Devotional Thoughts

Matthew 12:30-33     " He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.   Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.   And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.   Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit."   As we look here at the words of Jesus, we need to remember that He is still speaking to the Pharisees concerning their accusation that He was casting out devils by the power of devils. We find numerous times throughout the Gospels that the scribes and Pharisees often set out to discredit Jesus by seeming to ask legitimate que...

Joshua 1:5-6     "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  (6)  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them." Moses was dead and now Joshua was being called to lead. He had been accustomed to following Moses' leadership. And now, the responsibility was going to be placed on him. Or, was it? The truth of the matter is that the only responsibility that was given to Joshua was to continue to follow the leadership of the Lord.  Notice the words of the Lord to Joshua, "... as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee..." These words have always caught my attention because God is confirming to Joshua that although the human leadership is changing, the Supreme Leadership is still the same. "As I was... so I will be." These can be seen as...

Matthew 12:25-29     " And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:   And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?   And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.   Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house." A man was brought to Jesus because he was blind and mute. The reason for his condition was that he was possessed “with a devil (Matthew 12:22).” Jesus completely healed this man so that he had both his sight and his speech restored to him. The people who saw this miracle were moved to observe that this Jesus...

 INTRODUCTION  There is little doubt that Paul’s letter to the church at Rome is considered his magnum opus ; his most prolific effort to present the doctrines of salvation, and his unique presentation for practical living in the life of the believer; especially as regards peace amongst believers in the local church. For eleven chapters, the apostle presented his amazing discourse on salvation. He then began his discourse on practical Christianity beginning in chapter 12, concluding in chapter 16. Of particular interest for this article is the apostle’s efforts to outline how believers can and should maintain unity in the body of Christ. The focus of this writing will cover chapters 13 though 15.  THE ETHICS OF UNITY   There is a heavy concentration on achieving and keeping peace amongst and between the brethren in the local church. Paul gives a summary verse in chapter 14:19 where he states, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things...

Joshua 1:2-3     "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.  (3)  Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." Joshua had been by Moses' side for the past 40 years. He and Caleb had been the two who stood against the other ten spies. It was Joshua and Caleb who told the people that they could take the land if the Lord would bless them. Now Moses is dead and God has said to Joshua, "Arise, go over this Jordan..." We will look at more of the promises that God gave to Joshua, but today I want to think about the call that was given to Joshua. 147 verses in the Bible contain the word, "Arise." As I scanned through a portion of them, that call was to the people of God to go forward. The other portion was pertaining to God's people asking God to arise on their behalf. W...

Matthew 12:18-21     " Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.  And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."   Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the sabbath day. The Pharisees set this situation up (so they thought) to ensnare Jesus so they could accuse Him of violating the law of the sabbath. Jesus had already declared Himself to be the Lord of the sabbath and therefore the lawgiver. When He used the situation to show their hypocrisy, the Pharisees began to look for a way to destroy Jesus. Jesus withdrew from them, and as usual, great multitudes followed Him. In His compassion for them, the scripture tells us that He healed the...

Joshua 1:1-2     "Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,  (2)  Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel." There is much that could be written about Moses. He was a blessed man of God. The epitaph that was written about him is found in the Word of God, Hebrews 3:5.  God says about Moses, "And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after." Moses was faithful in all his house. It's sad that one of the things we think about Moses is that his anger kept him out of the Promised Land. He used the rod that we wrote about yesterday to strike the rock when God had told him to speak to it. He was angry and frustrated at the people because of their constant moaning and co...

Matthew 12:9-14     " And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:  And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.  And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?   How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.   Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him."  Most of us have heard the adage “No good deed goes unpunished.” The scripture tells us that the hearts of men are only evil always (Genesis 6:5). Men, left to their own devices, do not seek the good of others u...

Exodus 4:2-3     "And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.  (3)  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it." We continue our look at Moses this morning. We read this verse last week, but I want us to think about the mercies of God as He uses the things we have been given the ability to use. Moses had tried to explain to God that he was incapable of doing what the Lord was calling him to do. "What is in thine hand?" Moses was quick to answer because he had used this instrument for 40 years. "What's in your hand? A rod." This morning I saw something that I've never noticed before. When God asked Moses what was in his hand, He then told him to "Cast it on the ground." I pray I am not reading more into this than is intended, but I see something very important in Moses' casting the rod on the ground. May I indulge in my thoug...

Matthew 12:1-8     " At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;   How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?   Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?   But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.   But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.   For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath...

Exodus 4:1-2     "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.  (2)  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod." Exodus 4:10-12     "And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.  (11)  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?  (12)  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." Several years ago, the Kingsmen Quartet sang the song, "Excuses." Quite honestly, we are all good at making excuses when we feel the need arises. Am I right? If it's something we really want to do, we will not allow anything to prevent us from doing it. But...

Matthew 11:28-30    "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Jesus did not say, “Will you come” or “I wish you would come.” Strong’s Greek Dictionary tells us that the word translated as “come” is an imperative. In other words, it was a direct command and not a request. I assure you, there is no more irresistible voice in the world than this. Jesus declared that His sheep HEAR His voice, and they FOLLOW Him! The command to come was not issued to everyone within hearing distance. This was not for those who believed they had everything under control and did not need any help. It was not a command given to the self-righteous and self-important. This command was for those who were burdened down by sin and weary of a load they could not stand up under. This rest w...

Exodus 3:13-15    "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? (14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." Moses! A man whose life covered the entire spectrum. He was born to parents who loved him enough to give him away. Pharaoh had determined to kill all the male babies of Israel. He was afraid Israel would outnumber Egypt and thereby overtake them. Moses' mother placed him in an ark and then hid him in the river's edge. You remember ...

Matthew 11:20    "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:  Matthew 11:25-27    " At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.   Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.   All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."   In verses twenty-one through twenty-four, Jesus called out the cities where He and his disciples had preached the gospel. He had done many might works among them. In Capernaum alone, He had worked many miracles, including curing the centurion's servant, healing Peter's mother-in-law from a fever, healing the man sick of a palsy, raising Jairus's daughter from the dead, cu...

  John 7:24   “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”  “How to Be a Christian” was the theme for this year’s Southern States Bible Conference held at Epworth by the Sea Conference Center located on St. Simons Island, Ga. This theme presupposes there is an objective definition or description given as to how the Christian is to live their life. It should be apparent that such a description or definition would come from Jesus, the Christ of God. After all, Christians are followers of Jesus. So, Jesus, along the Apostles Jesus called and sent out in his name to teach what he commanded, and the word of God, containing the whole counsel of God, is the only authoritative source that can objectively reveal what it means to be a Christian.  Yet in this growing secular humanistic culture we live in that seeks to rebel against God’s creative order and declare its own truth and define its own terms, this philosophy of subjective truth has found...

Genesis 41:51-52    "And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. (52) And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." Neither of these sons are mentioned in the New Testament other than one mention of a city named Ephraim. But that does not diminish their importance. They certainly were important to Joseph and they received a blessing from Jacob, their grandfather. But I include them in our study of People in the Bible because of the meaning of their names. Biblical names we're not just "passing fancies" of their parents. Each name held a specific meaning when given to them. We see that meaning for Joseph in today's passages.  When you put both meanings together, it reads, "For God hath made me forget all my toil and ... hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." Can we ...