Devotional Thoughts

1 Corinthians 13:4-7    “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Poets and songwriters have made a good living for years writing about the idea of love. In man’s twisted reasoning, songs about adultery and fornication are often referred to as “love” songs. Poems about man’s view of love are often tragic and heartbreaking. Even religions often have a distorted view of love, attaching all sorts of requirements to the giving of love to others. We need to take a good long look at Paul’s description of true love that is found in Jesus Christ. To begin with, love that is rooted in Jesus is patient (suffereth long) and kind. These two attributes of charity go hand-in-hand, each enhancing...

Psalm 123:1-4    "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.  (2)  Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.  (3)  Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.  (4)  Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud." We have yet another reminder as to where our help comes from: "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes." The writer went on to remind us that our God is not one made of hands; rather, He dwells in the heavens. He is King of all kings and Lord of all lords. There is none greater than Him. There is no better place to look for help and, in fact, the very throne room of heaven is always open to us. Jesus spoke these words that are ongoing: "Come unto me." Tha...

1 Corinthians 13:1-3    “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” There are many charitable organizations in the world. Many people set aside a certain amount of their income to give to charitable works. Others give in their neighborhoods as they see needs around them. Some do it with fanfare and others do it quietly; some to gain God’s approval and others to have accolades of men. If we read the scriptures closely, we are going to realize that charity has nothing to do with giving. It is possible to give away all we have for the benefit of the poor and still not ...

Psalm 122:6-9    "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.  (7)  Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.  (8)  For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.  (9)  Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good." Although the word pray, or prayer, is not mentioned many times, we can know that the Psalms were written as a book of prayers that were to be sung. Prayer was a very important element in the lives of those who wrote these songs and it should be a very important element in our lives each day. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Earlier, I mentioned about the sweet peace and calm assurance that we receive when we have been actively involved in the worship that takes place in God's House. We should never take that for granted; for you see, Satan is constantly trying to find a weak place where he can attack the Church. God's remedy for that is prayer....

1 Corinthians 12:29-31    “ Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” Paul has presented a compelling argument for the unity of the members of the body of Christ. He has pointed out the need for all the members regardless of how feeble thy might appear. Also, he has outlined the truth that God has placed (set) in the church all that was and is necessary for His glory and the church’s benefit. He now points out once again that God, in His wisdom, did not give everyone the same gifts. His questions here are rhetorical and designed to call our attention to the fact that God placed many different gifts in the church. It is not my intention to enter the debate of continuationism versus cessationism. Whether or not we believe that all these gifts continue in the church today, it ...