June 2019: 

6/1/19                                God’s Coming Eternal Capital City                             1 

The great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.     Revelation 21:10-11

RECOMMENDED READING: REVELATION 21:22-27  “²² But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The 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. ²⁴ And 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. ²⁵ Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). ²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. ²⁷ But 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.”

COMMENTS: John did an amazing job describing what he saw in this vision God showed him, especially given he was living in primitive first century times.  But John’s description goes beyond what you and I, living in today’s age of technological marvels, can imagine and comprehend too.  A city 1500 miles wide x 1500 miles high x 1500 miles long surround by a wall over 200 ft high made of pearl.  To inhabit such a building and be able to travel quickly from one end to another is also beyond us, even today.  Yet God had it all figured out long ago.  Our bodies will be capable of traveling such distances quickly and purpose of New Jerusalem will become capitol if earth and center of Jesus’ rule over heaven and earth.  There Jesus will both rule and illumine and nourish earth and heaven with His tree of live and river of life flowing from Him. 

This scripture tells us He will replace the current heaven and earth with new better ones.  Is the New Jerusalem the home Jesus is preparing for us to stay while He creates a new heaven and new earth?  Will we be able to witness that creation? Will we be able to travel freely anywhere on and in the new earth and new heaven?  Will we be able to share all these experiences with family and friends?  With faithful Christians of long ago?  Will we know and be known by others as will know and be known by Him?  THE ANSWER TO ALL THESE QUESTIONS IS YES!!

In spite of destruction and scars of sin, the earth still provides evidence of God’s handiwork and beauty.  Still much of the earth still shouts of God’s love and power and beauty and faithfulness.  Heaven certainly does and so does its current inhabitants. 

But for whatever reason, God feels the need to redo not only the earth satan has damaged and corrupted but heaven too.   I don’t know the reason but can imagine, in part, the reason includes bringing heaven and earth close enough or accessible enough so we will be able to freely inhabit and travel in heaven and on earth and in New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21-22 give us a glimpse to encourage and motivate us to a deeper walk with and faithfulness to Christ.   In the midst of life’s trials and tragedies and disasters and choices comes confident hope and trust in Christ and in His promises.  He has promised to keep His promises and is making final preparations before His return to take us home, to put an end to satan’s mischief and evil, and render both judgment on unforgiven sinners and mercy to those who received His mercy-forgiveness.   

I believe the day of His return is soon but not certain if I will still be alive when He comes.  I can’t see how He can tarry much longer.  Evil is getting stronger and is bent on massive destruction to people and property.                                                                                                                      

I am so looking forward to His return, But I have mixed emotions because I still have loved ones who still need to accept His redemptive Gift of Forgiveness.    How about you?                                                                                         

To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.  Jonathan Edwards

 

6/2/19                                           With Him Forever                                                         2 

And 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.   John 14:3

RECOMMENDED READING:  Revelation 21:3-7   “³ And 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. ⁴ And 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.”⁵ Then 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.”⁶ And 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. ⁷ He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

COMMENTS: If you or I were told we could either choose living in an old broken-down shack and a minimum wage job for a week with promise of a mansion and a six-figure job you will love for the rest your life, would that be a hard choice?    What if the other choice was living in the same mansion with the six-figure job for a week followed by living in that same shack and same minimum wage job for the rest of your life?  Would that be an easy or a hard choice for you?  Why?

Well, God is offering us the first choice and satan is offering us the second choice.  Can you recognize the comparison?  Satan offers more than he can deliver with no possibility of a good eternal future.  God, by comparison, offers a perfect – bright eternal future preceded by at worst a few years of hardship or suffering.   The big difference is He promised to take our hand and stay with us during hard times and be there to greet us when our life here is finished.                                                                                                                                                                 

We have read about Him, prayed to Him, committed our hopes and desires to Him, sought to obey and follow Him faithfully—we have done everything except see Him! But the apostle John says that day is coming: “When He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Not only will we meet Jesus, but we will also be like Him (Romans 8:29).

On your most challenging days, remember that a glorious day is coming. You will meet Jesus in person and be with Him forever.

Hope teaches endurance and an eager anticipation of that which will become reality.
Simon J. Kistemaker

 

6/3/19                                    Two-Fold Peace                                                  3

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.    Romans 5:1

RECOMMENDED READING: PHILIPPIANS 4:4-14 “⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.⁵ Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.⁹ Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.¹¹ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.¹² I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.¹⁴ Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.”                                                          COMMENTS: Much research and speculation has centered over the “thorn in the side” Paul referred  to and endured all his life.  He even asked God 3 times to remove or heal it but 3 times God gave him the same answer – that God’s abiding spirit was sufficient, so his answer was NO.  Paul believed in miracles and had witnessed many, including his own healing from blindness and life change.

That answer did not hinder and probably reinforced Paul’s dependence and effectiveness as an example and witness for Christ.  His example including self-sacrifice and depriving himself the benefits and privileges and opportunity for lucrative employment.  He had the best education, Roman citizenship, connection to key leadership, and powerful gifts and talents necessary to become a great success.  He could have gained great wealth and power but gave it all up in order to obey God’s call to evangelize Christ’s Gospel.   God rewarded Paul with many converts, many key churches he planted, tremendous insights from God and opportunity to not only share those insights with his converts but with converts from every generation since by having his letters in scripture.

Paul was just one man but God guided and inspired and strengthened him enough to do remarkable things.  Paul felt hindered or limited by some weakness in body or spirit. Instead of healing or removing that weakness, Paul learned to accept it and use it as a reminder to focus on and draw closer and rely more deeply on His Holy Spirit each and every day.  By doing this, his example effectively shows you and me how to do so too.

I believe God wants to use us in wonderfully amazing and effective ways but requires a level of obedience and righteous living and sacrifice that most are not willing to accept.

The last two years I have been doing the mowing at the large cemetery at southern end of our small community and doing so without pay for time or for fuel or wear and tear on equipment.  My step-grandson helped last year and this year our granddaughter is helping me.  The reason for doing so was to help cemetery get back on a stronger financial footing.  Since the cemetery has roots going back to being our church’s cemetery nearly 2 centuries ago, it has been an independent incorporated community cemetery for over 100 years.                                                   

The first year I began to see a more willingness of other cemetery trustees to volunteer also.  This year, I   was given opportunity to share with community at our annual Memorial Day service in   that cemetery.  The reality of my commitment to work and witness in community seeing me working have served to give credibility to what I say and do and powerful persuasion to requests I make for help and donations.  I call it persuasion by example. 

I am praying God will not only use this to bring more working together in community, but also draw more to discover and strengthen our own families and discover and embrace the same faith and devotion to Christ that their ancestors had and enjoyed.  AMEN?  AMEN!                                                                              

There is a two-fold peace in the Christian’s experience. We are promised the peace of God when we commit our troubles and requests to Him, peace that will guard our heart and mind as we abide in Christ (Philippians 4:6-7). But we can only experience the peace of God because we have peace with God. “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Both are important, but there is an order: first, peace with God; then, the peace of God. Both are gifts of grace, worthy of praise to Him.

If you are seeking God’s peace in your life, make sure you have peace with God first. Both are ours through faith in Christ.

When we lack the peace of God, we should turn to our peace with God.
Robert M. Horn

6/4/19                                              Never Alone                                           4

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:32

RECOMMENDED READING:  Jeremiah 23:16-24 “¹⁶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.¹⁷ They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

¹⁸ For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?  ¹⁹ Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.²⁰ The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.²¹ I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.²² But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.²³ Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?²⁴ Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.”

COMMENTS:  It is human nature for us to get used to and take God for granted. Afterall, we wake up each morning – the sun always comes up in the morning.  It isn’t until we face a major crisis or tragedy like a heart attack or major medical treatment or a family crisis that creates a problem, we are not able to manage or handle alone.  One would think God would grow tired of such ungrateful short-sighted forgetful people He calls His children.  As we look at scripture, we soon discover we are just like them and just as prone to sin and to forget the God who loves us and is more faithful to us than anyone else is nor can.

God not only can but does abide with each of us at the same time with His full attention and focus as if we were His only child.  Yet, He only asks us to follow His council and be faithful only to Him.  He is jealous but only asks a little of us while providing everything for us.

Suffering and hardship is short lived but necessary for our growth and preparation for service but also for eternity He has planned and is preparing for us.   Just like a piano can not just be played using only the white keys, the black keys of life are necessary for our lives to be complete and for the transformation to become Christ-like.   Christ doesn’t allow hardship to come into our lives because He is angry with us or is judging us.  He allows hardship to come because He knows we need it in order to grow and be drawn closer to Him.  He knows spiritual muscles need exercised as much as our body muscles do.  He knows conform and rest are needed after work to revive but excessive rest and comfort makes us indifferent and lazy and ill prepared when need for strength and energy is needed.

So, how do we respond when life’s challenges come.  Do we become angry or bitter and blame God or someone else or do we seek His council and help to both understand its purpose and how He wants us to respond.  You and I must not forget we are here for only a few brief years and eternity awaits us.  Eternity with Him without sin and sickness and death. 

Trusting Him should be as easy as breathing but can be the hardest thing we do.  But trust Him we must if we ever hope to become like Him and leave a legacy of faithfulness worthy of Him and usable by Him.    When God seems far away, He is still close by quietly waiting for us to reach to Him.  When He seems close, He is also managing the universe perfectly and preparing events and others for us to be ministered by and to minister to.   The job         He gives us to do has eternal worth and impact and will be done with Him at our side, but tasks that are well within the talents and gifts and skills He has already given us.

AMEN?  AMEN!

If you find yourself alone today, or in a troubling place, know that God and His great and precious promises are with you (2 Peter 1:4).

