Devotional Thoughts

Ephesians 4:13-16    “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we   henceforth   be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,   and   cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head,   even   Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” In the verses prior to verse thirteen, we have been reading about the gifts that Jesus gave to the church. These gifts were given for the perfection (complete furnishing) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and the edifyin...

So far in this series, we have observed:  (1) This is prophecy. It is the Word of the LORD that came to Joel. This author’s name means Jehovah is God. His father’s name is Pethuel, and his name means persuaded by God. The first verse declared that it is the word of Jehovah. Immediately, we know that it is trustworthy, and we are to give proper reverence to it. It is the word of God, not the word of a man. It is not a myth, nor a fable, nor a fairy tale. Prophets were given visions by God, which they then delivered to the people. Sometimes the visions were such that the prophets themselves may not have fully understood them, or the images in their visions were such that words failed to fully describe what they saw. Sometimes prophecies foretold of future events, and sometimes prophecies were forth-telling of current events, given as an explanation of what had happened and w...

Isaiah 56:6-8      "Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;  (7)  Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.  (8)  The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him." We have such a wonderful promise that is given in these verses to the child of God who commits himself unto the things of the Lord.  So, I ask myself this morning certain questions concerning this promise.  Do I get joy from serving the Lord? Do I truly love the name of the Lord, or is it just a "run to" place when I get in trouble? Do I...

Ephesians 4:11-12     “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” In Ephesians 4:7-8, Paul begins to tell us about the gift of Christ and the gifts He gave unto men when He ascended. Verses 9 and 10 are a parenthetical statement that Paul makes concerning the testimony that Jesus both descended into the earth and ascended into heaven (died and arose again). These verses are not directly in line with Paul’s topic that he goes back to in verse 11. For clarity’s sake, let us look at Paul’s subject without the interjection of verses 9 and 10. “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ (v7). Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men (v8). And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelis...

Isaiah 56:3-5      "Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.  (4)  For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;  (5)  Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off." In doing a study of a book, such as Isaiah, it is difficult at times to pick and choose which verses that I want to talk about. I did not intend for this study to be a verse by verse commentary; rather, I wanted it to be a short devotional that encourages and helps us along this pathway called life.  It is with that thought that I could not pass by these verses without saying something about them. First, I think ...

Ephesians 4:9-10     “(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)” These verses are a parenthetical expression. They are a tangent thought not directly related to Paul’s topic in the previous and following verses. This will be important when we pick up verse eleven. If God blesses, we will consider these two verses as an aside from Paul’s main theme. Throughout Paul’s ministry, he was a staunch defender of the truth of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In verse eight, he has mentioned Jesus’ ascension in connection with giving gifts unto men. Although these gifts are Paul’s main focus, the mention of Jesus’ ascension leads his thoughts again to the assurance of Christ’s resurrection. Paul’s assertion in verse nine is that since Jesus ascended it should go without saying that He first descended into...

Isaiah 55:12-13     "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  (13)  Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." These are the last two verses of this chapter. Let's look at the overall picture of this chapter as we think on these verses.  It begins with the thought that we have gone astray from the Lord. We have spent our substance on things that just don't matter. They are things that we think will give us fulfillment; but in reality, they leave us with that empty feeling. Then, we hear the voice of the Lord saying, "Come unto me for that which is satisfying and fulfilling." He says, "Seek the Lord and call upon His name."  Then He begins to talk about th...

Ephesians 4:7-8     “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” We are one body, blessed, governed, and cared for by One Triune God. Though we are members of one body, we should not lose sight of the fact that we are also blessed as individuals. Paul has just expounded in verses four through six all that pertains to our one body (faith, hope, baptism, Spirit, Lord, Father). He interjects a “but” here in verse seven so that we don’t miss something important. Grace is not something that is only given to the body (although the body of Christ collectively certainly enjoys great grace). The grace of Jesus Christ is given to each of us as individuals. The love and mercy of God are pointed at each of us directly. The Holy Comforter comes to comfort you and me as individual people. God is mindful of each of us in our individual tri...

Isaiah 55:10-11      "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:  (11)  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." How many times have you sat down at the end of the day and thought, "Today's been a good day. I accomplished everything I set out to do." I suppose if our list is short, that we might be able to say that, but for me, it doesn't happen very often. I get sidetracked, or I get lazy, or I just stop short of getting everything done. Or there are times when I set out to do something and then it fails to accomplish when I intended for it to do.  That is not true with God. May I say that God never "tries to do something."  God never gets to the en...

