2020-01-01 – Proverbs 17:22

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 17:22  A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. 

There are two ways we can focus our thoughts.  We can either focus on that which is good, or we can focus on that which is not good.  Many things happen in our lives, both good and bad.  Some negative situations we cannot control, such as the death of a family member or friend, loss of a job, etc.  These can be very difficult times, and there will be a season where our thoughts will be directed at these issues.  However, more times then not, we have control over our circumstance and how we react.  For instance, when someone offends or insults us.  Or, as an actual instance in my life, a contractor goes to your boss and reports to them something you supposedly did which actually never happened.  In these cases, we must not focus on these things, but give them to God to work through.  We can and should address things that are not truthful about us, but we should never make these things control our lives.

What the writer of Proverbs says is that whether we focus on good things or bad things, they will have an affect on our bodies.  If our thoughts are positive and joyful, the affect is good.  Likewise, if our thoughts are negative and depressing and stressful, the affect is not good.  Let’s look at some of the effects on both sides.

When we focus on the negative, this produces stress.  There are various affects that are common to the person who is experiencing high stress levels.  These include muscle tension, most pronounced at the base of the neck.  Also headaches which can include migraines.  Nausea, hair loss and weight gain, rapid heartbeat and chest pains as well as insomnia and fatigue.  One other is that stress impacts the immune system making those who are stressed more prone to illnesses.  (This information found on the Cleveland Clinic website.)

However, when we focus on the positive, this produces relaxation and positive body impacts.  When we laugh and feel deep joy, the body releases serotonin and endorphins which are called feel-good chemicals which make us even happier.  This relaxes the body and reduces stress.  These chemicals cause our lungs to expand and become replenished with oxygen.  Laughter even sends more oxygen-rich nutrients and blood throughout the body.  It relaxes the muscles, lowers blood pressure, increases blood flow as well as improving the functions of the blood vessels, which can decrease the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.  It also improves our immune system. (This information found on the Medical Daily website.) So, do we want to remain healthy or experience negative impacts on our bodies?  According to the writer of Proverbs, a joyful heart is a good medicine while stress and anguish which can come from negative things can hurt our body.  So, let’s stay positive.  If a negative situation occurs, do what you can but do not focus on it, give it to God and let Him take care of it. Remember what Paul wrote to the Philippians.  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”  Philippians 4:4-8.  Dwell on the good, give God your struggles and cares.  Your body will thank you.

2020-01-02 – Galatians 3:28

Verse of the Day Devotion: Galatians 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Back in the first century, there were many divisions within the populations.  Several would be the have’s and have not’s; basically the rich and the poor.  Then there were the dignitaries and the normal people.  Then there were the wise and the foolish, as decided by the different groups.  And of course, the free and the slaves.  Each of these groups were looked at very differently.  This was the way of the Greek and Roman rulers.  And these distinctions were many times accentuated in order for the aristocracy to place themselves at a higher level than the common folk.

When Jesus came, He saw things differently.  He focused on one distinction as primary regarding His purpose here on earth.  That distinction was regarding following Him.  You either followed Him or you did not.  And this distinction was not as strict as those of the Greeks and Romans, and even to some extent the Jews, because with them, it was very difficult and sometimes impossible to cross the divide they had imposed on the people.  With Jesus, you could move from non-follower to follower by making the decision to follow Him. 

In the focus verse, Paul is laying out this same idea.  Within the Kingdom of God, there are no distinctions accept whether you are a follower of Christ or not.  Everyone is on the same level.  First he says there is neither Jew nor Greek.  He is not talking about their ancestral line, for that remains.  What He is referring to is at this level, all are saved in the same way and all are intitled to the same privileges.  Jews often looked down on the gentiles, and I am sure vice-versa.  However, within the body of Christ there is no favoritism on account of birth or bloodline.  All confess their love and devotion to Christ, and all are saved by His mercy and grace.  The same is said regarding the slave and the free man.  Being a free man does not give anyone any special claims to Jesus and His grace. 

In those days, the woman were looked at as totally subordinate to the male.  In the body of Christ, again there are no special privileges associated with the persons gender.  Both sexes are seen as being at the same level.  Now, this does not mean there are no distinctions in what each of them do.  In the parental role, women will always by the mother and the man will always be the father.  And there are other distinctions, especially where the Jewish law was concerned.  However, within Christianity, both have equal rights, privileges and equal blessings.  And, neither are more useful or important than the other.

We must  remember that all who are truly Christians are all one in Christ Jesus;  no-one is greater or less any other. We must never look at anyone and think we are better or worse than they are.  We should never flaunt our spirituality simply because we have more credentials than someone else.  All credentials really are is to show how we have been prepared for the work God has called us to.  We are all called to specific tasks.  Some to teach, yes.  But some to hospitality, others to helping those in need, and still others to reaching out to those who no-one else will.  We are all equal in the eyes of God no matter who we are or what our talents are.  We should see things in the same way as Christ did.  There are followers, then there are those we need to become followers.  Any other distinctions are truly irrelevant.  

2020-01-03 – Isaiah 1:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 1:17  Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.  

Isaiah is speaking to Judah about its wickedness.  They are not living as they ought. “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.” Isaiah 1:2.  Judah has revolted against God.  They are not following His ways but their own.  In fact, the Lord speaking through Isaiah declares that they do not even know Him.  “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:3.  He compares His people to an ox and a donkey and basically says they know more than Judah, for at least they know who their master is.  He continues with, “Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.” Isaiah 1:4. 

Based on verses 2-4, Judah has abandoned God, choosing to walk in their own way and not God’s way.  How sad that God’s people in the time of this writing, having seen all that God has done for them, would walk away from Him when, in their eyes, did not appear to believe they needed Him. 

However, God has not rejected them.  He still loves them and has a purpose for them.  He now tells them what they must do.  “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,” Isaiah 1:16.  This verse, just prior to our focus verse, tells them what they must do because of their rejection of His way.  First, they must wash themselves, making themselves clean.  He is telling them to put away their sins, stop committing them anymore.  Sin is represented in the scriptures as defiling or polluting the soul; making it filthy.  This idea is alluded to by King David when he wrote, “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:1-2  Sin is like dirt that makes us unclean, and we must wash this filth from us. 

God then goes on to say through Isaiah, remove this sin from my sight.  Since He sees everything, and nothing can be hidden from Him, He is basically saying to cease from doing evil.  Stop it altogether.  Do not just wash yourselves, but do not get dirty again.

Now, this takes us to the focus verse.  He says to learn to do good.  They were obviously ignorant of what was good, so God was telling them to study to see what is good.  These include, but are not limited to, seeking justice.  This is to be done between 2 or more people when a wrong is done, without respect of persons.  They are to reprove those who are ruthless, those who take advantage of others or are cruel and heartless to others.  They must not allow them to continue in their evil ways but correct them and get them to stop.  They are to defend the orphans and plead for the widow. Both of these groups had no one to plead their case back in this time.  They were ignored and left to fend for themselves.

Today, we have similar situations.  Our county is moving toward atheism and rapidly at that.  Many in this country are defying God and living as they please.  And we, or those who come back must learn what it truly means to do good.  We must cleanse ourselves from sin and stop doing whatever evil we find ourselves doing.  We must protect those who need protecting and help those who need help.  We must see other more highly then we see ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  We must honor God in all we do.  Let us learn what is the right thing in everything and focus on doing them.  That is what He calls us to.

2019-12-30 – Romans 12:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 12:15  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  

This verse speaks of the love we should have for one another in the body of Christ.  It is important to remember that we, as Christians, are united in one body.  “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5.  And because we are united in one body, we should have should care for what happens to each other.  Paul put the unity of the body this way.  “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:12-14. 

Note the last part of the verses above,  “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:14.  It is love that is the binding force that unites all Christians together.  We should love each other with the love God has for us.  Having this love one for another enables two very important things.  First as stated above, we will all be in unity.  If we are not in unity within the body, then there is a lack of love that exists within the disunity.  I have been in this type of environment several times, and when this was the case, God’s work through the body was impeded.  We can disagree sometimes, but when a decision is made, the love we have for each other should then work together to make things happen as decided.

And the second enables the world to see what true love is.  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35  When the world sees the love we have, they will look at us differently than if we are being divisive.  It goes a long way in opening the door to successful evangelism. 

How can we show love to each other.  There are endless ways, but our focus verse points out two.  The first is to rejoice with those who rejoice.  We should be interested in how our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing.  When a great blessing comes their way, we should be as excited for them as they are for themselves.  God has provided it to them, and we should be thankful to God for their sake.  And we must be careful not to envy them or covet their blessing.  Rejoice with them, letting them know we are so happy for them.

And on the other side, we should weep with those that weep.  We should join them in their mourning, being with them to help them through this difficult time.  We should show true love by walking with people who suffer some type of loss that moves them to weep.  It is a difficult thing to mourn alone, and we should love each other to the point we would never leave anyone alone. 

Through these two things, rejoicing with the rejoicing, and weeping with the weeping, the body of Christ is greatly strengthened, and the bonds that unite us will grow even stronger.  Take whatever time necessary to fulfil these two commands.  If we all did this, it would be amazing to see all that God will accomplish through us. 

2019-12-31 – John 14:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 14:15  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 

This is a very important verse, for it shows us what true love for Jesus looks like.  Now, He is not questioning or doubting their love.  He is saying that by the observance of His commands and precepts, it displays their love to Him.  This is not saying we are saved by keeping His commands, but that we are showing our love for God by obeying His commands.  This is a much surer test than simply the profession of our love.  Many people say they love God, for this is something that is the ‘Christian’ thing to say.  But the proof of this declaration is obedience.  If we do not obey Him, how can we say we love Him?  If we love Him, we will honor Him as Lord and King. 

Jesus put it this way.  “THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.” Matthew 15:8. This is a quotation of the words of the prophet Isaiah where He declared, “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,” Isaiah 29:13.  Isaiah here is writing what the Lord told him. In essence, the Lord is saying that people will say and do whatever it takes to let people think they honor and love God, even though their hearts are in opposition to their words and deeds.

