Thursday, November 29, 2018
God First
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 4:1, And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.
This chapter takes us into the journey of Israel’s defeat at the hand of the Philistines. However, before we go there, note that the first part of this verse seems out of place. Samuel is mentioned, but then no mention of him is made until later chapters. The first part of the verse seems to actually be part of the previous chapter, where we read in 3:21, “Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” What stands out in all of this is that God established Samuel as His prophet, and it is known throughout Israel, yet, we see that Israel goes out against the Philistines without first going to God, by way of His prophet, to seek whether or not they should fight this war. One of the most dangerous steps we can take in life, as born again Christians, is to make plans, regardless of how big or small, without going to God first and seeking whether our plans are part of His will and plan for our lives. Far too often we allow our own personal desires, and wants, drive our direction. We spiritualize it by quoting Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The problem with that is that this verse is one of the verses that is most often taken out of context to fit our own plans, and give ourselves permission to do what we want to do. What we fail to consider, or see, is that when we do this, we set ourselves up for failure and often discourage others who fail in their plans, because we foolishly gave them that advice. As Christians, when other believers come to us seeking approval for the plans they share with us, our first question should be, “Have you prayed about this and sought God’s direction in this?” If they have not, then we should offer to pray with them and seek God’s direction with them through His Word. If Israel had taken the time to seek the Lord, they would have realized that there was a greater problem in their lives than the Philistines…their sin against the Lord. This would have taken them in a completely different direction and God may have even interceded on their behalf, fought for them, and given them victory over those who were seeking to oppress them. Proverbs 3:5-7, clearly instructs, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.” Sadly, many Christians have a tendency to seek guidance by ungodly means. I have said this before, and I will say it again, a Christian has no business seeking advice or guidance from ungodly and demonic methods, such as palm readers, fortune tellers, and the like. King Saul’s death was in part because he sought a medium for guidance. 1 Chronicles 10:13 tells us, “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.” In Christ, we have access to God 24/7. There is absolutely no reason why we cannot seek God’s guidance in the decisions we make. Psalm 1 clearly instructs us to stay away from the advice and fellowship of the ungodly. In John 16:13, Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. When we set out to do something and do not first turn to God, and then fail, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Israel failed to seek God; then blamed God for their defeat, instead of looking at themselves and realizing that it was their sin and their failure to stay close to the Lord that led to their defeat. We must take care not to be defeated by our own selfish desires, and our own failure to seek God’s direction in our lives. What we think is a good idea and a good plan, may seem like it, and there may not be anything sinful about what we set out to do, but we must first consider whether what we set out to do is part of God’s will and plan for our lives. Seek God first.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Be Discerning
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 3:19-21, So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
How do we know that what we hear from a preacher or teacher is God’s truth? I hear too many people today claiming to be God’s messenger, but their message is not lining up with God’s Word. Sadly, I also see far too many Christians following these false teachers and false prophets like dumb, ignorant, sheep. In the days of the prophets, the only way to truly know if the prophet was of God was to wait and see if the prophecy came to pass. God would do something to verify that the man and the message were sent by Him. Here, we clearly see that God Himself established Samuel as a prophet of the Lord. How did He do it? By not allowing any of his words to fail. Man, in his quest to elevate himself, will claim to hear some special revelation from God Himself, when we all have the ability to know what God’s will and plan is for our lives. How, you ask? We can know by simply reading and studying God’s Word. Yes, God’s Word, that is accessible to all of us. With the abundance of Bible study tools available to us today, there will be no excuse when we stand before God for living ignorant of God’s will. He has given us His complete revelation within the covers of our Bibles. All we need to know about Him and life is in the pages of His Word. However, if we take the lazy approach to God’s Word, we will be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. Ephesians 4:14 put it this way, “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting”. How many of us have honestly gone back to our Bibles and verified that what we heard the preacher preach was true to the Word of God? God commended the Bereans for being the type of people who checked out the Apostle Paul’s messages. Acts 17:11 says this about them, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” If we are diligent to study the Word of God, as we are told to in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”, we will find that God will reveal Himself to us. That was one of the greatest rewards Samuel could have received while serving the Lord, as it reads in verse 21, “For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel”. The bottom line is that we must be diligent to study God’s Word for ourselves, and always be ready to verify what we have heard taught and preached. Be careful about those who claim to have some exclusive revelation from God that is not found in His Word. God has given us His complete revelation. Rather than looking for some new revelation, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s Word so that we can know how to apply it to our lives for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul said this in his prayer for the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 1:17-18, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”. He also said this about spiritual wisdom in 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” There are many preachers and teachers who are legitimate servants of God, preaching the truth of God’s Word. Nonetheless, this does not excuse any of us from reading, studying, and growing in our knowledge of Christ and His Word. Let us be students of God’s Word who recognize false teaching and who can apply God’s Word to our lives, with godly wisdom and by the leading of the Spirit.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, November 26, 2018
Speak Up
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 3:15, 18, So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”
