God Speaks

          It was Karl Marx who said that “religion is the opium of the people.” It always seems easy for the average man or woman to make claims about something they know nothing about. The assumption is that poor people who seem to be uneducated fall prey to a belief in Someone or Some thing greater than themselves and therefore end up creating their own god. In the first place, they have never read the Bible on their own and secondly they fail to account for several other important items. I, myself, never seemed to have a doubt that God was real and that He was and is responsible for everything as we know it and probably a lot more. I can't recall ever going to church until I was about twelve years old. The family just never went to church nor did anyone ever speak about God. On the other hand, we were not atheists either. It was always Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and no mention of anything religious as far as our household was concerned. I like the following passage of Scripture. Job 38:3-4 says, “ Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” To me, it is like God saying to Job, “Sit down and be quiet while I teach you a thing or two.”

         Job had his problems and after all of the words of Job and his three friends, God makes a bold statement in chapters 38 and 39. The content is like a bold science lesson and covers material in several different categories from the weather, to animals, to the oceans and even out into the universe. Job could do nothing but listen and learn, a thing that we should often do in our own lives. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” There are those times that we need to be told those very words. In all of our complaining and lack of faith, we need to hear the words of God when He says to us, “Be still and know that I am God...” Karl Marx overlooked the Bible and most of all he overlooked the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Karl Marx would not even have had to argue the point if the Lord Jesus Christ had not been raised from the dead as religion as we know it wouldn't even exist, but it does exist and it exists because of the day in history when the Lord Jesus Christ stepped forth out of the tomb with nail prints in His hands and feet and a wound in His side, bearing the marks of the crucifixion where He had paid for all of our sins. Karl Marx overlooked the resurrection and a few other things such as DNA, finger prints, iris formations and even the spots on the leopard and the stripes on a tiger. They all point to First Cause and First Cause is God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jehovah. Only God could ever do it all and keep track of it. Karl Marx never accounted for answers to prayer that are beyond human explanation nor did he ever explain the creation of life as mentioned in Psalm 139 nor in Jeremiah 1. it is easy for the average man or woman to claim to know something about life with their finite reasoning but someday they will know that they came up short when they find themselves standing at a final judgment. If you sometimes feel like a “Karl Marx” then you need to “Be still...” God has a special message for you from His Word. For all of us believers, we are not consumed by an “opium” of the people, but simply stand on the Word of God. God said it. I believe it. That settles it. Praise God for Who He is and What He is doing in the world today.

Thanksgiving and Praise

        Mom never knew about Pepperidge Farm Stuffing. She would be up at about 4 AM and take a couple of loaves of white bread and lay them out on the oven rack and then bake them until they were all toasty. The aroma would come into my bedroom which wasn't too far from the kitchen. She would then combine all of the ingredients to make what we called, “dressing” for Thanksgiving. For the adults, it was oyster dressing. She tore each slice of toast up into small pieces and prepared the large bowl of dressing. Since I didn't like the oysters, she made me my very own special bowl of Thanksgiving dressing. The pies had already been baked and the turkey was then placed in the oven to begin it's slow roasting for the next seven or so hours until the noon meal. In those days, they had not come to know the Lord yet as that didn't occur until about 30 years later. Certainly, different pictures come to mind as I think about previous Thanksgiving days. There was the period of traditional football games, parades and the gathering of families now and then. These days, my thoughts are turned in a different direction. Psalm 100:1-5 says, “ Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

            If you are reading this, chances are, you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ especially if it is sent directly to you. The devotion gets forwarded by several different people and appears a couple of places on the “web.” There are those who have requested their own copy and so it is sent to about 49 other people scattered here and there around the country. For all of you who know and love the LORD, Thanksgiving is a special time when we purposely think about what God has done for us and how He has blessed us beyond measure. Midst the grief, discouragement, despair and trouble in the world, there is still some things for which we can be thankful. Even in the the days of sickness and personal tragedies, there is still a mighty long list of things that remind us of God's blessings. We are reminded to enter His gates with thanksgiving and to come with praise and to be thankful unto Him. When we stop for a minute to pause for a reflection of our blessings, the top of the list for me is salvation. As unworthy as I am, the Lord saved me and for that I am truly thankful. I am thankful for the promises of the Word of God like the one that says that God will never leave me nor forsake me. I am thankful that Jesus said that He was going to return someday and the way things look, it could be before we finish eating this year's turkey. Maybe you have forgotten the blessings of the year or maybe even last week. Perhaps you have forgotten when God kept you from being in a dangerous situation or when you were delivered from harm and didn't even know it. Perhaps you have forgotten how God worked in your life last week when He provided all that you needed from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. Yes, God has been faithful and has blessed us beyond our possible dreams and sad to say, we often forget about it within a couple of days. Thanksgiving for the believer isn't just one day a year. It goes on day after day after day. It is an everyday event because God has been faithful, is being faithful and will be faithful in the days to come. Give thanks to Him and praise Him for His wonderful works in your life. “For the LORD is good....”

