April 26, 2020September 8, 2020

DEVOTION JOURNAL – JANUARY 2020 – DON MCDANIEL

January 2020:

1/1/20 BE RE-MOLDED 1

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING: JOHN 2:15 “¹⁵Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

COMMENTS: Have you ever had a tiny pebble in your shoe or a tiny spec of dust in your eye. Both are so small that they are not easily seen or removed but feel like huge boulders because of pain or discomfort they cause. Yet, they become too great a distraction to ignore. Sooner or later, all else must be stopped until the irritation is removed. As soon as the source of pain is removed, all is quickly back to normal.

Some itches are that way. The itch becomes extremely distracting and the urge to scratch is almost irresistible. Scratching feels so good but quickly becomes painful because of damage scratching does to the skin. Soon or later, the itch begins to diminish to the point where it can be ignored.

Today begins a new year, when fresh motivation to overcome temptations and poor habits that are like that itch, we can’t ignore until we scratch irritated skin. Resisting temptation and dealing with strong bad habits is a lot like that. Some people and habits are more difficult to break than others but habits like drug abuse and smoking and drinking and swearing are a few of those that every year millions pledge and honestly try to stop doing and using. Some succeed but most give in and fall back into addiction to those habits and sinful behavior.

What habits and conditions do you want and need to change in 2020? What ones are serious enough to make a resolution to stop doing. Most are not successful unless outside help and support is solicited. If we want to change and be successful in stopping sinful and harmful and undesirable habits, who and where should we look for help? Have a living human accountability partner is vital. Someone fully aware of your weaknesses and strengths. Well, first we need to look to Christ and begin daily discipline of praying and reading God’s Word and going at a church faithfully each Sunday where God’s Word and Christ’s Gospel are preached and practiced. Finding a Christ Centered accountability partner who both understands you and your habit and has mastered their own is vital. Seeking God’s help and council of pastor from that church in finding that accountability partner is key also.

Truth is, God both wants us to connect with Him and also to other believers, so His goal and instruction will both guide us to help we need and instruction of what to do, but also to build a daily walk and friendship that will extend long beyond victory over those habits.

There are some habits that have an addiction so deep and powerful that temptation to yield lasts a lifetime. Drugs and Alcohol and Tobacco are three of the most common. They require ongoing focus and course adjustments to maintain victory over them. They require the discipline of changing routines so to avoid visual triggers and friendship circles that remind and bring back temptations.

Distractions to take our minds off the source of addictions is vital. Substituting a good repeated practice or pursuit is effective. Also is filling or avoiding idle time and finding different resting times or locations.

Again, seeking help to discover what to do and refusing to allow opportunities and accessibility for temptation to enable and motivate yielding. Everyone has one or more habits God would have us overcome. Habit(s) that do us harm and hinder our ability to effectively minister.

Today begins a new year. Let’s covenant with God so 2020 is a year of successful resolution instead of failed or forgotten resolutions. Maybe we should choose one or two to focus on so as not to become overwhelmed.

1/2/20 Word and Spirit 2

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING: TITUS 3:5 “⁵not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,.”

COMMENTS: I have the love letters my dad wrote my mom during the summer after their first year of marriage when he went to work on his grandfather’s farm in Dempsytown. My mother had to care for her aging grandmother in their home. The home they owned for 40+ years, the home then my parents owned for the next 44 years and then Arlene and I now have owned for past 36 years. This house is just an old double boarded house but the history and legacy it has makes it an important link to the love and faith of the families who lived inside its walls. A heritage Arlene and I hold dear and strive to continue. A heritage we pray will be carried on by another, which we hope will be our granddaughter someday. Lily is currently 12 but quickly growing up into a beautiful young lady.

Well, getting back to my parent’s love letters. They were just cheap paper and ink but they convey a love a faith that renders them priceless. Priceless not because of their words but because of the example of a Christ – centered marriage and faith they conveyed and revealed. They mean much to me and our family because they confirm and preserve for future generations a world view and values that was precious then and precious to us now but is fading and becoming less valued in the world today. Such examples are still around but become more and more rare.

God’s Word is also just words written in a book and no more valuable but the Truth and History and Lives revealed in those words inspired by God Himself are infinitely precious and valuable to humans of all generations past – present – future. Why? Because they are God’s Love Letter to each of us, which He has gone through much effort and planning to make accessible and available to any and all. Its words have inspired, empowered, guided, enlightened, motivated, and transformed the lives of countless millions in past and present generations and continues to do so. Atheists and doubters have tried to discount it or dispute it or show it obsolete but all have failed. Those who analyzed it honestly, even as doubters or unbelievers, have been persuaded to believe in it and the God who inspired it.

On college profession mocked a student by disputing the value and validity of the Bible. The student responded that it is a love letter and to read it without believing is like reading someone else’s mail. But the evidence of its value and validity lies in the transforming affects on those who read it honestly. Transformations to the good and not bad or harmful. Transformations into more Christ-like character and integrity and compassion and generosity and sacrifice without seeking gain in return.

Some of our common phrases have greater significance when understand their origin. In ancient Rome, writing was done on a slate (a tabula) covered with wax. The tabula was erased by warming the wax and smoothing it out, resulting in a tabula rasa—a “clean slate.” In philosophy, tabula rasa refers to the idea that humans are born with a “clean slate” which is then filled with life’s knowledge and experiences.

Regardless of what is on our “slate” when we are born, by the time we are old enough to believe in Christ and follow Him, we have a “full slate” of the world’s ideas. Thus, Paul’s exhortation to “renew the mind” in Romans 12:2. How? By filling our mind with the truth of God’s Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to conform us to that truth. The Holy Spirit not only regenerates us but renews us as we grow in Christ (Titus 3:5).

Are you studying God’s Word? Are you yielded to the Holy Spirit? Those are the two means for the renewing of your mind. New Year’s is a popular time to start out with a “clean slate”. Only Christ can and will forgive and erase our past sins and life slate, but we must desire and ask Him to do so and repent or turn from our old life of selfish – sinful conduct and thoughts and to Him seeking a new life more like His example.

Only then will our Bible become God’s Love Letter to each of us, a Love Letter we will read and ponder realizing it is expressing God’s love for you and for me. AMEN? AMEN!

1/3/20 Always with You 3

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING ISAIAH 7:14 – “¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

COMMENTS: The Names Old Testament prophecies and New Testament fulfillment gave Christ reflect on and describe both His mission and His Character. I have mentioned before the difficulty in understanding and describing the Triune nature of God. While on earth, Christ demonstrated a perfect example of what God the Father is like while being separate from Him and praying to Him and showing us how to Prayer to and what to say to Him. But this very example and truth reveals to us that God the Father is exactly like the Son, Christ, in personality and thought and character. How Christ loved and responded to people, as recorded in scripture, is exactly how God the Father did. The way Jesus embrace and loved the poor, the suffering, the remorseful sinner, the weak and vulnerable, the seekers like Zacchaeus, and babies and children all give us evidence of what God the father is like.

When Christ returned to heaven at His ascension, He promised a comforter and also promised He would never leave them, His disciples. The Holy Spirit came shortly afterwards at Pentecost, fulfilling that promise. The Holy Spirit came to indwell and abide with each believer all the time. The Holy Spirit came to provide close personal fellowship and guidance and encouragement and strength and support and …. To each believer all at the same time without distraction. He did so also convey and demonstrating exactly the thoughts and character and personality and Will of God the Father. Jesus said to know Him was to know the Father. For you and me to know the Holy Spirit is to know the Father as well as Christ because to know one is to know all.

Below are 50 names and titles scripture identifying and gives the Messiah – Christ – Jesus:

Almighty One – “…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1:8
Alpha and Omega – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:13
Advocate – “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1
Author and Perfecter of Our Faith – “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2
Authority – “Jesus said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matt. 28:18
Bread of Life – “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35
Beloved Son of God – “And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17
Bridegroom – “And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matt. 9:15
Chief Cornerstone – “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” Ps. 118:22
Deliverer – “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thess.1:10
Faithful and True – “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” Rev.19:11
Good Shepherd – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
Great High Priest – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Heb. 4:14
Head of the Church – “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Eph. 1:22
Holy Servant – “…and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:29-30
I Am – “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58
Immanuel – “…She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” Is. 7:14
Indescribable Gift – “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” 2 Cor. 9:15
Judge – “…he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42
King of Kings – “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Rev. 17:14
Lamb of God – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
Light of the World – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Lion of the Tribe of Judah – “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Rev. 5:5
Lord of All – “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:9-11
Mediator – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Tim. 2:5
Messiah – “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).” John 1:41
Mighty One – “Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Is. 60:16
One Who Sets Free – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
Our Hope – “…Christ Jesus our hope.” 1 Tim. 1:1
Peace – “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” Eph. 2:14
Prophet – “And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” Mark 6:4
Redeemer – “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” Job 19:25
Risen Lord – “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:3-4
Rock – “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10:4
Sacrifice for Our Sins – “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10
Savior – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
Son of Man – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
Son of the Most High – “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” Luke 1:32
Supreme Creator Over All – “By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.…” Col. 1:16-17
Resurrection and the Life – “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25
The Door – “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9
The Way – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
The Word – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
True Vine – “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
Truth – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Victorious One – “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Rev. 3:21
– 50. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 9:6

Each name and title reveals more about Christ but also who the Father and Holy Spirit are. They are One yet Three. Still can’t understand that? Well, don’t feel bad, neither do I. But why should we, after all He is God and we are not! We don’t have to understand Him, just love and obey Him, right?

The Name “Immanuel” means “God is with us” (Isaiah 8:10) but is also a choice or action,(Isaiah 7:14; 8:8). By it, Israel understood that God would guide, protect, and provide for His people as promised on so many occasions (Exodus 3:12; Deuteronomy 2:7; Joshua 1:5). In short, Immanuel meant, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5). No wonder God’s Messiah was given the name Immanuel.

God is with you today. Whatever you need, He can provide. He will never leave you or forsake you. He is there to guide, protect, and provide.

1/4/20 Thousands of Angels Announced Christ’s Birth 4

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” Luke 2:13-14

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING REVELATION 5:11-12 – “¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice:“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing! “

COMMENTS: Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King; peace on earth, and mercy mild; God and sinners reconciled.” Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies; with angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

One of the most loved Christmas Hymns is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”. It was written by Charles Wesley and based on the story of Christ’s birth in Luke 2. The story was likely told by Mary to the disciples, including Luke based on her memories. She heard the words of those shepherds and wise men and hid them in her heart and mind and pondered them many times and likely shared them thousands of times especially after Christ’s resurrection. Mary was the most credible witness still living to share this story with Luke to write.

Mary would have heard from the shepherds directly that thousands or maybe millions of angels came to announce Christ’s birth not to mighty kings nor to the famous wealthy and influential but to them, a few humble sinful shepherds.

No, the angels did not visit any we would think, but to a small group of shepherds, alone in a field outside Bethlehem. Their job was the least respected and paid. The only job that might have been less respected would have been that of the tax collector. But they had another common trait. They both were known to cheat their employers. Shepherds would sell some of the flock for their own gain. Tax collectors would collect more than require and pocket the extra.

We might think the angels wasted their time with the shepherds but those Shepherds were the first to tell others of His birth. Did Christ was His time speaking to Zacchaeus calling him down from that Sycamore tree to dine with Him and share His Grace? We are not told the ripple effect of the impact of those visits but in heaven someday we will discover the millions impacted by the results of those visits because of the change to that short tax collector and those shepherds. God’s plan and economy is so much different and better than ours! We use simple addition to calculate growth and harvest while God uses multiplication and calculus to compound and magnify the increase. God using simple unimposing but obedient followers to bring a few others to Him who each bring a few more instead of only one brings others. That is how God’s economy works when His people do His bidding.

So how many have discovered and been saved by Christ’s message from hearing the story of Luke 2 or from hearing this Charles Wesley’s hymn? I dare say millions over the centuries. But Wesley also wrote thousands of other hymns and the Gospel message is written in many other places in scripture and shared by countless millions after Mary over the centuries too. We need to join them too in singing God’s hymns and sharing His Good News.

Christ is Born!

Christ lived showing us God’s character and love!

Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins!

Christ arose victorious over sin and death enabling us to be victorious over sin and death too!

Christ is coming back soon to bind satan and take us to live with Him and His followers in a place He is already preparing for us! Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King; peace on earth, and mercy mild; God and sinners reconciled.” Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies; with angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

AMEN!!

0I have the love letters my dad wrote my mom during the summer after their first year of marriage when he went to work on his grandfather’s farm in Dempsytown. My mother had to care for her aging grandmother in their home. The home they owned for 40+ years, the home then my parents owned for the next 44 years and then Arlene and I now have owned for past 36 years. This house is just an old double boarded house but the history and legacy it has makes it an important link to the love and faith of the families who lived inside its walls. A heritage Arlene and I hold dear and strive to continue. A heritage we pray will be carried on by another, which we hope will be our granddaughter someday. Lily is currently 12 but quickly growing up into a beautiful young lady.

Only then will our Bible become God’s Love Letter to each of us, a Love Letter we will read and ponder realizing it is expressing God’s love for you and for me. AMEN? AMEN!

1/3/20 Always with You 3

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING ISAIAH 7:14 – “¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Below are 50 names and titles scripture identifying and gives the Messiah – Christ – Jesus:

Almighty One – “…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1:8
Alpha and Omega – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:13
Advocate – “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1
Author and Perfecter of Our Faith – “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2
Authority – “Jesus said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matt. 28:18
Bread of Life – “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35
Beloved Son of God – “And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17
Bridegroom – “And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matt. 9:15
Chief Cornerstone – “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” Ps. 118:22
Deliverer – “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thess.1:10
Faithful and True – “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” Rev.19:11
Good Shepherd – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
Great High Priest – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Heb. 4:14
Head of the Church – “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Eph. 1:22
Holy Servant – “…and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:29-30
I Am – “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58
Immanuel – “…She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” Is. 7:14
Indescribable Gift – “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” 2 Cor. 9:15
Judge – “…he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42
King of Kings – “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Rev. 17:14
Lamb of God – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
Light of the World – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Lion of the Tribe of Judah – “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Rev. 5:5
Lord of All – “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:9-11
Mediator – “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Tim. 2:5
Messiah – “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).” John 1:41
Mighty One – “Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Is. 60:16
One Who Sets Free – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
Our Hope – “…Christ Jesus our hope.” 1 Tim. 1:1
Peace – “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” Eph. 2:14
Prophet – “And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” Mark 6:4
Redeemer – “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” Job 19:25
Risen Lord – “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:3-4
Rock – “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10:4
Sacrifice for Our Sins – “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10
Savior – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
Son of Man – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
Son of the Most High – “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” Luke 1:32
Supreme Creator Over All – “By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.…” Col. 1:16-17
Resurrection and the Life – “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25
The Door – “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9
The Way – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
The Word – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
True Vine – “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
Truth – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Victorious One – “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Rev. 3:21
– 50. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 9:6

God is with you today. Whatever you need, He can provide. He will never leave you or forsake you. He is there to guide, protect, and provide.

1/4/20 Thousands of Angels Announced Christ’s Birth 4

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” Luke 2:13-14

Christ is Born!

Christ lived showing us God’s character and love!

Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins!

Christ arose victorious over sin and death enabling us to be victorious over sin and death too!

AMEN!!

1/6/20 WHO IS JESUS? 6

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

RECOMMENDED READING: JOHN 1:1-14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. ⁸He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ⁹That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹²But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

COMMENTS: Who is Jesus? Was He a great man? Was He a great Prophet? Was He God? Most world religions, including Islam, recognized He existed and lived. Some even recognize He was a great prophet or even the greatest prophet but NOT BEING GOD OR EQUAL TO GOD. Even Jewish faith does not recognize Him as God nor as the Messiah they have been waiting for. Sure, many Jews have accepted Him as God and as their Messiah. They are identified as Messianic Jews.