God’s first revelation to Samuel was one that was difficult to speak, especially since it concerned the tragedy that was to befall Eli’s family. As followers of Jesus, we will all come face to face with times when we will have to speak the truth, and it will not be easy. We will struggle with how the other person will feel, and we may hesitate because we know that our stance on certain matters and issues will likely bring us rejection and persecution. There were many times when Jesus was at odds with the religious people of His day because of the words He spoke. There were even times when people turned away from following Him because of what they heard. In John 6, when Jesus spoke, spiritually, of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, many were offended and walked with Him no more (John 6:66). The fact of the matter is that speaking the truth will offend people. 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 23 say, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”, verse 23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”. Outside of sharing Christ with others, there will be time when we will be challenged because what we believe, the things we stand for, and our perspective on what is wrong or right, in accordance with God’s Word, is considered not only offensive, but close-minded, narrow, and intolerant, by the world at large. There will be times when it is best to be silent, but in those time when we are called to speak up, we must do so without fear, trusting the Lord for the outcome. In saying this, I would like to stress something about how we share truth. There are many Christians who have offended others, not because they shared the truth, but because of their attitude in sharing the truth. There may be times when we have to be firm in our stance, but there is never an excuse for being mean-spirited, arrogant, or down right offensive, in our tone and speech when sharing God’s truth with others. In Ephesians 4:15, the Apostle Paul encourages the members of the church to speak the truth in love. We should be speaking the truth in a manner that encourages growth in the hearer. It means that we are willing to speak the truth to one another, because we love one another. Will it hurt us to hear the truth at times? Yes, it will. Proverbs 27:6 clearly says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” The bottom line is that there will be times, when regardless of how loving we say something, if it is God’s truth, the likelihood is that someone is going to be offended. However, when it comes to God’s truth, we are called to speak up. We have been called to carry a message to the world that will cause many to walk away, push back, and completely reject us. Nonetheless, it is really Jesus that they are rejecting. When we are rebuked, rejected, and persecuted, for sharing truth, remember what Jesus said in John 3:18-21, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” People who live in darkness do not like having their deeds brought into the light, but we are called to be light in this dark world (Matthew 5:14-16).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, November 25, 2018
His Voice
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 3:10, Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
I always find it amazing that we can recognize the voice of our loved ones if we hear them call us in a crowd. Without hesitation, we often recognize the sound of our spouse’s, children’s, or close friend’s voice. Can we say the same thing relative to hearing God’s voice? Today, we have many voices that speak to us. The devils love to speak to us in order to distract us and mislead us. Quite often, they use social media, television, and other venues that are often used for evil and deception. I am not saying that everything that is on the internet or television is evil. We can certainly use these venues to listen to Christian programming and the Word of God. However, even in this, we must know how to discern whether we are hearing God’s Word or someone corrupting it. The bottom line is that we, as God’s children MUST learn to hear God’s voice in our everyday lives. John 10:27-28 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” Note that the very first requirement in being able to hear and know God’s voice is that we must belong to Him. Jesus said, “My sheep”. In verse 26 of this same chapter Jesus said, “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” Unless the foundation of our relationship with God is our trust in Christ and calling upon Him for eternal life, we will not know Him or be able to hear and recognize His voice. As born again believers, we can hear and know God’s voice by continually being in His Word and praying. Just like we take the extra time to get to know our best friend, we must purposely spend time with the Lord, in His Word, if we want to grow to know Him intimately. It is in that intimacy that we will learn to hear and recognize His voice. We must be able to recognize the voices of all the wolves in sheep’s clothing that pretend to preach the truth, but corrupt it for their own benefit and gain. This is where listening to preaching and teaching online and on television can either lead us astray or bring us closer to the Lord. Far too many Christian, who are too lazy to spend time in God’s Word, or who prefer to be spoon-fed, are being led astray with all the false prosperity preaching and “name it, claim it” nonsense. I hear a lot of Christians speak of being discouraged because they do not hear from God. They criticize their pastors because they do not sense God’s voice when they preach or teach, but I will say this, if the preacher is preaching God’s Word for what it is, and we do not hear God’s voice, then it is not that God is not speaking. Most of the time it is because we are not listening. We spend far too much time thinking, “If so and so were here, this would be the perfect message for them.” Funny how we can always hear God’s voice talking to someone else, when in reality the message is for us. We often spend a week with little to no study of God’s Word and prayer, but then blame everyone else, including the preacher, when we do not hear God’s voice. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 clearly states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In other words, God’s Word comes from God Himself. It teaches us God’s truth about who He is and about life. It convicts us, corrects us, and puts us on the right path so that we live in accordance to God’s will and plan for our lives. Have our ears fallen deaf to God’s voice? If so, it is not because God has stopped speaking or moved away from us. It is more likely that we are not listening, because we are not spending enough intimate time with Him in His Word, and it is us who have moved away from Him. If we spend more time with Him, the Holy Spirit will make us sensitive to the small still voice of God that is often drowned out by all the noise and other voices we allow into our lives. Take time every day to shut out the noise and the strange voices and spend some intimate fellowship time with the Lord, in His Word, and in prayer. You will be surprised how quickly you will begin to hear from Him again, and know that it is Him.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, November 24, 2018
His Heart and His Mind
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:35, Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever.
