DEVOTION JOURNAL 2021 – DON MCDANIEL:

JANUARY, 2021    

1/1-3/21            A BRIGHT FUTURE IS BEING PREPARED FOR US                      1         
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.  Isaiah 11:9

• ISAIAH 11:1-16     “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.² The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,The Spirit of counsel and might,The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
• His delight is in the fear of the Lord,And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;⁴ But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
• “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;And a little child shall lead them.⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;Their young ones shall lie down together;And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.⁸ The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.⁹ They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LordAs the waters cover the sea.
• “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,Who shall stand as a banner to the people;For the Gentiles shall seek Him,And His resting place shall be glorious.”. It shall come to pass in that dayThat the Lord shall set His hand again the second timeTo recover the remnant of His people who are left,From Assyria and Egypt,From Pathros and Cush,From Elam and Shinar,From Hamath and the islands of the sea.¹² He will set up a banner for the nations,And will assemble the outcasts of Israel,And gather together the dispersed of JudahFrom the four corners of the earth.¹³ Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart,And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off;Ephraim shall not envy Judah,And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.¹⁴ But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west;Together they shall plunder the people of the East;They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab;And the people of Ammon shall obey them.¹⁵ The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt;With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River,And strike it in the seven streams,And make men cross over dry-shod.¹⁶ There will be a highway for the remnant of His peopleWho will be left from Assyria,As it was for Israel, In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt..”
• Have you ever did major build or repair to your home? I have and currently am about 2/3 completed on most recent project.  My dad used to say after finish a budget of cost and time required to complete a project, multiply answer by 2.5x and result will be closer to actual.   I have to say his wisdom was true most of the time, but was based on his many decades of experience.   It always seems unanticipated cost delay and add cost to the project.
• 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 “11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, ¹² the Lord appeared to him at night and said:                                                                                         “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.

¹³ “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. ¹⁶ I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

¹⁷ “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, ¹⁸ I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’

¹⁹ “But if you^[b] turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you^[c] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. ²¹ This temple will become a heap of rubble. All^[d] who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ²² People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

So could it be we are dealing with Covid 19 is because we as a country and majority of countries turned from God and embraced sinful behavior?  Could it be we are at the cliff of the end times prophecies and return of Christ to take His church before the Great Tribulation spoken of in Matthew and Revelation and Ezekiel and …?  If that terrible time is at our door, then we can expect 2021 to be worse than 2020.

But if you read thru 2 Chronicles 6-8, you will conclude the way back is the same for us as was for Israel.  The way of repentance, turning from our sinful ways and turning to Him for forgiveness and a change in world view and in behavior – conduct and values.

Reflect back 20 years and values and conduct judged right and judged wrong and then compare to today’s.  Matthew 24 tells us in the last days good will be judged wrong and evil judged good.  Is that not just what is happening today?

I don’t know about you but my position is, like Joshua told the Israelites when they were about to proceed into promised land with God’s protection and covenant based on their faithfulness.  Joshua said “14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.

¹⁹ Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

²¹ But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:14-21)

God is our refuge and strength.   The sooner and longer we realize that and follow Him, the better. So let’s be like Joshua and repent and commit to follow God with our families.  Make worship at church a commitment and commit to prayer and study scripture a daily commitment.  Make tithing our time and income our priority too.                     

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Psalm 46:1 OK, no one is perfect nor can achieve a sinless lifestyle, but we can do much better.  Then again, seeking Christ’s forgiveness is number 1 and walking with Him daily seeking His council and strength to battle temptation is our ongoing focus.  The more we get into His word and obey nudging as cross paths with others, the less power and influence temptation has over us. Let’s set our focus on preparing for His coming and our entrance in Heaven in 2021.  No guarantee we will live to see 2022.  I’ve lost a few good friends in 2020, some of which seemed to be in much better health and strength than I.  Life is precious and given to us directly from God and only He knows when our last day will be.

He is a “very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Paul said, “The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:5-6). If you feel troubled today, remember that the Lord is at hand. He is with you. He is near. Visualize Him standing beside you, and let Him calm your anxious soul and clear your confused and clouded mind   Then to enable you to hear and follow His council. Psalm 46 is one of those many passages that gives us reassurance of God’s abiding – constant presence and faithfulness.  Immanuel is one of many names God gives Himself, which means “God with us”.   Jesus endured the same temptations and suffering and persecution that humans in the worst of situations have and continue to face, so we have the assurance He understands and is committed to taking care of us. Jesus is our Advocate with the Father.  The Holy Spirit is our constant Companion and Guide and Counselor and Friend all the time.   All Three are one God and of one Mind and Mission. So, there is no need to feel alone or try to deal with life’s problems alone.  If we do, it is Because we choose to, not because we are alone.   AMEN?  AMEN!

Psalm 46: 1 – 7 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam     and the mountains quake with their surging.[c] 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,     the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall;     God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;     he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us;     the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

1/4/21                                                  GALLOPING GERTIE                                                                        3       

He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind.  1 Chronicles 28:12

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

COMMENT:  We marvel at how technology has advanced in past 100 years.  No generation has seen such advances in transportation options and communication and medical advances and modern conveniences.  Advances in producing food and providing the standard of living for poorer population that kings could not obtain.  Accessibility to education and information is unprecedented.  But the condition of majority of population’s world view – standard of right and wrong and conduct and integrity is not what it was 100 years ago.   The moral compass of is deteriorating with each generation.   The standard of right and wrong is becoming individual created instead of established by God’s Law dictated in the Bible.  Because of this, 47 million fetuses are aborted each year globally, dwarfs the number of all other causes.   The value placed on human life is eroding.  Marriage is no longer considered sacred no even identified as God intended.

Scripture tells us in the last days before Christ’s return will be visible as a time when right is judged wrong and wrong as right.  Also, humans will be so determined to destroy themselves that Christ’s return will be expedited in order to keep humans from exterminating themselves.

But God is not responsible for all the destruction in the world, but satan is.  Everything God designed and created and the Laws He established was and continues to be best and perfect.  In contrast, human designs and builds continue to need be rippled with failures and demand improvements.   All the marvels of modern technology came at a price of repeated failures.  Why? Well, because humans can’t see the future and lack knowledge even though they are capable of learning.

During my working career, I learned to seek God’s guidance when developing designs or solving weaknesses on existing designs.  He did provide needed help many times but I must admit most of the time His help didn’t come directly but through a friend or co-worker or a fellow worker or a miner operator who used our equipment. 

One thing I especially hated and was anxious about was when I would get a call from a mine telling me one of our machines broke down and need help solving a weakness that showed up.   I felt responsible since was my design but always was humbled when response I got was cooperative and eager to work together to develop a solution and work together on a solution.

I get a chill when try to imagine how Leon Moisseiff felt, the designer of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge built over Puget Sound near Seattle, Washington, USA.  The bridge that tragically became known as “Galloping Gertie”.  It was judged a beautiful bridge that opened July 1, 1940.   Leon had designed the bridge considering every force except the high winds of Puget Sound.  The bridge would sway back and forth as winds blew and got worse over time, but at only 4 months old, it collapsed.   Fortunately, no life was lost on the bridge but many got off the bridge just in time before it collapsed.  The life of one dog was lost. 

Well, God not only designed and built every living thing and all the planets and materials in the universe, He also desired to be in close relationship with each of us.  I believe if satan hadn’t sinned and mankind had rejected temptation and remained in the same relationship Adam and Eve enjoyed in the beginning pre-sin condition. What would today look like if sin hadn’t infected the world? I can’t imagine how much better it would be.  I also believe we would have been further advanced technologically as well as living perfect good lives.  We would have avoided death so Adam and Eve and everyone ever born would still be alive and productive.  We would all be living and following God’s perfect will.  Well, we will have to wait until Christ’s return and pronounces judgment on satan and his angels and followers.  Then Christ will establish His reign and make earth into what God intended along with us who accept His gift of redemption.

Christ is our bridge from death to eternal life.  This bridge will never fail or collapse.  Wind and wear and severe external force and elements do not affect this bridge but God allows us to feel some of that influence and force but never more than we can bear and resist.  The reason is He needs us to exercise our faith and learn how to lean on Him for help and strength.  By doing so, we learn to resist and gain increase strength and confidence in facing greater challenges and greater ability to reach out and help others as well.

This is the reason why we never collapse. The outward man does indeed suffer wear and tear, but every day the inward man receives fresh strength.   J. B. Phillips, paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 4:16

1/5/21                                       HE WILL DO IT!                                            5

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Recommended Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies. ²¹ Test all things; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

²⁵ Brethren, pray for us. ²⁶ Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.

²⁷ I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

COMMENTS:   Scripture, and above passage especially, does not instruct us to look forward to or enjoy suffering and hardship but to be grateful for God’s abiding presence and faithfulness to bring us through all suffering if we trust in Him.  Job’s example is among the oldest stories in scripture but still applies to each of us.  He lost all his wealth and all his children and all of his friends and even his wife was unsporting.  Yet, he remained faithful and maintained his full trust in God in spite of increasing suffering and grief.  God even allowed physical pain and suffering after all that.    What is especially valuable is scripture revealing the reason for the suffering, specifically satan’s discussed with God.

Was it fair for God to allow Job’s loss and suffering without any explanation just to show satan how faithful Job was?  From our perspective, probably.  But from God’s perspective, He had a much longer lasting and impactful purpose.  He was reminding satan that God’s ways are best and brings enduring Good.  Job grew closer to God through the exercised faith.  His love and faith and understanding of God’s Ways was greater after this test.  His wealth and family increased afterwards.    God may have allowed death to separate Job from his children but that separation was not forever and Job knew that.

This example helps us to understand God’s Ways and Purpose and Timing for our times of suffering as well as peace and prosperity gained or lost.  For us, such tests of our faith serve same purposes as did for Job.  God may not be discussing our lives with satan like did for Job, but He is planning our lives and good and difficult situations He allowed or designed to draw us closer to Him and more receptive of His Guiding Holy Spirit.  Suffering for us likely has a major purpose of preparing us for greater service that needs greater faith in Him to accomplish.  But the ultimate goal is to prepare us for heaven and all He has been preparing for us there.  Such may also be to help prepare our families for heaven too.

