Devotional Thoughts

Exodus 28:36-38     "And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD." Chapters twenty-five, twenty-six, and twenty-seven of this book are devoted to a detailed description of the pattern for the tabernacle and all the things that were to go in it. I do not pretend to be able to write in depth about the meaning of all the various instruments and the exacting standards to which they were to be made. But one thing is abundantly clear: the house of the LORD is a glorious place made to His specifications. It is not to be changed by the thoughts and ideas of m...

Isaiah 43:1     "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." We have one more thought on this verse that leads to the following verses. We have seen the redemption that is ours through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Servant of God. We have seen how God created us and is daily forming us into the image and purpose and plan that He has for each of us as individuals. This morning, I want us to see that God is not just indiscriminately acting throughout humanity; rather, He is very deliberately forming each of us because of the very personal relationship to which He has called us.  "I have created you. I am forming you. I have redeemed you. I have called you. YOU ARE MINE!" I hope those last three words bring great peace and joy to your heart as it does to mine. I belong to God because of His great love and care for me. He knows me by nam...

Exodus 25:23-30      "Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway." Like the ark of the testimony, the table...

Isaiah 43:1      "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." We cannot fully grasp the depth of love in this verse until we have taken time to observe Isaiah 42:1, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold..."  Everything in today's verse is based upon the wonderful truth that the very Son of God humbled Himself and became a servant. Throughout His life, we see Jesus serving others. He opened blind eyes, deaf ears, made the lame to walk, healed withered hands, and even raised the dead. He constantly gave of Himself to others; yet, that was not the fullness of His servitude. Hear the words of Jesus in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."  Yes, the ultimate service that Jesus came to accomplish was that of giving His life for you and me. Paul...

Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...

Exodus 25:10-16     "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee."   The core of the ark was made of wood from the acacia tree (shittim wood). This is reported to be the hardest of hardwoods. Many varieties...

Isaiah 42:12-14      "Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.  (13)  The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.  (14)  I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once." The things we see in these verses and those to follow are predicated upon this very thing: The Lord's glory being seen, declared, and praise being raised on high. The Lord shows Himself strong and mighty when God's people begin singing that new song of praise. He begins doing a new thing (though it is not new to Him) in our midst when our hearts are turned to Him. There is great joy and gladness in the hearts of people as God moves across the land. But we must be careful to give "glory unto the LORD, and declare HIS PRAISE (emphasis mine)."  But...

Exodus 25:9     "According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." This devotion will seem short in comparison to most of the others that I do. But there is a very important lesson in this verse. It speaks directly of God’s leadership and influence in our lives. That influence affects every aspect of our service. The LORD does not leave us to wonder about how to serve Him. He does not leave us to wonder what His sanctuary (see verse 😎 should look like. We are to prepare our place of worship (the church within us) according to all that God shows us. He has given us a pattern in the Lord, Jesus Christ and reveals that to us through the Holy Spirit.  We have a model in Him for every tool that should be found in His sanctuary. He is our model of obedience to the Father. He is our model of love for God and for each other. He is our model for prayer, faith, and humility. He is...

Isaiah 42:10-12      "Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.  (11)  Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.  (12)  Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands." Would you agree with me that there is something very special when the Lord's praise rises up from our hearts and across our lips? A true worship service leaves its mark on God's people when the Spirit of the Lord manifests Himself unto us. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Corinthians 14:15) It is by the Holy Spirit of God that we are truly able ...

Exodus 25:1-8     "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." Dear ones, do not ever let anyone tell you that we serve a self-serving God. The only things we have to offer Him are the things that He has already blessed us to have. Our offerings to the LORD are good in His sight, but we are the ones who are truly blessed when we make an offering to Him. Everything that we have ever done for others in the name of t...

Isaiah 42:8-9      "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.  (9)  Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." That is a definite statement that will never change.  Jesus said,  "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:5) He then said, "Do not follow them."  We understand and hold this great truth: There is One God and One Lord Jesus Christ our Redeemer. God has said He will not give His glory to another. How can we know Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? Jesus prayed in HIs intercessory prayer, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." That glory was restored up...