The Sealing

          I have many electrical appliances that have a little tag on the cord that assures me that the appliance has the approval of the underwriters laboratory. It is their seal of approval. It tells me that someone looked at the model of appliance and checked it out to make sure that it would work safely as it was designed to work. My Father usually purchased a car manufactured by General Motors and you could find a seal somewhere on the car that would have a design from the Fisher Body corporation. Seals and tags and guarantees are all important in our lives as we purchase different items, but none as important as the one mentioned in the following passage of Scripture. Ephesians 1:12-14 says, “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

         We know that the first three chapters of Ephesians tells us much about our spiritual blessings. The Apostle Paul tells us what happens the moment that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I always say that a person gets his or her RIBS. The moment we believe we are Regenerated, Indwelt, Baptized and Sealed by the Holy Spirit. It takes place in a split second of time the moment that we believe. These four things are all wonderful and amazing to consider. I particularly like the fact of being “sealed.” The guarantee of this transaction is described as being sealed and is described as being a “down payment” of our inheritance. As I think about this act, my attention is drawn to the “earnest” or the down payment for this action. The sealing is the Holy Spirit Himself. In this passage, He is described as being the down payment. We know that when you purchase a home you need to often put up what is called, “earnest” money which shows you are sincere in your offer and should you back out, you lose the earnest money. In this case, the earnest is the Holy Spirit. Now that is a glorious down payment for the inheritance. Just think how great the inheritance is if the Holy Spirit is the down payment. Our earthly minds cannot grasp the magnitude of this inheritance. Even though we cannot fully appreciate it, the fact remains that it is our possession and has been guaranteed by the Holy Spirit Himself. Are you having trouble today with a mountain of difficulties, broken promises, sour relationships, struggling finances, depression and discouragement? If so, reflect for just a moment on what you have as a result of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation. You now have all of your RIBS. Praise God today for His Guarantee for the salvation that we have.

Security

        People just like to feel secure about things. I have had a number of cars in my lifetime and I think I can tell a lot about a car when you close the car door. I had one car recently that when you closed the door it sounded firm, no echo and solid. On the other hand, right next to it was another car, same make, but a different model. When you closed the door, it sort of reminded you of a tin can and had a slight ring to it. Personally speaking, I preferred the one that was solid but also the gas mileage was terrible. The other one gets good's gas mileage but I don't feel that secure in it should something happen and it went bouncing off the road. I guess that's why they made the Hummer available to people other than military as it was like driving a tank on the highway and people liked it even though the gas mileage was around 8 miles per gallon. For the most part, we like to feel secure, not only in our vehicles, but in every aspect of life. We like to have secure footing when we walk, stable paths in our wanderings and boats with no holes in the bottom. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

      Our “paths” are those journeys in our lives from one day to the next and from one year to the next and so on. We know by experience that our lives are basically short and so the security of our eternal destination should be of great importance to us. Not only, however, are we concerned about our eternal destination, but also the daily experiences that sometimes shake our foundations. The passage for today is one that is famous. It is on plaques in the book stores and underlined in Bibles because it shows us the folly of trusting our own instincts rather than the leading of God Himself. Leaning on our own understanding in things is like the sound of the car door that rings like a tin can. On the other hand, the solid direction of the Lord is what we want. The verses then become applicable to us each and every day. Sickness, death, accidents and natural calamities along with the foolishness of men on the earth today, all remind us of instability and the failure that is always present when we trust our own understanding rather than the leading of God. God does get particular on this passage and reminds us that it not in the big things of life that we need to trust Him but in every area and not only the crisis situations. I admit that I don't ask God each day which color to wear, be it either black or brown. That are the only two combinations that I have to be concerned about. God never really mentions which color is best to wear, but He does mention what we are to be doing regardless of what we are wearing. By trusting in God, we discover that He will guide our path through today and tomorrow and the days to come. If you want to feel secure in your choices for today and tomorrow, then take the advice of the passage above. “Trust in the LORD with ALL thine heart...” Praise God today for His leading in every area of our lives.