The theologian Adam Clarke puts it this way in his commentary notes on Matthew 15:8.  “The true worship of God consists in the union of the heart to him – where this exists not, a particle of the spirit of devotion cannot be found.”  We can say all we want regarding our love for God.  However, if our hearts are not in union with His, we will not be devoted to Him and His ways.  We will not obey Him in all things but will select those things in which we agree and are willing to follow.  This is not true love as our focus verse says.  True love is obeying and following Him in all ways.  Now, we may stumble and fall at times in following His ways, but if we follow what Jesus says in that, “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” Mark 12:30, then we can ask forgiveness for we are His children and He will forgive us. 

And lastly, the world is constantly watching us Christians who declare our love for God and our devotion to Him.  It is important that they see the reality of our walk.  If we profess our love for Him and then act in ways that deny this love, why should anybody listen to us?  I saw an assistant Pastor once who declared the most important thing to do was to show our love for Jesus, and then, in a skit, acted as someone who was in love with the Pastor in a very inappropriate way.  We cannot do this and expect the world to believe us.  Therefore, it is important that we study His Word and know what He has commanded us to do as well as what not to do; both to honor God and to be a light to the world. 

How can we say we love Him if we disobey Him and refuse to follow His commandments?  We cannot and be truthful to Him and ourselves. 

2019-12-23 – Micah 5:2

Verse of the Day Devotion: Micah 5:2  “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”                  

The scriptures tell us where the coming Messiah will be born.  From a verse in Genesis, we know this is Bethlehem.  “So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Genesis 35:19. Now, we see some interesting things regarding Bethlehem.

First, it was too little to be among the clans of Judah.  Here is how this is explained by Albert Barnes in his commentary on the book of Micah.  “Each tribe was divided into its thousands, probably of fighting men, each thousand having its own separate head. Places too small to form a thousand by themselves were united with others, to make up the number . So lowly was Bethlehem that it was not counted among the possessions of Judah. In the division under Joshua, it was wholly omitted . From its situation, Bethlehem can never have been a considerable place.”  It was too small to be on its own, therefore it was merged with other small places in order to amass the thousand needed. 

However, though it was small, a great event would happen within this town. One would come forth from there who would be the ruler in Israel, one however whose rule would never end.  This is the one who would fulfill the Father’s will and purpose from eternity.  Jesus Himself said this was His purpose.  “Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” John 4:34.

Lastly, we see that His goings forth are from long ago, from eternity.  His coming was known from before time began. His coming was known before this universe was created.  “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you ” 1 Peter 1:19-20.  Also, this one knew us from the foundation of the world, for because He foreknew us; those who would accept Him and follow His ways, our names were put in there from the foundations of the world.  “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Revelation 13:8. 

This was no normal child who would be born in this small town of Bethlehem, one so small it was not even considered a clan of Judah on its own.  However, from this small; at the time insignificant, town would come the greatest gift God could give us; the means of salvation by the sacrifice of this not yet born ruler of Israel. Nothing today from any town, city or metropolis, can compare to what happened in Bethlehem.  Praise God.  He let us know through the prophet Micah.  However, many of the rulers could not accept this prophecy, and thus ignored it.  What a shame, for they missed the fulfillment of the most significant and important prophecy of all time. The birth of the only begotten Son of the Father.

2019-12-24 – Luke 2:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Luke 2:6: While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.                  

Jesus was now born, in a manger where the animals were kept because they could not find any room in any of the inns because of the census that was decreed by Caesar. “And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7.  This was in the town of Bethlehem, because Joseph was of the family of David and was no doubt born there, for each family was to go to the city where the head of the household was born.  “Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,” Luke 2:4

After the birth of Jesus, they were visited by shepherds who were keeping their sheep in the fields in the same region.  ”In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12. This was such a momentous event, that these shepherds were alerted to the birth of the Messiah by angels.  And it was not just one or two either.  “And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Luke 2:13-14. 

This was an incredible declaration.  Angels, whose number could not be counted, told these humble men that the Messiah, the coming King, the Savior of the world, had been born in the city of David, in a humble manger, within this small and what was considered an insignificant town.  I cannot imagine how they must have felt.  No wonder the angel told them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;” Luke 2:10.

When the angels disappeared, they immediately left the sheep to see what they had told them.  “When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.”  Luke 1:15-18. The shepherds eventually went back, glorifying God as they went for all that He had told them.

Mary, on the other hand, pondered all these things.  She no doubt remembered what Gabriel had told her, and along with what she saw with the shepherds and everything else, she thought about them and what all this could mean.  She kept them in her heart and no doubt pondered them often.  She had obeyed God, offered herself as a hand maiden to do the will of God.  And now what was prophesied had now come to fulfillment.  What would this mean going forward?  I am sure this probably came to her mind.

Several years later, they received a visit from magi, known also as astrologers or magicians from the east. “After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:9-11.  These were wise men, who had probably read the prophesies of the coming king and were led there by God using a star as a guide.  They gave very precious gifts and worshipped this child before they left.  God gave them a warning. “And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.” Matthew 2:12.

I close this by again saying this was not a normal event.  God prepared it from before the foundation of the world, and He guided many to observe it and give due worship to this child, the Son of the Living God.  This is what Christmas is about.  And this should be our focus and priority in our celebration of it.  Giving gifts and decorating is not wrong, but it should not be the priority.  Jesus is.  Let us remember this as we rejoice during this holiday season.

2019-12-25 – Luke 1:1-2:21

Verse of the Day Devotion: Luke 1:1-2:21                

Merry Christmas to all who are reading this.  Every year, just prior to the opening of our gifts, I read the Christmas Story to all who are celebrating Christmas with us.  I pray you find this  encouraging and possibly choose to read it on Christmas every year as well, to tell the story of the coming of the promised Messiah.

Luke 1:1  Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 

Luke 1:2  just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 

Luke 1:3  it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 

Luke 1:4  so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught. 

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Luke 1:5  In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 

Luke 1:6  They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 

Luke 1:7  But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. 

Luke 1:8  Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 

Luke 1:9  according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 

Luke 1:10  And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 

Luke 1:11  And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 

Luke 1:12  Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 

Luke 1:13  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 

Luke 1:14  “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 

Luke 1:15  “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 

Luke 1:16  “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 

Luke 1:17  “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 

Luke 1:18  Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 

Luke 1:19  The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 

Luke 1:20  “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” 

Luke 1:21  The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 

Luke 1:22  But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 

Luke 1:23  When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. 

Luke 1:24  After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 

Luke 1:25  “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.” 

Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26  Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 

Luke 1:27  to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 

Luke 1:28  And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 

Luke 1:29  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 

Luke 1:30  The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 

Luke 1:31  “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 

Luke 1:32  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 

Luke 1:33  and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 

Luke 1:34  Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 

Luke 1:35  The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 

Luke 1:36  “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 

Luke 1:37  “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

Luke 1:38  And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. 

Mary Visits Elizabeth

Luke 1:39  Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 

Luke 1:40  and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 

Luke 1:41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Luke 1:42  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 

Luke 1:43  “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 

Luke 1:44  “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 

Luke 1:45  “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” 

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat

Luke 1:46  And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, 

Luke 1:47  And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 

Luke 1:48  “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. 

Luke 1:49  “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. 

Luke 1:50  “AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. 

Luke 1:51  “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. 

Luke 1:52  “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. 

Luke 1:53  “HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. 

Luke 1:54  “He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, 

Luke 1:55  As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.” 

Luke 1:56  And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home. 

The Birth of John the Baptist

Luke 1:57  Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 

Luke 1:58  Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. 

Luke 1:59  And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. 

Luke 1:60  But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 

Luke 1:61  And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 

Luke 1:62  And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 

Luke 1:63  And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 

Luke 1:64  And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 

Luke 1:65  Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. 

Luke 1:66  All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him. 

Zechariah’s Prophecy

Luke 1:67  And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 

Luke 1:68  “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 

Luke 1:69  And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— 

Luke 1:70  As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— 

Luke 1:71  Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; 

Luke 1:72  To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 

Luke 1:73  The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 

Luke 1:74  To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 

Luke 1:75  In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. 

Luke 1:76  “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; 

Luke 1:77  To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, 

Luke 1:78  Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 

Luke 1:79  TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” 

Luke 1:80  And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Luke 2:1  Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 

Luke 2:2  This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 

Luke 2:3  And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 

Luke 2:4  Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 

Luke 2:5  in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 

Luke 2:6  While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 

Luke 2:7  And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

The Shepherds and the Angels

Luke 2:8  In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 

Luke 2:9  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 

Luke 2:10  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 

Luke 2:11  for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2:12  “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

Luke 2:13  And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

Luke 2:14  “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 

Luke 2:15  When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 

Luke 2:16  So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 

Luke 2:17  When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 

Luke 2:18  And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 

Luke 2:19  But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

Luke 2:20  The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.  Luke 2:21  And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 

2019-12-26 – John 3:16

Verse of the Day Devotion: John 3:16 “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. 

This verse is probably one of the most recognized verses in all of scripture.  This shows how much God loves us and wants to be reconciled with us.  He loved us even though we did not love Him.  He loved us even though we refused to follow His ways.  However, His love for us does not constitute an approval of our conduct.  It shows that He loved us in spite of what we do.

This was a gift, the most valuable gift that can ever be conceived.  This was not just a book of rules or laws.  It was nothing we could ever have imagined.  And it was a free and undeserved gift.  It was a gift given for the sole reason that He loved us beyond all measure.  It was an act of pure love and eternal compassion.  It was because He did not want us to perish, to be separated from Him forever. 

And what was this unimaginable gift?  It was His Son, His only begotten Son.  Something man has no claim to.  And again, something that was so amazing and incredible, it is inconceivable to the minds of men.  Imagine someone you know who committed a great crime that was punishable by death.  Someone you love and desire to fellowship with, even though they do not care to fellowship with you.  You then find out that someone who has not committed a crime could pay for the man’s crime by suffering the consequences that man deserved.  And you have a child who is completely free from any wrongdoing and could set this man free by dying in his stead. 