Here we have a prophesy that was partially fulfilled by Zadok (1 Chronicles 6), but was completely fulfilled by our King and Priest, Jesus Christ, the only One who has ever seen God, and who truly knows the heart and mind of our Heavenly Father (John 1:18). With that said, I would like to bring this down to how we can apply this verse to our lives. I will begin by asking, “What was the Lord looking for in His servant?” He was looking for someone who was faithful, and someone who knew the heart and mind of God. In Christ, we are a priesthood of believers. As a priesthood of believers, we were chosen by God in Christ, and we were set apart for His holy purpose (1 Peter 2:5-9). As servants of God, the Lord desires that we be faithful in our service to Him. His desire is that we come apart from the world, and draw near to Him. 2 Corinthians 6:17 clearly states, “Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’” As God’s servants, we should seek to be faithful and have a desire to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Far too many of us fall into the category of the sons of Eli, King Saul, and Judas. The sons of Eli did not love or seek to know God’s heart and mind, even though they were priests. King Saul tried to mask his rebellious heart with sacrifices, but God responded to him through Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” Judas outright betrayed Jesus because of his greed. The bottom line is that God desires that we serve Him faithfully, but in order to do that, we must know what is the heart and mind of God. Where do we find that answer? We find that answer in the Word of God. The Word of God is His inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16), and we have the Holy Spirit, who knows the heart and mind of God (Romans 8:27). God promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Deuteronomy 4:29 promises, “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” If we fail to seek Him and serve Him faithfully, God has no problem replacing us with someone who will faithfully serve Him. When King Saul refused to turn from his rebellion, God chose a man after His own heart, King David. When the sons of Eli refused to repent of their sinfulness, God removed the priesthood from their family and Zadok eventually partially fulfilled the duties of that office, as stated earlier. When Judas betrayed Jesus, and later committed suicide due to his guilt (Matthew 27:3-5), he was replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:20-26). Are we doing all we can to be faithful servants who know the heart and mind of our God and Savior? Are we spending the kind of time in Scripture and prayer that will enable us to know the heart, mind, and will of God? Our God is patient, merciful, and forgiving, but will replace those who continue to rebel and remain unfaithful. He will find someone to replace those who are unfaithful in His service, and who want to be the good and faithful servants He seeks. Will we be one of those servants?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Thanksgiving Everyday
Verse of the day: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Today, many are celebrating Thanksgiving Day in America. Over the years, I have seen this day of giving thanks being ignored and drowned by a commercialized Christmas. Halloween advertising begins in August in many places, because it is more fun to celebrate evil and demonic things. Before Halloween arrives, stores are already advertizing all things Christmas. As many of us celebrate this day of giving thanks, there are many who do not have family members or friends to celebrate with. Some are living through very difficult circumstances and may even be homeless in an area where temperatures are below freezing. When we stop and think about that, many of us have a tendency to complain about things that far less significant. If we are alive today, know Jesus Christ as our Savior, have clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads, and food on our table, we have much to be thankful for. 1 Timothy 6:8 says, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” As a matter of fact, if we only have Jesus and lack the rest of it, we still have far more to be thankful about than those who have all the world has to offer but do not know Jesus as their Savior. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” I used to take great offense by seeing this holiday ignored. However, when I stepped back and thought about it, I had to remind myself that I actually celebrate Thanksgiving everyday of the year. How can that be you ask? Well, every morning when I wake, I consciously and purposely take time to thank God for the blessings in my life. When I start the day that way, it reminds me to be thankful, regardless what happened the day before, regardless of what my current circumstances are, and regardless of what the day may have in store. God’s Word clearly tells us that God’s will is that we rejoice all always and gives thanks in everything. How do we do this? We do this in prayer. So I want to encourage us today to be thankful, not just on a specific day of the year, once a year, but everyday of our lives. Will it always be easy to do that? Realistically, the answer to that is no. Is it possible to do it? Realistically, the answer to that is yes. If we have Jesus in our life, then being thankful every day, in spite of our circumstances, is absolutely possible. When we learn to give thanks during the most difficult of times, that is when our giving thanks become true worship, as expressed in Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, November 18, 2018
The High Price
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:34, Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die, both of them.
The one thing I believe we all, as Christians, can agree on is that sin can be costly. All of us have been affected by sin in some way, the greatest being our separation from God. Praise be to God that He gave us His only begotten Son who paid the price for our sins, so that we could be redeemed and reconciled to Him (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). Just how much God hates sin is evident by the torture and death that Jesus experienced as payment for our iniquities. Yet, knowing this, far too many of us continue with our sinful ways. Our God is patient, merciful, gracious, and forgiving, but I must warn each of us that there will come a time when God says, “Enough!” When that time comes, many of will find out, if we have not already, that sin comes with a high price, and it is a price that we will not want to pay. Simply put…sin kills. The greatest death that any of us can experience is eternal death. Romans 8:12-13 tells us, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Praise be to Jesus that in Him we will never die (John 11:26). However, let us be warned that as born again believers, sin can still kill. James 1:12-15 says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” We know that as born again believers we will not experience eternal death, but that is not an excuse to continue in sin. The Apostle Paul explained this in Romans 6:1-4, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Hophni’s and Phinehas’ refusal to repent and turn from their wicked ways earned them the sentence God imposed on them…death. Again, I say that even though we are eternally saved in Christ, we can cause death in our life if we refuse to repent and turn from our sins. The death that we will bring will affect our relationships. We will kill the intimacy that Christ desires to have with us. We will kill the intimacy in our marriage, our family relations, and our friendships. We will kill our reputation for Christ. We will kill our joy and our peace. The bottom line is that we cannot continue in sin and not reap the consequences in some way, shape, or form. Sadly, we take God’s grace, mercy, and patience for granted. We must not forget the warning God gave us in Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” As God’s children, we must heed the warnings before it is too late. God is patient, and He will gently beckon us to turn back to Him with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He will continue to prick our hearts, but there will come a time when God will allow us to pay the high price of the consequences of our refusal to give up those sins we think no one will find out about, or the ones that we shamelessly put on display for everyone else to see, such as covetousness, gossip, and the other nasty little sins that we allow to run rampant within the local church. Sin is sin, and someday, when we least expect it, because we begin to think that God is winking at our wickedness, the hammer will fall, the pain will come, and death will take hold of our life and relationships. This need not be so when we have Jesus who is the Giver of life. I will leave you with this from John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Time for a 180 Turnaround
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:25, If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.