The Ultimate Treasure

       A treasure can be anything that is valuable to you.  Everyone seems to like finding treasures.  Oh, there are all kinds of treasures.  When we think of buried treasure, we think of old sailing vessels, pirates and large chests that have gone to the bottom of the sea or are buried on some deserted island.  There are, however, other kinds of treasures.  I remember one time going into our attic and going through my dad's old trunk.  There were all kinds of seemingly insignificant items.   There was a number from a theater seat from a theater in Bakers Field, California from the days when Dad was in the Civilian Conservation Corps.  There were other things that included a stick with many states carved into it denoting the states that he was in as he traveled to California during the depression.  There was also a jar that contained a number of rather large insects along with a tarantula spider.   These things were part of my find of "treasures" in the attic of our old house.  There are still other different kinds of treasure as noted in the following verses.  Second Corinthians 4:5-7 says, "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."   
       In this section, we see that Paul is speaking about a special treasure that every believer possesses.  Now, who would think that we have a treasure in these old bodies?  Well, it's true.  Paul was reminding the Corinthians that he and his team had come to Corinth to preach the Lord Jesus Christ and not themselves.  They were not trying to promote anything on their own but were preaching about Christ.  He went on to further say that they had the light of the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ as it was reflecting from their own hearts.  The light was shining into their hearts and reflecting outward to others.  Paul said, "Hey!  This is a special treasure."  The power is of God and is not of us.  It is like being a reflector.  The light that is reflected comes from another source and not from the source of the reflector.  The reflector has not power.  If treasures are measured in how much they are worth, then the treasure that we have in our hearts is the most valuable of all.   Praise God today that He has made you a reflector of the Light that is shining in your heart.  Have you told anyone about your treasure?

What to do with Disagreements?

          I probably can say that I have not come across a person where I agree with everything that they say nor do.  Do great leaders always agree on every point?  When we look into the Book of Acts, we see that the Apostle Paul and Barnabas had a little matter of disagreement as to who would go on the second missionary journey.    John Mark had started out on the first journey but then left them after a short time.  While they were getting ready to go on the second journey, Barnabas wanted to again include John Mark but Paul did not want to take him along.  As a result, the two of them split company and go in different directions.  Paul decides to take Silas along with him and Barnabas takes John Mark.  Acts 15:37-40 says, "And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.  But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.  And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus.  And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God."   

        There are a couple of lessons for us in this passage.  First, people do not have to agree on every point.  Obviously there was a disagreement between the two men and it was strong enough for them to part company.  But, there is a second lesson to be learned.  We later read where Paul asks that John Mark be brought to him and that he is profitable for the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11).  Things change and so do our attitudes toward certain people.  While Paul was rather upset with John Mark, he changed his mind about him later on during his ministry.  There are some people around today that form an opinion about a person and it stays with them for their entire life thus losing a chance for future ministry together.   So, don't be so quick to write a person off in your life.  You might just find that they will be profitable in the ministry later on and they might also be a blessing to you.  Praise God today that He is still working in our lives.

The Judtge of all the Earth

           Have you noticed that your computer is not perfect? I write the devotions on a program called, “Open Office.” It has a dictionary with it for the English language and alerts me when there is a misspelled word. It will underline the word in red indicating that the spelling does not agree with that of the program. I used to rely on it a lot until I discovered that it missed a lot of words. You as the reader of these devotionals can testify that you have to interpret a lot as to what I am trying to say due to incorrect spelling. We naturally assume that mechanical devices can be programmed to do something over and over again and to always do it the same way, but that is not always the case. Genesis 18:25 says, “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