This is a great passage for those of us who become discouraged with our spiritual progress. We’re beset with temptations, interruptions, adjustments, weaknesses, and relapses. It’s often two steps forward and one step backward.

If that’s the way you feel today, study the above verses and notice: (1) God is the One who will sanctify you and cause you to mature into the image of Christ. Yes, it takes work on your part, which is detailed in the book of First Thessalonians. But God is the source and strength of our progress. (2) One day you’ll be completely whole, perfect, and pleasing to God in every way. (3) This will happen at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (4) Until then, we’re works in progress—and it involves our whole spirit, soul, and body.

He has called you, and He will be faithful to work in you what is pleasing to Him.

God has staked His reputation on the work of Jesus Christ in the souls of the men and women whom He has saved and sanctified.         Oswald Chambers

1.                                   Heavenward                   5  

They do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  1 Corinthians 9:23

Recommended Reading: Philippians 3:12-14

¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

COMMENTS:  If anyone had reason for regrets and feelings of guilt, Paul did after becoming a Christian.  He had been responsible for imprisonment and even death of possibly thousands of Christians.  But on the road to Damascus, he encountered a visit from the risen Christ and completely changed his life and his life’s work.   He not only repented and changed, but he became one of those believers who suffered greatly and ultimately martyrdom for his faith in Christ.  Did he regret his sins?  YES!   But he let that regret motivate him to work harder in spreading the Gospel because he knew Christ had forgiven him, an undeserving doomed sinner.   Paul knew he couldn’t earn enough to pay for his redemption and knew good works were not intended by God to do so.  He understood very well the reason for animal sacrifice in Jewish law.  He also had realized old testament prophets foretold of a human sacrifice acceptable to God would come who would redeem all people.  Paul’s motivation and passion became trying to tell as many people as he could the Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice and free offer of forgiveness and eternal life for any and all who simply accept this priceless gift from God Himself. 

Faith is not about perfection, but direction. When we make it all the way to heaven, we’ll be perfected and glorified. Until then, we press upward, trusting God at every level. You don’t need a jetpack to live above the world. Just pray: “My heart has no desire to stay / Where doubts arise and fears dismay; / Though some may well where these abound, / My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.”

Look up in simple faith to the Crucified Savior, who alone can lift [you] to a higher plane of life.

Ruth Paxson

1/7/21                                        LIVING ON PURPOSE                                                               7

Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-5

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you;I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

COMMENTS:

Our English word purpose derives from an old Anglo-French verb meaning “to propose.” When a man proposes marriage to a woman he says, “It is my purpose to spend my life with you and with none other.” The advantage of such a proposal, as it transitions to a life purpose, is that it eliminates a multitude of decisions that might present themselves. Anything that conflicts with one’s purpose in life is not even considered—or shouldn’t be.

When young Daniel was taken as a captive to Babylon, he purposed in his heart not to defile himself in that pagan land. So he proposed to the one in charge an alternative to the diet he was offered. He didn’t have to wonder, “What should I do?” That decision had been made before God many years before. His purpose was to live a life of purity and obedience to God.

How would you describe your purpose in life? Make your future easier by declaring a clear purpose today.

Man forgets his purpose, and thus he forgets who he is and what life means. 

Francis Schaeffer

1.                                            The Practice of Purpose                                                       7

But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

 Recommended Reading: Luke 9:62

⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

COMMENTS:  Have organized your weekly and daily schedule to match your priorities?  Of course, many things require a certain number of hours at a certain begin and finish time each day like school and job.  So when the demands of life require more time than are hours in the day remaining, we tend to rob first our sleep and time with family time.  We can’t totally rob from sleep time without exhaustion and serious health problems, but time robbed from family – spouse and children especially,

Well, we are all allotted 24 hours each day to spend as we choose.  We may feel like we don’t have control because of commitments, but we likely do at least for some time each day.   I have found those days I miss spending morning time with the Lord in prayer and devotion is essential to aligning my mind and focus on Him instead of on just daily routine and obligations.  Starting out with scripture and fellowship with Christ fresh on my mind help keep me mentally in sync with Him and open to hear and feel His nudging to talk to someone on your path. 

I usually find that time spent in devotion and worship at the beginning of the day results in a more efficient day with more accomplished and more “God moments” during day                     when He gives opportunities to witness or encourage others than days without a morning time with Him.  Does this ring true for you too?

Time with family and even exercise often is sacrificed due to work and other obligations but truth is 30 minutes spent with family plus eating at least the evening meal together does much to keep family connections healthy,

We have priceless examples in scripture and maybe in our own family of both wise and foolish choices along with the benefits and consequences of those choices to help guide us in our life and even daily choices.   God gives us a new morning each day to undo or do over past poor choices along with stopping and start a new path or direction.  Granted not every choice or decision is life changing but each is important.  Likewise, changing direction is hard due to habits of repeating past poor choices.  Finding our purpose in life following that purpose with both the major choices we make but also by listening for and obeying God’s nudging during day puts and keeps us on a path of faithfulness that will result in Christ saying “Well done good and faithful servant…” when our life                          is over.  God’s way is always good and best for us and for those impacted by our choices too.           

Life can only be enjoyed as one acquires a true perspective of life and death and of the real purpose of life. 

Spiros Zodhiates

1.                         New Year, New You—Personal Rival                                      9      

O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known.
Habakkuk 3:2

Recommended Reading: Habakkuk 3:1-6

3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.

² O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!In the midst of the years make it known;In wrath remember mercy.

³ God came from Teman,The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah

His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise.⁴ His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden.⁵ Before Him went pestilence,And fever followed at His feet.

⁶ He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.

.

COMMENTS:   A common commentary statement reported in news, stated by reporters and celebrities and leaders is also common among commoners and working masses.  That statement is “I’m so glad 2020 is history. I’m looking forward to 2021”, The problem with this statement is, without a change in direction, the result will not change.  A popular quote statement “insanity is doing the same thing over and over excepting a different result”.  Albert Einstein is credited saying that, but not likely it began with him.  Yet, there is truth and wisdom in these words.

So what is the path or choices that resulted in 2020 being remembered by Covid 19?  Is it the result of natural evolution of an existing virus or is a engineered virus that got out of hand?  I don’t know but the massive numbers of deaths and hospitalizations reported is staggering.  But again we live in a society where abortion is judged removal of a non-human grown unless, of course, the mother wants the baby growing in her body.  Well, nearly 50 millions such “growths” are aborted each and every year.  Compare that to deaths from Covid 19 and every other disease and cause of death.

Scripture warns us that God is still on His throne and fully engaged.  He permits satan and his  demons and human followers to do their mischief within limits.  God allows us to choose following God’s commands and Will or rejecting Him and follow a lie created in the mind of satan or inspired by satan in the thoughts and actions of human pawns or  satan’s demons.

So, why does God allow evil to flourish?  I don’t have the answer except God values freedom to choose good or evil.  He is passionate about having a personal relationship with each of us, but only wants that relationship if we choose it too.  

God goes to great lengths to warn us that bad choices, satan inspired choices, evil choices always leads to death and suffering and following God always leads to eternal life, a life filled with joy and love and peace.   God also allows us to suffer some hardship to help us mature and trust God more, to make our faith and courage stronger.  Scripture if full of examples, especially Job, to confirm and guide us on the right path, but Jesus’ life and sacrifice and teachings completes all God requires and all we need to live a God willed and guided life.

He also warns that in the last days before Christ’s return, disease and wars and natural disasters and evil will get worse and worse (Matthew 24).  So bad that evil will be viewed as good and good as evil.  

All this sounds like 2020 but if that is true, then 2021 may indeed be worse. Why? Because humans are continuing down the same path expecting a different result! We can’t change others but we can change our course and allegiance and conduct.   The influence we have on others can be positive or negative.  God can and will magnify our influence when we follow His lead and council.  Doing so may mean we will get a unfriendly  reaction from others, but it will be worth it if we guide and help even one to choose a different path – Jesus’ path.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Let’s adopt Habakkuk’s prayer. If you need a fresh experience with the Lord, tell Him and then be determined to bring your life into alignment with all He shows you in Scripture. For you, your family, your church, this can be a refreshing season. This can be a year when the work of God is revived in your life.

Perhaps God is calling you to something deeper. Maybe you’re ready to experience personal revival!

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

1/10/21                                             OUR HEAVENLY HOME                                              10         September 12, 2013                   

• God Himself will be with them and be their God.  Revelation 21:3

Recommended Reading: John 13:33-36

³³ Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” ³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

COMMENTS:  Heaven is a wonderfully beautiful place Christ has both promised us and told us is preparing for us.  Visions of a number in Old Testament scripture and New Testament conveys to us that heaven is far more beautiful than anything or any place on earth.   Heaven is vast and a place where we will know and be known by its inhabitants.  We will fellowship personally with each other but most of all we will not only be able to worship and praise and honor Him like not possible on earth but also fellowship with Him one – on – one like not possible on earth.  Also, we will be able to and given work we will love and be able to do like not possible on earth either.  

Some have had near death experiences in recent years of which one were genuine and some fabricated and some not genuine.  We must be cautious and discerning and diligent in this topic so we do not pass on those not worthy. by 

However, such examples as “Heaven is for Real” written by Todd Burko and “90 Minutes in Heaven” written by Don Piper are two real examples that are credible with scripture, honor Christ, and help draw us closer to Christ.  “23 Minutes in Hell” by Bill Weise is an eye opening book related to the contrast of Hell as a real place.  So how do we judge these experiences and reject those that are not credible. 

The purpose of genuine accounts and experiences is to support scripture and draw its readers closer to Christ and deeper into scripture.  So, that tells us our primary source of studies of heaven should center in scripture and near death reports and stories, written or just told, should be filtered by scripture and only used to support details in scripture.

Those experiences in writing or interviews should be discouraged or avoided when conflicts with scripture.  After all, satan is the great deceiver so is very good at deception and convincing us false stories are credible and should be studies and believed instead of what scripture says.  

Christ was clear (John 14:6).  No one can earn or work their way to heaven.  There are not many or even a second option to reach heaven.    There is only one way to heaven and that is believing in Jesus Christ and receiving His redemptive forgiveness (John 14:6).

