A New Thing

December 31, 2007

The year is ending, tomorrow I start something new with the devotional as we read through the Bible in historical order and the devotions will be based on something in the days reading. I invite those in the mailing list to read along with me and put some of their own devotionals and post them to the group. There is only 10 of us so it should be low in traffic. Why am I doing something new? God does it as well.

Isaiah 43:19 CEV
(19) I am creating something new. There it is! Do you see it? I have put roads in deserts, streams in thirsty lands.


It is a new year, make it new for yourself, put the trash on the dump truck and let it go.

For those that want to follow along, you can download a file that will give you each days reading in an easy file. Go to http://groups.google.com/group/daily-devotions-by-bob/files and download the zipped file to your machine and unzip it. If you click on the HTML file it will open it up but you will not be able to do any editing to it.

Join me if you can. For January 1 read Genesis 1:1-3:24.

Badger Skins

December 30, 2007

God wants and always has wanted the very best for His people. We are His people so we should live in that very best.

When God tells Moses to build the meeting tent for Him, Moses is told to cover it with badger skins. Some translations say dolphin skins, others say some other valuable skin of the day. The thing is, that God wanted the people to use the very best for the tent where He was to live among the people.

Now notice, in Ezekiel, when God is giving a history of Israel, from finding here as an abandoned child and breathing life into her, look at his description of her clothing.

Ezekiel 16:10 KJ2000
(10) I clothed you also with embroidered work, and gave you sandals of badgers’ skin, and I clothed you with fine linen, and I covered you with silk.

He wanted to dress Israel in the very best. The same material that covered the tent of the meeting, he wanted to give them as covering for their feet. And the rest of them was covered in nice fabric as well.

God wants the best for us. But like the people of Israel, we can turn away from it and not receive it. What have you turned back to God today?

Perfection

December 29, 2007

As I am writing this, my football team, the New England Patriots, are in the hunt for a unbeaten season. The spots press and the NFL network are talking about a perfect season. While I know that they mean perfectly unbeaten season, it just sounds kind of funny to me. I mean, I have been watching the replays that they have been showing on TV, and I can tell you their games were far from perfect. Brady was sacked a lot of times, passes that should have been caught were dropped, this is perfection.

What I thought was interesting was a shot of Bellicheck, talking to Brady, telling him not to be afraid to make an incomplete pass. He was giving his star quarterback the right to make a mistake.

1 Peter 5:10 KJV
(10) But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,stablish, strengthen, settle you.

We are not perfect and cannot be. God allows us to be in-perfect. But in our in perfections, we are called by God and he makes us perfect when we go through our difficulties. For me, that is more important than a perfect football season.

Other Side

December 28, 2007

Luke 8:22 KJV
(22) Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.


When God tells you to do something, it is best to get up and do it. Jesus told the disciples that they were going to the other side. The lacked faith to some degree. They had to wake Jesus up. When he was awaken He reprimanded them for not having faith. He had said that they were going to the other side. Nothing was going to get in their way, He was going.

When God speaks to you to do something, do you do it, do you get to the other side?

Do not leave the way you came...

December 27, 2007

Out of the mouth a child can come some interesting observations. I read to my children each night from the Bible. We have been dragging our way through Ezekiel for a while now. It starts sort of interesting but really gets long and it seems to go on forever. When I read I try to explain what I think is going on and will let they give their thoughts as well. There has not been a lot of talking, just a lot of reading. But tonight my youngest came up with a brilliant observation as we read this passage:

Ezekiel 46:9 Complete Apostles' Bible
(9) And whenever the people of the land shall go in before the Lord at the feasts, he that goes in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go forth by the way of the south gate; and he that goes in by the way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the gate by which he entered, but he shall go forth opposite it.


It basically says, without giving any reason, that if you as a Old Testament believer went into the Lord from the north gate, you left by the south gate. Likewise if you enter from the south you will leave from the north.

