Good works, previously referenced in a devotion as doing justly or doing what is right, are the essence of our daily lives and are the building blocks of our personal integrity which is defined by the Cambridge dictionary as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change. It is through our good works that people are brought to the truth as Jesus said 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”. Even for people who are not Christians, good works are a refuge because they protect us from being punished as law-breakers as described in Romans 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same”. Almost all those serving time in jails and prisons as there because of their lawlessness and this is why we teach our children the ten commandments and instruct them in the truth for when we do what is right, saved or not, it is a better life because our good deeds shelter us from the consequences of lying, cheating, stealing, and so on. Good works make better families, communities, neighborhoods, and nations because they provide a foundation of safety and trust that safeguards who we are, where we live, what we possess, and our personal; rights as citizens so to say that anyone who is teaching salvation by grace alone is giving people permission to sin and practice wantonness is absurd and smacks of a complete misunderstanding of the truth of God’s amazing grace. Saving faith, that is, faith that looks only to Jesus Christ for salvation, can not but be accompanied with good works as is settled by James 2:17,” Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” and it is a living faith because it is empowered by the Holy Spirit within us and directed by the Almighty who is ordering our steps. As someone once said, “we are saved by grace through faith alone but this saving faith is not alone”.
April 8, 2021
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.”
When King Solomon finished building the first temple in Jerusalem, there was a great dedication ceremony, and twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep we sacrificed to the Lord as part of their worship. Using the average weight and volume of blood for animals taken from internet searches, that’s 26,334,000 pounds of oxen and 24,000,000 pounds of sheep, a total of over 50 million pounds of animal flesh. All that sacrifice resulted in over 260,000 gallons of oxen blood and over 136,000 gallons of sheep blood: a total of almost 400,000 gallons of animal blood. It is staggering to consider how that many animals were even slaughtered and how many priests were assigned to the task. If we consider the law’s demands to offer a yearly total of 1,246 animals as daily sacrifices, Sabbath sacrifices, New Moon, feasts of Passover, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, and more on leap years with the addition of all personal sacrifices of burnt offerings, sin/trespass offerings, and peace offerings, every year untold thousands of animals were offered and the Jewish people did this for hundreds of years. Some historians estimate that on special feasts and holy days when hordes of visitors came into Jerusalem from all around that region, over one million sacrifices were made each day, and not only were there piles of animal carcasses to deal with, this animal sacrifice drove a lot of the Jewish economy in the raising and sale of sacrificial animals. Some excavations outside Jerusalem’s walls show sites containing large amounts of animal bones where their bodies were dumped after being sacrificed. Even while I’m typing this, there’s no way I can get a mental picture of what it all must have looked like when one was gazing at the events of the temple, the frenzy of all the coming and going, the crying of all the animals, the shouting of the people, the smell of the burning flesh, the disposal of all the blood and bodies, and no doubt the appearance of the blood-covered priests who were hacking away with all their might. But let’s pause and think about the truth: All of the sum totals of sacrifices from the beginning to the end could never take away sin.
The sacrifice that ended all this, was the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and here’s what the Bible says: Hebrews 10:4,” For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” and in Hebrews 10:8,10,” Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; (10) By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”. The sacrifice, once for all, has been made and now as a response to what the Lord did for us in offering Himself to die in our place, we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. We can see the term “our bodies” here to mean ourselves in our entirety: body, soul, and spirit and notice that under the law, sacrifices were made with the bodies of animals that were already dead but we are bringing ourselves alive to the Lord, to His throne of grace not to die but to live for His glory because the sacrifice of death is in the rearview mirror of time and will never be repeated. Jesus’ sacrifice is so perfect, so complete, so eternal, so pleasing to the Father, and so available to all who will trust in it, that nothing can be added to it to make it any more sufficient for our salvation. How foolish and prideful of any man to think he has something within himself that can assist in the atonement of his soul when God has decreed that only by faith in Christ can we be redeemed as affirmed in this verse which you will either believe at face value or try to spin its meaning because you have refused to believe its truth: Ephesians 2:8-9, “ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
April 7, 2021
Micah 6:8,” He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
The Lord asks the question in Jeremiah 2:32,” Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number” and this was after He asked in the previous verse, “Why do my people say, we are free to do what we want and we will not come to you?”. This is a dismal description of created beings who no longer think they need the Lord and live every day doing whatever they want and attending to the details of their life but completely forgetting the Lord God Almighty. Every breath we take and every moment we live, we are breathing His air, occupying His planet, and remaining alive because He wills it not because of anything we do or have done for ourselves as the scripture says, “In him, we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). This is to be expected of the unregenerated mindset especially those that have pushed the knowledge of God away and are in the downward spiral described in Romans 1:21-32 where the Bible says they do not even like to keep the thought of God in their minds but to think that this can also speak of people who profess faith in the saving grace of our Lord is atrocious because it means they have fallen into the trap of prideful self-sufficiency and are no longer seeing God as the source of everything in their life. Hours turn into days and before they know it, their reliance on the Lord, their acknowledgment of Him in all their life’s aspects, their trust in His providence, and their awareness of the infallibility of His precious Word has eroded and they are stumbling through their existence as if there is no real God. We’ve all don’t this to some degree and hopefully, when we hit a dead end like the prodigal son, we come to our senses and the Lord lights the path back into His presence but if we don’t, the Lord has to correct our steps and this means chastisement in some proportion to awaken us and make us conscious of how far away from the Lord we have drifted.
