Devotional Thoughts

1 Thessalonians 3:11    "Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you." Paul had already expressed his desire to see these dear saints, but was hindered from going. He had sent Timothy to affirm Paul's wellbeing (even in prison) and to affirm to Paul that the Thessalonians were doing well and maintaining their faith in the Lord. There can be no doubt Paul loved all of God's people, but we can see the love Paul had for these saints of God and the special relationship with them.  His desire was to see them face to face once again. We find a very simple, yet wonderful, truth in today's text.  "Now God ... direct our way."  Have you ever made plans only to have something come up to hinder you from following through with those plans?  We all have had that to happen, haven't we?  Have you ever, in that moment, tried to maneuver the situation to fit your plans and your time schedule?  The wise man Solomon wrote (b...

1 Thessalonians 3:4-5    "For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.  (5)  For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain." In the first three verses of this chapter, Paul stated his reason for sending Timothy to the Thessalonians.  They had heard of the afflictions of Paul and Silas.  Paul was not concerned about himself; rather, he was concerned that his afflictions might affect the saints at Thessalonica.  He said in verses 2 and 3, Timothy was sent "to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: that no man should be moved by these afflictions."   He did not want them to become fearful or hesitant concerning their daily walk with the Lord.  In verse 3, Paul states that he was "appointed" unto "these afflictions".  How could he k...

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20    "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?  (20)  For ye are our glory and joy." We can see in these first two chapters of the book there was a special bond between Paul and the Thessalonians. In chapter 1, we saw Paul speaking highly and rejoicing in their faith and their zeal in sharing that faith with others.  "Your faith to God-ward is spread abroad." People are telling "how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God."  He spoke of his love and care for them "as a nurse cherisheth her children". Even when he had to give them charges in the Lord, he spoke of his love in that "as a father doth his children."  Now he had been separated from them for a while and his desire was to see them again. Paul's heart was for Christ and His people. You can sense the pain in his heart because he had been hindered f...

  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. – Zechariah 6:12-13 Look at Him! Look at the man whose name is The BRANCH. This declaration, this commandment, is simple and yet so many see without seeing. The many promises in the prophecies of the Messiah are varied and increasingly direct as the time of Christ grew nearer. As we have seen, Isaiah and Daniel left us definite clues to the appearance and coming of God’s Chosen One, His Anointed. The prophet’s words in Isaiah 11:1 tell us that “…there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” And in Jeremiah 23:5, we read “Behold, the day...

1 Thessalonians 2:16    "Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved..." 1 Thessalonians 2:18    "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us."  In these passages of Scripture, it seems Paul is expressing a need that was within himself.  "I Paul" wanted to come to you. It was as if he was saying, 'I need to see you again, but everytime I start to come that way, something gets in my way.' He was specific in his feelings concerning the "roadblocks" that prevented him from going to see the Thessalonians: "Satan hindered us." In looking at this verse of Scripture, I am wondering what was going through Paul's mind as he penned these words. We might be prone to think of the prophets and Apostles as being some sort of super beings; yet the truth of the matter is that they were human just as you and I. They were humans used by the Lord to establish His Word concern...

1 Thessalonians 2:11-13    "As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,  (12)  That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.  (13)  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." I use the same passage as last time because there is so much contained in these three verses.  Paul wrote these words "to encourage you, to comfort you, and to instruct you" concerning your everyday walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Notice something concerning Paul's instruction. He said, I write these things that "ye would walk worthy of God."  It is one thing to tell me that I am to walk worthy of God, but included in that charge must be instructions as to how I am to accompl...

1 Thessalonians 2:10-13    "Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:  (11)  As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,  (12)  That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.  (13)  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." We wrote recently of Paul's heart concerning the people at Thessalonica. This was his same approach to all of God's children. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ and he loved the people of God. That love was manifested in many different ways. These verses speak of his behaviour as he dealt with the Thessalonians and his behaviour toward people, in general.  His lo...

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8    "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: (8) So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us." We sometimes think Paul to have been a stern, straightforward man who did not pull any punches. He spoke from his heart and spoke directly to any subject.  He did this when he was having to rebuke and correct a congregation. But as we look at this passage, we see he was just as direct in his declaration of love for a congregation.  You can easily see Paul loved these saints at Thessalonica. He spoke of his care as being equal to a nurse cherishing her children. The word, cherish, carries the meaning of a warming feeling of care for another. One of the definitions for this word is "brood".  I felt like I understood what was being implied, but I went to the Merriam Webster dictionary to be certain....