'I know why', my son says. As this has been another dry reading I let him have the floor. 'When you go into meet the Lord, you get changed, and you should not go back to what you had before but leave by a different path.'

Simple thoughts but so true. Any time we worship the Lord, we should be changed in some way and not want to go back to what we were. God should have free reign in our lives to speak to us what needs change, and we should change it.

The weather

December 26, 2007

As my daughter and I left church tonight I turned to her and said. look at the six inches of predicted snow we have. She exclaimed, Wow it is so soft and fluffy and INVISIBLE. She was right, there was no snow on the ground and all we really had was a light mist all night. In fairness, when we had the ice storm a few weeks ago, they hadpredicted light rain, turning over to snow and a light snow at that. I do not think they want to get caught with a good forecast gone bad again. But how many people listen to these people each day and base what they are going to do the whole day on what they say?

James had problems with people like this as well:

James 4:13-15 ALT
(13) Now listen! The ones saying, "Today or tomorrow we shall travel into such and such a city and shall spend one year there, and we shall carry on business and shall make profit,"
(14) [you*] who do not know the [events] of tomorrow. For what [is] your* life? For it will be a vapor, the one appearing for a little while, but then also vanishing.
(15) Instead, you* [ought] to be saying, "If the Lord wills, we shall live, and we also shall do this or that."

We can not predict the future. Now weather is a science, so we can try to predict what will happen. You know what though, the laboratory has to many variables to work with. They are just guessing. As we are when we try to predict what will happen with our lives.

Live the life that God gives you as God gives it to you. You will be blessed for it and not be surprised when things change your plans.

The Birds

December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas to all...

John 1:14 NET
(14) Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory — the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.

Jesus came and lived among us.

Paul Harvey, the great news commentator, tells a story every Christmas that is so meaningful. Briefly, a man is invited to go with his family to church on Christmas Eve but he turns them down. How could God become a man or even want to. No, let them live in their mythical make believe. While reading that night he hears a noise of a bunch of birds hitting his windowattracted by the lights and the heat. He wants to try to save them so he goes out and turns on the barn lights hoping that they will see it and turn that way, but they do not. He panics, how can he save these birds who are going the wrong way? Why the only way would be to become one of them and lead them on the path that they should follow.....

The only way Jesus could lead us was to become one like us.

Thank you Jesus.

The real reason for the season

December 24, 2007

Listening to a sermon the other day the speaker said something that really got my attention. We have heard so often that Jesus is the reason for the season when it comes to Christmas. While I understand the reason for the sentiments they are not necessarily true. You see, I am the reason for the season. I can hear the brain cells going 'he is really self-centered isn't he?' Well you are the reason for the season also.

John 3:16 KJV
(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If it was not for you and me being in a sinful state, then Jesus would not have had to come and be born. Because we needed salvation, He made himself a human, though He was equal to God. I am thankful for the babe in the manger but I am more thankful for the man who saved me. Take time to meditate on the real reason for the season. God bless.

The real reason for the season

December 24, 2007

Listening to a sermon the other day the speaker said something that really got my attention. We have heard so often that Jesus is the reason for the season when it comes to Christmas. While I understand the reason for the sentiments they are not necessarily true. You see, I am the reason for the season. I can hear the brain cells going 'he is really self-centered isn't he?' Well you are the reason for the season also.

John 3:16 KJV
(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If it was not for you and me being in a sinful state, then Jesus would not have had to come and be born. Because we needed salvation, He made himself a human, though He was equal to God. I am thankful for the babe in the manger but I am more thankful for the man who saved me. Take time to meditate on the real reason for the season. God bless.

Rains

December 23, 2007


There are times when I wish the Lord would return quickly. Days when nothing seems to go right. Weeks when you can not make ends meet. The Bible tells us that the time is coming soon, we just do not know.

