January 31, 2021

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various kinds of trials); Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

When we are going through a trial, we can either view it through the truth of God’s Word or through our own understanding. As we mature in faith, we learn to see the tests as something God has allowed for our benefit and we accept them as necessary. We know the Lord never allows anything to touch us unless it’s in accordance with His will for us. Christians often summarize this as “nothing happens to us by accident” or “God is working all things together for our good” and it’s important for us to know what the Bible says in these times and confess it as truth while we wait for the trial to pass. Confessing God’s Word is how we exercise our faith in its eternal truth. When a trial comes and we begin to say things like: “I don’t know what I’m going to do” or “why do these things always happen to me? Or “God how could you let this happen”, we are not acknowledging that the Word has promised God is for us and nothing can be against us. We’re allowing ourselves to be defeated in our faith by not taking our stand on the infallible Word of God and declaring it to be true no matter how we feel or think by our human reason.

As our faith grows and we have gone through trials and seen how the Lord has brought us through, we know we’ve been strengthened and we can praise Him and thank him for His grace through them. But how about proclaiming joy in the midst of the trials?  This is what James 1:2-3 is describing. Believers who have the faith and vision to know that no matter what the trial is, they can claim joy even while enduring trials because their confidence in the Lord has convinced them it will do nothing except take them to a better place in their walk with God. They can see the victory through eyes of faith even before it comes. This is also stated in Rom 5:3-5 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Note that it says because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. Can you imagine going through a trial, knowing it was in God’s will for you and being so confident He means only good for you, that His love fills your heart? That’s what the phrase “shed abroad in your heart” means: gushed out, poured out fully. How can this be when trials are sometimes so painful or they totally disrupt our lives and are frightening and confusing? How is it possible to see them and not only accept them as God’s will for us but to embrace them with joy and actually glory in them? It can’t happen if we only view them through our own understanding and then try to see their purpose by reasoning it out. It’s faith that tells us we are actually being blessed by them.

This faith causes us to fully submit our entire being to the Lord including all we have, all we are, all our talents and abilities, all we aspire to be, all our hopes, dreams and plans. When we come before the maker of heaven and earth and bow before Him with the intention of completely offering ourselves to Him, every part, everything, and holding nothing back, knowing that whatever He does or allows it will be for our benefit, we are on a footing with Him that is claiming Him Lord of all.  We’re saying, “Lord, I don’t know how You will get glory out of me but here I am, I am Yours. Do with me as You will and give me grace to accept it with joy.” 

This thought of complete submission of ourselves, yielding our will and all we are and have, makes many Christians uncomfortable. Especially here in America, we cringe at the thought of bowing down then falling prostrate before another being and fully accepting that being’s control over us. And the thought of doing that with Joy? Well, it’s a step in the maturity of our faith that for most of us, takes some time in coming but when it does, and we find the grace and faith to take it, it brings the greatest peace and fulfilment of any milestone in our journey. Some people go through great trials and some have endured so much suffering in their past that it is very difficult for them to reach a place of surrender to the Lord. But God will never allow His children to go through trials without rewarding them when it is over. Before Jesus went to the cross, he agonized in the garden of Gethsemane in submitting to His Father’s will until His sweat became drops of blood. The Bible says he know he would be rewarded with great joy for the suffering he was about to face: Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”   Remember that Job went through so much suffering that it’s painful for us to even read his story. But when the trial was over, God  gave him back double of all that he lost during his trial. The Lord never allows us to be overcome with anything that isn’t for our benefit and when it’s over, He brings us great joy and blessing.  But the submission to His will doesn’t always happen quickly on our part and it doesn’t always happen completely at once. We receive the strength and grace to yield when we see God’s great love for us, know it is unconditional and that we can fully trust Him to do what is best for us. Paul wrote the book of Philippians while in prison yet listen to his words: Phil 4:11 “for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” The point is, tribulation and trials will come and they have their purpose to form us, shape us and mold us into a vessel of greater honor for our Lord. Can we take them for what they are? Stepping stones to a better and more blessed place to stand with our Lord: The pathway to greater victory and ever increasing faith.  Count it all joy.

January 30, 2021

Matt 7:24-25 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

In the parable of the wise man vs the foolish man, the Lord was telling how to build a life that can endure the storms of life. Both men built a house: one built on a rock foundation and the other built on sand. Then both houses were blasted by rain, floods and winds and the house built on the sand fell and the Bible says “great was the fall of it”. But the house built on a rock endured the elements and their fury and after the deluge, was still standing firm on the rock. These natural elements in Jesus’ time, were the ultimate test of the durability of a structure and even though the Bible doesn’t tell of any differences in the houses and their construction except the foundation upon which they were built, we assume they were equally strong and well-built. The difference in whether or not they endured was the matter of their foundation.

Maybe like me, you’ve always heard that the difference between these houses was Christ: that Jesus is the rock foundation and when we build on Him them our life is safe and secure. I have heard this parable explained that when we get saved, that is the point in time that our house gets on the rock and our life is safe then from the storms. But is that what the Bible really says here? What did Jesus actually say? He said it was whether or not we do what He says that determines the consequences of the storms. And it is storms because it’s plural, the word for winds here means multiple winds from north, south, east and west. Jesus isn’t talking about trusting what He did on the cross to save us from hell, He’s talking about the power of His Word when we receive and obey it. That’s where the defense comes from that protects us from the storms of life. Maybe we want the easy path, trust Jesus for salvation and then expect Him to put us on autopilot until He takes us home but that’s not what gets us through the storms.

It’s the Word. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. In John 6:63 Jesus said, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 3:34 says “For he (Jesus) whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God”. Our defense is knowing what the Word says and then by faith, living by it. When the Lord met the devil face to face in a showdown in Luke 4, He didn’t defeat His enemy by calling fire down on him, but He spoke what was written in the Word of God and the power of the Word defeated satan. We have lost sight of the fact that the Word of God is a living entity and has power of Its own to perform as God wills.

When we know what Jesus said then use that Word to guide our thoughts, plans, actions, responses and formulate our path, the living Word of God is fulfilled in us and as the rain, winds and floods of life happen, and they will happen, we are promised our life will endure them. The Word of God is our protector, guide and safety. Psalms 119:114 “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” Our problem is our unbelief. We will trust our own reason, opinions and advice of others and countless other influences before we will fully trust God’s Word. In St Mark 9, a man brought his child to Jesus for healing. Jesus said to the father, “If you believe all things are possible”. The father said, “Lord I believe but help my unbelief”. May we pray this prayer every day as we ask God to open our hearts and mind to the Words of our Lord. But if we allow the unbelief to keep us from living by faith in His Word, when the storms come, beware and remember the foolish man.

January 29, 2021

John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

The scriptures record three times Jesus raised someone from the dead. In St Luke 7, he met a funeral procession carrying a young man to his grave and Jesus raised him from the dead. In St Luke 8 He raised Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter from the dead. Again, in St John 11, He raised Lazarus, who had been in the grave for four days, from the dead. It was at the tomb of Lazarus that Jesus declared Himself to be the resurrection and the life and promised those who believe in Him receive immortality. He then asked, “do you believe this?” That question still hangs in the air today when we face the fact that this life here is not forever.

Why is it that hardly anyone talks or preaches about immortality including the resurrection of the dead unless it’s at a funeral ceremony? There, it’s the main subject given to comfort those who have lost their loved one and, even then, we seem to steer clear of the term “immortality” as if it’s a tabooed word.  But when Jesus said He came to give us everlasting life, that’s just what He was saying: he gives immortality to those who trust in Him. God created the soul  to be immortal.  In 1 Cor the Bible says when the Lord returns, even the flesh will be made immortal. This was evident in the resurrection of Jesus. When he rose from the grave, his body was changed from human form to an immortal glory. As a living soul, right here, right now, I am an immortal creature: It’s impossible for me to die because Jesus said, “those who live and believe in me shall never die”. It is the same meaning of St John 10:28 where Jesus said “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

This gives great comfort not only concerning those we have said “farewell” to until the resurrection of the body but to those of us who are walking around breathing air. Our immortality is surer than the heavens and the earth because Jesus gave us His Word we will never die and he said heaven and earth may pass away but His Word shall not pass away. When I confess this and begin to declare it over myself and those who have already passed into the presence of the Lord, I am stating the eternal truth of life in Jesus that gives me consolation and hope and brings the same to all who will receive it. There is so much about the soul, life and our destination and purpose when we change from this earthly relm into our eternal home that we don’t understand but that shouldn’t keep us from thinking about it, thanking God He has given us eternal life and using the truth of our immortality to bless and strengthen others.

Remember, Jesus asked, “Do you believe this?”. I confess I believe it, how about you? Will you confess Jesus is the resurrection and the life and as His child, you are immortal, death has no hold on you? My dad didn’t die, he’s just with the Lord until the resurrection. My mom, my grandmothers and grandfathers didn’t die, they’re just waiting with the saints and the Lord until the resurrection. Jesus is the resurrection and the life and in Him, there is no death.

January 28, 2021

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be thou perfect.