          In this Scripture passage, Abraham is trying to reason with God about saving the city of Sodom and states that if there be certain number of righteous people present, He would not destroy the city. Abraham mentions a rhetorical question to God in the final words of this verse. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The obvious answer is, of course, the Judge of all the earth always does that which is right. One could not come up with even ten righteous people in the city of Sodom. The account bring to mind the fact that God is always right and this is a point that we need to always be reminded of in our present life. We may question God as to why He made us a certain way, how come my nose wasn't prettier or maybe I should have been a little taller than I really am. We can also question God as to why certain people perish at young ages or why there are calamities in the world that reap great havoc upon civilization but in the end, we come up with the statement that Abraham made so many years ago. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” It is not just an argument for trying to have saved Sodom, but it is also the same argument for every aspect of your life. You may get up in the morning and wonder what God has in store for you today and that same thought should come to the forefront. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right by me today in whatever He has planned for me? In the manner of Abraham, “yes.” One man was asked how he made a sculpture of a horse. He simply said that he chipped everything away that didn't look like a horse. God is actively chipping everything away in our lives that do not look like we are supposed to look. Some of the chipping may be painful but we don't have the complete picture in mind as God does. Philippians 1:6 reminds us of the work that God is doing in our lives and that He will complete that work. When things go differently than you had planned just remember that God is the Judge of all the earth and whatever He does is right. He owns, created and maintains all of it. Praise God today that He doesn't make mistakes.

Under His Wings

          Words certainly mean different things to different people.  It is like the saying, "One man's junk is another man's treasure."  In the same sense, one man's worry is another man's calamity.  We all view things differently.  In light of that, many are going through calamities of varying degrees even today. If you are prepared for the calamity when it comes, it doesn't bother you as much. My Father had built us a new home in Northern Indiana and we lived in the basement of that home for six years. We could look out of the basement windows and see tornadoes in the distance, but they didn't do us any harm because of where we were. Floods would have been a different matter, but fortunately, we had none of those to be concerned about in our area.  When you are going through a calamity, where do you turn?  The Psalmist has given us some good advice in the following verse.    Psalm 57:1 says,  "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."  

         David was fleeing from Saul during this time in his life but he found protection under the “wings” of God. The picture here is that of the protective bird, such as even a mother hen who protects her chicks under the cover of her wings.  With God, we can find the same type of protection and the same type of refuge. The same picture can be seen in Psalm 91 where we find protection under the wings of God.  What is necessary for us is to turn to God when trouble comes and to not run in the opposite direction.  It does come upon us in varying forms and when it does, we need to remember just where our comfort  and refuge is.  When a storm would come up in the barnyard, the mother hen would just make some frantic clucking noises and the little chicks would come scurrying as fast as they could to crawl under her outstretched wings.  They had to make sure that they had not wandered too far from the mother hen.  They needed to be able to hear the warning and to get to the place of refuge.  The same is true of us.  We always need to be close enough to God that we are able to flee to His presence in the time of trouble.  Sometimes, however, we get to wander too far away. Our attitudes become complacent as things seem to have been going well and we have forgotten how God worked in our lives in the past.  We soon begin to lose contact with God, not because of anything He has done, but because we have wandered away.   So, make sure that you maintain a good line of communication with God through Scripture and prayer.  Remember that He is your place of refuge in a time of trouble. He protected you yesterday and He will protect you today. Praise God today for His protection in every calamity whether they be big or small.

Authority

        We are overcome by a large number of advertisements these days. Some of the things that are advertised just plain shouldn't be being advertised. Other things are becoming quite popular and I guess need to be advertised even though they are not the most enjoyable things to see. One such “product” is the “funeral.” Who wants to think about their funeral but it is a necessary thing to think about at some point in your life. In the past, most funeral directors when doing a commercial for their service, never look straight into the camera during the final shot of the funeral director. They seem to be looking off to the right or left and if there are two of them, they are looking in the same direction. This gives the impression that they are looking to a higher authority in reference to their product. Matthew 7:28-29 says, "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

      Many people, when trying to sell a product, try to transmit the idea of authority along with their advertisement. This is especially true with politicians, lawyers and preachers. You want to have faith in the individual if you are going to believe what they say about their philosophy, teaching or product. After the sermon on the Mount, the people were, as it says in the passage above, "astonished" at His doctrine, referring to the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. The people had been under the instruction of the scribes, who knew their Bible, yet they didn't have the authority that was witnessed during the Sermon on the Mount. People can see that there is a difference when a person speaks with authority and one who does not. After the people had heard the Lord Jesus Christ and His teaching, they knew something was different from what they had heard so many times before. Jesus covered a lot of different things in the Sermon on the Mount and in some cases, it was a complete reversal from what they had been taught in previous times. We can look at the same message today and we know that He who spoke the message almost 2000 years ago was the Creator Himself. We know that He did have the authority to say what He did because of His involvement in creation as seen in Colossians 1:15-19. We are bombarded with all kinds of products and promises but they are, for the most part, without authority and certainly are not very astonishing. If we are to find any authority in doctrine today, certainly it should be found in the teaching of the Bible. The four gospels record the experiences of Christ during His incarnation from His birth until after His resurrection. He who raised from the dead has the authority and whatever He says, we should follow without hesitation. Politician, lawyers and preachers come and go, some good and some not so good, but the Word of God and the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are those things which show us true authority. Praise God that have God's message to us in The Holy Scriptures.

