2019-11-04 – Matthew 15:8

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 15:8  This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.  

This is a prophecy of Isaiah that Jesus spoke against the Pharisees.  These Pharisees came from Jerusalem and asked Him “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” Matthew 15:2  This is part of what is called the ‘Oral Traditions’, not part of the written law of Moses.  It was passed down from generation to generation as a proper thing to do.  Mark brings additional clarity to this tradition.  “For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.”  Mark 7:4.  The Pharisees expected every Jew to follow these traditions, and this included Jesus and His disciples. 

However, Jesus answers back with a question as to why they transgressed not the oral tradition, but the commandment of God.  “And He (Jesus)  answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said,’ Honor your father and mother’ and ‘He who speaks evil of father and mother is to be put to death. ‘ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” Matthew 15:3-6.  What the Pharisees had done is usurp the command of God by the tradition of the elders.  They were hypocrites because they accused them of breaking tradition, when they were breaking the law of God.  He then tells the disciples, as stated in the focus verse, that the Pharisees honored God with their words, but not with their heart.  And then He adds, “But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men”. Matthew 15:9.

It is important that we examine ourselves and make sure we do not fall into this unknowingly.  It is very easy to fall into the habit of praising God when our thoughts are elsewhere.  It is easy to give to the church simply because it is the expected thing to do, rather than giving it to God with a heart of love and thankfulness. 

And what of communion?  There are several verses we need to look at.  “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24b  When we take the bread and eat it and the cup and drink it, do we think of Him and remember His sacrifice; the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood?  There is a warning involved here.  We are not to take the communion for sake of the tradition, but for what it represents; the death of Christ on our behalf.  This is the most important act anyone has done for us.  We must remember His sacrifice and be always thankful, for only He could pay the penalty.  “But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 1 Cor 11:28

In closing, we must examine why we do things in the church or any religious gathering.  Do we do them simply because it is expected, they are tradition, or do we do them because of who God is and our desire to please Him?  We are to remember, and be thankful for, all He has done for us and the great love He has for us.  Tradition can be good, but not the reason or the mentality by which we conduct ourselves. 

2019-11-05 – Hebrews 13:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 13:6  so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”   

We as God’s people should not be afraid of what could possibly happen to us.  In fact, the writer of Hebrews says we can confidently state this as absolute.  How can we say this?  Let’s start by looking at the verse just before this.  “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”  Hebrews 13:5.  If we realize and live our lives based on this verse, then we will have peace because we know that God will never leave us or forsake us.  So, if we are content with what we have, knowing that our needs will be met, what do we have to fear?  It is when we love success and desire things that are not necessities which we cannot acquire, then we lose that blessed place of peace. 

And because of this, with confidence, we know the Lord is our helper.  He is there to provide our needs, and to help us through any situation we find ourselves in.  He also helps us in fulfilling His calling in our lives.  See what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi.  “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.  He will guide us in how to fulfill His calling in us, giving us the words to say, the deeds to do, the wisdom the succeed and the strength to perform it.  If we have a question as to how to proceed, He will answer.  This I have personally experienced in various ministry tasks He has led me to do.  There were times I had no idea how to proceed, however, through prayer He gave me the answer to all my questions. 

We also know, with great confidence, that we have no need to fear what will happen to us because of what men may do.  I have read many stories about Christians who have been arrested because of their faith.  Most, if not all, remained true to God no matter what anyone did to them.  When trials came, they trusted that God would bring them through, however, if they were to die, they knew they would be OK, for God would take them to be with Him.  They trusted God in the midst of their torture or execution.  Even death is not to be feared, whether through execution or illness, for to us, it is simply going home. 

Paul put it this way, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21.  Our sole aim in life should be to bring glory and honor to Him.  If we submit to Him as we should, then we will devote our lives to glorifying Him in everything we do.  He should be our life.  He must be our everything.  And when we live our lives this way, and it comes time to die, we will gain freedom from suffering and pain; being then in a place of joy, peace and infinite love.  We may lose our lives, but we gain all the good promised to us because of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. 

Therefore, we truly do not have anything to fear, for really, what can man do to us?  God will provide all our needs, He will be with us in all we do, whether it be in reaching the lost, serving the body or suffering for His sake.  Trusting in Him, He will guide us through this life, working through us to do His will.  And if man were to take our life, it would be a great gain for us.  Looking at life this way is a source of peace and joy.  Let us all partake of this goodness given to us by Christ.

2019-11-06 – Romans 12:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 12:18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.    

This verse is a very difficult one to follow, especially in the times we live in.  Peace is one thing we should always strive for.  It may not always be possible, however, that does not mean we shouldn’t strive for peace in every encounter we have with others, both the saved and the unsaved. 

This verse starts with the idea that as far as it depends on us.  This means that we are to do everything imaginable to preserve the peace, short of compromise.  First, we are not to begin or to originate a quarrel.  Our words are to be ones that show the love we have for the person or persons we are speaking with.  If we become angry and our words and actions show it, then we may lose the ability to speak into their lives.  If to a Christian, they may not be willing to listen to us when we are trying to help them in their walk with God; thus causing them to continue doing that which is wrong, where if we remained cool, calm and collected, we may have been able to help them see their error and turn from it.  And if to the unsaved, they may turn away and not receive Christ as Savior, or at least look into it.  Both instances will be problematic regarding our ability to speak into their lives.  And because they may tell others, we may even close the hearts of anyone else who may endeavor to speak with them.

Secondly,  if the anger is started by them, we must do all we can to appease that anger.  We should not walk off until we have done all we can to bring peace to the conversation, and possibly come to the point where they could listen to what we have to say, though this may not be possible because their hearts may be so closed to the truth that any attempt to speak it may incite the anger in them.  If this occurs, we should apologize and make peace if we can.  And we should then pray for, not necessarily with, the individual that God would open their hearts to receive the truth we intended to share with them.  The psalmist put it this way, “Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14.  I believe the evil he speaks of does include quarreling with those we speak with.  But note, we are not just to seek peace, we are to pursue it as well.  As Albert Barnes states in his commentary of Psalms, we must follow after it, make it an object of desire and put forth the effort to life in peace with all people. 

It is important that we follow this with all our heart.  I have seen far too much quarreling and gossiping within churches, and all it does is create division.  Both sides may be desiring the same outcome, but they have differences in how to approach it.  We must do all we can to be at peace with everyone.  This way, we can remove the divisions that hurt the work of the church, and open people’s hearts to the message we have from God to them.  This is a huge part of our calling, for it provides the platform by which we make it happen.

2019-11-07 – James 4:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: James 4:17  Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

In my study of this verse, there are a couple valid ways to look at it, therefore I will present both. 

First, that we make decisions about our lives, what we will do, where we will go, based on our own feelings and desires and not based on what God desires of us.  We make these big plans for our lives; visiting certain people, traveling to desired destinations, making this amount of money.  However, is this what God has called us to?  We decide on these things without looking at what God wants.  The idea here is that if we know what God wants of us and we do not pursue it because it is not what we want, then we who know nothing of the future seizes control from the one who does. This is seen from the previous verses. “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that. But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” James 4:13-16. We know our calling, but we ignore it, or put it off, until we ourselves are ready.  We must spend serious time with God in prayer to be sure of what we are to do.  If we do not, and we follow our own desires rather than His, then we may find ourselves in sin.

Second, if we see a need or something we know is the right thing to do, and we refuse to do it.  Cotton Mather, a New England Puritan minister in the late 1600s to early 1700s, adopted this idea as a principle of action, saying ‘that the ability to do good in any case imposes an obligation to do it.’  The idea for him was “if he understands what his duty is; if he has the means of doing good to others, then he can promote a good cause; for example relieve the distressed, the poor, the prisoner, the oppressed; send the gospel to other lands, wipe away the tears from those who mourn or grieve, speak out in favor of those qualities that are positive and Godly, then he is under obligation to do it.”  If we choose not to get involved and we just ignore the good we can do, then we may find ourselves in sin.

As I said above, I believe both of these ideas are valid ways of looking at our focus verse.  Both allude to the idea of knowing the right thing to do but refusing to do it for selfish reasons.  If we have the means to help someone, then we should do it.  Remember the words of Jesus, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 7:12.  If we are in need and a brother or sister ignores us even when they know our situation, how would we feel? 

In closing, too often we see sin as something we do, such as stealing, lying or murdering, however we forget that sin is also something we refuse to do, such as helping the poor or ignoring the oppressed.  Both types are wrong and ultimately sin.  Let’s remember that God has called us to love everyone, and love is more than a feeling, it is actions as well.  I encourage us all, myself included, to ensure that our plans are based on God’s will and not our own, and that if we see a need, we do all we can to meet that need.  God will see this and reward us.  “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.” Proverbs 19:17

2019-11-08 – Psalm 90:12

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 90:12  So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. 