This is what God did.  He conceived a child in the womb of Mary for the sole purpose of having Him die to pay the penalty for the sins we had committed.  He loved us before we could ever have loved Him.  Note this verse, “We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:19. The basis of our love for Him is because He first loved us.  However, let’s go a little farther with this idea.  “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Revelation 13:8.  Our names, us who have accepted Christ and are Christians, have been written in the Lambs book of life from before our world was created.  And this is due to God’s foreknowledge of our accepting Him, not His indiscriminate choice.  And because our names are there before the foundations of the world, so must have been the plan to give His Son for us in sacrifice.  He loved us before we were even created, before Christ came to die.  And because He came to die, we have the immense honor to love Him.  Remember, we love Him and others because He first loved us.

This beautiful and powerful verse has so much in it, we could contemplate for a long time and still not understand the full ramification of it’s meaning.  He loved us before He created us.  He knew we would fall away, and He still created us.  He provided the means of salvation before we even sinned, and it was through the death of His only begotten Son.  And anyone who believes in Him and the work He did on the cross will have eternal life.  There is no greater love than that which God gave.  “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13.  This will be a difficult question, but is this the kind of love we have for others?  Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” John 15:12

2019-12-27 – Leviticus 19:18

Verse of the Day Devotion: Leviticus 19:18  ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. 

This is a very important concept to understand.  If anyone does evil against us, we must not, in any way, return evil to him.  To take vengeance against them is to commit sin against them in retaliation.  Now this idea goes even further.  Not only are we not to retaliate, we are not to harbor hatred toward them in our heart.  On the contrary, we are to love them as we love ourselves.  In fact, Jesus Himself quoted this same command when He stated, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34. 

We do not have the right as Christians to hold grudges.  We are to forgive everyone, no matter what they have done to us or anyone else.  In fact, Jesus is very clear about this in His Sermon on the Mount.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH. But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” Matthew 5:38-41.  Retaliation is not an option. This is what God did, sending His own Son to die for the sins we have committed.  As He forgave us, we are to forgive others.  Instead of holding latent feelings of devising ways in which we can have revenge, we are taught to speak to the offender and endeavor, by calm and kindly reason, to help him understand what he did and what it’s affect was on you and others.  And this is to be done in love.  If we exact revenge, no matter what happened, on the person that has hurt us, are we not participating in the same sin in which they have perpetrated on us? 

In closing, let’s look back at what Jesus said is the reason we are to love everyone as Jesus loved us.  “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35. We are to walk in the same manner He did.  And the reason for this is that if we do, we show the love of Christ to an unbelieving world.  Through what we do, they see the reality of this walk.  And many times they will ask us questions, and this will open the door to a couple things.  To the believer, it shows them the reality of our walk and could open doors to help them to see  what this Christian life is all about and help them to be able to live it. This is Discipleship.  To the unbeliever, it shows them that there is more to this Christian walk than they have heard and seen, which could open the door to help them believe and give their lives to Christ.  This is Evangelism.  These two things, discipleship and evangelism is what we are called to do.  If we choose to act in a manner that is absent of love, then we show everyone watching there is no need for them to show love  for obviously we do not.  Let this not be our message.

2019-12-16 – Jeremiah 23:5

Verse of the Day Devotion: Jeremiah 23:5  “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.              

This verse speaks of the coming of the promised Messiah.  Isaiah speaks similarly when he said, “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. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

Both Jeremiah and Isaiah are telling those who will listen that the righteous one will be coming, from God, who will ultimately establish the eternal kingdom; bringing righteousness and justice to the land.  Daniel gave specifics regarding the timing here, “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.” Daniel 9:25  I will not go into the mathematics regarding His coming except to say that these are weeks of years; one week being 7 years. Therefore, it was not a secret, for the Lord made it clear to the Jews when, how and why He was coming.  When? Sixty-nine weeks of years after the decree to rebuild the Jerusalem, How? Through the Son of God, the Messiah. Why? To bring about the atonement for our sins through the death of the Messiah.

Unfortunately, most of the Jews at the time of Christ’s coming did not understand these prophecies.  It laid out the time of His coming, but they looked for what they expected, and not what the prophets said.  It was laid out so clearly here, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.” Daniel 9:24. My guess is that either they lost the initiative to continue counting the days, or they had their own idea of what the Messiah would do, and Jesus did not meet their expectations. What a shame. So, this is what we celebrate during the Christmas season.  It has to do with the gift God gave us in His Son, the promised Messiah, who would sacrifice Himself for us all.  Let us not forget this when we celebrate Christmas, because this is the true meaning of this blessed holiday season.  There is nothing wrong with sharing gifts or decorating with lights and trees.  However, let’s make these secondary and remind our children, friends and family of what Christ did for us and the eternal rewards He made available to us, if we simply believe and live it out.    

2019-12-17 – Luke 1:38

Verse of the Day Devotion: Luke 1:38  And Mary said, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.              

Mary, the chosen mother of Christ, was visited by the archangel Gabriel and brought a message from the Lord to her. “And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28.  Now, this confused her, and she pondered in her mind what was said to her and what could it mean.  It appears she feared Gabriel. “The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Luke 1:30-33.

Now, this was again confusing to her, for she had never laid with a man up to this point, so she wondered how this could possibly be.  She had followed the law faithfully. So, what was he saying?  Therefore, “Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34.  In response to this question, “The angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35. It would not be Joseph who she was currently engaged to who would be the father.  She would be a mother not by any man, but by God Himself. This is prophesied by Isaiah when he said, “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.  Matthew clarifies this by stating Immanuel in the Hebrew means ‘God With Us’. (Found in Matthew 1:23).  This child she will give birth to is God.  Now, she probably was questioning this in her mind, so Gabriel says to her, “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.” Luke 1:36.  This was probably told to her to give her confidence that if God could cause Elizabeth to have a baby in her old age, then He could cause her to have a child with the promise given her. He then ends his words with, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37.

Without any more questions, she says through the focus verse, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:38.  This was an expression of giving herself over to the will of God.  This shows us the commitment Mary had to God and why she was chosen for this purpose.  For her to have a child by someone other then Joseph, to whom she was engaged to, would have had her ostracized because she broke the law by committing adultery. She knew what this meant regarding her reputation, but she followed the will of God completely, no matter the consequences.  My question to all of us here is, would we do the same?  Would we follow what God tells us no matter how anyone thinks of us, or what we would look like in their eyes?  Are we willing to be humiliated before men to be found pleasing before God?  Something to think about.  Is how God sees us more important than how man sees us?  Sometimes He calls us to do things that are not acceptable to the ways of men.  And we, as Mary did, should be willing to go against the ways of man to obey Him.  It is hard but think about it.  Who is more important?  This will give us the answer we need.

2019-12-18 – Luke 1:41

Verse of the Day Devotion: Luke 1:41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.               

After her visit from Gabriel, Mary prepared herself to visit Elizabeth who lived in the hill county of Judea. “Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.” Luke 1:39-40.  She was anxious to visit her relative in order to see what the Lord has done for her.  Gabriel told her that Elizabeth would conceive a son in her old age. “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.” Luke 1:36. In fact, as noted in the verse 36, she has been pregnant for the last six months.  What an opportunity to see the hand of God working in Elizabeth’s life, which could well give evidence that what the angel said is true for her as well.

When Elizabeth heard Mary, a couple amazing things happened.  “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 1:41.  First, the baby within her leaped in her womb.  This baby, who would be named John, responded to the fact that the Messiah, who was now in the womb of Mary, was nearby.  This, I believe, was on account of the second event, which was the infilling of Elizabeth by the Holy Spirit.  However, it was not just Elizabeth who was filled by the Holy Spirit.  Back when Zechariah, a priest in Israel, was performing his priestly duties, he was visited by an angel who prophesied saying, “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.” Luke 1:14.  And now the next verse.  “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.” Luke 1:15.  Not only was Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit, so was John, and this was why he leaped in the womb. 

Then Elizabeth, after being filled by the Spirit. Prophesies over Mary.  “And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”  Luke 1:42. She declares that Mary is blessed of the Lord, and the baby in her as well. Then she reveals something that only God could have told her.  “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” Luke 1:43-45.  She was not there when the angle talked to her, and there was no way Mary could have sent a message to her this quickly.  For she knew that the Lord had told Mary she would give birth to the Messiah. 

Then Mary spoke out in praise and gave glory to God.  “And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond slave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has exalted those who were humble. HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.” Luke 1:46-55.  What a great declaration of the mighty and great works done by God.  Mary, after all this, remained with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. What is worth noting here is that God not only told Mary, and previously to Zechariah and Elizabeth, what was going to happen, but He also gave them evidence of what He declared.  And God will do the same for us when required.  He did this via the first meeting between John the Baptist and the Messiah, when both were in their respective wombs.  God always make clear to all what He is going to do, and what He has already done in the lives of His people.  It is up to us to accept and believe what He tells us.

2019-12-19 – Luke 1:57

Verse of the Day Devotion: Luke 1:57  Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.                

The time had finally come for Mary’s cousin Elizabeth to give birth to John.  “Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.”  Luke 1:58.  This was a time of celebration.  She had lived beyond the age where she could have children, however, the Lord caused her to give birth to the one who would cry out in the wilderness declaring the coming of the Messiah to His ministry. “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 This is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah where he said, “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

As was the custom regarding the law, on the eighth day, they circumcised the child.  Everyone who was visiting was thinking the child should be named Zacharias, after the father.  Another part of Jewish tradition was that the child was named when he was circumcised, and ordinarily the name of the father was given to the first-born son.  So this made sense to everyone there.  But Elizabeth interjected, “But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” Luke 1:60.  This of course was the name the angel told Zacharias to give him. “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.” Luke 1:13. 

This was not the norm, thus, “And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” Luke 1:61.  Again, this was important in regard to tradition.  Their reasoning was that the Jewish tribes customarily kept their families sacredly distinct, and this included family names.  They would name their children the name of an ancestor that was found in the line of the tribe, partly because of reverence for them, but also partly to avoid confusion in the genealogical tables, which for the sake of distinguishing the inheritances, were carefully preserved.  It seems that because John never appeared in the family line of Levi, they argued it was not a good name to give. 

They then asked the father Zacharias what he wanted to name the child.  “And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, His name is John. And they were all astonished.” Luke 1:63.  Therefore, he declared what the angel said.  Now Zacharias was unable to speak because he doubted the words of the Lord spoken through the angel. “Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years. The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” Luke 1:18-20.  However, now that he obeyed the words of God by going against tradition, he received his voice back. 

