April 30, 2025
Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need”
We like verse 13 that follows these two: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”. But we can not get to verse 13 and declare its truth with faith until we first walk the way of today’s verses. Contentment is not a normal state of being no matter if we are believers or not. We are not drawn to and satisfied with what we already have and hold in our hands but to the things we do not have and that’s the source of our discontent. The original sin of Adam and Eve was to want what they didn’t have and they pushed aside the abundance and blessings of their garden to grab for the very thing God had placed off limits to them. The Apostle Paul had to learn to be content and he arrived at that destination by going through seasons of abundance and seasons of need. We want the seasons of abundance where everything flows easily in our direction. We want to claim prosperity, live in prosperity, and fill our lives with whatever our eyes desire. But God’s grace is revealed in times when we have to trust Him, when we have to wait upon Him to move in our favor. The Spirit-filled, powerful Apostle Paul, writer of much of the New Testament, said he had been both full and hungry and had times when he had more than enough and times when he suffered need. Through it all, he learned the Lord never failed him and the Lord always provided what was best for him. That was the foundation for a life of contentment and all the ups and downs bolstered his faith until he could declare that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. In our times of need, we learn to look only to Jesus, believing that we are in that spot for a reason and when God’s will in it all is fulfilled, He will bring us out into a place of blessings. Psalms 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” is eternally true and will never fail as a promise to God’s people. But the promise comes to those who wait and trust: Psalms 145:15, “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season”.
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April 29, 2025
Hebrews 3:12-13 “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”
These words are not addressed to unbelievers because they say, “Take heed, brethren”. We remember that the book of Hebrews was first written to Jewish believers who had embraced the gospel and professed faith in Jesus Christ. Hebrews taught them how Jesus fulfilled all the aspects of the Law of Moses and the demands of the Law so that they no longer were to put their faith in the Law but in Christ alone. It was difficult for them to break away from the Law completely because it had been so ingrained in them from their birth and formed the foundation of all Jews for hundreds of years. But to turn their back on Christ now that Jesus had died and resurrected from death as the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father was to depart from the living God. It was the result of an evil heart of unbelief. When we move this forward to us today, although we Gentiles do not have the traditions of Law, there is still a danger that we might turn our backs on the truth of the scriptures or the true doctrines of grace and try to follow another path. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” and is a warning that no matter what we have professed, how long we have declared it, and how involved we are in the things of God we are not as strong as we sometimes think we are. The second part of these verses tells us that sin is deceitful and we must daily encourage each other in our faith. Not believing God or willfully going against His Word may not seem like a slippery slope but it is and will land us in hot water with the Lord and in a tumultuous mess in our lives. Now that we are saved, we are no longer our own because we have been purchased with the price of Jesus’ blood. Sins of unbelief in His children often require God’s corrective action and while He loves us unconditionally, He will pull us back in line. And, depending on the force and stubbornness of our resistance to His correction, like Jonah, God has many whales that He can use to bring us back to our senses.
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April 28, 2025
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”
We all had our minds programmed and ordered by the world and its beliefs, sins, and way of thinking. Some studies show we think as many as 40,000 thoughts a day and 80 percent of those are repetitive thoughts of which the majority are negative. Those thoughts are generated from the way we were raised, the things we put into our minds from the things we hear, see, and experience, and the influences of other people and environments we are in. When we become Christians, God wants to restore the image of God within us that was distorted and polluted by sin. Our minds have to be transformed and the Greek word here means a renovation, a complete change for the better, and does not mean the old is repaired but that it is completely different. It would be a word used to describe a building that was completely gutted and rebuilt with new materials. The old patterns of unholiness, greed, anger, unbelief, rebellion, revenge, and so on are removed and new patterns and ways of thinking based on the truth of God, the love of God, and the love for others become our new way of thinking. The blueprint for this new mind is the Word of God and the power to make the change is by the Holy Spirit. The materials used in the renovation come from our obedience to what God is showing us and we pursue this change by being faithful to a Bible-believing church or fellowship, a steady and active prayer life, worship and praise, and in a vein of service where we serve God by serving others. Cursing is replaced by blessings and praise. Unbelief is replaced with faith in God’s infallible Word. Addictions and sinful habits are replaced with an addiction to the things of the Lord. Negative conversation and defeated ways of thinking are replaced with God’s promises and the hope He brings. Our renewed mind helps us determine and do what is good, pleasing, and fully in-line with God’s will. This verse does not teach us that this process happens automatically but the verb used is an action verb and shows we are to pursue it as a goal. My prayer is that I unlearn and cast aside the mind of this world and be daily filled with the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ.
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April 27, 2025
Luke 15:20 “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”
The hope for us all is in the picture of this verse. It’s easy to be distracted by the foolishness of the prodigal son and his shenanigans. When we read the story we can identify with him, compare him to someone we know, or shake our heads in unbelief of his attitudes and actions. But the truth remains that he represents all of us and even at our best, we fail, fall, and come short of God’s glory. It’s not whether or not we sin against God because we all have sinned and all our attempts at righteousness are described in Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (stained, dirty clothes); and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away”. The meditation point here is not how often or deeply we have sinned but it is the Father’s love for us that is so great it is nearly unbelievable. For years I read this story, heard it preached, and preached on it myself and failed to grasp the depth of the word “compassion” when it described the Father’s reaction to His returning son. It links us to many verses that describe Jesus in the gospels and tells us that He was moved with compassion to help people, heal people, and even feed hungry people as described in Matthew 15:32, “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way”. It is said of Jesus in Hebrews 5:2, “Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity”. Ignorance here means not knowing, not understanding and we get that sense in the prodigal son whom the Bible says eventually, “Came to himself” in the pig pen and wanted to go home. He had been so trapped, so deluded by sin he was in a stupor. Praise God for His compassion on us when we are blinded by sin, unknowing, and without understanding. Let’s declare Psalms 145:8-9, “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works”.