This verse does not mean that we are to keep count of the number of days we have been here.  For instance, I have been here, on this earth approximately 22,700 days.  This means nothing in the grand scheme of life.  What it does refer to is that we should understand that our lives here are not limitless.  It more truly describes how we should live our lives going forward.  The idea is that we should estimate our days such that we understand they will pass quickly and then they will be over, and we should live these days with a heart in pursuit of wisdom and not folly. 

Many people follow the path of the rich fool found in the gospel of Luke. “And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” Luke 12:19.  He planned to take it easy, he would live well since the harvest that year was phenomenal. However, the story ends horribly for him. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared? So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and  is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21. This man focused on himself and not on how to live a Godly life.  He assumed his life would go on for years, however, his life did not even last another day. 

Then you have those who live by the saying, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”  A twist on what we read in Luke, however, there is a definite distinction.  First of all, this phrase is normally has a derogatory meaning.  The idea here is they live their lives in a totally narcissistic way.  What does it matter what happens to us, what is important is that we enjoy life now.  There thought is not of doing what is right but doing what they enjoy. 

However, neither of these ways are what our focus verse is calling for.  We are to understand that our lives are short.  That our remaining days will come to an end.  But this is not truly the end.  “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28.   As the parable of the sheep and goats lays out, we will be judged, and we will either go to the right with all the sheep or to the left with all the goats.  Do we eagerly await His return?  If so, wisdom calls us to obey and honor God.  We must be wise and be led by God in every part of our life.  As the writer of Proverbs puts it, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7.  Wisdom comes from the reverence and adoration of God, following His ways and spending time with Him. This should be our focus, and our priority.  And this is what we should do from this time forward.

2019-10-28 – Colossians 1:23

Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 1:23  if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.    

This is a very interesting verse in that it is essentially saying salvation is not a one-time event.  It is actually a continuous one.  Yes, there is a time when we accept the work Jesus did on the cross for our benefit, that being the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  This is where our journey starts.  However, many believe this is where it ends as well, that once we do this we cannot lose our salvation.  However, we can wonder away which this verse explains explicitly.

First, Paul introduces this idea in four verses preceding.  “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him (Jesus), and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—” Colossians 1:19-22.  When the Father sent the Son here, it pleased Him because it was the way to reconcile us to Himself.  We were enemies of God, hostile to His ways.  We walked according to the ways of this world and our unrighteous desires.  “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” Ephesians 2:1-3.  However, when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are reconciled to God.  We have the privilege of calling Him our Father and Christ our Lord. 

But this is only the beginning.  Not only must we accept Him and the new life we are to live, but we must persevere to the end.  We must not turn around and say, ‘This isn’t working, I want to go back to the way things were.’  We do not have to explicitly say these words but turning away from Christ and walking away is basically the same thing.  And one more thing regarding this, it could be a gradual turning away.  We may start by simply going back to a few of our old ways.  But,  if they are contrary to the Christian walk, have we not in essence turned away?  We must always obey what He has commanded us.  Recall the words of Jesus. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15. 

Jesus in His messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor said the same.  He said those who overcome and keeps My deeds until the end will be blessed as follows:

• To the Church of Ephesus – I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.
• To the Church of Smyrna – will not be hurt by the second death
• To the Church of Pergamum – I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.
• To the Church of Thyatira – To him I will give authority over the nations, and shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I have received authority from my Father.
• To the Church of Sardis – They will be clothes in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father and before the angels.
• To the Church of Philadelphia – I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 
• To the Church of Laodicea – I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 

Salvation is not a one and done event.  It is first giving our lives over to Christ and His Lordship.  Then it is continuing to live this life until the end of the age and He returns.  We cannot lose our salvation, but we can walk away.  Remember the words of James regarding this idea.  “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” James 2:17.  I encourage us all to show our salvation by our works, remain steadfast and a true follower no matter the cost until He returns. We can then rejoice for all things will be made new.

2019-10-29 – Psalm 119:105

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 119:105  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.    

How do you see the Word of God?  It is so powerful and deep in the knowledge of God we will never be able to thoroughly see all that is in it.  We will never be able to exhaust the riches that are waiting to be discovered by us. However, many look at it as just a book that we must read simply because we are Christians.  If that is how we see it, we will miss are the beauty and wisdom that is found inside it. 

God gave us the scriptures to aid us in every aspect of our lives.  He loves us and desires that we live a life that is not only pleasing to Him, but also the best for us.  It shows us what His perfect will is.  It shows us what is right and good, and what is wrong and evil.  It tells us such things as we are to love God with all our heart, soul,  mind and all our might.  (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Luke 10:27).  It says that we must love our enemies as we love ourselves. (Proverbs 25:21 and Matthew 5:44 ).  We are to be humble and not arrogant. (2 Chronicles 7:14 and James 4:10).  And lastly, we are to rely on God when things get difficult. (Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7).  Note that I included an Old Testament and a New Testament verse.  God has not changed and everything He promised and expected in the Old are also promised and expected in the New.

Not only does He show us how to live a life pleasing to Him, He will also guide our lives so that we will not fall or wonder away.   He shows us what the way of righteousness is, for He is our guide.  One of the most famous passages of scripture shows us beautifully what this means.  “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23.  He is our loving shepherd and He will only guide us to the places that are good while supplying everything we need.  When are spirit is weary, exhausted or troubled, He will lift us up and encourage us.  And He will never lead us to a place of doom but will take us a straight way to Himself.  And though we walk in difficult and dangerous places, we have no need to be afraid for He goes before us providing protection which gives us much comfort.  And He will prepare a table for us to feast at, and though our enemies see us, and are with us, we still have what we need, for God ensures we are provided for.  Moreover, we can be assured that His goodness and love will always be with us, and we will reside with Him forever.  Is not this a wonderful picture of His perfect guidance and leading?

And while we are on this journey, He lights our way so that so that we need not stumble over things the enemy puts in our way, and He lights the way so that we will not leave the path He has chosen for us.  He will not guide us blindly, but will show us clearly that path, ensuring us that as long as we stay on the path, we are safe and will be brought through.  Now, there is always the possibility that we may need to give our lives in His work.  This is illustrated by Paul when the prophet Agabus told Him he would be arrested by the Jews and handed over to Rome.  “Then Paul answered, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’” Acts 21:13

God’s Word is more than just a list of commandments, although there are things we are commanded to do to show our true love for Him.  It is also a guide as to how we should live this life and the type of service we are called to.  It is also a source of encouragement and peace that whatever He calls us to do, we will never be alone.  “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” Joshua 1:5and “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” Hebrews 13:5.  God’s Word is used to teach us, lead us, guide us, protect us and show us the great and eternal love of God.  You do not need anything but His Word.  “For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.” Psalm 48:14

2019-10-30 – Psalm 150:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD! 

We serve an incredible God.  He is all powerful, all loving and all caring.  He watches over us, each one of us at all times, never taking His eyes off of us.  He has promised to never leave or forsake us.  There is nothing He does not know, there is no place where He is not, for He fills all there is.  And He is all powerful, there is nothing He cannot do. 

Now, everyone at some point in their lives have sinned against Him.  Because of this, we were alienated from Him, and there was nothing we could do to make it right, and thereby restore the relationship we had with Him.  However, He still loved us.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.  And because of this love, He gave His Son to come down to live the life we could not and thereby pay for the sins we could not rectify.  This provided for us the salvation we needed.

What is amazing is that God had this plan already laid out prior to the creation of the universe and everything in it. God loves us so much that, knowing we would sin and break our relationship with Him, He created us anyway.  How many times has someone done us wrong and we hold a grudge?  I wish I could say never, but that would be a lie.  But think about this.  If we knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a good friend would betray us in some way, would we still have the same affection for them?  This is what God did.  No matter what we did, He still pursued us.  No matter how many times we disappoint Him, He never leaves us.  He takes care of us, loves us and draws us to Himself.  He desires to be with us, to fellowship with us.

When we think back on our lives and see all the good things He has done for us, the many times He has protected us, bringing us through all the difficulties we have faced.  I have placed myself, before accepting the justification given to us by Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, into situations I was not sure I would have been able to escape.  But I am here, safe and sound, serving Him in any way He commands.  My life could have been so much worse, but here I am, so very thankful for His goodness and grace.  And this is the reason for the writing of Psalm 150.  Its writer knew that it was only because of God’s mercy that He was able to get to that point in his life. 

“Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”  Psalm 150:1-2.  He calls for us to praise Him anywhere He is to be found.  We are to praise Him with the greatness He showed us in His grace and mercy.  We are to praise Him with everything we have.  It can be a great spectacle, shouting out our love and thankfulness to Him.  Or, and intimate time of quiet praise and worship.  We should bare our whole heart to Him, not holding back our feelings.  He is more than worthy of this.  “O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You; I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” Isaiah 25:1. 