God is either a present help or He is not much help at all.   J. B. Phillips

 

6/5/19                                          Love Like Jesus                                                     5

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  John 13:34

RECOMMENDED READING: I CORINTHIANS 13:4-8 “⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”

COMMENTS:  Jesus not only loved by instruction by word but He loved by example.  He actually loved and demonstrated love that He was also describing and calling His disciples to example as well.   I Corinthians 13 gives us a tangible specific description of what love looks like in real life.  Love is described by ACTIONS instead of by emotions.  Love, as Christ demonstrated, is primarily a decision followed by action and not emotion followed by action.  Emotions drive selfish, self-gratifying action while Christ-like Love drives unselfish, sacrificial action intended to strengthen and encourage others instead of self.

Parents typically sacrifice much for their children while children tend to demonstrate more selfish love.  Yet, Jesus told us to love and trust Him like little children.   The difference is children tend to be more trusting while adults are more suspicious and self-driven.  Well, truth is we all live less than perfect lives, demonstrating self-less and well as selfish behavior.  Why?  Well, that is a mystery but the influence satan has on us varies too. 

But that is why it is so important we focus on Christ’s life and example and teaching more than on individuals we admire or want to be like.  Besides, when we stop growing and stop making progress on becoming more like Christ, we then start dying because we are also distancing ourselves from Christ instead of drawing closer to Him.

We may say “Do as I say but not as I do” while Jesus says “Do as I say and as I do.”   So, are others seeing our life examples conflicting with what we believe and teach?   Does what we do conflict with what Jesus taught and exampled?  When we’re angry or tired or discouraged or overwhelmed or sick, is our example the same?  Is our example different on Monday than on Sunday?

Well, if we are honest, we will have to admit we still come up short of living a consistent life.  We should be discouraged or feel like giving up even if we have been sincerely trying to do better and be consistently more Christ-like for a long time.   Making progress is healthy evidence we are in obedience. 

Afterall, Christ-like is a very high goal not intending to frustrate us but always give us more to do so we don’t become content or too used to and satisfied with ourselves.  So, loving as Jesus loved is an ongoing goal.  The more like Him we love, the more significance our life will have.  Have to our loved ones, to our friends and relatives, to our co-workers and church family, to our community, to … 

When faced with a love-challenge in your relationships, ask, “How would Jesus love in this situation?”

You never so touch the ocean of God’s love as when you forgive and love your enemies.
Corrie Ten Boom

6/6/19           Abraham – A Imperfect Faithful Father                           6

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.  James 2:23

Recommended Reading: Genesis 15:1-6 “After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.² And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?³ And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.⁴ And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.⁶ And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

COMMENTS:  Righteous, in scripture, doesn’t mean perfect or sinless.  Instead it means “make right”.  God made Abram right in His eyes by forgiving Him and guiding him to become faithful and obedient.  Abram disobeyed God when had a child with Hagar.  He and Sarah doubted His promise because they were too old to have a child.  They could believe God for believable promises but had doubts about impossible promises.  But that is not the end of the story.  Isaac was born and fulfilled God’s promise to Abram.  God then changed Abram’s name to Abraham.  Abraham was still an imperfect man learning to trust God.  His greatest test would come later when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son.  Not until he was willing and began to obey was God satisfied and gave a substitute.

God told Abram He would take care of him, but took time and proof to convince Abraham.  God had to convince Abraham that He was trustworthy and He DID!!

We have plenty of examples from scripture, examples from our family history and country’s history and even our own personal history to convince us God is Faithful and keeps His Promises.  Will we believe Him and act accordingly?   Hanging from a ¼” rope 3 feet off the ground is one thing but trusting that same rope at 1000 feet off the ground is something else.  God may satisfy our doubt by giving you a 1” rope instead but sometimes He asks us to trust the ¼” is strong enough to hold us at 1000-foot height.  

So, is your faith 1” or do you have ¼” faith?  Jesus has called His disciples His friends.  Are you a friend of God or an enemy?   Are you a faithful friend or a casual friend?   He is a faithful friend to you and deserves no less and far more than our faithful friendship.

Follow Abraham’s example as a faithful father by deepening your friendship with God.

Friendship is the marriage of affections.  Thomas Watson

 

6/7/19                       Sowing Lies                                                 7                   

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.  Romans 16:20

Recommended Reading: ROMANS 16:17-27 –“Avoid Divisive Persons

¹⁷ Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. ¹⁸ For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. ¹⁹ For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. ²⁰ And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Greetings from Paul’s Friends

²¹ Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you.²² I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.²³ Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. ²⁴ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Benediction

²⁵ Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began ²⁶ but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— “

COMMENTS:  Have you ever noticed growing – thriving churches seem to encounter conflict more than small stagnant churches of a dozen attenders?  I can both give examples of churches in community that includes mine.   I believe that is because small stagnant churches are not a threat to him while growing churches are.  Satan attacks churches and people who are a threat to his goals and plan.  

Our church encountered two major times of conflict and a third less significant but still destructive times of conflict.  One involved the purchase of a TV-VCR player for youth program.  One member donated funds for another to purchase without getting church approval.  Second was a misspoken word of one choir member to another causing hard feelings.  The third was a difference of opinion between pastor and trustee chairman while working together doing remodeling in church basement and kitchen.  Pastor wanted a particular job done one way and trustee chairman; a skilled carpenter insisted on another way believing he knew better.   In all three cases, the conflict should have been easily resolved because difference was minor.  But those involved let pride and emotions overpower reason and bitterness and harsher – meaner words soon flowed back and forth.  As pastor-parish relation chairman, I tried so hard to get parties to forgive each other and even got or District Superintendent involved but to no avail.  In all three cases one of the parties chose to leave because that was easier to do than stay and offer and ask for forgiveness.  None of them could see the damage they were doing to themselves and to the church.  By leaving, the church became weaker and dwindled in size too.

A more recent example is a new church fellowship started in an existing abandoned church building about 3 miles away.  Quickly the church grew in numbers with lots of activities and revival services.  Numbers of attendees peaked at nearly 100 with consistent attenders of 70-80.  But conflict raised his ugly head there over unimportant issues, resulting in bitter words in anger and some leaving.  Within a 2-year period numbers shrunk and recently had to close.

How tragic and needless.  But if satan can drive a stake between believers and tempt them to say words motivated by anger, then he has done his evil work and the church God dearly loves and pours His life into, begins to die.  God isn’t indifferent to such tragedy and is waiting to do a miracle and provide healing if only the people seek His help.  IF they would only let Him, He would not only restore and heal damaged relationships, but make the church and its members stronger and wiser and better equipped for the next time satan attacks.   They thought each other were their enemy as their real enemy watched in the background as they yielded to his temptations and snares.

I’m convinced, if my church had forgiven instead of leaving those 3 times, we would be a congregation of well over 100 and be thriving in numbers and in spirit today.  I’m also convinced the same would be true of that little church 3 miles away.  I’m also fearful for neighboring churches that received those who left, for they likely have or will bring conflict into that congregation.  I have also seen that happen too because the seed of conflict was not killed and removed.  

Paul gives ample instruction of how to deal with conflict and a spirit of division in the church.  Conflict from false teacher and false teaching.  Division from a spirit of bitterness and lack of love and forgiveness.  A spirit of indifference or pride or selfishness or …. The list goes on but the result to the church is a cancer of death.

No congregation is immune or insulated against conflict.  Dealing with it properly will make church stronger but healing is best done when guilty parties seek and receive forgiveness and give forgiveness.    Have you seen conflict in your church?  What was the results and impact of that conflict?  Best time to prepare is before conflict comes.   Pray God reveals and prepares you for such times.  A weak – small dying church without conflict is not a good outcome or solution!  AMEN?  AMEN!

The apostle Paul ended his letter to the Romans by warning them against false teachers. He wrote, “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). He accused the deceivers of using smooth speech and flattering words, but, he said, “Be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil” (verse 19). Then he assured them the God of peace would shortly crush Satan under their feet.

Paul must have been thinking of the first prophecy in the Bible about the coming Messiah when we’re told Christ will bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).

The devil is sowing his lies everywhere, and false teachers show up in classrooms, videos, books, websites, slogans, cable channels, and political campaigns. Sometimes they even climb into the pulpit. But Satan’s lies cannot deceive those who are growing in the knowledge of God, and his attacks can’t destroy those kept by the power of God.

There is nothing Satan can throw at you that you cannot overcome, nor any stronghold he can build that Jesus can’t overthrow.

You don’t have to be the victim because you can choose to live in the victory that God promises you as an overcomer.
Sheila Walsh

6/8/19                                               Paws to Consider This                         8           If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25

Recommended Reading: Galatians 5:22-26 “²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

COMMENTS:  Overcoming handicaps and hardship and even tragedy is a drive within everyone.  However, discouragement, misguiding sin and temptations, physical weakness and sickness are all among the obstacles keeping or delaying such triumphs becoming common success stories.  The world wants us to believe God is a hindrance, but truth is that God is key to succeeding and the evils of th is world not only hinder but are more often the reason for failure.

When we finally believe and act on the belief that God has our best interest at heart and will guide us and help us and strengthen us and rally good council and support from other believers to us when we repent and finally begin following His path.   When we finally abandoned our sinful past and temptations, we are vulnerable to.  When we finally open ourselves and seek God’s Holy Spirit into our lives and follow His council will we begin demonstrating His characteristic and conduct – conduct that will bring life and prosperity and healing long term but possibly will bring some hardship short term.  Why?   Well, satan doesn’t like to be ignored or abandoned.  He is used to being effective at tricking us with lies and false expectations so when we see through His tricks, he tries harder and may even try to harm us or get others to try to hurt us.  