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April 26, 2025
Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”
Throughout the scriptures, God urges us to come to Him. It began in the Garden of Eden when Adam willfully disobeyed God. Adam ran away, trying to hide from God and the Lord called to him, opening the door for Adam to confess what he’d done. But Adam showed our human nature and instead of submitting to God with a penitent heart, he tried to excuse his way out of his mess. The Lord has solved the problem of the sin barrier between us and Him and there is no excuse for us to hide from Him, resist Him, or procrastinate accepting His invitation. It reminds us of the parable in Luke 14 where a man made a great feast and invited people to attend. The Bible says in verse 18, “And they all with one consent began to make excuse”. One person said he needed to check on some property he’d bought. One said he needed to plow his fields. And, one said he’d gotten married and couldn’t come. They all made lame excuses to a man who had gone out of his way to set up a wonderful, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime occasion for them. We know this parable speaks first of the Jews and that God was inviting them to return to Him and be His family but they refused the invitation. But it also speaks to people today in that the door of heaven is wide open to anyone who will trust in Christ Jesus as their Savior. The words of today’s verses tell us to reach up to the hand of God that is reaching down to us. It tells us to turn away from our sinful ways and way of thinking and receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. We need to hear this simple, clear, message of truth. It is God, our Creator, calling to us with urgency as He says to come to Him while there is time and opportunity. Tomorrow may be too late because we have no promise that we will be alive and cognisant then. Even church people need to hear the call of God, inviting them to Jesus Christ for I fear many church people, like Nicodemus in John 3, are religious but have never been born again. How about you? Have you invited Jesus Christ into your heart? Have you turned from your sins and embraced His cross and empty tomb as a reality, believing that when you ask Him, He loves you and will give you eternal life? If not, I urge you to do it today.
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April 25, 2025
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”
What’s wrong with wanting to live the best life we can, and live it as honest, clean, and uncontaminated as possible? God is not calling us to absolute perfection for only Jesus could accomplish that. But He is urging us to live a life of excellence, one that is marked with integrity and purity. A familiar theme among believers is that because we are prone to stumble and fall at times then we should just throw up our hands and give up trying to live a holy life. The Holy Spirit within us leads us to live set apart from this present evil world and the Word of God is filled with encouragements and warnings to remain unentangled with the things God is against. Consider the words of Hebrews 12:1-2, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith”. The way we live matters to the Lord, to all those who are watching us on this earth, and to all the unseen witnesses who live in the heavenly realm. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and body, soul, and spirit, we belong to Christ. In today’s verse, the promises referred to are in the previous chapter, verses 6:17-18. “Wherefore come out from among them (the apostate, unbelieving world), and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”. This is not to earn salvation because in Christ God sees us as holy and undefiled. But it is to honor the name of the Lord and to bear witness of Him. When we live willfully contaminated, we grieve the Holy Spirit and weaken our faith. We place ourselves in a position where our hearts condemn us and this blocks the confidence that God hears us and will answer us according to our faith (1 John 3:20-23). The word “perfecting” in today’s verse means we become more complete, mature in our steps towards becoming more like Jesus of whom the scriptures declare in Hebrews 7:26, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens”. What’s wrong with wanting to live that way? Nothing, it is a wonderful desire. My prayer is that the Lord will help me live more and more set apart from this world and more like Christ.
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April 24, 2025
Romans 13:1-2 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation”
Certain people and various forms of government have been in authority through the ages and most of them were not righteous. When the Apostle Paul wrote these words, Nero was the emperor and he was one of the most evil, violent, and demonic lunatics that ever ruled. When Jesus was on earth, Pontious Pilate was the governor and Herod the Great and later his son were the Roman appointed Kings. Yet neither Jesus nor Paul taught anarchy against the government and both yielded to the laws of the land. It is true that when proclaiming the gospel we follow the laws of God rather than the laws of man but such a stance is not what God commands us in the details of our everyday lives. Sometimes It takes great faith and submission to God’s Word to obey the first 7 verses of this chapter of Romans but there is never a time when Christians are called to sedition. H. A. Ironside wrote, “The potsherds of the earth may strive with the potsherds of the earth,” and one government may be overthrown by another; but whichever government is established in power at a given time, the Christian is to be subject to it. He has the resource of prayer if its edicts are tyrannous and unjust, but he is not to rise in rebellion against it”. The reason is given here in verse one: “The powers that be are ordained of God” and when we resist the powers of governance, we are resisting God’s ordinance. For myself, I know that when I spend too much time analyzing the news, rehashing what government officials are doing, and thinking about all that’s wrong with our leaders, I get angry and I want God, or someone, to bring judgment on them. But the Holy Spirit reminds me that I have the power of prayer and that even when it seems God is not in control, He still is. He will perfectly execute His plan for this earth and bring everything to a place of final judgment. He will put the wheat in the barn and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Mt 3:12). We serve the Lord, we walk in His ways, and we acknowledge that Christ is Lord over all.
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April 23, 2025
1 John 5:10 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son”
We are saved when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we confess faith in Him as our Savior. God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, enters into us and lives with us as a part of our being. That is a mystery of the faith and it bonds us personally to the nature of Jesus Christ Emmanual, God with us. Today’s verse is a declaration that when we believe and are saved, we have a witness to the truth, the Holy Spirit, within us and it is He that declares the reality of Christ. Jesus foretold the work of the Holy Spirit to His disciples in John 15:26-27, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning”. So, not only did the Apostles have the Holy Spirit as a witness to declare Christ, we also walk in the Spirit and have His power to speak God’s truth. A good reference to this is Romans 8:15-17, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”. When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the followers of Christ were irrevocably changed so much that those observing them, thought they were drunk. We live with dual power: We still have the nature and will of the flesh but we also have the power of God in us. Not coming down on us like in Old Testament times whenever He needs us to step forward for Him, but the abiding power. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is now the witness within. Those who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ with its imperative declaration of life and death, by their rejection, are dismissing it as a lie. And because it is a witness from God, they are calling God a liar. Praise God for the witness within who confirms the truth to us and gives us the power to live in the freedom of Jesus Christ.