Let us always set aside time to show Him our love and thankfulness.  As our focus verse says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD! “  Psalm 15:6.

2019-10-31 – Genesis 45:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: Genesis  45:7  God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 

This verse is part of the story of Joseph and the path God took him in order to save his family.  Things turned out really well, however the journey was very difficult. 

If you remember, Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob, for He was borne through Rachel whom Jacob loved more than Leah.  Joseph had two prophetic dreams showing in essence him ruling over his family.  This favoritism by the father, as well as these ‘dreams’ angered Joseph’s brothers who eventually sold him to some Midianite traders who subsequently sold him to Potiphar in Egypt.  After a time, Potiphar put him in charge of all his affairs and he prospered greatly because of Joseph.  However, Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of coming on to her.  He was then put into the royal prison where the head of the prison put Him charge of all the prisoners.  And again, Joseph ran it well and prospered. 

Ultimately, Pharaoh had two dreams which he nor his wise men could interpret.  Joseph was called up out of the prison because Pharaoh had been told he was able to interpret dreams.  Pharaoh then told Joseph the dreams and he prayed and told Pharaoh that these dreams meant there would be seven years of amazing prosperity followed by seven years of severe famine.  Pharaoh then put Joseph in the position of second in command of Egypt, putting him in control of storing up food during the first seven years, then dispensing it during the next seven years.  When the famine occurs, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to get food and they meet Joseph but do not recognize him.  Joseph then makes things difficult for them, but eventually brings his family to Egypt where they lived and were taken care of in all ways.

Now, I give you this brief summary to explain how Joseph suffered much, even though he was close to God and was serious about trusting and following God in all his ways.  He was hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit to be killed, however they chose to sell him into slavery where he served Potiphar for several years.  He was falsely accused of trying to lie with his master’s wife which resulted with years in prison.  This was a very long series of events, but eventually he was placed in a high position of authority.  He then revealed himself to his brothers and relayed to them our focus verse, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:7 

I say all this because many times God puts us into difficult positions just as he did Joseph.  After a time of sorrow, he accepted his situation and trusted God.  And we must do the same.  God would not allow us to go through trials if He did not have a good reason to do so.  In Joseph’s situation it was to save his family who would eventually become the Jewish nation; God’s chosen people.  And if He allows us to suffer trials and tribulations, He as a good reason to as well.  We must trust God and allow Him to work through us for the greater good.  In trusting Him this way, we shall find things easier to deal with. 

Paul said it like this, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how-to live-in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13.  We must be content in any situation God places us in, for He knows the end from the beginning and however He uses us, it will be good.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

2019-11-01 – Psalm 19:7

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 

This particular verse is from David, and he is speaking of what God has revealed in God’s law.  First, the Hebrew word translated law here is Torah, a reference to the Law of God given in the first five books of the Old Testament commonly called the Pentateuch.  The idea of Torah is that it is instructions, precepts that are given to us as a guide to how we are to live our lives. 

He calls the law perfect in that it lacks nothing in its completeness; nothing that makes it what it should be.  In other words, it is complete as a revelation of divine truth and as a rule of conduct.  And following this law turns us from the ways of sin to holiness.  Now, I am not saying the law saves us, but what it does is help us live as we should.  We see this idea in the first psalm.  “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2.  We are to delight or find pleasing His law, for by following it we can please God.  “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Joshua 1:8

He follows this with the phrase, ‘ the testimony of the Lord is sure.’  This word ‘testimony’ refers to God’s revealed truth.  Whatever God reveals to us is sure.  It is not uncertain but is established.  It can be relied on, if presented as God intended.  And it trains people who are ignorant of what God requires of them. 

We are saved through the shed blood of Jesus.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. Again, works has nothing to do with our salvation, except it is proof that we are already saved.  James put it this way, “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”  However, Jesus did say the following, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15. And how can we keep His commandments?  By knowing them, studying them so that we will do what they say; meditating on them so that we instinctively do what they demand. 

It is important that we spend time in His Word every day.  And not simply read it but think about what is says and how we can implement it in our own lives.  Our desire must be to eliminate what is unpleasing to God and replace them with what truly pleases Him.  By taking the time every day we can replace doing with becoming.  We are new creatures in Christ.  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.  And the ways of this new life are found in His word, His sure and complete word revealed to us by God Himself. 

2019-10-21 – Psalm 116:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 116:15  Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones. 

This is a beautiful picture of how God views the death of one of His children.  We see death as the end of a life. It means decay, absence and their removal, nothing that we prize.  We mourn over the death of someone we know because what we see is separation, the loss of the fellowship and love we have for and with that person.  We hold all these memories and are saddened that those days are over.  However, God knows the end from the beginning, and He has determined our days.  “Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” Job 14:5.  And since He knows our days, the end is not a surprise to Him as it is to us.

How does God see the death of the Godly ones?  Well, it is not separation, for we will be there with Him.  “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7.  And we will be with Christ. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28. 

And our new life will be everlasting.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16  Our life will never end.  For we shall be with God, enjoying the blessed life forever with no end.  No longer dealing with the temptations and sins that so easily entangle us (see Hebrews 12:1).  No longer growing weary due to the problems and trials we face every day.  No longer going without and wondering how we will make it.  No longer mourning over hardships that come our way, for we will be at peace, and joy will pervade our existence.  No longer becoming tired and weary, for we will experience true rest.  “The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.” Isaiah 57:1-2.

The trials we face here on this earth are not the product of God, but of man who rebelled against God.  However, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, we as Christians will be delivered from the chaos wrought by the rebellion of Adam and Eve.  We will be with God who loves us very much and will provide a place for us with Him forever.  He does not like what we go through here, which is why He has prepared a better place on a new earth in a new heaven. 

 As stated above in Job 14:5, our times have been set.  And also His plans for us have also been set.  We are here to spread the gospel and bring others to the saving knowledge of Christ.  In these times there will be suffering for all saints.  “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12. Also, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.” Philippians 1:29-30.   In fact, Paul was told ahead of time that he would suffer for Him.  “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him (Saul) how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16  

Unfortunately, reaching out to the lost will undoubtedly bring suffering.  However, at the end, either of our life or this era, we will no longer experience persecution or suffering, for we will enter our new life full of unending joy, peace and love. Revelation tells us what it will be like.  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4. 

In looking at death the way God does, we can see that death for the Christian is not a sad event, but a time of rejoicing.  For they have been delivered from this life of trials, sickness, pain, persecution and the like, to a life that consists of eternal peace, joy, rest, contentment and love.  Yes, we will still mourn, for we are still here.  However, God sees one that He loves finding eternal peace and joy beyond comprehension.  And this is why the psalmist writes in our focus verse, “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.” Psalm 116:15.

2019-10-22 – Colossians 3:23

Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 3:23  Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 

When we received Christ and His work on the cross, He became our Lord.  He freed us from the lordship of man but not the responsibility to those we work for.  Anything we do now is for Christ and not for men.  “Slaves be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” Ephesians 6:5-6.  The word ‘slave’ in this verse can be seen as employee under an employer in today’s thinking since slavery is illegal in our society. 

In essence what Paul is saying is that everything we do, either for our employers, family, friends, church, or anyone actually, should be done as if we are doing it for Christ.  In a way, we actually are, but we must not assume we can do less than our best because it is not “Christian duty”.  Everything we do must be as if we are doing it for Him.  We are not to just look like we are doing a good job, but we must actually do a good job.  When those whom we are working for look at us, and our progress and results, they must see the very best we can do.  Just because we are now Christians does not mean we can break the ties we have here.  Remember, God led us to where we are, therefore, we actually are doing His work for them. 

So, how can we accomplish this?  We must be obedient to those we are working for and with.  In a work environment, we must do all we are asked to do, when and how they want it done.  This is what is meant by ‘ do your work heartily’ Not because we are being forced to but doing it from our heart; with good will desiring the best for them.  We should love them as Christ does.  There were many times when I worked in computer programming I had to just make it happen because they needed it done immediately.  I cannot count the number of times I had to work weekends and late into the evening.  In fact, once I was given a task on Friday morning and it needed to be done as soon as possible.  I worked straight through till I finished Sunday evening.  Not because I wanted to, but because it was needed and only I understood the systems requiring changes.  I say this as an example.  I wish my heart was completely right during that time period.  But I did it as unto the Lord. I also asked for forgiveness for those times where my heart was not right.

When we do this, we are showing our love for them and ultimately, in them seeing us do this, we may have an opening to share the gospel to those we work for and with.  If they see us giving our all to make what they need happen, they may be open to hearing why we give our best. What a great opportunity. 

Lastly, since we are doing it for the Lord and not men, we know “that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Colossians 3:24. We may not receive anything from men, but from Christ, we have an inheritance in store for us.  Therefore, we must be faithful to God, and when we are Christ will give us this heavenly reward.