This part of God’s will for us, to walk humbly with God, is enhanced by calling God “our God’ and puts the spotlight on the truth of a personal, intimate, hand-in-hand walk with our Lord. It has overtones of a child holding the hand of its dad and trusting in the safety of the situation never doubting that dad knows where they are going, is capable of getting them there, and is in full control of the journey. It’s sort of like when I was a kid before I learned to drive and became a know-it-all, I would climb into the car with my parents and trust them to take care of the trip even if we were going on a long vacation across the country: I never concerned if we had enough gas, had enough money, knew where to stop to eat, or where we would sleep because my parents always proved they would take care of it and usually I would nap, read, and play games in the back seat, perfectly at peace. When we put our hand in the Master’s hand and live with the faith that our God is who He declared Himself to be and will lead us, supply our need, has appointed our destiny, has surrounded us with His presence, given us the protection of angels, is all-knowing of every circumstance including the future, and will continuously work all things for our good, then we learn to fully trust him and this is the humbleness of heart and mind that is His plan for us. Like the child in the back seat, we will be at peace and enjoying the trip. So many times, we make complete messes of things because we just won’t yield to the ways of the Lord and in our impatience and bullheadedness, we bulldoze ahead with an I know best and let-come-what-may attitude only to find out we don’t know what’s best and the clean-up after our calamities are worse than we could envision. The practice of walking humbly with our God should start each morning with the prayer, “Father, Your ways are perfect and I want to walk in Your ways. Help me be patient as I trust You for wisdom, direction, and acknowledge You in all my ways and You said You will direct my path. You are my Shepherd and I will follow You and trust in You because every good thing comes from You”.
April 6, 2021
Micah 6:8,” He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
It’s one thing to have a great knowledge of the Bible and understand its principles but it’s a different thing to summarize God’s will for us and put it into daily practice, what we might call practical Christianity. Those of us who were raised in a church or in homes that honored the Lord were usually taught the ten commandments early in our life, long before we came to salvation, as a basis for our moral code of conduct but just knowing the “letter of the law” or any other set of rules is not the guiding force for a life that is well-pleasing to the Lord and one that is practical to follow as a life-path. The proof of this is in the history of the Jewish people who had a codified, detailed system of religion they had brewed up from the laws God had given them that covered almost every aspect of their everyday living but they were still not able to pursue God’s direct in the simple way He had purposed for them. Consider the question a lawyer asked Jesus in Matthew 22:35 trying to trap the Lord in a theological corner: Which is the greatest of all commandments? He was trying to make Jesus show honor to one of the commandments over another thereby minimizing some aspects of the law but Jesus condensed all the teaching of the law and its God-given design into two commandments: Love the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself because, He said, all the truth of the law and writings of the prophets’ rest on the foundation of these two commandments. This is what God has done in Micah 6:8. He took the question of, “how should we live to please the Lord?” and summarized a plan for day-to-day life as follows: Do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with God. In yesterday’s devotion we looked at the first aspect, doing what is right and today we look at loving mercy.
