Good News in a Bad News Day

    Turning on my computer today didn't bring a lot of good news.  The typical news sources through which I pass to get to my mail program were filled with doom and gloom type of news and certainly not anything that would give anyone any kind of hope or joy on any given day.  When I see the news these days, I just lump it all together with the breaking of the commandments and they are all broken each and every day.  Our present day brings the truth of Second Timothy 3:1-5 into stark reality.  Men and women hate God and openly scorn Him along with being lovers of their own selves.  As Paul opened the third chapter, so the words are true today.  "In the last days, perilous times will come..."  Where are we to find hope in such a day as today?   Romans 5:7-8 says, " For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  
      There are plenty of Bible passages that speak of hope due to salvation and this is but one of them.  We know that our hope can only rely on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Salvation through Christ is the only link between us and peace, hope, joy and indeed, eternal life.  This joy, in a this godless society can only be found in our relationship with Christ.  While the society may be godless, our own search for peace and joy can be found in the gospel message and as always, everything depends upon the resurrection.  It was the victory that the Lord Jesus Christ acieved on that day almost twp thousand years ago.  You won't find peace and joy in the New York Times, or the Washington Post or La Porte Herald-Argus.  If you want real peace and joy then you will have to accept the gospel message found in the pages of Scripture and it isn't a message that is hidden like w crossword puzzle or a word search puzzle.  It is plainly given throughout the books of the Bible.  It can be found in John 3:16 or in Romans 5:8 or Ephesians 2:9-10 or in Acts 16:31 or in First Corinthians 15:1-4.  The list could go on but you get the idea.  The Bible, as always, has the answer.  When you need a moment of comfort in your hectic life, just turn to the only true source of hope for the world in which we live.  As in so many other cases, the Bible is the source and our treasure chest of promises from God.  Praise Him today for His working in our lives and for the hope that He gives us each and every day.

The Alarm

        How many warnings do you ignore in the course of an average day?  My Mother used to say to me as I was going out without a jacket, "You are going to catch the death of cold."  I usually ignored it and I am still here so I guess I didn't catch it.  My friends in the midwest wrote recently about his radar detector that was screaming at him one time and he slowed down.  That brought me to thinking about the warnings we receive almost every day and many of which we just ignore.  There was an interesting story on Cartalk one day about a young girl who had a car where the check engine light came on and she got troubled with the light so put a band aid over it.  The car later blew up when her father tried to start it a few days later.  We are confronted with all kinds of bells and whistles and sirens every day and we can choose to ignore them and suffer the consequences or take heed to their warning and go on enjoying peace in our lives.  We all know that the Bible contains many warnings in it and unfortunately many have already chosen to ignore the warnings that are written in the pages of Scripture.   Revelation 20:11-12 says,  "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."   

      We often quote John 3:16 and mention the part about God's love, but there is also a warning in that verse.  A failure to receive God's love will result in perishing.  If we believe, then we will not perish, but will have everlasting life.  The above verse from the Book of Revelation, goes into much more detail about the upcoming perishing that will take place if a person decides to ignore the warnings of Scripture.  It is pretty severe when you think about it.  The unbeliever will be cast into hell for eternity and will be separated from God forever.  Even those people who think that death is the end of all existence, will be cast into hell for all eternity.  They refused to take heed to the warning that was given.  People are warned almost every day in some way or another and they still ignore the warning.  Instead, they put on a spiritual band aid over the warning, try to rationalize it away and hope for the best.  This time, God is not saying you will catch the death of cold if you go out without a coat, but that if you refuse His plan of salvation, you will spend eternity separated from Him and everything that is good for ever.  For nonbelievers, the radar is screaming loud and clear, so now is the day of salvation, not later.  Praise God that He has given us His Plan of Salvation.

Taking Another Test

       Are you passing the test?  It seems like we have been taking tests ever since we can remember.  There have times recently when some schools were under fire for manipulating the results of achievement tests in their schools as they tried to make the result indicate that they were better than they really were. The first tests that we took were probably so insignificant that they didn't make too much of an impression on us.  We had to take a final test near the last day of school each year that would indicate our levels of education in reading, math and other subjects.  In some cases, students are then put into a "college track" or a "skilled laborer" track depending on the test results. Then, of course,  we had to take a driving test, IQ tests, SAT  and the list goes on.  One would think that the time of tests was finally past but that is not the case.  The testing process seems to place us in a group which performs like we do.  The groups then determine where we are in the station of life.  It is comforting to finally learn of something that is not governed by a test.  It is determined by grace.  For some, it is a hard pill to swallow.  When we are used to achieving and getting things done through our own merits, the idea of anything being done for us seems wrong.  There is no test, however, that will determine one's eligibility to receive salvation.  It is determined by grace.  Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."   
      Grace is something new to man and very difficult for him to comprehend.  You would think that it wasn't that way, but grace seems to require additional efforts at the hands of men and women.  The Apostle Paul penned these words through the direction of the Holy Spirit and explains the principle of achieving salvation very clearly.  There are no works;  just grace.  If there were any doubts, God went on to clarify the salvation gift by stating that it was not through any works at all.  He said that if works was involved, that man would boast about it.  So, this is one time that you don't have to take a test to receive something.  God has extended the gift to each and every person.  All they have to do is to accept it through faith, thus the term, "For by grace are ye saved through faith..."  Where do you stand today?  Are you still taking tests and trying to earn salvation or have you accepted the simple grace that God has offered.  As usual, God's way is the best way.  Praise Him today for offering this great salvation through His grace.