Here is one of those verses that will cause some controversy amongst God’s people. Some would read this and immediately conclude that God chose, beforehand, not to save these two men. However, before we jump to conclusions, let us first stop and take a closer look at the situation. The sons of Eli, were corrupt and wicked men. They brought dishonor to the priesthood and were vile in their actions toward the people, discouraging many from bringing their offerings to the Lord, because of their behavior. That being said, I want us to be sure of this one thing, God desires that everyone would come to accept His Son and be saved…EVERYONE! 2 Peter 3:9 clearly says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” If this is so, which it is, why did the Lord desire to kill these two men? It had everything to do with what was in their hearts. This is no different than when God chose to use Pharaoh’s hardened heart to show His awesome power (Romans 9:17-18). Pharaoh’s heart was already hard, and God chose to harden it further for His own glory. These men, by their actions clearly demonstrated that there was absolutely no repentance in their hearts. God, knowing their hearts, chose to seek their death rather than give them something they would not seek, God’s forgiveness. Evidence that they had no intention of repenting came in their response to Eli’s weak rebuke in this verse, “Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father”. Quite often, this is the reason we repeat the same sins over and over again. We lament our sin when we are caught, or think we are going to be caught, and we cry out our confession, but there is no real repentance in our hearts. When the heat of what we have done has passed or we realize that we did not get caught this time, we go back to our pet sin. If we are caught and there is some loss, we confess because we desire that whatever we lost be restored, but there is no real repentance. We see a picture of this with Lot. When he was taken captive while living in Sodom, God allows him to be rescued by Abraham, and allows him to recover all that was taken from him. However, we immediately see him return to Sodom, right back to his old life, rather than flee that wretched place and start anew. The aftermath of that decision was that he later lost everything, including his wife, and ended up fathering his own grandchildren because of the incestuous acts by his own daughters (Genesis 14, 19). The bottom line is that God knows our hearts. He knows when we have hardened our hearts and sees through our superficial confessions. He will allow us to continue down the path of unrepentance until it ends in tragedy. However, if we truly come to Him with repentance…true repentance, and confession, the Word tells us that He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). I would like us to consider the areas we struggle with, and I ask, “Are we truly coming before the Lord with repentance in our hearts?” “Are we just confessing without true repentance, and maybe that is why we are returning to our pet sins?” If we are truly saved, and we know Jesus Christ, then we have all we need to overcome the repetitive sins in our lives that cause us, and those around us, pain. Does it mean we will not be tempted? No, but it does mean that we can overcome the temptation and be right with God once again. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Let us not be like the sons of Eli who incurred the wrath of God in their lives because of their hardened hearts and failure to go to Him with true repentance.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Friday, November 16, 2018
We Are Still Accountable
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:22, Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
Here is a very sad situation. As a parent, I know that it is heartbreaking for us to see our children go down the wrong path and stray from the Lord. Even worse, is a Christian parent who desires that their child seek God and live godly, but instead see a child, or children, who reject the Lord and live like the world. As parents, we have a great responsibility to raise our children in such a way that they are encouraged to accept Jesus as Savior and serve the Lord with their lives. It is our responsibility to teach them the importance of prayer, God’s Word, and the local church. As they grow older, our desire is that they will become independent in their faith, making their own personal choice to accept the Lord and serve Him. God makes us a promise that we can hold onto in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” I would like to remind us all that the promise that they will not depart does not mean that they will never stray. It is foolish to think that our children will not stray from the truth or from God, when we know very well that we too have our times of rebelling in our own way. However, as parents, we are not to give up. We are to continue praying for them and we must always stand ready to correct them, in love, if needed, and always be there for them when they have turned back to the Lord, if they need our help and accountability. This is where many of us, like Eli, fail our children, and more importantly, fail God. One of the things that contributes to the corruption of our children is our failure to discipline them. We have bought into the world’s philosophy, and lie, that disciplining our children will somehow damage them. I cringe when I hear a Christian say that they do not discipline their child, or children, because it is not right. I understand that sometimes we grow up in homes where there is no balance between discipline and abuse. Abusing a child is NEVER acceptable, and those that do will answer to the Lord. However, for us, as followers of Christ, when we say that we do not discipline our children, we are contradicting the One who knows best how to raise the children He has blessed us with, and who really belong to Him. I have heard Christians use the excuse that they do not discipline their children because they “love” them. Proverbs 13:24 clearly says, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” Proverbs 23:13-14 also says, “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14 You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.” Proverbs 29:15 warns, “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” I could go on and on because God speaks much about how we as parents should discipline our children, if we truly love them. As our children grow older and into adulthood, if we have done due diligence to discipline them when they were younger, we should transition from disciplining them to speaking to them and giving them advice from God’s Word. Note that I said give advice, not nag. For God will still hold us accountable if we see them go down the wrong path, but we fail to address it with them. This was Eli’s great fault, and God held him accountable. Even though he points out that what they were doing was wrong in verses 23-25, he does nothing further to stop them from desecrating the office they held as priests. In 1 Samuel 3:13-1, in Samuel’s first prophecy, God said this about the house of Eli, “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. 14 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” As parents, our children never become too old for us to play a part in their lives when it comes to giving them advice and doing what we can to steer them in the right direction. Ultimately, it will be their decision whether they will follow our advice and truly seek the Lord; but just as God will hold us personally responsible for our choices, He will hold them personally responsible for their choices. Our relationship with our children will change, and should change, as they grow older, but our role as a parent only ends when the Lord calls us home to be with Him.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, November 12, 2018
All of Us Can
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:18, But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.