Being full of mercy is one of the attributes of God and is declared in such scriptures as 1 Chronicles 16:34,” O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever”. Our Lord taught in Luke 6:36, “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful” and this is part of the teaching we call the “beatitudes” that form the nucleus of Jesus’ message of the kingdom. But notice in Micah 6:8 it doesn’t say just to practice showing mercy but to “love mercy” and on this level, it isn’t about just being kind and nice to people but it reaches to the depth that God reaches when He shows us all mercy. And while we are desperate ourselves to receive God’s everlasting mercy, we are reluctant to show, let alone love the opportunity, to give the same to others. That’s because mercy isn’t a natural trait with us and only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we reach a place of deeply loving, looking for the opportunity to demonstrate, mercy as the Lord God loves to demonstrate His mercy to completely undeserving sinners. When we have the ability, or even think somehow, we have the right, to punish or hurt a person for something they did or are, or that we think they did or are, but instead, we show forgiveness and compassion, we are showing mercy. When we give a couple of bucks to someone in need, we may feel like we’re showing mercy but we’re really just being kind or nice. Mercy has to do with a sacrifice in us: we give up the right of revenge and justice and maybe even more than that because mercy will be how we respond with forgiveness and compassion when something has been taken from us or we have been wronged or in a situation where we can avenge someone else who has been wronged. God could make us show mercy by action only, but what He wants is for us to act in mercy because in our hearts He wants us to love to see mercy prevail just as He does, even at a personal sacrifice. Justice can’t perform what mercy can and when mercy triumphs, God is demonstrated because it is a demonstration of who he is concerning mankind and our sin and at the same time because if it is from a love of mercy that it occurs, it is inseparably a part of goodness, kindness, compassion, and grace. We love God’s mercy He’s freely given to us and glory in our salvation because of it and when we act in deep kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, and love to others in the same way God has dealt with us, we’re well on the path of cultivation a love for mercy. In a lot of cases, our loving mercy will mean just holding our judgmental tongue, refusing to join others in belittling or berating another, and refusing to demand an apology or recompense when we’ve been wronged by another. But to love God and walk in the steps of our Savior, means to love mercy, practice mercy, and let this be who we are not just what we practice.
April 5, 2021
Micah 6:8,” He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
When I was young, I thought it was hard to live a Christian life because that’s what I heard people say in church. Preachers and laypeople would often make the statement in sermons and testimonies that “It’s hard to live a Christian life” and they would continue on to talk about the devil and what he was always up to, temptations that lurked around every corner, trials, and pitfalls that apparently paved every inch of the road to heaven, and then there were those heavy burdens that had to be carried and they would usually say this stuff in connection with one of their favorite verse which was Matthew 5:8 which says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” They interpreted the word “perfect” to mean “without sin” and yes, that’s a very hard life to live and in fact, impossible. To add to this, they taught and stressed soul-winning in such a way, I always felt responsible and guilty for every lost soul on the face of the earth and they told me that every person I met or that was in my life, that their blood would be on my hands if I didn’t present the “Roman Road” and try to win them to the Lord based on Ezekiel 3:18, “ When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.” Many years later when a cousin of mine introduced me to Strong’s Concordance, explained how to use it, suddenly the Bible verse of Matthew 5:8 took on a whole new light when I was able to distill its meaning by looking up the words. Then a pastor friend explained that we have to “rightly divide the Word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15) and that this takes the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and time to study and compare scripture with scripture to gain understanding. It took me what seemed a century to unravel the messed-up ideas that had clogged my mind from the misinterpretation of scriptures that I had heard for years from people I had trusted to explain the Bible to me. I found out that some of the things that I was told were Bible truths were not even in the Bible at all but were the equivalent of passed-down folk-lore and colloquialisms and were just notions of people: not the Word of God. I discovered a lot of the rules they practically swore were straight from God’s lips were their man-made interpretations of scriptures, usually taken completely out of context but passed off as unerring truth and used as the yardsticks of their moral judgments. It took some time, but I found that the Christian life isn’t hard at all but is one of victory, grace, freedom, and joy. Then one day, I found Micah 6:8 which puts what God says is our expected way of life in a clear, simple statement that isn’t difficult to understand and practice.