James 5:7 ALT
(7) Therefore, wait patiently, brothers [and sisters], until the Arrival of the Lord. Look! The farmer awaits the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it, until it receives [the] early and latter [or, autumn and spring] rain.


There will be signs that it is coming. We have to be patient and wait for it. Just as the farmer as to await the rains that take care of his crops, so we have to be out and doing what God wants us to be doing.

Money

December 22, 2007

We always seem to think in our lives that money will solve all of our problems. I know that money is needed to live, but one of the greatest Kings of Israel had all he wanted but was not happy. Solomon wrote:

Ecclesiastes 2:7-11 KJV
(7) I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
(8) I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
(9) So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
(10) And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor.
(11) Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

If Solomon could not be happy with all the money in the world, how can we be happy? The truth is that happiness comes from within, not from without.

Heart Transplant

December 21, 2007

Heart transplants. Something that has come up in my lifetime. Taking the heart of one person and putting it in the other. Someone dying and giving life to someone else. It is a new concept, or is it.

The Old Testament talks about a heart transplant.

Ezekiel 36:26 ACV
(26) I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

Not only is God going to do a heart transplant but a spirit transplant as well. Think of it, He takes a stony heart out of us and then replaces it with one that loves. He takes a dead spirit out of us and replaces it with a living one.

Well that does not apply to me, God did that long ago when I got saved. Guess again. Many Christians need a heart transplant. Have you got bitterness towards any one. You have at least a little stone in that heart of yours.

Let God operate on you today.

Advocate

December 20, 2007

John 15:26-27 KJVR
(26) But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
(27) And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.


The Greek word for Comforter here is an interesting word. It is the word paraklētos and can be translated as advocate. We know Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit here. An advocate is like a lawyer, pleading your case for you when you can not. In this case, the Holy Spirit is bearing witness that Jesus was sent by God.

The next verse is more telling. We are to be witness that Jesus also came from the Father.

How good of a witness have you been today?

Signpost

December 19, 2007

Joshua 4:3-8 DRB
(3) And command them to take out of the midst of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood, twelve very hard stones, which you shall set in the place of the camp, where you shall pitch your tents this night.
(4) And Josue called twelve men, whom he had chosen out of the children of Israel, one out of every tribe,
(5) And he said to them: Go before the ark of the Lord your God to the midst of the Jordan, and carry from thence every man a stone on your shoulders, according to the number of the children of Israel,
(6) That it may be a sign among you: and when your children shall ask you tomorrow, saying: What means these stones?
(7) You shall answer them: The waters of the Jordan ran off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over the same: therefore were these stones set for a monument of the children of Israel forever.
(8) The children of Israel therefore did as Josue commanded them, carrying out of the channel of the Jordan twelve stones, as the Lord had commanded him according to the number of the children of Israel unto the place wherein they camped, and there they set them.

It is important to pass on your heritage to your children. They will be the ones that take up the baton in the relay race called life and lead their generation to Christ. If we do not put up signpost, they will not know what we believe.

Take time to pass what you believe in to your children. They will need it.

Favor

December 18, 2007

Nehemiah 2:7-8 JPS
(7) Moreover I said unto the king: 'If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah;
(8) and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's park, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.' And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah is really a quite interesting story. He was a man who worked as a wine taster for the king, not a job with a real future if you know what I mean. All it takes is one sip and you might be dead in the place of the king. He longed to be back home and to rebuild Jerusalem. Even though the king had come to rely on Nehemiah, and Nehemiah was well taken care of, he knew that he had a destiny that no one else couldfulfill . So he asked the King for help and the king gave it to him. What these verses do not show is that he prayed to God for favor before he asked. Not only could he go, but the king gave him stuff to rebuild the temple with.

Take time for a quick prayer to God before you try something. It may just help you make it through with favor.

Sacrafice

December 17, 2007

You know, I am an idiot. I hear students tell me that all the time. I have to reassure them that they are not. That we are all smart in one thing or another, and that is why they are in class, to learn computers better.