My Name

      It is important to know a person's name. The district manager where I once worked would go to visit each of our nine installations at least once a year. Since he was the boss, one of us would drive him to the destination. He would sit in the back of the car with a notebook that contained the vital information of each of the employees and when he walked into the facility, he would greet whoever he met by calling them by name and asking how their family was doing. He also knew the name of each member of their family. It was impressive. He cared about the employees and knew each of their names when he walked in the door. People like to be called by their name and not to be referred to as, “Hey, you.” There are computer programs that can insert the name of everyone on your address list in the appropriate places on a letter, but the writer doesn't really know who you are. It just appears that they know your name and seems to give a personal touch to the letter. Revelation 2:17 says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."

         How many people know your name? Sometimes I receive mail addressed to "current occupant." That means that they have no idea who lives at that particular address. You and I may have a group of people that know our names but we may not be that well known to most people The level of importance of the individual that know your name would be something great to think about. If the president or the king knows your name, then you must be high up on the list of well known people in the world. To most of the world, I am known as "current occupant." There are a few people who know my name and One that knows it quite well. The scriptures inform us that God knows our names. He even named the stars and scriptures inform us of God's knowing the name of each and everyone of us. Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows all things about us. God knew Jeremiah before Jeremiah was even born. The Lord Jesus Christ used the name of Saul when He approached Saul on the road to Damascus. The passage for today tells us that we will receive a white stone with a "new" name written on it. Yes, God knows us by name. For the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, his or her name will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. There will be no confusion as to who it is. How important are you in God's eyes? We are each and everyone of us vitally important even to the point that He knows our names. Since God knows us so intimately, He will keep all of His promises that have been recorded in His Word. The promises will not be for the "current occupant" but for each and every name. We are not just a grain of sand on the beach, but we have a personal relationship with God Himself. Praise God today that He knows us all.

No Separation

        Being separated from the protection that you need can cause some anxiety in your life. We grew up in Northern Indiana, which had it's share of tornadoes and other summer storms. My Father decided to take me along for a quick trip to Sears and Roebuck in town and was only going to be in the store for a few minutes. He decided to leave me in the car. While he was inside the store, a summer storm suddenly erupted with several large lightning bolts and some loud thunder. It cause me to scream violently in the car. It must have been a loud scream as a passing lady noticed my yelling at the top of my voice. She went into the store and gave my Father a piece of her mind in no uncertain terms. He almost immediately came back out and my peace and tranquility were restored as he continued to explain that he was only going to have been in the store for a short time. People must have a lot of anxiety these days as they have come up with a term in the last 40 years for food that if excessively fattening and rich. They call it “comfort food.” It may be just a half gallon of Rocky Road ice cream and a spoon or a special dish of macaroni and cheese but we like to eat it when we feel that our lives are particularly vulnerable. Romans 8:38-39 says, " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

         This passage is our spiritual comfort food. For the most part, we don't want to be separated from the love of a very special person. In this case, it is the "love of God." Paul could have just said that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, but no, he went on to include all of the specific areas that one might think could cause separation. Almost all of them are contrasted such as death and life, then angels and principalities, then things present and things to come. Then he includes powers and another pair, height and depth. Wanting to include everything, he finally mentions, "...nor any other creature." That even includes me and it includes you. This is especially for people who think that their actions might cause a rift so great between them and God that He will no longer love them anymore. Well, not even you nor I can do that. The list that Paul gives is including about everything that there is. Romans 8 begins with "no condemnation" and ends with this blessed assurance, that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, not even our own selves. That should arm us with the assurance that we need to go out into this day and to do battle with all of the forces that you encounter along the way. Praise God today for His "Keeping" power even amidst of the troubles that come your way. God is always good.