2019-10-23 – Genesis 3:4

Verse of the Day Devotion: Genesis 3:4  The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 

This verse is found in the verses that describe the fall of Adam and Eve.  The serpent in our focus verse is described as the most crafty of all the beast of the field.  The Hebrew word for crafty means cunning (usually in a bad sense).  It also has the idea of prudent and subtle.  He then says to Eve, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:1b.  There are several things that is intriguing with this.  First, it appears that this was part of a discussion they were having already, and it is questioning her to create doubt in Eve.  But more interesting is this creature had the ability to reason and to speak in a way Eve understood. 

She then answers the creature by saying they can eat of any tree in the garden except from the one tree in the middle of the garden, for God has told us we will die if we do.  At this point she still believed what God told her.  Then the serpent counters what God told her.  “You surely will not die!” Genesis 3:4  However, it throws in another idea which, as we will see, caused her to doubt what they were told.  “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5.  Aha, it has now told her that God was withholding something from her.  They would not die; in fact they would actually become like God Himself if they did eat.

So Eve began to mull this over in her mind.  According to the serpent, they would not die, for the fruit was good for food.  It was lovely and looked incredibly delicious and would allow them to gain in wisdom to the level of God.  These were the things she, and no doubt Adam also, desired.  So she ignored the warning God gave them regarding the fruit and ate it, also giving one to Adam so he could enjoy the same blessing the fruit would impart on her. 

Well, it did not turn out that well for them.  Yes, their understanding increased, but not as they hoped for.  “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.” Genesis 3:7. They understood they had done wrong and disobeyed God.  They felt the need to cover themselves with the leaves of the fig tree.  They now lost the peace they had with God.  Not only did they not want to see God, but they hid from Him hoping He would not know.

Satan does the same thing with us today.  We see many of the rules placed upon us by the Word of God as not really meaning what we had always understood.  Satan tempts us by saying, “God really did not mean these things were wrong.  Besides, they are enjoyable and will benefit you as well.” And because we see these things as pleasing to our flesh, we have to make a decision.  Do we obey God, or do we assume we do not truly understand and, like Eve, partake in the sin.  The world does this all the time.  However many Christians are also tricked into partaking because they also fall prey to the ‘I know more than God’ syndrome.  We may not think specifically we do, but that is the result of pondering the words spoken by the serpent just as Eve did.  And I hate to say we all do this occasionally, with no exception for myself.

It is important that we not listen to the words of the enemy.  We must become so familiar with God’s Word that we do not fall for the serpent’s cunning ways.  We must understand what is acceptable and what is not and stand firm when tempted to go against what God has said.  The enemy tempts us with our self-indulgent sinful desires. We need to understand this and tell him, as Jesus did, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan.’  We must use scripture and our desire to please God to defeat the serpent just as Jesus did in His moment of temptation.  This must be our goal.  We may fail at times, but these times must become less frequent.  And when we do, we need to do as John said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. We must remember the words of Solomon when he said, “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12.  For just as Eve listened to the serpent and did what she chose which led to death, so will our choosing to do what we want that is contrary to God’s will. 

Study God’s Word and know what it says and choose at all times to follow it.  It will help in your battle against the temptations of the enemy.

2019-10-24 – John 13:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 13:14  “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  

While Jesus and the disciples were in the upper room just prior to His arrest, Jesus did something that totally surprised the disciples.  “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” John 13:5. This was startling to them because Jesus, the Son of God, wanted to wash their feet.

First, washing of the feet was a normal practice in those days because sandals where the standard foot apparel and washing of the feet was normally the first thing done after a journey once they entered the home.  In the case of the average person, the owner would provide a bowl with water and the guests would wash their own feet.  However, in the home of the affluent in society, the guest’s feet were washed by a slave of the homeowner. This was normally the role of the lowliest of slaves for this was the most menial of tasks. 

In our eyes, it would have been normal for Jesus’ feet to have been washed by one of them.  However, this would not have taught the lesson He wanted them to know.  Two of the things He wanted them to learn was servanthood and humility.  Jesus was showing them they need to desire to serve, not to be served.  Paul understood this and wrote to the Philippians the following.  “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:3-8.  Note that this was the attitude of Christ.

Another lesson concerning servanthood is stated in chapter 20 of Matthew.  There was a dispute by the disciples because the mother of James and John wanted her sons to have an exalted place in Jesus’ kingdom.  “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28.  He essentially said that what she was asking was the world’s way, but not the way of the kingdom. 

Jesus gave Himself up for us because of His great love.  The second person of the trinity, the son of the Almighty God, came to serve and not be served.  We see this in His washing of the disciple’s feet as well as His statement to the sons of Zebedee’s mother and His willingness to die for the sins of mankind, His greatest service while here on earth.  He was telling them that if He came to serve, and they are to be like Him, then they were to humble themselves and serve, not argue about who was the greatest disciple.  And we are to do the same as children of God. 

John puts it this way.  “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” 1 John 2:6.  We are called to walk in the same way He did, in humility and servanthood.  We should be willing to lower ourselves to lift up another.  We should be willing to do anything that helps to further the cause of Christ.  And again as Paul wrote, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;” Philippians 2:3. We must not see anyone as lower than us, but we must be willing to help all.  This is what Jesus did, and this is what He showed by washing their feet.

2019-10-25 – Romans 8:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.   

I am sure that we all suffer or have suffered to some degree due to our Christianity. We may not have to endure what the apostles or those Christians today who live in countries that are hostile to the Christian faith.  However, we will no doubt experience persecution for our faith in Christ.  Paul put it this way in his second letter to Timothy. “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12.

Christian persecution in this country is growing fast.  In fact, many Christian organizations are persecuted by those who disagree with them regarding their faith.  There are colleges and universities that do not allow Christian organizations to have meetings on campus, however, it is OK for anti-Christian groups to meet regularly.  A law school in New York required students to work with a law firm over the summer, however, law firms that held firm to Christian beliefs were not acceptable and several students who selected them were forced to find another firm to work with.  In Canada, it is illegal to talk or give a speech or sermon that states homosexuality or transgenderism is an abomination, in fact, there are heavy fines and possible jail time for those who do.  The same idea is being talked about by the democratic presidential candidates, in fact, one has said if he becomes president, if they do not declare LGBTQ acceptable to God, a church may lose its tax-exempt status.

What is interesting is that no other religion is being spoken of in this way.  Even Islam, which kills those who practice homosexuality are not being targeted.  This, to me, makes it pretty clear that Christianity is under attack and ultimately Christians.  Abortion is another issue that causes people to hate Christians.  Many believe that the murdering of an unborn child is not only acceptable, but also pleasing to God. 

There are many groups forming here and all over that will attack and punish those who do not agree with them, and this definitely includes those who live out and speak out about their Christian faith when it comes to LGBTQ, abortion, or any other issues in which the disagree with us.

We must understand this will occur, and we must stand strong and not compromise when it does.  In so doing, we will show our love for God in standing up against evil.  James put it like this.  “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. James 1:12.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5  And this hope is looking forward to the day when He returns and delivers us from this world. 

As our focus verse says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18.  Times like this are hard, but they are nothing compared to our new life, which is an eternal one.  So, look at these trials and tribulations as of no consequence, in fact, pray for those who perpetrate them on you.  Their future, if nothing changes, will be eternal torment.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:43-48.  Remember, Jesus while on the cross prayed that those who put Him on the cross be forgiven for they know not what they do.  Many who persecute Christians really do not understand the reality they truly live in.  We need to present the truth when we can and pray always for them to come to the knowledge of the truth.  Who knows what changes this will bring about in their lives.  They may even give their lives to Christ as we have. 

2019-10-14 – Acts 5:29

Verse of the Day Devotion: Acts 5:29  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.    

Peter and John were arrested for teaching about Christ as well as the miracle healing of the man lame from birth to the crowds in Solomon’s Portico.  They were eventually released; however, they were ordered by the Jewish leadership not to speak of Christ or the healing of this man anymore.  But they did not heed their demand.  “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.  Also, the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.”  Acts 5:14-16. 

This did not set well with the High Priest for it went against their firm warning.  “But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.” Acts 5:17-18.  However, that night an angel of the Lord set them free and said to them, “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.” Acts 5:20.  Now, the High Priest ordered the prisoners brought to the council, but the guards could not find them.  Then someone came and reported to the council that the two men they had jailed the previous night were in the temple teaching the people about Christ. 

When they arrived and were standing before the council, the High Priest questioned them saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” Acts 5:28.  However, Peter and the apostles answered with our focus verse, “We must obey God rather than men.“  Acts 5:29. 