How we act and conduct ourselves usually has the greatest impact when consistent in good and bad times, during happy – healthy times as well as during sad – unhealthy times of sickness or tragedy.  Others see how genuine and truth our faith is during difficult times more than during peaceful times.  Sure, we like and work hard to enjoy peaceful prosperous healthy times and try to avoid tragedy and sickness and poverty.

Yet, if we look from God’s perspective, we begin to realize short term sacrifice to get long term benefits is a reasonable trade-off.   Parents make sacrifices for their children, students go to school many years to learn trades that will support them for many years, Christ followers give up self-gratification in order to follow God’s better plan.   Satan wants us to go with short term self-gratification instead and don’t worry about later.

So, who will you and I believe and who will we follow?  A few years from now will be too late to decide.  Our choice will not only affect us but also many who we influence too, so it is vital to choose wisely.  AMEN?  AMEN!

The whole Christian life, from the moment we are born again until we come into His presence, is a walk by faith—a faith that rests upon the indwelling Holy Spirit.
J. Vernon McGee

     
6/9/19                                     Excellent Spirits                                  9                   

Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.

Ezra 3:3, NIV

Recommended Reading: EZRA 3;1-6 “And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. ² Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. ³ Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. ⁴ They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. ⁵ Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord. ⁶ From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid.”

COMMENTS: Todays scripture gives some detail of how the Israelites were able to rebuild the walls, the temple, and the rest of the city of Jerusalem while under attack of local pagan hostiles.  They had to be ready for battle while buiding the wall, so they made a human wall so they could build and defend. Scripture also tells us they had morning and evening sacrifices.  They took time before began work and when finished work to worship and praise God.  They did so to keep their focus on God as their strength and protector.  They worked only with His help and permission.  By doing so, their enemies could not prevail against them.  If they had failed to do so, their work would likely have been in vain.  Worshipping God was that important and that effective.

Both WWI and WWII resulted in Allied Forces winning.  Especially WWII defined evil forces of Germany and Italy and Japan attempting to conquer the free world and force their evil reign and goals upon all the world nations.  The odds looked impossible, especially during WWII, but God’s people prayed during both wars.   Not only were Christians praying at home but soldiers would pray in foxholes near and on battle fields.

One story is told of Chaplain Ken Best during WWI holding a communion service at 6AM to minister to men on front line of fire.  But the enemy started their attack early.  In spite of early attack, 100 men still showed up to worship.  No one was wounded in spite of the danger.  They were encouraged and in excellent spirits.   They were far more prepared for battle after that service than before.   Report of witnesses was they all felt God’s providence watching over them and were greatly encouraged and in “excellent spirits”. God’s protection continued that day and for remainder of the war.

God’s provision and protection and abiding presence is available to each of us today no matter the situation or circumstances we are facing.  He is available to everyone and will make himself known to anyone willing to make themselves available to him.   

We may not face the threat and demand of a wartime battlefield, but we are all in a war between good and evil.  Between Christ and satan.  A battle for our souls.  A battle in which satan truly believes he can outsmart Christ.    Why?   Because he sees loving us as a fatal weakness, not a prevailing strength.  Satan doesn’t understand that Christ is delaying His return not out of weakness or because He is not ready but because of His perfect timing and plan.  Satan thinks he can force his plan on God and succeed when God is not ready, but satan’s doom is foretold and sure.  Those who follow satan are doomed to BUT NOT THOSE  WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO CHRIST.   AMEN?  AMEN!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.
John Newton

 

6/10/19                                             Creating a Anti-Fear File                                              10

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Recommended Reading  Deuteronomy 31:1-8 “Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. ² And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ ³ The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. ⁴ And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. ⁵ The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. ⁶ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”⁷ Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. ⁸ And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

COMMENTS: What are you afraid of?  Think back of those things that f frightened us as children.  Some common ones are: lightning, darkness, heights, small cramped spaces, large bodies of water. Which ones did you relate to as a child and still do? The only   way to calm our fears as a child was a parent holding us and maybe even singing to us.  I can still hear my mother singing a soothing song to me.  Running away from danger and fears may be important and necessary at times, but gaining victory over our fears requires facing them head on and conquering them.  Even as adults, we have someone willing to embrace us and calm our fears so we can face and deal with them logically and effectively.  Who do you think that is?  Sure we may have a trusted friend or a spouse but we also have someone who is more powerful and wiser than all the dangers we face as well as the source of those dangers.  Satan is the cause and source of many real dangers as well as the imaginary ones.  But our best source of help and courage is God Himself.  The Holy Spirit may not be visible but is near and easily felt and heard with our soul and mind if we pray and open ourselves to hear.  He has effectively guided Christians for 2000 years and Old Testament followers since Adam and Eve.  He is still on the job and more than willing and able and ready to                       render the help and council and protection you need and desire.

God doesn’t want us to go through life paralyzed or gripped with fear, real or imagined.  He provides tools to manage and overcome our fears.  Scripture is full of helpful verses, including the above scripture from Deuteronomy.                                                                                                                                                                      I would encourage you to do your own personal search of related scripture verses to write down and refer to during times of doubt and fear.  A stack of 3”x5” cards or sticky notes or                                                                   saved word documents created or notes in your bible are all good ways to remind us of God’s faithfulness and abiding presence near and even within you and me. 

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid’” (Matthew 14:27).

If fear dominates your life, ultimately it destroys everything God wants to do for you.
David Jeremiah

6/11/19                                  What If?                                                      11   

But Simon Peter answered [Jesus], “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68

Scripture Reading: Psalm 19:7-11  “ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;⁸ The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold,Yea, than much fine gold;Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.¹¹ Moreover by them Your servant is warned,And in keeping them there is great reward.”

COMMENTS:  Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to live in David’s or Joseph’s or Abraham’s time or even Adam’s time?  In many ways we might think, except for modern conveniences, not unlike today.  But consider what today would be like if we had to live without the New Testament Gospel or   redemption and indwelling Holy Spirit available after Easter and Pentecost.  Access to God would not be directly but through a Jewish priest.    Ok, but what about David and Daniel who communicated directly with God, not unlike                            how we do today? But the majority communicated to God through their priest and all could only receive forgiveness and redemption through an animal sacrifice since was before the cross.

Christ changed man’s understanding of God and enabled each human to have a personal relationship with God. Even the way we date each year changed with Christ’s birth.  But the Bible became more complete and understood during the first century after Easter and Pentecost.  Today the Bible is written in over 670 languages and as of 1975 over 5 billion copies of the Bible were printed.  The New Testament has been translated into 1521 languages.  Countless millions of lives have been transformed and are in heaven today because of Easter.  Pentecost transformed believers and empowered them to share Christ’s Good News.

When the temple vale was torn apart when Christ died, it was God’s signal that He was making Himself accessible to everyone willing to receive Him. The price for our forgiveness was paid in full at the cross, so animal sacrifice was no longer required nor needed.  We only needed to accept His sacrifice for ourselves.

What would your life be like without the Bible? Thank God today for the written Word of God that is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105).

The Bible is God’s book, not man’s book.
J. Gresham Machen

 

6/12/19                                     David – A Faithful Father                                                     12

So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  2 Samuel 12:13

RECOMMENDED READING: PSALM 51:1-12 , ” Have mercy upon me, O God,According to Your lovingkindness;According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,Blot out my transgressions.² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,And cleanse me from my sin.³ For I acknowledge my transgressions,And my sin is always before me.⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak,And blameless when You judge.⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,And in sin my mother conceived me.⁶ Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.⁸ Make me hear joy and gladness,That the bones You have broken may rejoice.⁹ Hide Your face from my sins,And blot out all my iniquities.¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence,And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.’

COMMENTS:  David was king and had every right to get what he wanted and do what he wanted.  No man could refuse him, nor woman.  But his position as king was not given him by human but by God, so he was only accountable to God.  He had forgotten  that and believed he had privilege to do what he wanted.  His son, Solomon, fell into that deceptive trap too and said that he did not withhold any pleasure from his eyes.  Sin is appealing and satisfies only briefly followed quickly by horrible consequences. 

David realized he had sinned against God and surrendered and repented only to Him.  That was what He was waiting for and what David needed to do in order to be forgiven and healed.   Until that point, he was racing to destruction like his predecessor, Saul, without ever realizing it.  That made his situation even more dangerous.  But God found a way to reach him.  By revealing David’s secret sin to Nathan and giving Nathan the way to reach David, he opens the door of self-awareness and redemption to David.  When David repented, He chose life instead of death.  But He chose God’s way instead of his way, a difficult choice that required surrendering his pride and exposing his hidden sin to his subjects.  Not everyone would be willing to do that, but if he hadn’t, he would have faced the same judgment as Saul did a few years before.  SO WILL WE IF WE DO NOT REPENT AND TURN FROM OUR SIN, ESPECIALLY HIDDEN SIN.  BEING A GOOD FATHER AND HUSBAND AND FAITHFUL TO OUR FAMILY AND GOD REQUIRES FOLLOWING DAVID’S EXAMPLE, NOT SAUL’S!  That is what made David “a man after God’s own heart” and a good example for his son, Solomon and Saul not for his son.   AMEN?  AMEN!

If you need to confess a failure to your child today, follow David’s example as a faithful father.

The way to cover our sin is to uncover it by confession.  Richard Sibbes

 

 

6/13/19                               Real or Worthless Treasure?                                       13      

I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure.  Psalm 119:162

Recommended Reading:  PSALM 119:161-168   “¹⁶¹ Princes persecute me without a cause,But my heart stands in awe of Your word.¹⁶² I rejoice at Your wordAs one who finds great treasure.¹⁶³ I hate and abhor lying,But I love Your law.¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise You,Because of Your righteous judgments.¹⁶⁵ Great peace have those who love Your law,And nothing causes them to stumble.¹⁶⁶ Lord, I hope for Your salvation,And I do Your commandments.¹⁶⁷ My soul keeps Your testimonies,And I love them exceedingly.¹⁶⁸ I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,For all my ways are before You.”