What an amazing demonstration of God’s grace in His willingness to use even a child. Samuel’s call came while he was still a child. Jeremiah’s calling to be a prophet came even before he was born. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “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.” Even as Jeremiah protested because he was a youth, God rebuked his objection in Jeremiah 1:7, commanding him to go speak on His behalf. Many believe that King David was anointed king while he was a teenager (1 Samuel 16). Throughout the Scriptures we see that God is willing to use both the young and old. Our age should never limit our service to the Lord. We may have physical limitation, and even limitations due to resources, but there is always some way that we can serve God. Some of the greatest prayer warriors I have known were godly saints who were shut-ins. They ministered to others by praying for them and even sending cards and notes of encouragement to other brothers and sisters in Christ. If we, therefore, who are healthy enough to get up and go to work, go to a ball game, participate in a hobby, or do anything else physically, what excuse could we possibly have for not serving the Lord? If we can speak, what hinders us from telling others about Jesus, other than our own fears? Many of us will sacrifice all that we have to travel to another country on vacation, but refuse to go next door or down the street to tell someone about Jesus. We are willing to spend all kinds of money on things that will soon sit in a corner collecting dust, but we will make excuses as to why we cannot give to someone in need or why we cannot give a little extra for missions. All of us, regardless of who we are, were created with some talent or ability that can be used in our service to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that we all have diverse gifts that we are to use, in unity, in the local church to both serve God and edify one another. We may not have talents or abilities that put us in the forefront or limelight, but we are not all called to be at center stage. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 clearly states, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” If God can call, and use, a child, can He not also call us and use us? God used men like Abraham, Moses, and Daniel, who were old men. The ages of the disciples varied and it was believed that the Apostle John was just a young man when he walked with Jesus. The bottom line is that those of us who are not being used by God are not being used because we are choosing not to be used. We have chosen the cares of this world and are seeking our own comforts and interests, rather that choosing to sacrifice whatever we have to in order to serve the Lord. In 1 Samuel 2:27 we see an example of a man of God who came to Eli, “Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?’” Here is a servant of God who is not even named, yet he served God. If we refuse to serve God because our service will not get us recognition, then we are serving with the wrong motivation. We can serve God knowing that God sees our service. The bottom line is that we must make ourselves available and be willing to serve God in whatever manner He calls us to serve Him. Our age or perceived shortcomings should not be a hindrance, but an opportunity to let Jesus light, strength, and power, shine through us in this dark world. All of us can serve in some fashion for the glory of God.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Our Actions Matter
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:17, Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
The sons of Eli, who God referred to in His Word as “sons of Belial”, were corrupt priests. Their actions remind me of today’s modern day preachers who use the ministry for their own profit. In verses 13-16 we read that Eli’s sons, because of their greed, cheated both God and the people when offerings were brought to them for worship. The first portion of whatever was brought belonged to God. Yet, in verse 15 they commanded the people to give them the raw meat, rather than take of the portion that was allotted to the priests by the Law, as was commanded by God (Leviticus 6-7). This may seem like a small thing, but the reason this was so sinful was that the fat was considered to be the best part of the animal, and when burned, it was a sacrifice unto God. In other words, the best part of the sacrifice, of the offering, belonged to God. These wretched men were keeping it for themselves, and it is quite possible that they wanted the raw portion so they could resell it and make a profit. We also see that they did not take of the proper portion as prescribed by God’s Law, but instead took whatever they could with the fleshhooks, to include the portion that would have been given back to the one bringing the offering. These men, because of their greed, became so corrupt that they resorted to violence, if needed, to get what they wanted (v. 16). Their behavior resulted in the people despising the act of giving which, even today, is a great part of our worship. Giving to the Lord is a great part of our faith. It is the one area that truly tests whether or not we trust God. Today, many people, because they have put their eyes on corrupt men, corrupt preachers, rather than keep their eyes on the Lord, have used these men as an excuse not to give to the local church or support ministries. Although these men have committed a great sin by discouraging the people from doing what they were called to do in worship, they committed an even greater sin because the sin was really against God Himself. They caused the people to rob God because of their own theft of what belonged to Him. We, as God’s children, can sin in many ways against others, but the greatest implication of our sin is that we sin against God. Joseph, when faced with fornicating with Potiphar’s wife, chose to flee from her advances. What made this so honorable was not that he fled from temptation and avoided the sin. What made his actions so honorable was what was in his heart when he fled. In Genesis 39:9, Joseph said this to Potiphar’s wife, “There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” The actions of Eli’s sons were so grievous because their sin was really against God, and they caused others to sin against God. Those who discourage us from giving to the Lord, as we should, will ultimately answer for their actions before the Lord. That being said, each of us who use these men as excuses to hold back from God what belongs to God will suffer our own consequences for our actions. No one will escape. As children of God, there is a greater lesson to draw from this. We are supposed to be ambassadors for Christ while here on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). That being said, I will ask a question. What do our actions, words, and deeds, say to others about Christianity? Do we encourage others to consider a relationship with Christ by the way we treat them, by how kind and generous we are, or do our actions and attitudes cause others to despise Christ and Christianity? Does our lack of giving, of self, and what God has blessed us with, discourage other Christians from giving to God? Have we allowed the actions of others to discourage us? Have we put our eyes on men, rather than keep our eyes on Jesus? Let us be careful to live out our Christianity in such a way that others would be encouraged to give to the Lord and desire what we have in Christ. Philippians 2:12-16 puts it best, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Friday, November 9, 2018
Do You Really Know Him?
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:12, Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they did not know the LORD.
As we read about the sons of Eli, we see a very important lesson. In fact, the lesson is one that is a matter of life and death, eternal life and death. I will bring our attention to that lesson by asking one simple question. Do you really know the Lord? I am not asking if you know about the Lord. There is a huge difference between knowing about the Lord and knowing the Lord. There are many who know about the Lord, and may even behave like Christians, but do not have a personal relationship with Him. Interestingly, the Scriptures refer to the sons of Eli as the sons of Belial, or the sons of the devil, sons of corruption. In John 8, the Pharisees insulted Jesus by telling Him that He was born of fornication, and alleging that God was their Father. In verses 42-44 Jesus responded, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Here is a plain and simple fact. If a person has not put their faith and trust in Jesus and what He did on Calvary, calling upon Him by faith, and faith alone, he/she does not know Him. Romans 10:8-10 clearly says, “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Verse 13 goes on to say, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’” With that said, we must not be fooled into thinking that we are saved and know the Lord simply because we are performing our works or going through the motions of serving in a church building. There are many who try to be good people, who serve in a church building, serving in their religion, who have not taken the step of actually putting their faith in Christ personally. Note that even though their father Eli knew the Lord, that was not passed on to them genetically or because they grew up with Eli as their father. The Lord’s invitation to us to accept the free gift we have in Jesus is a personal invitation. The only way to receive it is to personally call upon Christ and personally accept it. If we fail to do that, regardless of how many works we perform, or what family we grew up in, or what church we grew up attending, we will still belong to Satan’s family (as Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees), and we will die in our sins; thereby condemning ourselves to eternal destruction. I will leave you with these verses of Scripture that clearly point out that our works are like filthy rags to God, regardless of how good we think they are, and the only way to receive eternal life and truly know the Lord is by faith alone. Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags”. Titus 3:4-7 also tells us, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, November 8, 2018
We Fret and He Laughs
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:9-10, He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail. 10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; from heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.”
