July 28, 2014

July 28, 2014

Mark 10:23  And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"  (ESV)

I have heard this verse preached in various manners.  I won't go into them, but I will share my belief.  (I don't believe it means the affluent will not enter heaven because being rich is wrong.)  I believe in the Lord's infinite wisdom, He just knows that many people will be so distracted by their money or the making of money, that they will not find time for Him and the things of His kingdom.  

It is like everything else in God's economy - it is all about the heart condition.  God did not give us a new heart, just so we could corrupt it with the things of this world.  So keep things in balance!

July 23, 2014

July 23, 2014

I Samuel 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were worthless men.  They did not know the Lord. (ESV)

I don't know about you, but I read this to say that worthless people are people who don't know the Lord.  If you ponder this, you might agree.  We get our worth in who we are in Jesus Christ.  That is my problem with some "self-esteem" programs.  I don't think we should be into self abasement, but our esteem is not found in who we are, but who we are in Christ.  Give it some thought.

July 22, 2014

July 22, 2014

II Samuel 11:1  In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel.

If you are familiar with this passage, then you know it leads into the narrative on David and Bathsheba.  I have always felt like it had something to do with the fact that David didn't go to battle like the other kings, but sent others.  Had he gone to battle perhaps he would not have been in the position to see and lust after Bathsheba.

I am not picking on David; I am identifying with him.  How often I have not gone or been where I should have been and found myself in trouble. That means generally I am, where I shouldn't be. I think we can carry this concept to any number of areas of our lives.  The drunkard who shouldn't be in the bar, but stops for just one drink.  The glutton who shouldn't be at the fast food place, but is, and will begin eating better tomorrow. You get my drift.

July 21, 2014

July 21, 2014

Leviticus 1:1  The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.' (ESV)

I think the key word in this passage is "when".  According to this passage, the Lord expects us to bring offerings to Him.  Even though this is in the Old Testament, I believe we are still to bring offerings to the LORD, albeit not from our livestock.  

If you have never read through the book of Leviticus, you really should.  It is so relevant to today. I would recommend a good book on Leviticus by Ray Stedman - The Way to Wholeness.

July 20, 2014

July 20, 2014

Psalm 20:4  May he (God) grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!  (ESV)

You know how to make this a sure thing?  Get into God's word and be intimately acquainted with His will for you and your life.  Then,  He will most assuredly fulfill your desires and your plans, because your will and His will match.

July 19, 2014

July 19, 2014

Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  (ESV)

Isn't it interesting that the first message Jesus preached was one of repentance?  That is always a good place to begin.  Whether we are preaching or responding, repentance should always come first.  If we don't turn around and face God and run to His arms, we will never find forgiveness.  Do it now.  Do it often.

July 18, 2014

July 18, 2014

James 2:17  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  (ESV)

We can have all the faith in the world, but the word tells us that if it is not accompanied by works, it is dead.  In other words our faith should produce good works.  There is an action element that goes along with our faith.  Now would be a great time to stop and assess your faith.  Do you see the proof of your faith in the good works you are doing?  If not - seriously consider this verse.

July 17, 2014

July 17, 2014

Matthew 6:1  Beware practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  (ESV)

I think it is extremely easy to get caught up in this very thing.  We like to look good in front of others.  In fact, it seems that in today's society, many jobs promote tooting your own horn.  This is direct opposition to what the Lord has to say.  We are not to boast in ourselves or even appear before others with the hopes of looking good in their eyes.  The only time that is acceptable is if the glory will go to God.

God sees into our hearts and motives.  He knows why we do what we do.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to lose my reward in heaven just I can look good in front of others on earth.

July 16, 2014

July 16, 2014

Zechariah 4:6  Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:  Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.  (ESV)

Why do we think conventional resources will work?  We rely on might and power to overcome obstacles, when according to this verse - we need only the resource of the Spirit.  And this makes total sense when you stop to consider this is not just any spirit, but the Holy Spirit of Almighty God.  The One who participated in the creation.  The One who causes our lives to bear fruit.  This is One of the Three to whom we sing - Holy, Holy, Holy...... 