COMMENTS:  This morning I was reading a true story of a volunteer for a charity in Arizona was sorting through some donated books.  She discovered a badly worn and damaged copy of “The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire.”  She was about to throw it out when she noticed a cut out section in the book that created a hiding place.  In   that hidden hole was $4000.  Apparently a previous owner had used it to hide money and went to that point undiscovered.  The story didn’t reveal any other details, but was used                        as illustrations that things are not always as they appear and “we can’t judge a book by its cover or condition”. 

Well, how many Bibles sit on shelves collecting dust forgotten while their treasures of truth and life and God’s wisdom wait for discovery in its pages?          Finding $4000 hidden in a book would be a wonderful discovery but find God’s words of life and using them to guide us in critical decisions can be and often is far more valuable than unexpected money or gifts.

Don’t take His Word for granted just because it is so available and accessible.  Don’t take His Council for granted because it isn’t what you want to hear.

Granted, the hidden treasures of scripture are not always discovered instantly, but often more helpful than expected.  Our Bible not only has God’s timeless wisdom, but He provides His Holy Spirit to motivate and inspire and guide us to just the right scripture we need.

Take some time to reflect on personal examples for your life experience.  I can recall many examples of a verse discovered that became valuable later                                                                                                                           in the day or week.  God’s timing and method often surprises us but is always perfect.                                                                         

The treasury of Scripture will enrich your mind, refocus your goals, replace your doubts, and redirect your path—but only if you read it and heed it. Start today!

To get the best use out of [the Bible] for daily life, Give it the best and freshest, not the most tired and dull, hour of the day.  M. S. Kimber in The Sunday School World, 1893

6/14/19                                            However….                                14  

                                                                    

And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed.   Acts 4:3-4

Recommended Reading:  ACTS 4:1-12  “ And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,² Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.³ And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.⁴ Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.⁵ And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,⁶ And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,⁹ If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;¹⁰ Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.¹¹ This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.¹² Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

COMMENTS: False teachers and religions have polluted every generation since Adam. Satan has a predictable and effective way of using our natural weaknesses to tailor a religion to satisfy our need for God while also satisfying our sinful appetites.  But does satan’s substitute really satisfy our need for God or is he brain washing us to think so?

Well, let’s look at the facts.  Jesus came to give us a clear image and example of exactly       what God is like, clear teachings and examples and stories so we can understand God’s expectations and instruction.  He then died as our sacrifice so we can not only understand God but e ach have a personal relationship with Him.  Then the Holy Spirit came to enable and empower each believer to achieve and sustain that relationship.  Jesus came to be our sacrifice since no human was perfect enough to meet God’s requirements.  Likewise, no human was qualified or able to teach and instruct sufficiently.

No, only God Himself could accomplish His goals and mission properly, so God came Himself in human form with human limits.  But wait, didn’t Jesus pray to the Father.   Well, can you see humans could not imagine nor comprehend a God with abilities our God has.  Could we imagine a God being everywhere at the same time able to give full focus to each at the same time without diminished focus or ability to each?  The Greek gods had limits.  The Roman gods did too.  The Islam god has more abilities but still demonstrates sinful flaws as described by Mohammed.  If we look at followers of each, we see their god condoning evil behavior in them and even requiring such.  When followers of God did sinful things, they were required to repent in order to restore fellowship with God.

The Islam god is mostly an angry judgmental god.  The Jewish and Christian God is a God of forgiveness and mercy mostly and first and a God of judgment lastly.

The world would have us think all gods and religions are equal and comparable at best.  The world would rather all religions be abandoned and outlawed, but can tolerate any religion more than Christianity.

We are living in a world where Christianity is increasingly lived as a dangerous evil religion.  Forgotten are all the hospitals and orphanages and universities and great democracies inspired by God.  Forgotten are all the wars driven by evil destructive tyrants stopped by Christ’s intervention.  Forgotten is how Christian values, and Christ’s very teachings, inspired equality of gender and race and people of poverty and wealth. Does Islam or Hindu or Buddhism or even modern humanism effectively do this or example this.  Well, humanism tries the hardest to but mocks and belittles women who don’t think like they do.

It would be presumptuous for Christians to believe their religion is the only true religion, since every religion teaches that and believes that.  Well Jesus taught that (John 14:6-13 “⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.⁷ If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.⁸ Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?¹⁰ Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.¹² Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.¹³ And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

The disciples did preach boldly and do miracles like Jesus did.  Thousands were converted in the midst of terrible persecution while retaining joy and peace and confidence.  Such dramatic evidence of a real relationship with God has been evident in believers ever since and is still evident today.  Still today, some pretend to know Christ but their lives fail to demonstrate a Christ-like life.  I invite you to judge for yourself.  If you look, it will become obvious who is pretending and who has a real relationship with Christ.  You will find both in every church and in every town, but the character and conduct will be contrasted. Sure even sincere believers are weak and fail at time, but their response and repentance will also be in contrast to denial and justifying nature of pretenders.  Good deeds will be motivated by love for God and love for people instead of motivated by desire for praise and respect.  Even Jesus spoke of such motives for good deeds.

It is true most will not be persuaded to follow Christ, but millions are and millions will be.  Yet choice is given to everyone and God deeply desires and seeks all to but without forcing Himself on any.    So much at stake and so many invited, but still the invitation can be taken or rejected.  God doesn’t just invite once nor reject us when we fail to follow Him.  Instead He invites us many times over our lifetime and picks us up and forgives us countless times when we fail Him after we do accept His invitation. But the longer and closer we are to Him, the more like Him we become and the more love we have for Him and for each other.   That is what a loving relationship looks like.  That is what a relationship with Christ is like.  Every other religion is a religion of rules and does and don’t with promise of  reward to the obedient.  Christianity has laws or rules too but salvation comes with accepting Christ’s redemption and obedience is not our obligation but our response or expression of love and gratitude to Him for all He has done and does and is.  That is the big difference that makes all the difference. 

Look at examples of God’s hand at work in Old Testament and New Testament stories.  Look at examples from your life and those you know.  God often allows His people to endure suffering or hardship.  Sometimes due to their own poor choices, but also due to poor choices of others and outside their control.  But God doesn’t tarry forever.   There is a “HOWEVER,,,” waiting when He rescues and justice and mercy prevail.  AMEN?  AMEN!

God will never allow any action against you that is not in accord with His will for you.
Jerry Bridges

6/15/19                                      TRIBULATION NOW                                 15  

We have access by faith into this grace…. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations.  Romans 5:2-3

    

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING:  ROMANS 5:1-5  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

COMMENTS:  Trials and tribulations are not anything but pleasant or enjoyable.  They bring suffering and pain and loss. They come in the form of sickness or loss or injustice or abuse.  They bring loss and unexpected suffering.  They are used by God for our good and good of others, so He  permits them   within limits but they are designed and thrust on us by satan and his demons and, yes, humans inspired or influenced by satan.  John 16:33 “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Romans 5 is not an easy passage to accept, unless going through tribulation and seeking some source of hope to continue.  Romans 5 doesn’t give hope of avoiding tribulation, but hope that God will limit its intensity, bring great lasting good out of it, and will limit how long it lasts.  You and I need reminded often why we endure hardship and reminded it will not last forever.  Nothing gives more credibility to our witness than displaying hope in the midst of trial and tribulation.  You and I need reminded often that tribulation and trial do not come from God but from satan and will not last forever either.  God has promised to not allow us to bear more than we can bear and to go through it with us.  It is not natural for us to take an eternal perspective, but the closer we get to Christ and trust Him, the more clearly we will see and embrace His perspective and vision and plan. 

We do live in a fallen world but soon it will be remodeled and satan’s influence will be no more.  Then we will enjoy continual   fellowship with Him without sickness and weakness in spirit or body or fatigue or discouragement or temptation.   We will enjoy more “want to” and no “have to” motivation to worship and praise Him.

Well, glorying in our tribulations takes more doing than I’m up to giving and probably you aren’t either.  Truth is, God gives us necessary Grace and endurance sufficient for trials bearing on us, but likely not ahead of time.  After all, faith is acting as though all will turn out well without seeing   evidence of that yet.  But that is when our minds and determined will needs to kick in and overrule our emotions and fears.

If we see only the problems, we will be defeated; but if we see the possibilities in the problems, we can have victory.
Warren Wiersbe

6/16/19                                       The Cleft of the Rock                                                      16     

For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.  Psalm 31:3

RECOMMENDED READING:  1 PETER 2;4-10 “⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,“Behold, I lay in ZionA chief cornerstone, elect, precious,And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,“The stone which the builders rejectedHas become the chief cornerstone,”⁸ and“A stone of stumblingAnd a rock of offense.”They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

COMMENTS:   We have no idea what the impact will be from what we say or do or write.  When I started writing this devotional journal, it was at prompting and request of our daughter initialed in a Christmas present from her in 2012 in the form of devotional journal.  But that discipline and seed planted opened a new door a year later, but creating an electronic template to start a daily devotional journal electronically.  That continued with a growing email distribution for 3 years until a family friend visiting from Ukraine suggested and help set up a blog to give a broader            exposure and distribution.  The next 3 years has realized significant growth in followers and aided other outreach ministries by providing teaching and preaching materials.

