Devotional Thoughts

1 Corinthians 14:37-40    “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.” Paul gives us a very important insight here: the carnal mind is not going to like what he has had to say. That is why he addresses himself to those that claim to speak by God’s inspiration or walk in His spiritual kingdom. Without God’s grace and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we will not acknowledge that Paul writes to the church the commandments of the Lord. In this Paul also makes another important acknowledgement. He is not claiming any wisdom from himself in these things. Paul clearly points the reader to the Lord as the true author of what he has written to the church at Corinth. The question then becomes for us today the sa...

1 Corinthians 14:34-36    “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?” In our society, it is difficult to deal with Paul’s instruction here without being labeled as being misogynistic (strongly prejudiced against women). However, if we consider Paul’s writings as a whole, it should be clear that Paul had a deep respect for the sisters of the church. He mentions several by name as succoring himself and others (see Phebe – Rom 16:1), being helpers (see Priscilla – Rom 16:3), and laboring (see Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis  – Rom 16:6, 12) in the cause of Christ. In view of the fact that Paul commends these (and others) by name to the churches, it would certainly app...

Psalm 136:1-3    "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  (2)  O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.  (3)  O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever." When was the last time you took time to just sit and meditate upon the goodness of God? I'm asking myself that question, by the way. Have you ever just sat and thought back on your life as to the many ways in which God has delivered you in your struggles and trials? As I look back on my life, I can assuredly say with the Psalmist in another place, "If it had not been that the Lord was on my side...." I can plainly see that as I look back, but how often do I then take time to simply "give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good. His mercy endures forever." That is what the writer of the Psalm was doing. Not only was he looking back over his own life, he was thinking back through the history of the nation of Israel...

1 Corinthians 14:29-32    “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” Throughout the fourteenth chapter, Paul has made it clear that he does not prohibit speaking in tongues. At the same time, he has made it clear that speaking plainly by prophesy is more edifying to the church body. As a result of this, Paul indicates that within the church body plain speaking by inspiration is preferable to speaking in tongues unless there be someone to interpret. However, this does not in any sense imply that the prophets (or preachers) were not to conduct themselves in an orderly fashion. The prophets were generally charged with being mindful of the congrega...

Psalm 135:1-3    "Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.  (2)  Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,  (3)  Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant." Psalm 135:13    "Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations." Am I the only one, or does it seem sometimes that the world is going too fast? Do you ever sit down and just wish for some time when things come to a standstill? What have we done to ourselves that brought us to the place where we stay tired all the time? Debby and I felt that way last night. We were trying to watch our usual evening programs and it seemed that even the pace of the plot of the program was going way too fast for us. You know what I did? (Of course you don't know, but I'm about to tell you.)  I turned the television to YouTube and found...

1 Corinthians 14:26-28    “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.” It is exciting and humbling to be given a spiritual gift from God, and rightly so. For there to be many such gifts in the church is cause for rejoicing. Some have the gift of composing and singing songs of praise. Others may have the gift of seeing the patterns and instructions in God’s word and sharing how they applied to God’s people in the past and how they are relevant to us today. There may be some that are given the gift of speaking in a different language. The Spirit may be pleased to bless another with understandi...