No Blue Lights in the Rear View Mirror

     There have been those times in my life that while driving down a steep hill, I just let the car coast.  It almost always gets to be over the speed limit.  It may be a small amount but it is still over the speed limit.  As I would approach the bottom of the hill, I would notice a car parked at an angle facing me on the side of the road.   It was clearly marked as being a police car.  There is that sinking feeling in your stomach as you pass by the car, knowing that you are over the speed limit.  I would look into the rear view mirror to see if there were any blue light flashing.  Most of the times, it would be classed as mercy as there were no blue lights.  I would feel relieved and make sure that my speed was now at the limit and not above.  There are a lot of things in our lives that produce a feeling of guilt.  We know that we have committed an offense and probably a lot more than one.  The list when examined closely seems to be a long list of offenses of both things that are against God's law and also things that have been omitted from our daily life.  There seems to be an endless list of offenses but we continue on trying to be the best that we can be.  How are we going to take care of this list that is so large that you don't know where to begin?  Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."  
       After going through the first seven chapters of Romans, you know you are in a bad predicament to say the least.  Even though there are no blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror, you don't know how you are going to escape an arrest and conviction by God Himself on the list of offenses that hangs over your head.  We suddenly find that there is a way of pardon and that it is through the Lord Jesus Christ.  How exciting it is to read the words, "There is therefore now no condemnation..."  You still know that you are guilty but you also know that you have been pardoned by God as the payment of your debt was paid at Calvary.  The rest of Romans 8 goes on to compare the life of one who is living by the flesh and one who is living by the Spirit.  You and I have not reached perfection in this life but we have been forgiven and now we go on living our daily lives trying to follow God's plan for us.  Moment by moment we can find God's plan and purpose in His Word to us.  So, take some time, in fact a lot of time, to be in God's Word to find out just what He wants you to do.  It is all there.  Praise Him today for giving you a copy of His precious Word.

A Drop in the Bucket

         We often make comparisons of things by the size of each one individually.  I can compare my current kitty as being small when compared to the old one that passed away a couple of years ago.  I can also compare the power of two different things, such as, my car can go a lot faster than the Oliver Row Crop tractor that I drove in the 50's.  We have heard of the expression about a drop in a bucket.  A drop in a bucket doesn't make very much difference in the total output.  One more drop won't make a lot of difference in things in the end.  God even used this comparison.  Isaiah 40:15 says, " Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing."
       God took something that would be considered very big and made it really small.  Not only was He speaking about one powerful nation, but all of the nations and when compared to God they are all combined not more than just that proverbial drop in a bucket.  That's really insignificant.  Some Bibles entitle the fortieth chapter of Isaiah as describing the greatness of God.  Even our feeble minds can't begin to comprehend the greatness of God.  We can say that He is the creator of the universe and that He is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent and begin to describe His greatness in the rest of His attributes but even our explanation and understanding still fall way short when it comes to describing God.  The Almighty God, however, is the One Who also penned the words, "For God so loved the world that He gave..."  He also penned the words that "God is love."  How great it is just to think that we have a copy of His Word, His message, to us in the Bible.  This, then, should give us comfort in the days of our trials, frustrations, depression, despair and whatever else you might call it.  We can have comfort in the fact that He cares for us.  We can have comfort that He has created a place to which we can go to be with Him for all eternity.  We can have comfort and hope when we are going through the troubles of this life because of His attributes.  So, praise God today for His greatness and remember that even the mightiest nations in the world all combined are even less than a drop in the bucket when compared to God.  Truly, What a mighty God we serve.

