Devotional Thoughts

1 Corinthians 4:8-10     “Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We   are   fools for Christ’s sake, but ye   are   wise in Christ; we   are   weak, but ye   are   strong; ye   are   honourable, but we   are   despised.” In order to understand the tone of these verses, we must be blessed by God to keep in mind that Paul has been addressing a problem in the church. There were divisions over who had the greatest claim to fame with some giving Paul credit for their gospel salvation while others claimed Apollos or Peter. Some even claimed Christ. Paul’s letter thus far has addressed the foolishness of worldly wisdom and the wisdom of God in a mystery. ...

Psalm 92:1-5   A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:  (2)  To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,  (3)  Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.  (4)  For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.  (5)  O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep." I'm old enough to remember when stores were closed on Sunday. We went to Church and either came home, or went to "Grandma's and Papa's," for Sunday dinner. Usually, Sunday dinner was mostly cooked on Saturday except for the rolls or biscuits. We gathered around the table and enjoyed a delicious meal and the family actually talked. (Yes, this was in the day before everyone sits with their phones in their hands.) The afternoons were spent on th...

1 Corinthians 4:5-7     “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and   to   Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think   of men   above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ   from another?   and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive   it,   why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received   it? ” We make a lot of mistakes in life because we are impatient. My grandfather used to tell me “Boy, don’t try crossing that bridge until you get there.” It seems we have just as much trouble waiting on the Lord and His judgement. We should never judge anything b...

1 Corinthians 4:3-4     “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.” The Lord of glory gives to us great grace. We know that it is not in man to be unconcerned with what others think. We often dress in a way that will gain the approval of our peers. Our conversation is often tailored to gain us the respect of our audience. It makes us feel good about ourselves to hear that others have complimented us in one way or another. Because of our human nature, it is a big deal for Paul to declare it a small thing to be judged by his brethren at Corinth. This was not a boast on Paul’s part that he could not care less what people thought of him. Paul was confessing his understanding that he did not belong to men but to God. Obviously there were some at Corinth that judged Paul to be something special. There w...

Psalm 91:1-2    "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  (2)  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." "I will say of the LORD, He is...."  How would you finish that sentence? As I read that this morning, it hit me similarly to the sentence that Paul wrote in  Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is..." Paul finished that statement by saying that Christ holds all the meaning of living for him. My answer to finishing today's sentence should be, "I will say of the Lord, He is 'my everything.'"  When the disciples of John Baptist asked Jesus, "Where do you live?" His answer was, "Come and see." My first sentences today may seem like I'm rambling around, but I think there are questions that come into our lives that confront us for answers. Another question asked by Jesus was, "Who do  you say I am?" ...

1 Corinthians 4:1-2     “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” We are often concerned about what people think of us. It is only natural that we want to make a good impression. Even when we declare that we do not care what others think of us, that is not usually what we mean. Most of the time, we are saying that we are decided on a course, and we will pursue it even if others do not agree. That is not really the same thing as not caring what others think. It mattered to Paul what men thought about him but not for his own sake. Neither did he want to just put on a good front. He was inviting an examination of himself when he said “Let a man so account of us.” The Greek word  logizomai  (translated here as “account”) means “to take an inventory” (see Strong’s). As ministers of Christ, we should welcome men to “take inventory” of our sp...

Psalm 90:10-12    "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.  (11)  Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.  (12)  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." This is the third day that we have looked at these verses. They are packed full of wisdom and knowledge for us. We finished yesterday with the thought of our days being numbered and we should use each day in such a manner that we show forth the glory of God in our lives.  I wrote the first day about the "dash" between the dates on a tombstone. We have a date of birth and we have a date when life on this earth will cease. There was a time in my life when that thought scared me. I didn't want to talk about it or even think about it. But since I have passed the "threescore years," I ...

1 Corinthians 3:20-23     “And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ   is   God’s.” God uses the worldly wisdom of man to ensnare him in his own trap (Job 5:13, 1Co 3:19). In the same way, He knows the thoughts of those who consider themselves wise in this world’s wisdom. He knows those thoughts and He knows them to be empty (vain). There is no profit in worldly wisdom. Man’s wisdom did not create the world. Man’s wisdom did not establish laws of righteousness. Man’s wisdom did not see the need we would have for a Savior before the world was made. Man’s wisdom is bound by time; it did not exist before man and will not remain after he is gone. Only the wisdom of God can claim to be from everlasting to eve...

2 Timothy 4:2   “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”  “Preach the Word!” This is the plea of the Apostle Paul given to Timothy, a pastor and beloved by Paul as a fellow laborer in the word. Well, this admonition is stronger than a plea, isn’t it? It is more on the lines of a directive, a command. Preach the Word! This is a special passage to me for two reasons. The first reason is because this is the primary task for which God called me to do. This is the primary task for all who are called into the ministry as an Elder. In the book of Acts, the apostles called for men to be selected to take care of the physical needs of widows so the Apostles could give their attention to the ministry of the word of God - “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom...