Then Zacharias prophesied saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”  Luke 1:68-80. 

Now, he who is the forerunner of the Messiah has been born.  And he will prepare the way for the Messiah, who shall be born fairly soon.  Zacharias dropped all traditions of men to obey God.  Jesus rebuked those who followed traditions of men rather then God. “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:8.  Let us not fall into this trap, just as Zacharias did not.

2019-12-20 – Genesis 28:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Genesis 28:14  “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.                 

Here is another prophecy from the old testament which speaks of the coming Messiah.  Jacob has just departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.  He had traveled quite a distance and the sun had set and he decided to stop for the night in order to refresh himself before he completed the trip the next day.  So, he took a rock and laid down, putting it under his head as a pillow. 

“He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12. This is an interesting dream.  What he saw was a ladder that connected the heavens with the earth at the place he was.  And on this ladder were angels; some ascending back into heaven and others descending to the earth.  This is a picture of angels coming down and doing God’s work down here, and then ascending back upon completion.  This reminds me of a verse in Hebrews which speaks of the angels, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”. Hebrews 1:14.

Then Jacob sees the Lord, standing above this ladder on which the angels were ascending and descending, and declares to him the following, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.” Genesis 28:13b. He first tells Jacob who He is; the God of Abraham his grandfather, and of Isaac his father.  It was very important that Jacob knew who He was because He was prophesying about near and far future events.  The near event is that He would give to Jacob and his descendants the land on which he was sleeping.  This would be the promised land which God spoke of to Abraham.  He confirmed to Jacob what He had promised to his grandfather.

Then God addresses the far event, “our descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 28:14.  Here God is saying that Jacobs descendants will be as the dust of the earth.  In other words, they will be so many that it will beyond the ability to count.  These descendants will spread out all over the world; going to the north and the south, to the east and the west.  But here is the defining part of this verse, ‘and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”  There will come from him, through the line of David, someone through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. They will spread throughout the world, via the disciples of this coming Messiah whose name is Jesus, the good news of the reconciliation of men with God, through the sacrifice of Jesus. 

And we as Christians are the disciples of Christ who are to spread the Word of Christ.  Jesus was the one prophesied through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed.  And it is through us that the good news will be spread through a world that does not know Him.  Notice the phrase, ‘shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 28:14b.  Paul lays out how they will hear the word.  “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” Romans 10:14-15.  We are those who are called to tell the world.

2019-12-09 – Galatians 6:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Galatians 6:10  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.             

There is much that is involved regarding this Christian walk.  There is spending time with God in prayer, praise and worship.  There is reading and studying His word, as well as teaching about this life to those that are new in the faith.  But this verse lays out the heart of this life, doing good to others out of love.

In fact, we are called to do good.  “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13.  Also, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:19.  We must always be willing and ready to do good to all we come across.  There are many out there that struggle with making ends meet, having enough food on their table or have no way to get somewhere they need to go.  You will be doing them a great favor by helping meet their needs. 

Also, there are times when we will go through sadness, grief or disappointment.  If we know someone who is experiencing this, pray fervently for them, visit them to encourage them and maybe just be there with them.  It is amazing how healing it is for someone to just be there with us.  These are beautiful times where we get to exhibit the love of God with people who need to feel it.

And who are we to exhibit this to?  To everyone.  For those who are Christians, God can work through us to reveal His love and purposes for them.  He can show them, through us, there is a purpose to the hard times they are in, and that He will never leave or forsake them.  Life is not always as we desire, even as Christians, but whatever happens, we can always be sure He has a good purpose.  And for the unsaved, it may be what God knows will open their hearts to the knowledge of His love and forgiveness which will bring them to salvation; either immediately or sometime down the road.

In closing, never weary of doing good. The verse just before the focus verse says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”  Galatians 6:9. We should always do all we can to help, encourage, uplift and walk along side everyone who we come across.  Who knows what their needs are, and how we could make a difference in their life if we do?  And besides, though not being the reason, when we do good, we will reap a reward from God.  Not a bad thing.

2019-12-10 – Revelation 21:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Revelation 21:1  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.             

This is a prophecy of what will happen at the very end of this age.  This speaks of a time after all the judgements have occurred.  “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15

This is what we look forward to as Christians.  The old heavens and earth will pass away for they have been tainted because of man’s fall in the garden.  Only that which is good and pure and lovely will even exist.  It is beyond our ability to even imagine what it will be like.  “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—”  1 Corinthians 2:9.  Now, this is a quote from Isaiah which says, “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:4. This verse includes the idea that no eye has seen, nor ear heard of a God like our God and the actions He performs. The gods known of man were powerless, they were idols created by man.  But the true God is all powerful, and thus can do anything, including recreating of all that is.  Remember the first verse in Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.

This new life will be amazing. We will see the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, prepared for us, His bride.  There will be no more tears and no more death.  There will be no mourning or pain, for the causes of these will be no more.  Our lives, for all eternity, will be perfect for we will be always in the presence of God, for we will live forever with Him.  There will be nobody or nothing that will change this.  In Revelation 22, we see the river of the water of life flowing from His throne.  We will have access to the tree of life, and the fruit that comes from it.  There will be nothing that is cursed, but the throne of God and His Son will be there, never to leave.  There will be no more night, and we will need no lamp or sun, for the Lord our God shall be our light.  And, He will reign for all eternity, us being loved and cared for by Him forever. 

What a wonderful future we have to look forward to.  And this life is assured to us. “And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” Revelation 22:6. This is infinitely superior to this life we now live. Therefore, look forward to this new life.  And, tell others who have no clue of what is coming.  It is our calling to spread this word.  And it is a word worth sharing.

2019-12-11 – Numbers 11:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Numbers 11:6  But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.             

In Exodus 16, we read the story of how the Israelites complained about the food that God provided for His people.  “They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:1-3. After God had freed them from Egypt where they were slaves, they now complain to Moses and Aaron about the food that was provided to them by God.  It seems they had plenty of meat and bread while in Egypt, which makes sense so that they had the strength to work as hard as was required.  Now they complained because they did not have the food they had there, even though they were now free.

Next, we see how what God did to provide them plenty of food.  “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” Exodus 16:4-5.

After a while, they tired of what God provided. “Now the rabble that was among them had a strong `craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” Numbers 11:4-6. 

Then God gives them meat, but it was not as they thought it would be provided. “And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore, the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ‘Why did we come out of Egypt?’” Numbers 11:18-20. He gave them meat, but they were required to eat it every day until they got sick of it. God gave them manna, but they wanted something else.

It is important that if we ask God to provide something for us, we should be content with what He gives us. If He provides a hamburger, we should not complain it is not steak. If He provides an old pickup truck, we should not complain because it is not a Lexus.  God will provide our every need. The apostle Paul put it this way, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19. And whatever He supplies, whether it be old or new, plentiful or just enough, we must be thankful. “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Philippians 4:11-12. God will provide our needs, but not always our wants. We need to be satisfied with whatever He gives us, for everything else is not necessarily a need. Trust Him, for He knows us, and our situation better than we do ourselves. 

2019-12-12 – Ephesians 5:20

Verse of the Day Devotion: Ephesians 5:20  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ            

God has done, and is doing, so much for us.  Much more than we could ever imagine.  We often give thanks to God when a great thing happens that gives us joy.  Some examples are when we win a wonderful prize, when someone we enjoy fellowshipping with comes and visits us, when a miracle happens in that we are either healed of a terrible disease or we are delivered from a very trying issue.  We give thanks for the food we are about to eat, and for the day we are about to rise from our sleep and enjoy. 

But what about for other times?  What about when we go through difficult situations? Paul says regarding this thought.  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. This can be difficult to do, but let’s look at this closer.  We are to rejoice at all times, in all situations and circumstances.  It is easy to see why we would rejoice when wonderful things happen to and for us; and even when it is just an ordinary event.  But what about being thankful during hard times?  Yes, we should be thankful to God even during these times. 

Why should we be?  As the above verse states, ‘for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.’  Whatever God does or allows to happen, we know it is for our good.  If He chooses for us to, for instance, lose our job, He has a purpose for it.  If He allows us to become disabled in any way, then He also has a reason for it. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. Everything that happens to us, God has a reason for it. This is what we must remember during these times. I remember when I was blind for around three months. Yes, it was hard, but it helped me understand even more His love for me.

Also, I have been able to help others in the same situation. As Paul also said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. Sometimes, what God allows is not for our benefit but for another’s. However, we benefit because we now have the knowledge and the compassion to help others through very similar situations.

In closing, every situation and circumstance we find ourselves in is something to be thankful for, whether we perceive it as good or not.  And the reason is that God either caused it or allowed it.  If there was not a ‘good’ reason for us to be placed in a situation, God would not have allowed it. Remember, all things work together for our good.  We may never know or understand what that good is, but we must trust Him that it is for our good.  And a lot of times, these trials may be the means to draw us to Himself.

What an amazing and loving God.    

2019-12-13 – Hebrews 3:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 3:13  But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.             

One of the things we should focus on is to exhort and encourage our brothers and sisters.  And, as the writer of Hebrews states, we should do it on a daily basis.  And we should do it as long as we are living here on the earth.  Being a Christian can, at times, be difficult.  It is our responsibility to help us all remain true to the faith and faithful to God.

There are many ways we can exhort the brethren.  Temptation can be difficult to endure, especially if we are already in a difficult place. It is important that we take the time to encourage people who are struggling.  If we are struggling, we would want someone to help us with kind and loving words.  In regard to temptation, help each other, through prayer and encouragement that this temptation can be resisted and beaten through the Spirit who lives in us. Take the time to check on each other, especially those who would be considered the weak in the faith. 

Be willing to encourage people in any way necessary. As described above, we sometimes need to be encouraged not to do what is wrong.  However, there are times we need to be encouraged to do what is right; what is a good thing.  I have known people who do not believe they are competent or ready to go out evangelize to the lost.  Anyone who is saved, in my opinion, is ready.  What they need is some ideas on how to do it effectively.  The best way to exhort someone in this way is to stand with them till they become comfortable. 

