Devotional Thoughts

Isaiah 65:1-3     "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.  (2)  I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;  (3)  A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick" Although I did not intend to go verse by verse when I began this study of Isaiah, there are many things that are contained in the book that I felt the need to address. This was for my own sake, probably more than anyone else's. It has been said that the book of Isaiah is a little Bible within the Bible. There are 66 books in the Bible and 66 chapters in Isaiah. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and the first 39 chapters of Isaiah speak concerning the things of the law. There are 27 books in the New Tes...

Ephesians 6:21-24     “But that ye also may know my affairs,   and   how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and   that   he might comfort your hearts. Peace   be   to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace   be   with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” There seems to be a trend in congregations today to worship with one group of people and to socialize with an entirely different group. We don’t want our church family bleeding over into our friends circle and vice versa. This happens because our “Sunday selves” are much different from the way we live the rest of the time. Paul sets a very different precedent here for his relationship with the church. Paul says in effect “I want you to know how I a...

Isaiah 64:6-8     "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.  (7)  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.  (8 )  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)  I start my thoughts with Paul's writing because there are times when we might be tempted to think ourselves to be better than another. Paul said, "Don't think more highly of yourselves than you ought to." Isaiah said, " We a...

Ephesians 6:17-20    “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” In verses fourteen through sixteen, we have been clothed, shod, and shielded by the armor of God. These pieces of God’s armor are purely protective from attacks outside of us. Now we are being instructed to take the helmet of salvation. In God’s armor, I believe the helmet of salvation protects us from within. Our helmet of salvation guides our thinking in a godly direction; we are given the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16). It protects us from being tossed about by every wind of doctrine. We are increased in...

Isaiah 64:4     "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." Some 750 years later, the Apostle Paul would repeat the words of today's passage. Let's review them just now before we continue. But also let's see the blessings that you and I have because of God's amazing grace. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  (10)  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) The reason that I wanted to include verse 10 of Paul's writing is to show us just how blessed we truly are. I'm so thankful that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to include verse 10 as well as the rest of the chapter.  Eye has not seen. E...

Ephesians 6:14-16      “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” When it comes to the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, we are to stand (to be established, abide). Once we have been called out of nature’s darkness, there is nowhere else we will ever find peace or satisfaction. Taking a stand means we will face opposition, and sometimes this opposition will be fierce. God, in His love and mercy, has made provision for us: He has provided us armor for our protection. We are first told to gird our loins. The gridle or belt, as used with the garments of Paul’s day, served a purpose other than helping to hold up the garment. Both men and women wore long robe-like garments. If there was work to be done or a journey to be undertaken the length o...

Isaiah 63:7      "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses."   "I will..."  How many times have we used those two words? "I will do this... or I will do that. I will be there on time. I will pay you back." The list of "I will's" goes on and on.  The thought contained in today's verse speaks of the intention to make certain that the Lord is praised for all His goodness and mercy.  How often do we "make mention" of the goodness of God?  One of the most popular songs just now is titled, "The Goodness of God."  It's a beautiful song that is sung by CeCe Wynans and so many others. The Goodness of God I love You, Lord For Your mercy never fails me All my days, I'v...

Ephesians 6:10-13    “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Paul has admonished the church, husbands, wives, children, parents, servants, and masters that, being filled with the Spirit, they should love and serve each other. Now he is coming to the close of his instruction, and he addresses them all with a familial greeting; he calls them brethren. This is not an indication of being related in the sense of having the same natural parents, but rather that he is addressing those that he considers to be like himself in faith and service to God...

Isaiah 63:1-3    "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.  (2)  Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?  (3)  I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." "Who is this?" His garments were dyed. His apparel was red. What caused His garments to be dyed red? "Who is this?"  The answer is found in these words, "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." " I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me." Let me say that I believe these verses speak of Jesus and His work of redemption that was accomplished on the cr...

Ephesians 6:5-9    “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.” There is a great lack of respect for authority in our world today. I believe these verses of scripture outline the cause. We have failed to teach, both in word and example, a proper reverence for Christ and God. Men hold a similar concept of God as they do of the fable of the genie in the lamp. With the proper motivation (i.e. rubbing the lamp), God will show up and grant us ...

Isaiah 62:11-12      "Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.  (12)  And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken." As I reread these verses, I feel the need to visit them one more time.  These verses speak of hope - true hope. The last writing spoke of the fact that people are looking and longing for something that will make them feel complete. It is a fact that because of sin, there is a need within each of us that speaks of something missing in our lives. Again, as I read these verses again, I see something that fills the emptiness that is so often within us. It is a proclamation that actually began before the Lord God created the heaven and the earth. It is a covenant agreement that was "signed, sealed, and delivered" by the shed blood ...