The Lord says there are three things He wants from us and in this devotion, we will consider the first one: To do justly. This means to simply do what is right and, in every situation, every choice, every dealing with others, every plan, every goal, and anything else we are connected with, there is a right and a wrong and God expects us to do what’s right. Our guide in all matters is the Word of God and the Holy Spirit and when we apply God’s Word, follow the agreement of the Holy Spirit God will give us the wisdom to do “justly”. Sometimes it’s just common-sense stuff that’s a no-brainer and obvious but other times it takes prayer and heavenly discernment but the Lord will never abandon us when we are choosing to do what is right because that’s what He wants for us and He will give us wisdom, direction, and favor in difficult moments. Some of the verses that line up with this principle are those that comprise what we call “the golden rule” of Luke 6:31,” And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” and some are in the context of God’s truths that appear throughout the Bible such as don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t swear, and so but they all can be summed by this: Do what is right no matter the circumstances, fall-out, opinion of others, and current societal norms. Do what you do in love, with compassion, with respect for others, without grandstanding, without expecting reward or accolades, quietly and without controversy if possible, and for the glory of God but notwithstanding, do what you do justly. Our world has come to expect people to be underhanded, not always honest, two-faced, manipulators, sneaky, covenant-breakers, false advertisers, and overall, unscrupulous but God has called us to do what is just and when we practice this principle, it is well-pleasing to the Lord and we are salt and light to a world in darkness.
April 4, 2021
Romans 8:10-11,” And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
At the tomb of Lazarus In St John 11:25-26, Jesus said, “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. Believest thou this? This raising of the dead was the most significant of the three accounts the Bible gives of Jesus because the other two: The daughter of Jairus and the young man from the city of Nain, had been dead for a short time, perhaps minutes or hours. But Lazarus had been in the grave for four days and was decomposing and according to medical science, it would have been as follows: 24-72 hours after death, the internal organs decompose. 3-5 days after death, the body starts to bloat, and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. When Jesus raised Lazarus, it was not just a body coming back to life, some form of resuscitation, but it was the miracle of restoration of the tissue, organs, and whatever else had decomposed in the four days. When Jesus said “Lazarus come forth”, those Words were creative power just as much as in Genesis 1:3 when He said “Let there be light” because only God can bring order out of chaos and give life to inanimate objects like decayed cells. It testifies to the fact of Luke 1:37,” For with God nothing shall be impossible”. Resurrection from the dead and the giving of life is the ultimate defeat of the curse which followed the consequences of the fall in Adam’s disobedience for God had said, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” and when the fall occurred, Gen 3:17-19,” And unto Adam, he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
But now Christ, the resurrection and the life, not only showed He can raise the dead, He himself is risen from the dead and declares in Revelation 1:18,” I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Unlike Lazarus and all others whose bodies began to decay immediately after death, Jesus’ body did not begin decay fulfilling the prophecy of Psalms 16:10,” For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” which is amplified by apostle Peter, preaching about Jesus in Acts 2:27,” Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption”: The Greek word for corruption is “diaphthora” and means, “the condition or state of rotting or decaying, destruction, corruption of the body.” Now when we connect this truth to Romans 8:10-11 and know that the same power that gave Jesus life over death now lives in us in the person of the Holy Spirit, we have the resurrection power already within our bodies and He will never leave us and will go with us until the day the Lord exchanges this body we have now for our new, glorified body just like the risen Son of God! Listen again to Jesus’ words, “whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” and again in St John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life”. Notice that although the way we normally see the chronology of a life-span is to pass from life to death, Jesus reversed the order and in Him, we have already passed from death unto life and in His words, that’s everlasting life which we, as believers, already possess.