So, who is right and what evidence is there as proof? I will attempt to begin the journey of discovery of that evidence but is a journey everyone must take to discover the answers to the questions raised above. The Bible holds all the answers but the validity of the Bible is a valid endeavor along that journey.

Well, let’s begin by asking ourselves what is different about Christianity and why should we believe Christianity is any better than any other world religion or faith or are they all equally valid or meaningful or “meaningless”? Those who follow each believe their religion is true and all others are not or less valid. That is one trait they have in common. They all worship a god or deity. Some believe in many gods and some believe any human can become a god or deity by earning their passage while on earth. Some believe in reincarnation as an animal or another person depending on how well they lived their previous life.

Christianity appears to have one huge flaw or contradiction. How can Christians believe in one God while believing in God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit? They say God is Triune but One. Then why could and did Jesus pray to the Father and give prayers as though He was subordinate to the Father instead of equal to the Father?

Some well-educated atheists who took this journey expecting to prove Christianity to a false religion or at least have some major errors in doctrine or theology are:

S. Lewis – was a Christian as a child influences greatly by his mother’s faith but later was atheist due to bitterness to God for the death of his mother. He could not understand how Good and all-powerful God would allow evil and suffering to thrive in His creation. His journey back to faith resulted by attempting to prove the Bible false but logic and evidence he discovered to be true resulted in overwhelming proof that the Bible is true. He then wrote many great works. He discovered the only way to judge evil or suffering as such was by having a realization of what is good and just. He discovered “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line to compare to”. He eventually discovered God does not will nor create suffering and evil but permits such within certain limits in order to fulfill a greater purpose that is Good. An example in scripture is Genesis 50:20. God used the evil acts of Joseph’s brothers to empower and give opportunity for greater Good. Lewis discovered God allows free will to choose good or evil but over time uses good and even evil choices to bring about a good conclusion. His writings after his conversion positively impacted millions during his life and countless millions since. The Chronicles of Narnia have touched children and adults and continue to do so.
Lee Strobel is a more recent atheist converted to Christianity because of a journey designed to prove the Bible false. Lee did not become an atheist due to bitterness but simply because of neglect or lack of effort or time to consider any other world view. When his wife converted to Christianity, he felt betrayed and was motivated to prove her wrong and attempted to gather evidence to convince her to abandon her new faith. Instead, he discovered the evidence proved to him she was right and Christianity to the one and only truth world view or religion. He also discovered all evidence pointed to the Bible to be the one and only true source of that world view and only source not disputable by the evidence he uncovered.

Lee wrote a book “The Case for Christ” providing details of his journey and evidence he uncovered. A journey that convinced him to accept Christ’s death and forgiveness for his sins too.

There is a long list of others who made the same journey and came to the same conclusion. There is also a longer list of those who quit upon discovering incomplete information or false information that supported their atheistic world view. Fact is, those who are seeking proof honestly allowing the evidence to speak for itself and desiring to reach the correct or factual conclusion, then they need to continue the journey until all available evidence and proof is evaluated.

If we use take advantage of the research of those who took this journey exhaustively and openly, then we can trust their conclusion and come to a valid conclusion too.

Well, I think we should also consider the obvious result of either conclusion. If atheism is true and there is no good or evil or valid way of judging either. If there is no God to influence or limit either. If there is no life after death to motivate making one choice over another. If as an atheist we choose what we consider good, then how can we criticize or discourage a different definition of good, that we judge evil? The doctrine of atheism is that there is no good or evil and no valid way of judging each. The conclusion of that thinking is Hitler or Nero did no evil or good and their acts of death and destruction were neither good or evil. The conclusion can also be that those murdered would die eventually anyway with no resulting existence of there being life after death.

One argument may be then living an enjoyable and exciting and comfortable life is the only benefit of doing what you want without regard to anyone else so that is only motivation.

Ok, then what does each generation and history reveal? Every generation experienced unspeakable evil and suffering. Some even administered that evil in the name of each religion including Christianity. But truth is those who did were following their own ambition or distorted world view as a way of justifying the evil they did.

But let’s also consider those who’s lives represented the Christ they believed in and followed: Paul after his conversion vs. the life of Saul he lived before. The life of Joseph vs. the evil his brothers did. How about how early Christians faced and endured brutal persecution and suffering at the hands of their Roman captors? How about how modern Christians remain faithful and show love and compassion towards their captors and persecutors in Muslim and Communist countries today? How about old testament time before Christ? The faithfulness of Noah in the midst of evil and ridicule. The way Joseph and Daniel responded to evil and injustice done to them.

The life that Jesus lived and compassion He demonstrated to the sick and defenseless and poor and especially to children is an example we all aspired to and admire. When we see some of Christ qualities demonstrated in others, we commend them. But Christ also said in John 14 ““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;^[^a^] believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?^[^b^] ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴And you know the way to where I am going.”^[^c^] ⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.^[^d^] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”⁸Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.¹²“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴If you ask me^[^e^] anything in my name, I will do it.¹⁵“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,^[^f^] to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be^[^g^] in you.¹⁸“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” ²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.²⁵“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do, I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ²⁸You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. ³⁰I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, ³¹but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. “

The above scripture from John 14 gives conclusive evidence that Jesus believed Himself to be equal to and of like character to God the Father. He also said He would send a divine comforter to comfort but also to guide and help them – to be a proper substitute for Him after He leaves. Granted, they didn’t know nor understand He was talking about His death and resurrection and ascension and Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came, but we now know so.

Likewise, we have proof of transformation accepting Christ had on Paul and rest of the disciples after they received the Holy Spirit’s abiding help and comfort. We have examples of that same transformation in the lives of countless Christians during Roman tyranny that eventually resulted in conversion of the Caesar and acceptance of Christianity.

Proof of validity of Christianity doesn’t lie in example of those claiming to be Christian and do evil because what they say may be a lie. Paul even said in his New Testament letters that the validity of teachers lies in their conduct and in how their lives and teaching compares with Christ’s teachings and life example. So false teachers were revealed even in early times when Christ’s disciples were still alive. But then again Jesus acknowledge and had harsh words toward the Jewish leaders that knew the truth and didn’t practice that truth.

The proof of validity is sacrifice Christians endure for their beliefs and stay true to those beliefs and conduct themselves in the midst of that persecution. Fact is that Christianity grew in strength and numbers faster during times of great persecution than during times of comfort and prosperity. Why? Well during desperate times people need hope and something true to hold on to get them through. During good times, people tend to forget God and rely on their own abilities and resources and wisdom, which then comes up short when bad times return. Old Testament is full of the repeated cycle of this. Turning back to God and following Him during desperate times and rebelling against God in good times.

The Bible also explains why God allows evil. He desires fellowship with and man’s obedience for man’s good, but permits free choice to do evil instead. Satan was the first of His creation to choose to reject God. Lack of God’s influence defaulted to evil, which has been satan’s focus exclusively since – impacting 1/3 of angels who chose to follow satan and humans starting with Adam and Eve.

God provided a method of animal sacrifice for redemption until Christ’s sacrifice on the cross ultimately paid for their and our sins. Judgment for sin is a mandate of the Father satisfied by Jesus, so no one need face God’s judgment. Scripture also warns the time of God’s judgment is coming and those who refuse to accept Christ’s redemption will face that judgment.

I read a short skit that explains this well. “A famous doctor died and faced Jesus. Jesus said it was time to face judgment for his life and requires passing a test requiring 1000-point score to get into heaven. The man then asked how many points did living a good life and raising a good family got him. Jesus said 2 points. He then said he was a doctor that saved many lives. Jesus said “3 points”. He then asked about various acts of kindness done and volunteer work done. Jesus said 2 points. That gives a total of 7 points but 1000 is needed. The man then asked how anyone could get 1000 points. Jesus then said, you should have asked me to take the test for you!

If the atheist is right, what does it matter after we die if we follow Christ or not? What will it matter to us 100 years from now or maybe 20 years from now?

BUT IF THE BIBLE IS TRUE AND CHRIST IS WHO HE SAID HE IS AND HIS MISSION WAS TO REDEEM US AND IS THE ONLY WAY AVAILABLE, THEN IT W ILL HAVE ETERAL SIGNIFICANCE IF WE FOLLOW HIM OR NOT!

The other side of the argument is what about those God wants us to tell about His Good News? It just isn’t us who are impacted by our choice. God may find another to do what He wants us to do, but fact is we have free will and choice and so do others, including our family. We can’t make their choice for them, but we can invite and share and example a wise choice instead of a foolish choice.

Scripture also describes the torment that will be experience for those who reject Him. That the opportunity to repent will end when we die. The freedom to choose is only during our lifetime and will not extend past that time, so is vital to choose wisely while still alive.

Life is not guaranteed either by length or quality. But a final destination and beauty and joy described in heaven is guaranteed to those who ask Jesus to take their admission test for them and receive His score. If we do so early, we also allow Him to help us to take opportunities He gives us to help and encourage others to do so too. Think about faithful Christians and example they gave us in past. We too need to be that good example to others while we too are alive. When we are in heaven, won’t we desire our family and friends and neighbor to be there with us? Jesus desires that too but also desires for even our enemies to become our friends and be there too.

Corrie Ten Boom was a devout Christian during terrible reign of Hitler. She enduring seeing her own family in Hitler’s concentration camps dying one by one because they aided Jews in their community. Only Corrie survived and used the experience to share her faith convey validity of the Gospel. One time one of the ex-Nazi guards responsible for loss of her family and suffering came to the altar seeking forgiveness. She struggled a few minutes and silently argued with God before finally leading Him to Christ. She now is in heaven with her family but also with that guard. But that guard in not like that Nazi soldier but like Jesus and so is she and her family.

So, who do you believe and follow? Who are you investing your eternal future in? I made that choice at age 10. An easy choice because of the example and influence of Christ centered parts and Sunday School teachers and pastors. But since then I still must work to continue to improve in my Christian example and repent of sins and disobedience I still do and say and think. BUT CHRIST’S PRICE PAID IS SUFFICIENT FOR MY PAST ANDS PRESENT AND FUTURE SINS. I still need to admit and repent of those sins as I realize and see harm done by them. I still need to study His word and seek His help and refuse to repeat those sins. I do so in order to improve in my quest to grow and become more Christ-like as I age in years and as my influence impacts more people. I do so because the closer I get to Him, the more I love and admire and worship Him. I do so because I still continue to discover how short of His example I still live and example.

I know that will be true until I die or He returns because He is God and lived a perfect life and I am not. But that doesn’t mean I can’t improve and grow on the journey to heaven. Afterall, the good I can do and the growth I can experience is Joy and fulfillment, not dreadful or futile work. It isn’t for you either if take the journey hand in His and eyes on Him.

That is my quest and desire and focus and work I do will be for that goal and purpose – to serve and please and obey my Lord and Savior trusting He has my best in mind and best for those I care about too.

So, I write this wishing and praying for a Joyous 2020 New Year for you too.

1/7/20 THE PRINCE OF PEACE 7

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:17

RECOMMENDED READING: JOHN 14:1-6 ““Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ²In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴And where I go you know, and the way you know.”⁵Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

COMMENTS: Christmas is a wonderful time of year, especially when can enjoy it with loved ones, especially with children. The looks of excitement when see the decorations and watch them unwrap their presents. I’m reflecting on past Christmas mornings as my children were growing up and even further back as I was growing up. Mary must have had much to ponder in her heart that first Christmas. Reflecting on the child announced to her by Gabriel, the mandated journey that brought her and Joseph to Bethlehem, the new son she help and watched with wonder. The shepherds that came and shared their amazing experience and message they told them of who this child is and what His mission is. Mary pondered all this and more in her heart as she cared for her child.

When Christmas is over and decorations are taken down, daily routines and work overshadow Christmas. As winter really starts settling in, many will become depressed and wonder if things will ever get better, especially when all the bills come due for presents purchased for loved ones.

Mary must have wondered what her new family would face too. Then later when the wise men came with gifts that would provide needed resources to enable her family to escape Herod to Egypt. She had more to ponder adding to the mystery the Wise men’s story and encounter with the star.

Mary had a awesome responsibility to care for and raise the child who would one day be a Messiah and King. Joseph would care for this child and raise Him as his own even thought he was not the father. But he had to wonder how to raise a king and the Messiah Israel had been waiting for.

When God revealed to Joseph to flee to Egypt, he also had to ponder all the changes and dangers he would confront. But he also knew God would help and protect him. Roman occupation was dangerous. Encountering Roman soldiers along the road could mean disaster depending on mood soldiers were in.

Today we are living in increasing dangerous times. Those living in Muslim or in Communist countries are dangerous for Christians and often are emprisoned or worse simply for admitting to being a Christian or attend a worship service. Prophecy warns us that persecution of Christians will get worse in frequency and intensity as world approached the time of Christ’s return. Only God knows when, but timing will be impacted by degree of sinfulness and persecution practiced.

So peace is not promised nor possible until Christ returned. He will put an end to war and sin and fighting. He will come with power and authority and resolve to put an end to satan’s mischief and man’s evil ways and deeds.

Humanism teaching that man is improving physically. That humans are evolving into better beings, but God teaching man is deteriorating and becoming weaker and more evil. The only hope we have is Christ’s intervention, but will he come as our Savior or as our Judge? That choice is ours. He will come to Judge those who refused His offer of forgiveness. For them, He will judge their sins and require they take the full punishment for their sins. His judgment will be just but devastating for those facing it with no escape or negotiation. But for those who accept His offer of forgiveness before life’s end or His return will face His mercy and deliverance instead. For them, it will be a joyous time to look forward to and enjoy when it comes… Which will it be for you and me? Each must decide for himself / herself. To not decide is to decide no, because we are already lost until we choose to be found by accepting His redemption.

Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” John 11:25-26.

Jesus also said “”I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.. ” John 14:6-7

For our judge to provide the one and only way of escape and freedom means what He says is important. No one will be able to stop or change His judgment. Those He judged will be permanently judged but those He forgives will be permanently forgiven. No news has greater significance or importance than that.

1/8/20 He is Our Everything 8

My Lord and My God! John 20:28

Recommended Reading: JOHN 20:26-28 “ ²⁶And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” ²⁷Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”²⁸And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

COMMENTS: It was significant for Jesus to greet His disciples saying “Peace to you”. Remember, He was crucified and now was alive again. Also, remember one of His names is “Prince of Peace”. He is God, who conquered death and was resurrected. He is God with authority and plan to bring peace personally to each believer as well as to the whole world. But either peace is or will only be experienced by those willing to surrender to His authority and His plan and His Will.

Isaiah prophesied 700 BC that the Messiah would come (Isaiah 9:6) and He would be identified as: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

On Christmas, we remember the beginning of God’s fulfillment of this prophecy. He continues to fulfill that prophecy by giving mighty wonderful council in the recorded words He spoke (in Scripture) and in our hearts personally and through His Holy Spirit’s council. Why did He choose to come as a baby and take the time to grow through childhood to teenager to young adult but only to age 33 before submitting to crucifixion and an early death? Why did He wait to age 30 before starting His ministry and only minister 3 years before being crucified? Well, Mosaic Law required rabbi position be filled only by male candidates of at least 30 years. Christ honored that requirement.

I suspect, even though we are not told, that Jesus became responsible for providing for Mary and family after Joseph died, which was after Jesus’ temple visit at age 12 and before he started His ministry. Joseph may have worked through making arrangements for Mary before starting His ministry.

Christmas I a wonderful time of celebration and exchanging gifts and spending time with family and in God’s house, but truth is that it is Jesus’ birthday and is all about Him, not us. But what gives Him joy is our obedience as an expression of our love for Him.