July 13, 2014

July 13, 2014

Job 40: 4  Behold, I am of small account, what shall I answer you?  I lay my hand on my mouth.

(ESV)

In this passage Job promises God silence.  Have you ever caught yourself in that same predicament?  I have.  Sometimes I have been doing a lot of talking and not necessarily about things I know, and God will remind me of it, and I have to tell God - I am sorry and I need to keep my mouth closed.  Those are times of humility.  But there is no better feeling than to confess it to God and get still before Him and know that He is God.  He never fails to minister to me in those times.  Our God is an awesome God!

July 11, 2014

July 11, 2014

Daniel 6:26  I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.  (ESV)

King Darius acknowledges the power and sovereignty of Daniel's king.  Do you?
Do you reverently tremble and fear before Him?  Do you understand that He will endure forever along with His kingdom?

These are questions worth giving a great deal of consideration.....

July 6, 2014

July 6, 2014

Jeremiah 6:16  Thus says the LORD: "Stand by the roads, and look, and 'for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.  But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

What on earth are the ancient paths?  Are they just ways of old?  No - if you look up the word in the Hebrew, you will find that ancient means "eternal."  Now this verse makes more sense, doesn't it?

Once I discovered this, I looked up in a concordance all the things in the Word of God that are eternal.  I suggest you do it.  What a blessing.  Now, I see why that is where the good ways lies.  You will definitely find rest for your souls.  Don't put it off, do it now.

July 5, 2014

July 5, 2014

Matthew 7:15, 20  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (ESV)


Verse 15 warns us about false prophets.  Today, there are many people out there preaching a different gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Sometimes we get confused about who to believe and who not to.

First, I think we need to be in the Word of God and know the Word of God so well that we cannot be fooled.  But verse 20, above, also gives another way to recognize false prophets - by their fruits.  I think this is really telling us "by the lack of fruit."  We will not see the fruit of the Spirit when we encounter false prophets.  It might look like it on the surface, but dig deeper and we will find it is counterfeit.  As the end grows closer, the false prophets will increase.  Beware!  Be Wise!

July 4, 2014

July 4, 2014
A prayer for our country....The following prayer was offered before the Senate on July 4th, 1861.  I think it still applies.

"Almighty and everlasting God, be not angry with us for our sins; but pardon our offenses and extend to us Thy favor.  We thank Thee for all Thy manifold and abundant mercies, but now disasters have befallen us and darkness broods in the land.  We beseech Thee to guide us, to overrule and order all things, and so to cause that nothing shall fail, that the disorders of the land may be speedily healed, that peace and concord may prevail, that truth and righteousness may be established, and that Thy Church and Kingdom may flourish in a larger peace and prosperity, for Thy Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ's sake.  Amen."

July 3, 2014

July 3, 2014

Psalm 16:8  I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  (ESV)

I noticed in this verse David has purposefully and consciously made an act of his will in that he has set the Lord before him.  And always!  Then he shares the result of that willful action in his life:  he is steady, not to be shaken.

Sometimes we need to do this very thing.  As an act of our will, we need to determine what we are going to do with the Lord.  If we choose to constantly have His face before us, always a part of our life and decisions we make on a daily basis - we will not be shaken!  I challenge you to try it for just one day and see if it doesn't make a difference.

July 2, 2014

July 2, 2014

II Peter 1:2  May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

There are several epistles that start out with " grace and peace " to you.  This is a foundational truth.  Grace must come before you can experience peace.

Think about it.

July 2, 2014

July 2, 2014

Psalm 9:1  I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.  (ESV)

This verse encourages us to spend all our time giving thanks to the LORD and remembering all the wonderful things He has done.  I we were to take this verse seriously, as we should, we will not have time to do anything else.  I do believe we can, as we go about our day, we can continually thank God.  Secondly, when we get to heaven and find worship a full-time activity, we would already be pretty darn good at it.