Devotional Thoughts

Matthew 11:4-6     "Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:  The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.   And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." John the Baptist was sitting in prison for telling Herod he was sinning against the law of God for taking his brother’s wife. Even in prison, John heard about all the things that Jesus was doing in the region. John sent two of his disciples (yes, John had followers) to ask Jesus a question. Through his disciples, John asked Jesus if He was really the promised Messiah. Jesus’s answer was not simply a “yes.” His answer was to call attention to the works that He did according to the will of the Father. His actions fulfilled all the law and the prophets, which was claim no other could make. It is instruction that is benefi...

Genesis 16:1-4     "Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.  (2)  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.  (3)  And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.  (4)  And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes." I mentioned yesterday that though Abram was a great man of faith, there were times when he tried to fall back onto his own devices. I'm reminded of the words of Solomon, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand." (Proverbs 19:21) Abram listened to Sarai when she had...

Matthew 11:1-3      "And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.  Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,  And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?"   Jesus had spent a good deal of time instructing the twelve disciples (whom He would later call apostles). He gave them clear directions as to where they should go and to whom they should preach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. He gave them miraculous abilities over unclean spirits and disease. He warned them that they would not always receive a welcome and what to do when they did not. At some point during these early days of Jesus’s ministry, John the Baptist had been taken by Herod and put in prison. The reason for his imprisonment was that he had told Herod the truth. Herod had taken his brother’s wife, whose name w...

Genesis 13:3-4     "And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;  (4)  Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD." The life of Abraham deserves more attention than just one time of study. Yesterday, we stopped with the words that Abram "... as the LORD had spoken unto him..." As in my life, it would have been much better for Abraham if all the actions of his life were under that directive. Sometimes we think of Biblical characters as being somewhat superhuman, when in reality they were totally human just as you and me. We all make mistakes. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. We all have to stop at some point in most, if not all, days to say, "Lord, I'm sorry. Please forgive me." You might be asking what all this has to do with today's verses. I'm glad you asked. We a...

 Acts 1:4-11 teaches us Jesus calls His people to a faith that waits, a testimony that goes, and a hope that looks up. With our “spiritual ears” we can hear in this passage a summons to Spirit-dependent ministry, Christ-centered unity and kingdom-influenced expectation that shapes everyday church life.  (4) And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; (5) for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (6) Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (7) And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;...

Matthew 10:37-39     " He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.   And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.   He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." The tenth chapter of Matthew is full of instruction that Jesus gave to His disciples. He warned of men who would seek their destruction. He told them He was sending them forth as sheep among wolves. They would be persecuted and brought to stand before both Jews and Gentiles to bear witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those that follow Christ are to revere God rather than man. In this instruction we find a very simple yet profound statement about the way our Heavenly Father watches over us. Jesus tells us that not one sparrow falls from the sky without our Father’s knowledge. The sparrow is found on every continent in the wor...