There are times when we need to be encouraged that God loves us.  This can happen when some circumstances occur that cause us to not love ourselves, which we then turn to ‘God does not love me’.  I have been there myself.  But a good man spent time with me, and he showed me that God will never reject us. Peter put it this way. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7.  No matter what we do, God will always care for us.  His love is everlasting.  We can always go to Him, and He will be there. There are more reasons we sometimes need encouragement than we can ever know.  One way we can show the love of God with our brethren is to encourage them and exhort those who need it.  It may help them keep from giving up and walking away.  So, if you see someone who needs encouragement, or who need help fulfilling a calling, take the time to lift them up, in prayer, and in helping accomplish the good God has called them to do.  This will help us all to grow in the love of God and honor Him in all we do.  It will also keep us all from being hardened and defeated by the deceitfulness of sin.

2019-12-02 – Romans 10:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 10:14  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?             

Paul here in this verse is writing to the Church at Rome regarding the Jews and their inability to understand the message of salvation.  He declares in an earlier verse, “For I bear them witness that they (the Jews) have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:2-4. 

The Jews, whose forefathers had received the law from God turned to the law as a basis of their salvation. But the prophet Joel states the following, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.” Joel 2:32. As noted in this verse, it is not the doing of the law but calling out to God.  Jesus said it like this, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. But because the Jews held to the law due to the traditions of the leaders and elders, they could not accept Christ as the Messiah because He did not act as they thought the Messiah would. 

There were many in the first century that did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God.  In fact, all the religious practices of that time believed their gods demanded a following of specific rules in order to be saved.  It was not just the Jews.  However, going back to the Jews, they believed the law was the path to their salvation.  So, what is our focus verse saying.  To all Christians it is saying the following.  First, that how can they call on Jesus if they do not believe?  Putting this another way as Albert Barnes so clearly stated, “How could they call on one in whose existence, ability, and willingness to help, they did not believe?”  Good question.  Then he goes further.  And how can they call on someone who they have never heard of.  There were many in that day who had never heard of Him.  And then lastly, how can they hear of Him if no one tells them?

Paul is calling Christians, then and now, to tell people of the saving knowledge of Jesus, showing that He was the long-awaited Messiah.   Quoting Isaiah, he says “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” Isaiah 52:7. Isaiah is saying that God richly approves and is delighted in those who go out and declare the good news of the love of God and His great salvation.  In one of Jesus’ last words He says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. He is calling all His disciples to go out and spread the good news.  We are the ones who, in our focus verse, are the preachers, the ones He has called to let everyone know who the true God and Savior is.  Some are called to go into nations and places far away, others to our neighbors, friends, co-workers and those whom we meet.  We must tell them, for if we do not, who will?

2019-12-03 – Psalm 19:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 19:14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.             

These are probably the two most difficult areas of our lives to control.  When we lose control of our temper, we often speak things we would not normally say and think things that are not all that wholesome. 

Often when there is stress or strife, we will say things we will regret later.  In these times we lose control and just say whatever comes to mind.  We do this out of hurt or extreme anger, and the results are most times not good.  James puts it this way. “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also, the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. or every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:4-8.  The tongue can be used for good words or hurtful words.  We must be careful what and how we say things, for many a friendship or ministry opportunity has been damaged or destroyed by a simple sentence said out of anger or conceit. 

We must always also guard our hearts.  The writer of Proverbs says it best.  “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23. In other words, the things we think about and how we think about them, will affect the way we act.  Think about it, we can say the same words to two different people, one we enjoy being around and another we would prefer not to fellowship with, and the inflexions and tones will be different.  We must also understand that often, we do not know how we feel, and we can show a different attitude then what is true.  “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Our hearts can fool everyone, including ourselves.  However, it cannot fool God. 

As the psalmist writes, we must ask God to help us be loving in the words we say and how we say them.  However, he adds, that we let the meditations of our hearts as well be loving.  The former comes by way of the latter.  If our hearts are filled with anger, hatred or conceit, it will be made known by what and how we speak. It is extremely hard to tame the heart and our mouths.  Therefore, we must meditate on good, honorable and loving things, and allow only these things to come out in our words.  And we must ask God to help us during difficult times, because they will come.  And we must submit to God in all things, no matter what.  And when we do, we will exhibit what is acceptable in the sight of God, our Rock and Redeemer.

2019-12-04 – 1 Corinthians 13:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Corinthians 13:1  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.             

This verse is speaking of the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues.  It is just one of many gifts of the Holy Spirit that God gives for equipping us for service to Him.  “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.   Each of the gifts addressed above are all given to us by the Holy Spirit and apportioned to us as He chooses.  Some may have only one of them, but others may have several.  But it is the Spirit who decides.

Going back to the focus verse which refers to tongues, if we do not have love for others, then we are doing nothing but making noise.  There was a lot of contentions within the Church at Corinth.  They were so envious of each other’s gifts that unity within the church was on the verge of being destroyed.  Paul was telling them that without love for God and man, the gifts and other graces they had were given was nothing in the eyes of God.  This is a very strong statement.  God gives us the gifts, but if we use them outside of love, then it means nothing.  

He goes on in the next two verses, “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2-3. If we practice the gifts of prophecy, understanding mysteries, having all knowledge, faith to move mountains, give all we have away and give our bodies for suffering and death but have no love, there is no benefit for us.  People in the church there saw these gifts as something to be proud of, that having them made them special.  Which is why they were envious of the gift’s others had but they did not.  However, Paul is laying out that these gifts must be secondary to our love for God and man.  In fact, everything must be secondary to this type of love.  “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13.     

Any good thing we do or say must be instigated by love.  It should never be done in order to build ourselves up.  Jesus put it this way.  “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:1. 

The important thing to keep in mind from our focus verse is that if we use a gift of the Holy Spirit, or give to the needy or feed the poor; essentially, if we do any good deed, do it out of love, not to just build ourselves up or show how great a Christian we are.  Love must be the overarching reason we do anything for God.  If it is not, then we may assist someone, but Jesus said, we will have no reward from our Father who is in heaven. Let love be the reason for everything we do.

2019-12-05 – Psalm 12:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.             

This verse is written in contrast to the verses just prior to it.  “Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts” Psalm 12:1-3. These are sad verses, for what David is saying is the faithful and godly men are not around anymore. Those who profess faith and vow to be faithful to God and His ways; the true believers of that day, have fallen and are being false regarding the trust committed to them. They began to speak falsehoods themselves.  There was a sad disregard of the truth and they dealt falsely with their neighbors.  Their words could not be trusted by those to whom they were spoken. And they spoke with a double heart.  This essentially means that they spoke the words with one heart, but in the other was held a different idea.  This is generally what hypocrisy is; saying one thing but not what you truly think or believe. 

David had arrived at the place where he called out to God to cut them off.  This is more a statement of a truth rather than a desire, designed as a warning that all such persons would be punished or cut off.  Those being the ones who speaks flattery without belief and boasting in their own ways. And the results of this way of thinking was they believed they were in control.  “those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?” Psalm 12:4

The actions of those who acted as such caused much harm to people and God came to protect them.  “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” Psalm 12:5. Through their lies, those who once were faithful had fallen away.  The people trusted them, yet they betrayed them. The formerly faithful left the truth behind; replaced by self-exaltation and greed.  And therefore, this was what was so sad.  The ones the people trusted, betrayed them.

However, God speaks in our focus verse that He was not like them.  His words are pure in their truthfulness, not mixed with any amount of falsehood. He compared them to silver, refined in the fire seven times.  Each time silver is refined, more and more of the impurities are burned away.  Also, the words seven in the scriptures denotes a complete or perfect number.  The sense is, that the words of the Lord are ‘perfectly pure.’ There is no deception in His promises.  There is no flattery in what He says.  Men’s words cannot necessarily be trusted, but God’s words can always be trusted. So, be watchful when listening to the words of men, even with those who profess a strong faith in God.  As Paul stated to the Bereans, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11. Be careful to check out what is said, for what men say may have errors, but God’s words will not.  This will keep us in a place of safety, a place we desire so much, as designated in our focus verse.

2019-12-06 – Matthew 6:21

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 6:21  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.             

What do we treasure?  This is the question I ask myself when I read this verse.  Do not answer this hastily.  What things do we spend the bulk of our time thinking about?  Are they things that are found in this life, or are they things we shall have in the next life?  Now this verse is not saying that we should not think about our lives here.  What it is asking is what do we desire more?  What takes priority?   

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,” Matthew 6:19. Jesus first discusses the things here in this life.  Is our priority those things that bring us pleasure here?  These can consist of the latest clothing fashions, the most elegant jewelry, the most opulent houses and vehicles.  The finest foods, the most expensive treasures, the most beautiful decorations.  They also consist of those things that lift us up above others, such as fame, and what gives us pleasure here.  Are these what we desire to the point we put our focus on attaining them?

— or —

“but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20. Is our priority that which pleases God, brings Him glory and provides what is necessary to prepare for our eternal existence after this life is over?  We are joint heirs with Christ. Therefore, our inheritance is the Kingdom of God. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” 1 Corinthians 6:9a.

So, to sum this up, which is more important to us?  Is it our temporary life here, or our eternal life in God’s Kingdom?  Whichever is more important than the other will be what we focus on. Do we obey God’s or our own desires for us? Remember who’s we are.  “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. And to bring Him glory, we fulfil our calling from God.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. Our calling is to spread the good news of Christ, either through direct teaching and/or showing the love of Christ, to all we come across. We are to share Christ though words and deeds.  If we see a need, meet it.  This may mean sacrifice, but is that not what Christ did for us?  The world needs to know God loves them and our message and good deeds will meet that need.

So, in closing, which of the two above is most important and is our focus?  Treasures on earth or treasures in heaven?  Our life here is temporary, our life in heaven will be eternal.  Where we store our treasures will give us the answer. As for me, I want to store up for the next life.  I pray this is your focus as well.     

2019-11-25 – Romans 10:3

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 10:3  For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.           