Jesus said also that He was going to go back to heaven to build a house for each believer to dwell, which means heaven is being prepared for us and our reservation is secure and certain if we accept God’s one and only pre-requisite for admission.

We don’t know exactly what our eternal home will be like, but given the apostle John’s description in Revelation 21, it will be like nothing we have ever seen. Jesus told His twelve disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, and that means a place for us, too. Jesus left His heavenly home and came to earth so He could take us to His home forever.

Jesus endured a hard life on earth so we could enjoy an eternal life with Him. Give Him thanks today!  He went to the cross to provide the only way of redemption acceptable to God.   To choose another way more appealing to us will only give tragic results, which means instead of Jesus saying to us “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  Matthew 15:21.   He will say “²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.²⁴ Therefore whosoever hearth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” Matthew 7:22-24.

So all this says to us to do what He asked of us and work to goal of us and as many others as possible to accept His one and only way to that bright future awaiting us.   To believe and share those experiences supporting scripture, but learning to trust and accept silence from God on those questions we have that go unanswered in scripture –  knowing one day those questions will be answered when we and God’s timing is right.

1/11/20                                          DEALING WITH SELF-DOUBT                                11

So the Lord said to [Moses], “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
Exodus 4:11-12

Recommended Reading: Joshua 1:1-5

 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ² “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. ³ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. ⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Comments: 

Sometimes self-doubt is a reasonable response. As we enter into new challenges in life, we wonder if we have what it takes to overcome them. Setting our mind to playing in the NBA is likely not possible for most of us. Sometimes our human desires and goals need to be adjusted.

But what about those goals to which God calls us? Would God call us to do something for which He has not equipped us to succeed? Moses wondered that when God called him to go to Egypt and lead the Hebrews from bondage. Moses raised four different objections, and God gave him an answer for each one. The final answer was the best: “I can make the mute speak, so I will equip you to speak to Pharaoh.” Moses went and succeeded because God enabled him.

Don’t let self-doubt tempt you to doubt God. Whatever God’s call for your life, His enabling will be there.

Faith enables us to so rejoice in the Lord that our infirmities become platforms for the display of His grace.

C. H. Spurgeon

1/12/21                                  SET APART FOR A PURPOSE                                                     12

And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.  Acts 7:30

Recommended Reading: Galatians 1-2

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), ² and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ⁷ which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. ¹¹ But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.¹³ For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.¹⁵ But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

COMMENTS:  Jesus is our perfect example both of how He wants us to live, the relationship He desires to have with us, and also perfectly shows us what God the Father is like.   Jesus would often take time alone not to sleep but to be in closer fellowship with the Father.  He needed this quiet time, as a human, to recharge His spiritual battery and to let His Father prepare Him for next round of battles and work.  Jesus got fatigued and discouraged and angry because He experienced all this and more because He was in a human body even though He still was God.   He laid aside His divine abilities and powers while human so He would need to rely on God the Father and Holy Spirit as we do.

Paul is a good example for us as well.   He too needed time alone even shortly after His encounter with Christ and conversion on the Damascus Road (Galatians 1:17).  God provides needed time to prepare and time to renew but we need to take advantage of all opportunities, especially opportunities to be alone with Him.  Missing those opportunities only renders us unprepared and weak when we face satan or when we have opportunities to witness and encourage others.  Serving in obscurity for a time is also part of our growth, as are times of rejection or persecution, which Paul experienced the rest of his life even though he led more to Christ in his life and likely in every generation since. 

Moses spent 40 years in luxury learning the knowledge and pagan ways of Egyptian royalty and then another 40 years in obscurity as a shepherd before accepting his ordained destiny as the spiritual and physical leader of his people.  Sometimes God sets us apart to prepare us of coming responsibilities and tasks as well as coming temptations and dangers.  There is always purpose in God’s plans and ways.  So, the more Christ’s followers love Christ, the more He delights in them being with Him alone.  Likewise, the more they delight in being alone with Him too.

1/13/21                                         THE WORD GIVES LIGHT                                           13

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 6:23

²³ For the commandment is a lamp,And the law a light;Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

COMMENTS:   Could you imagine trying to make a trip without sight or help of any kind?  A guiding voice or hand can make a huge difference but an accurate map and sufficient light always works best.   GPS has replaced maps in today’s world, which is basically a computer using an internal map and looking for the best route to go from current location to destination using that internal map.  Sounds a lot like what we all used to do with a paper map in “good old days”.

More and more Christians and seekers are using bibles stored on computers instead of paper book Bibles for study and devotion.  Using a reputable computer or online source of scripture is equally as valuable but risk of inaccurate sources of bible scripture are a risk because internet does not have the safeguards and overseeing that we are accustomed to.

So having a paper Bible handing to check accuracy of other sources.  Well, God’s Word provides wise and accurate council and instruction as valid and true today as it was ages ago for those recorded in scripture.  It is and always will be our best source of truth and wisdom because it was inspired and endorsed by God Himself.   It is Light for our path and provides proven wisdom and discernment based on God’s knowledge and wisdom. 

As Light, the Bible, like physical light, illumines surroundings so we can discern danger and obstacles and right from wrong paths.   Imagine navigating in absolute darkness vs. with sufficient daylight.  Many blind people have learned to navigate in darkness using other senses and tools and help like trained animals to be their sights.  None of these are as good as good eyes and sufficient light. 

So, the comparison is for seekers and believers to study scripture themselves and glean God’s instruction and council and direction directly and not depend on others only for needed guidance.

“Make God’s Word your trusted source for guidance and direction by studying it daily and obeying it continually.

I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light.”  Mary Gardiner Brainard

1/14/21                                                          DEFEATING SATAN                                                 14         Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11

Recommended Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

COMMENTS:  Temptation is a daily battle for every human.  Jesus was not exempt nor has scripture hid His temptations from us.  Instead, scripture shows us how He defeated satan’s attempts to cause Jesus to sin.   But it is beyond our comprehension how Jesus as God was capable of sinning as a human and what would have been the consequences if He had yielded.   Would have been disastrous.  Jesus made Himself vulnerable when He relinquished His divine attributes and fully took on human form and frailty.  He was still God but as a human depended on the Father to gain sufficient strength and courage and will to battle and defeat satan.

Scripture not only didn’t skip or downplay Jesus’ temptations.  Instead, scripture fully displayed and showed Jesus’ life and how He battled and defeated temptation.   By doing so, God reveals to us the goal and how we too can defeat satan.  When we seek God’s help – the Holy Spirit’s continual council and help – avoid temptation, looking to Christ when temptation comes, we too both gain the strength and will and escape from temptation.   When we do that, we discover strength and ability to successfully battle and defeat greater and stronger battles against satan.

God never intended for us to face satan alone, no matter how much we study and prepare, but does expect us to seek Him and do   what He asked – follow His instruction.    When we do, we grow in spiritual strength and wisdom.  We mature and gain ability to engage in greater battles and ability to be an effective encourager and helper for others in their battles.

Paul wrote (Ephesians 6:17) of tools available to every Christian in the war against satan.  The “whole armor of God” includes the Sword of the Spirit (the Word) and Matthew 4:1-11 shows how Jesus used that sword to defeat satan during His temptations.

Three times Satan tempted Jesus and each time Jesus responded with a principle of Scripture from Deuteronomy. When Satan spoke a lie, Jesus responded with the truth. That was all it took to defeat the devil, and “he departed from [Jesus] until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).

Don’t fear the devil. Instead, fear (respect and revere) God and His Word, against which nothing can stand.

“The devil is not afraid of a Bible that has dust on it.”   Anonymous

1/15/21                               READ – MEDITATE – TRUST – OBEY                               15

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8

Recommended Reading: James 1:22-25

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

COMMENTS:  As we explore scripture, especially the stories of those who lived long ago, both in Old Testament and New Testament times, we soon discover in order to follow God’s Will and direction, they had to listen and learn God’s commands and instructions and follow those instructions even before understanding them at least fully.   They had to trust God enough to step out in faith and obey Him.  Obedience requires faith and trust that God has our best interest at heart and knows best.   He not only can see into the future, but goes to and acts in the future too.   Since He created time, He is not limited to act in present time like we are.   I will leave it at that because to speculate how God might act outside time is not for us to know or speculate about. 

Instead, we can be confident that when we act in harmony with His instructions and commands, we are partnering with the God who does not make mistakes and will not fail or lose His battles.   We cannot fail with Him on our side and we cannot fail if are on His Side.

God seems to delight in giving us opportunities to obey Him when circumstances and portion of future we can envision or see coming tempt us to take a different direction.  We are best served when we learn God’s Plan and direction and then trust Him enough to follow that plan.  By doing so, we may not win in the way or time we envision but will surely win and succeed and live eternally in exactly the way God planned and chose.

As parents, it is our job to warn our children of dangers and poor choices they face so they will not succumb to their lures and temptations and deceptions.   Choices that promise good and wonderful things but never deliver, only delivering suffering and regrets and ultimately death.

As children grow in age and experience and especially when they become parents, they soon discover their parent’s council and advise and even “orders”, which seemed boring and unappealing and even mean and unfair at the time, was wise and life giving.  They then wish they had followed that advice and spared themselves and others pain and grief and regret and, yes, wasted time.

Well, God has a wonderful way of healing foolish choices and their consequences and redeeming the lost time, but often He lets scares remain as a reminder to discourage us from straying again.

Taking the time to read directions is a good first step, but then no good comes from reading those directions unless following them.   The Bible is God’s instructions – His directions for living.  Unless we follow and live by those directions, we will not gain from the insight and wisdom and foreknowledge the Bible holds for those willing to open and read with an open and receptive mind and soul.  Meditating on scripture involves taking the time to listen and seek the deep meaning behind the words and not just settling for face value the words hold.  Not doing so is no less dangerous than driving down a dangerous road in the dark without headlights being on.   And the faster we do so, the more disastrous the consequences.

The Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures will expect obedience to the Scriptures. A. W. Tozer

   

1/16/21            NEW YEAR – MAKING YOU NEW BY BEING A STUDENT OF SCRIPTURE                16

So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.  Acts 11:26

Recommended Reading: Acts 11:19-26

¹⁹ Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. ²⁰ But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

²² Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. ²³ When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. ²⁴ For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. ²⁶ And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

COMMENTS:  Have you ever wondered why diligence of reading and meditating on scripture and why spending time in prayer every day is such a hard habit to maintain and such an easy habit to brake?  I still find that to be true, but the commitment to keep this journal has been the best and most successful tool to keep me accountable and motivated to maintain the habit of daily prayer and bible reading each day these past 8+ years.  Before that, I would have lapses lasting days or sometimes even weeks before would wake up and start again.  Life has a way of crowding God out especially when work and family and other commitments stack up and sleep time becomes the place to subtract time to get back into this vital recharging practice.  Even retired, I find other demands but also my own openness to spending time with Christ become stale and fatigued too.

This has been a common ailment for God’s faithful followers in every past generation so you and I are in good company.    But that also means we, as they, have the same distractor.  The same temptor.  The same weaknesses and vulnerability.    But we also have the same solution.   Christ tells us that He has addressed the problem by making Himself available to encourage and strengthen and motivate by offering us 24x7x365 access to Him through His Holy Spirit, who abides in those who welcome Him into their soul.

He allows practice to require deliberate work and energy so we are both aware of the commitment and cost in will and determination, so the value and importance and cost of maintaining a daily relationship with Him is made by us.    That which costs us little has little value to us, but that which requires effort and sacrifice maintains value and importance.   Such also makes us more sensitive when we begin letting our relationship with God slip away.  It slips away not because God is leaving but because we have  turned away from Him and are slowly at first walking away from Him.  If we only knew how sad that causes Him to be, we would run back to Him a lot sooner!

This year, devote an hour each day to Him.  I think for most, the best time is first thing in the morning – early.  For some it is just before bedtime.   For some it is splitting that time and do both morning and evening.  For some it is noon or another idle time or quiet time without distractions or other commitments.  For me it is early morning.

“When you open your Bible, God opens His mouth.”  Mark Batterson

1/17/21                                            THE ATTITUDES OF THE SPIRIT                                                17

Be made new in the attitude of your minds.  Ephesians 4:23

Recommended Reading: Galatians 5:19-26

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

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:  What is attitude and how does it impact our thoughts and actions – our conduct?  Our human nature lures us to let emotions drive our attitude and conduct instead of choosing our attitude and using it to drive our emotions and conduct.  Emotions are seldom “trust worthy” or brings positive – healthy results.  Why?  Well, they are easily influenced and corrupted by satan and his demons.    They effective have then used the actions of those who let negative emotions influence them to them inflame emotions and hostile reactions in others.

So much of the hate and violence and human suffering on both giving and receiving sides are simply people being “pawns” of satan’s evil mischief.  Satan is a skillful and experienced deceiver who promises and justifies every evil known to man with the goal of inflicting pain and grief on God and ultimately defeating God.  Humanity is the pawn he uses because he knows God loves us.  The fact that satan was able to have Christ crucified proves satan’s intentions and willingness to take any opportunity he can to hurt or defeat God.

But the Holy Spirit is waiting and eager to help us discover and resist satan’s schemes and tricks while also enabling us to discover and follow God’s plan and will.  He also helps us discover and control our own attitude instead of allowing it to control us.

Galatians 5:22-23 takes it a step further, “As you grow in Christ, the Holy Spirit will produce in you the very attitudes – the predisposed state of mind – of Jesus Himself, which is more love, more joy, more peace, more patience, more kindness, more goodness, more gentleness, and more self-control.”

So, our attitude is critical to having a heart of obedience to the Father.  Changing our attitude is something near impossible, so we really need the Holy Spirit’s help to get there and impossible on our own to stay there.

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”  Zig Ziglar

1/18/21                             THE ANCHOR DURING TROUBLED TIMES                                            18             The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Psalm 34:17

Recommended Reading: Psalm 34

1. of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;His praise shall continually be in my mouth.² My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;The humble shall hear of it and be glad.³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,And let us exalt His name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and He heard me,And delivered me from all my fears.⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,And their faces were not ashamed.⁶ This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,And saved him out of all his troubles.⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,And delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!There is no want to those who fear Him.¹⁰ The young lions lack and suffer hunger;But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. ²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked,And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.²² The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

COMMENTS:    Who do you go to when facing a big decision or troubles that demand a decision from which either a solution or worse troubles will follow?  Whose discernment and wisdom do you trust?  Well, how often have you or do you go to that person for advice?   I dare say, if you are like me, you only go to that person for advice and help when you have tried everything else you are able to or have thought to do.  You probably didn’t think it necessary to seek help early in process.  Besides, most decisions carry moderate consequences so mistakes can be fixed easily and avoid involving others or maybe admitting to them and ourselves we need help.

Pride is such a sinister sin because it makes us feel good about ourselves and usually does not allow us to admit we need help.  Pride causes us to regard ourselves above others and causes us to believe our choices are right even when evidence shows otherwise.  Pride keeps us from admitting our wrongs and persuades us to feed our selfish desires and ambitions instead of serving others.

But what does humility motivate us to do?  Seek help early by recognizing our limits and weaknesses and also seeking help early to overcome them.   Humility helps us see and react when see need in others.   Humility helps us see value of working with others to reach common goals.  Humility, most of all, helps us see our own weaknesses and value of seeking God’s help to deal with those weaknesses.

The perfect and best life exampled for us is Christ’s life.  His life is the mark to gage ours and others by.  Yet, there are many examples in Old Testament and New Testament and even in history as well as in our own families and community and world today that stand out as being closer to being Christ like than most because of the wisdom and humility and integrity and wisdom they practice and demonstrate. 

Sure, success as the world define to be riches and power and popularity and talents, do require making some smart and logical choices that are needed and good.   But when these goals are above and in place of some even more important ones, then Christ’s best is being ignored and lost to us. 

Christ could have ruled the world but chose to be a servant teaching common people first and accepting the rich and powerful also who chose to come to Him.  He made himself accessible and available and personable so children would understand and follow Him as well as adults.  He became available to all but only those seeking would find and embrace what He said and showed.

So, do we seek God’s help and council when all else fails and we are in crisis?  Think of a few personal examples and a few from others and look for ways God helped but also look for evidence of how much better it would have been if God’s help was sought sooner instead of looking elsewhere first.

Again, most daily decisions are less critical but often poor non-critical choices become critical choice when God’s wisdom and influence is skirted for too long.  So, this Christmas and New Year can be a time of setting goals for 2021.  To do a review of 2020 and lay our lives and plans before God and wait and seek His plan – His wisdom – His help – His will.   History and our common experience probably will remind us that God’s timing is not ours. 

Often His timing is to put our problem and needs behind the needs of others and do for them first.  The opposite of what our minds and desire dictate.  Our carnal minds say to work and save and spend for yourself first and then for others if anything left over.   Maybe that is why God delays help and blessing to us sometimes.  Maybe His help comes quicker when we do for others first.   Then He replenishes our supply and empowers us to meet our needs more quickly and efficiently.  He often does this by opening more resources for help like family and friends and church family and maybe even some of those we helped first.  

How often do you and I “work ourselves to death” because our pride or past bad experiences compel us to work alone?  How well does that usually go?  I would say most of the time the answer was ok, but not as good as could or should have been.  Also, little good comes to others or at least the best good to others.

Well then, the golden rule (Matthew 7:12) remind us that we should treat others the way we want treated.  We usually think this is referring only to how we treat others but it also applies to exampling life too.  If we want the help of others, maybe we should first start being helpful to them?  How about doing for others first?  You may respond, “I don’t have time right now, maybe later”. Ok, there are times when urgent problems require attention first, including our own.  However, I dare say that most of the time our schedule can wait when see the need of others going unaddressed.

When David was running from his enemies, he said, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles…. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:6, 8) Your Lord will provide answers, peace, hope, and grace for every situation.

John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace,” wrote another hymn that says:

“Though troubles assail us  And dangers affright, Though all friends should fail us And foes all unite, Yet one thing secures us, Whatever betide, The promise assures us, “The Lord will provide.”

Christ demonstrated the value of others above His needs.  He made the ultimate sacrifice so all the “others” (you and me) can be forgiven – given a new fresh start – have and enjoy a personal relationship with God as Lord and Savior and Source of life.   To enjoy all God has for us.

Well, after all the Christmas shopping is over and presents have opened, will you finally ask and give Christ the present He desires?  Our love?  Our worship? Our undivided attention?   Our time?   What does God what for Christmas?  Well, pick up a mirror and look at your image and say “him (or her)”.  Well, then begin doing just that.  I am sure we will discover our time and our love and our resources and our accomplishments in 2021 will exceed 2020 if we do, but that shouldn’t be motive for doing so, just a positive result.  After all, 2020 taught us many things but one big one is WE NEED JESUS MORE THAN EVER!   AMEN?  AMEN!

When David was running from his enemies, he said, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles…. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:6, 8) Your Lord will provide answers, peace, hope, and grace for every situation.

John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace,” wrote another hymn that says:

Though troubles assail us  And dangers affright, Though all friends should fail us And foes all unite,

Yet one thing secures us, Whatever betide, The promise assures us, “The Lord will provide.”

1/19/21                                                FORWARD                                      19

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you.
Jeremiah 1:5

Recommended Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-8

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, ² to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. ³ It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you;I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ Then said I:

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me:

“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.⁸ Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.

COMMENTS:  Looking back is valuable in building faith and understanding, but also building wisdom.  It is true that “those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it.  History gives us evidence of God’s intervening – powerful influence but also His abiding presence and abiding protection and grace, but also His enforced justice.  He delays judgment of evil but doesn’t ignore or delay that judgment forever.  He gives ample opportunity and warning to repent. 

Conversely, those who live and act wisely following God’s plan / will and council may not see results immediately but will eventually and eternally.

Looking in past gives wisdom to equip us to look forward.  Forward is the only direction   we can change.  What we do and say in present will impact the future – both our future and future of countless people impacted directly and indirectly by our choices.

Have you ever wondered what God did before creating the universe?  Since He existed from eternity past, did all His time involve planning and designing all He was about to do. Did He reflect on His design plans and schedule?  Was He agonizing over His plan of redemption including the cross?  Was He spending millennia pondering over options before deciding the Plan He would follow? 

