August 31, 2022
Galatians 4:4 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law”
God’s plan and how He carries it out are both filled with the details of how He brings it to pass and also the timing by which it is executed. Our reference verse today tells us that the Son of God came to earth at the precise time in history he was purposed. The birth of Jesus had the details of the virgin birth, the town of Bethlehem, the lineage that connected the Lord to David and Abraham, and many others that are beyond amazing. But the time He was born, the precise year and the time of the year was just as much a part of God’s plan as the details. It all points to the immeasurable perfection of God and that nothing He does is haphazard, open to altering circumstances, or apt to slide into confusion. Everything concerning God’s creation and everything concerning us, the objects of His love, is planned to the infinite detail, and knowing this can help us when we are waiting for the Lord to answer a prayer or come to our aid. He works according to His schedule and we can be at peace that God is at work on our behalf even though we don’t see the evidence. He keeps certain aspects of His plan concealed as stated by our Lord when He was questioned as to when the kingdom would be restored to Israel. Acts 1:7, “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power”. The enemy is kept in confusion and ignorance as to what God is doing and how He is carrying out His plan. And so it is in our lives when the Lord is working all things together for our good, He is hindering the enemy’s opportunity to interfere. When we declare Psalms 18:30, “As for God, his way is perfect” over our circumstances and our prayers, we are declaring we trust Him to be right on time when He answers. When we speak Psalms 37:5, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” we’re saying we trust God that whatever we are believing Him for will come to pass according to His plan and timing. The children we’re praying for, the answers we are seeking, and the changes in our circumstances have not been forgotten but the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” are just as true when referring to God’s timing in our lives as they are when indicating the God-created cycles of this life. Does that mean we can’t resist His will? No, but God foresees our errors and includes them in His plan, working around them, so that no human error can derail His purpose.
August 30, 2022
Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”
We sometimes talk about our free will as though we are able, in our own strength, to summon our courage and determination to follow the Lord steadfastly. Sermons tell us to dedicate ourselves to God and to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. But the problem is addressed in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not”. The scripture continues and tells us in verse 21, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me”. This is the dilemma of our freewill: The desire to do what is right in every circumstance may be inspired in us wither by the encouragement of others or the conviction by God’s Word but the power to do what is right all the time and every time is not in us because of the nature of our flesh. So today’s verse steps in here with the good news that God is working in us “to will and to do of his good pleasure” meaning that He produces the desire in us to do his will and then He gives us the power to act on those desires. This is not an automatic process as if we are programmed like robots to do our Lord’s will but it is the elements necessary to carry out God’s work. Abundant grace is with us and in us and we can glimpse this in a verse we recently spoke of in these devotions. 1Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”. Paul says even though he worked hard for God’s glory, it was not his own free will and abilities but God’s grace at work. It might seem like a fine line where on one side we are encouraged to live for the Lord, do what is right, make choices based on His Word, and carry out the responsibilities of our calling. But then we know we can’t do it by our own means and understanding. Our plight is that of Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way”. Our victory is expressed such as 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God”. The heroes of the Bible are all examples that our victories come from the Lord working through us. Moses’ miracles were the hand of God. Samson’s strength was the power of God. David’s abilities were from God’s anointing. Solomon’s wisdom was an endowment from God. Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD”.
August 29, 2022
2 Timothy 2:7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things”
The words “understand and “understanding” their verb and noun forms occur over 250 times in the scriptures. It is the ability to put things together in our minds and set them in order to make sense of them. It is part of the trinity of words, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding which form the basis of the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes sometimes called the Bible’s books of wisdom. Our ability to reason in the natural, human way is a wonderful thing and fuels creativity, invention, and intellect. When we watch our little children start to develop their understanding and see their bright eyes when they figure things out we’re watching that growing ability given to us by our Creator that sets us apart from all the rest of His creation. But understanding apart from the knowledge of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit is flawed and subject to the distorted thinking of this world. This is why the Lord tells us in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding”. The world around us claims to have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding but look at their history of destruction, evil, hatred of each other, and greed. The Bible says, concerning the nature of our world in Romans 1:31, that they are “without understanding”. Ephesians 4:18 says their understanding is “darkened” meaning it is blocked, obscured. We are currently watching a culture shift and listening to the words of many of our leaders from the white house on down including those standing on religious platforms. And we’re shaking our heads thinking “Do these people have no common sense? Are they complete idiots? What kind of person claiming to be educated and literate would think and say such things?” Have they lost their minds?”. The Lord describes such a generation in Jeremiah 4:22, “For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (silly, foolish) children, and they have none understanding: they are wise (they know how) to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge”. Paul’s desire for Timothy and subsequently for us is that we would have the understanding of all things. There is peace in knowing what the Lord is doing, and why He is doing it while trusting that even if we can’t see the details at the moment, He is working all things for our good. God’s Word helps us connect the dots and make sense of our lives and the world around us. The Lord says in Psalms 119:130, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”. As we grow in grace our view of all things is set in order by our knowledge of what God says and very quickly, we discover what God says is completely different from what the world says. We understand the meaning of life, the purpose in what we’re doing, the truth of who we are, the destination of God’s people, the forecast for the future, and we learn how to trust what God says even when things aren’t making sense at the time. Proverbs 24:3, “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established”.
August 28, 2022
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”
People are bold and brash about almost everything they believe in or love. They wear their favorite team colors and shirts, they argue their politics, and they identify with their organizations and cultural beliefs. And everyone around them understands what they’re doing and believe, even if they don’t agree with them. Yet when it comes to the things of the Lord, especially the name of Jesus Christ, there’s a stigma, a shame from this world pressuring us to be silent or at least to appear cowed and apologetic for our faith in God and the way we walk with Him. The next time you’re with your family in a public restaurant, put it to the test. Bow your head and give the Lord thanks for your food just as you would in the privacy of your home. Without being in a hurry or concerned about what anyone else around you might think about you. For many Christians that’s a difficult thing to do because somehow the shame the world has attached to the worship of our Lord is affecting the very people who live for His honor. The gospel of Christ is the only message of hope people have. It is the assurance that God loves us even though we’re sinners and deserve death and that He is compassionate, kind, and full of grace and mercy. The gospel of Christ changes lives eternally for the good and rescues people from addictions and destruction. But it’s easier to talk about the bad job the president is doing rather than the good job God is doing. We can speak endlessly about the things we love and follow in this world. But any conversation about the Lord and His goodness, His promises and His grace quickly becomes difficult and ends. Sadly, many people are not ashamed of the garbage they watch on TV, the evil language that’s nowadays the norm in our world, and the promiscuousness that’s the pattern for people. But when it comes to Jesus and the gospel of truth, they become uncomfortable as if it is some forbidden territory. The Lord would have us in the mind of Philippians 1:20, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death”. By God’s grace, we must not forget that we hold the most precious, the most wonderful message and light that is or ever will be: the truth of Jesus Christ. Without it, there is no hope for our children and grandchildren and the billions of suffering souls on this earth. Why would we have any shame or be tempted to compromise this message? If we had a medicine that healed the most horrible diseases, why would we dare not give it to those needing it? The enemy and his works of darkness fight to suppress and cover the light of salvation and one of his tools is to make the gospel and name of Jesus Christ shameful. But we will remain faithful to our calling and by His Holy Spirit, we will not be silent. Romans 10:11, “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed”.