Are any of us actually shocked at the level of wickedness that exists in the world today? It does not matter who we are or where we live, it affects all of us. In some cases it affect some of us more than others, as the wickedness hits us right at home, when we experience some personal injustice or witness a family member or friend suffer injury at the hands of the wicked. None of us are exempt. I see so many people up in arms because of what happens in government and the corruption that exists around us, and I even see Christians become unhinged over something that is still under the control and watchful eye of the Lord, even though it may seem to go completely against what we desire and pray for. Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” Why are the wicked so successful in their schemes? Why does God keep allowing the injustice and the suffering that we see all around us today? We may not understand why things happen the way they do, other than the fact that humanity is marred by sin. Romans 3:10 tells us that there is none righteous, and Psalm 53:3 also tells us that there is none that does good. This is where our faith needs to carry us through those moments when it seems that justice has eluded our painful circumstances. In my years of being in law enforcement, I have seen many cases where it seemed like, to my frustration, that the “bad guy” got away with the crime. However, during one of my most frustrating cases, I had to step back and pray, communicating to the Lord my desire that justice would be done, and then trust Him to mete justice in His time and manner. Shortly after I retired, I heard news that God’s justice prevailed, and that the perpetrator in that particular case paid the price for his crime with his life. The frustration we feel when we see individuals, organizations, or governments, continually get away with their wickedness and corruption, will someday be satisfied. Psalm 37 should be a great comfort for us, as it reminds us that God is fully aware of the ways of the wicked, and His response to all they do is that He laughs at them. Why does He laugh? Well, let us read verses 1-15, “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. 15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.” What more can we add to that, other than praise to the Lord for the fact, and it is a fact, that one day He will make right all that is wrong with our society today. Let us not get caught up in the nonsense and useless debates. Instead, let us focus on telling others about Jesus and what He did on Calvary, so that they too can have the hope that we have in a King who will return to establish His Kingdom forever; a Kingdom where there will be nothing but peace and righteousness for all of eternity (Revelation 19:11-16).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
So Small in Comparison
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:8, He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and He has set the world upon them.”
Why do we worry? What is so big in our lives that God cannot handle? Have any of us faced a challenge in life that is bigger or more powerful than our God? The short, simple, answer is, “No.” So, why do we insist on living with worry and stress from day to day? Hannah praised God because He is Creator and is in control of all of creation. How wonderful to read Job’s statement in Job 26:5-14, “The dead tremble, those under the waters and those inhabiting them. 6 Sheol is naked before Him, and Destruction has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. 8 He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it. 9 He covers the face of His throne, and spreads His cloud over it. 10 He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness. 11 The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at His rebuke. 12 He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm. 13 By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. 14 Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” Psalm 75:2-3 also says, “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly. 3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah” Psalm 47 makes is clear that God is King of the earth. Our God is in control of ALL things. If this is so, and if we believe this, why do we worry? What have we to fear if the God, who created everything around us and has the power to suspend the earth on nothing, is our God and Savior? If we have called upon Jesus and know Him as our Lord, why do we make our problems, trials, and tribulations seem like God is too small to take care of them? Hannah recognized that in comparison to God and His power, her dilemma was small. What challenge are we facing today that is causing us to dwarf God in our minds? When we begin to falter, as we face life’s challenges, let us remember Nebuchadnezzar’s praise in Daniel 4:34-35, “And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” Our God is sovereign and has dominion over all that is in heaven and earth. In comparison to such power, our everyday challenges are so small. This is why it is so important to for us to remind ourselves that we can bring our cares to Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7), and we have, thanks to Jesus, an open invitation to bring them before His throne…every single day (Philippians 4:6-7). Hebrews 4:16 clearly tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, November 5, 2018
Vanity of the Pursuit
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:7-8, The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and He has set the world upon them.”