Francis Schaeffer in his book “A Christian Manifesto” stated, “The bottom line is that at a certain point there is not only the right, but the duty, to disobey the state.”  This comes only when what the state commands by way of law is contrary to God’s Law.  It is important that obeying God comes before obeying the government.  I want to clarify something though.  If what the state commands by law does not disobey God, then we are obligated to follow it.  It is only when, for example they legislate that all doctors must perform abortions when desired by the patient, that we must disobey because taking a human life is against God’s laws.   

We must be ready, as Peter and John were, to do what is right in the eyes of God through disobedience when necessary.  Again, if it does not go against the laws of God, then we must do what they command.  Christianity is coming under much persecution because people want to do what they want.  They hate and abuse those who openly disagree with them.  They do not want Christian teachings and values in our public schools, but many other religious ideas are praised.  We must be willing to stand up in all areas to any group that demands us to disobey God.  He is our Lord, King and Eternal Father; worthy of complete obedience.  Are we ready to take such a stand for Christ?

2019-10-15 – Joshua 1:9

Verse of the Day Devotion: Joshua 1:9  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” 

Moses has died.  God now calls Joshua to take the Jewish people into the promised land. “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.” Joshua 1:2-4.  On a side note, this verse is interesting in that it can be interpreted in an intriguing way.  Albert Barnes says it best, “Moses, representing the law, is dead; Joshua, or, as that name is written in Greek, Jesus, is now bidden by God to do what Moses could not – lead the people into the promised land.” 

I am pretty confident that Joshua was uneasy with this.  Thus, God then gives words of encouragement to Joshua.  “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.”  Joshua 1:5.  He assures Joshua that He will be constantly with him.  No one will be able to stand before him and prevent the work God has called him to do.  This is essentially the same promise He gave to Moses.  “No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.” Deuteronomy 11:25.  Here He explains why no man would be able to stand before him; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot. 

He then tells Joshua not to fear this callling.  “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” Joshua 1:6.  Here God ensures Joshua that he will lead the people and they will possess the land God promised them.  Let’s look at the focus verse again.  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!” Joshua 1:9a He is referring back to verse 6.  This tells me Joshua was definitely unsure about this.  He was around 100 years old, but had never led the anyone into battle before, especially with the goal of conquest.  And God was calling him to lead the Israelites into the promised land through conquering the current residents.  However, as a loving father does, He encouraged Joshua with these words.  “Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9b

There are going to be times where God will call us to do a specific work which we will feel totally unequipped for.  Now, I doubt it will be leading an army to overthrow a nation, however, many times the task will seem beyond what we believe we are capable of accomplishing.  God would never call us to do anything if He was not going to be there with us.  In fact, He will work through us to make it happen.  “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.  This will accomplish two things.  First, it will be done the way God wants it done. And second, we can rely on Him when we feel out of our comfort zone.  All we have to do is submit entirely to Him.  This is not always easy, but if we do, who knows what can be accomplished through us.

In closing, God gave Joshua a calling regarding entering the promised land in Joshua 1:2.  He then told him to be strong and have courage in Joshua 1:6, then comforted him in his fear in Joshua 1:9.  And He does the same with us in our callings.  He discloses this calling to us, encourages us and then guides us and actually works through us to do His good pleasure.  We know that Israel took over the promised land from Canaan and we also know that He will make us successful in our work for Him.  What we need to do is, as Joshua did, trust God that we can fulfill His calling and then submit to Him in all things.  Remember, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.

2019-10-16 – James 1:5

Verse of the Day Devotion: James 1:5  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 

In order to get the major context of this verse, we need to look at the three verses prior to this.  “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ”  James 1:2-4.  Now, this verse can be used for any situation wisdom is needed, however, when you see the words in the above verses, ‘your faith produces endurance’ it makes sense what James is focusing on. 

Now, the wisdom that James is no doubt referring to is that wisdom which helps the Christian get through these times of trials, for there is probably no time the Christian needs the wisdom from God more then in how to bear up under the ordeal they are suffering.  This wisdom is essentially understanding that for us to be stronger in our faith knowing God is totally in control, it must be tested so that any area where we do not grasp this truth can be strengthened.  And the stronger it is, the more endurance we have to continue through it.  I believe this is why God does not always deliver us from difficult situations.  To paraphrase Francis Schaeffer on this topic, ‘too often we ask God to deliver us from our trials, when we should be asking Him to bring us through our trials.’  

Part of this wisdom is seen in James 1:2.  “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”  How can we rejoice, counting it all joy to suffer these trials?  By realizing the following.  1) That God is in control, and He would not have had you go through this if there was not a good reason, 2)  Because our faith in God strengthens as we see His help and support though it, and 3) We are glorifying God by trusting Him that we will make it through.  It is interesting that in countries where persecution is at its worst, the church is growing and flourishing.  Here in the United States, where persecution is much, much less, we see more people leaving the faith, churches losing members and closing their doors.  Kind of makes sense.

If we are enduring hard times, we can pray to God for the specific wisdom we need.  We all, as Christians, have wisdom imparted to us.  One is the knowledge we need Him.  Another is how to treat each other.  In fact, the bible is a book full of wisdom. And when we read and study His word, we gain much wisdom and knowledge.  However, this wisdom may not be fully understood, and therefore God must strengthen it in order to equip us to do His will, no matter what that is.  Most times, through trials, our understanding of His word increases. 

So,  when we find ourselves in a time of trial, consider it a good thing; for your growth and the Kingdom of God.  We must see our times of trials as a needed time that will equip us for the times that are coming.  For when the end-times arrive, it will be incredibly difficult.  When that time comes, we should consider it a time of joy, for we know His return and our deliverance is just around the corner.  And when things seem too hard to handle, pray to God for His strength and wisdom to help us through.  God is able and willing.  All we have to do is ask it of God.

2019-10-17 – Proverbs 19:21

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 19:21  Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.  

All of us have plans for our future.  We have short-term plans; what we will do over the weekend.  Then there are middle-term plans; what will we do over the next couple of years.  Then there are long-term plans; what will we do in retirement.  There is nothing wrong with having plans.  They are important in order to determine what will guide us to its fulfillment.  However, we should not make those plans concrete, for there is always the possibility that God has something else for us. 

There are many things that we may desire for our future.  Some of these are obtaining wealth, or the revere of others.  Maybe a long and enjoyable life.  For others it may be preparing for a livelihood that we enjoy and gives us fulfillment.  However, many times our plans, even as Christians may focus on our own pleasures and desires, and not on others and their needs, or even God’s desires.  “Then He (Jesus) said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?  Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”  Luke 12:15-21.  This is a bit rough, but this man’s plan in the parable did not look after others, but only for himself.  And note what God called him; “You Fool.”  ‘This word ‘fool’ has the meaning – properly mindless, that is, stupid, ignorant, egotistic, rash, or unbelieving: unwise.’ (from Strong’s Greek Concordance.)

Even if our plans are not selfish, they may not be what God desires.  Therefore, as stated above, they should not be cast in concrete.  We must always look to what He desires of us.  What if we want to teach science in high school, but God desires us to go out and care for the poor?  Quite different occupations, neither of which is sinful.  Or, what if we plan on reaching the lost in our nearby cities, but God desires us to preach the gospel in North Korea?  This is an extreme example, however, for some this could be reality.  We must not ignore God’s plans for us.  We as Christians must be open to any calling He has for us. 

I remember the book by David Wilkerson, “The Cross and the Switchblade.”  This is the story of a country Pentecostal preacher who was called by God to go to Brooklyn, NY to minister to the gangs in that area. God used an article in Life Magazine about seven teenagers who were members of a criminal gang to communicate His will to David.  He was a Pastor who was content, and safe, preaching in this small church and would have been happy to stay there until he retired.  But God had other plans, and I am sure they did not agree with the plans David had.  However, he submitted to God and as a result, two high level gang members were saved and gave their lives over to God and preached to many still in the gangs; Nicki Cruz and Cookie Rodriguez. 

Sometimes we do not know the plans God has for us.  But He does.  “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. This verse is regarding the Jews in Babylon; however, I am confident it is applicable to us as well.  He knows the end from the beginning; therefore, He knows all His plans for us.  I encourage us all to, when we make plans, to be open to something different if God leads us to another calling. Remember what James said, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” James 4:13-15.

2019-10-18 – Revelation 3:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Revelation 3:15  ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 

This verse is found in the list of the seven churches of Asia Minor and speaks specifically of the last one mentioned, the church in Laodicea.  Here we see Christ saying to the church that He knows their deeds, that they are neither hot or cold.  What He is essentially saying is that what He sees there is ambivalence and irresolution. 

If they had been hot, they would have burned with passion for the truth and God.  They would have desired do to all they could for the Lord to bring the gospel to the lost and to give God the glory for all He has done for them; their salvation, sanctification and future glorification.  There is a general order of service, but open to whatever is needed by the people.

If they had been cold, they would do things for formality’s sake; because it is the way things are done.  Not much is accomplished because the service is more important than the outcome.  A successfully formal church is the desired outcome, a service pleasing to the Lord, not necessarily the effect on the parishioners.