But, I am an idiot. For some reason I cannot get my pea size brain to understand why Jesus did what He did?

Philippians 2:6-7 CEV
(6) Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God.
(7) Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.

He gave up everything and took on the form of a man. I know why He did it, so we could have salvation. But why did He do it. Why did he take our form, what was it like? Did He lay in his bed and know He was God? Did He somehow forget all that, and that with a single burp form Him, miracles could happen? When He was six and helping Joseph out around the wood shop, did He look at nails and know what they would be used for on Him. Did every event that He saw remind Him of what was to come?

How could He go from knowing the universe to not being able to see only what was around His physical body? That is what I can not understand. How could Jesus have done that? What was His young life like? Salvation is easy to accept. What Jesus sacrificed in just leaving the presence of the Father God, that I can not comprehend.

Whitewash

December 16, 2007

Ezekiel 22:28 GNB
(28) The prophets have hidden these sins like workers covering a wall with whitewash. They see false visions and make false predictions. They claim to speak the word of the Sovereign LORD, but I, the LORD, have not spoken to them.

Arts and crafts with kids can be fun. Kids in a group setting always try to outdo the other, mostly in speed. Haste means usually something gets ripped. It can usually be fixed with a little scotch tape, maybe a glue stick, and a lot of love for the child.

When I bought my house seven years ago, the old owner had just painted it inside. I found out why later. Many places in the house later showed signs of cracking. He had used the paint to hide the imperfections in the house. In the days of the Bible, this would be similar to a thing called white wash. You would use white wash to make something look clean, but with the first good rain it wore off. Then, like my house, the old problem you tried to cover would still be there.

Fixing the mistakes of children is one thing. As noted, glue and tape can fix things well. Fixing the mistakes of adults is another. When we have trouble getting along with others we try to seek out blame them and say it is not my fault. By doing that, we use whitewash. We may feel good about ourselves, but it will wear off with the next storm in your life. What is worse, like today's scripture, you may have people telling you that what you are doing is Godly when in reality it is not.

If you have trouble in a relationship, the time is now to get the glue that will hold you together. Get in the Word, get wise councilors who know the Word. Do not try to whitewash it, the junk is still there and it will only look nice for a while.

Priceless

December 15, 2007


Hebrews 8:1-6 Complete Apostles' Bible
(1) Now this is the main point of the things being said: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
(2) a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord set up, and not man.
(3) For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; therefore it is necessary for this One also to have something to offer.
(4) For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;
(5) who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses had been warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle, for He says, "See, you shall make all things according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain."
(6) But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted upon better promises.



Bull to sacrifice for our sins......... $5,000
Tabernacle to do sacrifice in.........$10,000
Cost of priest to do the sacrifice.....10%

Jesus doing once and for all so we do not have to...... priceless

Some sins you can try to get forgiven yourself, for everything else there is Jesus (even for the ones you try to do yourself)

Jesus, accepted the world over.....have you?

Coat tails

December 14, 2007

I know of people that try to live off of their parent's faith. It will not work you know. Mom and dad had to accept Jesus and so will they. But that does not stop people from trying.

Ezekiel 14:12-14 ESV
(12) And the word of the LORD came to me:
(13) "Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast,
(14) even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.

Noah, Daniel and Job. These are three great men of faith. But they could not save anyone else but themselves with their righteousness. You cannot skate in on anyone else. Three great men of faith cannot do it for you. This is important because too often we do not tell our children about Jesus and lead them to the Lord. And they grow up thinking they do not have to do anything.

Stop and think if you are riding someone else's coat tails. More important, who is trying to ride on yours.

Agape

December 13, 2007


2 John 1:6 KJV
(6) And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.


Love and commandments, they go hand in hand. When asked what the most important command was Jesus was not slow in replying. Love God with your whole heart, and then to love others as you love yourself.

