Devotional Thoughts

Matthew 9:35-38     " And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;   Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."   Perhaps, like me, you have often heard this passage described as a plea for the Lord to send men to help His people attain eternal salvation. It is often portrayed as Jesus instructing a handful of disciples to pray for additional resources to get people into heaven. Let me say here that the only “help” that exists to get people into heaven was the man speaking to His disciples. His ear has never been deaf t...

Genesis 4:25-26     "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.  (26)  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." Genesis 5:3-5     "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:  (4)  And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:  (5)  And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died." I included Genesis 5:5 for three words: "... and he died." I included Genesis 4:26 for a specific phrase: "... then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." Before the fall of Adam, we read that God came down and walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden. It was a daily privile...

Matthew 9:32-34     " As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.  And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.  But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils." Jesus had taught the multitude with authority. He had performed healing miracle after healing miracle. He had calmed a raging storm. He had raised Jairus’s daughter from her deathbed. He had cast demons out of the two Gergesenes. As Jesus and His disciples were walking publicly, they brought a man who was dumb (either unable to speak or both unable to speak and unable to hear). An evil spirit possessed the man and rendered him speechless. When Jesus healed him, the multitude was astonished and declared that this kind of power had never been seen in Israel before. This was a people whose forefathers had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground as the waters ...

Genesis 4:1-4     "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.  (2)  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  (3)  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  (4)  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering" It is not my intention to write about every single person in the Bible. Though it would be worthy, it would be a lifetime endeavor. But I do want to look at the first few that are mentioned; therefore, it is imperative that I look at these two brothers. We assume them to be the first two children of Adam and Eve. But we do not know that for certain. In fact, it's probable that they were not the first children since Cain "went out from the presence of th...

Matthew 9:27-31      "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.  And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.   And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.   But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country."   Jesus had done so many wonderful and amazing things, and had taught with such authority, that crowds followed Him wherever He went. It was evident that not everyone followed Him out of love and devotion. After He fed the multitude with the loaves and fishes, He told them that they were not following Him because they saw the miracle (something that honored God – John 6:26) but because they had got...

Matthew 9:20-22     "And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour."   It might look like we are backtracking on our Bible verses this morning. The story of the woman with an issue of blood happened in the middle of Jesus going to Jairus’s house to raise his daughter from the dead. I skipped these verses last week to concentrate on the events surrounding the miracle of Jesus returning Jairus’s daughter to life. Today, we will consider this “other” miracle that transpired during that same time frame. Mark’s account of these events makes it clear that a great throng of people surrounded Jesus. Jesus had already healed many while ...

Genesis 2:7-8    "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.  (8)  And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." Genesis 2:18    "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Genesis 2:21-25    "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;  (22)  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  (23)  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  (24)  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  (25)  And t...

Matthew 9:18-19     " While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.  And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples."  Matthew 9:23-26     " And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.  And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land."   While Jesus was teaching about not putting new wine in old bottles, a ruler of the synagogue came to Jesus. He immediately bowed before Jesus (worshipped). We know by reading Mark 5:21-37 and Luke 8:40-50 that this man’s name was Jairus. His young daughter was dying when he left home an...

Genesis 1:1-5    "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  (2)  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  (3)  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  (4)  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  (5)  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." "In the beginning God created..." Again as we begin our study of people in the Bible, we must begin at the beginning. We are told that before God began to move, there was nothing. "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." But then, "... the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." It was only after the Spirit began to move that light was divided from the darkness. We can say darkness is the absence ...

Matthew 9:14-17     " Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.   No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.   Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."   There is a great deal of discussion about how and when to fast. These discussions are either religion based or (more recently) based on a way to lose weight. Either way, the discussion most often revolves around abstaining from food. In these verses, Jesus gives us another view of...

Genesis 1:1-5    "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." We finished our study of Ephesians and I began praying about where the Lord would have me go in our next series of study. I feel the Holy Spirit is directing me to do a study of various people in the Bible. So then I began asking the Lord where I should begin in this study. I wish I could tell you that immediately... I mean immediately... my mind said, "Let's begin with God." It was a couple days into the time of prayer that my heart was stung by the words, "Why would you not ...

Matthew 9:11-13      "And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.   But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Jesus had just called Matthew to come follow Him. Since Matthew was a tax collector (publican), he was held in low regard among the people. After Jesus called Matthew, He sat down for a meal. Other publicans and sinners came and sat at the meal with Him. The Pharisees, who considered themselves the most learned and devout of the Jews, found Jesus’s action offensive. They could not fathom having any fellowship with people of such low degree. In their eyes, Jesus was no better than the people with whom He was eating. Since Jesus was a Jew and a teacher, the Pharisees co...