We can easily see how hot is very much desired over cold, but why is cold preferred over lukewarm?  Because, in the end they are endeavoring to please God without really understanding how.  They believe that at least they are giving to God what He desires, formal services which do not deviate from the norm.  Lukewarm has the idea of indifference;  ‘I do not really care what happens.’  They are essentially Christian in name only. 

Let’s look at a classic example of cold and hot; The apostle Paul.  Before his conversion on the road to Damascus, he would be considered cold.  What He did was because the Law told him to.  He was passionate that the Law be completely and totally obeyed. The Law was what was preached, obeyed and therefore important.  This was the only way to please God.  He went as far as to arrest anyone who belonged to the cult of Christianity.  However, after His conversion he became hot.  He was fervent for the word and he had a passion for Christ like no other.   He preached Christ for what He did on the cross to provide salvation to as many as received; to the point that he suffered and eventually died for the cause of Christ. 

My question to all who are reading this is, are you hot, cold or lukewarm?  If you are lukewarm, He will spew you out of His mouth.  For, just as lukewarm water is a place where germs and bacteria can thrive; ultimately infecting the body, so is the lukewarm Christian capable of infecting the church body with ambivalence, they profess Christianity without really living it out.  Here is what Christ said about the lukewarm, “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” Revelation 3:15-18.  Note what He said, “Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,”  The lukewarm believe they are just fine; they do not need Him.

We need to understand we need Christ, for He is the way of salvation.  We must, in everything we do and think, please Him. We must never, as Christians, get to the point that we believe we have all we need, and therefore, we do need Him.  Do we really want to be vomited (the actual idea of spit here) out of Christ and the kingdom?

2019-10-07 – Acts 4:12

Verse of the Day Devotion: Act 4:12  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” 

Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour which was the hour of prayer.  A man who had been lame from birth was sitting at the temple gate called “Beautiful” begging for financial assistance.  Upon seeing Peter and John, he requested financial help from them.  Then Peter and John looked at him and Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” Acts 3:6. Peter then helped him up and immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened, and he began to walk.  Many people saw this man walking and praising God, knowing that this was the man crippled and begging everyday at the Beautiful Gate. 

Now, Peter and John began teaching the people about Christ.  “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.  But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.  Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:17-19.  They are calling the leadership to return to true worship and adoration of the true God, not the one they were serving.  Note: There were around 5000 men who believed their word when the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came to have them arrested.

The next day, John and Peter were taken before the rulers, elders and scribes where they were asked by what power they healed this man.  Peter then, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered by saying that it was Jesus the Nazarene, whom they crucified and whom God raised from the dead; by His name this man has been healed and is standing before them.  He added then, “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.” Acts 4:11.  And then they declared, by our focus verse, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. 

The word ‘salvation’ properly denotes any preservation or the keeping of anything in a “safe” state; a preserving from harm.  Also, it denotes deliverance of body or mind of the same; sickness, pain, danger, etc.  In the New Testament, it is normally applied to the Messiah, Christ, and what He came to do.  “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. Mankind cannot, in and of themselves, become found.  We were separated from God and did not have the access Adam and Eve had prior to their sin.

What Peter was saying to the leadership was they did not have the power to provide this salvation.  Their adherence to the law and its rules and works could not provide what mankind needed.  There is only one name by which man can be saved, that being Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.  And these words pertain to us today as they did to those in the first century.  It is Christ alone, not through any other man or woman, prophet, idol or false god, teacher, leader or any false Christ. Salvation has its origin in God, and the Savior He gave us, and cannot be originated by any power among people.   

This word must be preached to all people, letting them know that Christ is the only answer to all our issues; physical, moral or spiritual.  Salvation from all these areas are only available by the Creator of all things.  Sin caused separation from God, sickness, pain, danger and all things that we suffer today.  And the Messiah, Christ is the only source of salvation from all these areas.  Our job is to go out and evangelize the world.  “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23.  Many are deluded that salvation comes from many sources, religions, works, etc.  It is our job to compel the world to come to God’s house through the only door possible, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and the acceptance of this work. And we must not cave and give in to the arguments of those who question or debate us.  The answer is clear and immutable.  Stand strong and spread this good news to all we come in contact with.  In so doing, we will fill His house, thus pleasing Him and also help those who need and want salvation, receive it.  This is love, both of God and our fellow man.

2019-10-08 – Romans 1:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  

Paul is a man who gave up everything for Christ.  And in his day, he was probably one of the least expected to do so.  He was a zealous Jew, who knew all the law and the components that came with it in regard to strict adherence to it.  Before he committed himself to the work of Christ, his name was Saul from the city of Tarsus.  Paul was a disciple of Gamaliel, a Jewish rabbi in the first century and a leader in the Jewish Sanhedrin, of which Paul would eventually become a member.  Gamaliel was well respected, being a grandson of the famous Rabbi Hillel who wrote a commentary on the Torah; the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.  This relationship with Gamaliel no doubt provided Saul much solid teaching of Jewish law and beliefs.  We see Him first at the stoning of Stephen for his supposed heretical belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah, where he held the robes of those throwing the stones and thereby approving of Stephen’s execution.  He was on his way to arrest many more Christians in order to rid the world of this cult when Christ made Himself visible to Saul who then realized all he had done was wrong and offered himself totally to the work of Christ. 

Because of this Saul, who I will now refer to as Paul, was cast aside by the Jews as an apostate.  And by the wise of the Gentiles, “when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.” 1 Corinthians 4:13.  However, even though he was considered worthless to the Gentile leadership and the Jewish nation, where before he was regarded with much applause by both, he was not ashamed.  “according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20.  Hope in this context refers to that which is expected with assurance and conviction.  It is not something wished for.  What Paul is saying is that no matter what befalls him, he will, with boldness and a steadfast strength, not in any way deny the truth of the gospel or water it down; even before emperors or kings, Jewish or Gentile leadership.  He will never compromise even in the least.  Christ will be magnified and declared the only way of salvation.  What drives him forward in this boldness?  The fact that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes, both to the Jews and the Gentiles. 

This should be what drives us as well.  The truth of the gospel is the most important message ever given to mankind.  It shows the only way of salvation.  It is absolute truth and we should not be ashamed of this message but should be ready and anxious to declare it to a lost world.  Just as Paul lived a life totally contrary to this truth prior to his conversion, we also lived a life contrary to the truth prior to our conversion.  And the life we live now is infinitely greater than before.  We should never be ashamed of the gospel.  The word “ashamed” has the idea of, in the past  tense, embarrassed or guilty of one’s actions, characteristics, or associations.  And in the present tense, reluctant to do something through fear of embarrassment or humiliation.  Are we reluctant to share the truth in certain situations?  Have we been ridiculed and become ashamed of a time where we shared the truth?  We all need to examine ourselves and see where we are regarding this.  To share God’s truth with boldness should be seen as a great privilege because this is our calling from the infinite God who exists and is there with us. 

In closing, let us remember the words of Peter, where he wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.  If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” 1 Peter 4:12-16.  Whatever we suffer in this life for the cause of Christ will glorify God and will be a source of rejoicing when He returns.  We must not focus on its effect on us, but how it glorifies God and how we will rejoice in the end. 

However, I cannot end without these words of Jesus, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38.  No need to comment on this one, it pretty much speaks for itself.

2019-10-09 – Psalm 95:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 95:6  Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.  

This psalm was written by David as an invitation to praise and worship the Lord our God.  David is encouraging God’s people to come before the Lord and give Him what is due Him.  

Praise and worship are not necessarily the same thing.  They are both focusing on God; who He is and what He has done.  However, praise is a joyful thankfulness of all God has done for us, where worship is an acknowledgement of who God is in relation to who we are.  Another way of expressing this is, “where praise is focused on thankfulness, worship is focused on surrender.” Chapter 95 of Psalms is a call to both; therefore, we shall examine both in the context of David’s call in this chapter.   

First, we are called to sing for joy to the Lord.  “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” Psalm 95:1-2.  This is a wonderful portrayal of praise.  Coming before Him, singing and shouting out our thankfulness to the one who provides everything.  We see this idea throughout the bible.  “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Psalm 107:1.  “Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12:5-6.  “Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.” 1 Chronicles 29:13. And finally, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16.  How can we not thank Him; how can we not shout out for joy for His many gifts and benefits; how can we not rejoice for all He has done for us, including the sacrifice of His Son on the cross?  Praise and thanksgiving should always be given to Him for all things.

Then we are called to worship Him.  We see this in our focus verse, “Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”  Psalm 95:6.  We are told to bow down to Him in humility, surrendering ourselves to Him in homage and reverence.  He created everything that is.  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 and  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:1-3.  He created everything that is, and that lives and moves upon the earth.  And He is infinitely greater and higher than we are.  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,  declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9.  There is no comparison because the distance between finite and infinite is insurmountable. 

Because of the above, we are to humble ourselves before our God, Lord and Maker in worship.  We are to bow down before Him in surrender to Him, acknowledging our love, reverence and devotion to Him.  The idea of bowing down in this verse in the time of David was by prostrating before Him, meaning lying flat on the ground face down.  Whichever way we go before Him, be it lying face down on the ground, bowing or kneeling before Him, the idea is adoration, reverence and surrender.  Our mind should be focused entirely on Him, emptying our thoughts of everything but Him and our deep love and adoration for our glorious Lord and Savior.  We should forget about ourselves and our situations.  This should be a very intimate time with Him, where we can realign our priorities with His and spend time in not only speaking to and uplifting Him but hearing what He has to say and making a commitment to obeying and following His words.  It should be a time where we acknowledge and declare again that He is our Lord and no-one else, including ourselves.

Praise and worship come from our hearts, expressing our devotion to Him.  The outward motions are not what He is looking at, but the deep feelings in the innermost depths of our being.  God sees our hearts and recognizes our sincerity or our hypocrisy.  How do we develop a sincere relationship with God?  “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8.  We must focus on drawing near to Him, cleansing our hearts and minds of those things that are not glorifying to Him and replacing them with those things that please and honor Him.  And when we do this, He will draw near to us and we can have a relationship that will go beyond anything we could ever imagine. 

I encourage everyone here to spend concerted time praising and worshipping are great and loving God.  He is worthy of all we can give Him and more.  I believe if we can spend more quality time with Him, thanking and glorifying Him as he deserves, it will cause us to grow in our walk with Him and we will find ourselves more content in every part of our life.  That is my desire for sure.

2019-10-10 – Deuteronomy 18:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Deuteronomy 18:15  The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. 

These words that Moses spoke to the people were prophetic words from God referring to a future prophet that would come out of Israel.  Notice the wording, “The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like ME”.  Many at that time believed that Moses must have been referring to Joshua who would be the one to lead the people into the promised land.  However, there are some intriguing words spoken by Jesus and the apostles that show who this prophet like Moses really was.  

For instance, when Peter was witnessing to the Jews in Solomon’s Portico, he said, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” Acts 3:23.  He is telling the listeners to repent and return to the true faith, so that when the end comes and Jesus returns, they will experience a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.  And if they do not return, they will see destruction rather than refreshing.  Note also that Jesus is referred to as the Christ about whom God spoke of through His prophets, particularly Moses. 

Stephen as he was speaking to men from the Synagogue, referring to the same verse in Deuteronomy, shows that Moses was referring to Christ in a later verse, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” Acts 7:51-53.  The righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers they had become. 

There are various verses in the gospels referring to “The Prophet”, using the definite article rather than the indefinite. This no doubt refers to this prophet declared to be like Moses.   In the first chapter of John, we see Jewish priests and Levites from Jerusalem going up to John the Baptist to confer with Him regarding the coming Messiah and to question all that he was doing.  “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’  And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” John 1:19-20.  He knew what they were suspecting him to say, so he states emphatically that he is not the Messiah.  Continuing, “They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’  He said, ‘I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.’” John 1:21-23.  Note the question “Are you THE prophet?”  John,  referring to the words of Isaiah, answers them saying,  “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3.  He declared he is that voice declaring the coming of THE Prophet, not the Prophet Himself.

There are many references in the Old Testament, also known as the Jewish Scriptures, that point to the coming Messiah.  For instance, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.  And “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14. And lastly, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15. And there are countless others as well.   I know we are several months from celebrating Christmas; however, this is the most important event in all of time and space; so important that it is found throughout all of the Old Testament.  Without this coming Messiah, there would be no salvation, no reconciliation with God, and no justification, declaring us righteous.  It was so important that most of the prophets declared His coming, like Moses and Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah.  The Jewish leadership refused to see Jesus as “The Prophet” because their presuppositions clouded their minds and they refused to accept what was so prevalent in their scriptures. 

I encourage us all to remove any presuppositions that prevent us from seeing the truth of the scriptures, not just where it comes to our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah, but in other areas as well.  Who knows what we could understand in greater ways if we did.  Things would definitely come into greater focus.

2019-10-11 – Matthew 5:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 5:17  “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  

Jesus is here at the beginning of His ministry.  He has been baptized by John the Baptist, went through the temptations from the devil and now is teaching to a crowd on the mountain.  As we read the account of the sermon on the mount, it is important to remember that Jesus came for the Jews, the chosen people.  “Jesus went away from there and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, ‘Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.’ But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:21-24.  Note that He did cast out the demon because of her great faith.  (See Matthew 15:28)  This is, of course not to say He came only to save the Jews.  He would go out to the gentiles through Saul of Tarsus.  “But the Lord said to him (Saul), “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;” Acts 9:15. 

Because He came to the Jews, it was important that they knew He would follow the Law.  But their reason to follow it was different than His.  In Exodus we see why the Jews followed the Law.  “‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;”  Exodus 19:4-5.  It was to have a special relationship with Him that was unending; their salvation.  However, salvation requires perfection which the Law could not address. 

They did not fully understand this.  Their following the Law could not bring them perfection.  For this reason, the Messiah came.  “For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” Hebrews 7:18-19.  The Law was set aside because it could not bring perfection, the better hope mentioned here was capable, which was Jesus.  “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.” Galatians 3:19.  Until the seed would come.  And who is the seed?  “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.” Galatians 3:16. 

So, we see here that the Law was in place, as weak and useless as it was, until Christ came.  The purpose of the Law was to show our need for salvation, not for salvation itself.  “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20.  The word ‘justified’ means to be declared righteous, therefore we cannot be declared righteous by the works of the Law.  Our sins must be removed, and the penalty must by paid.  And when the penalty is paid, the sin is not held against us, thus we are justified.  If Jesus had sinned, what He did would have paid the penalty for His transgressions, not ours.  But because He was blameless, His death paid for our sins.  “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. 

So, wrapping this up, We could not keep the Law perfectly, therefore we could not be saved by works.  Without perfection, we could by no means pay the penalty and be justified.  This required a perfect sacrifice.  Jesus came and lived a life free from sin by perfectly following the law.  Thus, because there was no penalty to pay for His own benefit, He was able to pay the penalty for ours.  But it took fulfilling the Law completely with absolutely no transgression. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:10.  He fulfilled the Law so that we could be declared righteous and become children of God.  So, is the Law important?  Yes, for Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.  However, it is to express our love for God, not to be saved, therefore, let us show our love for Him in all things we do. 

2019-09-30 – John 3:30

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 3:30  “He must increase, but I must decrease.  

There came a rather controversial dispute regarding purification between John’s disciples and a Jew or Jews. Purification was a very important issue with the Jews, and so the discussion became a dispute.  We are not sure what the exact argument was, however, it was in no doubt regarding baptism. In the time before Jesus, the Jews would purify a proselyte by a form of baptism to purify them.  The issue was which baptism was the correct one, Jesus’ or John the Baptist’s.  “They asked him (John the Baptist), and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”   John 1:25. 

After a while, both sides came to John wanting clarification.  We see in verse 26, “And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him.”  John 3:26.  The way this is worded is as if John’s disciples were concerned that Jesus’ was, in essence, taking over the work John had been doing.  However, John did not answer this question in the way they expected.  He did not address their feelings or hurts regarding this.  He answered in such a way that only one who truly knew him, and his purpose would understand.  “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.’” John 2:27  What he basically said was that anyone who does the work of God, referring specifically to himself and Jesus, receives the calling and its success from God.  Our calling is from God, and the way we succeed come from following God’s way.   

He then goes on to clarify that he is not the promised Messiah, the Christ.  “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’” John 3:28.  He was sent before the Messiah to announce His appearing.  “He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” John 1:23.  These words of Isaiah are found Isaiah 40:3, “A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.’”  This was his calling.  Then he makes the following statement that shows he knows Jesus is the true Messiah.  “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So, this joy of mine has been made full.” John 3:29.  John refers to Isaiah many times, and he does so again regarding God as the bridegroom.  “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10. 

John recognized that Jesus is the Messiah, and therefore the bridegroom.  He is the friend of the bridegroom, in essence, best man.  Jesus is the bridegroom and therefore the believers belong to Jesus, not himself.  John regards himself as the friend of Jesus.  And because the believers belong to Jesus, He is the one that must take over.  For John was only announcing the Messiah was coming, not that he was the Messiah.  And because of all this, we read in our focus verse, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30.

This very much speaks of us as well.  The purpose of ministry is to point the way to Jesus, the true bridegroom and Messiah.  He has called us to preach the gospel.  “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”  Mark 16:15.  That is our calling.  We must decrease in the eyes of men, not building ourselves up but building Him up.  He should be the focus of our work, not ourselves.  He must be greater and we more humble.  When we preach, teach or simply share our hearts regarding Christ, we should do it in a way that when our listeners leave, they remember Christ more, and us less.  I encourage us to look at our calling the same way as John the Baptist did.  Jesus must increase in this world, and we must decrease in this world.