Paul is writing here to the Church in Rome and he starts off here by declaring his love for the Jews.  “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.”  Romans 10:1-2  Paul very much desires that every Jew would be saved.  This is not the first time he states this.  “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,” Romans 9:1-3 Here, Paul shows how badly he wants this to happen.  He states that if it was possible, he would wish himself cursed if that would bring them to salvation. 

Paul states in verse 2 of chapter 10 that the Jews do have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.  What does Paul mean by this?  It most likely means that they had a passion for God, but they did not recognize Christ as the Messiah.  They rejected Jesus as the promised one even though the Old Testament is full of prophesies regarding His coming.  They studied and followed the Levitical law; however, they never really knew God nor Christ as they should have.  They assumed that strictly following the law was what God desired.  However, if they had truly understood, they would not have relied on the law but in the coming Messiah.  “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5.  Isaiah was speaking here of the coming Messiah.  He did not say the law saved them, it was the Messiah suffering and dying that brought about their salvation. 

Since they did not understand this they relied on their own righteousness.  They endeavored to confirm or validate their own righteousness and make it the means by which they were justified; to make good their own claims to eternal life by their own merits.  They did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah because He did not act as they believed this Messiah would act, even though He fulfilled every prophesy about Him.  They thought they had perfect knowledge about God and this coming Messiah, but they really did not, and thus they took the path of the focus verse, “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:3

This is why it is so important that we read and study His word, so we know exactly what it is saying.  I have seen many church goers who speak of doing what the Bible says when they really do not understand what it is actually saying.  And it is even more important when we are teaching others. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.  It is important that we read and be diligent, not haphazardly reading when we get a chance, but focusing on truly understanding.  The Jewish leadership unfortunately did not get it, lets not follow in their footsteps.

2019-11-26 – Jeremiah 29:13

Verse of the Day Devotion: Jeremiah 29:13  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.            

There are two basic ways to seek after God.  We either look for Him with all our heart, or we casually seek Him putting on a pretense.  The method we use depends on what our purpose is in seeking Him.

If we are really serious in finding God; in love and humility presenting ourselves to Him, He will definitely show Himself.  “I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me.” Proverbs 8:17.  This is a very great promise He has declared.  If we call upon Him with all our heart, not just with words but with a true desire to find Him, to connect with Him and fellowship with Him, He will make Himself known to us.    

God is always hearing our prayers.  And He knows our hearts regarding our prayers.  If our prayers are truly from our heart, He will hear and answer.  However, if we simply throw up a prayer so that we can say we prayed, then He may not be there for us.  Prayer is a very serious thing.  This is communication between us and the Almighty God, the all-powerful creator of all that is.  And when we seek Him in prayer, our focus needs to be Him and His will, not me and my will.  We must trust Him completely that what we ask for will be given to us if it is what is best for us.  We should not expect Him to hear us if we ask for something and expect Him to deliver as we desire.

God loves us.  He wants to be there for us.  He wants us to spend time with Him, giving Him the praise and worship He deserves.  He wants to speak into our lives and help us to become the man or woman of God He desires.  However, we must want it; with all our heart, soul mind and strength.  And we must want it on His terms and not our own.  Case in point, the rich young ruler.  “A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’ And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Luke 18:22.  Jesus answered this man’s question.  This young man was asking about eternal life with God.  But note his response.  “But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”  He was searching for God and an eternal relationship, but on his terms, not God’s.  Jesus said to give up all his wealth, but the man wanted to keep it, showing where his focus was.

Remember our focus verse, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  If our focus is on wealth, fame, or having our own way, then are we truly seeking Him with all our heart?  We must be willing to humble ourselves before God and make Him Lord of our lives, which means His way is the only way.  And we must love and trust Him, knowing that He desires the best for us.  He must be our focus.  Then we will find Him.

2019-11-27 – 1 Chronicles 16:34

Verse of the Day Devotion: 1 Chronicles 16:34  O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.            

We have so much to be thankful for.  God has provided so much that we cannot even begin to list them.  He guides every part of our lives, protects us and keeps us safe from the enemy.  He provides all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  He has forgiven us our sins and justified us through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  And He has promised us an eternal life with Him in heaven.  There will be no more tears, sorrow, pain or death. 

A good thing to do is to look back on our lives, both the good times and the difficult ones.  Realize that God has provided everything we have and every experience we have had.  Take some time to sit quietly and just give Him the praise He so richly deserves.  And remember, when a difficult time comes to mind, remember what Paul said.  “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.  Everything God has allowed in our lives is meant for our good, and possibly the good of another.

So, here are some verses to focus on and I pray your Thanksgiving is a wonderful time with friends and family, and also with God whom we have everything to be thankful for.

“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.  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” Colossians 2:6-7

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:12-14

“in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” Ephesians 5:21

“Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.” Psalm 107:8-9

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5

I know you have many verses you know to ponder on as well.  Read those also and remember that He is our everything and because of Him, we have life everlasting since we have accepted the great gift of His son who died to take our sins from us.

2019-11-28 – Proverbs 19:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: Proverbs 19:17  One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.

Today is Thanksgiving and marks the beginning of the Christmas Season.  This time of year is a favorite to many who enjoy the decorations, songs and movies that are popular during this period.  This is also a great time to enjoy shopping with family and friends and giving clues as to what you would want to open on Christmas morning.  It is truly a blessed time for many.

However, there is an important segment of society that we need to remember as well, that being the truly poor around us.  There are many people who do not have enough money to pay for food, clothing and shelter; our three basic needs laid out by Jesus in Matthew 6:31.  That makes celebrating Christmas with gifts and a feast definitely out of the question.  They would love the opportunity to give a gift to others, however it would take away from providing for the basic needs as listed above.  Furthermore, they would love to give their children a great gift, but many times have to either find something that was thrown away or not give a gift at all. 

What if this was our situation.  Would we want help?  Would we want someone to bless us with the ability not to see Christmas as just another day?  Think about this and remember what Jesus said, “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.  Also note when He used the phrase regarding the law and prophets another time.  “And He said to him, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40.  Helping in this manner will show your love for both God and our fellow man.  We no doubt will be unable to help everyone in this situation.  But if we can help at least one person or family, it will make a great difference in their lives and help them to celebrate just as we are able to.

And notice the second part of our focus verse.  “… and He will repay him for his good deed.” Proverbs 19:17b.  This repayment will either occur in this life, in things that are temporal and/or spiritual, or in the life to come.  We may not know what and how this repayment will be, however we can feel comfortable that it will be wonderful and something only God could give.  However, we must remember to give out of love and not in search of repayment.  This is important for this is how God gave His Son for us to provide the salvation we need.

In closing, I want to encourage everyone to look for ways to provide a special blessing to those who are poor and suffering during this time.  If you would like some ideas, feel free to email me at william@truedevotionmin.org.  I have several areas that we are assisting in and I know would love the support and assistance you can offer. 

2019-11-29 – Matthew 18:22

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 18:22  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.             

Jesus here is laying out a principle which is important for us to follow.  Before our focus verse,  Jesus had just been teaching about the sins of a brother, regarding what to do in the event a brother does sin.  Jesus replies by saying, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17.  He was laying out the idea that we should do what we can to restore a brother if possible so that they will remain a follower.

 “Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”  Matthew 18:21. Peter here is making this a more personal issue.  He is not asking about if a brother sins, but if a brother should sin against him.  Peter was using the tradition of the Jews regarding forgiveness.  The Jews taught that a man was to forgive another three times, but not the fourth.  Peter here is extending the number to seven, basically saying should forgiveness be exercised to this extent. 

However, Jesus throws him a curve in our focus verse.  He doesn’t say seven, or even an extravagant number such as fourteen or even twenty-one times.  He says we are to forgive our brother seventy times seven, which calculates to four hundred and ninety times.  This goes well beyond the tradition of the Jews.  What Jesus is basically saying is that no matter how many times he sins against us and asks for forgiveness, we are to forgive him. 

Now it is the duty of someone who sins against us to ask for forgiveness.  “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Luke 17:3.  However, we have a duty if our brother repents and asks us for forgiveness, and that is to forgive.  As many times as he sins against us and asks forgiveness.  And why is this?  Because this is what Christ does with us.  No matter what we do and however many times, He will forgive us.  “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9.  There are no limits noted here, therefore we should have no limits if we are to be like Christ. 

This can be a very difficult thing to do.  If someone does the same thing over and over again to us and then repents and asks for forgiveness, we are obligated to forgive.  If they do this, there is obviously an issue with that person, and in that, we leave it in God’s hands.  But we must forgive them.  I believe we should pray and ask God to change them so that they do not persist, and we should admonish them so that they are aware of what they are doing.  But we cannot withhold forgiveness. 

I want to encourage us if we are in that place where repeated sins are done against us, we should heartily pray for them and work with them where they allow us to.  This is a loving act, to repeatedly forgive the same thing from the same person.  But as stated above, this is what God does for us.  Therefore, we are to go and do likewise.

2019-11-18 – Romans 14:21

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 14:21  It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.      

 In the first century Jews were accepting Christ and the work He did on the cross in droves.  The same can be said of the Gentiles.  However, because their former beliefs were not the same they had different opinions as to what was acceptable and what was not.  That does not mean that either was wrong, but if they believed it was wrong, then it was wrong for them. There were several ideas in that time period that were most evident.  The first was what they could eat.  The Jews believed that only those foods that were declared clean by God were acceptable, everything else was not.  For instance, sheep were acceptable, but pigs were not.  Bass would be acceptable, but not eels.  “One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.” Romans 10:2.  Another area in that day was when to worship.  “One person regards one day above another; another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” Romans 14:5.  One group, Jews, believed that the seventh day (Sabbath) was the day to observe in honor to God, others believed that all days, not necessarily the Sabbath only was acceptable.    

However, Paul sees it like this.  “He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.” Romans 14:6.  As for eating, see what God tells Peter.  “But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.  A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!  But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean. Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” Acts 10:10-15.  Some things are not wise to eat, but nothing is unclean as declared by God.  And, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”  James 1:13.  As you can see from this, the Jews had a different view of right and wrong regarding these two ideas.