When the Lord appeared to Abraham when he was 99 years old and confirmed His covenant and promise of a son, He did so by revealing one of His names: El Shaddai. The “El” meaning God, and Shaddai meaning strength and power and in its word-roots, means the God who completely nourishes, satisfies, and supplies His people with all their needs. When God is declared to be the Creator of all things and the sustainer of all things that He made, He is honored as the Lord God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth and all that is therein. It’s appalling that from pre-school to the highest levels of education we now scoff at this eternal truth. Sometimes when I’m watching a program on TV and it is speaking of the universe or the earth and nature, it’s blatant that those who feed us this “science” diet, no longer even consider God as part of any explanation of creation, natural law or our continued existence. If you dare to question their God-less theories, you are immediately dismissed as an uneducated dolt. The Bible says, Rom 1:21-23 Because that, when they knew God (at one time science recognized God as creator), they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

The truth that God is the sustainer of all things is distinctly declared in the scripture. Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power. Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. These and many other places identify God as creator and sustainer of all creation.

But on a personal level, the Lord is the sustainer of our lives and as believers, He is the source of all things for us. Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being. Ps 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. And the well-known Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Even though we know these things, it’s easy to take our eyes off the Lord as our sustainer and either give that honor to ourselves, someone else or some other thing. It’s also easy when it appears we are in need and can’t see the evidence that the need is met, to start worrying and being filled with anxiety about how the need will be met. We forget how He has always supplied our need in the past and He never changes. We forget the miracles of the widow’s barrel of meal and flask of oil and the miracle of our Lord turning water to wine, the feeding of the five thousand and later feeding four thousand. The Lord is our sustainer. The same God that fed millions of Israelites mana for forty years is taking care of us yesterday, today and forever. Psalms 34:10 but they that seek the LORD shall not want (lack) any good thing. Let’s give Him praise and thanksgiving, He is our El Shaddai.

January 27, 2021

2Cor 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

It’s easy for something to start out simple but soon morph into a gargantuan mess and anyone who’s started a DIY project can attest to this.  When I start something and my wife asks “how much is that going to cost and how long is it going to take?”, she knows to at least triple my estimates before I even start. And how many times have you started something that seemed so simple and soon wish you’d never started it at all? Sometimes it’s because we can’t see or foresee the details of what’s involved before we begin and the farther we go, the more complex and involved it gets.

God gave us the gospel through Jesus Christ and packaged it in a simple offer: Jesus took our place and God will forgive and save those who trust in Him. Granted, what happened on God’s end was complex beyond human reason and maybe when we see Him face to face we will understand it from His view. But as it is offered to people, the plan is simple and is summarized in Acts 16 when the Philippian jailer asked “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” and Paul and Silas answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” How is it that something so simple has been turned into a gigantic cesspool of craziness? 

If we go by the scripture in 2 Cor 11:3, the answer is that as Eve was tricked through the craftiness and deception of the enemy into believing God didn’t mean what He said, so people are tricked into thinking God doesn’t mean what He said concerning the gift of His son. God wants to give people eternal life. The Bible says He wants all people to be saved 1 Tim 2:4 and the doors of heaven are wide open to “whosoever will”. But look what people have done with that simple truth. Just as the devil added one 3 letter word to God’s statement to Adam and Eve, (God said “thou shall surely die” and the devil said “thou shall not surely die”) so much garbage has been added to the simple truth of Jesus that people have turned it into a complicated, formula driven, man-made, money laundering divisive operation. God gave a Christ centered method to get to heaven. We have created man centered, church centered, denomination centered, non-denomination centered, feelings centered, emotion centered, experience centered and money centered concoctions all woven together in such a tangled web that it’s no wonder people have not been able to see Jesus through it all.

When Jesus was here, twice He went into the temple and confronted those who were buying and selling in the place that was consecrated for the simple worship of God. He made a whip and drove them out, overturning their business tables, telling them they have changed the house of God into a den of thieves. The thieves are still with us and not only do they make merchandise of those who would believe the simple Gospel of Jesus, they try to steal the glory that belongs to the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth and make it their own glory. This was what this verse said was feared: that the simplicity that belongs to Jesus would be corrupted into something that is actually against the Word of the Lord.

We need a genuine revival that tears down the man-made barriers to Christ and brings back the simple message of saving faith and discipleship that is in Jesus. No lofty speeches, no dividing doctrines and no merchandising of the gospel but a child-like faith and a sincere desire to do what is right before God. Lives that are built on the rock of Jesus Christ, the sure foundation and family-led prayer and devotions that honor God, have a meaningful impact on people and our communities. We don’t need complex doctrines that have one purpose: to divide and control. We need the doctrines of mercy and grace, freely given of God to be freely received by people. If there is to be revival in this lukewarm age of Laodicea, may it be heaven sent to us, our families, our children and our grandchildren. Lord, we need You.

January 26, 2021

Psalm 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

This verse echoes Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled and it describes a heart that is following steadfast after the Lord: one that cannot be satisfied with anything else except to be in the presence of the Lord. The word hunger here means “famished” and the verse from Psalms, describes the thirst and longing of someone who is in a desert and dehydrated without water. In both places, it means to desire something so greatly that one pines for it. This hunger for the Lord is an expression of our need and love for Him and our utter dependence upon Him and is found in someone who knows Him personally and has experienced the preciousness of absolute intimacy with Him. Then, they are then drawn to His presence with a thirst and hunger that nothing else can satisfy: a desire for Him that drives them to seek Him with all their being.

Someone said religious people start thinking about religion sometime after breakfast when they start waking up but those who love the Lord open their eyes from sleeping and immediately seek Him. Notice the verse here: “thou art my God; early will I seek thee” and the word early means at dawning. What if Christians began reaching out to the Lord before their feet hit the floor in the mornings? What if they began seeking Him before they gave one thought to the rest of their day? They would open their eyes and declare, “O God, You are my God and I hunger and thirst for You” and from there, He is the center of their life, their family and their day. They might even say, “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it”. This type hunger for God is not a common thing, even among Christians, and sadly, is not being taught by many churches even though it brings the promise that those who do it, shall be filled.

Not many children being raised today, ever experience their mom and dad hungering and thirsting after God. Lost people see a lot of religion but not people who have such a hunger for the Lord that they are filled with the Holy Spirit and display the glory of God. People hunger and thirst for a lot of things but it’s never for things that satisfy. Over 2700 years ago, Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 55, everyone who was hungry and thirsty can come to the Lord and be satisfied. He asked, “why do you spend money on things that do not satisfy you?” You’d think we would have figured it out by now, but we’re still doing the same thing: looking for something to satisfy our hungry, thirsty souls everywhere but in the presence of the Lord. The Bible says we are always learning but we never come to the knowledge of the truth. 

We need a revival from the Lord that creates such a desire in us for God that we start early each day reaching out to Him and throughout the day we acknowledge Him in all our ways. When the day is over and we lie back down at night, we are as the psalmist in chapter 63 verses 5-6 saying “My soul will be comforted, as with good food; and my mouth will give you praise with songs of joy; When the memory of you comes to me on my bed, and when I give thought to you in the night-time”: Hungry and thirsty all the time for God’s presence and power. The Lord is ready to fill us with the Holy Spirit and welcome us into His presence. He is our heavenly Father that is ready to satisfy us with more than blessings, more than religion and more than casual Christianity. Jesus said in St John 6:35 “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” 

January 25, 2021

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The evidence that we are followers of Jesus, that people can see as proof of our relationship with Him, is when we love each other. Not how holy we live because the Pharisees lived morally excellent lives, not how religious we are because religion is tainted by man’s design and opinions, not how much church activities we are engaged in because even churches that deny the deity of Christ seem always busy about something. It is rather that we demonstrate God’s love in a real, observable and obvious way. There’s always a lot of talk about love from a lot of points of view and sometimes it seems the voice of the church gets drowned by all the competing definitions of what love is or isn’t. But the true love that comes from God and is demonstrated through Jesus Christ, is the backbone of the gospel and if there’s confusion, it’s up to us to show which love is really of the Lord.  

One point is, we have to define just what message of love we’re talking about. When the hippies roamed the earth, their movement was about love and even though some of them tried to equate it with God’s love, it was rooted in an anti-war sentiment that grew out of the Viet Nam conflict. Their “love” meant we don’t want to fight anymore. It was also a rebellion against those they felt represented traditional points of view of what’s right and wrong and they believed the old ways were holding back the dawning of a new, peaceful age. It was not love founded on God’s mercy through Jesus Christ and as a movement morphed into other ideologies and factions. 

In a similar fashion, the social movement of community resource assistance and personal rescue carries a message of love but it’s based on meeting people’s needs only and ignores the message of forgiveness concerning their lost state before a Holy God. This “gospel” creates an urgent sense of need to work hard and solve other people’s immediate situations. This is certainly not saying these efforts are wasted and needless, quite the contrary. Our world needs them and more like them because people are hungry and families are in trouble and one flaw of churches is that they have had too little social outreach to their community. But a note here is that the true Gospel of Christ also addresses the social issues but does it from a Jesus-centered view that teaches when people seek the Lord first in their life, He then sets their life in order and their needs are met by Him. The church’s help then is a bridge for the needy to get them to a place of faith in Jesus.

Then there’s the “introspective movement” which focuses on making us feel better about ourselves and proposes to help us fix our anxieties and poor self-image. It floods us with the one-sided message of love from a self-centered, self-help point of view. In these “gospels” God is just a helper who helps us feel better about our self and then turn our attention to helping others which also makes us feel better about ourselves, still a self-centered motive. This is the motivational message that’s no different from any of the hundreds of motivational teachers that are common in the business world. It’s a message of love, but primarily the bottom line is “love thyself”.