Well, Psalm 90:2 reminds us God has always existed from eternity past, but we have little clue from scripture to tell us what God did before creation.

John 17:5 and vs 24 tell us of the rich fellowship the Father and Son and Holy Spirit have enjoyed from eternity past, so all 3 were equally involved in creation but also in planning and design prior to creation. 

Ephesians 1:4 and Matthew 25:34 inform us that the cross was in God’s plan of redemption prior to creation.

Galatians 1:15 remind us that God knew each of us before we were conceived, including having our lives planned out long before we were conceived.

We can debate this forever, but the truth God wants us to realize is not             what God did when but how much He loves and cares for each of us and knew and had our life planned out long before we were conceived.  Whether we follow His plan or not, that is our choice.   In fact, He knew the decisions and choices we would make as well and yet still offered those choices to us and opportunities to repent.  Judas and Peter had same opportunities to repent except Peter had a few more since He chose not to take his life. 

Hell is awaiting us but so is Heaven.  God will do all He can to persuade us to make choices that lead us to Heaven but, none – the – less, Christ’s sacrifice provides both choices while preserving God’s justice and free will for all of us to choose.  He cannot allow the evil influence of sin into Heaven.

Well, most who reject Christ or ignore His plan may not be deliberately or consciously choosing Hell, but God is giving us ample warning in scripture that Christ is the only way to Heaven and any other way will lead to Hell, whether we believe it or not.    

“It should not surprise us that God was planning His kingdom before He createGODd the universe.”

Lita Cosner 

1/20/21    THE JOY OF SALVATION STARTS AT CHRISTMAS                 20

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.  Psalm 51:12

Recommended Reading: Psalm 21:1

The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord;And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

COMMENTS:   What makes you happy?  What do you look forward to during your week.  For many it is a day off or coming home at the end of a day to be greeted by a spouse and children.   However, for all too many coming home to family is not so happy and joyful.

How many take their family and home for granted.  Last month we talked about importance of gratitude and joy it brings to giver and receiver of that gratitude.   Being thankful, especially for the many little things, and people we interact with and depend on            most every day.  Truth is, it is easier to be grateful for things rarely given and  take for granted those things are provided for us   regularly and dependably.

Take some time to reflect on those who bless and help you regularly and often are  taken for granted.  Make a list of  who and what you have  taken for granted.  Then make a second list of  ways you’ve  taken God for granted along with all He has done and provided for you.  I dare say  the lists will be long and eye opening about many on that list.

Well, it is easy to take individuals for granted when they serve and provide every day without fail.  God is especially lacking our praise and worship, love and gratitude.  We can’t do anything about past offenses but can change course and begin today to notice and express gratitude to others and especially to our Lord.  By doing so, we soon will discover:

1. Just how much we are blessed
2. How faithful and loving our Lord is.
3. Begin noticing and responding to the needs of others, especially to  the needs of those who serve and help and work with us.
4. Our scripture today reminds us  that lasting joy comes when discover express worship and praise and  thankfulness to the One who inspires serving by example and guidance.  Then to express thankfulness to others who also inspire and councel.

A familiar and common saying from years ago says “You never miss the water til the well runs dry”.   We seldom appreciate great friendships and people until separated from them.  Nor the blessing of health and family and church family and worship until circumstances limit or hinder that friendship.

I am persuaded that crisis and illness and poverty, as painful as life with them can be, serve to force us seek and rely on those we love and depend on, AND TO NOTICE AND SHOW GRATITUDE FOR THEIR HELP.

I also am persuaded that peace and prosperity and gratitude tend to fade and  weaken along with gratitude expressed to others during times of peace and prosperity.  Why?  Reasons vary but some of the big ones.  Then it is common during “good times” to wonder away from God and neglect fellowship with Him.

King David is known for being a good and righteous king, but fell prey to satan’s temptations during a prosperous time  when he was winning his battles and chose to stay home instead of fighting with his army. 1 Samuel 11-12 records the story of David’s sin with Bathsheba.  It also records what was necessary for David to do in order to receive forgiveness.  David didn’t even notice the death grip tightening on his soul due to his unrepented sin. That sin also resulted in neglecting fellowship with God.  But that fellowship and the joy of his salvation returned when he humbled himself – confessed his sin – and  repented or turned from his sin and back to close fellowship with his God and Savior.  Psalm 51 records David’s prayer  of confession and repentance.

David took his salvation and God for granted.  Let’s learn from his experience and experience of others too, so we  will avoid the snares of temptation and avoid the consequence of lost joy and consequences of sin God so wants us to avoid and satan so wants us to suffer.   So, who do you want to  receive from and who do you want to follow? It’s easy to take salvation for granted. But when sins, attitudes, and behaviors lead us into darkness, we suddenly realize what we have lost: joy. Fortunately, joy is only a prayer away

1/21/21           WHAT WILL YOU DECK THE HALLS WITH?                                21

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.  Revelation 22:13

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 44:6

⁶ “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:‘I am the First and I am the Last;Besides Me there is no God.

COMMENTS:  Early Christians used a symbol of a fish as a “secret code” to show each other they were believers during Roman rule of persecution.      The fish symbol enabled Christians to recognize each other non-verbally “secretly” while still reminding each other of their “marching orders from Christ” to witness His Good News to the world.

Early Christians suffered imprisonment, torture, a slow agonizing death, and being forced to see their loved ones and fellow believers likewise suffer at the hand of Roman soldiers and even fellow Jews like Saul before he was converted on the Damascus Road.

This symbol is called a “Chrismon” and is found carved into stone in ancient tombs and old buildings or homes where Christians gathered to fellowship and worship together.  A symbol inside the Chrismon , “ICXC”, is the Alpha Omega Greek letters identifying Christ as unchanging as the “Alpha or beginning and Omega or the end”.  Other symbols as the “IHS” identify Jesus as the Christ and risen Lord.  Other Greek letters and symbols were also used by early Christians to witness and encourage each other.

They were eventually included as decorations.  Today we decorate for Christmas especially with lights and stars and decorations on our Christmas trees, homes, and stores. 

Yet, we shouldn’t forget the reason for Christmas.  Including the ancient symbols of Christianity or a manger scene to remind us it is celebrating “Christ’s human birthday” and the beginning of Christ’s mission and work to redeem and restore us and all willing to receive that redemption.

So what are you decorating with this Christmas? Does our decorations include anything to tell others the “Reason for the Season” we celebrate each year in December?  It may seem too obvious to do, but we are living in a time when each generation has less exposure and understanding of the Gospel and who Christ is than the previous generation.

The Story of Jesus and His Love for us is one we shouldn’t get tired of hearing and is one the world desperately needs to hear over and over again.  We are prone to forget and one day Christians too may once again be considered “enemies of the state” and suffer great persecution like their predecessors during Roman rule long ago.   If fact, they already are in much of the communist and Islam controlled countries globally.  However, even in democratic ruled countries, hostility against Christians is increasing.   Will we exhibit the same joy and confidence and courage that those early Christians did?  In many parts of the world the answer is YES. 

Is seems in places where persecution is severe, believers exhibit the greatest courage and joy sharing their faith while in countries with little persecution, believers are weaker and more indifferent in their faith.   Seems a mystery but likely “exercised faith” is stronger than “idle faith”.

No one likes or wants hardship and poverty and suffering, but we need to prepare for that.  After all, God loves us enough to give us what we need and not always what we want, like a loving parent to his child.   Is God preparing you and me for that?  Will we accept that preparation in prayer, bible study and fellowship/worship with other believers? encouragement and help to other believers, and in witness and acts of kindness to non-believers?   This is a good time to reflect and seek God’s council and help to do so in 2021.  AMEN?  AMEN!.

1/22/21                           WHY WE MUST PRAISE GOD                                 22                                                     

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.  Psalm 100:1-2

Recommended Reading: Psalm 95:1-2

1.  Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

COMMENTS:  The short answer to the question “Why we must praise God” is because He commands us to.  As we reflect on this question further, we will soon discover there are other reasons too:

1. We praise Him because He deserves our praise.  The more we reflect on how much He has given us and how faithful He has been in helping and protecting and healing and forgiving and giving us wise council and guiding us and providing companionship and encouragement and….  The more we reflect on all He has done, the more gratitude and love wells up in our minds and souls motivating worship and praise expressing our gratitude and love for Him.   God is loveable and perfect and loves us perfectly even though we are not loveable at all.
2. We praise Him because doing so energizes and opens the door to our soul and mind for Him to enter and provide council and strength and instruction and healing and forgiveness and ….   He enters to give us what we need most and helps us clean house and get rid of what hinders or distracts us from being and doing and choosing the best.
3. We praise Him because of the great price He paid (on the cross) to buy our redemption and forgiveness.  He not only forgives us, but builds a dwelling place to live with Him and all His followers forever.  He also will give us perfect – new – better – eternal bodies.
4. We praise Him because doing so helps us put and keep our eyes on Him so we can reject temptations and choose to obey Him and accept the best choices that temptation prevents or hinders us from recognizing and choosing.
5. We praise Him because doing so also helps us and opens opportunities to encourage and guide others into the perfect relationship with Him too.

Psalm 100 is a wonderful psalm of praise and worship than, in the early church, was sung as a hymn of worship and is a familiar scripture that has inspired many other hymns as well as sermons and bible study subject. 

Psalm 100 “¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Choirs of thanksgiving were appointed when the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem were dedicated after the return from exile (Nehemiah 12:31, 38, 40).

Psalm 100 establishes the pattern for worship: We worship God for what He has done and for who He is. There are two exhortations to praise in the psalm. The first is in verse 2, the reason being that He has made us and “we are His people” (verse 3). The second exhortation to praise is in verse 4, and the reason is because of who God is: He is good, merciful, and truthful (verse 5).

If you are ever at a loss for motivation or reasons to praise God with joy, remember Psalm 100. Praise Him with joy for what He has done and for who He is. He is faithful and loving as evidenced by Him making you His child.

1/23/21                                         GOD WITH YOU                                              23

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14

Recommended Reading: Matthew 1:23

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

COMMENTS:  What does it mean for Jesus to have the name “Immanuel – God with us”?   No man could have imagined a God who could and did put aside His divine powers and abilities and work in order to live and experience life as a human with human limitations and abilities and emotions and feelings.  Jesus made Himself mortal and reliant on others as an infant – young child – young teen – young man – grown man.   He chose to grow physically and learn as any other human of His day.