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April 22, 2025
Psalms 43:5 “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God”
There is very little in this world that encourages us. It’s heartbreaking that even many children are depressed and suffer anxiety. But every generation has had to face uncertainty and trouble and this Psalm 43 continues the thought of Psalms 42 that in times of danger, fear, and confusion, there is only one source of comfort: The hope we have in the Lord. Our emotions and our feelings are real and they react to our situations. Sometimes they set the tone of our lives until we are filled with discouragement or even despair. Taking in all the world’s news, battling sickness or seasons of setbacks, or even helping someone we love go through a trial can hit us hard until, as today’s verse says, our soul is cast down. But God’s Word gives us a place to start fighting back when we speak to ourselves and ask ourselves the question, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?”. It’s good to have a friend who will call us out in this matter but we can call ourselves out and draw a line in the sand concerning our discouragement. We point ourselves away from all that is creating fear and uncertainty and point ourselves back to our place of hope: Our place of help and safety is in God. The phrase, “The health of my countenance” is omitted from many translations but refers to our outlook, our perception and uses the picture of someone’s face and how it appears when they are reacting to a situation. A joyous, happy, peaceful, and confident face reflects a joyous, happy, peaceful, and confident relationship with God. He heals our countenance by healing us within. The Holy Spirit of God is in us and He communicates our need to our Savior. Even though at the moment we are cast down we don’t see an answer, we can begin to praise the Lord because He will never fail us. Let’s speak to ourselves and remind ourselves that we are never hopeless. In seasons of discouragement when our emotions want to control us, let’s speak God’s promises over ourselves and declare victory by praising the Lord. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” is another way of saying, “What reason do I have to be in an uproar and be miserable?”. God is with me, God is for me, and God is working all things for my good. We know it’s true so let’s keep speaking it to ourselves.
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April 21, 2025
James 1:5-6 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed”
The world is exploding with knowledge. It is the fulfillment of Daniel 12:4, “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased”. Our smartphones have vastly more computing power and access to information than any of the computers used on the Apollo spacecraft, even those that made moon landings. But what seems to be missing is wisdom. Knowledge is information but wisdom is the ability to use knowledge, especially to our and society’s benefit. An example is that the ruling regime in Iran seems to have the knowledge to build nuclear weapons but we doubt they have the wisdom to keep from carrying out their threat to try to annihilate Israel. These verses in James look back to the first four verses that address the trials, the persecutions, and sufferings of the early church. The saints knew what was happening, and who was opposing them, but they needed wisdom to understand why they were being persecuted and what to do about it. The Lord is telling them to look to Him for answers and when they ask for that wisdom, He will give it freely. The world around us no longer makes sense to us and we struggle to relate to the way some people are thinking. It’s hard to know how to respond to children and grandchildren who are immersed in a culture that is toxic and filled with the poisons and illnesses of unbelief. They are awash in lies and deception and do not realize it or believe it. It’s like a drowning man resisting rescue and shouting to his rescuers, “I don’t need any help, you are the ones in trouble”. And then, there are times when we all go through seasons of trouble and can’t see any answers or a way out. We need wisdom to understand what God is doing and how we can move forward. God says to ask Him in faith, believing that He has all the answers. Sometimes we just need the wisdom to know right from wrong and know how to make the choices that are God’s best for us. Jesus is our Good Shepherd and is ready to lead us in the right path.
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April 20, 2025
Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”
Today, Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. In the timeline of events, the arrest of Christ, the mock trial, the unspeakable suffering of the cross, and the burial are all behind us and we, by faith, stand looking into an empty tomb. We hear the words of the angels, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen”. At that moment, the followers of Jesus had not yet become aware of a most blessed truth: When Jesus rose from the dead, all believers rose with Him. It didn’t matter that all future believers including us hadn’t been born yet, in the mind and plan of God it was a done deal. Jesus is alive forever more and we also are alive forever more. But God doesn’t want us to remain standing and looking into the empty tomb or always focused on the events of the crucifixion. He has a plan for us that’s revealed in today’s verse. He wants us to know Him in His fullness and power. The word “know” here doesn’t mean to be casually acquainted with but it means to get a full, absolute knowledge of, to perceive, to feel, and to be resolved, convinced in our knowledge. This verse is part of an amazing sentence of over 100 words from verses 8 through 11. It’s the testimony of the Apostle Paul who says all the things he knew and excelled in before he was saved are trash, rubbish compared to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He wanted to know more about Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. I fear many know a lot of things perhaps about their religion or their non-religious views, church history and the writings and ramblings of others, the body of knowledge of their vocation, and any number of other things but they do not know the fullness of Christ. The saddest part is that they do not desire it. Maybe they have not tasted the water of life or the bread of life. Maybe they have never experienced the power that raised Jesus from the dead or been refreshed and overwhelmed by heaven’s wind. But if you have, then you completely understand the words of this verse and maybe even now they stir a desire in you to move closer to the Lord and know Him better, more fully. On this Easter Sunday, He is risen and the door into God’s presence is open with His invitation, “Come”.