The Simple Things of Life

           I recall that my Mother, when she did a lot of sewing, would use patterns that she had purchased.  She could keep using the pattern many times if she so desired.  One of the brand names was "Simplicity."  It was name that because the pattern was a basic pattern and didn't require a lot of extra details.  It was simple to use.  I also made a syrup once which was called "Simple Syrup."    It was basically sugar and water which was heated until the sugar was dissolved and could then be used in a recipe that had called for "Simple Syrup."  so, you see, there are some things in life that can be called "simple."  They are those things that are basic, do not have a lot of parts, or don't have a complex set of instructions.  They are as simple as simple can be.  I often recall the account given in the Book of Acts in regard to the Philippian Jailer who found himself at the point of ending his own life.  He asked a question to Paul and Silas.  It was a simple question with a simple answer.  Acts 16:30-31 says, " And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."  
        There is importance in what Paul responded but there is also importance in what was not said.  The requirements to achieve something sometimes has a long list of things that must be accomplished before the desired result is obtained.  If I am going to be a doctor, I have to learn about all the details of the body including the bones, muscles. organs and so on.  If I am going to be an electrical engineer, I am going to have to learn a lot about electricity and electronics.  If I am going to be an automobile mechanic, I am going to have to learn about cars, engines, transmissions, cooling systems and a lot of other things.  The question posed by the jailer, however, dealt with how to become a "saved" person.  Paul knew what the jailer was asking and so gave him the simple answer, and it was one of the most simple answers ever given in the Scriptures.  He simply had to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ..."  That answer, obviously, is too simple for most people to understand.  I recall that there was a time in my life when I had to be enrolled in a "religious education" class to understand all there was to be learned about being a Christian.  The class would run for a number of weeks and then a ceremony was held to declare us "Christians."  Funny, but Paul didn't mention that.  He also did not mention going to a seminary, monastery or completing a number of tests in order to be regarded as a Christian.  John 14:6 reminds us that there is only way to heaven and that way is the Lord Jesus  Christ.  The Jailer asked the simple question and Paul gave the simple answer.  He only needed to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved and thereby become a disciple or believer in Christ.  Most everyone that reads this devotion has already done that very thing but we all still have the mission to tell others about this "simple" process.  We should all desire to give the simple and direct answer that Paul gave to the Philippian Jailer.  Praise God for the simple message of salvation.

Trading Yokes

    How many plastic bags can you carry after arriving home from a shopping trip to the local grocery store?  I usually try to make it one trip and plan to fill the other hand up which doesn't have to reach into my trousers for my house key.  They always seem to only put one or two items in each plastic bag which means that you end up with about a dozen bags filled with just a couple of items each.  We have heard of the expression, "The straw that broke the camel's back."  It means that one more thing, regardless of how small it is makes you go over the limit and drop the whole thing on the ground.   Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  

      It seems that each person has a limit of just how much they can do and with some it might be just a few things, while with others, their plate can be loaded to the maximum and they still keep going ahead, one step at a time.  All of us, however, have that point where we just can't do one more thing and the burdens just keep piling on.  We could have rectified the situation a long time ago by taking heed to the above passage of Scripture.  This is a famous Scripture passage and so I guess we are not ignorant of it, but just fail to put it into practice.   We sometimes look at a person who has passed away and remark that they are now safe in the arms of Jesus, but we can have that same comfort in our day to day experiences.  When the burdens are upon us, all we need to do is to remember this passage of scripture and to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for our comfort.  He is the Only One Who is qualified to carry our load and He has given us this personal invitation to get yoked up with Him.  There is a comfort in knowing that this applies to any age group.  It is not just for the young, or the middle aged, or the child or even the senior adult.  It is for every age.  We can all experience comfort when the load is taken from us by Him.  It also doesn't matter what the difficulty or burden is.  It is rare that our burdens only come in single occurrences.  You will find that they do get piled on like the plastic bags and you feel that you can't take one more thing.  Get yoked up with the Master, and you will find that your load is relieved.  In the cartoon version of Pilgrim's Progress, the burden of the pilgrim is piled on his back but then He looks up at the cross and the burden falls off His back and rolls into the empty tomb.  So, Praise God today for the fact that He wants you to yoke up with Him when your burdens get to be just too much to bear.  In fact, stay in His yoke all the time.

What News Will You Hear?

