Devotional Thoughts

Exodus 22:28-31     "Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs."   Regardless of what men may say, we are not expected to give credence to idols in an effort to not offend others. This verse of scripture does not indicate that it is alright with the true and living God to accept any old form of worship. We are not being told to accept customs and traditions that the word of God plainly teaches against. The scripture plainly tells us to destroy the places of idol worship (Deuteronomy 12:2). Another meaning of the Hebrew word translated here as “gods” ...

Isaiah 40:29-31     "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  (30)  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  (31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."  He gives power. What a glorious statement that is and the truth of it goes even beyond our ability to comprehend. He gives power to our every motion: breathing, seeing, hearing, movement of legs and arms, the beat of our heart and so much more. He gives power for us to have the ability to do those things in our everyday life. "AND to them that have no might he increaseth strength." He gives us strength day by day to be able to go about our daily activities in life. He (the Holy One) gives it!...

Exodus 21:1    "Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them."  This twenty-first chapter of the book of Exodus begins a litany of rules that the children of Israel were to be governed by. Many of these seem strange to us today, more-so to some than to others, depending on the society we are born into. Knowing that God inspired these things to be penned into His holy scripture assures me that they have meaning for us. I also know that I am not wise enough to see what it means except as the Holy Spirit grants understanding. One thing is obvious. There are behaviors that God expects us to adopt toward one another that lead to living together peacefully. He is aware of every circumstance of the lives of His people, always has been and always will be. Not only is He aware, but He is involved. These scriptures show us that He is not just the God of our so-called church lives. He is God in every aspect of our lives. He is the God of our treatment of those  ...

Isaiah 40:28-31     "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  (29)  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  (30)  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  (31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Twice in the previous verses, the Lord asked the same question. "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." (Isaiah 40:25) The thought is being firmly implanted within us that there is none like our God. He wrote of those who make idols with gold, silver, and wood. They make them with their own hands and then they bow down to worship them.  Are t...

"In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Acts 10:34, 35). These words were written by Luke as he witnessed the encounter of Peter with Cornelius. You might recall that in this event in Acts chapter 10, is the fulfilling of the commandment given by Jesus before his ascension into heaven. He said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8,).  Notice, the emphasis is on “fulfilling.” It is not “fulfilled.” That is, the work of evangelism is a work that shall never end while time continues on. More about this later. But here in the Judean city of Caesarea is a Gentile man who “fears God; a man of prayer and also of great charitable works (10:2). He was also a man lacking in the one thing that would make him truly and finally accepted...