General Robert McAllister served in the Civil War for the North, but wrote over 900 letters to his wife describing his war experiences during those years.    The letters were intended to maintain a relationship with his wife and, I’m sure, help him keep his sanity during that time.  I’m also certain his wife was able to provide wisdom to him too.  Those letters served a personal purpose for them, but now serve as a vital record of that time in history.  They enable future generations to experience that time too, so General and Mrs. McAllister left a legacy that continues to live and impact positively in ways they could not imagine.  One letter notes General McAllister discovering two soldiers praying privately in a stone quarry.  The impact of seeing his soldiers praying and sharing that and his respect to them also adds so much to detail of his letters.  That brief encounter is recorded in his 4/11/1864 letter to his wife.  This event also reflects importance of                                                      a personal relationship with Christ all the time but especially during times of danger and trial and crisis and tragedy.                                                                                                                                                                                               

 Wars are inspired and orchestrated by satan.  The villains and tyrants who initiate invasions and enslavement on conquered subjects are only ponds of satan.  When we focus our attention on Christ and declare war on our true enemy, we start getting to the root of the temptations that hurt

We’re in a spiritual battle every day, but nothing is more powerful than a quiet faith that finds a stone quarry in which to pray, perhaps with a fellow believer. The Bible says: “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).  So how strong is your faith?   Even pray in secret when no one is watching can and will be used by /God for His eternal purpose and Will.

It is in the cleft of the rock where we gain access to and strength from Christ.   It is also in the cleft of the rock where we not only gain strength but   share that strength with others.

I bowed down by the root of a tree and thanked God for His protecting care over me and my regiment that day and asked continuance of it through the day that was about to dawn upon us.
General Robert McAllister at Chancellorsville

6/17/19                                                   Trust in God                                     17       Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.  Psalm 40:4

 

Recommended Reading: LUKE 16:13 ¹³ “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

COMMENTS:  We are living in a time of increasing abuse of children by parents, increasing scandals of sexual abuse by both women and men, but more commonly by men.  Violence continues to get more common and worse on streets of small communities as well as in big cities.  Violence in schools, even small rural schools becoming worse and more common.  Violence in workplaces is also becoming more common.  Terroristic attacks in churches are also becoming more common and worse.  Our morning news is always full of new stories of murder and violence.  But then again, we can’t turn on our    TV without being     bombarded by   violence and killing and immoral behavior.  In order to find TV programs worth watching, one must look for a station that shows programs made in 1950’s or 1960’s.    Then was a different era when traditional family was prized and church had a central place of influence in the community even to those who seldom attended.                   Immoral behavior, as defined in scripture, was considered such even by those                                     indulging in it.  But today society encourages all to be proud of such behavior and condemn those people and organizations that still call behavior God calls immoral and sinful, sin.

But what is being lost is opportunity for redemption. David was king with the right and privilege to get or take whatever he wanted. When he took Bathsheba and killed her husband, he convinced himself all was   well.    But Nathan, God’s prophet, confronted him       with his sin. David could have had Nathan killed, but chose to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.  God did forgive David and accept David’s sincere repentance.  There was still a cost that included the death of Bathsheba’s new born child, and rebellion and death years   later when    Absalom attempted to kill and take David’s throne by force.  Absalom failed and was killed, but David still felt the lost.

Yet, David enjoyed renewed and restored fellowship with God.  Forgiveness was only possible for David when he admitted his sin and humbly pleaded for God’s mercy. He experienced the joy and peace of being forgiven.  He enjoyed opportunity to change and                                              have a fresh start.  By society denying the existence of sin or of satan’s evil influence.  By society convincing people that God’s laws no longer apply or are valid.  By no longer believing God has the only valid solution to the world’s problems.  By no longer being open to Christ’s redemption.  Then the only path for individuals and for society is to continue down the path of sin to death and destruction.  That is exactly the path the world is on with plenty of evidence supporting that conclusion.  

Jesus gave a vital truth in Luke 16:13 when He said it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters: God and money. If you are serving God, your heart can’t be set on money, and vice versa. Blessing comes to the one who chooses to trust and serve God instead of trusting in himself, in money, or in worldly wisdom. Blessed is the man who trusts in God (Psalm 40:4) and in His Word (Psalm 1:1-3). Our daily challenge is to weigh our trust: Is our trust in God or in ourselves?

You and I must sooner or later realize our only hope is Christ and put our trust in Him.  Christ is the only way to Heaven but also the only way to forgiveness and redemption that count both for today and for eternity.

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

 

6/18/19                               Israelite Fathers – Faithful                                     18                  

You shall teach [God’s commands] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Deuteronomy 6:7

RECOMMENDED READING: DEUTERONOMY 6:1-9 ^“ “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, ² that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. ³ Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’⁴ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

COMMENTS:  God knows us better than we know ourselves, or at least will admit to.  He knows how  quickly we forget Him and his laws.  He knows how easily we are distracted and how weak we are.  He also knows how vulnerable we are to satan’s lures.  After all, we only have lived a few years while satan has had thousands of years over countless generations to master his evil skills.

BUT WE ARE NOT LEFT DEFENSELESS!  God has always provided His abiding presence and council and help sufficient to defeat satan if only follow that council and instruction.  Today’s scripture from Deuteronomy is such instruction given to the Israelite.  But, also applies today to us. 

Today, we also have Christ’s redemption available to anyone who accepts it.  Today we have the abiding Holy Spirit available to  give strength and council to any and all who accept Christ’s redemption.   Today, we have God’s eternal wisdom and instruction preserved in the Bible to guide us to make wise choices every day. 

Satan does not have any defense and is no match to God’s power and abilities and wisdom and knowledge and Will.  With God on our side, he doesn’t have a chance of fooling us.   All we need to do is keep our eyes and focus on Him and follow His council. 

We have the wisdom of knowing the consequences endured by those before us who disobeyed God and followed satan’s dead end!   The children of the exodus generation had their parent’s foolish choices as their example.  The didn’t have Moses but they had his successor, Joshua, who was there remaining faithful from the beginning of the exodus. 

Some fathers show their children what not to do, but faithful fathers example what best to do.  To come to Christ early and remain faithful to Him for the rest of your life.  Faithful fathers are those who show their children the relevance of God’s Word to all of life.

A father’s holy life is a rich legacy for his sons.  Charles H. Spurgeon

6/19/19                                     God Loves When We Don’t                                19            
And [the prodigal son] arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.               Luke 15:20

RECOMMENDED  READING PSALM 25:1-10  “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.² O my God, I trust in You;Let me not be ashamed;Let not my enemies triumph over me.³ Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.⁴ Show me Your ways, O Lord;Teach me Your paths.⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me,For You are the God of my salvation;On You I wait all the day.⁶ Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,For they are from of old.⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;According to Your mercy remember me,For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.⁹ The humble He guides in justice,And the humble He teaches His way.¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”

COMMENTS: John Newton became famous for writing the popular hymn “Amazing Grace”, which became popular both in his generation and in every generation in centuries since.  He was a devout Christian and pastor who, in his elderly years, was key in working with William Wilberforce in England in outlawing slavery trade in British Empire in early 1800’s.

But this hymn also gives us John Newton’s testimony and background as a young man.  John Newton served on a slave-trading ship as a young man, turning his back on God to pursue his fortune in this lucrative evil business.  But as a 23-yr-old, he was on a slave ship   that encountered a terrible storm that was about to sink his ship.  In desperation he pleaded with God to save him.  God did spare him but also softened his heart and convicted him of his sin, John did repent, and God did change him and put him on a path to life instead of path to destruction he was on.   John embraced and made the story of the prodigal son Jesus told, as his own story.  In writing this hymn, he was telling his own story but also giving a story every sinner could also make his own, as countless millions have done in the generations since.

John 3:16-17 tells us God loved and loves everyone in every generation so much that He sacrificed His Son,  part of the Holy Trinity, in order to redeem and give opportunity for everyone in every generation to receive His forgiveness and be restored into His family and entitled to His inheritance.  The story of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32) gives us a clear description and understanding of why Christ died on the cross, given to us by Christ before He died on that cross.   His depth of love for us is a mystery to us but need not be missed.  His love may be a mystery but He made way of redemption easy for us to understand and take.    Once taken and redemption is given, He then begins guiding and changing us so we can begin to understand His love and begin to love as He does.   A journey of walking with Him and becoming like Him that will take the rest of our lives and continue in eternity with Him in heaven.  We will be free from sin and temptation on the other side of the grave, but the journey begins while still living on earth, as it did for John Newton so long ago.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

John 3:16 says that God so loved the world—some of whom have rejected Him—that He sent Christ to show the world His love. Whether you love God today or not, He loves you.

The true measure of God’s love is that He loves without measure.  Anonymous

 

6/20/19                                     What Love Covers                                        20

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  1 Timothy 1:15

RECOMMENDED READING I CORINTHIANS 15:9 “⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. “

COMMENTS:  Paul became the most effective evangelist of the early church and responsible for giving us much of the content and teaching of Jesus recorded in the New Testament.  Paul didn’t know Jesus as the disciples did but encountered Him later on the Damascus Road that transformed him and began a personal relationship with the Christ and Messiah and Savior of him personally as well as of the whole world and every generation.

If anyone could redeem themselves by good deeds or cancel out their sins by doing good deeds, Paul could have done that.  But in spite of good he did after the Damascus Road experience, he still fealt regret  for the harm and persecution he did to Christians before his conversion.   He could not undo what he had done nor take back the harm he did to them.  We don’t know what his thorn was that God didn’t removed from him.  Most believe it was a physical illness or ailment, but some also believe it was the memory of his past sins.

Whatever it was, it served to keep Paul humble and dependent on Christ for his strength and faithfulness.  Paul did know he was forgiven of those sins and God did not remind him of them, so I don’t think that was his thorn.  Yet, he still  remembered doing them and felt remorse now and again as the above scripture supports.

SO DO WE!!  No matter how much we grow or how long we live, we still fall short of Christ’s perfect example and still need constant help and guidance and strength and wisdom from Him to live and sustain a victorious obedient life.