Food and parties and decorations and church and family gatherings and days off work are all wonderful and something we look forward to all year long, the excitement and mystery of Christmas soon evaporates and Christmas Carols loose much of their mystery after Christmas.

Well, Christmas is not our birthday so isn’t about us, it is about Jesus and Who He Is! It is about how He lived and died and what He did and continues to do! We exchange gifts. Children gage Christmas by what they get and adults gage Christmas by what they give but the real mystery of Christmas is gaged by what we give Jesus.

He doesn’t want nor needs our money or possessions but may ask us to get rids of or give away much of them because they hinder us giving Him what He really wants and needs. Jesus doesn’t need our possessions. Afterall doesn’t He own them anyway and don’t we only have possession of them for a little time? I reflect on the house we have owned for past 36 years. My parents had owned it for the previous 44 years and my mother’s grandparents owned it 49 years before that. They all gave up ownership when passing into eternity or when signed away that ownership. We will do so one day too.

God chose to allow us all free will to choose good or evil. To choose following and obeying Him or not. Realize it or not, by not choosing Christ’s way, we automatically choose satan’s way realize it or not. Satan is very deceptive and knows he likely will not get followers without tricking and lying to them providing enticements and false fronts so his real motives and purposes are not exposed until he pulls you so far from God that evil is desired and good is unappealing.

God loves us so much that He came and lived as a human in poverty and with all human weakness and gave His human life enduring the great suffering that a cross inflicts. He enduring the guilt and separation from God the Father while enduring the punishment for our sins. But He didn’t remain in the grave and didn’t remain separated from the Father. The mystery of the Trinity and Triune nature of God is beyond us but scripture tells us God is One but revealed to us as God the Father and God the Son (Jesus the Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. What God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit desires and needs as His gift for Christmas is our heart – our love – our obedience and faithfulness. Nothing less will satisfy His desire and nothing else will bless us in return as much. We need to give Him worship and praise even more than He desires us to give it. BUT HE DESERVES OUR WORSHP AND PRAISE FAR MORE THAN WE IMAGINE FOR WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE AND CONTINUES TO DO!

There is still time. Spend some time each day praying and sharing our inner thoughts and minds with Him and then be quiet and listen to Him quietly speaking to our soul or heart in response. Spend some time looking to and reading scripture while seeking in that quiet time each day. I recommend early morning but some prefer evening. Anytime we get away and spend with Him is a good thing. Not every time will be inspiring and earth shaking nor equally impactful but each is important. Each involves “waiting on the Lord” be cause His purposes and plan is implemented in His time and in His way but always for our Best Good. Spend more time with Him in 2020 and less time on ourselves and on less important tasks and pastimes. LET HIM BE PRINCE OF PEACE IN YOUR HEART AND SOUL IN 2020! AMEN? AMEN!

1/9/20 The Perplexity of My Situation 9

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37

Scripture: I CORINTHIANS 15:56-58 “⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

COMMENTS: History is a resource and treasure being neglected and lost to recent generations. Modern schools are skipping or cutting key parts of history from classrooms and children. Parts that were key in teaching past generations of God’s provision and faithfulness. A familiar and famous quote made by George Santayana in 1905, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” became even more famous when Winston Churchill, in a 1948 speech, said “Those who fail to learn f rom history are condemned to repeat it.”

For example, history books and textbooks of 100 years ago revealed that during the American Revolution, George Washington led to Continental Army and were forced to retreat from Brooklyn across Manhattan being badly outnumbered by the invading British army. Washington wrote his brother of that time “I think the game is pretty nearly up…You can form no idea of perplexity of my situation. No man, I believe, ever had a greater choice of difficulties, and less means to extricate himself from them.” Washington felt and fully realized how hopeless and desperate his circumstances were but he also had a firm grip on the truth of God’s providence and didn’t give up. The rest of the story and miraculous way God used wise choices of Washington and foolish choices of British army. How God used even fog and other weather to provide a way of escape for Washington and how God spared Washington from certain death many times. Result is preserved in history but these miraculous stories are pretty much omitted and forgotten. Washington’s faith in God that sustained and guided Him is not being discovered and followed by our current leadership in government and schools and not by their students. How tragic. We can also look at history recorded in scripture of Israel and in each generation since to soon realize those who follow God’s Will and instruction are blessed by God and those who don’t lose God’s protection and expose themselves to God’s judgment and to satan’s evil influences and destruction.

If we have a firm grip on God’s sovereignty and providence, we’ll not give up nor forget God’s handiwork from the past. God created us to be victors, not to be losers. Paul exclaimed to the Corinthians: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 15:57).

In our walk with Him, we need to be enthusiastic about the life God has given us, the future He has promised us, and the help He has offered us. He is sovereign. He rules over all. Today live like someone who is more than a conqueror through Him!

A superintending Providence is ordering everything for the best, and… in due time, all will end well. George Washington

1/10/20 A Matter of Perspective 10

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30

RECOMMENDED READING: MARK 10:27 “²⁷But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

COMMENTS: Faith and trust in God has always been difficult for the Israelites, especially over the long time. And so, it is for us too. When difficulties and doubts come, it is very easy to turn from God and do great harm to themselves and others. Caleb and Joshua were the only ones who maintained a determined decision to remain faithful to God no matter what. For them giants or overwhelming armies did not changed their resolve. Because of their resolve, they were the only Israelites of their generation who God permitted to enter the promised land of Canaan. They were the only ones of their generation who would not only see but take possession and battle and defeat the land God promised them and defeat and drive out current owners. They were 2 of twelve spies Moses sent into Canaan to investigate and report on land and its inhabitants. They all reported the land to be rich and bountiful and they all reported the land to be inhabited by powerful warriors and giants but only Caleb and Joshua had enough faith to believe and report that God would fight ahead of them and enable them to be victorious over them. Their generation didn’t believe them and followed the foolish advice of the other 10 spies and were condemned to spend the rest of their lives wondering in the wilderness.

Caleb and Joshua had to endure that 40 years of judgment on their generation for a sin they were not guilty of but God would honor their faithfulness in His Time! The part of this story we should remember and learn from. God extended both their lives and stamina so they would live and be able to lead the next generation so God did honor their faithfulness and they were able to witness that faithfulness. They also were able to teach and help the next generation of the miracles they witnessed with Moses in Egypt and in journey to and including Mt. Sinai.

God has demonstrated His faithfulness and wisdom and power in every generation since. Think about how formidable Hitler’s army and Japan’s army along with both their air force and navy were attacking Europe and USA from both directions at the same time. But God was faithful because of the determination and faith of the Allied force’s leadership and the faithful obedience of Christians within their countries. The powers of darkness were especially powerful during those years and future seemed bleak.

BUT GOD WAS NOT FINISHED AND HONORED THE FAITHFULLNESS OF THE FEW FAITHFUL! Many died but many were saved and freed. Corrie Ten Boom was one of many whom God used to brighten that time and reflect hope to many and one of many who survived to witness of that time to future generations. Consider what the world would be like today if they had given up and let the Axis powers to overtake them.

We have both history and prophet to help us know and understand God’s Will and Direction and Plan. God’s Will will be implemented either with us or without us. Either by us or in spite of us. We will either endure the process and miss out on blessing or embrace the process with His help and enjoy the blessing during the process and fruit of obedience at conclusion.

Our faith in Him is not unfounded nor blind, for we have those before us to teach us and instruct us and to build our faith and trust in Him. We have those amongst us to encourage us too. But we also are to prepare and be His faithful witnesses to our current and future lost generations who are journeying down a lost path who desperately need someone to guide them to the right path, the path to live!

We can trust Him the same way if our perspective is biblical: God keeps His promises to His people.

“As long as we continue to trust in our own abilities and activities, we shall avail nothing. “
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

1/11/20 JOY TO THE WORLD 11

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory. Revelation 19:6-7a

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE: PSALM 98:4-9 “⁴Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.⁵Sing to the Lord with the harp,With the harp and the sound of a psalm,⁶With trumpets and the sound of a horn;Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.⁷Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,The world and those who dwell in it;⁸Let the rivers clap their hands;Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord,⁹For He is coming to judge the earth.With righteousness He shall judge the world,And the peoples with equity.”

COMMENTS: “Joy to the World” is a familiar and wonderful hymn of worship that has become a popular Christmas Carol. Unfortunately, since it is identified as a Christmas Carol, it becomes neglected and forgotten as a worship song appropriate to be used and sung all year long. Isaac Watts authored the words to this song in 1719 but music we are familiar with was composed by Lowell Mason in 1836.

Isaac Watts was a Methodist minister who wrote the words to this hymn based on Psalm 98. He intended it to be an easy to remember summary to aid in worship of Christ, who came and lived and suffered and died and was resurrected and returned to heaven, but is coming again to bind satan and rule as our King and Lord.

Jesus didn’t come as a baby to be king, but to grow up experiencing life and showing us what a perfect sinless life looks like, and by living a perfect life and being God incarnate into human form, qualified as the only legitimate substitute to accept the punishment for our sins. He did just that on the cross but rose victorious over satan and death.

His battle and defeat over satan confirm to us His plan and promise to return and rule as king and Lord will also happen. He has more than enough power along with full authority and wisdom to successfully do so.

Christ’s return is sure but timing not known except by the Father. The timing is determined by Him for reasons only He fully knows. But timing is influenced by choices (wise or foolish) each of us makes. When we make sinful selfish choices, we strengthen satan’s power and influence but also increases urgency of Christ’s return to stop satan from implementing his sinister and destructive plan. When we make wise choices in harmony with God’s plan and will, we weaken satan’s power and plan, which allows God more time to encourage more to come to Him for forgiveness and His eternal life before it is too late.

Christ’s return has been delayed because His passion for you and me and all humans is so strong that He decides to wait for us. But we are also told in scripture His returned will happen because if delayed any longer, man would destroy himself. Matthew 24:10-22 “¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.¹⁵“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’^[^a^] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ²⁰Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.²²“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. “

Satan’s plan and goal are to destroy God’s creation, especially humans, and defeat God. To prevent God from implementing His plan. How could satan believe he would possess sufficient power to defeat God? I don’t know but can imagine he would deceive himself into believing love to be God’s weakness and man’s destruction would weaken God enough that He would lose His Will and Passion to deal with satan. I can believe satan thinks his rampant mischief in the world proves that and will proceed with bolder attacks on Christians and will seem to get away with that. He will use bolder ways of deceiving and weakening and destroying Christians and discrediting their message.

BUT GOD IS NOT DISCOURAGED NOR WEAKENED. LOVE DOESN’T MAKE HIM WEAK NOR CLOUDS HIS THINKING AND RESOLVE TO FINISH IMPLEMENTING HIS PLAN!

Prophecy could not be clearer. Sin only becomes stronger as we choose to indulge in it. Satan only becomes stronger and more influential as we choose to follow his lies and deceptions. We will forget God but He won’t forget us and won’t let us forget Him forever.

One day is coming and coming soon when He will say “ENOUGH!” When He returns, satan and all who follow him will be stopped and punished. Those who chose Christ will no longer face persecution but instead will receive all Christ has been preparing for them – new homes – new bodies – new lives – a new community to fellowship with and be with. But most of all a unclouded relationship and fellowship with Him forever and forever.

WHAT A DAY AND TIME THAT WILL BE! AMEN AND AMEN!!

“Joy is the serious business of heaven.” C. S. Lewis

1/12/20 LIFTED UP 12

The Lord lifts up the humble.
Psalm 147:6

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING: PSALM 147:1-11 ^“Praise the Lord!For it is good to sing praises to our God;For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.²The Lord builds up Jerusalem;He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.³He heals the brokenheartedAnd binds up their wounds.⁴He counts the number of the stars;He calls them all by name.⁵Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;His understanding is infinite.⁶The Lord lifts up the humble;He casts the wicked down to the ground.⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;Sing praises on the harp to our God,⁸Who covers the heavens with clouds,Who prepares rain for the earth,Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.⁹He gives to the beast its food,And to the young ravens that cry.¹⁰He does not delight in the strength of the horse;He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. ¹¹The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,In those who hope in His mercy.”

COMMENTS: Gravity is a vital force to our survival. Imagine what it would be like without gravity. We would constantly have to anchor everything we own and even each other to keep from floating into outer space. Likewise, if earth was the size of Jupiter, gravity would be 2.5x stronger than now making a 200 lb. man weight 500 lbs. Think about how much more difficult walking or climbing or even standing would be if that was the case.

God provided everything we need, including the right air to breath and water and food to consume. God placed the earth at the right position from the sun so we would be protected from its heat while giving sufficient life-giving heat and light. How can anyone deny the existence of God seeking His handiwork and well thought design of His creation.

He certainly deserves and has earned our love and respect but also our worship and praise and appreciation. Even more so when we consider His sacrifice on the cross enduring all our sins and punishment for them. By praising and showing our gratitude and worship, we not only give Him a worthy response for His labors – a response He desires and enjoys, but also is a response that gives us joy and fulfillment and life energy too. When we feel discouraged or defeated or depressed, taking time to express love and worship and praise to Him causes negative feelings to fade, and doubts to turn into faith. God desires to be in fellowship with each of us, and is eager to draw closer to us when we draw close to Him. By doing so, He become more real and personal to us and more empowered to do His Will and stronger in resisting evil.

We start a new year and new decade. We open the door to new opportunities and choices. Will they be choices we are blessed by and be a blessing to others or will they be choices we regret and work hard to overcome?

“God knows the cure for a heart weighed down by concerns and irritations—praise!”
Charles Stanley

1/13/20 BROTHERS AND SISTERS 13

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE:

Isaiah 63:7-9 ⁷I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
⁸For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely”; and he became their savior in all their distress.
It was no messenger^[^a^] or angel but his presence that saved them;^[^b^]
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Hebrews 2:10-18 ¹⁰It was fitting that God,^[^a^] for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.^[^b^] For this reason Jesus^[^c^] is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,^[^d^] ¹²saying,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,^[^e^] in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” ¹³And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” ¹⁴Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. ¹⁶For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters^[^f^] in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself was tested by what he suffered; he is able to help those who are being tested.

COMMENTS: Well, we made it through the Christmas celebrations. If your celebration was anything like mine, you got to see friends and family, you got to eat some of the best foods, and you got to share some great stories with those that you may not see as often. I hope your celebration was filled with love and laughter, no (to little) stress, and the time with family and friends re-energized you after the long hours of preparation, shopping, wrapping, cooking, and everything that goes along with the day!

I hope you made time to think about the day – to think about the Advent services Pastor Denise has shared the last few weeks. I hope you thought about the Hope that was provided through the birth of the Christ Child; the JOY that came into the world on that night; I hope you felt the LOVE of the Lord surround your table; and I hope you felt the TRUST and PEACE in your home knowing that the Lord was there with you in celebration.

As we look back on the last few weeks, we realize that the scripture today is perfectly selected to set the course ahead. That course was determined from the very beginning for that small child wrapped in cloth and placed in the manger. Born into this world so innocent, but born with a heavy purpose – born a King, a Savior; born the Son of God.