1  Corinthians 3:18-19     “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” Deception seems to be a way of life. There are so-called leaders in the world that daily try to make people believe that evil is good and unrighteousness is just. There are religions that teach Christ in a way that portrays Him as being inadequate to finish the work He came to do. Retailers deceive us every day with advertisements that are overstated and sale prices that supposedly are saving us thousands of dollars. However, the worst deceptions are the ones we sell ourselves on. Self-deception was at work in the garden. Even though the Serpent beguiled Eve and she took the forbidden fruit to Adam, they deceived themselves. They convinced themselves that God did not really mean they were going...

Psalm 90:10-12    "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.  (11)  Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.  (12)  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." "Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath." As I pondered this question this morning, I'm thankful that I do not know the "power of thine anger." I'm thankful that, by the grace of God, I will never know the power of His anger and wrath. We may think that we are experiencing the anger of God, but we saw back in Psalm 85:2-3, "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger." Yes, the anger of H...

1 Corinthian 3:16-17    “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and   that   the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which   temple   ye are.” Although Paul phrases verse sixteen in the form of a question, there is a plain statement of fact couched there; you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in you. This should touch us both with great reverence and great amazement. It should serve as a reminder of Jesus’ promise that He and His Father would make their abode (dwell) with us (Joh 14:23). A temple is a place that is dedicated to the worship of a deity. In our case, our temple is not dedicated to just any deity, but to the True and Living God. As a collective church body and as individuals within that body, we are the temple of God. We are the temple of God because He has “built” us to be so (1Co 3:6). He has saved us and called us with a holy callin...

Psalm 90:9-12    "For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.  (10)  The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.  (11)  Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.  (12)  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." I can tell these verses are going to demand more than one day, so bear with me the next few days as I try to share my thoughts. There is so much to consider while reading these four verses. "All our days are passed away in thy wrath." Before I say anything about this, I remind myself of the inspired Word of God written by the Apostle Paul: "... being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:9)  I think of his further thoughts in Romans...

1  Corinthians 3:12-15    “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” In the verses immediately prior to verse twelve, we have been assured that there is only one foundation; Jesus Christ. He is not a foundation established by men but by God. This holy foundation exists for the building of God’s house and everything under consideration here is taking place on this One Foundation. Paul’s remarks are being directed to “the church of God (1Co 1:2).” While the letter specifically names the church at Corinth, the salutation goes on to include “them that are san...

1  Corinthians 3:8-11    “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry,   ye are   God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” There is unity in the Spirit (Eph 4:1-6) that surpasses anything mankind could ever accomplish on his own. It is in our nature to want to stand out and be recognized as a leader; to be esteemed as someone worthy of honor. School, sports, and work environments all teach us to desire to excel for our own sakes. We desire to be valued above our peers. Unfortunately, this attitude can invade even ministers of the gospel and the church. Paul addressed the fact ...

Psalm 90:1-2  A Prayer of Moses the man of God. "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.  (2)  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Yesterday and today, my thoughts have been upon the greatness of our God. I know that is supposed to be my thoughts everyday, but there are times when my thoughts drift to myself, my struggles, and the troubles and trials of my loved ones. I rejoice in the fact that our Lord is our dwelling place even though sometimes I'm like a prodigal in that my thoughts drift away from that dwelling place. But I'm thankful that the arm of my Lord is not shortened. He is able to reach out and bring me back into His presence. The Lord upon whom I depend is the very same God who spoke this universe into existence. He is the same God who commanded the Red Sea to part and allow the children of Israel to cross over on dry land. He...

1  Corinthians 3:5-7     “Who then is Paul, and who   is   Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” Paul poses the question of his and Apollos’ identity to cause the church at Corinth to closely examine the division that existed among them. While we do not have as much background on Apollos as we do on Paul, they were both men; not supernatural beings. This was one of the things Paul wanted the brethren to understand. He did not want nor deserve a pedestal to be placed upon; he was not interested in establishing a religion based on Paul. We have been blessed with some very able ministers over the years, and thank God, He is still blessing us with men to ably share the gospel. Those of us who have that privilege today may look back with fond mem...

Psalm 89:15-18    "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.  (16)  In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.  (17)  For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.  (18)  For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king." "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound." I'm certain that with just those words, you are thinking of "the joyful sound."  It depends on our mindset as to what that joyful sound would be. In the natural realm, I'm thinking of the baby's first cry, the sound of rain on the dry earth, the cheer of victory in a ballgame. As I'm typing, I hear the sound of pans being brought out for the preparation of breakfast. That's a joyful sound to a hungry stomach. As I said, it depends on our mindset as to what we think the joyful sound might be. But ...

Corinthians 3:1-4     “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal,   even   as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able   to bear it,   neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas   there is   among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I   am   of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” Paul was not addressing his comments to those who had no spiritual life, but he was admonishing them that they lacked spiritual maturity. He recognizes that those he speaks to are babes in Christ and therefore carnal in their thinking about the church. At no time was Paul guilty of trying to make unregenerate sinners into children of God. How often have we been found in a condition where we were not ready to have spiritual meat? We are often prone to...