Devotional Thoughts

Ephesians 1:15-17     “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:” Full confidence in the saving grace of Jesus Christ is not something that is hidden from God’s people. It is a balm that flows forth and gives comfort and encouragement to those who hear of it. Unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus will produce a love for Him that can be seen in the love the believers have for all the saints. This faith is what makes us as a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. How is it with us when we hear of God blessing His kingdom in some geographic location other than our own? Do we approach the news with a certain nonchalance? Do we think “That’s nice. I wish it were closer to home.”? We should lay up the news of God...

Isaiah 52:13-14     "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.  (14)  As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men" For the past 10 chapters, we have been beholding the servant of the Lord in one fashion or another. Chapter 42:1 says, "Behold my servant..." Today's verse says, "Behold, my servant..." At first glance, these words appear to have the same meaning, but punctuation makes quite the difference. Notice in chapter 42, there is no comma; whereas, in today's verse there is a comma after the word "Behold."  I don't pretend to be an English teacher, but I believe that comma makes a very distinct difference in the thoughts that are given.  Chapter 42 speaks of looking at and examining the servant and his work. Today's verse is an introduction to the person, Himself. That person happens to be Jesus, the Son of ...

Ephesians 1:13-14     “In whom ye also   trusted,   after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” In verse twelve we are told that the Father first trusted in Christ. The word rendered as “trusted” in that verse is defined in Strong’s as “to hope in advance of other confirmation.” The Father trusted the work of the Son in bringing about our deliverance before He ever created this world or any of its creatures. Paul tells us here that we also trust in Christ. However, our trust is not the same as the Father’s trust was. He trusted  before  He spoke the world into existence. Our trust begins after we hear the word of truth. We do not trust until we have been taught the gospel of our salvation. We cannot hear the gospel of o...

Isaiah 52:7     "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings."  To keep this in context, these words were written concerning the news that Judah would be returned, the wall and the temple would be rebuilt. No doubt, those who published the fact of liberation from enslavement would be considered to have sweet voices and blessed news: "You're free to go home!" We always want to keep Scripture in the context that it was written, but there is a spiritual application to these words as well. The commentator writes of these words to apply to John the Baptist. I'm thinking of John as he stood in the river watching Jesus approach. He declared, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world....

Ephesians 1:10-12    “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” God, from the beginning, had an end determined for His children. There was an appointed time, according to His administration and control, when law and grace, Jew and Gentile, would be gathered together in Jesus. This is true of eternity, but it is also true in His gospel kingdom. The word rendered as “heaven” carries both the idea of God’s abode and the Gospel. The phrase “on earth” indicates His power to superimpose His will on this world. Paul is declaring here that God is sovereign in all His work. We have, according to God’s will, been assigned the p...

Isaiah 52:1-2      "Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.  (2)  Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion." I remember the days of Momma saying, "Boys, it's time to get up and get ready for school."  "Awake, awake; put on...." The time for sleeping is over and it's time to get on with the business of a new day.  In today's passage, Isaiah is prophesying about a time that would come 70 years after they had been taken into captivity. God had told them about the time when they would be carried away and now He is speaking to them of the hope (blessed assurance) of a better day to come when they would be released. It would be time for them to take off the garments of captivity and put on the garments of the Lord. ...

Ephesians 1:7-9    “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” Sometimes, small words carry a great deal of weight. Consider the Strong’s definition for the Greek word rendered “in”: A primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively). The pronoun “whom” refers to Jesus Christ (see verse 5). Our position as the children of Almighty God is fixed (secured) in Jesus Christ. It was ever that way in the mind and purpose of God and all legal requirements were met when Jesus declared from the cross “It is finished.” We have the earnest of our inheritance here and now as we live in the kingdom of God (heavenly places). We are  ransomed in f...

Isaiah 51:15-16     "But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.  (16)  And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people." "But I am the LORD thy God."  Those seven words should give us comfort beyond measure. Isaiah was inspired to write concerning the bondage of the people and how God would bring them back. This 51st chapter speaks of the contrast between man and God. That contrast is vast beyond measure, but God is reminding them of His power and glory more than dwelling on the contrast. As is the case oftentimes in Scripture, God reminds the people of His past victories in their lives. "Awake, awake, put on strength..." What was their strength and what is our strength? It is found in those first seven words of today's thoughts. "But I am the LO...

Ephesians 1:3-6    “Blessed   be   the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly   places   in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” The word “blessed” appears twice in verse three and the word “blessings” appears once. Each of these words comes from a slightly different Greek root and carries subtle variations in meaning. These variations lend important distinctions to this verse of scripture. When Paul says “Blessed be the God…” the word blessed carries the meaning of “adorable.” In our language today, the word adorable has come to be synonymous with “cute.” I assur...

Isaiah 51:2-3     "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.  (3)  For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you." The Lord is instructing His people to remember the history of their nation. Israel began as one man and one woman, Abraham and Sarah. He is not telling them to look to them for their strength; rather, to look back on them as to the manner in which they have come from point A to point B.  The strength of the nation is not in those two individuals. Remember when John the Baptist was baptizing and the people were coming out to the Jordan River? He spoke to those people, "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: ...

