Devotional Thoughts

Ephesians 5:18-21     “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” Paul has just admonished us not to be unwise, but to understand what the will of the Lord is. It is not the will of the Lord that we be drunk with wine. This is true in a very literal sense, but the lesson here is not to give ourselves over to the influence of anything that causes us to abandon all moral reason. It is possible to become intoxicated with position, status, worldly gain, and the list goes on. When we become intoxicated with something (or someone), that thing takes control of our lives. When we are filled with the Spirit, there is no room for the things that influence us to exc...

Isaiah 61:1-3    "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;  (2)  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;  (3)  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." I believe most Scripture has a primary and secondary meaning. By that, I mean I believe the primary meaning of all Scripture is to point us to Jesus Christ. The secondary meaning of Scripture is as the Apostle Paul wrote to the young preacher Timothy. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for...

Ephesians 5:15-17    “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Having been blessed by God to be light in the Lord (Eph 5:8), we are cautioned to take heed (see Strong’s definition for the word rendered “see”) to how we live. It is expected that once we have tasted of the goodness of God that our walk (manner of living) should change. Rather than living from day-to-day without any continuity of purpose, we now have a mark (goal) to press toward. There is a high calling in our lives that requires us to walk (live) diligently after wisdom. We are to put aside foolish behavior. As professing Christians, we need to understand that foolish behavior is especially uncomely in us. Like Paul, we should only encourage people to follow us as we follow Christ. We should take heed to our lives and not be seen facing life’s problems like people wh...

 INTRODUCTION   The Book of First Samuel is filled with wonderful nuggets of biblical truth, nuggets that apply to our modern-day understanding of our Christian responsibility. In preparation for this analysis, it would be beneficial to read chapters 1-6.  We will begin our analysis in chapter 6:12. However, to get the proper sequence of events, the following is a short summary of the narrative as it unfolds in First Samuel: It is important to follow the movements of the Ark of the Covenant in First Samuel, especially beginning at the time it was taken by the Philistines at the battle of Aphek. Since the Israelites had reduced the Ark to the level of a talisman or lucky rabbit’s foot, God allowed the Ark to be taken. The Philistines were polytheistic and henotheistic in their beliefs. They placed the Ark of the Covenant in their temple for the pagan god Dagon (pronounced “doggone”) in Askelon. As the Philistines were a seafaring people, Dagon was half man and ...

Psalm 18:1-3    "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. (2) The LORD  is  my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation,  and  my high tower. (3) I will call upon the LORD,  who is worthy  to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies." Psalm 18:46   "The LORD liveth; and blessed  be  my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted." This morning, my thoughts are captivated by other thoughts. I am in prayer for a dear family and I could not concentrate on the book of Isaiah. I came to the Psalms for comforting words and I will let these passages speak for themselves.  I'm so thankful that "The LORD liveth; and blessed  be  my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted." I want to exalt my Lord in all things and I pray for His exaltation in each heart. God bless you all and I love you in the Lord.