Devotional Thoughts

1 Corinthians 7:36-40     "But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of   her   age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth   her   in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth   her   not in marriage doeth better. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.” It is obvious in this chapter that the question of whether or not to marry was an important issue for the Corinthians at the time of Paul’s writing. Paul’s use of ...

Psalm 109:21-26    "But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me  (22)  For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.  (23)  I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.  (24)  My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.  (25)  I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.  (26)  Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:" To be quite honest, I tried to avoid this Psalm. As I began to read it, I felt a heaviness come upon me as I read how the Psalmist was about as low as a man can go in his spirit. He was asking God to have a special place beside his enemies where Satan would stand. I really tried to just move on to the next Psalm without writing anything about this one. But I came to verse 26 and I realized that whether we go as deep in the ho...

1 Corinthians 7:32-35     “But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please   his   wife. There is difference   also   between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please   her   husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.” It is important for us to realize that Paul is still continuing here with his advice and not something that he has received as a commandment from God (1Co 7:25). At no time should we read Paul’s counsel here as disparaging towards marriage or the abilit...

Psalm 108:1-3  A Song or Psalm of David "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.  (2)  Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.  (3)  I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations." I've said this before and I will say it again, "I'm so thankful that God created music." There is something about the harmony in a song that touches the very seat of our being. I believe music is born from our emotions whether it be joy, gladness, hope, assurance, peace, or even sadness and sorrow. To me, that is why music makes its way to our hearts. Music moves from one heart to another, from one's emotion to another's emotion.   One of the saddest times is when the heart cannot sing. I'm not sure what David had been through when he wrote this Psalm, but he begins with the thought that his heart is ready to sing. His emotions were ready to be awakened and his heart w...

  Our text is in the book of Joel, chapter three, verses one through three.   For the sake of context, we will begin the reading in chapter two at verse 28.   This is part ten of this series.   Perhaps a brief review with a few reminders is in order. We do not have a concrete date for the life and writing of this prophet. It is difficult to discern from this book whether Joel wrote this prophecy before the division of Israel, or before the exile to Babylon. We do believe that Joel wrote of an actual calamity of locusts brought by God as a chastisement on Israel. As this is prophecy, we should also understand that more than one fulfillment is of this prophecy is possible. As concerns prophecy in general, there is usually a near fulfillment that the original hearers would observe, and a far fulfillment that is a future event. That future event is always future from the writer’s perspective. That future fulfillment may be in the past from our perspective.  It is al...