August 27, 2022
Psalms 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass”
We have the Lord’s promises in so many places in the Bible that He is hearing our prayers and working all things for our good. But when we are wanting something to happen quickly, when we’re being hard-pressed in circumstances, it’s difficult to wait for the Lord to work in our favor. And when the battle is raging in our minds, our thoughts racing, bombarding us, and telling us that we need to take matters into our hands and do something, it’s very hard to find a place of rest. When we share our situation and thinking with others, most are instantly ready to give us their opinion of a solution or action and some may even get offended when we don’t follow their advice. Yet in it all, God will remain faithful and He is working on our behalf. We just have to adjust our impatience to His timetable. We can be sure while we are waiting, the Lord will never stop working in our lives and our situations. He is answering our prayers, ordering our steps, dealing with our enemies, and when He is finished all will be well. So, the first part of this verse, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him”, is for our benefit to be at peace while trusting God’s promises. He sees our troubles, He understands our needs, He hears our cries, and He has already provided answers and solutions. We can put His promise down into our spirit and rest in it: Psalms 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass”. The second part of today’s verse reminds us not to look with discouragement at others who seem to be getting the breaks in life that we are waiting for and some of them are doing it in bad ways. We can be tempted to walk away from the Lord’s providence and do things on our own. We might feel we have to compromise our faith or integrity else we’re never going to get where we need to be or have what we’ve been waiting for. The enemy and our flesh will offer what looks like shortcuts to success or paths to gain what we want. But our ways are not God’s ways and when we follow our own devices, we miss God’s best and set ourselves up for even more trouble. What the Lord has promised to us will never be given to another person and He has our best always in His plans. Those who get ahead or get gain by evil devices will not get by with it. Just as the Lord sees us and has promised to always do us good, He sees those operating in wickedness and they will not escape the Lord’s vengeance. “Wait patiently” are the words that ring out here, God will not leave us or forsake us and when He has answered, we can be sure of Psalms 18:30, “As for God, his way is perfect”.
August 26, 2022
1 Corinthians 7:23 “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men”
Jesus washed his disciple’s feet in an act of humility and service and reminded them in John 13:14-15, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you”. This teaching of submission and servitude of ourselves to each other is continued in Galatians 5:13, “by love serve one another” and in 1Peter 5:5, ”all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility”. We know the Lord is speaking of our actions and attitudes of kindness, compassion, and goodwill to others coupled with a spirit of humbleness. What does it mean here then, that we are not to be the servants of men? God is warning us not to become entangled, and snared into relationships, real or imaginary, with people that dominate us and control our will. Some people more than others are easily influenced and all of us can come under the sway of those that would lead or direct us away from God’s purpose for us. Then there is the meaning that we can become obligated or dependent on others in such a way that they control us like servants. Elected officials can be hooked by campaign donors or political contributors until they no longer honor their pledges to the constituents. They greedily follow the money trail and vote in favor of those that have literally bribed them with cash, gifts, and power. Ministers and church workers are often under the sway of forces in their churches and denominations that subtly or overtly push and pressure them to follow the will of others. Many sermons and decisions have been given and made as a result of the will of committees, deacon boards, influential donors, and such instead of the direction of the Holy Spirit. When Peter and the other apostles were threatened and pressured to compromise the message of the gospel in Acts 5, we admire their courage when they responded “We ought to obey God rather than men”. This is the meaning of today’s scripture. We serve others but we are not controlled by them for we have been bought by the price of Jesus’ blood and our allegiance is to Christ alone. The influence of people upon others can be witnessed in the confusion of the church at Corinth. Paul’s rebuke is in 1Corinthians 1:12, “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ”. May we walk arm and arm with those who follow Jesus Christ but may we quickly turn away from those peddling influence devoid of the work of the Holy Spirit. Maybe we think we are immune to the attitudes and views of others and that we will never follow them like a servant. But deception can slip in slowly and unnoticed, gradually changing us without us being aware. Let’s remember the words of Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey”.
August 25, 2022
Philippians 4:12 “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need”
We love verse 13 of this chapter and it is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”. But it is really given as the answer to the preceding verse, today’s verse. We tend to pass by verse 12 quickly because it carries truth that’s somewhat uncomfortable to deal with. A literal rendering of it is: I know how to live when my circumstances are poor and humiliated and I know how to live when I am prosperous and have abundance. In all my circumstances, I have been taught and know the secret to times when I have a lot of food and times when I’m hungry, to having more than enough and being in need. What follows this is the statement that we can face anything and accomplish anything despite our situation because we have the strength of Jesus Christ. The Christian life has often been described using the metaphor of a path through the trials of dark, uncertain valleys followed by joyful, victorious mountain top experiences and we can all identify with seasons of our lives when we lived through it all. My wife and I, along with countless other people, have been praying for a dear minister friend of mine and his wife, Jeff and Lisa Stout. Their oldest son, Jeremy, has been missing for 3 and a half months, vanished from a Knoxville bus stop without a trace. We can’t imagine the pain this family is going through and we know their faith in the Lord is being put to the test. Sometimes we wish we could do something, say something, or somehow help them in the greatest time of sorrow any family could endure yet we’re helpless to help except to pray and remain in faithful friendship. Their circumstances are sorrowful and uncertain and their journey painful but they know the secret because they know Jesus Christ and He promised they can do all things through His strength. Jeremy is a Christian, often expressing his faith in the Lord and there’s no clear reason as to why God allows such things in the lives of believers and their families yet He does. Our faith rises above the questions and uncertainties like the faith of Peter when so many people abandoned the Lord and walked away. Questioned by the Lord as to if he would also walk away, the Bible says in John 6:68-69, “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God”. Peter knew the secret that whenever we don’t know where our path is leading and why the Lord is allowing the storms to shake us to our core, there is no place to run, no shelter to seek, and no answer to consider except to anchor our trust in God and His Word. We might say we’re holding on tight but in reality, He’s the One holding us until the storm passes over and He reveals what and why He has been doing what He’s doing.
August 24, 2022
Psalms 139:1-3 “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways”
When I was born in 1956, the world’s population was 2.8 billion and now, it stands at 7.8 billion. Sometimes my faith falters a bit when I think that God knows every person individually. All that are living now and the billions that came on the earth then passed into eternity. He doesn’t just know us but Jesus said in Matthew 10:30, “the very hairs of your head are all numbered”. The assurance of our individual, personal importance to the Lord and our faith that He knows us intimately rests on scriptures like Psalms 139 where today’s verse tells us He examines us and knows what we are thinking. God knows where we’re going, when we’re sleeping, and when we wake up to face the day. He knows everything we do. On one hand, it seems too farfetched to believe but then, man-made Google handles 5.8 billion searches a day while simultaneously analyzing the world’s websites and web traffic all using current computer speeds and technologies. In the very near future, the world will be using the quantum computers currently being developed which are 158 million times faster than the most sophisticated super-computers we have in the world today. They are so powerful that they can do in four minutes what it would take today’s fastest computer 10,000 years to accomplish. And there, above and beyond all human understanding and reasoning, all human achievements and technologies, is the Almighty God, creator of all things that foresaw our existence, knows us in detail, knows what we’re thinking and doing, and eternally loves us. If it doesn’t both trouble us and comfort us at the same time to know such a being exists and that all reality is dependent upon Him, something is seriously wrong. Perhaps we are the fools of Psalms 53:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good”. For me, the comforting part is that He is focused on us, the crowning masterpieces of all His creation. He is watchful over us, He has deployed angels to minister to us, He knows all our needs, He listens attentively to our prayers, and He is personally involved with every aspect of our lives. While the cycles of creation continue to sustain everything needed for our earthly existence, the Lord is executing His plan to gather all His people to Himself. While we are here, He wants to bless us and will do so according to His immutable promises. He wants to walk with us and will do so in the person of the Holy Spirit within us. He is working all things together for our good and will continue to do so because He is eternally faithful. His heart is towards us and His will is to be our Savior, Lord, friend, and everlasting Father. He knows us, He sees us, He loves us, and this will never change.