And many today have similar differences as to what is right and wrong in the Christian walk..  One is that some will not drink any alcohol because they believe it is evil, while others believe alcohol is ok as long as there is no drunkenness.  Another area is with clothing.  Some believe that men need to be dressed up in suit and tie to go to church, while others believe anything that is not provocative is acceptable, such as jeans and a nice shirt.  Both examples within the belief described are OK.  However, some have grown up believing a certain way and were taught it was unacceptable to drink even a drop of alcohol, or that any clothing considered casual should not be worn in church.

However, Paul wrote to the Romans that whatever we do as unto the Lord and we truly believe this, honors Him and that It is not declared explicitly in scripture as sin, then we should not judge our brother or sister.  However, we must not do what another believes is wrong in their presence.  For instance, with the alcohol issue, if someone believes any alcohol is wrong, then no alcohol should be served or consumed.  For in doing so, we might cause him to stumble by doing what he believes is wrong; or to judge another by declaring them a sinner.  “The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.” Romans 14:3. Or, in our example, The one who wears a suit is not to regard with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not wear a suit is not to judge the one who does, for God has accepted him.  What is important in this verse is as long what anyone does is not explicitly considered sin, such as theft, murder or deceit, and they are doing it to honor God, then we must accept it as good.  And, we should not do anything in the presence of our brothers and sisters if they do not see it as acceptable, for this may cause them to fall. 

In closing, we must be careful how we judge the actions of another, for they may truly believe that their actions absolutely honor God; whether they abstain from something or practice something.  God knows what is in the hearts of men, we do not.  So we must allow God to determine if what they do is acceptable or not.  If we attempt to do so, we may falsely judge them and end up in sin ourselves.  And that would not be a good thing.

2019-11-19 – Matthew 4:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 4:1  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.        

After His baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.  This is looked at as the first act of His ministry, a battle so to speak with Satan.  This was not something He did of His own accord but was led there by the Spirit for a purpose.  I believe that purpose was to show that He could be tempted and not fall as man has, and thus reveal who He actually is, the one who could and would pay the penalty for our sins.  Note a similar situation of temptation.  “The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 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. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 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 3:4-7.  They also were tempted by Satan, however, they listened to him rather than God.  They believed the words of the serpent and followed what he said.

Jesus, on the other hand, did not fall into Satan’s trap.  The first temptation was “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Matthew 4:2-3.  Here, Satan told Jesus how to address His hunger.  But Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to answer him.  “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.”  Deuteronomy 8:3.  In other words, what proceeds from God is what man lives by, not simply bread. 

Then Satan brings Him to the pinnacle of the temple for the second temptation.  “and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.”  Matthew 4:6.  This is a quote from the Psalms. “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.”  Psalm 91:11.   Satan attempted to use scripture himself, however, “Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.” This is a quote from Deuteronomy which says, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.” Deuteronomy 6:16.  Notice the words of Jesus “On the other hand, it is written…” 

Then lastly, the third temptation, which he did from the top of a very high mountain.  “and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:9.  And of course, He again quoted scripture with this.  “Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it is written, YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY ” Matthew 4:10.  And this is a quotation from Deuteronomy again.  “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,” Deuteronomy 6:13-14.

This is why we need to study the scriptures and get to know what God said.  Jesus used scripture to answer all the temptations placed on Him by Satan, and this is a good way for us to fight temptation.  Knowing what God says is good and what He says is sin will give us the weapons we need to resist him and get him to flee from us.  We need to take advantage of this so we will be able to say “NO!” to Satan when he tries to defeat us.  Remember the words of James when he wrote, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.  And the way to submit to Him is to follow His word completely.

2019-11-20 – Galatians 1:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Galatians 1:10  For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.        

Paul here is speaking to the church in Galatia regarding the fact that there were some within their church that were deserting the true gospel and were now following a false gospel.  In fact, he was amazed this was happening.  “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:6-7.  The word gospel, which is the Greek word ‘euaggelion’, pronounced ‘yoo-ang-ghel’-ee-on’, meaning good news, and in this context, the great news of our salvation being available because of the shed blood of Christ.  What Paul here was saying is that there were many leaving the true gospel and beginning to follow a message that was not good news or the true gospel. 

Then Paul states that if anyone preaches or delivers a message regarding the gospel contrary to what he and his coworkers have already delivered, then they are to be under a curse.  “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”  Galatians 1:8-9. 

As stated above, the true gospel is the great news of our salvation being available because of the shed blood of Christ.  It defines the payment of the penalty of our sins by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  Therefore, a different gospel is one which denies the necessity of a simple dependence on what Christ did on our behalf; namely the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. 

There are many false gospels out in our world.  The more prevalent ones are the gospels of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.  These do not even reference Christ but state the following of their god is the good news.  However, there are a lot of Christian cults that are deceiving many, such as Oneness Pentecostalism which teaches there is no trinity and the speaking in tongues is required for salvation.  Then there is Christian Science that says Jesus was not the Christ and there is no sin.  And Jehovah Witnesses that teach Jesus was Michael the Archangel, that He did not rise from the dead in Human form and the Holy Spirit is God’s impersonal active force, not a person. 

And why do we switch to these false gospels?  It is because many teachers preach what man wants to hear, not necessarily what is true.  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4. This includes what is considered the prosperity gospel,  antinomianism which states a Christian can sin because we are not subject to the law, and other Christian heresies.

In closing, it is not our job to preach and teach a gospel where the intent is to please men and seek their favor.  It is to preach the truth whereby men are told they are under the penalty of sin and only the death, burial and resurrection of Christ leads to salvation and leads to a Holy walk with Him.  Some will be angry and walk away because this is more than they expected or desire.  However, many will accept and believe this message and truly become a child of God.  This is our calling, and we need to put aside the teachings from wolves in sheep’s clothing and teach the full truth.  If not, then we and those who accept the message we give will come under a curse, and this is not a place we want to be.

2019-11-21 – Matthew 10:28

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 10:28  “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.         

There are two different kinds of death.  There is the death of the body, and the death of the soul.  One is a temporary death; the death of the body.  The other is an eternal death; the death of the soul. 

Let’s look at both of these.  First, the death of the body.  According to Jesus, we should not fear those who can only kill the body.  It does not matter how old we are, our bodies are breaking down.  We can exercise, eat right, do all the things we understand are great for keeping the body in shape.  However, no matter what we do, this body will die.  It is inevitable.  Let’s look at some statistics.  The American woman lives, on average, to age 86.  The American man, on average, lives to 84.  The longest expected life span, based on the longest recorded death in recent years is 122, achieved by Jeane Louise Calmet of France.  The oldest man who lived was Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, who lived 969 years. 

Because of the sin committed by Adam and Eve, death was passed down to all living creatures, most importantly, humans.  However, as I stated above, if we have become true Christians, and our body dies, we will be given a new body, just like Christ’s.  “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:21.  What he means by this is our bodies will be like Christ’s; immortal, glorious, and of a type that is able to experience the infinite spiritual enjoyments at the right hand of God.  Thus, we do not need to fear those who can kill our bodies, because we have a new one coming that is infinitely better than our earthly body which will be in a glorious life in the presence of God.

However, we should fear Him who can destroy both our body and soul in hell.  The killing of the body and soul in hell describes the eternal destiny of those who are not justified, declared righteous, by accepting the work done through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  Man can destroy the body; only God can destroy the soul as well as the body in hell.  And just as the Christian has eternal life with the Father, the non-Christian has an eternal destiny as well.  “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:45-46.  Note the term ‘eternal punishment’.

In closing, there are two deaths, one is temporary, and one is permanent.  We, as Christians, should not fear anyone who can only destroy the body, for these bodies are destined to die, either by the hands of men, illness or old age. We will receive a new body, infinitely better and eternal in nature.  However, we should fear God and reverence Him for, unlike men, He is the only one who can destroy the soul as well.  Praise God, for as Christians, we have a wonderful eternal life waiting for us to enjoy. 

2019-11-22 – Psalm 11:4

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 11:4  The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.          

This verse is a picture of how God watches over us.  This is worded so we, being human and not having a full knowledge of God, can have a reasonable understanding.  This starts off saying that God is in His holy temple.  He is seated in the temple of His holiness, and His throne is in heaven. Isaiah gives us this image.  “Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is my footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?” Isaiah 66:1.  His greatness is exhibited here in that heaven is His throne, the seat by which, as King, He holds His court, where He dispenses His commands and from where He oversees all His work.  Jesus reiterated this thought.  “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.”  Matthew 5:34-35.  Another verse that truly exemplifies how great God is.  “But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.”  2 Chronicles 6:18.  He fills the known universe and the high heavens.  There is no place anywhere that He is not.

Proceeding to the second part of our focus verse, we see His eyes see everything within His vast empire, which is everything He has created, and also outside of this created universe.  He see all of our needs and all our desires.   God watches over everything; all we do, all we see, all we experience and all the dangers that may be near us. One thought here is that He is protecting us from whatever the enemy may do.  He is keeping us safe from whatever comes against us.  He knows what the enemy is planning long before he himself knew, for He does know the end from the beginning.  The theologian John Gill  puts it this way.  “Knowing all this, we may be assured that he will interpose when it is best that he should interpose, and that he will suffer nothing to come upon us which it is not best that he should permit. When evil befalls us, therefore, it does not come because God does not know it, or because he could not prevent it, but because, seeing it all, he judges that it is best that it should thus occur.”  John Gill from his commentary on the Psalms. 

And lastly, His eyelids test the sons of men.  In other words, He searches all men’s hearts, into the very depths of our beings, and knows our thoughts, intentions and designs, our wishes and desires.  He knows our emotional state and all that either brings us joy and peace, or sorrow and frustration.  There is nothing we can do to hide anything from Him.  And what does this tell us?  We can trust Him completely in everything.  We are safe in placing ourselves in His care.  In the next verse, the writer of this psalm adds, “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.”  What is intended here is that He hates the ways of this person and takes account of it.  This we cannot hide either.  He knows if our heart is filled with love or hatred, goodness or wickedness.  There is nothing He does not know about us. 

In closing, I want to emphasize the idea that we are safe with Him.  We may not like what He allows us to experience, however, we must trust Him because He would never allow us to endure anything that was not going to have a good result.  “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.  This is one of my favorite verses in the scriptures. 