What are we pursuing in life? What are we trying to attain during our short time here on earth? Are we after things that seem to elude us at every turn? Have we stopped to consider that we may be chasing something that God never intended for us to have in His plan for our life, and service to Him? How often have we pursued something, obtained it, only to feel that it did not bring the long term satisfaction we thought it would? Any pursuit that falls outside of God’s will and plan for all lives will always leave us empty and wanting. That is why the unsaved are never satisfied with life and sometimes ruin their lives pursuing worldly goals. Sadly, there are many Christians who waste their lives pursuing what the world has to offer, and miss out on real blessings that have no value in the minds of those who are in the world. It always amazes me how easy it is to begin to forsake the local church and our service. It begins with that seed of covetousness that grows when we put our focus on what everyone else has, and we take our eyes off the Lord and the blessings we already possess in Him. In Luke 12:15 Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” How often have we pursued riches to our own hurt, working extra hours, not because we needed to, but because we wanted to gain more of the world’s riches? It begins slow, and before we know it, we are working on Sundays and during other times of corporate worship, “because we have to”. We begin spending money that we really do not have and could be giving to help the local church, a missionary family, meeting a family need, or investing in the future (should the Lord tarry), on things like the lottery and scratch tickets because there is a “slim to none” chance we could become rich overnight. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 clearly says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” King Solomon, with all his wisdom began the Book of Ecclesiastes with this statement in verse 2, “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” King Solomon was a man who indulged in many things because of his wealth, and in the end called it all vanity. What was his ultimate conclusion? In Ecclesiastes 12:13 he said, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” The bottom line is that God is able, if He so desires, to give us earthly riches beyond what any of us can imagine. However, that is not what He chooses for all of us. He can raise us up and elevate our status in society as He did with Joseph and Daniel, but He does not choose that for all of us. He can lift us up to be great servants in the eyes of the world and amongst the brethren, as He did with Billy Graham, but He may choose a different path for us. If we seek after riches and recognition that God does not have planned for us, we will be working against Him, and that is one battle we will never win. In the end we will destroy ourselves and those we love. We must truly acknowledge that we know and believe that what Hannah said in her praise, by living a life of contentment. Like the Apostle Paul, we must learn to be content in whatever state we are in (Philippians 4:11). My desire is that we remember today, and always, that the Lord has already been better to us than we deserve by giving us the One thing that is more valuable than all the earthly treasures that are available today…His Son. In Christ, we have eternal life and heavenly riches beyond what we can ever imagine. If we are poor in the things of this world, but have Jesus, we are richer than the wealthiest person on earth. Be content with such things as we have and we will not waste our life chasing things we will never get a hold of, and the world will never be able to take our joy (Hebrews 13:5-6).
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, November 4, 2018
We Are Not the Authors
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:6, “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.”
Hannah praises God for something that is a great debate today. Sadly, I see far too many Christians standing on the wrong side of this debate. I will say right up front, that man does not have the authority, unless given to us by God, to take a life. That being said, all of us who support those who are advocates of taking the life of an unborn child, or agree with those who believe in mercy killings, will stand before God and give account. Both the Apostle Paul, when he was Saul, and King David, were murderers, even though they did not physically partake in taking the life of Stephen and Uriah (Acts 7; 2 Samuel 11-12). In the Old Testament, God gave Israel to the command to wipe out nations. There are many today who would disagree with that, but who are we to question God? King Saul was disobedient and God rejected him as king because he refused to wipe out the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15). In Romans 13, God gives the authority to those who work in government, who police the people, to kill those who are evil-doers, if necessary. Romans 13:4 specifically says, “For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” In the Old Testament, when God said, “an eye for an eye”, He was not referring to us taking, or giving us permission to take, someone’s life of our own accord. This was meant to be applied by those who were responsible to carry out the laws of the land, as given by God Himself (Exodus 21:24). In Matthew 5:38-48 Jesus gives His dissertation relative to loving your enemy, and rather than resorting to “an eye for an eye”, Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, love and pray for our enemies. I want to take us back to Exodus 21 for a moment, because it directly relates to this whole wickedness today where society says it is okay to abort an unborn child. Exodus 21:22-25 clearly says, “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Isaiah 44:24 tells us that it is the Lord who forms us in the womb. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” The Apostle Paul wrote this in Galatians 1:15, “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace”. How then can we question whether or not it is a human life that is in the womb of a pregnant woman? If God is the Author of life and is the “Lord who kills and makes alive”, who are we to decide that such wickedness is acceptable, and support those who commit such atrocities? In Acts 3:14-15, the Apostle Peter said, when he was preaching, “But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” The word he uses, “Prince”, means “Author”. The same word is used in Hebrews 12:2 where Jesus is called the “Author and Finisher of our faith”. Jesus, God Himself, is the Author of life, therefore, only He has the authority to decide who lives and who does not. This also brings me to a point that all of us who know Jesus Christ as Savior need to praise God about and celebrate. The Author of Life, our God, is the One who will also raise us up from the grave to be with Him for all eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:13-14 says, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.” Finally, 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 promises, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” We must not be like the world that gives absolutely no value to, and has no respect for, life. Our opinions in comparison to His truth are worthless. We, as God’s children, should value life, as God values life, and remember that He, being the Author of Life, is the only One who should decide who lives and who dies, in accordance to His Word and His commands.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Saturday, November 3, 2018
From Boasting to Begging
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:5, Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, and she who has many children has become feeble.
Prosperity and abundance is not a true indicator of how much favor we have with God. There are plenty of unsaved people who are wealthy and continue to prosper, who are on their way to being eternally condemned in Hell and the Lake of Fire. With that said, do not envy those who flaunt their riches or look down on us because we are not rich in the things of this world. Psalm 37:1-2 admonishes us, “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.” Psalm 49:16-19 also says, “Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him. 18 Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), 19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.” In the blink of an eye, in a second of time, those who brag about all they have, and mock us for the little we have, can find themselves in poverty. Peninnah, who mocked Hannah for her inability to conceive, now sits idle with nothing to brag about, as God has opened Hannah’s womb and blessed her with more children. Note that once Hannah conceives and gives birth to her first son, we hear nothing further about Peninnah. This is still so today; many will boast about their riches and their status in society, flaunting their wealth, but often we see that their wealth disappears, something happens that mars their reputation, and they fade into the woodwork. Christians, we must be careful not to fall for all this false prosperity preaching that only encourages us to think that we can name it and claim it. Far too often I see Christians who gain some success in the world and walk into church as if the rest of the congregation should part, like God parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites, when they walk into the sanctuary. They give, but they do it in such a way that others know what they give, and have the attitude that they should be given special treatment just because they give more than most or are able to buy a bigger house or newer car. May I remind us that God does not need our riches? He is the One who provides them to begin with, and He is not impressed with what we give, since He owns the universe. The gaining of earthly wealth does much to feed our prideful and arrogant attitudes. Sadly, I see too many of us who begin to think that we are self-sufficient, and somehow think that our ability to gain more wealth comes solely from our own talents. That is a lie from the pits of Hell. God will prosper whomever He chooses to prosper. He will even allow the wicked to prosper but warns that the Day of Judgement is coming for them. We are not all called to poverty, but we are not all called to be wealthy either. Regardless of which side of the fence we end up on, the most important thing for us to pursue, as God’s children, is to live out the life and plan God has set for us, and do it with contentment. The greatest thing any one of us can experience, and know, is that God will take care of us and provide all our needs, regardless of what road He chooses for us to walk with Him. At the very least, let us be thankful that we do not have to worry about where our food, shelter and clothes will come from, for He has promised that if we seek first the Kingdom of God, He will provide all that we need (Matthew 6:25-34). Remember this warning, that those who brag today might find themselves begging tomorrow. This is why it is best to simply be satisfied with whatever God provides for us, and if He chooses that all we have is Him, we have more than anyone who is rich in the things of this world. Hebrews 13:5-6 reminds us, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” 6 So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Friday, November 2, 2018
He Breaks the Mighty
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:4, “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.”