August 23, 2022
1Samuel 3:1 “And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision”
The Hebrew word translated as “precious” here is yaqar, an adjective, and has several meanings, usually centered around the idea of something highly valuable because of its rarity or splendor. In this verse, it describes the word of the Lord in a time of great turmoil when Israel was turning away from God. The Philistines were waging a devastating war against God’s people and were the dominating power in the area. It was a time of spiritual darkness in Israel. The scriptures call the word of God a light in places like Psalms 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” and Psalms 119:130, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”. But the darkness of unbelief closes in so gradually we adjust to it until it doesn’t seem so dark and we forget the power of the light. In the expanding apostasy, we function in the darkness of sin, empowered by our flesh, and before long, the things of the Lord are pushed out and replaced with deception, depravity, and destruction. Although most translations have rendered the word “yaqar” here as “rare” the KJV uses the word precious and it bears meaning to a time when young Samuel arrived on the scene, the first prophet after Moses, and at the end of the period of the Judges to point Israel back to the Lord. God’s interaction by His Word with the nation at the time was rare but we know that only the power of God’s Word can bring light and set us free, speaking to its preciousness. The Bible also says there was no open vision. The literal meaning here is of the breaking out or widespread, encompassing, growing spiritual sight such as what happens when the Lord sends the wind of revival and minds and hearts are opened to God’s Word. The Word of God is not only available but there is also the widespread ability to grasp its meaning and understand what the Lord is saying. We are taking a longer look at this because it reflects the time we live in when there is a lot of religion but little vision of truth. A lot of churches and ministers but a scarceness of the rightly divided Word of God. Our church world claims to be proponents of the true light but we are as the Lord said in Matthew 6:23, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”. The Word of God is precious to those who are acquainted with its reality and the cry has been going out for several years that we are experiencing what was spoken of in Amos 8:11, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD”. This was initially spoken to Israel as a warning that when they harden their hearts against the Lord, they will reach a place where they cannot hear His Word. But it speaks to us today in our time when we have diluted and tampered with God’s Word until what is being offered as bread for our souls is not heaven’s bread at all. When there is no living bread and no living water, there is famine.
August 22, 2022
2 Kings 2:13-14 “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over”
The Lord had appointed Elisha to succeed Elijah in ministering to Israel and today’s verse is part of the account describing how Elijah was taken alive to heaven in a miraculous way. As he was ascending in a whirlwind and a fiery chariot with horses of fire, Elijah’s mantle, a cloak-type garment, fell to the earth and Elisha picked it up. In a symbolic way, the mantle identified Elisha as Elijah’s replacement and is where we get the phrase “passing the mantle”. God doesn’t always give the ministry of one person to another but in this case, He did and the account carries a meaning that people may not pass their actual ministry to their children or someone they are influencing for Christ but one generation does succeed another and we pass along things that help those following us. This is part of the promise of Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” and gives the picture of a child walking in the steps of its parents, learning to make their journey with the wisdom and instructions handed down. It implies that things like faith and faithfulness, worldviews, and life patterns become a part of future generations as we pass them along. Before the passing of the mantle, the Bible says in verse 9, “And it came to pass, when they were gone over (the Jordan river), that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee”. This open-ended offer meant Elisha could have asked for any miracle, any wealth, or anything else but Elisha said “I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me”. Our prayers for our children would be that they love the Lord more fervently and follow His ways more faithfully. If they pick up our mantle, what is it that they would hold in their hands? We might hope those following us would not do double our mistakes but do double our successes. We would pray they would excel double where we failed and rise double above what we accomplished. Our hope is that they will be better parents than we were and better stewards of the mystery of God’s grace. When Elisha picked up Elijah’s mantle, struck the water of the Jordan river and they parted, he was stepping into Elijah’s shoes of faith and power with God. Sometimes when I’m studying the Bible, I pick up one that was my dad’s. I read again the notes he jotted in the margins and think that once he was reading the same verses and maybe thinking the same thoughts about the scriptures. There’s a precious thing about following in the steps of those who inspire and encourage us and brings to mind the words of the Apostle Paul in 1Corinthians 11:1, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”.
August 21, 2022
John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd”
In Matthew 15, a gentile mother that Mark 7 identifies as Greek, came to the Lord and asked Him to heal her daughter. Jesus responded in Matthew 15:24, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. From our all-encompassing grace perspective, these words seem exclusive and harsh because we’re looking back at the gospels as post-diaspora believers. But the unfolding of the mystery of God’s plan to reconcile the world to Himself took place in stages and the appearance of Jesus, the Word of God in flesh, was at first to present Himself to Israel as King of the Jews. The only way to understand the ministry of Christ and relate it and His teachings to the later expansion of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in the epistles of the Apostle Paul, is to rightly divide the Word of truth and see the Lord Jesus during His ministry as He stated in Matthew 15:24. We know despite His declaration that He was sent only to Israel, He did heal the woman’s daughter, foreshadowing the inclusion of the gentiles in God’s plan after the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 10. St John 10 is the chapter painting the picture of Jesus the Good Shepherd and today’s verse is a telling moment when the Lord explains His purpose is to also bring “other sheep”, referring to the gentiles, into His care and protection. Then, He says, “there shall be one fold and one shepherd”. The beginning of the purpose of Jesus is stated in Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law”. Jesus was “made under the law” meaning He was Jewish and was compelled to keep the Jewish law which He did perfectly, the only person to ever or will ever do so. God’s plan offered Jesus to the Jews and they rejected and crucified Him. Then this plan, which was put in motion before the foundation of the world, extended to those sheep outside the fold of Israel as summarized by John 1:11-12 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”. The mystery of God’s plan continues to unfold as the phrase “there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” has not yet been completely fulfilled because the Jews are still in their unbelief of rejecting Jesus Christ. The return of Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords will bring about the salvation of Israel and they will accept their Messiah just as the gentiles have accepted Him. The future crying of repentance of the Jewish sheep is recorded in Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”.
August 20, 2022
2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”
A large part of how things are successfully merchandised in the world is how they are packaged. Whenever we open a box and find the contents could have fit in a package half the size, we can be sure we were duped by suppliers oversizing the package to make it look like we were getting more for our money. Yet when the Lord purposed His work of redemption and put His plan into motion, He chose to place the treasure of heaven inside flawed, weak humans. In Bible times, earthen vessels, made of clay, were the most common of all containers and represented nothing elaborate or fancy. Today’s verse uses this metaphor to explain that we have been gifted with treasure that seemingly is fitted for a container of exquisite construction and beauty. It reminds us of the idea once held that church buildings should be constructed as creations of grandeur, symbols of the loftiness of God’s domain. Heaven only knows how many millions of dollars have been poured into cathedrals and other religious buildings in an attempt to show that God should be worshipped and praised in a place that is suitable to His glory. Thundering pipe organs and elaborately garbed religious leaders, singers, and attendants supposedly added to this display. But the Holy Spirit writes in Acts 7:48, “Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?”. God chose to make our earthen bodies the temple of His Spirit. The reason is so that whatever is done in the power of the Spirit, God gets the glory. This should cause us to pause and consider where the praise and attention are being directed. It is the way of God to pass over the mighty and noble, the elite and the well skilled, and choose instead that which is lowly and least honored for His calling and work. The Bible record tells us of farmers, shepherds, and other common people that became mighty servants of the Lord. Our supreme example in Jesus, born in a manger, in a stable, to common parents, and raised as a carpenter should speak volumes whenever we are tempted to think God’s treasure will be revealed in anything other than earthen vessels. All the glitter and hoopla of what we’ve come to expect in the current church age misses the earthen vessel analogy by a parsec and have become the modern equivalent of the towering cathedrals. The treasure is not found in our abilities to master the dynamic and well-modeled presentations but in the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. This is the treasure found in the earthen vessels.