2019-10-01 – Hebrews 10:23

Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;   

Many times, I have been disappointed by people who have promised things that were not fulfilled.  I can be confident I am not the only one who has experienced this.  Once when I was growing up, I wanted to play baseball for the High School team.  I attended the first meeting and was given a list of things they expected of us.  One was that we had to have short hair, and since I had long hair, I agreed to get it cut.  My parents had agreed that I could play that year, so I went out and got my hair cut short.  After I did, my parents said that they would not let me play.  I asked why because they had promised.  Their answer shocked me, for they only promised it till I got my hair cut.  They would not put out the money needed to participate.  This hurt me terribly because I was not popular and had few friends, and I was hoping that playing baseball would change that.

In our focus verse, the writer of Hebrews is saying that with God, a promise made is a promise kept.  (By the way, I cannot take credit for the line “A promised made is a promise kept”, it is the title of a song by Randy Stonehill.)   If God promises us something, he will bring it to pass.  And we can be assured that there is nothing that God cannot do.  “‘Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,” Jeremiah 32:17.  Therefore, if God promises us something, we know it will happen because He is a faithful God who can do all things. 

Let’s look at a few of these promises.  “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10  We have nothing to fear, for God has promised to strengthen us and uphold us.  Then there is “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” Exodus 14:14.  In our struggles, we can relax for God has promised to fight for us.  Then there is, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. We can be sure that if we do sin, if we confess this sin to Him, acknowledging it as sin, and we repent of it, He promise is His forgiveness and the washing away of the unrighteousness in us.  And finally, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19.  He has promised if we have a need, He will meet it.  We can relax and just wait for Him to supply.

These are but a few of the many promises He has made to us.  Each one of these, and all the ones not mentioned, we can be assured they will be a kept promise.  Therefore, we are called not to waver but be steadfast, not wishing, not hoping, but knowing He is faithful.  This is the faith He calls us to. 

And as an extra, here is the chorus from the song by Randy Stonehill, “A Promise Made is A Promise Kept”.   “A promise made is a promise kept, there is a love so true. Just hold on, God is holding on to you. Day by day, Prayer by prayer, Oh, don’t you ever forget that a promise made Is a promise kept.”

2019-10-02 – Matthew 6:24

Verse of the Day Devotion: Mat 6:24  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.  

Jesus, in His famous Sermon on the Mount, is telling His listeners that they cannot be divided in their devotions, specifically if their demands are contrary to the other.  Imagine a man who is subject to two masters, and they desire the house exterior to be painted.  Master 1 tells the man in the morning to paint it blue because blue is his favorite color.  He then goes off on a business trip.  On the same day,  master 2 tells him in the afternoon to paint it green because green is his favorite color.  He then goes off on a business trip as well.  Both ordered him to have it completed by the time they get back.  The slave is now in a predicament.  He obviously cannot please both.  If he paints it blue, master 1 will be pleased and master 2 will be angry.  And if he paints it green, master 2 will be pleased and master one will be angry.

This is the idea that Jesus is trying to get across.  We cannot obey two masters.  First, He said we would either hate one and love the other.  According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the meaning of ‘hate’ here is the idea of loving less.  Therefore, what He is saying is we will love one more than the other.  In the above example, depending on who the man loves more will determine the color the house will be. 

He also said that he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  In other words, He is saying that regarding opposing commands, we will hearken to one of the master’s and neglect the other.  We will respect the command of the one master and disrespect the other.  Either way, we will anger one of them.

Then He completes this idea by alluding to the reason for this verse.  We cannot serve both God and wealth.  The word translated wealth here actually is deeper than just wealth.  It signifies wealth, but also money, riches and things.  Basically, worldly goods.  There is nothing wrong with worldly things like money, jewelry, cars, etc.    However, which do we love and follow after?  Since we can only serve one or the other, would we give up things for God, or give up God for things?   

Jesus gave this very choice to the rich young ruler.  “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?  And He said to him, Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’  Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Matthew 19:16-20.  This ruler asked Jesus what He needed to do to be saved.  Jesus responded with, because he was no doubt a Jewish ruler, items found in the ten commandments.  The young ruler responded by telling Jesus that he has kept all these things, what else is there?  “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.  But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.’”  Matthew 19:21-22.

Jesus basically asked the ruler, “would we give up things for God, or give up God for things?”  Unfortunately, he chose the latter.  I believe that we, as Christians,  have chosen God over things.  However, it is always good to follow the suggestion of the writer of Lamentations where he wrote. “Let us examine and probe our ways and let us return to the LORD.”  Lamentations 3:40.  Are there things we love more than we should?  Can we honestly look at all we have and say there is nothing here I would not give up for Christ?  Maybe so, but the verse above says it is a good idea to examine ourselves periodically.  If everything is good, praise God.  If there is something, pray and determine what you need to do and do it.  This is pleasing to God and of great benefit to ourselves.

2019-10-03 – Psalm 91:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 91:1  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.   

This is a very encouraging verse, for it describes, in figurative language, the idea of sitting with the almighty.  The word translated ‘shelter’, which in the King James version is ‘secret place’ is a place where we are sheltered and protected.  Just as a bomb shelter is a place some have in their homes which few people see, but where we can take shelter in difficult time, so is the Most High a shelter for His people. 

We see this is several other verses describing a hiding place for safety.  “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold ” Psalm 18:2.  Also, “You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.” Psalm 31:20. And finally, “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 32:7. 

When we abide in the Most High, we will be under His protection, as a chick is under the protection of a female bird’s wings.  He will shelter us from all our trials.  The psalmist tells the Lord as such when he says, “I will say to the LORD, ‘”My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!’” Psalm 91:2.  He says this for God delivers us from the enemies.  “For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you.“ Psalm 91:3-7.  He delivers us from those who attempt to trap us, and from illnesses that could cause death.  He says God will cover us with His pinions, essentially feathers, and here we can seek refuge.  The fact that He is faithful is a shield from what comes after us.  We have no need to fear anything in the night or the day. 

Does this picture look familiar?  Remember Jesus just before entering Jerusalem prior to His arrest.  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!” Luke 13:34.  Jesus wanted to gather the Jews under His feathers, He wanted them to be saved.  He wanted to have them dwell in the shelter of the Most High.  He wanted them to abide in the shadow of the almighty, but they would have nothing to do with Him.

This is something we, as Christians, must focus on and take comfort in.  He is here to protect us, and we should go to Him and take refuge.  He will shelter us, and we will abide in His glorious shadow.  What a wonderful promise.

2019-10-04 – Revelation 21:4

Verse of the Day Devotion: Revelation 21:4  and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. “

This verse denotes a time of rejoicing.  A time when the old order is done away with and the blessed future eternal order will become the norm.  We all know the trials and tribulations that come to us from the enemy.  It seems like there is no rest from the hardships prevalent here on this earth.  People weeping from broken hearts, loneliness, hunger and constant pain, both physical and mental.  However, things will change, all will be made new, promised by God who is faithful in all things.

So, let’s look at what this life will be like.  First, God will wipe away every tear we weep.  This will be a wonderfully blessed state where sorrow and mourning will fade away and there will only be love, joy, peace and contentment.  There no longer will be any pain caused by illness, sickness and calamities because they no longer exist.  And even death will be done away with.   Isaiah wrote regarding this time, “He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 25:8.

Such a different life then we have now.  We cannot fathom such a life.  In fact, we cannot even begin to understand what God has planned for us.  “but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. 

There are a lot of gorgeous things on this earth.  Flowers that leave us speechless by their beauty.  Mountains that soar into the skies producing a wonderful landscape in the distance.  Birds just exploding with colors that work so well together.  The sounds of a flowing creek, the chirping of a bird, or the incredible echoes from the valleys as the words bounce off the hillsides back to our ears. 

I am sure you have sights and sounds that just amaze you and allow you to relax in total contentedness.  I am sure we have thought of things that truly do not exist, but if they did would be beyond beautiful.  However, look what Paul said in the above verse.  Nothing we see here will come close in comparison to the beauty we shall see in the new heaven and earth.  No sounds here will ever compare to what is coming in our eternal existence.  And even our imaginations cannot conceive of what God has in store for us.  And the amazing thing is that there will never be an end to this wonderful life. 

Yes, things may not be perfect here.  There is a lot of ugliness, anger, hatred, and pain in this life.  But a better time is coming.  The effects of the fall in the garden will be done away with.  All of creation will be remade.  Imagine, “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also, the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:6-9. 

It is hard to imagine, but this, and infinitely more will be our life forevermore.  Praise God, I cannot wait.