April 3, 2021
Pro 27:17,” Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”
In yesterday’s devotional, we saw that although Jesus called Judas “friend” during the betrayal, He wasn’t using the form of the word friend that denotes a close, intimate relationship and was referring to him more as an associate. Real friendship is a valuable element of our lives and in this verse in Proverbs, we get an understanding that it serves more of a purpose than just to keep us from feeling lonely. The analogy used is that when we want to sharpen something like an ax, knife, or scissors, we use another piece of metal just as hard or harder than what we are sharpening to grind and polish the edge to a point and in the same way, friends serve to bring out the best in each other, the word “countenance” here meaning personality. Remember that for a Christian, God is working all things for our good and that includes using the relationships in our lives to fulfill His purpose of forming Christ more completely in us, especially in our hearts and personalities. Sometimes relationships must come to an end because they were formed out of the will of God such as those that are not in line with 2Corinthians 6:14,” Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” and as painful as it may seem at the time there is a dissolution of friendship because they are contrary to God’s will, it is for our benefit that we are removed from a tangled alliance that only serves to keep us from becoming what the Lord has purposed for us. Sometimes we are trapped in a friendship that is holding us back from God’s purpose because we feel responsible for the other person and erroneously believe we have the duty to help them straighten themselves out by being their ‘fall guy”. But over time, when there is no effort on their part to live and make choices in conformity to God’s Word and to assume responsibility for their own life, it’s time to prayerfully consider what the Lord would have us to do and realize that being alive yourself but chained to and dragging a dead body every step you take, is not the path to freedom and victory. Sometimes there are other reasons for drastic changes in friendships as seen in Acts 15 where Paul and Barnabas, friends and co-ministers had such a disagreement as to whether or not to take John Mark with them, they parted company and each chose another partner for their ministries. Both of them were followers of Jesus and both were preaching the gospel but God allowed this split and instead of just Paul and Barnabas, out of the separation came two sets of evangelists and church planters.
Not every friendship or relationship is of the Lord but those that are, sharpen us, improve our quality of life, and increase our potential as pictured in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,” Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” Nowadays, studies of interpersonal relationships are showing that while we are the most connected generation that’s ever existed because of social media, we are also one of the loneliest and depressed and getting worse. Our number of meaningful personal relationships has drastically decreased and in some cases, is non-existent but the square footage of our homes has grown enormously. It gives us a picture of depressed, lonely people, living in large houses with every possible amenity but personally connected to no one and staring into a small phone screen for hours a day claiming “friends” that don’t actually exist. God didn’t make us to be alone and this is evident in the creation of Adam, the first man. Adam was perfect, lived in a perfect garden, had everything he needed, and had the companionship of God but God said it wasn’t enough because God said, it’s not good for man to be alone”. This refutes the statement, “the Lord is all we need” because Adam had the Lord but the Lord said he needed someone else: A companion with whom to share his life. We all need the wisdom from God to know when to end associations that are an unequally yoked entanglement and when to welcome new ones that are in God’s will for us and will propel us forward. Relationships in which our energy, time, resources, and mental capacities are being used up, not for the glory of God or even the benefit of the other person’s spiritual advancement, are like the weights of Hebrews 12:1 which we are told to lay aside so we can run this race. We need fellowship and companionship with others who encourage us, pray for us, who celebrate and are not jealous of our successes, and have compassion for us in our failures. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loveth at all times” and this test of friendship is the test of a godly bond that allows us to rise higher, grow stronger, do better, and live “sharper”.
April 2, 2021
Matthew 26:49-50,” And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.”
This week, believers around the world again commemorate the events leading to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and today in our devotional, we look at Judas’ betrayal of our Lord by a kiss. When Jesus was choosing His disciples, the Bible records the particular calling of some of them but it is silent about the call of Judas Iscariot and doesn’t explain why he was called “Iscariot”. Although Iscariot is not a surname, many people believe it refers to a geographic region and would be like saying, “Jack from Gray” but whatever the case, the addition of Iscariot differentiates him from other Judas’ mentioned in the Bible one of them being the brother of Jesus and another was the Apostle Jude whom the Bible also refers to as Judas as in St John 14:22,” Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot…”. Because it is revealed our Lord only did those things which were in obedience to His Father’s will, the call of Judas was a deliberate act and God knew full well what He was doing when He included Judas in the number. Here’s what Jesus said about the disciples when He was praying to His Father in John 17:12,” While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled”, referring to Zachariah 11:12-14 which foretells the betrayal for 30 pieces of silver and the purchase of the Potter’s field with that money for a place to bury strangers and Psalms 41:9,” Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” fulfilled in our Lords calling of Judas as one of His inner circle and then addressing him as “friend” in the moment of betrayal.