August 19, 2022
Luke 4:28-29 “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong”
Jesus had just finished His encounter with Satan after 40 days of fasting and He came back to His hometown of Nazareth. He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, read scripture, and preached. The Bible says at first, people were amazed at His words of grace but their mood quickly changed. They were appalled that they knew Him as just the son of Joseph, the village carpenter, and wanted Him to perform miracles to prove Himself. Jesus gave them two examples of miracles from the scriptures, that of a widow in the days of Elijah and Naaman the leper in the time of Elisha, both were examples of gentiles who heard the Word of the Lord and believed it. The Lord was saying what matters with God is whether or not we believe His Word and that there are no special favors just because people are Jewish. This truth made the people so angry that today’s verse says they were filled with rage and threw the Lord out of their city, His hometown, intending to throw Him off a cliff. Jewish tradition says this was the first step in stoning someone. They would push the person off a steep place so they would fall down and while they were on the ground, they would stone them to death. Remember these are the people who were attending the sabbath religious services supposedly because of their faith in God. In one sense, it’s church people that became mad enough to murder an innocent man because of His Words of truth. Another point is that it was people trying to kill God. The depth of our wickedness should make us sick to our stomachs but we have no problem with denying its existence. Other people, we say, are evil but not us. Jesus grew up with these people. He and Joseph no doubt fixed their doors, repaired their broken tools, and as was the custom of carpenters in those days, chopped their wood for their cooking and heating fires. Jesus had lived a perfect, obedient, and humble life before them all yet the truth stung them so sharply it made them want to kill Him. The same truth has angered our world, shined a light that exposes their lies and sin, and made them so angry they want to push God and His Word completely out just as they shoved Jesus out of their town. Remember in Acts 7 when Stephen preached the truth the people, “cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord” stoning that innocent man to death. The depraved human nature is declared in John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved”. Our hope is in John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”.
August 18, 2022
Psalms 37:35 “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree”
Even though the Bible told us about these times when there would be a departure from God’s ways as this dispensation comes to a close, it’s still heartbreaking to watch it happen. Verses like 2Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” are being fulfilled before our very eyes. Anyone with good sense or clear reasoning can see the atrocities of our government and its anti-God, anti-American rhetoric and see today’s verse completely revealed. People with the power to break laws, and subvert justice and no one to stop them. Government agencies running wild, out of control yet the wicked, in great power, urge them on to annihilate the rights and standards that were the heartbeat of this free country. And spreading themselves like a green bay tree? The fingers of the wicked are in every institution, every aspect of civil and private life, every corner of our judicial system, and certainly in the core thinking of what is driving us off the precipice. The evil social and cultural onslaught to radically transform our society stops at nothing especially the things of God. The motto of those compelled to destroy the foundations of truth is in the words of Job 21:14, “Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways”. They are fulfilling the prophetic downward spiral of a world screaming toward judgment in Romans 1:28-31, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (morally wrong); Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful”. It’s hard and frustrating to watch it all happening so quickly and realize there’s no one on earth to stop it. Pulpits have lost their influence, politicians are bought and entrenched in corruption, news outlets are controlled by liars, public communication is censored, people are seeking continual pleasure, and the name of the Lord is being scrubbed from our society. The wicked are in great power and their influence is that of deliberate, endless destruction of all that was once the pillars of our nation. Our hope is that there are still people, who like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, will not bend or bow. In the middle of pagan Babylon, with all forces against them, the Lord stood with them in the fire and He will also not forsake us in these perilous times. Then there is the blessed hope of the soon appearing of Jesus our Lord. This is the hope that anchors our soul in these remorseful days when all around us evil seems to prevail. There is a closure to today’s verse concerning the spread of the wicked. In the next verse, 36, the Word of God declares, “he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found”. The sobering truth is found in Malachi 4:3, “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts”.
August 17, 2022
1 Corinthians 4:7 “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”
The Lord warns us that pride is a downfall and a seductive path away from His will for us. Proverbs 29:23 says, “A man’s pride shall bring him low”. In Psalms 31:20, He tells us that He will hide the goodness of His greatness from the pride of man. Pride reared its head in creation when Lucifer saw himself no longer as a created being under God’s lordship but as God’s competitor, someone who could rise to God’s level and assume the throne of all glory. Then pride, following the path of self-will, deceived Adam and Eve and from that moment on, human pride has been the bane of all civilizations and their people. This section in Corinthians addresses the swelling pride of the Corinthian believers who the Apostle Paul describes in verse 6 as “puffed up”. Christians are not automatically exempt from pride because of their salvation but they must identify it when it crops up and they must war against its power. Today’s verse poses three questions to help us in our battle against pride and when we know the answer to them and follow the truth these answers provide, the Holy Spirit will guide us to a place of humility and reverence for the Lord. First, “who maketh thee to differ from another? “. God made us and any differences in our innate abilities, gifts, callings, and so on are from His hand. We cannot use our appearance or any other thing constituting who we are to see ourselves better than anyone else. Our differences are part of His creative purpose with a great example being when Esther’s wise uncle Mordecai reminded her in Esther 4:14 that her purpose, with all the great beauty and favor she had received, was to accomplish what the Lord had planned for His people. Secondly, “what hast thou that thou didst not receive?”. Pride says that anything we have is due to our intelligence and abilities. It says in some ways we are superior and smarter, stronger and more skilled than others. We look at what we possess as being ours alone and act as if we will possess it eternally. But the Lord says anything we have was given to us and even if it is a result of our labor, He provided the means, strength, and opportunity. At the close of it all, we entered this life with nothing and will leave the same way. Finally, “if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”. Why do we act as if we’re superior, that we know more than someone else, or that we are in some way privileged because of what we have or the way we’ve been blessed? It is the matter of Obadiah 1:3, “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee”. Pride steals honor and glory from God and places a false crown on our heads. Pride promotes our sinful flesh and displays our ridiculousness. Pride robs us of the joy of a thankful heart and humble spirit which open heaven’s doors of blessings. And pride separates people and friends while enslaving us to an arrogant prison. No wonder it is called foolish pride.
August 16, 2022
Romans 12:14 “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not”
We talk about God’s love and how He loves us unconditionally and our faith tells us we should show this same love to others. But not everyone is going to like you and some people will never be happy to see you succeed. The world is filled with jealousy, envy, covetousness, and greed and there will be times when people make your life difficult. It’s one thing when they just snub their nose at you and walk away but it’s a different matter when they deliberately and actively battle against you. It might be family members, neighbors, coworkers, or even people from your church but it’s clear they are against you and they use their words and other means to attack you and maybe even your family. It’s our natural response to fight back, to even the score and put them in their place. We can spend hours brooding and thinking about ways to get even and pay them back and their attacks against us become our daily obsession for revenge. But here we see the Word of God telling us to do the unthinkable, that is to reverse the course of what’s happening to us. Instead of causing them pain or wounding them the way they are hurting us, God says to bless them and not curse them. That doesn’t seem fair and it feels like we’re letting people get away with causing us harm but the scripture goes on in a few verses to explain what’s happening behind the scenes. God says in Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord”. The phrase “give place unto wrath” literally means to make room for God to do His part because He promised when people come against you, He will pay them back. When we turn away from our vengeance and refuse to use our words and means to straighten out those who are against us, we’re making room for the Lord to do what we can’t do and that’s to bring us out of the conflict with our heads held high knowing God is our vindicator. Some people can push all your buttons, even some you didn’t even know you had and they seem to take satisfaction in making you miserable. But the Holy Spirit and the Word of God will bring the victory in ways we couldn’t dream of on our own. When the dust clears and the battle is over, the Lord will either make your enemy be at peace with you or He will move them out of your path to peace permanently. No matter what the circumstance, no weapon formed against you will prosper and the Lord will condemn every tongue that rises up to judge you. Use your words and actions to bless people in the face of adversity and with patience, make room for God to work while He sorts things out and comes to your defense. Remember His promise in verse 19, “I will repay, saith the Lord”.