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April 19, 2025
Luke 23:42-43 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise”
These words spoken between Jesus and the thief dying beside Him, show us the mission of our Savior. When He was teaching early in His ministry, He said in Matthew 9:13, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. God is not showing His love to us because we deserve it but because He is merciful. As Jesus said, God is calling us to receive His gift of salvation, not try to earn it by some sacrifice we make. The dying thief had nothing to offer Christ in exchange for salvation. He had done no great deeds of goodness to earn forgiveness and had no time left on his life’s clock to pile up good works. His was a dying confession. But in this account, he looked back on his life, the wrongs he had done, and confessed them. Before he asked Jesus for mercy, the scriptures record his words to the other thief who was cursing Christ: Luke 23:40-41, “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss”. Our Lord, suffering unspeakable pain and struggling to breathe, still had love and mercy on His mind. In some of His last Words that He spoke while still a mortal man, He forgave a man who was dying a criminal’s death. It’s a blessing to read the thief’s words when he called Jesus “Lord” and acknowledged Christ’s kingdom. But it’s overpowering to read the words of Jesus when He extended acceptance and forgiveness to him and promised that on that very day, they would be together in paradise. In heaven with Jesus and waiting for us all to join them, there’s a fellow who, from our earthly perspective, barely made it in. As the old saying goes, he was saved by the skin of his teeth. He may not receive many crowns at the judgment seat of Christ for a life of obedience and service, but he is saved eternally. This Easter weekend, we look back to the cross and the empty tomb and remember the reason for it all. We are all dying thieves and have nothing to offer in exchange for our soul’s salvation. Nothing that can pay an inestimable price. But Jesus…He paid the price and is still saying, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”.
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April 18, 2025
Luke 23:52-53 “This man (Joseph of Arimathaea) went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid”
For all those who loved Jesus, His disciples, and the many who followed our Lord, it looked like a dead-end. To the devil and all those who hated Christ, it looked like they had won and they were rid of Him forever. They had all watched Him be publicly humiliated, tried in a dishonest court, tortured, and then they’d seen Him die. His short ministry of about three years had come to an end and for His followers, all their hopes that He would be the one that delivered Israel from the Romans came crashing down. The religious leaders and their crowd all smiled smugly and were proud of themselves that they had overcome Him, silenced His Words, and put a stop to His miracles. But God was just getting started with the execution of His plan. The battle against His Son, culminating in His death, was the powder keg that blew up in the devil’s face. And, when the mighty angel rolled away the stone three days later, a door was opened into heaven’s eternity for all who will believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. What had seemed like a dead-end, was now an open door and opportunity for us all. Not only for us but for all of the fallen creation. It’s an unspeakable hope for us that in times of dead-ends, God always has a way. When the Israelites were blocked by the Red Sea and Pharoah’s army was bearing down on them, it looked like a dead-end with no way to escape. But God had already set a plan in motion that would be a cornerstone of Israel’s great heritage: The barrier of the Red Sea became an open door for freedom and victory. Easter with the cross and the empty tomb are not just symbols of our faith, they are the essence of our faith. When we believe that Jesus died on the cross for us and then rose from the dead, we’re trusting in the plan God made for us to live with Him forever as His family. The door is wide open, the devil didn’t win, and the dead-end of death, the grave, and hell have been abolished. Jesus is alive and in Him, we also are alive! Let’s have faith that with Christ, dead-ends are just reminders that we serve the God of the impossible.
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April 17, 2025
John 18:39-40 “But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber”
When faced with a choice as to whom they would like to have released back into their community, to live among them, and to be a part of their lives, the Jews chose a thug. A man who was violent, unsavory, and who had a criminal past of preying on people. Some people try to palm him off as being a nationalist who fought for Israel’s independence from Rome but the scriptures are clear. Here he is called a robber, in Mark we’re told he was a murderer, Matthew says he was a notorious criminal, and Luke also tells us that he was a murderer and took part in a riot. They would rather have Barabbas freely walking the streets than Jesus who always went about doing good. This sounds like some of the news nowadays when people scream that criminals should be released and allowed to do whatever they want while law-abiding citizens get victimized. Like the insane people who honor the man who murdered the Healthcare CEO as a hero implying that he had a right to take a man’s life because the CEO represented something they don’t agree with. What kind of evil invades people’s minds until they can make choices like this that defy all morality and rational thinking? It’s a window into the depths of our depravity when driven by the power of sin, we call good evil and evil good. The mob mentality that day in Jerusalem screamed for Jesus Christ to be cursed, spit upon, bludgeoned to a pulp, viciously whipped until His bloody bones were exposed, and then tortured on a cross until he died while people laughed and mocked Him. That’s a repulsive sickness there are no words to describe: Sin sick. And anyone who thinks our society is no longer capable of such disgusting and inhumane desires is completely deceived. There’s proof of it everywhere even in the bloodlusts of the supposed highest educational institutions in the world. It is, as Revelation 2:24 says, “The depths of Satan”. The people’s choice will always be the choice of sin and sinners. Only by the light of truth can we see clearly enough to choose Jesus, the Son of the Living God. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we follow in the steps of the man with the nail scars in His hands.
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April 16, 2025
Psalms 86:12-13 “I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell”
I’ve been sitting on the back porch praising God for the privilege to mow the yard-with a push mower. Well, actually a self-propelled but I mostly push because in self-propelled it has only one speed: Run-like-a-horse. Five years ago, recovering from throat cancer surgery, having lost almost thirty pounds, and pumping food in through a feeding tube, it didn’t look like I was going to have much of a normal life. But by God’s grace, I recovered. Then in three years, the cancer returned and last year at this time, recovering from many doses of radiation and chemotherapy, like many of you who have been through the treatments, I had very little strength. I couldn’t have push-mowed a few feet. But God has been good to me and He is the healer. I do not discredit the doctors and treatments I received, I believe it’s all part of God’s plan. But the Lord is our healer and to Him be all the praise and glory. A few days ago, I had my annual follow-up CT scan and was pronounced cancer-free. Yesterday I had comprehensive blood work and my body and blood, except that I have no vocal cords, are back to normal. What a blessing to be able to do simple things like mow. I’ve been so excited I’ve been mowing our yard and most of our neighbor’s twice a week. I’m writing these few words of thanksgiving to the Lord to encourage anyone who might be going through a trial or illness. Keep your eyes of faith focused on Jesus Christ and keep moving forward. He is the giver of life and in Him, there is help and healing. There is hope and peace and, in His Word, there are great and precious promises. Through the battle with cancer, I discovered I’m not afraid to die but I also discovered I want to live as long as God allows. By God’s grace, I’ll never take another day for granted, and neither will I take my earthly life and the strength of my life for granted. Psalms 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”. Can you agree with me? I want to live and praise the Lord. I want to enjoy His blessings. I want to tell of His goodness and grace and I want to mow the grass, eat the food He has provided, enjoy the company of family and friends, and I want to pray for all those who do not know Him. That all who do not have a vibrant, fulfilling relationship with Him will put their trust in Jesus Christ.