Whatever you may believe about Judas and wherever you believe is his eternity, as it is recorded when the Apostles decided to replace Judas after the Lord’s ascension in Acts 1:25, “That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place”, Judas was called to be with the Lord because he was needed in God’s plan for the crucifixion and is a part of the Easter story. There have been calls for a sense of pity for Jesus because He was betrayed by a “friend” but the word translated “friend” here in Matthew 26:50, is “hetairos” and means: one who labors in a common field or endeavor but not necessarily for the same purpose or reason, an associate, colleague, or fellow, and a traveling companion. Other places in the Bible, close friends that are endeared and beloved to each other, as appearing in Luke 7:34, “a friend of publicans and sinners”, are designated by the word “philos” which means: dear, close, affectionate, and denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling. Let us not misunderstand: Jesus knew Judas wasn’t a true friend and early in His ministry, He said these words in John 6:64,” But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him”. Judas’ purpose, plan, and plotting were foreknown and foreordained by the Almighty before the foundation of the world to play a part in the events of this blessed week which would secure eternal salvation for God’s redeemed. Even in our own lives, God uses people who appear as “friends” but when the truth is told, they are anything but friends and they end up betraying us, selling us out, abandoning us, or in some way affecting our life in an unkind, uncaring way but as Judas was used in the life of Jesus to accomplish God’s will, these people are being used to shape us, re-direct us, and fulfill a purpose that is necessary in God’s plan for our good. Often when such encounters happen, we are tempted to feel saddened, angry, “used” and hurt but may we use the account of Judas to understand that our Father is always working everything for our good and when He uses the Judas’s of this world to accomplish His purpose in our lives, let’s thank Him, praise Him, and declare that God is always for us even the kissing, betraying Judas’s are working for us and serving us in God’s will to get us to where our Lord knows we will be the most fruitful and blessed.
April 1, 2021
Job 23:10,” But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
The book of Job has always been a little unsettling to me considering how Job’s demise came to be and If anyone could ever say, “this isn’t fair” it would seem Job would have a right. He was minding his own business, doing all the right things, and going out of his way to help others and God allowed the devil to afflict him in almost every area of his life, and in fact, the Lord even pointed Job out to the enemy as a target and told him to basically do whatever he wanted to Job except take his life. The tsunami of calamities that quickly came Jobs’ way represents some of the worst imaginable set of events possible including the death of all his children, loss of all his possessions, and a dreadful physical affliction that had Job saying he wished he’d never been born. Current theology and its screwed-up one-sided way of viewing God as only the grinning attaboy provider of designer creature comforts steers completely clear of the book of Job because no matter how they try, they can’t bend or spin it to fit their watered down, sugar-infused misrepresentation of reality-based Christianity. Here’s what Job said about the God we serve: Job 23:13-14,” But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.” This is the balance, the equilibrium of the other side of the gospel coin and without this set of truth, we only have a half-legitimate, weakened system of faith with a false, unrealistic view of what living this earthly life in the hands of God is about. We may never face the stacked-up set of circumstances Job went through but we do and will encounter tempests in God’s permissive and even ordained will that drive us to our knees and cause us to cry out for help like a little child in trouble, all the time wondering when the answer and deliverance will come. At this very moment, while false teachers and self-appointed, self-called “prophets” are living lives of luxury in their hideously expansive homes and flying their private jets after raking in millions by telling people if they will buy their books and support their ministry they can learn the “magical keys” to unlocking a life free of sickness, troubles, and lower-income, there are families on their knees in St Jude’s children’s hospital and the Shriner’s hospital begging God for a miracle in the life of their babies. Yes, God is good, merciful, and kind but we will be tested, tried, persecuted, afflicted, and all of it for a higher purpose than God just seeing to our happiness and abundance.
God is digging us up to reveal the gold in us and the only way to get to it, is through the refining process of 1Peter 1:6-7,” Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”. While the experience of what we are going through at the time seems unfair and unbearable, the all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-wise God to whom we owe our unswerving allegiance, is calling us away from the selfishness and unbelief of our flesh into a place of absolute trust and submission and when the trial(s) is over, we will have lost more of ourselves and gained more of Christ: More of Jesus, less of me is the gold at the end of the refining. When we learn this principle, we can grasp how to rejoice in tribulations and know the truth of James 5:10-11,” Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” The whole matter of seeing trials and impending circumstances as “unfair” or undesirable comes from a lack of trust in our God who is working all things for our good but at the same time, is only satisfied by all that is Christ-like and in accordance to His good will. It is part of the mystery that Jesus was made like us so that we could be made like Him.