Now we know the Christmas story so well, but let’s take a moment to bring it to the front of our minds:

An angel of the Lord appeared to a young woman in the little town of Nazareth
Mary, a young woman strong in her faith, accepted the calling of God to bear a child
Now Mary was not yet married, and her fiancée was troubled to learn that she was with child
Just as Joseph, Mary’s fiancée, decided to dismiss her quietly from the marriage he was also visited by an angel and told that the child was conceived of the Holy Spirit and that he was to take Mary as his wife and name the baby Jesus
Now it was ordered that Joseph and his family was to register for the census, so they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem as was ordered by the Roman government
The cities were crowded due to the census order, and there was no room at the inn for Mary and Joseph, so they were given a small place to stay
Mary went into labor and bore a son, wrapped him in swaddling cloth and laid him in a manger
At that moment an angel of the Lord appeared to a group of shepherds that were tending to their flocks nearby and announced the birth… “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” And a great host of angels appeared singing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” The shepherds left their flock and found the baby in the manger just as the angels said; they praised God and told everyone the story as they left.
On the eighth day the baby was presented at the temple according to their custom, and Joseph named him Jesus.
The Magi traveled from far corners of the nation to find this child born a king. They saw his star in the sky and was led to Jesus. They bowed down and worshiped him, presenting him gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.
And Jesus grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Now I recount all of this to put the scripture in Hebrews into perspective. This innocent child, born in a stable should become the pioneer of our salvation. This child conceived of the Holy Spirit and so nearly denounced by his earthly father Joseph was and is the Son of God. This child fulfilled the scriptures of old in every way, and was destined for glory.

It is that glory that was shared through Him and freely given to each one of us. Through the suffering and pain endured by our Savior at the cross, He was sanctified because He was blameless, without sin, and took on our sins freely. As we give ourselves to Christ, we too are sanctified – laying all our sins at the cross and resting in the reassuring embrace of Jesus. It is at that moment we become brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus knows all too well the pains and sufferings of this world. He knows the temptations that surround us. He was sent to become flesh of this world, to bring about an awakening within His people; He was sent to atone for the sins of this world. He was sent to relate to us in this world, to know, to experience, to overcome this world, and to overcome death. Through Jesus we find complete and total peace; He remains our Hope, Joy and Peace!

The Love that has been offered through Jesus cannot be put more simply than what is written in John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Therefore, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become Children of God; we are welcomed into the Family of God as Brothers and Sisters in Christ. The moment you enter that family life changes in a real way. Now we all know that this life is not without struggle and pain, but God understands that struggle through His Son.

The amazing thing is that God has provided for us through Jesus. We come to know a personal relationship with God, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God has also provided for us through our Brothers and Sisters. We have a family – much like what you had around that Christmas table a few days ago.

I generally relay a story relating our scripture to something of current day, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized the story is right here. Take a look at those sitting in your pew; take a look at the pews throughout the church; these are your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We live our own story of Faith each and every day.

What are your struggles in life?

Who do you turn to for guidance and direction?

When you have days where you feel down or defeated, who is it that lifts you up?

There is not one person sitting here today that has had a worry-free life; there is not one person sitting here that has not known pain; there is not one person sitting here that has not faced some type of struggle in their life.

The difference is that we have found support, encouragement, understanding and love from those sitting here in these pews. As we look for that support and guidance we also look above – don’t we? How often to you raise a prayer when you face hard times? How often do you raise a prayer of thanksgiving for your Brothers and Sisters? How often do you raise a prayer for your Brothers and Sisters when they face hardships?

I hope each one of you realize how special you are to one another. I hope each one of you realize how much you are loved. I hope each one of you feel the love of God surround you each and every day!

Look around one more time…these are your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. That was pretty easy to determine, right? They are all here with you in worship. How do you determine who your Brothers and Sisters in Christ are outside of this building?

We do not walk around with visible labels, or name tags. Finding a Brother or Sister in Christ requires a personal commitment on our part – each of us individually. It requires us to live a life of goodness and righteousness; a life open and given to the Holy Spirit to lead us in life. We should not be closed off and resistant to personal interactions – we need to be alive in the Spirit and willing to share our story and faith in every instant.

Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ are living the same way. It’s funny how you can come across someone at random that radiates with the light of Christ. Have you found someone like that? Someone that has a certain shine that is unmistakably the light of the Lord? We should all strive to let that light shine!

As we search out those Brothers and Sisters, how do we provide each other support and encouragement?

This question becomes important for our collective growth. I will leave you with this list of 10 key ways are called to treat others:

Put Them First

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3)

Self-denial lives at the center of love. True love denies self and supports another. Putting others first should be more than an act of humility, but an act of affection. It’s not that we think so little of ourselves, but that we feel so warmly toward our brothers and sisters in Christ that we are happy to lay aside our interests and preferences so that another may experience blessing.

Seek Their Good
“always seek to do good to one another” (1 Thess. 5:15)

Love does more than put someone else first. One’s desires may be destructive, or their path may lead to danger. Love will seek their good, their betterment, their advancement. The questions we ask must be, “How can I personally help my brother do well?” “How can I serve my sister so that she prospers in faith and life?”

Ask for Their Forgiveness/Forgive Them
“forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col. 3:13)

If you love your fellow saints then you will ask for their forgiveness when you sin against them, and will freely forgive them when they sin against you. Sin grieves the heart of a believer for in it we know we have sinned against the Lord, hurt someone made in the image of God and recreated in the image of Jesus Christ. And as a people who have been forgiven of far worse crimes than have been committed against us, we must also forgive those who sin against us.

Listen to Them
“be quick to hear” (James 1:19)

Love listens. Just as God hears us when we call to him, so must we listen to others. We need to listen in order to gain understanding either of truth, or of the one speaking. Until we listen to another, we are ill-equipped to know their needs and seek their good.

Include Them
“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Pet. 4:9)

Hospitality is a welcoming of others into your life. Love includes; it draws near to others and invites them in. It will not dismiss people because they are different or difficult, but will pursue them and offer them a place at the table. Love looks around, sees the uninvolved or unknown, and extends a hand of welcome.

Be Generous
“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way” (2 Cor. 9:11)

God has given you what you have for more than your own personal enjoyment. You are called by God to steward what he has entrusted you by sharing it with others. Love seeks to give, and give big. As John Calvin said, “the legitimate use of all our gifts is a kind and liberal communication of them with others.”

Sacrifice
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 15:13)

Generosity is important, but it’s easy to pick and choose what we will be generous with. Many today have an easier time parting with their money than their time. They would rather be generous with their wallet than their calendar. Such “generosity” is giving without real sacrifice. Love, in denying self, goes farther than an easy offering. Love gives until it hurts. If you love your brothers and sisters it will be seen in your willingness to sacrifice what you have, and even yourself, for their good.

Tell the Truth
“let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Eph. 4:25)

Love doesn’t lie. In fact, it speaks truth. This isn’t about offering true opinions, but truth itself. It is willing to offer hard words when needed. Love corrects, rebukes even, but not from a mere love for truth. It is also connected to a sense of concern and compassion for people.

Encourage Them with the Gospel
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11)

Love doesn’t flatter, but it does encourage. Biblical encouragement is a kind of preaching; a gospel word offered to those who need it. Love points people to Jesus Christ, in whom we see love in its brightest display. Those around you need to hear how the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, remains good news for them today. It’s not just for the lost. It is for the found. For without it we drift back to false hopes, doubts, and fears.

Pray for Them
“pray for one another” (James 5:16)

If you love your brothers and sisters you will pray for them. It is sad that we so often quickly promise, “I’ll pray for ya!” only to walk away and never approach God on their behalf. Even sadder is that those who need the prayer are happy enough with the false promise. They appreciate the nice thought, and think it’s better than nothing. But it’s not. It’s just nothing. Love prays. It seeks God’s action in their lives. It pleads with God for greater grace on behalf of others. And to this God responds.

There are many other ways in which we should be loving one another in the church, but here’s a start. Let us love not “in word or talk but indeed and in truth.” (1Jn. 3:18) We can do this because we have come to know the love of God through the death of Jesus Christ. We have been saved by love (Rom. 5:8) and for love (1 Peter 1:22).

Let us love, encourage and support one another in the name of Jesus – Amen.

1/14/20 A BLESSED NEW YEAR 14

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, ²but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. ³That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. ⁴Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. ⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. ⁶For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. PSALM 1:1-6

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE REVELATION 20:1-22:21 – “ Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. ²He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; ³and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. The Saints Reign with Christ 1,000 Years ⁴And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Satanic Rebellion Crushed ⁷Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. ⁹They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The Great White Throne Judgment ¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. ¹³The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. All Things Made New 21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ²Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”⁶And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. ⁸But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” The New Jerusalem ⁹Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ¹²Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ¹³three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. ¹⁴Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. ¹⁶The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. ¹⁷Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. ¹⁸The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ¹⁹The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. The Glory of the New Jerusalem ²²But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ²⁴And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. ²⁵Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). ²⁶And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. ²⁷But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The River of Life 22 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ²In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. ⁴They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. ⁵There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. The Time Is Near ⁶Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. ⁷“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” ⁸Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.⁹Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” ¹⁰And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. ¹¹He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Jesus Testifies to the Churches ¹²“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” ¹⁴Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. ¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”¹⁷And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. A Warning ¹⁸For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. I Am Coming Quickly ²⁰He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!²¹The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

COMMENTS: Today’s scripture is taken from both Psalm 1 and Revelation 20-22. A very long scripture reading but a very important one of wise council and assurance that God’s plan is true and sure and is the only way to an eternal life of joy and peace.

Psalm 1 is only 6 verses but packed with wise council, especially as we enter a New Year and new Decade: Verse 1 tells us to separate ourselves from evil and those who do evil.

Blessed are those who:

Vs 1: Separate from evil and from those who do and encourage others to do evil.

Vs. 2: Meditate on God’s Law and Instruction.

Vs. 3: Growth or Maturing in our walk and obedience. Our faith and willingness to do His Will instead of evil becomes more consistent and stronger. We grow to be more like Him in character and conduct and thought and less like satan. Progress will never be complete this side of heaven, but we have a long way we can complete and have His abiding Holy Spirit to help and encourage and strengthen us along the way.

Vs.4-6: Knowing and being assured of our destination: Our destination is sure and perfect and permanent. Revelation gives us clarity of our destination and assurance. Psalm 1 is one of many passages that gives us instruction of how to get on the path to that destination. God wanted to make sure we were clear and did not forget His instruction. Instruction to achieve Life and Life for Eternity.

New Year is the time when most set new goals and resolutions. To set goals to improve our lives and the lives of those we care about and love. Goals to reach the dreams and ambitions we are passionate about. More common ones are losing weight and going back to school or changing careers or spending more time with family or in devotion. Other goals common are quitting bad habits like smoking or alcohol or overeating (or eating specific treats like candy or snacks or junk food or …).

Most fail attempts to reach even modest goals because willingness to sacrifice and overcome obstacles isn’t strong enough. God has great ambitions and goals and blessings waiting for us. They are beyond our wildest dreams or hopes. He has given us enough details to discover they are far better than ours.

He has also provided sufficient resource to enable each of us to reach those goals. The greatest obstacle is one He overcame – payment for our sins. The next is repentance or changing our conduct and thoughts to become more Christ-like. His indwelling Holy Spirit is the greatest resource He provided to enable and motivate and strengthen us sufficient to reach such a lofty goal.

His forgiveness and empowering are assured in 2020 and beyond. It is our choice to accept and use His resources. We are doomed to failure if we fail to use His resources, which also includes His Word, Other believers (our church family and Christian family and friends). He never intended for us to follow Him alone and knows we don’t have the ability nor strength to do so.

So, Lets covenant with each other and with Him to make 2020 a year of resolutions we will keep and the greatest being to spend more time with Him and with His people. To avoid and flee sinful habits and temptations.

2020 will be full of blessings for those who turn away from harmful habits, rededicate themselves to studying and meditating on God’s Word, envision themselves as trees by channels of water, and look forward to God’s leading every step of the way.

By God’s grace and by your choice, that’s you! So have a blessed New Year!

Blessed, O Lord, the opening year, / to each soul assembled here: / Clothe Thy Word with power divine, / Make us willing to be Thine. John Newton

1/15/20 BEGIN WITH GOD 15

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5

Recommended Reading: ROMANS 8:35-39 “³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written:“For Your sake we are killed all day long;We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”³⁷Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

COMMENTS: New beginnings are memorable. First day of school, wedding day, birth of each child, first day of a new career, first day of retirement, day accepted Christ, … Take some time to reflect on some firsts in your life. Taking pictures of some of those firsts helps us remember them, but many are recorded permanently in our memories, right?

I realize some beginnings are bigger than others. Our wedding day and birth of each of our children are huge in our lives. They are huge because they required a huge “leap of faith” because the impact on the lives of self and family and even those yet to be born or in our lives will be impacted too. Consider our choice in spouse and when we married impacts when our children will be born and who they will resemble and even personality temperament they will have and even struggle with and be influenced by. How about influence of family of our new spouse. Yet how much thought into that choice does such factors play into? All too often, NOT ENOUGH!

The Bible is full of stories of individuals who faced such impactful choices, some who made wise choices and some who made foolish and poor choices. The Bible not only documents both but the impact and blessings or consequences of those choices. Stop and think how much different history and even today’s current events would be if Abraham and Sarah had waited and not chose to take matters in their own hands concerning having the child God had promised them, even thought they both were very old and well beyond child bearing years. They caved even though they were only 9 years ahead of time God had chosen. Because they disobeyed God and Abraham had a child by Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar, Isaac’s and Ishmael’s descendants have been fighting and killing each other ever since and continue to do so.

Most choices we make are not as long lasting, thankfully, but each of us will make at least one and likely many choices that impact many for a very long time. Sometimes, without the originator even realizing that impact. Take some more time to reflect on such choices those before us made that greatly impacted you personally.

One of the names that scripture gives Christ is “Immanuel, God with us” Matthew 1:23). That promise was fulfilled at Christmas in that generation or time and continued even after Christ’s death and resurrection and ascension on Pentecost by Holy Spirit. With Pentecost came the promise and fulfillment of God abiding in and with each believer 24x7x365xeternity. With this promise comes willingness and influence God offers and provides to aid us in making wise choices.

So, when was the last time you sincerely sought God’s help in making a key decision and choice? When was the last time you waiting for His response before making that choice or decision? How about any time(s) you, like Abraham and Sarah, got tired waiting and impatient and tried to force God’s hand by making the choice you felt was right before God responded? How did that turn out?

On the cusp of that great adventure, God made Joshua a promise: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” And to confirm: “I will not leave you nor forsake you.”

That is the promise of Immanuel: “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Whatever you begin today, God is with you.

God never promises to save us from adversity, only to be with us in the midst of it.
David Watson

1/16/20 THE BRIDGE 16

Surely the Lord is in this place. Genesis 28:16

RECOMMENDED READING: GENEESIS 28:16-22 “¹⁶Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” ¹⁷And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”¹⁸Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. ²⁰Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, ²¹so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. ²²And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

COMMENTS: Asahel Nettleton was an effective evangelist of the 1800’s who was instrumental in sparking the “Second Great Revival in America” in mid to late 1800’s. Dr. Noah Porter of Farmington, Connecticut wrote of Nettleton’s sermons, “The state of feeling which, at the time, pervaded the town, was interesting beyond description. There was no commotion; but a stillness in our very streets… which forcibly impressed us with the conviction that in every deed, God was in this place.”

Some preachers and evangelists tend to evoke strong emotions and awareness of God’s presence more than others while using the same message and even same words. Billy Graham’s message was the same for the 60+ years he preached, but was effective in winning many millions for Christ over those years. His message was new and fresh and needed each time He shared it and continues to be preached by His son, Franklin, and his grandchildren.

The message remains fresh and unchanged because the need to hear it is even greater. There are still millions or billions who either haven’t heard it or haven’t listened to it before. Jesus bridged the bottomless pit separating us from God and provided continual access to the Father through Him because of His sacrifice on the Cross. Because of Him, we can say “Surely the Lord is in this place.” Yes, even when we don’t feel His presence or that He is near. HE IS NEAR EVEN WHEN WE CAN’T FEEL HIS PRESENCE. It may be because we aren’t listening and seeking Him or because we are facing and looking away from Him instead of towards Him.