Today we continue to examine Hannah’s prayer of praise. What a wonderful reminder that God is our Defender. Romans 8:31 tells us, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” When we look closely at what Hannah’s praise is all about in this verse, we see that God will break that strength of the mighty. Peninnah’s words were like arrows being shot at Hannah. She arrogantly lifted up the strength of her womb, knowing that Hannah was barren. What Peninnah seemed to forget was that the strength of her womb came from the Lord. Hannah, who was weak physically, in that she was unable to conceive and give birth to a child, sought strength in the Lord (chapter 1). She was in a position to be discouraged and give up, but she found her comfort and ability to continue worshipping the Lord in the Lord Himself. When the Israelites found themselves engaged in war against the Philistines, they cowered when the Philistine champion Goliath challenged them. It was David, the shepherd boy who was God’s chosen king, who stood up against Goliath. Note what David said that made it obvious that he was facing Goliath in God’s strength, and not his own. 1 Samuel 17:45-47 says, “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.’” Every day that we walk with the Lord, there is a good chance that we will face some sort of challenge. It may not be today or tomorrow, or even next week. However, know that we will all face some kind of trial, tribulation or challenge that will cause us to question our faith, our strength, and our ability to survive whatever troubling circumstance we find ourselves in. There will be those who gossip about us and plot to turn others against us. They may even succeed in convincing some that their falsehoods are true. Nonetheless, God is still aware of their words and their actions. Psalm 7:14-16 says, “Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. 15 He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made. 16 His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.” The fact of the matter is that it does not matter how strong or how much influence our enemies may have. God will protect His children. He may allow us to suffer for a while, but only so that He can teach us to trust Him and teach us to be more like Jesus in our responses to those who come against us. In the blink of any eye, those who seemed to have all the strength and advantage in the world can be brought low, because there is no one who is mightier than our God. Remember, when we are at our weakest, this is when God is at His strongest. We who know Jesus as Savior have access to that strength in the Holy Spirit. I will leave you with these verses that remind us that our greatest enemy is the devil, and he will use the people around us to try and break us down. Ephesians 6:10-11, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” God has given us all we need to overcome the attacks of those who wish to do us harm, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, and it is in His strength that we will see the ultimate victory. Jesus put it best in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, November 1, 2018
He Will Resist Us
Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:3, “Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.”
Hannah can now rebuke Peninnah for her prideful behavior. However, note how she does it. She does not go over to Peninnah and “give her a piece of her mind”. No, instead, she praises the Lord for being the One who stops Peninnah’s mouth. Note that God knows the motivation and intentions of the proud. It is a very dangerous place to be when we become prideful. This is the very sin that caused Lucifer, the devil, to be cast down. It was his downfall. Isaiah 14:12-15 tells us, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.” The sin of pride is one that can creep up on us very easily if we are not vigilant. It creeps into our attitude and comes forth in our speech and the way we treat others. It shows itself when we begin to believe that we are something, when in reality we are nothing. Galatians 6:3 warns, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Romans 12:3 clearly says, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” As God’s children, we must not forget, when we are dealing with others, that we were once without Christ, and we are saved by His grace, not be anything we have done (Titus 3:4-5). Sadly, far too many of us Christians, as we gain more knowledge of God’s Word, become prideful. Memorizing a few Bible verses does not make us better than another Christian who has not committed as many to memory, and it does not make us better than someone who does not know Christ, for we too were once lost and without Him. The Apostle Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, “Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” We must be careful that we not fall into the trap of presenting Christ or the Gospel in a prideful way, which usually results in us sharing Christ’s message in a mean-spirited manner, and a tone of self-righteousness. This is the reason many unsaved people turn away from Christ when we tell them about Him, rather than turn to Him. God’s Word tells us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). If a person is offended by the truth, we cannot help that. However, if they are offended because of our prideful attitude in presenting it, then it becomes our problem and we will have to give an account for it. We must be careful that we not allow our pride to get the best of us as God allows us to advance in our careers, or blesses us materially. We must remain humble when God begins to use us to minister to others and be a blessing amongst the brethren. Like Jesus, we must remain humble. When we feel our pride begin to bubble up inside of us, or someone points out that we are being prideful, rather than take offense (because our pride was hurt), we must immediately repent and confess it. The last place we want to find ourselves is in the position described for us in 1 Peter 5:5 and James 4:6, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Even though many of us know Proverbs 16:18, we do a poor job at avoiding it and its consequences. The verses read, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” We must never forget that God measures all that we do when we are being used by Him or when we are dealing with others. God does not only judge our actions, but He judges the motivation and intentions behind those actions. Peninnah was prideful in her taunts toward Hannah, but God ultimately humbled her by lifting up Hannah. May we strive to be more like Hannah and less like Peninnah for the sake of not being resisted by our God.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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