August 15, 2022
Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man”
We all remember the adage, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me” and while it might be a childish comeback when someone is calling us names or mocking us, we know it is not true. Words can destroy. As believers, the words we speak matter, and considering that the Bible says the tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, and set on fire from hell, today’s verse addresses a most important aspect of our Christian life. The source of our words should be from a place of grace and here it is speaking of graciousness, the speech of goodwill, kindness, and favor. The pieces of this puzzle are that first, our hearts must be established in grace as in Hebrews 13:9, “For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace”. We build our lives and practice our living with the truth that we are what we are by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10). The knowledge of the grace of God humbles our hearts because it destroys self-righteousness. It makes it clear that had it not been for the Lord’s kindness and love we would be eternally lost and with this knowledge, we come face to face with the world around us with Christ-like compassion. Then, the Bible says in Matthew, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”. Whatever the condition of our heart is will form the tone and subject matter of what we speak. Lies and deceit come from a deceptive heart. Anger and spite spew from a heart that’s unloving and unkind. Profanity and vulgar speaking are the product of a heart ruled by immorality. The speech of covetousness, pride, and arrogance comes from a boastful and vain heart. But a graceful heart brings out words that show respect and kindness. We speak things that help others, words that honor them, speech that promotes their victory in life, and conversation that strengthens their faith. We acknowledge people as made in the image of God and posture ourselves in the light of Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”. The metaphor of our speech being seasoned with salt calls to mind how salt flavors what we eat and how too much or too little can overpower but just the right amount is pleasing. Salt holds back corruption and symbolizes words that are unpretentious and sincere. The Old Testament gives us the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 10:12, “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious” and Proverbs 16:23-24, “The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones”. We represent a loving and gracious God and we bear His banner when we identify as Christian. May the Holy Spirit give us the wisdom and will to speak the things that honor our Lord and bless those around us.
August 14, 2022
Revelation 13:16-17 “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name”
The mark of the beast, the infamous 666 has been an ongoing mystery with countless books, sermons, and entire religious conferences guessing as to what it means. Those guesses have ranged from tattoos, bar codes, and microchips to the recent rants that it’s the Covid vaccine or something related to it. The mark has been the subject of conspiracy theories and movies and some people have decided it’s our current cashless debit card system. Whatever it is, believers do not need to fear it because we will not be getting it. It is one of Satan’s many counterfeits and he plans to mark those who belong to and worship him. God marks His people with the Holy Spirit, sealing them with His seal until the day of redemption as declared in Ephesians 4:30. The Lord declares this seal of the Holy Spirit is proof of our identity as His children as stated in 2Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his”. The word “seal” here is from the Greek word “Sphragis” which means to stamp with an inscription or impression to authenticate or verify. It is a concept of value and preciousness. The seal of the antichrist is from the word “Charagma” and means a stamp or imprinted mark showing ownership much like cattle were once branded and ancient cultures used to mark slaves and servants. It is a sign of degradation and depravity and has its roots in words describing idolatry. Satan will attempt to mark those that belong to him just as the Lord separates His people to Himself. The mark of the beast will take place during the time of tribulation after several devastating wars and widespread disease and plagues have decimated humanity. The antichrist, the commander of the mark, will seize control of the world’s economy along with his false prophet, religious system, and human-like idol. Believers will not be a part of those things because before any of it begins, we will have been taken, caught up to be with the Lord. This is described in 1Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words”. There has been so much false teaching by those who will not rightly divide the word of truth saying that Christians will suffer through the tribulation and have to refuse the mark of the beast. But those times are the dispensation of the wrath of God and we have been delivered from that wrath as promised in 1Thessalonians 1:10, “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”. Jesus didn’t suffer and die to save us only to shove us into the tribulation to suffer the wrath of God and the enslavement of Satan and his antichrist. 1Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”.
August 13, 2022
Genesis 6:3 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years”
The cartoonish depictions we see of the ark with all its animals make for cute decorations in children’s rooms and coloring books. But the historical event was a horrific display of the Lord’s judgment against sin. Very little is said in the Bible as to the civilizations that existed in the two-thousand-year period from the beginning of creation to the flood and we can only guess about the population number of people that were destroyed by the waters. We know people lived long lives and estimates range from millions of people to four billion. What we know from the Bible record is that people became so wicked, so violent that God was grieved that He had created them. On one hand, God’s judgment was executed in a way that used the flood to erase all humans and the proof of their existence from the earth, saving only eight people in the ark. But then we see the patience of God revealed as described in 1Peter 3:20. “the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing” showing that even though the Lord was determined to destroy all humanity He waited another 120 years giving Noah time to build the ark and preach to people in the process. In 2 Peter 2:5, the scriptures call Noah a preacher of righteousness. If people are being warned that judgment is coming and the Lord is patient in giving them time to turn away from sin and be saved, why is it that so few believe the truth to the saving of their souls? The answer is given in Ecclesiastes 8:11. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil”. When the Lord, in His patience with us, does not quickly punish our sin, our depravity and unbelief convince us we are getting by with our disobedience and that God doesn’t actually mean what He says. Our twisted reasoning takes over and it doesn’t take long for us to decide we have plenty of time, we aren’t so bad after all, that compared to others, we’re saints, and that God would never do such a thing as destroying people. Thinking this way requires we either block out the flood of Noah from our minds or decide it is mythology. Or maybe we see it as symbolism and ancient creative writing. We have no idea what people in those days thought about Noah and the big boat he was building. And as he built day after day for 120 years and not a drop of rain or an inch of a flood could be seen, no doubt his message of the coming judgment seemed foolish and after a while, old-fashioned and outdated. Maybe there were also others who preached false messages, that God isn’t like that, that He would never do such a thing. But today’s verse tells us the patience of the Lord was in place for 120 years and then God did exactly what He said He would do and He has not changed.
August 12, 2022
Genesis 12:10 “And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land”
Abraham had just traveled from his home country and entered the land the Lord promised him. He and his family, with all their possessions, had journeyed several hundred miles. By faith, Abraham was following the promise that God gave him. Abraham reached the promised land after a long, grueling trek of faith and when he arrived, God reaffirmed to him in verse 7 that this was the land He had promised to him and his descendants. Perhaps Abraham looked around and couldn’t believe his eyes that the Lord had led him to a place that was in the throes of a severe, scorching famine. We might be sure It wasn’t at all what he had envisioned as he and his family had been traveling for months. Imagine Abraham and all those traveling with him, after being reassured throughout the trip they were headed to a place the Lord had promised them and when they reached the land instead of being welcomed by lush valleys and beautiful pastures, there was a devastating famine in progress. At that point Abraham left his promised land and moved into Egypt. In the past, I have been one of those that saw fault in Abraham’s faith because it seemed to waver at this point. But over time I now see it as proof that no matter how strong our faith is, there are times when we take detours in our journey when things don’t seem to be working out the way we believed and it is the grace of the Lord that gets us back on track. It is an example to us that our journey of faith has many circumstances and situations that do not make sense to us at the time but the Lord has a plan and purpose in every detail. For Abraham, it was the beginning of his relationship with the Lord, a season of growing in faith and learning to trust God. In time, Abraham’s faith became stronger and unwavering until the final test of faith when he followed the Lord’s Words to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. We know the glorious ending of that episode as told in Genesis 22 and Abraham passed the supreme test of his trust in God. We all look back and see the times we failed and got off track. We have the memories of those “what was I thinking?” moments and if we view them as isolated incidents, it looks like we were behaving like unbelievers and had no faith at all. But the life of faith is dynamic and methodical, moving from test to test as our faith grows and builds upon previous times when the Lord proved His faithfulness to us. We see Him unfailing in His promises and we learn to trust Him more. When we wobble in our faithfulness, the Lord never does. When we faceplant in moments of unbelief, He remains steadfast and gives more grace. Our lack of understanding and our weaknesses are times of opportunity for God to reveal Himself in His love for us and His ability to help us when we can’t help ourselves. Abraham didn’t stay long in Egypt; he and Sarah came out by the grace of the Lord and he returned to the place he was destined to be. We have the Lord’s promise in Philippians 1:6 that “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”.