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April 15, 2025
Romans 7:21-23 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members”
When we become believers, saved by God’s grace, the scriptures declare our old nature is then dead to sin. Romans 6:11, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Sin no longer dominates us and we have the nature and mind of Christ, a willingness to obey God and walk in His ways. But that does not mean our old nature is completely gone. It has been dealt a disabling and, ultimately, fatal blow but as long as we are in this world, there is a struggle within us between the nature of God and our Adamic or fallen desires. Since these words were penned by the Apostle Paul, there has been a theological discussion as to whether he was referring to himself before his conversion, after his conversion, or just to human nature and Spiritual nature in general. I believe all of us who are saved can identify with the words, “When I would do good, evil is present with me”. Maturity in the faith helps us in this struggle as we learn to depend more and more on the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, but no matter at what stage in our walk we’re in, the world, the flesh, and the evil one are always there trying to pull us away from God’s will. Christians need to hear this message often so that when they struggle to do what is right they will know that’s a normal part of being a child of God. Sometimes the more strongly we stand, the greater the pushback from evil. How do we win this tug-of-war or as the scripture says in verse 24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”. The answer is in verse 25: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We look to Jesus, pray to Him, trust His Word, and believe He is always with us to help us in our times of struggle. These things are the steps towards walking in the Spirit that’s so wonderfully laid out in Chapter 8. Romans 8:5, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit”. It’s the power promised in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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April 14, 2025
Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all”
Unity among God’s people is so important to our Heavenly Father that He charges us in verse 3, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In Proverbs 6:19, the scriptures tell us that troublemakers make the list of the seven types of people that are an abomination to the Lord: “A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren”. Today’s verse speaks of the oneness, the unity of God and His people, and this is the testimony of the early church in the book of Acts. Acts 2:44-46, “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart”. While God may not be calling us to live the communal church model of the first Christians, He is calling us to endeavor, that is to strive and put forth great effort to promote unity among believers. One way we can practice this is to be encouragers and to actively look for words and actions that help and strengthen other believers. Sometimes a simple phrase like, “I appreciate you and am praying for you and your family”, as long as we are being honest, can help form a bond with another believer, and no matter what denomination they follow, it’s unifying. People both believers and not, are having great anxiety. Many families are in disarray, addictions of all sorts are the norm, and people are lonely, afraid, uncertain, and confused. There’s a great need for people who are encouragers in the faith, peacemakers, and bold witnesses of the hope that is in Christ. Our churches need to return to Christian kindness, firm handshakes, and welcoming demeaners. We serve a God, manifest in three persons, yet He is One and He is calling us to reach out to others in His family and speak words that lift people up and show the Lord’s mercy. We follow the path of Hebrews 10:24-25, ”And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting (encouraging) one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”.
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April 13, 2025
Ruth 4:17 “And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David”
When Elimelech moved his wife Naomi and their two sons from Bethlehem to Moab during a season of hard times, he moved his family away from a place God had promised blessings to a place God had cursed. In Moab, the two sons married but then they and their father Elimelech died, leaving Naomi and the sons’ widows. Naomi decided to move back to Bethlehem and one of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, chose to move with her. Ruth, a Moabitess, turned away from the gods of Moab to serve Jehovah. In time, Ruth married an Israelite man, Boaz, and they had a son. Even though the baby Obed was born to Ruth and Boaz, the neighbors called him Naomi’s son and Naomi became the nurse of her grandchild. A story marked by the unbelief of Elimelech and his bad choice to move his family to a place of a curse, ends with God’s grace covering Naomi and Ruth and blessing them with a child that was an ancestor of Christ. It’s interesting this book of the Bible is not named “Naomi” but “Ruth” showing us that God can take someone who was born in a pagan land, a stranger from the covenant of Abraham, and make them a part of His Divine plan. Ruth, the non-blood Jew, then gets named in the New Testament in the genealogy of Jesus: Matthew 1:5, “And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse”. In that one verse of our Lord’s human ancestors, the former prostitute Rachab and the Moabitess Ruth are named as part of His heritage. What an awesome account of God’s grace and how that should speak to us of God’s ability to make up His family from those who were deeply stained with sin. And Naomi, after suffering great heartbreak and sorrow, after falling to the bottom of the social order to the place where she and Ruth were barely surviving on scraps of wheat they scrounged for, was exalted and blessed so much that the neighbors recognized and honored her grandson as the son of Naomi. No matter who you are, how many mistakes you’ve made or any mess you were born into or fell into, God is able to lift you and place you in a place of blessing and honor. Reach out to Him with a prayer and believe He is waiting, listening, and ready to help.