1 Thessalonians 2:1-4    "For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:  (2)  But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.  (3)  For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:  (4)  But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts." Is it worth it?  With all the problems and troubles that accompany it, is it really worth it? With all the rejection and lack of interest, is it worth it?  I suppose "it" depends on what "it" is, as to whether or not "it is worth it".  I see a lot of attitudes in the world today that say, if you don't appreciate what I'm doing, then I won't "do it" anymore.  Or, if I don't receive some kind of gratitude from ...

  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. – Daniel 2:44 During the reign of Nebuchanezzar II of Babylon, Daniel was part of a group of young Israelites brought into the court of the Babylonian king.  The king had a dream involving a great statue made head to foot of gold, silver, brass, iron, and a mixture of iron and clay for feet that was destroyed by a stone that was cut out without hands.   This dream so greatly distressed the king that he threatened to execute some of his counselors when they could not interpret it.  Daniel was then summoned to give the interpretation, and by the grace of God, he not only explained the dream but he recounted the dream without any details from the king.  After explaining that the many metals represented many great kin...

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10    "For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.  (9)  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;  (10)  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." Paul commended these saints concerning their "work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" so that "ye were ensamples to all that believe."  I bring this back from the past two writings because today's verses explain what those things meant to them and what they should mean to us.  Their work of faith was found in the fact they were not timid to speak concerning their trust in the Lord. They were very vocal about the work of J...

1 Thessalonians 1:5-7    "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.  (6)  And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:  (7)  So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia." I think for most of us, there are times when we sit and listen to the message and it sounds good but does not really stir our hearts and minds. Then there are other times when we sit, listening to the words spoken and suddenly, our hearts begin to stir. At that moment, I not only hear the words but I realize that message is intended "just for me".  I understand those words to be spoken into my heart by the Holy Spirit and it impacts me with power whether it be the power of conviction, the power of conversion, or the power of encouragement.  There a...

1 Thessalonians 1:2-4    "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;  (3)  Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;  (4)  Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." I will begin with verse four in making my way back to the thought that is contained in these three verses of Scripture.  Paul speaks to the Thessalonians concerning knowing that they are the objects of God's electing love.  Scripture teaches us that God chose a people in love before the foundation of the world.  We might find it difficult to wrap our minds around that wonderful truth because of the limitations of our knowledge.  Romans chapter 8 tells us that God foreknew us in divine love. Ephesians chapter 1 tells us that God chose us in Christ even before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and without blam...

Deuteronomy 34:10    "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face" The Lord took Moses up into the mountaintop and there He showed him the land which had been promised since the days of Abraham. Once Moses saw the land, he died and God buried him there in a place where no one knows. The children of Israel stayed in that place for thirty days in a state of mourning for Moses. Then they moved on into the land of Canaan under the new leadership of Joshua. My short devotion this morning is found in God's testimony concerning Moses. "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face"  To this day, Moses is remembered, not only by Israel but every one who calls themselves a Christian and knows anything about the Bible. In concluding this study of Deuteronomy, I repeat once again the words of the writer of Hebrews concerning Moses.  "Moses was faithful in all his...

Deuteronomy 33:27-29    "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.  (28 )  Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.  (29)  Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places." This morning, I repeated verse 27 because the three verses seem to be an "if and then" statement.  First, we can say verse 27 is a declarative statement on its own.  The Lord is our refuge. We are safe because His arms are underneath us. He is fully capable of thrusting out the enemy and even destroying them if need be.  Those statements are facts. We have already been reminded the...

  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. – Isaiah 53:11 While it is difficult to consider the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ, it is important to remember that the Holy Child born in Bethlehem would one day bear the sins of His people with the same innocence and humility of a newborn. Only in the case of Jesus Christ, He was sinless and completely innocent. He was  always  Righteous and  always  perfectly, flawlessly Holy. When Jesus died on Calvary, God the Father was satisfied with the travail of the Savior’s soul. He was satisfied that the price of our sins had been paid. As the Lord declared with His last breath on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Lamb of God was slain and God was satisfied for all time and all manner of people. It may be unpleasant, even horrible, to consider that someone had to suffer for our sins, but I am...