Ephesians 4:4-6     “ There is   one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who   is   above all, and through all, and in you all.” As I considered these verses there was a word that came to mind; singularity. Singularity is defined as the state, fact, quality, or condition of being singular. This singularity goes hand-in-hand with the unity that Paul spoke of in the third verse of this chapter. To consider that we are in a singular state with each other and with God is marvelous indeed! In verses four through six, the Greek word rendered as  one , preceding body, Spirit, Lord, baptism, and God and Father, comes from the same root meaning “a primary numeral – one.” The Greek word rendered as  one , preceding hope and faith, means “one or first.” This word “one,” preceding hope and faith, denotes place or position rather than numerical value. Si...

Isaiah 55:8-9     "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  (9)  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." We must let these words sink deep within us in order to have a more proper thought concerning our Lord.  We are good at making plans. We even try to think it all the way through and plan for any missteps or misguidances along the way. "What if this happens? Then I will do this or that. What if it doesn't come together as we think it will? Then we will back up and try something else."  Yes, we make plans, but we are unable to foresee any and all instances that would help or hinder our plans to take place.  To that God says,  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." His plans and purpose never meets with any unexpected struggle or stumbling block. Nothing ever takes Go...

Ephesians 4:1-3     “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In the close of the third chapter of Ephesians, Paul has prayed and pointed us toward God who “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph 3:20).” Now we are exhorted to live our lives in a particular fashion according to our hope in Jesus Christ. Paul explains that this admonition does not come solely from his own desire by again referring to himself as the prisoner of the Lord. A prisoner is bound to the one who holds the power of captivity over him. Pauls is testifying that, as the prisoner of our Lord, he is not bearing witness of his personal desire. Rather, he is giving instruction from the one to whom he is bound. The instruction is that we conduct ourselves...

Isaiah 55:6-7     "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:  (7)  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." When do we seek after our car keys? Is it not when we need them? Until we need them, we don't even give the car keys a second thought. That's a pitiful example, I know, but when is it that we tend to seek the Lord?  Is it not when we, in our humanity, feel the most need for Him? Usually it is when we get sick or when we are up against something that is bigger than us?  "Lord, I can't handle this. I can't control this. This thing is too big for me. I need you." If we are honest with ourselves, that is the way our prayers go, all too often.  I guess as I have gotten older, I have seen more of a need to simply say, "Thank you, Lord" or "I love you , Lord....

Ephesians 3:20-21     “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him   be   glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” When we pray, do we have the view of God that Paul did here? Paul has just asked some marvelous things of God for the sake of the church in upholding the cause of Christ. He has asked for miraculous strength through the Spirit (v. 16). He has prayed for the in-dwelling of Christ in our hearts and for us to be firmly established in His love (v. 17). He has asked that we be granted fellowship with all the saints in laying hold on the vastness of Jesus’ love (v. 18). Even though it is vast, he has prayed for us to know it (while recognizing it is impossible for us to quantify) to the end that we might be filled with the fulness of God (v.19). Paul’s experience with (and confidence in) God now shines through in vers...

Isaiah 55:1-3     "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  (2)  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.  (3)  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." The Word of God is truly amazing! Though these words were written some 2700 years ago, they are just as pertinent today as then.  God inspired the Prophet Isaiah to write words that are intended to cause each one of us to take inventory of where we are in our lives.  Remember when God asked Adam, "Where art thou?" God was not asking this question in order to find Adam; rather, the intention of the ...

Ephesians 3:17-19     “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what   is   the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Paul continues his prayer for the church. He expresses a desire that God’s anointed one (Christ) may be  permanently housed  (dwell) in the center of our being (hearts). The channel by which this takes place (by) is reliance upon Christ for salvation (faith – see Strong’s). This is not an instruction on how to “get saved.” Remember that Paul is addressing those who are already saints (Eph 1:1), and he has already referred to them as the church (Eph 3:10). Paul is praying for us to have a deeper understanding of the wisdom and knowledge of God. When Jesus is permanently housed in our hearts, we are rooted and grounded. In ...

In the mid to late 90’s people in the church began to use this phrase: God is good — all the time — all the time, God is good. It’s easy to proclaim and to shout aloud the goodness of God when things are going great! It’s easy to brag on Jesus when circumstances in our life are going well.  It’s easy to proclaim the goodness of God when our family life is almost perfect. It’s easy to proclaim the goodness of God when our finances are doing well and we just got a promotion at work. It’s easy to proclaim the goodness of God when my church life is great and my relationship with the Lord is wonderful.  But you know, just as I do, that there are times in our lives when we allow our circumstances to dictate to us how we feel about God’s goodness. I mean, where is the goodness of God when:  A tornado touches down in your community claiming 9 lives and destroying 100’s of homes and businesses?  A mother loses her baby after 4 months of pregnancy.  A loved one ...