Devotional Thoughts

Romans 5:8    "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Here it is a few days after Christmas and for some the tree has lost its glimmer. If it was a live tree, it probably is shedding its needles. I remember as a child the glamour of the tree would be lost when the presents were all unwrapped and put away. Some of the toys may not have lasted for the first 24 hours. The eveready bunny (battery) has already lost its zoom and power. Families have to get back to their usual schedule. For some, this might bring a feeling of disappointment. All of those things might be true if all we saw was the earthly, material side of Christmas. But for the past four weeks, we have been looking at the subjects of hope, peace, joy, and love. All of these things are based upon the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, if we have looked at the true meaning and object of Christmas, then we can be assured that those four things will n...

Romans 11:9-12     “And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but   rather   through their fall salvation   is come   unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them   be   the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?” Paul, speaking of his brethren the Israelites, quotes Psalms 69:22-23 here in verses nine and ten. This Psalm is a prophecy concerning our Lord Jesus whom all but a remnant rejected. The Israelites were so in love with their legal service that they had lost sight of the true meaning behind the service they performed. Rather than using it to praise God, it had become a testament to their own self-righteousnes...

The pressures of today’s society have put a large strain on the old form of family and home solidarity. The requirements made on parents for providing for the family today often lead to a loose family relationship. Working mothers and moonlighting fathers do not have much time to spend with the children in family activities.  All of the activities that teenagers engage in today produce the same result. This has reduced the place of importance the home and family once had. It has also eroded the authority and influence of the home. There is, therefore, a great need to examine the place of the family in modern society. A greater effort is going to have to be made in order to have a tight-knit family unit, which a generation ago, came as a matter of course.  It must be recognized, first of all, that the family is God’s basic institution for the ordering of society. This is a presupposition of the entire Bible. This is a principle that has not changed. God laid the foundation of t...

Titus 3:4-6     "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,  (5)  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  (6)  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour" So far we have seen that God is love and God gave love. Today's passage tells us that God's love APPEARED. Again, the appearing of God's love brings about His desired effect. The appearance of God's love - through the work of God's love - We are redeemed through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. God's love is His Son and we, who are in Christ Jesus, have received the cleansing from our sins "according to His mercy." This being Christmas Eve, I hope to spend much time today just contemplating this precious gift of love that appeared to us some 2000 years ago. The Angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary with this beautifu...

Romans 11:5-8     “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then   is it   no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if   it be   of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” It is easy to get discouraged when we look around at all the sorrow and strife in the world. There is so much hatred and unkindness. Men seem to find it easy to ignore the righteousness of God. We who love the Lord find ourselves ridiculed and accused of all manner of vileness because we try to live according to God’s word. Elijah expressed a sentiment that we may find ourselves giving...

John 3:16    "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." As we continue our thoughts this week on the subject of love, I am reminded that true love is accompanied by action. I think of the man whose wife said to him on their 50th anniversary, "You haven't told me that you love me since the day we were married." His answer to her was, "Well, I would have told you if anything had changed about that." It is important to speak words of love and it is just as important to show love by our actions. "God so loved...."  It doesn't say, "So, God loved ..." and then He acted as a response to that; rather, this verse tells us that God's love is so deep and wonderful that the ONLY full expression of that love was in the giving of His ONLY begotten Son. I didn't fully appreciate this verse until having children of my own. My love for m...

Romans 11:1-4     “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham,   of   the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to   the image of   Baal.” Paul was very concerned about the welfare of his fellow Israelites. Although they had a zeal of God, they did not understand what that zeal required of them. Instead of yielding themselves to the righteousness of faith through Jesus Christ, they were trying to establish their own righteousness through the law. They did not understand the Christ is the end of the law for righteousn...

Luke 2:8-14     "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  (9)  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  (10)  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  (11)  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  (12)  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  (13)  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  (14)  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." May we join our hearts and voices in praise today..  To God be the glory for great things He has done MERRY CHRISTMAS!