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April 12, 2025
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”
A part of our daily prayer can be that the Lord will help us to always do what is right. Doing good, referred to here as “well doing”, is the path forward after we have been saved and have settled the matter that we now belong to God and can never be separated from Him. The enemy can’t undo our salvation so he wants to keep us bogged down in an infant state of Christianity, forever pouring over argumentative doctrines as to whether we are eternally forgiven and denomination and church doctrines that keep us running in circles. But the Lord wants us to move on and start living a life where we do right and keep doing it. This is what the scriptures are referring to in Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection (maturity); not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment”. We should get those basics down, let them be a part of our foundation of truth, and then live in victory. Today’s verse encourages us to keep doing what is right no matter if it seems that always doing good never pays off. When the time is right, God will reward what we have done. If we purpose to always be honest, obey the principles of scripture as best we can, look to the needs of others, and honor and praise the Lord every day of our lives, we can’t be stopped. The devil will fight us, temptations will come our way, and sometimes trouble will try to knock us down. But doing good will always please God and He will never forget our labor of love. Verse 10 of this chapter says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith”. The promise to those who choose to live lives of integrity and well-doing is repeated in Romans 2:10, “But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile”. We will be tempted by revenge, selfishness, sin, and everything else common to this world. But by the grace of God, we will do what is right and keep honoring our Lord.
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April 11, 2025
Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen”
When we view the world around us with spiritual eyes, we see that behind governments, politics, and society there is a spiritual war raging. The enemy is deceptive and paints it all as human, political, and cultural dynamics. Sometimes people take sides with a political party, a worldview, or even a religious organization and do not realize that behind all the lies, corruption, and chaos, Satan is alive and well and orchestrating things. Jesus said he has a kingdom in Matthew 12:26, “And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?”. The Bible also says Jesus has a kingdom and when we’re saved, God moves us from the power of darkness into the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13). But all that’s wrong in this world, all the sin, hatred, violence, abuse, sorrow, and unspeakable evil is from the wicked one, Satan. Today’s verse tells us it will not be long until God bruises Satan under our feet. Thayer’s Greek Definitions says the word bruise here means to break in pieces, to tear one’s body and shatter one’s strength, to crush and trample underfoot. And, while it seems like it’s taking a long time for that day to get here, in God’s timing, it’s shortly. Whenever I hear about the wickedness and wrong that’s being done and all the pain, suffering, lies, and deception that people have to endure, I always picture that day when Jesus crushes Satan and makes him pay for all the evil he has done. A startling and seldom mentioned verse is Malachi 4:3, “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts”. I’m sure that verse will be sneered at and explained away by those who reject the severity of God and vehemently deny the infallibility of scripture. The Bible declares the identity of the enemy in Revelation 2:2 as, “The dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan. His final destination is described in Revelation 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”. Satan’s destiny is to be defeated, crushed, and eternally destroyed. Hallelujah!
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April 10, 2025
2 Corinthians 8:12 “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not”
This chapter teaches us about sacrificial giving and commends the church at Macedonia in Paul’s day. They were poor and greatly persecuted yet they had giving hearts that spoke loudly of their faith and willingness to help others. That testimony of their genuine love and benevolence towards others contrasts sharply with this modern church age of Laodicea of which the Bible says in Revelation 3:17, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”. Sacrificial giving is typified by the example of the poor widow woman in Luke 21:1-4, ”And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had”. When we give, God is not looking at the amount because some people could give a million dollars and still be giving less than someone who gives a couple of bucks. God looks at the proportion to what we have and the attitude of our hearts. Today’s verse sums up this truth, telling us that God is looking at our willingness to give and the depth of our ability. The principle of a willing mind applies to all aspects of the Christian life and not just offerings of money. Concerning ministry, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:17, “For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me”. Actions done in willingness are rewarded as compared to actions that are done just because we act dutifully. That’s a point worth pondering. Consider 1 Chronicles 29:9, “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy”. My prayer today is that the Lord will help me have a heart that is willing to give, serve, and obey and that nothing is done just because I feel obligated.
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April 9, 2025
Psalms 55:16-17 “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice”
Praying is a hallmark of a believer but it’s one area where most of us need improvement. Not just a few words spoken hurriedly while we’re rushing off somewhere, but times spent alone with the Lord. Times when we go to a quiet, private spot and come before the Creator of all things to allow Him to search us as we call out to Him. When Jesus was on earth, He often prayed to the Father, sometimes in solitude, and many of His prayers are recorded in the Bible. We have His promise in Matthew 6:6, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (a quiet, secret place), and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly”. But most of us battle trying to cultivate this type of prayer life. We’re busy, the world is always intruding, we have schedules to keep, and usually, prayer gets bumped to the bottom of the list. God still rewards those who dedicate themselves to prayer. One way to win this battle is to set aside times to pray. It’s not to make prayer another Christian rule we follow but it helps us defeat the enemy who wants to keep us prayerless. In today’s verse, David writes that he prayed morning, noon, and at night. This is apparently the same pattern Daniel followed as we read in Daniel 6:10, “he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God”. It would be good if we were disciplined enough to pray faithfully without a schedule but having a designated place and some set times to pray can help us follow a pattern of prayer when the world, our flesh, and the devil are fighting so hard against our praying. In these uncertain times, I want to be strong in faith and faithful in prayer. I don’t want to just mumble a few words while driving and that be my prayer life. As long as I’m physically able, I want to have a place and times when I get on my knees, sit in my favorite chair, or at night while everything is still and quiet and come before the Lord our God, our Maker. David said in Psalms 4:4, “Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still”. We have the Lord’s invitation to come boldly to the throne of grace and His promise in 1 Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers”.