Ephesians 1:1-2   “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace   be   to you, and peace, from God our Father, and   from   the Lord Jesus Christ.” Are you afraid to declare that God has a will and purpose for your life? Are you concerned that someone might think you are boasting if you declare that you are His servant according to His will? Whatever God has called you to do, please take a moment to consider Paul’s example in his opening statement to the church at Ephesus. Paul was certain that God had called him. Paul was certain that God had given him an apostleship. He was not afraid to declare the mighty work of God in his personal life. It is easy to think that Paul’s experience was so powerful that he could not deny it and perhaps to feel that our experience was not like Paul’s. Was your experience like Peter’s? Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of G...

Isaiah 50:6-7      "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.  (7)  For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." "I gave." Aren't those two precious and beautiful words? Especially when you think of who is doing the talking.  The Father gave. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...."  The Son gave. "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair..."  He did not try to hide at the time appointed for Him to die.  "I have set my face like a flint." There was no turning back. Some might ask, "But what about His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane?" Didn't He ask for the cup to be removed? Yes, He did, but we must understand what cup was of concern to Him. Was He afraid to die? Absol...

Exodus 40:33-38     "And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys."   Moses had received the testimony of God in mount Sinai a second time. When he came down from the mount, his face shone with such a light from the presence of God that he had to wear a vail over his f...

Isaiah 50:4-5     "The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.  (5)  The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." I think we all have our favorite verses that we refer back to from time to time. Often when preaching, I will read a verse of Scripture and say, "This is my favorite verse in the Bible -- today." With that in mind, our text verses for today are my favorite verses in the Bible. We might not readily recognize the fact, but we often read the words of Jesus even in the Old Testament. They aren't printed in red, nevertheless, we can know it is Jesus speaking through the prophets. Today's verses are such words. They could easily have been printed in red; for, Jesus is speaking to us. Yes, it's 700 years before His birth, but Jesus speaks of what was t...

Exodus 34:12-16     "Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods." The LORD had just declared to Moses that He would make a covenant. The LORD would do miraculous things the world had never seen before. Speaking to Moses as the intercessor of the people under the law covenant, He promised that all the people of whom the intercessor was in the midst would see the work of the LO...

Isaiah 49:15-16      "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.  (16)  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." I begin with this question set forth by God, "Can a woman forget her sucking child?"  Is it possible? I find it hard to believe it is possible, but I also know the depths of human depravity could bring it about. But with God, it is an impossibility for Him to forget one of His little ones. I find great comfort to know my Heavenly Father will never forget me. Though I have given Him reason to do so, He has promised. HE has promised! "I will not forget thee."  Not only will He not forget me, but He will never stop loving me. Let me bring in two other passages of Scripture to cement that thought into our hearts and minds. "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved th...

Exodus 34:1-7     "And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressi...

Isaiah 48:9-11     "For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.  (10)  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.  (11)  For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another." May I say at the onset that everything God does in our lives is for His glory, not necessarily for our ease. We sometimes want to think God is just waiting for us to give Him instructions as to how to make our lives better in order to be more at comfort and ease. If I understand Scripture, that is not the case. Though Jesus came to this earth and humbled Himself as a servant, He is not sitting and waiting to come running to us when we ring our little bell. He came to this earth that we might have eternal life and have it more abundantly. That abundant life does not consist of a...

Exodus 33:17-23     "And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."   The “thing” the LORD told Moses He would do was to go up to the land of promise with him and His people. Still speaking as friend to friend, God...

Matthew 28:16-20   (16) Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. (17) When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. (18) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  I read a story about an atheist who was visiting an Indian tribe deep in the jungles. He spoke to an elderly chief and said, “ I am so sorry you have been taken in by the Christians who came to you with the foolish story of Jesus Christ. You know people don’t believe that anymore.” The chief pointed to a huge rock and said, “You see that rock? That is where we bashed in the heads of our enemies. And You see tha...

Isaiah 46:9-11      "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,  (10)  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:  (11)  Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." In the beginning of this chapter, God inspired Isaiah to write concerning the idols that have been made and how men bow down to it. I probably have written this before, but I can't understand how anyone could bow down to something that is completely dependent upon the man. A man forms it. He fashions it. He makes the pedestal upon which it stands. He carries it and places it on that pedestal and then he bows down to it, confessing it to be god. My goodness! How can that ha...

Exodus 33:11-16     "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon...

Isaiah 45:16-18     "They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.  (17)  But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.  (18)  For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else." It seems that humans are forgetful people. Children soon forget that their parents told them no. Why do I say that? Because five minutes after being told no, they come back with the same request. But children are not the only ones who are bothered by that malady. We oftentimes ask God the very same question even after we know He has denied the request. But there are some things that are too important to forget. God continues to remind us many times over of certai...

Exodus 33:1-6     "And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount H...

Isaiah 45:11-13      "Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.  (12)  I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.  (13)  I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts." These three verses  are speaking of a specific work to come: the finished work of redemption. I sit here pondering these verses and words escape me as I think of Jesus leaving heaven to come to this earth. "He came unto His own and His own received Him not." He "endured such a contradiction against Himself." He was mocked, scourged, betrayed, and denied even by His own.  The action of leaving heaven is an action, or work, that I cannot begin to ...

Exodus 32:19-24     "And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." Moses had come down from mount Sinai to the sound of...