 INTRODUCTION   In this article, I will be using 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 as my textual area. I believe it is important to immediately note the Apostle Paul’s statement in verse 18, “And all things are of God, . . .” By that emphasis, the apostle is showing that our reconciliation to God is a sovereign, monergistic act on our Creator’s part. It is important to note that every part of our reconciliation is the result of His eternal decree entered into amongst the members of the Godhead before the foundation of the world. God supplied our reconciliation through the death of His only begotten Son. He then, through the power of the Third Person, the Holy Spirit, regenerated us, gave us faith, presented the gospel message to us, drawing us to Christ and imputing Christ’s righteousness to us.  After speaking of God’s sovereignty in “reconciling the world unto himself...” and having “committed unto us the word of reconciliation,” the apostle states in verse 20, “Now then...

Exodus 24:3-8     "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words." God gave to Moses the words of His judgement. H...

This is the beginning of a series from the Book of Joel. You will find Joel in the Old Testament, in a section of the Bible that is often referred to as the minor prophets. Joel is the second of the minor prophets. Joel has some very important things to say in the three chapters he wrote. Joel’s message is only to be considered minor based on the length of the book. Once you make it past the major prophets, you will find Hosea, and Joel is next, between Hosea and Amos.  There are probably a few verses in Joel that would sound familiar to some of you, but few people have verses from Joel memorized. You have probably heard, "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.” If that does sound familiar to you, do yo...

Isaiah 42:6-7      "I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;  (7)  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." God is still saying to us, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold..." We are still looking at Jesus and the more we look, the more we see.It is so important to spend time in thought, meditation, and communication with our Lord.  These verses give us great understanding of hope as we take time to think upon them.  God says, concerning His servant (the Lord Jesus Christ), "I ... will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people..."  I don't want to just simply pass by these words.  God said that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ as a "covenant of the people." Every promise that is made by our Heavenly Father is secured through the givi...

Exodus 23:28-33     "And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee." God is actively involved in the defense of His people. He declares here that He will send (deliberate action) hornets to drive out the enemy. He declares that they “shall” drive ...

Isaiah 42:6-9     "I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;  (7)  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from tAnd it came to pass in those days,he prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.  (8)  I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.  (9)  Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." We started the chapter with these words, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth." We are still looking at the servant of God, whose name is Jesus.  You might say, "Why would He be referred to as a servant?" Let's look at Jesus' answer to that question: (Matthew 20:27-28)    "And whosoever will be chief among you, let...

Exodus 23:23-27     "For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee."   God has promised us that we would not be without a Leader. The Messenger of God goes before us, having been tempted in all points even as we are (Hebrews 4:15). Every enemy that we will ever face, physically, emotionally...

Isaiah 42:5     "Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein" This week I have heard much about the full moon and the planets that are visible. If you have had the opportunity to look up at night, you have seen the beautiful full moon in the sky. It is majestic and so glorious. God begins these thoughts through His Prophet Isaiah, by reminding us that He is the One Who placed the sun, moon, stars in the sky. As we look at the wonders that we call nature, we must look beyond that which is seen and be aware of the One Who we have not seen. God created those things and placed them in an orderly fashion in the heavens. We read these words back in Chapter 40:26  " Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all b...

Exodus 23:20-22     "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries."   The LORD is wonderfully kind to His people, and His eye is always upon us. He does not leave us to our own devices nor require of us things that we cannot do. He will always bring His purposes to pass. He also always expects our obedience. Just as He did for Israel, the LORD has sent His Angel before us. In the Old Testament, His Angel was manifested in numerous ways. During the initial flight from Egypt, the Angel was seen as a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud. When the time came for Joshua to take the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, the Angel ap...

Isaiah 42:1-4      "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.  (2)  He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.  (3)  A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.  (4)  He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law." "Behold my servant!"  That exclamation mark is mine, but I believe this is the entire focus of the book of Isaiah. God says, "Behold my servant!"  Upon first reading this, I might be as the Ethiopian Eunuch who asked Philip, ".... of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?" (Acts 8:34)  The Eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53, but that chapter is a continuation of the first three words of Chapter 42: "Behold ...

Exodus 23:14-19     "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk."   The number three, like the number seven, holds a special significance in the scripture. Jonah was three day...