Love. What does it really mean? As noted in other devotionals, the Greek words for love are many and varied. The word for love here is agape, the highest type of love, sometimes called the God type of love.

God wants us to walk in agape to all in our lives. Even to those we do not like.

Ponder your love for others, do you walk in Agape?

Peace or War

December 12, 2007

I belong to a few online communities where people will post questions and other reply. I tend to steer myself to Christian ones as I feel that I will not have to be defending my faith in them. Some of them I have to from time to time. The one I wind up defending my faith the most at isChristDot (http://christdot.org/).

As usually there, the discussion went to current events and of course the terrible shootings in Colorado this past weekend. One person got on a rant that guns should not be in church. This man could have been stopped any number of ways, but killing him dammed his soul for all time. According to him, God does not promise us peace in our lives, he promises war and our churches should be no different and any pastor that preaches a life of peace to his people should be fired.

My thoughts:

John 14:27 KJV
(27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

In reply I told the man that maybe we should rip that out of the Bible and question if the words of this speaker should be believed in at all. Of course, the speaker is Jesus. He offers us peace. The verses go on to talk about that it is not the word's peace, but His. That just begs the question, what is Jesus' peace.

I do not have any answers folks, just questions. Does it bother me that there was a gun in the church, yes. I also understand that there are crazy people out there and it is a necessary evil (if you will pardon the expression). I know my own church (a fairly large one) has people with guns on their hips as well. Does it make me feel more comfortable? No. I realize they are a first line of defence should a man make his way in.

What is Jesus peace, and how do we receive it? Is it something we should strive for in a corporate way, or just for ourselves.

Sorry gang. Normally I try to tie these all up with some pat little answer to the question I pose. Tonight I do not have one, just too many questions. Any comments?

Commands from God

December 11, 2007

I had to spank my little girl the other day. She is 11 and is having problems with mom from time to time, all kids do. But in front of me and her brother, when her mom had given her a request to do something, she started yelling at her louder than I have in a long time. So, being the good Christian dad I was, she got a spanking. She went to her room angry and hurt and I let her be. After some time had passed, as I have learned in parenting her older brothers, I went down and we talked about why she had gotten spanked and how to correct it.

Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV
(1) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
(2) Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
(3) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
(4) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

We have all told our kids that verse, to honor your parents. Usually they take it, thankfully not getting another whipping and get it over with. Not my girl, she looked up at me and said, 'how can you honor someone who is not acting honorably?' She can ask some tough questions. She knows verse 4 says for fathers not to provoke a child, I am glad she can not look up in a concordance to see that it could just as easily been translated parent or parents. So what do I tell her?

Annie, I said, the word does not make that an option, it makes it a command. Even if a parent is not acting in an honorable way it gives her no excuse not to honor him or her. I then went on to tell her a story about her big brother Gabe and what he did every night when she was 2. Gabe was in high school and was working nights. His step mom, my wife, left him a job to do each day when he got home. Annie would get every toy out of her toy box during the day (and she had a lot). Since I was working nights also I did not get to try to train her to pick them up, but my wife had made that Gabe's job. Now, as I remember, Gabe did not care for it, he went to school and went to work and when he got home he wanted to get homework done and go to sleep. And even though he felt she was acting dishonorably, he did what she told him to honor me. If I got home in time to help him I would, but he would usually have it done. When family meetings came up he would ask for help, but never got it. Gabe know it was a command and so he did it.

Annie thought about that a while, and then I let her be. She did not like the answer, or the story, but she saw that a man she respects in her life had walked it out before her and she was going to have to do the same.

Meanwhile, I meditated on some other verses from the chapter before:

Ephesians 5:22 KJV
(22) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Ephesians 5:25 KJV
(25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

You see, we also, as adults have important commands for our marriage. I am not given the option of giving up on my wife and she is not given the option of giving up on me. She can not say I will not give you any respect since you do not give me any love. And I cannot say that I will not love her if I do not get respect. We are each given a command to do. Too often we want to tell the other one that they need to do what God tells them to do, but we do not do what God has told us to do in the first place.

