Devotional Thoughts

1 Corinthians 7:32-35     “But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please   his   wife. There is difference   also   between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please   her   husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.” It is important for us to realize that Paul is still continuing here with his advice and not something that he has received as a commandment from God (1Co 7:25). At no time should we read Paul’s counsel here as disparaging towards marriage or the abilit...

Psalm 108:1-3  A Song or Psalm of David "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.  (2)  Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.  (3)  I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations." I've said this before and I will say it again, "I'm so thankful that God created music." There is something about the harmony in a song that touches the very seat of our being. I believe music is born from our emotions whether it be joy, gladness, hope, assurance, peace, or even sadness and sorrow. To me, that is why music makes its way to our hearts. Music moves from one heart to another, from one's emotion to another's emotion.   One of the saddest times is when the heart cannot sing. I'm not sure what David had been through when he wrote this Psalm, but he begins with the thought that his heart is ready to sing. His emotions were ready to be awakened and his heart w...

  Our text is in the book of Joel, chapter three, verses one through three.   For the sake of context, we will begin the reading in chapter two at verse 28.   This is part ten of this series.   Perhaps a brief review with a few reminders is in order. We do not have a concrete date for the life and writing of this prophet. It is difficult to discern from this book whether Joel wrote this prophecy before the division of Israel, or before the exile to Babylon. We do believe that Joel wrote of an actual calamity of locusts brought by God as a chastisement on Israel. As this is prophecy, we should also understand that more than one fulfillment is of this prophecy is possible. As concerns prophecy in general, there is usually a near fulfillment that the original hearers would observe, and a far fulfillment that is a future event. That future event is always future from the writer’s perspective. That future fulfillment may be in the past from our perspective.  It is al...

1 Corinthians 7:29-31     “But this I say, brethren, the time   is   short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing   it:   for the fashion of this world passeth away.” It is wonderful to see Paul’s love and compassion for the church at Corinth, even with all the turmoil that was besetting them at the time of his writing. He is always careful to remind them that he considers them family (brethren) and he is giving his admonishment out of love and genuine concern. As he addresses them (and us) in this twenty-ninth verse, he assures that “the time is short.” Considering that First Corinthians was written over nineteen hundred years ago, it seems unlikely that he was warning about the end of time. I believe Paul was speaking ...

Psalm 107:8-9    "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  (9)  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." If I counted correctly, these words are repeated four times in this Psalm. Each repetition follows an account of the ways in which God delivers our souls from struggles and hardship. Let's look at the first two verses: "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so..." (Psalm 107:1-2) God's Word instructs us, the redeemed of the Lord, to be vocal about our faith. When I say we are to be vocal about our faith, I'm speaking of being upfront and forward with our praise unto the Lord. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ; therefore, I want my life to reflect His honor and glory for all that He has done in my life. I want to say that through my...

1 Corinthians 7:25-28     “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress,   I say,   that   it is   good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.” It is clear throughout this letter that it was a time of upheaval among the brethren at Corinth. There was division within their ranks and persecution from those without. Paul advises caution in many things to the church at Corinth. He is also careful to point out when he is giving his best prayerful advice as opposed to having an actual injunction from the Lord in certain areas. This is true of Paul’s advice...

Psalm 106:10-15     "And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.  (11)  And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.  (12)  Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.  (13)  They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:  (14)  But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.  (15)  And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." In the past few days, we've talked a lot about remembering the works of God. Psalm 103:2 instructed us to "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."  The entirety of Psalm 106 is a reminder of the manner in which God delivered Israel from Egypt and brought them through the wilderness to the promised land. But it also is a reminder of the manner in which the people turned away from God on so many occasions. God is merciful and ...

1 Corinthians 7:21-24     “Art thou called   being   a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use   it   rather. For he that is called in the Lord,   being   a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called,   being   free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” Have you ever been concerned that your station in life was not of an important enough nature to allow you to serve God? Sometimes we think “I am just a farmer (or janitor, or laborer, etc.). God can’t possibly use me where I am now.” Rest assured precious brothers and sisters in Christ that God knew (and knows) exactly where you are when He calls you; He did not get the wrong address. If you are a servant, don’t let that stop you from heeding the Lord’s call. Regardless of the type of servitude (whether a literal...

Psalm 105:1-5     "O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.  (2)  Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.  (3)  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.  (4)  Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.  (5)  Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;" Memory is a blessed gift from God. This entire Psalm is written concerning remembrance of God's mighty works and His mercy. The Lord inspired the writer to go back to the beginning of the nation of Israel when God called Abram out of the land of Ur of the Chaldees. He writes concerning the travels of the people, Joseph in Egypt, the plagues that were used to bring the people out, and many other wonderful things that God did for His people. "Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the...

1 Corinthians 7:17-19     “But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.” We sometimes think that we could not possibly have anything to offer in service to God. Once blessed to understand our Adamic nature, we realize that our righteousness is as filthy rags. Our works are tainted with sin, and we are not worthy of the least of God’s blessings. But God : time and again we are rescued by these words. While of ourselves we may have nothing to offer, God has distributed (apportioned or bestowed – see Strong’s) to every man according to his calling. He has not left it to us to determine our calling, but the Lord Himself has called and set us apart to serve Him. Knowin...

Psalm 104:1     "Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty." Psalm 104:24     "O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." I encourage each one to take a few minutes to read this 104th Psalm. As I read this Psalm this morning, I wonder if it was written in the Springtime. I sit here looking out the window and I see the earth in full bloom and I can only say, "O LORD my God, thou art very great." Each morning I listen to the birds singing praise unto our Lord. In my heart, I can hear the earth responding to the Lord as He says, "It's time to wake up from your sleep and bring forth the beauty for which you were made."  I think about Isaiah chapter 6:1 when the Lord revealed a portion of His beauty to the Prophet. "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his t...

1 Corinthians 7:14-16    “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such  cases:  but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save  thy  husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save  thy  wife?” We know that understanding who Jesus Christ truly is cannot be passed from one person to another. Jesus plainly told Peter that the truth of who He is could not be revealed by flesh and blood (Mat 16:17). This revelation can only come from God the Father. Neither can a husband or wife put away the sins of the other; only Jesus can save His people from their sins (Mat 1:21). According to Gill’s commentary, the sanctification under consideration here refers to the legality of the a...

Psalm 103:11-14     "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.  (12)  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  (13)  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.  (14)  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." Let's read these four verses and then go back to verse 1: "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." It is an impossibility to name ALL His benefits toward us. I love that old hymn, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one." The problem is that my finite mind cannot bring to remembrance all the blessings from an infinite God. It isn't really a problem as long as I try to maintain a heart of gratitude. Look at today's verses again. Look up into the sky. They tell me that there is no e...

1 Corinthians 7:10-13     “And unto the married I command,   yet   not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from   her   husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to   her   husband: and let not the husband put away   his   wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.” As in previous verses of this chapter in First Corinthians, Paul is very careful to distinguish what he says according to the command of God and what he believes to be right in his own heart. From the beginning, God’s intent was for the union between His man and woman to be a lasting one. God’s man, Adam, understood this when he testified “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mothe...

1 Corinthians 7:6-9     “But I speak this by permission,   and   not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” The apostle Paul often speaks directly from the leadership of the Spirit. Occasionally, as in this instance, he shares his experience and observation. Even as he does so, he makes recognition of the fact that everyone does not have the same gift. Although there has been some debate about the matter, the scripture does not indicate that Paul was ever married. There is no mention of his wife or his children in the scriptures. We know that his father was a Pharisee (Act 23:6) and that he had a sister and a nephew (Act 23:16). Other than that, any mention of Pa...