Under New Managment

         I have an old computer that holds a trillion bites. That makes for a lot of things to store on one little disk. I replaced that computer with another computer that also will hold a trillion bites of information. One has a memory that is littered with junk while the other has a memory that is clean, that is, no junk on it. They say that once something is put on a disk in a computer, it is next to impossible to erase it. You can erase the path to get to it, but the item is still on the hard drive memory somewhere. In trying to clean up the old computer, I decided to erase many of the programs which resulted in it going back almost 20 or more layers of data and erasing files such as is in my word processor, label programs, old virus programs and the such. It is almost fun to do it but very time consuming as the computer searches for old stuff. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

       This is a remarkable verse from God's Word. It is almost overwhelming to think of a person has being a new creature, or a new creation. It is almost like becoming a new computer with a new hard drive. We have become a new creation the moment that we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. The penalty for all of our sins has been paid in full and our eternal destination has been guaranteed. Our memory banks, however, still contain a lot of the unpleasant junk that filled our minds in the past. We suddenly find that as believers, our minds now possess new desires. We now have a desire to know more about God and His Word and we have new desires to be around new people. In a similar manner as with the computer hard disk, it is difficult to erase a picture or memory that was written many years ago. A situation, a smell, a sight can all trigger things from the past and we may wonder where they came from at the time since it is no longer a part of our life. It may cause us to shudder for a moment, but then we proclaim that it has been paid for by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and go on. Satan and his army will always like to dig up the dirt of your life before you were saved to try to keep you from being a productive believer but one needs to immediately realize that the act or picture has been paid for and is included in those words, “It is Finished.” When your past is brought up again and again by certain events or even people, just remember what Jesus did for you on the cross and the empty tomb. Be thankful that you are indeed a “new creation” in God. Praise Him for His working in your life and especially for the salvation that you have in Him.

Real Peace

        Although I am not the greatest historian in the world, it would seem that global conflicts are fairly new in our culture. We began to call them “World Wars” and then gave them numbers like I, II, and perhaps III. World War 1 was supposed to be the “War to end all wars.” It was a time when we learned the effects of chemical warfare and just how cruel people could be to one another. We tried to come up with a plan to not use it in any conflict, but people still do and probably many nations have stockpiles of both chemical and biological warfare agents. It took a long time to get to World War I but only about another twenty years to get to the next world war. Many nations got involved and everyone knew about the conflicts going on in Europe and in the Pacific. There was no peace in the land. Mankind still searches for peace and tries to come up with all kinds of ways to get your own little world of peace but none are effective. Public schools in England are incorporating Yoga classes in order to help calm the students and hopefully raise their “peacefulness” and productivity in the school. The Bible helps us to understand that there are two types of peace in the world. One is peace with God and the other is the peace of God. Basically, we have peace with God when we become “saved” or born again believers or born from above, whatever you want to call it. Having peace with God is a different matter. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

       This represents the peace that a person has when the world around them is falling apart and they remain calm and the affairs of this world seem to just roll off their back like water off a duck. It all stems back to the fact that we know Who holds the future and Who is in control of the seemingly wild things that are going on in the world today. You can be diagnosed with a terminal illness and still possess the peace of God at the same time. You can be lying on your death bed and still have the peace of God. You can lose all of your worldly possessions and still possess the peace of God. You can have the peace of God and at the same time say, “What else can go wrong?” Peace is not a matter luck with a rabbit's foot, or in a mantra to say when you are fearful, or the power of positive thinking but peace is only available through the God of the universe. Peace can be found in the Savior Who once stood in a boat and rebuked the storm and it stopped in obedience. Peace is found in the One Who walked out of a tomb and was seen for the next forty days before ascending bodily into heaven. Peace is found in the One Who will soon come again when believers will be “caught up” together with the dead in Christ to meet Him in the air. Peace is found in the One Who parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River. Peace is found in the One Who fed 5,000 men plus women and children with a boys lunch. Peace is found in the One Who died on the cross and paid the price for my sin. It was a debt that I could not pay but He could and He did. If you are looking for peace today, look no further than the One and Only God of the universe. Only He can bring you peace. In Him you can have peace with God and He can give you the peace of God. What more do you need? Praise God today for His peace in the midst of a troubled world.