Matthew 9:9-10      "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.  And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples."  This is the first time we seek who Matthew was. Jesus did not accidently leave from healing the man with the palsy and wander by where Mattew was collecting taxes for Cesar. This office put Matthew in very unpopular company because tax collectors were regarded as dishonest. They gathered more than was required and put the excess in their own pocket. We might think that this was a poor choice on Jesus’s part. However, when I stop and think that He also chose me to follow Him, Matthew does not seem nearly as questionable a choice. Matthew was certainly no more a sinner than you and I. Jesus called Him from a very public place where othe...

  Acts 1:1-3   (1) The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach, (2) until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, (3) to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.  I. Christ’s sovereign work continues (v.1)  Luke reminds us that Jesus’ earthly ministry was only the beginning—His work continues through His risen life and His Spirit-filled people.  The book of Acts opens with Luke writing that his first book (the Gospel of Luke) recorded what Jesus “began both to do and teach.” The word began is the key. It implies that Christ’s ministry did not end with the cross, the resurrection, or even the ascension. It continues—actively, powerfully & personally.  This should resonate deeply with us. We do n...

Matthew 9:4-8     " And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?   For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?   But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.   And he arose, and departed to his house.  But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men."  Jesus had just spoken to a man sick with palsy and told him to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven. The scribes (which were religious lawyers) were offended by this and reasoned among themselves that Jesus had blasphemed. They thought their thoughts were hidden from Jesus because they did not credit who He was. I imagine that His response to them added to their surprise. The evil in their hearts was that they thought ill of Jesus...

Matthew 9:1-3     " And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.  And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.   And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth."  No matter where Jesus was, people were drawn to Him. Mark 2:1-12 gives us a deeper look at this instance. The city was Capernaum which is where Jesus went after the Sermon on the Mount. The centurion, whose servant Jesus healed, and Peter’s house were in Capernaum (see Matthew, chapter seven). We know from our previous study that Jesus was returning after having sailed from Peter’s house to the city of the Gergesenes and casting out the demons from the two men living among the tombs. Mark’s account further tells us that word soon spread that Jesus was back in town. Immediately, a crowd gathere...

Matthew 8:28-34     " And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.  And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?  And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.  So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.  And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.  And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.  And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw ...

Ephesians 6:18-20     "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;  (19)  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,  (20)  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Recently we saw the whole armour of God and the necessity for each of us to put it on every single day. We must seek to strengthen the core of our being. We must guard our hearts so that they do not grow cold as a result of the actions of the worldly minded people that are around us. We must be ready to answer the call to follow Christ in service by sharing the wonderful news of redemption in Christ Jesus - the forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of our Saviour. We must always carry the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts that are hurled at us everyday...

Matthew 8:23-27    " And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.  And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.  And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.  And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"   After healing many people, Jesus entered into a ship to escape the multitude that had gathered around Peter’s house. Jesus entered into a ship and His disciples followed Him. This is such a simple statement that it is easy to overlook the powerful example given to us. If we are disciples of Jesus, we are going to follow Him wherever He goes as much as we are able. There is no destination given for this journey other...

Matthew 8:18-22    " Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.  And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.  And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.   And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."   As related in verse sixteen of this chapter, on the evening of His visit to Peter’s house, many came to Him to be healed of all sorts of ailments. Luke records this same event in this manner, “and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.” The point is that Jesus did not simply step to the door of the house, look out at the crowd, and declare, “You are all healed.” He touched each individual and He healed them individu...

Matthew 8:14-17     " And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.  And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."   We do not get many glimpses into the lives of the disciples. The focus is on Jesus, and it should be. However, we also need to realize that His disciples when He was here on earth were not a group of “super” Christians. They were everyday men and women with everyday existences made extraordinary by the presence of Jesus. It appears that Peter owned a home. Historically, this was uncommon for fishermen in that day. They were generally not well-off economi...

Matthew 8:10-13    " When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.   And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.   But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.   And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."   In the tenth verse above, Jesus is talking about the faith of the Gentile centurion who had come seeking healing for his servant. The word translated as marvelled could mean to “wonder” (to be surprised at something), but it could also mean to “admire (see Strong’s). Knowing that Jesus was verily man and verily God, it is far more likely that Jesus was speaking in admiration (or ...

Matthew 8:5-10    " And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,  And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.   The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.   When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." A centurion was an officer in the Roman army. He was most likely a Gentile and, therefore, outside the law covenant that God had made with Jews. Even before Jesus had completely torn down the middle wall of partition between Jew and...

Ephesians 6:11    "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."  Ephesians 6:14-17    "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  (15)  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  (16)  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  (17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" Let me start by saying that if we do not put on the full armour, we will find ourselves falling down or constantly running away. Satan is constantly "... as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Therefore we must be on guard and aware of our surroundings. We hear much today about strengthening the core of our body, or the middle part of our body. Most of our strength originates from that area...