Devotional Thoughts

Matthew 10:1    "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease."  Matthew 10:5-8     " These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:   But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.   And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.   Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."   Chapter ten of the book of Matthew opens with us being told who the twelve core disciples are. It also tells us that Jesus gave them the same power He had been manifesting to cast out unclean spirits and to heal. The last phrase gives us the name of the most infamous disciple, Judas Iscariot, and ends with the expression “who also betrayed him....

Matthew 9:35-38     " And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;   Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."   Perhaps, like me, you have often heard this passage described as a plea for the Lord to send men to help His people attain eternal salvation. It is often portrayed as Jesus instructing a handful of disciples to pray for additional resources to get people into heaven. Let me say here that the only “help” that exists to get people into heaven was the man speaking to His disciples. His ear has never been deaf t...

Genesis 4:25-26     "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.  (26)  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." Genesis 5:3-5     "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:  (4)  And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:  (5)  And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died." I included Genesis 5:5 for three words: "... and he died." I included Genesis 4:26 for a specific phrase: "... then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." Before the fall of Adam, we read that God came down and walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. It was a daily privile...

Matthew 9:32-34     " As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.  And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.  But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils." Jesus had taught the multitude with authority. He had performed healing miracle after healing miracle. He had calmed a raging storm. He had raised Jairus’s daughter from her deathbed. He had cast demons out of the two Gergesenes. As Jesus and His disciples were walking publicly, they brought a man who was dumb (either unable to speak or both unable to speak and unable to hear). An evil spirit possessed the man and rendered him speechless. When Jesus healed him, the multitude was astonished and declared that this kind of power had never been seen in Israel before. This was a people whose forefathers had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground as the waters ...

Genesis 4:1-4     "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.  (2)  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  (3)  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  (4)  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering" It is not my intention to write about every single person in the Bible. Though it would be worthy, it would be a lifetime endeavor. But I do want to look at the first few that are mentioned; therefore, it is imperative that I look at these two brothers. We assume them to be the first two children of Adam and Eve. But we do not know that for certain. In fact, it's probable that they were not the first children since Cain "went out from the presence of th...