Really Free Indeed

        I receive many advertisements for items that are labeled as being “free.” About the only things I have that were free were the bag of goodies that I got at the recent senior fair from the chamber of commerce in the town of Vinton, Virginia. Of course, it all had advertising on it and consisted of jar openers, rulers, ball point pens, note pads and about 25 cents worth of candy. One man came to my door and offered me several hundred dollars of free things for my home security. I accepted his gift of free things and now I am paying about 50 dollars a month for this service. Well, I knew it was coming as there are very few things in this life that are really free. Titus 2:11-13 says, “ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

       In all of the best things around in this life, this is the greatest one of all. Grace is absolutely free. In fact, if there were any strings attached, then grace wouldn't be grace, but would be something else. As believers, we always connect grace with salvation based upon Ephesians 2:8-10. It is by grace that we have been saved. The epistle to Titus then refers to this grace as having appeared to all men. That took place in the first Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ and is till being fulfilled through missionary involvement even today. It is nothing like a secret or a difficult code that must be broken but is apparent to all through the teachings of the Bible. Basically, it is wonderful and it is free and as a result cannot be earned in any way, shape or form. In a recent devotion, we discussed how God's grace is sufficient for us to meet any difficulty in life. Today's passage describes how we can live our lives in this world and what God's grace teaches us. Our goal should be to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. There is no fence, there is no leash or a rope that binds us to do the things that we ought to do. We do them because of the price that was paid for our sins. We could not pay the debt that we owed but God gave us a way to have it paid in full. Now, we walk in the way that God intended us to walk as described in today's passage because of His wonderful plan of salvation. A lot has been said trying to define grace such as that it was the unmerited love of God towards us, or the acronym, God's Riches At Christ's Expense and these are all true, but they may still fall short of trying to define God's grace. Maybe it is time not to try to fully define it, but just to accept it. God's grace can be personified in the Lord Jesus Christ as it is mentioned in the above passage. The Grace of God that brought salvation was the Lord Jesus Christ. While grace is sufficient for all of our problems in life, it is also something for which to praise God on a daily basis. May we always be thankful for His grace in our lives.

God's Grace

       I wrote the devotion yesterday and when I got to the end of it, I decided not to use it for some reason. It just didn't seem right so I just marked it in red and sent to a file to save for a later day. Maybe it can be salvaged some other time. My goal is not to be negative but more encouraging to the reader. We have enough to be discouraged about in each and every day. I awoke to find out that one of my bell choir members has passed away, a friend is in an ICU in a hospital, I have a bit of a cold, fell on the floor yesterday and the list goes on. You can add your own things to your own list. Life seems to be like that as we have things happening. Life is where the “rubber meets the road.” You can have a beautiful car, wash it, gas it up, add all kinds of gadgets, but then, at some point, you have to start it up and head down the road. I guess that is where the phrase came from. We can wish how things might be in life but when you get up each morning, each day will have its own issues and oftentimes, some disappointments. This is the time for a though about God's wonderful grace. Second Corinthians 12:9 says, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

        Paul undoubtedly had more problems than I have just based upon the time in which he lived. There were no I pads, or trains or buses or a fast food restaurant on every block. He probably had seen his share of moldy bread and empty flasks of water and shoes with holes in them. His list of things that took place in his life is frankly hard to imagine how it was really like. Plus, he had a problem that was really plaguing him and he prayed about it three times only to have his request turned down. God then gave him an explanation which has become a Biblical pillar for all of us. Simply put, God's grace is sufficient for each and every problem that you have in life. We well know the principle of salvation where it says that we are saved by grace through faith but now the principle of God's grace comes to us where the rubber meets the road, in our daily lives. Because God is Who He said He is, He knows quite well each and everything that is going on in all of our lives. He is not distracted by someone else's problems or the situation in the world today or tomorrow. God is fully capable of dealing with all of our issues in life simply because He is God. So Paul's answer is our answer. God's grace is sufficient for the issues in your life and in my life today and will also be sufficient for the issues in tomorrow's day of activities. Take a deep breath and reflect for just a moment on the words that God gave to the Apostle Paul. They are a real comfort no matter what is going on in your life today. After you have thought about the passage, praise God for His magnificent grace and hold to the promise that it is sufficient to meet all of your needs.

The Test

     Are you passing the test?  It seems like we have been taking tests ever since we can remember.  The first tests that we took were probably so insignificant that they didn't make too much of an impression on us.  Then, we had to take all of those tests near the close of each school year to determine if we were learning anything at all.  Then, we had to take a driving test, IQ tests 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.