        Listening to the news seems to be a traumatic thing these days.  There are so many accounts of violations of the Ten Commandments that include murder, adultery, theft and the list goes on and on as reports come out of people who have been involved in such things.  It begins in the local news and then goes to the world news.  Some people cringe at the stories that are told on the evening news report.  I know of some who have simply stopped watching the news.  Even some of the news programs have been searching for some good story to put on at the end but even this does not balance out news accounts that are broadcast.  Much has been said about the reliability of the news these days and I realize the problem that exists there.  There is however, one piece of news that will be the most horrific of all and that news will be given individually to every human being who has turned their back on the Lord Jesus Christ during their life time here on earth.  Matthew 7:22-23 says, " Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." 
        We can see by this comment that the people who are condemned come from a church background as they think that they have done many wonderful works for God but that was not the case.  This group of people, which shall be a large group, will try to argue their case based upon what they think they did for God only to find that they never knew God in any way in the first place.  I can't imagine any news more terrible than to hear the words of the Savior at the judgment of the Great White Throne saying, "Depart from me, I never knew you."  It will be personal.  The individuals will not be able to hide behind someone else or be in a massive group, but individually as each case is presented be for the Judge of all the earth.  The Lambs Book of Life will be opened just to show that the individual's name is not written there and then the Book that record every deed will be opened and judgment will occur with the final sentence being, "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity."  That will be the most terrible news to hear.   There will be no court of appeals.  There will be no second chance to try to get it right.  There will be no chance for a "well done" when it is all over.  It all comes down to what you do on earth right now.  The decisions that you make will affect your eternal destiny.  Jesus says today to "Come unto Him."  He also says that He is the way, the truth and the life.  Acts tells us that there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved..  May each and everyone of us proclaim that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept His payment for all of our sins as He shed His blood on the cross at Calvary.  Praise God for the "Good News of the Gospel message.

The Bump on a Log

        There are some things in life that are just plain useless.  We have a lot of rather negative expressions to help point out just how useless some things are.  I have been told, usually by my Father, "You are sitting there like a bump on a log."    At the time, I knew what he was talking about.  I wasn't doing anything and probably wasn't going to do anything but was just sitting there.  When you think about it, a bump on a log doesn't give the idea of accomplishing much in this world.  We have a lot of words in our language that point out a lack of productivity such as a "hair brained idea."  Now that doesn't show much promise either.  On the other hand, there are a lot of expressions from the Bible that give us hope and promise of things that are taking place in the world today.  Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the bible, gives us a lot of expressions about the Word of God.  One of my favorites is the following verse.   Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."  
       I have often remarked how a light is used in the dark when moving about and how it illuminates around your feet and then in a long distance look down the path.  God's Word works in both situations.  the Scriptures give us the proper course for each footstep as we go through life and the longer look is also provided whether it be heaven and the course on how to get there or whether it be just the view down the road of life.  Things don't always go the way we suppose they are going to go and surprises come upon us that are not what we expected to find.  God's Word will always give us the solution and the comfort to endure these times of depression, discouragement and danger.  Our lives seem to never be free from the dangers that are around us.  I have a blog and it is entitled, "Encouragement on the Road of Life." I chose that title, because we need to be encouraged from time to time.  I need to find encouragement when things come against me and I can find that encouragement in the Word of God in every situation.  This is one good reason whey it is good for us to memorize Scripture.  We might know of a general thought or idea, but at times, we need the verse to help us through the time of trouble.  We use First Corinthians 10:13 to cover a lot of difficulties but there are other times when we need a specific word to help us.  It might be the passage that says, "I will never leave you...." Or it might be, "Cast your cares upon Him."  It might also be that passage that says that He will complete the work, or supply your need, or that He will come again.  So, if you find that you are just sitting there like a bump on a log, open your Bible and read a portion today, and the next day, and the next day also.  Praise God today that He has given us His Word as a Lamp unto our feet and a Light unto our path.

No Password Required

         You soon learn that working with computers requires the use of passwords.  I can't even turn the thing on unless I put the right password into it when it says to do so.  Familiar web sites also require passwords and in order to keep them secure, you need to come up with a complex set of numbers and letters and special signs that would at least take about 5 seconds longer to break.  It became such a mess that I now have a password manager on my computer that comes up with all kinds of different combinations, none of which I can remember without the aid of the manager.  My grandfather was known for his ability to "heal" people when they were injured or sick.  Grandma said it was a gift and could only be passed down by the opposite sex, so Grandma told my Dad where the Scripture was that was used for the healing.  Unfortunately, Dad forgot where it was and it was never written down so the gift stopped with Grandpa.   Acts 3:6 says, "Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."  

     There was no special password for healing or anything else as far as the Bible was concerned.  Thee is a phrase that is important however and it is that little phrase, "...In the name of Jesus Christ..."  In the Old Testament, we see the phrase, "In the name of the LORD."  It can be found about 66 times in the Scriptures.  While there are no special passwords or phrases such as abra cadabra, there is the reminder that everything that we do is in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We also find that most prayers that are given are ended with either this phrase or one that is similar.  It may be "in Jesus Name" or "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," or something very similar.  It serves as a reminder to us that what we are asking or endeavoring to do should not be done in our own strength.  We have no power in and of ourselves, but all kinds of power exists in God.  We have record of the statement that said that with God all things are possible.  We know just how ridiculous it would sound to put our own name or any other name except the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of a prayer.  So, there are no fancy passwords to gain power or favor with God.  Peter once had occasion to call out quickly when he was sinking in the water and while he didn't have a fancy prayer format, he did simply say, "Lord, save me."  We simply come in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone.  I am glad that I don't have to come up with a master password for each and every request.  Praise God that He is always there and ready to answer we call out to Him.