Feeling His presence is needed and helps our faith become strong, but only comes later after we have properly prepared and changed our focus and attention towards Him. This is not always an easy or quick accomplished goal. Sometimes, we must be quiet and clear our minds first. Sometimes, we must force ourselves to fill our minds with His Word and even read and pray out loud so our earns helps our minds to focus on Him. But He requires our full attention to welcome Him. Otherwise, He must compete with the sinful and less important clutter that fills our mind and clutters our lives and walk with Him. Evangelists like Asahel Nettleton and Billy Graham and some more contemporary preachers and evangelists of today are still available through their sermons and writings to help us focus on Him each day. As John Wesley shared nearly 250 years ago, days when schedule of duties and obligations are greater than allotted time; it is then more time must be taken to prepare for the day in prayer and devotions. That is accomplished by raising earlier or starting day’s tasks later, but not doing so only insures less will be accomplished or more tasks will need redone due to ineffective results.

Take a moment and reflect on past experiences to reinforce that this is just as true today for each of us as it was for John Wesley long ago. Doing God’s Will in God’s Way and in God’s Time always is the most effective and most efficient way to work and use time God graces us with each day. There is much of our day that God leaves to use at our discretion, but we tend to get in trouble those days when we try to spend the whole day as we want or think best.

God’s presence is especially close to us in times of difficulty. He comes alongside to help us, and His presence carries us through every trial and trouble. Whether by feeling or by faith, don’t doubt the nearness of God hovering around you and within you today.

“Only Christ could build a bridge to God with only two pieces of wood.”
Asahel Nettleton

1/17/20 HOW WOULD JESUS LOOK? 17

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

RECOMMENDED READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 10:31-11:1 ” ³¹Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³²Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, ³³just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

COMMENTS: The older I am, the more I notice how much like my father I act and say. So many of his wise one-line sayings are part of my conversation and how much my world view and values match his. He has been in heaven for 17 years, but his influence on me is as strong or even stronger than when he was alive. Why is that? Well, is it not true that we cherish and hold precious memories of loved ones more after they are gone because we no longer have access to them directly? Is it not true that we hold precious some of their possessions that were valuable to them and remind us of them?

I am not encouraging nor supporting that we dwell on our loved ones who have passed, because balance in life is important. But their legacy lives on and expands when we take up their mantle and live and act and share what they held precious and most important.

When we forget or neglect memories and life lessons of our parents and elder teachers, we are more vulnerable to repeat their mistakes and sins and also experiences the consequences of those choices as well as blessings from wise choices.

If we hold precious the memories and lives of flawed humans important to us, how much more should we hold the life example and lessons Jesus lived and shared. Example of a perfect life who came to show us how to live and determined to guide and teach us both in his lifetime and throughout the ages to today and beyond. Then to provide payment for our sins so any and all obstacles to being in relationship with us and obstacles preventing us to spend eternity with Him can be removed. The only obstacle we need to remove is our own will and pride. That obstacle is removed when we admit our sins and ask for His help and forgiveness. When we reach out and accept His gift of forgiveness.

In your mind how do you picture Christ? Likely it is the ways artists have drawn or painted Him with long hair and a beard and in a long white robe and sandals. We likely visualize Him being taller and thinner than most of us with strong hands and arms and large compassionate eyes. We likely visualize Him with brown skin and black hair and brown eyes common to people of that time and region.

But reality is most visualize Christ as looking much like they do. Those in Asia may see Him as having slanted eyes, European and American people may visualize Him as having light skin and lighter hair and round eyes. People in Africa may visualize Him as being black.

Truth is, we simply don’t know nor have evidence to show us. Since He came and lived and died poor and of common resource, there is no sculptures or coins of that day preserving how He looked like pharaohs or Caesars of that time. But because we have not image, we all have opportunity to visualize Him in a way that is most meaningful to us and makes Him most real to us and relatable to us. Is that not exactly what He intended and wanted?

So, if Jesus lived in our time instead of 2000 years ago, what would He look like and how would He dress? We could only imagine but likely not much different than those He is around. He would stand out more for what He says and does more than how He looked, just as was the case then.

The truth is, He would look very much like us. Well then, how should we look to the world around us? Whether in business or casual clothing, we should be imitating Christ. He is our model for how we should act and speak today. Our attitudes should reflect His personality. We are His likenesses to our modern world.

When you glance in the mirror each morning, ask yourself: “Am I ready to let others see Jesus in me today—all day long?”

“Whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ.” Thomas à Kempis

1/18/20 New Beginnings – The Greater Miracle 18

The dead man sat up and began to talk. Luke 7:15

Recommended Reading: LUKE 7:11-17 “¹¹Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. ¹²And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.¹⁶Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” ¹⁷And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.”

COMMENTS: There are not many accounts of “raising from the dead” in scripture but they are all dramatic. Maybe the very nature of doing so makes it dramatic and may be reason why Jesus limited number of times and where He chose to do this miracle. The only instances of this miracle in scripture are:

Elijah raising the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead. (1 Kings 17:17-22)
Elisha raising the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead. (2 Kings 4:32-35)
Man raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones. (2 Kings 13:20-21)
Jesus raised son of the widow of Nain from the dead. (Luke 7:11-15)
Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. (Luke 8:41-42,49-55)
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:1-44)
Jesus rose from the dead. (Matthew 28:5-8, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:5-6)
Many saints rose from the dead at the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 27:50-53)
Peter raised Dorcas from the dead. (Acts 9:36-41)
Paul raised Eutychus from the dead. (Acts 20:9-10)

There may be more instances I have missed or more than recorded in scripture. This miracle was not common nor offered in every instance or opportunity that was needed. Truth is every miracle was for a God planned purpose which included but was not limited to meeting the need of the individual or his family. Also, all those raised died again later, so their miracle only lasted a few more years.

So, what was the point in raising them if they died a few years later. Only God knows but believe the reason in part became clear as the years afterward unfolded. The impact their lives made coupled with the miracle they experienced was a powerful marriage. I’m sure they all were permanently changed so their witness and lives demonstrated and exhibited a passionate and powerful witness to all who knew them. I can’t imagine it not. Can you?

Well, I don’t know nor have ever witnessed such a miracle and don’t know anyone who has, so I can only judge by accounts noted above and imagine how experience impacts witnesses and individuals.

BUT THE TRUTH IS WE ALL WILL EXPERIENCE RESURRECTION ONE DAY. ETERNAL LIFE IS DIFFERENT FROM MORTAL LIFE AND INFINITELY BETTER. Better because of freedom from sin and temptation, sickness and death, weakness and age, fatigue and discouragement, physical and mental limitations, …. The list goes on.

Ok, getting back to today’s story in Luke 7 relating to the young man raised by Jesus in Nain. I wonder what his first words were? Did he have any recollection of his death experience or did he simply awaken from his sleep with no recollection as we all do in the morning? We can only imagine as we can imagine what his mother’s and neighbor’s reaction was. The whole town likely knew him and whole town may have been involved in funeral ceremony which was going on when Jesus arrived at city gate.

It is never easy to lose a loved one, especially when a parent loses a child. It is one thing when much pain is experience by an ill and dying individual, for his family agonizes to see him suffer. For that situation, death is viewed as an escape or release from that suffering, but death is not the first choice. Death is welcomed only when hope of any other option like recovery by medicine or natural healing or even miraculous healing are no longer realistic. In those instances, measures to reduce or remove pain and make the patient comfortable until the process of dying is complete.

I was impacted when witnessing the process of dying for my sister first and my parents and other family later. Natural dying begins as individuals’ organs and body parts begin shutting down, reminding me of how we turn down the furnace and turn out the lights and lock door and windows when leaving our home for a time. Jesus tells us He goes to prepare a place for us and will come back to take us there. Our bodies are not our final home and each of us must leave our body and go to a place and inhabit a new eternal body He is preparing for us and in a place, He chooses based on key choice we have made.

When we no longer inhabit our mortal bodies, life in that body no longer is present. Have you ever noticed how different a house looks and feels when no one lives there? Have you ever noticed how quickly a house deteriorates and decays when no one lives there? Bringing new life into a house is common but new life into a body or soul is something only God can do. He does so every day to human souls who repent and accept His gift of forgiveness and redemption. He does so to give us new life that will last forever and not just for a few more years.

So, which is the greater miracle? Is it raising someone from the dead or is it experiencing new life from Jesus? Well then, in that case we all have seen God’s greatest miracle many times even in 2019 and would expect so for 2020 too. Let’s do our part so as many experiences this miracle in 2020 as God calls us to be involved in brings to pass. Each must choose for him or herself, but our influence and support does make a difference. So, let’s make more of a difference in 2020 than we did in 2019. That is God’s will and desire but needs to be ours too. AMEN? AMEN!

“Come, we that love the Lord, and let our joys be known.” Isaac Watts, “Marching to Zion”

1/19/20 A Higher Plane 19

He…sets me on my high places.2 Samuel 22:34

Scripture: EPHESIANS 1:3-6 “³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

COMMENTS: If you ever taken a trip on a commercial jet, first you wait and then go to your assigned seat and follow all the instructions. Then you are transported to amazing heights of as much as 35,000 feet. There you have opportunity to view out your small window at beauty of flighting above the clouds and seeing an overall view of the world below where cars and buildings are tiny and almost insignificant. At such a height the cares of the world seem almost insignificant. But at that height, great distances are covered very quickly – reaching speeds not possible on the ground.

Likewise, when we get close to Christ and fellowship and follow Him, He enables us to live and conduct ourselves at a much higher level of conduct and thinking and obedience. The result is accomplishing much more and reaching destinations not possible while living and traveling on the ground. But in order to get to that point, we must follow His instruction and submit to His means of preparation and training.

Commercial jets are not able to fly higher so drag of air density at 35,000 ft limit also limits speed they can reach. The Concorde is designed to fly at 60,000 ft so can reach much faster speeds.

The height we are able to live at determines the level of obedience and achievements we can reach and limits degree God can accomplish through us.

We should live our Christian life at a high altitude. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

God desires for us to live above the ways of the world. He wants our habits to be heavenly, our words to be wise, our thoughts to be pure, our spirits to be cheerful. Ask the Lord to help you live on a higher plane today.

“Lord, lift me up and let me stand /By faith on heaven’s tableland/A higher plane than I have found—/Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” Johnson Oatman, Jr.

1/20/20 The Blessed Place 20

I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:10

RECOMMENDED READING: PSALM 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;²But his delight is in the law of the Lord,And in His law he meditates day and night.³He shall be like a treePlanted by the rivers of water,That brings forth its fruit in its season,Whose leaf also shall not wither;And whatever he does shall prosper.⁴The ungodly are not so,But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.”

COMMENTS: Have you seen pictures of an Oasis in the middle of a desert. The desert is barren but the area around a source of water has green vegetation and even trees growing up. The plant’s ability to grow and survive the harsh sun and heat is its ability to stretch it’s roots deep enough to access that water. Roots provide both a way of receiving nourishment but also to anchor the plant in place so neither storm or hard heat can kill or weaken that plant. But not only is water and sun necessary to sustain life for us as well as for plants, but too much of either will bring death as well. Also, too much of one can be offset with more of the other, as in the case of the Oasis in the desert.

Our sun is an amazing heavenly body that has provided heat and light for humans on earth for a very long time without fail or a break. It is composed of 70% hydrogen, 28% helium, and a variety of other gases. It burns or converts 600 million tons of hydrogen and helium and 4 million tons of matter into energy every second. Just take a moment to let that face sink in. Wow! If the sun was much closer, the earth would burn up and if much further away the earth would be too cold for life to survive either. Look at climate change from summer to winter because of the earth axis tilting a bit so sun’s rays change from more direct to less direct exposure on earth’s surface and atmosphere.

The next time you fall prey to thinking God is distant or not involved in His creation and in your life specifically, just take a few moments and look around and rediscover how well God continues to provide and care for and manage His creation because He loves it and He especially loves and cares for you and me. AMEN!

. God wants to bless His creation. He asks only that we stand in the presence of His blessing: loving and doing His will in all things.

“Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace.” Robert Robinson

1/21/20 THE FIRST AND THE BEST 21

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE: COLOSSIANS 3:17 “¹⁷And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him..”

COMMENTS: It is a common practice across cultures to celebrate milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, and retirements, to mention a few. Cakes are baked and honorees often cut the cake but certainly are the first to eat. We are quick to recognize and honor accomplishments and necessary work to gain them. Such occasions uplift and encourage all participants and helps all feel supported and appreciated. Such occasions also serve to help motivate and encourage participants to work toward future goals and dreams. Goals not identified and worked to achieve are goals unachievable. Take a moment to reflect on some of those celebrations in your family and in your own life.

Now let’s reflect on what God has accomplished both in creation and sustaining His creation but also in us personally and individually. Where would we be if God withheld His help and influence even for a moment. God gets blamed for evil while satan, who is responsible gets off without even notice. God allows, with limits, satan to do his mischief as He allows us free will to embrace or reject satan’s temptations. History reveals both good and healing God does do along with limits in evil God does exercise his creation to indulge in.

We’ve just had the celebrations of Christmas, Christ’s birth. The world has worked hard, under satan’s influence, to take Christ out of Christmas and only allow non-Christ identified songs and decorations and reminders in celebration. Yet, that would be like having a 50^th wedding anniversary for a couple and not inviting them nor referring to them as reason for celebration. How insane would that be?

Well, don’t we do that all too often in society and even in families and dare say in too many churches but certainly in most businesses and stores. But Christ is infinitely more worthy of our honor and praise and gratitude than anyone else past – present – future.

So, especially since we are starting a new year, lets make 2020 a year of praise and worship of Christ and taking note and praise Him especially as evidence of His love and involvement unfolds to us.

That needs to include praising Him with our tithe – giving 10% of the gross of our income, before spend or pay bills or debts from that income. In old testament times, Israelites would honor God with the “first of their harvest”. Even firstborn sons were set apart and trained for special service.

In the covenant community of Israel, everyone was to honor God with the first of their harvest. Firstborn sons were set apart as special to the Lord, and only the purest and best of the flock were to be offered as sacrifices. It was an act of recognition, a way of saying to God, “You are the source of all we have; You are the Honoree in the midst of our harvest.” While God’s New Covenant with the Church is not bound by such ‘ceremonial traditions, we are to give ourselves as “living sacrifices” to God by giving to Him our whole life—time, talent, and treasure (Romans 12:1).

Whatever you do today, “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

“The end of our election is, that we may show forth the glory of God in every possible way.”
John Calvin

1/22/20 MISSING THE MARK 22 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING: PSALM 32:5 ^“5I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden.I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”

COMMENTS: Take a few minutes and think about the purpose of an anchor on a boat. The rope or chain should be long enough to reach the bottom or solid ground and heavy enough to hold the boat in position. The anchor is not used until a storm or even normal winds are strong enough to push or pull the boat away from its current position. The anchor keeps the boat from drifting away and becoming lost. Likewise, an inexperienced boatman will find it difficult to drop the anchor at an exact location with a result of “missing the mark”.

The term “missing the mark” is used many times especially in the New Testament to describe living with unconfessed sin or not living in obedience of God’s direction. However, Psalm 32 is an example from the Old Testament. David describes in this Psalm the impact and consequences of living with unconfessed sin for a time. The longer he delayed confessing sin, the worse life became. He describes “wasting away and groaning inwardly”. He describes weakening in body and spirit and character and in ability to think and reason and make wise decisions. David describes himself during this time as “dying in the desert of guilt”. But David also describes the change when he confessed his sin and repented from it. Life returned and he found relief and restoration. He found and discovered Grace, he found forgiveness. Sin is the anchor that holds us at a dark and dangerous place – a place of suffering and sickness and death. However, confession and repentance transport us to a place of life and healing and forgiveness. A place where our anchor is then dropped by obedience and reinforced by works so we remain in safe harbor with our anchor firmly set to hold our lives (our ship or boat) in safe harbor but provides fellowship with the Master Boatman who councils and helps us raise anchor when we need to sale to another destination and set anchor there.

