Skip to main content

Posts

Daily Devotion: Matthew 12:34-37

Matthew 12:34-37     " O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.   A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.   But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.   For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."   To keep this account in focus, let us remember that Jesus is addressing a crowd that included some self-righteous Pharisees. These men had tried to lessen the people’s esteem of Jesus by claiming that He had cast out a demon by the power of the prince of demons. Jesus then began to denounce their folly before the people while proving in both word and deed that He had come from God. Their long-awaited Messiah was here! Jesus plainly told the Pharisees t...
Recent posts

Daily Devotion: Joshua 1:5-9

Joshua 1:5-9     "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  (6)  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.  (7)  Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.  (8)  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  (9)  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou di...

Daily Devotion: Matthew 12:30-33

Matthew 12:30-33     " He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.   Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.   And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.   Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit."   As we look here at the words of Jesus, we need to remember that He is still speaking to the Pharisees concerning their accusation that He was casting out devils by the power of devils. We find numerous times throughout the Gospels that the scribes and Pharisees often set out to discredit Jesus by seeming to ask legitimate que...

Daily Devotion: Joshua 1:5-6

Joshua 1:5-6     "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  (6)  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them." Moses was dead and now Joshua was being called to lead. He had been accustomed to following Moses' leadership. And now, the responsibility was going to be placed on him. Or, was it? The truth of the matter is that the only responsibility that was given to Joshua was to continue to follow the leadership of the Lord.  Notice the words of the Lord to Joshua, "... as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee..." These words have always caught my attention because God is confirming to Joshua that although the human leadership is changing, the Supreme Leadership is still the same. "As I was... so I will be." These can be seen as...

Daily Devotion: Matthew 12:25-29

Matthew 12:25-29     " And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:   And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?   And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.   Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house." A man was brought to Jesus because he was blind and mute. The reason for his condition was that he was possessed “with a devil (Matthew 12:22).” Jesus completely healed this man so that he had both his sight and his speech restored to him. The people who saw this miracle were moved to observe that this Jesus...

Daily Devotion: Unity In The Body Of Christ

 INTRODUCTION  There is little doubt that Paul’s letter to the church at Rome is considered his magnum opus ; his most prolific effort to present the doctrines of salvation, and his unique presentation for practical living in the life of the believer; especially as regards peace amongst believers in the local church. For eleven chapters, the apostle presented his amazing discourse on salvation. He then began his discourse on practical Christianity beginning in chapter 12, concluding in chapter 16. Of particular interest for this article is the apostle’s efforts to outline how believers can and should maintain unity in the body of Christ. The focus of this writing will cover chapters 13 though 15.  THE ETHICS OF UNITY   There is a heavy concentration on achieving and keeping peace amongst and between the brethren in the local church. Paul gives a summary verse in chapter 14:19 where he states, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things...