Quotations

         I use to listen to Paul Harvey on the radio just about every time I could.  I liked his commentary and I felt that we had the same values in life.  I would quote him when an opportunity would come up.  I guess I like to quote some famous people, not because I know them personally, but because they are basically well known in the world.  I am thinking about JFK, Winston Churchill and Charles Spurgeon.   I rarely quote someone who has made some stupid remarks even though they are funny at the time and absurd.  I get a "quote" every day from a certain web site that sends out a sentence or short paragraph from many different sources.  I save some of them, but not all of them.  One of the things I quote the most however, is the Bible.  Where else can you find 100% accuracy in what is said?  When you want to say something that you know is true, where else can you go but to the pages of God's Holy Word.  Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."  
       The writers of the Scripture were led by the Holy Spirit and the result is the Bible that we now have.  The declaration of the Apostle Paul in the above passage is profound and one of the rare times that the word "inspiration" is used.  It is translated "inspiration" once in the Old Testament from a word that is translated differently over 40 different times. The word in Second Timothy 3:16 is used only once in the New Testament.  Simply said, it means to be "God breathed."  The above passage reminds us how the Bible was given to us and then goes on to say what it is good for, which comes up to being every part of our life, from beginning to end and all the forks in the road in between.  I also quote a lot of children's songs such as , "I stand alone on the Word of God, the B I B L E."  I mentioned that I save some of the quotes from the web site that are sent to me.  I save those from famous people whom many have heard and I do not save a quote from a person who is unknown.  The quote might be good, but who has heard of the person who said it?  The Scriptures are the only reliable source of statements so I will go on saying, "The Apostle Paul said such and such," or the Apostle John said this or that."  If we are going to quote someone, then the quote better be worth passing on to others and the Bible is always sufficient and has the authority both blessings and curses.  Praise God for His Word today.  How many times will you quote God's Word today?

Great Expectations

       "I wish I had been there."  There are times when someone tells us an account of something happening and make that reply that we wish we had been there when that happened.  We sometimes think of a certain sporting event when our team won and we wish that we had been there or when a race driver won the big race and we also wish that we had been there or it may have been an event in which our grandchild was honored and we wish we had been there.  There are probably a lot of times that we wish we had been there to see the event taking place.  I like it a lot when the Bible gives an account of something happening that is extraordinary.  I would like to have seen the parting of the Red Sea or the taking up of Elijah into heaven or even the manna coming down each day to feed the Israelites or when Moses got water out of a rock.  The following even was one of the greatest for me as it tells of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into heaven.  Luke 24:50-53 says, "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.  And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.  And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:  And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen."  
       The event is expanded upon in the first chapter of the Book of Acts and a few more details are explained.  I wish I had been there to see that event.  Christ gave His final instructions to the group of disciples and then rose up into heaven into the clouds.  I have wondered how certain things can take place on earth such as a bumble bee flying, the flight of a 747, or even the ship that I was on, made of steel yet able to float and carry over 300 crew members with all kinds of guns and still float.  I wonder about some of those things, but this one is one of the greatest.  Gravity was defied as the Creator of the universe just began to rise and to go up into the clouds and disappear from their sight.  That event gives us hope.  It gives us hope because we then realize that the statement was true when the Scripture recorded that with God, all things are possible.  That gives us hope because there are a couple of promises that are still going to be fulfilled, one of which is that Jesus is going to come again.  For almost 20 years I have closed these devotions with the phrase, "Jesus is coming again."  I can't explain how it is going to work but it will come to pass even as the Scripture has declared.  Since Jesus ascended into heaven and He is coming again, then the petty problems of today and the days to come are insignificant.  There is no need to worry about the boring things of this life, but the spectacular is about to happen.  So rejoice in the hope that we have and watch God fulfill great and mighty things right before your eyes.  Praise God today for His promises.

Pleasing God

      Each morning, I get up and then prepare to write the devotion for the next day.  In the process of doing this, I go by the news events, see if there are any new prayer requests in my email and turn on facebook to prepare for pasting the devotion on my page.  I do it almost every day and it usually doesn't take a lot of time to do it.  This morning, I read a couple of articles that were disturbing as the articles were about leaders in a large church denomination that had been involved in sin for years.  It was disturbing because no one was doing anything about it.  We find that we are always good at making excuses for sin around us and even the sin that we ourselves commit.  While being an associate pastor, we had an evangelist, a well known pastor from another church, come to preach our revival services.  Several years later, this same pastor was found sitting in a vehicle near the river in his home area distraught over the fact that the lady with whom he had been having an affair for years, was now having an affair with someone else.  He eventually resigned his church and went back to his former profession.  My thoughts at the time were, "Well, what would you expect?"   Proverbs 6:16-18  says, "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."   