Two great injustices recorded in the New Testament are the execution of Jesus on the cross, the most innocent and sinless and guiltless human who ever lived, and for Paul to get off “scott free” after being responsible for torture and death of many Christians is the other great injustice.  But that injustice is where we all reside with Paul because we too are equally guilty.   But Jesus’ death provided the forgiveness and  redemption for Paul and for everyone of us and in every generation since Paul’s who accepted His perfect sacrifice.  John 1:29 tells us Jesus died to take away athae sins of the world, both the Jewish world and the gentile – pagan world.

 “Love covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12)—even all of yours. Be secure today in God’s love.

God’s love is a free love, having no motive or foundation but within itself.
Thomas Brooks

6/21/19                                     God’s Will for You                                        20

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.   Romans 12:3

RECOMMENDED READING EPHESIANS 3:7-9 “⁷ of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.⁸ To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; “

COMMENTS:  Paul accomplished more for the gospel after his conversion than any of the disciples or his peers, but few did as much     harm or damage as he did prior to his conversion.  You may say it cancelled out, but truth is God completely forgave his sinful past as completely as He does for you and me if we accept His precious gift of forgiveness and salvation.  None of us requires more of His blood for redemption than others.  None dare take pride in thinking of needing less due to having less to forgive.  Truth is we all are so far below God’s standard for perfection that differences in our life and life’s sins are negligible compared to Christ’s perfect life example.  So, that means we all are equally unworthy and undeserving of His Grace but equally in need of His Grace.  Also, we continue to be unworthy since we can’t work hard enough to earn or become worthy of that Grace.  So we work and live for Him out of gratitude and love for Him and not out of obligation or motivation of payment.  But to accept His gift without giving back is shameful and causes us to miss out on additional blessings God has to those who follow Him in service too.

Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” is not revealed to us other than a weakness Paul endured all his life.  A thorn God left for him to endure so his accomplishments and hard faithful work would not spawn pride in him:  “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

Paul was freed of this thorn the moment he faced Jesus at his death.  He also was greeted not only by Jesus Himself, but all those saved during His ministry and saved due to faithful work of those affected by his ministry.  It is a number still growing because Paul’s legacy continues through his writings preserved in our New Testament.  Likewise, the direct legacy of ripple affect over the centuries of one Christian leading another who leads another is tremendous.  It is also tremendous for us too.   That is God’s multiplication, God’s mathematics of transformation.  Only God could do so and do so for such good.  Likewise, the impact of less appealing or noticed tasks done for His honor are also opportunities for Him to use them and servant for great good and for an eternal lasting legacy as important as Paul’s.

AMEN?  AMEN!!

When the Israelites traveled from Mount Sinai to the edge of Canaan, the Kohathites—descendants of the second son of Levi—had the privilege of carrying the Ark of the Covenant and other holy vessels (Numbers 4:1-15). By contrast, someone—we don’t know who—was responsible for tent pegs, ropes, poles, and the like.

How did those with the menial tasks feel about those with the most holy tasks? Paul’s words in Romans 12:3 would have been good advice: Don’t think too highly (or too lowly) of yourself. Rather, think realistically about the role God has given you to play in building up the Body of Christ. God gives grace and faith to each one; we must discern the purpose of God’s grace to us and fulfill His calling. Some carry the Ark; some carry the tent pegs; all move the purpose of God into the future.

What grace has God given you? Step out in faith to prove what is His good and perfect will for you (Romans 12:1-2).

To obey God’s will is to find the fulfillment of our lives.
David Watson

6/22/19                                    Stand Firm                                                22     
Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.     Matthew 16:3

 

RECOMMENDED  READING: II TIMOTHY 3:1-9 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; ⁹ but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.”

COMMENTS:  Jesus’ time is not much different from the time we are all too quickly descending into.  Religious practices and doctrine are only deemed acceptable to society if show not only tolerance for other, and different, theology but acceptance of other theology as equally true and valid.   In today’s society there is no difference from accepting other religions   and accepting those who believe and practice those religions.  But Jesus taught and practiced sacrificial acceptance of all while being quite critical towards religions and doctrine and beliefs contrary to God’s commandments and standards and teaching.  Resistance to Jesus came from those who would not accept nor believe His teachings.  The paradox and hypocrisy from the religious leaders of Jesus’ day was their intolerance of and unaccepting attitude toward those who didn’t live by the Jewish laws and were caught not keeping those laws.  Their standard was not getting caught while preserving the appearance of keeping all the Law.   Jesus showed them the Law they were not keeping in private and also showed them the lack of love and compassion they had towards the poor and weak and defenseless subjects they were responsible for.   With greater influence and authority came greater accountability and Jesus did hold them accountable for their disobedience and abuse of power while still showing compassion and concern for them.  When they refused to listen and follow His instruction, His respond became firmer and stronger, not out of hatred for them but because of deep concern and compassion for those being harmed by the leader’s abuse of power and authority.  He then stepped in to teach and lead the poor and defenseless and misguided into a personal relationship with God, which was what the Jewish leaders were called by God to do and failed to do so.

Jesus’ opposition to them and their anger with and opposition to His came due to the line in the sand they drew denying His divinity and His teachings, which struck in their hearts too.  But their reaction was not   repentance but condemnation of Jesus.  How tragic and said because Jesus would have embraced and forgiven and revealed Himself fully to them too if they only had believed.   Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were two, however, who did believe and became followers while retaining their position and Jewish authority.

Jesus warned those in authority to opened their eyes and hearts to see  the signs and evidence of fulfillment of prophecy foretold by prophets of old instead of ignoring the evidence and rejecting the message Christ was giving them. He sighted for them how prophecy was being fulfilled and remaining prophecies yet to be fulfilled.  But they  rejected all He said, and degressed to the point of rejecting His message entirely simply because they rejected Him and would not hear anything He said, even parts they agreed with personally.  Their pride preventing them from receiving His message.

Today many leaders are embracing pagan theology and beliefs and rejecting Christian theology and beliefs simply because they have a mindset to reject Christ and everything He taught and did.  In their minds, for Christ to say (John 14:6) that He is the only way to God the Father is automatically sufficient reason to reject His teaching and His sacrifice and salvation.

Jesus called out the religious leaders of His day who asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. He rebuked them, saying they could read the signs of the weather but could not read the signs of the times (Matthew 16:1-4).

That wasn’t all Jesus said about signs of the times. When His disciples asked Him what would be the signs (indicators) of the end of the age, He gave them many (Matthew 24; Luke 21). And the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the signs of godlessness in the last days prior to Christ’s return—things like loving pleasure more than loving God and a long list of others (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Given the signs that Paul mentions, all of which have to do with personal character and behavior, the world seems headed for a downward crisis.

Keep your eyes on culture and on Christ at the same time. As the one deteriorates the nearness of the other increases. Prepare to stand firm and faithful until the end.  Christ has and continues to abide near and with us to strengthen and sustain us through His abiding Holy Spirit.

We are not to require “signs,” but we are to regard signs.
Ian MacPherson

 

6/23/19                          Faithful Fathers: Zacharias                                      23   

Now John [the Baptist] was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  Mark 1:6

Recommended Reading: Luke 1:5-25  “⁵ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.⁸ So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. ²⁰ But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.²³ So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. ²⁴ Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵ “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

 

COMMENTS:  Zacharias didn’t let doubt of God’s miracle of a son at his old age and age of his wife, but did endure inability to speak during Elizabeth’s pregnancy until he spoke John’s name.  John grew up knowing God and understanding his mission and knowing his cousin, Jesus.   I’m sure Zacharias taught him well to revere and worship God, so he was well prepared to be the forerunner of Christ.

Zacharias was a priest in Jerusalem when the angel Gabriel visited him with news of a son.  A special son who would prepare the way for the long foretold Messiah.  John was true to God and fulfilled the expectations of his father except for his unorthodox way of living – living in the wilderness dressed in animal skins and eating locust and wild honey and poorly groomed.   But Zacharias soon learned to honor God’s ways even though he would have preferred.   The promise of a coming Messiah and for his own son to be the one who would announce and prepare his people for the Messiah, I’m sure, overwhelmed and humbled him.  But since Zacharias and Elizabeth were elderly, they didn’t live to see their son die or how God would fulfilled John’s mission.  Well, Zacharias’ job was not to approve or accept John’s calling or the way he would fulfill that mission.  Zacharias was to raise John to love and worship and obey God no matter cost or sacrifice.  John learned that well and gave his life willingly to fulfill that mission and point his disciples and the nation to Jesus as the Messiah.

The more a child becomes aware of a father’s willingness to listen, the more a father will begin to hear.
Gordon MacDonald

6/24/19                                           God of Second Chances                                     24                          Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”  Jonah 3:1-2

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE  Joel 2:12-27 “¹² “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,“Turn to Me with all your heart,With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments;Return to the Lord your God,For He is gracious and merciful,Slow to anger, and of great kindness;And He relents from doing harm.¹⁴ Who knows if He will turn and relent,And leave a blessing behind Him—A grain offering and a drink offeringFor the Lord your God?¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion,Consecrate a fast,Call a sacred assembly;¹⁶ Gather the people,Sanctify the congregation,Assemble the elders,Gather the children and nursing babes;Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,And the bride from her dressing room.¹⁷ Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,Weep between the porch and the altar;Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,And do not give Your heritage to reproach,That the nations should rule over them.Why should they say among the peoples,‘Where is their God?’” ¹⁸ Then the Lord will be zealous for His land,And pity His people.¹⁹ The Lord will answer and say to His people,“Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil,And you will be satisfied by them;I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

²⁰ “But I will remove far from you the northern army,And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,With his face toward the eastern seaAnd his back toward the western sea;His stench will come up,And his foul odor will rise,Because he has done monstrous things.”