If you have missed the mark in any area of life—past or present—don’t delay confessing it to God. He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins.

“Forgiveness is to be set loose from sins.” G. Campbell Morgan

1/23/20 THE DISCERNING WORD 23 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Scripture Reading: ISAIAH 1:18 “¹⁸“Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord,“Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be as wool.”

COMMENTS: Those Who have not experienced a personal saving relationship with Christ view the Bible only as old book. Some may view it as a valuable book that gives valid wisdom and history and experience that is still applicable. Some view it as a book that had value in previous generations but modern times have rendered it obsolete. But some view the Bible as either a religious book equal to the Koran or scripture of other beliefs. Yet some even view the Bible as a false book of superstitions and lies.

Well, history has a much different view to report of the Bible. There have been some throughout history who have misquoted or misinterpreted it in order to justify their own selfish agenda, but the overwhelming majority of those who read and studied and followed the Bible and sought to be in fellowship with the God of the Bible, tell and show a much different story. The story of a personal letter of concern and love and discipline and instruction written by many people over 1600 years but inspired and guided by the personal relationship they had with God. The Bible even reports many instances of lives of those who both started out faithful and turned away from God, those who started out in rebellion and turned to God, and those who were faithful all their lives.

The Old Testament portion of the Bible shows many examples of transforming nature of a relationship with God and life-giving wisdom and council and help God provides to those who follow and obey Him along with consequences to those who don’t. The Old Testament also gives ample examples of God’s long suffering and eagerness to forgive and give those who repent a start over.

But the New Testament gives us much more. Recorded is the birth and life of the Messiah, Christ – God’s Son. Jesus’ life perfectly shows and teaches us what God is like and how He wants us to live. Jesus demonstrated great compassion and ability to forgive without compromising God’s standard of conduct and obedience to His law.

The Bible teaches a God given requirement of obedience but also a requirement of being in relationship with Him. Not a requirement to earn that relationship but a requirement to accept it as a free gift that was paid for by God Himself dying on the cross to pay the price, He demanded in order to be in relationship with Him. No other religion or faith teaches such a doctrine or concept. Works do not earn that relationship but are evidence of genuineness of that relationship. Motivation is then out of love and compassion instead of duty or obligation.

Have you ever known anyone or been in a job you hated or at least didn’t enjoy? Maybe it was because of the work or more likely because of conflicts or incompatibility with co-workers or a boss. Personality differences or emotional friction is all too common and negatively impacts work quality and efficiency and quantity. In such environment employees and supervisors most certainty feel tired and discouraged. Health symptoms and ripple affect on relationships with family and friends and co-workers is the life consequences millions or even billions endure in the world today and in generations past.

BUT THAT IS NOT THE LIFE GOD HAS SHOWED AND TAUGHT US ABOUT IN HIS WORD, THE BIBLE! The Bible shows us wonderful stories like Daniel and Joseph and Esther and Noah and Samuel and Mary & Joseph and … so many more. Stories of forgiveness and courage in the midst of terrible adversity and stories of God’s sure and true council and help when needed most.

But above all, the sure promise of an eternal bright future free from the pain and suffering endured in this world and with God, who loves and cares for us and is even now preparing our eternal home for us. A home where we won’t be alone but not only with Him but also with loved ones and with those of old whom we’ve heard and read of.

Take a few minutes and think about some couples we know well. Married couples who have been together so long they can finish each other’s sentences. They communicate often without words. I chucked because we are one of those couples. We used to think it romantic to see elderly couples hold hands but now realize we need to do so to keep each other from falling. Holding hands still is a want to motivation but added now is a “need to”. But now, we have a lifetime of memories to add to and strengthen our love for each other but even more strengthen our love for Christ and trust in Him.

God knows us intimately. But even more the Bible is a Living Book giving Life because of being the Word of God. God is obviously “living and powerful,” but so is His Word. God can discern the “thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12) and communicate and respond to us directly through His Word. This is one of the benefits of reading Scripture consistently—to show us who we really are on the inside. And when we encounter a verse that lets us know we have fallen short of God’s glory; we can immediately go to God in confessional prayer and be forgiven.

Let the Word be a mirror for your heart. And let God cleanse you of any thought or intent that is not pleasing to Him.

“We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture. “ Elisabeth Elliot

1/24/20 MANASSEH – GIVEN A NEW LIFE 14

Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. 2 Chronicles 33:13

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE 1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17 – ” ¹²And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. ¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

COMMENTS: The Bible is full of examples of men and women who started out doing evil and bent on living a self-destructive life and destroying as many other lives in their path possible. BUT WHEN THEY WERE CONFRONTED BY GOD’S CHARACTER AND LOVE AND MERCY, THEY REPENTED AND CHANGED FOR THE MUCH BETTER LIFE GOD OFFERED THEM! Well, some refused like King Saul and King Ahab and Queen Jezebel but some repented like Manasseh and even King Nebuchadnezzar.

Manasseh’s life is recorded in 2 Chronicles 33. He started out as king at age 12 and was evil from the beginning of his reign worshipping the false pagan gods of his pagan neighbors and even sacrificing his children on a burnt altar. The occult fascinated him and indulged in witchcraft and sorcery and became a violent king, killing innocent martyrs in Jerusalem.

But that all changed, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 when King Manasseh “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him…. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” Everything changed for him and for Israel when he encountered God and God changed his heart and life. Manasseh chose to obey and repent but when he did, God forgave him and changed his heart and mind and life. But King Manasseh had to be motivated to repent. The armies of Assyria invaded and took Manasseh prisoner and put shackles on him and took him off to Babylon. While there in those chains, he finally repented and God listened and honored and answered his prayer.

Manasseh continued as king and reigned for 55 years. His father, Hezekiah had destroyed the pagan altars of his forerunners but Manasseh at first rebuilt those altars and then destroyed them after his conversion. God restored his authority to him and freed him from enslavement in Babylon once he repented. I invite you to read his story in 2 Chronicles 33.

Unfortunately, Amon, Manasseh’s son, did not follow his father’s example of repentance and continued on his father’ evil past ways so God stop Amon’s reign after only 2 years. Amon refused to repent and was killed by his own officers.

Josiah became king at the tender age of 8 and reigned 31 years. But instead of following Amon’s example or Manasseh’s example as a young king, he remained faithful to God all his life even from age 8. We are not told who taught him to know and follow God’s laws and instruction, but that person was responsible for leading that young boy and indirectly an entire nation to know and enjoy a blessed life with God. That person remained in the background unknown throughout the ages to mankind but I’m sure famous in the halls of heaven.

Who have you nurtured as a child and read bible stories and sang to as a baby and young child? Who have you befriended and prayed for and with in times of crisis? Who have you been a friend to? You may not have cradled a future king but your impact was eternal and will be if you continue being faithful and obedience to opportunities God gives you to do so. As grandparents, we have special opportunities to heal and do make a positive difference we may have missed or failed to do as parents. God has wonderful ways of giving fresh and new opportunities to do His healing will when we repent and receive His forgiveness for sinful behavior and poor choices. I believe Manasseh’s influence rippled through the lives of his survivors to impact the life of Josiah well beyond his reign as king and life. So will ours for good or for evil, that choice is ours based on our choice to follow God or not.

Manasseh’s new beginning reminds us that no one is beyond God’s grace. If you’re praying for a loved one who seems far from God, don’t give up. Manasseh in the Old Testament and Saul of Tarsus (the apostle Paul) in the New Testament are examples of how God is able to save to the uttermost.

Keep praying to the God who gives new beginnings.

Against our besetting sins, against the spirit of the world, against the wiles of the devil, let us pray on. J. C. Ryle

1/25/20 HIS FAITHFUL LOVE 25

John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

II Timothy 1:12 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News. That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

II Timothy 4:16-18 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

Romans 8:28-39 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Colossians 3:3 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

II Thessalonians 2:13-17 As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

COMMENTS: There are times when the even the most even tempered and logical thinking of us are overwhelmed with problems and work and life demands put on us by outside circumstances, by other people, and even by ourselves. We are weakest during those times and at greatest risk of rash action and choices that very well make situation and problems worse. Rash actions that may even alienate us from those most able and willing to aid and help – work with us at finding and implementing solutions.

God’s Word is very clear that God, who created us, knows and loves and even understands us far better than anyone else, including ourselves. He also knows our thoughts and intents long before we know them ourselves or have them. But even at times we act deliberately sinful, He loves us and died on the cross for us knowing even that. He was so tempted in every way we are and understands us even though He didn’t fall prey to temptation. But He did experience and knows the power of temptation we fall prey to. His Love for us was and is great enough to pay the penalty the Father required for our forgiveness and redemption.

But there is more – much more. He abides in and with us as the Holy Spirit who can and does abide with each Christian all the time with His full attention and focus without being diminished because He is focused on each of us, millions of us, all at the same time without rest or break. When we feel alone or abandoned or isolated, it isn’t because He isn’t with us, but because we have turned from Him and no longer see and feel His presence. In other words, we’ve turned our back to Him.
When and why do we do that? Well, when we are distracted by daily temptations and problems and people. When we think life Is calm enough that we can handle days problems and choices ourselves so no longer seed His help and council. When we decide we like our or other people’s choices better than what we know or anticipate His response is or will be.

Well, bottom line is He hasn’t left and is patiently waiting for us to turn around and re-connect and follow His council again and accept His help. We also need to remember that nothing can change His plan for us and His passion and plans and preparation for our eternal home with Him and with fellow followers. “Nothing can separate us from His love. He told the disciples, and us, that He went back to heaven to prepare a place for us but sent back The Comforter, the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to help and strengthen and guide us in the meantime. HE HAS US COVERED!

Dear fellow believer, God loves you and me. We will see Him soon, so don’t let fear and doubt get between you and enjoyment of His grace. AMEN? AMEN!

1/26/20 GIVING GOD WHATS RIGHT, NOT WHATS LEFT 20

And he gave him a tithe of all. Genesis 14:20

Recommended Reading: HEBREWS 7:1-10 “ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ²to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” ³without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.⁴Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. ⁵And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; ⁶but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. ⁸Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. ⁹Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.”

COMMENTS: Tithing was an important obligation and commandment that God instructed individual Israelites to do. Tithing involved giving 10% of their gross income or increase to God’s work or specifically to priest. For most it was in sheep or some form of livestock or goods but also included currency or money, especially when material goods or land was sold off.

Tithing took on a different and broader meaning and commandment in New Testament times from that first Easter until present and beyond.

Tithing is a rare topic of sermons in most churches and most pastors dread the topic because it isn’t very popular with congregations. A common justification is approach that it is God who directs giving and New Testament implies giving a tithe is not an obligation but an expression of gratitude to God not limited or defined by the tithe or giving just 10%.

Well, truth is Jesus didn’t discourage nor object to tithing. But He focused on attitude of heart of the giver. The level of faith and gratitude, the purpose and reason for giving. He indicated that an impoverished widow’s gift of a mite was far more than a wealthy man giving 10% of his abundance that was not a sacrifice to his lavish lifestyle.

So sacrificial giving is important to God and is important to our growth in faith and maturity and obedience.

Well, God has an unsettling way of asking us to do the opposite of what makes sense to us and what circumstances expect or even demand. An example given in a recent devotion I read is about a young man in California who was convicted by his pastor to tithe and wanted to be faithful to start doing this. The first several attempted failed because he didn’t have enough money to tithe after he paid all his bills. Then God spoke to his heart and told him to tithe before paying those bills. He began to panic at even the idea of considering doing that because he struggled to pay essential bills and still pay his college tuition and bills since he was working at a job while going to college.

But he finally yielded to God’s nudging and began tithing first. What he discovered is what I’ve discovered and observed doing since I began my working career 46+ years ago. That is that tithing first opens opportunities for God to provide in unexpected ways but in His timeframe and way. He stretched my faith to trust Him in other ways too and to wait on Him. Doing so helped force me to set better priorities in spending and get along on less and convincing myself some of the necessities I wanted or had were not necessities but luxuries. Likewise, giving to others more freely and generously became a more natural and enjoyable side benefit.

I’ve wasted a lot of income over the years and made more poor purchases than I recall or even want to admit, but God did enable me to be faithful to tithe my gross income consistently and guided me to make wiser purchases which helped me save and free up money for more needed purchases. The practice also enabled me to have excess available to give when an unexpected need came to light.

One time a fellow young co-worker was grieving because he had no money for Christmas gifts for his family. His circumstances and struggles motivated me to give him $100 with condition that he pass it on when a similar need was revealed to him. I’ve repeated this practice a few more times but none more memorable that first time. He moved on to another location and lost track of him until a few years later we crossed paths. After initial greetings and sharing, he asked me if I remembered giving him $100 that Christmas season. He then told me he has passed it on many times and changed his life and attitude and spending priorities dramatically and has done so to many recipients too who pass theirs on too.

As I reflect on that experience, I also am reminded of my Dad’s youngest sister. Her faith and character were such a wonderful example to me and my family over the years. She didn’t marry until age 47 and spent much of her life in Indiana working at the Wesleyan Methodist Church Headquarters. She was married for 25 years when her husband passed away. She then moved back to Pennsylvania and moved into the duplex next door my parents owned. My father died first in 2002 and then my mother in 2007 and then she passed on 3 years after my mother. She was always diligent to tithe, so when she passed, we decided to increase our church giving to reflect not only our tithe but hers too. That was a stretch but since then I retired to a smaller pension than my salary but have been able to maintain that commitment over the past 9 years since her death without needing to use savings. Our income is sufficient to cover living expenses and our giving – tithe commitments plus.

Our home is comfortable and more than meets our needs and holds a special value because it was my parents’ home for 44 years and my mother’s grandparents’ home for 49 years before that. We have owned this same home for the past 39 years too. Pictures of our home and the duplex next door, we also own and rent to my wife’s cousin and to our son’s sister-in-law, 100 years ago with my mother and her younger sister playing in the yard showing those structures in the background and my great-grandmother sweeping the walk in the background is priceless.

Another special blessing is volunteering at church and at local pantry and at local cemetery. My father mowed in that cemetery for 15 years after he retired and I would help him after my workday was done. I would kid him saying all those people who, when alive would be generous in giving a helping hand, now were simply watching him and I work.

Now I am volunteering that labor of love realizing he now is one of them watching me mow, but as I mow, and see the hundreds of gravestones of those I knew well and positively impacted my life and reflected Christ to me too, I realize just how much God has provided and blessed me and my family over the years. As I mow around the graves of my great-grandparents and my grandparents and my parents and even my older sister, they become real and alive to me once more and continue instructing and encouraging me through the memories I retain and cherish of them. Well, my great parents I didn’t know but the stories my parents told make me feel as though I knew them.

Faith is still a fragile and growing part of my Christian walk even though it has been 59 years since I first accepted Christ. Tithing is easier for me now but giving extra to new ministries and needs is still a stretch and requires more faith, so faith isn’t a natural spring I drink from without thought but a small trickle that appears dry each time I drink from it not knowing if will be there next time. BUT IT ALWAYS IS JUST LIKE THE WIDOW ELIJAH STAYED WITH DURING A GREAT DROUGHT WHO TOOK THE LAST OF THE FLOUR AND OIL TO MAKE ELIJAH AND HER AND HER SON BREAD. THAT SUPPLY WAS SUFFICIENT, NEVER DEPLETED UNTIL THE DROUGHT ENDED A FEW YEARS LATER.

That story, recorded in I Kings 17, has given me much encouragement to trust God for the lesson things that I’ve been stretched to do and give.

Give the tithe first but be willing to give more as God directs and invites. Afterall, He has more than ample resources and ability to provide and promises to never fail us, so what are we waiting for?