      God is never slack about naming the conditions that offend Him.  We can find lists like this one throughout the Bible.  We can simply say that it is sin and we are all guilty.  As the Scripture says, There is no one that is righteous.  All have sinned.  We are sinners and there are some who have been saved by grace.  We also find that there are many who fall into sin later and ruin their testimony and do more for hindering the work of the gospel than helping it, or advancing it.  The above list gives us some characteristics of someone that is really disgusting in the eyes of God.  He says so.  He says that these things are what He hates and lists seven different characteristics.  We find that the list of people that are involved in these things are political leaders, church leaders, professional people, sports idols and virtually all of the common folk in the community.  After all, there is none righteous, no not one.   We should all take a look at our own lives and then repent of the sin that we find.  And, if you say that you look and don't find anything, you probably have not looked long or hard enough.  None of us are perfect.  There is a need to begin the process of repentance for a nation in our own lives first.  We get too involved in looking at the condition of others and fail to see our own lack of righteousness.  It is God Who has set the standard.  We know, by looking at the words of Scripture, what pleases Him and what disgusts Him.  Which will you make for a pattern in your life?  Praise God for His righteous standards that are based upon His Word to us.

First Things

         What are the "first things' in your life?  You might find that there is a list of things that you have prioritized in your life.  Year's ago, I would get into my car, start the engine and drive off.  Then, a number of years later, we had to add another step to that action.  Now, we get into the car, buckle the seat belt and then start the car.  In fact now, I have to have my foot on the brake pedal in order to start the car.  In some of the cars I owned, the starter button was under the clutch, so you had to push the clutch pedal all the way down to the floor in order to start the engine.  There are many things that we do with a series of steps and how we do them depends on how we prioritized their importance.  Many people don't do anything until they have their first cup of coffee.  Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
        Matthew's gospel had just gone through a discussion of the concern for food and clothing.  These are two of the most basic necessities of life and Matthew declares that if you do something else, these will be provided for you.  We look at the simple words, "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." and perhaps wonder how this is going to give me food to eat and something to wear.  We soon learn that God has His ways of taking care of the needs in your life and at times they are almost impossible to believe.  It should not be our aim to discover His ways, but to trust that He has them in the first place and all we have to do is to seek Him first in each and everything that we do.  So, our priority is placed in God first.  I believe that there was a group a number of years ago that came out with a button to wear on your clothing that said, "JESUS FIRST" and would give some sort of testimony to others that you had put Christ first in your life.  While the button does nothing the characteristic will.  It is hard for some people to put God first in their lives after they have trust so many years in their own self sufficiency.  We have our homes, cars, closets packed with clothes, pantries stocked with enough food to lest several years, two cars or more, jet skis, boats guns and guitars to provide all that we need ourselves, so why do we even stop to think about God providing our needs.  We have been blessed more abundantly than we should have been in the first place but that doesn't take away the duty to have put God first in everything.  Following God and seeking after His righteousness is living the Biblical way.  That means that God comes first before your first cup of coffee.  That means that God comes first when you walk out of the door of your home.  It means that God comes first when you make a decision in regard to your living.  So, praise God today, even right now, for all that He has given to you.

What Fruit?

     Many people like to follow the trends of certain people.  I was riding up the elevator not so long ago and my wife was trying to put the back of my collar down on my coat and I said, "Hey, I want to look like the Fonz."  Some other people in the elevator chuckled as they knew what I was talking about.  In my high school years, which were a long, long time ago, it was popular to follow the way the Fonz looked with his collar up in the back of his shirt or jacket.  Many people would do the same thing just to look like him.  Some people just like to look like some famous person or act in such a way that would resemble that same person.  God has given us some characteristics that we should follow which apparently are not the one many people follow, but are perhaps, just the opposite.  Galatians 5:16-17 says, " But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."   
      Years ago, I was studying in the Book of Romans and came across this same idea in the eighth chapter.  Paul made a long list of differences between the flesh and the spirit.  Both words are mentioned throughout the chapter and I began to mark them just to notice the contrast that was given.  Here, in Galatians 5, we see the same contrast which is going to lead to the listing of both sets of characteristics in the following verses.  The list will include the works of the flesh verses the fruit of the Spirit.  The point here is that we should be walking in a certain way and not in the opposite way.  The way of our walk should be in regard to walking by the Spirit.  It is interesting to note that if we walk by the Spirit then we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  The one listing will prevent the other listing from being a part of our lives.  The Fruit of the Spirit which is listed a few verses later, has nine different parts to it.  The verses in Galatians remind us the the word "fruit" is singular and not a plural word.  There are not nine different fruits, but one fruit, which is the fruit of the Spirit.  A lot has been written on this list of qualities that should mark the life of the believer.  You will find that you are not perfect in probably any one of the parts of this singular fruit and that your life should be marked by spiritual growth in these areas.  When we begin thinking about the fruit and notice the very first aspect of it, we come right up to "love."  Who of us loves in the way that we should as described by the agape love that is mentioned here.  We probably find that we are not as "loving" as even ourselves desire to be, but are lacking.  When you compound the issues with the fact that there are nine different characteristics mentioned, we sometimes get frustrated over the listing, perhaps even to the point of doubting our own salvation.  The Fruit of the Spirit, however, is a growing process that is taking place in each and every one of us.  As one man once said, "Please be patient with me, God is not finished with me yet."  With our being patient with others, -perhaps they will be patient with us.  Praise God that is still working in each and every one of us.

