Devotional Thoughts

Psalm 92:13-15    "Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  (14)  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;  (15)  To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him." "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God."  What a glorious statement that is!  I see many people now who ask the question, "Why should I go to church?"  Their thought is that they can worship God just as well at home as they can at Church. I will agree that there are times when we worship at home and feel the presence of the Lord. We can worship God in most places that we go. But can we worship Him to the same degree as we do when we are assembled with other people who love the Lord?  I have to say "no" to that question. You may ask me why I answer in that way. Let me use some Scripture to bring us to t...

1 Corinthians 4:11-13     “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world,   and are   the offscouring of all things unto this day.” Many of the Corinthian brethren thought they were on top of the world. After all, God had sent them some notable apostles and teachers (Paul, Apollos, and Peter). Some of them even remembered that it was to Jesus they owed their allegiance. They considered themselves wise, honorable, and strong among their peers. It seems that they, like us, forgot some of the very basic teachings of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches us that those who would persecute Him will also persecute us (Joh 15:20). The world is still full of men who persecute Jesus from the standpoint ...

1 Corinthians 4:8-10     “Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We   are   fools for Christ’s sake, but ye   are   wise in Christ; we   are   weak, but ye   are   strong; ye   are   honourable, but we   are   despised.” In order to understand the tone of these verses, we must be blessed by God to keep in mind that Paul has been addressing a problem in the church. There were divisions over who had the greatest claim to fame with some giving Paul credit for their gospel salvation while others claimed Apollos or Peter. Some even claimed Christ. Paul’s letter thus far has addressed the foolishness of worldly wisdom and the wisdom of God in a mystery. ...

Psalm 92:1-5   A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:  (2)  To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,  (3)  Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.  (4)  For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.  (5)  O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep." I'm old enough to remember when stores were closed on Sunday. We went to Church and either came home, or went to "Grandma's and Papa's," for Sunday dinner. Usually, Sunday dinner was mostly cooked on Saturday except for the rolls or biscuits. We gathered around the table and enjoyed a delicious meal and the family actually talked. (Yes, this was in the day before everyone sits with their phones in their hands.) The afternoons were spent on th...