²¹ Fear not, O land;Be glad and rejoice,For the Lord has done marvelous things! ²² Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;For the open pastures are springing up,And the tree bears its fruit;The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.²³ Be glad then, you children of Zion,And rejoice in the Lord your God;For He has given you the former rain faithfully,And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain,And the latter rain in the first month.²⁴ The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. ²⁵ “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,The crawling locust,The consuming locust,And the chewing locust,My great army which I sent among you.²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,And praise the name of the Lord your God,Who has dealt wondrously with you;And My people shall never be put to shame.²⁷ Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:I am the Lord your GodAnd there is no other.My people shall never be put to shame.”

COMMENTS: God’s repeated mercies were showered on the Israelites over and over again.  Yes, times of judgment and suffering and oppression and death also showered them, but scripture reveals that God allowed judgment and punishment as a last resort and not until  repeated warning and opportunity to repent given by His prophets.  Truth was they would not listen to prophets during prosperous and good times.  They had neither motivation to nor visible consequence not to.  But when judgment came, they were forced to recognize their sin and face God with repentant hearts.  When they did so, God would hear and receive them back.  This cycle happened over and over again for them.   IT HAPPENS WITH YOU AND ME OVER AND OVER AGAIN TOO, IF WE TAKE AN HONEST APPRAISAL OF OUR LIVES.  We too forget God during good times and neglect our time of devotion and prayer with Him.    We too tend to only go to Him with needs and not with praise and thanksgiving. Negative motivation tends to be stronger than positive motivation.  So why is that?   Well, that is the mystery of our humanity, isn’t it?  A mystery even for us who experience it, but not a mystery for Him.  He knows and understands our    weaknesses and power satan uses over us.  But He also knows and provides a way out for us that are effective.  But He does so while still providing us with free will and freedom to choose wisely or foolishly.   That has always been t rue but even more so now that we have full access to Him at the Cross and to the Father’s Throne also at the Cross.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah the first time (Jonah 1:1) and then the second time (Jonah 3:1). With the other prophets, the “second time” meant additional prophetic utterances they were to deliver. But with Jonah, the “second time” was because Jonah had failed to speak God’s word the first time. Jonah was a disobedient prophet.

God commissioned Jonah to go east to Assyria, to the capital of Nineveh and deliver a message of judgment. But Jonah fled west toward Spain because he feared the Assyrians. You know the story—Jonah ended up in the sea where he was swallowed by a great fish. Jonah repented and called on the Lord and was delivered. God gave him a second chance.

Don’t let your past keep you from trusting God for a second (or third, or fourth, or …) chance. The God of grace loves to forgive. He is not keeping count because He already knows how many times we will disobey before finally repenting and obeying.  He is willing to endure our disobedience until that happens.

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

6/25/19                                       Fathful Fathers: Zacharias                           25 
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.. Matthew 8:11
RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING MATTHEW 8  “When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.² And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.³ And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.⁴ And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.⁵ And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,⁶ And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.⁷ And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.⁸ The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.⁹ For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.¹¹ And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.¹² But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¹³ And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.¹⁴ And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.¹⁵ And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.¹⁶ When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:¹⁷ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.¹⁸ Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.¹⁹ And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.²⁰ And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.²¹ And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.²² But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.²³ And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.²⁴ And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered withthe waves: but he was asleep.²⁵ And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.²⁶ And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.²⁷ But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!²⁸ And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.²⁹ And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?³⁰ And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.³¹ So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.³² And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.³³ And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.³⁴ And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts..”                                                                                                       COMMENTS: There is a great deal of information and insights in Matthew 8 and didn’t want to exclude any so included most of chapter 8 in today’s reading.  The healing, however, I am focusing on this morning is the story of Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant.  Romans were hated by Jews because they conquered them, they were brutal and ruled harshly.  Families were forced apart, property was taken, heavy taxes were waged, and any resistance or complaints were harshly punished.

But not all Roman soldiers were tyrants and some even listened to and believed Jesus’ teaching and mission. This Centurion had earned his position likely in battle.  We don’t know what he was like before, but the compassion he showed his servant and respect for Jesus indicated he was either a believer or at least a seeker at least convinced Jesus could be trusted to do what He said.   We don’t know what this Centurion was like before he encountered Jesus, nor how he treated those he conquered.  He could have been one of the worst and dramatically changed by Jesus or a decent – fair – compassionate Roman influenced by some family member or even a devout Jew in his past.   We simply don’t know.  What we do know is that he maintained a powerful position in the Roman army as a man of integrity committed to treating servants and subjects and fellow Romans with respect and fairness.   He had gained the respect of those who knew him but was also able to do his job as a Roman soldier.  I can imagine there were times when those over him ordered him to do things his conscience would not allow him to do; if not before his encounter with Christ, certainly afterwards.  But this Centurion impressed Jesus and served as an example of what Jesus was desiring from his disciples and Jewish followers.  This example revealed the faith He was looking for in His followers.  Faith enough to not only believe Jesus could heal but faith enough to give up his opportunity to make sure that healed was accomplished before leaving Jesus.

This soldier shared he knows his orders are carried out waiting to make sure.  He was saying he believed Jesus possessed that kind of authority to know His commands would be carried out without waiting to make sure.   He was not only demonstrating faith but deep respect for Jesus’ authority and power.  For this Centurion to follow Jesus’ instruction without question also revealed the respect he had for Jesus and the position He had.  The position of being God’s Son.  That respect should have been recognized by the Jewish leaders more easily.  The Jews had all the prophecies as evidence He was who He said He was.   They had the evidence of Jesus’ deeds and character and life as evidence.  But their own powerful position and lack of personal relationship with God caused selfish ambition and lust for power and predjustice to blind their minds and spirits.   Most Romans were also blind too but not this Centurion.   He was a minority within Roman soldiers ruling the Jews and a minority among Jesus’ fellow Jews.  

But that would change after Pentecost.   Jesus’ death and resurrection would complete His work and message and mission.  The Holy Spirit would continue and expand the work Jesus had begun in evangelizing His Good News.  New followers would evangelize and win more new followers who would do likewise.   Men and women would quickly become spiritual parents and grandparents and great-grandparents spiritually.   Even teens and children would become spiritual parents and grandparents and great-grandparents to adults as they shared Christ’s Good News of redemption.   I can believe even this Roman Centurion became a believe and maybe had to leave the Roman army after that Easter Sunday or Pentecost Sunday.   Who knows, maybe he became a Paul to his people or more of the Jewish people.  One day we will know and be able to hear his story directly from him.

We love to learn the old stories of how our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents lived and influence they had and work this did and what it was like long ago.  We like to discover their legacy and how that legacy impacted us.   Some of us are able to find details of ancient ancestors with a glimpse of their lives.  Trips to cemetery and old houses they lived in and conversation with living grandparents help rediscover and piece together information on the lives of family from long ago.

But in light of God’s eternity, even 1000 years is a split second in God’s time line.  He values family and legacy family carries on to future generations.  But what about the spiritual family God has called us to build and pass on with His Great Commission given calling us to share His Good News with others.  We are called to create spiritual children by sharing His Good News of forgiveness and redemption to others.   Stop and consider our ancestors spiritually who did this and impacted another who impacted another who impacted another until the one who lead us to Christ was impacted.  WE HAVE A SPIRITUAL FAMILY AND FAMILY TREE JUST AS SIGNIFICANT AND PRECIOUS AS OUR BLOOD FAMILY TREE.   I believe a precious opportunity in heaven will be to not only meet our ancient blood family members but to meet our spiritual family and discover God’s hand and plan as it unfolded and enabled us to hear and receive.  Then to see how God used us to then touch the lives of others going forward.  We are a link in a long chain going from Adam to some future descendant.  NOT A CHAIN OF BONDAGE BUT A CHAIN OF HOPE PULLING THE LOST OUT OF THE PIT OF DESPAIR AND JUDGMENT TO A DESTINATION OF JOY AND TRUE FREEDOM.  TO HEAVEN.   AMEN?  AMEN! 

 

 

6/26/19                                                   At  What Cost?                                26            

Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; renew our days as of old.
Lamentations 5:21

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE READING:  Lamentations 5:19-22   “¹⁹ You, O Lord, remain forever;Your throne from generation to generation.²⁰ Why do You forget us forever,And forsake us for so long a time?²¹ Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored;Renew our days as of old,²² Unless You have utterly rejected us,And are very angry with us!”

COMMENTS:   King Tutankhamun’s tomb was perfectly sealed and preserved until it was discovered and opened in 1922.  It became famous and was visited by thousands of people, but the dust and even carbon dioxide exhaled by those visitors took a toll in causing deterioration to the tomb and its contents.     A restoration became necessary as well as creating an atmosphere to protect the tomb from further damage. 

Outside contaminants and influences cause damage and deterioration to us physically too.  Since we live in a fallen world, we slowly but surely age and progress to death.  Likewise, temptations and evil’s influence and affect also cause damage and deterioration to our souls too.  Psalm 23 is a wonderful – concise psalm “¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters, ³  he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. ⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,^[a] I will fear no evil,  for you are with me; your rod and your staff,  they comfort me. ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;  my cup overflows.  ⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The need for regular and continual cleaning is certain in order grow and become more Christ-like.  He is our source of life and we quickly begin to die spiritually when we neglect or turn from Him. 

But Christ paid dearly for our redemption in order to make our part to receive His mercy and forgiveness and ongoing viable relationship with Him easy for us or at least disproportionately easier for us by comparison.  The hardest part for us is admitting our sins to Him and surrendering our lives and wills to follow His Will.  If we do, we soon discover His Will and ways are infinitely better for us anyway.

Let Jesus revive your heart today, then thank Him for the cleansing power of His blood.