A Sound Mind

     I was a bassoon player when I was younger which is a double reed instrument which means that there are two reeds vibrating at the same time, both a top and bottom reed of the single piece of cane.  The family of double reeds are mostly oboes and bassoons.  While playing the contra bassoon, which is twice as big and twice as low, the notes began to vibrate my eyes in such a manner that I could not see clearly.  While playing the regular bassoon in a contest, a young girl came up to me afterwards and asked, "Is it true that all bassoon players go crazy?"  I was not quick enough to come up with a smart answer but simply said, "I didn't think so."  My professor in college, however, did some things that were indicative of not having all of his marbles.  Second Timothy 1:7-9 says, " For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"   
      The "sound mind' in verse 7 is a word that is sometimes translated as "self control."   Perhaps people that do not have a sound mind are lacking in the area of self control.   In today's society, it does seem that there are many who have a difficulty with the area of self control.  We have examples of road rage, violence in the streets and everywhere else where people come together for some type of interaction.  The question might come to us, "How do we respond in times of stress with other people?"  We sometimes hear of a person "pushing another persons button."  This means that we have found out how to really irritate them and we just keep on doing it until they lash out towards the irritation.  It shows a lack of self control.  Galatians 5:22-23 give us a list of things that comprise the fruit of the Spirit.  Notice that one part is mentioned in verse 23 is that of self control.  As we continue our spiritual growth from day to day, this area should be getting a tad better.  It won't become perfect all at once, but is a daily issue for growth.  When that happens, God puts certain things into our lives that are going to give us opportunities to practice our self control.  You will see it when people stand in front of you and try to find your "button" that they can push to make you irritated.  Perfecting self control is no easier than acquiring patience.  Make sure you are spending time in God's Word and communicating with Him in prayer.  Praise God that He has given us the fruit of the Spirit.

Thus Saith The LORD

        During my last year at Washington Bible College, one of my fellow students came up to me and asked me, "Are you a five point Calvinist?"  After a short time of thinking on the question, I simply replied, "I would like to think I am Biblical rather than a five point Calvinist."  His reply to me was, "That is just a cop out."  He felt that I was avoiding the issue by simply saying I would rather be Biblical than label myself with a certain title.  Our belief system is not always as clear to others or maybe even ourselves but we may still have the idea that we would want to be Biblical.  When I was set apart for the ministry, I was asked questions for over fur hours as to what my beliefs were.  I usually find that believers, when asked about their beliefs, come to the conclusion that what they believe is Biblical.  I have not met a single believer who would proclaim that they were following a belief system that was foreign to the Bible.  Exodus 4:22 says, "And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:"   The Bible, mainly the Old Testament in this case, is filled with this four word phrase:  "Thus saith the LORD."   
      It occurs over 400 times between Exodus 4:22 and the Book of Malachi and is seen quite often in the Books of the Prophets.  God has chosen to communicate with us with words.  Language is important and our definitions of the words make it crucial in understanding what God is saying to us.  When you take the simplest of verses and endeavor to understand what God is saying to you, the definitions are going to form that thought in your own mind.  Take for instance John 3:16.  Most people that have been around the church for any amount of time know this verse of Scripture.  Look at each and every word of it.  Define each word and then in the end, come up with the understanding of the verse for your own life.  What does God mean when He says that He loves the World?  We soon come to the conclusion that He means every man, woman, boy and girl.  God loves each and every person so much that He gave us His Son in order that we might have eternal life and that we would not perish.  That means that the world includes you and it includes me.  You can substitute your name for the word, "world" in this case, because you are part of the world.  You can safely say that God loves you and I can say that God loves me.  The voices of the prophets were filled with the phrase, "Thus saith the LORD."    They were quoting what God said to them and what God had instructed the prophet to say to the people.  Prophets had to be 100% accurate in their prophecies.  A failure in any prophecy would result in death for the prophet.  I still come to the conclusion that I would rather be "Biblical" than to be a four point "this" or a 5 point "that."  In the end, we need to be studying the Scriptures as it says in Second Timothy 2:15 and to "cut it straight."  Then, in the end, we will be Biblical.  Praise God that He sent us "His Word."