“Give God what’s right, not what’s left!” Adrian Rodgers

1/27/20 SPREADING GOD’S GOOD NEWS OF LIFE 27

Whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you. Romans 15:24

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING: ROMANS 15:22-29 “²²For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you. ²³But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, ²⁴whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. ²⁵But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. ²⁶For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. ²⁷It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. ²⁸Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. ²⁹But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.”

COMMENTS: For most, their day begins with a list of things to do and finished with a list of things not done yet. I often say “plan how long a task should take and multiply it by 2.5” to determine a realistic time to complete task. I have found most physical tasks or jobs do take much longer to complete than I envision. The reason varies but usually relates to unforeseen difficulties or distractions or problems while doing that task that result in extending time required to complete task. The are those occasions when tasks take less time than planned but has been rare for me unless I used the 2.5 multiplier when planning. When I use it, seldom do I go over budget but often find other constraints do not allow tasks much time to complete.

Well, one area we should use this multiplier is time set aside to spend with God in prayer and devotion and worship and bible study. We too often cut Him off just when we are ready to listen to what He so wants to share with us. We stop reading or stop prayer too soon. We spend too much time talking and too little time listening during our devotions. As I write this devotion, so many thoughts are coming to mind but I have discovered it better to stop for a few moments first and let Him sort out what thoughts are mine and what thoughts are His. Unless I do this, my tendency is to think mine are His and then treat mine too highly and His to little or not at all. We would be deeply hurt and insulted if others would treat us that way, so why do you and I treat Him that way.

Doing better are listening to Him is a priority for me in 2020 and pray it will be for you too. January is also a good time to review our giving and determine what changes need implemented; changes God wants if we take the time to ask Him and listen to His response.

Giving is a difficult subject for me since I receive so many requests for financial help from valid organizations and people in ministry. Since I’ve started creating and sharing these devotions, many of those reading and using these devotions in ministry all over the world have asked for my financial help in ministry. Of course, I needed to pray for discerning and have used several methods or ways to determine how valid and genuine and God approved their ministry and request is. That process has boiled down to 5 individuals I’ve grown to trust and provide some financial support to. The next challenge has been determining which and how often giving to each is God’s Will but also choosing when to give to each. This continues to be an ongoing challenge and item of prayer and soul searching and God seeking, but feel a nudge to plan and implement a more methodical plan of support in 2020, so seeking God’s council for that even as I write this.

It warms my heart and amazes me how God is using my humble words and how He is making them available to His servants so far away. It also amazing me how much they and I have common in thinking and in heart and in hunger for a deeper walk with Christ. Our backgrounds and experiences and family history and culture and communities are so different but have so many common traits and needs too.

The other amazing thing is why my words would be of so much value to them when their faith and experiences and insights and faithfulness make their words far more valuable and insightful and impactful. Well, I’ve found such is the way God more commonly works so the weak can grow strong and the strong become weak so their strength and source would, like the weak be only Him and not themselves.

Anyway, there are many good organizations and ministries that need and are worthy of our support. Ministries that are true to God’s calling and true to being faithful stewards of donor’s support. But the work of sharing Christ’s Good News and discipling new believers help them prepare to likewise share and disciple is the work and responsibility of His people. They have the reason and passion and calling. We are that people – His people – His workers. We also have access to His resources knowing the resource we own are not ours but His too.

God is making His people accountable for work and funding of that work. Accountability that He has also placed on our shoulders and carries not only His blessing but His expectations too. Our dreams need to match His dreams and our goals match His. Only then will we be truly fulfilled and at peace. Only fulfilling those dreams will our legacy and impact be the eternal blessing God desires for us and we long for. Such is more and better than we can imagine but not beyond His dreams and imagination. He has it all worked and planned out and is waiting for us to take His hand and go to work – the work of obedience. AMEN? AMEN!

The apostle Paul told the Romans he needed their financial help as he took the Gospel to Spain. That kind of appeal is distinctively Christian.

If your mission is to take the Gospel to those who need it—your commitment to participate in funding that outreach will bless those who hear it—and you as well.

“So, what is God’s family business? News, primarily. Christians are those who have been born again through Jesus’ death and resurrection and then commissioned to carry the best news to as many people as possible from all nations, languages, and people groups of the earth.”
John Rinehart

1/28/20 GIVE YOUR BEST 28

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. Colossians 3:23

RECOMMENDED READING: MALACHI 1:6-8 ““A son honors his father,And a servant his master.If then I am the Father,Where is My honor?And if I am a Master,Where is My reverence?Says the Lord of hostsTo you priests who despise My name.Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’⁷“You offer defiled food on My altar,But say,‘In what way have we defiled You?’By saying,‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’⁸And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,Is it not evil?And when you offer the lame and sick,Is it not evil?Offer it then to your governor!Would he be pleased with you?Would he accept you favorably?”Says the Lord of hosts.”

COMMENTS: Tithing is one of the most difficult acts of obedience but also one of the most rewarding acts of obedience we, as His followers can do. Difficult because He asks us to give before we have evidence that we have enough left to pay the rest of our bills and needs until next paycheck. Difficult because He we don’t see evidence of how He will meet our needs and provide for the unknown expenses and problems we know from experience typically come at the worst time, so expect that again.

But God promises to faithfully provide for us when we tithe. He asks us to pay Him first and with our best. The Israelites suffered and disobeyed God when they began cheating God by giving their sick and blemished sacrifices instead of the first and best that He required. They also started to diminish the percent of their income they gave from the 10% required. Since they (and we) can’t see God and often forgive He is near and knows, they (and we) will tend to put Him off or leave tithing to last. But that never works and we end up missing God’s blessing when we believe and fall into that temptation of satan.

A story is told about a man who solicited a group of church men to help him paint a 2-story house. They worked quickly and efficiently at painting but was one small area difficult to reach even from the extension ladder. An area not visible from the ground.

The man on the ladder asked if needed painted since wasn’t visible from the ground and was a very small area. The man who organized the work team told him to paint it. He reminded him that they were working as a service of gratitude for God and should make their work reflect quality they would do for God and His house. That area was then painted and house painted was properly completed and God was honored by those men’s work.

This story reflects the wisdom and importance of Colossians 3:23. So what work/labor/tasks are you planning on doing today. Working as unto the Lord is a focus, an attitude, that makes it possible and even enjoyable to do and sustain a level of quality work that can be judged as “our best”, which will exceed expectations. So, whatever you do today, do it as if you are working, cooking, driving, playing, or serving God Himself—for truly you are.

So, whatever you do today, do it as if you are working, cooking, driving, playing, or serving God Himself—for truly you are. God has promised to honor our obedience. I’ve found He is faithful to bless when I tithe. I invite and encourage you to also test this promise He has given you and me and start tithing before spending any income on anything else. Doing so does a few key things like forcing us to set wiser priorities of spending and gaining a wiser perspective to discern our needs from our wants and necessities from luxuries. Doing so also shows us greater value and enjoyment we can experience from our income too.

“Live your best, act your best, and think your best each day, for there may be no tomorrows.”
Unknown

1/29/20 From “Have to” to “Want to” 20 You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.
Deuteronomy 14:22

Recommended Reading: DEUTERONOMY 14:22-29 “²²“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. ²³And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. ²⁴But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, ²⁵then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. ²⁶And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. ²⁷You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.²⁸“At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. ²⁹And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.”

COMMENTS: The requirements for tithing were clearly given and explained to the Israelites of the Old Testament. They were to bring the 10% of their increase in the form of what it was they gained. In that time, increase was most commonly in flock or animals or in grain or vegetables. Wealth for them and increase that they lived on was not money but in what they labored in growing and gained in return. But vs 24 shares that selling for money was practiced in those days too. It was acceptable to sell the tithe livestock and give the money to the priests in the temple if it was not practical to take the animals or grain itself. Tithing was a practice that reminded the people that:

God was their provider and source.
God was also the landowner and they were simply stewarding His property.
God enabled them to work and earn, so praise and gratitude for success went to Him and not to themselves and to their labors and skills.
God enabled them to live better on 90% than could on 100% of earnings or increase.
Tithing tested their faith and trust in God’s willingness and capability to keep His promises. The promise He gave them was that He would bless them far more than the value of the tithe if they give Him His Tithe first.
Old Testament Jews and God’s followers were required to give the tithe, but the faithful did so for a greater and more powerful and motivating reason. They gave not because they “had to” but because they “wanted to”.
New Testament Christians are not ordered to tithe, but the tithe is still on God’s books as being in His will for us. He has changed His commandments from requiring us to tithe to wanting us to not just tithe but give to Him as we have received.

After Easter God’s expectations and requirements of giving changed. Instead of tithing being a requirement much like paying taxes, giving back to the Lord is method of building and growing faith in His believers, including you and me. Because of relationship and communion possible after believer receives God’s forgiveness and redemption paid for with Christ’s sacrifice, tithing takes on a much greater and broader meaning for the Christian:

Tithing is not just 10% but a response of gratitude for all God enables and provides and gives. 10% becomes a starting point or beginning and not a completed obligation.
Tithing is no longer an obligation of “have to” but an opportunity and joyous act of worship and gratitude to please God – a “want to” action. As such, tithing becomes a starting point and additional giving to His work and as He directs begins. Giving becomes the word that replaces “tithing” because 10% is no longer the goal.

So, what does God want the Christian to do if not just tithing? Is 20% or 30% or ?? realistic or even possible? If not in writing or the same for each believer, how do we know if we are obeying or still withholding what God desires of us?

Realistically, the answer is different for each of us depending on income and lifestyle and obligations each of us have. A retired couple would be able to give a different amount and % than a family with a large family and expenses. But wait. If look at how large families contributed to family income 100 years ago and still do more commonly in Amish communities, we soon realize children may be a liability for a few years but soon become an asset contributing to family.

God has given us His Holy Spirit to abide in and guide and help and strengthen and protect each of us. A close relationship with each of us is God’s primary goal, so instruction on what He desires for us to give and ways He wants to bless us when we trust Him enough to give sacrificially lies within building that relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit is God accessible to us, so have that one on one personal relationship with Him is far easier and more available to us. As we trust Him more, our relationship with Him becomes stronger and more real and His communication with us becomes more real. The natural response from us should be gaining a greater trust in Him and confidence in obey His nudging and commands in response. To obey Him because of a gratitude and desire to please Him as our motivation. That said, giving becomes a desire and not an obligation. To give as much as we can instead of as little as can get away with.

A personal example is tithe Arlene and I have been committed to all our married years has proved God honors His promises by enabling us to sustain that level of giving plus giving for special needs time to time. My father’s sister moved close to us and went to our church after her husband died. She was a faithful tither, but when she died, God nudged us to continue giving her tithe to our church in addition to our own. We have sustained that and continued to give to additional ministries over the past 10 years since her death even though I have retired during that time.

God is faithful and blesses us as we act in faith and obedience. Writing this devotion and sharing it with many has been a rich blessing for me and is being shared and used by followers well beyond what I could imagine, but know I likely would not have been willing to commit to doing this if we had not been faithful in lesser ways first, of which tithing was an important step.

The next question for us is what does God want for us going forward and what challenges and steps of faith is He preparing us to take. We don’t know yet how big that step will be but do know it will be challenging but also greatly rewarding. God’s rewards and blessings are eternal and His blessings are better than anything we would imagine or be able to gain for ourselves. Besides, anything we work for and gain of our own abilities and labors will not last and will not satisfy the desires we humanly have. The desires our soul craves are eternal and are desires only He can satisfy and are desires of eternal duration.

Those are the desires His Holy Spirit reveals and satisfies. Tithing is a starting point but not the destination. The journey of faith God is calling us to is a wonderful journey, a joyful journey, a journey to life – life eternal – life with Him and with those of old, those with love and care for, those we pray for, those we even don’t particularly like but with all who love and follow Him. What a wonderful destination we journey toward – one we can’t lose nor be stolen from us because we journey to a destination, He is building for us and one no one can take from Him nor us because of His abiding protective Holy Spirit taking that journey with us.

Besides, the wonderful biproduct of giving back to Him is how He will then use our giving of money and time to bless others and start others on their journey to eternal life too.

AMEN? AMEN!

“Our temporary stewardship will determine our permanent ownership.”
John Blanchard

1/30/20 FROM YOURS WE GIVE September 12, 2013 30

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. 1 Chronicles 29:14

SCRIPTURE: PSALM 50:8-12 “⁸I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices Or your burnt offerings, Which are continually before Me.⁹I will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your folds.¹⁰For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.¹¹I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.¹²“If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.”

COMMENTS: If God owns everything, then why does He give it to us and then ask us to give it back? Tithing was a requirement of the Israelites, but the total of giving required was at least 23%, one tithe for priests to support them, one tithe more like a tax to fund government function, and a tithe every 3 years for needs of others. If God gives from the abundance of His storehouse and powers, why does He ask more from us, especially when we struggle to make ends meet? Well, why is He so passionate about having a close relationship with you and me when He already has a close relationship with millions of saints and angels in heaven and millions on earth now?

I believe the answer is worthy of praise and worship towards Him. BECAUSE HE LOVES US AND DESIRES THE BEST FOR US! He wants us to be close to and rely on Him. He wants us to desire others to know Him too. Scripture tells us He desires all, everyone of us to be with Him and that none would be lost. Tithing is not for His good but for ours. Tithing teaches us to hold possessions loosely and to trust Him completely. Afterall, He has promised to bless / return back to us far more than we give away and tithe to Him. We have found this to be so very true. I believe we would not have ½ of what we enjoy if we had not tithed. The mystery of this is unanswered other than obeying God in all ways makes us more open to make wise choices that avoid consequences of foolish choices. Tithing helps us put more value on our relationship with Him and less value on material possessions. Tithing encourages us to be kind and generous with others, which invites them to be kind and generous during our time of need too.

Tithing our time is also another import part of giving. God not only gives us possessions, but gives us life to spend as we choose, so tithing our time is important too. Besides giving time at church and at pantry and caring for and visiting others at times, but during the last two years God has persuaded me to donate time and equipment to mow the 7=8 acre cemetery in our community, which was the grounds and cemetery our church previously sit on and cemetery was Methodist too. For over 100 years, after our church relocated ½ mile in Clintonville, the cemetery became incorporated as a community cemetery, but still carries the Christian and church roots of the ancestors buried there who’s families still reside in community.

By donating my time and resources, a wonderful thing has begun to happen. Others are also volunteering who hadn’t before. Evidence of working together and rekindled friendships are starting to blossom. Our prayer is the benefit will not just be building a strong financial and sustainable source of income to pay for major work in cemetery and maintain it, but a rekindled desire to rediscover family legacy and roots of those buried in the cemetery that will draw many back to Christ or to Christ for a personal relationship with Him. I know that is God’s goal and pray I will be able to see that come to fruition in my remaining years.

So, what ways does God desire for you to tithe your income and time? That is something only He can tell you, because it is different for each of us. What is common is that tithing time and money is important and results of tithing will bring blessing back when we do it. Well, how do we prepare? I believe the answer is no amount of prayer or planning will adequately prepare us better then just starting and doing it. I believe more commonly God withholds details of instruction until we start. So, giving 10% to our local church is a good starting point. Tithing our time first by attending church regularly and then exploring other areas of volunteering in church and community to complete the 10% of our time is a good way of beginning the journey of faith called tithing.

A wealthy man was complaining to a pastor that tithing was costing him thousands of dollars. The pastor reminded him that when he was very poor and the tithe was a few dollars, he didn’t complain. The pastor then said, “maybe it would be better if pray God make you poor again so only need to give those few dollars.” The man was silent but got the point and didn’t complain any more about giving his tithe to God.

God owns everything—including all that we have. What impact should that have on our use of time, talent, and treasure?

