Devotional Thoughts

Romans 7:22-25     “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Only a sinner who has tasted that the Lord is gracious can have fellowship with Paul’s statement in verse 22. I delight (rejoice within myself – see Strong’s) in the law of God, not carnally but spiritually. My flesh is still sinful, but the man of God within me loves the spiritual law of God. However, to delight in the law of God after the inward man also reveals (causes us to see) the depravity of the carnal nature. There is a law in our members (in our flesh) that fights against the understanding of the inward man. No liberty exists i...

Psalm 40:16    "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified." Do you ever feel like something is missing? Oftentimes in our travels, we get in the car and say, "I feel like I'm forgetting something." Thankfully, there is always a Walmart or a Dollar General Store close enough that if we do forget, then we can easily replace most things. But as we are traveling, our minds are seeking to remember what it is we have forgotten. David tells us in today's verse, "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee." In these words is the promise that when we seek for the Lord, He will be found. We read in Jeremiah 29:13, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Just prior to these words, the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah in verse 10, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, though...

Romans 7:18-21     "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but   how   to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” It is often difficult for us to admit that we do not have any good in and of ourselves that we can claim. Simply put, sin is condemned in the flesh (Romans 8:3) and that is certainly not “good”. At the same time, to be able to see (know) that nothing good dwells in our flesh is a blessing. We only come to this knowledge after God has begun a work in us. God’s grace enlightens us to the truth that no good thing dwells within our flesh. Only then do we discover that there is a will in us to want to do good. Even though the determination (will...

Psalm 40:5    "Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away now. Today's thoughts will be an exercise of giving thanks unto the Lord. We sing the song, Count Your Blessings: When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. My first thought is that it is impossible to count our blessings. David acknowledged that in this verse by saying, "... if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." That is the absolute truth; yet, we should have a heart that is filled with gratitude every single day. The works of the Lord  are wonderful and they are numerous. His thoughts tow...

Romans 7:14-17     “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that   it is   good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Paul has described in this chapter how the law makes sin apparent in us. He has gone to great lengths to instruct us that the problem is not the law: the law is good. The problem is carnal man: carnal man is not good. While we should be thankful that we are no longer bound under the law, we need to remember that the law was given by God for our good. In keeping with this line of thought, Paul tells us that the law is spiritual. The scripture tells us that God is a Spirit, and if we worship Him it must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). It stands to reason that if God is a Spirit and He gave us the law, then the law ...

Psalm 40:1-3    To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.   "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  (2)  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  (3)  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." Yesterday we talked about the need for repentance and the fact that God grants us the desire and ability to repent. When I was young, my mother would tell me to sit and think about what I had done. Those moments were the most miserable times, but it gave me time to realize I was wrong and needed to apologize and try to do better.  In today's passages, we see David had repented and now he was waiting for the joy of the Lord to return. "I waited patiently."  Now, just how hard is that to do? But it is in those waiting times, that we are to think back on t...

Romans 7:10-13     “And the commandment, which   was ordained   to life, I found   to be   unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew   me.  Wherefore the law   is   holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.” God’s law was given for us to live by. It was set apart for that very purpose. The very first commandment that God gave to Adam was in order that Adam might live. Like Adam, when we transgress against God’s law, we find the pronouncement of death waiting for us. The Greek word translated as “commandment” carries with it the idea of a “prescription.” The basic definition of prescription is something that is to be carried out according to a specific set of rules. When we thin...

Psalm 39:7    "And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee." It seems both the 38th and 39th Psalm were written at a time when David was feeling very low and was expecting the heavy hand of the Lord to be brought down upon him. Have you ever felt that way? I surely have. It is a terrible feeling to think that God is about to bring down His wrath upon you. These two Psalms speak of David's sorrow and seeking repentance in his life. May I say that repentance is a necessary thing for all of God's children; yet, it is not always an easy place to attain. There are stages of repentance, but self-denial is required in order to get to the very heart of the matter. It isn't just a matter of saying, "I'm sorry." We all know there are different reasons for saying those two words, but more times than not, it is because we are sorry that we got caught. David was seeking the true depth of repentance as he wrote these words. In the 5th verse, David came to t...

Romans 7:7-9     “What shall we say then?   Is   the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin   was   dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” When we think of the doctrine of God’s sovereign grace, we sometimes tend to feel that the law is somehow bad; that it is our enemy. The law is not our enemy, but we are often enemies of the law. God gave us His law for our benefit. Even the very first law that God gave to Adam was for Adam’s good. God is not the author of sin. He did not force Adam to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s pronouncement of death upon Adam if he ate from the tree was not so much a condemnation as it was a statement of consequence...

Psalm 37:7     "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." In this journey toward peace and contentment in the Lord, we have learned that we must trust (have confidence in) the Lord's wisdom and ability. We must delight in the Lord which means we are to be flexible in forsaking our own way and following the path of righteousness in which our Lord leads us. Friday, we saw that we are not to hold anything back; rather, we are to fully commit our ways unto Him. When we do those things, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we can find rest to our weary souls. Jesus said, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I WILL give you rest." But when we come to Him, we are to lay all our hesitations to the side and we are to place our doubts and fears into His hands. We are to come by faith, believing our God is able to perform that which He has ...

Romans 7:1-3     “Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to   her   husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of   her   husband. So then if, while   her   husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.” In the previous chapter, Paul tells us that he “speaks after the manner of men.” He uses natural things to give us a glimpse into spiritual things by the leadership of the Spirit. We know from the tone of Paul’s letters that he had a deep understanding of the grace of God. He understood that grace surpassed the law, but (speaking after the manner of men) he used the law to teach the principles...