The love that Jesus puts in us comes from an understanding of God’s love to us and is rooted in the eternal plan of God to save lost sinners through His amazing grace. When that’s accomplished in our lives, we are transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit and the Lord Himself fills us with heavenly love that has no comparison on this earth. This love is not self-centered but Christ centered and it definitely should be what’s being proclaimed by churches and Christian people throughout the world because it’s the only hope for the lost. Sure, there should be a warning of the wages of sin but the overriding theme must always be that of Romans 2:4 “…that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance”.  When this love is carried out in the life of a Christian, it’s evident that it’s something this world can’t offer because it’s accompanied with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. People can see it’s real, lasting and evident in all areas of the believer’s life and not just words and slogans. 

This is love that forgives enemies, holds no grudges, is respectful and kind, seeks no revenge, its patient, not self-centered, produces no evil, is not happy when injustice is done, is not rude or arrogant and not easily angered. No wonder it’s a testimony of proof that such a person is a follower of Jesus Christ! This love is what Jesus came to die for and produce in us: the law couldn’t do it, human ability can’t do it, science and technology can’t produce it and it never comes to an end. This is the new commandment Jesus said He gave, that we should love one another. It is summed in 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

January 24, 2021

Exodus 13:18 “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea:”

When we think of wilderness, maybe the first thing that comes to our mind is the Wilderness at the Smokeys, the family water park in Sevierville Tennessee. But when the Bible says God led His people through the way of the wilderness when they came out of Egypt on their way to their destination, the land of Israel, it was talking about a barren, dry, uninhabitable place which was scorching hot during the day and very cold at night. No trees, no shade and no waterparks. There was no place to get food and no beautiful scenery to look at while passing the time. They had just left the land of Goshen in Egypt where there was grass, food, water and shelter and even though they were slaves there, it was at least a hospitable environment.

But God’s plan for His people was to provide for them while they journeyed through the wilderness. After all, the wilderness part of their hike was just intended to be a temporary experience that they had to go through until they reached their destination. But even though God shaded them during the day by sending a cloud to block the sun, provided a pillar of fire at night to warm them, rained down mana, bread from heaven, and gave fresh water that flowed from a rock, the people despised their situation and raised their voices in anger against God and Moses, wishing rather to be slaves in Egypt than to be in the wilderness situation.

Being in a time of a wilderness in our life is not what any of us would choose and it’s hard to keep our perspective when we are there. It’s uncomfortable, confusing, painful and we are quite miserable and usually it doesn’t take long before the grumbling and complaining begins. We forget God has a purpose for us being there and that it is not a permanent place. But the Lord is leading us through it because He is following His plan for our life to do us good and not evil. Before Jesus began His ministry, he went into the wilderness and fasted there 40 days and nights and then, in the wilderness, battled His enemy, satan. Then, the Lord emerged from the wilderness having defeated satan and began His powerful ministry. 

It usually takes people being uncomfortable before they are ready to move to the next place God has appointed for them and the wilderness is the perfect place for us to stop, disengage and start to earnestly seek the Lord. If we can see it by faith that the Lord, who always works things for our good, has led us through the wilderness because He’s going to take us to the next level in our Christian life, then we can learn to thank God for the trials of the wildernesses because they are working a work of grace in our life for God’s glory and our benefit. Instead of complaining about the wilderness we can say, “thank you Lord for leading me this way because I know You’re working for good in my life and You are keeping Your promise to never leave me, You will bless me and You will always cause me to triumph” (2 Cor 2:14) Wasn’t that His plan for the Israelites? To lead them through the wilderness while they got to know Him better and then deliver them safely into what He called the “land flowing with milk and honey”?  But instead of seeing and accepting it by faith, they rebelled against the Lord and that generation was not allowed to enter into their destiny. 

We can tell when we are in a wilderness section of our journey. Times are uncomfortable, things are unpleasant, we’re just uneasy and things aren’t working out like we want them. Other people seem against us, we seem to be in need, our outlook doesn’t look good and we wish we were either back in the past somewhere or fast-forwarded into the future, past this present time. It can be any type of problem, situation or combination of all the above but it’s a wilderness for sure. Then is the time to come before the Lord, thank Him for His presence and promises and seek His face and help. Draw close to Him because that’s part of the purpose of the wilderness: to stop entangling with the world and come clean before the Lord and refresh ourselves in Him. He is there in the wilderness, He is bringing us through it for a purpose and most importantly, it’s a temporary situation: God will work it for our good! 

January 23, 2021

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

There is so much to pray for and perhaps so little praying actually being done. We are quick to ask people to pray for us when we are in the need of prayer and there are many requests for prayer that come our way but the type prayer referenced here in James, is hard work and involves more than just a casual mention of the situation to the Lord. Notice the words “the effectual fervent prayer” which in my mind, gives me a picture of Jesus, bowing before His heavenly Father sometimes all night in prayer and setting an example for us that if there’s something worth praying for, it’s worth some effort on our part. 

 The words effectual and fervent are from the Greek word “energeo” where we get our word “energy” and mean to be active and efficient. Perhaps there has been a weakening of the meaning of this phrase in some translations which, for some reason, have rearranged the words until it simply says prayer has great power. Maybe this is why many prayers do not get answered as powerfully as they could, because we are just not putting the “energeo” into our praying. The power of the prayer here is NOT in the prayer itself, but in the effectual fervency of the prayer who assails heaven with the request and refuses to stop. 

In St Luke 18, there is a parable concerning a woman who wanted justice done in a matter. She went to a judge and requested action but he would not listen to her but she wouldn’t stop coming with her request until he finally gave her what she wanted. This parable was given by Jesus to teach us the principle of perseverance in prayer and it means, keep praying and if there’s no answer, keep praying and if there’s still no answer keep praying and don’t stop until the answer comes. This was the testimony of great men and women of prayer like George Muller and John Hyde who saw miracle after miracle in their work for the Lord: they prayed and prayed and prayed until heaven would open to them and great wonders were accomplished. 

This is not meant to make us feel guilty about our prayerlessness, but rather for us to see the great possibilities of prayer and believe that when we are earnest in our desires to the Lord, we begin to discover His love and passion towards the very things that burden us. God never takes just a casual interest in the lives of His children, even the hairs of our heads are numbered and He knows the very intents of our hearts. Effectual fervent prayer is not us demanding something from God that He is uninterested in, but it’s the opening of a line of communication with the Lord of heaven and earth that connects us to Him in a bond that is beyond human reason. Even in this prayer, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us and we are given the opportunity to enter into the very presence of the Lord. Not only are we joining our requests to the heart of God, we are being blessed by His invitation to us to spend time with Him as father and child.

In Matthew 7:7, the Lord says “ask and it shall be given you” and the word ask here means “ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require” and implies to ask and ask and ask. God wants us in His presence and He wants us to be passionate about our requests. As we pray, there’s a lot happening: our heart is sifted and searched by the Holy Spirit concerning our motives and desires, our will is being conformed to His will, decisions are made within us as to what we are actually asking of the Lord, patience and trust are being formed and strengthened, selfishness is being replaced by humility and faith, the world’s influence is being burned away and the Father-child relationship is made stronger. God could just read our mind and grant our prayers before we ever pray them but that’s not His way. He desires a real one-on-one relationship with us and time spent with Him in prayer is part of the way that relationship is built. It’s no wonder the enemy fights so hard to keep us from praying because he knows the effectual fervent prayer of God’s people is a miracle in the making.

January 22, 2021

Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

How do you view yourself as a Christian? Are you strong, full of faith, courageous, rock-solid, dependable and unashamed? Or are you barely getting by, weak, doubting, inconsistent and cowardly concerning the things of God? Years ago, the church I attended had a weekly prayer meeting on Thursday nights and the custom was that attendees would give person testimony one after another during the service. I don’t remember people giving voice to victories in their life and good things God was doing. Instead, common phrases were things like, “the devil has been riding me all week”, “pray for me, I’m so discouraged”, “I’ve been in a battle this week and it’s about to get the best of me”. After a couple hours of that kind of witness, it sounded like the average Christian life was a wasteland of devil fighting, down-and-out, problem centered and never-ending ruckuses one after another. Whatever happened to Romans 8:37?

The Bible doesn’t just declare we are conquerors through Jesus, but MORE than conquerors. What’s even more than amazing, is the list of things in the verses that proceed the declaration: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine and so on. These are the things the Bible said we overcome with a great victory.  Not just things like, a co-worker made fun of me, even though a lot of times that’s the type problems we actually face: not being threatened to be fed to lions or burned at the stake for our faith and yet we can’t seem to turn the corner on it and emerge more than a conqueror. Wonder how we would fare here in America if we were actually persecuted, in famine, imprisoned for our faith and threatened with our lives? Would we hold fast to our confession of faith and not waver?

It’s time to stop seeing ourselves as weak, powerless and unable to live a victorious Christian life. We are equipped by the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the providence of the Creator of heaven and earth and His provisions, to live a life that’s strong in faith, unwavering in our courage, confident in our standing with God and firmly rooted in the truth that we are indeed more than conquerors. What the enemy fears more than a child of God, is a child of God that KNOWS he’s a child of God and is fully knowledgeable of his weapons of warfare for the Glory of God. A child of God that declares the truth, stands firm on God’s promises and never backs down to the likes of this world, the enemy or the devices of the flesh. Trouble may come, floods may rise, winds may hammer but in all these things the believer in Jesus emerges more than a conqueror. 

Here are some facts that tell us what we actually are: we are saved to the uttermost (Heb 7:25), predestinated for glory (Rom 8:30), indwelt by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 1:14), guarded by an angel (Ps 34:7), a joint-heir with Jesus (Rom 8:17), hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3), seated in heavenly places (Eph 2:6) and citizens of heaven (Eph 2:19). This world doesn’t own us, it can’t control us and we will not bow to its demands. We are free in Jesus, John 8:38 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”. It may be a frame of mind that influences Christians to think of themselves as less than God declares them to be. Or perhaps it was misunderstanding the teaching they should be meek and humble and they equate humility with weakness, but in any case, God’s will for us is to be more than conquerors, victorious and full of courage and faith. More than ever, right now with the pressure mounting to concede our faith to the frivolous demands of a corrupt and decaying culture, pray that Christians everywhere would stand strong as victors and give God the glory: more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

January 21, 2021

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

If you ask someone today if they are a “person of faith”, they will almost always say, “yes” even if they don’t believe in God. That’s because it has become acceptable to classify ourselves as believers even if we just believe in ourself. All religious people of every form of religion are called “people of faith” along with astrologers, cultists, motivational enthusiasts and nature aficionados.  A similar term that has been broadened to the point that it is now simply nonsense, is “spiritual”, which can mean anything to anyone. Not too long ago, especially here in the south, the meanings of “people of faith” and “spiritual” were understood by most people to refer to Christians. People like little Jessie Peters who fasted and prayed for weeks until the Lord sent the great revival in 1952 to Pleasant View Baptist church and hundreds of people were saved, were called “spiritual” and Christians were the “people of faith”.

Some say that to be a person of faith, you just have to believe in God. The Bible addresses this in James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble”. So, with that, the belief in God as the only requirement to be a person of faith, puts them on the same level as the devil who also believes in God and by their definition, could be called a “person of faith”. This is not what Romans 5:1 is talking about. The faith declared here, is the faith defined in Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Faith that saves us is faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God: Nothing more, nothing less.

If you say, “I am a person of faith”, then where is your faith? Believing in God is not enough to save you. Jesus said in St John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me”. Jesus told Nicodemus, a man who was a leader of the Jews and believed in God, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Saving faith, is faith in Jesus and His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead three days later. This is how God justifies us, the word “justified” means to make innocent, righteous. Even though a few other daily devotions have addressed this, it is still a matter that many people do not understand and continue to think that they will be fine by just believing in God.  If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for your sin, was buried and three days later arose from the dead, and if you will confess that with your mouth, God will forgive your sin and you will become a born again Christian: a true person of faith.

Our faith in Jesus, the Savior, satisfies God in the matter of our sin and our eternal destination: heaven. The marvelous thing about it is that God made it so simple anyone can do it and He made it entirely free so anyone can receive it. When we receive Jesus as our Savior, then we become spiritual because the Holy Spirit of God moves into our body and we become a new creation. These terms define who we are and it’s no wonder the enemy of God has tried to make them meaningless in our world to distract us from the truth of the matter. There is confusion in the minds of many people who will completely ignore the Word of God concerning Jesus as the door to heaven and instead, place their trust in the lies of this world and it’s corrupt and vile beliefs. In closing, let’s listen to the Words of Jesus as recorded in St John 14:6, “Jesus saith to him, I am the way the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

January 20, 2021

Colossians 2:10 “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”

The word “complete” here, means covered over, leveled up, crammed full, finished and satisfied. It refers to the truth of our position before God when we believe on Jesus as the Son of God and accept Him as our Savior. It means God is then fully satisfied with us and we appear in His eyes, completely covered with the righteousness of Jesus. I wish someone had taught me this early in my Christian life. I believe it would have given me confidence in my sonship that took me years to see and believe.

The churches I grew up in were not exactly Christ centered. They taught Jesus is the Son of God but primarily, they were sin-centered in that they mostly preached loud and long against sin: continually.  I remember even as a child, staying constantly worried, believing God was always angry with me because there must be some sin in my life even though I couldn’t always put my finger on exactly what it was. I knew I had asked Jesus into my heart but I never heard that I was complete, covered over, leveled up and that God was fully satisfied. I had no relationship with the Lord because I was convinced I was unacceptable and  a sinner. Then, in my teenage years, when the frustrations of adolescence hit, I threw up my hands and gave up. By then, I was sure I had gone too far and God was so angry and disappointed in me there was no use trying to live as a Christian. I dropped out of church, turned away from the things of God and looked elsewhere for satisfaction.

It was later, in my adult life, I heard the message of the truth of God’s grace and the method by which God allowed Jesus not only to carry my sin, but also how God covered me with the attributes of Jesus and that made me “accepted in the beloved”. God’s anger was turned away from me and instead, was upon Christ on the cross. You can’t imagine how this changed me. For the first time in my life, even though I had grown up in church, I knew God truly loved me, called me His own, was fully satisfied with me and I was eternally welcome in His presence. It also made me come to love Jesus with all my heart because I knew Jesus had paid it all and I didn’t have to feel guilty about sin which had been washed eternally away by the blood of Jesus.  My relationship with the Lord became Christ centered and not sin or performance centered.

An understanding of Colossians 2:10, is an understanding of who Jesus is and who we are. For a long time, the enemy, my own mind and a lot of other voices from early in my life had told me I’m just a no-good sinner, a failure, there’s no reason to try because I can never measure up to what God demands, I may as well give in and give up because I’ll never be good enough and I’d made too many mistakes to ever be really “right with God” and for a long time I believed this stuff. I found out later I wasn’t the only person that had been beat down by these same lies, there are lots of people who had been taught the same thing.

Jesus came to set us free from the penalty and power of sin and to make us a new creation. In Christ, God doesn’t see us as the “old man” we were before salvation, that person is gone forever. He sees us as His child, fully righteous and justified (as though we had never sinned). Now we have the mind of Christ, a home in the Father’s house, a purpose for our life, a secure future with God forever and the promise that while we are here on the earth, God will never leave us and will always supply our needs. We are complete in him

January 19, 2021

Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

This verse is part of the passage that explains the Biblical law of sowing and reaping: whatever we sow, we will reap and it gets summed up in verse 9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Just based on this principle alone, we should do what’s right in every situation and never even consider any other course because deeds are seeds and when we chose to do what it right in every situation, we can expect a harvest of good from what we’ve sown. Likewise, when we compromise what’s right in our response in any way, sowing by the nature and will of what the Bible calls our “flesh”, we can expect to reap “corruption”, the Greek word there meaning “ruin, decay, waste and defilement”, a picture of what we DON’T want in our life. 

This law is God’s rule and He uses it to reward us when we simply do good and right. When we hear it, believe it and then act on it in faith by doing what is right in God’s eyes, we have done what pleases our Heavenly Father. On the other hand, the opposite is true: when we hear it, ignore its truth and take action based on selfishness, revenge, human reasoning and the such, it goes against the will of God and He allows us to reap the negative results. The world has tried to steal this Bible principle and rename it “karma” but it IS a Bible principle and all its promises and warnings are embedded in the Word of the Lord: God said it so it is eternally true. It explains a lot of the circumstances that happen to us and we sometimes forget that our deeds, for good or bad, have caused us to be in either the predicament we’re in, or getting the blessing we’ve received. Again, the simple truth is, do good in everything and expect to receive blessings from the Lord.

Verse 10, speaks of when we have opportunity, then do good to everyone, especially fellow Christians. When we consider the opportunities that come to us to do good to others, it’s a sobering thought that a lot of times we clearly fail to do what is right. A few examples: we have the opportunity to refuse to condemn someone even when others are saying mean, hurtful things, the opportunity to offer kindness even when we don’t feel like it, the opportunity to help advance someone else even if it means we have to sacrifice, the opportunity to withhold judgment and let the Lord be the Judge and the opportunity to use our God-given resources and time to come to the aid of someone in need. Opportunities are often a test of our character and integrity. Other times they are just part of the flow of everyday life and we come across the path of someone we can show the love of God in a moment of opportunity.

We can say we have God’s love but when we show it, it’s the action that gives confirmation of our words. The book of James says, if we say we have faith but don’t back it with deeds, our faith is useless. When we have opportunity to do good and follow through by doing it, it demonstrates the love of God by bringing unity to the body of Christ and is a witness for the name of the Lord to an unbelieving world. It also plants a seed for the doer that will result in a harvest of blessing.  Let’s pray that when opportunity to do good comes to us, no matter if it’s for a friend, a stranger or an enemy, that we see it as what it is: an opportunity to obey the will of the Lord by doing good and then do it.

January 18, 2021

Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

 If we believe our nation has walked away from the foundation of God’s truth and as a result, we’re seeing chastisement from the Lord, then let’s look at the desire of Hosea and his message to the nation of Israel during a time when they too had departed from their God. When Hosea began his ministry, Israel was in a time of economic and political prosperity but they were walking away from God and turning to idolatry and beginning to see the results of their apostasy. The warning Hosea gave, was that they would have to face the consequences of their rebellion from God and this meant they would suffer. It was a warning of impending doom but with it, came the message of hope that if they would only stop, repent and turn back to the Lord, He would forgive them and bless them. The situation can be seen on a national level but it actually has it’s roots in the personal lives of every one of us.

Some people have already thrown up their hands as if our dilemma has reached the point of no return and that it’s just a matter of time until God pulls the rug out from under us and we fall flat. But we are called to believe that as long as there is breath in the body, there’s hope for the soul. There is tender mercy in the Lord and although He reserves the day of judgment unto Himself, He is ready to forgive and restore when people turn to Him. Shouldn’t we be encouraging everyone we know that today is the day of salvation and now, right now, is the perfect time to call on the Lord? Shouldn’t we be telling those who are standing far off from the Lord to return and He will bless them, heal them and restore them? The Hope of the nation rests on the hope of it’s people. The principle in God’s Word that shows individual restoration to the Lord is linked to a national, healing revival is seen in  2 Chronicles 7:14  “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Have there not been many times in all our lives when we found ourselves far from God, cold and indifferent to the work of the Holy Spirit and needing revival? Didn’t we return to the Lord and find Him full of kindness, mercy and grace? That’s who we are and that’s who He is. America has experienced cycles of departure and revival in the past: spiritual coldness was followed by awakening and then churches caught the fire from heaven, people were saved, lives changed and blessings flowed. The enemy will say, “give up, there’s no hope, you’ve gone too far, wait until later, you’ve messed up so badly God won’t hear and on and on. But the Lord is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He is always full of compassion in fact, the Word of God says in Psalm 145:8 “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. He is ready, able and willing to save and restore.

Why not right now if you’re reading this and you’ve never asked Jesus to be your Savior? Will you turn your heart to the Lord and say, “Lord, forgive me, I want you in my heart and life. Forgive me for my sin and make me your child. I pray this in Jesus; name.”  

Or, if you know the Lord but you are away from Him and know you need to return to the ways of God, say “Lord, I know I belong to you but I need to be closer. Forgive me for not living as I should and fill me with the Holy Spirit and restore me to Your fellowship. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

January 17, 2021

1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”

The scripture here doesn’t say that people everywhere should pray, but that people should pray everywhere. That’s in the house, in the car, on the job, in the store, at the little league game, in the doctor’s office: everywhere. This is part of the pattern that relates to 1 Thessalonians 5:17, to “Pray without ceasing”, because it’s easy for most of us to forget to pray. For the past couple of mobile phone powered decades, we now talk and text constantly with everyone, except the Lord. Our rambling conversations, usually about nothing, occupy major blocks of our time and yet, there is the Lord of glory, who has all power in heaven and earth, and we don’t even think to talk to Him unless we’re in a big drama or serious situation. THEN we remember Jesus’ name. The irony is that we need Him, He is able to help us, He always listens, always understands and is ready to work on our behalf. Daniel took care of the when-to-pray situation when he purposed his pattern of prayer: three times a day, on his knees, giving thanks (Daniel 6:10). We need consistent, purposeful prayer. 

There are prayers we pray in the moment, like “lord help me find a parking place”, or we offer thanks for the food we eat. But prayer patterns in our life should involve much more than times like these.  For instance, we should teach our children bedtime prayers and make it a family custom. For me, when I was a young boy, it was right after our family bedtime prayer one evening when I told my dad I would like to be saved. We knelt again at the living room sofa and I asked Jesus to save me. To this day, I remember well that evening and am so thankful my parents set the example of prayer for me. I can also remember the voice of my dad as he prayed, drifting down the hallway from the room where he went to pray and he was calling out the names of all his family to the Almighty God of heaven, asking Him to bless us and keep us safe. When I was a teenager, I woke up many times in the middle of the night with my mother kneeling at the foot of my bed, praying for me because she knew I was far from God and needed to return to my Heavenly Father like the prodigal son. We should pray everywhere.

This verse also says, without anger and doubting. The word “doubting” here is from a Greek word, dialogismos meaning “to dispute, debate, of doubtful imagination. Our hearts need to be free of anger, quarrels with others and the strife of human reasoning. We’re talking to our Father and He knows our needs, the state of our hearts and our situations before we even start to pray. He confronted the Jews in Isaiah 58:4, telling them that when they were fasting and praying, they were doing it for selfish reasons, asking God to help them defeat their enemy or to win their conflicts. God says they were using their prayers and fasting as a “fist of wickedness”.   As we form this pattern of prayer to pray everywhere, let’s lay aside anger and stubbornness, disputes and arguments, human reason and any attempts to force God’s hand to come to our selfish aid. Our purpose is to offer ourselves, our words and our hearts to the Lord of glory. Let’s lay down patterns of prayer that we weave throughout our daily routines, activities, situations and circumstances.  We pray verbally and silently, with our eyes closed and our eyes open, on our knees and standing, without anger or conflict and unashamed no matter who is or is not watching or listening. Anywhere and everywhere.

January 16, 2021

Psalms 126:3 “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”

 This is one of those scriptures we need to memorize. Then, no matter what the situation or circumstance, pull it out of the memory bank and say it loud and with assurance inserting “me” for “us”’ The LORD has done great things for ME and so I’m glad. It’s strange how we can get so focused on the negative aspects of everything in life, we lose sight of the truth that God has been good to us.  Sometimes I need to stop, take a deep breath, and say it slowly “God…has been good…to me.”  Every day, the world tries to brainwash us into thinking we’re victims, that things are out of control, that the future looks dark and that we’re powerless against all life’s harmful forces. But for followers of Jesus, the truth is that God is for us, He is with us, we are blessed, all our needs are provided and we need to shut out the lies of the world and declare, “the LORD has done great things for me and I am glad”!

When my grandmother was born in 1896, Grover Cleveland was president and she lived to see 19 different presidents when she died in 1999. If you were to ask her today, which presidents do you credit with taking best care of you for your life of 103 years, she’d tell you “it was no president that took care of me, GOD has been good to me”.  This should be the shouting testimony of all believers who know the source of their life, their sustenance, their victory, their hope, their strength and their secure future: God has been, is, and will be forever, GOOD to me. God can and does use people in our lives in various capacities but He is the one from which all blessings flow.

Psalm 103:2-5 says” Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Can you read this and say, “The LORD has been good to me”?  Luck and good fortune didn’t bring us our blessings. Our own intelligence and hard work didn’t bring favor. All that we have, are and ever hope to be, we owe the praise to Him who provides for us as a loving heavenly father. Verse 13 of this chapter says, “Like as a father pitieth (has compassion on) his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.”

Has the Lord been good to you? Let’s live each day with that reference point from the time we get up until the time we fall asleep and refuse to allow this world to dilute our faith and testimony. God’s ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8) but the Lord is good, and His mercy is forever (1 Chron 16:34, 2 Chron 5:13, 2 Chron 7:3, Ezra 3:11, Ps 100:5, 106:1, 107:1, 109:21, 118:1, 118:29, 136:1, Jer 33:11) The Bible declares His goodness over and over so let’s say it again, ” The LORD has been good to me”!

January 15, 2021

St Luke 15:4-7 “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke, chapter 15, is filled with parables about things which were lost and then found. In this instance, it’s about a fellow that loses a sheep and although he still has 99, he goes after the lost one and searches until he finds it and brings it home. Then there’s a great celebration because the lost sheep is found and is home safe. It’s picture of the heart of Jesus, the good shepherd, whose desire is the redemption and safety of lost humanity and it shows the love he has for us. The Lord is not like us, He goes after all the lost ones even those that may not seem worthy of saving. Consider the words of Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  God didn’t set some rules that if and when we decided to do better and got our act together, then He would come after us, but quite the opposite: while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us. 

There have been times this has bothered some people a bit. They don’t have a problem with God going after some people, forgiving and bringing them into His family. But there are some, perhaps because of the nature of their sin or the depth of their depravity and its sheer ugliness or impact on others, it is bothersome to see them forgiven. Justified, as though they’d never sinned and given a place with God’s family, eternally in heavens. They will stand head and shoulders with those whose transgressions don’t seem nearly on the same low level. 

This was the case with the prophet Jonah. When God sent him to Nineveh to warn them of coming judgment, Jonah ran away because he knew there was a chance the people of Nineveh would repent and God, in His love and mercy, would forgive them. Jonah didn’t want that. He despised Nineveh and wanted God to destroy the whole city because he felt their sin was so great it shouldn’t be forgiven. But circle back to the parable of the man with the lost sheep, God takes no pleasure in the death of unbelievers but wants to show mercy and forgiveness. 

How about us? When we see people, who are not in the place of safety, are we willing to go after them? A phone call, a text message or some other personal contact to let them know they are loved, they are wanted in God’s family and they are welcome there?  Imagine how it would be if you were far from God and His family and you were hurt, wounded and afraid. Perhaps thinking no one cared for your safety or your soul. There have been cases where Christians, showing no compassion, have further injured people who were down and defeated, with a cold and uncaring response. The missing sheep is a sheep just like us and we were once where he is and but by the grace of God, would be there right now. Let’s go after the lost sheep and tell them they are loved, wanted and welcome.

January 14, 2021

1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

When it comes to where I’m going to spend eternity, I want to be sure I’m going to heaven. I don’t want to hope I’m saved, guess I’m saved, procrastinate the issue or leave it to chance. No, of all the things that I need to be certain of, my eternal destination is the one thing about which, I want absolutely certainty. It’s always seemed weird that people will not give eternity some thought. It’s as if they’re afraid to think about it or deep inside, they’re not convinced there is a heaven and hell and if they’ll just put it out of their minds, it will go away. In Acts 24:25, a leader named Felix was at a crossroad of making a decision concerning his soul and he decided to put it off by telling Paul, “go your way and when I have a more convenient time, I’ll send for you.” What? Was lunch or his next appointment more important than his eternal soul?  People will make sure they take their medication on time, keep their hair appointments, pay their bills by the due date and be faithful to their job for forty years but when It comes to their assurance of salvation, well, they just don’t bother getting down to business.

God wants us to be sure. Read that beginning verse again 1 John 5:13, He wants us to KNOW we have eternal life and that we are believing on the name of Jesus. That’s the sum of our whole existence on this planet: not to become filthy rich, or build a house, or win a sports trophy or two, or leave behind some legacy that will be forgotten soon after you die. Because we WILL leave EVERYTHING behind.  No, we are here to prepare ourselves for where we go when this life ends and Jesus came to secure that future for us. He said in St John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” This is an amplification of what He told Nicodemus in St John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 

How secure is our eternal life when we believe on Jesus as Savior? Consider the first world. When God decided to destroy it because of sin, he told Noah to build an ark and anyone who entered the ark, when the flood of judgment came, would be safe. The only people who chose to believe God, was Noah and his family. The security of Noah and his family was not in seaworthiness of the ark, but in the promise of the Almighty God who gave them His Word. Noah may have been the worst boat builder in history and the ark may have been an unsightly mess of crooked wood and tar covered, lopsided construction, we don’t know. But because God gave His promise to save them alive in the ark, the ark was flood-proof and unsinkable and everyone inside the ark were drown-proof because when God says “I’ll save you”, He will save you. When we put our trust in God’s promise that anyone who believes on Jesus as Savior will be saved, we have the assurance that we will be with Jesus for eternity. Our destiny is sealed.

January 13, 2021

St 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.”

This chapter, St John 14,  begins with the words, “Let not your heart be troubled” and sometimes that’s easy to do. Your health is good, you’ve got income, there’s some money in the bank, no one is threatening your life, you don’t have a quarrel with anyone, your family is doing good and you’re surrounded by people who admire and love you. When the preacher stands and says he’s going to preach on let not your heart be troubled, you might even take a nap during the sermon: it’s just not for you. But it doesn’t take much for the scenario to change and with it comes fear and anxiety. A bad doctor report, layoffs at the job, unexpected expenses, angry confrontation with a neighbor or coworker, problems in the home or someone close to you betrays you.   St John chapter 14 takes on a whole new light.

Jesus is called, the Prince of peace. That’s just one of His many titles and it’s a very important one because in this world we will have tribulations, St John 16:33. When the world gives peace it never lasts because after one war is finished, they just gear up for the next one. When a peace treaty is signed it’s just a little while until a new conflict begins. Humans are filled with anger, contempt, revenge, violence, pride, lust, envy, covetousness and they are not able to make and maintain peace. We can study the history of the world by studying wars alone. 

These past days, my wife and I have watched the upheaval, the deaths, the mayhem, the uncertainty and the anger that’s boiled over in our country. As if Covid 19 isn’t bad enough now we’ve got a mess that looks like is going to take a big miracle to mop and clean up, if it ever does get “normalized”. The mood is fearful, uncertain and foreboding, reminding us of the warning in the Bible that in the last days “perilous times will come” 2 Timothy 3:1. Yet our Lord, just before He faced the suffering of the cross, talked about peace and not being afraid. He knew the disciples were about to go through a period of time that would frighten, confuse and discourage them so He planted the seed of hope in these words and gave the promise that His Word would keep them. And it did!  No doubt they didn’t like the times of trouble but they came out on the other side with victory.

Can Jesus give peace in times like these? Absolutely yes, yes and yes. He can, He does and He will. Several of the daily devotions have carried this theme because it’s not only relevant, the encouragement is needed day by day. We see the mess, we pray, trust the Lord and get some relief then the next round of craziness from the world begins.  We need the message of peace that there’s a God on heaven’s throne, same God that’s always been there and always will be and He sees the current state of affairs. It didn’t catch Him by surprise, He knows our need and as Psalm 56:3 says “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee”. What will He do for us? Well, he will either take us through or He will take us out but one thing is for sure, He will never fail us.

January 12, 2021

Psalm 100 “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

In these stressful, uncertain times, let’s turn away from the chatter of this world and dig deep into the truth of God’s Word and remember who He is and what He has promised. After all, Jesus declared in Mark 13:31 “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Think of that: when all our focus is on the things of this world which our Lord has said will pass away, isn’t that the wrong perspective? 2 Corinthians 4:18 says it like this, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” If we watch the news and try to put our finger on the pulse of the world’s heartbeat and make sense of what’s happening without the foundation of the absolute truth of God’s Word, it’s enough to make us think all hope is being taken away. In reality, all that we’re seeing, that’s bringing us despair and confusion ,are things that are temporary. We need the eternal view. That’s what a view of the Lord brings and it fills us with hope.

 Jesus is still King of Heaven and earth and His Word is eternally true. Kings, presidents, rulers, politicians and news people will come and go but the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. Psalms 90:2 “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Nations, governments, cultures and societies have risen and fallen over and over and He was God, still is God and will be God forever.  It’s far better to be on our knees drawing closer to the One who has the future in His hands, than wringing our hands in fear or tormenting ourselves in anger over circumstances we can’t control. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is our shelter, our refuge, our rock, our peace, our joy, our hope, our security, our future and our resting place.

 Psalm 100 declares the Lord worthy of praise and honor for He alone has created us and we are His. It says to make joyful noises, be glad, be thankful, praise God and sing.  It says the Lord is good and that’s truth we need to hear and repeat. We’re sure not hearing that on the news and there’s more good news: no social media platform can shut God down. His Word is alive and eternal, He’s always listening to us, He’s never too busy to spend time with us, we are the apple of His eye, He is for us, not against us, He understands our situation and nothing will separate us from His love.   

That’s not to say the circumstances and times we are in should be taken lightly or laughed away but to simply say that we belong to Jesus and His promises to us are never altered by the political climate, the rights or wrongs of the world around us, the opinions of the culture or the blaring voices of those who happen to own the soapbox. Let’s turn off the TV for a while, pick up the Bible, immerse ourselves in it and God’s Word will light our path, lift our load, correct our perspective and give our soul confidence and peace. We might even memorize a few passages like this short Psalm 100 with its five little verses that are packed with power.

January 11, 2021

James 1:19 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”

Would the people who know you describe you as a talker or a listener?  Would they say you have a quick temper or that you are a peacemaker? When I started thinking about this verse in James, I wondered how many times in my life things would have been better for me and others around me if I’d just kept my big mouth shut in certain situations instead of voicing my opinion. Then it came to my mind how many times in scripture God said to “hear the word of the Lord” and I wondered how much different things would go for all of us if we’d just be quiet and go to God’s Word and let the Lord direct our decisions, our thoughts and our dealings with others. In the same book of James, chapter 3, there’s the discourse that declares the tongue is set on fire from hell. We are truly a mess.

We need the Holy Spirits’ aid to become people who are slow to speak and quick to listen. We need to hear what God is speaking to us. He will bring His word to our mind and heart to direct us and help us. But often we’re too busy to listen and we’re talking over the top of God’s voice. The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path Psalm 119:105. The Word of God is truth, power, strength and wisdom and when we hear it we make wise choices, we have understanding of God’s will and we can walk in the blessings and favor of the Lord, directed by His infallible Word. Hebrews 2:1 says, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”

It’s not only important that we listen carefully for God’s voice, we should listen to others. They’re often sick, hurting, confused, alone and discouraged and God wants us to listen because we can help them. Sometimes listening to them is all they need, other times, they let us know how we can minister to their needs. Sometimes, they must be brought to Jesus for help and we know the way. We learn how to help by listening. Have you ever tried to talk to someone who just wouldn’t listen or they’re talking so much, usually about themselves, they won’t give you a chance to speak? I don’t want to be that kind of person. 

Slow to speak means we consider our words before we blurt them out. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” The phrase “fitly spoken” means at the right time or appropriate to the situation. The apples of gold part means they’re a work of art. These skills can be learned by any believer and God will give us the wisdom if we ask Him. May the Lord deliver us from the habit of speech that is vulgar, angry, negative, abrasive, slanderous, gossipy, self-centered, too much, too loud and unwelcomed. Let’s pray He will replace it with words that edify, strengthen, heal, honor, encourage and bless the other person. It would be amazing when people see us coming, they know that, by our conversation, we’re going to help them and be a blessing.

Slow to anger should be the caption under our picture. Uncontrolled anger destroys the person it’s in and they situation where it’s employed. Because of it, spouses get abused, children get wounded, neighbors go to war, people lose their jobs, families suffer, love is lost, blood pressure rises, churches are divided, people become idiots, lives are destroyed and sometimes people die. It fuels everything from riots to road rage and everything in between. God, our Father, is slow to anger. Psalms 145:8 “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

January 10, 2021

Acts 4:33 “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”

Grace is the cornerstone of God’s goodness to us and our access to Him. The picture of mankind apart from God’s grace, viewed through the lens of God’s holiness, is horrific and hopeless. Our depravity struck us down, separated us completely from God and demanded our eternal death. Then, to add to our putrid condition and demise, there is truly nothing we can do about it. All our efforts to either cover our disgusting plight or remedy it, are useless. Hear the words of Isaiah 64:6” But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away”. Apart from God’s grace, our past, imputed from Adam’s fall, our present condition of lawlessness and our future of judgement and death leave us helpless and forever doomed. Thank God for His amazing grace.

Grace is the good news that God loves us, wants to forgive us and gave Jesus to set His plan into motion. Grace means we don’t get what we deserve and in truth, we get far more than we could imagine. Sin is no match for God’s grace, described in Romans 5:20-21 as “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord”. Did you get that? Grace reigns! The righteousness spoken of here, the vehicle of  grace, is not our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Jesus which is imputed to us when we are saved. 

There is grace, Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith;”, there is more grace, James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace.” and there is great grace, Acts 4:33 “and great grace was upon them all”. We always need and have grace, and more grace and sometimes we need the “great grace”. I have the perception that as believers, for the journey ahead of us until the appearing of our Lord, we are going to need great grace and as we need it, God will supply it.  

The grace of God’s presence in times when the darkness seems to be closing in is described in Psalms 139:8 “if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” The words of 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 are a great comfort of grace, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”  We are covered in God’s mercy, sealed with the Holy Spirit and have been predestinated for glory. The great grace of Jesus is upon us!

January 9, 2021

Matthew 14:28-30 “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”

There are really only two points of view for everything: either we look at Jesus or we look at everything else. When Peter looked from the boat across the water, he saw Jesus and wanted to walk on the water just like Him. Jesus said, “come”, and Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, looking at Jesus. Then, he became distracted by the wind and saw the natural instead of the supernatural Savior and began to sink. Peter prayed a three-word prayer, “Lord, save me” and Jesus caught him and he was rescued. Maybe some people find fault with Peter for his lack of faith. I’ve always thought at least he was the only disciple with enough faith to step out of the boat onto the water.

Distractions pull us from every direction and sometimes when they’re so strong, so persistent and scary our faith seems powerless against them. Take Peter’s water walking example. If you’re talking about walking on water, is the strength of the wind really a factor? Isn’t it more about the impossibility of doing what natural laws say can’t be done? Even if it had been a bright, bright sunshiny day, people can’t just walk on the water. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, everything became a jumbled mess of unbelief and the force of the wind became more of a factor than the impossibility of walking on the water. Jesus wants to do what reason and our own unbelieving mind says can’t be done, not just take away our fear. He wants to show Himself strong for us in every area of our life and His specialty is doing above and beyond what we’re able to even imagine or ask. He is a friend faithful, true and always present with us.  

When our eyes are on Jesus, we know He is more than able to help us in every circumstance of life. As we focus on Him, the supernatural becomes our natural and we believe anything is possible. We know His story: it’s one of miracles, hope, salvation, healing, deliverance, blessing, peace, assurance, protection, grace, mercy, power, light, abundance and goodness. He never fails, He is the Eternal God and He is for us, not against us and is never indifferent to us.

But when our view turns to everything else, we see all the things that speak of failure, destruction, suffering, pain, disappointments, confusion, sorrow, heartache and all the other hurting, negative stuff life has to lay in your lap. We can choose to look either at the situations or lift our eyes to the One who can say, “Peace, be still” to the winds and waves. It doesn’t come naturally; we have to learn to look to Him. This is what He says in Matthew 11:29, “take my yoke upon you and learn of me…and you shall find rest for your soul”. Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith”.

One hymn says. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace”.

January 8, 2021

Acts 27:27 “But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;”

Acts 27 is the account of Apostle Paul and other men aboard a ship sailing from Caesarea to Rome. During the voyage their ship was in the middle of a terrible cyclonic storm and for 14 days they were driven by the fierce winds as verse 27 states. Finally, by a miracle, all the men in the ship made it ashore on the island of Malta. It’s an inspiring story that shows the grace of God and His power to protect in the worst of situations. 

It also shows that sometimes it’s bad decisions that get people into a mess to begin with. In the beginning, when the ship started to embark on its journey, Paul warned that there was going to be trouble if they left right then, but the owner of the ship and the shipmaster didn’t believe him. Their decision to ignore the man of God’s warning got them in trouble. Their storm story parallels the current story in our age of Laodicea and it speaks to both the state of the church and the culture.

As we said in a previous devotion and as many people are feeling in their spirits, seeing with their eyes and knowing in their souls, we are in quite a storm. It didn’t come on us quickly but it’s been brewing steadily for quite a while. We were warned about what would happen when we abandoned the old paths but we shut our eyes and plowed straight ahead. We’ve seen the wreck of our homes, the abandonment of Godly morals, blatant disregard for the Word of the Lord, disappearance of truth in the culture, the embracing of the things God loathes and the disintegration of the rule and structure that provided us with that awesome sense of peace and security we knew and that many of us can still remember. A lot of us have been praying for revival and hoping for the return of a nation that’s building for the future on the principles of truth handed to us from above: the foundation of the Rock. But still, like the ship and its passengers of Acts 27, we are being driven by a storm that shows no sign of stopping.

It was at midnight that the sailors realized they were getting closer to land, or as the Bible calls it, “some country”.  For a group of sailors and passengers, after 14 days of nightmare, that good news brought renewed hope and courage. May we shout as they did, “we’re getting near some country and we know what it is!” because the Holy Spirit within us is pointing past the storm to the lights of home! We see our hope and destination and it’s not salvation in social reform, better election systems, cure for covid or a better job market.  It’s the blessed hope of Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ:” 

For the owner of the ship and the sailors who were surely happy they made it to shore alive, there may have been some sadness when they saw their ship ripped to pieces and sink. It’s the same with us. It’s heartbreaking to see the demise of a nation and its institutions which were founded on the truth of God’s Word and promises. We cry to see our children abandoned to the world’s system and all the people that are bound in many types of addictions. It looks like the ship is going down, but we are nearing that country where our Savior is King of King and Lord of Lords. Although His return is laughed away and scoffed at by those who refuse to believe, The King is coming and we’re looking for Him. Hebrews 9:28, “…and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Revelation 22:20 “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

January 7, 2021

Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

It’s easy to love those who love us and to be good to friends who’re good to us. That’s the normal way we treat people and that’s pretty much the example that we see from the time we’re children on up. When people treat us bad, we want to hurt them or see them suffer. We might even say, “God’s gonna get ‘em for that” meaning since it’s probably against the law to do to them what we want to, we hope God really sticks it to them. The simple matter is, we want revenge. Some people plot and devise schemes of revenge in their minds and think about it over and over. Others carry it out in some way but the end result is the same, we want to see the offender paid back. They need to get what’s coming to them.

That’s why Bible verses like this one, hammers us hard. Jesus is teaching God’s will and we don’t like it. If we’re reading it at a time when no one has cursed us, hated us or persecuted and used us, we might wince a bit, but agree that’s the way it should be done by followers of Jesus. But catch us in a time when we’re in the middle of some of this stuff and we’re angry, hurting and our emotions in control, we sure don’t want our noses rubbed in THIS passage. It becomes for most people, one of the hardest things they have to do: cool off, meditate on God’s Word concerning the matter and then obey the will of the Lord.

Why is it so difficult to turn it loose and let the Lord work His grace for us? Maybe it’s our pride, temper, self-esteem, and just the overall thought that since they’ve hurt me, it will make me feel better to see them in pain.  It’s like watching old Walker Texas Ranger episodes. When Chuck Norris finally face kicks the bad guys twenty times and brings them down, it’s a good feeling to know justice finally got served. 

God’s will for us is to be good to those who are bad to us and leave it in the hands of the Lord to serve up justice. To clarify, I’ve never believed God wants us to remain in a situation where we’re being abused and His Word declares He will not allow us to be tested above what we’re able to bear but He will make a way for escape. But keep doing what’s right in every situation. It may seem like people are going to get by with their ways forever but God has given the promise. He will set your record straight because you are His child. Romans 12:19 “…for as it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Joseph was mistreated by his own brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and sent to prison. There may have been times when he thought, Lord I’ve believed in You and followed Your ways and all it’s ever brought me is the worst kind of grief. Then one day the Lord lifted him out of his troubles and made him lord over all of Egypt and he didn’t even fight or plot revenge to make it happen. In fact, when his brothers who had been so mean to him finally had to come to him and beg for food and for their lives, he didn’t use his place of power to get revenge on them. Instead, he loved them and had them and rest of his family, come live with him in Egypt. God’s ways are perfect.  (Ps 18:30)

January 6, 2021

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

 The God of all comfort. I overlooked this phrase for a long time. Even when I would read it, the words just didn’t hit me and like it is with a lot of scripture, unless we see it with our “spiritual eyes”, we breeze right over it and move on to the next sentence or paragraph. Then one day it caught my attention, the Holy Spirit stopped me there by making the words come alive. The Lord Himself is the One who brings us comfort in every situation when we need it. People wish us well, offer their condolences, try to cheer us up, make efforts to lessen our sorrow and tell us they’re praying for us. All that helps us and is a wonderful part of the fellowship and function of the body of Christ. But when the Lord reaches into our soul and brings peace, confidence, courage, strength, healing and amazing grace for our need, that’s when we find real comfort that goes beyond description. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

Trouble is always around and comes in all types and ways. Job said Job 3:26 “…yet trouble came.”  It could be sickness, pain, disappointments, tragedy, accidents, failures and a host of other stuff. It can be from our own making, caused by others or it can be just stuff that’s no one’s fault. The end result is the same: we need comfort. People who don’t know the God of all comfort try to find comfort their own way. They may look to alcohol or other substances or they may try any method they can to battle it out in their own minds. Yet nothing can comfort like the God of all comfort. The Bible says He comforts us in all our troubles and then we get to pass it on by using what He’s done for us to minister to others who are in trouble. 

Sometimes it doesn’t take a lot to offer this comfort. Some words spoken in love, a comforting gesture like a hug, a hand on a shoulder and an offer to pray right there on the spot. These are things that come from the heart and they carry meanings that bring healing and strength. Sometimes it takes more than this and requires we lay aside our plans and goals for a while to be what Jesus wants us to be in the life of another person. Job’s friends came to see him when he was in trouble and spent their time picking him apart and accusing him of things he didn’t do. Job called them “miserable comforters”, Job 16:2. Our calling is to be the opposite: we represent the One who brings hope, mercy, love and healing and we bring it with the confidence we are doing exactly what the Lord wants us to do. 

Take account of how the Lord has helped you in your times of trouble. Ask Him for wisdom and grace to learn from Him and His ways and then use this to come to the aid of others. As you comfort them, point them continually to the God of all comfort and He will bring them the promise of Psalms  23:3, “He restoreth my soul”.

January 5, 2021

Psalms 41:1-3 “Blessed is he that considereth (have concern for) the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.”

 When we have concern for the helpless, the hurting, the wounded, the hungry and the downcast people of this world, it gets our Heavenly Father’s attention. Not only does it get His attention, our actions of compassion towards the weak ones come with the multiple promises. The Lord will bless us, protect us, prolong our lives, deliver us from our enemies, heal us from suffering and reverse the course of sickness for us. Why would we want to hand this opportunity over to the government or social agencies when it is a treasure house of blessings for us? There’s not a lot of places in God’s Word that gives so many promises for one course of action.

It’s not just giving stuff to people. That’s the easy part, to go through our house, find clothes we no longer want or are out of style, find bedding and household items that we’ve replaced with new things, box up food we don’t like or that’s out of date and haul it all off to the Salvation Army or a thrift store. Or we hand a few bucks out the window of the car to a homeless person holding a “help me” sign and feel we’ve done our good deed. Maybe our church has an outreach ministry and we believe because we tithe or give an offering, we’ve demonstrated our “generosity” to the Lord. All these things have their value but they’re impersonal on a human level. So, where’s the example?

Here’s what the Bible says about the good Samaritan in Luke 10: 33-34 “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”  Of all the people who passed by the wounded, helpless man in the ditch, the Samaritan, an outcast himself, was the one who had compassion and actually helped the poor fellow. The Priest and the Levite, the religious ones, passed by without lifting a finger to help. Considering the Samaritan who put concern and compassion into action what was Jesus’ words to us about him?  verse 37 “Go and do thou likewise.”

The love of God and the Holy Spirit within us will lead us to people who need our concern. I grew up thinking mission work was in the jungle on the other side of the world. Most of the time it’s next door, down the road, in our own family or somewhere within driving distance of our home. Remember what God’s Word says about this matter because it reveals the heart of the Lord and is especially important to Him: so much so it comes with a bundle of promises.

January 4, 2021

Philippians 2:14-16 “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”

 The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Even though we know that and believe it, it’s so very easy to get into a pattern of complaining and arguing. That’s the meaning of the words “murmuring and disputing”. Do you know someone who complains and argues about everything? It’s hard to know if it’s just a habit with them or if that’s who they really are. They complain about the weather, the temperature, their spouse, their children, their job, their neighbors, the state of the world, politics, other drivers on the road, prices and on and on.  A few minutes of that is about all I can take. It makes me want to say, “really, is there anything on earth that pleases you?” and run away from them and their toxic words.  What’s worse, sometimes these people are Christians.

We are children of the Eternal God, we are blessed, loved by our Father, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, we have the mind of Christ, our needs are met, our way is prosperous, we have eternal life, we have a home in heaven and our God is working all things together for good in our life. Why would we complain and argue? Why wouldn’t we instead, be rejoicing, giving praise to the Lord, enjoying His promises and declaring we are forgiven and free? If complaining and arguing is our pattern, something is amiss and we’re not enjoying God’s best for us. Not only are we missing the joy of Psalms 118:24” This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”, we are also a testimony against the goodness of God by picturing ourselves as unthankful, miserable, mean-spirited and arrogant and not at all the blameless, harmless, shinning lights that are sent to minister to a crooked and perverse world. I do not want to be that kind of person.

Let’s tell the truth and live the truth. If our faith in Jesus is real, if we are really His child, we have nothing to complain about and everything to rejoice in. You might say, “but things aren’t the way I want them to be.”  Then declare the truth and stand your ground by faith, “God is for me not against me, I am not a victim, I’m victorious. My God shall supply all my need, He is hearing and answering my prayers, He is ordering my steps, what looks like it’s bad in my life is being handled by the creator of the universe on my behalf and will work for my good. I am never alone, never forsaken. I am blessed and called to be a blessing.” Whew! Now isn’t that better than arguing and complaining?  And even better, it is the TRUTH!!!

January 3, 2021

Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

If you are a Christian, God is at work in your life for your benefit. Sometimes it sure doesn’t seem like it to me. Truth is, it looks like just the opposite. Three months ago, when I went to have a simple laryngoscopy to find out why my voice had been so hoarse, I expected the test to be over in about an hour or so then my wife and I were going to our favorite restaurant for a quiet lunch.  I woke up from the test with a tube sticking out of a hole in my throat. I had a cancerous tumor in my voice box that was blocking my airway so much they had to do a tracheotomy to keep me breathing while they did the test. I didn’t leave the hospital until they had removed my complete larynx/vocal cords to try to get all the cancer. After 64 years of being able to say whatever I want, I was, and still am, unable to speak. It sure didn’t LOOK like God is working things for my good. 

But God’s Word is true whether we believe it or not. In the 10 days in the hospital and through the slow recovery that’s following the radical surgery, the Lord has given me the greatest peace I’ve ever known and completely removed fear. It is unexplainable but deep within me, I have the assurance the Lord is with me and working in my life for a purpose that only He can accomplish through this event. He has given my wife and me the faith to believe He’s preparing us for the next phase of our service for Him. I can’t see all the details yet, but I know the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, that all things are working together for my good, I am His child, I am blessed, healed, comforted, my needs are met, I am victorious through Christ and His purpose and ways are being perfected in me. I will never cease to be His child and He will never stop working that which is wellpleasing in His sight! 

The same Jesus who came to take our place on the cross, lives by the Holy Spirit within us and has made our bodies a tabernacle. Christ in us, the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27) He is with us in the valley of the shadow of death and with us in our rejoicing as we are changed in His likeness. Ephesians 1:6 “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherin he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” All praise be to him, He alone is worthy.

January 2, 2021

Luke 15:20-24 “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Jesus gave this parable of the prodigal son to reveal some of the truths about rebellion, bad choices, squandered opportunity, and youthful foolishness. Then there’s repentance, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, sonship, a father’s unconditional love, restoration and many other aspects of what messes we make and how the Lord deals with us. 

Some people identify with the prodigal: a boy who got himself into a bad situation and fell from a place of blessing and abundance to the bottom of the barrel. Truth is, in some way or another either in large matters or smaller ones, we might all confess we were, or are, a prodigal at one time or another. Then there’s the older brother: Unforgiving, judgmental, haughty, legalistic and self-centered. The type of his errors may not have been of the caliber of his brother’s but they are errors none the less. Both sons need mercy, compassion, love, forgiveness and a father’s help. It’s a story that plays out in real life every moment of every day.

It is the father in this story that humbles us. He shows no anger to his sons, who were both in need of, it seems, at the least, a tongue lashing, but he deals with them in compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love. The prodigal didn’t get what he deserved and the older son got a gentle reminder of who he was, what he possessed and the value of life. And even though I’ve been both a prodigal and a self-righteous critic, Ive often found myself failing to have a heart like the father.  He ran to the prodigal, had compassion on him, gave mercy and love, celebrated his return and welcomed him back into the home. There was no reservation on his part in making a dirty, pig-smelling, renegade, money-wasting and loose living son know he is a child of his father and has a right to his sonship. Sure, damage was done, bad memories were made, blessings were wasted and that’s how it is with this life. But all those involved in the prodigal’s return had to put all these things behind them and start over with a clean slate. It sure appears that was the father’s will for his family and it is our Heavenly Father’s will for us. Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

January 1, 2021

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

 Today marks the end of 2020 and the beginning of a new year and most of us are past ready to say goodbye to a year filled with uncertainty, suffering, confusion, death and upheaval of our lives. We’re hoping 2021 has better days ahead and better memories. Maybe churches will get back to normal worship and we can get back to fellowship with friends, time spent with family and enjoying the freedom of some travel and shopping.

There are somethings and sometimes in our lives we look back on with good memories and find ourselves wishing we could relive the moments. There are also times we want to take to heart this verse from Philippians and forget the things which are behind and reach out for the things that lie in our future. 

The perspective of this verse takes in a lot of territory. On a personal level, it could mean forgetting the mistakes we’ve made and sins we’ve committed which are now covered under the blood of Jesus’ forgiveness. We can always look back and beat ourselves over them or allow guilt and remorse to rob us of our joy and peace but the Lord has taken it all away and will never remember them against us. We all know we can’t change the past but some people allow the past to dominate the present and control their future. The Lord wants us to place that past behind us and accept that He has completely and eternally taken it away. It’s time to declare victory for today, tomorrow and forever. 

Collectively, it’s time for all of us to forget wrongs committed against us by others, injustices, mistreatments, unfair acts where we were dishonored and hurt. It’s time to forgive, let go the past and proclaim freedom from the bondage of those things. It could be things that happened in churches, family groups, homes, work places or any time and place you were hurt and mistreated. The Lord has a better plan for your life than to continue to feel the pain of hurt, rejection, mistreatment or unfairness. He said to forget the things which are behind and reach for the prize of our high calling in Christ! We are called to be free, to have peace, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to always rejoice, to have a life governed by love not dominated by remorse, sadness, pain or revenge. The power of life in Jesus Christ has made us free and God’s will for us is to enjoy His blessings and find comfort in our walk with Him.