“The steward needs an open hand to receive from God and then an active hand to give to God and to others”. Murray J. Harris

AMEN? AMEN!

1/31/20 Nicodemus – A New Beginning 31

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. John 3:1

SCRIPTURE: JOHN 3:1-8 “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ²This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”³Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”⁴Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”⁵Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

COMMENTS: Nicodemus was a Pharisee unlike most Jesus encountered in the temple. Nicodemus was sincerely seeking God and open to hearing and receiving Jesus’ teaching. He witnessed Jesus’ teaching and miracles and was convinced that Jesus’ was sent by God and taught truth but still didn’t understand the truth Jesus was giving.

Nicodemus not only was a Pharisee but had a coveted position in the ruling council called the Sanhedrin. He was a devout man as well as a wealthy man and gifted teacher. He was well respected by his peers on the Sanhedrin and among the Jewish people who knew him and listened to his teaching. Jesus called him “the teacher of Israel” in John 3:10, but there was still more he needed to learn and, to his credit, was willing to listen and learn. Remember, in their eyes Jesus was just a common man and unlearned or without formal education other than what his parents and teachers had given him as a youth. But, even at age 12, the priests and scribes who taught him in the temple at Jerusalem were impressed with his understanding and knowledge. So, no wonder Nicodemus was impressed years later with Jesus as an adult. But Nicodemus went one step further and was open to discover Jesus as not only a prophet sent by God but more. He would discover soon that Jesus was God incarnate too and not just worthy of his attention but His worship. But in today’s story Nicodemus hadn’t made that leap of faith yet but was willing to listen with an open mind.

Nicodemus arranged a private meeting with Jesus in darkness and their conversation is recorded in the above scripture found in John 3. Nicodemus didn’t understand Jesus’ words “you must be born again”, but pride didn’t prevent him from asking Jesus to explain that statement. Jesus didn’t insult Nicodemus for lacking understanding. Afterall, Nicodemus was a learned man and had been a devout Jew and teacher for many years. Instead, Jesus recognized his honesty and desire to learn and hunger for something lacking in his life and took the opportunity to listen. TO LISTEN TO JESUS!

Nicodemus is mentioned twice in John’s Gospel. In chapter 7 he defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin and in chapter 19 he gained possession of Jesus’ crucified body and arranged His burial. Nicodemus became one of the first born-again Christians and discovered by experience the new birth and forgiveness Jesus died to provide.

We are not told if any other members of the Sanhedrin were persuaded by Jesus or by Nicodemus, but I can’t help but think Nicodemus had a powerful legacy from that day forward. It maybe he was rejected and removed from the Sanhedrin because of his new faith in Jesus, or it maybe he remained on the Sanhedrin and continued to influence their thinking. I can believe it was very difficult for him, as is increasingly today for believers.

The result of Nicodemus taking the opportunity to listen to and receive Jesus’ teaching and instruction made an eternal difference to him and am sure his family and likely to many others he then shared this new insight and teaching to.

We don’t have letters that became scripture written by him for us to read and receive, like Paul’s. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t later contribute much to spreading the gospel and lead many to be “Born Again” too.

How God uses us after we accept His forgiveness and Grace and become “Born Again” is unique and tailored by God to our gifts and abilities and personality. How He equips and provides and calls varies but the eternal difference and impact each believer has does and will make an eternal difference whether each believer leads one to Christ or millions like Billy Graham did.

A young boy saw a large number of starfish washed up on the shore as far as could see and started throwing starfish back into the ocean. An old man noticed what he was doing and told the boy it was useless, there were too many to throw them all back. They both knew the hot sun would kill them soon. The old man tried to help the boy understand there were too many to help. But the boy had more wisdom and discernment than the old man in this story. As the young boy bent down and picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean, he smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

You and I are not able to save the world, but even if we are instrumental in leading one to Christ, it will make an eternal difference for that one. The even bigger point is God desires to partner with each of us and institute His math which isn’t simple addition but multiplication and calculus, which means multiplying results of our labors by the compounding affect of His ways of adding others to help in work too.

“He went from darkness to light…. When we first meet Nicodemus, he is in the dark; but the last time we see him in Scripture, it is midafternoon and he is openly giving witness of his faith in Christ.” Warren W. Wiersbe

Today’s devotion completes another month of studying God’s Word and sharing. I pray God will allow us to continue this journey of discovered another month. Below is the Gideon Bible Reference I have been included in monthly devotions for some time. I decided to continue including this for benefit of new readers and to continue to make it accessible to any and all who read and share this journal. I encourage you to use and share as God directs. If you wish to contact me or access more devotions, below is link to access.

In His Service,

Don McDaniel

Email: dmcdaniel12@zoominternet.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Don1951

Blog: https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com/

GIDEON BIBLE REFERENCE SCRIPTURES:

HELP IN TIME OF NEED:

The way of salvation: John 14:6, Acts 16.32, Romans 10:9
Comfort in time of loneliness: Psalm 23, Isaiah 41:10, Hebrews 13:5-6
Comfort in time of sorrow 2 Cor. 1:3-5, Romans 8:26-28
Relief in time of suffering 2 Cor. 12:8-10, Hebrews 12:3-13
Guidance in time of decision James 1:5-6, Proverbs 3:5-6
Protection in time of danger Psalm 91, Psalm 121
Courage in time of fear Hebrews 13:5-6, Ephesians 6:10-18
Peace in time of turmoil Isaiah 26:3-4, Philippians 4:6-7
Rest in time of weariness Matthew 11:28-29, Psalm 23
Strength in time of temptation James 1:12-16, 1Cor. 10:6-13
Warning in time of indifference Gal. 5:19-21, Hebrews 10:26-31
Forgiveness in time of conviction Isaiah 1:18, 1Jn, 1:7-8

SUGGESTED READINGS (HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS):

The creation Genesis 1-2
The fall of man Gen 3
The flood of Noah Gen 6-9
The call of Abraham Gen 12:1-9
Deliverance of Israel from Egypt Exodus 11-14
Dedication of the temple 2 Chronicles 5-7
The Babylonian Captivity of Israel 2 Chr. 36
Revival of Israel after captivity Nehemiah 8-9
Promises of the coming Messiah Isaiah 9:2-7, Ps22, Is.53
The Birth of Christ Mtt1:18-2:23, Lk1:26-2:40
The Triumphal Entry Lk19:28-44
The last supper Mk14:2-26
The Garden of Gathsemane 26:36-46
The Betreyal of Jesus 26-47-56
The arrest and trial of Jesus Jn 18:12-19:16
The death of Christ Lk 23:26-56, Jn19:16-42
The resurrection of Christ Lk24, Jn20
The ascension of Christ Acts 1:1-12
The coming of the Holy Spirit Acts2:1-21
The conversion of Paul Acts 9:1-31
The heroes of Faith Hebrews 11

SUGGESTED READINGS (SPIRITUAL STANDARDS)

The 10 commandments Exodus 20:1-17
The sermon on the mount Mtt 5-7
The golden rule Mtt7:12
The greatest commandment Mtt 22:36-40
The righteousness of Faith Romans 3:19-28
The Royal Law James 2:8, Romans 13:8-10
Christ’s New Commandment John 13:34-35
Christian love 1 Cor. 13

DYNAMIC DOCTRINES

God’s greatness and man’s weakness Isaiah 40
The two fold Revelation of God Psalm 19
Man’s universal guilt Rom 1:18-2:16
Atonement Leviticus 16, Romans 5
The new birth John 3
Justification by Faith Eph 2:1-10, Gal 2:16-21
Christ, the Good Shepherd Ps 23, John 10:1-18
Christ’s intercession for His Own Jn 17, Heb 7:25
The High Priestly Work of Christ Heb. 7:25, Heb. 4:14-16
Christ’s Humiliation and Exhaltation Philippians 2:5-11
Resurrection of the Christian Dead 1 Cor. 16, 1Thess. 4:13-18
The second coming of Christ Mtt 24, 2 Thess. 1:7-2:12
The Last Judgment Rev. 20:10-15
The New Heaven and New Earth Rev. 21-22

PRACTICAL PRECEPTS:

Christian Home relationships Eph. 5:22-6:4
A model wife and mother Prov. 31:10-31
Marriage and divorce Mtt 19:3-9, Malachi 2:14-16
The sin of adultery Prov. 6:23-33
The prodigal son Luke 15:11-32
Employer-employee relationships Col 3:22-4:1
Business and prof. principles Ps15, Prov. 3:1-12
Seperation of worldliness 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, 1 Jn 2:15-17
Decisions of doubtful things Rom.14
Christian fruitfulness Jn15
Heavenly wisdom James 3:14-18
Christian responsibilities Rom. 12-13
Christian stewardship 2 Cor. 8-9
Christian witnessing Mtt 28:18-20, Jm17:18-20
Prevailing prayer Mtt 6:5-15, Philippians 4:6-7
Heavenly priorities Mtt 6:25-33
Brevity of man’s days Ps 90
The causes of war James 4:1-4
The value of the soul Mk. 8:36-37

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT:

ITSELF: 2 Tim. 3:15-16 , Psalm 19:7
GOD: Psalm 99:9, 1 Tim.1:17, Isaiah 45:21-22
MAN: Gen. 1:27, Gen 2:7, Isaiah 43:7
HEAVEN: Rev.21:3-4, 21:27
SIN: Romans 5:12, Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23
HELL: 2 Thess 1:8-9, Rev. 20:15
CHRIST –HIS ADVENT Micah 5:2, Mtt.1:21-23, Lk 2:10-11
CHRIST – HIS PERSON John 10:30, 14:6
CHRIST –HIS WORK Lk. 22:19-20, 1 Peter 2:24, Col.1:14, Isaiah 53:5-6
CHRIST-HIS RESURRECTION Lk. 24:36,39, 1 Cor. 15:3-4
FAITH Acts 20:20-21, Heb. 11:6, Eph. 2:8-9
LIFE John 3:3, 1:12-13, 3:36, 2 Cor.5:17

If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 508 blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present.

You may also access my Facebook page and request to be my friend and automatically receive my daily journal publications daily. My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Dondevotionals/ Many thanks to a pastor and dear brother in Christ in Nepal who set up the above Facebook page to help and encourage and give opportunity for more to explore and use my devotional blog materials.

My hope and prayer are, my blog and devotional materials will become a source of encouragement and tools in ministry for you.

Published by donsdevotions

Don McDaniel - Who am I? Hello everyone and welcome to my devotional journal blog. In order to get acquainted and help you get to know me a bit better before considering following my blog, let me give you some background. I am a 74-year-old male and a retired engineer. I worked for a major supplier of underground mining equipment for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2012. Arlene and I have been happily married since April 1978 and have two grown – married children, one granddaughter and 2 step grandsons. I joined the local United Methodist church at age 12 after accepting Christ as my Savior at age 10 during revival services in that same church in 1961, so I have been a “Born Again” Christian all my teen years and adult life. Christ has helped and guided me all that time. He guided me in choosing my wife and life’s career. My life journey has included regrets and failures, but God has picked me up and protected and spared me from life threatening consequences and dangers more times than I can recall or count. But many I do recall and encourage and motivate me to trust and follow Christ with more passion than ever. Christmas 2011 our daughter gave Arlene and I each a devotional journal. Journals were books with devotion for each day and space to give personal impressions and thoughts related to each devotion. Her desire was to have a lasting legacy she could refer back to and share with her children and grandchildren especially after we are gone. I was touched by that gesture. My parents and Arlene’s were devout Christians, so we would have greatly treasured having that from them, so we felt a sense of urgency to honor her request. I finished my journal first and returned it to our daughter the following Christmas. I’m glad I did it then because Parkinson’s has caused my hand writing to deteriorate since then. The exercise was such a blessing for me. Discipline of keeping journal helped me gain a deeper walk with Christ and greater discipline in honoring my time of prayer and devotion with Him each day. So, I decided to continue the practice but since I could not find a paper journal I liked, I decided to create my own. I had already been receiving electronic devotions by email every day from several sources, my favorite being “Turning Point” from Dr. David Jeremiah. What I decided to do was to include devotional scripture but add my own thoughts and comments only so there would be no issue of copyright infringement. Creating and maintaining journal by computer also addressed my deteriorating handwriting ability. I started an electronic devotion journal January 1, 2013 and have been faithful to that practice every day since. I prayed about method and level of distribution. My initial intent was to only share it with my two children by email, but quickly discovered others in my family, my church, and friends from work (both retired and still working) who knew me and wanted to be included in distribution when they learned what I was doing. I now distribute by email my daily journal at the beginning of each month to over 150 friends and relatives. God has richly blessed and encouraged me. I am concerned with the state of our church and nation, and world for that matter, believing we are living in the end times the prophets of old and Christ have talked about in scripture, so time is short. I desire to be true to my Savior and a witness to help others come to a saving knowledge of Him and equipped to share His Good News too. If my journal can encourage and help others, I believe God wants me to share it. I struggled, for a time at first, because I know many others keep similar journals but only for their own edification and do not want to share them because they are private. However, Christ has stirred my heart to share it as a witness tool. Our son and daughter have a long-time friend who grew up with them who we also befriended nearly 25 years ago. He had a lot of family problems, so would gravitate to our family as a refuge and eventually thought of us as his adopted parents and he as our adopted son. We lost contact with him for some time when he grew up and left home. He traveled around the U.S. and eventually ended up in Ukraine where he resided for next 10 years. He had to return to the US to renew his visa and took opportunity to recommend I begin a blog of my devotions and helped me set it up. He is also an active blogger and has been an email subscriber to my journal for several months, so he has been suggesting I expand my distribution by starting a blog to get broader exposure. After reflection and prayer, I concluded God was in this, so he is helping me set up my blog site. This brief autobiography is my first entry. He returned to Ukraine, then resided there until circumstanced made him decide to move back to US with his young son. This biography was my first post February 29, 2016 . I have published 600 posts from 2016-2023 automatically sent to all my Facebook friends, published on WordPress to be accessible to anyone curious or seeking a deeper walk with God. I decided to take a sebatical to prepare for a new chapter. In 2014 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease which affects patient ability to walk, drive, do physical work, and eventually talk. By mid 2023 it became evident our home for last 42 years (previously owned by my parents for previous 44 years and by my mother's grandparents for 39 years before that) would eventually not meet my needs so we decided to sell it and move into 1st floor of a duplex we also owned that was the town school from 1855-1913. Likewise, the property was requiring more maintenance that I was no longer able to keep up with. 2023 involved selling our home and moving into apartment next door and then in early 2025 an opportunity to move closer to our daughter and granddaughter in Kentucky which was completed in May 2025. For a number of months I have been seeking direction seeking God's direction and timing to return to blogging as my journey with Parkinson's continues to unfold with God's guiding hand in mine. I hope and pray my devotions will continue to be a blessing for you. God certainly has become closer and more real to me since started this blog in 2016. I have spent time with Him studying scripture and praying and listening and writing this journal. I will continue seeking God’s help and will welcome your input to make this site as meaningful as I can and true to God, who is motivating me to create and maintain it. I will also welcome input in order to make format more meaningful going forward. Don & Arlene McDaniel In His Service, Email: mcdanieldonald769@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Don1951 If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 600+ blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present (https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/link-to-dons-devotional-journal-entries-2013/ ) You may also access my Facebook page and request to be my friend and automatically receive my daily journal publications daily. My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Dondevotionals/ Many thanks to a pastor and dear brother in Christ in Nepal who set up the above Facebook page to help and encourage and give opportunity for more to explore and use my devotional blog materials. View all posts by donsdevotions

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Christian Devotional Journal – Ministry Resource Source

DEVOTION JOURNAL – JANUARY 2020 – DON MCDANIEL

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1/13/20 BROTHERS AND SISTERS 13

1/17/20 HOW WOULD JESUS LOOK? 17

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