Take comfort in this focus verse.  It tells us that He fills all the heavens, in fact, the heavens are His throne and He watches over us, not just in what we do, but the why’s and the how’s.  We can be content in knowing that we are safe and that nothing surprises Him.  And nothing can happen to us that He does not allow because of His great love.  Remember this during times of trial; it will help to brings us through.

2019-11-11 – Colossians 3:17

Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 3:17  Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. 

Let us first look at Colossians 1:7.  “just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.”  Colossians 1:7-8.  Paul refers to himself as a bondservant of Christ. The Greek word for bondservant is ‘doulos’ which translated is servant or slave. And since we are slaves to Christ, we are His and not our own.  For we became His when we accepted the work of Christ on the cross and the Spirit of God entered in and lives within us.  “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Romans 8:9  And we were bought with His blood.  “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20.

We are not our own.  When a slave does anything, it is at the command of his owner and master.  Anything we do for God we do because He has commanded us to do so.  It is not because we chose to do it, but we chose to obey Him.  This is important, for in reality not only does He command us what to do, but also helps us by working in us to do it.  “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13. His Spirit who resides in us will do the work He has called us to do, what we must do is submit to Him, and listen to Him so that we know what to do and how to do it. 

And because He is our Lord and Master, anything we do must be in His name and not our own.  He is all knowing, and He knows exactly what is needed to fulfill His will not only in our lives, but in the lives of those He brings our way.  “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.  So, if He leads people to us, we must listen and allow Him to not only command us what we are to do, but also to submit to Him and allow Him to work in us to accomplish His good purpose. 

So, as our focus verse tells us, whatever we do, whether it be in word by what we say, or in deed by what we do, we must do it in the name of Jesus.  This entails every outward thing we do.  And if we do it in Jesus’ name, then it must be what and how He would do it.  That is why we must submit to Him and allow His Spirit to guide us.  We must be humble enough to realize it is not our work, but His work that He does through us.  The knowledge we have is from Him.  The opportunities we have are from Him.  The timing of each work we do for Him is from Him.  And finally, the method by which we do this work is from Him. 

We should be thankful to God every time we are given a task to do in the name of our Lord Jesus, for in accomplishing this task, we glorify Him in our submission to His Spirit and His will.  This is the greatest honor we could ever receive, being used by Him. 

2019-11-12 – Job 9:10

Verse of the Day Devotion: Job 9:10  Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.   

This verse speaks to God’s all-powerful ways.  What Job is saying here is that there is nothing He cannot do.  This is important to remember when we go through difficult times, especially when there is nothing we can think of to get out of the terrible situation.  There is nothing He does not know, there is nothing He cannot do, and there is no place He is not present.  And because of this, what Job declares is absolute truth.

First, God is omniscient.  He knows everything.  “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure” Isaiah 46:10.  From the very beginning of the universe, and even before it’s creation, He knew us.  He knew when we would be born, and everything about us.  He knew we would sin, and He provided the means for reconciliation before the world and everything was created.  “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.“ 1 Peter 1:20.  He knows when we will be troubled or forlorn and is there to encourage us.  He knows when we will praise and lift Him up and will be there to receive it.  Nothing surprises God because we cannot be surprised by what we already know. There will never be a time when He is late or never shows up.

Next, He is omnipotent.  He is all powerful.  “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 He created everything that exists.  “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:3.  He has created all things we see and will never see.  No matter what we are going through, He will bring us through.  No one can defeat Him, and no one can prevent Him from doing anything or make Him do anything.  He divided at least two bodies of water such that His people walked across on dry land.  He saved the Israelites from many empires and will eventually deliver us from this world and take us to live with Him forever. 

And finally, He is omnipresent.  He is everywhere.  “Am I a God who is near, declares the LORD, And not a God far off?  Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”  Jeremiah 23:23-24.  Wherever we go, God is there. 

Wherever we are not, God is there.  There is never a place He cannot hear our cries or our thoughts.  Moreover, He is in us as Christians.  He is never too far away that we must wait for Him to get to us. 

Since God is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere at each moment, there is no reason we should be fearful, anxious, or worried.  This is why we can trust Him in everything.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:6.  What a great life we can live if we take our focus verse to heart and be fully content no matter what.   

2019-11-13 – Matthew 5:29

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 5:29  “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.   

This verse comes from Jesus’ sermon on the mount.  Let’s look at the two verses prior to our focus verse.  “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28.  These two verses are introductory to what he says right after that.  First, He quotes a command in the law.  “You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14.   It is probable that the Pharisees taught this as regarding the outward act only for this is predominantly how they saw the law.  However, Jesus clarifies this when He told them that just lusting after a woman is adultery, as an inward act of the heart through desires. 

Then He goes on to declare the following.  “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”  Matthew 5:29-30. 

Now, this is not necessarily to be taken literally.  What He is alluding to is that whatever it is that causes us to commit adultery must be removed.  If looking at a woman causes it, then we must not allow ourselves to be tempted by what we see.  The general idea here is that whatever it is that causes us to sin, we must either get complete control over It or get rid of it.  For example, if we see some money on a table at a restaurant and we have a strong desire to take it, we must either get control of our desires and go on about our business, or if that is not possible, then we need to leave and remove our self from the temptation. 

We must address this immediately, for the longer we allow the temptation to continue, the greater the probability we will give in to our desires.  With theft, it is in stealing what we want or coveting what another has.  With adultery, we will either do the deed, or we will lust after the person.  And as Jesus said above, simply lusting after anything will cause us to sin.  It is not enough to not act it out, but we must not desire to act it out.

I want to encourage us all to be in fervent prayer that we will all be able to keep our desires in check.  We must not allow temptation to cause us to sin.  God will help us in this area, and we need to rely on Him when we struggle with it.  Remember, it is not just the act that is wrong, but it is the lust and covetousness that goes along with it.  We must control both so that we can honor and please God with all we have and all we are. 

2019-11-14 – Psalm 16:11

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 16:11  You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.    

This is a very encouraging verse.  David here is speaking to the Lord and thanking Him for the goodness of the life to come.  First he is saying that God has shown to Him the path of life.  What he is referring to is that even though he may die in this life, God will not keep him in this state.  He would be brought back to the living world, that which is life everlasting.  David believed in the resurrection from the dead.  He believed that God had for Him a life that will no end.  “He asked life of You, You gave it to him, Length of days forever and ever.” Psalm 21:4.  We see this same idea from Daniel.  “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.  Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:2-3.  The idea of everlasting life for the righteous is found in various places in the Old Testament, and David took comfort in this truth. Note, Daniel was after the time of David, however, it shows this truth carried forward to his time.)  Regardless of this, David rejoiced in knowing he would be resurrected when the end came.

He then says that in the presence of God is fullness of joy.  This is not a partial nor imperfect joy, intermingled with pain and sorrow.  This is a joy that completely satisfies the soul not in conjunction with anything that may minimize it.  This is not a joy as we experience here, but an unimaginable joy that will never lessen, nor will it end.  It will not be diminished by the idea we have in this life that all earthly joy must come to an end.  It will be a joy that will be understood as everlasting.  This is the joy we will experience in the next life.  “So the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”  Isaiah 51:11. 

And lastly, David says that in His right hand are pleasures forever.  God’s right hand is the place of honor, where the saints will be throughout eternity.  It denotes that he would be raised up to exalted position; one filled with eternal happiness and exalted honor.  And this happiness will be forever.  This is not happiness as we find here in this life that comes and goes.  We will reside forever in happiness, for there will be nothing that can take it away.

This is the life we look forward to as Christians.  First, we will be raised from the dead to a life that is infinitely different from this one, and God will guide us into this new life, we will be in His presence forever where our joy will be full and never ending, and there will be great pleasure because of our exalted position in Christ.  And this will never end.  What more could we ask for, and what could ever be better than this promise from Him.

2019-11-15 – Isaiah 53:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Isaiah 53:6  All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.     

This is a very important verse for us to understand, especially when it comes to our ministry to both the saved and unsaved.  It is important because of the first three words of this verse; ‘All of us.’  We must remember this in all aspects of our ministry.  This picture of sheep is a popular one within the scriptures.  “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.”  Psalm 119:176.  Also, “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25.  And finally, this lesson from Jesus tells us, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying. If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” Matthew 18:10-14

We all have gone astray from God.  We all have walked away from Him and, as the verse says, have turned to our own ways instead of following after God.  This started in the Garden with Adam and Eve.  “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6.  They listened to the lies of the serpent rather than the truth from God.  And as it says in our focus verse, “… Each of us has turned to his own way …”.

We were not able, because of our iniquity, to resolve the issue ourselves since it required a perfect sacrifice, one without any spot or blemish.  But the Lord had an answer, which was to send His Son, to live a perfect life, and then die, paying for the iniquities of the rest of us.  The Messiah, the long-awaited promise, who came in human form as Jesus, paid the complete penalty for everyone, and we have our sins forgiven if we simply believe in Christ, and declare Him Lord.  “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:9-10.  Also, there are times when we mess up and do things we should not.  He has a solution for that as well. “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

However, we must not think differently about others than we do ourselves, except that we look at them more highly.  “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.” Philippians 2:4   I have seen too often Christians who look down on others who do not have the knowledge or goodness they do.  We cannot think this way, because we at one time were in the position, and it was only by the grace of God that we were restored.  These learned the truth, and it is theirs and all of our jobs, as Christians to teach others and help them grow in Christ.

We must not decide there are people who are so bad or too low that we will not reach out to them.  They may do horrible things, but they deserve to be reached out to as well as we did and do.  Paul put it well, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”  Romans 12:16.  We are called to go into world and make disciples of all men.  We are called to go into the highways and byways and compel them to come to the Lord.  Again, we all were lost.  We all went our own way.  However, someone came to us and showed us the truth and helped us understand.  We were saved by the blood of Christ when we accepted Him, and so it is our job to help others be saved by accepting Him as well. 

No one is too far gone for us to ignore.  He has placed this calling on us, formerly sinners, who now understand.  We must reach out to all whom God brings our way.  It only takes one sin to corrupt, and we were corrupt.  So, as someone did for us, let’s go out and do for others.   

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.