1 John 4:7-8    "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  (8)  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." In the past weeks, we have looked at the subjects of hope, peace, and joy. This week we will look at the subject of love. I confess to you right up front that it is such a deep subject and there is no way we will cover the depth of it. I pray that my heart and mind will be able to simply meditate upon this wonderful gift of God's love that was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. According to Dictionary.com there are 8 different Greek words for our word, love. Each one is a different expression of feeling for something. Some of the more common words are eros (physical love), philia (friendship), and other words that describe family love, self love, obsessive love, love of play or games, and the most wonderful word is agape or selfless, or self-giving, love. We thr...

Luke 2:10-11    "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  (11)  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." John 17:13    "And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." We have spent some time on the subject of joy. I have been reminded that if I concentrate on those things which are positive in my life, then I can find joy all around me. Today, we conclude the week with two passages of Scripture. One is the announcement of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The second passage is found in the intercessory prayer that Jesus prayed on the night of his betrayal. It would be good to keep these verses constantly rehearsed in our hearts and minds.    Jesus came into this world bringing joy and He went back to the Father's house leaving His j...

Isaiah 12:2-3    "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.  (3)  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." We've talked recently about joy, but this morning let's think about our source of joy. Our joy can be interrupted when it seems our world is shaken by some event. We are constantly being subjected to things that want to intrude upon and steal our joy. So, how do we combat that? What is our defence? How do we set a wall about us that helps protect our sense of being and joy? I believe the answer is found in today's verses. There is great comfort and joy when we set our hearts and minds upon this blessed truth. "Behold, God is my salvation." That's a simple, yet profound truth that is the only real constant in our lives. "God is..." He never changes. He never diminishes, nor increases, in power, love, mercy, ...

Hebrews 12:1-2    "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  (2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." God rest ye merry gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior Was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan's pow'r When we were gone astray Oh tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy Sometimes the path to joy takes us through dark places where dangers lurk in the shadows. David wrote, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4) The entire 11th Chapter of He...

Romans 10:18-21     “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by   them that are   no people,   and   by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” Paul described in verses fourteen through seventeen the process by which we hear the gospel. Hearing comes by the word of God, and faith follows. Notice he did not say that faith came from hearing the word of God. It is vitally important to our understanding of the gospel to realize that only by God can we hear the report. Paul now points again to his brethren who have a zeal of God but lack the rig...

Ezra 6:16-17     "And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,  (17)  And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel." The book of Ezra is a very interesting book to read. There is history contained in the book as the people of Judah had been carried away captive into the land of Babylon.  Many events took place during the 70 years of their captivity including the Persians taking over. Even more important than the history of that time, we read in Ezra 1:1-2, "... the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the...

Romans 10:14-17     “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith   cometh   by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” As we look at these scriptures, we need to remember that Paul is still addressing his concern for his Jewish brethren who have a zeal of God. His heart’s desire is for them to be delivered from pursuing their own righteousness and to submit themselves to the righteousness of God. Paul asks a series of questions in the verses before us. In order to rightly consider these verses, let us first look at Paul’s conclusion. The faith ...

1 Chronicles 29:9    "Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy." We have seen a few passages on each of the subjects of hope and peace and now this week we will be looking at the subject of joy. I'm sure there are differing thoughts on this subject as we sometimes confuse happiness and joy. In my thinking, I relate happiness with a feeling of the mind and joy should be the state of our hearts. The word joy is mentioned 165 times in the Bible whereas the word happy is found 28 times. I know the principle applies that a matter is true even if it is only mentioned once in the Bible. But I also believe the Lord stresses joy in our lives much more than happiness. There are some things that make us happy, if only for a little while. But joy should always be in our hearts no matter the situation that is happening around us. I'm not trying to say it...