August 11, 2022
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”
Twice in this chapter, in verse 1 and here in verse 27, Jesus told His disciples they should not allow their hearts to be troubled and in today’s verse, He added they should not be afraid. The Lord spoke these words before He was arrested, tried, and crucified and He was preparing His disciples for those dark times. The great promise of this chapter is that although Jesus would go away, He would send the Holy Spirit in His place to remain with us and He also promised the essence of His peace, lasting peace that is nothing like what we might expect from this world. Peace outside of Christ is fleeting, partial, and subject to disappearing at any moment. I’m sitting on the back porch typing this devotion and the noisy heat pump is running, cars are racing past the house, not far away, there’s a train rumbling by and blowing its horn, and the local mocking birds are screeching in a big fight in the back yard, and being close to the airport, jets and small planes are loud and low, especially the occasional military jets. I’m thinking about peace but my environment is anything but peaceful and quiet. But within, I know I’m a child of God, my future is secure, He’s supplying all my needs, the Holy Spirit is with me, the angels of the Lord are encamped around me, I’m blessed beyond the curse, the Lord has given me exceedingly great and precious promises, and nothing in heaven or on earth will ever separate me from God’s love. All that and more is the foundation of the peace described here and in places like Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. The words “which passeth all understanding”, means it goes beyond and is deeper than anything we can imagine or explain. This world tries to offer peace but it always fails as the Bible says in Isaiah 57:21, “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked”. God’s peace and rest come as a pair yet we can be in a season where we are weary and going through trials but still have peace. This heavenly peace has been described as the harmony, calmness, and tranquility within us that rises above our circumstances. It comes from the work of the Holy Spirit as He reassures us and strengthens our faith that God is with us and is faithful to His promises. In these uncertain times, as the world is continually moving further away from God’s truth and we see earthly hope disappearing, we need the peace of our Lord more than ever and He is ready and willing to keep His promise that His peace is available to us. There can be no peace without The Prince of Peace.
August 10, 2022
Romans 8:19 “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God”
If you believe that Jesus will return just as He promised in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”, then you’ve probably said at one time or another, “I wish the Lord would return right now”. Whenever we see the news of children suffering or the atrocities of war, we look forward to the time when the Lord will bring peace and set all things in order. But it’s not just believers that are looking and waiting for the kingdom to come. Today’s verse tells us that all creation is waiting with earnest expectation for that day when God’s plan has culminated and all things are restored to tranquility as it was before the fall and the curse. The same thought is expressed in Romans 8:21-22, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”. It’s easy for us to think of salvation only in the personal sense of our redemption and eternal life through Jesus but God has even bigger plans and that is to restore all of creation to the splendor it had in the beginning. In the beginning, most of the earth was not covered by water as it is now. But after the flood, all the water that had condensed from the water vapor in the atmosphere and the water that had spewed out of underground sources pooled into the oceans and seas until now around 71 percent of the earth is covered by water. But it will not be so in the future. The lives of animals are now a part of the food chain and the world knows nothing but death, decay, and entropy. Humans have poisoned and polluted the soil, the water, and the atmosphere and the earth has soaked up the blood of millions of people destroyed in wars and natural disasters. The earth is quaking at a rate never before and as humans consume more and more resources, the eco-systems and mineral deposits of the earth are being damaged and depleted. All of creation is waiting with earnest expectation for relief and that relief is coming soon. It’s not just the relief of the millennium reign of Christ, but God has a future in store described in Isaiah 65:17, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” and reiterated in 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”. The world is clamoring for plans and laws to preserve the earth and surely taking care of creation is our responsibility. But the world is thinking to preserve the earth until they can find another habitual planet and the technology to move humans there. Believers know there’s coming a day when: 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up”.
August 9, 2022
Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure”
Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God and do you believe Psalms 119:160, “Thy word is true from the beginning”? If you do, you are one of a very small group of people including those who claim religious beliefs. But those of us who hold the Bible in our hands and remain awed that we are holding the most valuable, precious thing in the universe, are convinced to our core that God’s Word is infallible, incorruptible, and eternal and that it is not just words. Although it was penned by humans, God gave it directly to us through those human writers by the power of the Holy Spirit who guided them and He has kept it intact and safe through the centuries by His unfailing providence. The reason there is such little regard for the Bible, that it is scoffed at by the world and of little interest to most Christians, is that people, in their unbelief, do not grasp its priceless value and they have no conviction that it is the supernatural Words of God. Millions of Bibles are sold but few are actually opened and read and even less studied and allowed to sink deep within us. We live out our lifetimes with little or no knowledge of God’s Word and we spend our days concerning over and focused on the insignificant things of this life which will soon all pass away but we will not immerse ourselves in the Words of the Bible. Yet God gave us His Word to be our source of life and truth and explained to us that His Word is powerful and that we should use it to bring heaven down into our lives. We should speak its Words instead of our own words to instruct our children, shield us from the enemy and evil, and bless every day of our lives with God’s goodness. The enemy also sows the seeds of doubt that even if we believe the Bible is the Word of God, its Words are not meant for us. This removes the Bible from our minds as being a personal message from the Lord but just a collection of stories of how God interacted with other people. We might believe He parted the Red Sea for sure but doubt that applies to His willingness to help us in our situations. It’s when we know that the unfathomable miracle of the Word of God is that it applies to every person as it is revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, then we can see ourselves in its pages, embedded in its verses, and on the receiving end of its promises. By the wisdom God gives us and the power of the Spirit within us, we have confidence that we can rightly divide the Word of God, understand its truth, apply it to ourselves, and walk in its blessings.
August 8, 2022
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”
In the KJV these two verses are one sentence because they contain one set of thoughts concerning two sides of behavior. The first condition described is one of overall badness where people are bitter, boiling over with rage, angry, fussing, and spewing out vile words of condemnation and complaints. Maybe you know people that are like that: prone to being disagreeable, and argumentative, and you dread to see them coming because they’re like a dark, threatening cloud. Anytime you talk to them and before the conversation is over, they’ve complained about something or everything, pointed fingers of blame at others, contradicted what you’ve said, and walked away leaving you like you’ve been dumped on by a truckload of negative, foul emotions. We might expect this out of people that are unsaved because they do not have the faith, hope, and love that Christ brings but when it’s professing believers, something is amiss. The Lord says such attitudes and actions should not be who we are. The problem is we can fall into habits of negativity in the way we think and talk and get stuck there, becoming a person that’s always finding fault and speaking words of discord and confusion without even realizing it. On the flip side, are people who are ready to forgive and flow with kindness, compassion, and sympathy toward others. One paraphrasing of these verses says, “Get rid of your bitter attitudes, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred and be kind and compassionate to each other, forgiving each other just as God has forgiven you through Christ. The Bible says in Romans 13:10, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” and it’s wrong when we think we can say whatever we want, insult people, and point out their faults and imperfections while claiming we have the love of the Lord in us. The account of Abigail and her husband Nabal in 1 Samuel 25 tells of a wife with a kind, compassionate demeanor that was married to a man who was angry, bitter, harsh, and mean-spirited. We can imagine her daily misery dealing with such an angry, hateful man and we get a sense of relief when we read about the day when she was delivered from him. She ended up married to King David who moved her into his palace and for the rest of her life, she lived in a place of beauty and comfort. It’s confusing why people would choose the path of bitterness and anger when kindness is the way of our Lord. When we follow Him and abandon the hatefulness and malice of our flesh, we walk the way of Ephesians 4:2-3, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”.