When Satan deplores us and the world ignores us, God restores us.  Anonymous

6/27/19                                          What a Day!                                        27   

In the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.…the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  1 Corinthians 15:52

RECOMMENDED READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-58  ⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”⁵⁵ “O Death, where is your sting?O Hades, where is your victory?”⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.⁵⁸ Therefore, 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:  There is an easy – fast   way and a slow laborious way to live in a nicer house or drive a nicer – more reliable car.   The easy way is to sell your old house or car and take possession of a new one.  But that option usually is very expensive even though it requires much less time and physical effort.  The other option is remodeling or rebuilding an existing house or car.  This option usually is not as expensive as the first option but can be cost prohibitive too.

My neighbor has a 42 year old car he enjoys to drive but requires frequent repairs but he is faithful to do or have them done so he can continue to use it to get to work.

Our home was built in 1864 and has encountered significant remodeling over the years while reserving the feel and memories left by previous owners, most of which were my family.   Granted, it may have been cheaper over the years to choose another house or for our neighbor to choose a newer car, but a car or house owned without debt has overwhelming advantages for the owner and his family.

We continue to repair and live in our aging bodies, which we have inhabited from our birth.  Granted, they don’t look much like they did in the beginning because God designed them to repair themselves and grow.  But sometimes a doctor is needed to lend a hand in repair and healing.  

But someday Christ will be returning prepared to give us new bodies, freedom from satan’s influence, and also to receive us to Himself and the home we is preparing for us.   A new house or new car may require more work to build than repairing old ones, but new owner doesn’t know that since he wasn’t involved in doing that work and all that work was completed before he received that new home or car.   We will be receiving new bodies and our new heavenly home finished and ready for occupancy.   They   will be perfect and eternal.

You and I would feel very blessed if someone gave us a new house or car, but we all are even more blessed to have a God who is preparing a new body and new home designed just for each of us.   Even better, we will know and be known by our family and friends and even by those we don’t know in our new bodies and homes.

One day soon, we’re going to soar into the heavens, without the aid of an airplane or helium balloon. One day we will have abilities in our new bodies we could not imagine now.

What a glorious day it will be!

Walking with the Lord and then suddenly there in the presence of the Lord forever…! My soul… what a day, what a day!
W. A. Criswell

6/28/19                               That Glorious Day                        28

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:2

RECOMMENDED SCRIPTURE 1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-11  “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ² For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

COMMENTS:  Some sincere Christians, even Christian scholars and theologians spend a lifetime trying to determine when Christ is returning, setting dates or at least general time frames of expectations of His return.  Truth is, every generation since that first Easter have believed they would see Christ’s return before their death.  But consider if they had, we would not have been born or have had the opportunity to experience His Grace too.  Paul’s insight in today’s scripture reminds us that Christ’s promise to return was intended to give us hope and courage and motivation to continue and be faithful.   We are to serve Him as though He was returning today but consistently and persistently our entire lives.   After all, wouldn’t to be far better for us to endure living in this world a few more years if it meant our loved ones coming to faith?  Well, that has been the case in every generation since Christ’s resurrection!  Being prepared for His imminent return but working and planning for many years of service.  

Consider the level of persecution and determine effort Paul’s enemies had to kill Him.  Paul didn’t know if the next day would mean his death or if he would be able to minister for many more years.  He lived as though each day was his last while planning and doing God’s will as though he would do so for many more years.  Because he did continue for many more years, we have his letters to enjoy and teaching to read and be blessed by today, but God would have found another way for us to have his insights if he had died early in his ministry.    God never lets satan win or get the upper hand for long.  He never has and never will.

When the apostle Paul planted a church in Thessalonica, he had little time to establish the new believers in their faith. According to Acts 17:2, he was driven from town by a persecuting mob after two or three weeks of teaching. But evidently Paul left the Thessalonians with a deep belief in our Lord’s return. They were so eager to learn more about the Second Coming that Paul wrote two letters to them—1 and 2 Thessalonians—answering questions and strengthened their anticipation for the Lord’s soon appearing in the clouds of glory.

Those letters are for us too. They are full of information about the Rapture of the Church, the resurrection of the dead, and the return of Christ.

Imagine how excited those early believers were to receive Paul’s letters and soak in his teaching. We, too, should eagerly digest every word in Scripture about our Lord’s promised return, to better anticipate the moment of His coming for us. How differently we’d live if, like the Thessalonians, our hearts were seized with anticipation for that glorious day!

So will Christ return before my generation dies?  Before I die, who currently am 68?  I am anticipating so, but only He knows and only He decides.  I am glad if He delays, especially if in delay more come to Him.  I know my time on earth is far less than what I’ve spent thus far, so either seeing Him at my passing or at my Rapture, it really doesn’t matter to me.  Either way I will be with Him for eternity.  I pray such is true for you too.  AMEN?  AMEN!

I am waiting for the coming of the Lord who died for me; / Oh, His words have thrilled my spirit, and “I will come again for thee.”
S. Trevor Francis, hymnist

 

6/29/19                                Do it Heartily                                                 29

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

 

colossians 3:22-24– “²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

COMMENTS:  Have you witnessed someone doing a job they didn’t want to do, so did it  half-hearted.  Attitude makes a huge different even when doing unpleasant tasks.  Think of some personal examples.  Having a good attitude makes work go  quicker and easier.  Today’s scripture tells us to do everything with enthusiasm as a service to Christ.   Truth is if Christ was standing next to us   asking us to do a task, we do it with a different and better attitude than if someone we didn’t care for asked us.  But Colossians 3:23  tells to do everything even if don’t like task or those asking as though Christ Himself was asking. 

So how do we generate enthusiasm when doing tasks we really don’t want to do or even dread doing ? Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men” (HCSB). True enthusiasm comes from God. The Lord doesn’t want us sulking around, bored, languishing at our tasks. He has a plan for every day; and as we tackle the projects before us—whether doing the laundry or building a skyscraper—we should remember we’re doing His will and fulfilling an agenda He designed for us.

So how do we do that?  How do we generate or access God’s enthusiasm when we don’t feel it?  Well, such skills don’t come naturally nor easily so will take some time and trial and  errors become success start taking traction.  Doing this has a side effect of keeping us aware of Christ’s abiding present and influence of His Holy Spirit and His guiding influence along the day journey too.  Another side benefit is the sense of joy and fulfillment that fills days we do this.  Is ending the day feeling miserable better or ending the day with joy and praise better?  Which day would you rather experience?   We actually have that choice and Christ has given us instruction to help us make that choice and effectively work towards realizing that goal and task. 

George Matthew Adams wrote, “Enthusiasm is a kind of faith that has been set afire.”

If you’re reading this in the morning, go into the day with enthusiasm. If you’re reading it at night, wake up tomorrow with excitement. Say to yourself—“This is the day the Lord has made!” And whatever you do, do it heartily, excitedly, energetically, cheerfully—and with enthusiasm.

When we are given a task for God, we’re to do it heartily with all our might and strength.

Afterall, Christ deserves our love and devotion and full hearted service not just today but every day.

You cannot love a thing without wanting to fight for it.
G. K. Chesterton

6/30/19                                Just Rewards                                                 30

Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1 Corinthians 3:8

1 Corinthians 3:1-17 – “ And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?⁵ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. ¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.¹⁶ Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

COMMENTS:  Jesus was a master in using parables and metaphors (familiar things and examples to understand spiritual truths) to help those who heard, and us who read, His words of life.  Scripture also holds the writings of other great teachers like Solomon and Paul who complete the powerful life messages and Words Jesus gave.

How precious His Words of Life are, not only for the life they gave Christians long ago, but for Life they provide to any and all who  read and ingest them today… Even their illustrations can still be understood in today’s modern culture and modern devices and conveniences.  We can write to and talk to people on the other side of the world instantly, travel to them in at most a day’s time, access books and information with the click of a keystroke almost anywhere that kings could not access in the most famous libraries of their day.  We have access to bibles in languages and with study tools that would have been beyond hope to possess to biblical scholars of a few hundred years ago and beyond hope of access by most Christians in Muslim countries and in communist countries.

The above verses from 1 Corinthians 3 share critical  teaching on importance of church unity and destructive impact of lack of church unity in teaching and in service.    Stop and  reflect of some examples you recall in your own church or community churches you know to be true.    What have they taught you and taught the church?  Do they support Paul’s instruction from 1 Corinthians 3?  I can recall 3 different examples from my churches history that confirm wisdom of Paul’s words and teaching.  I only wish the church had followed his instruction instead of letting division enter and bring harm to church and a number of individuals involved.  Experience left the church weaker.

Our home in heaven is bought and secured not by merit but by Grace Christ paid for.  Yet the Joy we have in heaven and reason for that Joy  will not be enhanced by battles we have caused or fought trying to convince others that we are right, but by seeing others, impacted by our obedience to Christ , coming to Him and receiving His Grace too. 

Paul uses metaphors to promote unity in the Church and illustrate the basis for eternal rewards. He uses an agricultural metaphor (verses 6-8), and an architectural metaphor (verses 10-17) to talk about rewards. How we plant and how we build will be tested by God. How we have used what God has given will determine our rewards or the lack of them. So, what have we been given with which to serve Christ? Grace, love, spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit, talents and abilities, time, tangible resources—everything we have is given to us to use faithfully for Christ and His Kingdom.

If the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) took place today, how would your works fare in the fire of God’s presence? Purpose that today will be a day of faithfulness.

Today, let us rise and go to our work. Tomorrow, we shall rise and go to our reward.
Richard Fuller

Today completes another month of daily devotions.  I pray this journey together has been as enlightening for you as for me and you have been drawn in a closer  relationship with your Savior as have I.  I look forward to continuing that journey with you as we now enter July 2019.  

GIDEON BIBLE REFERENCE SCRIPTURES  6/24/10 Roswell, NM

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:

• 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 459 blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present.

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