Psalm 37:5    "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." This morning we see the third step to contentment in life. We were first reminded to simply trust the Lord's wisdom, power, grace, mercy and love. Then we saw the importance of delighting ourselves in the Lord. That is to say, we are to be soft and pliable in His hands, yielding to His will instead of insisting on our own way. Today, we see the word, "commit" as in staying with the first two steps. We must be constant in trust and delight as we walk by the side of the Lord. Have you ever been a little leary of putting your weight on anything? I'm thinking of a swinging bridge that you have not tested to see just how strong it is. The first thing we do is to place one foot on it, but not our entire weight. We test it and put a little more weight as we feel it is able to hold us up. We are very hesitant to put our entire weight on that bridge or even the first board...

Romans 6:19-23     “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things   is   death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin   is   death; but the gift of God   is   eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In speaking of spiritual things, we sometimes have to use temporal comparisons when speaking of the eternal majesty of God. This is because our human nature is weak. We do not like to see ourselves as weak creatures. It goes against the grain to admit that we are not power...

Psalm 37:4    "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." I will get right to the point this morning. We hear the second part of this Psalm quoted more than the first part.  We want the Lord to give us the desires of our hearts. But there is a condition that is placed before that promise is given. David gives us four steps to follow that gives us a life of contentment and peace. The first step was given yesterday: "Trust in the Lord." Today, we are told, "Delight thyself also in the Lord." What does it mean when we are told to delight ourselves in the Lord? The root meaning of the word, delight, carries the thought of being soft and pliable in the hands of the Lord. You know an artist's eraser is very hard if you have ever held one in your hand. Smears are made if you try to use it on charcoal while it's in that state. The eraser must be worked in the hand of the artist in order for it to fulfill its inten...

Romans 6:15-18     “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Paul has told us in the fourteenth verse that sin no longer rules our lives because we are now governed by grace and not by law. What does this mean to us? Since we are no longer under the law and sin does not rule us, perhaps we can just go out and dabble in ungodly things a bit. We are under grace, so it really should not matter in the end. The simple truth is it does not matter in the end: it matters now! It matters so much that Paul said God forbids it. By Paul’s wording here, he fe...

Psalm 37:1-3    A Psalm of David.   "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.  (2)  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.  (3)  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Wickedness and evil have been present in this world since the original sin by Adam in the Garden of Eden. It is safe to say that wickedness and evil will be present as long as this earth remains. The Lord gives us two things that we are NOT to do as we go through this life. We are NOT to be envious of those who seem to be happy while working unrighteousness. We are not to allow thoughts to come into our minds that they have everything they want and seem to be very content. At least twice in the Psalms, we are told what their end will be. Here in this Psalm, we see that they will be cut down like the grass and wither away. When we get to th...

Romans 6:11-14     “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members   as   instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members   as   instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” In verse 10 of this chapter, Paul has counseled us that Jesus died (past tense) unto sin once, but that He lives (present tense) unto God. Now we have a reference point for what Paul meant when he used the word “likewise.” We are to embrace the truth that we are in likeness of His death and the likeness of His resurrection. We are to be aware of (reckon) that He has imputed His righteousness to us and caused us to be li...

Psalm 36:7    "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings." Stop a moment and read the first part of this verse again - very slowly. Let me help: "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!" Stop. Look. Listen. What do you hear? What is settling into your heart at this very moment. I'm not talking about a quick skimming of the verse; rather, a slow thoughtful processing of the words that our Heavenly Father is giving to us just now. We talk about God's love. We sing about God's love. We meditate about God's love, but what is in our hearts and minds as we are experiencing His love and mercy? Do we think about His love in our need? Do we think about His love in our abundance? Honestly, it seems to me that the loftiness of my thoughts toward God are directly related to what I am experiencing at the moment. I know it shouldn't be that way. I'm sure it's different wi...

The Necessity of a Standard Opening Discussion: What determines your actions in life? What is your standard for conduct?  Ethics are the reflection of the morals adopted by a certain group. Since ethics is the study of what makes an action moral or immoral, it is essential for every ethical system to have a non-question-begging standard by which all laws can descend, and by which all acts can be evaluated and/or corrected.  The need for such a transcendent absolute, or law above the law, can be illustrated by what happened at the Nuremberg Trials of World War II criminals. Those accused appealed to the fact that they were only obeying the laws of their own culture, and that they were not legally responsible to any other. Faced with this argument, Robert H. Jackson, Chief Counsel for the United States, appealed to permanent values and moral standards that transcended life-styles, particular societies, and individual nations. While he was not necessarily appealing to ...

Romans 6:8-10     “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” In the previous verses, Paul has shown us the power of being dead with Christ. If we are dead with Christ, we are freed from sin. Being freed from sin is not the same as ceasing to be a sinner. We are freed from sin’s dominion over us, but we will still have to deal with the effect of sin in our life as long as we are in a body of earthly flesh. Since we are still dealing with our Adam (sin) nature, it might seem difficult at times to be confident that we are freed from sin. Being dead with Christ is a great assurance that we are freed from sin, but how do we know that we are dead with Christ? Do we have faith in Him that we shall live with Him, and is there evidence in our lives now ...

Philemon 1:23-25     “There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ   be   with your spirit. Amen.” Having made his plea to Philemon on Onesimus’ behalf and pledged himself to visit Philemon, Lord willing, Paul brings this letter to a close. In closing, he assures Philemon of the love of not only himself, but other brethren as well. He names five other brothers who send salutation. The Greek word translated as “salute” literally means “to enfold in the arms” according to Strong’s. It is natural for each generation to suppose they have started something new, but Paul is “sending hugs” to Philemon from the brethren who are with him. Sending an embrace via letter (or today, text or email) is not a new concept. It is a centuries old assurance of affection to the recipient. One of Paul’s companions at the time was a man named Epaphras. It appears that ...