Deuteronomy 33:26-27    "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.  (27)  The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them." God had told Moses that it is time for him to go into the mountain where he will be able to look across into the Promised Land.  We remember he was not allowed to cross Jordan into Canaan, but God allowed his eyes to behold the beauty of the land as it lay before him.  In the Smokey Mountains, there is a place where you can pull to the side and look out over the valley of Blount County. As a boy, I loved to go there and try to pick out the places where I was familiar.  I could see the plant where my father worked. I could pick out the hospital. I could see the town of Maryville. Then I would begin to trace a familiar road. I could find the little churc...

Deuteronomy 32:20    "And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith."   God speaks a word of warning to us in the book of Proverbs. In fact, He states it in two different places.  "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)  And then again in Proverbs 16:25,  "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." God is allowing Moses to warn the people of what will happen once they are settled in the land of Canaan.  They will be lured away from the only true God and will participate in worship of idols. They will forget the Lord Who brought them into the land.  They will suffer because of their disobedience. God will allow other nations to overtake them because they have forgotten God.  A study of the history of the Old Testament will qu...

Deuteronomy 32:15    "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation." Is there such a thing as being too prosperous? I think our immediate answer would be a resounding "no".  Yet, if we think of it in terms of today's passage of Scripture, we can see there is a danger.  We read God's instructions to Joshua, "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....

Deuteronomy 32:12-14    "So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him  (13)  He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;  (14)  Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape." The Lord provides for our every need. Do you believe that this morning?  Do you truly believe that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17)  These verses are given by the Lord through Moses to remind the people that God has indeed provided daily bread and living water for them to this point in their travels. Though these verses speak of their past provision...

Deuteronomy 32:9-12    "For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.  (10)  He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.  (11)  As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:  (12)  So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." "The Lord's portion is his people."  Can we just stop to think about that for a moment?  The Lord's portion.... The Lord's allotment.... That which is distributed unto the Lord is His people.  In context of the passage, just what exactly did God receive when He said Jacob is the lot (portion) of His inheritance? You remember the story of Jacob. He was a deceiver, a trickster. He was someone who looked out for himself and devised ways to get that which he wanted for himself. He ...

  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14 From the very beginning, everything about the birth of Christ was miraculous. The Bible gives us accounts of a few miraculous births such as Isaac and Samuel who were born to barren women. However, they were born under otherwise natural means. Other babies were born to grow into a champion to save God’s people from oppression and chaos such as Samson. Others were promised to become prophets to lead the people back to God and His will. None other than Jesus of Nazareth was born to a virgin who had not known the intimacy of marriage. Some have tried to explain away Isaiah 7:14 as a reference to a young mother who had not previously known a man before conception. However, the New Testament does not leave us this option. Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel who announced to her that she would be with child of the Holy Ghost. Her resulting...

Deuteronomy 32:7-8    "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.  (8)  When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." Verse six spoke of the fact that God had made Israel and established them. He made them from one man, Abraham. He had established them as a nation and He was about to establish them in the land that had been promised to them.  There seems to be a process to that which God performs in our lives. There certainly was a process for His making and establishing Israel.  He promised Abram that "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)  At that time, he and Sarai had no children.  He later would take Abram out and said, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to...

Deuteronomy 32:6    "Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?" There are many times in the Word of God when we are asked questions by the Lord, Himself.  After Adam transgressed in the Garden of Eden, God asked, "Where art thou?"  Yes, God knew exactly where Adam and Eve were hiding. This question was asked for the intention of causing Adam to think about the consequence of his actions.  "Where are you Adam?  I am hiding." Though God did not ask the question directly, the next thought would be, "Adam, why are you hiding from God?"  The answer would have to be, "Because I have sinned."  We know he tried to blame everyone but himself, but it was Adam's own transgression that brought about the separation in fellowship from God.  Another time, God asked Jacob, "Why is thy name?"  God knew Jacob's name, but He was brin...

Deuteronomy 32:3-4    "Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  (4)  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." "Ascribe ye greatness unto our God, (for) He is the Rock."  There can be no doubt that we live in unstable times just now.  Solomon had much to say about troublesome times. Quite honestly, he laid the credit or the blame upon the leadership of the nation.  "... when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." (Proverbs 29:2)  He said in another place, "As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people." (Proverbs 28:15)   Both the roaring lion and the ranging bear are searching for food and are not satisfied with what they have.  Again, I say all we have to do is listen to the news for five minutes and we see that occurring right now with Russia in the Ukraine.  So whe...