Since He is one of the Triune God, He fellowshipped with the Father as other humans but also with connection of still being part of that Triune.  He did not sin, not because He couldn’t but because He chose not to.  He experienced human pain and fatigue and joy and anger and ….   He was tempted as we are, which means it was possible for Him to sin but chose not to. 

What would it be like then and today if Christ had yielded to sin even once?  The perfect sacrifice for sin would not have been worthy nor sufficient to take our sins upon Himself nor able to use that sacrifice to meet the requirement needed in order to forgive our sins.

It would be a darker world without confident hope of redemption Christ’s sacrifice purchased.    Most do not know Christ’s forgiveness, but not because God hasn’t offered.  Most don’t because they simply refuse to accept that priceless gift.

Why?  Well, some because they fear what God will require of them later.  Some because they don’t want to give up their sinful habits and enjoyments just yet.  Some because their pride keeps them from admitting even privately to God they are sinful and admit the sins they have done.  Some because they just don’t feel sorry because they have been justifying their actions and conduct and thoughts for a long time.   Some because sin has become a habit very hard to break.   Some because they doubt God’s existence and have believed the humanistic – atheistic – deceptive propaganda satan has bombarded us with for centuries.

But the world – the sky – all living things – they all and more declare the existence of an intelligent powerful God to create such magnitude of and order of creation.  Such order and beauty and complexity could not come into being without such a powerful God. It could not grow or evolve on its own any more than an airplane or truck or car could exist without an inventor – designer – builder.  Neither can God’s creation nor you and me.

We must all discover God and learn about Him both through His Word, through the lives of His followers, through prayer, and through His creation. 

Christ came and sacrificed Himself for us so we need not be alone while on earth.  We need not be afraid of the dark and evil in the world. We need not fear death because His Holy Spirit is near and abides with each of us all the time and even will take our hand and guide us to heaven when we breathe our last.

There are limits to what a parent can do to prepare their children for life and there are places they cannot go with them.  Death and journey to heaven they must let go and let Jesus take them Home.   To their God built eternal Home.

The name given to the Messiah in the Old Testament was Immanuel, which in Hebrew meant “God with us,” a name confirmed at the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:23). When the writer to the Hebrews wanted to convey God’s omnipresence, he quoted God’s words to Joshua on the eve of Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land: “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). Jesus even told His Disciples He would be with them “to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

You were not alone yesterday; you are not alone today; you will not be alone tomorrow. Jesus is Immanuel—God with you.

1/24/21                                       GOD WITH US                                24                                         

And they shall call His name “Immanuel”…“God with us.”  Matthew 1:23

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 1:22-25

²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

²⁴ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

COMMENTS:  I am writing this just before Christmas day.   Take a moment to reflect on past Christmas seasons and try to select a favorite.   Well I have to admit most have blended together in my memory.  Youthful Christmas Days bring memories of excitement of opening gifts, family dinners, and conversation.  Also is more common deep snow fall and enjoyment of sled riding on hill by our house.    Christmas eve worship, Christmas plays and candle light singing “Silent Night” are all fond memories.

In those days it seemed the last month before Christmas went by so slowly but Christmas eve and Christmas Day   passed like a blur.  Even as a boy, I enjoyed singing and listening to Christmas Carols.

As an adult, Christmas worship and singing and gathering at home took on much deeper meaning, especially singing Christmas carols to shut-ins and preparing and giving gifts for each shut-in.   For many years gathering at “Grandma’s and Grandpa’s home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.   But over time our parents and grandparent passed and we inherited their position and status in our family.

This Christmas will be much different but still Christmas.   Wearing masks, keeping a safe distance from each other will be the norm. Talking to each other and seeing each other will be through a computer screen but physically doing so with each around their own dining room table.

Thanksgiving was a lonely time especially for those suffering in the hospital and elderly staying in convalescent homes or even in their own homes because of restrictions imposed on stopping spread of Covin 19.  So this year it is even more important that we remember Jesus came as “Immanuel” God with us.  We can enjoy talk and listening with Him without concern of spreading disease.

David Jeremiah, today in his daily devotion gave 7 ways of letting Jesus’ presence       make this Christmas more real and joyful and memorable this year.  After-all, it is His birthday so should be more about what we are giving Him for His birthday instead of what gift we have for each other this Christmas:

1. Sing a praise song or Christmas carol and pray out loud expressing praise and love to Him with your voice either in privacy of your home or in public.
2. Listen to hymns of worship instead of secular music and radio stations.  Christian radio is more accessible to most people now than at any other time in history.
3. Read Philippians and circle “joy” and “rejoice” every time you find it.
4. Reflect and confess our sins to Him.  Confess those time we put off or forgot to spend time in prayer and devotion to Him.  Also, taken time to open our minds and soul to listening for His thoughts and   instruction and sharing.
5. Update our prayer list while reflecting on prayer requests God has answered.
6. Discover one small task we can do for Christ.
7. Then light a candle.  Remember He is the “Light of the world”

Write down this 7-point list and use it to help when get discouraged.   To get up and get going when tempted to give up, concentrating on doing what we can instead of being discouraged about what we can’t do.

1/25/21                     HE BECAME ONE OF US AT CHRISTMAS                                   25   

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  1 Timothy 1:15

Recommended Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

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

COMMENTS:  We are familiar to the story of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2) and the events leading up to His birth (Luke 1).  So familiar, because it is a story told often each Advent season, that it is easy to neglect or  take for granted.  Why He decided to come to earth and live without His divine powers.  To feel pain and weakness and loneliness and hunger and discouragement and even anger.  To feel the power and lure of temptation.  To experience fear and mortality.  To become fully human.

When God established His commandments and law whereby He would rule by and standard He would judge creation by, He also was resolved that He would be the one to purchase redemption for His creation.   He knew that price would be His own life because the price for sin had to be death since that punishment was set by Him before creation.

Why did God demand such a high price knowing He would be the only One worthy and qualified to pay that high price?    Why did He chose to provide redemption by sacrificing Himself instead of establishing a less costly price.  A price less costly for Himself to purchase our redemption and a price less costly to those who would reject His redemption.    In otherwords, since He loves everyone, why didn’t He create a less costly price? Why did He choose to be born into a very poor family instead of a family of worth and power?  Because for Him, it is all about us.  But for us it must be all about Him.  He did it all so we would be able to accept His priceless gift.  A gift we could not afford to buy but a gift we need more  than any other – even more than life itself.

Well, the longer I live  and the more I learn from His scripture, from knowing and fellowshipping with Him, and being around His faithful followers, the more I discover of Him I still don’t understand nor know.  If I had to administer judgment over my own children for an offence or sins, I would do all I could to diminish the punishment they would have to endure for their sins as well as cost if I had to pay it  for them.

Another temptation I would have is to forcefully make them accept the forgiveness offered.   I would be heart-broke if some of my children  accepted the redemption I sacrificed to buy and some of my children refused.

Well, Christ willingly paid the full price for our redemption with His own life.  The unchanging  price required was death but could be a substitute for offender.  But that substitute had to be free of sin so the sacrifice would be for another instead of his own sins.   Since Christ came as a human and did not sin, then the payment He paid  would be fully for our sins.  Only God could do this and He knew that before He began creating.  Fourteen times in scripture tells us that Jesus came “into the world.” He wasn’t simply born. He left heaven and came into the world. The Lord Himself said, “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world” (John 16:28). He told Pontius Pilate, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).

The more I study and think about these words, the more I marvel at Jesus’ birth and life and accomplishments.  The more I also appreciate the Love and Sacrifice He has and gave for me and for you.   Paul wrote in I Timothy 1:15  “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”

Jesus came into the world, that He might come into your heart. And He comes into your heart that you might come into His kingdom. The apostle John wrote, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).

That’s God’s gift to us.

1/26/21         THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD FOREVER                     26

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

 Recommended Reading: Luke 2:4-7

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

COMMENTS:  Consider the way God announced the miracle of Christmas.  The event was the birth of the “King of Kings” who would rule the earth in perfect unending peace.  A King who would be Immanuel “God with us”.   God chose to send this King as a newborn baby born to the poorest parents in the smallest towns and in the country least valued by the Roman Empire ruling the known world of that time. 

God announced that birth by a mighty angelic choir to a few poor shepherds and by a new brightest star to a few Persian scholars.  He chose those He would give opportunity to visit this king as a baby.  By the way, have you ever wondered how those Persian scholars new about the star and Messiah?  We are not told but I believe it was no coincidence that the “wise men” came out of the same empire and region Daniel and his 3 friends lived under Babylonian and later Medo – Persian empire. The impact of a few faithful men and women and even children.   The impact of faithful like Joseph and Daniel and Esther and … gives us a legacy that continues to impact the world.  Why? Because each generation learns their story from scripture and are impressed to likewise trust and obey God’s instruction. 

Simeon was a very old priest who God promised to see the Messiah before he died.  Anna was a very old prophetess God also granted the privilege to see the infant Jesus. (Luke2)

God honors and uses those who are faithful to Him and will bless them in many more ways than they know or can imagine.  Like proven in the lives of those before us, our lasting legacy is not defined by how we act during calm times and prosperous times as much as they are defined by how we act during crisis and tragedy and times of suffering and danger.                                                                                                                 

God humbles the proud and lifts up the humble.  He responds to those who submit to God and resists evil.   He draws close to those who seek Him and draw close to Him.  Take note of James 4:6-8 below:

James 4:6-8 “6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”

John tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  The Living Word from eternity past to eternity future (Colossians 1:15-20).  The Christ child whose birthday we celebrate on Christmas is equal to the Father with full knowledge and wisdom and involvement in creation and rule over all creation.  Trinity describes the Triune God we worship and love, but cannot fully comprehend or understand what that means.   For Jesus to be one with the Father but still incarnate in a human embryo and be born as a baby and grow into adulthood as a human and still be one with the Father and be both fully human and fully divine is a mystery.  But then again, shouldn’t we expect God to be beyond our comprehension. 