August 7, 2022
Mark 4:40 “And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”
The account of Jesus stopping the storm on the Sea of Galilee started after He finished teaching people. The Lord had been in a boat a bit offshore and the crowds were on land facing Him and when the preaching was over, Jesus said to His disciples in verse 35, “Let us pass over unto the other side”. Some have mentioned Jesus didn’t say “Let’s try to cross the lake to the other side and hopefully we will get there if we’re lucky”, but He gave His Word they would cross over. The Lord fell asleep as they sailed, no doubt exhausted from the long day of preaching. He knew as soon as they would arrive on the other side, He would encounter a wild man from the country of the Gadarenes and after healing him, crowds of people would come to Him and He would preach and heal the sick in that territory. But during the sailing, there came a terrible, fierce storm that sloshed waves into the boat until the disciples thought they were all going to die. They cried out to the Lord, waking Him up and He commanded the winds and waves to stop. It was then that He spoke the words of today’s verse, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”. He didn’t scold them because they were afraid of the horrific storm but because they didn’t believe His Words that He had spoken, that they would travel to the other side of the lake. He said they had “no faith” and that didn’t have anything to do with faith in the boat, faith in their skills as boat-handling fishermen, or faith that somehow things might work out ok, it was about whether or not they believed what He said and faith in the fact that the Son of God was with them in the boat. Their response was telling about their frame of heart and mind in verse 4:41, “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”, meaning “who is this man?” indicating they had not reached the place where they believed He was the Almighty God and didn’t believe His Words were eternally true. Ours is the same dilemma because we are knowledgeable about religion, church stuff, a few verses in the Bible, and we profess some kind of faith. Yet often there is a disconnect between what God says and whether we believe that it is infallibly true and that it applies to us. Along with this is whether or not we have seen Jesus for who He is and believe without a doubt He is the Divine Son of God who said in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”. When we know and believe who He is and believe His Words are more real and true than the reality and circumstances of this life, then our faith becomes substance, reality established on the promises of the Lord God.
August 6, 2022
Malachi 3:16 “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name”
The book of Malachi was written at a time when the Jews were very discouraged. It was about 100 years since they had returned to their land from exile, rebuilt the temple, and started to move forward as a nation again. Yet there was widespread corruption, their families were in shambles, and it seemed like wicked people were prospering while those that honored the Lord were suffering. Some of the scriptures sound a lot like they were written today such as Malachi 3:15, “And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up (prosperous); yea, they that tempt God are even delivered (people mock God and get away with it)”. There was such despair among the Lord’s people that they started to believe it was useless to serve God (3:14). The enemy always tries to point out that people who do evil are better off than people who honor the Lord and he wants us to forget that the Lord is keeping the record and either in this life or at the final judgment God will set everything straight with those that have dishonored Him. Today’s verse tells us that in this time of discouragement, God’s people began to often encourage each other, put their minds on the things of the Lord, and the Lord saw it and recorded it in a book of remembrance. When we speak words of faith and encouragement to each other when we speak God’s promises to build each other up it pleases the Lord and it creates a bond between believers that gives us strength in difficult times. Christians sometimes get wrapped up in negativity when they give their minds to the bad news of the age, the corruption within churches, and the evil of politics. What comes out of their mouths are complaints, rehashing of how bad things are, and what needs to be done to fix it all. A session of Christians meeting together becomes a gripe session and finger-pointing at what’s wrong, who’s bad and causing the problems, and who they can vote into office to straighten it all out. But the Lord tells us to speak the things that cause unity in the body of Christ and to use our words to declare His faithfulness, goodness, and blessings. When we come together or have personal conversations with other believers the purpose should be to honor the Lord, encourage each other, and lay foundations of peace. May the Lord help us to turn the conversations to those that lift people up, restore their faith, help them when they are struggling, and honor the power of the Lord that overcomes this world. There is good news to share, hope to pass around, peace to pursue, and faith that all things are working together for the good of God’s people.
August 5, 2022
Isaiah 14:3 “And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve”
This scripture is multifold in its scope and first depicts Israel being delivered from Babylon and returning to their land. After the 70 years of captivity had fulfilled God’s purpose of correcting their idolatry and rebellion against Him, they went home, rebuilt their temple and cities, and were no longer under the oppression of Babylon. Then it is a prophecy of a future time when Jesus will return to the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and Israel will dominate the world scene with Jerusalem as the Capital of the earth. This will be the time of peace and rest spoken about by hundreds of verses in the scriptures and is what is referred to by Bible believers as the millennium reign of Christ. But in a broader sense, this is the promise to all who come to Jesus in faith and receive His gift of salvation for Jesus declared His promise in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. For the Jews that labored under the yoke of the law and all that their religious leaders and traditions had added to it, it was an invitation to be free from the entire bondage of religion. For the rest of us Gentiles, it was words of peace and pardon to deliver us from the curse of the original sin of Adam and take away the fear of death and the uncertainty of the afterlife. For everyone, Jew and Gentile, the promise is rest from the hard bondage of sins and the yoke of sin’s burdens we drag through life from the moment of our birth. Jesus went on to say in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. Sometimes the weight of life settles on us with burdens of family and circumstances, loads of anxiety, fear, and guilt, and yokes of despair, sorrow, and loneliness. In those times we need the unfailing assurance that the Lord stands ready, able, and willing to give us rest from our sorrow, fear, and bondage. When we cry out to Him, we have His promise He is listening and He will come to our aid. We can breathe a prayer saying, “Lord You promised rest and I know You will not fail. You promised peace because You are the Prince of Peace and You told us to cast all our worries and anxieties on You because You care for us”. Let’s read these words of Isaiah 14 as God’s Word to us, pointing us to our Savior, the eternal rest for the people of God.
August 4, 2022
Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”
Jesus said in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. This is God’s plan for us, to be free from sin, the curse, and the judgment to come and this freedom comes from God’s Words of truth. Despite our sin and its consequences, the Lord pledged His mercy and favor towards us and promised if we will take Him at His Word, believing what He said, that faith will be accounted to us for righteousness. But in every way and every place, in every age and every social structure, people have mocked God’s Words, fought against them, ignored them, twisted their meaning, manipulated the text to suit their fancy, and tried to block the truth. They have exchanged the truth for lies, denied the God who spoke the Words, and obscured the truth behind all man-made religious institutions that hide the grace of God under layers of commandments, liturgy, and false doctrines. The God who spoke the Words of truth has been replaced by preachers, popes, and politicians and the Godhead has been counterfeited by images and concepts imagined by people. The Bible says in today’s verse that those who hold the truth in unrighteousness, literally meaning they suppress, hold back, cover, and conceal the truth are in trouble with God. His wrath is being shown towards them, not meaning punishment for that is reserved for the final judgment, but His anger that swells up when His will is violated. It is anger because concealing and hiding the truth keeps people from hearing the truth and being set free. The obscuring of the truth promotes widespread sin and mayhem, damages people and families, breaks down the barriers that keep us safe, and leads humanity to the conditions that were in place in the world before the flood. The verses that follow today’s verse describe the downwards spiral of mankind when the truth is absent and when we read the catalog of debauchery in those verses 19-32, it reads like our current world news. So much has changed in America in the past decades from a time when we were relatively safe with no need to lock our doors to now, that we are a nation of anxiety, fear, and drug addiction. Those who suppress the truth brag that their progressive thinking has set people free from the chains of religion and the backwardness of morality. We lie polluted in the sewer of sin, enslaved to our addictions and the leaders of our culture keep telling us we’re better off than before and we have finally cast off the oppression of all that was holding us back. Only God’s truth sets people free and Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. Those who hold back and obscure the truth are not only enemies of God, they are the enemies of all humanity because they attempt to take away the only source of freedom, joy, peace, and life.