The Green Page

     I have been aware of the group, Child Evangelism Fellowship, or "CEF" for the past 50 years or more.  At one church, I was the leader of the "junior church" where we would have a special time for the children that would come to our church.  These were kids that had not grown up in the church and had a problem sitting still for more than five minutes.  Every Tuesday evening, I would ride my bicycle to a church for a lesson prepared by CEF.  They would teach me the lesson that I was going to teach that following Sunday morning.  We had a lot of items to be used for illustrations including what CEF called, the Wordless Book.  You can tell the plan of salvation by using a book that is made of five basic colors.  You can get big ones and small ones to be used in these teaching exercise.  It had a gold, white red, black page with a green cover.  Green stood for "growth."   Second Peter 3:18 says, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."  
      Peter, in his second epistle, closes with the verse just mentioned above.  His admonition to the readers was to "grow."   Believers are supposed to be growing in their faith day by day, and year by year.  This growth is a continual process and we grow in the Word of God and in our Christian lives, by studying the Word of God.  Peters admonition for us to grow goes on to say in what we are supposed to be growing which is grace and and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  How are we going to do that?  It can only be accomplished by putting the Bible to practice in our lives.  We can start by taking in and following the "milk" of the Word of God, which Peter also mentions and 1 Peter 2:2-3.  In other places, we are taught to be involved in the "meat" of the Word which is going to be a bit stronger than just the milk.  We understand the illustration of Peter and Paul by comparing our spiritual growth with the growth of an infant.  Babies have to start out with milk and not a quarter pounder from the local fast food place.  The messages of the writers of the New Testament seem to always zero in on the importance of the Word of God.  This is our tool box and believe me, you are going to need a good set of spiritual tools in your tool box to be used in the various situations that are going to occur in your life.  We have been admonished to read, hear, study, meditate on and memorize the Word of God.  In so doing, we will be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise god, again and again, for His message to us, the Bible.

Having Purpose in Your Life

         I have never been an immigrant, legal or illegal.  I have always been a citizen of the United States of America.  I have been to foreign countries.  Most of my visits were due to being aboard a navy ship and my only papers were my military ID card.  When we traveled to Spain, we had passports that we carried with us at all times.  We hear a lot about immigrants these days when we listen to the news and while the world screams at us as to how bad we are, people still desire to come to this country.  When I see the tyranny and sufferings around the world, I am thankful that I am an American, born in Michigan City, Indiana.  Israel was a proud country at one point but they had disobeyed God and the prophets were warning them but they didn't pay any attention to the "Word of the LORD."  The final result was a takeover by the Babylonians and soon after, all of the prime people were massed together and forced to go to live in Babylon.  During this time, a couple of young people decided on some guidelines that they were going to incorporate in their lives.  Daniel 1:8 says, " But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."  
       There were some foods that Daniel and his friends were not going to eat.  They were faithful in that which they had "purposed" in their hearts.  God honored their commitment and Daniel soon rose to the top and one who came well known to the royal court in Babylon.  The point is that there are some things in this world, in this life, that are worth making a commitment about such as the Word of God.  When many people come to a section of Scripture where they don't agree on its request, just say that they don't understand it fully and thereby refuse to let it apply to their lives.  One of the favorite expressions of many is, "Well, that's your opinion."  That is to say, that they feel there are many options in regard to the Scripture and that we have chosen only one of them.  The truth of the matter in Biblical interpretation is that there is but one interpretation.  When all parties come together in the Word of God and all are fully studied up on the passage, they will all agree on the interpretation.  Most of the variants on interpretation are due to ones own lack of study along with a preconceived notion as to how a passage should be interpreted.  Thus, when a problem comes up between believers, the one answer that surfaces the most is, "That's just your opinion."    I will admit right at the beginning that there is a lot I don't understand this side of heaven but I have purposed in my heart to stand firm on the Word of God and believe on what it says instead of believing in the theories of mankind.  So, may we all purpose in our hearts not defile ourselves with the teachings of the world, but to stand firm on the Scriptures.  In the end, the Word of God always prevails.  Praise God for His sending to us the Scriptures that are our guide to heaven and the things of this life.