The Problem of Itching Ears

        I am surrounded in my life with conditions that have been summed up with a cute acronym. I suffer from an occasional UTI, or a URI and my heart is plagued with CHF. My joints don't have a full ROM. I once came up with my own acronym for my former job. I was the POC, or the pastor on call. No one thought it was funny. I have preached and taught the Bible for many years, almost each and every Sunday since May of 1978. I preach and teach as if it were my final message. I pray over the people and wait for God to send me the message for those people at that particular time, and not one that is just pleasing to me, but one thing for sure, it is going to be a message that includes the “gospel” of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of my friends once told me that you don't preach the gospel until you get Jesus out of the grave. He is right. It is because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that we even have the need for a devotional, a hymn, a church or hope for the future. If Jesus had not raised from the dead, we would not even be writing or reading this devotion. In fact we would not even know about Him. But, He did raise from the dead, and we do know about Him and so what He said is vitally important. Second Timothy 4:2-4 says, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

          Everyone seems to want something else when they come to a church meeting. Paul warned Timothy that people were going to want something that soothed their itching ears and that is who they were going to listen to. Paul, however, reminded Timothy to “Preach the Word” virtually in “every season.” There are a lot of people in the pulpits these days and many are what are called, “Skyscraper” preachers: one story after another and very little preaching of the Word. When we refer to the Word, we are usually referring to the Bible, the Word of God. Perhaps you didn't get “edified” this past Lord's Day but you can still get into the Word yourselves. Perhaps you didn't hear something that contained “sound doctrine” but you can still get into the Scriptures yourselves. Paul warned Timothy about the upcoming teachers in his day and the same is just as true today as people look for something new and different. As for me, tell me the Old, Old Story. We probably have a denomination for each and every type of person. We even have cowboy churches, vertical churches and journey churches in our area and I would guess you have some unusual church names in your areas as well. I still have a “cross stitch” over my desk that was done in the very early days of my ministry by one of the ladies in the church. It simply says, “Preach the Word.” We all deserve to attend a church where the Word of God is preached and where people are fed so we can get through the upcoming trials that are in all of our lives. In the preaching of the gospel, the definition of the word, gospel, is seen in First Corinthians 15:3-4 and contains the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you a person who has “itching” ears? Are you looking for a new gospel? Are you looking for something different in your church attendance? If your toes are getting stepped on by the preacher, then your probably head a message from the Bible. There are those times when the preaching becomes a personal challenge and God speaks to you through the message and the messenger. Praise God for His Word today.

Disobedience

         The Christian Church has long sung the song, “Trust and Obey.” Many people of my generation almost know the hymn from memory. “Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” What is so hard about being obedient? When my parents would give me a command to not do something, there seemed to be that tendency to do it anyway. I was sternly told not to ride my bicycle to Rolling Prairie. It was the town that was located about 2 ½ miles from our home. On a bicycle, the distance could easily be covered. A group of us kids would ride out to other places, play on the railroad tracks, go into the woods on various farms, climb trees and the such, but we didn't venture into the forbidden zone. One day, I headed my bike in the direction of town and got there, riding up and down the streets and it never even bothered me that I was being disobedient. That was the case until my Mother showed up. John 3:36 says, “ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

       This verse is translated differently in some case the phrase, “believeth not” has the meaning of not obeying. In the KJV, it is translated 7 of the 16 times as being disobedient rather than “not believing.” It gives us another shade in the meaning of not believing. What does it mean to you when you find someone who is not a believer? What characterizes their life? They are disobedient to the commands of Scripture. It must be part of the human nature to “test the waters” to see if something will really result as was said in the Bible or not. The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ looks around their world and sees the evidence of Second Timothy 3:1-5 which begins with the phrase, “In the last days...” The unbeliever looks at the same world and comes up with liberal excuses as to why we are in the predicament that we are in when in reality God has given us ample warning not to do something, and we go off and do it anyway. We do it because of sin and we have a natural tendency towards sin. The little hymn had the right idea in that we need to “trust and obey.” The unbeliever is certainly going to be characterized with disobedience. In John 3, the main thought is eternal life and how to get it. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again. The third chapter of John, which speaks so much about the blessed eternal life ends with this final statement that the unbeliever, will not have life but the wrath of God will abide on him. What a statement and what a terrible end to be tacked onto your life. We all need to take a look at our lives and see if we are being disobedient especially in this area of eternal life. If you think that all roads, or all religions, lead to God, you are on the road to the wrath of God and not to heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ made that abundantly clear in John 14:6. “...no man comes to the Father but through Me (The Lord Jesus Christ).” “When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.” Praise God today for His guidance each and every day.