Romans 10:10-13     “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In verse nine of this chapter, Paul gave us a great assurance: there is deliverance in believing and acknowledging that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. We must understand that to be able to acknowledge anything about God indicates that God has already begun a work in us. Since God is a spirit (John 4:24), it takes a spiritual mind to recognize Him and His work. The natural man does not receive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14). For any man to believe in Jesus Christ with the heart indicates that spiritual life is already present. ...

Psalm 122:6    "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee."   The Lord tells  us that we are to pray for our peace. It is not an automatic thing because we have to deal with our carnal minds. The mind tends to drift to those things which interrupt. We allow those thoughts to remain which stir us to confusion and sometimes even anger.  I realize today's passage is speaking of praying for peace in a city that was often torn apart by war. And it still is to this day. But in order for peace to be in a city or a nation, there must be peace in the hearts and minds of individuals. We read in the book of James chapter 4, verse 1, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" Wars, fighting, battles, arguments - they all come from one, or more, individuals who want to have control or have things going their own way. It seems to me that in order for me to have peace of mind, I mu...

Romans 10:5-9     “For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down   from above:)  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee,   even   in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” When reading this passage of scripture, we must be careful to not treat it as an island. We must consider it in the light of things that Paul has already said before. In the previous chapter, he pointed out that those who had sought righteousness by the law had not attained unto r...

Romans 15:13    "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." This verse is a fascinating verse when you stop to look at it in the context that it is written. Paul quotes from the Old Testament concerning the Gentiles being brought into the blessings of the Lord. In verse 8, Paul speaks of the promises that have been made. In verse 9, he reminds us that we are to glorify the Lord. Paul's purpose was to testify to the Gentiles. He was called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. In verse 10, we are to rejoice in that which the Lord has done for us. Verse 11 speaks to  us concerning praise that we are to lift up unto the Lord. Verse 12 tells us that Jesus Christ reigns and rules in His kingdom to both Jew and Gentile. Then we come to the culmination in verse 13. God has promised these things as recorded in the Old Testament and we can experience hope, joy, and peace in believing through...

Romans 10:1-4     “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ   is   the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” In the previous chapter, Paul spoke about a remnant of the Jews that would walk in the righteousness of faith. They had stumbled at the truth that Jesus Christ was God’s anointed for the remission of sins, both of the Jew and of the Gentile. In reading the Acts of the Apostles, it is clearly seen that Paul was grievously persecuted by his Jewish brethren. Paul clearly shows here that, rather than rejoice in the plight of Israel, he held a great desire to see them prosper in the things of God. In this, there is a grea...

Romans 9:30-33     “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because   they sought it   not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Righteousness is described as goodness, integrity, honesty, and innocence, among other things. These are traits that we admire and seek to attain in society. For the believers in Jesus Christ, righteousness is more than a social construct. It is something that we receive from God through Jesus, and is revealed in us by the Holy Spirit. True righteousness is not the result of living a good life. It does not co...

Isaiah 26:3-4    "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  (4)  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength" We are constantly bombarded with things that are meant to rob our peace and joy. (Joy is next week's subject.) But it seems every way we turn, there is something that will rob our peace from us if not properly dealt with. A few months ago, I was sitting in a local coffee house enjoying our weekly Bible Study with a group of men. Suddenly, the place began to rumble and shake. It was so sudden and violent that I thought a plane had crashed. It was an earthquake that was centered about 20 miles away. The reason I bring this up just now is because that sudden interruption disturbed the peace of the moment when we were talking about the Lord. It isn't always something so drastic as an earthquake, but daily we are confronted with things - news events, time schedule interruptio...

Romans 9:25-29     “As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass,   that   in the place where it was said unto them, Ye   are   not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut   it   short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.” As we look at the book of the prophet Hosea (Osee), we see God’s judgment against Israel. This was not a threat of eternal banishment, but rather a pronouncement against them for their failure to honor God in their walk. Here, Paul quotes Hos...