After all, no one could create a religion or a god like the one we serve and love.  Almighty God is the one and only true God.   Followers of every religion believe their religion and god is the one and only true God, but there can be only One God and only one true religion.

If you doubt the existence of God or accuracy of the Bible.  If you doubt the faith that your parents or grandparents had.  If you think all religions are equally true or false.  If there are other reasons for doubt like how free evil and injustice and pain and suffering, go rampant in the world.  If your doubts are strong, I invite you to seek God and open His Word, the Bible, and let Him show you what is true and what is not.  I invite you to seek out individuals who demonstrate a real faith that has made a difference in their life and ask them the questions that haunt you.

Evidence is very strong concerning the existence of God.   How could a world and life be so complex and orderly without a great Designer and Builder and Creator?  

Look at the lives of Christ followers in the New Testament and Old Testament followers and will notice courage and hope and strength beyond humanly possible and a level of love and integrity above the norm too.  But wait, what about hypocrites and those who have done evil in the name of God. 

Well, the Bible is clear about who is the source of evil and gives him many names including the great deceiver.  In contrast, the Bible gives ample examples of how true followers conduct themselves plus the perfect example in the life of Christ.

The Bible is also warning of false teachers and false prophets who convey an empathy for God but deny His teaching and authority and power and truth.

Truth is God gives us free will to choose our path and conduct.  Freedom to choose who and what we believe and who we follow.   He also is willing to show and guide us in quest to seek and find and follow truth.  He will never contradict His Word and will keep His followers from being deceived or overcome by temptation if they put and keep their minds and eyes on Him.

But if we desire to go our own way and follow our selfish desires instead of following His will, then we become vulnerable to satan’s will.

Yes, we are in a war between good and evil.  A war prophesied that will come to a climax in the days before Christ’s return.  A return that will come sooner as man determines to destroy himself.

Believe it or not, John 14:6 tells us that Christ is the only way to heaven.   Admitting our sins and accepting Christ’s forgiveness and sacrifice for our sins is the only way to forgiveness.  Then Christ’s response is to assure us of His abiding presence all our live and assurance of a home in heaven He is preparing for us for eternity.   The Savior who offers everyone the opportunity of eternal life in heaven is the same Savior who’s birth we celebrate on Christmas Day and who’s resurrection we celebrate on Easter Morning.

So let’s praise God today for coming as the new born baby Jesus, living and growing as a human in poverty.  For teaching and showing God’s teaching and truth and finally surrendering to torture and death as payment for our sins and then raising on the third day so we can know and have confidence on the promises and bright future awaiting us.

1/27/21               GOD’S GIFT TO MANKIND AT CHRISTMAS                    27

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

Recommended Reading: Luke 2:4-7

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

COMMENTS:   Democratic or Republic type governments work best in governing population of subject countries because they provide built-in checks to stop or avoid abuse like:

1. Unfair treatment of certain classes or races of people over others.
2. Using government resources for personal or selfish purposes by the king or top ruler .
3. Making foolish and destructive decisions without accountability

These are just a few of the many ways abusive kings or queens or dictators have commonly reigned destruction and death and great hardship on it’s people.  But, as I’m sure you also concluded, these abuses are also evident in democratic forms of government.   The thought and hope is that sharing power gives sufficient accountability and stop signs that will stop abuses of power.

There have been good and righteous dictators and kings/queens who ruled rightly and their people prospered.  There have been harmful and helpful democracies too.

Well, what is different?  I believe the difference boils down to who is influencing or inspiring those ruling or in authority. 

One day, Jesus is returning  to bind satan and his followers and establish His rule with His followers.   Satan is working hard gaining followers to establish his rule, but his pride prevents him from accepting the truth that God’s way and rule is best. Satan’s pride has also prevented him from admitting that God’s power and knowledge and wisdom is infinitely greater than satan’s.  Satan is no match for God and one day God will say “Enough” and Christ will bind and cast him and his followers a terrible place of judgment and punishment.

1/28/21                                A LONG HISTORY OF ANSWERED PRAYERS                                       28  

I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.  Psalm 12:5

Recommended Reading: Psalm 12

12 Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!  For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.² They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

³ May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,And the tongue that speaks proud things,⁴ Who have said,“With our tongue we will prevail;Our lips are our own;Who is lord over us?”

⁵ “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,Now I will arise,” says the Lord;“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

⁶ The words of the Lord are pure words,Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,Purified seven times.⁷ You shall keep them, O Lord,You shall preserve them from this generation forever. The wicked prowl on every side,When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.”

COMMENTS:  I invite you take some time to reflect on answered prayers you recall in your lifetime and especially during 2020.  As I do so, I recall many life changing events in which I can see God’s hand directly involved over the decades.  He has guiding and helped and protected influenced my choices directly and through key people He put in my life.  Choosing a life career, a wife, and a long list of smaller decisions but important ones in living a life of obedience to His Will. 

God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, two great children, one granddaughter and two step grandsons, a long list of other relatives and friends and co-workers and fellow church friends.  The impact of parents and grandparents leaving a wonderful legacy and memories that still greatly influence choices I make.

God has granted me nearly 70 years of life, 42 years of marriage, nearly 40 years with one employer, 8 years of retirement and opportunity to focus on a few key charities and volunteer work.   

God has allowed me to enjoy health but also illnesses that have taught me to lean on and seek help from Him as well as others.  All this said to remind me and encourage you to focus on seeking an obeying God’s Will from the smallest choices to life changing choices we face in 2021.  Most choices will be less life changing but some will.  All this to encourage you and remind me to dig deeper into God’s Word, draw closer to followers who have been faithful friends and genuine followers of Christ.  All this to seek more help in doing volunteer work God has and being more focused on hearing God’s soft voice each day – to embrace those distractions He puts in our path daily to encourage and help others He puts in our path each day.

2020 has been a memorable year.  Covid 19 has impacted the lives of everyone in every country and community globally.   Who could have imagined its impact a year ago or the damage in lost life and lost businesses and in lost freedom to do or go freely without regard of consequences.

So what does 2021 hold for us?  I am almost afraid to speculate, but do know God not only knows but is involved in our future working and preparing us for if we take the time to seek Him and open our soul and mind to listen and obey what He tells us.   I continue to struggle doing His Will because my desires and will still get in the way, but I know His way and Will is always best for me, best for my family, and best for everyone.  So what you and I need to do is resolve to do His Will in 2021.  In order to do so, we need other people to make us accountable and we need to keep our eyes and mind and soul connected to Christ each day and each hour of each day.  That needs to be a resolution we make and keep in 2021.  That means also making 2021 the year to study scripture and learning and obeying God’s nudging every day.

The crisis in the world and in our country and local community makes us more aware that God is removing His protective hand and allow us to be exposed to the consequences of our sins.   We need to repent of our sins, which means both confessing them and turning from doing them.  We need to follow 2 Chronicles 7:10-19 “11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, ¹² the Lord appeared to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.

¹³ “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. ¹⁶ I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

¹⁷ “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, ¹⁸ I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’

¹⁹ “But if you^[a] turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you^[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.”

I believe each day’s news, including the number of deaths and hospitalizations of Covid 19 patients along with wars and natural disasters rampant globally all confirm God has removed His protective hand from us and is warning us, like Solomon long ago, to repent and draw close to God in order to enjoy God’s protection again.

It is up to us to change the world.  God knows exactly what we need to do and knows exactly what we need.   We can’t change the minds of our children or friends or other relatives, but we can lead by words of encouragement and our conduct.  If we do so as He guides us, then He can and will do the rest.   After all, He wants our friends and relatives and even our enemies to know and obey Him too.  He loves all equally – both the loveable and the not so loveable.  He wants all to repent but chooses to let each of us make up our own mind.  We can choose our path but we can’t choose the blessing or consequence that path takes us too. Only God has control of that.    He delays or puts off judgment in order to give us as many opportunities to repent He can, but one day it will be too late and opportunity to repent will be gone too.  How tragic for those who did not choose to repent.  How tragic for those who love them.   Time is running out and Christ’s return, I believe, in very soon – maybe in 2021.  Only He knows but evidence is mounting confirming His return is very soon too.  Don’t wait to see how close to the cliff of judgment we can go without falling off.  Don’t postpone repentance in order to enjoy sin a bit longer.   He won’t wait much longer before judgment will come.

Make going to Christ first instead of last when making each day’s choices.  Instead of doing what we want and dealing with any consequences later.

Satan does not have a good future reserved for him and his followers, but Christ has a wonderful future He is building and preparing for any and all who follow Him.  AMEN? AMEN!

1/29/21                       GROWING ENDURING FAITH IN GOD WHILE IN DARKNESS                29

I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches in the secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who called you by your name, am the God of Israel.  Isaiah 45:3

Recommended Reading: Psalm 92:12-15

¹² The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.¹³ Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God.¹⁴ They shall still bear fruit in old age;They shall be fresh and flourishing,¹⁵ To declare that the Lord is upright;He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

COMMENTS:  As we study the Bible and pray and obey God’s instruction, we soon discover some life changing attributes of God.  Today’s scripture reminds me that GOD IS UNCHANGING AND ETERNAL.  That means He deals with and you and me like He has been doing since creation, so stories of how He brought David and Nebuchadnezzar and Paul to repentance and how He punished those like Saul and pharaoh when they refused God’s attempts to and ways to persuade them.  Even though He deals with each firmly and directly but different, scripture reveals God’s standards and ways of persuasion as well as His longsuffering because He dreads punishing and loves blessing all whom He loves.   He also passionately desires fellowship with everyone.

Our will and desires are totally selfish and self-seeking. Left to our own wisdom and inclinations unchecked would lead to regrets and punishment.   Yet punishment is primarily God’s way of trying to persuade offenders to repent, but a secondary purpose is to prevent sinful conduct and behavior to spread resulting destruction.  But even in the midst of punishment and judgment, God historically administers mercy.   The Israelites, after the miraculous ways God freed them from slavery in Egypt, continued to complain and criticize God’s ways of providing.  When they became uncomfortable due to hunger or thirst or fatigue, they complained to Moses and to God.  This amazes me because of the   level of suffering as slaves they endured in Egypt.  When look at manpower and time it took to build the pyramids and others structures, we see evidence of hardship and suffering they were accustomed to endure with little or no hope of escape.  They dare not complain to their task masters or they would be brutally beaten and likely killed.

