Devotional Thoughts

Psalm 118:10-14    "All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.  (11)  They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.  (12)  They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.  (13)  Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.  (14)  The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation." I want my words this morning to be directed directly into our hearts, minds, and circumstances. Have you ever felt like the world was against you? Or, have you ever felt like every way you turned was a dead end and there was no way out? Have you ever felt all alone and then your mind began having thoughts that took you into an even darker place? Have you ever felt like nothing was going right and your life was in a downward spiral? Or maybe, you let yours...

1 Corinthians 10:6-9    “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as   were   some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.” Paul has just told the brethren about the journeying of the fathers in the wilderness. He reminded them (and us) that they all ate the same spiritual meat. They all drank the same spiritual water from the Rock, which was Christ. Yet, because they did not believe God in all things, many of them died in the wilderness having never received the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. All these things were left for us as examples or models of how we should  not  behave before our God. ...

Psalm 118:8-9    "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.  (9)  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." The words, "It is better," are written twice in these verses. I'm of the generation that looked forward each year to the Sears, Roebuck Catalog. I especially looked forward to wearing out the Christmas Catalog by turning the pages so many times. I bring that in because Sears had three levels of products that were sold - "Good, Better, and Best". Each one was supposed to be a little more reliable than the other. God's way of seeing things is quite the opposite. Psalm 39:5 tells us that "... every man at his BEST state is altogether vanity. Selah." The word, "better," as used in today's verse is looking from man's viewpoint, meaning we are prone to look for help in places that are not so good. But the word, "good," is used when we are told of God's good...

1 Corinthians 10:1-5    “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” In chapter nine, Paul spoke to the Corinthians about how that all who were in a race ran but not all were triumphant. He now makes an application of this concerning the fathers who came up out of Egypt. While they were not “fathers” to the Gentiles among the Corinthian brethren in a genealogical sense (as they were to the Jewish brethren), they were still fathers from the standpoint of having the commandments and promises of God delivered unto them. Paul again emphasizes his kinship ...

Psalm 117:1-2    "O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.  (2)  For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD." Years ago, a preacher friend of mine felt like the congregation was not listening to his messages. He decided to preach the same sermon until someone noticed. After preaching that same message for four Sundays, a man came up to him and said, "Preacher, I think that is the best sermon I've ever heard." He replied, "I'm glad someone finally heard it."  In that vein of thought, I believe this is the third time that I have tried to write devotions on the book of the Psalms and this is the first time that I have actually noticed the vast number of times that we are told to "Praise the Lord." I think I can hear the Lord saying to me, "I'm glad you finally heard it." The original word for praise means to to be clear in sound, to shine,...