Take some time to study these few verses. They can and will change your walk with God.

----------------------

On a side note: Any who live outside of the Tulsa area can you keep us in your prayers. While I have not lost power, many in my area, like 16,000 or more, are without power tonight, some for the third night. We had an ice storm strike the area and it has done much damage. I will probably be weeks removing the tree limbs in my back yard, but a neighborhood teenager helped me clean out my front yard to today. Thanks you for your prayers, not for me, but for those around me.

Encouragement

December 10, 2007

Not that there will ever be a good year, but it seems like this year has been bad for Church scandals. In some, ministers have repented, admitted their guilt and gone on. In others, they have not, maybe cause they are not guilty, or maybe because that have felt superior to others in the church.

Hebrews 3:12-13 ALT
(12) Be watching, brothers [and sisters], lest [there] will be in any of you* an evil heart [fig., inner self] of unbelief [which] falls away from the living God.
(13) _But_ be encouraging one another daily, while it is being called "Today," lest any of you* be hardened [fig., are made stubborn] by [the] deception of sin.

When someone thinks they are better than the rest of us Christians, then they show they have not read Hebrews very well, if at all. The writer of Hebrews makes in quite clear here that we need to encourage people day by day. If we do not, either we or they, or both, will become hardened. Then we go to sin.

It is an easy path to sin, some that are at the top of the ministry have to ask themselves every day 'have I encouraged someone today.' The bad part is those at the bottom can get the same way. Have you encouraged someone today? Do you know someone who does? Send an e-mail to them to encourage them, give them a call. (No, send it to someone else not me.) Encourage people while you can...

Being Unpopular

December , 2007

Jeremiah 50:1-2 KJ2000
(1) The word that the LORD spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
(2) Declare you among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded,Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

Jeremiah lived at a time when Babylon ruled the world and his prophecies from God had told it in advance. Now God has him speak another message. One that is not quite as popular with the Babylonians.

God may give us unpopular things to do or say in life. When we do what we are asked, we know we have His protection however.

God preserves us

December 8, 2007

Psalms 12:7-8 GNB
(7) The wicked are everywhere, and everyone praises what is evil. Keep us always safe, O LORD, and preserve us from such people.

The devil was able to take over the earth when Adam fell. If not, we would not have the sickness and disease that we have in the world today. We do not need to fear. God protects us in everything.

Isn't nice to know that no mater what the devil tries to throw at you, you can stand against it.

When the sniffles strike this year, know that the devil can not give you that.

The light has come

December 7, 2007

Isaiah 60:1 NET
(1) "Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor1 of the LORD shines on you!

What do we really celebrate this time of year. Most people celebrate the birth of Jesus, though some just celebrate commercialism. But what did the birth of Christ really mean?

The light has come into the world. If i were not for Jesus, we would be in the darkness of hell. So how did that happen? Most people do not tie Easter with Christmas. It is too much to really see that the cute little baby will become the man who dies at the cross. They are the same though.

The light has come to take us out of darkness.

Do you know someone in darkness?

Foolish and wise

December 6, 2007

A lot can be said about the company you keep. If you hang around with criminals, it will wear off on you and you most likely will be one also. Likewise, if you hang around negative people, some of that negativity will get into your system and make you negative as well.

Proverbs 13:20 NET
(20) The one who associates with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.


Notice how the New English Translation puts these words. The original Hebrew was not translated well in the King James (and no I am not picking on it).

Proverbs 13:20 KJV
(20) He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

If you are with a wise man you will be wise. The original Hebrew uses two different words. One we translate wise (the first one) and one we would translate wiser. We grow in wisdom when we hang with wise people.

As a teacher I have had a lot of people tell me that they cannot understand computers because they are stupid. I have to tell them that they are not stupid, they just lack knowledge in computers. I tell them that what they are good in I would be stupid. Find people who are wise and get with them.