Ephesians 6:1-4     “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Obedience is not something we come by naturally. Being made subject to vanity, we tend to want things our way to the extent that we often ignore all the indications that we are about to get ourselves in trouble. We mistakenly think we are going to avoid the consequences of our actions. My dad told me (on more than one occasion) “Boy, if you can’t listen you’ll just have to feel.” Just as in Paul’s earlier admonition to husbands and wives in the fifth chapter of Ephesians, we must realize that to obey our parents in the Lord we must be filled with the Spirit. Considering that John the Baptist leaped for joy in his mother’s womb, it sho...

Isaiah 62:10-12     "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.  (11)  Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.  (12)  And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken." Would you agree with me that every single person on the earth is looking for something? The problem lies in the fact that,  1) We do not know what we are looking for, or, 2) We don't know where to go to find it.  I use the pronoun, we, for generality sake.  We know what and where to look for if we have been brought into a saving knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I say that because I believe the one thing that people are seeking, yet c...

Eph 5:29-33     “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife   see   that she reverence   her   husband.” The scripture says we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psa 139:14). This is true to the point that we are very careful to keep our body safe and whole. We are created with pain sensors so that we learn to avoid things that would do harm to our body. The brain tells our lungs to expand and contract and our heart to beat so the body may receive the oxygen it needs to sustain life. It sends signals to the body triggering t...

Isaiah 62:1-4     " For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.   (2)  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.   (3)  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.   (4)  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married." I include yesterday's verse to set the tone for my thoughts today.  We are instructed to speak boldly, highly, and often of the glory of the Lord and His Church. We aren't to do it in order to be seen; rather, we are to do it for the glo...

Ephesians 5:25-28    “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” Paul continues to admonish those who are filled with the Spirit, revere God, and serve (submit to) one another (Eph 5:18-21). He has instructed the wives to submit to their husbands in this same vein of being filled with the Spirit and revering God. We should see in this that the marriage union is about grace and love instead of law and requirement. He now addresses us husbands directly and commands that we love our wives. His admonishment further explains that we are to love our wives as Christ loves the church. The same admonishment ...

Isaiah 62:1     "For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth." It is my understanding that the term, Zion, in the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the Church in the New Testament. With that thought, what is our estimation or value, of the Church? How important is the Church to us today? I can tell you how important it was, and is, to Jesus. In speaking of the Church, Paul told the Elders at Ephesus "... to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:28)  Jesus shed His righteous blood for His Church! So again, I ask myself this question: "How important is the Church to me?" Let's be reminded of how important these things were to Isaiah. "For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof...

1  Corinthians 15:54-56    “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where   is   thy sting? O grave, where   is   thy victory? The sting of death   is   sin; and the strength of sin   is   the law.” How glorious it is to consider the morning when it was discovered that the tomb was empty! Just as He said He would, Jesus had laid down His life and had taken it up again (Joh 10:18). This authority was given Him by His Father, and there was no power anywhere that could prevent this from happening. The mortal body of Jesus had put on immortality and incorruption as displayed by the fact that it was no longer bound by the natural law. Yet, Paul tells us that although Jesus had risen from the dead that all enemies were not yet destroyed (1Co 15:26). Death was overcom...

Matthew 26:39     "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou  wilt. " Mark 15:34     "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Much has been said about Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. What did He mean by asking, "If it be possible..."? Was He trying to change His mind? Was He trying to change the Father's mind? Was He looking for a way out? I don't think so.  I believe the cup that caused such agony is answered by His question while on the cross. The always obedient Son was dreading the time when the Father would forsake (turn His back upon? His Son in Whom He was well pleased. If the cup would now pass, then why did the Father turn His back upon His blessed Son? Did H...

Mark 15:39    "And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God." No doubt this man had witnessed many executions. But this day - this time - this ONE was quite different. He had heard words of forgiveness, words of acceptance, and words of submission. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.". It was at that point, the centurion spoke these words: "Truly this man was the Son of God." Yes, indeed Jesus is the Son of God. I praise Him and thank Him for His redeeming love and mercy on me  

Isaiah 61:10-11     "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.  (11)  For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God..."  This is a declaration that is good for each of us to make. It is a matter of being aware of the presence and work of God in our lives each day that we live.  It is not a manmade praise. It is not manufactured on demand; rather, it is the direct result of knowing the Lord is doing mighty things in our lives. You might even say it is a spontaneous response to God having made Him...

Ephesians 5:22-24    “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so   let   the wives   be   to their own husbands in every thing.” In the verses immediately prior to verse 22, we have been instructed to be filled with the Spirit. An outcome of being filled with the Spirit is that we submit to each other in the reverence of God (v 21). Paul now moves the focus from one of a body of believers to the union of the home. I will call your attention again to the fact that this is still a part of the outcome of being filled with the Holy Spirit. The idea of being submissive often brings to mind an image of one individual bowing down before another in abject fear. No member of our physical body fears our head, but have you ever thought about what the outcome would be i...

Isaiah 61:1-4    "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;  (2)  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;  (3)  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.  (4)  And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations." Last Friday, we looked at these verses from the perspective of them being fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Indeed He is the Healer, the Helper, the Delive...