Devotional Thoughts

Matthew 12:18-21     " Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.  And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."   Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the sabbath day. The Pharisees set this situation up (so they thought) to ensnare Jesus so they could accuse Him of violating the law of the sabbath. Jesus had already declared Himself to be the Lord of the sabbath and therefore the lawgiver. When He used the situation to show their hypocrisy, the Pharisees began to look for a way to destroy Jesus. Jesus withdrew from them, and as usual, great multitudes followed Him. In His compassion for them, the scripture tells us that He healed the...

Joshua 1:1-2     "Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,  (2)  Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel." There is much that could be written about Moses. He was a blessed man of God. The epitaph that was written about him is found in the Word of God, Hebrews 3:5.  God says about Moses, "And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after." Moses was faithful in all his house. It's sad that one of the things we think about Moses is that his anger kept him out of the Promised Land. He used the rod that we wrote about yesterday to strike the rock when God had told him to speak to it. He was angry and frustrated at the people because of their constant moaning and co...

Matthew 12:9-14     " And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:  And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.  And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?   How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.   Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him."  Most of us have heard the adage “No good deed goes unpunished.” The scripture tells us that the hearts of men are only evil always (Genesis 6:5). Men, left to their own devices, do not seek the good of others u...

Exodus 4:2-3     "And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.  (3)  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it." We continue our look at Moses this morning. We read this verse last week, but I want us to think about the mercies of God as He uses the things we have been given the ability to use. Moses had tried to explain to God that he was incapable of doing what the Lord was calling him to do. "What is in thine hand?" Moses was quick to answer because he had used this instrument for 40 years. "What's in your hand? A rod." This morning I saw something that I've never noticed before. When God asked Moses what was in his hand, He then told him to "Cast it on the ground." I pray I am not reading more into this than is intended, but I see something very important in Moses' casting the rod on the ground. May I indulge in my thoug...