But people who feel stupid begin to hang with others who feel stupid. In that case you will come to harm.

Know that you cannot be wise in all things, but you can pick your friends that are.

Love v. Fear round 2

December 5, 2007

My daughter has a fear of spiders and other small bugs. While she can play with plastic ones that are so life like it is incredible, she jumps and screams at the sight of a live one. There is not trying to reason with her. But dad always steps in and saves the day. I kill the bug and take away her fear. Why because I love her.


1 John 4:18 BBE
(18) There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is, there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love.


God loved us too. He could have let us live in hell for the rest of our lives but He did not. He had perfect love, Jesus, come down to earth and take the punishment that we should have had. Like I squish the bug for my daughter, He went to hell to squish our chances of ever going there. And a Father watched a Son die, because He had perfect love for us.

Walk in Love

Passwords

December 4, 2007

I love old comedy movies. My daughter sat with me one night watching the Marx Brothers in "A Night At the Opera". I have never seen that girl laugh so much as she did that night. The knew how to do jokes back then. In another Marx film which name escapes me,Groucho and Harpo are trying to get into a speak easy during the time of Prohibition. They knock and a little door opens and a voice says 'what's the password'. Now Harpo knows the password is swordfish but he never talks. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a swordfish. They let him in.

I got to thinking about that today. We as Christians are sometimes guilty of using the buzzwords of our faith. They can be bewildering to someone either new to the faith or outside of it totally. Without meaning it, we can set up a password to our lifestyle. If they do not know the right way to speak, they will not really be accepted. Jesus is not like that at all.

Revelation 3:20 Murdock
(20) Behold, I have been standing at the door, and I will knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.


Jesus wants to come into all lives, but do we somehow keep Him out to others by making a password. He wants in. Let's not put a password to him for others because He did not it there Himself.

Fear v. Love

December 3, 2007

2 Timothy 1:7 VW
(7) For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

The devil wants you to be a coward you know.

As I have mentioned a few times I volunteer in my churches children's department running sound. My interaction with the kids is minimal a lot of the times, but a few months ago we started doing small groups and I had to face a group of them and talk to them about the lesson that was coming up and take prayer requests. I basically did a little talking about the lesson but left the major stuff to the staff to take care of. Of course, especially with six year old kids prayer requests can take a long time, there are a lot of sick pets out there. Asking them if they wanted to receive Jesus was out of the question. Leave that for the specialists.

Last week however, things changed at a service that I was not even supposed to be working at. I showed up and they were short so I stayed. As praise and worship ended and we were about to go to the small groups, I heard the lead teacher say, team ministers, do not forget to ask the children if they know Jesus. Well, never let it be said that I do not follow orders.

See I did not think that I was proper enough to lead other peoples kids to the Lord. Leading mine was one thing but other kids. The paid staff do that the best, I might say something wrong to the kids.

So I had that group of six year old children bow their heads, and I ask them if any of them would like to accept Jesus as their savior and begin a new life. Three children rose their hands. I stumbled a bit, not sure what the protocol was for this. But never let the kids smell fear. We broke from the groups and I notified the associate children's pastor that we had three children that wanted to know Jesus. I figured he would take over.

"Have you had them pray the prayer yet?"
Well no."
"OK, you do that while I get the paperwork"

Well, I stumbled a bit more but made it through it. You see, the devil had built up a fear in me that I could not do what God has called me to do. It does not matter if I get them at 6 or 60, they are souls that need to brought into the kingdom.

Yesterday, as we broke in the groups, a little voice inside me said, it was a fluke. That the kids would not respond again so don't even try. Good thing I do not listen to little voices that try to install fear in me. As the clock ticked down and I was running out of time, I thought, do not try it again there is not enough time. I quickly asked the children if any of them wanted to know Jesus as their savior. Two hands went up.