April 8, 2025
1 Timothy 2:1-2 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”
Most of us do not remember another time when there was so much uncertainty and danger in our world. Every day we are blasted with unsettling news from every angle and none of it is good. Unrest and contention in America with the constant fearmongering from the media and elected officials cause us to wonder if there is any chance, we can be hopeful again. Even if there is some success in solving the national debt, rampant immigration, and ungodly laws and policies will it all just return when new leaders are elected? We feel powerless and frustrated. But we have a resource this world does not have: We can pray. I’m not talking about little “now I lay me down to sleep” prayers, I’m talking about prayer as referenced 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”. Even though this was given to Israel, it sets a precedent for prayer that applies to us here and now. Today’s verse summons us to pray for our leaders and not just pray but with supplications, intercession, and thanksgiving. These are all the methods of approaching God on behalf of our nation and our leaders with our desire to live quiet, peaceful lives filled with honesty and the things of God. I believe that all across this world, the Holy Spirit is urging Christians to pray, to look for hope in Jesus Christ, and to have faith that God is moving despite what seems to be global chaos. Many believers have been waking suddenly at 2 and 3 am with a Holy Spirit-fueled desire to get out of bed and get on their knees and pray or to pray themselves back to sleep, calling on God to help our families and our nation in these perilous times. The Spirit is reminding us of James 5:16, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. We talk about prayer and ask others to pray for us but are we praying? Let’s not allow the devil to defeat us in this matter. Let’s not just talk and think about prayer, let’s do it! Let’s do it faithfully, daily, and without stopping. God promised that He is listening and He will answer.
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April 7, 2025
Romans 4:20 “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God”
The Bible does not say Abraham’s faith was perfect and God did not hold back in the scripture; He told us about Abraham’s failures. But God didn’t define Abraham’s life by the times he erred but tells us here that Abraham was strong in faith. That’s the Lord’s record of him and how he lived. It’s a good place for us all to stop and consider that the same God who saw Abraham in that way is still the same today. Like Abraham, we’ve all missed the mark and done some stupid, if not worse, things. One of Abraham’s failures of faith resulted in the birth of Ishmael and that mistake still has adverse ramifications to this day both for Ishmael’s descendants and Isaac’s. Two things are true and have immense value and comfort to us: God forgives all our sins, never remembering them again and God honors our faith, no matter how small. Our goal is not to allow our sins and failures to define us but to live a life strong in faith, a life that gives glory to God. Not a life of perfect faith but a life that pursues God, a life that is anchored in the Word of God, and a life that lives by the proclamation of Joshua: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Anemic religion offers no hope for the poison of sin. Self-centered churches and entertainment worship have noise and glitter but offer no power to build believers who grow to become steadfast Christians. This world needs to witness people who are strong in faith and who give all glory to God. They need to see people who do not waver at the promises of God but live with affirmation that what God said, He will do. Verse 21 says of Abraham, the man who was strong in faith, “And being fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised, he (God) was able also to perform”. Is your faith stronger now than it was a few years ago? When you leave your church after the services are you more and more convinced in the power and promises of God? Are you growing consistently in faith, faith that believes God will do what He promised and is able to do the impossible? We’ve made our mistakes, we’ve stumbled some. But now let’s purpose to not let those things be who we are. We are people of faith and by the grace of God, our testimony is that our faith is growing daily and we give all glory to God!
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April 6, 2025
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”
We have treasure buried in us. That’s what these verses describe when they speak of the light of God’s glory that we possess. Those are words we need to let sink into our souls because they describe who we are and what we have in Jesus Christ. They remind us of our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 6:19, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal”. How easily those words are spoken but how difficult it is to fully embrace them. When we have spiritual eyes to see that the truth of God, the light that shines in us, is worth more than anything this world can offer, it changes all our priorities. We’ve heard the stories of people who bought something at a yard sale or secondhand store for a few dollars and found out later it was rare and priceless. What was dismissed by others as junk and worthless had amazing value. The gift of God within us is mocked by this world, and rejected by those who think treasure can be found in the things of this life. When we speak of the things of God, it means nothing to them just as the world thought nothing of nailing the Son of God to the cross, not comprehending that He was the only One who could give them what they desperately sought from this earthly life. And, He is the only One who can give us the gift of eternal life which no treasure trove in this world can buy. God put this treasure in our earthly bodies called here, earthen vessels, so that when people see Him in us, they are seeing the treasure of Christ and not us. Our prayer can be that God will fill us with the Holy Spirit, subdue any earthly glory we may have or desire, and let the glory of the light of Jesus be seen in us. In His face, we see love, kindness, mercy, and grace. We follow the path of the Apostle Paul who said in Ephesians 3:8, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”.
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April 5, 2025
John 20:29 “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”
This week my wife and I watched an interview and discussion about the Shroud of Turin. Of all the documentaries, reports, and analyses of the Shroud we have watched and listened to, this one was by far the most compelling as to the Shroud’s authenticity. The presenters told how that through the years several unbelievers and atheists, after diligently trying to prove the shroud was a fake, became believers when they could not find any evidence to show it was not real. But I realized while watching this fascinating video that even if I came to believe the Shroud was authentic and that it was the linen Jesus’ body was wrapped in for His burial and the faint image showing on the cloth is indeed the Savior, it would not change my faith in Him at all. Like you, I believe in Him because the Holy Spirit infused faith into me when I heard the gospel, a mystery of salvation that stands apart from physical verification. In today’s verse, Jesus spoke to Thomas who would not believe Jesus had resurrected until he had touched him and observed Him with his own eyes. But our Lord said we who believe without the physical evidence are blessed. Many people saw Jesus, watched Him do miracles, and heard Him teach with their own ears but walked away in unbelief, unconvinced that He was the Son of God. John 6:35-36, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not”. What an unspeakable blessing to hear the gospel and have faith to believe it. What an unspeakable blessing to be born again and follow Christ as a new creation all by faith in the message. For believers, the irony is that when we believe the Word of God, any evidence that might be presented to offer physical proof makes us skeptical of that evidence. We don’t need it to confirm that God is real, His Word is infallible, and we belong to Him. The Shroud of Turin is very interesting to me as is Biblical archaeology and creation science. But heaven and earth will pass away while the Word of God will remain forever. “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”.