Isaiah 41:13      "For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." One of my earliest memories was of my father's hand. I don't remember how old I was, but I was holding my father's hand while we were in a crowd of people. I remember looking up and realizing that at some point I had let go of my father's hand and the hand that I was holding was that of someone that I did not know. I am sure my father was watching all the time and probably waiting for me to realize that I had taken hold of the wrong hand. It scared me when I realized that was not my daddy.  It seems that there are times when we are prone to take hold of the hand of the world rather than holding to our Father's hand. The hand of the world leads us in paths that are harmful and zaps us of our energy. It is wise to let go of the one and take hold of the Father's hand when we realize what we have done.  Jesus said, "No servant can serve t...

Exodus 23:10-13    " And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth."   God set a pattern when He created the heavens and the earth and fullness of it. Six days He labored, and on the seventh day He rested from His labors. All that He had made continued to grow and move according to the design He created in it. God declared it all to be good and very good. Upon bringing the children of Israel up out of...

Isaiah 41:10      "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." I know I say this often, but for today, this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Many years ago, I realized this verse was used as the second verse in the grand old hymn, "How Firm a Foundation." But even more than that, I love this verse because it is God's promise. He promised it to His chosen nation, Israel. But today, as I read it, I can be assured that He wrote it just for me - or you - or whoever finds comfort in this verse. That's the beauty of God's Word. It is written personally to each one who is searching for peace and comfort. When I read electric meters, I was told many times to not be afraid when a dog would be charging at me.  I discounted those words because the owner really didn't know his dog well enough to absolutely assure ...

Exodus 23:1-9    "Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt."   We, as the people of God, are expected to ac...

Isaiah 40:31     "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." I can't seem to leave this verse of Scripture. As I was doing my personal devotion yesterday afternoon, I began to think about this word, "wait".  What does God mean when He tells us to wait?  I confessed that I am impatient at times and it can be difficult waiting on something to happen. Usually I am all ready for the event to take place and I have readied myself for it to happen. Is that what God is speaking about? It might be. But I feel there is something much more than that involved when God tells us to wait. What does the word "wait" mean? In the Old Testament, I see that often the armies would "lie in wait" for the enemy to approach. They were armed and ready for the battle to begin. They waited until the time was right for them to launch the at...

Exodus 22:28-31     "Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs."   Regardless of what men may say, we are not expected to give credence to idols in an effort to not offend others. This verse of scripture does not indicate that it is alright with the true and living God to accept any old form of worship. We are not being told to accept customs and traditions that the word of God plainly teaches against. The scripture plainly tells us to destroy the places of idol worship (Deuteronomy 12:2). Another meaning of the Hebrew word translated here as “gods” ...

Isaiah 40:29-31     "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  (30)  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  (31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."  He gives power. What a glorious statement that is and the truth of it goes even beyond our ability to comprehend. He gives power to our every motion: breathing, seeing, hearing, movement of legs and arms, the beat of our heart and so much more. He gives power for us to have the ability to do those things in our everyday life. "AND to them that have no might he increaseth strength." He gives us strength day by day to be able to go about our daily activities in life. He (the Holy One) gives it!...

Exodus 21:1    "Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them."  This twenty-first chapter of the book of Exodus begins a litany of rules that the children of Israel were to be governed by. Many of these seem strange to us today, more-so to some than to others, depending on the society we are born into. Knowing that God inspired these things to be penned into His holy scripture assures me that they have meaning for us. I also know that I am not wise enough to see what it means except as the Holy Spirit grants understanding. One thing is obvious. There are behaviors that God expects us to adopt toward one another that lead to living together peacefully. He is aware of every circumstance of the lives of His people, always has been and always will be. Not only is He aware, but He is involved. These scriptures show us that He is not just the God of our so-called church lives. He is God in every aspect of our lives. He is the God of our treatment of those  ...

Isaiah 40:28-31     "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  (29)  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  (30)  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  (31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Twice in the previous verses, the Lord asked the same question. "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." (Isaiah 40:25) The thought is being firmly implanted within us that there is none like our God. He wrote of those who make idols with gold, silver, and wood. They make them with their own hands and then they bow down to worship them.  Are t...