If I listen to fear, then I am not loving to those children. God did not give me a spirit of fear. He gave me power to talk to those children. He gave me love to help them accept Jesus and a sound mind not to listen to the Devil try to shut me down.

Is there something that you fear in your life?

Spiritual Crutches

December 2, 2007

Judges 4:4-10 JPS
(4) Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
(5) And she sat under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
(6) And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him: 'Hath not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded, saying: Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children ofZebulun?
(7) And I will draw unto thee to the brook Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thy hand.
(8) And Barak said unto her: 'If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go.'
(9) And she said: 'I will surely go with thee; notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thy honour; for the LORD will give Sisera over into the hand of a woman.' And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
(10) And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up ten thousand men at his feet; and Deborah went up with him.


This story has a happy ending, the bad guy is killed but like Deborah had said, it was at the hands of a woman. What is interesting is the sad start it has.

Barak had been told to go take on the enemy, look at verse 6. God has spoken to him! He was in disobedience to what God had told him to do. He had a serious lack of faith. We would call it fear. So what does he do? He demands Deborah to go with him. Why? Can she hear better from God what is right for his life. He had every thing he need except a crutch to fall back on if he looses the battle.

Do you have a spiritual crutch that is holding you back today? Is someone else getting the glory that you deserve?

A Bird in the Hand...

December 1, 2007

Genesis 26:2-3 NET
(2) The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; settle down in the land that I will point out to you.
(3) Stay in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will fulfill the solemn promise I made to your father Abraham.

Why did Isaac want to go down to Egypt. He wanted to go because that is where the food was. There was a famine in the land and they needed to live. The natural told him to go where he could provide for his family.

The supernatural on the other hand told him to stay put. If he would do what God told him to do, the promises of Abraham, his father would be given to him.

Tough choice. Do you stay put because God told you to stay, or do you jump for what you think is the best deal?

Life is full of those promises and they put you where you are today. For my money, listen to God, for He always provides.

November 20, 2007

Proverbs 24:30-34 GW
(30) I passed by a lazy person's field, the vineyard belonging to a person without sense.
(31) I saw that it was all overgrown with thistles. The ground was covered with weeds, and its stone fence was torn down.
(32) When I observed this, I took it to heart. I saw it and learned my lesson.
(33) "Just a little sleep, just a little slumber, just a little nap."
(34) Then your poverty will come like a drifter, and your need will come like a bandit.

One can look at these scriptures and say they are about a man who does not take care of his house and farm. And that would be right. Any person who does not take care of these things will have a problem. Some can look at them and see a business lesson, ignoring your business can result in it falling apart. I do not fault either possibility. I do offer however a third.

The writer of Proverbs could be saying to us not to let our spiritual vineyard get into disrepair. So easy it would be to just sleep in on a Sunday morning, at least this week. And then next week you say the same thing. How easy it would be to skip my devotional time with God, or reading the Bible each day.

And if you do these things, just a little nibble here, a little nibble there, and you are into spiritual poverty. And though it will seem like it came in quickly, it was just your lack of will power that did it.

Tonight I faced that. I know there are only 10 people in the mailing list (though I would love more, I take what God gives me). I faced a grueling day today. I taught this morning for 3 hours, drove to work and worked for 4 hours and then took some time off that was coming to me. That time off was not for myself, it was to work at Parents Date night at my church. Parents got to drop kids off so they could go shopping, to a movie, etc. I got put in with the 2 and 3 year old children , though eventually we pulled out the 2 year old children to another room, 16 3 year old children was enough. When I got home I tried talking with my wife. I finally got to sit down to the computer to do this and it was midnight. I could have said forget it, no one is reading this anyway. But I knew, that a nibble here and a nibble here would eat away at my spiritual life.

So though it is late, some where in the world it is still Friday November 30. And I need to pray about tomorrows devotional and get some sleep.

Take time to get into a habit that will bring you closer to God, then keep at it. OK?