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April 4, 2025
Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen”
Who are, “they also which pierced him” and why does God make a distinction between them and “every eye” and “all kindreds of the earth”? It’s because the Day of the Lord will also be a day of salvation for the Jews: The ones who pierced him. This spiritual rebirth of Israel is a Bible truth rejected by many modern churches and denominations that have erred from God’s Word, following the fables of the apostates. But the Bible is clear on this matter and the same ones who called for God in the flesh to be crucified will have their eyes opened and they will embrace the One they pierced. Zechariah tells of the repentance of the Jews in 12:10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”. Like Thomas, Jesus will show them His scars described in Zechariah 13:6, “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends”. It’s sickening to hear and read those who will not believe the Bible try to twist these scriptures away from their profound and wonderful meanings but no matter what this unbelieving church age babbles, Israel will be saved. The mystery of the church age of grace is closing and the Jews, who have been in timeout for almost 2,000 years are soon coming into their fullness. Romans 11:25-27, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins”. Has Jesus taken away Israel’s sins yet? No, they rejected Him and crucified their Savior. God set them aside while He grafted the Gentiles into the root of Abraham. But soon and very soon Israel will see a revival such as has never been seen before. “And so all Israel shall be saved”.
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April 3, 2025
Luke 15:21 “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”
The prodigal son came to himself in the pig pen and his view of himself was dismal. Sin has a way of beating people down and when, with complete honesty, they realize how far they have fallen, the enemy is right there to tell us we are worthless and unfit. And truthfully, owning our sins is what God wants along with genuine repentance. But the Lord does not want us to stay in the frame of mind where we see ourselves as a lost cause. The prodigal confessed his sins to his father but the father never scolded him, punished him, or saw him in any other light except that he was his son and he was overjoyed that he had come home. The father saw him as described in verse 24, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry”. If only we could show people this kind of mercy. Most likely we’ve all met people we liked and started getting to know them only to have other people whisper and unload any dirt they might have on that person. It’s a twisted game of gossip and it’s evil in God’s eyes. Everywhere in scripture, we are told to honor each other and encourage each other. When people spread gossip, they are revealing their hearts that they are not walking in God’s will and they themselves are disobedient to the Holy Spirit. What’s worse, the gossipers will often try to cover the sins of their loose tongues by feigning their gossip as a “prayer request” for the person they are attacking. Evil knows no bounds. But the father’s heart in the story of the prodigal son is our supreme example of how to receive people back into our fellowship who have strayed but come to their senses, repented, and returned to their rightful place with the Lord and God’s family. And, for those who are still in the pig pen, may the Holy Spirit give us love and merciful hearts as we pray for their return. And, may He give us the power of self-control to refrain from dragging their names before others in gossip and condemnation. The Bible doesn’t tell us the rest of the story but I believe after the father received the prodigal with love and kindness, the boy could once again hold his head high and see himself as a welcome and honored member of his family.
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April 2, 2025
Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”
It’s a strange thing while many believers are stirred in their hearts, all walking in agreement that the Day of the Lord is eminent, others are doubling down in denial. The rampant unbelief by those who have turned aside from God’s Word on the matter and, staring at the countdown clock that’s been ticking in this age of apostasy since May 14, 1948, while sneering at the Second coming, seems to be evidence that either they are sensual, having not the Spirit, or have been deceived by teachers and book-writers who themselves are wolves in sheep’s clothes. Apparently, some do not believe Jesus is returning soon because they are like the Edomites who, described in Obadiah 1:3, “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee”, thought the message of their impending judgment was nonsense. I have personally visited the ancient city of Petra and the surrounding area in Southwest Jordan and can tell you there is no trace of an Edomite kingdom there. As God prophesied, they are long gone. When Jesus came the first time, today’s verse tells us that He bore the sins of many. We will celebrate His death in a few days when we remember the suffering of the cross during the Easter season. But when He returns the second time, He will not be coming to carry anyone’s sins but He will return to deliver His people, to rescue them as declared in 1Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”. God gave us this promise in the context of the previous verses 2-3, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape”. Jesus did not save His people to then drag them through His wrath which He will pour out on the world. We have the Lord’s promise in 1Thessalonians 1:10, that we, “wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”. The word “delivered” here means “rescued”. The world is looking for peace and safety and our hearts are broken, watching the suffering and destruction of many wars. But the Bible says in Isaiah 48:22, “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked”. The more frantically they look for peace without following the Prince of Peace, we will look for the second appearance of the Savior.
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April 1, 2025
Romans 11:33 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
Today, in my morning prayers, I was praying for our family and realized I was doing what I often do: Describing to God all I knew that was wrong as if He didn’t know. I was going through the list of things I wanted corrected and explaining to God how easily it would be for Him to fix it all. It was the conviction about who He is and His infinite abilities that caused me to stop praying the way I was praying and begin to praise Him that His ways and wisdom are perfect. God knows what’s going on with every person on this planet and He knows the ways of our families. He knows how to help them, bless them, and draw them to Himself. He doesn’t need my description of their problems and needs, He wants my faith in His Word and His power to work even when it seems there are no solutions. My prayers changed to something like, “Jesus You know how to help our children and grandchildren and just as You have helped us, I pray that You will help them”. This is not saying the Lord shuts us off when we ramble on about the details, just that our spelling out the situation doesn’t always move us in faith to trust him. Today’s verse declares His greatness and with that view in mind, our faith is summoned to believe that He knows all and is able to do all. All I really have to pray is, “God, You know what my family needs and I trust You to help us”. When I asked the Lord to save me, He didn’t need me to describe all my sins. He just wanted me to believe that He was ready and willing to forgive them all. The evidence of this is in David’s prayer for forgiveness in Psalms 51. He didn’t describe his sins, he just acknowledged he’d sinned and asked God to forgive him. The point is that the greatness and wisdom of God is beyond comprehension. He doesn’t think like us or act like us and yet He understands all about everything we’re dealing with. Remember when Peter was sinking in the Sea of Galilee, he didn’t try to describe his situation and danger of drowning to Jesus, he just cried, “Lord, save me”. I don’t want to spend my prayer time going over and over my problems, I want faith that believes that before I ask, He already has the answer.
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