August 3, 2022
Luke 18:27 “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God”
Jesus spoke these words after His encounter with the rich young ruler. The man heard the words of the Lord but his wealth stood in the way of his faith and he walked away from the Lord in sorrow. Jesus explained to the disciples that trusting in money makes it hard to go to heaven and the disciples remarked that if that’s the case, who can be saved? The Lord responded with the words of today’s verse saying that just because something is hard or even impossible to us, it’s a different case with God because He is unlimited in His power and ability. It’s easy to trust God to answer our prayers or come to our aid when we can already see a solution to the problem or a way to get what we’re asking for. But when there seems to be no way out, no path to success, and no hope for the answer we’re looking for, we enter into the realm of impossibilities. There is where the Lord excels at showing up and doing what no one else can do. The miracles Jesus performed were in impossible situations, often where others had tried and failed like the woman with the blood disease in Luke 8:43. She had spent all she had on doctors but her condition had worsened. Jesus did the impossible and healed her. There was the maniac man in the land of the Gadarenes that was so wild and savage no one could help him so he lived in the cemetery, slashing himself with sharp stones. Jesus did the impossible and delivered him. But God does the impossible in the spiritual as well as the natural when He saves the unlovable, showers grace on the unmerciful, and calls the most wicked and vile to Himself to be His followers. When we view the Bible as the record of an unlimited God doing the impossible since the beginning and even before there was a beginning, He did the impossible and created all things out of nothing, therefore causing a beginning, why do we question His ability and willingness to help us in our seemingly impossible circumstances? It’s time to remove all the limitations we put on the Lord, all the limitations we add to our prayers, and all the limitations we imagine whenever we’re waiting for Him to resolve our life’s impossibilities. One day Jesus visited His hometown but the people there only saw Him as the grown son of Joseph and Mary, not the Son of Almighty God and the Bible says in Matthew 13:58, “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief”. But the Lord went on to say to a man who came to Him for help for his child in Mark 9:23, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”. May the Lord help us to pray bold prayers, lay aside our unbelief because things seem impossible, and put our trust in our God who is limitless in His power, faithful to His promises, and who delights in doing the things that are impossible with man.
August 2, 2022
Colossians 3:3 “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God”
About two years ago I was diagnosed with throat cancer and shortly after the diagnosis, I had radical surgery that removed my complete larynx. My esophagus and trachea were separated and I breathe through a stoma just below where my Adam’s Apple used to be and I am now what’s referred to as a laryngectomee. Last week, I had my second annual follow-up scan to see if there are any signs of cancer returning, and today my doctor said I’m still cancer free. While my wife and I were waiting in the exam room for the doctor, my mind went back to the day I heard him say they’d found the tumor that had been making me persistently hoarse for a long time and he said I could either have the cancer removed along with my larynx or try massive radiation that might not destroy it but for certain it would probably destroy my vocal cords in the process. My wife and I prayed for wisdom from the Lord and I chose to have the cancer removed. There’s no way I can explain what happened next. The Lord flooded me with so much joy before the surgery, so much faith and confidence that He was with me that all fear, anxiety, and doubt completely disappeared. I remember the calm that descended and covered me in the operating room right as the anesthesiologist connected me to the iv’s and put me to sleep. Throughout over 40 years of ministry, I had often read and quoted Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” but when it came my time, I found those words to be unfailingly true.
In that span from the diagnosis to where I am now, a lot of things are clearer to me than ever before. First, we are not our own, we belong to the Creator of all things. Today’s verse tells me that the fellow I used to be, before I was redeemed, no longer exists: he is dead. I am living but my life is hid, a word that means locked in, sealed and covered and it’s with Christ in God, the safest place inside and outside the universe. Secondly, whatever happens to me comes by the Lord’s will or permission and nothing is by accident or chance. When my doctor said “it’s cancer”, it didn’t take God by surprise as if He didn’t see that one coming. The Lord is working all things for my good and even if it doesn’t seem to make sense at the moment, even if other people make their critical judgments, the Word of the Lord stands eternally sure and He always acts towards His children in mercy, grace, and love. And finally, the Lord isn’t finished with me yet. Some people have viewed me with pity because I can’t speak as I once did but what they don’t understand is that after 40 years of preaching and pastoring, I’m incredibly happy God is allowing me to share His Word in a different way. A few weeks after my surgery, the Holy Spirit led me to learn WordPress software, and my wife and I started the website, www.thecommonsalvation.com, where we post a daily devotion and a prayer. As of this month, I’ve typed almost a million words of Bible devotions and daily prayers and my wife reposts them on Facebook. The website is now reaching more people than I ever imagined and I praise the Lord that He didn’t toss me aside as unusable after the surgery. To all my friends and church family, thank you for your prayers for Laura and me, we love you and let’s all keep looking to Jesus until He returns. To any who may be our enemies, well, we’re trusting for the day the Lord fulfills Proverbs 16:7 for us, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him”.
August 1, 2022
2 Corinthians 6:1 “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain”
We are joined with God in His work not because He needs us, but because it pleased Him to set it in order that way for our benefit. Despite our weaknesses and flaws, the Lord uses us, members of the body of Christ, with various gifts and callings and sends us into the places where we bear His banner and do His will. We minister to others, use our talents, proclaim the good news of Jesus, and overcome evil in this world with good. When He created us and called us to His service, God gave us great grace, favor that enables us to completely fulfill His purpose for us, and the meaning behind today’s verse is that we should stand for the Lord and serve Him to our fullest so that what He has given to us will not be wasted. Paul, the human writer of these words, begs us to not let what God has given us be in vain. This is the meaning of the parable of the distributed talents, or amount of money in Matthew 25 where a man before he went on a long journey, gave his servants each the responsibility for a sum of money. The parable relates how some of the servants were faithful to use what they had been entrusted with wisely but one did not and when the man returned, he called the one who made bad choices with his responsibility a “wicked and slothful servant”. The best life we can live is not one where we spend our days in self-indulgence, procrastinating, or avoiding the Lord’s work, but one where we are fully committed to using every gift, every calling, and every opportunity to honor God and help others. One of the last object lessons our Lord taught His disciples before His death was to stoop down before them and wash their feet. He went on to say if He was their Lord and Master and yet was willing to take the place of the lowest servant in a household, they should also imitate His example. God’s grace to us is full and makes us completely able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). When we follow the Lord’s work by faith, going, doing, and sowing, the grace is flowing through us and accomplishing His will. Churches are filled with wasted grace as we sit weekly and watch the same handful of people do all the singing, praying, and ministering yet there are no outreaches beyond the church walls except maybe an occasional special activity that is usually centered around church people. Sermons are about how to become even more personally blessed or they’re a product of whatever book or podcast the pastor is interested in at the moment. The fields are white to harvest, we are approaching the midnight hour, and people need us or rather they need the grace that has been given us and is meant to flow through us to them. Grace powers our words of encouragement and healing, gifts of kindness and compassion, smiles that radiate the joy of the Lord, and we are fully equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to release this grace.