Yet when God would delay provision or ask the Israelites to trust Him, they almost immediately would refuse and complain and even craft pagan gods they knew of from their Egyptian slave owners.   Was God’s ways of testing their faith worse than how Egyptian taskmasters treated them?  NO, not even close!  They refused to trust God to help them conquer the giants who occupied the land God promised them.   They couldn’t wait for God at the base of Mt. Sinai while God fellowshipped with Moses and gave him the 10 Commandments. 

God judged them by not allowing them to enter the promised land.  They would die and then their children would have opportunity to enter promised land. The giants were still there.  God still required obedience.

But even in the wilderness for 40 years, God provided for them.  Scripture tells us God provided manna as food and water every day for   40 years without fail.   Sure, they grew tired of manna even though it satisfied their hunger and water satisfied their thirst.

But when the 40 years and those who rejected God’s command to enter the promised land, God then required their children to obey.  The covenant between them and God was renewed.  Joshua asked them to obey God’s instruction without fail in the promised land. 

God then guided them to Jericho where He tested their faith by ordering them to march around the city walls exposing themselves to the arrows from soldiers on top of that wall.   No evidence of God’s help was given until they had completed that march once each day for 6 days and 7 times on the 7^th day.  But when the final march lap around city walls was completed, the walls shook and then fell down.

Since God has not changed, how should we expect God to help us?  Stop and reflect how He has thus far?

1. God gives instruction in steps, not requiring us to go any further than each step.
2. God provides obstacles and opportunities to witness.  Their purpose is to strengthen our faith and to partner with Him on opportunities to gain followers.  Even at Jericho, Rahab was given opportunity to join as a new follower.
3. God provides encouragement and guidance and strength as needed along journey.
4. Result of faithful obedience is:
   1. Stronger faith – trust in God’s way and will – witness and testimony to share
   2. Avoid danger from potholes and ditches of temptations and distraction satan puts on our path.
   3. A perfect destination beyond our expectations.

The above list in not complete so would encourage you to add to it.  When we are faithful, especially during trying times of suffering and loss, our witness and life stand out and are a powerful encourager for others to recognized and desire God’s faithfulness and abiding presence in their lives too.

Heaven is our final destination.    Why wouldn’t we want to enjoy that destination with our loved ones and friends and family and co-workers and …

What about those we care about who don’t know Christ.   A tremendous burden is lifted when we ask and trust God to do what it takes to persuade them to repentance.   So when we are faithful to all God asked, we know our prayers for His help are not only heard but He is already working on an answer and doing all His Will permits to win them too.

Remember, God loves you more than any other is able to.  Remember, God loves each one of us more than any human is able to.  Remember, He even loves our enemies more than we or anyone can, so He is motivated to do what we can’t or not able to do in order to win them.  Likewise, He desires to make our enemies our friends too.

Times of darkness or night are needed for trees and animals and humans to gain needed rejuvenation.   Sometimeswe endure dark times to motivate us to put or keep our focus on Christ as we live and steer through our day.   When we do this, we need not fear the dark. God sees and reaches out to us to take His hand and guide us.  AMEN?  AMEN!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

He also makes the sun arise right on time, replacing fear with joy and sadness with gladness. With Him near, we nver need to fear the dark. It’s sometimes where negatives develop into pictures of grace. 

1/30/21                               CHRIST’S PERFECT LIGHT                                                     30                        

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.   1 Peter 2:9

Recommended Reading: Psalm 27:1-5

1.  of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;Whom shall I fear?The Lord is the strength of my life;Of whom shall I be afraid?² When the wicked came against meTo eat up my flesh,My enemies and foes,They stumbled and fell.³ Though an army may encamp against me,My heart shall not fear;Though war may rise against me,In this I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I have desired of the Lord,That will I seek:That I may dwell in the house of the LordAll the days of my life,To behold the beauty of the Lord,And to inquire in His temple.⁵ For in the time of troubleHe shall hide me in His pavilion;In the secret place of His tabernacleHe shall hide me;He shall set me high upon a rock.

COMMENTS:  As we age, we require more light to see clearly.  In fact, for every 20 years of age, we need twice as much light to see clearly.  So, that means I need 6 times more light to see as clearly as I did at age 10.   Does this ring true for you?   It does for me too.

Well, with availability of led light bulbs, flashlights and car headlights and home lights, we are enjoying brighter light than available to our parents and grandparents. 

What does light provide and enable us to do?  Light helps us travel safely, see and avoid potholes and danger on our path.  Light helps us read and work and play.  Light uplifts our soul and mind by allowing us to see and enjoy beauty and color.  Light simply makes us feel better and think more clearly.

I have met some people who live in northern areas of the globe and endure total darkness for ½ of the year and sunshine ½ of the year.   That means sun never sets in summer and never rises in the winter months.  I’m sure you agree  that would not be pleasant.  We need darkness to help us sleep and light to help us work and interact in daily obligations.  So, both darkness and light serve an important purpose.

Jesus called Himself the “Light of the World” (John 8:12). ¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

Consider how He is our Light:

• He lights our path so we can stay on the straight path and see and heed all warning and direction signs.
• His uplifts our soul while satan is identified as darkness that hides truth and dangers.
• His sacrifice for our sins and empowerment to turn away from and overcome sin and temptation as His Light overcomes the darkness of sin that satan lurns us into.
• He assures us that He is preparing a place in eternity for us   with all authority and power given Him by the Father.  He gives us a bright future and certain hope to energize our faith and motivate our desire to praise and love Him  and motivate our obedience.
• He also exampled the life and character we were created to copy.

Nothing compares to the light Jesus sheds on our pathway as we proceed through life. The Lord Jesus radiates light, as we see on the Mount of Transfiguration in the Gospels and in the descriptions of Him in the book of Revelation. Our eyes aren’t yet fitted for that brightness, but it filters through His grace onto our paths to brighten and illumine each step we take.

Walk in the radiance of His presence today.

1/31/21                          GOD IS NEAR IN EVERY SITUATION                                          31         

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you His peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.   2 Thessalonians 3:16

Recommended Reading: Philippians 4:6-13

^“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. ¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

COMMENTS:   Today marks the last day of December and also the last day of 2020.  This year started out much like any other but soon became one to remember.  The news this morning said one year ago was when China first brought the Covid 19 problem to light.  However, the impact of that information no one had any idea of.   There is no way we could have reacted any differently because normally we make decisions based on limited information.  Most are either good choices or choices that have little impact on our future or that of others.   But some have significant or even eternal impact on not only ourselves but also future of many others.

Can you list those that will have eternal impact in 2021?  Of course not BUT GOD DOES!

How about those made in 2020?  I’m sure there are a few memorable choices you made in 2020 that are still influencing you.  Take some time to recall them.      GOD REMEMBERS PERFECTLY SO HIS LIST IS MUCH LONGER THAN YOURS!

Ok, can you see where I’m going?  God not only knows what 2021 holds for us and choices we will make in 2021, but is involved already in the future preparing it and us too.  Preparation we can only take advantage of if we yield to His will and council.  But in order to discover this, we must take some time, stop and tune out any and all distractions and noise, and then wait on Him – listen to Him – follow and obey His council and instruction.

Well, even though most don’t take the needed time to discover and follow God’s Will, God still is deeply involved in guiding us and preparing us in many suttle ways.   Take some time to discover how He has done so in 2020 and longer ago.  I am sure you will discover many of those times and ways.  I can.    A good number of times I just happened to go to the post office earlier or later than normal and had opportunity to encourage someone that needed just that. Going back a few years, choices like meeting my wife and choosing her to ask to be my wife is a big choice that God played the major part in bringing us together.  The choice of college and career and employer are major choices God had tremendous influence in making.  But then again, the choice I made at the young age of 10 at a revival service in my home church in 1961.   Well, I won’t go on about my choices but encourage you to recall some of yours.  I am sure your list will be at least as long  as mine.

So God is the best possible helpmate along our journey of life.  He also knows when we will die and so wants to help us prepare for and be ready for that day too.  HE WANTS TO AND WILL IF WE LET HIM

So, let’s commit to daily take time to see what He wants to tell us from His Word, thru Prayer, and through those He will put in our path to council us and help us too.  If we do  that, we can be assured the will concer for God never contradicts His Word.  Discernment is also a key help God will show us so we can judge good council from foolish and bad council.

Well, welcome to 2021 and know our Lord Jesus Christ is already there waiting to greet you with His Hand reached out to take yours.  Reach out and take His.  That is what I’m going to do.   AMEN?  AMEN!                  

To many people around the world, 2020 was a difficult year, even a tragic one, and we have no idea what the new year will bring. But we know this without a doubt: In every situation we face, our Savior is with us.

As the new year dawns, paraphrase 2 Thessalonians 3:16 as an earnest prayer: Lord, may You, the Lord of peace, give me Your peace at all times and in every situation.

Remember what Paul said in Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (NIV). He added in verse 12: I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (NIV).

Every situation means every day, every hour, every circumstances, every location, every need, every fear, every joy, every opportunity, every step. He is more present than you know, and more powerful than you can possibly conceive. Our times are in His hands.

As previously, below is the Gideon Bible Reference I have been included in monthly devotions for some time.  I decided to continue including this for benefit of new readers and to continue to make it accessible to any and all who read and share this journal.  I encourage you to use and share as God directs.  If you wish to contact me or access more devotions, below is link to access.   

In His Service,

Don McDaniel

Email: dmcdaniel12@zoominternet.net

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

Archive:  https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/link-to-dons-devotional-journal-entries-2013/ 

GIDEON BIBLE REFERENCE SCRIPTURES:

HELP IN TIME OF NEED:

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

SUGGESTED READINGS (HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS):

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

SUGGESTED READINGS (SPIRITUAL STANDARDS)

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

DYNAMIC DOCTRINES

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

PRACTICAL PRECEPTS:

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

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT:

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

LP IN TIME OF NEED:

SUGGESTED READINGS (HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS):

SUGGESTED READINGS (SPIRITUAL STANDARDS)

DYNAMIC DOCTRINES

PRACTICAL PRECEPTS:

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT: