
Mar 1, 2024 – “Pastor, do I need to take a bath (clean up my life) BEFORE I can be saved?” No, the bath we need is not a physical bath or a “good intentions” bath, because we can never improve ourselves enough to gain the favor of God. Instead, God must come to the rescue, and He graciously does!
God’s salvation consists of God giving us a spiritual bath in the blood of the cross that results in a totally new life…Christ in the believer. “He that has the Son also has that life…the life of the Son.”
Today’s Verse teaches salvation is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” The act of regeneration is God creating a new born-again nature in the believer…a wonderfully clean nature which motivates the believer to live in fellowship with the Savior. God is not interested in reforming us but in regenerating us. The former always gets dirty again; the latter, though, always stays clean, because it is God living in the believer.
Some of us may remember what it was like to be washed by our mothers in the kitchen sink. Some may even recall placing a wash tub in the middle of the floor and everyone getting a bath from the SAME water. A man told me that he was the eighth child and always the last to get his bath (using the same water). He told me, “You can imagine what the water was like for me.”
Imagine having such a wash tub in the center of the church. We give the invitation for you to be saved. You come up, climb in the tub with all of your clothes and say, “I’ve got to be washed in order to be saved. Give me your best soap and scrub brush!” That may sound ludicrous, but that is exactly what some do. They want to clean up their act then come to Christ. How foolish!
Friend, you can wash in that water from now until the day you die, but you’ll never be clean enough to be saved. Why not? Salvation is “not by works of righteousness which we have done.” It is not by you washing yourself, because you can never get clean enough. Your works of righteousness will never make you acceptable to God. The washing we need is the “washing of regeneration…of being born again!”
There needs to be a washing of the soul and the only soap that can thoroughly wash a man’s soul is the blood of Jesus Christ! “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
What is the old saying? God takes a sin-blackened heart, washes it in red blood and makes it white as snow! That is something which only God can do.
Salvation begins with the sinner coming to Jesus and saying, “Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole, I want Thee forever to live in my soul, Break down every idol, cast out every foe, Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
My friend, do you remember the day you were washed in the blood of Calvary’s Lamb? If yes, you probably also remember what it was like to FEEL whiter than snow for the first time in your life.
Cleansed…born again…and for the first time in life we were acceptable to God!
Feb 29, 2024 – At what time in life does a person get saved? The answer is simpler than many believe.
A wealthy businessman lived a very ungodly life. One day he decided to take a trip on a train. He arranged to have a private compartment where he could do some reading. This businessman closed the door then sat down and started reading his book. He had not read very far when his eyes came across one certain phrase. This is what the book said:
“If a man was falling from the top of a tall building, he would be as much lost after he had fallen the first foot as when he struck the ground.”
The businessman said, “That is the way it is with me, too. I am lower this year than last year.”
He then set down the book and began pacing the floor. Sometime later he fell down upon his knees and called out to God for God’s help and forgiveness; he accepted Christ as his personal Savior.
Here was a man who came to a point where he wanted to get saved and when he wanted to get saved he then got saved. Not before that time but when he was prepared to get saved. Please keep reading, because I do not want you to misunderstand.
First, no one gets saved against his will. God doesn’t force the issue, put a gun to someone’s head and say, “Believe right now or die.” God didn’t create man to be a robot, but He created man with the will to choose. No one will get saved until he is willing to believe.
Second, no one gets saved until he knows he needs to get saved. No human being can bring a sinner to that point. We can share the gospel with them, but it is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to convict them of sin, righteousness and judgment. Evangelist Glenn Mathews says, “Of sin or sinner because that’s who you are, of righteousness because that’s what you need, and of judgment because that’s where you’re headed.” The Holy Spirit does the convincing work. Quite honestly, He doesn’t need our help.
Third, no one gets saved unless it is God’s time, also. The Bible declares, “Today is the day of salvation.” God somehow brings the sinner to not only his day but also His day. In other words, both of them are ready for salvation to occur. God the Holy Spirit has done His work (God’s part) and the sinner knows what he must do (man’s part): “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” The old-time preacher would say, “No sinner wants to be saved unless God is already working in his heart.” How true! God plows the hard ground and turns it into receptive ground for the gospel message. But if God is not doing His work, nothing else will happen.
What are the implications for you and me? Simply this: Be careful about “pushing” someone to accept Christ. The ground may not yet be fully prepared. The heart may not yet be ready to believe. In some occasions, the sinner’s response may be, “Absolutely no.” At other times the message will be quite sincere, “I know you’re right. I’m just not there yet.” Be sensitive to those times and remember no one will get saved until he freely, thar means from his own will, says, “Yes” to the call of Christ. They won’t get saved because mommy and daddy say, “It’s time to get saved” nor because a friend or pastor pressures them. They will get saved when it is the right time. And “Today” is not always the right time for every person. Give it time to develop…trust God to water the seed you have sown.
Feb 28, 2024 – What do I most need? The underlined words in Today’s Verse describe Jesus Christ as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” This writer is not a tax collector for the IRS, but I am a sinner whose life comes far short of the glory of God. Thank God, there is a Friend for sinners like me!
The time had come to bury the Austrian emperor Francis Joseph. All of the emperor’s relatives had been buried in the church mausoleum in the city of Vienna. This was where he was to be buried as well. The funeral procession carried the emperor to the mausoleum and waited for the doors to open. A voice called out from inside the mausoleum and asked the question, “Who is there?”
The people replied, “It is His most serene majesty, the Emperor Francis Joseph.”
The voice said, “I do not know him. Who is there?”
The people replied, “It is the emperor of Austria and the Apostolic King of Hungary.”
The voice again said, “I do not know him. Who is there?”
There was a pause then the people said, “It is a sinful man, our brother Francis Joseph, who is to be buried.”
The doors to the mausoleum then opened and this sinful man was finally laid to rest with all of his relatives. At that point it did not matter that Francis Joseph had been the most powerful man in his country. His money did not matter, his palace did not matter nor did his great name matter. It only mattered that he was a sinful man who needed to be buried.
Are any of us any better? Someday it will be said of me, “He was a sinful man who needed to be buried.”
But there is more to my story than that! I remember January 14, 1965 when I knelt at the altar. Jesus walked down the center aisle and asked, “What can I do for you?”
I answered, “Do for me what I cannot do for myself. My debt of sin is too great to count!”
Jesus said, “Yes, your debts are very large, but I want you to know that I am able to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by the way of the cross. I am your friend who gave His life for you.”
Jesus then picked up my sins and made them His very own by nailing them to His cross. I gave my sins to Jesus and He gave His own righteousness to me!
In so doing, He became a friend of this sinner…not just any friend but the best of the best friends. Can you say the same?
Feb 27, 2024 – Has God ever put you on a detour? Cheer up! Detours are part of God’s plan for your life.
A young man was accepted as a missionary to Africa. This man was ready to get on the ship when it was learned that his wife was sick and could not go. The young missionary was heartbroken, but he determined to make all the money he could and put that money into the Lord’s work.
This missionary’s father had started to make some grape juice for the communion service at church. This young missionary took over the business. He kept growing the business into one of the largest grape juice companies in the world.
Would you like to guess his name? Welch. Mr. Welch used that company to put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Great Commission: taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the uttermost parts of the world.
Though he had good intentions, Welch started toward the wrong field of Christian service, but God brought him back to the right field! He accomplished more through his financial giving than he could ever have done in person on the field.
Lesson: When we seek God’s will above our own will, God will maneuver us into the right field for Christian service. It may seem like a detour to us, but it is not a detour to God. My internet ministry friend Dennis Lee says, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.” How true! So stay flexible.
A woman went to her pastor and asked, “Will you please tell me in a few words what it means to be in the will of God?”
The pastor held out a blank sheet of paper and said, “Being in the will of God means signing your name at the bottom of this blank sheet and letting God fill in the rest of the sheet.”
Many years ago I was the guest speaker for the spring banquet at Tri-State Bible College. Afterward, Doug Carter, the well respected black pastor at Burlington First Baptist, came to me and said, “Young man, step out by faith, let God be God and God will take care of everything else including the finances.” God used him to increase my faith…AND MY FLEXIBILITY! I called him eighteen months later and thanked him for his advice!
Bottom line: Be flexible. Develop a tender heart that is sensitive to what God is doing around you, to you and also wants to do through you.
Feb 26, 2024 – Many years ago the Governor of Texas spoke at one of the state penitentiaries. He then stayed around to listen to anything the prisoners might want to tell him. The convicts came to him one at a time. They told him that they were innocent and had been wrongfully imprisoned. They wanted to get out.
Finally, one of the prisoners said, “Governor, I don’t want to take much of your time. I only want to say that I really did what they convicted me for. But I have been here a number of years. I believe I have paid my debt to society and that, if I were released, I would be able to live an upright life and show myself worthy of your mercy.”
A few days later the governor pardoned that man, because he was the only man who would admit his guilt…and also admit his willingness to change.
The Bible has a word for that: repentance. It’s a common word in the Bible, but not a common word in modern day preaching. Some today claim the word sends the wrong signal to the sinner and, therefore, decline to use the word. This writer, though, has always believed that God is smarter than us. John the Baptist preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus preached, “Except you repent you shall all perish.” If John and Jesus preached repentance, well, it seems to this writer that it’s proper for us to preach repentance, too.
According to Jesus no one can be saved without repentance. That big word simply means “a change of mind” but it also contains the element of “a change of mind which results in a change of direction.” It is true the Bible says the “leopard cannot change its spots” nor can a sinner change his nature. But the sinner can say, “Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned” (Jeremiah 31:18). “Turn from what?” In brief, turn from a wayward life to a life with Christ. It is a turning “from” and a turning “to.” It is similar to being on the broad road that leads to destruction, realizing I am on the wrong road, and saying, “I repent of the direction I am headed. Turn me around, God. Change my life and I shall be changed.”
It is more than mere sorrow over a messed up life. I paraphrase 2 Corinthians 7:10 like this: “Godly sorrow worketh a change of mind toward salvation not to be changed again (i.e. once you get saved you won’t want to be lost again because God will do a change of direction in your heart that can never be undone); but the sorrow of this world only produces death.”
There is such a thing as worldly repentance where some people change their mind and then try to change their lives with their own power. That’s called reformation, not regeneration or born again. Alcoholics Anonymous does a wonderful work, but it is a reformation process, not a regeneration process. AA stops short of biblical repentance that brings a sinner to Christ.
No person can get saved who wants to stay in his sin. But when he decides to turn FROM sin and turn TO Christ…
“I’ve wandered far away from God, Now I’m coming home; The paths of sin too long I’ve trod, Lord, I’m coming home.”
Feb 24-25, 2024 – Where is God as we minister for Him? The reality soon sinks into our spirit that we are not alone in our role as God’s messenger. God is with us. God is alongside us in whatever we do as God’s messenger. Consider the biblical evidence.
Jehovah said to Moses, “Certainly I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12).
God said to Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).
David was confident of this fact: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
Jesus simply stated a fact when He said, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Paul informed Timothy, “At my first trial no man stood with me. All abandoned me. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).
The Lord has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
The Apostle John was imprisoned on the island known as Patmos. But he said, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10). Ah, God knew where He was and did not need a road map to join him!
Thank God, we never need to pray, “Lord, be with me today,” because He is already with us. His presence encourages us. His power empowers us. His wisdom enlightens us. His gospel emboldens us, because the gospel will work in every situation in every century in every culture. Therefore, the Apostle Paul was able to write in total confidence, “I am not ashamed to proclaim of the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ; the good news of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every person that believes” (Romans 1:16). He knew which side his bread was buttered on: “Our sufficiency is of God!”
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant.“ God has made lowly me SUFFICIENT to be His minister. He knows my weakness and my inadequacy. But He remedies my weakness and my inadequacy with His presence! So I go and try again and again…and so do you! Our confidence is not in the flesh, but it is in our God. We believe He is with us and can also use us!
The poet teaches, “God is before me, He will be my guide. God is behind me, no ill can betide. God is beside me, to comfort and cheer. God is ALL AROUND ME, so why should I fear???”
Hallelujah! The messenger of God is never alone!
Feb 23, 2024 – How important is the Bible? Why do we make it the central part of our church services? And build our lives upon such an ancient book?
Boice answers, “Jesus intended that we should recognize God’s existence and power through nature. But nature is not enough. For one thing, no one has ever come to an obedient faith in the God of creation through nature. For another, the revelation of God in nature is not specific in terms of God’s plans, and it is not personal…Men may recognize the power of God, but if they would know His plans, they must consult the Bible.” (The Gospel of John, pg. 35)
The central theme of the Bible is one of redemption, that is, revealing the way of salvation to sinful man. The Bible is not a scientific book although it contains truths oriented to science. The Bible is not an economics book although it provides excellent advice oriented to finance and materialism. The Bible is not a medical book either although it contains many healthy instructions.
But ask the Bible, “Show me a passage about redemption,” and the Bible will answer, “Which page would you like to see?” “The Scarlet Thread of Redemption” weaves itself from the Garden of Eden through the Old Testament historical section, through the Poetry books and into the Prophets’ chamber, through the Gospels and the writings of the apostles, and finishes in the glorious Apocalypse with the saints singing around the throne about what? The blood of the Lamb which secured their salvation!
Spurgeon said, “I can take any text, but I then make a beeline for the cross!”
When Henry Blunt was dying, the doctor said to him, “Sir, you are drawing near the grave, and I think if you have any accounts to settle, you had better settle them now.”
Blunt replied, “I have no accounts to settle; I owe nothing to man, and my Savior has paid all my debts to God!” Amen! “My Savior has paid all my debts to God!” What a blessing to know!
Make the cross the center point of your ministry. After all, it is the center point of the Bible, too.
Feb 22, 2024 – Faith! Is faith included in your story? If yes, how much has faith transformed your life? Unfortunately, the story title for many Christians is, “O Ye Of Little Faith.” But the title of Hebrews 11 would be, “O Ye of Great Faith.”
The Greek word (“pisteuo”) translated “believe” is found 233 times in the New Testament (99 times in John’s gospel), the kindred term “faith” (Greek “pistis”) occurs 239 times, while “faithful” (Greek “pistos”), which simply means “full of faith,” appears 52 times. The Greek word for “believe” means to persuade, to give credit to, to trust, or confide in. The Hebrew word for “believe” means to stay, to support, and then, that which forms the stay, i.e. its foundation. Note: It is from the Hebrew word that we derive the English term, Amen, signifying “of a truth,” or “so be it.” So when we read that Abraham believed God, he actually “amened” God! And Abraham then went forth looking for a city whose builder is God! His amen was firm!
Someone has provided us with a simple acrostic to help us understand faith. Faith is “Forsaking All I Trust Him!” Forsaking all other approaches to life and coming instead to a condition of dependence upon the Savior.
Let us glean more about faith from these comments by others:
1. Apart from the faith God asks for there can be no access to Him or blessing from Him.
2. Without faith, God stands outside a closed door and His grace and power cannot prevail. The electric current cannot communicate its energy till contact is made. Faith, then, is the switch supplying the spiritual contact. It links the soul to God so the power of God is released.
3. Thomas Watson: “Faith fetches all from Christ and gives all glory to Christ.”
4. Faith does not contradict reason; it rises SUPERIOR to it. What reason cannot understand, faith accepts. Reason is full of “why’s” and “wherefore’s.” Faith, on the other hand, asks no questions. It takes God at His word.
A Bible translator was working on John 3:16. Each word came to mind with one exception: faith. How could he convey the meaning of faith to his readers? As he pondered, a runner dashed into his tent, muttered a few words then collapsed on a cot. The translator asked, “What did he say?”
His helper explained that the runner had said, “I will throw my whole weight on this cot!”
The translator shouted, “That’s it! That’s the word I need.” He then translated the verse, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever ‘throws his whole weight’ on Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
Can I trust God enough to throw my whole weight on Him? Yes! Absolutely! 100%! But will I trust God enough to walk by faith and not by sight or feelings or reason? God has spoken…but will it be enough?
Feb 21, 2024 – Many years ago the popular radio preacher J. Vernon McGee pastored a church in Pasadena, California. One Sunday morning he gave a gospel invitation and two couples came forward. One couple cried all over the place; they went through every handkerchief, every tissue. They cried so hard they couldn’t even talk.
Those tears made a big impression on some of the people; they said, “We haven’t seen anyone get saved like that in a long time.”
The other couple, though, never shed a single tear in receiving Jesus as their personal Savior. That bothered some of the people. After the service one of the church leaders even went to McGee and asked, “Do you think those two are really saved?”
Twenty years passed. McGee said the couple which had cried all over the place didn’t last very long. They ended up in a religious cult then they got out of that cult for a while then they went into another cult and still another cult.
But twenty-five years later the couple which had not shed a single tear—which hadn’t shouted a single shout—was still standing firm in their faith regarding the Lord Jesus Christ.
Several scriptures come immediately to mind: “Man looks on outward appearance; the Lord, though, looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). “The one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.” “My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me. A stranger’s voice they will not follow” (John 10). “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud” (2 Peter 2:21).
There will always be different responses to our sowing of the gospel. It was like that for our Lord; it is like that for us, too. DO NOT allow yourself to become sidetracked by those who fall away. Instead, focus on sowing as much seed as possible. The more you spread, the greater potential you have to reap! And there will indeed be reaping!!!
The Apostle Paul sowed his life in the Thessalonians, and he described them as his “crown of rejoicing!” Paul was very proud of the fruit of his labors.
The missionary William Carey sowed his life in the Far East and thousands of churches were born. Carey often said, “I’m not afraid of failure; I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.”
David Livingstone sowed his life in deepest Africa where no missionary had ever gone before. David wrote, “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.”
My good missionary friend John Fulks (you may support him through Global Outreach International) spent many years sowing his life as president of a Ugandan seminary. Many have been saved. The best part is that many of his graduates are now serving as pastors in their village churches. His sowing ministry has made a countrywide impact!
So don’t get discouraged if you hit a dry patch. Just trust God’s process of sowing and watering…and let God do what only God can do: Give the increase!
Feb 20, 2024 – PART FIVE – “The LORD has brought me back empty.” Those same words have been expressed by many backsliders through the annals of time. Why? In this final study, we learn that backsliding is a consequential decision. Not only do we reap what we sow, but we also experience the discipline of our loving Father in heaven. Yes, there are consequences to our walking away from God and walking back into the world.
Were you disciplined as a little boy or girl? I suspect the answer is yes! But were you always disciplined in the same way? No. There are different forms of discipline including standing in the corner, time out, being sent to bed without supper, being grounded, suspended from the television or internet, or losing our cell phone.
Does God love His children as much as your parents loved you? Yes, even more so. “Whom the Lord loves He chastens and when necessary He even scourges every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6).
There are times in our Christian life when God disciplines us by standing us in the corner, sending us to bed without our supper, takes away our job or our health, but there are also some times when we resist God’s discipline.
All of this happened in the story of Elimelech and Ruth. For ten years this couple ignored the discipline of God! What did God then do? One day Elimelech got sick and everyone wondered why. Then he died. One day the #1 son Mahlon got sick and everyone wondered why. Then he died. Then the #2 son Chilion got sick and by now everyone surely knew why. Then he died.
There was now no reason for Naomi to stay in Moab—all of her male support was gone.
How does chapter one end? “It is time to go home but not with my husband or sons!” She returns to Bethlehem (“the house of bread”) and tells the people, “Call me no longer Naomi (“pleasant”) but call me Mara (“bitter”). I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.”
This story contains a very painful lesson which we must convey to those in the Christian community: “Every backslider leaves full but returns empty.” It is similar to the gasoline tank being full at the beginning of the trip but later becoming empty, because we did not find any gasoline stations on the trip. The tank could not sustain itself. It used up whatever fuel it had including the fumes then it was simply empty.
Emptiness is a horrible thing for the human soul. But it is when we realize our emptiness that we also realize where we can once again become full. “In Thy presence, Lord, there is FULLNESS of joy.”
The book of Ruth is a catastrophe in the opening chapter because Moab, by its limited nature, can be nothing but a catastrophe. The book, however, turns favorable and becomes the beloved story it is when Naomi returns to God’s “house of bread.” God help us never to forget where His blessings exist!
*22 pages are dedicated to explaining chastisement in my book Sanctification: How God Creates Saints out of Sinners. Available at Amazon, Apple, etc.
Feb 19, 2024 – PART FOUR – “Contradictions! Doesn’t make sense! This isn’t good reasoning! You should be doing the opposite! Have you lost your mind?”
Those expressions also describe the child of God who has backslid into a life of carnal, sinful behavior. In Part 4 we will look at the contradictions that occur in the mind and actions of that Christian who professes Christ but has wandered away…rebelled…grown cold toward Christ…is living more like an unsaved person than a child of the King.
The love story called Ruth opens with a look at the contradictory decisions of Elimelech and Ruth. (See Parts 1-3.) The opening verse says they moved from Bethlehem (the “house of bread”) to the land of Moab. This is not as simple as moving across a state line. It’s the equivalent of leaving church people and embracing God’s enemies.
What is the significance of Moab? God says in Psalm 108, “Moab is My washpot.” It is also translated “wash basin.” In those days they used the wash basin for washing dishes, washing hair, taking a bath, etc.
How many of you have washed dishes in the last week? What do you do with the water when you finish washing the dishes? Do you drink it? Wash your hair in it? Wash the baby in it? Wash your clothes in it? Eat the food at the bottom?
KEY: What do Elimelech and Naomi have in common with the wash basin of Moab? Imagine Elimelech and Naomi being in the house of bread but trading it for a wash basin. Does that make sense? Will they still be eating milk and honey from God’s table? No. Will they still be praising God? No. Will they have good Christian women to marry their sons? No. (The women of Moab worship idols—a worship which is actually described in the Bible as demon worship.) Does their decision make sense? No, but to them it is apparently easier to change their lifestyle than to repent and have God end the famine.
We ask, “Why are you in Moab?”
They answer, “We know we shouldn’t be here, but somehow we ended up here. We cannot break our ties here and go back home.” (The consequences of their decision will be discussed in Part 5.)
This pastor has visited many a backslider who has grown cold toward God and His work. I’ve said, “You need to get things right with God. You are miserable.” Guess what? They will usually admit they are miserable, that the way of the Lord is a more blessed way, but they cannot repent. They know what is right, but they still choose to do wrong and be miserable.
Remember: Backsliding is a contradictory decision and contradictory lifestyle. How then should we minister to such a person? Not by beating them over the head with a Bible, but rather by showing love and compassion. After all, God’s chastisement has already made them miserable. So be there to love them back to the fold. “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
They already know they don’t make sense. But they need someone to love them. Be that special someone!
Feb 17-18, 2024 – PART THREE – What are the two least preached subjects today compared to a generation ago? They are related, of great importance to the child of God but seldom heard in our modern don’t-chase-them-away philosophy. The subjects are backsliding and chastisement. Both words appear in the King James Version, less so in modern translations and, admittedly, it is harder to use the terms if the terms do not appear in your translation. However, both words possess theological meaning to the trained listener…and, in my mind, no substitute in modern language has the power of those words.
Dutch Brammer preached at (not to) my father seventy years ago, “You’re backsliding while you’re sitting on the front row.” The term had meaning to my father; he often recited that quote in the following decades.
Let’s define the two terms. “Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone upon every high mountain and every green tree and played the harlot” (Jeremiah 3:6). The New Testament equivalent is James 3:4, “You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” The term “backsliding” was used to describe a redeemed Israel (pictured by the blood of the Passover) that had wandered away from God. The Apostle Paul described such Christians as “carnal” or “controlled by the flesh rather than the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 3). Though saved, they often behave more like unsaved people than saved people.
The second term “chastisement” is the result of the believer’s backsliding. It is the father disciplining his child for wrong behavior. The central passage on chastisement says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). Chastisement has been described as God taking the rebellious Christian to the woodshed. It can be as simple as a gentle conversation that brings correction or as harsh as the believer dying a premature death (Acts 5). It can involve sickness of any type…could it be that much of the mental and physical sickness in the Christian community is actually undiagnosed chastisement? (In David’s case of rebellion God took the life of his newborn baby.)
Hence, such consequences mean it is foolish to ignore these two subjects, because there are consequences and sometimes severe consequences to walking away from God. Sadly, many of the people in today’s “feel-good” pews have never been exposed to this teaching. But if it was me, I would want to hear the truth, wouldn’t you?
Interestingly, my father passed on to me as a young preacher what the old preachers passed on to him as a young minister: “The people may stray from the Lord as young adults but if or when they return in their later life, they will usually stick.” Why? Like Solomon, they have exhausted what the world has to offer and found the best deal is always in Jesus! The old song, “Wasted years! O how foolish!” describes their years of rebellion.
I recall visiting a backslider at his home, seeing that backslider get his heart right with God a few months later and then seeing him become a very good pastor. He “stuck” real good!
Call backsliding and chastisement whatever you wish, change the names if you wish to something more modern and understandable…but, for everyone’s sake, let’s make sure people know what God expects from His children and that there are consequences to rebellion.
* 22 pages are dedicated to explaining chastisement in my book Sanctification: How God Creates Saints out of Sinners. Available at Amazon, Apple, etc.
Feb 15, 2024 – Poor Barney had always been proud of his thick, wavy hair. But then he began to lose his hair. Finally he had just one hair on top of his head. One morning Barney awakened, looked at his pillow, and was shocked to see that last hair lying on his pillow. He ran downstairs and said, “Martha, I’m bald!”
Question: Did Barney become bald overnight? No, it was an everyday process of having less and less hair. The same is true of the Christian who abandons the call of God, all that is so glorious about the Christian life. The Old Testament uses the term “backslider” or “one sliding backward” to describe such an individual.
Picture sitting next to a fireplace. The closer you get, the hotter the fire feels. But the further away you move, the cooler the fire feels.
The book of Ruth is often described as “the love story of the Old Testament.” That is true about the final chapters, but it is not true about the book’s beginning. Ruth begins tragically with a married couple (Elimelech and Naomi) walking away from the promised land to live in the godforsaken land of Moab. Interestingly, they left David’s birthplace of Bethlehem which means “the house of bread” because of a famine…most likely, a God-induced famine to punish Israel for its sin. But instead of confessing sin, they moved to the land of sin.
“And remained there.” It was bad to forsake Bethlehem for one day…to say, “Well, today is my sin day. I intend to spend today in Moab sin city.” Perhaps they said, “I’ll get back in the swing tomorrow. JUST ONE DAY AND THEN WE’LL GET BACK TO NORMAL.” But the Bible says they did not get back to normal because they “continued in that place.” Ah, if they hadn’t gone there, they could not have continued there.
We don’t want such an experience to happen to us but please ponder: Where does backsliding begin? It begins when we are living in the house of bread and praise! It begins when we are singing in the choir, teaching and ministering. But something happens…and before long our heart becomes cold toward God and we begin sliding backward! It doesn’t begin once we get to Moab, but it begins when we are where we ought to be.
My father’s pastor, Dutch Brammer, often said, “You’re backsliding while you’re sitting on the front row.” (Dad would look around and realize he was the only one sitting on the front row.)
Have you ever tried to go down a sliding board backward? It is made to slide down frontwards! My granddaughter accidentally did this yesterday on the long slide at the park. Her shoe was even pulled off and followed her down the slide by two seconds. Ask her: She will tell you sliding down backward is not done very well nor is it very safe! But once you start down the slide it is hard to stop until you finally hit bottom!
Ultimately, Elimelech and Naomi reaped what they sowed…the worst harvest imaginable, because it is hard to reap a good harvest in Moab outside the will of God.
So keep your eyes open…keep your heart close to God!
Feb 14, 2024 – A famous German philanthropist (Oberlin) was journeying through a snowstorm and became lost. He fell into a snow drift and thought he would die. But a stranger passed by. pulled him out of the snow drift and took him to the city.
This stranger refused to accept a reward. The philanthropist said, “At least tell me your name.”
The stranger said, “Tell me the name of the Good Samaritan.”
“I do not believe his name is given.”
“Then let me withhold mine as well!”
James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Throughout the Scriptures we learn God resists the proud: the proud church, the proud Christian, especially the proud nation! But God rewards the humble with what? Not money, not fame, not the best job, not the biggest ministry…but with one of the most transforming virtues of all: GRACE!
There is truly something special about those who are gracious. They possess an air, an attitude which distinguishes them from the mass of humanity. Their smile is different…it’s actually real. The tone of their conversation is pleasant and non-threatening. Their deep, inner peace actually makes itself to the surface for all to see. They aren’t afraid to reach out a helping hand. They’re just….gracious and they really stand out from the crowd. In so doing, they are remembered by the rest of us.
It is very unlikely the Good Samaritan behaved only once in this manner. Rather, it is much more likely that this story reflects his lifestyle. Such a lifestyle is cultivated over time; it is a transformation of God’s grace in a willing heart.
May God help all of us to allow the same transformation to occur in each of us.
Feb 13, 2024 – What does God really want? A very poor man lived alone in his little hut. One day a wealthy man offered to buy his hut. The poor man decided to sell it. He patched the roof, made some other repairs and was happy to be selling the hut in first class condition.
The new owner signed a contract a month later and began to tear down the shack. The poor man said, “Don’t tear down my little home. I have repaired it so nicely.”
The wealthy man said, “I do not want your shack. I only want the site, this corner lot.”
Likewise, God does not want the self in us even if it is patched up. He just wants the site, an empty life which He can use for His honor and glory! “Give Me your heart!” is God’s cry to each one of us. It is not the same as, “Give Me your abilities…your bank account…your charisma, even your hut.” But it is, “Give Me who you are, all that you are” and make Me Lord of all.
The very poor man in the hut is like so many of us. We think (oh, how foolish we sometimes think) that God wants what we have so let’s manufacture MORE to give Him…but in reality He doesn’t need that because He can manufacture anything He chooses. Rather, He desires us…what we are, who we are…our heart.
It is like a woman meeting the man of her dreams and saying to him, “I give you my heart.” That is the greatest Valentine’s present any man can receive for, in so doing, she is committing her all to his care. She realizes it is the greatest commitment she can make, the most personal commitment she can make. And in joy she makes that willing commitment.
Can you imagine God’s joy when we make that same commitment to Him? “All to Jesus I surrender!” becomes more than a song! In much the same way as a marriage, it becomes the seal that deepens our relationship to a very personal, even intimate level. From this point no request from Above is deemed too difficult or demanding.
The Psalmist writes of his own experience, “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You” (Psalm 63:1-3).
Are you struggling in your spiritual life? Let Today’s Verse linger in your mind. “My son, give Me your heart—your heart—and let your eyes delight in My way.” Then you’ll know…
Feb 12, 2024 – What can prayer do in the life of a believer? NOTHING if the prayer is never prayed. NOTHING if the prayer is prayed but not prayed in accordance with God’s policy. Consider the importance of prayer to Christianity:
Louis King says, “The Bible and the record of history reveal that there has never been such a thing as a prayerless revival.”
Leonard Ravenhill says, “The church is dying on its feet because it is not living on its knees.”
The great revival under Jonathan Edwards in the 18th century began with his famous call to prayer.
Someone has said, “No prayer, no results. Little prayer, little results. More prayer, more results. Much prayer, much results.”
But all effective prayer is contingent upon several key elements as detailed in 2 Chronicles 7:14. First, prayer must include a spirit of brokenness. This popular revival text begins with God’s condition: “If My people humble themselves.” The root meaning of “humble” is “to bend the knee.” The idea is one of brokenness. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). John Bunyan writes, “He that is down need fear no fall, He that is low, no pride; He that is humble ever shall Have God to be his Guide.”
Second, prayer must include a spirit of selflessness. “If My people pray…” There are twelve words in the Hebrew language which can be translated by our English word “pray.” Robert Young defines this particular Hebrew word like this: “to judge self habitually.” Imagine a courtroom setting in which you place yourself on trial each day. God then shows you certain areas in your life which are being done more your way than God’s way. Paul prayed an unselfish prayer when he said, “I am crucified with Christ. I begin every day realizing that self has been crucified. It is no longer I that live but Christ now lives through me.” O, God, save me from myself (my greatest enemy) that I might be useful to Thee!
Third, prayer must include a spirit of earnestness. “If My people SEEK My face.” It is easier for a Christian to seek good music, good preaching and good fellowship than to seek God. Earnest seeking is more than singing, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” How much we need to be like Jacob when he prayed, “I will not let You go until You bless me!” He held on out of earnestness!
Fourth, prayer must include a spirit of holiness. “Turn from their wicked ways” precedes, “Then I will hear and will bless…” James reminds us, “The prayer of a righteous man is very effective.” Paul emphasizes the righteous aspect of prayer when he writes, “Men should pray everywhere, lifting up HOLY hands…” David asks, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a clean heart.” But, on the contrary, “if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will NOT hear me” (Psalm 66:18).
Ah, friend, let us challenge ourselves with the old saying, “When we pray according to God’s conditions, we see what God alone can do!” Amen.
Feb 10-11, 2024 – The Bible closes with a book whose title is appropriate as a title for the entire Bible. The Greek word “apokalupsis” means “the unveiling” or “the revelation.” Imagine attending a school play. The top of the hour arrives and the curtain is opened; suddenly, that which has been hidden behind the curtain is unveiled or revealed. The unknown or the unknowable has now become known!
The ultimate revelation, of course, is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”—quite appropriately, it is John’s apparent title for the final book in the Bible since that is how he begins this prophetic masterpiece. This book unveils Jesus Christ to anxious eyes in a way that is truly awe-inspiring.
Thinking more broadly, though, we also must recognize that Jesus (Savior) Christ (Messiah or Anointed One) is the central person in world history. History is actually HIS-STORY. The universe revolves around Him not only as God’s spokesman but also God’s redeemer for fallen man.
Thus, we should not be surprised to learn He will be the central person at the CONCLUSION of world history, also. The nineteenth chapter acquaints us with His unveiling Himself to all of humanity for the very first time since His ascension to the Father’s right hand. “Behold, I saw heaven opened and a rider upon a white horse…He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh—King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19). Wiersbe writes, “The title speaks of Christ’s sovereignty, for all kings and lords must submit to Him. No matter who was on the throne of the Roman Empire, Jesus Christ was his King and Lord!”
Unveiled in all of His essence…God coming to judge…God coming to rule…God coming to establish righteousness…God coming to lift the curse upon creation…God coming to imprison the devil and his imps…God coming in vengeance on those who have conspired against Him. He who has been hidden behind the curtain for so long that man has forgotten Him…this One is now being unveiled as the world has never seen Him! The first time He came as a lamb to die but the second time He comes as a King to reign!
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). No one has ever seen such an unveiling before. (I hope I will be able to take a megaphone and shout to one and all, “I told He was coming!”)
“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever’” (Revelation 11:15). (Perhaps you and I will be among the “loud voices in heaven.”)
“God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE OTHER name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Thank God, I know Him! And I am happy to serve Him as my King and someday this world’s King! How about you?
Feb 9, 2024 – Our own children often teach us some of the most valuable lessons of life. One Sunday morning our two-year-old daughter did not eat breakfast—her choice, not ours! We went to church, I preached, and we headed home. We stopped at a traffic light, and our daughter spotted the big “M” sign. She was not a big talker, but she knew the word to say: “Eat.”
I asked, “Do you really want to eat at McDonald’s?” She nodded yes. I decided to give her a test. I said, “Give me a hug.” She did! “Give me a kiss.” She did. “Give me your towel.” Got her towel! Ah, this was getting really serious.
Then came the greatest test of all: ”Give me your thumb!” There is no greater sacrifice to a two-year-old than the thumb! And she did! That told me there was nothing more important to her than eating at McDonald’s and so to McDonald’s we went.
Wonder if God does the same thing with us? We often say we want God to bless our lives, our family, our church…how about sending a revival? Or saving souls? Wonder if God tests us as to whether we really want it?
The short answer is “YES!” One such test appears in Today’s Verse: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” The “if” indicates a condition must be met. In this case the conditions are many: humble themselves, pray, seek my face, turn from their wicked ways. That’s tough stuff because it means an abandonment of “self” and a reliance upon “Thee.”
There are many stages to experiencing such a personal and corporate (church or country) revival. The old song captures the stages quite well. “Oh, the bitter pain and sorrow That a time could ever be, When I proudly said to Jesus, ‘All of self, and none of Thee.’” (The only positive in that stage is the recognition of our own rebellious behavior. We have deliberately chosen our own course in life. We most likely feel the spiritual loss, too.)
“Yet He found me; I beheld Him Bleeding on th’ accursed tree, And my wistful heart said faintly, ‘Some of self, and some of Thee.’” (The seed of revival has been planted. God is doing a work in our soul. Our heart is being tugged heavenward; the first sprouts of renewal are manifesting themselves.)
“Day by day His tender mercy, Healing, helping, full and free, Brought me lower while I whispered, ‘Less of self, and more of Thee.’” (Such things as going to church, listening to a sermon, studying the Bible, even prayer are taking on a fresh meaning. We are not yet fully where we need to be, but the embers in our heart are now glowing and producing much-needed warmth.)
“Higher than the highest heaven, Deeper than the deepest sea, Lord, Thy love at last has conquered: ‘None of self, and all of Thee.’” (The Apostle Paul describes this stage as, “that I may know Him!” Experience Him! Be consumed with Him! Not just know about Him but have a deep, personal walk with Him. Not only are we on His mind, but He is on our mind, too. “And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.” We have willingly submitted all to Him. As a result, life is now what life was always intended to be: lived in the will and presence of our God.)
“Give Me your thumb. Show Me you are serious and then I will bless.”
Feb 8, 2024 – Who will you meet in your ministry? What kind of people will they be? The Apostle Paul finishes the last chapter of his life by telling us about people whom he has met in the ministry. Interestingly, we can expect to meet the same type of people, too.
First, Paul mentions, “Demas has forsaken me.” Why? Demas “is in love with this current world system.” The loss of Demas apparently hurt Paul deeply enough that he mentions it to Timothy. Perhaps he is preparing Timothy for the day when one of Timothy’s co-workers, flaming hot for Jesus at one point in his ministry, will walk away from his calling and his church. So it will be with us, too, with some we try to mentor. We can only pray the “walking away” is short in duration and trust God’s chastisement process (Hebrews 12) to restore our friend soon!
Second, Crescens and Titus were faithfully ministering in distant places! How thrilling to see fellow believers grow in the Lord to become someone with very large assignments! Nothing else is known of Crescens. He is unknown in the history books, but he was certainly known to his generation. On the other hand, Titus was well known. Paul left Titus in Crete that he “might set in order the things that remain out of order.” It is always thrilling to know you have impacted a Crescens and Titus.
Luke was Paul’s chief companion in ministry…and life. One of God’s greatest blessings is to give companions to each of us for not only the journey of ministry but also the journey of life. They may not be many, but they are gems that shine on the darkest night. They just have a way of being there when you need them. God bless them, one and all!
“Mark is useful to me for the ministry.” Sometimes we err in giving up on people. Paul committed that error with Mark when, as a young man, Mark left the mission field and returned home to momma. Paul refused to allow Mark to join them on a later missionary journey. It probably looked to Paul that Mark would never mature…would be a waste of his time. But Paul forgot that God does not give up on his own. Mark eventually matured…his fledgling faith became a mature faith. This same Mark later wrote the Gospel of Mark. Near the end of his life Paul teaches us about his mistake…and in so doing Paul encourages us to be smarter than him!
“Alexander, the coppersmith, did me much harm. Be on guard against him, for he vigorously opposed my teaching.” It is foolish to think there will be no opposition to our ministry. On the contrary, opposition is usually a sign we are doing something right! Just consider the source is even more against Jesus than you…and keep on keeping on.
“Timothy, my son in the faith, do your best to come to me soon.” Apparently, Timothy was Paul’s favorite disciple. The bond between them was more like father-son than teacher-student. That’s natural for us, too. There is only so much of you to be spread around, so there will be a select few that God will bind to your heart. This binding will prompt you to target those people in various ways including prayer and encouragement. They, in turn, will listen to you…and when they hopefully outgrow you, well, you will have done your job! Hurrah for you!
So how about the people whom you have met in ministry? Are they really that much different than the people whom Paul met? Probably not. Generations come and go, but the traits of people are the same. Ah, friend, that’s why ministry stays the same, too.
Feb 6-7, 2024 – What does your pastor preach? Social issues, politics, whatever pops in his head or does he specialize in “preaching the Word”? Does he do “soft preaching” intended to offend no one (including the devil) or “biblical preaching” that goes word-by-word, leaving out nothing, intentionally making everyone aware of what God says?
During the days of slavery, the master of the estate went to a slave who was also a preacher. He said, “I understand you are preaching. I will give you all the time you need. I want you to prepare a sermon on the Ten Commandments. Bear down especially on stealing. because there is a great deal of stealing on this plantation.” The slave’s countenance changed from one of joy at the prospect of preaching to despair at preaching such a subject. The preacher explained he could not do that. After all, there wasn’t the “warmth” in that subject that there was in other subjects.
The truth is it takes a very ARROGANT Christian to WANT to offend people in presenting the Bible whether in a sermon, lesson or work/family setting. Yes, there are some such people who pretend to hide behind, “I’m telling you this because I love you,” but let’s hope all of you have grown beyond that stage and are able to be more diplomatic about how you say it. Remember: Jesus’ harshest words were for the self-righteous Pharisees, not the typical “help-me-out” audience we have on Sunday. It’s one thing to deal with goats; it’s an entirely different matter to deal with sheep.
Our job is not to offend people nor is our job to applaud people. Rather, our job is to give the Word of God to people in a way they can understand it…to “make the message clear and plain” so that people see God’s point of view. Above all, we must not allow ourselves, including our personality, to get in the way of God’s Word. One fellow prayed for his pastor just before the sermon: “Lord, hide him behind the cross. May we not see him, but may we see Your message and do what You would have us to do.”
Henry Ward Beecher pastored in Indianapolis. He preached a series upon drunkenness, gambling, other heinous sins and even called out the names of certain establishments and businessmen that were profiting from those sinful activities. One day Beecher came face-to-face on the street with a would-be assassin. The man showed Beecher his gun and demanded a retraction of his sermon. He said, “Take it back right here or I will shoot you on the spot.”
Beecher said, “Shoot away. I don’t believe you can hit the mark nearly as well as I did!”
Beecher’s comment about “hitting the mark” is valid and occurs thousands of times each week throughout our country. The preacher, though he may think he is important, is just God’s messenger or delivery boy. But the message is empowered by God to bring the person into contact with God!
John Wesley had a unique philosophy regarding this matter. He posed two questions to every young disciple he sent out to preach. “Has anyone been converted? Did anyone get mad?” If the answer was, “No,” Wesley told the disciple he did not think the Lord had called him to preach. Why? Wesley said, “When the Word of God is preached, the Holy Spirit convicts, and sinners either get converted or mad!”
This world of ours needs to hear, “Thus Saith the Lord!” So let’s preach the Word, teach the Word and live the Word! May God speak through you to bring others into HIS presence!
Feb 5, 2024 – “Conscience is not a safe guide because very often conscience will not tell you that you have done wrong until after you have done it. But the Bible will tell you what is wrong BEFORE you have done it.” D. L. Moody’s words appropriately begin Part 4 in this study (the Word of God), because mankind is looking in the wrong place for guidance…in effect, in ANY place except the right place.
We Bible believers recognize the Word of God is infallible, because it is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) from the One who knows all things. Conscience, though, is tainted by Adam’s sin and is very fallible. Self-help books are also tainted by Adam’s sin as are counselors, educators, friends and parents. But of the Bible alone can it be said it is “perfect, converting the soul.” AWESOME!
In this world of increasing falsehood we need a truthful manual for life…not just religious matters but ALL matters. Today’s world cannot even identify a person’s gender…how then can it be an accurate guide? We need something more than what the world provides. And God’s Word is the solution!
Spurgeon testified, “If my compass always points to the north, I know how to use it, but if it veers to other points of the compass I must judge out of my own mind whether it’s right or not. I am as well without the thing as with it. But if my Bible is always right, it will lead me right and since I believe it is always right, I will follow it!”
A young Christian was preparing to take a long trip. He said to his friend, “I am just about packed. I only have to put in a guidebook, lamp, microscope, telescope, volume of fine poetry, few biographies, package of old letters, book of songs, sword, hammer, set of books I have been studying, and a cabinet full of spiritual vitamins.”
“But you can’t possibly get all of those items in your bag.”
“Oh, yes, I can. It doesn’t take much room.” He then placed his Bible in a corner of the bag and closed the lid!
O, friend, let us use the Word of God as the Guide of God in EVERY area of life as we navigate through this world!
Feb 3-4, 2024 – Some years ago the planet Mars came nearer the earth than it would be for many years. There was much excitement among the astronomers. Two men set up a listening station on the summit of a very high mountain. Their reception extended far into space. They listened expectantly for an entire twenty-four hour period. But not a sound was heard. Oh, their disappointment!
Ah, I can do them one better! In the Word of God we have not a voice from Mars but a voice from heaven! “Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in HEAVEN.” The source of the holy scriptures is not earth nor Mars but heaven and, specifically, the One who is on heaven’s throne.
We are often asked how much of the Bible we believe. “Do you believe the miracles? Do you believe the prophecies? Do you believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ? Do you believe in a literal heaven and hell? Do you believe in the biblical account of creation, the sinfulness of man, and the need of redemption?”
The answer is very simple: We believe in all of it.
A bishop said he believed the Bible was inspired in some places but not in other places. He sounded so intelligent! When asked for proof, though, he misquoted Hebrews 1:1, stating the verse means the Bible was given in varying degrees of truth. Thus, some verses were fully inspired but not all. The bishop, though, was thoroughly embarrassed when a young layman asked, “How do you know your proof text is one of those completely inspired verses?” The poor bishop had no response!
Jesus answers the critics in a very unique way. He says, “Until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot (the smallest Hebrew letter) nor one tittle (stroke of a letter like the slash mark in a “k”) shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18). We often hear preachers say, “We believe in word-for-word inspiration.” To be more accurate, we actually believe in letter-for-letter inspiration—that all of the original writings were perfectly recorded on paper. “Holy men of God spoke (and wrote) as they were moved along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Not by their own spirit or their own whims but by the Holy Spirit of God!
1,500 years after Herodotus wrote his famous history there was only one remaining copy in the entire world. Plato wrote his masterpiece…1,200 years later there was only one remaining manuscript anywhere. Today’s world has but a few manuscripts from such historic figures as Sophocles, Euripides, Virgil and Cicero. But God has preserved His word and has given us thousands upon thousands of Old and New Testament manuscripts which form the basis for so many outstanding translations today…the Bible in their own language so that people everywhere can hear the message of God for their soul.
Yes, we believe without apology in an inspired text. Thank God, we know by experience what it means to be “born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; the word of the Lord REMAINS FOREVER. And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23). Amen!
NOTE: Section One in my fourth book “God Speaks—Today” explains how God has given us a reliable Bible though thousands of years have passed. This section was taught to the Wednesday Bible class in my last church. Available at Amazon, Apple, Kobo, etc.
Feb 2, 2024 – Could we pause for a moment to celebrate the wonder of the Bible that you teach? “Let us imagine a religious novel of sixty-six chapters begun by one writer around sixth century A.D. After completing five chapters he suddenly dies. During the next one thousand years up to the sixteen century around thirty amateur writers feel obligated to contribute to this unfinished religious novel. Few of the authors share anything in common. They speak different languages, live at different times in different countries with different backgrounds and occupations, even write in different styles.
“Also imagine at the completion of the thirty-ninth chapter, the writing suddenly stops. Not one word is added from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. After this long delay, writing begins once again by eight new authors who add the final twenty-seven chapters. With all of this in mind, what would be the chances of this religious novel becoming a moral, scientific, prophetic and historical unity? Yet this book is the Bible…and this process shows what a miracle it is. We can only conclude that man did not write it!”
Flavel adds, “Mad men or devils could not have written the Bible for it condemns them and their work. Good men or angels could not have written it for in saying that it was from God when it was their own invention, they would have been guilty of falsehoods and could not have been good men. The only remaining Being who could have written it is God.”
Can you imagine a mortal man standing in the midst of your group and proclaiming loudly, “Thus saith the Lord!” and then presenting a long message. That would be stunning to see. No Bible is in his hand, no one is there to prompt him on what to say next, and yet there is amazing authority in what is proclaimed.
More than 3,800 times the Old Testament writers use expressions like “Thus saith the Lord” or “The Lord said.” Do you know what you are doing when you teach a Bible lesson? You are declaring the very word of the Lord. It’s not newspaper quality words nor Nobel literature quality words nor New York Times Bestseller words nor backwoods folklore words…rather, it’s a message that has come not by the post office nor internet but through holy men of God who have been moved upon by the Holy Spirit in a similar manner of the wind moving into the sails and propelling a sailboat across the water. They cannot help but move, because they are being moved!
One of evangelist Billy Graham’s many strengths was repeating one statement over and over in his sermons: “The Bible says.” Imagine getting a dollar for every time he said it! But he made it clear that the audience is not hearing his beliefs, but they are hearing the Word of the living God!
Supernatural…the only book of its kind…operating at a level that can be understood by a tiny child but at the same time it is a mystery to many educated people.
Moody said it very well, “I am glad there is a depth in the Bible that I can’t understand because it proves God wrote the Bible.”
Ah, friend, don’t allow yourself to become BORED with the Bible to such an extent that your teaching becomes more of a commentary on world events or national politics or (yikes!) sports, etc. Let the wonderment of the Bible grasp your soul and rescue you from boring your audience. Spiritual people need to be fed…and our weekly commentaries don’t accomplish that goal. Spiritual people always appreciate Bible teaching…so keep your teaching centered on the Word of God. Make sure you study enough to have something to teach!
Feb 1, 2024 – What is the authority for our ministry? Is it in us or in something else? Will it last only as long as we minister or will it outlive our ministry? Does it require the ordination of a church or Christian college?
These questions go to the heart of ministry. There is no question that all of us can do better, but is that the key? No, not by a long shot. No amount of training can change or improve the authority underlying our ministry.
We must think this through: The authority for every successful ministry is the Word of God itself. It is not one’s education or charisma or money. It is, “Thus saith the Lord!“ This cannot be stressed enough.
Over a period of time Martin Luther came to recognize the authority for ALL things spiritual was in the Bible, not in the pope nor church council. I wonder how he felt! One man standing against the most powerful religion of his day: Roman Catholicism. To them, Luther was nothing more than an annoying gnat. But Luther, as best he could comprehend, had switched his confidence from church authority to inspired Bible authority…from religious authority to the one main Pauline teaching that “the just shall live by faith.”
The result? The Protestant Reformation was born. Why? The Bible became recognized as the authority…and once the proper authority for life, salvation and ministry is identified, people can move forward in confidence.
BEWARE OF TRYING TO MINISTER WITHOUT SATURATING YOUR MINISTRY WITH THE WORD OF GOD! Why? The Bible is a supernatural book with the power of heaven running through its pages. Ritualism and tradition will produce only man-made solutions, but the living Word of God will produce godliness.
One of the problems with today’s Christianity is not that we have too much Bible, but too little Bible…too little exposure in one sixty minute service on Sunday…too little exposure in our own homes…too little exposure to the one Book which “will not return to God void, but it will accomplish what I, the Lord, please” and that, of course, includes transformed lives.
Luther’s words bear repeating, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.”
Well, here I stand, too. How about you?
Jan 31, 2024 – What is the need of today’s Christianity? Richard Foster writes, “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for DEEP people.”
Do you remember singing as a child, “The house built on the rock”? The house built on the sand went S-P-L-A-T! (I can still see the children pounding their fist in the other hand to simulate S-P-L-A-T!) But the house built on the rock survived, even prospered despite facing the same hurricane.
Luke’s version of the story contains an interesting expression: “a man built his house and dug DEEP and laid the foundation on a rock.” He dug deep. We read so fast nowadays that we would probably miss that word, but it was an important word to the builder…and to the God who gives us this text. The builder did not dig just below the surface but he dug deep. In other words, he was not a shallow man. Whimsical? Not on your life. Cheap? No way. He believed in quality, doing things right, making certain that whatever he did survived to his dying day.
This word “depth” appropriately describes the strongest Christians in the Bible: Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, etc. This same word “depth” describes the strongest Christians in your church, too. Their depth gives them consistency when bothered with headwinds or blessed with tailwinds.
John MacArthur once was approached by a man who said, “I don’t agree with you at all. I have never accepted your Christ and do not intend to do so. But I come because I like to hear a man that stands for what he believes.” What an unusual compliment! This unbeliever was applauding the depth of someone with whom he did not even agree.
What kind of person do you want to be? An airhead? Just bouncing from here to there? No purpose for life? Living only for the moment? Wrapped up only in self? Focused solely on the next twenty-four hours?
The choice is ours. The choice is not made by government decree nor by parental discipline nor by an employer nor by a spouse nor by some crazy advertising scheme. The choice is ours. Ours alone. No one gets to the “deep” stage by accident but by deliberate choice.
Schedule some time to think through who you want to be…not only spiritually but in every aspect of your life. In so doing, you won’t arrive at your final destination by accident.
Jan 30, 2024 – How treasured is the Bible? Our pastor Lee Roberson worked in his younger years under the direction of L. W. Benedict in Louisville, Kentucky. One day Roberson struggled into a car with a stack of books in his arms. He said, “I got in the back seat and dropped the books on the back seat. I then turned around and sat down.
“Dr. Benedict started the car, drove a few feet then stopped. He leaned over into the back seat, reached under all the books that I had dropped on the back seat, pulled out my Bible and placed it on top.
“He then said to me, ‘Young man, remember this: The Bible is always on top. The Bible is always FIRST!’”
Roberson said, “I never forgot that.” What perhaps is insignificant to so many became a lifelong lesson for a young preacher who eventually became one of the leaders in America’s evangelistic movement.
All of us would be wiser if we took to heart the words of the old song: “We need a new look at the old Book. We need a new look at God’s Word. We need to read the scriptures every day, Hide God’s Word in our heart. We need a new look at the old Book, We need a new look at God’s Word!”
“For the Word of God is living…powerful…sharper than any two-edged sword!” “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” “The blessed man’s delight is in the law of the Lord. In His law he meditates day and night.” “This book shall not depart from your mouth…meditate on it day and night…then you will have great success (Joshua 1:8). Interestingly, this is the only time the word “success” appears in the Bible and please notice it is connected with the degree of Bible saturation that occurs in our life!
Bottom line: Spiritual strength for Christian ministry is directly related to our time with God and His Word. Notice I used the word “spiritual” rather than physical or educational, because God’s Word is designed to communicate with man’s spirit, even make man spiritually alive…and that is something the books of this world do not have the ability to do.
Spurgeon writes about the Bible, “This volume is the writing of the living God. Each letter was penned by the Almighty Finger. Each word in it dropped from the Everlasting Lips. Each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God’s Book unto man. It is God’s Word.”
So let’s respond by placing God’s Book on top…not merely on top a stack of books but on top as our ultimate guide and source of truth!
Jan 29, 2024 – “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, All the King’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
What a shame! Various questions could be asked such as why was Humpty (though unstated Humpty is apparently an egg) in such a vulnerable position? Even a simpleton knows that eggs break when they fall. It would be similar to a hundred-year-old man climbing on a roof to clean out his gutters. It just doesn’t make sense. Then again, did Humpty ever investigate his own weaknesses? Did he know what he could safely do and not safely do? Did he consider the downside to taking such a position? Did he care? Was he simply responding to a spontaneous nature? Did anyone advise him not to do such a foolish thing? Could he have achieved the same purpose but in a safer way?
The above questions may seem frivolous to an egg, but they are not frivolous when one considers they largely determine the outcome of our own life. Life is full of tragedies like Humpty. Beautiful children are born with so much potential. But so many of those lives are horribly scarred by the time they reach the age of thirty, let alone an older age.
I have often told our high school graduates, “Most people make their biggest mistakes in their twenties. I wish you could skip your twenties, arrive at age thirty but possess the wisdom gained from your twenties.” In my thinking such a wish would save them from many scars.
But that is not the way life works. I commented in a recent sermon, “Don’t moan to me about your baggage. Why not? EVERYONE has baggage. You must begin where you are and move on.”
Mistakes are made. Humpty crashes. People also crash. Scars are created, some of which can never be undone. Life’s sunshine becomes cloudy, dreams are shattered, troubles are added to troubles.
These people desperately need “you who are spiritual” to help them come to grips with this thing called life. Quite often, it is then that we have an open door for ministry because Humpty realizes he’s in trouble…and needs help. Your credibility as “one who is spiritual” will often allow you to walk through that open door and not only instruct but also demonstrate the power of a relationship with Jesus Christ. At those times “who you are in Him” will speak louder than any words. “Who you are in Him” over time has resulted in less scars, less Humpty experiences, less troubles because you made a LIFE CHOICE to both KNOW Him and FOLLOW HIM. (“Lead us not into temptation” was part of your experience.) You aren’t perfect and, yes, you have your own baggage but life is different for you than the Humpty’s of this world.
Bob worked in a factory with some of the worst sinners imaginable. This man was not a preacher nor was he a public speaker or vocalist. He specialized in living a quiet Christian life and speaking up for Jesus when the opportunity presented itself. One day during his lunch break a co-worker asked him, “Bob, may I sit with you? There is a question I’ve wanted to ask you for some time but was ashamed to ask. I want to know what makes you different from the rest of us. You never get angry no matter what we rough fellows say to you. What do you have that we do not have?”
Bob answered, “I am no better than others, but Christ lives in my heart. He enables me to live different than others. To Him be the glory!” Nothing further needed to be said.
If you aren’t yet to the level called “spiritual” you need to work on getting to that level by submitting to Him and allowing Him to change your life. If you are there, don’t take your eyes off the goal, become lazy and lose it. After all, Humpty needs you.
Jan 27-28, 2024 – Let’s take Today’s Verse and explore some very basic questions that are posed by Christian workers.
1. Will everyone love me? No, though I wish I could give you a different answer. This answer is a hard one to swallow, because we pour our lives into others, not for financial gain, but to make their lives better. Surely they will appreciate that! But in many cases our efforts are thrown back in our faces. Let’s remember that poor Jeremiah invested his life in his Jewish brethren but was rejected and taken as a prisoner to Egypt.
2. Will I always be healthy? Some erroneously believe the dedicated Christian will be free from health issues. Some years ago our state Baptist convention had difficulty securing health insurance BIDS for its pastors and state staff. Why? The insurance firms determined that pastors have more medical issues than normal people because of the stress associated with the job. The state had to look high and low to find someone even willing to make a bid.
3. Will life be easy if I follow Jesus? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Job had his good years and his bad years. Paul encountered much opposition, even stoning. John was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos. Our word “martyrs” refers to faithful-to-the-death Christians. Perhaps our greatest pressure today is walking contrary to the course of this world.
4. Will I always be happy? That is a loaded question, because it depends upon your definition of happy. For our purpose, let’s assume we think of happiness in terms of being surrounded by good circumstances. That kind of happiness, though, can be fleeting. When Jesus taught the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), He employed the Greek word “makarios” which means much more than the English translation of “happy.” It actually has the idea of “inner blessedness…something much deeper than circumstantial happiness.” God wants you to have more than a happiness which may flee tomorrow; God wants you to experience the inner blessedness which brings the peace of God and conviction of faith living.
5. Will I always feel saved? No. Not by a long shot unless you are spiritually light years above most of us. Perhaps we should ask, “Will I always feel married? Will I always feel I am the physical child of so-and-so? Will I always feel like eating my broccoli?” The Bible reminds us, “We walk by FAITH, not by sight” (another word for sight is feelings). The up’s and down’s of our feelings do not change the infallible Word of God. The Bible is always more sure than saying, “I am saved…I am not saved” as we pick the petals off a daisy. Let the plain words of the Bible settle this issue.
6. Will I always know the will of God? The Bible clearly states the general will of God such as avoiding sin, confessing sin, walking in obedience to Christ, etc. However, what about all the other issues? I knew crystal clear whom I was to marry and that we should begin our marriage with my becoming a pastoral student at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tn. I knew that as much as I know the sun will rise tomorrow in the east. But there are many other issues which are less certain. One of the best tests is to ask, “Will this bring glory to God? Will it support God’s kingdom? Do I have peace about this matter?” Then put your hand in God’s hand and trust Him to get you where you need to go.
7. Will life be adventurous at times? Yes! But remember, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” Your life is in His hands. Thus, it is not an “as luck will have it” life. It’s a FAITH life patterned in accordance with Hebrews 11…and that’s the kind of life that stretches you!
I pray these answers will be a blessing to you!
Jan 26, 2024 – A boy wanted to help his mother prepare the evening meal. He was so eager! He was also neglectful! In his eager desire to help, he asked, “Mom, may I put the bread on the table?”
The mother replied, “My son, are your hands clean?”
The young lad ignored his mother’s question and instead posed another similar question then still another question. But each time his mother posed the question, “My son, are your hands clean?”
Years passed. The lad became a man. He possessed a deep desire to be used by God…to give God’s bread of life to others…and once again he heard the voice of his long dead mother, “My son, are your hands clean?”
We have a tendency to run around with the world the entire week then rush into church on Sunday morning and say, “Lord, here I am! Use me!” God, though, asks, “My son, are your hands clean?” It is the equivalent of being a dirty dish with ketchup smeared across the plate. Or ordering a cup of tea and finding a blade of grass in the cup…and even worse at the bottom of the cup.
The Bible employs the word “sanctification” (meaning “set apart”) in three senses: 1. Positionally set apart at our salvation and made a member of God’s family, the new creation; 2. Practically set apart from the world to do God’s everyday ministry in the world and, 3. Perfectly set apart in a glorified body in eternity. The second sense is most often emphasized by Christians, and it is the one that is emphasized in Today’s Verse.
The mother asked, “My son, are your hands clean?” i.e. “Are your hands set apart from playing in the dirt to work in the kitchen?” “If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, SET APART AS HOLY, USEFUL to the master of the house…”
In the 1970’s Pastor Gustavson told us about a worldly young man who approached him and said, “I feel God has called me to preach.”
Gustavson replied, “You’ve missed your calling.” He showed the man these words in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is God’s will, your sanctification.” Gustavson finished the conversation by saying, “You’re not set apart. When you do that, then we’ll do some talking.”
Oh, some churches do not care…they only seek a warm body to fill a position! But God cares…and God expects more from each one of us or else His power will not be present in our effort. We can’t fool ourselves into thinking we can be one person during the week then become a super spiritual servant on Sunday. It simply does not work that way.
Do you qualify as a vessel for honorable use? Set apart as holy and therefore useful to the master of the house?
God wants a clean vessel…a clean plate…a clean life. To provide Him with less is to grieve the precious Holy Spirit and effectively tie one arm behind God’s back. It is hard for God to minister to dirty people with dirty people!
Try not to stray this week. Try instead to practice being set apart to the Master of the universe.
(If you desire a deeper study in this subject, try my book “Sanctification: How God Creates Saints out of Sinners” at Amazon, Apple, etc. Caution: It is a seminary level book.)
Jan 25, 2024 – What happens when a person or group of people can’t keep the rules? They are very prone to change the rules!
I recall playing intramural basketball and facing that very dilemma. We were playing a superior team, because it had a superior player. We knew we could not win unless… I guarded the star player and did something no one expected. Each time he went up for a shot, I stepped on his toes! My interference was just enough to throw him off balance. As a result, he scored only four points in the first half. Finally, he complained to the referee. The first foul was called on me, followed quickly by a second foul and I had to change my policy. (Yes, we lost the game.)
I see the same tendency in our grandchildren. We tell them the rules of the board game, but they change the rules if the rules go against them!
Are grown-ups any different? No. The Jews in Jesus day had a rule called the “Corban Rule.” It absolved the children from the necessity of caring for their elderly parents. The children said, “Dad, we are designating that pool of money to God’s use. Sorry. But your money is gone.” J. Vernon McGee summarizes, “Their tradition permitted them to escape the responsibility to their parents. At the man’s death, his estate went to the temple and he was relieved of his responsibility to his parents.” But, most importantly, he enjoyed use of the money while he lived! Does that sound fishy?
This changing of the rules even applies to Christianity. If we can’t keep God’s rules or we find God’s rules too difficult, we choose the simplest solution: Change the rules!
Today we have Christian service without dedication, people professing salvation without spiritual understanding, candidates being baptized without repentance or life change, beautiful buildings but empty lives, “My Jesus, I love Thee” but You don’t get a minute beyond our sixty minute “worship” service.
Many in Christianity have watered down God’s rules for so long they don’t realize they’re actually playing according to man-made rules rather than God’s rules.
In the case of the Corban Rule, the Jews had a SATISFYING religion that did not cost them a single cent! Ah, friend, is such a religion really worth having? Does it agree with Peter’s words, “Lord, we have left all in order to follow You”? Does it agree with Paul’s desire, “Counting all things but loss, I press toward the mark for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus”?
My friend, please don’t allow yourself to become complacent in your Christianity. Today’s world desperately needs to see Christians on fire for Christ! And it must begin with you and me.
Jan 24, 2024 – What is the #1 cure for discouragement? Defeat? Disappointments? Troubles? Trials?
Martin Luther, the man whom God used to stoke the fire of the Protestant Reformation, returned home one day with a very discouraged look. His maid met him at the door and she, too, seemed very discouraged, very sad. As a matter of fact, she looked as if someone had just died.
Martin Luther noticed her sadness and asked, “What happened?”
The maid said, “He’s dead,” and she then began to cry.
“Who’s dead?” The maid continued to cry. Once again, Luther asked, “Who’s dead?”
The maid said, “Oh, he’s dead.”
Martin Luther almost panicked. He had just experienced a long, tiring day. Now he was greeted at the door with the sad news that someone had died.
Luther demanded again, “Who died?”
The maid answered, “Martin Luther knows who died.”
“No, I don’t. WHO DIED?”
The maid said, “Oh, God died.”
The maid then received a lecture for the next forty minutes on the idea that God is eternal and cannot die. When Luther finished, the maid looked at him and said, “Well, Master, then act like it! God is alive! He’s real! He’s active! Quit acting like He’s dead.”
It was then Luther realized that it was really he and not the maid who needed the lecture.
Luther had somehow placed all of his troubles, all of his cares on the throne of his own life. He had somehow forgotten it is still God who is on the throne and what that means is, “I can STILL DO ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!”
Guess what? I can be an optimist – an eternal optimist – in the midst of all my troubles, because my God is still on the throne. How about yours?
Jan 23, 2024– “Gentlemen, it’s quitting time.” The speaker entered the room quietly, without warning, and interrupted the men consumed in their raucous behavior with that announcement. The scene was spell bounding for all. Noise became silence The speaker dangled the keys in front of the heads of state, the many guests plus the ordinary from off the street as well as the servants and simply said, “Gentlemen, it’s quitting time.” Thus, ended the…well, everything.
Interesting words. “Gentlemen, it’s quitting time.”
The words indicate the speaker has the authority to make such a statement. Only a fool would make such a statement without the authority to enforce it.
The words also suggest there is indeed such a time as “quitting time.” Contrary to how humanity thinks, there is a time appointed in the volume of the universe as “quitting time.” Such a time will not be determined by man nor by climate change nor by war. But only by the speaker with the authority to make it happen.
The keys suggest ownership belongs to the speaker. Indeed, he does own it all. Based upon that ownership he and he alone has the right to declare, “Gentlemen, it’s quitting time.”
The speaker is the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who comes accompanied not by some mere musical band but with the clouds of radiant glory. To Him belongs ownership of everything we see and even that which we cannot see. To Him belongs authority, even power, to fulfill His words, yea, even every promise. And to Him belongs the right, the ability and the wisdom to determine “quitting time.”
“Behold, He comes with the clouds.” He is indeed coming again. “So it is to be. Amen.”
”When all the great plants of our cities
Have turned out their last finished work;
When our merchants have made the last bargain
And dismissed the last tired clerk;
When our banks have raked in their last dollar
And have paid out the last dividend;
When the Judge of earth says,
‘Closed for the night!’
And asks for a balance—WHAT THEN?”
Jan 22, 2024 – Lyman Abbott (1835-1922) was traveling through a region that had been devastated by a large fire. The region was mostly populated by Puritans. There were many temporary log homes and shanties. But Abbott was surprised to see one large brick building that stood head and shoulders above the rest. He asked about the identity of the building and was proudly told, “That is our church.”
Abbott said, “What a miracle! The church was not destroyed by the fire.”
The person responded, “Oh, yes, the church was completely destroyed. That is the new church. We rebuilt God’s house before we rebuilt our own houses.”
The world would consider such an action frivolous, misinformed, and downright foolish. But to God’s people it was the right decision because the church is God’s primary agency in today’s world to show forth His glory and truth.
Though today’s church is battered and worn, we need to remember that Christ died for the church and, in so doing, He made it His church…yea, more than that, even His bride and wife. Yes, that church of yours with so many issues, frustrations, two steps forward followed by two steps back attitude. He DIED for that which we sometimes view with little respect. Sadly, we often focus more on what the church is NOT doing than on what it is doing.
Perhaps it is time to take a fresh look at God’s church and recognize it is truly God’s possession, not ours. I first heard the gospel in an imperfect church for which Christ died. I was saved and baptized in that same imperfect church. I learned the basic Christian doctrines in imperfect churches. I learned Christian living by watching the example of some saints in the imperfect churches. I got an appreciation for true worship…for the size and immensity of God in the imperfect churches. I grew up to pastor imperfect churches (yes, some more imperfect than others) for nearly four decades and wouldn’t trade it for a hundred million dollars. My first book (God’s Greenhouse) was not about real estate nor investing nor politics but about God’s imperfect church and how to become more of a Great Commission Church.
Quite honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without God’s imperfect churches. Thankfully, they don’t expect perfection from me either! Next Sunday is coming…take the time to look around you at everything that is still a blessing…and be thankful God has provided an imperfect church in your community for an imperfect person like you.
Jan 19-20, 2024 – Why do so many Christians fall into sin and lose their ministry? Lose their love for Christ, the church, the Bible, souls, and prayer?
Charles Spurgeon muses, “When I meet with professors who talk lightly of sin, I feel sure they have built without a foundation. If they have felt the Spirit’s wounding and killing sword of conviction, they would flee from sin as from a lion. Truly forgiven sinners dread the appearance of evil as burnt children dread the fire. Superficial repentance always leads to careless living. PRAY EARNESTLY FOR A BROKEN HEART.”
The Bible tells the story of many who fell from the mountain top of Christian success to the valley of ruin. Samson’s sin led to his being blinded and dying in a catastrophe of his own foolishness with the devil’s imps. King David’s misdeed with Bathsheba brought much ruin to his family. And what about us? How many in our ranks have fallen and never recovered to their former success?
Today’s Verse provides guidance about how we can avoid losing our ministry through sin. First, the believer should identify that the wicked have a path or pattern of life which is distinct from the path of righteousness. “Do not enter the path of the wicked” is based upon the believer being able to identify such a wayward path. This writer has been told too often, “I did not mean for this outcome to occur.” Well, it would not have occurred if they had properly evaluated the course they were about to take. Identify, identify, identify! Open the eyes…put the brain in gear.
“Do not” occurs three times in this passage. This is the equivalent of God’s “No Trespassing—This Means You!” sign. What is sin? One Greek word includes the idea of crossing the line in the sand…going where no one should ever go. In other words, pay attention to God’s sign! Treat all that is on the other side as radioactive to your health! It is similar to Eve crossing the line to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. One preacher said, “Too many Christians are sacrificing principle on the altar of compromise.” “If you wallow with the pigs, you should expect to smell…and look like your companions!” It is wise to follow this axion: “DO NOT DO WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO…then you will be blessed with the means to do what you should do.”
“Enter, go, travel and pass” describe the entirety of our choice. Though sin occurs one sin at a time, more than an isolated “one time” is in view with these words. The concept includes a complete life journey rather than a short trip to the store. The Psalmist expressed a decision for his entire life journey with the words, “I will set no wicked thing before my eyes” (Psalm 101:3). That commitment was for more than Sunday. Likewise, each believer needs to assess what he will allow and disallow on his own life journey.
“Pass on” gives us a beautiful picture of the believer taking the by-pass around that which he wants to avoid. He has looked at his map of the approaching city and determined how to avoid the traffic entanglements of the inner city. So here comes the bypass and he chooses that course which allows him to “pass on” without being slowed, hindered or enticed by the inner city.
Have you noticed these words are true in the lives of the strong Christians in your circle of friends? At the same time, have you noticed these words are NOT TRUE in the lives of the weak Christians in your circle of friends, because sin always drags us down, down, down.
There is nothing wrong with choosing right. But history makes it clear there is much wrong with choosing wrong.
Jan 17-18, 2024 – Do you know anyone getting married in 2024? Probably! The world offers much wisdom regarding marriage…and some of it is quite good. For instance, newspaper columnist Ann Landers writes, “Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet; a happy marriage has the tranquility of a lovely sunset.” The American humorist Mark Twain advises, “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” Diane Sawyer of 60 Minutes offers, “A good marriage is a contest of generosity.” I especially like these words: “A good marriage is one where each partner secretly suspects they got the better deal.” That’s a win-win marriage. (P.S. I believe I got the better deal!)
Wonder how God felt when He officiated the very first marriage? Imagine God saying, “Adam, you may now kiss your bride!” I suspect it was a long kiss.
There is joy in saying, “I do” but there is also joy in seeing two people marry that are, as best we can tell, made for each other. ALL, with no exceptions, must experience personal growth to become good marriage partners. Adjustments have to be made by each person so each person must be willing to make such adjustments. Forgiveness and apologies cannot be random events. Love must be demonstrated, not merely spoken. Helping each other to grow and mature is a daily assignment. Being with one another takes precedence over hobbies and events.
But, above all, the most beautiful marriage of all is based upon the same setting that occurred in the first marriage. Notice that the first marriage began with God! And that is where marriage must begin: with God’s presence!
So someone you know will get married. Do you ever wonder what to write in their card? Here is a splendid poem worth sharing with the blessed couple that will minister to them long after the “I Do’s.”
“Here Christ shall come and here He shall abide;
Our table shall be set for our great guest –
Our lamps be lit, our hearts be warm and wide;
And here He shall find shelter, food, and rest.
And He will talk with us beside our fire,
And He will walk with us through every task.
We can confide every hope and every desire,
No question be too great or small to ask.
Because He lives with us, is one of us,
We shall take care no evil shall be heard –
Because His ways are kind and courteous,
We shall watch our ways in every spoken word.
This is our new house. Lord, be Thou its head.
We gladly share its simple fare with Thee.
Sit at our table, break and bless our bread –
And make us worthy of Thy company.”
Author Unknown
Jan 17, 2024 – What should be our subject matter next Sunday morning? Politics? It will be the subject for some Bible teachers. Finances? It will be the subject for some. World unrest? For some. Poverty and social issues? For far too many.
It is said that in his younger years, D. L. Moody was invited to preach at one of the large New York City churches. The church attendance included doctors, lawyers, politicians, college professors, financial experts, and others of notoriety. Thus, it was a very intimidating audience to this uneducated preacher, a former shoe salesman who often abused the King’s English.
Moody was conflicted about what he could say that would interest the audience. He bemoaned the fact of his little education and that he was unprepared for the task at hand.
But a wise friend comforted him with the words, “Preach the Bible, Moody! They probably know very little of it!”
Moody proceeded to preach the Bible like he did to any other audience; the Spirit of God fell upon the place and many were saved from the wrath to come by placing their faith in Jesus Christ.
The words of the wise friend are good for every Christian AND every church. “Stay with the Bible! They probably know very little of it.”
The Apostle Paul reminds us of our subject material in Today’s Verse. The preceding verse (verse 15) urges us to “rightly divide” or in modern terms, “handle accurately” the Word of truth which, of course, is the Bible. It should go without saying, but, alas, it still needs to be emphasized, that Bible teaching should always be exalted as the MAIN COURSE in any church; if not, it is highly likely the church and the people have erred and are more involved with “irreverent babble” that corrupts the soul like gangrene corrupts the body. In so doing, the ungodly are led into even more ungodliness, because they have not been exposed to the way of godliness.
“They have turned away their ears from the TRUTH and have been turned unto fables or myths” (2 Timothy 4:4). Marvin Vincent correctly writes, “If people desire a calf to worship, a ministerial calf-maker is readily found.” Vincent wrote those words more than one hundred years ago. Dear reader, what would he write today?
Arthur Pink explains the reason people prefer “irreverent babble” to truth. He writes, “The Word does not flatter men; it puts them in the dust.”
But what is the outcome of no Bible teaching? “Gangrene” develops from a poor circulation problem. Diabetes is a common cause. If the problem reaches the no-return point, amputation or death will occur. How appropriate is such a word to describe what happens to those who forsake Bible teaching? “For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” But if one neglects to teach “the gift of God” he is only left with the opening conclusion of “Death.”
Just wondering…what will be your subject matter on the next Lord’s Day?
Jan 16, 2024 – In his early years (1921) evangelist John R. Rice did some graduate work at the University of Chicago. He heard the famous William Jennings Bryant lecture on, “The Bible and Its Enemies.” The university authorities put up the head of the Botany department, a Presbyterian layman, to counter Bryant’s words. This layman spoke on the evidences for evolution. Rice, though young but a staunch Bible believer, was shocked to find nothing more than “speculation and guesswork and unproved theories” to back the evolutionary teaching of unbelievers.
After hearing the professor in Mandel Hall, Rice asked him in private, “If the Bible account of creation is not true, what about Jesus Christ? Is he really God’s Son, deity in human form, as the Bible claims He is?”
To his surprise the professor, a Presbyterian no less, stated it was not worthwhile to answer such questions! He refused to provide a clear answer.
As Rice left Mandel Hall, he happened across two freshmen engaged in a heated argument. One was the son of a university professor, the other was the son of a missionary father teaching in Robert College in Constantinople, Turkey. This freshman was on the verge of tears. He said, “I wish my father was here. I have always understood that he believed the Bible is all true, the very Word of God.”
The other boy retorted, “Well, you have to take scientific facts when you find them. You can’t believe all those old-foggy nothings.”
The missionary’s son turned sadly away, his face shaken in the Bible.
Have you ever had your faith shaken in the Bible? I have. Sometimes Satan unloads both gun barrels. The world can, and does, present a strong case on the surface for its unbiblical views. But the longer one digs, the more dirt gets removed and finally you hit paydirt and you KNOW by the Holy Spirit that God’s explanation in the Bible is the RIGHT explanation. It truly is the Word of God to man! That does not necessarily mean our interpretation is always right, but it does mean that God is the ultimate source of truth and, in part, has revealed that truth in His Word.
The reason that strong Christians exist is not because they have ALL the answers but because they know the God who has all the answers. What they don’t know does not bother them. Rather, they have FAITH that God has the answer and will reveal that answer in His own time.
Notice the first two words in Today’s Verse: “by faith.” Not by scientific proof though there may be such proof. Not because a Christian scientist wrote a book, though his conclusions may be accurate. Not because of a classroom experience nor because of what the parents believed. But, in the long run, the bottom line for all that we believe and all that we do is always one of faith.
Remember: Faith is not a leap into the unknown. It is instead a leap into the KNOWN of what God has revealed. Thank God, we are not as ignorant as we appear to unbelievers. We simply prefer to believe in another source of Truth…and believe with all of our soul that our source of Truth will prove His superiority over their source of Truth in the future. As for me, I’m at peace in waiting on God to prove Himself.
Therefore, may I suggest altering the words of the unbelieving freshman to, “Well, you have to take biblical truths when you find them. You can’t believe all those old-foggy theories of man.” Amen!
Jan 15, 2024 – When the early church saint Polycarp was brought to trial, the judge urged him to renounce his faith in Jesus as the Christ. The judge encouraged, “Have respect to your old age. Swear the oath and I will release you. Revile the Christ.”
Polycarp said, “Fourscore and six years have I been His servant and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?”
Polycarp paid for his faith by being burned at the stake. He became one of the first Christian martyrs just fifty years after John’s writing of the Revelation.
We American Christians know basically nothing of persecution. If we were to share our “persecutions” with Polycarp or Paul or Peter or Jeremiah they would likely laugh and ask, “Do you call those things persecutions? Let me tell you what REAL persecution is.”
Nevertheless, we do face pressure…and sometimes we yield to that pressure and act like pepper instead of salt…like a mute instead of a herald…like a goat instead of a sheep.
You probably remember Peter’s denials on the eve of our Lord’s crucifixion. How did he respond to the pressure of the ungodly? Peter answered, “I know not the man of whom you speak.” That was a case of ACTIVE denial. He opened his mouth wide and did it…could never deny it…probably heard about it until the day he died. Incredibly, that apostle failed in perhaps his greatest test, but not so in the case of a lesser saint named Antipas (see Today’s Verse)—a saint whom Christ PERSONALLY describes as a “faithful witness” who experienced martyrdom. “Faithful!” Like Polycarp he was not afraid to declare his faith in the risen Christ regardless of the consequences. Can you imagine the impact of his faithfulness in that community?
But many more Christians engage in PASSIVE denial. They hold their peace when they should speak. They hide their faith when their faith should shine. Their lifestyle does not openly promote Christ, their silence never upsets the applecart of world opinion, they always hedge when asked about spiritual matters, and they consider themselves a success if no one knows they are a believer.
On the other hand, I can picture Antipas showing up for work carrying a Bible, can’t you? Making himself AVAILABLE to help people spiritually. As if he is wearing a billboard that says, “Bring me your prayer concerns.” Perhaps wearing or displaying something uniquely Christian that makes it clear, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ.” Not afraid to put his life and testimony on display, despite knowing full well that he will sometimes fall short of the Christian goal. “But as much as in me lies, I will stand for my Lord!”
Likewise, when Martin Luther found the truth that is in Christ, he did not keep it a secret. He explained, “My Lord has confessed me before men. I will not shrink from confessing Him before kings.”
Based upon the way God often does things, it’s very possible that you may be put on the spot shortly after reading this devotional. Determine now that you will STAND TALL when that opportunity or test comes your way!
Jan 13-14, 2024 – “We have some neighbors who believe a false gospel.” So said the church member to the pastor. “Do you have some literature which I can give them?”
The pastor opened his Bible to Today’s Verse and read, “You yourselves are our letter, known and read by everyone.” The pastor continued, “The best literature in the world is no substitute for your own life. Let them see Christ in your behavior and this will open up opportunities to share the good news of Christ with them.”
Quite often to the listener, the quality of the MESSAGE is determined by the quality of the MESSENGER. The credibility of the messenger is often of greater importance than the credibility of the product. Indeed, the product may not be evaluated until after the messenger is evaluated. The world is quick to identify a phony promoting a product. But the world is apt to listen carefully to someone who has EARNED credibility in that particular field.
Sometimes we forget that we are an open letter that can be known and read by everyone. People see what we do, hear what we say, identify what we value, know how we spend our time, and count the ways we spend our money. They do not necessarily look for perfection but rather for consistency. “Does his walk match his talk? Is he for real? How long has he lived in this way? Does he REALLY believe this Jesus stuff or is it superficial?”
One thing is certain: Those questions WILL not only be asked but they will also be answered by the people around us. That is why the pastor advised the church member, “Let them see Christ in your behavior and this will open up opportunities.”
This principle has always been important, but it will become even more important as our nation becomes increasingly multi-cultural in its religion. Distinguishing “Which Religion Is Real” from “Which Religion is False” will be largely based upon our own credibility as messengers of the gospel. Our words, “We worship a superior God and Savior” must be supported by a superior lifestyle in submission to our Lord.
Many years ago, this writer was challenged by a missionary citing the words of C. T. Studd. Studd served the Lord as a missionary to three continents. Studd wrote, “Some want to live within the sound of a church or chapel bell. But as for me, I want to run a rescue ship within a yard of hell.” I thought to myself, “I want to do the same!”
Well, many years have passed and it seems that ALL of us, ready or not, are now living in a world within a yard of hell. It is a world that needs credible Christianity which is “lived out” by credible Christians.
Let us walk so close to Him that our character validates our message.
Jan 12, 2024 – “Many people sow their wild oats on Saturday night but hope for a crop failure on Sunday morning!” That old saying has much truth in it! People have a tendency to react on impulse…and impulse is not always the same as acting rationally or after much evaluation.
The Bible has much to say about the law of sowing and reaping. “You reap what you sow” (Galatians 6:7) is as true today as it was the day it was written.
Proverbs 6:16 adds, “These seven items the Lord hates” and one of them is, “one who sows strife among the brothers.” Actively, intentionally stirs up trouble rather than brings the gospel of peace.
Hosea 10:12 is the Old Testament equivalent of, “You reap what you sow.” It says, “Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness; Harvest in accordance with kindness. But you have plowed wickedness and, thus, you have harvested injustice.”
This principle of “sowing and reaping” is one of the most important principles any individual will integrate into his or her life. Why? First, it is true. You can’t plant turnips and reap cucumbers. Therefore, exercise great care in what you plant today, tomorrow and every day.
Second, it is CONSISTENTLY true. “Consistently” reminds us that we cannot outrun it or undo it. This principle will still be in operation ten generations down the road. Therefore, PLAN for it to be a major part of your life and sow wisely what you wish to sow. Remember that payday will eventually come…but the payday will be tied to the type of seed that is sown.
Third, it is an abundant truth, too. Have you noticed that seeds have a tendency to give back more in quantity than themselves? Thus, the question is not one of abundance but, rather, one of which TYPE of abundance one wishes to reap.
“To him that sows righteousness there is a certain reward” (Proverbs 11:18) and that reward is righteousness in so many aspects. “He that goes forth weeping, bearing [spreading] precious seed shall undoubtedly come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6). “Those who lead the many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).
Charles Spurgeon says, “I would rather be the means of saving a soul from death than to be the greatest orator on earth. I would rather bring the poorest woman in the world to the feet of Jesus than I would be made the Archbishop of Canterbury. I would rather pluck one brand from the burning than to explain all mysteries. One of my happiest thoughts is that when I die it shall be my privilege to enter into rest in the bosom of Christ and to know that I shall not enter heaven alone. Thousands have already entered there who have been drawn to Christ under my ministry.”
What is the impact of your righteous life? No one knows on this side of heaven. But we shall someday know how God has used the law of sowing and reaping to bring righteousness THROUGH YOU to a world like ours.
So go forth and sow some more. Sow bountifully. Sow often. Sow righteously.
Jan 11, 2024 – The One who counts truly knows!
The story is told about an offensive guard for a football team. The team was playing for the conference title. The clock had wound down to the final seconds. The team trailed by five points but had marched to the one-yard-line. It was fourth down. If the team scored, they would win the game. If the team did not score, well, perish the thought.
In the huddle the quarterback called for the final play to go through the offensive guard’s position. He immediately began psyching himself for the big play that would determine the winner. New strength seemed to flow through him. He determined within himself that this would be the greatest block of his career.
The team marched to the line of scrimmage; the offensive linemen assumed their positions. This guard noticed his opponent was crouching lower than usual, that he had really dug in and only a bulldozer could move him out of his place.
The signal was called, the ball was snapped, and the guard hit his opponent so hard that he knocked him back into a linebacker, knocking both of them out of the play. The guard pivoted to the right, blocking another man and jamming up one side of the defensive line…then suddenly he was overwhelmed and buried beneath a maze of people. As he fell, he saw his team’s fullback run through a hole big enough for a truck. No one touched him! Touchdown! Game over! We win!
The fans went wild with excitement. They cheered the fullback as he ran off the field. The other players were jumping on him, congratulating him for the touchdown run. This offensive guard slowly picked himself off the field, slung mud and blood from his arms and started off the field feeling as if he was on cloud nine. He had made the best block of his career! He was the hero!
Then he realized that not one person was cheering for him. All of the cheering was directed to the man who had carried the football and not been touched. Suddenly all of the pride was gone, he dropped his head and started crying.
As he reached the sideline, though, a hand appeared in front of him. He looked up and saw the coach, hand outstretched. The coach said, “Good job, Bill. You couldn’t have done better. Thanks for winning me a conference title.”
Suddenly the guard’s attitude changed. He realized that the one who counted knew. The fans and even his teammates did not know. But the one who counted knew.
Dear Christian, maybe your efforts aren’t always recognized here. But the One who counts…well, He knows. He really does.
Jan 10, 2024 – Do you need motivation? Yes! Everyone requires motivation. Daily! This writer was recently challenged by this piece of advice: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again…this time more intelligently!” Some people are motivated by reading about others triumphing over great odds such as, “Helen Keller, at the age of nineteen months, became deaf and blind. But that didn’t stop her. She was the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.” Wow!
But, sad to say, most motivational stories/sayings will only take you so far. Zig Ziglar is right when he says, “Of course, motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.” In other words, always keep something before you that can motivate you to a higher level of performance.
Have you identified specific items that motivate you in your Christian walk? A variety of Christian motivations work best. Some Bible verses like the one in Today’s Verse can spur us on! (Write those verses in the back of your Bible. How about thirty? One for every day of the month.) Reading a good sermon or the testimonies of overcoming Christians is very motivational. How about reading a daily devotional from the Bible or a devotional guide like Our Daily Bread? My book 15 Spiritual Laws to Grow People is 90% motivation and 10% teaching. All of these motivations work!
Here is one motivational story I keep before me. The Standard Oil Company, once the largest petroleum company in the world, wanted to hire two extra men. Mr. Li was one of the two chosen. He served as the housemaster in a boy’s boarding school operated by the China Inland Mission. His wages were to be double what he earned in the school. But he learned he would be required to work on Sunday, and he resigned from the new job.
The company responded by offering Mr. Li a salary worth three times his original salary. He accepted the offer and returned to the job. But he was immediately unhappy with his decision.
Finally, after much prayer he wrote this letter: “I am sorry I cannot work for your company. I have decided to work for God and win the boys to Jesus Christ.”
The Standard Oil manager said to a friend, “I thought I did well to hire a Christian, but I see now that they put Jesus first and business second.”
This writer came across that story at a crossroads in my own life. God spoke to me through that story. I stayed the course just like Mr. Li and have no regrets about doing so.
I strongly suggest you surround yourself with items that will motivate you. Ziglar cautions us about relying too much upon the same motivation, and, there is logic in his words. Therefore, surround yourself with items plural…arrange for them to pop up in a random way so they are fresh. You may be surprised to find that God brings the right one from “out in left field” when you most need it. After all, He is the best motivator I know!
Jan 9, 2024 – Do you have any policies or rules that keep you on the straight and narrow for Jesus, that keep you from bouncing off the guardrails on each side? This writer has experienced some folk that get really enthused for Jesus on Sunday, but, oh my, then comes Monday morning…the fire is gone, the emotions have changed, the ice is thickening on their heart. Sunday exists as nothing more than a dream!
All of us have experienced that roller coaster. One Assembly of God pastor tried to help his congregation understand the up’s and down’s of human nature by saying, “Hey, I don’t even feel saved in the morning until I’ve had my fourth cup of coffee!”
We need to remember the roller coaster ride does not change the date on the calendar, the money in the bank, the place we work, our number of children, the debt on the house, the model of car, nor our name, address and social security number. Yet we allow it to sometimes affect our Christian ministry. Our effort runs hot and cold for Jesus rather than at a consistent pace driven by our faith in Him.
The Apostle Paul urges us to adjust our attitude to one of a soldier. Two observations may be made from Today’s Verse. First, the soldier avoids anything which distracts him from his main purpose…and he does so every day of the week. Second, the soldier is dedicated to pleasing or obeying his commanding officer…and he does so every day of the week. Without fail.
He approaches Monday in the same way that he approaches Friday. His goal is the same.
He approaches rainy days in the same way that he approaches sunny days. His goal is the same.
He approaches “my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went” days in the same way he approaches “let’s get-up-and-go” days. His goal is the same.
In the soldier’s case, his rules for living are Simple and Straight-forward. The same should be said for the child of God. Simple: Please your Commanding Officer: Jesus Christ. Straight-forward: Please your Commanding Officer, Jesus Christ. What else is there? Nothing really. The best part of this approach is that in so doing everything else in life falls into its proper order! Amazingly, the most important issues of all truly become the most important issues to you (this recognition of what is important may bring about a much-needed adjustment in how the Christian thinks).
J, Wilbur Chapman understood this principle. He established what he called “my rule for Christian living.” It says, “The rule that governs my life is this—anything that dims my vision of Christ or takes away my taste for Bible study or cramps my prayer life or makes Christian work difficult is wrong for me, and I must as a Christian turn away from it.” Interesting words but words worth considering by all of us. Those words could have been written by a soldier as he tries to please his commanding officer!
Perhaps it is a good time for you to think about a simple rule that can guide you on Monday as much as on Sunday! After all, you’re not “the same yesterday, today, and forever” but He is!
Jan 8, 2024 – For what are you known? An explorer was traveling through the rugged territory of Alaska many years ago. It was bitter cold. The environment was harsh for the animals, let alone humans. The explorer stumbled upon a little church and mission school where a lone missionary preached and taught the Word of God.
The explorer asked him, “What are you doing in this cold, dreary out-of-the-road place? Why do you waste your life in a place such as this?”
The missionary smiled a knowing smile then answered, “God sent me here. Here I shall remain until I die or until God gives me further orders.”
The explorer retorted, “But the task here is hopeless. You have made so few converts in all these years. The results have been so small.”
The missionary patiently explained, “Results are not my business. I will leave the results with God. I must be faithful and do my best for Him. Someday results will come.”
This writer would like to meet that missionary! (I shall someday around the throne.) He had the right perspective on life, time, priorities, success, and values.
1. Life – “Only one life will soon be past, Only what is done for Christ will last!”
2. Time – America is wrongly consumed with, “What have you done for me lately?” Many corporations on the stock exchange wish they were now privately owned, because private investors focus on the long term instead of “lately” as in the last ninety days. One business leader said, “Our culture overestimates what can be accomplished in the short term but underestimates what can be accomplished in the long term.”
3. Priorities – The missionary could have done other things with his life, but where could he have experienced greater impact? God had called…what better calling is there?
4. Success – We may be surprised in heaven to learn the greatest successes in God’s eyes are those who labored in small churches and were not the television celebrities! Someone said, “God must love small churches, because He made so many of them!” Such workers are forgotten by the masses…but not by God and God blesses their work, too.
5. Values – The missionary valued people over things, the will of God over the will of man, and the barrenness of Alaska over the comforts of a Lazy Boy in a warm climate.
There is much to learn from such a life. Though strange to some, that environment was where he found satisfaction of the soul…peace of heart…a sense of fulfillment as he accomplished a purpose in which he believed with all of his heart.
Have you found those ingredients for your own life? If not, it’s a good time to think about what needs to change…and if yes, it’s a good time to rededicate yourself to God’s call upon your life. GO FORTH WITH GOD FOR THE GOLD MEDAL OF HEAVEN!
Jan 6-7, 2024 – A Christian woman went to see a marriage counselor. The woman said, “There seems to be friction in our home. I really don’t know what the problem is.”
The counselor replied, “Friction is caused by one of two things.” He then picked up two blocks of wood from his desk and said, “If one block is standing still and one is moving, there is friction. Or if both blocks are moving but moving in opposite directions there is friction. Now which is it?”
The wife then saw what was causing the problem. She said, “I’ll have to admit that I have been going backward in my Christian life, but Joe has really been growing as a Christian. What I need to do is to get back in fellowship with the Lord so that we can both be going in the same direction.”
“Together” is a magnificent word when people are truly “together,” but it seems to be nothing but a dream or a fog when people are pretending to be together but are not actually together.
Sadly, some Christian homes in my pastorates were actually mission fields. Though both spouses PROFESSED Christ, the home was certainly not REPRESENTING Christ. In some of my marriage counseling I have asked the couple, “What is Jesus’ role in your home?” Far too many times the response has been nothing but an empty expression, even a shocked expression that Christ should be ANY part of the discussion. On the contrary, though, Christ should be the MAJOR part of the discussion.
As this writer has stated before, the first item Ruth Ellen and I did on our honeymoon was kneel by the bed and invite Christ into our marriage. Praise God, He became the rope that knotted us together…that has kept us tied not only to each other but also to Himself. He never comes to visit our home; rather, He continues to live here and sometimes He even gets involved in our loud discussions, too (we don’t have arguments).
The Bible insists that every home should be built on the same foundation with the same contractor going in the same direction!
Here is a simple Marriage Covenant that can improve both your marriage and your joint ministry.
“We will:
1. be in church together when the doors are open;
2. edify (build up, encourage) together everyone that God sends our way;
3. pray together for our pastor and our church;
4. give together in support of the Great Commission;
5. weep together over the souls of lost men and women;
6. serve together wherever there is opportunity to serve;
7. study together the one Book which is a “lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.”
“All of this we will do together, because we want to build our home for the glory of God!”
Jan 5, 2024 – What message was in your Christmas cards this year?
I read about a woman who was in the typical Christmas rush. She purchased fifty greeting cards without reading the message on the inside. She signed and addressed all the cards but one, dropped them into the mailbox without taking time to read the message. The verse on the inside was completely overlooked.
Just imagine her utter dismay when, a few days later, she finally glanced at the one unmailed card and read the message on the inside: “This card is just to say a little gift is on the way!”
Of course, the gifts were never received. The result was forty-nine disappointed families wondering what had happened!
Sometimes we are like that woman. We rush, rush, rush…and, though our intentions are good, we fail because we do not pay attention to the details and finish the job well.
Look for a moment at the underlined words in Today’s Verse. “Guard…keep unchanged…entrusted.” Those are powerful words. It is as if a newborn has been committed to our care…something of tremendous value. The Amplified Bible calls it a “treasure [that precious truth]” and appropriately defines it as “the good news about salvation” for what better treasure do you and I have than the knowledge that we have been saved from the wrath to come through the intercessory death of our Savior? And what better gift can we share with others than the same message that brought us to faith in Christ?
We have noted in the first few posts of this new year the importance of putting first things first in 2024. This verse builds on those lessons. “Guard” means something, in this case the purity of the gospel, must be protected at all cost. Above all, we must not allow the enemy to tinker with it, to add something to the simplicity of faith in Christ…”for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, lest anyone should boast about saving himself.” “But since salvation is by grace [God’s unmerited favor], it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace [it would not be a gift but a reward for works]” (Romans 11:6). Therefore, we guard the gospel message because it is the only good news which can save the soul nearest hell…including the souls that are closest to you.
There can be no compromise on the simplicity of the gospel. Thus, let us preach it, teach it, and share it!
On July 1, 1555 John Bradford was burned to death. At one time he served as the chaplain to King Edward VI of England. Bradford was one of the most popular preachers of his day, but he became a martyr to the simplicity of the gospel. As he was being driven out to Newgate to be burned, he was given permission to speak from his wagon. Throughout the entire journey from West London to Newgate, Bradford shouted the same message, “Christ! Christ! None but Christ!”
I submit he got it right!
Jan 4, 2024 – “When a boy gets up at four o’clock in the morning to deliver newspapers, most people say he is a go-getter. If the church should ask that same boy to get up at four o’clock to do some work for the Lord, the same people would say: ‘That’s asking too much of the boy.’
“If a woman spends eight hours away from her home working in a factory or if she works in her garden, she is called an energetic wife. If, however, she is willing to do the same thing for the Lord they say, ‘Religion has gone to her head.’
“If one willingly ties himself down to making payments of hundreds of dollars each month for a new car, people brag about his new car. But if that same person places that money in an offering plate, many people say, ‘He is crazy.’”
What an upside down world is our world! First things come last, last things come first and the people then wonder why they are still miserable, dissatisfied and even angry! It’s amazing to consider: Most Americans have never had it better and yet they are the most dissatisfied people of my lifetime. It doesn’t matter if one is a Republican or Democrat or Independent, white or black or brown, young or old, educated or uneducated, independently wealthy or dependent on government subsidies…none of those classes of people are satisfied. Clearly, they must be looking in the wrong place for satisfaction!
But the first three paragraphs in Today’s Verse for a Better Ministry have great significance and ought to be shared throughout the internet, because they reflect an entirely different way of not only thinking but also living. Oswald J. Smith taught us to sing, “There is joy in serving Jesus, As I journey on my way, Joy that fills the heart with praises, Ev’ry hour and ev’ry day. There is joy in serving Jesus, Joy amid the darkest night. For I’ve learned the wondrous secret, And I’m walking in the light. Ev’ry moment, ev’ry hour, As I draw upon His power, There is joy, joy, Joy that never shall depart.”
Though many, including many Christians, do not understand these next words, they are undoubtedly true. There is JOY in fulfilling your purpose in life and knowing that purpose is the RIGHT purpose. What is the old saying? “Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never work a day in your life.” How true! That’s what REAL Christianity is. I say again, That’s what REAL Christianity is. And if you haven’t realized those words in your life, it can only be because you are not yet in love with Jesus Christ.
For example, this writer once approximated how many dollars I have given to the Lord’s work in tithes and offerings. If I had kept the money for myself (as the world suggests), I could have afforded new cars instead of used cars, the latest electronics, etc. But I have NEVER felt I wasted that money, because I believe that God has used that money to bring eternal souls into His kingdom and where on this earth could I have found a better investment than that?
Yes, life is what you choose to make it. But I’m here to tell you the “joy of the Lord is your strength” is a very powerful and blessed life indeed.
Jan 3, 2024 – One day in 1951 a Christian editor boarded a Canadian Pacific Airlines plane at Vancouver enroute to Tokyo. He was greatly surprised to find that, apart from the crew, he was the only civilian on the plane. However, there were thirty-three American soldiers on board the plane with him. These men were armed to the teeth and due to arrive in Korea within a few hours to engage the enemy in the Korean War: a war which had come with thunderclap surprise upon the world stage.
At that time the need was so imperative that soldiers had to be rushed to the front by any and all available means. The editor studied these soldiers and learned they were not officers nor highly trained technicians nor even warriors with wide experience. On the contrary, they were a very average collection of men. The man sitting next to the editor hardly knew how to hold his gun, let alone use it!
But the Army was paying about $20,000 to get these thirty-three soldiers to Korea to fill the gaps that now existed in the bloody ranks. Experience? Very limited. Expense? Not even considered. The editor said, “There was a war to be won and it had to be won at ONCE, or it would be lost in a very few days.”
The soldiers of Jesus Christ face a similar challenge today. A spiritual war is brewing for the souls of men everywhere. Biblical values are under attack from every corner of society. Mankind is headed on the broad road that leads to destruction and few are pointing them instead to a narrow gate that leads to life.
Just as in Korea, the need of this hour is urgent. The outcome for many people, perhaps our entire country as well as our future generations, hangs in the balance. The enemy is strong and boldly on the attack seeking to enslave entire communities. As in Korea, the battle will be LOST without the commitment of all: those with experience and great skill as well as those with little experience and little skill.
Those with strength must rise up and fight for the night is coming when strength will flee and no one can work. Those with wisdom and knowledge must apply that wisdom and knowledge on the battlefield for the night is coming when age will diminish our wisdom and knowledge.
One dear brother confessed, “I am now old and cannot do what I once did. I lived my life on the front lines for Jesus, but now I am down to financial giving and intercessory prayer. My night has come when I can no longer work.”
Anna L. Coghill urges us, “Work, for the night is coming, Under the sunset skies; While their bright tints are glowing, Work, for daylight flies. Work till the last beam fadeth, Fadeth to shine no more; Work, while the night is dark’ning, When man’s work is o’er.”
Yes, there is a battle to be fought for the souls of men, women, boys and girls. If we don’t fight this battle, who will fight it in our place?
Jan 2, 2024 – How are you spending your time? A woman took a short train trip through an area known for its scenic beauty. Once on board it took her quite a while to get her baggage stored in the overhead rack exactly as she wanted. Then she had trouble adjusting the window shade.
She then decided she would rather be farther back in the coach, so she changed seats. More shuffling, more rearranging.
The thought then occurred, “Do I have my return ticket?” She diligently emptied her purse in search of her return ticket. Of course, it was the last item she saw.
She then decided to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Just then the conductor announced the train was arriving at the woman’s destination.
The woman exclaimed, “Oh, my! If I had only known we would be here so soon, I wouldn’t have wasted my time fussing!”
Benjamin Franklin teaches us, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of.”
It seems to this writer that few things are harder in life than getting people to think about things of greatest importance, yea, even eternal importance. It takes time to think, and time must not be squandered on foolish thinking. After all, we only have 525,600 minutes to live in this year called 2024. Nearly two of those minutes have passed since you began reading Today’s Verse for a Better Ministry, a scripture written by a man nearing seventy years of age who has gained much experience and who wishes to use that experience to motivate a young minister named Timothy. This man named Paul could have written about investing your money for the best return or how to influence people or how to cook good enough to appear on the Food Network…but he instead writes about “putting first things first.”
How does that process begin? It begins by identifying what is truly “first.” One dear saint said, “My first thought in the morning is about my responsibility to God.” As a result, that saint became skilled in organizing his life not only around the Savior but also through the Savior. The Savior became the conduit through which his life flowed. What was the outcome? Psalm 1:3 says, “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever he does prospers.”
That is why Paul includes this motivation in his final, dying words to young Timothy. “Do your best!” properly catches the meaning of the Greek word “spoudazo.” It is also in the imperative mode, thus indicating these words are expressed not as a suggestion but as an order as in a drill sergeant giving an order to a young recruit. I can picture Paul grabbing Timothy by the shoulders, giving him a good shake and shouting, “Do your best!”
How will you begin 2024? Doing your best for what is first? Or for what is second, third, fourth, perhaps tenth? Will you charge forward and take 2024 by the horns or will 2024 take you?
“Give of your best to the Master; Naught else is worthy His love; He gave Himself for your ransom, Gave up His glory above. Laid down His life without murmur, You from sin’s ruin to save; Give Him your heart’s adoration; Give Him the best that you have.”
God help us in 2024 to do our best for Him who ought to be first.
Jan 1, 2024 – The 1936 Berlin Olympics contains a lesson for us as we enter 2024. The women’s 400-meter relay was being run; the German squad held a comfortable lead. However, when the third runner attempted to pass the baton to her teammate, the baton fell to the ground. The Germans had the race won—until they dropped the baton.
Shortly after the games, a magazine carried a picture that showed the despair on the face of the fourth runner. The publication was distributed in Europe with captions under the picture in two languages. The English caption read, “They muffed the baton.”
But the French caption said they had dropped “le temoin,” which means “the witness.” The idea conveyed is that the runner who reaches the finish line with the baton is a “witness” to the fact that the entire course has been run. Those German runners had the honor of being on the Olympic team, and they did run, but they lost the prize because they dropped the baton.
We are once again entering a new year…or a new race. For some people 2024 will be a continuation of the 2023 race, but for others it will be an entirely new race…either anticipated or a total surprise. Who knows what lurks around the next bend? Not me, only God knows. Who knows whether 2024 will be my best year or a disaster? Not me, only God knows. Who knows how 2024 will end? Not me, only God knows.
One thing, though, is certain: I don’t want to waste these next three hundred and sixty-five days. I don’t want to drop the baton for the team at church, the team at home, the team of Godsgreenhouse readers, the entire team of humanity which needs all the Christian help it can get.
No, I don’t want to drop the baton of my responsibilities in 2024. Are you with me? So as much as lies within me, God help me to walk into 2024 under His watchcare to do His work in His power and leave the results in His hands. Dear Lord, help me to remember:
“Time that is past you can never recall,
Of time to come, you are not sure at all.
Only the present is now in your power,
Therefore, redeem and improve every hour.”
Amen and amen.
Dec 30-31, 2023 – A tooth for a tooth! Would you like to live by that standard?
During a root canal experience with a bad tooth, this writer was reminded of the Old Testament penalty that can be summarized as an “eye for an eye, and a TOOTH for a tooth.” In other words, if someone knocks out your tooth you have the opportunity to reciprocate and force him to experience the same loss (and pain).
I recall playing football with the much bigger boys when I was perhaps eight years of age. I was a runt in those days! The boys played rough. During a play one of them knocked out one of my front teeth. That hurt! I ran home to momma with a bleeding mouth and a new hole; the offender almost out-ran me to momma with the bad news and his apology! Oh, he pleaded for grace and grace was bestowed.
But in the Old Testament I could have exercised my right and knocked out one of his teeth! I wonder: Which tooth would I have chosen? Obviously, the one that would hurt the most! He had hurt me, and it made sense to return the favor.
The cross of Jesus Christ teaches that Christ provides a salvation which is not based upon a tooth for tooth experience but rather upon a grace for sin experience. It was our sins that caused Jesus to undergo such a violent beating, but none of us have suffered in that way for our sins. Our sins caused the nails but none of us…our sins caused the crucifixion and the sacrifice but, in turn, we go free? Yes, we do indeed go free.
“For by grace are you saved through faith and that salvation is not of yourselves lest any man should boast!” We must never forget that it was “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a _______ like me!”
Have you been saved from your sin and sinful lifestyle by trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If the answer is yes, you are a living recipient of God’s abundant grace. Leave the “tooth for a tooth” philosophy at the foot of the cross. Instead, make a point of sharing God’s grace with a spouse, child, parent, neighbor, co-worker, friend, or total stranger as you enter this new year.
Dec 22–28, 2023 – “What Child is this, who laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping?”
Some say He was just a good teacher, but good teachers don’t claim to be God.
Some say He was merely a good example, but good examples don’t mingle with prostitutes and sinners.
Some say He was a madman, but madmen don’t speak the way He spoke.
Some say He was a religious phony, but phonies don’t rise from the dead.
Some say He was only a phantom, but phantoms can’t give their flesh and blood.
Some say He was only a myth, but myths don’t set the calendar for history.
Some say, “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” C. S. Lewis refutes such a view with these words, “That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher…You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool…or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
What say you? Ah, but there is only one opinion that truly matters. It is the opinion of the invisible God the Father whom no man in flesh has ever seen. The Father declared His opinion during Jesus’ experience on the Mount of Transfiguration in Luke 9: “And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, My Chosen One; listen to him!’”
The instruction, even pleading, for us to, “Listen to Him” is still ringing today. Are you listening in this Christmas season?
May His words and His presence become part of your life as you celebrate His birth into this world.
*** Godsgreenhouse.net wishes you and yours a very Merry CHRISTmas. I thank you for reading these daily devotionals and trust God uses these writings to focus your effort on your heavenly calling. It is now time to take a holiday break to visit and be visited by family and loved ones. God bless you and yours! See you soon. Tom
Dec 21, 2023 – What is the worth of a soul? My soul? Your soul? Mary’s soul? All the people in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Judah?
Today’s Verse takes on added importance for the virgin Mary. Though exalted in Roman Catholicism as the so-called and much misunderstood “Mother of God,” it is noteworthy that she views herself in a much different light. Indeed, her words are the same that I would utter as I look upon the Christmas story: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary, like this writer and, no doubt, you, too, dear reader, acknowledges her need of a Savior outside of herself…no parent or friend or counselor or politician will do…only God can qualify as the Savior she needs.
With that in mind, one cannot escape wondering about the unique relationship which must have existed between them. As Mary nurses her child, wonder if she is pondering how this tiny babe can someday become her Savior? As the child grows, wonder if He often views Mary as the lost sheep “out on the hills away, Far off from the gates of gold. Away on the mountains wild and bare; Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.”
Mary, the sinner, has an eternal soul…and Jesus, the eternal Son of God, has come to the earth to save His earthly mother’s soul.
Roland Hill of England was preaching in the open air to a vast audience. The famous Lady Anne Erskine was riding by and noticed the great crowd. Lady Anne Erskine asked for the name of this preacher and was told that it was Roland Hill. She said, “I have heard of him. Drive me near the platform so that I may listen.”
Suddenly, Roland Hill stopped and said, “My friends, I have something here for sale.” Everyone thought this preacher intended to sell something in the middle of his sermon!
Roland Hill continued, “I am going to sell it by an auction, and it is worth more than the crown of all Europe. What I wish to sell is the soul of Lady Anne Erskine. Will anyone bid for her soul? Hark! me thinks I hear a bid. Who bids? Satan bids. What will Satan give? ‘I, Satan, will give riches, honor, and pleasure. Yea, I will give the whole world for her soul.’
“But, hark, I hear another bid for this soul. Who else bids? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, what will you give for this soul? ‘I, Jesus, will give peace and joy and comfort that the world cannot give; yea, I will give eternal life for her soul.’”
Roland Hill then turned to Lady Anne Erskine and said, “You have heard the two bidders for your soul. Which of the two shall have it?”
Lady Anne Erskine ordered the footman to open the door to her carriage. She pushed her way through the crowd and said, “The Lord Jesus shall have my soul, if He will accept it.”
What is the worth of a soul? My soul? Your soul? The answer is at the heart of Christmas.
Dec 18-20, 2023 – Is the Christian life one of misery, drudgery and boredom? The average unbeliever thinks, “If I get saved I will be placed in a prison. I will be enclosed in a tiny room with no windows. The confinement will be so extreme that I just can’t afford to be put in that prison called salvation.”
How many think, “Surely it is easier to go along with the crowd than to serve Jesus!” But I want you to know salvation is not spelled P-R-I-S-O-N, because it saves you OUT of that prison where the unbeliever is right now held in bondage by the devil.
Would to God the lost man could see just how enslaved he really is! A ship was making its way across the ocean. This ship had been to a foreign country; its cargo was some rare birds destined for America. Halfway across the ocean one of the birds got loose. This bird flew away from the ship.
The bird was so happy to be free from his cage. But after a few days the bird became worn out and he barely made it back to the ship. This bird was now all haggard and he had just about “had it.” But the bird had learned a lesson. The ship which he had thought to be a prison was in reality a place of safety and security. But outside the boat, even though he thought he was free, he had found no place to rest his foot upon!
Just like that bird, the unbeliever goes here and there, tries this and that, looking always for something which he does not have and yet never finding it, because he is always looking in the wrong place!
My friend, if you would rather have the drinking crowd, the immoral crowd, the cursing crowd and the hateful crowd you can have it, but as for myself I have found something which is much better because God has saved me from all of that and,
“I am now living on the mountain, underneath a cloudless sky; I’m now drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry; O, yes, I’m feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply, For I am dwelling in Beulah Land” with Jesus Christ.
“I bring you GOOD NEWS OF GREAT, EXCEEDING JOY so that you may know it is well with your soul and that surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life!”
My friend, that is what the Christian life is really all about!
Dec 16-17, 2023 – It is a horrible experience to want to be accepted but not to be accepted. This experience happens time and time again to people in ministry. We work so hard to get our foot in the door only to limp away with a swollen toe and a bruised ego. Spiritual Law #6 in my book “15 Spiritual Laws to Grow People” is titled, “Everyone should Anticipate Acceptance AND Rejection.” We may not like it, but the two go hand-in-hand; therefore, this spiritual law needs to be embraced by all of us.
Even Jesus experienced this spiritual law. Today’s Verse says “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” That’s called rejection! Guess what? I am not nearly as skilled as Jesus; thus, if my Master experienced rejection what chance do I have to avoid rejection?
The truth is you and I can only do what we CAN do. We must acknowledge that everyone has the right to choose. Rest assured, the Holy Spirit pleads more than we ever can…but even His work is not enough for some and they choose to go their own way.
But one thing is clear: The Son made the issue clear! The Holy Spirit makes the issue clear! May God help us to make the issue clear, too, both in speech and in conduct!
That brings us to three simple stories about people who “did not receive Him.”
First, look with me at one of the earliest movie entertainers, W. C. Fields. It is said that not only did Fields play a drunk but he often was a drunk. The day came for W. C. Fields to die and meet his Maker. A friend went to visit Fields and found him reading, of all things, a Bible. The friend asked him what he was doing with the Bible.
Fields replied, “Looking for loopholes, my friend. Looking for loopholes.” But that same Book tells us there are no loopholes when the death angel makes his final call!
Story #2 – A critic of the gospel was visited by a good Christian man. This critic laughed at the Word of God then said, “The only hell or heaven that I will ever experience is now on earth.”
That same evening this man went to the funeral home. As he left he said to the funeral director, “It will be a long time before you get me.” But that “long time” was actually a “short time” because one week later that man was killed in a traffic accident. No time to manufacture any loopholes.
Story #3 – A man was very angry with the Bible, God, and the gospel. This man wrote a letter to the newspaper editor. He finished his letter by writing, “I hope there is a hell for those hellfire and brimstone preachers.” He wasn’t even interested in a loophole.
Three men…same decision…no loopholes available…all three are mentioned in Today’s Verse in the words “did not receive Him.”
But, thank God, I am not mentioned in that verse. Rather, I am mentioned in the NEXT verse: “But as many as RECEIVED Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” That’s my verse! How about you? Isn’t it good to know “it is well with my soul”?
Dec 15, 2022 – Perhaps no Bible verse better summarizes the meaning of Christmas than Today’s Verse! Who is Christmas about?
First, a Savior! Do you see yourself in need of a Savior or do you have a different view? The awesome truth of Christmas is God’s view—that men need a Savior because they cannot save themselves. Therefore, God provides a Savior for man and that Savior is also recognized as Christ the Lord.
The name or title of “Christ” is the Greek way of expressing the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Some of the newer translations rightly use the word “Messiah” in place of “Christ” in this passage, because it helps the reader to better understand the Old Testament concept. For example, picture yourself as a Jew living in the time of Jesus’ birth. Imagine an angel sharing the good news that the long awaited and long prophesied Messiah has finally been born in the city of David! That would have been the most exciting news of your generation. “He whom we have been waiting for so long—well, He has now come! Let us go and see Him!”
And this same One is also the Lord! This term must never be viewed lightly. We often sing, “Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.” It must be remembered, though, He is also Lord BEFORE His birth…and though He lies in a lowly manger or feeding trough (care to guess His weight?) He is Lord at that time, too. His size makes no difference. “By Him all things were made that exist.”
Charles Spurgeon touched the hem of His garment when he proclaimed, “Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman. Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms.” My friend, how can such a thing be?
Do you recall His words to Governor Pontius Pilate? “You would possess no power unless it was given to you from above.” In other words, “You’re not the Lord. I who came from above—I AM THE LORD!” He is more than the Truth, the Way, and the Life. Above all, He is Lord and all creation shall someday acknowledge that fact to the glory of God the Father.
Thus, in this season and in every season, we honor Him with our time, attention, love and adoration.
Would you agree He deserves even more than we can give Him?
Dec 14, 2023 – “Consider this: An obscure teacher from a small town in a ruined country changed the world—AFTER HIS DEATH” (David Jeremiah). That’s a profound statement, but it is true in the case of Jesus Christ.
There is an important lesson here: Our impact cannot be measured by the preacher who speaks at our funeral. Rather, our impact can only be measured by God in eternity. Life is a voting machine, but eternity is a weighing machine. Everything will look different, even much different, in eternity. Life measures what people and the world think of us, but eternity has different values and views everything from the perspective of what has eternal value. Sadly, not much associated with this world will last!
One day a king sent for his court jester and presented him with a stick. The king said, “Take this stick and keep it until you find a bigger fool than yourself.”
Several years passed. The day came when the king was lying on his deathbed. Once again, he sent for the court jester. The king said, “I am going away.”
The jester asked, “Where to?”
The king replied, “To another country.”
The jester asked, “What provision has your majesty made for this journey and for living in this country whither thou goest?”
The king answered, “None. No provision at all.”
The jester then handed the stick to the king. He said, “Take it. I have finally found a bigger fool than myself for I myself only trifle with the things of time but you have trifled with the things of eternity.”
The jester could have said those same words to many in the Christmas story: the innkeeper, Satan and his fallen angelic demons, the silent people of Jerusalem. But others chose a different course: the Magi from the east, Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds.
Time…eternity. Oh, which do you prefer? Which regulates your decisions and lifestyle? Is it the voting machine called life and public opinion or is it the weighing machine called eternity when all things will be properly weighed, even perfectly evaluated? Choose wisely.
Why do so many Christians expect the devil to roll over and play dead for their ministry? One brother became so frustrated that he quit the ministry and went back to being nothing more than a pew sitter. His explanation? “I did not expect to face trouble and opposition.” I wonder: Did he expect the devil to become less than the devil and his imps to become choir members?
Today’s Verse presents Pharaoh’s reaction to the demands of Moses to release Israel from Egyptian slavery. Pharaoh represents Satan in the story. These words, “I will not let Israel go” represent the devil’s attitude toward humanity. It is a never-yielding attitude.
Interestingly, Jesus included Satan in his first teaching in the Matthew 13 parables. Hey, He thought it was so important for us to know that He made it the very first lesson. “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and SNATCHES AWAY what was sown in their heart.”
One of our greatest problems is simply getting the people’s attention! As a matter of fact, Jesus ran into the same problem in His own ministry. Jesus said, “They seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. For their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed.”
The story is told about a modern day prodigal son. The boy’s father was dying and did not have long to live. The father said to his wayward son, “I want you to promise me one thing.”
This man’s son had been a trouble maker all of his life. He was so bad that he had even spent time in jail.
The father continued, “After I die I want you to sit beside my casket. I want you to close all of the doors and sit alone by my casket for five minutes. Look into my face. Think for five solid minutes about eternity.”
The son hesitated then finally agreed to the father’s request. The father died only a short time later. The son then fulfilled his father’s last request. He shut the doors, sat down by the casket, looked into his father’s face, and began to think about eternity. Within sixty seconds the son was on his face crying out, “God, be merciful to a sinner like me,” and the son was marvelously saved!
But it all began when the son finally filled his mind with the things of eternity instead of the things of this world!
That story illustrates how the devil works…and also how God works. No one was in the funeral parlor to talk to the young man. How then could he know how to respond? Simply this: The father had sown the gospel even when the opposition was strong. Then, in God’s time, the soul was pierced and the sinner became serious.
In a nutshell, that is the philosophy behind Godsgreenhouse.net. The word is distributed or sown…whether by website, videos, devotionals like this, books, etc. And we wait on God to give the increase! May your ministry also be a sowing and waiting ministry in the hands of the Lord.
Godsgreenhouse.net Dec 12, 2023 – Is anyone more devious, more destructive than the being known as Satan…the “diabolos” which is translated devil? How destructive Is he? More so than any human who has ever walked the face of this earth.
In years past the ocean ships relied upon lighthouses to warn them about getting too close to the coastline. One of those lighthouses was built on the shore of England in 1757. It was known as the Eddystone Lighthouse.
In those days France and England were at war with each other. A rather unscrupulous counselor approached Louis XV, the king of France, and suggested a way that he could get even with the English.
This counselor suggested that the French send a few cruisers across the English channel and harass the men who were working on that very important lighthouse. In so doing the project would be ended, and many more English ships would wreck upon that very rocky coastline.
King Louis, though, became rather indignant and said, “Sir, I am the enemy of England, but I am not the enemy of ALL humanity.” In so doing King Louis rejected that counselor’s advice; he allowed the lighthouse to be finished for the good of all mankind everywhere.
But the Bible teaches us that the devil is no King Louis, because the devil TRULY IS the enemy of all humanity everywhere.
The Bible warns, “The whole world lies in the hands of the wicked one,” that he is the god of this present world system organizing it into a godless society. As far as intelligence is concerned the Bible says, “The devil is more cunning than any beast of the field.” If the devil could fool Adam and Eve then he can fool you and me!
As far as power is concerned the devil is more powerful than any man, also more powerful than the angels including even the archangel Michael. Woe to the person who believes he can handle the devil on his own. We need the only higher power: the power of the Holy Trinity.
As far as intentions are concerned, the devil is more evil than you can possibly imagine. The Bible says he is “a murderer from the beginning as well as the father of lies.” The devil is the ONLY being to whom the Bible refers as “the evil one.” That phrase describes Satan’s character. He is more than filled with evil; he actually IS evil in his very spirit!
Who convinced King Herod to murder the male infants of Bethlehem at the first Christmas? We see the devil’s handiwork on full display though he is not mentioned in the passage. What had those children done? Nothing except being born in the wrong time and the wrong place. Such savagery marks Satan’s handiwork throughout the Bible in his assault against the Jew, the Bible, and the church.
Mark my words: Wherever one finds evil, one will also see the handiwork of God’s nemesis. That is why Jesus said the devil comes to “steal and to kill and to destroy. But I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
During this Christmas celebration the devil will come to steal our attention from worshipping the Christ. Most people will instead worship a tree, a gift or even time away from work. And the devil will laugh about his success all the way home.
Why? It is because the devil is the ENEMY OF ALL HUMANITY everywhere. Oh, friend, don’t let him steal this Christmas from you!
Dec 11, 2023 – Is it difficult to identify Christians at work? At school? In the community? Not usually. They’re different because they march to a different drum. Let me paraphrase Today’s Verse: “Do not be conformed to this world which is BELOW but instead be transformed by the world which is ABOVE, by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test/prove—in other words, know beyond any shadow of doubt—what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God for your life!”
The world which is ABOVE is more than a match for the world which is BELOW. The more time we spend with the Savior, the more time we will think and behave like the Savior.
This writer has walked with the Lord nearly sixty years. Quite honestly, I do not feel that I have been deprived of anything worthwhile during this pursuit of Him. On the contrary, I feel that I have been granted a very blessed life. I have enjoyed this life of knowing Him and working with Him in His spiritual greenhouse. I have enjoyed being part of His family, too, with so many brothers and sisters. I have even enjoyed tithing, because I believe everyone deserves to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. He has given me an appetite for clean living plus plenty of dessert to go with it.
When I come to the end of the road, you will not hear me singing, “Wasted years, O how foolish!”
We often talk about living by faith; it is fascinating to realize that we are transformed into heavenly thinking and heavenly behavior by that very same faith. How? Faith always contains an element of transformation. We become what we believe in!!!! And sometimes we do not realize how far along we are in that “becoming” process until someone points it out to us.
Some friends took Uncle Bud Robinson, the well known Holiness preacher, to visit New York City. These friends showed Uncle Bud all the attractions…all the flashy lights…all that the big city had to offer. My, was it impressive!
Later that night Uncle Bud knelt by his bed and he prayed one of the most remarkable prayers ever prayed. He prayed, “Lord, I thank you for letting me see all the sights of New York City. But I thank you most of all that I didn’t see a thing I wanted.”
The songwriter expressed it this way,
“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold,I’d rather have Jesus than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land; I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand!
“Than to be the King of a vast domain; And be held in sin’s dread sway; I’d rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today!“
It is a song which so many know by memory; it is also a song which you can experience as He transforms your willing mind!
It has been said that modern life can be summarized in only three words: “Hurry, worry, bury.” Sure enough, that aptly describes how most people live their lives!
I read about a senator who was running breathlessly down a hallway. A reporter caught up with the senator and asked him, “What do you think about the current world crisis in the Middle East?”
The senator replied, “Don’t bother me. I am in a hurry to make a speech on the radio. A crisis like this is no time to think!” and the senator rushed past the crisis in the Middle East in order to deal with the crisis of making a little speech on the radio.
Most people have their mind so filled with the ideas of the world, so busy with the appointments of the world that they have no time to be alone with themselves…or especially God!
To be honest, isn’t there something else to life besides being a part of the RAT RACE? Besides running here and there and yet never having the time to get everything done? Isn’t there something else to life besides getting married, finding a job, having children, making money, building a house, buying a car, saving for your retirement and then just sitting down and getting ready to die?
Somehow we have forgotten the Scriptures which say, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” “For the Lord Himself is the strength of my life; of whom then should I be afraid?”
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word solitude as “a lonely place, the state of being alone.” The idea of being alone with yourself…alone with your thoughts and problems…also alone with someone who can counsel you and strengthen you for the task at hand. Of course, the Person whom we need in our quiet time is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!
“There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot molest, Near to the heart of God. There is a place of full release, Near to the heart of God. A place where all is joy and peace, Near to the heart of God. O Jesus, blest Redeemer, Sent from the HEART of God, Hold us, yes, hold us, who wait before Thee, Near to the heart of God.”
For Moses that place was on the backside of the desert. For Daniel it was on his knees in his chamber with his windows open toward Jerusalem. For the Apostle Paul it was in the wilderness of Arabia. For John the Baptist it was in the wilderness of Judaea where “the child grew, became strong, and was in the desert till the day of his revealing to Israel.”
For you it may be in a prayer closet or on a quiet hillside or perhaps kneeling beside your bed but one thing is certain: You will receive much more in the presence of God than you will ever receive in the presence of man!
Phillips Brooks is best known for writing, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Brooks was a very busy pastor, but he always seemed relaxed and unburdened, ready to take time for anyone who had a problem.
A young friend wrote to Brooks shortly before Brooks died and asked him the secret of his strength. Brooks wrote back that his strength and serenity was due to his still-growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The more I have thought it over, the more sure it has seemed to me that these last years have had a peace and fullness which there did not use to be. It is a deeper knowledge and truer love of Christ. I cannot tell you how personal this grows to me. He is here. HE KNOWS ME AND I KNOW HIM. It is the most real thing in the world. Every day makes it more real. And one wonders with delight what it will grow to as the years go on.”
Yes, that is the way it should be…and that is the way it CAN BE.
Dec 8, 2023 – What does your church do for you? Then again, what do you do for your church? Today’s Verse mentions three items that every one of us should receive from our church but also give back to our church. First, stir up love among the people! “Love covers a multitude of sins.” Do you want to be loved? Then be a loving Christian to others and you will attract people like honey attracts a bear!
Second, stir up good works among the people. Works of righteousness, not works of darkness. Live it and teach it by your example. Don’t be one of the critics that lives on the wrecking crew instead of the building crew. Stir up works that will build lives and God’s church.
Third, exhort or encourage one another. Have you noticed that a person of faith is also a positive person? He encourages others with his optimism that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “If God be for me, who can be against me?”
This writer has been on the receiving and giving end for many decades. Despite my years of maturity, I confess that I still need what my church can do for me. Yes, I do! I have never outgrown my need for God’s church. Nor will you.
A fine, elderly Christian lady had been in the hospital for some time. Her health was failing. The doctor believed she would be bedfast for the rest of her life.
It came time for this woman to be dismissed from the hospital and sent to a convalescent home. The ambulance attendants placed her in the back of the ambulance and prepared to drive away.
The elderly Christian said, “May I ask a favor? It isn’t far out of the way to go by my church. I just wondered if you would mind. You know it may be the last time I will ever see my church.”
The ambulance driver pulled up in front of the church and allowed the woman as much time as she needed. She talked about how she loved her church, of how she had served God in that place for so many years.
Then she said, “I wanted to see it just one more time for fear that I might not get back again.”
One of the attendants said sometime later, “I never knew what the church could mean before, not until I saw how much it meant to one who might never again be able to go inside its doors.”
This man’s thinking was then changed. It was not long until this man rededicated his life and became a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But consider what she said: “I wanted to see it just one more time for fear that I might not get back again.”
Friend, when we get to the end of the road none of us will regret a single hour we spent in God’s house with God’s people stirring up love, stirring up good works and encouraging one another!
Dec 7, 2023 – Thomas Naylor taught a business management course at Duke University. One day he asked his students to write a personal strategic plan for their lives—for what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go. These students were supposed to be some of the smartest students in America. They carefully prepared their personal strategic plans and gave them to Thomas Naylor.
Naylor found a common pattern in the strategies. He reported, “With few exceptions what these students wanted fell into three categories: money, power, and things—very big things, including vacation homes, expensive foreign automobiles, yachts, and even airplanes.“
The teacher summarized, “This was the student’s basic request of us teachers: Teach me how to be a money making machine.”
No thought of humanitarian service or spiritual service or political service either…no thought of anything except, “Teach me how to be a money making machine.”
That is the way it is all across America—students going to school, learning everything from astronomy to zoology, paying tuition, sitting in classrooms, receiving a diploma then walking out just as ignorant as when they first came, because they have learned nothing which can truly satisfy the emptiness in a man’s soul!
That is why Jesus’ statement in Today’s Verse has so much meaning. “Learn from Me” (“Follow Me as My disciple”) is an invitation to learn the most important issues of life (both spiritual and material) from the greatest rabbi of all time who is also the ONLY INFALLIBLE rabbi of all time.
Every person has to decide in which school to enroll to learn a philosophy for everyday life. Moses began his education in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh; that education would have made him a success in the eyes of the Duke students, but Moses learned that education fell far short of a better education.
Someone has said, “Moses spent the first forty years learning he was a somebody, the second forty years learning he was a nobody, but the last forty years learning what God can do with a somebody who is a nobody.” The first forty years in Egypt being programmed by the world; the next forty years on the backside of the desert being reprogrammed by God in the right subjects, the right principles, as well as the right values!
Would you like to guess who got the better education? Moses or the Duke students?
Above all, don’t fall into the Bible category called “ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). Instead, seat yourself at the feet of a rabbi named Jesus and let Him not only speak but also change your life.
Dec 6, 2023 – “Joseph, flee to Egypt!” The wonder of the Christmas story is indeed a wonderment to behold from so many different perspectives that it leaves one wondering which wonder to consider next. It’s like a child in the toy store…where does he go next?
Pause with me to consider only one wonder: God has the entire situation under control. A kingly lineage, a virgin birth, a rebellious king, shepherds in the field, magi from afar, a manger, a full inn, a shining star like none other, a young couple willing to trust Him, gifts to cover expenses, a place of refuge called Egypt…yes, God has everything under control.
Move forward two thousand years…2023 until the end of time. The same words will always be true for your life and mine…for every life yet to be lived…a simple but profound truth that our God has the entire situation under control.
The time was World War II. An ocean liner left a British port and headed for a harbor in the United States. It was widely known that a variety of enemy ships were nearby, just hoping for an easy target like an ocean liner.
The ship’s captain was given secret instructions: “Keep straight on this course. Turn aside for nothing. If you need help, send a wireless message in code.”
Three days later the crew spotted an enemy cruiser on the horizon. This cruiser seemed to be trailing the large ocean liner. The captain immediately sent a coded message which said, “Enemy cruiser sighted. What should I do?”
The reply came back from a ship which was nowhere to be seen, “Keep straight on. I’m standing by.”
The captain did not understand, but he kept the ocean liner on its predetermined course until they safely reached the United States. The captain was then surprised to see a British warship slip into the same harbor alongside them. Although this British warship had never been seen, yet it had still protected the ocean liner. All the ocean liner had ever needed to do was to simply stay with the plan and obey its orders!
“I do not know whether my future lies Through calm or storm;
Whether the way is strewn with broken ties Or friendships warm.
This much I know: Where’er the pathway trod, All else unknown,
I shall be guided safely on, for God will keep His own.”
Amen.
Dec 5, 2023 – Are you the apple of anyone’s eye? Someone said about the little boy, “He is the apple of his grandpa’s eye.” What a unique expression! The phrase refers to the pupil of the eye—the most sensitive place imaginable. You can poke me in my stomach and it will only annoy me, but poke me in my eye and you’re in trouble AS SOON as I recover! But it will take time to recover, right? Because it is a very sensitive place.
Thus, the location emphasizes the preciousness of the individual. We protect the eye at all cost. Everyone I know will give up a hand before they will give up an eye. They’ll give up their hearing but not the eye.
That means Jacob (and by linkage his descendants) was very blessed when God placed him in the center of His own eye. If the devil wants to take on God’s people, in effect, the devil is poking his own finger in God’s eye…and God will likely react just like you react.
I am very special to God. That is a comforting thought. Life can be hard. Even at our best we don’t have all the answers and sometimes we don’t even have all the questions! But God takes us in our weakness and places us where we are safe. We can go to bed tonight realizing that if live we are the Lord’s and if we die during the night we are still the Lord’s. “If God be for us, who can stand against us? Who is foolish enough to stand against us?”
A dear saint of God was lying on her deathbed. A friend asked the dear saint, “Now, Nannie, suppose after all of your praying that God should forget you and allow your soul to be forever lost?”
The dear saint laid her hand upon the Bible and said, “Is that all the faith you have? If that happened it would be God Himself who would suffer the greatest loss. Poor Nannie would only lose her soul; but God would lose His very own honor and that would be a much greater loss!
“Haven’t I hung my soul upon His exceeding great and precious promises? If God breaks His Word then God would make Himself a liar and the universe itself would rush into confusion.”
Dear Nannie knew she was safe, because God had made her the apple of His eye!
So let us live and minister in confidence!
Remember, “he that touches you touches the apple of his eye!” (Zechariah 2:8).
Dec 4, 2023 – The name of John Dewey is well-known in the field of education. John Dewey, though, was what you might call an absent-minded professor. One day John Dewey was walking across the college campus with a close friend. A little boy ran up to him and asked for a nickel. Dewey gave the boy a nickel and sent the lad on his way.
Dewey then mumbled to his friend, “The trouble with the boys in this city is that they are always asking you for money.”
The friend asked, “But isn’t that your son?”
Dewey looked around until he found the boy then said with surprise, “Why, yes, I guess it is.”
Here was an earthly father who had forgotten his own son, but the Bible assures us that our heavenly Father never ever forgets His own. Today’s Verse says, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though your mother may forget you, I, the Lord, will not forget you!”
Genesis 8:1 says, “And God remembered Noah.” John R. Rice said, “No man on earth was ever more helpless than Noah. He was on an ocean liner… but without chart or compass or sail or rudder. THERE WAS NO LAND TO REACH IF HE COULD HAVE REACHED IT.” But Noah did have one thing in his favor and that is that “God remembered Noah.”
Genesis 19:29 says, “And God remembered Abraham.” It was time for judgment to fall upon Sodom and Gomorrah, but “God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of Sodom when God overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelled.” God allowed Abraham’s nephew to live, because God remembered the promise which He had made with Abraham.
1 Samuel 1:19 says, “And God remembered Hannah.” Poor Hannah! The priest thought she was drunk, her husband thought she was depressed, and the other wife badgered her constantly because Hannah could not have any children. But God heard the prayers of Hannah and in due time “God remembered Hannah” and God gave her a son by the name of Samuel.
Do you sometimes think God has forgotten you? Rest assured, He has not.
Let’s write something to put on your refrigerator or workstation. Take a sheet of paper or post-it note and write, “And God remembered” across the top. Then write the numbers 1-4 below those words in order to make a list. Next to 1 write Noah. Next to 2 write Abraham. Next to 3 write Hannah. And next to 4 write your own name. Then place it where you can see it for the next several days.
Let God remind you that even though you may be only one of eight billion people, you will never be forgotten by Him. Rest assured, our God never ever forgets His own.
Dec 2-3, 2023 – PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD – Part 5 – Imagine being Moses and seeing a bush that is on fire but is not being consumed by the fire! Sometimes we preachers get too wrapped up in trying to explain this amazing sight. Oh, there is no doubt but what the burning bush is indeed an amazing sight, but what we often miss is that the burning bush was primarily intended to produce a life-changing event in Moses!
You must remember that Moses is now eighty years old. He has been everything from the Prime Minister of Egypt to a lowly shepherd on the backside of the desert, but the most important point of all is that Moses has never yet amounted to a single thing in the work of Almighty God. He is a man with a resume a mile long but yet his life has been a total waste as far as God Himself is concerned. And it is this “nothing” man who now comes face to face with God in an experience which promises to change his entire life.
God says, “Moses, come with Me and I will send you unto Pharaoh that you may deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery.”
Moses can then turn away, walk back into the desert and never be heard from again OR he can obey the call of God. He can say, “God, here am I, send me!” and set his heart to what God has called him to do.
For Moses it is time and a place for a life-changing decision—a decision which will change his goals, habits, family, activities, yes, even an entire lifestyle. This decision will determine whether Moses becomes:
1. A worthless man of the desert or a Spirit-filled man of God.
2. A mere shepherd of sheep or a much greater shepherd of people.
3. A man with an important future or just a man with an empty past AND future.
From this day forward Moses will never be the same, because he has personally met God at the burning bush of a life-changing decision!
There is a place in Portsmouth, Ohio, which is very special to me. In my pre-preaching years I worked as a motor bank teller at the Security Central National Bank in Portsmouth, Ohio. I was working one night on the four to midnight shift. It was my custom to pray and study the Bible when there were no customers at the drive-up window.
I already knew God wanted me to go to a Bible college and prepare for the pastorate, but I did not yet know the time nor the college where this training was to begin. This may seem strange but God gave me the answer one night at 10:00 while I was praying in that motor bank.
God said to me, “Tom, you are to go to a school in Chattanooga called Tennessee Temple. You are to begin your studies as soon as school begins in the fall.”
I said, “God, I was planning to go instead to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and study under Jerry Falwell and Harold Wilmington.”
God said, “No, you are to go to a school which is led by Lee Roberson and J. R. Faulkner. You go to that school and leave the rest of your life to Me.”
Sure enough, that is exactly what Ruth Ellen and I did. We got married on August 28th and we arrived in Chattanooga on August 29th so I could begin my studies at Tennessee Temple College. The best part of all is that God did indeed take care of all the rest. Not only that, but I want you to know that God is still taking care of all the rest. God assured me like He assured Moses, “Certainly I, the Lord, will be with you and I want you to know that you will eventually serve God in victory upon this mountain” (Exodus 3:12).
Through the nearly fifty years of ministry there have many mountain top experiences. To be honest, there have also been many valley experiences, too, but I would not trade any of it for anything this world has to offer. All of this began for me at my own burning bush: at a motor bank in Portsmouth, Ohio where I came face to face with the burning bush of a life-changing decision.
The poet Robert Frost said it like this:
“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverge in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
It is the place AND time of your own burning bush. It is the place and time where you meet God and your life is never again the same. Amen.
Dec 1, 2023 – PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD – Part 4 – “We are standing on holy ground, And I know that there are angels all around, So let us praise Jesus now! For we are standing in His presence on holy ground!” This song describes the ultimate church service: the time and place where God meets man in a sacred, personal encounter.
The two words “time” and “place” are emphasized in the prior devotionals, because that’s what an encounter is. Such an experience happens at a specific time and a specific place like in a church service. God’s meeting with His people turns that location into holy ground. That’s why people often refer to the building as “God’s house.” They recognize there is something which distinguishes “God’s house” from every restaurant, schoolhouse, factory, and community hall in the entire area. It is a specific place at a specific time where God meets with His people in an experience which can thoroughly change any person’s life. Therefore, as you enter that building “it is time to take off your shoes for the ground on which you stand is holy ground!”
We need to be like the usher who worked in a small church just outside Philadelphia. He was asked by another usher how many people he had counted in that morning’s service. He answered, “I counted fifty-seven people.”
The second usher said, “That’s strange, because I only counted fifty-four people.”
The first usher smiled and said, “It is because you forgot to count the Trinity. As for myself I always add three more to my count: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, because the Bible says, ‘Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.’”
We ought to come to church just like David went to church in the Old Testament: “Entering into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, for I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go up into the house of the Lord!’”
This writer thanks God for the local church because it was at church where I:
1. heard someone first preach the gospel of my salvation.
2. had a chance to fellowship with godly men and godly women.
3. learned how to worship in spirit and truth.
4. was taught how to pray, sing, witness, study and crucial doctrines of the Christian faith.
I dare say if you yourself ever amount to much as a Christian, it will include your spending time with God at the burning bush of a local church!
A great compliment is told about Spurgeon’s church over in London, England. In that day there were no automobiles. All of the people traveled instead by horse and carriage. The taxi driver of that day was known as a hack driver.
Tourists came from all over the world to witness this awesome burning bush known as the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Those people would read Spurgeon’s sermons in their hometown newspapers; they wanted to be part of this place. Time and time again these tourists would stop the hack drivers and say, “We want to see Spurgeon’s Tabernacle.”
The hack drivers would give the same answer over and over again. They would say, “Aye, laddie, for a fee I’ll take you across the Thames River and show you the Tabernacle. But I warn you, it’s a SOUL TRAP. If you hang around that place for very long you’re liable to get converted.”
What a testimony! Come to think of it, the same compliment can be said about church after church in your own neighborhood. Why? It is because God is “in the midst of them.”

Nov 29, 2023 – PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD – PART 2 – Where were you born again? Earlier today our country watched the funeral of Rosalynn Carter. Sister Carter—I truly believe she is my sister in Christ—and her husband President Jimmy Carter popularized the biblical expression “born again” during Jimmy’s presidency. Even tv talk shows discussed its meaning. Television comedians cracked jokes about it. The expression became part of American conversation—some good, some bad.
I recall Vice President Walter Mondale running for President against Ronald Reagan in 1984. During a television debate Mondale was asked if he had been born again (that question tells you how the term had become part of even the political debate). Mondale replied, “I don’t know if I have been born again, but I know I was born into a Christian family.” That is a sad reply, because the Bible makes it very clear that “born again” is something you will know for certain, because it is a passing from spiritual death unto spiritual life, from darkness into light, from the old creation to the new creation, and, furthermore, the entire concept of a birth indicates that it happens at a specific time in a specific place.
So WHERE were YOU born again and WHEN were you born again? Your first answer may be that you were born again into God’s family at the cross of Jesus Christ for, “On a hill far away stood an old, rugged cross, The emblem of suffering and shame; And I love that old cross, Where the dearest and best, For a world of lost sinners was slain.” Certainly it is true that all of us were born again at the foot of the cross when we accepted Christ as our Savior. “Oh, What A Saviour, Oh Hallelujah! He Gave His Life’s Blood For Even Me.”
For this writer it was on January 14, 1965 at the Ice Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Deering, Ohio. The evangelist was Homer Webb and the pastor was Vern Davis. The time was 9:00 pm and the place was an old-fashioned mourner’s bench at the front of the church. Some of today’s brethren strangle on the language or terms we sometimes use to express salvation. They act like it’s up for debate. Suffice it to say, if you have been born again, it is because the Holy Spirit convinced you that you were a great sinner, but Christ was an even greater Savior…and you took Him into your life as your Lord and Savior.
This nine-year-old boy left the church that night knowing that I had the Son and, more importantly, He had me!
There is a legend which they tell about Zaccheus—a wee little man was he! When Zaccheus became an old man he spent a great deal of time in a garden which he had purchased alongside the Jerusalem road. The neighbors noticed there was one tree under which Zaccheus would often sit—a tree which Zaccheus would touch with what seemed to be an act of reverence.
One day a stranger asked Zaccheus, “Why do you care for the old tree?”
The aged man lifted his glowing eyes and said, “Because it was from the limbs of this tree that I first saw my Lord and heard His voice.”
Legend? Maybe some parts of it, but the truth is that most of us remember the time and the place where the Lord saved us by His marvelous grace.
Wouldn’t you agree with me, that place is a very, very sacred place?
Let’s dig a little deeper tomorrow.
Nov 28, 2023 – PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD – PART 1 – “Meeting God” is sometimes such a memorable encounter that you remember every detail about the meeting.
For Abraham it was a place called Bethel. The word Bethel means “house of God.” This encounter was so real that Abraham built an altar so everyone could remember the place where he met God.
For Moses it was a place on the backside of the desert where a bush burned with fire and yet was not consumed—a bush where Moses met the living God, received his commission from God and the journey of faith kicked into high gear.
For Saul of Tarsus it was on a road to Damascus. A bright light shone forth with such brilliance that Saul became blinded. A voice spoke from nowhere earthly, “I am Jesus Whom you persecute.” It was there that Saul of Tarsus was permanently changed.
For John Wesley it was at 3:00 in the morning on October 3, 1730. That evening began with John Wesley enjoying a meal with sixty other preachers including George Whitefield. Those men of God then spent the rest of the night in prayer and what a night it turned out to be! Sometime during the night—John Wesley later said it took place at 3:00 in the morning—Wesley said, “There has now come upon me the blessing of God and for the first time I know what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
George Whitefield had a special encounter with God on the day of his own ordination. He said, “On my knees that night when Bishop Benson laid his hand upon my head there was such a yielding to God’s blessed will for my life that then and there I knew for the first time that by faith I had been filled with the Holy Spirit.”
D. L. Moody often told about walking down Wall Street in the city of New York. Moody had been praying for God to fill his life with the power of God. God answered that prayer while Moody was enjoying his walk. The power of God was so awesome that Moody had to immediately talk with the Lord. He went to the nearest place he could find—a friend’s apartment—and he remained alone in that room for a number of hours—just him and the Lord. God’s presence was so real that Moody finally had to ask God to withhold His hand, lest Moody should die right there in that room.
For each of these men there was no doubt as to the time and the place where they met God in an unusual way…more than just an everyday encounter. Something of such magnitude that it permanently changed them for the glory of God.
But please note those encounters were NOT the only encounters which came their way.
One dear brother asked me, “Have you received the second blessing?”
I responded, “I have received the first blessing, second blessing, third blessing, fourth blessing, fifth blessing, sixth blessing, seventh blessing, eighth blessing…” He got the message!
Dear believer, the Christian life is not limited to merely one encounter. That’s why we sing, “And He walks with me and He talks with me And He tells me I am His own!” It is like being married. You enjoy daily encounters with your spouse, but you also have special occasions which rise to a much higher level. Times when you can honestly say, “Then and there is where it happened.”
I am just wondering: When was the last time you met God at your own burning bush?
We’ll continue this study tomorrow.
Nov 27, 2023 – Why do so many Christian marriages (and therefore ministries) fail? Reason #1 is because the husband and wife do not agree on the purpose of their home. Sometimes that leads to divorce, but other times it leads to resignations and a lack of Christian service. I will always remember one of our pastors trying to pastor with one arm tied behind his back. Why? His wife did not support his ministry and did not even attend many of our services. Good man but a hindered ministry.
Recently a pastor resigned. When asked why, he said, “My wife does not want to be a pastor’s wife. She will have to adjust the way she lives.” In other words, the two of them do not agree on their purpose.
The same can be said about wives who want to serve the Lord but are married to a husband with much different goals. The husband did not agree with Joshua’s goal, “As for me AND my house we will serve the Lord.”
But how different is the home AND the Christian ministry when both husband and wife are building in the same direction, possess the same goals, believe the same philosophy and are living out the same ideals. Those people can enjoy life together in a very special way on a spiritual level that other people will never experience!
The great English preacher Matthew Henry died in 1714 but not before he wrote some of the greatest commentaries which this world has ever seen. As a young minister Matthew Henry was quite poor. As a matter of fact it looked as if he would be poor his entire life. It so happened that Matthew Henry was courting the daughter of a very rich man. This daughter was the heiress to a considerable fortune.
The girl’s father objected to his daughter marrying this poor preacher named Matthew Henry. The father argued, “He may be a great scholar as well as an excellent preacher, but he is a stranger to us; we do not even know where he COMES FROM!”
The daughter replied, “That is indeed true, but we do know WHERE IS GOING and I should like to go with him.”
Finally, the daughter won her father’s approval, and she married this preacher, because he knew where he was going and she wanted to go along with him!
From that day on their home was built around one single purpose: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and let God take care of everything else.” History tells us that is exactly the way it happened, too!
Two people sharing the same purpose, the same schedule, the same prayers, the same ideals and ultimately the same rewards!
So much in common because they were building in the same direction by serving the Lord Jesus Christ!
That commitment will always result in a very blessed and successful marriage AND ministry.
Nov 25-26, 2023 – The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is a time when families come together in a marvelous way. Yet we must recognize that our families are facing more pressure than ever before…and we are encountering more domestic problems than any generation in American history.
I read about a hillbilly who sent an advertisement to the newspaper which said, “Farmer, age thirty-six, wishes to become acquainted with woman around thirty who owns a tractor. Please send a picture of the tractor.” Ah, friend, God has a much simpler solution for the family unit than a tractor!
An American went to Niagara Falls with a friend from England. They were both stirred by the enormous waterfall, by the rapids and the whirlpool at the base of the falls. The American said, “Come and I will show you the greatest unused power in the world.”
The American led the Englishman down to the foot of Niagara Falls. He then pointed up at the huge waterfall and said, “There is the greatest unused power in this world!”
The Englishman said, “Oh, no, my brother, that is not so. The greatest unused power in the world is the Holy Spirit of the living God.”
Consider the truth of this next sentence: “The greatest unused power in the Christian home is the Holy Spirit of the living God!”
There is something uniquely special about a home and a marriage where the Holy Spirit is given the right to rule. The people smile bigger, laugh louder, sleep better, love unreservedly, possess contentment, forgive easily, live righteously, experience joy and think purely.
Read again Today’s Verse and notice that the context indicates the fullness of the Spirit affects each person in the home by bringing their conduct into conformity with the will of God. Is it any wonder a Spirit-filled Christian home is different than most homes in America?
Think of the Holy Spirit as your contractor. It is important that both the husband and wife select the right contractor. For example, you need the same contractor when you:
1. have an argument and His name ought to be the Holy Spirit;
2. must deal with the in-laws and His name ought to be the Holy Spirit;
3. set financial goals and His name ought to be the Holy Spirit;
4. raise your children and His name ought to be the Holy Spirit.
In so doing, you will learn the lesson that so many others before you have learned: The Holy Spirit will be the most important Person in your home.
“Wherefore, be not unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is…Be filled with the Holy Spirit!”
THANKSGIVING 2023 – Ten lepers were miraculously healed by the Savior. MARVELOUS! But only one returned to give thanks for being healed. NOT SO MARVELOUS! Would I be the one who returned to say, “Thank You!” or the nine who went flippantly on their way without expressing any thanksgiving to the One who healed them?
(Interestingly, Jesus (a Jew) healed nine Jews and one Samaritan (contemptuously deemed a half-breed by the Jews). None—not a single one—of the Jews returned to give thanks. Only the half-breed Samaritan returned…the very one that you would not expect to return.
The Lady Elgin, a steamer ship of long ago, was nearing Chicago when it began to sink. The people on the shore watched the floundering ship but did nothing. However, two young theological students responded. Nat picked up a rope and swam out to the sinking vessel. His brother held the end of the rope on the shore. When Nat reached the boat, he grabbed a passenger and pulled him back to the shore to his brother holding the rope. They repeated that process for seventeen people.
Then Nat, totally exhausted, collapsed. He could not go out again. But when he heard the screams of the people on the Lady Elgin, he said, “I’ve got to go!” He went again and again until twenty-three people had been rescued.
300 people went down with the ship and lost their lives. But twenty-three were saved by Nat. When he brought his last one in, he was so exhausted that he became unconscious. He was taken to the hospital. He slowly recovered, but he never regained all of his strength because of that strenuous effort.
That brings us to the conclusion. In the years that followed not one—not a solitary one—of the twenty-three thanked him for what he had done. Not one sent a letter. Not one came to see him. Na’s body bore the strain of that effort for the rest of his days…but not one soul acknowledged his effort in any way.
May God help me (and you) to be thankful enough to always say, “Thank you!”
Nov 22, 2023 – When do the devil and his imps come to create trouble for you? Remember: ANY time is a good time for the enemy. Any time includes your best moment as well as your worst moment. It even includes being in church. My father often said, “Pastor Dutch preached, ‘You’re backsliding even though you’re sitting on the front row of this church.’” Dad would look around and realize he was the only one sitting on the front row! Ah, even the devil attends church!
Hey, ANY time includes even right now. ANY time is a good time for the devil to bring you and me down.
The Bible says the devil came when:
1. Job was the richest man in all the land. Suddenly Job’s cattle were gone, suddenly his sheep were gone, suddenly all ten of Job’s children were gone. Job learned that prosperity is an especially good time for the devil to walk into one’s life.
2. King David was at the zenith of his career. In this case the devil used his best…a stunning woman named Bathsheba to bring David down.
3. Peter was defying gravity by walking upon the water. The devil whispered in his ear, “Look at the water! Look at the lightning! Look at the waves!” Peter yielded to the devil’s hints; he soon learned that even doing the miraculous is a good time for the devil.
4. Jesus was just finishing His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. In walked Judas with the soldiers! Amazingly, even being close to God in prayer is a good time for the devil.
Indeed, the devil may come for you even right now while you are reading this devotional. Have you ever been assaulted even in your prayer or church time? I have. It’s embarrassing. I find myself wondering, “From where did that thought come?” One thing is for sure: The thought did not come from God!
Peter, the apostle that was swallowed by a lion on the night of Jesus’ arrest, probably had his own temptation/failure in mind when he wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil is walking about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” Peter would humbly confess any time is a good time for the devil!
Sometimes temptation comes in strange ways. A man walked up to his pastor and said, “Pastor, good-bye. We are moving to Virginia. I have a new job which pays much more than I now get.”
The pastor looked the man straight in the eye and asked, “Sir, is it the will of God for you to move your wife and four children to that new place?”
The man looked shocked! He said, “Will of God? This is a job. This is my work!”
The pastor said, “Yes, but you must be in the will of God in order to be happy and prosper.”
One week later this same man took the pastor’s hand and said, “It is NOT God’s will for me to leave my job nor my church. I am staying where God put me for the sake of my wife and four children. I would be out of God’s will to move.”
This man became convinced that he was being bribed by the devil. The fact is following the Lord may mean less money, but who cares if you are in the will of God? “Godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God].” This does not mean that all job offers are bribes, because that is not so. However, Paul cautions, “Some by longing for it [money] have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.” The believer’s goal should never be the Almighty Dollar but should always be the Almighty God.
Horatio R. Palmer taught us to sing,
“Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin; Each vict’ry will help you some other to win; Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue; Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.”
Ah, “Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through!”
Nov 21, 2023 – The army veteran moaned, “I have been in war. I have been in a hurricane. I have been in the desert, too, but the worst place I have ever been is in the waiting room at the hospital.”
The man went on to say, “I do not like to just sit there and wait—to know that the matter is out of my hands and that I must wait until the answer finally comes.”
No one likes to sit in the hospital waiting room, but one lesson which all of us have learned is that only the doctor can do what needs to be done. Furthermore, until the doctor finishes his work there is nothing else which we can do!
Surprise! One of the most important words in the Psalms is the word “wait.” This word appears twenty-two times; almost every time it includes this idea that we are to wait upon the Lord.
Psalm 37 urges us to, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him!” Psalm 62 says, “My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him! He only is my Rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.”
But sometimes we get tired of waiting. As a matter of fact, the Psalmist himself even got tired of waiting! The 69th Psalm expresses his frustration, “I am weary of my crying; mine eyes fail while they wait for my God.” But what better thing could he have done than to keep waiting upon God?
This simple idea of waiting—waiting on God to make the answer plain, to open the door to some new opportunity, to part your own Red Sea and lead you through. Waiting on God to do what He knows to be best in the time which He also knows to be best!
How many rush into marriage and then wish they had never met their spouse. How many rush into a business deal only to see their money take wings and fly away. How many rush into a decision about college or a decision about the children or about changing their occupation, even setting a date for their retirement BUT THEY NEVER PRAY about the matter. As a result, they later wish they had waited for another time.
We need to be reminded that, “No horse gets anywhere till he’s harnessed, no steam or gas drives anything until it’s confined, no Niagara ever turns anything into light or power until it’s tunneled, no life ever grows great until focused, dedicated, and disciplined.”
One place where so much of that can be done is in God’s waiting room!
Habakkuk 2:3 says, “Though the vision tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come; the vision will not tarry forever; for the just shall live by faith!” We often quote the words, “the just shall live by faith” but please notice the context includes this idea of waiting patiently upon God.
A man asked his pastor for advice. The pastor suggested, “If you are uncertain then you wait upon God. If there is a question stand still, wait, and pray.”
The man said, “Ah, that’s what I wanted to hear you say. I’ll wait and pray. Maybe a week, maybe two weeks. God may give me the answer tonight. I don’t know but I will simply wait and pray.”
The lesson should be clear! God’s WAITING room is called a WAITING room for one reason: It is the educational room where God teaches you to wait upon Him. I wonder: Are you a good student?
Nov 20, 2023 – We humans are so limited by time but we serve a God who is from everlasting to everlasting! Thus, one lesson which you and I need to remember is that all time is God’s time; therefore, God never has the human necessity to be in a hurry! Amazingly, God never needs to drive over the speed limit because He is late for an appointment; how, though about you? God never needs to ask someone for help because a deadline is drawing near; how, though, about you?
This truth is so because God is not only the God of this universe, but He is also the God of time. That means God knows the best time to get saved and that time is always now, the best time to get married and that time is NOT always now, the best time to have children, buy a house, trade in the old car, even retire. All of this is so because God knows WHO you are, WHERE you are going and WHEN you should get there!
There once was a man who delivered pets to a local pet store. One day while delivering a pet rabbit this man drove his truck into a ditch and the truck overturned. The rabbit’s box was thrown out of the truck. The lid came off the box, the rabbit jumped out of the box and ran away.
The driver saw all of this happen and yet made no effort to capture the rabbit. To everyone’s surprise the driver stood by the wrecked truck and laughed as the rabbit ran away.
Someone asked the driver, “Why in the world are you laughing?”
The driver said, “I am laughing at that rabbit! He is running as fast as he can and he doesn’t even know where he is going. You see, I have the address right here in my pocket!”
I suppose God probably laughs at us in the same way. We think we know our destination, but only He really knows! How often we fail to ask Him for the address and end up in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people!
May I make a suggestion? Take some time and do yourself a favor by sitting down and identifying what God is doing in your life. Not only what God is doing right now but also what God has been doing for the last ten years. Look at the people whom God has allowed you to meet, the decisions which God has forced you to make, the environment in which you have lived and even now live (maybe a Christian home or a non-Christian home, a wealthy home or a poor home, a praying home or a sinning home, a good job or maybe no job at all).
Just stop what you are doing—sit down and ponder what God is doing in your life.
Flavel writes, “When God intends to fill a soul He first makes it empty; when He intends to enrich a soul He first makes it poor; when He intends to exalt a soul He first makes it sensible of its own miseries, wants, and nothingness.”
…and all of this learning AND growing requires time! Guess what? God has all the time in the world…in YOUR world, too, to get you to the right address at the right time with the right people. Isn’t God good? So let’s take advantage of His fatherly care.
Nov 18-19, 2023 – Poor Charlie Brown says, “I am afraid that someday my boat will finally come in, but I’ll be at the train station.” In other words, in the wrong place at the wrong time. That statement is true for all of us SOME of the time, but God’s providence operates according to HIS time, and, thus, patience is a necessity for all of God’s children.
Think of it like this: There is a right time for you to succeed; wouldn’t you rather succeed at the right time which is God’s time than fail by doing it at your time?
When Abraham Lincoln was a mere boy. he spent three days husking corn so that he could buy a second hand copy of the book, “The Life of George Washington.” Little Abe read the book then said, “I don’t always intend to delve, grub, shuck corn, split rails and the like.”
Mrs. Crawford asked, “What then do you want to be?”
Little Abe answered with great confidence, “I intend to someday be the President of the United States of America.”
She laughed and said, “You’d sure make a purty president with all of your jokes and tricks, wouldn’t you?”
Little Abe refused to back down. He said, “I will study and get ready and SOMEDAY MY CHANCE WILL COME.”
So he studied and he studied but for years it looked as if his chance would never come. As a young politician Lincoln ran for the legislature in Illinois but he was badly defeated. He next entered business and failed there, too. (He spent seventeen years paying off the debt of a worthless business partner.)
Along the way Lincoln fell in love with a beautiful, young woman. The two of them were engaged to be married, but the young woman soon died and once again Lincoln lost.
Lincoln then returned to the world of politics. He ran for Congress but was terribly defeated. He tried to get an appointment to the State Land Office but failed. Then in 1856 he became a candidate for the Vice Presidency and would you believe it? He was once again defeated.
A friend asked him, “Isn’t it about time you quit trying?”
Lincoln answered, “It’s no time to quit. I’m too busy preparing to make another attempt.”
Sure enough, Abraham Lincoln finally became the President of the United States of America, but please notice he was a man who had to WAIT for his time to come.
So it was also with Moses…forty years in Egypt followed by forty years in the desert. Then, at the age of eighty, Moses’ boat came in: His time had finally come. His first eighty years, though containing many significant events, paled in significance to his next forty years. Hey! I’m only 68! You’re only ______! That means God may still be training us to do something more before He finishes with us. So don’t quit…just view yourself as being in advanced training and keep giving God your very best!
Nov 17, 2023 – How should a Christian handle false teaching that he or she knows is blatantly false? The short answer (and correct answer) is to always stay with the crystal clear teachings of the Word of God. These mainline teachings are non-negotiable. One church, though, rationalized their acceptance of false teaching by saying, “If we don’t compromise, we won’t keep the doors open.” How foolish because the Bible says God will ALWAYS have His remnant: “all whose knees have not bowed to Baal.”
Some erroneously insist,
1.“The life of Christ is sufficient to save,” but the Bible’s mainline teaching says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
2.Too many errors in the Bible,” but the Bible’s mainline teaching says, “All scripture is God-breathed” and “Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.”
3.“God is the Father of us all,” but the Bible’s mainline teaching insists, “You must be born again!”
God told Elijah that it was time for him to be a man and take a stand! Why? Because it is right to do so! God’s remnant may not be many in number, but it will always be more than Elijah thought AND it will always be more than the critics think as well!
History tells us that Napoleon’s armies invaded Russia. The French soldiers came to a village where everyone had fled except for one man. He happened to be a woodsman and the ax handle was stuck in his leather belt.
The soldiers started to shoot this man. But he showed such calmness and courage that the French captain decided to spare his life. But the captain said, “We will mark you. We will brand you for life.” They heated a branding iron and stamped the letter “N” in the palm of his hand.
The woodsman asked, “What does that mean?”
The soldiers said, “The letter “N” stands for Napoleon. You now belong to the emperor.”
The woodsman, always a loyal Russian, thought it was time to take his stand. He took the ax from his belt, put his hand on the chopping block and cut that hand off at the wrist. He said, “That hand may belong to Napoleon, but I am a Russian and if I must die I die a Russian.”
By so doing, the woodsman took his stand, and everyone knew where his loyalty was placed.
Dear brethren, let us stand for our Savior no matter what the cost. The world needs us more than it will ever know.
Nov 16, 2023 – There is an old saying, “There are no atheists in a battlefield foxhole.” Interestingly, this writer does not recall ever meeting a true theological atheist, but I have met many practicing atheists.
Psalm 14 begins, “The [theological] fool says in his heart that ‘there is no God…no Being that can be called God.’” The practical atheist, though, modifies that statement to read, “No God for me!” He says, “As far as I am concerned, there is no God. If, though, there is such a God I do not want that God telling me what to do with my life. SO NO GOD FOR ME except myself!”
The Bible describes a practicing atheist. “This man’s farm brought forth an abundant harvest. He thought, ‘What shall I do? I have no room to store my harvest!’ He said without any thought of God, ‘I will pull down my barns and build greater barns; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said, ‘You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you: then whose shall those things be?’”
Neither the theological nor practical atheist wants God in his life. Sure enough, that is exactly how each man lives, and that is exactly how each man dies!
The atheist’s battle cry rings out today: “No God for me!” No God in our:
1. schools so out with school prayer and the 10 commandments;
2. government so out with the Christmas displays;
3. worship so let’s worship ourselves! Tithe to ourselves! Even pray to ourselves!
4. society; thus, there is no right or wrong, no standards, no morality, no discipline in the schools.
Is it any wonder that we live in a country with so many problems? It is because, “there is none that seek after God; there is no fear of God before their eyes; sinning willfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth…who knowing the judgment of God not only practice such evil deeds but actually have pleasure in them that practice the same.”
George Washington was right on the mark, though, when he said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
This is rather startling but, “Atheism never composed a symphony. Never painted a masterpiece. Never dispelled a fear. Never healed a disease. Never gave peace of mind. Never dried a tear. Never gave meaning to man’s life on earth. Never built a just and peaceful world. Never built a great and enduring civilization.”
On the contrary, atheism is a failed system which creates failed lives, and it must be challenged every place that we see it.
Remember this: The best attack against both theological and practical atheism is YOUR OWN changed life, because, “if any man be in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!” Thank God for the preserving salt which is YOU!
Nov 15, 2023 – Let’s begin in World War II Germany with Martin Niemoller—a man who lost his preserving saltiness at a time when the world needed him the most. Niemoller told of what happened, “In Germany, the Nazis came for the communists; I didn’t speak up because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews; I didn’t speak up because I was not a Jew.
“Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I, a Protestant, didn’t speak up. But then they came for me! By that time there was no one to speak up for anyone.”
Niemoller spent the rest of the war in a Nazi concentration camp. FOR HIM THE WAR HAD ALREADY BEEN LOST!
The poet Dante writes: “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who, in time of crisis, preserve their neutrality.”
Moses maintained his neutrality for the first forty years of his life. He politely looked the other way, avoided making waves and lived like a king in the very palace of the king! Moses had chariots, servants, gold and silver, reputation, the right to go wherever he wished and to do whatever he wished.
But surely Moses was also a very disturbed and troubled man—a man who could not help but see his brethren in crisis. Moses saw his own people bound in the chains of slavery, his own mother and father living in misery, his own brother and sister being treated like dirt but for the first time in his entire life Moses finally got enough courage to take a stand and be salt in a kingdom of decay.
Moses said, “I would rather suffer affliction with the people of God and know that I am right than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and know that I am wrong!”
Moses declared, like Martin Luther three thousand years later, “Here I stand! I can do no other! God help me. Amen.”
It is this writer’s belief that if America fails it will not fail because of the American people but because God’s people did not take a stand…did not fulfill our calling to be the preserving salt that maintains a better world. After all, just about any food can be preserved if we apply enough salt!
The famous circus performer P. T. Barnum was known for taking a salty stand against alcohol. As he was delivering a speech about the evils of alcohol, a man in the gallery howled, “How does alcohol affect us—externally or internally?”
Barnum yelled back, “ETERNALLY!” and he then went on with his speech. In so doing, he spread some salt where it was obviously needed.
Will you join me at the cross and pledge, “Here I stand! I can do no other! God help me. Amen.”
Nov 14, 2023 – There are only two days in the year that a soul cannot become a heaven-bound child of God: Yesterday and Tomorrow. Yesterday’s decision to live without Christ is set in concrete and cannot be undone. One sinner moaned, “If I ever again feel the call like I did on THAT day, I will get saved immediately!” but that day was Yesterday and Yesterday does not allow itself to be repeated.
On the other hand, Tomorrow is the biggest fraud in existence, because Tomorrow convinces us there will be a more convenient time in the future to receive Christ, but, rest assured, Tomorrow will whisper the same message when the next day comes.
“’Tomorrow,’ he promised his conscience, ‘Tomorrow, I mean to believe; Tomorrow, I’ll think as I ought to, Tomorrow my Saviour receive. Tomorrow I’ll conquer the habits That hold me from heaven away.’ But ever his conscience whispered, ‘One word, and one only, TODAY!’
“’Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,’ Thus day after day went on, ‘Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,’ Till youth, like a vision, was gone, Till age and his passions had written The message of fate on his brow, And forth from the shadows came death, With a pitiless syllable, ‘Now!’
“’What will you do with Jesus?’ The call comes loud and clear, The solemn words are sounding, Now, in your listening ear. Immortal life’s in the question, And joy through eternity. Then, ‘What would you do with Jesus? Oh, what will your answer be?’”
Who is the author for the above poem? The author’s name cannot be found. Does such an omission, though, truly matter? No. What really matters is what you do with Jesus, the one and only Savior of the world. Have you ever read His claims and why He died? I challenge you to read the Gospel of John and let Him speak to your heart. You will learn there is a vast difference between church and Christ, emotions and faith, salvation by doing and salvation by believing, religion that leads to nowhere and a relationship that leads to eternal life. Indeed, the key is knowing Him…a real Person.
How does John conclude his book? “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
If you already know Christ as Savior, how about sharing this with your own audience? They need Whom you have!
Nov 13, 2023 – Do you stand for something or fall for everything? One of the most remarkable events in religious history took place in the year 1521: Roman Catholicism came face to face with a mortal man named Martin Luther. This man found a Bible verse which changed his entire way of thinking—Paul’s words that, “The just shall live by faith” – by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ rather than in religious works.
Martin Luther immediately began to preach a different way of salvation than the Pope, the cardinals and the rest of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic officials demanded that Luther recant or he would soon face much greater trouble: Not only would he be excommunicated, but he might even be burned at the stake for the sin of heresy.
The pressure on Martin Luther was tremendous. For all intents and purposes Luther was standing alone against the most powerful religion of his day! It was then, though, that Martin Luther preached his most famous sermon. He said without apology,
“Unless I am convinced by Scripture or by right reason, for I trust neither in popes nor in councils since they have often erred and contradicted themselves—unless I am thus convinced, I am bound by the texts of my Bible, my conscience is captive to the Word of God, I neither can nor will recant anything, since it is neither right nor safe to act against conscience. Here I stand! I can do no other! God help me. Amen!”
Those words marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The genie had finally been let out of the bottle. The world would never again be the same and it all began because Martin Luther said, “Here I stand! I can do no other! God help me. Amen!”
One of the most startling characteristics about our modern world is that so many people know what is right, want what is right, appreciate what is right, even talk about what is right but yet so very few take a stand and finally do what is right! They talk a good story, but they change no one nor do they even change themselves.
Would you like to help someone? Be that person’s rock and provide comfort and guidance? Then BE SOMEONE by STANDING for a cause greater than yourself. Yes, STAND! How? Let Christ REVEAL HIS STAND through you taking the same stand. In so doing, you will make a difference…just like the Bible saints made a difference.
Nov 11-12, 2023 – This week’s devotionals have highlighted the importance of one life…your life, my life, everyone we meet whether we be very old or we be very young!
Preacher Tom Malone once visited in the home of a man and talked to this man about his soul. The man insisted that he was not ready to receive Christ; he rejected the gospel invitation. The man seemed so hard, so callous, so indifferent.
Tom Malone preached the following Sunday morning then invited sinners to come and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. To the preacher’s surprise, this man came running down the aisle almost on a run. He threw both arms around Tom Malone’s neck, hugged him, cried on him, and said, “Tom, I want to get right with God!”
The preacher said, “I am so glad you came today, but I did not expect you to respond this morning.”
The man said, “After you left my house, my little five-year-old boy climbed up on my lap. He had heard what you said to me. He reached out his chubby arms, put them around my neck, hugged me real tight, put his little mouth up to my ear and whispered, ‘Daddy, we don’t want to be a Christian, do we?’
“I sent my little boy upstairs to bed then I said, ‘O, God, if I am damning the soul of my little boy, I want to get right the first church service I can attend.’ That is why I came this morning!”
Yet it all began with the power of a little five-year-old boy!
The poet said,
“We may not work a miracle in any given place,
But we can be a miracle of God’s redeeming grace.
The call to work a miracle may be for one short day;
The gift to be a miracle shall never pass away.”
It is the miracle of your own life.
So be careful and handle your life with care!
Nov 10, 2023 – How do you measure the power of a single life? Today’s Verse mentions a baby was born, but who in the community would have thought this life (John the Baptist) would have so much influence? For that matter who would have foreseen the influence of little Abraham or little Joshua or little David either? But yet each of those men changed history for millions of people!
Lest we forget, there is power in your own life as well. The Bible reminds us, “No man lives to himself and no man dies to himself.” Regardless of what we think, all of us exert influence over someone else. Power to build or power to destroy, power to educate or power to confuse, power to lead or power to deceive, power to influence others toward the Savior or away from the Savior.
Lesson: You can never measure the power of YOUR influence upon others!
A young nobleman found himself in a little village in Cornwall, England. This nobleman sought in vain for a tavern where he could get soused. The young man became impatient in his search. He happened across an old peasant who was on his way home after a long day of work. The nobleman asked, “How is it that I cannot get drunk in this wretched village of yours?”
The old man recognized the nobleman as a person of royalty. He pulled off his cap and bowed humbly. But, even so, there was a proud look in his eyes as he answered rather quietly, “My lord, something over a hundred years ago a man named John Wesley came to these parts,” and having said that the old peasant walked on.
You may be thinking you are a total nobody. No, my friend, the fact is there is power in your life! Power to influence your children, your parents, your spouse, your neighbors, co-workers and relatives, too.
It is true that John Bunyan is dead, but we Christian pilgrims are still marching toward the celestial city; Cowper is dead but we still sing, “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins;” Raikes is dead but thousands of Sunday schools meet weekly to study the Word of God; Livingstone is dead but missionaries around the world are still motivated by his story. Yes, I am still motivated by them in 2023—motivated just as much today as when I preached my first sermon forty-seven years ago.
O, the influence of their lives!
O, the influence of your life as well as mine!
O, God, help us to remember the power of our own influence!
Nov 9, 2023 – Does your life have a purpose? Many do not. This poem describes them: “Here lies a man who did no good, And if he loved he never would; Where he’s gone and how he fares, Nobody knows and nobody cares.” But those words should be written about no one, including you and me.
First, your purpose ought to emphasize creative value. This means you need to identify why you exist. The first direction you should look is not into your future but rather into your past!
A little boy was told to memorize the Westminster Catechism. Testing day came. The teacher asked, “What is the chief purpose of man?” The answer, of course, is “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
The little boy, though, got his words twisted around. He answered, “The chief purpose of God is to glorify man and to enjoy him forever!”
The teacher did not know what to say. Finally, he said, “I had never thought about it like that but that is exactly what God intends to do: to give man a glorified body and then to enjoy man forever!”
So go back to the Garden of Eden. Get hold of this idea that your purpose is to walk with God, serve God, worship God and enjoy God. In so doing you will find a very fulfilling life.
Second, your purpose ought to emphasize heavenly values. It is true you are an earthly person, but if you have been born again you are also a heavenly person, born from above into the family of God. “For your citizenship is now in heaven from which we now eagerly and expectantly look for the Savior!”
You are now a heavenly citizen with heavenly privileges along with heavenly power to live the victorious Christian life. So let heaven change the way that you live! Live like a saint instead of a sinner. Dress like a Christian instead of a heathen. Talk like a child of God instead of a child of the devil. Keep your mind on whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure and lovely and of a good report. Make certain that your purpose emphasizes heavenly values instead of mere earthly values.
Third, let your purpose emphasize eternal values—a lifestyle which will be worth something not only in the here and now but also in that life which is to come. The Bible reminds us to “love not the world, neither the things which are in the world for the world will eventually pass away but he that does the will of God abides forever!”
There is nothing wrong with winning the forty yard dash, but it is much better to finish the race which God has set before you. There is nothing wrong in being popular with man but remember it is better to be popular with God—to walk in His favor day after day. Making a million dollars is ok, but remember that money is to be used to make disciples for God’s kingdom.
William Carey was a great missionary to India. He became deeply concerned about the attitude of his dear son Felix. Felix was a professing Christian who had promised to become a missionary. But Felix was later appointed the ambassador to Burma and he broke his vow of becoming a missionary.
Carey requested prayer for his son, “Pray for Felix. He has degenerated into an ambassador of the British government when he should be serving the King of Kings.”
Ah, friend, invest your life where it will be of the greatest value! Build your life around God, around God’s people and around God’s call for your own life!
Nov 8, 2023 – The Egyptian Pharaoh ordered, “Kill the male child! Abort the male child!” but the mother of Moses said, “Let my baby boy live, because children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is His reward! So let my little boy live!”
Do you know the human heartbeat begins somewhere around the 20th day after conception? The basic skeletal structure is complete by the 42nd day? Brain waves can be measured shortly after eight weeks. At nine weeks the baby is able to swallow, move his tongue and clench his fist! Then at eleven weeks he begins to suck his thumb just like a newborn baby!
I recall reading about an abortionist in Sweden. This doctor was performing an abortion on a ten week old baby when that baby suddenly screamed out in pain. The doctor (Mats Waktel) said, “I won’t perform another abortion as long as I live and I will never forget that scream.”
Imagine what would have happened if Moses had been aborted—Israel might still be enslaved in Egypt!
Suppose Mary had aborted Jesus—after all, some said Mary was a common whore, that the child had been conceived out of wedlock! Imagine where you would spend eternity if Mary had aborted the Savior!
Suppose the world had never met preachers like John the Baptist or the Apostle Paul, if the world had never met leaders like Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill, if the world had never met engineers like Bill Gates, athletes like Babe Ruth, doctors like Louis Pasteur, inventors like Thomas Edison.
Hey, imagine what would have happened if you yourself had been aborted ! Imagine the joys you would have missed! Imagine the friends you would never have met! Imagine the places you would never have seen!
And all of that is true because life is so very precious!
So be careful and handle your life with care!
Nov 7, 2023 – You and I are walking miracles. Man has always wondered about the origin of life—about where all of life originates and, most important of all, where man himself originates. The ancient Egyptians taught Moses that frogs and toads had their beginning in the silt of the Nile River. Therefore, it naturally followed that they treated the Nile River as the fountain from which all life began.
Then along came Aristotle. This philosopher believed that worms came from the dew and slime and that mice sprang into life out of the damp soil.
Many years ago TIME MAGAZINE printed a cover story entitled “How Did Life Begin?” The story proposed that life began when certain molecules encountered any one of three ideal conditions. The article speculated that life may have begun in a “warm little pond” (that was Darwin’s original idea), second, near hydrothermal vents (underwater geysers on the ocean floor), or, third, in bubbles floating on the warm ocean surface. The article proposed that man evolved from nothing but the article forgot that it is impossible for something to evolve out of nothing…and so in the end the evolutionist is still bothered by where that first something came from!
A similar infidel took on D. L. Moody. Moody asked the man, “How do you account for the formation of the world?”
The infidel said, “Oh, force and matter work together, and by chance the world was created.”
Moody laughed, “It is a singular thing that your tongue isn’t on top of your head if force and matter just threw it together like you believe!”
Thank God, I am not a creature by evolutionary chance but rather I am a creature by divine creation! God formed my body—that in itself is not a miracle—but God did one more item that can never be explained: God somehow made this body of flesh come alive with the spark of life and, dear brethren, that is something which only God Himself has the power to do! The undertaker may dress the body, but he cannot give it that miracle spirit called life! The doctor may put medicine in the body, try all of the latest drugs, but even he cannot make alive that which is dead!
But then along comes God and notice what God does with every single one of us when we are conceived! “And God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath—the miracle spirit–called Life!”
In our case God imparts to that seed the miracle spirit of one human life—of one human soul—and that body then begins to live with the person whom we know as you!
The miracle of one human life!
Nov 6, 2023 – My state of Ohio will vote soon on legalizing abortion for any case at any time in the pregnancy. If the vote passes, some Einsteins will not be born…nor will some great world leaders, athletes, businessmen, educators, Christians, change-agents of all kind. The world should mourn such a loss, but, unfortunately, many will celebrate such a loss. Quite honestly, such a pro-abortion position for any cause at any time is so dumb…not only morally but also economically, educationally, socially, politically, religiously, etc.
PLEASE CONSIDER: The geography class had spent the entire school year traveling around the world in their classroom books. It came time for the final test of the year. The teacher asked the students to write what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World.
The students cast the most votes for Egypt’s Great Pyramid, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, the Panama Canal, the Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica, along with China’s Great Wall.
The teacher noticed that one student, a rather quiet girl, had not turned in a paper. The teacher asked the student if she was having trouble with her list.
The girl said, “Yes, a little trouble. I couldn’t make up my mind, because there were so many wonders of the world.”
The teacher suggested, “Tell us what you have and maybe we can help.”
The little girl slowly rose to her feet. She then began to read, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World are to touch, to taste, to see, and to hear…” She hesitated for a moment then said, “And also to run and to laugh and to love. Those are the Seven Wonders of the World to me.”
In such an innocent way, the little girl reminded us again of the most unappreciated wonder of all: It is the gift of life…of being given a chance. Do you agree?
(If you agree, please share this edition of Today’s Verse via Facebook, Linked-in, and email with your acquaintances.)
Nov 4-5, 2023 – Consider these startling words: Every gospel-preaching church in your community is only ONE generation from extinction. Not three generations, not two generations, but ONE.
History supports that statement. For instance, preaching the gospel in Europe was once a common thing, but now it is an UNcommon thing. We currently send missionaries TO Europe, the very continent that originally sent the gospel to America.
The same decline is coming to your community…unless you and others “agonizingly contend for the FAITH.” The word faith in Today’s Verse does not refer to the faith that saves (for example, “The just shall live by faith” or “whoever believes in Him shall not perish”) but to the system of belief that makes a person a Christian or defines Christianity. This comprehensive system includes such items as inspiration (accepting God’s Word about us as truth), creation (we have an accountable relationship to a Creator), the Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), the substitutionary death of Christ to make payment for our sins, salvation by faith (not works) in the finished work of Christ, a future judgment, eternity in heaven or hell, etc. This system of belief or faith is what all genuine Christians believe.
If we fail to preserve this system of faith, our community will become like Europe, India, China, etc. It must be stressed the only hope for the next generation is what WE pass on to that generation. My contending or lack of contending will have an impact for generations on my offspring. Just as Adam’s decision in the Garden affected humanity, so my degree of steadfastness will affect my OWN great-grandchildren whom I may never see face to face.
As for me, I want my church to be a gospel station for years to come, how about you? The world does not need more religion; it needs the truth and my church must remain steadfast in proclaiming the truth of God’s Word! I must join those saints in contending for the Christian faith against all worldly pressures. I must give it my best! I cannot fail!
The very future of my own not-yet-born family members depends upon my doing what I can to insure they will be repeatedly enlightened by the gospel message. I don’t want them to attend a dead church (or even a lukewarm church) where the gospel and everything associated with the gospel is a secondary thing. I want them exposed to a living church and the living Christ!
“O, God, help us to faithfully contend as long as You give us breath!”
The Nazarene preacher, Uncle Bud Robinson, prayed such a prayer: “O Lord, give me a backbone as big as a sawlog and ribs like sleepers under the church floor; put iron shoes on me and galvanized breeches and hang a wagon load of determination in the gable-end of my soul, and help me to sign the contract to fight the devil as long as I have a vision and bite him as long as I have a tooth, and then gum him till I die. Amen.” That’s not the prayer of a quitter. That’s the prayer of a contender. Will you join me in that prayer?
Nov 3, 2023 – Have you ever met someone whom you tried to save from choosing the wrong road? During my recent sermon study I opened one of my reference books and was surprised to find a newspaper obituary from 1986. I met the deceased individual only once. He was young, age 21, and quite popular on Marshall University’s campus.
He attended the ordination service for a new deacon in my first pastorate. He was a schoolmate of the deacon’s son and spent quite a bit of time in the deacon’s house. The deacon knew him very well. They would often play Trivial Pursuit together.
Our deacon practiced Today’s Verse seven days a week. He truly lived Christ as best he knew how. He was genuine. This young man saw that Spirit-filled attitude in our deacon. The deacon was a walking witness by not only what he said but also by his standards.
This young man attended the deacon’s ordination then trusted Christ as his Savior a few weeks later at another church in September,1986. He died on November 30, 1986 in a car wreck driving home after an evening church service. His death was a horrible jolt to the community.
It would be easy to say the ordination service made the difference for him. After all, God sometimes speaks through one-time events, whether bad or good. But I suspect God spoke to him through a lengthy process. That process included the lifestyle of our deacon and his wife. The young man saw and saw and saw…and he saw not perfection but genuineness. There is no question their testimony helped him accept Christ…just eight weeks before he got the biggest surprise of his life and entered eternity to be with Christ.
Never forget what you are to stand for. Someone will always be watching.
Nov 2, 2023 – We conclude this short series on God’s plan for our lives with a poem that probably deserves a place in your Bible for future reference. As we often say, “You may not need it today, but someday you will!”
Things just don’t happen to children of God, They’re part of a wonderful plan; The troubles, reverses, the sorrows, the rod Are strokes of the great Sculptor’s hand.
When some dread accident strikes you a blow And you worry and fret and demand; Why try so hard the mystery to know? It’s not just an accident; it’s planned.
Have you been dropped from a place of power? Do you wonder and reprimand? Don’t rebel, but look to Him in that hour; This didn’t just happen; it’s planned.
Persecution, tribulation come down like a storm; Friends disappoint and withstand; At last, all alone, bewildered, forlorn, You look, and He smiles: “This is planned.”
Do you wonder why God to affliction should call, And why you must suffer and moan? “No man should be moved by affliction,” says Paul, Don’t question – He planned it just so.
Things don’t just happen to children of God, The blueprint was made by His hand; He designed all details to conform to His Son, So all things that happen are planned.
No matter what happens to those called “His Own,” Events that are awful or grand: Every trial of your life He sends from His throne. Things don’t just happen, they’re planned.
Ah, friend, isn’t it good to know Someone smarter than us is in charge of tomorrow? “I don’t know about tomorrow. It may bring me poverty. But the One who feeds the sparrow Is the One who stands by me. And the path that be my portion, May be through the flame or flood; But His presence goes before me And I’m covered with His blood. Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand! But I know Who holds tomorrow and I know He holds my hand!” Amen.
Nov 1, 2023 – How strong is your faith in God? Is it strong enough to cause others to think? Consider these words:
Donald Barnhouse was preaching in a church where the pastor’s wife was scheduled to have a baby. One evening the service began without the pastor. Everyone assumed the pastor was at the hospital with his dear wife.
Barnhouse was about halfway through the message when the pastor entered the church. All of the people smiled at the pastor in the belief that all was well. The pastor, though, did not return the smile.
The service was soon finished. The pastor asked to speak with Barnhouse in private. The two of them went to a quiet room and shut the door.
The pastor then blurted out, “My wife has given birth to a mongoloid child. She doesn’t know yet and I don’t know how to tell her.”
Barnhouse said, “God has a purpose in this for you and your wife. God has given you this child to love. Tell her that God has blessed us with a mongoloid child and remind her of how much God loves all of you at this time.”
The pastor hurried back to the hospital and talked with his wife. It was hard for them to understand, but they put the matter in the hands of the Lord.
The pastor and his wife did not know this, but the switchboard operator was close enough that she listened to their conversation. This woman was an outspoken critic of the Bible and Christianity. Yet the faith of this pastor and his wife astonished her. All of this started her to thinking about her own soul.
On the following Sunday that operator along with seventy nurses attended the pastor’s church. When the pastor gave the invitation, more than two dozen of those hospital workers came forward and received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior!
Bottom line: Real faith WILL BE seen by others and will often affect others, sometimes even bringing them to Christ for salvation. That is why Peter instructed those with unsaved husbands, “They may be won to Christ by the behavior (faith on display) of the wives” (1 Peter 3:1). Never underestimate the power of your faith in God! After all, your faith is not in YOUR faith but it is in YOUR God and YOUR God moves mountains through faith! O, may your faith shine this week to all that God brings your way!!!
Oct 31, 2023 – There is no replacement for being in the center of God’s will for your life. Knowing the hand of God is upon you as well as your effort is an incredible knowledge. Knowing you are where you ought to be with whom you ought to be in the place you ought to be…well, it doesn’t get any better than that.
In Today’s Verse Abraham’s servant has been given the assignment to find a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s son. The unnamed servant is providentially led to the lovely Rebekah—the right woman at the right time who just happens to be in the right place: the same well that has drawn the attention of this thirsty servant. Coincidence? Nah! The servant is thus able to testify, “The Lord has led me in the way.” Not “a way” but “the way.” Again, I say, there is no replacement for being in the center of God’s will for your life.
Maybe you have heard of Roland V. Bingham, the founder of the Sudan Interior Missions. Bingham was seriously injured in what we would call a traffic accident. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
This man of God survived the night and regained consciousness on the following day. He asked the nurse what he was doing in such a strange place. The nurse said, “Don’t try to talk now. Just rest. You have been injured in a traffic accident.”
Bingham exclaimed, “Accident! There are no accidents in the life of a Christian! This is just another incident in God’s perfect leading.”
This man of God believed Psalm 37:23–“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.”
Think about what God did with Fanny Crosby. It was through the means of her blindness that so many beautiful songs were written. As a matter of fact, it was a blind Fanny Crosby who wrote the song, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me, what have I to ask beside?” What a testimony!
Think about Jericho! Our military would have called in the B-52’s, the artillery and the tanks but God said, “Your only weapon is to march around the walls of that city seven times.” Sure enough, the walls came tumbling down and the city was conquered!
Think about your preacher! Some say, “The preaching of the cross is foolishness”—that the cross is a foolish message delivered by foolish men to even more foolish people but yet you have been saved by the means of good, old-fashioned gospel preaching!
Let the world say what it will, but I believe that God still knows what He is doing, amen? So let’s give God credit for being a little smarter and a little wiser than any of us!
Oct 30, 2023 – “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” Are you having a great day? A lousy day? This writer has been homebound for a few days with Covid. Three straight lousy days for me, but, hopefully, three great days for you. As for me, I had plans for this weekend that had to be cancelled. Hopefully, you were able to accomplish all of your plans. But I take comfort in the realization that the God overseeing your great days is the same God Who is overseeing my lousy days. And when the tide turns (as it always does) that same God will still be overseeing both of us.
One day a father took his little boy to the top of the Empire State Building. The elevator moved toward the sky at a tremendous rate of speed. The little boy was so excited that he caught his breath and asked, “Daddy, does God know that we’re coming?”
Sometimes we need to be reminded that God knows that we’re coming! The Psalmist took comfort in that knowledge. Literally, Psalm 16:5 is translated, “You maintain my lot.” But what it means is “You make me secure” or “You hold my future.” That’s why many saints say to the doctor before the difficult surgery, “I’m a winner either way! I will either wake up here or I will wake up with the Lord. My future is in His hands, not yours.”
A man was sitting under a walnut tree on a hot August day. He was studying a nearby pumpkin vine which ran along the ground. This man began to complain. He said, “How foolish God is! God puts a big heavy pumpkin on a tiny vine without strength to do anything but lie on the ground. Then God puts tiny walnuts on a tree whose branches could hold the weight of a man. If I were God I could do better than that!”
Suddenly a breeze of wind knocked a walnut from the tree. The walnut fell on the man’s head. The man rubbed the bump, suddenly became much wiser, and said, “Suppose that had been a pumpkin up there instead of a walnut! What a mess I would now have! Never again will I try to plan the world for God. I shall instead thank Him that He has done it so well!”
To God be the glory, Great things He continues to do…
Oct 28-29, 2023 – How does God work in our lives? It is a fact that God can always arrange things different than He does. For example, God could have arranged for Moses to be born on the west side of the wilderness where Moses eventually met God at the burning bush…or God could have arranged other birth places such as Europe or how about America among the American Indians or how about deepest Africa with the savages but yet God wanted Moses to be born in a specific place—a land of slavery and misery for the Jews but a land of education and riches for Moses. (Egypt, in many ways, gave Moses the tools to become such a great leader.)
God placed Moses in Egypt for His own purpose and, ultimately, His own glory. So think about the places where God has placed you—of the lives you have touched in all of those places, also of the way you were touched in all of those special places!
I think about my early life in Deering, Ohio. I was the star basketball player in the fifth and sixth grades. (At least I think I was!) During the sixth grade, my father was transferred to another city by his company. That meant moving to a new school, making new friends and facing new challenges. I must admit that all of that rubbed me the wrong way; my teenage years were very difficult years.
That took place more than fifty years ago. To this day I still do not know why God necessitated that move, but I still believe God knew what He was doing!
Maybe God was keeping us out of trouble. Maybe God was stirring up our faith. Maybe God was growing my brother and me through new experiences. Somewhere down the road God will make all of that plain! But what I do acknowledge is that those years shaped me into someone different…and hopefully someone better.
One night a young man called the house and asked if my father would be interested in pastoring his church which was some forty-five minutes away. I remember my grandmother saying to my father, “Son, don’t take that little church which is so far away.”
Dad looked at his mother and said, “Mom, I have already told them that I will pastor that church.”
Time passed. That young man on the telephone later became my brother-in-law. It was in that church that I met a beautiful young pianist by the name of Ruth Ellen Wiseman, and what a surprise that church turned out to be!
Whatever you do, always remember that God prepared the prison for Joseph, the caves for David, the den of lions for Daniel, the fiery furnace for the three Hebrews, the bed of affliction for Job (I am currently working through my second affliction with Covid), the sycamore tree for Zaccheus, the great storm Euroclydon for Paul, even the Isle of Patmos for John—the place where that Apostle said in triumph, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,” a very unlikely place to meet the Lord but yet the place where God gave to John the awesome Revelation of Jesus Christ!
It does not matter whether it is the place you want to be or the one place where you would never want to be—whether the place is the result of God’s perfect will or the result of your own rebellious will, but somehow God is not surprised at your location or your situation.
As a matter of fact God has prepared today’s place just especially for you; that means God is able to bless you and help you no matter where you find yourself!
Thank God for His wisdom and exercising such watch care over His children!
Oct 27, 2023 – We Christians believe in a sovereign God who has all things under His control. That does not mean we are fatalists destined like machines to fulfill some God-appointed task. But it does mean that God’s plan includes each one of us not in an accidental way but in a very purposeful way…in a way that no one has ever been able to adequately explain. After all, He Himself acknowledges, “My ways are higher than your ways!”
One person shrugged off the meaning of his life by saying, “I am just an accident of my parents.”
Someone with biblical understanding replied, “You may be an accident to your parents, but you are not an accident to God.” How true! God knew that person was on the way, and God somehow included that person in His plan without coercing the person to do something he would rather not do.
The fact is our God has a very complicated plan—a plan which includes everything which is good as well as everything which is bad, everyone who loves God as well as everyone who hates God, everyone who dies in an “accident” as well as everyone who dies of old age. Thank God for a Creator who knows all things and who is able to work each tiny detail into His overall plan!
There is a Bible verse which I do not understand but yet I believe this verse with all my heart. God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in thy mother’s womb I knew thee and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee and I even ordained thee—I set thee apart as a prophet unto the nations!” You say, “Explain that verse to me.” My friend, that verse is totally beyond my understanding, but what it plainly says is that God prepares the person for his own special place in history. That includes preparing the person intellectually, physically, even emotionally for that person’s own special place in history, even if we are considered ordinary.
I remember the story about my own birth. Sister Josie Chinn said, “We knew that you were going to be our preacher boy,” and yet here I was just a tiny babe in her hands. I had not yet been saved nor had I learned to pray nor had I even been to church but yet somehow they knew that I was going to be a preacher. “Set apart from my mother’s womb just like Jeremiah, Paul, John the Baptist as well as you and so many others!”
Sometimes, though, I wonder why God designs us like He does .How about you? I wish I was six feet two inches tall, strong as an ox, and the most handsome man on the face of this earth, but God allows me to be this way for a reason. I wish I could preach like Billy Graham, evangelize like D. L. Moody, and teach like John MacArthur, but God allows me to be this way for a reason. Indeed, perhaps even I have been made for such a time as this!
Consider this: The Bible reveals our God is such a perfect God that He is able to use even His own enemies to carry out His plan for the history of this world. Believe it or not, God’s plan includes even Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. That evil man mocked God, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?”
But God said to him, “Pharaoh, you are nothing but a weak nobody; for this cause have I raised you up so that I might reveal My power in humbling you; in so doing, My name will be declared throughout all the earth.”
So take advantage of every moment which you live. Make every day count because, as in the case of Queen Esther, “You have come for such a time as this.”
Oct 26, 2023 – SURPRISE! One of my strangest experiences took place just after we moved to a rental house in Wheelersburg, Ohio. I was in the sixth grade. One Friday night we went out to eat and do some shopping. We did not make it home until around 8:00 in the evening and, boy, were we surprised when we got home!
We thought we were on good terms with the landlord, but guess what we found when we arrived home? We found a big sign in the front yard which said, “House for Sale” – a sign which we had never seen before! My brother and I said, “Dad, who put up that sign? Do we have to move again? Are they kicking us out?”
We stepped inside the house and then it happened! People jumped out of every doorway and shouted, “Surprise!” One of us dummies had shared the location of the house key with our church friends. They had made themselves at home, made the sign, washed the dishes and waited patiently for our arrival, and, oh, were we surprised! (We moved the key as soon as they left.)
Life is full of surprises. How, though, should we handle the surprises of life? The second chapter of Exodus gives us surprise after surprise. Some people refer to these surprises as coincidences, but the Christian recognizes there are no coincidences or surprises to the God who knows all things and is prepared for all things.
Let’s consider the events in this chapter. In verse 1, suppose this man had died before he could get married or suppose this woman married the wrong man, but, Surprise! the two of them got married just like God knew!
In verse 2, suppose this one (later named Moses) was born a daughter instead of a son. That would have been the end of the whole story but, Surprise! a son was born just like God knew!
In verse 3. suppose this tiny ark leaked; suppose it sank and the boy drowned before he could be rescued. So much for the famous exodus but, Surprise! the ark floated just like God knew!
In verse 5, suppose the daughter of Pharaoh is sick on this day and does not come to the river, suppose she comes at a different time of the day or suppose she never notices the ark, but Surprise! she sends for the ark just like God knew!
In verse 6, suppose she follows the king’s orders and executes the child, suppose she has no compassion on this particular day, or suppose she just hates babies, but Surprise! she does indeed have compassion just like God knew!
On and on the surprises go—coincidence after coincidence—chance after chance until eventually Moses becomes one of the greatest men of all time! But I suppose this is the way it is with all of history, amen? because “all things are known by God from their very beginning, for God, as the author and the finisher of our faith, works all things after the counsel of His own will.”
Ah, friend, let’s walk by faith in a God who has everything under His control!
Oct 25, 2023 – “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” General Douglas MacArthur included this quote from Plato in his 1962 farewell address at West Point. The General asked, “What sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory? They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always for them: Duty, Honor, Country. Always their blood, and sweat, and tears, as they saw the way and the light.”
Indeed, there are battles and even wars worth fighting, because the cost of doing nothing may be much greater than the cost of fighting the war. As we know, freedom is not cheap. Nor is salvation cheap either for the Bible says, “We are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.” Blood so precious that no appropriate price can ever be assigned to it.
I wonder: Does the devil ever take a day off? Do the demons ever go on vacation? Does the world ever embrace the tenets of Christianity? Is there a single country where Jesus Christ would be elected its leader? The answer, of course, is no because there is no respite from the spiritual battle between God and the devil, good and evil, salvation by faith and salvation by works, etc.
We Christians need to realize we are in a spiritual war (not merely an occasional battle) that will never end. The Christian answers to a higher calling (think of it as an enlistment) that can be stated in this manner: Duty, Honor, the CROSS!
“Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war! With the CROSS of Jesus going on before!” Thus, we “put on the whole armor of God,” we “pray without ceasing,” we proclaim Christ as the only Savior, we lift up the Bible as the infallible Word of God, we use our money to spread the gospel in our community and throughout the world, we live circumspectly lest we bring dishonor upon His name, and we’re always there when the church doors are open because that single service has the potential to change someone’s life.
Yes, we’ve enlisted in the greatest cause of all and our motto is Duty, Honor, the CROSS!
I pray these next words can be said about you. This incident took place on a British warship in the Bay of Biscay. The battle was drawing near and there were many things against them. The pilot said to the admiral, “It will be an awful night, and there is a lee shore, and the wind is rising.”
The Admiral saw the enemy, recognized that the danger was great. He then said, “Son, you have done your duty in pointing out the dangers. Now if you would please: Lay me alongside the enemy.”
This, too, is my own prayer. “O, God, lay me alongside the enemy. Let me fight the devil with everything I have so that he may not win.”
Duty, Honor, the CROSS!
Mrs. Billy Graham said, “If God does not judge America, God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The sins of humanity are everywhere around us…and, unfortunately, IN us. That’s why our Lord came to the earth—to make us aware of our sins so that we can repent of our sinfulness and place our faith in Him.
However, it is impossible to get a person born again until that person first realizes that he is a sinner unable to save his own soul. Paul declared such a message is an “offense to some.” Indeed, the gospel offends the person who deems himself to be righteous with the dismal message that he is actually UNrighteous—that God will never accept any of his actions as sufficient righteousness to save his soul. That message offends those who believe they are better than others!
Can you imagine, though, the offensiveness of John the Baptist’s message? “You deeply religious Pharisees and Sadducees are actually a generation or brood of vipers! I am warning you holier-than-thou people that you must flee from the wrath that is soon coming upon your souls!”
WOW! I suspect some walked away when they heard those words. But it is important for us to note that the words of John, though offensive to the senses of the listeners, were totally true AND were exactly what the audience needed to hear. They didn’t need a pat on the back or a “pretty please”, but they needed to deal with their own sinfulness before a holy God.
As for this preacher, I would rather preach and offend (though not needlessly offend) than mislead my audience into believing they are right with God when in reality they are not right with God.
Perhaps we should change the title of Pastor in our churches to “God’s Messenger.” In other words, “The overseer of this congregation is the Messenger of God. We did not hire him or call him to be anything of greater significance than the Messenger of God. His duty is to tell us what God wants us to hear: the good as well as the bad, the pleasing as well as the offensive.”
“Tell us, o messenger of heaven, what God wants us to know!”
Someone complained to the old preacher, “It’s better for us to go along with the crowd. Let’s not wash the dirty linen in public.”
The old-time preacher, though, said, “I have watched preachers through many years. Preachers who don’t wash dirty linen in public don’t wash dirty linen anywhere.”
In plain English, if you don’t have enough courage to do what is right in public then you probably don’t have enough courage to do what is right in private either.
Edmund Burke reminds us, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Well, John the Baptist was a good man who did something rather than nothing. He stood for God’s cause even though he stood alone early in his ministry. As a matter of fact, John finished his ministry like he began his ministry: alone but still standing as God’s messenger.
May God help us to be His messenger wherever He places us.
Oct 23, 2023 – The greatest everyday enemy this writer faces is “self.” Pure and simple, hard fact to accept, but true. That is so not only for me but also for you…and also for Moses in Today’s Verse.
God called Moses to his holy task at the burning bush. Moses, though, was overwhelmed by his inner self. Moses proceeded to give every excuse in the book to God. Do any of his excuses sound like excuses you have tried with God? “I am not able. I have no ability. I have no message. I have no authority. I have no eloquence. I have no desire. Call someone else!”
But Moses eventually returned to his first statement and surrendered to the will of God in a “Here am I” declaration similar to Isaiah’s own “Here am I” declaration.
All of us struggle with self. Unfortunately, far too many lose the battle to self; few of them spend “their” precious time with these devotionals, because they have no desire for a better ministry. But others like you, dear reader, live by faith in the God who called them…who believe that God will also equip them just like He equipped the saints of old. This writer is oft encouraged by reading about the weaknesses, not strengths, of the Bible saints…and realizing God called them in the full knowledge that they would fail just like me…so who am I to quit on what God has called me to do? Or refuse to do what God has laid upon my heart?
Moses presented excuse after excuse, but God was not interested in his excuses; God was only interested in Moses seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Woe be to that man or woman who waves the white flag of surrender and turns away from the call of God!
I will never forget watching the World War II movie “The Sands of Iwo Jima.” Our boys had assaulted a Japanese stronghold in one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war. Bullets were flying everywhere. One of our patrols was low on ammunition. They chose a man to go back and get what they needed.
This man, though, was rather lazy. He gathered the ammunition then decided to rest. Someone gave this man some coffee and a cigarette and they talked for a long time. The soldier eventually made it back to the front lines. He called out for his friends, but no one answered. He crawled into the nearest foxhole and found one of his buddies dying.
The dying man asked, “What kept you? We ran out of ammunition. Then the Japanese charged, and there was nothing which we could do. What kept you?”
There is a much greater battle being fought today: the battle for the souls of men and women, boys and girls. Quite simply, we must not allow self to keep us from winning that battle.
Remember: The question for many is, “What kept you?” The flesh has no answer for that question. That’s what happened to Moses in Today’s Verse. His flesh cried out with answers that held no water…that did not satisfy. God allowed Moses to think his way through each of his objections and to come to the conclusion that the will of God was the right will for his life.
May we grasp God’s will and awaken each day with the resolve that God’s will is why we live.
Oct 21-22, 2023 – Benjamin Franklin’s seventh birthday was a birthday which he never forgot. His friends gave him a pocketful of small coins. Young Ben started toward the nearest store to buy a present with this small fortune!
Young Ben met a boy on the road, though, who charmed him with a toy whistle. Ben offered the boy all of his money for that whistle. Young Ben returned home that evening blowing his whistle. He was happy until his brothers told him what that whistle was actually worth—just a tiny fraction of what he had paid! Young Ben was so embarrassed that he then sat down and cried!
It has been said that every person has his selling point—that every person can be bought if the price is only right. But God expects better from you and me. I want you to know the Bible is full of people who could not be bought! Men like:
1. Moses who forsook the riches of Egypt to suffer reproach with the people of God;
2. John the Baptist who refused to look the other way, who boldly told adulterous King Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have her!”
3. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who said, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold,” and, singing the praises of God, they were thrown into the fiery furnae.
But lest we forget, the devil bought:
1. Lot with the biggest office in town. The devil offered, “Lot, I will make you the mayor of Sodom if you forget about living in the promised land.” Lot said, “Give me the pen and show me the dotted line!”
2. Demas with the empty pleasures of this world. The devil offered, “Demas, I’ll give you the thrill of a lifetime if you will only abandon the Apostle Paul, the church and the Bible.” Demas said, “Give me the pen and show me the dotted line!”
3. Solomon with sexual fantasies untold! The devil offered, “Solomon, feast your eyes upon the forbidden fruit and you will be satisfied all the days of your life.” Solomon said, “Give me the pen and show me the dotted line.”
I could mention so many others who sold out! Adam because he did not want to stand alone. Jonah because he did not want God’s will for his life. Even the great church at Laodicea because it had been bought off with a beautiful building, a big treasury, padded pews and a beautiful cathedral choir!
I recall speaking with a veteran preacher. This preacher had seen many young Christians come and go. As we talked the conversation turned to a rather promising young preacher. The veteran said, “I am afraid so-and-so has already sold out, has already gone as far as he is going to go, and HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW IT.”
God help us to encourage one another to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus!
Oct 20, 2023 – “Too many Christians are sacrificing Christian principles on the altar of worldly compromise.” We are fast approaching the day when “anything goes” in our lives and, therefore, in our churches. Year after year the salt is becoming less salty, the light is becoming less bright, the gospel is becoming less clear, the Bible is becoming less studied and the genuine Christian life of spiritual transformation is becoming less experienced.
This writer does not want to further the decay, but rather I see myself as standing against the rising tide which threatens to swamp the entire land. But our number is dwindling…and our influence is weakening. Are you with me in standing up for Jesus?
Here is how the devil worked on the people of Israel during their last days in Egypt. Guess what? He will try the same approach with us!
Exodus 8:25 – “Pharaoh called for Moses and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to God IN THE LAND—go and worship if you must but stay in the land of Egypt.” That suggestion probably sounded good to many, but, even so, that was less than total separation from Egypt. That was not good enough! God wanted Pharaoh to release Israel to be a free people, so Israel could fulfill its spiritual and physical destiny in the Promised Land. Pharoah, though, wanted Israel on a leash rather than re-leased…to give them just enough liberty to satisfy their religious longing.
Exodus 8:28 – in the second compromise Pharaoh said, “I will let you go so that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness. In my second offer I will let you go just a little further but even so do not go very far lest I lose control over you.” It is similar to the man who said, “I will follow Jesus, but let me first bury my father, first settle my financial matters, first…” and the list never ends. Other items are always in control! Perhaps the intentions are good, but God overlooks our intentions and says, “To obey is better than sacrifice.”
Exodus 10:11 – in compromise number three Pharaoh said, “Go, now, ye that are men and serve the Lord as you wish,” but verse 10 includes this important detail: “the wives and the children are to remain in the land!” In other words, I will let you men go serve the Lord, because I know you will eventually return to be with your families!
All in all, Pharaoh offered a grand total of three spiritual compromises which would have left Israel stranded in Egypt and still being controlled by the god of this world.
A Christian banker asked Bob Jones, “Why is it that some people will curse a good Christian school like Bob Jones University? Your students do not drink, gamble, smoke, or swear. Why then is the world against Christianity?”
Jones answered, “The devil is not against a bank, but he is against a Christian testimony. If you were to put a sign in front of your bank which said, ‘This bank stands without apology for the Blood of Jesus Christ, for salvation by grace through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus’, brother, all the demons in hell would line up against your bank. The moment you step over on the side of Jesus Christ, that very moment you line up wicked men against you!”
May God help us to seek fellowship with Him more than fellowship with those opposed to Him!
Oct 19, 2023 – Gustave Valbert studied the history of warfare and concluded, “From the year 1496 BC to AD 1861, in 3358 years, there were 227 years of peace and 3,130 years of war or 13 years of war to every year of peace. Within the last three centuries there have been 286 wars in Europe.”
The world’s attention is currently drawn to still another war (politicians may call it a conflict, but the people on the ground know it to be war accompanied with all the casualties of war) involving Israel and its neighbors. But how does this war compare with other wars?
Our country has engaged in numerous wars, too: World War 1, World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. We view those wars as having a beginning…and an ending. BUT IN REALITY, DO ALL WARS TRULY END? Or do those wars simply move on to another place, to another people, to another time, because in Today’s Verse we come face to face with the unholy war which never ever ends!
Mark my words: The greatest war of all time is not the great wars surrounding Germany, Japan, or Russia nor is it even the future war of Armageddon, but the greatest war of all time is the never-ending war between the armies of a holy God and the armies of an unholy devil! To be honest it is not really the war of Arab versus Jew, Catholic versus Baptist, liberal versus conservative, immorality versus morality, communism versus capitalism, or the courts versus law enforcement but rather it is the never-ending war of the devil versus God!
This war is at least six thousand years old. It is a war in which you and I are personally involved even though we may sometimes wish we were not involved.
This war began in the Garden of Eden when Adam sinned against God. “The Lord God said to the serpent, ‘And I will put enmity (open hostility) between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.’” Satan declared war on God (Isaiah 14), then Adam sinned and by that act of sin Adam began a state of rebellion by the human creation against the Creator. And thus it has continued to this present day.
Can you imagine Jesus running for President of the United States? He would not have a chance. Can you imagine Jesus as the leader of your favorite political party? Again, He would not have a chance. Indeed, can you imagine Jesus running to be the head of modern-day Christianity? Once the so-called Christian community evaluated His claims and expectations (think of His expectations in the Sermon on the Mount), His poll numbers would quickly plummet. Please remember that Jesus is pictured as being OUTSIDE the end-time church of Laodicea, not inside. The Head of the church had been replaced by something else at Laodicea.
Some years ago two great saints of God appraised the coming environment in Christianity, looked at each other, and one said, “The time is coming when we will be as rare as a pelican in the wilderness!” (This was a paraphrase of Psalm 102:6). The other said, “I believe that time is already here!”
The world is changing. That includes Christianity, too. But BLESSED IS THAT SAINT who does not change to be like the world…who instead hoists his flag high and sings, “Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war With the cross of Jesus going on before!”
It is a war of righteousness which must be fought not only today, but also tomorrow and until Jesus comes again to finally settle the conflict. It is a struggle for the eternal souls of people of all ages and all races! God help us to understand He did not call us to be accepted by the world but to be accepted by Him! We can’t do both!!!
Let’s stand for biblical truth. We may not always win, but at least we will be right! In so doing we will “snatch some out of the fire, making a difference!”
Oct 18, 2023 – PART 5 – “He who keeps Israel” often does the heavy lifting Himself. But at other times “He who keeps Israel” uses people to protect God’s chosen people. Those people include a British general known as Edmund Henry Allenby, a Christian.
During World War I the city of Jerusalem was occupied by the Turks. The British, though, wished to capture this famous city. General Allenby led a large number of British soldiers out of Egypt to take the holy city of Jerusalem.
As a mere child Allenby was taught to close his evening prayer with a special plea for Israel, to pray, “Forget not thine ancient people. Hasten the day when they shall be restored to Thy favor and to their land.” That is how he prayed as a child.
As Allenby approached the city of Jerusalem he became concerned with not destroying the city nor its many holy places. On the night before the attack Allenby spent the entire night in prayer and Bible study. Sometime during the night the Lord gave him a verse of scripture: Isaiah 31:5. He used this verse of scripture to plan his attack against the city.
On December 11, 1917 Allenby sent wave after wave of planes flying low over Jerusalem. As a result, the Turkish army fled the city. No bombs were dropped, not a shot was fired, not a drop of blood was shed. Allenby then gathered his troops before the city and read Isaiah 3l:5 to them, “AS BIRDS FLYING, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it.”
General Allenby then announced, “Men, this day has this scripture been fulfilled before your very eyes.”
Allenby was later honored at a reception in London. He said, “I never knew that God would give me the privilege of helping answer my own childhood prayer.”
Horatius Bonar writes,
Forgotten; No; that cannot be: All other names may pass away,
But thine, MY ISRAEL, shall remain In lasting memory.
Forgotten! No; that cannot be: Inscribed upon My palms thou art,
The name I gave in days of old Is graven still upon My heart.
Forgotten! No; that cannot be: Beloved of thy God art thou
His crown forever on thy head, His name forever on thy brow.
Forgotten! No; that cannot be: Sun, moon, and stars may cease to shine,
But thou shalt be remembered still, For thou art His and He is thine.
AMEN.
Oct 17, 2023 – PART 4 – Would you agree that God has a purpose for ALL that He does? The Bible assures us that “God works all things in accordance with the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). Why does God do what He does? Broadly speaking, God brings glory to Himself by His activities AND, in many ways, He graciously allows us to share in that goodness. One of the greatest blessings of the new heaven and new earth will be the realization that “God HIMSELF shall be with them [redeemed saints of all ages]” (Revelation 21:3). Not apart from them hidden behind a curtain like the Wizard of Oz, but WITH them!
Rest assured, God always has a purpose. The nation of Israel, as well as every nation, is included in God’s purpose. The United States is currently enjoying the bountiful blessings of God as the most powerful nation in world history. Will that continue for another two hundred years? The Bible does not say anything about the United States, so we may be only a blip in world history. But the Bible has much, much to say about the Jewish people, because God selected, for His own purpose, to make the Jewish people the focal point in world history. Though they have never been mighty in number and have not always been a nation, the Jewish people have drawn the attention of the world, and often the ire of the world, for its entire history.
Therefore, every Christian minister from usher to pastor needs a good understanding of God’s purpose for the Jewish people…especially in light of current world events. That brings us to Part 4. Let me allocate today’s remaining space to something you have never considered: God’s response to those who try to destroy the Jews. Are you ready? God’s response has often led to the establishment of a new holiday for the Jews.
For instance, Pharaoh tried to destroy the Jews in Exodus. However, God intervened and soon the Jews were celebrating the famous holiday known as the Passover.
Then along came wicked Haman of ancient Persia (book of Esther). Haman tried to exterminate the Jews. However, God intervened again! Haman was sent to the gallows for his sin. The Jews received the special holiday known as Purim.
Don’t forget Antiochus Epiphanes (168 BC). That madman defiled the Jewish temple by sacrificing the blood of a pig upon the altar of God. How did God respond? God raised up a band of men known as the Maccabees to lead a revolt. Out of this experience the Jews received yet another holiday: Hanukkah, the festival of lights.
The evil Nazi Adolf Hitler put a great deal of faith in the occult. He often went to see the spiritualists and fortunetellers. It is said that Hitler once asked a fortuneteller, “On what day will I die?”
This seer looked into the future and told him that it would be on a Jewish holiday. Hitler became upset. He said, “Why are you so sure of that?”
The fortuneteller said, “Any day that you die will be a Jewish holiday.”
Hitler’s goal of exterminating the Jews perished with him. I suspect God delivered this message to him in hell: “On May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel, establishing the first Jewish state in 2,000 years.” That knowledge alone would be hell for Hitler.
So it is that out of the Jew comes:
1.the Savior – the Lord Jesus Christ.
2.the Bible, the very Word of God on paper.
3.the cure for diphtheria and polio.
4.the magic of penicillin.
5.the beautiful music of Mendelssohn and many others.
6.the investment capital behind many businesses.
I submit the world should celebrate the contributions of the Jew rather than denigrate such people. But, lest we forget, can you see the hand of God in all of those items?
More on this subject tomorrow!
Oct 16, 2023 – PART 3 – “What makes the Jew special?” An unbeliever asked me that very question.
I replied, “Only one thing. God chose the Jew as His people based upon His own sovereign grace, not because of anything the Jewish people have done or will ever do. As a matter of fact, quite often God has been forced to drag them step-by-step, because Israel has stubbornly rebelled against God for much of its existence.”
Indeed, the spiritual condition of Israel has not changed since the crucifixion of our Lord! However, neither has our Lord’s intention changed for God is not finished with Israel. (Note: If God was finished with Israel in the first century, how likely is it that the Jewish race would have maintained its identity through twenty centuries of world hatred? Not very likely in this writer’s view!)
The Bible indicates that “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, UNTIL the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25). The word “until” clearly indicates the cup of Gentile domination will soon be full…and the pendulum will swing in the opposite direction: to God’s fulfilling His Old Testament promises to Israel by bringing His own kingdom to planet earth.
My ninety-nine year old father-in-law and I had a discussion on this very point earlier today. In regards to Bible prophecy AND the current mess in the Middle East, we both concluded, “We know where we are now AND we know how it will be in the end [Israel will become the center of Messiah’s kingdom] but we don’t know how we get from point A to point Z.” For that matter, no one knows what the next steps will be in God bringing about His desired end. We can rest assured, though, that the Jewish people will survive regardless of what the world throws against them.
A preacher took a trip to the Holy Land in 1969. He sat across the aisle from a Jew who was 89 years of age. This Jew was traveling with his daughter. The man did not speak English, but his daughter spoke fluently a total of seven languages. The preacher asked the man through his daughter what they were doing. The man answered, “We are moving to Israel.”
The preacher asked, “Have you ever been there?”
The man answered, “No, I have never been to Israel.”
The preacher was puzzled. He asked, “Why then at your age are you now moving to Israel?
This 89 year old Jew smiled and said, “We know that Israel is the place where it is going to happen and we want to be there to see it happen.”
Oh, such confidence…such faith…such optimism…and it was all because of God’s promise to the Jew.
More on this important subject tomorrow!
Oct 14-15, 2023 – PART 2 – How did the Jewish nation begin? In yesterday’s edition, we examined the world’s hateful attitude against the Jewish people. In Part 2, let’s think about God’s original promise to Abraham, the Father of the Jews—a promise which is as real today as in the days of old.
Imagine that you are Abraham. You are living your ordinary life of being a nomad, traveling here and there with your family, cattle and sheep. You are also one of the most prosperous men in all the land, but, despite your prosperity, you know that you will someday die, your name will be forgotten and your family name will be buried in the sands of the desert
But one day the Lord of heaven suddenly appears before you, maybe in a bodily form or a dream or just your mind. The Lord makes a promise to you and you only among all the millions in the world around you. Furthermore, it is a promise like none before it—a promise which only an all-powerful God could make with certainty.
God says, “Abraham, I intend to do something with you which no one is this world will ever be able to stop! First, as to the number of your children. Abraham, you have no children now. It looks like you and your wife are too old to have children, but I promise that your seed shall someday be as the sand of the sea—a number so great that no man can count them!
“Second, as to the longevity of your family. Surrounding you are the people known as the Kenites, the Kadmonites and especially the powerful Hittites. All of these people will eventually disappear, but until the stars fall, until the sun ceases to shine your people shall continue!
“Then, third, as to the inheritance of your family, because I, the Lord, have chosen a land just especially for your family!”
The critic asks, “What right do those Jews have to live in the Middle East? What right do they have to take away that land from the Arabs?”
The truth is the Middle East belonged to God long before it belonged to anyone else! ALL of us are merely stewards overseeing whatever God has deposited to our care. God said to Abraham, “Lift up your eyes and look to the north, look to the south, look to the east and the west! I will give to you and your seed all the land which you now see. SO ARISE, WALK THROUGH THIS LAND FOR IT IS NOW YOURS!”
Believe it or not, all of the land belongs to them from the river of Egypt on the west to the great river Euphrates on the East—all the way to the Iraqi capitol of Baghdad (Genesis 15:18). However, it is very unlikely that promise will be realized before King Jesus returns to the earth to establish His kingdom over the kingdoms of man. At that day the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will take ownership of what is rightfully His and distribute it according to His own sovereign will.
Then will come one of the greatest events in all of world history for the Bible says that God will then regather Israel from the four corners of the earth; Israel will then dwell in peace in the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In that day there will be no more fighting, no more terrorists and no more wars for Jesus said, “Many shall come from the east and the west and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Literal people in a literal kingdom on earth.
Bless God, I myself will be there to witness it with my own eyes. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
We’ll discuss more about Israel tomorrow.
Oct 13, 2023 – PART 1 – Will the Jewish people survive? Will the Jewish people live until the sun ceases to shine? Or will the Jewish race be, at long last, exterminated from every place in the world until it becomes only a record in history?
Once again, the Jewish people are under attack. The atrocities remind one of Old Testament destruction. The undeserved murders are unsettling to even the hardest of hearts. Such behavior has once again proven the depth of man’s sinfulness. “Who can know the depth of man’s wickedness? Only the LORD who searches the heart” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Think for a moment about the history of the Jew beginning with Pharaoh in the Exodus. Pharaoh issued the decree that every male child was to be exterminated; in so doing the entire Jewish race would also be exterminated.
Warren Wiersbe said, “God rewarded the women not by making them sterile (which would have been safer) but by giving them families.”
So Pharaoh issued his decree, but God overruled that decree, because God had already made His own decree: “that if the sun and the moon depart from before me, then and only then shall the Jewish people cease from the earth!”
Throughout the centuries the attacks have kept coming against the Jews, but yet the sun and the moon still shine in the heavens and this people known as the Jews still shines upon the face of the earth!
1.In AD 70 the Roman general Titus marched into Jerusalem with his massive army. Titus killed around 1,300,000 Jews plus took many others into captivity.
2.You may recall the Crusades. In the 11th century the so called “Christian” Crusades swept across the Middle East. One of their favorite sayings was “Kill a Jew and save your soul,“ and many more Jews died.
3.In the year 1350 the Black Plague swept over Europe. Amazingly, the Jews were blamed for that plague. As a result, nearly one-half of the Jews in Europe were murdered!
4.You remember the year 1492 for Christopher Columbus, but the Jews remember that year for a totally different reason. In that year the country of Spain forced some 800,000 Jews into the sea, most of whom died from drowning or exposure.
5.Then along comes World War II and the awful Holocaust of Adolf Hitler. There are some people today who are trying to prove that the Holocaust never really happened, but history tells us that by the time Hitler was finished 6 out of every 10 Jews in Europe was dead!
6.But the greatest Holocaust of all—the Holocaust of the Great Tribulation—is still in the future!
Queen Victoria of England one time went to her Jewish prime minister, the great Benjamin Disraeli. The queen asked, “Can you give me one verse in the Bible which proves that the Bible is true?”
The prime minister said, “Your Majesty, I will give you all the proof you need in only one word—it is the word JEW! If there was nothing else to prove the truth of the Bible, then the history and survivability of the Jews would be sufficient!”
The queen asked, “Then you take the Bible literally?”
He said, “Oh, yes, your Majesty! GOD SAID JUST EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT!”
This writer does not stand with Israel because Israel is always right. On the contrary, they crucified my Lord. But God, for His own purpose, has chosen the Jewish race as His people. The world may not like them but guess what? The world is stuck with them, because God will continue to use Israel for His own sovereign purpose. History proves it is folly to cross swords with God’s chosen people!
We’ll discuss more about Israel tomorrow.
Oct 12, 2023 – “What is my life worth in actions? What have I accomplished that will last?” The young man’s questions are worth considering!
The Apostle Paul writes, “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it” (1 Corinthians 3:10). We see so many promising teenagers make a mess of their lives in their next decade because they ignore these words, “take care how he builds upon it.” This writer has often said, “The decade of your twenties is your most dangerous decade.” Truly, we would be much better off if we could take our experiences from the twenties into our thirties WITHOUT having to live our twenties and make so many mistakes. But, of course, that is impossible because it is our experiences that give us our experience!
Today’s Verse is directed to born again children of God. These Corinthians have been delivered from the miry pit of sin, set upon the rock (Jesus Christ) and now have a promising future. But will that promising future become reality? Will they take full advantage of God’s Grocery Store of Spiritual Blessings or will they squander their Christian life and only be mediocre or even something less?
Paul describes two possible outcomes: “The fire of final judgment will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. But if anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
A little boy was playing along the seashore. He built a complete city in the sand. He laid out streets, built houses and stores, banks and churches. It was a masterpiece! With childish fancy he built an ancient city wall around his city. Then he laid out highways and farms outside the wall.
He worked the entire afternoon building his city. He did not notice the sun was setting, the clouds were gathering, the wind was increasing and the temperature was falling. Nor did he notice the tide was now coming in, that the waves were getting closer with each passing minute…until suddenly one wave mightier than the rest came sweeping around him and washed away his houses, his farms, his city, even his wall.
Frightened, the child ran back to the cliff. He saw his older brother above him. The older brother had witnessed the entire event. The older brother could see his brother’s fright. He reached down, grabbed hold of his younger brother and pulled him to safety. He then put his arm around the crying boy and started for home.
All that the younger brother had built was taken away. That experience will be repeated many, many times when God evaluates the lives of His children. Most, perhaps even all, of a life’s accomplishments will go up in smoke.
Let us prepare for that day by heeding the words of Jesus: “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God.” Let’s build a life that will last!
Oct 11, 2023 – During an afternoon baseball game when American League umpire Bill Guthrie was working behind home plate, the catcher for the visiting team repeatedly protested the umpire’s calls.
Guthrie endured this for three innings. But in the fourth inning Guthrie said, “Son, you’ve been a big help to me calling balls and strikes and I appreciate it. But I think I’ve got the hang of it now. So I’m going to ask you to go to the clubhouse and show them how to take a shower!”
Are you ever the catcher? Imagine God is the umpire and you’re the catcher. Do you think you would agree with the way God calls the game? The reality is we would likely protest at some point. Why? It is because we protest at times in our ministry that God should have done it another way.
Jonah got upset with God when Nineveh repented and postponed judgment until a future generation. Poor Jonah pouted like a baseball player throwing his bat and helmet!
Job contended with God about his personal disasters; God thundered such a strong rebuke that job said, “I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Basically, God said to both Jonah and Job, “It’s time for you to take a shower.”
Life is not easy. Plans go awry. Prayers are not answered in the way we prayed. The results are not what we expected or dreamed. Our excitement gets dashed. The goal seemed so realistic…now we know it will not be achieved. Unexpected opposition arose. Health issues popped up out of nowhere. Maybe we just weren’t as smart as we thought we were.
It is easy at such times to do the unthinkable and blame God for the poor results; after all, we tried! We gave Him our best effort and God obviously should have done a better job! That’s the way we reason.
We question God, the church and also our ministry, because we are so badly disappointed. And many of us quit on God.
I attended today an Annual Association Meeting (mostly of pastors) in Dayton, Oh. What was the topic of the first sermon? It was addressed to the pastors…and the subject was, “Don’t Lose Heart.” Ah, tis amazing to consider, because the people we most expect to NOT LOSE HEART are the pastors who are telling the rest of us not to lose heart. Obviously, there are times when even the encouragers need encouragement! In other words, Today’s Verse happens to ALL of us in ministry.
What is the cure? At times like these this writer falls back on a simple axiom: The ministry is not mine but God’s. I am merely the servant that reports for duty, gives it my best shot and prays, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” If God wishes to use what I bring to the table, SO BE IT! And if God wishes to do something unexpected…well, “God help me to still say ‘so be it’!” Above all, in sunshine or shadow, I must sing in faith believing, “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er. O FOR GRACE TO TRUST HIM MORE.” And I keep plugging along, how about you? May God help you to be strong in the midst of your own disappointments.
Oct 10, 2023 – What is a divine appointment? It is an appointment in our schedule that is made by God…not by you or me. Such an appointment may not seem to be made by God; actually, it may seem to be an accident. Ah, it may not even be recognized by us! But God has somehow arranged this event and, if we are really smart, we will be able to trace God’s hand at work: an opportunity for ministry that we did not plan.
Bob Jones Sr. was headed to a church way, way out in the Alabama countryside. As he drove along the muddy road the car skidded into a ditch. The preacher spun the wheels, but the wheels only sunk deeper into the mud. Bob said, “If I don’t hurry, I will miss my opportunity to preach tonight.”
He walked down the road to a house and knocked on the door. A man’s voice said, “Come in.”
Bob walked inside and saw a strange sight. A man was sitting in a chair, holding a baby in his lap and trying to put on a diaper. There were four other children playing on the floor—five children in all plus this man.
Bob asked, “Sir, are you in some kind of trouble?”
The man said, “Yes, I am. I buried my wife two days ago. I’ve got these children, and I don’t know how to put on a diaper. My wife has always taken care of the children and I don’t know how to do any of it.”
Bob bent down and helped the father put the diaper on the baby. He said, “Sir, my car is in the ditch about a mile up the road. Would you help me?”
The father said, “Yes, if you’ll get someone to take care of the kids.”
They arranged for someone to take care of the children, and the two of them walked to the barn. Bob asked, “Your wife was a Christian, wasn’t she?”
“Oh, yes, one of the finest in the world. She was saved. Everything was all right. When she died she went to heaven.”
“But what about you?”
“Well, I am not saved. I know I should be. I know I ought to be for the children’s sake, for my dead wife’s sake. I should be saved. But I have never been.”
Bob then knelt at the barn door and asked the man to kneel alongside him. Bob took his Bible and led the father to the Lord Jesus Christ. He who was lost became found!
The preacher said later, “I know now why the car skidded into the ditch. I never preached that night. I didn’t have to. The Lord wanted me to go back and talk to the father who was now trying to raise children in a home without Jesus Christ. Then Jesus came in and saved the father.”
That’s a divine appointment. God help us to open our eyes to what God is doing AROUND us and THROUGH us…to seize the opportunities He opens for more ministry!
Oct 9, 2023 – M. R. DeHaan was visiting in a home of thirteen children. Eight of the children were Korean orphans. Each evening the parents gathered the children for their daily Bible study.
DeHaan said, “I have never seen anything so impressive as the eight children from Korea, the five children from this family, the mother and father—all fifteen of them gathered around the Word of God and in prayer!”
Then he said, “A strange thing is that many children are spiritual orphans. Mother and father seem not to care. They do not read the Bible to their children nor do they pray with their children. Nor do they seek to guide or help their children in any spiritual way.”
What is the result of raising spiritual orphans? First, a wasted home for that community, because there is no difference between the child INSIDE the home and the child OUTSIDE the home. Second, in most cases, a wasted child-adult because the person’s worldly accomplishments will someday pass away with a fervent heat.
The Amplified Bible sheds a bright light on Today’s Verse: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them], but bring them up [tenderly, with lovingkindness] in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Charles Spurgeon’s mother called her son aside one day and said, “Charles, your father and I have trained you in righteousness. We have taught you the Word of God. We have lived a godly life before you. If you do not live a godly life, we will stand before God in the day of judgment and bear witness against you!”
All four of the parents in today’s devotional took their spiritual responsibility seriously. They recognized they were indebted to God for the SOULS and the LIVEs and the ATTITUDES and the GOALS of their children. What a challenge! What a responsibility! BUT WHAT A WONDERFUL GIFT TO THEIR CHILDREN: the gift of imparting Christ and everything about Him to their children. No box under the Christmas tree is big enough to contain such a gift!
If you have been blessed with such parents, what an advantage is yours! To see life from a Christian perspective puts you in a class that few will ever know for the Christian perspective is not only an ETERNAL perspective, but it is also a RIGHTEOUS (doing right) perspective. Just being right and doing right is a blessed way to live. Quite honestly, it is the #1 blessing any child can ever receive…and it is a blessing any parent can give regardless of their financial condition.
Remember: You’ll always be right in raising your children AND grandchildren to know Jesus. Ah, friend, let’s heed Today’s Verse and “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Oct 7-8, 2023 – It’s Pastor Appreciation Month! Today’s Verse always contains my own words…until today. One of my mentors, Cliff Hartley, is retiring at age eighty from his Director of Missions position in a northern Ohio Baptist association. He has been in the pastoral/DOM ministry for fifty years and was one of my early Sunday School teachers! Cliff’s heart for evangelism and pastors is well known. Also, his wife Jeanie has been by his side every step of the way. This article is taken from his book “Five Things about 365 Things.” These words express the heart of a pastor to pastors! May his words both bless and challenge you!
Pastors today are faced with more work, more problems, and more stress than any other time in the history of the church. 1,500 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches. 4,000 new churches begin each year, but over 7,000 churches close. 50% of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce. 80% of pastors and 84% of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors. 50% of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could but have no other way of making a living. 80% of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
90% of pastors said their seminary or Bible school training did only a fair to poor job preparing them for ministry. 85% of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors. 90% said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people. 75% of pastors feel grossly underpaid. 90% said the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be before they entered the ministry. 75% felt God called them to pastoral ministry before their ministry began, but after three years of ministry, only 50% still felt called. (Research: Life Line for Pastors, Barna, Focus on the Family, and Fuller Seminary)
In appreciation for who our Pastors are:
Pastors are Saved. Jesus said to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, “You must be born again” (SAVED). Men of God must have a personal salvation testimony of a Damascus Road experience if they are to have a shoulder against the severity of ministry. Hang your Spiritual Birth Certificate on your wall in your office along with your degrees!
Pastors are Shepherds. Shepherds do not bear sheep, sheep bear sheep. Christ alone is the Chief Shepherd. Pastors are under shepherds, being shepherd by the Good Shepherd, to lead the flock, keep the flock, and feed the flock. Shepherds are not sheep-stealers, they do not build on another’s fold, and they are not hirelings. They are men of God who will not quit until the tally of 100 is safe in the fold. Put a staff in your office.
Pastors are Servants. That is, servants of Christ. When pastors lose sight of this, they are soon to be a ship gone aground. If Christ has called you, dear pastor, to walk on water, keep your eye on Him alone. Put a towel and basin in your office to be visible every day.
Pastors are Scholars. Paul told Timothy to “study to show thyself approved unto God…rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The majority of pastors only study the Word of God for sermon preparation, not for spiritual growth. An old anvil is needed in your office.
Pastors are Soldiers. Ministry is a fight (it is not a place for cry-babies), there is blood to wade, and there are bruises to prove it. AWOL is not an option. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). Put some bullets in that coin dish in your office.
It seems to me…men of God are not born; they are born-again and made in ministry.
(Excerpt from Five Things about 365 Things by retiring Director of Missions Cliff Hartley. You may contact him at cwhartley43@gmail.com.)
Oct 6, 2023 – One of the greatest ways to raise a child is to teach by example. Do you agree? There is an old saying, “What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” That saying is especially true in growing a child!
The Apostle Paul challenges us, “Be followers of me, even as I am a follower of Christ.” But many parents say, “Be followers of me, even as I am a follower of the world and its values.”
Let’s consider the possibilities. If the parent wants his children to drink beer, he sets the example of drinking beer. If the parent wants his children to take dope, he sets the example of using dope. If the parent wants his children to curse God and go to hell, he curses God and goes to hell.
A Sunday School teacher asked a little boy if he was a Christian. The boy replied, “I am not a Christian because my father is not a Christian and I am the same thing.” Pity that father at the final judgment when he realizes the error of his example!
But there is another possibility. If the parents wants his children to be clean living, he sets the example of being clean living. If the parents wants his children to be faithful to God, he sets the example of being faithful to God. If the parent wants his children to obey the Bible, seek first the kingdom of God and be filled with the Holy Spirit he sets the example in all those areas. Speaking for me, I prefer this possibility, how about you?
Dwight Eisenhower explains the power of an example by placing a string on the table and saying, “Pull it and it follows wherever you want it to go, but push it and it goes nowhere.”
What is an example? It is the parent pulling (not pushing) his children in the same direction he is ALREADY going! That’s the kind of parent (and example) our children need.
It is my prayer you will be a PULLING parent, not a PUSHING parent!
Oct 5, 2023 – In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy asked our friend, Scarecrow, “How do you talk if you don’t have a brain?”
Scarecrow replied, “Well, some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”
According to a recent survey, 65% of Americans believe that we use only 10% of our brain. That, however, is not true. Emily Dickinson was right when she declared, “The brain is wider then the sky!”
One common brain imaging technique, called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can measure activity in the brain while a person is performing different tasks. Researchers have concluded that most of our brain is in use MOST of the time, even when a person is performing a very simple action. That means the brain is even active when a person is resting or sleeping. Perhaps that explains why we often awaken during the night with a fresh idea!
Science has determined the brain’s memory capacity is the equivalent of 2.5 petabytes of memory capacity. As a number, a “petabyte” means 1024 terabytes or a million gigabytes, so the average adult human brain has the ability to store the equivalent of 2.5 million gigabytes digital memory. To put that in perspective, my current computer has 1 terabyte of storage capacity. In other words, my brain’s capacity is more than 250 times that of my new computer. How can that be? I am amazed at the power of my computer. But it is nothing compared to what I myself possess.
I am indeed “fearfully (that means I stand in awe or reverence) and wonderfully made (made with great wonders that never cease to amaze me).” Quite honestly, I am much better made than I appreciate. So are you!
Augustine writes, “Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.” Perhaps today would be a good day to look at more than the wrinkles or the extra pounds in the wrong place. Perhaps today would be a good day to reflect upon how much we possess in knowledge, wisdom, ability, experience, etc.
Quite honestly, when we pass away the world will be the poorer, because it will lose what we know and who we are. Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Sep 29 – Oct 4, 2023 – PARENTING PART 2: Parenting is not easy and there are no guarantees, but there are principles that have worked since the beginning of time. In Part 1 (see Today’s Verse for Sep 28, 2023) we studied about the role of IMAGE in parenting. In Today’s Part 2 we will focus on the word INSTRUCTION. Image deals with “who you are” but instruction deals with “what you teach”—what you encourage your children to do or not do.
Question: Who does God expect to do the instructing? The public schools? To some extent. The church? To some extent. But the primary responsibility lies elsewhere.
The story is told about a mother who died and went to heaven. She stood at the judgment. God asked the mother to explain why her daughter had turned out like a devil.
The mother said, “I don’t understand. I did everything I knew to do. I sent her to Sunday School every Sunday. I told her to read her Bible. I enrolled her in the best Christian school. I enrolled her in the Girl Scouts, and she won every medal. What else could I have done?”
God opened His Bible to Today’s Verse, read it to the woman and said, “You could have started by accepting the responsibility YOURSELF instead of passing the buck to everyone else!”
Today’s Verse (Deuteronomy 6:6) identifies whose responsibility it REALLY is and that is the parent’s responsibility. Verse seven identifies when the instruction is to take place and that is when the parent is sitting down, standing up, going to bed or getting out of bed…i.e. twenty-four hours a day constantly teaching. Verses eight and nine identify how the parent is to instruct: place the Bible instructions on the inside of the house, the outside of the house and even wear them in front of your eyes as a constant reminder of what God expects from His people. In other words, keep God in front of everyone in the home!
Remember: God did not give the children to the school, the church or the government, but He invested their eternal souls to us as parents (should I add grandparents, too?). We have a solemn responsibility to teach our children the way of the Lord twenty-four hours a day. Let us not forget the way of the Lord is the right way, the safe way, the smart way, the blessed way, the satisfied way, and the eternal way.
Perhaps your children are grown, but they may have their own children. Or you may be surrounded by neighborhood children. How about the children at church? Regardless of whether you now have children at home, we need your help in raising this new generation. It does indeed take a village to raise a child and, as a parent, I am very thankful for the village that helped raise our three children. Be sure you’re part of such a village for the children around you!
“O, God, help us to help them know You!”
Sep 28, 2023 – A little boy seated himself in a barber’s chair and explained that he wanted a haircut. The amused barber asked, “How would you like your hair to be cut?”
The boy answered, “Like grandpa’s.”
“How is grandpa’s hair cut?”
The boy said, “Real short with a hole in the top!”
That boy will likely change his tune when he gets older, because his hair will eventually start looking like his grandpa’s—real short with a hole in the top because image begets image and likeness begets likeness.
Today’s Verse expresses an eternal truth: “Parent Adam begot a son in his own likeness, after or according to his own image.” What is an “image”? “Reproduction of a person or thing…an exact likeness…a person strikingly like another person.”
If you want to be a good father or mother, the first item you must understand is your children will look like you. Why? They have been born in your image just like you were born in the image of your own parents.
When a doctor examines you the first time, he wants to know the illnesses of your parents, because the doctor knows that image begets image and likeness begets likeness. When a counselor first meets you he wants to know about your parents for the very same reason.
My wife’s uncles—forty years ago I thought they looked different, but when they reached their 70’s and 80’s they looked the same! And now that is happening to my brother and me…to my wife’s brothers, too.
Mentally—What is the old saying? “He is smart like his father or mother.”
Every parent needs to be presented a wall mirror on their child’s first birthday. Why then? The parents have endured parenthood for 365 days…some things are becoming clearer. The wall mirror should bear these words, “My child will likely become JUST LIKE THE PERSON IN THIS MIRROR.” That includes much more than physical attributes; it includes the whole person including his goals and outlook. Will that be good for the child or not-so-good? The parent needs to answer that question each time he/she combs the hair, adjusts the clothing, dries the face, makes sure everything is ready to face the world.
Yes, “My child will LIKELY become just like me.” This writer is not a betting person, but you could probably make a lot of money betting in favor of those words…but probably lose everything betting against those words. After all, it is a biblical truth that likeness begets likeness.
Perhaps you should share this with the younger parents in your family.
Sep 27, 2023 – A preacher stood in Tiffany’s Jewelry Store in downtown New York City. He heard a lady ask a salesman about some pearls. The salesman said, “Those pearls cost $17,000.” (Perhaps over $100,000 in today’s dollars.)
The preacher was so surprised that he asked to see the pearls. The salesman placed the pearls on a black cloth; the preacher studied the pearls very carefully. He asked, “I suppose all of the jewelry in this store is very valuable, isn’t it?” Of course, the answer was, “Yes.”
The preacher then imagined the jeweler bringing all of the store’s jewelry to his house and saying, “We want you to take care of this jewelry tonight.”
The preacher thought, “I would then have to call the police and say, ‘I have all of the jewelry in Tiffany’s in my house, but it is too great a responsibility. Would you please send some of your best policemen to help me protect this jewelry?”
(After all, we would do everything in our power to protect all of that jewelry, wouldn’t we?)
The preacher then thought, “But I have a little boy in my home and I am also responsible for him!”
Lesson: If you held all of the world’s rubies, pearls and diamonds in one hand and placed the little boy in the other hand—which would be worth more?
Socrates taught, “Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim, ‘Fellow-citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?’”
Good words to consider…
Sep 26, 2023 – What is your church’s reputation? Not only on the inside (within the membership) but, more importantly, on the outside in the community? This is not a trivial matter. Indeed, it is one of the most important issues that will determine your church’s effectiveness.
The audience for Today’s Verse appears to now be in the 200-500 viewer range on a daily basis. Most of you are in the “committed” category of church members. You’ve moved from the Community to the Crowd (those attending) to the Congregation (membership) into the ranks of the Committed, and some have even made it into the Core inner circle. You’re different than the community, the crowd and even the congregation because you are deeply committed to providing an effective ministry for the people. Thus, let’s turn our focus to something you, the Committed and the Core, need to consider: the importance of your church’s reputation.
One of my pastorates was in a dysfunctional church. The people did not get along. The sign in the front yard bore the church’s name and included this line: “A Friendly Baptist Church.” I asked the deacon, “Don’t you think you should change your sign?”
The deacon asked, “Why?”
I answered, “This whole community knows you are NOT a friendly Baptist church. Baptist yes, but friendly no.”
That blunt conversation could be conducted in many churches. Unfortunately, those churches have lost their influence in their community. That loss of influence means they will be the church at the bottom of the list when one considers visiting a church. It means they will have little to no influence in presenting Christ in that community’s homes, little to no influence in shaping the community and reinforcing righteous standards in the school system, government and other entities.
Have you read how the Lord evaluated the churches in Revelation 2-3? Our Lord says, “I know your works” and He then elaborated on what He knew. Guess who else knows? The community. They watch with an eagle eye. They hear how the members talk. They hear the gossip. One newspaper editor captures this idea with his own admonishment, “If you don’t want it printed, then don’t let it happen!”
The community ALWAYS knows for there is no such thing as a secret business meeting. Benjamin Franklin wisely said, “Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.“
By contrast, I visited a former pastorate yesterday that, with only a few hiccups, has built a reputation as a Great Commission, soulwinning church for three decades. They have diligently worked at God’s work, and the result is a high level of expectancy within the community. The community expects that church to be God’s church!
Imagine the Apostle Paul’s words being said about your church! “Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” All I can say to those words is “WOW!” May such words also be said about your own church either in the “now” or in the “very soon.”
Sep 25, 2023 – Do you ever get discouraged with the current state of the world including our own country? The prophet Isaiah expresses his concern for his own people in Today’s Verse. Israel’s spiritual decline into idolatry was threatening to destroy the entire country. But in spite of the odds, Isaiah still had hope. Isaiah recognized there was still one force that could prevent his country from experiencing a TOTAL decline into an abyss as evil as the sinfulness of Sodom. That force was the followers of Jehovah, not the followers of the common gods of that day known as Baal.
These followers of the great I AM weren’t known for their skills in politics, economics, or education. Nor were they known for their great number (the Bible describes them as a “very small remnant). But they were known as the LIGHT of the world…the SALT that prevents total decay from sweeping the land. Why? Salt preserves and light illuminates! In other words, they make everything better!
The Bible makes it clear the most important people in America are not the people in Washington D.C., but the people who radiate God’s presence in their communities. But it’s not an easy calling!
A Christian woman found it difficult to be true to her Christian principles at work. She expressed her many frustrations to her pastor. The pastor asked, “Where do you put lights? In a bright place?”
“No,” she replied. “in a dark place in order to make it light.” Suddenly, she understood why God had placed her in such difficult surroundings!
Some of you may be the only light or salt that some people experience this coming week. What an opportunity is yours!
Go forth and be God’s light and salt to someone this week!
Sep 23-24, 2023 – I called the police department at 11:30 p.m. and pleaded, “I have two men at my bank window apparently trying to cash a stolen check. I need help now!”
It was the mid 1970’s before banks had ATM machines. Our bank had just reduced their downtown motor bank hours from twenty-four hours a day to eighteen hours a day. I worked the four p.m. to midnight shift by myself in a small stand-alone building across the street from the main building. The bank claimed the window was bulletproof, but I am sure the walls were not…and a good kick would break open the door.
Many times on Friday’s paycheck day I would wait on 300 customers in that eight hours. Cars would be lined off the bank parking lot onto the main street. The final rush occurred at eleven p.m. when the factory workers left their evening shift and needed to cash their payroll checks. It was near the end of that rush that this story occurred.
The car drove up to the window. I slid out the drawer; the driver handed me a check but no identification. I requested a driver’s license, but the driver said he had forgotten his wallet.
All banks were paper-based in those days. Our check register was a paper document that listed all the accounts and the balances. I opened the check register to see if there was enough money to cover the check. To my surprise the account was not listed. Not there! The checks were not over-the-counter checks like a customer receives when he opens a new account. Instead, these were printed checks from Deluxe bearing the corporate name; thus, I immediately concluded this was most likely a stolen check.
I grabbed the telephone and called the police department. (There was no 911 in those days.) I identified myself and said, “I have two men at my bank window apparently trying to cash a stolen check. I need help now!” The officer enthusiastically responded, “Help is on the way!”
I recall stalling the driver. I asked, “Are you really so-and-so (the name on the check)?” He assured me that he was but said he could come back tomorrow with his id. I asked, “How about your friend in the front seat? Does he have any id?” The answer was again no. He requested that I return the check.
I ignored his comment, took some money out of the drawer and counted it slower than a sloth.
A few seconds later the city’s entire police department arrived. There were police cars everywhere. The driver was blocked on all sides. The two of them were arrested on a concealed weapons charge, later charged with a stolen check, etc. and the driver eventually ended up in the penitentiary.
I share this because I want you to realize the Lord Jesus Christ is NOT a forger. He is the REAL thing. He is Deity in every aspect. He was Deity before His birth, He was still Deity when He walked the earth, He is still Deity in heaven, and He will still be Deity when He comes to end this age of world history. We preach Him and teach Him not merely because there is no one like Him, but because He is Deity…He is the real thing! And you must get to know Him on a personal basis.
May He be as dear to you as your dearest friend!
Sep 22, 2023 – In the old days, a blacksmith said of Norman McLeod, “He never came to my shop without talking to me as if he had been a blacksmith all his life; but he never went away without leaving Christ in my heart.” What a testimony! What a goal for each one of us! Our words preach, our actions preach, our character preaches, our influence preaches, our money preaches, our recreation preaches, literally everything about us CAN be an instrument to “turn a sinner from the error of his way.”
The word “can” is capitalized in the previous paragraph because such a disclaimer needs to be added. Have you ever heard someone say, “Don’t do as I do but do as I say”? That does not work in Today’s Verse. We can’t “turn a sinner from the error of his way” if we are walking in the same evil or worthless way. Remember: The salt of the earth purifies, not the dirt of the earth. There is a good reason we like to eat on clean plates, not dirty plates. The same principle is true in your sphere of influence. You influence best if you have proven the path works for you!!!
Let’s take a closer look at Today’s Verse. Look carefully at the words: “Sinner” represents the person’s designation before a thrice holy God. This person is not considered holy but rather unholy—in need of salvation from sin and, therefore, deserves to be identified as a sinner!
“Error” = he has chosen wrong. It may not be a sinful choice but it is definitely a worldly choice. O, such errors create so many unnecessary scars! Why don’t people listen to God in the first place?
“Way” = pattern of living. His “error” is not occasional but a pattern, because he follows an erroneous philosophy of life. He has joined the majority of people on the broad road that leads to destruction. God may be an afterthought but is certainly not the sinner’s first thought.
“Death” = death is not cessation of being (as the annihilationist erroneously teaches) but eternal separation from God. “These shall go away into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:41). John describes such separation as “the second death” (Revelation 20:14). Such a person needs our pity…but, most of all, needs our guidance.
“Cover” = the same Greek word is used of a ship being “covered” or swamped by a giant wave. That’s what God does with the repentant sinner. God covers or hides our sin from His face. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Ask any repenting sinner and he will tell you, “It feels good to be clean!” And it does!
Let us use today to influence a sinner from the error of his way!
Sep 15, 2023 – “Who then can be saved?” asked the disciples. That depends on how you can answer this question: Who is ABLE or QUALIFIED to be a savior? Let’s rephrase that: Who is able to save our souls from a guilty verdict at the final judgment?
First, in order to qualify as such a Savior one must be able to save or capable of saving the one that needs saved. It does not matter if a person is willing. The question must be asked, “Is the person ABLE to save?” For example, a man was seen drowning in the stream. A man saw him struggling and yelled, “I want to save you, but I don’t know how to swim. I start swimming lessons tomorrow. Can you stay afloat until then?” Many may be willing but few are able to save.
Comedian Pat Paulson expressed such futility in a water safety film of years ago. (Pat also ran for President several times.) The safety film portrayed a person drowning in a swimming pool. Pat laid on his side at the edge of the pool, extended his arm to the drowning person, but did not jump into the pool to rescue the person. His actions did no good.
Second, in order to qualify as such a Savior, one must be in a better situation than the one that needs saved. In other words, he cannot be in the same sinking boat as the victim, because the boat is going down for both of them. For example, two men were sinking in quicksand. They took comfort in holding on to each other, but it accomplished no good. Neither man could save the other. Nor can any of us save any others of us! All of us are in the same sinking boat with no lifeboat, no life preserver and no hope of saving ourselves. Our ship is going down!
But along comes Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven, and He is able to do everything that is needed. “He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” “But this man after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). “For God has made Him, who knew no sin [that’s why He qualifies as a sacrifice] to be sin for us [as our substitute] that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He takes my sin and gives me His righteousness! That’s grace! “Wherefore, God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name…” and what Is one of His names? It is JESUS which means Jehovah Saves!
Aren’t you glad there is One in heaven Who deserves to be called OUR Savior?

Sep 14, 2023 – R. E. Winsett taught us to sing, “Troublesome times are here, Filling men’s hearts with fear! Freedom we all hold dear now is at stake. Humbling your hearts to God Saves from the chastening rod; Seek the way pilgrims trod, CHRISTIANS AWAKE.” Awake, though, to hope or despair? The answer comes: “JESUS IS COMING SOON, Morning or night or noon, Many will meet their doom, Trumpets will sound. All the dead in Christ shall rise, Righteous meet in the skies; Going where no one dies, Heavenward bound!”
The times do indeed look dark, but let us remember that “weeping only endures for a night because joy comes in the morning!”
Why? Because Jesus is Lord of all to the glory of God the Father. He who came to die is coming again to reign! Someday the greatest battle of all will be fought at the Battle of Armageddon. The armies of the earth will join forces to battle the One who comes to claim the right to rule planet Earth.
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns…And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
What is the result? The armies of the Earth do not even have a chance. They “were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.” It is such a great slaughter the Bible adds these words: “And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
Mark my words: When all is said and done, Jesus will be on the throne.
When the devil’s reign has ended, Jesus will be on the throne.
When the last judgment is complete and sin has been fully punished, Jesus will be on the throne.
When the lake of fire is sealed for eternity, Jesus will be on the throne.
When the universe has been dissolved with a fervent heat and the earth is no more, Jesus will be on the throne.
When comes the dawning of the new heaven and new earth, Jesus will be on the throne. Oh, yes, HE WILL!
What about us? “And while the ages roll we’ll keep on praising Him, And our voice will never tire nor grow old. And our song shall ever be, Praise the Lamb who died for me! And I’ll sing it while ages roll on!”
Ah, dear believer, raise your head! Your redemption is drawing near!!!

Sep 12, 2023 – Are you an “and” Christian? You have to see this for yourself!
Please take your Bible and look at the first word of the verses in Mark chapters 1 & 2. Then take a brief look at the following chapters, too. Most translations correctly begin the majority of Mark’s verses with the conjunction “and” or another conjunction such as “but” or “because.” For all intents and purposes, the book of Mark consists of one very long run-on sentence.
My English teachers would have flunked Mark for his writing style; however, by so doing Mark teaches us a very valuable lesson about ministry (as well as life in general). Mark presents the ministry of Jesus in terms of one long, unending flow of ministry rather than an occasional event such as teaching a Sunday School lesson once a week.
Jesus was constantly ministering each day of the week to whomever He met, in whatever circumstance He found Himself, constantly viewing Himself as being on mission for His heavenly Father. Why? Jesus might explain it like this: “It’s who I am, it’s what I do, it’s why I keep on doing it.” The concept of Christian ministry was totally engrained in Him. He lived it and breathed it. He did so when He felt like doing it; He also did so when He did not feel like doing it (Garden of Gethsemane). Yes, He rested from ministry (Mark 6:31), and He enjoyed friendship (with Lazarus and others). But He never ceased BEING what He was supposed to be: a minister representing the Father.
In a similar way, the best Christians are not the flashy Christians that make a big splash on Sunday but the ones who never cease BEING what they are supposed to be. It begins with the internal, not the external…the determined will rather than the marvelous talent. The best Christians simply do it and keep on doing it, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year and decade after decade. They aren’t measured by occasional events but by an everyday process of representing God before man. The effectiveness of such lives CANNOT be measured in the here and now.
I salute so many of you who have made your Christian calling your #1 calling for your life. Rest assured, you have indeed made a difference…and will continue to make a difference. “It’s who we are, it’s what we do, it’s why we keep on doing it.” Amen.
Sep 11, 2023 – How important is Jesus Christ? During the Civil War an elderly gentleman sat outside the main gate to the White House. His clothes were covered with dust and his eyes were filled with tears. A young boy stopped and asked the man why he was crying.
The man explained that his son was in the army but was condemned to be shot, because he had deserted his army post. The man said, “The guards will not let me in to see the President. Mr. Lincoln is so kind and generous. If he will hear the full details of my son’s desertion I feel sure he will pardon my son.”
The boy said, “I can take you to the President.”
“You?”
“Yes, he’s my father and he lets me come in and talk to him anytime I feel like it.”
The son took the old man into the White House. Abraham Lincoln heard the father’s request and granted it.
THE KEY TO SEEING THE FATHER WAS KNOWING THE SON. Likewise, the way to God the Father is through God the Son! In Today’s Verse Jesus declares, “No man comes to the Father except ‘dia’ Me.” The Greek preposition “dia” may be translated “by” or “through” but the point is clear: Jesus Christ and Him alone is the channel one must travel to get to the Father. What did Peter say? “There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Apostle Paul declares, “There is ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Only One can reconcile God and humanity!
It is true that we believe in an exclusive religion, but that is not based upon our whims or personal beliefs. It is because we accept Jesus’ words as truth and, therefore, we approach the invisible God the Father through Christ and ONLY Christ. In effect, Christ serves as the door to the Father (John 10:9). Not the Virgin Mary, the Pope, a particular church or denomination nor a religious rite such as a sacrament, but solely through Christ: the One who died for our sins, was buried but rose again on the third day for our justification.
Think with me for a moment. Jesus prayed in the Garden, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.” Had there been ANY other way, Christ would NOT have died. But it was not possible! There could be no salvation from sin except through what He accomplished on the cross in dying as our substitute.
He paid the ultimate price, and today He is the door for your salvation and my salvation. Thank God, He is my door, how about yours?
Sep 9-10, 2023 – Forgiven! Too many Christians lay awake at night worrying about the extent of God’s forgiveness in their salvation. The idea of “total forgiveness” is foreign to their minds. But, rest assured, God is able to provide that kind of salvation, because forgiveness is based upon the complete removal of sin from our account.
The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) includes a picture of what God does with our sin in salvation. This picture included a live goat (scapegoat) as well as a sacrificial goat. The latter goat was sacrificed to pay the penalty for the sins of the people. It was literally put to death as a substitute for the guilty. We are familiar with that! The live goat, though, taught a DIFFERENT aspect of salvation. It served as the sinner’s scapegoat. Let us remember that a scapegoat is blamed for the faults of others, not the faults of himself. In this picture, the live goat removed the sins of the people from the presence of God.
The priest laid his hands upon the live goal (picturing the transfer of sins from the people to the live goat). The goat was then banished into the wilderness, never to be retrieved again. Thus, the sins were “sent away” or “put away” where no one could ever retrieve them. What a picture of salvation!
Interestingly, the Greek word “aphiemi” (translated “forgiveness”) means “send away” or “put away.” Thayer teaches, “a release, the letting them go as if they had not been committed, thus, forgiveness, a remission of their penalty.” Wuest adds, “the latter goat typifying that aspect of redemption in which the sins of the human race were put away, never to be charged against the individual again.” MY SINS ARE GONE, never again to be brought against me!
This teaching is in accordance with Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” How far has the scapegoat taken our sin? To infinity and beyond if possible! A person can always travel east or west, but he can only go so far north or south before heading in the opposite direction. Thus, there is a limit to north and south, but there is no limit to east and west.
Ada R. Habershon testifies, “As far as the west is removed from the east, He banished my sins, both the greatest and least; My sins are forgiven, Are yours?
“Like clouds they had gathered, obscuring the sun; He blotted them out, there remaineth not one; My sins are forgiven, Are yours?
“I could not have settled the least of my debts; He paid the great price, and He even forgets; My sins are forgiven, Are yours?
“My sins were as scarlet, and crimson the stains; He made them like snow, and no vestige remains; My sins are forgiven, Are yours?
“My guilt and my need His great love have revealed; Once wounded for me, by His stripes I am healed; My sins are forgiven, Are yours?
“And this is the reason I’m pardoned today, Because with His blood He has washed them away; My sins are forgiven, Are yours?”
This writer can safely say, “My sins are indeed forgiven,” but how about you?
Sep 8, 2023 – Why does a Christian give up his or her life as a martyr for Christ? The writer of Hebrews admonishes us with the reminder, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4). You and I may moan at times about the difficulties associated with the Christian life, but, truth be told, we know practically nothing about real suffering for the cause of Christ. Oh, how scriptures like Today’s Verse should shame us for our groaning!
One pastor said, “Sundays are so hard that I resign my pastorate every Monday, but I re-sign by Wednesday!” Those words are often said in jest, but they often reflect the weakness not only of our flesh but also of our spirit. We are so prone to wilt like a flower in the mid-summer sun.
Today’s Verse concludes with the commendation of these early church saints, “of whom the world was not worthy.” NOT WORTHY! We could employ those same words to describe our Lord: “of Christ the world was not worthy.” No argument can counter those words. Yes, Christ is above all and this rebellious world does not deserve the gift of Christ dying for the sins of all humanity.
But these words are not used of the Christ, but of saints who “resisted to the point of shedding their blood.” People that went much further than you or me.
Elizabeth Alden Scott, a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, was martyred alongside her husband in China one hundred years ago. Betty’s father gave her a Bible when she was a sophomore at Moody’s. This Bible was found in her effects after her death. The Bible contained this solemn vow which should challenge us to even greater service:
“MY COVENANT: ‘Lord, I give up my own purposes and plans, all my own desires, hopes and ambitions (whether they be fleshly or soulish), and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships, my love. All the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Work out Thy whole will in my life, at any cost, now and forever. To me to live is Christ and to die is gain.’” Elizabeth Alden Scott, August 3, 1925
Elizabeth wrote, “Work out Thy whole will in my life, at any cost, now and forever.” She not only wrote it, but she also lived it. God help us to get to that level in our own Christian effort.
Sep 7, 2023 – How would you like to be remembered? Sitting Bull said, “I want to be remembered as the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle.” Baseball star Ken Griffey, Jr. said, “A couple things I’m gonna be remembered for: the hat backwards and the swing. And the smile.” True! Ohio State’s basketball center Greg Oden said, “I’ll be remembered as the biggest bust in NBA history. But I can’t do nothing about that.” (Greg suffered a career ending injury. No one knows how great he may have been!)
But how would you like to be remembered? The old saying is true: “The person who aims at nothing hits nothing.” Most people wander through life looking for who-knows-what and, of course, never finding it because they never define their goal.
If we ask the average Christian to identify the most important characteristic of Noah, he will likely respond, “Noah built an ark.” That is indeed a tremendous accomplishment. But nothing is said about building the ark in Today’s Verse. Isn’t that weird? The #1 item we expect is missing. What is mentioned? Peter mentions the #1 cause Noah represented: righteousness.
Perhaps that is so because Noah was on the ark less days than he stood for righteousness. Perhaps that is so because the ark influenced less people than his call for righteousness. Regardless of the reason, Noah must have really let his “little light shine.”
Noah’s generation was best known for its UNrighteousness, not righteousness. What is righteousness? The simplest answer is to say “righteousness” means “being right” or “standing for what is right.” Who, though, determines what is right? It is God. Let me restate that: It is ALWAYS God. If God says something is right, it is right. If God says something is wrong, it is wrong. God’s people are called to stand for what is right as defined by God; in so doing, we will often find ourselves taking a stand against that which is wrong. (Caution: This stand includes much more than the abortion issue. Christians are not called to be one-issue people but multi-issue people.)
When Noah died some people undoubtedly said, “Thank You, Lord, for giving us a preacher of righteousness.” Others, though, likely said, “Glad we don’t have to listen to him anymore.” Regardless of the verdict, though, both sides knew what Noah represented.
Philosopher Edmund Burke says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
What, though, about us? Do we have the courage to be like Noah and take a righteous stand? When we pass on, will anyone say about us, “He or she was a person of righteousness”? Oh, God, may it be so!
Sep 6, 2023 – PART 5 – How much do you want to be God’s kind of Christian? Totally committed to Him and also to His purpose in the world? That question has been explored carefully in the previous four editions of Today’s Verse. As noted in prior devotionals, only the Apostle John went all the way with Christ…through His many trials, His flogging, and His crucifixion. Only John is present at the crucifixion, and it is to him that Jesus commits the care of His dear mother, Mary.
The old song says, “By and by when I look on His face, I’ll wish I had given Him more.” Those words express the attitude, not of a careless lukewarm Christian, but rather of a Christian who is firmly committed to serving Christ…and does indeed serve Christ with great intensity…but who also understands that Christ deserves even more than he can give. “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small, Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” Such is the attitude of John in the last few hours…and such is the attitude of God’s committed servant.
Let us close this study by examining the fourth reason John was able to go all the way with Jesus. It is because John follows ONLY Christ.
Jesus said, “Where I am, there will My servant be also.” The first part of Today’s Verse makes it plain that Jesus is not thinking about heaven but rather of ministry. We must remember that Jesus “chose the twelve that they might be WITH Him” (Mark 3:14). Not lone gunslingers doing their own thing, but rather Christians that are in the yoke with the Master, thereby following His lead and His teaching.
What about us? This same Jesus has now returned to heaven, but prior to His departure He told us about the mission He wanted to continue through us and He said, “Go into all the world and preach or declare the gospel to every creature.” “Lo, I am with you always” whether you’re accomplishing My mission in the fifth century or the twenty-first century. Thank God, we are not alone as we do this God-called ministry of world evangelization.
Ah, the greatest privilege of man is to be “with Him.” Adam experienced that privilege in the Garden of Eden. The Apostle Peter had a similar opportunity in the Garden of Gethsemane, but he chose to sleep and then later desert Christ. Only John followed Christ…and only John experienced those final hours.
Pay attention: It ought to cost something to follow Christ. Indeed, it DOES. It cost John his fishing nets. One day Jesus passed by John’s boat and said, “Follow Me and I will make you a fisherman of men.” John heeded the call! He left his nets and followed, not knowing where he would eventually go or what he would eventually do. As a result, John saw and experienced things that are beyond description. He finished his life by writing about meeting the exalted Christ in the Revelation, “I saw One like unto the Son of man who said, ‘I am He that lives and was dead; behold, I am alive forevermore, AMEN! And I have the keys of hell and of death.’”
No words can describe what John saw or did in the years after accepting that heavenly call to “leave your nets and follow Me.” The cost was nothing compared to the blessing.
Likewise, it cost Moses the riches of Egypt in the house of Pharaoh. He chose instead to follow the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was later able to write, “The Lord spoke to me FACE TO FACE as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). What Moses lost was practically nothing to what he gained.
Many Christians shy away from following Christ, because they do not want to pay the cost to go “with Him all the way.” But they don’t realize how much they really miss in having Christ as part of their everyday life and ministry. No one ever said ministry is easy…but, if you are one of us who are committed to Christ, can you think of anything you would rather do than ministry? It is not only something you do, but it becomes who you are: God’s minister to this world. What a calling! What a blessing! What a journey!
“And where I am, there will YOU be also.” Let’s make it happen!
Sep 4-5, 2023 – PART 4 “So said all the disciples. ‘I will not deny You.’” But only John stayed with Jesus to the bitter end. Peter and the others undoubtedly had good intentions when they confessed Today’s Verse, but good intentions do not always produce faithful actions. 91% of the apostles failed to stick it out with Jesus through His trials, beatings and crucifixion. Only 9% of them – i.e. only one – hung in there, stayed faithful and loyal—the one named the Apostle John.
KEY: What enabled John to go all the way with Jesus? “I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way,” was more than a song to John; it was also a pledge and a commitment.
Let’s look today at the third reason John excelled in his calling. #3 – John goes all the way to the cross with Jesus, because he SERVES ONLY Christ. In many ways, John is like the faithful dog that follows the hearse to the cemetery, and remains at his master’s grave for days on end. John has died to self; he is alive, though, to exalting Christ more than anything else in life. Therefore, where else should John be except in the place (the cross) that God has assigned him?
Shallow Christians dwell upon the question, “What is best for ME?” In the case of the apostles, “Should I stay with Christ or should I flee?” “Me” is their biggest enemy. They serve themselves, are focused on their own self-interest. From their perspective, it is not profitable for THEM if they take a stand for Christ in the workplace, family or anywhere. They reason, “If I want to be well-liked, I better not be committed to Christ.”
But John does not ask the question, “What is best for ME?” He instead asks, “What is best for HIM, for the Christ? He is my Lord and Savior. Where else should I be?”
In the early days of my ministry, I prayed this prayer: “Lord, give me the backbone to stand for Thee. Help me to stand for only Thee. When the pressures come to bend, help me to stand straight and tall. When trouble comes, help me to hold to Thy unchanging Word. Lord, my ministry is Your ministry. Take this ministry and use it as You see fit. Amen.” By God’s grace I rejoice today that He has kept me busy on His team for nearly fifty years!
Perhaps you are struggling with this issue of total commitment to Christ. Wonder why? Have you identified the reason? Let me suggest three possibilities. First, are you struggling with your past? John had to overcome a not-so-good past to go all the way with Jesus. John was known as “the son of thunder.” Apparently, John’s temper tantrums were legendary! The Apostle Paul faced a similar struggle in dealing with his past blasphemy of Christ and persecution of God’s church. Ah, but neither man allowed his past to define him or overcome him.
Second, are you struggling with your memory? Some people have incredible memories. They never forget a bad church experience, though it may have occurred thirty years ago. (I have met some vicious church members in my day, but they did not stop me nor should they stop you.) Then again, some Christians may struggle with a bad experience that creates much uncertainty, a serious loss of confidence. Or they may remember a time when they were wrong on an important issue and they cannot put it behind them. (Note: Ten apostles, including Peter, will successfully overcome the “memory” problem and go on to very important ministries.)
Third, are you struggling with your priorities? “We won’t be in church in body, but we will be present in spirit.” After hearing it for six weeks, the pastor finally said, “I’d rather have you here in flesh and not in spirit.” I recall one of my father’s pastorates where the church annually took off the summer to go camping. Their lack of commitment was a serious handicap to doing the Lord’s work. But one summer job difficulties resulted in a loss of income…and no money to vacation the entire summer! So they attended church, kept praying, and doing God’s work. What was the result? It just so happened the church advanced that summer from a “C” level church to a “B” level church for many years to come. It simply changed the church through and through.
KEY: No one can walk all the way with Jesus until that person stops serving himself. The flesh will allow you to go only as far as the devil’s fire as in the case of Peter. As we both know, that is not far enough! It falls far short of what God expects from each one of us.
Only John could be counted on…because John served ONLY Christ, not himself. May we do the same.
Sep 2-3, 2023 – PART 3 – Whom do you believe? Believe enough to trust that person’s wisdom all of the time? To surrender your will to that individual and allow him or her to take control of your everyday life? That is a hard question.
This devotional is Part 3 in a five-part series exploring the question, “Would you have made it to the cross with Jesus?” The flippant answer is a quick, “Yes.” The reflective answer, though, may be something entirely different. What is the difference? The reflective answer is developed only after reflecting upon the real events in the twenty-four hours prior to the crucifixion. After all, real life is NOT a fairy tale!
Let’s remember Jesus prophesied to the apostles, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered’…Peter answered, ‘Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble’” (Matthew 26:31). Peter gave a flippant, though well-intended, answer, but he soon learned “the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own strength.”
Indeed, Peter’s failure (and the failure of the others except John) should cause us to reflect before answering the question, “Would you have made it to the cross with Jesus?” Sadly, most of our church members cannot even make it to church on Sunday, open a Bible on Monday, bend their knees in prayer on Tuesday, let their light shine on Wednesday or give their tithe on Thursday, etc. But they still sing, “O How I Love Jesus.” What a disconnect!
But John was not like such church members nor was he like the other apostles. John made it ALL THE WAY to the cross. Why? Yesterday we gained an understanding that John goes all the way because he sees only Christ. John’s attention was not focused upon the enemy, but upon One greater than all the enemies combined.
That brings us to the second reason John triumphs over his own fear, fleshly weakness, and lack of support from others. #2 – John goes all the way because he BELIEVES only Jesus. Notice I did not say that John UNDERSTOOD Jesus, but only that he BELIEVED Jesus. John 12:16 says, “Jesus’ disciples did NOT understand these things [about the crucifixion] at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him.”
Do you recall Jesus’ words in John 14:1? “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, right? Well, believe also in _____.” Yourself? No. An elected official? No. A school teacher? No. A pastor? No. A family member? No. Who then? Jesus said, “ME!” Jesus is emphasizing, “During the next twenty-four hours you will experience things that will knock you off course, threaten your faith and your Christian ministry. During those hours you need to believe in ME! Believe that I know what I am doing, that I am still in charge, and that the will of God is being done.”
Why is this necessary? It is because ministry is not easy. That is why so many are either in a hot-or-cold pattern or fall away altogether. Listen: It is easy to serve God when everyone is patting you on the back, but it is another matter entirely when you’re swimming upriver against all kinds of obstacles and problems. Trust me: You will experience both situations in your ministry. How will you survive at such a time? You must do what John did: You must abandon everything else and believe only Jesus.
First, believe Jesus knows what He is doing in leading you through this valley. Ten apostles never considered this idea. They thought the entire thing was a mistake! John, though, must have glimpsed this truth. What words are often quoted from the book of Esther? “Who knows but that God has prepared you for a time such as this?” It took courage for Queen Esther to approach the king on behalf of her people. Likewise, it took courage for John to take his stand at the cross. Both Esther and John believed God knew what He was doing in whatever He allowed to come their way.
Second, believe Jesus is bigger than your own difficulty. The three Hebrew children testified, “Our God can deliver us from the furnace of fire. But if He chooses not to do so, mark our words, o King: we will not worship you!” Those are the kind of words uttered by those who triumphantly make it to the cross. Though we may be deep in the pit, we must remember our God can deliver us, even if He chooses not to deliver us as in the case of the deacon named Stephen. We won’t back down!
Third, believe Jesus can bring you through the problem. “Have faith in God!” echoes throughout the pages of Holy Writ. John made it to the cross one step at a time, one breath at a time. There was no magic formula for getting there…just persistent belief in his Master. John kept believing! Someone said, “I have a hold on God but, more importantly, God has a greater hold on me!” God’s hold upon John gave him a burning desire to stay with Christ despite any detrimental outcome.
Fourth, believe Jesus is right in what He wants you to do. Jesus regarded His mission as the most important mission of all. So must you! Jesus died upon a cross; you are called to “die daily.” Die to self, but be alive in the yoke with Jesus, continuing His ministry on planet earth. Note: When the going gets tough, the final resolution will depend upon whether you faithfully believe in what God has called you to do. Has God made a mistake with you? If you quit, your answer is yes. If you continue to minister, the answer is no.
Picture in your mind John standing at the cross. Someone asks him, “Why are you still with Jesus? Why are you here?”
John points at the One on the middle cross and confesses, “It is because I still believe in Him! I will not turn back!”
Can you say the same?
Sep 1, 2023 – PART 2 – Would you have been present at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Jesus began the previous evening with twelve apostles, but one (Judas) committed suicide, ten deserted Him and are now nowhere to be found, and only the Apostle John has the courage to stand at the foot of the cross. John does not stand alone, for he is accompanied by the mother of Jesus and other women.
Only one of the twelve made it to the cross! In many ways, this effort represents the most dedicated effort of any apostle in the Gospel accounts. The old song says, “I can hear my Savior calling, Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.” That is quite a challenge, but it is the same challenge for each one of us. John accepted the challenge and sang, “Where He leads me, I will follow. I’ll go with Him ALL THE WAY.”
The evangelist John R. Rice wrote one of the hardest-hitting books on dedication I have ever read. The book’s title is “What It Costs to be a Good Christian.” I am not sure most current day Christians would tolerate such a challenge. We live in an age when Christians prefer education to challenges…mediocrity to selling out for Christ. One state director recently told me, “We’ve forgotten that church revitalization (the new philosophy) can’t happen without revival of the heart.” I don’t want those words to be said about me. Do you want them to be said about you?
I’d much rather be a John than any of those who never made it to the cross. How, though, did John do it? What instilled him with the courage to go farther than the others? We will look at four commitments by John over the next four editions of Today’s Verse.
First, John goes all the way, because he SEES ONLY Christ. Christ is the sole object of his focus. John did not write the book of Hebrews, but he LIVED this Hebrews verse through and through: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1). The Psalmist echoes those words in writing, “I have set the Lord always before me. I shall not be moved” Psalm 16:8).
During this entire process (betrayal through the crucifixion) John did not focus his attention upon the enemy: the soldiers, the trials of the Sanhedrin Court, the howling mob, the injustice of Governor Pilate or even his own inner turmoil. Though undoubtedly frightened by this whole ordeal, John looks past the enemy and fixes his eyes upon the Christ. John has reached a place where nothing else matters, only the Christ matters.
Interestingly, Peter had the same opportunity as John to enter the high priest’s house and stand alongside Jesus. But the Bible indicates that Peter stayed outside in the courtyard. From that vantage point Peter could not see the Christ; he could only see the enemy. The enemy—a little damsel girl—asked him, “Aren’t you one of Jesus’ disciples?” Peter sees the nearby soldiers listening to the conversation and chooses to run. Why does he run? He sees only the enemy.
In so doing, Peter repeats the same mistake he made when he walked upon the water with Jesus. Peter experienced victory when he kept his eyes upon the Christ, but he nearly drowned when he put his eyes upon the enemy (water). Defeat is supposed to teach us something, but it is evident Peter did not learn his lesson. Peter is still looking in the wrong direction in the courtyard.
KEY: The key to conquering the enemy is not the SIZE of the enemy. It appears the entire world was against Jesus at His rejection and crucifixion. It would have been easy for John to have thrown in the towel. After all, he was badly outnumbered. But the key to conquering the enemy is not the SIZE of the enemy, but the size of our Savior. Peter looked at the enemy and was defeated. On the other hand, John looked at the Christ; Who he saw gave him courage to do what no one else did. John believed, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us” (Romans 8:37). John set his sights upon the One who is ranked higher than all principalities and powers! He knew “in Whom he believed and he was PERSUADED…”
Ah, friend, where did Abraham look? “He looked for a city whose builder and ruler is God.” In other words, he saw only Christ.
Where did Caleb look? Although there were formidable giants ruling the land, Caleb proclaimed, “God has given me this mountain and no giant can keep me from claiming it.” He saw only the powerful Christ high and lifted up, much higher than those dreadful giants.
Yes, John could have fled, but he said, “I’ll go with the Conqueror who calmed the sea, fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish, healed blind Bartimaeus, redeemed a fallen tax collector named Zaccheus and Who brought salvation to my soul. He has gone all the way for me. How can I do less for Him?”
Just wondering: Will you accept the challenge and join John at the cross? More tomorrow.

Aug 31, 2023 – Do you ever wonder what you signed up for? A maid was hired to work for the Hollywood comedian Gracie Allen. About this same time Gracie Allen received a small, live alligator as a practical joke. One day Gracie had an appointment rescheduled to “as soon as you can make it.” Not knowing what to do, she placed the tiny alligator in the bathroom and left for the appointment.
When Gracie returned home she found this note from the maid: “Dear Miss Allen, Sorry but I have quit. I don’t work in houses where there is an alligator. I’d a told you this when I took on, but I never thought it would come up.”
There are many things in ministry which we never thought would come up. Recently I was interviewed for a doctoral dissertation about the pastoral ministry. At the conclusion, the interviewer and I agreed that seminary does not adequately prepare a minister for the ministry, because there is a big difference between the real world and the classroom. Things happen that leave one shaking his head and asking, “Who would have imagined that?”
John the Apostle (and the other apostles) must have felt the same way when Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden. It had to be one of those “I didn’t sign up for this” moments. The expectations of a successful ministry were dashed in one misdeed, and John’s mind was left reeling. Everything came crashing down. A few hours passed then John found himself standing at the foot of the cross, watching his Lord experience excruciating pain and yet displaying incredible tenderness to those nearby.
I read the statement recently, “When the Christian loses heart, he loses everything.” The statement sounded good when I first read it, but I soon realized the statement is not correct. For example, when the Christian loses heart he may lose much but he cannot lose his salvation. Jesus said, “I give to them eternal life and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). Nor can the Christian lose the presence of God, the One who has promised to be with us until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Nor can the Christian lose his home in heaven for it has been “reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:5).
But there are times when the Christian loses heart. What did the apostles do in response to Jesus’ arrest? Did they organize a protest movement? No. They ran like jackrabbits for their lives. Their pity party was likely one for the ages. They made no plans for an Easter Sunrise Service at the tomb. Instead, we find them gathered in a room with locked doors (John 20), fearful for their lives.
As a group they have lost heart. It happens to us as individuals when our personal expectations are not met. It often happens to churches when they hit a rough patch. I have preached in churches where no one smiled, because they had lost hope.
But one apostle—his name is John—somehow had the faith to follow Jesus to the cross. It seems reasonable to say that it was God’s will that all eleven apostles be at the cross to attend to Jesus’ needs, but ten are missing. Indeed, Peter only made it to the devil’s fire before turning back. So sad!
But John was different. Something made him different. Something very powerful allowed him to practice the old song, “Where He leads me, I will follow. I’ll go with Him through the garden. I’ll go with Him through the judgment. I’ll take my cross and follow all the way.”
1 out of 11 made it. That’s a 9% success rate but a 91% failure rate. Which statistic best describes your Christian ministry? Do you keep battling when you lose heart or do you lose the battle also when you lose heart?
What made John special? Tune in tomorrow!
Aug 30, 2023 – Are you discouraged with your ministry? Perhaps not seeing the results you want to see? Perhaps disappointed with the current trend of our nation against Christianity? Also bothered by the lack of spiritual intensity/purpose within our own churches? “Lethargy” is a good word to describe the mood of many modern churches. Evangelist B. R. Lakin said about some churches, “If someone comes forward to be saved, they better be careful because they might slip on the ice in the aisle!” In other words, there are some very cold churches out there!
Many pastors graduated from Bible college with the hope of setting the world on fire for Jesus. A few did. Most, however, did not accomplish their goal even though they went on to experience good ministries. They raced for the gold, but only received the silver or the bronze or an honorable mention. A few even left the ministry in utter disappointment.
The reality is that ministry has never been as easy as it looks when we watch the television preachers. TV seems to always make things look better than they are! I preached in a revitalized church in the Dayton area this past Sunday and said to the people, “You have worked hard to get to this level. And you will have to work just as hard to stay at this level or go to a higher level.” For all of us that means conquering disappointment, discouragement, setbacks, failures, conflicts and I haven’t even mentioned the devil yet.
Jesus says in Today’s Verse, “Hold fast or keep holding on!” In the next verse He promises, “He who overcomes, I will make him a PILLAR in the temple of My God.” A pillar! Wow! Something solid, powerful enough to bear a heavy load. Nothing is really said about being a great preacher, awesome teacher, thrilling singer, smart administrator or enthusiastic soulwinner. But what is said is, “Hold fast or keep holding on” through thick or thin, plenty or want, in season or out of season. BE AN OVERCOMER!
Sometimes you may find yourself hanging on by your fingernails…hey, “Hold on for one more day!” Then tell yourself the same thing tomorrow and the day after.
During the Civil War, General William T. Sherman was driving his troops on his decisive march to the sea. He left behind in a fort on Kennesaw Mountain a small contingent of men to guard the rations. General John Bell Hood of the Confederate Army attacked the fort and a fierce battle followed. One-third of the men were killed or wounded, and J. M. Corse, the general in command, was severely injured in the fighting.
Just as Corse was about to raise the white flag and surrender, a message arrived through the signal corps set up on a chain of mountains. General Sherman was within fifteen miles of the fort and had sent the message, “Hold fast! We are coming.”
Those few words were all the encouragement the fort needed! They held on and kept the fort from falling into the hands of the opposing Army.
Based upon that experience, Phillip Bliss wrote the thrilling song, “Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky! Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh. ‘Hold the fort, for I am coming,’ Jesus signals still; Wave the answer back to heaven, ‘By Thy grace we will.’”
Ah, my friend, hang in there till Jesus comes! After all, He is coming!
Aug 29, 2023 – Who would ever think that something like the next sentence could happen…to anyone, let alone you? The fire chief of Simsboro, La. almost drowned when the town’s only fire truck overturned on the way to a fire, spilling 1,200 gallons of water on top of him. Who would have thought?
In Norway, a man was hunting rabbits when he decided to take a break. He laid down his shotgun next to his dog. The frisky pup accidently hit the trigger. Pellets ricocheted off a rock and hit the hunter in the face and arm. Deputy Sheriff Steinar Mydland refused to name the hunter. He said, “It wouldn’t be right to give his name. It’s embarrassing for a hunter to get shot by his dog.” Who would have thought?
Strange things happen. Good things, bad things. Unpredictable things. Items not scheduled on our calendar. Things that may not even be imaginable such as the above two stories. Sorrowful incidents, laughable incidents, too.
Yes, life can be chaotic at times. This writer does not like chaos, how about you? I prefer a predictable flow. Based upon my financial background, I have often said, “I wish life was a spreadsheet, because a spreadsheet is logical!” But life is not always logical, and it leaves me confused.
Jonah’s story is one of the most unexpected, illogical stories in the Bible. Many of us rebel against what God has called us to do. But none of us have duplicated Jonah’s experience and been swallowed by a great fish. But all of us have encountered events which we were not expecting. In some cases we were not prepared for the event; in other cases, though, God had carefully prepared us for what was coming, and we were ready to go forth and conquer.
Sometimes God uses these unexpected events to teach us Who is really in control. James writes about the typical human attitude which says, “Let’s go to such a city, do business for a year!” But James admonishes, “You ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” James is really harsh in his language: “You boast in your arrogance!” Such language gives us God’s view of how most of us plan our days. Would you agree we need to be humbler?
Sometimes God uses these unexpected events as a test. It is easy to become discouraged when our plans go south on us. I marvel at how many people drop out of church when they lose their job. You would think those people would be running to church, but the opposite occurs more often. Those people fail the test. Consider these words: Tests show what is reality and WHO is real. On the other hand, these unexpected events may encourage us…like a pay raise or a much needed “Well done!” Be warned, though, because those events can give us a Superman attitude, cause us to depend less upon the Lord.
Sometimes God uses these unexpected events to teach us to depend upon Him. Jonah didn’t have many options once he was inside the fish. He was literally “boxed in.” The next verse says that Jonah then prayed to the Lord. There is no mention of Jonah praying until he arrives inside the great fish. But now he needed the Lord! Jonah probably sang the old hymn, “Where could I go but to the Lord?” It’s amazing how we lose sight of how much we need the Lord…and, sad to say, it often takes an unexpected STOP sign to get us back on track.
One truth is certain: God is working all around us. He was with us yesterday, He is with us today, and He will hang around with us tomorrow. May you keep a tender heart…and lean upon Him no matter what comes your way.
Aug 28, 2023 – How much does God want to save your soul? More than anyone you have ever met! It is unfathomable to a sinner like me that the holy God of heaven would make a commitment to send His OWN Son to die on an old rugged cross to save my soul.
This writer has preached in the Bible belt for nearly fifty years. Quite often I have quoted the old country preachers who said, “Hell is the hottest for the people in our area who rejected Christ. Why? They have received more opportunities to be saved than most other places in the world.” Others said, “If a sinner in our community rejects so many efforts to save his soul, well, there must be a hell for a sinner like that.”
A young man lived such a wicked life that he brought his mother to an early death. She had prayed for her son’s salvation, but he had spurned the offer. After the funeral service, the father and son returned home. The father sat down in the living room before the fireplace. The boy went to his room on the second floor.
A few minutes later the boy came down the steps. He was going out for the night. The heartbroken father begged his son to remain at home with him.
The boy insisted, “No, I am going out.”
The father stepped to the door and begged his son to turn from his life of sin and receive Christ. Again, the boy refused. Then the father threw himself upon the floor and said, “Son, if you leave this house, you will have to go over my body.”
Uttering vile oaths, the young man stepped UPON the body of his father and rushed out into the night.
Perhaps that story gives us insight into these words: “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).
God the Holy Trinity developed a plan that could save every soul from the wrath to come. God the Son offered the one and only perfect sacrifice that can save our souls. And God the Holy Spirit convinces or convicts the sinner (both those that get saved and those that don’t get saved) of sin (what you are), righteousness (what you need), and judgment (where you are headed). Where does that put us? Right here: “But to as many as RECEIVED HIM (the Savior), to them He gave the right to become children of God.”
Thank God, I have received Him, how about you? But it was only possible because God was “not willing that any (can you put your name here?) perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
“Well, it was a time on earth When in the books of heaven, An old account was standing For sins yet unforgiven. My name was at the top And many things below; But I went unto the keeper And settled it long ago.
“Long ago, long ago, Yes, the old account was settled long ago, And the record’s clear today ‘Cause he washed my sins away. And the old account was settled long ago.” Amen.
Aug 25-27, 2023 – Some years ago, in the city of Toronto, a young man passed a street meeting. He heard the street preacher quote one verse from the Bible: “Son, give me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26). The young man kept walking and heard nothing else. The verse seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Fifty years later, though, the verse became alive to the now much older man. The verse continued to repeat itself to his mind. At last, the conviction of the Holy Spirit fell upon him, then belief came to him and he fell upon his knees, crying to God for mercy and forgiveness. The lesson is so simple: The Word of God is a living book unlike any other book in the history of the world. But, above all, this Book must be understood or it accomplishes nothing.
Today’s Verse establishes the goal of the teacher/preacher as being more than simply communicating knowledge; it must be the goal of providing understanding. “They gave the sense of the passage so that the people understood the reading.” One evangelist said, “Follow the Lord’s instructions and concentrate on, ‘Feeding the sheep’ rather than ‘feeding the giraffes.’” The majority of church members are not giraffes with the ability to eat the higher fruit but sheep that need their daily bread at ground level.
Vincent Van Gogh reminds us, “How difficult it is to be simple!” There is an art to making things simple. It is not easily learned. My father (also a pastor) gave me a book in 1982 (my sixth year of ministry) with the following inscription: “May God grant that you should always speak so that others will understand and follow Him.” Then he highlighted this Bible verse: “In the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in another language” (1 Corinthians 14:19). Oh, we must make the message clear and simple or it will not be understandable!
Indeed, the goal of reading the Bible to yourself or to others is more than simply reading. Ruth Ellen and I read the Bible to our children each night in our family altar. As they became older, we engaged them in reading the Bible, also. In many ways, our children learned to read by reading the Bible in that sacred time. But even that success was not the goal. The goal was not merely reading but creating life-change based upon “understanding the reading.”
That same goal must be your goal as a teacher of God’s Word. Before teaching your students, think through what they may not know about the text and how best to help them know; only then can you properly apply the truth to their lives. Never forget: You do not exist as a Sunday School teacher, pastor or even seminary professor to merely inform; you exist as an instrument to bring about life-change in the listeners.
“Oh, God, teach us how to communicate Your Word to those You have entrusted to our care!”
Aug 24, 2023 – A little boy walked up to the pastor and said, “I hate the devil.”
The pastor replied, “So do I, son. But why do you hate the devil?”
The little boy began to cry and whimpered about two men in military clothing who had come to the house and “told momma and poppa that Bubba would not be coming home. He was killed in an enemy attack.” The boy recognized the devil and sin were behind war. Do you know there will be wars and rumors of wars until Christ puts the devil in prison? Only then will man “study war no more.”
In another city a little boy with a black eye went to the preacher and said, “I hate the devil. Last night daddy went out, got drunk, and when he came home, he got mad at mommy and me and he beat up mommy and me.” The boy knew Satan for what he is. Such stories are not rare.
In another city a pastor looked into the face of a young mother lying peacefully in the casket. He put his arm around the husband and the husband said, “I hate the devil. What am I going to do? I have three children—ages 6, 4 and 2. What am I going to do?”
If you were any of these three, wouldn’t you hate the devil, too? The Bible says people die because death is the wages of sin and, as we know, he—the devil—is the author of sin. Every funeral bears witness to the devil’s work. It wasn’t supposed to be this way! Thank God, we’re headed for a city where there will be no more devil…and since there is no more devil there will also be no more death nor sorrow nor crying.
That is why the Apostle Paul says, “Be alert! Wake up! We wrestle not against flesh and blood…against politicians and bosses and flimflam artists but against…spiritual wickedness in high places including the diabolical one who rules the darkness of this present world system” (Ephesians 6:12).
Unlike your worst acquaintance, nothing morally or spiritually good can be said about the devil. The Bible describes him as a murderer, liar, thief, destroyer, schemer, adversary plus so much more. No wonder the Bible cautions us, “Give no place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). One sage testified, “Be careful! Give the devil an inch and he’ll take a mile!” And he will!!! And he won’t stop until he destroys all that we hold dear.
I wonder: What does Satan want to do with you? Ah, friend, there is another choice. “Flee to the Rock that is higher than I!”
Aug 23, 2023 – Let’s absorb a seemingly random collection of material today…similar to the book of Proverbs. The older I become, the more I realize the gold mine contained in Proverbs. It’s good for any stage of life and any condition in life. I finally wised up and preached through much of this book in my last church; I encourage you to soon peruse the totality of its wise sayings.
I offer these pearls of wisdom in a similar way to you. I am sure you will save one or two or perhaps even all of them.
Charles Spurgeon: “If you preach what is new, it won’t be true; if you preach what is true, it won’t be new.” This applies to all who teach God’s Word!
Vance Havner: “Most Christians live such a subnormal life that if they ever lived the normal Christian life the world would think they were abnormal.”
There are three groups in every church: those who make things happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happened!
A woman said to evangelist B. R. Lakin, “I don’t get much out of your sermons.” Lakin replied, “Did you bring anything to catch it and take it home in?” Many Christians go to church like one boy showed up to play in a baseball game: He did not take a ball, bat, or glove!
“Someone has said that this generation is a generation of mini-sermons.” “Isn’t it strange you have the shortest Bible message for your largest congregation?” “Sermonettes make Christianettes!”
Vance Havner: “Too many church services start at 11:00 sharp and end at 12:00 dull.”
“Worship” comes from the old English word “worthship.” In worship we acknowledge worth!
Some friends are like an umbrella: Johnny-on-the-Spot when the sun shines, but they cannot be found when it rains.
“I went out to find a friend, but could not find one anywhere. I went out to be a friend, and friends were everywhere.”
The church will rise no higher than its pastor, though I have seen churches rise higher than their deacons. Pastor, it begins with you. Set the right example!
Happy thinking!
Aug 22, 2023 – A lady began to faithfully attend a particular church. Sometime later the lady received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. A curious observer asked the lady what attracted her to that particular church. She said, “I went because of the love that each had for the other.”
There is something contagious about love. Perhaps that is because there is a universal need to be loved. Perhaps it is because love is so incredibly powerful. The Apostle Paul writes so eloquently, “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). James adds, “Love covers a multitude/abundance of sins, wrong-doings, mistakes” (James 5:20).
A wife lived with an overbearing husband. One day he insisted that she follow his lead, because he was the man of the house. The wife quietly asked, “Are you doing this because you love me?” Inserting the word “love” in the discussion changed the tone of the entire discussion and led to a different course of action.
These words describe a church in old England. “The people were all farmers and shepherds, poor as Job’s turkey; an uncouth lot whose speech one could hardly understand, unable to read or write; most of them pagans cursed with vice and ignorance and wild tempers. The Established Church had never touched them; only the humble Baptists had sent an itinerant preacher there and he had made a good beginning.”
The preacher was an unknown preacher named John Fawcett. By and by, a much more prosperous church (Carter’s Lane Baptist Church in London) extended a call to Fawcett which he accepted. ”The farewell sermon was preached, the bulky items of his furniture and some of his older books were sold and the day of departure arrived. The two-wheeled cart came for the rest of his belongings, and likewise came the parishioners to say good-by. The crowd was despondent and in tears.
It was then that John’s wife cried out, “I can’t stand it, John! I know not how to go.”
John responded, “Lord help me Mary, nor can I stand it! We will unload the wagon. We’ve changed our minds! We are going to stay!” They did indeed stay…54 years!
John later wrote these words which many of us have sung: “Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that above!”
Never underestimate the power of love. It teaches louder than anything you say!
Aug 21, 2023 – This writer was a very small boy when I learned the most important part of being God’s messenger. What did I learn? I learned never to be a Jonah and refuse to deliver God’s message. This particular story happened when I was very young. I had just graduated from the “crawling around under the church pews” stage. (Some of you don’t know this but crawling under the church pews was an Olympic sport in my day.) Our pastor, Vern Davis, preached one Sunday night on Jonah. The Bible says, “The Lord spoke unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” But that’s not the way Vern preached it. He said, “The Lord spoke unto the fish and the fish spit out Jonah upon the dry land.”
I may have been young but I knew Vern hadn’t told the story right. I went to him after church and said, “Pastor, you didn’t preach that right. The Bible says the fish vomited out Jonah upon the dry land, not spit him out.”
Vern put his arm around me and said, “Tommy, some of these women have weak stomachs and I was afraid it might upset them if I said vomit.”
I said, “If the Bible says it, then you ought to preach it.” Vern was still telling that story fifty years later!
The story still brings a smile to me but it also reminds me that God’s Word preaches itself if we allow it to do so. My third book “Sanctification: How God Creates Saints out of Sinners” is dedicated “To the many voices (of the ‘One Above All’) crying in today’s wilderness: Keep sowing Jesus!” The reality is that God’s messenger is not the message but rather the VOICE proclaiming the message. The voice’s identity is unimportant in the big scheme of things; he simply exists to make the message known…to deliver what the Author wants declared. The voice fails if he alters the message or fails to deliver the message. But he succeeds when he delivers the message…that success does not depend upon whether the message is accepted or rejected.
The same is true for you and me. We are not the message nor should we ever allow the message to become us. We exist to present God’s message. Sometimes the message will be positive but sometimes it will be negative. It is much easier to be positive than negative, but we must never shun from declaring the WHOLE counsel of God. Never forget it is God’s message. God wants to speak to those around you. Please allow Him to use you as His voice!
Aug 19-20, 2023 – Do you know you are a poem? Not merely a reader or writer of poems, but your very being is a poem. Today’s Verse describes believers as God’s workmanship. We get our English word “poem” from the Greek word “poiema” which is translated “workmanship, masterpiece, a work of art, creation” in various translations.
This verse teaches that God is very interested in you…in developing you into a higher form of you. The Supreme Poet of the universe is writing His poetry in you. In brief, you are His expression or His poetry to humanity. But what if there was no humanity? The focus would still be upon developing you into the image of Christ…”till Christ be formed in you!”
Isn’t this amazing? God wrote poetry on paper in the Psalms and other Bible books. God, though, is now writing poetry in human hearts. It is one of the joys of being a Christian….of being able to experience growth and yet realize you have so much farther to go.
The cartoonist Charles Shultz portrays Lucy telling Charlie Brown, “No one is perfect, Charlie Brown. That’s why pencils have erasers.” How often my Poet has used His eraser on me! Can you say the same?
What do we learn from poetry which is also true of us? First, poetry is the production of the poet. The pen and the paper do not control the poet, but the poet controls the pen and what is written on the paper. What the poet writes is his production. He himself is responsible for the words. Man says, “I am self-made. Look at what I have done.” That is true for the unbeliever. But for the Christian it is not, “I am self-made” but, “I am in the process of becoming God-made.”
The Supreme Poet seeks our soul in salvation then begins His sanctifying work of converting us to the final product: the image of His Son. Just as the sculptor knows the final product before he hits the first blow with his hammer, so God knows what our final design will be…and how to get us to that point.
Second, poetry reveals the writer’s mind. His inner thoughts cannot be known unless they are placed on paper. Poetry is a form of expression. So is anger. A woman complained, “That store clerk made me furious. I gave her a piece of my mind.” Her friend said, “I’d be careful. You don’t have much to give!”
How does the Supreme Poet reveal His mind? Today’s Verse includes these words, “created in Christ for good works.” The Poet shapes us so that we long to perform good works. In so doing, we become “the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and GLORIFY YOUR FATHER who is in heaven.”
Third, poetry possesses different rhythm. “Rhythm in poetry is the art of creating a beat and pulse that gives a poem its musical quality.” If you read ten poems by ten authors you will likely find variations in the design. God’s poetry is different, too. Although every believer is designed to be completely like Christ, yet every believer is given his own unique design. This design is displayed through our different passions, abilities, personalities and experiences. No two believers, including twins, are the same. We’re unique and deliberately designed with our own uniqueness by the Supreme Poet.
Bottom line: You’re special because God is making you special.
During the late 1970’s I met a little boy in a McDonald’s in Chattanooga. His t-shirt said, “I’m little and I’m good cos God don’t make junk!” Sometimes I get down on myself. I then repeat that slogan. “I’m now big and I’m good cos God don’t make junk!” I have value to myself, my family, and my God. And so do you. Thank you, Jesus.
Aug 18, 2023 – SUCCESS STUDY PART 4: BUILD SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST! F. A. Barillas cautions, “If you are asked to build a castle, don’t build it out of sand by the ocean, don’t build it out of ice in the middle of summer. Build it with the best materials, with the best design, and with the intention to make it last the passing of time.”
Some people purchased lots in a certain part of Minneapolis and proceeded to build houses where there had once been a swamp. Many of the people assumed the ground was solid so they went about building in the usual way.
One man, however, was suspicious about the land. He hired someone to drill a series of test holes. After examining the results, he elected to drive some pilings eighty feet into the earth before laying his foundation. His neighbors thought he was wasting money, but he did it anyway.
Several years passed. Things changed. Several of the houses had settled. Some of the basement windows were now a foot below the ground. But the house where the pilings had been driven had not settled at all. It was now obvious who was wise and who was foolish.
Everything in life goes back to one’s foundation. Upon what or whom is the person building? That is why we spend so much time with children. We KNOW the foundational importance of those early years. We try to get to them before the devil or the world does. In these last four devotionals we have contrasted the weak foundations of this world with the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ…the Master, the Rabbi, the Savior and Creator. As we wrap up this study, there are three items that catch my attention.
First, the wise man’s house speaks of shelter. Lasting shelter against the storms of life! When the storms of life race toward the wise man and the sky turns black as midnight, the wise man runs to his place of shelter. He takes comfort in Jesus’ promise, “The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house, but it DID NOT FALL, because it had been founded on the rock.” The wise man KNOWS he is safe, because the Lord Himself is the anchor of his soul.
Second, the wise man’s house speaks of home, of the family, of the place where his loved ones gather. Houses in Bible times were routinely full and overflowing! Jesus’ listeners understood His promise extended to the entire family. So the wise man was wise about his family, too. He was not only thinking of himself, but he was also thinking of his loved ones.
Third, the wise man’s house speaks of a lifetime—not merely a life but a lifeTIME. Most houses last a lifetime. Even to this day one’s house represents the average person’s biggest investment. Purchasing a house is intended to be the investment of a lifetime. Jobs come and go, but the wise man always has a place to go. Not just now but in the years ahead. Thus, he was careful about how he built and where he built.
What does Jesus say? “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a WISE man who built his house on the rock.” It is a foundational principle, because it is about the foundation and the foundation is critical to one’s success in life.
Are you building on the right foundation who is Jesus Christ? Or do you need to make a mid-course adjustment? Be wise, not foolish, and tie your success to Jesus Christ!
Aug 17, 2023 – SUCCESS STUDY PART 3 – It’s going back to school time. What is the most important item that can be taught to those students? Suffice it to say the most important item is unlikely to be taught. That is not the fault of the teachers. They have been hired to teach important material which is more than just stuff…information that can prepare the students for advancement in life, being able to care for themselves rather than being government dependent.
KEY: The most important material that can ever be taught by a school teacher, parent, pastor, politician, etc. concerns the right foundation for building a life. It needs to be a foundation that can stand the test of time. This foundation should stabilize the entire person: body, soul and spirit. This foundation should be trustworthy, always telling the truth. It should also work well in every stage of life. Also, this foundation must be stronger than any other foundation…never need strengthened…remain rock solid for as long as we need it (we will need it until death).
May I recommend the most solid foundation of all? The Lord Jesus Christ! The Apostle Paul says, “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). Christ! The One who holds the entire universe together (Col. 1:17). Not merely the Creator of all things but also the Sustainer of all things. The One who brings peace in the midst of the storm, Who holds our tomorrows in His hands, Who directs our steps and Who gives vitality to one’s soul.
Imagine Jesus teaching in our schools! Here is His FIRST lesson: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Not on the rock plus other things. Not on one of many rocks, but on THE rock. Not lived frivolously either as in the case of the man who built his house upon the wind driven sand and who was left with nothing of value.
Our Lord’s instruction denotes an element of PURPOSE, of intentionality. This life is DELIBERATELY CHOSEN by the person. He could have chosen among many possibilities. But he chose this possibility and he invested his all in building his life upon the rock.
This, of course, begins with receiving Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior. “God drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a ROCK, making my steps secure” (Ps. 40:2). What a graphic passage! The condition of all outside Christ is in the “pit of destruction” and “the miry bog.” I hate walking in deep mud! The mud pulls my shoes off my feet. No progress can be made. Life is such a mess at times like those. Frustrated! No peace! No hope! Always struggling.
In last Wednesday’s service an elderly man testified that he did not know how to love or how to be a good husband until he was born again as a middle-aged man. How often those words are said! “Out of the pit of destruction and the miry bog and established on the Rock!” Christ makes a difference if we allow Him to make a difference!
Are you sure you are on the rock? Are you following His instructions as you build your life? Is what you’re building tied to the rock or tied to something else?
What does this mean? We’ll discuss this issue further tomorrow.
Aug 16, 2023 – PART 2 – We want success too easily! Unfortunately, many people expect success to be granted on a silver platter; they fail to understand that true success requires a four letter word called WORK. One of the early Smith Barney investment firm commercials showed an old banker saying to the camera, “We make money the old-fashioned way. We earn it!”
A person may inherit a great sum of money, but that inheritance will not make the person a success. It just means the person has money. The same principle exists in church ministry. Many a young man has been described as “the next Billy Graham” solely because he had the ability to talk…or, more correctly, gab. Far too often people rely on their charisma, but charisma will take an individual only so far. One new employee explained his laziness to the boss by saying, “I get tired real easily.” Sound familiar?
Lee Roberson, our pastor during my Bible college days, gives us these cautionary words, “The University of Hard Knocks is divided into two colleges: the College of Needless Knocks and the College of Needful Knocks. There are some needless knocks which we receive. They do us little good and are the result of our own foolishness. Then there are the needful knocks which come to make us what we ought to be.”
How true! Ministry is not for lazy people. Ask any successful Christian and you will get the same answer: “You have to fight your way through many battles. One of the most difficult and never ceasing battles is with self. You have to overcome laziness, desiring the easy life, and compromising your biblical values. Then comes the easier but still hard part: the battle to minister through all sorts of obstacles.”
Some things NEVER change. Hence, your battle is the same as that faced by Moses, David and the Apostle Paul. I repeat: Some things never change.
First, people will be the same no matter in what era you live or what your age may be. Human nature has been contaminated by Adam’s sin. Frederick the Great says, “The more I see of men, the better I like my dog.” All of the Bible saints struggled at times with people in their ministry. What would those saints say to our complaints? “Been there, done that!” Thus, there are no green pastures to seek. Perhaps better pastures, but there is no pasture without troubled and troubling people. Just keep ministering!
Second, today will be replaced by tomorrow. Tomorrow won’t be a repeat of today. Don’t expect it to be. That truth may be a blessing or it may not be a blessing. But the world will change overnight. Awaken tomorrow with the expectation that something new, perhaps good or perhaps bad or perhaps neutral, is headed your way. Ask God for the strength to deal with whatever is new, whatever is old and whatever just “is.” After all, He is the God of tomorrow, too. Just keep ministering!
Next, peace treaties never last. It would be nice if the world could experience the peace of Christmas throughout an entire year. But that won’t happen. Wars will break out between nations, family members, employees, neighbors and church members. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged by such conduct. Jesus kept His eye on the ball: the cross. Nothing deterred Him from achieving His purpose. Just keep ministering!
Fourth, churches are churches. I was so happy in pastoring my first church. My pastor-father poured cold water on my joy when he said, “Son, it’s still a church.” A church ought to be a collection of saints but my pastorates have included sinners in various stages of pursuing (or not pursuing) sainthood. Some loved Bible teaching whereas others did not want Bible teaching. Some were opposed to implementing the Great Commission or supporting missionaries. Sadly for the minister, there are no perfect churches. Indeed, sometimes the leadership marvels that the church is able to accomplish as much as it does given the obstacles. It’s just the way it is. We have to live with this reality in order to minister successfully. Just keep ministering!
Last, our imperfections are more than we realize, but God’s power to use us is also more than we realize. The Bible bluntly reveals the imperfections of God’s saints. By contrast, none of my imperfections appear in my resume. I always put my BEST foot forward. How about you? But the imperfections are eventually realized. Success will never come if we dwell upon our imperfections. But success CAN come and WILL come when we surrender the ministry to God and God’s power takes control.
Above all, just keep ministering!
More about success tomorrow!
Aug 15, 2023 – Do you want to be a success? Practically everyone longs to be a success. But in what way? I knew of an alcoholic who considered himself a success because he could outdrink everyone he knew. Was that a good thing? It was to him but not to me. First, it was a waste of money. Second, it was a waste of time. Third, it was a waste of relationships. Fourth, it was a waste of his better skills. Bottom line: It was a waste of a life.
Wonder what they wrote on his tombstone? Perhaps they wrote, “The rain descended on his life, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on this man’s life; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Dennis Swanberg writes the somber words, “Every person enters this world with an ‘expires on’ date.” Therefore, each of us should live each day with the goal of making the most of that particular day.
How, though, can we make the most of each day or the TOTALITY of our days? The President of Brazil once asked the American economist Roger Babson why the United States with its no greater resources than those of Brazil had gone so far ahead of Brazil and the other South American countries in economic development. Babson replied, “The reason is probably this: North America was founded by people seeking God. South America was founded by men seeking gold.”
The Brazilian President responded, “I believe you are right.” Ah, friend, building on the right foundation settles so many issues!
However, there are many pursuits in life which are false…which may look good or feel good at the time but eventually play out like a gold vein plays out. Soon the “victim” watches the air leak out of his balloon and realizes he has little or nothing to show for his effort.
Some pursue pleasure. That includes sex and drugs. One NBA star bragged about taking more than one thousand women to bed. Just wondering, why did he need more than one woman? Or two? Or three? Or a dozen? You know the answer!
Some pursue religion. The appeal of false religion is strong to many. The Bible describes many religious people as “having a form of godliness but denying the power of godliness.” In other words, they are satisfied, like the Pharisees of old, with an external religion. “Give me a ritual, not a relationship!”
Some purpose the business world and money. Solomon, the richest man of his day, cautions, “Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; stop giving your attention to it. As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky” (Proverbs 23:5).
Some pursue education. Education, though, often fails in providing a well-paying job or satisfaction. Amazingly, it is estimated that nearly half of school teachers in the EDUCATION field leave the profession within the first five years. Something is missing!
Some pursue parenthood or an early marriage. “I must escape home from mom and dad.” “I think getting married or having a baby will solve my problems.” Perhaps, but usually the problem is much deeper!
What do you seek? Ultimately, the FOUNDATION of your life will determine whether your life will be a success. We will discuss this issue further in tomorrow’s edition.
Aug 14, 2023 – Dealing with children evangelistically is very challenging! We do not wish to mislead a child into believing he is a believer when, in reality, he may simply be agreeing with us as we share the gospel.
Let these words encourage you from the old-time Methodist preacher John R. Church. “I was definitely converted in an old-fashioned Methodist revival when I was about nine years of age. My conversion was very clear and unmistakable. I have never had any doubt about my conversion. Some people say that children do not know what they are doing at that age, but I want to testify that I knew what I was doing, and I feel certain that my sins were forgiven and that I became a child of God at that time.”
I often reflect on the hour I placed my faith in Christ as a little nine-year-old boy. It occurred on a Thursday evening in a revival meeting in my home church. I don’t recall anything about the sermon or the music, but I do recall yielding my heart and receiving Christ as the one and only Savior. He became mine and I became His at nine o’clock p.m. on January 14, 1965.
Lydia Boekell, long-time staff member of Child Evangelism Fellowship, testifies, “I was saved at the age of three. I was in my bedroom and mom was putting me to bed. I knew I was a sinner and I would not go to heaven if I died unless I accepted Jesus as my Savior. So that night I asked Jesus to be my Savior. I was not baptized until I was age eleven. The night before I was baptized the thought went through my mind that if I really was not saved, I needed to make sure I was saved before baptism. So that night I prayed and told the Lord that if I really did not mean it when I was three, I meant it then. But I know now that I was saved at the age of three. I believe Satan was trying to make me doubt my salvation.”
Thank God, a person, even a child, can KNOW he has more than religion! He can know that He has Christ! “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).
Dealing with children is, in most ways, no different than dealing with an adult. The Holy Spirit does the most important teaching of making the sinner aware of his sin, future judgment for that sin, and the solution for his sin: the death of Jesus Christ as payment for all sin. If a person CANNOT comprehend those three facts he cannot be saved REGARDLESS of his age. Indeed, if he cannot accept items one and two, there is no reason in his mind for him to trust in a Savior. Therefore, what does the sinner (including the child) know and accept as fact?
I always suggest asking open ended questions rather than questions requiring a mere “yes” or “no” answer. Let the seeker explain what they know. For example, “What is sin? Have you sinned? What is the penalty for sin? Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? What happened to Jesus after He died? What can you do to save yourself from hell?”
James D. Price draws our attention to the opening words in the Great Commission. “The significant word in Mathew 28:19 is the Greek word ‘matheteusate’ which means ‘make a disciple’ or ‘teach.’ The KJV translated the word as ‘teach’ two times (Matt. 28:19; Acts 14:21), as ‘instruct’ once (Matt. 13:52), and as ‘be a disciple’ once (Matt. 27:57). The concept of ‘make disciples’ infers ‘teach to the point of discipleship’ where the person comes to personal faith in Jesus and is ready for baptism.”
Thus, does the person know enough to exercise faith in the Savior? Some do in our first discussion while others do not. In the latter case we need to “teach to the point of discipleship.” Such teaching takes time and must be targeted to their need. (Missionaries follow this process in foreign cultures. Our culture is becoming more foreign all the time.)
Last, we have always relied upon God’s providence to handle any mistakes we make. For example, if we erroneously tell a child he is forgiven it is likely God will continue His work in the child’s life and at some future time bring that awareness to the more mature person. Every minister has baptized adults that made a profession of faith as a child but later determined the profession was lacking. In time God brought those people to such an awareness, they established their personal faith in Christ as Savior, and, in most cases, they became strong Christians.
God bless you with wisdom to “instruct to the point of belief.”
Aug 12-13, 2023 – PROPHECY STUDY #2 – One stormy night an elderly couple entered the lobby of a small hotel and asked for a room. The clerk said the hotel was full as were all the hotels in town. “But I can’t send a fine couple like you out in the rain. Would you be willing to sleep in my room?”
The couple hesitated, but the clerk insisted. On the next morning when the man paid his bill, he said, “You’re the kind of man who should be managing the best hotel in the United States. Someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk smiled politely and the couple disappeared.
A few years later the clerk received a letter from the elderly man in which he recounted that stormy night and asked the clerk to come to New York City. A round-trip ticket was enclosed. When the clerk arrived, his host took him to the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street where stood a magnificent new building. The man said, “That is the hotel I have built for you to manage.”
The man was William Waldorf Astoria and the hotel was the original Waldorf-Astoria. The young clerk, George C. Boldt, became its first manager.
“Because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” Our Lord will apparently say those words to those believers who have faithfully used whatever God deposited in their hands. Some were given much in ability or substance; others were given much less. But the task was still the same: “Serve Me with what you have until I come again.”
Someday Jesus will establish His Millennial Kingdom over the earth (Revelation 20). The promises to Israel about possessing the Promised Land will be accomplished. The Jews will be regathered to the Promised Land and will sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and experience their greatest celebration of all. King Jesus will personally reign over the earth on a literal throne similar to King David’s. As for us, the Bible makes it clear that “we shall REIGN with Him for a thousand years.” Ah, friend, the critics can’t spiritualize that away! If God didn’t mean what He said, then why didn’t He say what He meant? I take God’s Word literally…like an ordinary person would do. How about you?
Could it be that we in this current age might rule as mayors or governors in the Millennium? Some have suggested this possibility.
However, two points are certain: First, we will remain a part of God’s plan throughout eternity. There will be no time to play a harp in heaven and float on a cloud! We’ll be busy. Second, God will reward His faithful servants. Notice the words in Today’s Verse. He knew our effort and said, “Well done.” He identified our calling: “good servant” for God’s best are not known for their name but for their service. Last, He revealed His criteria for judgment: “faithful” rather than “successful” or “recognized by all.”
Guess what? All of us can excel in those three areas! Let’s give God our best!
Aug 11, 2023 – Last night I finished reading the Bible from cover to cover and I have good news for all of us: WE WIN! The Bible begins triumphantly with the creation of the universe and all that is therein, but immediately takes a nosedive into ruin due to Adam’s sin in the Garden BUT it does not end that way for someday the King—the real King—will indeed come and make all things right!
Imagine it! During our moments of despair, we often think the Christian cause is hopeless, the world has turned against us, and there is no reason to try. We must remind ourselves, though, of how the Bible ends: It does not end with man continuing his rebellion but with the King exerting His authority, crushing every act of rebellion, judging the wicked, and reigning forever and ever.
MacArthur aptly states, “All of the world’s diverse national, political, social, cultural, linguistic, and religious groups are in reality one kingdom under one king.” That, of course, is Satan. From God’s vantage point it is not a case of individual countries but of one humanity that has rebelled against its Creator. Man is the same everywhere! Shaking his fist at God, man says even to this day, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” But someday the hosts of heaven (I’ll be among them, how about you?) will shout, “The day of God’s delay is NO MORE and He has come to the earth to reign forever and ever.” What a glorious prospect!
Evangelist Glenn Mathews says with such confidence, “You may say, ‘I just don’t know what is going to happen.’ Oh, yes, you do. The Lord is going to come. Suddenly, but certainly, and the dead in Christ are going to be raised. And we who remain will be called up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and we will forever be with the Lord.
“If you think it is rough now, you wait until the Church of Jesus Christ is gone, and seven years of hell on earth begin. The Lord is going to come back. He is going to establish His Kingdom. We won’t study war anymore; it will be peace. Not just peace in the valley, but peace on the mountaintop. Not just for the Jews but for the Gentiles as well. We are going to enter into that. God is sovereign.”
Yes indeed, God is sovereign, and He will bring it to pass in His time…O Lord, hasten the day! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Are you ready for that day to come? I am!
Aug 10, 2023 – How do you define worship? Quite honestly, it does not really matter how YOU define worship. All that matters is how God defines worship. Here is the biblical definition: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” “Do all – A-L-L.” The little boy said it quite well, “All means all and that’s all all means.” In other words, A-L-L means a lot.
A-L-L means everything we do, say or think. A-L-L means everything we PLAN to do, say or think. A-L-L touches every area of our life including material possessions, goals, behavior, entertainment, vacations, use of money, employment, etc.
An old Christian named George told me about his initial act of worship. He was saved in adulthood at a church I later pastored. As I recall George drove a beer truck for a local distributor. But the church was praying for George’s salvation! Sure enough, the Holy Spirit reached down, got hold of him and brought him to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Many years later George told me, “I walked into my supervisor’s office on the next day and quit my job. I said, ‘I have accepted Christ as my Savior. I cannot work any longer in this sinful place.’ My supervisor said, ‘But, George, you have a family to support. What will you do?’ I told him, ‘I have no idea what I will do, but God will make a way.’” Sure enough, God made a way. George raised his family in church and in the Lord’s way. He maintained a good testimony to the day of his homegoing. And, yes, he always had enough money to pay his bills.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “I beseech [beg or plead] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Paul deems such an act of worship as a “reasonable” act rather than an “unreasonable” act. Paul’s words are the New Testament equivalent of the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” In other words, “Everything belongs to Me as your God.”
What is the most difficult item in worship? It is the human will. Most of us recall how our will fought us when we considered accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Our will did not want to be brought under His control. If we had listened to our will, all of us would end up in a devil’s hell. But we instead listened to the wooing of the Holy Spirit and SURRENDERED our will to His will and received Christ. “But as many as RECEIVED Him!” expresses the surrendering of the will!
But the will is still rebellious after our salvation. It wants to rule, but Christ DESERVES to rule as our Lord and Savior. He urges, “Take My yoke upon you.” Why? It is because the yoke makes life truly worth living. Wearing the yoke is where we learn the depths of worship!
“Is your A-L-L on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart does the Spirit control? You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest As you yield Him your body and soul!” Ah, friend, that song describes where life can be lived at its fullest!
Aug 9, 2023 – What is the secret to having peace in one’s soul? The secret is not to seek peace but rather seek the PEACE-GIVER, the Lord Jesus Christ. Too many people seek peace in things or a place, but such peace is very illusive. It is similar to a peace treaty for what is the old saying? “They sign a peace treaty after every war.” In other words, the previous peace treaty did not last and should have been named a “truce treaty.”
Never has a man spoken peace or brought peace to my soul like Jesus! How often I have experienced Jesus walking on the water to my storm-tossed boat! John chapter six tells us about Jesus sending the apostles by boat across the sea. During the voyage a great storm arose. The ship was in danger of sinking. But along came Jesus walking on the water (an incredible feat to me but not to Him) uttering those calming words, “It is I; be not afraid.” The key word to the apostles was “I.” “I” is big enough to take care of every problem we face. “Whether we live, we are the Lord’s and whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” What better place to be than in His hands?
It is said about the most successful comedian of our day, “He can make us laugh but he cannot give us peace.” Which would you prefer? The ability to laugh or experience peace? Jesus is the Master Peace-Giver.
Jesus looks at the apostles on the eve of His own crucifixion—the event which would seemingly bring the world to an end for so many of His followers. What does He say? “My peace I give to you.” How can you explain those words coming from One who is about to be crucified?
Such peace becomes ours when we rest upon His power/will to deal with the current situation, though dire it may be. It is not such foolishness as saying, “What will be, will be” but rather saying, “My Lord is bigger than this situation. I will cling to Him…trust in Him…for ‘He doth know the way.’ To God be the glory! I will trust Him to do what is right.”
Two artists were asked to paint a scene that would reflect real peace. One painted a mountain lake, so calm and quiet, undisturbed, in the hills that was ringed by tall, slender pines whose glory was reflected in the mirrored surface of the lake.
By contrast, the second artist painted a very rough, even turbulent waterfall which came crashing down upon jagged chunks of granite rock. And there above the explosive waterfall was a slender birch tree with its fragile branches reached outward, teasing the foam rising from below. And in the fork of one of the branches was a nest. And nestled very serenely in the midst of the spray and foam was a bird sleeping. That, my friend, is genuine peace. That is the kind of peace that Jesus extends to us in the midst of our turbulent times.
“There is peace in the midst of trouble. There is peace in the midst of the storms. Where? In the shelter of His arms.” What a blessed place to be!
Aug 8, 2023 – Wouldn’t you agree that Jesus’ opinion on ANY subject is worth considering? How about the salvation of one’s soul? Isn’t that the #1 issue for each of us? Let’s consider three verses which clearly articulate Jesus’ view…and what must also be our own view if we are to be saved.
First, “It is finished” (John 19:30). So many people think that the way to salvation is to believe in Jesus PLUS something else. However, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing else that can be added to the sacrifice of Christ, because His sacrifice TOTALLY satisfies God’s wrath against our sin. This writer thoroughly enjoys preaching on John 19:30 because the Greek word translated “finished” (Greek tetelestai) means “paid in full.” It is the idea that the bill has been stamped “Paid in Full.” The bill of my sins had to be paid. What could I do to pay them? Nothing. What could Jesus do to pay them? Everything! He died as a perfect sacrifice to pay my debt. When I believed in Christ the Savior, God the Father took His big stamp in heaven and stamped “Paid in Full” on my list of sins. What a blessing!
Second, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). “No one” excludes everyone who tries to come to the Father through the Virgin Mary, the Church, rites of baptism or communion, good works, donations to the poor, etc. Jesus made it plain as day that the issue of our sins is resolved in Him and Him alone.
Third, “I am the door. If any man enters in [through Me] he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture [for his soul]” (John 10:9). One deceived man approached the evangelist B. R. Lakin and said, “I am going to heaven because Peter has the keys to heaven!” Lakin responded, “I can do you one better, because I have the Door and His name is Jesus Christ!”
Bottom line: Our salvation depends totally upon Jesus or else there can be no salvation. Based upon the words of Jesus above, we can KNOW that our redemption is not based upon anything we bring to the table, but it is based solely upon the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary!
The London missionary George Woodall led a female patient in Mildnay Hospital to put her trust in Jesus Christ. A few days later she said, “I keep getting worried. Has God really forgiven my past?”
Woodall said, “If this keeps bothering you I believe I know what the Lord would say to you: ‘Why don’t you mind your own business? I have made your sins My business. I died for your sins on the cross.’” Woodall continued by paraphrasing Micah 7:19, “He took our sins behind His back, dropped them in the depths of the sea then put up a notice that said ‘NO FISHING ALLOWED.’”
Brothers and sisters, isn’t it great to know that God has put our sins where “No Fishing is Allowed”?
Aug 7, 2023 – Napoleon Bonaparte said about Jesus Christ, “I marvel that whereas the ambitious dreams of myself, Caesar and Alexander should have vanished into thin air, a Judean peasant named Jesus should be able to stretch His hands across the centuries and control the destinies of men and nations.”
Quite honestly, there is something different—much different—about Jesus Christ. That special something is due to His identity as God the Son, the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. The opening chapter of John’s Gospel says about Him, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Presbyterian James Boice writes, “Plato, we are told, once turned to that little group of philosophers and students that had gathered around him during the Greek Golden Age in Athens and said to his followers, ‘It may be that someday there will come forth from God a Word, a Logos, who will reveal all mysteries and make everything plain.’”
Criswell adds, “Plato, who probably had the most incomparable mind outside of the Scriptures, cried saying, ‘Oh, that there were some sure word that like a raft could bear us across the seas to that unknown shore!’”
In ages past, a young man went to a well-known philosopher and said, “I want to know all there is to know.”
The philosopher took him to the shore and instructed him to peer closely at the ocean. He said, “Tell me about the ocean.”
The young man proceeded to tell him all that he saw. The philosopher said, “Tell me, though, about the ocean you do not see.”
The young man struggled for a moment then confessed, “The ocean is too big for me to see all of it.” And it is. The would-be philosopher soon grasped not the ocean but the reality that the ocean was more than he could see, comprehend, or grasp.
So it is also with God the Son. “There are many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Oh, how awesome He is!
“Never man ever spoke like this Man!” Unlike my words, His very words are life—not only do they declare the way to eternal life but they are actually alive. No fair-minded individual can read the words of Jesus Christ and say, “They’re just words. Nothing more.” Why not? Because God has put His Spirit in these words of Jesus. And if you will listen—that means earnestly take the time to listen—you will find His words to exist on a higher plane than any words ever spoken.
And you will also know that more than a mere man has spoken to you. Indeed, you will.
Aug 5-6, 2023 – “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.” Sir Isaac Newton’s words hold much truth for all of us and are well worth considering in this edition of Today’s Verse.
There are two “giants” that have meant much to me beginning in the 1960’s to the present day. Their names are Cliff Hartley and John Hankins. Both men attended my home church when I was a youngster. Cliff was one of my Sunday School teachers (I still have a Bible that he presented to me at that time). Both men announced their call to the ministry in our church. Both men were challenged by an anti-seminary mentality in our churches to stay local. However, both men rose above that challenge. Both men left their occupation and went to Bible college to prepare for a life of ministry. (Cliff went to Liberty in Lynchburg in its infant years and John attended Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan. Cliff was one of the reasons I seriously considered Liberty for my own training. I, however, was eventually led to Tennessee Temple.)
Both men graduated; in time both men established churches that are still proclaiming God’s Word to this present day. Both men became avid soulwinners; their ministries are known for old-fashioned standards, evangelism, and sold-out dedication to Christ. Both men have stayed at it through thick and thin. Both men are now eighty or more, but still active. Cliff is a Director of Missions helping pastors and churches in northeast Ohio. John is wrapping up a two-month preaching campaign in Ohio and returning home to Florida to teach and preach.
The impact of these two men will not be fully known this side of glory. In many ways, they paved the way for me (and others in our church) to go all the way for Jesus…to step out by faith and give God a chance to do what only God can do. I was not a pioneer, but merely followed in their footsteps. To paraphrase Newton, “I stood on the shoulders of my giants.”
KEY: Through those youthful years I watched…and kept watching. I cannot remember their sermons, but I can remember what they stood for. And still stand for. That speaks volumes!
I recently heard John preach in person. Afterward, I asked him if he recalled a difficult situation in his church in the 1980’s. I explained that dad (dad taught John and Cliff in Sunday School) had shared the story with me in my early ministry. John told me the complete story. I expressed that I had to take a similar stand in one of my churches…and had used John’s experience to help me deal with it. Quite honestly, it was his courage that helped me have courage.
Two thoughts: First. if you are in ministry (in whatever area), always remember to be that someone for the young. You may, even unknowingly, be a giant to them. The world history books may not contain your name, but you may still be a giant. After all, someone is always watching.
Second, if you are young and just beginning in ministry, find someone to challenge you and help you grow. Live in the shadow of those saints that have faced life’s difficulties and prevailed in the strength of the Lord. The greatest examples are not to be found in the library’s biography section but in the churches around you. Watch them. Study their consistency. You’ll see their failures, but you will also see them recover and move on. They are your giants.
“If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Aug 4, 2023 – Do you believe God honors prayer and in the old adage, “Prayer changes things”? I do! The Bible says, “You receive not because you ask not.” Jesus says, “Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, and you shall receive, find, and it shall be opened to you.” May I paraphrase that passage? “If you don’t ask, you won’t receive. If you don’t seek, you won’t find. If you don’t knock, the door will never be opened.” In other words, PRAY!
Let’s explore two items today. First, for WHAT do you pray? During a Wednesday evening prayer service Pastor Roger Martin, one of our Tennessee Temple professors, took prayer requests from his congregation. (I was present.) A little boy raised his hand. Roger identified the boy then asked for his request. The boy said, “Today I was playing with a stapler and I ran a staple into my hand. And it hurts.” Someone snickered, but the pastor took it seriously…as he should have. The congregation proceeded to pray for that little boy. Never forget: What is not a suitable prayer request to you may be a suitable prayer request for someone else. Never minimize anyone’s prayer request.
After all, how big does a prayer request have to be in order for it to become a valid prayer request? Someone asked Spurgeon if it was appropriate to pray about little things such as a lost key. Spurgeon replied, “Can you think of anything that is big to our God?” But God hears us ask about all of our small things! Isn’t God good?
Second question: For whom do you pray? This story will challenge your heart to think differently about your prayer life. The poor lady was well up in years, her body was bent. She was poor in terms of money, but she seemed to be carried along by a special Divine power. One day a friend asked her, “How can you be so happy despite your current condition?”
The old lady said, “I do not have much money that I can give to others. My body is too weak to do much serving, but I clip the obituaries in the daily newspaper and then I pray for each one of the stricken households.” Total strangers to her, but not to God. How different prayer becomes when we pray beyond “me and my family.”
Want to try something new? Find someone today for whom you have never prayed before. Maybe someone you know…maybe someone you have never met. Maybe you know a need…maybe you know of no need. None of that really matters. But identify the person and then pray for that person. Pray for someone new today. Who knows? You might make this idea a part of your daily prayer life.
Aug 3, 2023 – It was a great discussion between a nonbeliever and a believer. The nonbeliever asked, “Suppose you discover after death that there is no such place as heaven and through the years you have been laboring under a delusion. What then?”
The believer responded, “Well, I would still be ahead for I have had a most wonderful and joyous time getting there. Suppose you, on the other hand, make the discovery after death that there is a hell. What then?”
“What then?” That is a fair question for both sides to answer. Someone close to Ruth Ellen and me once described us as Puritans because of our clean, wholesome lifestyle. We don’t drink, curse, smoke, have affairs, do drugs, trash talk others, steal, murder, lie, etc. We don’t even think about becoming someone else and adopting another identity. We’re satisfied with the Christian lifestyle; indeed, we wish the entire world would follow Christ!
During my many years as Vacation Bible School director, I would begin the final program by asking the visiting parents (many of whom were non-church parents), “Wouldn’t you agree this world would be a much better world if everyone followed Jesus?” Most of the people nod their heads in agreement, even those who have chosen to live a contrary lifestyle! It is at times like those that I note, “It is one thing to know what is the better choice; it is another matter entirely to enact the better choice.” Sadly, many parents bring their children to VBS in the hope that we can prevent the children from becoming like them!
I am fully satisfied that my commitment to Christ the Savior is the right choice. However, even if everything about Christianity is false, I am convinced I have still come out ahead of those who have gone the way of a worldly lifestyle…who bear so many scars from poor choices, impure behavior, deceitful mirages and failing allegiances. My scars, hurts and disappointments are far less than so many of my classmates from years ago. Some may possess more money or a bigger name but at what cost? Sorry, but that’s not for me.
Evangelist B. R. Lakin summarized it quite well: “I want to live my life so that when I die my family won’t have to apologize for me.” That’s a good goal for all of us.
Remember Today’s Verse because it can be true for you: “The memory [how we are remembered] of the righteous is a BLESSING.” It would be great for people to say at our funeral, “He or she made me a better person. I can see farther and do more because of them.”
I wouldn’t trade such a memory for the world. Amen?
Aug 2, 2023 – What is the most amazing riddle of all time? The riddle which will continue to have more answers added to it until the end of time?
Someone asked evangelist Curtis Hutson, “What is the greatest proof that the Bible is true?”
Hutson told the story of a little boy who was brought before a judge. The judge looked through the courtroom for the boy’s father but saw no one that might qualify as the father. The judge asked the boy, “Did you know your father was supposed to come to court with you? He has to sign the papers. So why didn’t you bring your father?”
The boy replied, “It is because my father died three years ago.”
The reply ended the discussion, because the judge considered the boy’s statement to be ample proof. After all, it is hard to argue with death, because death clearly establishes some things.
What is the answer to the greatest riddle of all time? I believe it is the New Testament in the Old Testament. St. Augustine, who lived 354 to 430 AD, says “The New Testament is in the Old concealed; the Old is by the New revealed.” The linkage between the two is a sight to behold for the Old Testament promises things that seemingly defy description and yet the New Testament displays the fulfillment of so many Old Testament promises in specific detail.
Time and space will not permit us to examine the many Old Testament prophecies about the life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just reading His genealogy leaves my head spinning as to how so many unique personalities were brought into play. The Lion of Judah, the genealogy of King David, born in the birthplace of David just like God promised! That’s a sermon in itself. On and on it goes. How often the New Testament contains these words, “that it [an Old Testament prophecy] might be fulfilled.”
Some people fret about whether the Bible is true. That thought has never crossed my mind in these sixty-eight years. Why not? Simply this: I have read the Book! I have also studied the Book. The Holy Spirit testifies to my spirit that this Book is the Word of the living God. Fulfilled prophecy confirms time and time again that it is the Word of God. Logic confirms its truth, too! Though some may discount its pages as too old-fashioned, I find that its analysis of current humanity and current world affairs is the only logical explanation AND furthermore, it provides the only logical solution.
May I ask what has caught your attention in its pages recently? My mind is repeating this prophecy during the past week, “He will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). David sat on a literal throne in the city of Jerusalem. Bless God, Jesus will someday do the same. Sit on a literal throne in the city of Jerusalem where He will reign forever and ever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end! Oh my, and I will get to see it for myself. It’s not a pipe dream, but it’s a certainty to me…because the Bible tells me so.
Aug 1, 2023 – How should we advise someone in need of physical healing? This issue shipwrecks many Christians, because what they want for themselves or a loved one (physical healing) does not always occur despite their many prayers.
We Christians treasure life and especially ENJOYABLE, HEALTHY life but should that be our expectancy? Have we forgotten Today’s Verse? 1. “Father, can You remove this cup that I prefer not to drink? 2. But I will trust in You and ask for a higher will to be done than My own will: THY WILL BE DONE.” As we know, the immensity of Christ’s physical suffering during the next twenty-four hours cannot even be measured.
Adrian Rogers, the best preacher I ever heard, once said, “Down on earth the family asks the church to pray for Aunt Betty to get healed while up in heaven Aunt Betty’s family is praying for her to get sicker so she can come to heaven!” He said that tongue-in-cheek, but there is much truth in those words!
William Evans writes these words in his phenomenal book “Great Doctrines of the Bible”: “God has healed in the past by prescription, 2 Ki. 20:7, 1 Tim. 5:23; through physicians, Luke 5:31, Col. 4:14; by direct intervention, Mk. 3:1-5; in answer to the faith of friends, Mk. 2:5; in response to prayer, Jam. 5:15-16, and in spite of unbelief, Mk. 6:5.
“It did not please God to heal Daniel, Dan. 8:27; Elisha, 2 Ki. 13:14; Timothy, 1 Tim. 5:23; Epaphroditus, Phil. 2:26; Trophimus, 2 Tim. 4:20; or Paul, 2 Cor. 12:7-10. God is able to heal anyone at any time, but the Bible reveals that it is not normally His purpose to do so. Evangelicals therefore believe in divine healing but not in [modern day] divine healers.
“Sickness and infirmity are permitted for a number of revealed reasons: so that God’s works may be made manifest, Jn 9:3; for His glory, Jn 11:4; for our profit, Ps. 119:67, Heb. 12:5-10; so that we may be able to comfort others, 2 Cor. 1:4; to make us more fruitful, Jn. 15:2, Heb 12:11; to prepare us for future glory, Rom. 8:17, 2 Cor. 4:17.
“God always provides a way to escape, 1 Cor. 10:13. It comes through prayer, Matt. 6:13, Heb. 4:16. It may also come through self-judgment in the light of His word, 1 Cor. 11:31, 2 Chr. 7:14. If God does not heal His grace is sufficient, 2 Cor. 12:9.”
The mother of my friend Charlie Scarberry lay dying in the hospital. The family was very troubled…but not Charlie. He greeted me with the words, “Pastor, it will be ok. I have prayed about this. God has assured me that mom will be healed.” To the surprise of many, Charlie was right! She soon recovered and left the hospital. A year or two passed. The same situation arose. I returned to the hospital, but this time Charlie greeted me with the news, “Pastor, mom will not be healed this time. God has told me how it will be.” Sure enough, she went to be with the Lord a day or two later. In the first case, asking for healing became a prayer of faith because God confirmed the request in Charlie’s soul. In the second case, however, God exercised His right to say, “No, for I have something better for her.”
Above all, seek the Lord in times like these! Don’t prejudge the situation nor order God what to do. Instead, engage God in conversation…lay it out before Him…and then have the faith to add this simple prayer, “Not my will but Thy will be done.”
Jul 31, 2023 – Worship! What comes to our mind when we think of worship? The most prevalent idea is, “The worship service begins at 11:00.” Or, “We’ll worship then hear a sermon” or, “I go that church because I like the way they worship.” The average Christian’s understanding of worship is woefully inadequate and helps explain the superficiality of today’s Christianity. Indeed, Today’s Verse says NOTHING about a church service, music, preaching, tithing, praying, length of hair, Bible translation, denomination, worship style…but it sure does address what God thinks of worship.
My cousin, Pastor Phil Rice, has written extensively about worship in his ordination document “Statement of Faith.” His words are worthy of our consideration because they agree with the Apostle Paul’s definition of worship.
“There is a misconception in many people’s minds that worship is music, and while music plays an integral part, true worship is not about music at all. True worship is all about God, and it begins with the first and greatest commandment: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’…If I truly love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength then it will change the way I live, think and act on a day to day basis. In Romans 12:1 Paul says to ‘…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.’ And 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, ‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’
Phil continues, “In light of these verses, worship begins in the heart of the believer with an overwhelming love for God that affects every area of our lives. As I grow to love God in this way, everything I do, even the things I eat and drink, becomes an act of worship.
“…As my love for God grows, I will begin to see a transition from expressing myself, to expressing my love for God and being God’s expression of love to others. I will also begin to see a difference in the depth and intensity of the way I worship, because I will do it as unto the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.”
May your day be filled with a heart dedicated to worship your Savior in all of your heart and in all that you do…after all, this is your TRUE WORSHIP.
Jul 28, 2023 – PART 3 – I grew up watching Saturday college football on ABC with announcers Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson. Bud was the former coach of the Oklahoma Sooners and won three national championships. I know nothing of Bud’s spiritual life, but he taught me something that has application to God’s church, also.
Bud was asked during an interview, “What contribution does professional sports make to the physical fitness of Americans?”
To no one’s surprise Bud answered, “Very little. A professional football game is a happening where 50,000 spectators, desperately needing exercise, sit in the stands watching twenty-two men on the field desperately needing rest.”
In a nutshell, that statement describes the average church. The old 80-20 rule prevails in church after church: 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people.
May I ask, “Are you in the 20% of the people?” If the answer is yes, I salute you for your tenacity and perseverance in conducting the work of God in God’s church. The church needs more people like you. I recently buried one of my favorite saints. I said in my funeral comments that this dear saint was a finisher; I could give her an assignment, walk away and know she would get it done and do it well. Whatever she began, she finished for the glory of the Lord. She even let me know in advance if she was headed out of town and would miss a service…and always assured me that she had her job covered! Such people are like fresh air to the pastor, but they also have a special place in the Lord’s heart, too. So I salute you.
If you’re not in the 20% then you must be in the less active (or inactive) 80%. It’s time to “fan into flame the gift of God which is in you.” Some of us are tired and need help. Others are getting old and can’t do what they once did but they’re still trying. The fields are abundantly “white unto harvest” indicating that many are headed to a devil’s hell, but we lack laborers to reach them with the gospel.
You may think, “No one needs what I can do.” This may surprise you but in my sixty-eight years I have never been in a church which turned away help. Instead, every church has a “Help Wanted” sign in the church office. We need people who are born again, baptized, live a separated life unto the Master and are WILLING.
One dear lady told me, “I don’t know what I can do, but I am here to do it!” That lady soon became one of the 20%.
How about volunteering at your next church service? The Lord is waiting…and so is the church.

Jul 26, 2023 – PART 1 – How do you think of God’s church? How would you describe it? Much literature has been written in the last thirty years on the topic of “body life” or “body dynamics.” Hopefully, you have grown in your appreciation and understanding of what the church really is. Let’s do a refresher study in the next several editions of Today’s Verse.
Let’s distinguish two words today: organization and organism. Is the church primarily an organization or an organism? Our answer determines our entire philosophy about God’s church.
What is an organization? Of course, we know the word “organize” has the idea of things being in order. If you replace a car battery with the horn you’re not going anywhere! Many years ago some boys swiped the distributor wires on my car during my midnight shift at the motel…and they compounded the problem by switching the firing combination on the remaining wires. We not only had to replace the stolen wires, but we had to learn the firing combination for the remaining wires, too. It was chaos! Thankfully, New Tribes (now Ethnos360) missionary Mark Barnes knew what to do, otherwise I would still be there to this day!
But an organism is a much higher form of organization, because it includes the special distinguishing quality called life! When you look at me, you see an organism…very well organized with hands where I need them and eyes where I need them but also an organization endowed with the spark of life. I am alive! I am capable of five senses, but my automobile is not. My circulation system is eons above that which exists in my vehicle. If my body suffers a cut, the clotting occurs without my consulting a training manual. My car’s water pump can’t clot if it’s leaking! I’m able to grow physically and mentally, able to make decisions including good and bad decisions, able to care for myself and others. and, most importantly, able to know people on an intimate basis (including God).
I am alive! And so is the church…but in what sense? This brings us to the MOST FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH OF ALL, and, sad to say, it is a fundamental which is often missed.
The church is alive because… Let’s begin by stating the church is NOT alive because it is has living human beings in attendance. Human life or physical life allows an Alcoholics Anonymous gathering to occur. It allows a college football game to occur with tens of thousands of people. It allows a business to thrive. It even allows a family to be a family.
BUT THAT IS NOT HOW GOD VIEWS HIS CHURCH. God views the church as an organism because it possesses SPIRITUAL LIFE. In other words, it consists of people who have been born again into God’s kingdom…people that are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
A proper understanding of the church does not begin with what people can do (that’s merely organization), but with what PEOPLE ARE. Do they possess the life which comes from above? Have they been to Calvary and been washed in the blood of the Lamb? One pastor lamented, “I preach on being born again and half of my people look at me with puzzled looks as if they don’t have a clue what I am speaking about.” The great Baptist leader W. A. Criswell writes in one of his books that he doubted if half of his church’s members had been genuinely born again. Oh, yes, they had made a profession of faith and been baptized but time has a way of separating the chaff from the wheat.
For what saith the holy scriptures? “You [God’s church] are being built together for an habitation [dwelling place] of God through the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22).
Never forget: The quest for quantity (increasing the organization’s size) must always be secondary to the quest for quality (can the prospect give testimony of having been born again?). Why? It is because you can’t have a church unless you have born again people! It takes spiritual life to have a church!
Jul 25, 2023 – It is reported the gospel songwriter John Peterson was offered $250,000 for his song, “Over the Sunset Mountain.” A recording firm was prepared to turn this beautiful song about the Christian’s hope into a love song.
The first verse of Peterson’s song contains the words, “Over the sunset mountains Someday I’ll softly go, Into the arms of Jesus, He who has loved me so.” The second verse said, “Toiling will all be ended, Shadows will flee away. Sorrow will be forgotten, Oh, what a wonderful day.”
The chorus went, “Over the sunset mountains Heaven awaits for me. Over the sunset mountains, Jesus, my Savior, I’ll see.”
One of the recording studio’s proposed changes was to make the chorus read, “I’ll see Jean, my sweetheart.”
Peterson responded, “No, the words may not be changed. The song is not for sale.” Thus ended the negotiations.
John Peterson penned over one thousand gospel songs during his career. Some of those songs include “Surely Goodness and Mercy,” “It Took a Miracle,” and a personal favorite, “A Flag to Follow.” The Peterson family gave me permission to quote “A Flag to Follow” in my book “God Speaks—Today!” Here is the full quote from that book:
“During my teenage years I needed a cause…a cause for living. I am happy to say I accepted God’s opinion—that opinion became my own goals. These words by John Peterson express my life-long cause best of all.
I sought a flag to follow, a cause for which to stand,
I sought a valiant leader who could my love command,
I sought a stirring challenge, some noble work to try,
To give my life fulfillment, my dreams to satisfy.
I found them all in Jesus,
The Life, the Truth, the Way,
Beneath His flag I’ll take my stand
And follow Him today!”
Today—fifty years later—I would still choose the same song!
Bottom line: Peterson made his choice regarding “Over the Sunset Mountain” BEFORE he ever conceived the song. That choice was made BECAUSE he knew who he was and what he was to do: a servant of Christ and exalt Christ. That knowledge/commitment settled the entire issue. It is amazing how “settling a few core issues” settles 99% of the other things that come our way! As this author has stated many times, “It is who we are, what we do, and why we keep doing it.”
Ah, friend, settle the core issues in compliance with the will of God and life will take on new meaning!
Jul 24, 2023 – I like to brag about God’s goodness to me. How about you? How often we have sung, “God is so good, He’s so good to me!” Indeed, He is!
One of those “goodness blessings” for me concerns a country church named Palestine Missionary Baptist Church. Though now living a few hours away in Dayton, Ohio I still return to our old stomping grounds to preach homecomings, fifth Sunday events and special services. I am blessed again with the opportunity to preach next Sunday at Palestine’s homecoming.
Key: Each one of us comes to intersections in life where we make a decision…and that decision affects our lives for the duration. Indeed, the choice at the intersection may be made by someone else such as a parent; that kind of decision puts us on a course to some new destination.
What is the most important question to ask at such intersections? “Which decision is God’s decision, because God’s decision will always be the right decision?”
It reminds me of the two generals discussing the next day’s battle. One nervously said, “I hope God is on our side.”
The other general said, “That is not my main concern. My main concern is, ARE WE ON GOD’S SIDE?”
During my teenage years my father received a telephone call from a young man at Palestine named Steve Wiseman. (Dad was between pastorates at the time.) Steve asked dad if he would consider pastoring Palestine. Steve explained the older members did not think dad would be interested (they thought dad would want a larger church), but Steve said, “I told them that we’ll never know unless we ask. So, I’m asking.”
It would be a long drive for us: forty-five minutes each way. At that time the church had no indoor plumbing, only outside toilets. (I always checked for a snake before entering.) There was no air conditioning either. One family member discouraged dad from accepting the call and suggested he wait on a so-called better situation. But dad said, “Yes. I will be your pastor.” Dad proceeded to pastor the church for three very blessed years. Quite a few people were saved during those three years. Plus the church developed one of the best youth groups you’ll see in any church. More about that in a minute.
Dad left the church and God moved in another fine pastor named Carl Holderby. Carl was also considered one of the “bigger church pastors” of that era, but he, too, accepted the call to Palestine – a church with attendance of around forty people. In time Carl became one of my mentors. He was really good with young preachers. Carl stayed for a long time and helped raise that youth group into adulthood. Carl’s true impact cannot yet be measured.
What were the results? First, I happily married Palestine’s pianist. The best looking pianist I ever saw! Dad’s decision at his intersection set many things in motion that would never have occurred otherwise. I cannot imagine my own life without my ministry partner Ruth Ellen. Second, Ruth Ellen’s brother Jon is also a pastor. He recently completed his M. Div at Southern Seminary in Louisville. Another teen named Benny Taylor grew up and now has two sons in the pastorate. Three of Ruth Ellen’s brothers teach Sunday School. Another Palestine descendent named Todd Warner now pastors my home church. And not long ago I preached for a Dayton, Ohio pastor whose great-grandparents attended Palestine during dad’s pastorate.
Bottom line: What you choose at life’s intersections can affect generations to come. It is easy to forget the impact of how we live. It is also easy to leave God out of our decisions.
Oh, God, remind us! Give us insight to both seek Your way and walk in Your way so the results of our decisions will be the right results for the generations to come!
Jul 22-23, 2023 – We want short valleys and long mountain tops. But God does not always give us our “wants.” The Bible describes the life of Joseph, son of Jacob, in great detail as a lesson in how God shapes our character.
Let’s look at the outline of Joseph’s up-and-down life. First, Joseph was loved more by his father Jacob than anyone else. Jacob presented Joseph with the famous coat of many colors.
Second, Joseph’s brothers were jealous of Joseph.
Third, Joseph was blessed by God with prophetic dreams. The brothers resented the dreams instead of acknowledging the dreams revealed the will of God. The dreams only inflamed their jealousies.
Fourth, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery to heathen merchants. Joseph was discarded like a dirty rag by his own family. No more mountain top!
Fifth, Joseph eventually landed in Egypt. Heathen country! Of course, this was God’s doing, but that was not clear at the time. Nevertheless, things improved! But it wasn’t like home. And he was unable to know what was happening at home.
Sixth, Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape by his master’s wife. There was no court hearing, just a prison cell with no means of escape or acquittal. Poor Joe didn’t deserve prison any more than he deserved being sold to the merchants. It looked like everyone had abandoned him including God. Imprisoned and forgotten. That’s a mighty deep valley.
Seventh, Joseph interpreted a dream for the chief butler that sent the butler up the ladder to fame and fortune. Joseph asked the butler to reciprocate by remembering him to the authorities; the butler agreed but then conveniently forgot Joseph when he became someone special. The valley continued.
Eighth, may as well die right here in prison! “Lord, I’m getting old. Prison is dangerous. If You’re doing to do ANYTHING with my life, You better do it now.”
Ninth, TWO YEARS pass. It’s awful to say it, but God moves slowly at times. Very slowly. We are so impatient! “The problem is that I am in a hurry, but God isn’t!” All of us eventually experience this lesson.
Tenth, God opened the door for the dreamer to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Pharaoh rewarded Joseph by making Joseph the Prime Minister of Egypt and placing him in charge of preserving the food crop for the pending famine. FINALLY on the mountain again!
How does the story end? It ends with Joseph’s family nearly starving to death in Canaan then traveling to Egypt for food…and in Egypt the family is reunited with Joseph. Joseph, a man of godly character, forgives his brothers of their misdeeds and cares for his family.
Bottom line: God does not always give you what you want in life INCLUDING in ministry. Things don’t always make sense. Wrong things happen. Good people even do wrong things that may crush you. Life goes berserk at times. The valleys can be very long and the mountain tops non-existent.
Only one question needs to be answered at such times: Will you still trust in God?
Jul 21, 2023 – Where have you met God in such a manner that you remember the place, the time and the circumstances?
In Today’s Verse God reminds Jacob of a place where he met God in a special way. His brother Esau was ready to kill him for stealing his birthright! His father was also angry at Jacob’s deception. Fearful Jacob was fleeing for his life and unlikely to ever return home.
During his flight Jacob made camp at a “not important” place that soon became a “very important” place. He dreamed about a ladder that stretched from heaven to earth with angels descending and ascending on the ladder. Guess Who was standing at the top of the ladder? The Lord! The Lord promised that Jacob would receive the land promised to Abraham and Isaac. Furthermore, the Lord would never leave him.
Jacob awoke from the dream and uttered, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not.” He proceeded to assign a name to that place. He called it Bethel which means the “house of God.”
Bethel became a place of spiritual significance to Jacob. Jacob then wandered like sheep are prone to do for a number of years. But then, seemingly out of the blue, God appeared to Jacob again and said, “Go back to Bethel and let’s get some things straight.” And Jacob did as the Lord commanded.
Surely all of us have a place called Bethel. Perhaps, as in my case, it is multiple places. I recall driving home after candidating at a church on Sunday morning. It had been difficult preaching. I was so discouraged! I did not see how I could help the church. I even decided to call the deacon chairman as soon as I arrived home and tell him to find someone else to preach that night…that I was no longer interested in the church.
Well, those were my intentions. But I can take you to the spot on the highway…ascending the high hill…when the Lord whispered, “I’d like for you to go back one more time. Just one more time.” (That’s exactly how I remember His impression on my mind.) I immediately said, “Ok.” I went back that night, sat on the front row during the music and God gave me peace about accepting the pastorate. The church turned out to be the smallest church I have pastored, but it was the church that gave the best effort of any church I have pastored. I will always thank God for whispering to me at that spot on the highway.
I recall meeting God while driving to Pikeville, Kentucky for a meeting. On the previous day we had received word that headquarters was eliminating our department. Some of us would be offered transfers (likely for me). While driving God suddenly said, “You are not to take the transfer, but it’s time to leave the company and pastor on a fulltime basis.” I asked, “Where?” He said, “One thing at a time!” I immediately surrendered to God’s call, traveled on to Pikeville and shared the news with some of my Christian brothers and sisters. I remember one of them saying to me, “I hope God makes it plain like that for me!”
Where is your Bethel or Bethels? Perhaps we should label them Bethel #1, Bethel #2, Bethel #3, Bethel #4 and so on, because there will be more than one as you walk with the Lord.
It is the place where you meet God. And you never forget being with Him in that special, special way. And He makes things so very plain.
Jul 20, 2023 – Can one person make a difference? More specifically, can you make a difference? We often minimize ourselves. Whereas some are so full of themselves that we wish they’d go brag to someone else, others are concerned they are totally irrelevant.
But the old saying is true, “Little is much if God is in it.” Sure enough, “There is a lad here…his mother sent him with a sack lunch of five loaves and two tiny fish. That’s all the food we have for this crowd of five thousand men plus women and children.” In my mind, Jesus laughed and said, “It is enough.” He then proceeded to make sure that the “little” was all that was needed.
Leslie B. Flynn shares a story that all of us need to consider in preparation for those down days that are certain to come. He writes, “T. J. Bach was converted while a student in Copenhagen, Denmark. Walking down a street on a Sunday afternoon, he noticed a young man crossing the street to give him a gospel tract. Bach crushed the tract in his hand, muttering that people should mind their own business.
“The young man did not respond but instead turned aside to pray as tears began to run down his cheeks.
“Thought Bach, ‘He has given his money to buy a tract. He has given his time to distribute it. And now he has given his heart in prayer for me.’
“The young man’s compassion toward Bach’s crude behavior brought deep conviction. Half an hour later in his room, Bach pasted the tract together. Before he finished reading it, he was down on his knees, asking God for forgiveness.”
And it all happened because someone whom we will never know this side of glory decided God might possibly be able to do something with his effort.
“There is a lad here.” Come to think of it, I am still a lad, though age 68. I’m not a giant, how about you? But I do have something comparable to loaves and fish. Most importantly, we have a God who can do something when we sometimes think we are actually nothing. Isn’t God good?
Jul 19, 2023 – PART 4 – Oscar Wilde wisely advises, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Why? Wilde continues, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”
In some ways Jesus took an opinion poll in Matthew 16. He knew the discussion would end with Peter’s heaven-sent declaration that, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But Jesus set the stage for that awesome announcement by first asking the apostles, “Who do people say that I am?” Three names were given in response: John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah. Each of those names has been explained in the last three devotionals. But something still remains to be discussed.
Interestingly, Jesus did not ask, “Who do the scribes and Pharisees say that I am?” Jesus was not interested in the view of the religious establishment. Does this absence have meaning? Perhaps so. It certainly reminds us that organized religion has historically been opposed to Christ by consistently substituting rituals, traditions or people (think of the Virgin Mary or praying to church-designated saints) for the person of Jesus Christ. Never forget: The essence of Christianity IS Christ Himself…nothing more, nothing less.
Let’s note some other answers to Today’s Verse—some good, some not so good. But please note that NOTHING man says or believes changes who Jesus really is. Nor does anyone’s belief change what Jesus is to do. In many ways that is the substance or lesson of today’s devotional: Be who you are in the power of the Holy Spirit and don’t try to fit someone else’s mold. His shoes probably weren’t made for your foot…and, besides, God designed you to be what and who we need. If we needed someone else, God would send us that person instead!
To His credit, Jesus did not change based upon the opinion of the people. “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God” (John 13:3). “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). Jesus stayed right on track! But what did the people say?
A sinner! “They say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’” (Matthew 11:19).
Demon possessed! The Pharisees: “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (Matthew 12:24).
Guiltless! Governor Pontius Pilate: “I find no fault in Him” (John 19:6).
God’s sacrifice! John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Innocent! Judas Iscariot: “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4).
Authoritative! “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46). “He spoke not as one of the scribes but as one having authority” (Matthew 7:29).
Blasphemer! “He declares Himself to be the Son of God” (John 19:7).
How can one person be described in so many different ways? Welcome to the human race! Let’s focus instead on our calling to be WHO God called us to be and to DO what God called us to do!
Jul 18, 2023 – PART 3 – SURELY NOT, but according to the people, surely YES! Who did people see in Jesus? We often say, “I want people to see Jesus in me.” However, the opposite occurred in Today’s Verse: In this case the people saw the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah in Jesus. Wonder why?
In the last two devotionals we were introduced to the first two of THREE unique personalities that people saw in Him who is the Christ. Jesus asked His followers, “Of whom do I remind the people?” Three names were given in response. The first of those names was John the Baptist. The second name was Elijah. The third name, and perhaps the most surprising name, was Jeremiah.
No one can deny that Christ was a great world leader. Therefore, it is quite surprising to find Jeremiah mentioned here as a description of a great world leader such as Jesus or Napoleon or Alexander the Great. We might expect the people to mention John the Baptist, because John had a fiery personality and was very blunt in his preaching. Elijah makes sense, too, because Elijah was a man of great power who performed miracles outside the realm of human possibility.
But the chief characteristic of Jeremiah…well, we would not expect to find it in a powerful world leader. But it is a characteristic that is clearly demonstrated in the Son of God. What is that characteristic? It is written at the top of the first page of the book of Jeremiah. Most Bibles title the book, “Jeremiah, the WEEPING prophet.” In brief, Jeremiah was known for his tears of compassion for his sinful, rebellious countrymen.
It broke Jeremiah’s heart to tell his people that an awful judgment was coming. “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Cut down her trees; cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her. As a well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and destruction are heard within her.’” Sure enough, the destruction came, the city was devastated, its walls leveled, the people carried captive into a foreign land where most of them would die. Jeremiah witnessed all of this horrible, heart-wrenching event and he chronicled his pain in his sequel called “The Lamentations or Sorrows of Jeremiah.”
Napoleon was just the opposite. On one occasion he warned the Austrian statesman Metternich, “You cannot stop me. I can spend 30,000 men a month.” 30,000 lives meant nothing to him.
But when the people looked at Jesus they knew their lives were important to Him! “But when Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” How did He respond to the need of the hour? “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matthew 9).
Just as Jeremiah kept trying despite a broken heart, so Jesus kept trying despite a broken heart. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:37).
Do you ever experience rejection? So did Jeremiah. So did Jesus. Jeremiah was dragged off to Egypt by his rebellious countrymen and died in that foreign land. Likewise, Jesus became a man of sorrows, deeply acquainted with grief, rejected by men, “having come unto His own and His own received Him not”, and then suffering the ultimate rejection of being crucified.
What does this mean to us today? “All your anxiety, all your care, Bring to the mercy seat, Leave it there. Never a burden that He cannot bear, NEVER A FRIEND LIKE JESUS.”
Rest assured, my friend, your Savior understands. He KNOWS!
Jul 17, 2023 – PART 2 – Who did people see in Jesus? We often say, “I want people to see Jesus in me.” However, the opposite occurred in Today’s Verse: In this case the people saw the Old Testament prophet Elijah in Jesus. Wonder why?
In yesterday’s Part 1 we were introduced to the first of THREE unique personalities that people saw in Him who is the Christ. Jesus asked His followers, “Of whom do I remind the people?” Three names were given in response. The first of those names was John the Baptist. (Read yesterday’s devotional for more information.) The second name was Elijah.
Elijah was known for his power: not only spiritual power in preaching but also power to perform physical miracles. That power was the result of Elijah’s close relationship with God plus the fact that God chose Elijah to receive this supernatural power.
Have you noticed in the Bible there are three distinct periods in which miracles were performed on a frequent scale? The first period was during the lifetimes of Moses and Joshua. The second period was during the lifetimes of Elijah and Elisha. The third period was during the lifetimes of Jesus and the apostles. In each period God chose to demonstrate His power to validate His messengers as well as His message.
Elijah was one of God’s greatest messengers in a time of national spiritual darkness. Elijah demonstrated God’s power by restoring life to the widow’s dead son in 1 Kings 17. The Bible says, “The LORD Jehovah heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him. Elijah then showed the boy to his mother and said, ‘See, your son lives!’ And the widow said, ‘NOW I KNOW that you are a man of God and your words are truth.’”
In a similar way Jesus Christ validated His own words by His own supernatural power. Jesus said, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, BELIEVE THE WORKS, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37). Believe the works because the works confirm His identity!
Elijah demonstrated the power of God in dealing with that rotten king Ahab. Ahab endorsed, even promoted worship of the satanic idol called Baal. But Elijah refused to bow in spite of the king’s coercion. He stood strong. What did Jesus say to the false religionists of His day? “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).
Elijah further demonstrated God’s power in prophecy. He told Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives…there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Guess what? It did not rain for three and a half years. Quite a feat if I say so myself! Along comes Christ and He prophesies the destruction of the temple (accomplished in A.D. 70), His own death AND resurrection, plus His second coming. It’ll happen, too!
Last, Elijah totally overwhelmed the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). The false prophets prepared their sacrifice then called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice. Then Elijah said, “Move over, boys.” Elijah prayed then “the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God!’”
What about our Lord’s greatest challenge? It was really no challenge at all for “Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph o’er His foes, He arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever, with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”
The Lord Jesus demonstrated that kind of power throughout His ministry. Indeed, there was no problem too great for His ability. Isn’t it great to know that? That’s another reason why you can place your faith in Him. It is because NO ONE IS BIGGER THAN HIM! Amen!
Jul 15-16, 2023 – Who did people see in Jesus? I recently preached in one of my early pastorates for the first time in twenty-five years. One of the men said afterward, “I heard two preachers today. At times I heard you, and at other times I heard your father.” I suppose it is like that for all of us, too. We remind people of others by our appearance, our choice of words, our attitude, and our voice. Therefore, should we be surprised to know that Jesus also reminded people of others?
We often say, “I want people to see Jesus in me.” However, the opposite occurred in Today’s Verse: In this case the people saw John the Baptist in Jesus. Goodness! What a compliment to John! Of course, the people did not yet have a full understanding of Jesus’ identity or capability. But, lest we move on too quickly, we need to recognize that this man John must have been a phenomenal man with a capital P. He set the stage for the unveiling of the Messiah, but he also set a high standard that must have been off the scale.
Today’s Verse introduces us to the first of THREE unique personalities that people saw in Him who is the Christ. Jesus asked His followers, “Of whom do I remind the people?” Three names were given in response. The first of those names was John the Baptist. Wonder why?
The Lord of Glory testified about John, “Among those born of women there has never risen a greater than John the Baptist.” Thus, it makes sense the people would connect whom we know as the “second greatest” person John with the “first greatest” person God the Son. In their minds, to see one was also to see the other!
You will remember that John the Baptist had been executed by King Herod. John had rebuked Herod for the sin of adultery. Imagine rebuking the king face to face! Herod responded by showing John who was boss. He tossed John into prison. A short time later Herod executed John at the request of his lover.
But was that the end of the story? No. What was Herod’s reaction when he heard about this wonder-working Messiah named Jesus? Herod cried out, “This has to be John the Baptist risen from the dead” (Matthew 14:2). In his mind, who else could it be? I suspect Herod suffered nightmares, imagining that this resurrected John might want to settle the score with him.
What, though, made John so special? First, John was a holy man. No scandal was attached to him or his ministry. What did Pilate say about Jesus? “I find no fault in Him.” Even Judas admitted, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the INNOCENT blood.”
Second, John was a strong man, not a wimp. He stood tall, so tall he rebuked the king for his heinous sin. Likewise, Jesus rebuked the sins of the religious leaders and others.
Third, John was a man of the common people. He did not do well with the well-to-do, but he connected with the common man of his day. Doesn’t that sound like Jesus? He was constantly surrounded by the common people.
Fourth, John preached the kingdom (and, by association, the king) was at hand! So did Jesus. Their joint message of “Repent!” provided a prophetic-style message that stirred the nation.
Fifth, John practiced the rite of baptism as a sign (not cause) of repentance. Jesus’ disciples continued the same practice. They both made a big issue of baptism and so should we. This baptism helped distinguish their followers from those who rejected their message.
It is not trivial to say, “You look at the life of John and you see Christ. You look at Christ and you see John.” Joined at the hip. Like the old saying: “Like father, like son.” Dedicated servants of the same Master.
The person told me, “I hear your father preaching when you preach.” Those words are indeed a great compliment. But wouldn’t it be so much better if people could say, “I hear Jesus preaching when you preach”?
“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, All his wonderful passion and purity, O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” Can anyone say, “Amen”?
July 14, 2023- The television preacher Charles Stanley said, “Today is the father of tomorrow. What we are today is the result of what we have been thinking and the way we have lived in the past.” All of us are acquainted with the old saying, “You made your bed, now sleep in it!” How about another wise saying, “You reap what you sow.”
Unfortunately, life is full of shipwrecks: people whose lives have been broken on the rocks of bad decisions by sailing where they should not have sailed, when they should not have sailed, how they should not have sailed, and with whom they should not have sailed.
So many people view life as a dartboard. They throw their darts and whatever happens, happens. They have no plan on where to go or how to get there. However, Jesus and His followers are just the opposite. They have the Bible as their technical manual, the Holy Spirit as their Guide, the church as their equipper, and the world as their mission field. That’s not a dartboard approach by any means.
Life for God’s children is not an accident waiting to happen but rather a well-planned strategy with a desired, biblical goal. Brothers and sisters, there is great assurance in KNOWING that your life not only has meaning but has eternal meaning! The list of regrets is much shorter; the list of successes is much longer!
How wisely are you investing your life? If things continue as they are, will the results of your life be what you desire? Or will you discover your life has been tragically wasted on trivialities?
Pastor Pierce Harris spoke one day in a prison. A prisoner introduced him by saying, “Several years ago two boys lived in a town in north Georgia. They went to the same school, played together, and attended the same Sunday School. One dropped out of Sunday School and said it was ‘sissy stuff.’ The other boy kept going. One boy rejected Christ; the other boy accepted Christ. The boy who rejected Christ is making this introduction. The boy who received Christ is today’s honored speaker.”
Oh, heed the cautionary words of the old song, “Wasted years, wasted years! Oh how foolish! As you walk on in darkness and in fears, Turn around, turn around, God is calling! He’s calling you from a life of wasted years!” The person described in that song has lived a life of bad choices, hence ‘wasted years.’ God is now calling him to redeem what time is left by surrendering his life to Christ and, henceforth, living for Christ.
Let’s be careful! Life is delicate. Let’s make the right choice TODAY before today’s years become wasted years!
Jul 13, 2023 – It is incredible what God has done! He has intentionally chosen “what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.” In a nutshell, that strategy can be summarized in one word: faith, specifically faith in the finished work of Christ, but in a more general way, the entire faith concept. Verse 20 asks, “Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?”
Look around you today. Did the evening news mention faith? No. Especially not faith in God or God’s way as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Does the college professor teach faith? No. He teaches economic laws, mathematical laws, etc. We have become incredibly smart as a people. If I don’t know how to plumb, I call a plumber. Need air conditioning? Call a trained specialist. Want to cook something new? Watch the Food Channel! Don’t know how to invest your money? Call an investment professional. Don’t know how…well, there’s someone who knows the how!
So smart we have become! We have the answer to practically everything. Cell phones, artificial intelligence, Da Vinci surgical robots, driverless trucks, want to take your own trip into space? Yes, so smart we have become!
Have we become too big for our britches? Amazingly, modern man is headed for a day when he will worship the greatest of God’s earthly creation: himself. From a worldly perspective such worship makes sense, because man views himself as so self-sufficient. Or others might say, “God, aren’t You proud of how far we have come? Go take a vacation because we don’t need You.”
But how does God approach man? Does He pat man on the back and say, “I’m glad to know you! Glad I created you!”? No. God instead totally ignores what makes man “wise in his own eyes” and chooses the very opposite approach. God takes something so ridiculously foolish (in the eyes of the “wise”) and makes it the most critical element in dealing with man. What is that foolish item? It is faith…pure and simple faith. Discarding our knowledge, ideas, skills, resources, achievements, opinions, finances and, to paraphrase Jesus, “Go and give away what you depend upon then come and follow Me.”
Yes, it is incredible what God has done. The very opposite of how we think! He has built His entire approach upon a concept so simple that a mere child can comprehend it…so refreshingly simple that a simpleton can grasp it without calling for a specialist. In so doing, God has “confounded” or “shamed” the wise of this world. While such brilliant people proceed down the WRONG path, others discover a path less traveled by called faith and encounter the Sovereign God.
Consider what faith does! By faith Abel offered…by faith Enoch was raptured…by faith Noah built…by faith Abraham went out…by faith Sarah conceived…by faith Isaac and Jacob blessed…by faith Joseph prophesied…by faith Moses led…by faith Jericho’s walls fell…by faith Rahab survived. “All these were approved [by God] through faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us” (Hebrews 11:39-40). Hebrews 11 teaches the same thing has happened over and over again since the beginning of time: God has blessed faith but ignored everything else.
And the “wise” miss it.
What about you? Are you in the way called faith?
Jul 12, 2023 – At the beginning of the last century an evangelist held a meeting in Binghamton, New York. The evangelist angered the people when he said, “Sodom, Gomorrah and Binghamton are three of a kind.”
Some of the area preachers in attendance objected to that statement. They went to the evangelist after the service and argued with him. They contended that they had a good, clean city. They pointed to their churches, schools, hospitals, prominent people and fine art. They said it was unthinkable to liken their city to ancient Sodom.
However, later that same night one of the clubs in the city opened the doors to debauchery of all kind. They brought up fifty prostitutes from New York City. Many prominent men attended the party. By midnight everyone was drunk. By four a.m. these fine upstanding people were tearing up the furniture and the police had to be called to deal with the debauchery. The evangelist may have been ridiculed, but he was right…and he would be right in ANY city! Sin is everywhere in abundance!
Jonathan Edwards gives us these remarkable words: “The heaven I pursued was a heaven of holiness.” Edwards did not want to be associated with debauchery, riotous living or sinful impulses of any kind. He set his eyes upon God’s call to “be ye holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). “Come out from among them and be separate.” (Edwards is often credited for preaching the greatest sermon on American soil: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”)
One of the failures of many modern-day Christians is trying to do the holy work of God with unholy hands, unholy thoughts, unholy hearts, unholy attitudes and unholy ambitions. The old preacher often got under my skin as a young Christian when he preached, “How holy are you?” I remember thinking, “Not as holy as I need to be. I have work to do!” How would you answer the question?
Someone asked J. Wilbur Chapman, “What do you consider a good rule of life?”
Chapman answered, “This rule governs my life. Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work more difficult is wrong for me and I must as a Christian turn away from it! I MUST!”
Remember: A better ministry begins with being someone that God can use. The surgeon does not ask for a dirty scalpel in beginning a surgery but for a clean scalpel. Likewise, you refuse a dirty fork and dirty knife at a restaurant. Again, you flush out the water lines before drinking if there has been a leak in the lines.
The same principle is true in God’s work. Being like the crowd is a non-starter. God did not call you to be like them; rather, He called you to be separate from their lifestyle and to be separated to Him! O, friend, be as clean as you can be for the Master’s use!
Jul 11, 2023 – “Mrs. Prayer Meeting died recently at the First Neglected Church on Worldly Avenue. Born many years ago in the midst of great revivals, she was a strong, healthy child, fed largely on testimony and Bible study, soon growing into world-wide prominence, and was one of the most influential members of the famous Church family.
“For the past several years Sister Prayer Meeting has been failing in health, gradually wasting away until rendered helpless by stiffness of knees, coldness of heart, inactivity and weakness of purpose and will power. At the last she was but a shadow of her former happy self. Her last whispered words were inquiries concerning the strange absence of her loved ones now busy in the marts of trade and places of worldly amusement.
“Experts, including Dr. Works, Dr. Reform and Dr. Joiner, disagreed as to the cause of her fatal illness, administering large doses of organization, socials, contests and drives, but to no avail. A post mortem showed that a deficiency of spiritual food coupled with the lack of faith, heartfelt religion and general support, were contributing causes. Only a few were present at her death, sobbing over memories of her past beauty and power.
“In honor of her going, the church doors will be closed on Wednesday nights, save the third Wednesday night of each month, when the Ladies Pink Lemonade Society serves refreshments to the men’s handball team.” (Source: Free Will Echo)
Where has prayer gone? Public prayer? My wife and I recently visited a church where the first prayer in the church service was prayed at the SEVENTY minute mark. Which prayer was it? It was the closing prayer. Perhaps that was an oddity for the church…after all, things do sometimes get messed up…but what are the odds of that?
In Today’s Verse Jesus says something strange to the modern mind about His house of worship. He could have said many things, but He zeroed in on prayer. Prayer! Talking to Almighty God! Isn’t that activity at the very heart of worship? Rest assured, one of the greatest ways to teach your people to pray is to SHOW them how to pray by publicly praying in their presence.
In contrast to the previous church I mentioned, we visited another church on a Sunday evening that devoted the entire service to prayer. They do this once a month. It’s programmed into their schedule to make certain they don’t neglect it! After a short music program, one of the men presents a fifteen minute Bible lesson on the subject of prayer. What does the church do with the rest of its time? It prays. The pastor had a list of twenty or more items that needed prayer. The list included two troubled churches in the area as well as people who need to get their hearts right with God. Plus some pending surgeries and others who are sick. The pastor explained the first item then someone came to the front and prayed in the microphone for that specific issue. This was repeated until the last item was mentioned. Bless God, even the youth participated and that was a blessing indeed!
Being a semi-retired pastor in the Dayton area, I could not help but think I was witnessing the secret of this church’s success! They intentionally put the horse (prayer) in front of the cart (everything else). May God help all of us to do the same in whatever way works best for you.
Jul 10, 2023 – How would you describe God or portray God to the average person?
A homiletics professor in one of our seminaries was teaching his students how to preach the inspired, inerrant Word of God. He assigned them to study Genesis chapter three, the story of the Fall of Man and how Adam and Eve hid themselves in the garden when they heard the voice of God in the cool of the day.
In the next class, each student stood and read the passage to the class. One young man stood and read the passage as though the Lord was a policeman. Another read it as though God was a condemning judge in the act of passing sentence. Still another read the passage as if the Lord was totally indifferent. And one read the passage as though the Lord was merely curious.
But then one young man stood and read the passage as though God was a broken-hearted Father. “Oh, Adam, where art thou?”
When, with deep emotion, he finished reading the passage, the professor said to the student, “Young man, you will be a great preacher. You will be a great evangelist, a great soulwinner.” Why? The young man had caught the true heart of our heavenly Father.
“The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy” (Psalm 145:8). “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, [searching] until he finds it?” (Luke 15).
Well, He found Adam, didn’t He? And He found me, too. I wonder: Has He found you, also? If the answer is yes, you are very richly blessed. And if the answer is no, well, listen very closely because He is calling your name. “___________, where art thou?” Rest assured, He already knows!
Jul 8-9, 2023 – The great preacher Charles Spurgeon had an unusual meeting with a young man. The lad had his finger pressed on two verses of the Bible. He had a very confused look on his face. He said, “Mr. Spurgeon, I have studied and studied and I just cannot understand these two verses.”
Spurgeon replied, “Son, give the Lord credit for knowing some things you don’t know!”
What is the best solution to understanding the Bible? One fellow answered, “I think I’ve made one of the first steps toward unraveling the mysteries of the Old Testament: I’ve started reading it!”
Much of today’s confusion exists because of seven human (not divine) factors. First, the reader’s reluctance to embrace all Scripture equally. People retain the Scripture that supports their position but disregard the Scripture that apparently contradicts their position. Extreme doctrinal positions fall into this error.
Second, the failure to interpret Scripture in its context. One Christian expressed this attitude when he said, “I already know what I believe. Don’t confuse me with anything else.” But the old adage cautions, “A text out of context is a pretext.” Context often limits the meaning of a particular Scripture to a specific setting or circumstance.
Third, the failure to compare Scripture with Scripture. The best interpreter of Scripture is the Holy Spirit; the next best interpreter is other Scripture. For example, how does the same Bible writer use this word or thought elsewhere? Also, how do the other Bible writers use this same word or thought? This type of study can be done easily with a concordance.
Fourth, not comparing translations. I was fooled in my early years on a few Scriptures because I misread a translation. My fault! Such an error would have been avoided if I had read the passage in another translation (each translation presents the passage through a different set of eyes).
Fifth, ignoring the text in its original language. Hebrew and Greek words have specific meanings. Occasionally, words possess alternate or secondary meanings, but those words are much fewer in number. Please note: It is never a good strategy to devise a personal translation or word definition that is not confirmed by several of today’s outstanding translations. Today’s translators are excellent scholars in the field of textual criticism. Their training likely exceeds the training of those reading this devotional. I urge you to bounce your ideas off them. Avoid teaching something new which is not confirmed by others.
Sixth, failing to admit we simply do not know. Teachers ought to resist the urge to always be authoritative. Some passages are rock solid and allow only one interpretation. Other passages, though, are less clear and leave us with several options. Today’s audience will appreciate an honest opinion when your analysis concludes with a question mark. Suffice it to say, the world will not end because of an occasional question mark.
Seventh, exalting feelings or experience above the text. No personal experience should ever be allowed to change the text. The text is not on trial, rather personal experience is on trial. The text is always the judge, not one’s feelings or experience. It is possible to have a religious experience that is not generated by the Holy Spirit nor conforms with plain Bible teachings.
Happy reading!
* See Chapter Six “Illumination: Spiritually Understanding God’s Spiritual Book” in my latest book God Speaks—Today! for deeper study material.
Jul 7, 2023 – When will my salvation be complete? Not until I am 100% like Him!
If the Lord Jesus does not return soon, my body shall go the way of my father. Someone may stand at my grave and read the age-old committal,
“We commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, looking for the resurrection and the life of the world to come through our Lord Jesus Christ: at whose second coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in Him shall be changed, and made like unto His own glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself.”
We often speak of our reuniting with loved ones in heaven, but there is another reunion which holds special meaning to the child of God. It is the reunion of the soul in heaven to the body on earth—a body that has housed our soul since the day of our conception. This body of mine may not look like much to you, but it is home to me.
KEY: God’s salvation will not be complete in my life until God also sanctifies my corruptible body through the act of a physical resurrection. “Who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil 3:21).
Therefore, we can be certain that God will not finish with any of us until the totality of each one of us is just like Jesus! 100% like Him! Not 90% like Him with 10% defects. But totally like Him! Everything about me will be free of defects. Not only will I live forever, but I will live forever in 100% conformity to God’s holy laws.
“It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. As we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Cor. 15).
There will obviously be a difference in our appearance, but we can be confident that it will be a glorified difference with no weaknesses of any kind! “For now we know in part, but then shall we know fully even as we are now fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). “Therefore, from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:16).
Imagine what the new you will be like! One of my female co-workers was impressed with the hairstyle of a new female employee. She told the new employee that she wished her hair was as straight as the new employee’s hair. She then asked, “Would you like to trade?”
The new employee bluntly said, “No. I don’t want your gray hair.”
Imagine you without all the defects, weaknesses, limitations, insecurities, forgetfulness, and sicknesses. Rest assured, dear saint, the half has not yet been told!
*** See Chapter 23 in my book Sanctification: How God Creates Saints out of Sinners for a much deeper explanation of the resurrection and glorified body. Available at Amazon, Apple, Kobo, etc.
Jul 6, 2023 – Our dear friend Patricia went to be with the Lord on this past Sunday evening. Her body was placed in the soil today. The grave has her body NOW, but one day the grave will have to RELEASE her body, because He who is named the Resurrection and the Life will shout, “Patricia, come out!” and, rest assured, that body which is now dead will become alive again in a glorified body patterned after the glorious, resurrected body of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
What does this tremendous event entail? Let’s rejoice together in its prospect since we cannot yet rejoice together in its reality.
The English word “resurrection” comes from the compound Greek word anastasis. It is a unique word with a very powerful meaning. Ana means “up.” Stasis (from histemi) means “to cause to stand.” Thus, the compound word expresses the idea that one who is prone is now caused to stand up. Oh, my, such a brilliant concept! The dead body lies horizontal without strength in a casket until it is made to stand perpendicular by Someone of greater power.
It is as if the body is rising in obedience to the General’s order of, “Attention!” Suddenly, that body of flesh has strength; furthermore, it demonstrates that strength by rising in anticipation of some future activity. It stands to attention! The body is no longer asleep but is fully awake. It is responsive. It is functioning. It is ready to participate again.
Perhaps soon my body will return to the dust. But I have God’s guarantee that He will someday save this body, too. Sometime in the future, the trumpet of God shall sound, and this body of mine shall immediately stand up!
The resurrection of Lazarus presents a beautiful picture of our resurrection.
“So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you heard me. I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent me.’ After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unwrap him and let him go’” (John 11:41-44).
“It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power” (1 Corinthians 15:43).
We might paraphrase those words in this manner: “Sown INTO the earth in weakness but raised OUT of the earth in power!”
As it was with the Master, so it was with the servant. “Up from the grave, Lazarus arose! Like a mighty victor over sin, death, and the grave.”
“On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, And the glory of His resurrection share; When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.” Yes, indeed, what a day that will be!
Jul 5, 2023 – They tell the story about a golfer who was so used to cheating that, when he made a hole-in-one, he took out his score card and wrote down ZERO! Again, there once was a Texas rancher who got into a heated argument and shot a man. The rancher telegraphed a lawyer three hundred miles away and offered the lawyer an enormous sum of money to defend him. The lawyer telegraphed back, “Am leaving for your town on the next train and bringing three eyewitnesses!”
We live in a lying age. We live among liars. We live in a world where a man’s word is no longer his bond, and he no longer feels bound by what he has promised. Some are so confused or so blatant in their false lifestyle that they call “evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). In many cases, our secular classrooms have “exchanged the truth for the lie” (Romans 1:25).
Jesus’ solution to this world condition was unique. He called us to be so honest that no one would require us to swear upon a Bible that we are telling the truth! O, what a standard that is! It would be like someone saying, “Bill said it. I know Bill. If Bill said it happened, then I know it happened.”
The Jews of Jesus’ day did not share the opinion of Jesus. Ryrie comments, “The [Jewish] emphasis on the sanctify of oaths led to the feeling that ordinary phrasing [conversation] need not be truthful or binding.” In the words of the common Jew, “Tell the truth if you are sworn to do so, but say anything you want if you are not under an oath. It’s only a lie if it’s said under an oath.”
Jesus countered that thinking by emphasizing the highest possible standard. He basically says, “Quit swearing at all! Instead, pay attention to EVERYTHING you say. Make sure that EVERYTHING you say is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Don’t make the authorities drag you into court to get the truth from your lips.”
How can we attain such a standard? Simply this: We speak the truth, because we strive to LIVE the truth! Living the truth is part of who we are; speaking the truth is merely the outflow of who we are. We tell the truth because we are friends OF the truth and friends WITH the truth and believe it is best for all concerned if the truth prevails. We don’t talk with a forked or crooked tongue, because we walk the straight and narrow. Who we are determines how we talk, what we say, and whether we are credible witnesses in the eyes of others.
The Apostle John writes, “To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in TRUTH; and not only I, but also all who know the TRUTH, for the sake of the TRUTH…” No falsehood, no lies, no deception but only truth. Such truth should be the basis for our entire manner of life at home, work, church, and community.
Dedicate yourself to being a person of integrity that can be respected at all times by your peers! Be a person of truth!
Jul 4, 2023 – “GOD BLESS AMERICA, LAND THAT I LOVE. STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER!”
In October 1976 President Jimmy Carter received a certified check for $35,000 made out to the United States of America. The attached letter said, “Dear Mr. President, The check of $35,000 is a gift for the U.S.A. – LONG LIVE! With me it is not what the country will do for me; it is what I can do for my country. My age is past ninety-two. I came from Russia in 1906.” This man felt he owed a debt for the privilege of being an American. Sadly, too many of today’s people feel America owes them something just for breathing its air. Perhaps they would feel different if they came from Russia in 1906!
Due to our affluence, practically all of us have lost sight of what it cost to bring this country (the greatest country the world has ever known) into existence. Imagine how different things might be today if just a few things had occurred in a different way. What things?
Paul Revere could have said, “Why pick on me? It is the middle of the night. I can’t ride through Middlesex Village. Besides, I am not the only man in Boston with a horse.” (Revere, however, climbed on his horse and warned the countryside that, “The British are coming!”)
Patrick Henry could have said, “Yes, I am for liberty, but we must be realistic. We are small compared to the British, and someone is going to get hurt.” (Henry, though, pushed forward and risked everything for the American cause.)
George Washington could have said, “Gentlemen, you honor me, but I am getting some personal matters settled and have much to do at Mount Vernon. Why don’t you try General Gates? Also, you might say I have served my time fighting the French.” (Washington instead rose to the challenge and rightfully deserves the title “The Father of Our Country.”)
Benjamin Franklin could have said, “I’m over seventy-five years old. What you need as a Minister to France in these strenuous times is a younger man. Let a new generation take over. I want to rest.” (Franklin instead negotiated the Treaty of Versailles.)
And God could have said, “These people will eventually turn against Me. I will not help them.” O, if that had happened…
My friends, let’s not take America for granted! Let us continue to pray, “God bless America, land that I love!”
Jul 3, 2023 – What do you most desire? Figure skaters Randy Gardner and Tai Babilonia were the favorites to win the gold medal for the United States in the 1980 Winter Olympics. This couple had trained many years for this opportunity. They had won the gold medal at the 1979 World Championships. Everyone thought they would win in 1980! But Randy tore a thigh muscle on the day before their performance. The people wondered, “Would Randy give up?” No! The world waited…performance time finally arrived.
I watched the warmups on television. Randy tried to do one of his famous twists only to fall to the ice. Randy and Tai immediately withdrew from the competition. Although they greatly desired a gold medal, they left the Olympics without even a performance.
What do you most desire? Can you write down those desires? Second, are those desires really the right desires, the ones that you would be proud to possess when you stand before God? Last, are those desires currently being fulfilled in your life? Desire can also be expressed in terms of passion…having a heart motivating you to do something. We INTENSELY desire whatever we are passionate about.
May I suggest a biblical checklist for all of God’s children? First, we should desire to know Christ…not merely by name or by attending church, but we should desire to know Him on an experiential, everyday basis. The Apostle Paul yearned, “That I may know Him and the power of His fellowship.” To know Him on a first-name, person-to-person, intimate basis. Don’t be like the man who was visited by the Lord in a dream…who asked the Lord for His identification, because he did not recognize the Lord! Instead, get to know Him, His passions, His will, His power, and His wisdom!
Second, we should desire to know the Book. Which book? The Bible! The Apostle Peter encourages us, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow.” Babes have no past and must be taught everything. Our three-year-old grandson recently studied how the latch works on our sliding door. He is just bursting to gain knowledge, particularly mechanical engineering knowledge (he’s ready to attend college). I often hear Christians say, “The Bible is a boring book to me.” But a baby does not say that about milk. It yearns for the bottle! Undoubtedly, such a “boring book” attitude indicates that Christian needs a personal revival!
Third, we should desire to know that others are saved. Paul’s life was wrapped up in this mission. He said, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.” His attitude was one of “spreading the gospel where no one else has ever gone.” Would you like to guess how many names of unsaved people appeared on Paul’s prayer list? Without a doubt, the number would be quite large. A friend from a previous church called me today. One of my first comments was, “I prayed today for your son’s salvation.” Every Sunday School class or small church group should share names of unsaved people for continued prayer. After all, it is likely that someone prayed for your salvation; it is now your turn (and your responsibility) to do the same!
What is the result of these three simple but life-changing desires? William Branham summarizes, “That’s my heart’s desire, to live a life that people KNOW that Christ lives within us.” WELL SAID, and, if put into practice, it will also be WELL LIVED…for all of us who come to know you!
Jul 1-2, 2023 – NOT SO! The devil’s statement of faith has been described as a group of people getting together in order to believe nothing. Such fanciful words are nothing but fanciful. They may sound amusing, but there is no truth in them, because the devil does indeed have some core beliefs.
Today’s Verse gives us insight into what our arch-enemies (Satan and his imps) really believe. Jesus encounters two demon-possessed men and, somewhat astonishingly, the demons speak to Jesus by using the man’s vocal cords! This is an incredible event…a man unable to control himself…a man totally controlled by demonic forces…a conversation between Deity and the demons. What do they discuss? Three items stand out to this writer.
First, the demons recognize a higher power. These beings clearly identify the earthly man Jesus as the heavenly Deity known as the Son of God. Today’s world openly debates the identity of Jesus. Is He merely man or is He what He claims to be? Some declare He is merely the bastard son of a Roman soldier, but not so with these demons! The demons know they are in deep trouble when Jesus comes their way, because God the Son is their creator, too! The Bible declares, “By Him were all things made.” “All” includes the good angels who later fell into sin and became demons. They know His power is supreme. His supremacy brings comfort to my soul, but it is a frightening truth to these demons.
Second, the demons acknowledge their pending punishment. “Have You come to torment us?” The demon world lost the greatest battle when they could not keep Jesus in the tomb. They tried, but He arose victorious over sin, Satan, soldiers and death. Was there ever any doubt about His eventual victory? Of course not. The demons acknowledge that expectation in Today’s Verse. They know their end and it is a horrible end indeed. Don’t let any liberal water it down. because the Greek word for “torment” has the idea of torture. (The same word appears in Matthew 18:34 to describe the torturers.) Such a future prospect should cause us to shudder but also to rejoice that our future is heaven.
Third, the demons recognize their time of freedom is limited. “The appointed time” is an admission that they have only a limited time before the appointed time arrives. In this passage they are afraid that Jesus might deal personally with them NOW rather than wait for a future day.
Bottom line: The enemy is MORE of a believer than the unbelievers in our community!
An army chaplain in the Great War was sent to France on the eve of a great battle. It would be the first battle for many of the soldiers. The soldiers were rightfully scared. The chaplain nervously said to the soldiers, “I want to be as helpful as I can. Tell me: Would you like for me to preach a sermon, or would you rather hear some of the latest jokes in America?”
A big soldier rose to his feet and said, “Chaplain, you have come three thousand miles to talk to us. Some of these soldiers will be in eternity in twenty-four hours. If you don’t know whether to preach or tell jokes, I suggest you go ahead and tell us jokes.”
In other words, “We don’t need you here.” Why not? The chaplain had no answer for their need. Oh, our world is so deceived but not so with the demon world. THEY KNOW!!!
Jun 30, 2023 – A pastor saw a woman in church who should have been crying but was laughing instead. The pastor was deeply disturbed. He went to the woman after the service concluded and asked her about her salvation. The woman plainly stated, “I am lost.”
The pastor asked, “Do you know what that means?”
The woman replied, “That means hell.” She smiled as she uttered those words about her own fate.
During my Tennessee Temple days in Chattanooga I often rode the city bus. One afternoon I checked a poster at the bus stop for route information. Someone had written on the poster, “Protect God’s reputation. No souls live forever in torture. God is not guilty of such a trap.” I wrote down the words and have shared them often with people.
I recall reading a poem in our company newsletter during my banking days. The poem was titled, “Why Worry?” It’s a popular poem to this day, but I don’t like it at all. It ended with the lines, “If you go to heaven there is nothing to worry about. If you go to hell, you’ll be so busy shaking hands with friends you won’t have time to worry.”
Those three stories describe the world’s attitude toward God’s warning of—His words, not mine—everlasting punishment. I speak honestly when I say I wish that was not so. I wish it was only temporary punishment or instant punishment such as is preached by the annihilationist. But it is not so.
How long is eternal life with God? Forever and ever. I praise God for allowing me to enjoy that quantity and quality of life forevermore. Please note the same Greek word (“aionios”) is also used to describe the quantity and quality of punishment in the preceding words. In other words, as long as heaven is, so equal in length is the punishment of eternal hell. Fully conscious in heaven, fully conscious in hell. Unending duration for each person no matter where they are.
I urge you to saturate yourself with God’s Word about eternal realities and not allow your thoughts to be watered down by the philosophy of this world.
Never forget that people around you are making decisions with eternal consequences.
Therefore, always live in accordance with this old-time mandate and adapt it to your own life: “Preach as a dying man to dying men headed for eternity!”
For surely that is what all of us are!!!
Jun 29, 2023 – WHAT IS A MISSIONARY? A missionary organization recently appointed seventy-nine people to be foreign missionaries. Is that how we should primarily think about missionaries? Not according to the Bible. The reality is the missionaries in our home town are just as much missionaries as those in a foreign land. Please remember, all born again people are living in a foreign land! Our citizenship is in heaven, not on earth. Like Abraham, we are pilgrims in search of a heavenly city! Our calling is to be God’s ambassador (sent by heaven) to this foreign place called planet Earth. Our mission field is not merely in Africa, but it is all around us. Everywhere we look!
It has been rightfully said, “MISSIONS IS THE HEARTBEAT OF JESUS.” He “came to seek and save that which is lost.” He lived that mission seven days a week. Rest assured, you’ll never be closer to Jesus than when you are involved in His mission of reaching the world with the gospel of the cross!
How then should we think about the identity of a missionary? WHAT EXACTLY IS A MISSIONARY?
First, a missionary is God’s person. It may be a man, woman, boy or girl. All of us are involved. Some of the best missionaries are children bringing other children to Jesus.
Second, a missionary is God’s person in God’s place. God has a place for everyone. It is the right place, too. Where you work is not an accident. The children in your home may be an accident to you, but they are not an accident to God. Where you live is the right place. God has planted you where God wants you. You may have stumbled all over the place getting to your current place, but, unless you are a rebellious Jonah, it is a place where you can bloom in sharing and living the gospel.
Third, a missionary is God’s person in God’s place doing God’s work. God’s work is the most important work in the world. We have been appointed to evangelize, baptize, and disciple others. Many years ago the Salvation Army held an international Bible conference. Its founder, General William Booth, was unable to attend because of physical weakness. He cabled his convention message to them. The message consisted of one word: “Others.” God’s work is only secondarily about you; it is primarily about others upon whom you can shine the light of the everlasting gospel.
Fourth, a missionary is God’s person in God’s place doing God’s work in God’s way. Have you found any better way than Jesus who is “the way, the truth, and the life”? A church lady resigned as a member of the Women’s Missionary Union and said, “I can’t see that it is getting ME anything.” So many begin but never finish! God’s way requires great effort called “taking My yoke upon you and learning of Me.” Too many take a short-term mission trip and think their work is over. Not so! Remember: God’s work must be done in God’s way in order to guarantee God’s results. Stay with the Bible way, do it the Bible way and you will be blessed!
Last, a missionary is God’s person in God’s place doing God’s work in God’s way for God’s glory. If you ask a genuine missionary in your church, “Why do you do what you do?” the missionary will likely respond, “He must increase but I must decrease. To God be the glory!”
An artist was asked to paint a picture of a decaying church. His effort amazed everyone. Instead of depicting on canvas a tottering old building, he portrayed a stately edifice of modern design. Through the open doors one could see a richly carved pulpit, a magnificent organ and beautiful stained glass windows. The vestibule featured a large offering plate for the gifts of the well-to-do worshippers. But that’s where the artist’s idea of a decaying church became obvious. A small coinbox was located next to the offering plate. The coinbox bore the inscription, “For Foreign Missions.” Over the coinbox’s slot the artist had painted a huge cobweb!
God help us to be the missionary He wants us to be!
Jun 28, 2023 – “Lord, what will You have me to do?” Acts 9 records the story of Sheriff Saul’s conversion to Jesus Christ. Yesterday’s devotional discussed the role of grace in Saul’s conversion. Grace transformed this sinner into the saint we best know as the Apostle Paul. Let’s look today at three answers to the question posed in Today’s Verse: “Lord, what will You have me to do?”
Do you recall the words spoken by Jesus to the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8)? Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” Why? “First, sin has ruined your life. Second, I am setting you free from the chains of sin that have enslaved you. Third, don’t allow yourself to become entangled again in sin. Go and sin no more.” Many years ago I wrote, “You don’t get saved so you can return to your sin; rather, you get saved so you can turn from your sin. God gives you power to do so through the Holy Spirit.” “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6). The power of God in our lives distinguishes us from those who don’t believe.
Be careful, though, in developing a “holier than thou” attitude. Charles Spurgeon said a certain man whom he knew was very pious. Spurgeon said he thought the man was practically sinless, until one day he said he was, and then Spurgeon knew he was not! The fact is “Go and sin NO MORE” is the goal, but none of us will ever achieve that goal as long as we are fighting this sinful flesh. We may not be SINLESS but we should be SINNING LESS.
Second, Paul instructed Timothy, “Study or do your best to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed but is accurately dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
A young Christian complained to a veteran preacher that he understood the Bible poorly. He wondered if his Bible reading did him any good. The two of them were sitting next to a little stream. An old-fashioned tomato basket was nearby. The preacher said, “Take the basket to the stream and fill it with water.” He repeated this request three times. The basket, of course, had gaps that allowed the water to run out of the basket very quickly.
Finally, the old preacher asked, “The basket doesn’t hold much water, does it?”
The young man said, “No.”
The old preacher asked, “But do you see anything different about the basket now than when you began?
The young man replied, “Yes. The basket is a lot CLEANER now than when I first started!” ‘Nuff said!
Third, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Share your salvation with others! Don’t hide what God has done for you. Instead, speak it and display it in as many places as you can.
The great preacher Gypsy Smith attended a revival service. Someone identified him and asked him to say a few words at the end of the service. He walked up and began to sing, “Where He leads me I will follow. I’ll go with Him all the way.” The building became totally silent. Gypsy Smith then added, “When we give Jesus the privilege of leading our lives every day, our lives will become beautiful!”
‘Nuff said!
Jun 27, 2023 – “He can’t get saved. He’s so wicked and mean. No, don’t even waste your time praying for him. He’ll never get saved.”
But he did get saved. Just as saved as you or me. Born again from above by the Holy Spirit into God’s family. A place reserved in heaven for even him.
Yes, he was wicked. Yes, he was mean. Yes, he hated Jesus and everything associated with Him. He even presided over the murder of at least one Christian, imprisoned others, forced many to flee their homes, and showed no compassion for even the youngest children in the Christian households. In his eyes all Christians needed to be exterminated.
Sometimes we think so-and-so is past the point of salvation. Mean. Curses. Adulterer. Druggie. Violent. Liar. Child abuser. Thief. Alcoholic. Black sheep of the family. Picture on the post office wall. Scum of the earth. No one we’d want marrying into the family.
But Saul of Tarsus still got saved. His salvation experience can be read in Acts chapter nine. It is worth reading again and again, because it demonstrates how a man can be so dogmatic against Jesus Christ for so many years, be travelling on the road to arrest Christians in the next community, and yet in the space of just a few seconds this man does a complete 180 – not a 90 or 120 or even 179 but a total change. Saved! And called by God to be an apostle that would turn the Roman Empire upside down!
Is it any wonder that it is he who later writes, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more”? Is it any wonder that it was the slave trader (can anyone sink lower than a trafficker in human flesh?) John Newton who wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound (it was surely a sweet sound to him) that saved a WRETCH (we would consider that word to accurately describe Newton) like me.” Is it any wonder that it was a thief on the cross who said to Jesus, “We are being crucified JUSTLY but this man Jesus has done nothing wrong. Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom. You’re my only hope.”
George Whitefield was preaching one Sunday in London, England. He cried out: “The Lord Jesus will save the devil’s castaways!”
There were two lowly women listening out in the street. One woman said, “That must mean you and me.” They immediately accepted Christ.
One of them wrote Whitefield a note and sent it to him. The note said: “Mr. Whitefield: Two poor lost women stood outside your tabernacle today, and heard you say that the Lord would save the devil’s castaways. We seized upon that as our last hope, and we write you this to tell you that we rejoice now in believing in Him, and from this good hour we shall endeavor to serve Him, who has done so much for us.“
Guess what? Those two women are included in these words of Jesus, “Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.”
Thank God for the grace that abounds much, much more than our sin! Therefore, let’s not give up on anyone! “Tis grace that taught my heart to fear AND GRACE MY FEARS RELIEVED!”
Jun 26, 2023 – HE HAS COME TO THE EARTH ONCE…WILL HE COME A SECOND TIME? Yer can bet yer bottom dollar the answer is yes, yea, and yeah! What a first coming! And what a second coming, too!
Jesus arrived as a babe two thousand years ago, and what a difference he brought. “Never has a man spoken like this man.” “What manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey His voice?” “Who has ever made the blind to see or the lame to walk?” Amazingly, even the calendar is built around Him.
Jesus brought change into the world—so much change that the world could not handle Him. He will bring even more change when He establishes His future kingdom and rules in absolute righteousness. As for me, I yearn for the day when money/power will no longer rule the world. Instead, I yearn for the day when the standards of righteousness will rule. Pure righteousness. Wrong will be wrong, right will be right and enforcement will be the same for both the privileged and unprivileged. Someday it shall indeed be. O, but I digress…
We, too, live in a changing world. 90% of the items in today’s supermarket did not exist ten years ago. Half of college graduates are going to jobs that didn’t exist when they were born.
One man said, “My great-grandfather rode a horse, but he was afraid of a train. My grandfather rode a train, but he was afraid of a car. My father rode in a car, but he was afraid of an airplane. I ride in an airplane, but I’m afraid of a horse!” In that family’s case, change has come full circle.
But the greatest change of all is the result of the indwelling Christ being at “home” in the believer. The word “dwell” in Today’s Verse has the idea of “being at home.” Such an experience in normal life indicates one is COMFORTABLE in the setting, the activities, the culture, the entertainment, and so on.
Let’s think of the word in a spiritual context. Wonder if Jesus is comfortable in your heart? Comfortable with the setting, the activities, the culture, the entertainment and so on? The reality is Jesus brings change wherever He goes (including our lives), but sometimes that change can be too radical for us…just like it was too radical for many people in His first coming.
Has Jesus truly changed your life? He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10), that we might be delivered from darkness into His awesome light, that our address could change from the flames of hell to the perfections of heaven. “I’ve been changed from the creature that once I was And redeemed is now my name. I’ve been changed, I’m a new born, All my life has been rearranged; What a difference it made, When the Lord came and stayed In my heart, oh yes, I’ve been changed.”
May your heart be a home to Him today!
Jun 24-25, 2023 – PART 2 of 2 – Yesterday’s devotional (Part 1) posed the question, “Are you facing a troubling situation? Perhaps one you wish could be avoided but must be faced head-on?” Part 1 presented five lessons that are best learned in valley experiences, not in mountain top experiences. Those lessons are worth posting somewhere for quick review when you enter your next valley. But today let’s look closely at how David dealt with his own trouble. In this case what worked for David will also work for you and me!
First, David requested God’s nearness or presence in his valley experience. There were times when David, though surrounded by many, was actually alone. Being alone in the valley is not a pleasant experience. Thus, David cries out in verse seven, “Hear me speedily…hide not Your face from me.” Obviously, David did not want to experience God’s frown nor God’s distance, but rather he yearned to know or sense God’s presence. Of course, God was always close by, because God does not desert His own; however, that does not mean we always sense God’s presence. (For example, we live in the same house as our spouse, but we do not always sense the presence of our spouse.)
In my childhood we sang, “Anywhere with Jesus I am not afraid. Anywhere, anywhere! Fear I cannot know; Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.” This psalm was written when David was being pursued by King Saul. Saul wanted David dead! In other words, this is a deep, deep, deep valley. Running for one’s life has to be one of the most harrowing experiences a person can ever encounter. What was David’s solution? Call the police, the military, Christian brothers? No. He sought refuge in the Lord Jehovah, Jehovah being the name that represents God’s covenant relationship with His people. David says, “I want to experience the God that has covenanted or promised to watch over me! Come, Jehovah, to my aid!” That sounds like a good prayer for you and me, too.
Second, David requested God’s guidance. He writes in verse eight, “Cause me to know the way in which I should walk. Teach me…reveal to me. Do I go north or south? East or west? Hide, run or fight?” David freely acknowledged that he did not have the answers nor did his many advisors have the answers. But David knew the One who does have ALL of the answers. “Cause me to KNOW…not guess or throw a dart at the board.”
Would to God that life had only one problem and only one solution! If that was so, we would always know the answer. But life can be very complicated at times. “The enemy has persecuted my soul…driven me to the ground…my spirit is overwhelmed” (verses 3-4). But the Psalmist did not quit; instead, he sang, “Where could I go but to the LORD?”
“Cause me to KNOW…” Do you desire God’s will? We need to focus just as much on God’s will IN the valley as on the mountain top.
Third, David requested God’s sovereign intervention. The word “sovereign” means “absolute authority and power to do whatever one wishes to do.” David cries in verse nine, “Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies.” Not “enemy” but “enemies.” He had more than one! The number might have seemed numberless to him. But David did not ask for soldiers plural to combat his enemies; no, David requested the intervention of only ONE: his God.
In a similar way our Lord teaches us to pray to ONE Being, “Deliver us (many LESSER beings) from evil.” ‘’Ah, isn’t it great to know you are praying to One who can do “exceedingly, even abundantly ABOVE all that you ask or think”? One of our major failures is that we ask TOO LITTLE of our God, primarily because we don’t think something phenomenal can be done. David, though, overcame that hinderance by recognizing the sovereignty of his God and saying, “I flee to You to hide me.”
Is any valley too big for your God? I think not. Let your next valley become a time of spiritual growth!
Jun 23, 2023 – PART 1 of 2 – Are you facing a troubling situation? Perhaps one you wish could be avoided but must be faced head-on? Some falsely teach the Christian life is one of always living on the mountain top. O, how I wish that were the case! Valley experiences are common, though, for every believer. How do I know? The Psalms are consumed with valley experiences! In addition, which book is read the most? It is the Psalms, because we have a need for the comfort in its pages.
It has been said that we learn more in the valley than on the mountain top. What do we learn? First, we learn to trust fully in God rather than self. Psalm 140 begins, “Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man.” Psalm 141 begins, “LORD, I cry unto thee; make haste to me!” Psalm 142 begins, “I cried unto the LORD…with my voice I make my supplication or request.” The next Psalm, Today’s Verse, begins similarly, “Hear my prayer, O LORD.” Four consecutive psalms deal with valley living, not mountain shouting!
Valley living often strips away our self-confidence, creates doubt and confusion. “I hit rock bottom.” “It can’t get any worse.” “This is my Jonah in the whale experience.” “I’m so far down I can only go up from here.” “Even my dog is upset with me.” Such experiences can prompt us to look up to God, confess a rebellious spirit, reset our priorities, choose to live by faith and “make the main thing the main thing.”
Second, we learn God wants our attention. We often become too wrapped up in ourselves. Pastor Charles Stanley tells about being hospitalized for an illness. He was so frustrated with being forced from the ministry and into a hospital bed. Charles complained to God about his inactivity. He later testified, “God then spoke to my heart and said, ‘Charles, NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION…” That experience then became a time of spiritual renewal…and listening!
Third, we learn the Christian road requires a determined spirit. Serving the Lord is not for wimps! Wimps are like the plant that looks good until the hot sun causes it to wither. Jesus did not describe the Christian life as a garden of roses and riches, but rather of “taking up your cross and following Me daily.” The valley prompts us to buckle down, put our shoulder to the task and push on. And, in so doing, the victory becomes so much sweeter!
Fourth, we learn that God has a purpose in all things even though we may not understand God’s purpose at the time. Gilbert K. Chesterton wisely says, “One sees great things from the valley, but only small things from the peak.” “Iron sharpens iron” describes the trials of the valley experience. The valley is designed to make us worth more at the end than we were at the beginning. Plus, the valley is the best place for ministry because more people are in the valley than on the mountain top!
Last, we learn to thank God for all circumstances. The Apostle Paul urges, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). What is the old saying? “If God brings you to it, God will also bring you through it.” Somehow…and the somehow may be a question mark to us…but somehow God is present in these circumstances. The Psalmist found that lesson to be true throughout his life whether it was on the mountain top when he slew the giant Goliath or it was in the valley when he was fleeing for his life. But somehow God was with him and God was forming him…especially in the hardest times of all. After all, suffering is a powerful teacher.
Remember: The God on the mountain is also the God in your valley!
Jun 22, 2023 – How should a Christian approach the subject of scandal in God’s church? The scandals in Christianity just keep coming: child molestation, misuse of church funds, sexual immorality among church leaders, etc. It’s sickening to watch the name of Christ being dragged through the mud…and it becomes personally sickening to have unbelievers throw these sins (abominations may be a better word) in our face when we try to represent Christ before them.
One saint writes, “I looked for the church in the world only to find the world in the church.” In other words, the world’s conduct and the church’s conduct have now become the same. Unfortunately, the church is rapidly losing its influence as the salt, because it has embraced sin or tolerated sin instead of rebuking sin.
I once asked a deacon, “Why did you retain your pastor after learning of his adultery?” The reply was given, “It is because everyone liked him!” Would anyone like to guess why that church had problems?
Let me suggest six lessons many churches and leaders have forgotten. First, the Bible must be our authority in all manner of life, including dealing with scandal. Should our allegiance be determined by how we feel about someone or how we feel about God? The Bible is a plain book that expresses God’s opinion very plainly about these scandals. God bless those who have the courage to say, “This is what God says to do and we must do it!”
Second, any Christian can fall. That includes Christian celebrities, too. David, at one time a man after God’s own heart, committed adultery with Bathsheba. Peter fell when he denied knowing God the Son. Samson was such a mighty man in physical strength but a mere weakling in moral strength. Therefore, don’t be surprised if your hero falls, too, but don’t allow your disappointment to pretend nothing happened.
Third, accountability is important. The old saying is true: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I have always instructed my churches: “Don’t ever allow a pastor to take control of your finances. You should demand that all of your finances be handled above the table.” One pastor stole funds from a church cemetery fund. When asked for his reasoning, he replied, “You don’t pay me enough!” How sad! But who gave him access to the funds in the first place? Life would be so much easier if we required accountability among our leaders.
Fourth, sin must be judged, not overlooked. The Apostle Paul writes, “Those that sin, rebuke before all that all may fear” (1 Timothy 5:20). Contrast those words with the reaction of the Corinthian church: “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. AND YOU ARE PROUD! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?”
One televangelist was caught in a sexual tryst. Someone defended him by saying, “What will happen to his ministry if we deal with the problem?” No one asked, “What will happen to God’s honor if the sin is ignored?” One of the major networks even used the words “slap on the wrist” to describe the response of Christianity to this sin.
Fifth, forgiveness should not be confused with restoration. Many think that if someone cries crocodile tears that we should give that person a clean slate and move on. Not necessarily so, for the Bible (recall the first lesson) says, “You reap what you sow.” David’s sin was serious, his confession was contrite but his household reaped a four-fold harvest of unspeakable horror. Did God forgive David? Yes. Did God restore David to how things were previously? Not by a long shot. Remember: Sin leaves scars, often deep scars. Some no longer meet God’s qualifications such as “blameless” and “having a good reputation among the unsaved.”
Sixth, always place your trust in God and not man! Will God ever fail? No. But man will fail though hopefully not in a major, disqualifying way. The Psalmist urges, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8). There is room for only one person on our pedestal: our Lord and Savior. Keep your eyes on Him, follow Him, obey Him, and you will help the church deal scripturally (and therefore correctly) with any scandals that come your way.
Jun 21, 2023 – Did God attend your church service this past Sunday? You were present, the music director was present, the ushers were present but how about God? Did you know He was also there? Did you enter the doors with the expectation of communing with Him in joint worship?
It is true that God’s Holy Spirit indwells each believer (Romans 8:9), but it is also true that God’s presence abounds in a unique way when two or three people meet together to lift up the name of Jesus. It is good to be alone with Jesus, but it is also good to be with others enjoying Jesus. It’s special!
Harry Rimmer, the well-known preacher in Los Angeles, had a relative called Aunt Fanny. This woman was quite a Bible scholar. She knew the Bible through and through.
Harry had just undergone a grueling week. He’d preached four funerals, spent hours in hospital visitation plus handled quite a bit of church business. Sunday came and Harry realized he was not ready to preach! The sermon was only 1/3 ready! He decided to struggle through the sermon and hope it made sense. Harry walked to the podium, sat down, and tried to look very confident. Just as he sat down, in walked Aunt Fanny! She marched down the aisle and took a seat.
Harry almost fell apart. He thought, “I can’t preach that sermon to Aunt Fanny. It’s not done. I don’t even know where I’m going with it.”
Harry rushed off the podium, entered his study, and dug out a sermon he had been working on for several months. This sermon, though, was only half finished. Quickly, as the choir sang, he researched further, wrote down a few hasty notes and said, “That has to do!”
The pastor raced back to the podium just in time to preach. He thought he did a rather good job. But what would Aunt Fanny say?
After the service Aunt Fanny came to him, kissed him on the cheek, and said, “That was a rather good one. Of course, it will need more work. You work on it some more, and that will be a good one.”
Harry Rimmer almost shouted! He left the service with a spring in his step as if he was walking on air. Aunt Fanny had given him a passing grade! Yes! “That was a rather good one!”
Suddenly, Harry felt himself run into a stone wall. He began thinking, “Why are you rejoicing? You were ready to preach that first message. You’d have been satisfied to preach that message with Jesus out there but not with Aunt Fanny out there.”
Harry acknowledged his failure and created an unusual remedy to make sure it did not happen again. What did he do? He placed an empty chair in the congregation and pretended that Jesus was sitting in that chair. He preached for several months with that chair in his mind…and preparation. That did not guarantee every sermon would be a great sermon, but it did help him focus on the most important person in that service: Jesus Christ who promised, “there am I in the midst of them.”
Ah, how foolish we can be! Are you ever like Harry? Do you sometimes lose sight of the presence of Jesus? Does your mind wander? Or are you able to commune with Him from the moment you step on the property?
What did David say? “I was glad when they said, ‘Let’s go up to the house of the LORD.’” May we possess that same gladness by possessing the same attitude!
Jun 20, 2023 – Why do things happen WHEN they happen? I do not know…but God knows.
It was Vacation Bible School, 1980. Our school met during the 7:00-9:15 period. More than eighty children attended on this particular night—perhaps a record for the church. At 9:30 in the twilight I was standing outside with one of our teachers and two of our church kids. The church bus had left the parking lot only minutes before. There were very few cars left on the parking lot.
Suddenly, from up the hollow came a horrendous sound. It sounded like all the junk in the world had been dropped from the sky.
I saw an old pickup truck racing down the road out of control. The truck climbed a steep bank and rolled into our parking lot on two wheels. It appeared ready to tip over at any moment. The truck then righted itself—landed on all four wheels with such force that the hood flew up and blinded the driver. He swerved the truck around in the parking lot; suddenly, the truck started directly for us…then just as suddenly away from us until it did a complete circle.
For some reason the children raced toward the truck and the teacher chased after the children. It was total chaos. The truck reached the edge of the parking lot and barreled into an electric pole, thereby being brought to a stop. I ran to the truck to see if the driver was injured. He was already in motion, backing up the truck with the intention of clearing out!
I stopped the man. He claimed the brakes had failed. There was no disputing his words. After some time he slowly drove the truck up the hollow to his house. The pole was okay, the children and adults were scared but okay, the truck…well, it was already beyond the okay stage.
I thank God to this day that the truck arrived at 9:30 instead of 9:15 with so many children and adults on the parking lot. It would have been better, though, if the truck had arrived at midnight when no one was on the parking lot. Then again, there were witnesses on the parking lot at 9:30 of what COULD have happened…but what God prevented from happening.
Why do things happen WHEN they happen? I have often said, “Life without God makes no sense, but there are times when even life WITH God makes no sense.” The book of Job addresses the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Other passages (Psalm 73) explore the question, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” And the ENTIRE Bible deals with the question, “Why do things happen WHEN they happen?”
The Christian is not called to always understand, but the Christian IS called to walk by faith in a God who “works all things after the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). My job, nor yours, is not to understand nor to help God improve His plan. At no point in my sixty-eight years has God called me in for a summit conference and sought my advice. What God has done instead is called me to live “by faith and not by sight.”
The timing will somehow be right, because it will be God’s timing. As much as possible, we should strive to leave the timing in God’s hands.
“Cause me to know the way in which I should walk” is a good prayer to pray each and every day.
Jun 19, 2023 – A man rushed into a railroad station and breathlessly asked the ticket agent, “When does the 8:01 train leave?”
The ticket agent replied, “At 8:01.”
The man said, “Well, it’s 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock and 8:04 by the station clock. Which clock am I to go by?”
The ticket agent said, “You can go by any clock you wish, but you can’t go by the 8:01 train because it has already left!”
By the 7:59 clock there was still opportunity. By the 7:57 clock there was still opportunity. But by the correct clock there was no more opportunity.
Every day has the same number of hours in it: 24. Every day has the same number of minutes in it: 1,440. Every day has the same number of seconds in it: 86,400. BUT EVERY DAY DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES IN IT!
Jesus urged us to make the most of today by saying, “Work while it is day for the night is soon to come when no one can work.” That statement made sense in Jesus’ day, because electrical lighting did not yet exist. Therefore, you worked when you could work…when you could see!
I listened to one of my childhood heroes this morning: an 85-year-old preacher that rejoiced in accepting God’s call to study for the ministry nearly sixty years ago. Like in the case of Moses, God said, “I am sending you” and, despite his weaknesses (he was an introvert at the time, but God changed him) he said, “I will try. I hope You know what You’re doing!” This man stepped by faith through the door of opportunity, and God continues to use him in a fantastic work.
On the other hand, I recall hearing an old preacher say, “God gave me the opportunity to pastor when I was middle-aged, but I said ‘no. Make the offer again when I retire from my secular job and I have time to do it.’ But God’s offer never came again. He let me preach, but He never let me pastor. I missed my opportunity.”
The old saying is true, “Preach like a dying man to dying men!” because no one knows when the last opportunity will come!
Think of Judas missing his opportunity to be saved! What a wasted opportunity. Think, though, of you accepting the opportunity to be born again and what a change it has made in you! Think also of the everyday opportunity to impact the people around you beginning with your own family. Think of the opportunity to represent Christ today…right where you are.
The Bible is full of opportunities that were either accepted or rejected. Perhaps someone should design a new reference Bible and call it the “Opportunities Reference Bible”…include footnotes on EVERY opportunity in the Bible no matter how large or how small. Such a Bible would be voluminous! We would learn that each accepted or rejected opportunity led to either a good or poor harvest. In so doing, we would learn that no opportunity exists in a vacuum!
The same can be said about your own life. Opportunities abound! But which opportunities are only for today? or only for this season of life?
Are your eyes open to identifying opportunity and making the most of each opportunity? Would you recognize opportunity if it knocked on your door today?
Let’s begin today and “make the most of every opportunity.”
“Find something that motivates you!”
Those words are pounded into us during our high school years. We are pushed to determine what we will do after we graduate. But finding that “something” is often difficult. In my case, I tried college but to no avail because I did not know what I wanted to study. I went to work for a bank for three years. In time I grew into what I knew to do: be a pastor of God’s church. The fog dissipated and I could clearly see my future direction.
I have never had a problem with motivation since that time. But others do. That’s the reason they run hot and cold. They can’t keep it going, because their motivation does not go deep enough. Oh, they are motivated to be great parents, but they fall short in their Christian walk.
“Find something that motivates you” is appropriate for all of us, regardless of our spiritual level. It may be a Bible verse like Col. 3:17, “whatever you do in word or deed, do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus.” It may be Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” One family’s motto hung in their living room: “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).
It may a motto. Our 1970’s pastor Lee Roberson ingrained in us, “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Those words still motivate!
It may be a story that still touches your heart. The story may be in the Bible or it may be something you read/heard. But it resonated. Thus, you determined to be someone of greater value!
It may be a need. A young man was being baptized. He told the preacher, “Do you know why I got saved? It is because I am a new father. I want my son to have a Christian father.” Wow! Amen!
It may be a challenge from a song. Some songs continually challenge me even though I sang them as a young Christian. “I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me?” “I sought a flag to follow, a cause for which to stand. I found them all in Jesus!” “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small, Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” Those songs still stir my blood!
It may be others. “Others, Lord, yes, others. Let this my motto be. Help me to live for others, That I may live like Thee.” The “others” will undoubtedly include protecting your family with the life-changing, character-changing gospel of Christ. Don’t let the devil have them without a fight!
It may be hell. Henry C. Trumball writes, “Unless a man is ready to work for the salvation of others, it may be questioned whether or not he himself is saved. He who wants only enough religion to save himself is not likely to have even that much.” The Apostle Paul was motivated by hell. He writes, “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we spend our time persuading men”…pointing people to the Savior.
So what motivates you? Write it where you can review it, perhaps in your Bible, perhaps on your computer/desk/calendar/day planner. Write it, keep it, and work it!
Jun 16, 2023 – We learned as a child, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who’s the fairest of them all?”
Undoubtedly, the Fairest of all is the Lord Jesus Christ. Do I need to be reminded of who I am and who Jesus is? Yes. The Bible provides an incredible service to me: it provides a mirror to my soul, my innermost being. The Bible serves as the most powerful mirror of all!
A mirror on the wall reveals how we appear on the outside; however, the Word of God reveals what we actually are on the inside. Which is more important? The inside! Why? The inside is the real me. Unfortunately, my outward appearance may be a camouflage that hides the real me. Camouflage works well in the time of war, but it is not prudent nor appropriate in everyday life. After all, camouflage is a fake that is designed to hide what we do not want others to see.
But God knows what I try to hide, and to a large extent, I know the real me. Sometimes the real me is not the person I want others to see. Does this ring a bell with you?
Thus, the Bible encourages us to gaze into its mirror (Psalm 119). A brief glance gives us only a brief, often distorted or incomplete view, but a gaze gives us opportunity to think upon whom and what the Bible reveals. Sometimes the Bible confirms our suspicions, but sometimes it reveals something previously unidentified. Sometimes it confirms we are right, but sometimes… Suffice it to say, “hearing” and “doing” what the mirror reveals will make us a consistently better person…and isn’t that one of our goals in life?
A police magistrate developed a new way of dealing with the drunks brought into the police station. He lined the drunks before a large mirror on the wall. The drunks did not need to gaze in the mirror to see themselves as they really were. Some were humiliated to such an extent they signed a pledge to leave their alcoholism and seek help. The mirror helped them recognize the truth!
In a similar way, an African woman was asked if she enjoyed reading her new Bible. She answered, “Sir, I am not reading this Book. This Book is reading me!” The woman’s statement is quite accurate. The Bible, unlike other books, reveals “us to us.” Please give it the time to speak to you! And to reveal you…to you!
Jun 15, 2023 – Hudson Taylor, missionary to China, was traveling on a boat from Shanghai to Ningpo. During the voyage Hudson shared the gospel with a man named Peter. Peter listened but rejected the message. However, it was evident that Peter was deeply bothered by the message. God the Holy Spirit was driving the message home!
Then Peter fell overboard. He could not swim.
Hudson noticed that no one made any effort to save Peter. Instinctively, he sprang to the mast, lowered the sail then jumped overboard in hope of finding Peter.
A fishing boat was nearby. Hudson made several attempts to gain their help. They agreed to help only after bartering to take every penny from Hudson. The fishermen dragged the area with their fishing net and found Peter in less than a minute. But it was too late. He was already dead.
These fishermen were too busy fishing to worry about a drowning man.
“No man cared for my soul!”
How can such a thing happen? Two lessons need to be thought through. First, Peter waited too long to get saved. The Bible warns, “Today is the day of salvation” or to paraphrase it, “THIS VERY MOMENT is the time to get saved.” No one is guaranteed tomorrow or even their next breath. That is why we stress the urgency of receiving Christ when you CAN receive Christ which is always NOW. Don’t postpone salvation. The salvation of your soul is the most important issue in your life. To wait is fool’s folly. I have buried too many people who could recite how to be saved but postponed it until a later date by saying, “Not now, preacher.” Well, now is no longer possible. Don’t let it happen to you.
As much as possible, don’t let it happen to your loved ones either. Lesson #2 is to make a conscious effort to keep the gospel in front of people. Build sowing the gospel into your everyday process. Talk about the Lord in your everyday conversations. Brag about how Jesus has changed your life. Mention the gospel in your social media like facebook, linked-in, twitter, etc. Click that share button and share gospel posts on-line with your many acquaintances. Take a few minutes to read your Bible in front of people at work or the soccer field. Pass out some gospel literature. Invite people to church. The list goes on and on. It is true some people don’t want to be bothered…they may even say you’ve bothered them too much! Ok, so go in the back door: Keep putting the gospel in front of them through other means, many of which have been described above. Work at it and do it intentionally!
Let’s bring as many Peters to Christ as we can!
Jun 14, 2023 – How powerful is the Word of God that we believe, teach and obey? It is powerful enough to change a life!
The man had at one time been a pickpocket. He stood in a church meeting and testified, “I was a pickpocket for many years. One day on a busy street I saw a man whose hip pocket bulged. I said to myself, ‘There is a fat purse in that pocket.’ I slipped out the purse, didn’t look at it until I got home. When I took it from my pocket, I saw it was a New Testament, not a purse! In disgust I threw it on the floor. After a while, however, I picked it up and began to read it.
“It told me that I was a sinner. It told me about Jesus, the sinner’s friend. I asked Jesus to come into my heart and clean up my life. Well, He did exactly that. Now I find my greatest joy is telling others about Him!”
Peter writes in Today’s Verse that this Book is not an ordinary book, but it is the “living and enduring Word of God.” How powerful is it? It not only reveals our need but also provides the solution of being “born again of imperishable or incorruptible seed/life.” That result, my friend, is more powerful than being healed on a hospital bed, the blind being made to see or the lame being made to walk, because it is a spiritual resurrection from “dead in trespasses and sins” to eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is not in the reformation business, but He is in the resurrection business…not in making something bad to be a little better but in taking something which is dead and making it alive. That part of man which is deadened toward God is given a new capacity/nature which is alive toward God and allows the born-again one to commune with God. One of the components in that ultimate resurrection is the Word of God that lives and endures from one generation to the next.
Do you want to impact your family after your death? Then impart to them the Word of God in the time that you have remaining, because that Word will endure to all generations! Sow the seed of God’s teachings! Such a gift will be more significant than any other item in your will. And it is the only thing that can make it possible for your future generations to join you around God’s throne!!!
Jun 13, 2023 – A little serving girl (maid) appeared in court as a witness and was asked by the lawyer if the family owned a Bible. She answered, “Yes, sir. That’s where they keep the newspaper clippings!”
This family owned a Bible, but it was a neglected Bible. It did them no good.
What is your reaction to the Bible? Is it an open book or a neglected book? Let’s think it through.
The Bible is an open book to the person who recognizes the inspiration of the scriptures. Jesus declared with authority, “The scriptures cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Again, “Till heaven and earth passes away, not one jot [smallest Hebrew letter] or one tittle [ornament over a letter –so tiny!] shall in any way pass from the law until all of it be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). Brother, that’s not only verbal inspiration; that’s letter and apostrophe inspiration! We must affirm with the Apostle Paul, “All scripture is God-breathed, that is, inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). You and I must acknowledge that all of God’s Word must be accepted, and none of God’s book can be discarded. You see, WE APPROACH THE WORD OF GOD WITH THE CERTAINTY THAT IT TRULY IS THE WORD OF GOD! We allow it to speak to us as God Himself speaking, because that’s what it is. So let’s listen to what God has to say!
Second, the Bible is open to the person who realizes it reveals the one and only way of salvation. So many trust in a tradition but not the Savior! The Bible, though, makes the message plain: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all ACCEPTANCE [I can take it to the bank] that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am #1” (1 Timothy 1:15). “These verses are written that you might believe!” (John 20:31). “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except by Me.” On and on the point is made that Christ alone is the Savior. Accepting that truth is like opening the door to the entire treasure and in Him all of life’s mysteries will be solved…either now or in eternity.
Then again, the Bible is open to the person who accepts its practical use in everyday life. Remember: The Bible is not a theoretical book; rather, the Bible is a very practical book about everyday living. It has instructions for everyone of every age. The Amplified Bible is on the mark with these words from the first Psalm: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].” That’s the kind of book I need, how about you?
Cliff Hartley, one of my mentors, once told me, “The standards of the Bible have never failed.” How true!
So, let’s return to where we started. What is your reaction to the Bible? Is it an open book or a neglected book?
Jun 12, 2023 – During my late 1970’s years at Tennessee Temple, I worked weekends at the Tradewinds Motel. One night two Grecian painters came into the office. They had been hired to paint a Chattanooga bridge. They were conducting their conversation in Greek. One of them said to me, “I’ll bet it’s all Greek to you!”
I replied, “I have studied two years of koine Greek.” (I did not volunteer that I could not make out a single word they said!)
One told me that his father, age 72, was a priest in the Greek Orthodox church. Both of these painters were Greek Orthodox, also. They both knew about Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. I asked them if they believed in heaven and how they intended to get there.
Mr. Koulianas said, “I believe if a man is good, doesn’t steal or murder or do other wicked things, that he’ll go to heaven.”
I replied, “The Bible says otherwise. Romans 3:23 says, ‘for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.’”
He said, “That’s ok. I don’t care if it’s in the Bible.”
I proceeded to share the story of Nicodemus with him. “Jesus said, ‘You must be born again. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.’”
Mr. Koulianas said, “I don’t care what the Bible says. Do you mean to tell me if a person lives a good life and does good but doesn’t believe in Christ that Jesus will say, ‘Because you didn’t believe in me I’m throwing you into hell’?”
I stated that I believed what the Bible said, and the Bible teaches that only people who put their faith in Christ will go to heaven.
I’ve never forgotten his next words. He said, “I don’t care what the Bible says. You have to think LOGICAL on these things and not let any book tell you what to believe.”
Question: Which is more logical? To heed the Word of God or to create one’s own religion? To acknowledge our own imperfections and subsequent need of a Savior or to ignore our own imperfections? To have a basis for what we believe or to build on a foggy imagination which shifts with the winds of time?
Remember: It was LOGICAL for Abraham to obey God’s call to go into a far country. It was LOGICAL for Noah to build an ark. It was LOGICAL for Israel to walk around the walls of Jericho. And it’s also LOGICAL to trust my salvation to the blood of Jesus Christ. Why? It is because it is always LOGICAL to believe what God has plainly said. My hope rests not on some obscure Bible passage that can be translated or interpreted a number of ways, but, rather, my hope is based upon the crystal clear Bible passages that are repeated in a crystal clear manner throughout the Bible.
Ah, I have a basis for what I believe. How about you?
Jun 10-11, 2023 – Some people ridicule the Bible. They say it is a book of contradictions—a book that defies human logic. One skeptic challenged a preacher, “There is no way I could believe that book. It has too many contradictions.”
The pastor asked, “Can you give me an example of one of those contradictions?”
The man replied, “Most certainly. I read in the Bible about that ark of Noah’s and how big it was and how many animals it held. Now, preacher, can you tell me how a handful of men could carry that ark for forty years in the wilderness?”
I’m glad he didn’t ask me! My immediate reply would have been, “Are you ignorant about anything else or is this the only subject?” The Bible admonishes us to “answer a fool according to his folly.” It continually amazes me how many people have graduated from the school called Folly University! That poor fellow did not know the difference between Noah’s ark and the ark of the covenant. (Hint: Remember Indiana Jones’ search for the ark of the covenant? That wasn’t Noah’s ark!) Heaven help him!
Question: Do you understand everything you read…in any publication? I don’t. Does that mean something is wrong with the publication? Not at all. It’s usually more a referendum on my intelligence than the publication. Likewise, I still (even after fifty-nine years as a Christian) find myself flailing at times trying to understand a particular Bible verse. I freely acknowledge I need help! The Holy Spirit probably wishes He had a better student than me, but He patiently shows me more and more as I explore the pages of Holy Writ.
I am currently reading through the Bible and finding material to use in my fifth book, “God’s Righteousness on Trial.” I have read through the complete Bible many times. I am using the Ryrie Study Bible this time. (I alternate Study Bibles when reading through the Bible and encourage you to do so.) I am starting the minor prophets today. What has stood out to me this time? The book of Jeremiah. That book is considered a “downer” by many, because it contains so many judgment passages. However, God has opened my mind to things I have missed before. In one case, it was as if God added an entire chapter to the book. That chapter has never clicked with me before. (It will be a significant addition to the new book.)
But that’s the way it is with the Word of God. Things just magically “click” when you’re least expecting it. The unclear becomes clear. The question mark becomes an exclamation point.
Without question, the Bible is a book of wonders! It is truly a miracle book which deserves to be handled with precious care.
It was written by many different writers arising from different cultures, centuries, backgrounds, and education. Luke was a physician, Paul was “college” educated, Matthew was a tax collector, Moses was educated in a foreign culture, Peter and John were mere fishermen, Nehemiah was a cupbearer, David and Solomon were exalted kings, Job was a rich farmer, Samuel was a priest and Amos was a shepherd.
It is often difficult to get individuals in the same family to agree on anything, but God used people separated by thousands of years from every conceivable background to create a Book with one central theme without any contradictions which has the power to save a man’s soul.
Thank God for the Bible!
P.S. I’ll wait on God to clear up the so-called “contradictions.” See “God Speaks—Today!” at Amazon or Apple for deeper study material.
Jun 9, 2023 – “Ask not for whom the bell tolls…it tolls for thee” (John Donne). Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week but certainly someday.
One of the items that troubled my grandfather was his fear of dying alone. I do not know why that thought lingered in his mind, but I know that it bothers many. For some people it is an issue of facing the unknown. For others it is a lack of faith. Then some are just naturally fearful of anything they do not control.
But the child of God can rest upon the truth of the Word of God and know enough about death that he or she is able to see death as an already conquered foe. ”O death, where is your sting? O grave where is your victory? Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [what harm can a shadow cause me?] I will fear no evil, because Thou art with me.”
“Absent from the body and present with the Lord!”
“How precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints!”
“When the beggar died he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.” What a sight (and joy) that must have been!
Do you recall Stephen’s words prior to his execution? He looked skyward and said, “I see Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand!” In my mind Jesus is standing because it is time to welcome Stephen home!
I recall J. R. Faulkner sharing the story of visiting a paralyzed lady who was near death. During the visit she suddenly became excited. She said, “Grab my hands, now raise me up, because I’m going through the pearly gates,” and up out of that bed she came, and when she had gone as far as she could go she just kept on going and she went on to be with Jesus! GLORY! She didn’t die in fear but rather in confidence. She died just like Stephen…in confidence about her next stopping point!
Thank God for the Word of God, because it gives confidence even in our time of death!
Jun 8, 2023 – “God hath not promised skies always blue, Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through; God hath not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain…”
A young boy decided to play a touch football game in a neighbor’s yard. No one wore a football helmet or pads, because no one expects to be hurt in a touch football game. But this boy became tangled up with the bigger boys. He fell to the ground. Another boy tried to jump over him. This boy’s heel on his shoe clipped the young boy on the head.
The young boy was not hurt; he continued to play the game. The game eventually ended, and he returned home. He sat on the living room floor and began telling his father about the game.
Suddenly the boy grabbed his head—the same spot where the shoe had clipped his head. He uttered a loud cry then fell over dead. The father jumped to his son’s side, gathered his son in his arms and began crying. He knew that his son was dead.
The father later said that something very special happened at that very moment. As he held his son in his arms, he felt the presence of Jesus enter the room. The father was not alone! Here he was holding his son and it was as if Jesus WAS NOW HOLDING HIM.
These words of Jesus came to his mind: “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe, also, in Me.” Those words were spoken only twenty-four hours before the darkest hour of all: the crucifixion of our Lord. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you!”
Remember: Being a Christian does not spare us from suffering. But it does provide us with a comforting God who holds the entire world, including you and me, in His arms.
“…But God hath promised strength for the day, Rest for the labor, light for the way, Grace for the trials, help from above, Unfailing sympathy, undying love!”
Jun 7, 2023 – Jesus is my friend. Jesus is unlike any friend in this world. I have never met Jesus face to face, but, based upon His own words, I know He is my dearest friend. I have never seen the scars in His hands, but I know those scars exist because of His love for me. I have never seen the wound in His side, but I know the spear proves that He died for me. I have never seen the color of His hair nor the color of His eyes. I have never seen his height either (do I look up to Him or down to Him?).
But I know Jesus is my friend because He testified, “Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus Christ identified me as His friend, because He laid down His life for me. In so doing, He opened the door to forgiveness and eternal life for this hellbound sinner. His death results in both a family relationship (I am a child of God (John 1:12)) and a friend relationship.
What an incredible thought! Jesus Christ and I are actually friends. That is not foolishness; indeed, James 2:23 mentions that “Abraham was called the friend of God!” Jesus says to this writer, Abraham AND you, “I call you friends and have revealed to you what I have heard from My Father” (John 15:15). On one occasion He asked, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? No” (Genesis 18:17). He who knows it all has shared so much with me both through His word and our many talks together. The song is so true: “And He walks with me and He talks with me And He tells me I am His own! And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known!”
“There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Ah, brother and sister, no one will ever stick closer than He who promised, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
When the Apostle Paul neared the end, he said, “The Lord is still standing with me. All others have left.”
You and I toil and toil in the Master’s vineyard in obedience to His call upon our lives. Our co-workers come and go, but, amazingly, He remains right there with us. He’s there on the pleasant days when we think, “It can’t get any better than this”; He’s also there on the bad days when we think, “It can’t get any worse than this.” He’s there because He’s our friend.
I preached my first sermon at Leatherwood Missionary Baptist Church in 1976. The title of that message is, “Jesus Is My Friend.” I am happy to say that message has been true for 47 years. I am happy to say it can be just as true for you, also.
“I’ve a friend who’s always near me, I’ve a friend who always cheers me; I’ve a friend who is so dear to me, What a precious Friend is He.”
“On His promise I’m relying, All my needs He is supplying; He’ll be there when I’m dying, What a precious Friend is He.”
Thank You, Jesus, for being my friend.
Jun 6, 2023 – During President Andrew Johnson’s term, a man named Wilson was condemned to death for a crime. The governor, though, had mercy on Wilson and issued a pardon. However, Wilson refused to accept the pardon. He said, “I don’t want the pardon. I do not want to live. I want to die.”
The governor insisted that Wilson take the pardon. Wilson insisted just as strongly that he did not have to receive the pardon. The case went to the court. The court decreed that Wilson did not have to accept the pardon. The court’s verdict stated that a pardon is of no value unless the recipient is willing to receive it. What happened? Wilson died.
Wilson’s decision leaves me bewildered. Why would a man turn down a pardon? Why would he deliberately choose death instead of life? It makes no sense.
In Today’s Verse King David of Israel does not cry for justice but for mercy. This was the king of Israel speaking. He was not a peon nor a drunkard that lived in the gutter. He was the king that had been personally chosen by God to lead Israel. His resume was impressive and began with slaying the giant Goliath. It also included many victories on the battlefield.
Had David been like most people he would have begun Psalm 143 by writing, “Lord, give me my just deserves. You weight my life, my good deeds versus my bad. If my bad deeds outweigh my good deeds then cast me to my enemies.” But those words do not appear in Psalm 143. Why not? David knew that to plead for justice was to be given a verdict of death.
David took a good look at his life and realized, “I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of a God who is perfectly righteous and holy.” Thus, “I do not ask for justice, but rather I ask for mercy! I cast myself upon Your mercies…Your grace…Your provision of salvation…” Why? “Because I know that NO LIVING BEING is righteous in Your sight.”
Jeremiah writes several generations later, “It is of the Lord’s MERCIES that we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22).
Remember: No one can plead for justice with God and win. No one! That is why the cross of Jesus Christ is so significant. Indeed, it is the MOST SIGNIFICANT event in your entire life. Christ, the innocent, died for the guilty: for all of us! Mercy holds back God’s judgment from you and me, but it did not spare God the Son.
The heart of the gospel is focused on the grace and mercy of God…of God coming to our rescue. The Apostle Paul writes, “God saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
That brings us back to Wilson and the rejected pardon. I cannot fathom his reasoning, but I know he needed mercy! Likewise, acknowledging the necessity of mercy is the first step in a sinner coming to the cross for salvation. Thank God, when justice called, Mercy stepped in!
“Once I was lost down deep in sin, But Christ my Lord then took me in. My soul was on destruction’s road, Then Christ came in and took my load. For justice called and mercy answered!” Amen!
Jun 5, 2023 – A preacher tried to talk down a sales price by playing up that he was a preacher…a man of the cloth…a man sent from God who therefore deserved special privileges. He advocated his position by declaring, “I’m just a poooooor preacher.”
The clerk looked down at him and said, “I know. I’ve heard you preach!” HA!
That preacher was not walking circumspectly. Pardon the pun, but he was actually making a spectacle of the gospel. That is a tragedy, because it leaves a stain not only on him but also on all of us who are trying to “walk circumspectly” or “carefully in living our daily lives.” The Amplified Bible says, “Do not OFFEND Jews or Greeks or even the church of God [but live to honor Him]” (1 Corinthians 10:32). The idea is that we do not give anyone an excuse to disbelieve the gospel or to blaspheme our God. Our speech, conduct, even our money affairs should be in keeping with a good, honest and clean testimony before men.
Twas the young pastor’s first pastorate. He was filled with a zeal for the unsaved. He became deeply burdened about the druggist in the little town. During one of his drug store visits he began to talk to the druggist about his soul. The man listened respectfully but in deep silence. Then the druggist took the pastor to his office at the rear of the store. He opened a ledger and turned its pages then stopped at a certain account. The druggist asked, “Do you know that man?”
The pastor said, “Yes, I do.”
“Do you see how long his debt has been unpaid?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Is that man able to pay his bill?”
“Yes. He is a prosperous member of my church. I can’t understand.”
The druggist turned to a second account. The two repeated the same conversation about the second account.
Two professing Christians, both refusing to pay their bill, were blocking the road to heaven for the unsaved druggist. The young pastor stood speechless for a moment then walked dejectedly from the store without another word.
Being a Christian is not really hard, but being a really good Christian is really hard. It involves both knowing and accepting our responsibility to ourselves, to God and others. We need to heed the words of the children’s song: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! Let it shine, shine, shine!”
“Walk circumspectly.” Keep your light shining!
Jun 3-4, 2023 – Ever been fooled by a con artist into buying something that didn’t do what it was supposed to do? “Slick” hands and “slick” minds possess a dishonest skill of transferring money from my hands to their hands. They call it “good business”; God, though, calls it an abomination. What is an abomination? It’s considered the lowest and most rotten sins or behavior.
In Today’s Verse Solomon writes about one of the most common abominable acts of his day: weighing produce with deliberately faulty scales. Those scales had been rigged in favor of the scale’s owner. For example, if the owner was buying wheat the scale would reflect a lower amount of wheat than actually existed, thereby shorting the seller but benefiting the buyer. Such gimmicks have existed since the beginning of time. Some defend such behavior as “free market enterprise” and “let the buyer beware.” But, as stated above, God calls it an abomination. Why? It is because God has committed you and me to be our brother’s keeper. We can’t “keep him” or benefit him if we are stealing from him!
Remember: Honesty is always the best policy. Ultimately, our success depends upon obeying God and trusting Him to supply our needs. God calls us to be honest and to teach honesty through our lifestyle, explain honesty to our children, and expect honesty from the people around us.
Faith living is about trusting God…not some cheating or borderline dishonest scheme.
A Canadian baker bought his butter from a neighboring farmer. One day he became suspicious that the butter was not the same weight so he decided to investigate further. During the next several days he weighed the butter. To his dismay he learned that the rolls of butter were diminishing in weight. This so angered him that he had the farmer arrested.
The judge said to the farmer, “I assume you have weights.”
“No, sir,” replied the farmer.
“How then do you manage to weigh the butter that you sell?”
“That’s easily explained, Your Honor. When the baker began buying his butter from me, I thought I’d get my bread from him. It’s his bread – HIS ONE POUND LOAF – that I’ve been using as a weight for the butter I sell. If the weight of the butter is wrong, he has only himself to blame.”
Ah, the baker was cheating himself! And the whole community!
Let’s not cheat ourselves by cheating others. By so doing we will always lose more than we gain. Let’s instead trust God and live honestly before all men.
Jun 2, 2023 – I watched two men argue. It was a heated argument. The argument began during the morning break in the breakroom. Both men were known for their lying. In this case, it wasn’t merely exaggerating; it was outright lying to such an extent that the listeners were left shaking their heads in disbelief. But these guys did not get along and neither liked the idea of being inferior before the other.
The argument reached its zenith in front of my desk. One told a bigger lie which was outdone by the other’s lie. Then one said to the other, “You’re lying!”
And, to everyone’s amazement, the other said, “Yes, and you’re lying, too!” He then marched off with steam coming out his ears; thus ended a classic argument for the record books.
There are many things that can be said about us. Some things are pleasant to the ear while others are hurtful. Some statements are truthful while others are false or, at a minimum, so distorted they can’t be treated as truth.
But one thing should be said about all of the readers of Today’s Verse: We are honest. Our speech is honest. Our conduct is also honest. We seek truth and to promote truth. We shouldn’t be forced to swear on a Bible that “what you are about to say is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Instead, our conduct should be in compliance with our Lord’s mandate: “Don’t take an oath at all. But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’” Jesus’ point is that our honesty should be so well known that people don’t see a need to place us under oath!
All of us have weaknesses. Many weaknesses cannot be overcome. It doesn’t mean we’re worthless, even though we may be worthless in that particular area. But regardless of our weaknesses, we can and should achieve the Bible mandate of living honestly in this dishonest world of ours. Remember: Honesty is a character issue. Character is who we really are and honesty should be one part of who we are.
Live honestly before God. Live honestly before your spouse and children. Live honestly at work, in the neighborhood, with your friends.
Evangelist B. R. Lakin often said, “I want to live such a life that when I am dead my family will not have to apologize for me.” Well, he achieved that goal. No apologies were necessary.
Let’s you and me dedicate ourselves to that same goal!
Jun 1, 2023 – General Robert E. Lee was walking down a street when a woman with a small child approached him. She said, “General Lee, will you kiss my child and give me some advice on what I should teach him?”
General Lee took the child in his arms and kissed him. Lee then said, “Lady, teach your child to DENY HIMSELF.”
“Denying self” is tough…really tough. The flesh screams, “Me first!” It may adjust that attitude to saying, “My kids first!” but I am not sure those ideas are really that much different. Our identification with our children is so strong that parents often live out their own dreams through their children. Perhaps “My kids first” is simply another way of saying, “Me first.”
Someone wrote, “The expression ‘Get all you can, can all you get, and sit on the can’” is a reference to greed. “Get all you can”: acquire everything that you are able to in any way you can get it. “Can all you get”: keep it stored or tucked away as in a tin can, coffee can, or a mason jar as people sometimes do. “Sit on your can”: protect it all.
That doesn’t sound like Jesus, does it? How would Jesus say it? Perhaps like this, “Give yourself away!” “Invest your life in Me!” “Put eternity ahead of today!” “Live for a cause greater than your own cause!”
Have you ever noticed the order of events in Today’s Verse? “If any will or wills to come” may describe someone who means it when he says, “I Surrender All” or it may describe someone who is stepping into the water without realizing what it entails. The latter individual may soon abandon the call!
“Deny himself” is the first challenge and perhaps the most important challenge. It isn’t “tithe your income” or “be kind one to another” or “pray night and day” but “deny yourself.” Ouch! That hits us very hard, because we want to be our own lord or master. The poet William Ernest Henley writes, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” Jesus, though, says, “We have to deal with this issue first and foremost. Your life can’t be about you. It has to be about Me and My will.”
“Take up your cross.” Samuel Rutherford reminds us, “Christ has no velvet crosses.” The cross is an instrument of death. Some of the most powerful words to a committed believer are the words, “Die to self.” “Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and DIE it abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” It is a paradox but still true: Out of death comes life! And power! And effective ministry.
“Follow Me.” No one can follow who does not pass the first two challenges. Why not? Because you’re not going in the same direction with Jesus unless you follow in His own steps of denying Himself and taking up His cross.
Remember: The Christian life is not a hard life nor is it an easy life. Rather, it is a disciplined life. It is the key to the victorious Christian life.
May 31, 2023 – How should a Christian answer a skeptic? Most of us are skilled enough to answer a casual question, but what about the deep thinking critic? Oh, we no longer hear questions like, “Where did Cain get his wife?” or “How many angels can stand on the head of a needle?” but the critics still voice questions that even the best of us are unprepared to answer. Guess what? You don’t need an answer to every question.
Let me suggest several guidelines to guide your discussion with a skeptic. First, do not allow the discussion to become an argument. That happened once to me. I hurt my testimony by arguing. Sometimes the skeptic may bait you, but at other times the devil may use the skeptic to bait you! Be alert to such bait. Don’t be a smart aleck. Above all, be kind. Follow Peter’s admonition to demonstrate meekness, not defiance.
Second, don’t be sidetracked from your original purpose. Notice the underlined words in Today’s Verse. Our “defense” or answer is best confined to a discussion of our HOPE in Christ, the Savior. Why do we trust in Him? You already know the answer. Quite honestly, most skeptics divert our attention elsewhere because they are AFRAID to discuss our hope. Our hope is about our sinfulness and our solution: Christ! That kind of discussion makes them uncomfortable.
Third, remember it is God’s job to do the convincing, not your job. Some preachers preach loud then louder as if they are the ones that must do the convincing. Not so! The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Don’t worry about doing His job for Him.
Fourth, make Jesus the issue. How? Challenge the skeptic to a face-to-face encounter with Jesus. How? Challenge the skeptic to read the Gospel of John with an open heart. John’s Gospel was written for this express purpose: “This book is written that you might believe Jesus is the Christ, the SON OF GOD, and that believing you can have eternal life through His name” (John 20:31). Picture a sinner opening John’s Gospel after first opening his heart to an honest appraisal of Christ. It will then become a God-sinner issue. God will make John’s writings come to life in the skeptic’s heart. The skeptic will be drawn to Christ, will recognize the absolute uniqueness of Christ. He will recognize Christianity is not about religion but about a relationship.
Ah, “make the message clear and plain. Christ receiveth sinful men!” Our God will do the rest.
May 30, 2023 – “Why don’t you do something for God?” Interested?
One Sunday morning in Chicago a minister pointed to a young woman in the midst of his sermon. This woman had accepted Christ as Savior one year earlier. The minister zeroed in on the woman and asked, “What are you doing for God? Why don’t you do something for God?”
To add emphasis to his words, the minister stepped down from the pulpit and walked to where the woman was sitting. He took her by the hand, drew her into the aisle, turned her toward the rear door then gave her a push and said, “I want you to start doing something for God.”
That push eventually sent the young woman to the other side of the world. She resigned her occupation and began to study for Christian service. Later she went to Africa as a missionary. While in Africa she is credited with winning a number of British people to Christ including General Allenby, the man who led the freeing of Jerusalem, and thereby opened the door for the eventual establishment of the State of Israel.
Who was the pastor? D. L. Moody. Who was the young woman? Miss Malla Moe. She served the Lord from that day until her eventual death at the age of ninety.
How did it start? With a question: “Why don’t you do something for God?” In view of what He gave for us, that question is a very serious question.
Many Christians never leave the starting gate, or, in racing analogy, never make it past the first turn. They lose their motivation, because they lose sight of the cross of Jesus Christ. One of my Top Ten Christian songs is “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The song’s first three verses give the singer a detailed look at the cross. Then come the words of verse four: “Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, DEMANDS MY SOUL, MY LIFE, MY ALL.”
Perhaps it is time for you to START doing something for God. Then again, perhaps it is time for you to RESUME doing something for God. Or perhaps it is time to declare, “I intend to KEEP doing something for God.”
Regardless, though, of our current effort, wouldn’t we both agree that He deserves our very best?
May 29, 2023 – It’s Memorial Day. It’s a day when tears are shed and yet hearts are also warmed by memories that are indeed precious memories.
During today’s sermon in one of my former pastorates, I shared the story of John Jordan’s mother. John was a deacon in the first church where I served. John came to me at noon one Sunday and told me about the homegoing of his mother. I recall taking a pen and writing down what he told me, because I wanted to be certain I recorded his words correctly.
John said, “Mom was in a coma the last four days of her life. She never spoke a word. Finally, just before she died she opened her eyes and said, ‘I think I am going to go home now,’ and she then closed her eyes and went home to be with Jesus.”
Home…no fear, no trembling, no confusion, no dread, no sadness either.
What exactly is home? It’s not a motel, is it? It’s not a beach rental either. Instead, it’s the place where we live, and it’s usually a place in which we find comfort, joy, and peace. That is a fitting description of where John’s mother went…and where we will also go if we know Christ as Savior.
Comfort…Jesus promised, “I go to prepare a place for you.” In other words, I won’t be floating around on a cloud, lost somewhere in the universe. Peter says, “This place is reserved in heaven for you.” The Revelation testifies, “God Himself shall be with them” in that place. He who calmed the storms on the Sea of Galilee will exert total control in my future home. And you and I will experience comfort for our broken souls.
Joy…”In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). Imagine a joy which bubbles from your innermost being into your eyes and your smile and your face and your speech. Totally absorbs you. Who would dare hold back a dying loved one from such joy? Yea, the greatest joys of all still await the child of God…and notice such “fullness or completeness of joy” is always associated with His presence, not Disneyworld nor a pay raise nor an earthly achievement. Why is that so? It is because He outlives all of those things.
Peace…Shortly before he died, the atheist Jean-Paul Sartre stated that he tried to resist despair by repeating to himself, “I know I shall die in hope.” But then with sadness he confessed, “But hope needs a foundation.” Indeed, it does or it is nothing but futile; we certainly don’t want to encounter futility when we encounter death. But peace is ours in heaven. All of the things on earth which have taken away our peace will exist no more in our eternal life with God. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Perhaps Memorial Day is a hard day for you. But is it really a hard day for that loved one who has gone on to be with the Lord? I think not. It is instead a day to be envied.
May God comfort you with these words.
May 27, 2023 – Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. But if we explore its many paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France.
Quite simply, what you expect is not always what you get. In many ways, life itself is a paradox. What is a paradox? It is a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense…yet is true in an ironic sort of way.
This lesson is also true in your life and mine as believers in Christ. For example, Jesus taught us, “He who desires to be great must first become the SERVANT of all. The FIRST shall be LAST in My kingdom.” James continues the thought in these words, “Submit or lower yourself before the Lord and He will then LIFT YOU UP.” How oft I have heard the proverb, “The way up with God is down.” God’s way is NOT the world’s way (or modern Christianity’s way) of self-promotion. I recall the chairman of the board saying about our company president, “He writes his own press releases, and the worst part is he believes them!” Based upon holy scripture, we can conclude that president’s philosophy does not align with God’s philosophy.
Today’s Verse was uttered by our Lord shortly before His crucifixion. Christ was not only teaching a spiritual principle, but He would soon set the example of that very principle. “In order for the seed to produce much fruit, it must first die to itself. In so doing, it will become something it currently is not: dead to self. I can do something with that seed which dies, but I can do little with that seed which retains its own identity…purpose…goals. You MUST die to self.”
When such a death occurs, strange results may also occur.
Consider how this principle impacted our Lord…and notice it works TO OUR BENEFIT. The Creator of earth—the One with all power—was born in a stable, not a king’s palace. The same King who establishes earthly kings and takes them down—that same King fled into Egypt to escape a king. The only Holy One to walk upon the earth was abused, cursed, and accused of sin. The One who brought Israel through the Red Sea to the praise of all Israel was later rejected by His own. This One chose twelve apostles to proclaim His kingdom yet one sold Him for a mere thirty pieces of silver.
Who among us would have expected such a result? BUT PLEASE NOTE, THOSE RESULTS ARE NOT THE FINAL RESULT!
“But if the seed dies, it produces much fruit.” He died…and the resulting fruit includes a wretch like me some two thousand years later! I am alive because He died! And so are you! We are saved because He died!
Bottom line: Life will not always make sense. Indeed, life will occasionally be a paradox. But God did not call us to understand; rather, God calls us to die to self. Neither of us can control everything around us. But we can control whether we die to self or live in our own rebellious will. Which choice makes the best sense to you?
May 26, 2023 – Are we smarter than the angels? In some ways the answer is yes. Those magnificent beings have not experienced some of our human experiences. They have watched us in our experiences, but our experiences are not necessarily THEIR experiences.
First, the angels of heaven do not know the meaning of the word “lost.” Paul describes such angels as “elect angels” (1 Timothy 5:21). They are to be distinguished from the angels that followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God. Apparently 1/3 of God’s angels chose to serve Lucifer/Satan than serve God (Revelation 12:4). These angels rejected the light and chose the darkness. They lost their original estate, their original composition of sinlessness and became lost or separated from God. But the holy angels of heaven never entered that condition. They remained holy and righteous. Unlike us, these angels have never committed a single sin. They’re at least 6,000 years old and, even to this day, they do not know what it means to be lost. (In case you’re wondering, their current classification of “elect angels” means they can never become non-elect or lost.) You and I know what it means to be lost, but not them!
Second, the angels of heaven do not know the meaning of the word “saved.” Why not? They have never experienced it for the simple reason they have never needed it. They cannot sing, “Redeemed how I love to proclaim it, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child and forever I am.” One saint said, “When I sing that song in heaven, the angels will have to fold their wings and bow their heads, because it is a song they cannot sing.” Only the redeemed can sing about redemption!
Third, the angels do not know the meaning of the word “changed.” Why not? They have never experienced change in the sense we will experience change. We have experienced the change of the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) but not so with God’s angels. Ah, how about the change associated with the resurrection? “We shall not all sleep but we shall all be CHANGED, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15). The angels of heaven do not have scars that must be erased. They do not get gray hair or bald heads. Their teeth don’t rot out. Their body parts don’t decay. But we know that experience, and we need change! How we look forward to the day of our own perfection!
Friend, wonder how many angels will attend your next church service? After all, “Even the angels long to look into these things!”

May 24, 2023 – An unusual memorial of World War Two can be found in the Chapel of St. George in Westminster Abbey. This memorial consists of four bound volumes which contain the names of the 60,000 civilians who were killed in the city of London by enemy action.
One volume lies open on the shrine. A light shines down upon the names that appear on the opened page. Each day a page is turned. Thus will the names of those who were rich or poor, titled or the common people, old or young, healthy or ill, sound of body or crippled, stand together to be revealed in the light for all to see as a page of the book is turned every day.
It is a book of death.
But there is another book in heaven called the book of life. Eternal life. Spiritual life. Born again life. Life of God and life with God which never ends. This book records my name and hopefully your name. It contains the name of every person who has received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Yes, the name of EVERY person in heaven appears in this book. Think of it! How awesome! The old song, “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” included the response, “I’ll be there!” Perhaps such a roll will be called, then again perhaps not, but the idea is precious. God knows I will be there! He has written my name—all twenty-four letters—in this book.
Name after name…every name spelled right…not a single name of the redeemed is missing…ah, glory!
Jesus pointed the apostles to this great truth when He proclaimed, “Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
O. S. Davis put this teaching to song with these words,
“If I Should Live A Thousand Years Upon This Earth Below, I Never Could Forget The Day; That Jesus Wrote My Name Within The Blessed Book Of Life, And Took My Many Sins Away.
“He Wrote My Name Way Up In Glory, He Saved My Soul From Sin And Shame. I Never Shall Forget The Day The Blessed Savior Wrote My Name.”
Ah, friend, is your name recorded where it counts: in the Lamb’s book of life?
May 23, 2023 – PART TWO – God asks, “Can you silence Me? Can you thwart My will? Can you intentionally rebel and not suffer the consequences? Be reconciled to Me!”
Today’s world does not recognize it is at war…and that war is with Almighty God. The Bible describes humanity in this war as the “enemies of God” (Romans 5:10). From God’s perspective, man is an enemy combatant!
Man has his multiple ways. By contrast, God has His singular way. The two ways travel in opposite directions. The tension becomes greater with each passing year. Something must eventually give. And, as we learned in the previous Today’s Verse, something will indeed give. Thus, the Apostle Paul issues this plea of immediacy, “Be reconciled to God.” Jesus says, “Repent!” Isaiah writes, “Let the wicked forsake his way” (55:7). The Psalmist writes some of the most stirring words of all, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish from the way.”
In the old colonial days, an African chief did something evil which incurred the wrath of the ruling English government. The government responded by sending a gunboat to administer punishment.
A runner brought word to the African chief that a gunboat had entered the river and was headed his direction. The chief responded by killing the courier.
On the next day a second runner arrived with additional news that the boat was moving steadily up the river toward the village. This poor fellow also lost his head.
The same fate was met by the other couriers who arrived on the following day with even more dire news.
But the chief’s reaction did not keep away the English gunboat nor delay the day of judgment. Suddenly, the jungle echoed with the thunder of cannon. The huts of the native village collapsed like cardboard. Within minutes the mission was finished, and the English boat returned to its port.
Most of today’s religious world defies the God of the Bible. Most of the education system defies the wisdom of holy scripture. The same can be said for the economic system, the world of politics, and the vast entertainment industry. Will this defiance continue forever? No.
George Truett says, “There is a point where God and man must meet either in grace or judgment and at that point BOTH ARE REVEALED AS THEY ARE.”
Question: Has God’s gunboat left the port? Perhaps so.
May 22, 2023 – It’s called “orgé” in the Bible’s original Greek text. Strong defines it as “anger, wrath, passion; punishment, vengeance.” The Bible records many instances of God demonstrating His “orgé” against sin and sinners. Entire cities were destroyed, entire nations were destroyed, Noah’s entire world was destroyed with the exception of his family. Today’s Verse mentions a future day (actually a period of seven years) when God’s wrath will be poured out in wave upon wave like a continually erupting volcano. The extent of destruction and death will be indescribable.
How does this teaching affect us as believers in Christ? The scriptural teaching presented throughout the book of Revelation does not need to be embellished by a Hollywood producer. The Scriptures speak for themselves. It is said that no soldier can go through the hellish battles of war without being changed; likewise, no believer can embrace this hellish scenario without being changed.
First, this teaching rightly impresses God’s anger toward sin upon the believer’s heart. It is unfortunately true that believers at all stages of spiritual maturity treat sin too lightly. It is easier to make excuses than to acknowledge sin. It is more pleasant to label sin a mistake than a rebellious act. However, the more the believer ponders God’s hatred (not merely dislike) of sin, the more likely it is the believer will realize its true abominable nature to the holy God of heaven. Increasingly, the believer should develop a hatred of sin as well as its devastating effect upon others.
Second, this teaching leads the believer to develop a reverence and awe toward God. “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29, ESV). Israel’s experience at Mount Sinai generated deep reverence and awe, though only for a short time. Such reverence, awe, even fear is not something to be shunned but rather to be embraced. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the HOLY One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, CSB). Such wisdom begins with a knowledge of Him as holy, that this holiness leads to the demonstration of His wrath.
Third, this teaching provides inspiration to praise Him for delivering the believer from the wrath to come. The Apostle Paul urges the believer to “wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:10, CSB). God’s eternal wrath is not our future!
Last, this teaching constantly reminds the believer to persuade men to receive Christ as Savior! “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:10, KJV). Love is a powerful motive, but it does not motivate everyone. However, what sane person wants a loved one to experience firsthand the eternal terror of the Lord? Such a prospect is unimaginable. It should drive us to our knees in prayer for those who do not know Christ. A spiritual believer will obey Jude’s instruction to “save others by snatching them from the fire.” It is as if their feet are only inches from slipping into the fire. And it is us who snatch them from such destruction by sharing with them the gospel of peace.
God help us to open our eyes to this coming reality!
May 20-21, 2023 – How can you explain salvation? The world emphasizes “do and you will be okay,” but the Bible emphasizes “believe in Jesus and you will be okay.” How can we explain the difference to those who do not know Christ?
The simple answer is the wrath of God against our sin must be appeased, satisfied or paid. By whom? Either by the sinner or by the sinner’s substitute.
Two men had been close friends in their youth. Time passed. They drifted apart. But many years later they met again: in court! One sat on the judge’s bench; the other sat in the prisoner’s chair. The evidence was presented. The prisoner was found guilty.
The ties of friendship were still strong between the two men. The prisoner’s family felt the sentiment associated with their friendship would enter into the judge’s verdict. But to their dismay the judge said, “I cannot fail to pass sentence upon you, though you be my friend. That would not be justice. Justice must be done, and I must uphold the law.”
The judge then sentenced his friend with either a large fine or fourteen days of jail confinement. The condemned man had nothing with which to pay the fine so jail confinement was before him.
Then the judge, having fulfilled his duty, stepped down from the bench, walked to the side of the prisoner, opened his own wallet, paid the fine in full, then put his arm around his friend and said, “Now, John, you are coming home with me to dinner.”
Likewise, God cannot overlook sin. God is a just or righteous God. Right must prevail and right does indeed prevail in the courtroom of heaven. But God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, paid the complete fine for each of us when He died for our sins—all of our sins—on the cross of Calvary. Today’s Verse states that, “Christ redeemed or purchased us by becoming our curse…by paying our penalty and enduring God’s wrath against our sin.”
The just died for the unjust. The righteous died for the unrighteous. The sinless died for the sinner. In so doing, “God laid upon Him the sin of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
“Now I never could quite understand why a king would wanna leave His throne To don the robe of an earthly man and feel the pain of flesh, flesh and bone, Then to later trod that lonely path That lead to Calvary But those blood red stains broke all my chains SO THAT I COULD STILL GO FREE!”
Praise the Lord for Calvary!
May 19, 2023 – Has God been patient with you? Just how patient has He been? How long has He been patient? What has He endured to get you to this point?
William Gurnall wrote in 1660, “When I consider how the goodness of God is abused by the greatest part of mankind I cannot but be of his mind that said, ‘The greatest miracle in the world is God’s patience and bounty to an ungrateful world.’
“If a prince hath an enemy get into one of his towns he doth not send them in provisions but lays close siege to the place and doth what he can to starve them. But the great God that could wink all His enemies into destruction bears with them and is at daily cost to contain them.
“But think not, sinners, that you shall escape thus: Nothing smoother than the sea yet when it is stirred into a tempest nothing rageth more. Nothing so sweet as the patience and goodness of God, and nothing so terrible as His wrath when it takes fire.”
“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling” is true for all of us who have been born again.
As a little girl, my wife heard the invitation song, “O, Why Not Tonight?” sung at home by her father and sister. “Our Lord in pity lingers still, And wilt thou thus His love req
Mar 13, 2024 – Do you ever wonder how people can be so smart and yet so dumb at the same time? Abraham Lincoln wrote, “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.” This pastor concurs.
Looking down reveals a mess, but looking up reveals a very organized splendor…something so amazing that our dismay from looking down is replaced with amazement at looking up. Maybe that is because man has not yet had a chance to mess up that which is UP!
One of the best things about winter is the cold Canadian air which leaves us with crystal clear nights to observe the stars. It seems the colder the night, the more sparkling the stars! And guess who owns it all? Our God who is also our Father, Savior, Protector and Sustainer. Imagine being so superior to everyone else that it is a simple thing to “pitch a tent big enough to house something as big as the sun.” Our God is indeed mighty!
General Napoleon Bonaparte took a walk one night when the stars were shining so very brightly. The great general happened across a number of soldiers who were mocking the existence of God. Napoleon waved his hands toward the stars of heaven, and said, “Gentlemen, I suggest that you get rid of those first!”
The Bible says, “By Him all things consist, or, more literally, are held together.” Our future, along with the future of the universe, is tied to Him.
It reminds me of the little boy who knelt by the bed for his bedtime prayer and prayed, “Lord, be sure to take care of Yourself, because if anything ever happens to You, we’re all in a heap of trouble!” Amen!
Be sure to think for a moment about Who is really in charge of this universe! Remember: Your God is also in charge of today, too. So put your hand in His hand and face today…and tomorrow…and the rest of your days in confidence.
Mar 12, 2024 – How can we measure the value of a human soul like yours…or mine? Please consider this exercise from one of my sermons:
“I have a question for all of the adults and all of the children.”
Hold up a $20 bill for everyone to see.
“Who would like to have this $20 bill?”
Hands go up.
“I am going to give this $20 bill to one of you, but first let me do this.”
Crumble the bill into a tiny ball.
“Now who wants to own the $20 bill?”
The same hands go up.
“What if I do this?”
Drop the bill on the floor, step on it, grind it into the carpet.
“Who still wants the $20 bill?”
The same hands go up!
“Why do you still want it?”
The audience answers, “It’s still worth $20!” (Yes, I gave the money to a child.)
KEY: No matter what I did to the money, it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. The original value had not changed. Wadded up, but still worth $20. Stepped on, but still worth $20.
Maybe you feel like that $20 bill. You have been crumbled, dropped, stepped on and abused by life. But, rest assured, you still have value. Your original value as a living, eternal soul has not changed.
“So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” That’s what God does…He’s good at taking what is marred or even broken and reworking it into something of use.
“He’s still working on me, To make me what I ought to be…How loving and patient He must be, He’s still working on me!”
Do you know anyone who needs to make a visit to the Potter’s House?
Mar 11, 2024 – The Good Samaritan, the Levite, the priest, perhaps even multiple priests…which one best describes your life in the parable of the Good Samaritan?
Jesus tells us about a man journeying to Jericho. This man fell among thieves and was brutally attacked. He was robbed, stripped, wounded, and left dying, probably rolled into a ditch where he would be out of the way. It is likely that a number of people passed by.
The first, a priest, evaluated the man’s needs but refused to get involved. Perhaps he said, “I keep the Golden Rule of ‘do unto others as I would have them do unto me.’” “That’s a great philosophy, but what would the man in the ditch have you do for him?”
A passing Levite also evaluated the man’s needs but refused to get involved. He said, “I keep the 10 commandments. O HOW I LOVE JESUS!” “That’s a great song, but do you love your neighbor as yourself?” “No,” and he passed by.
Another Levite: “He is not one of my church members.” Passed by.
Another priest: “His skin color is different than mine.” Passed by.
Relative: “I only take care of my own family.” “Aren’t you both a member of father Adam’s family?”
The man in the ditch wails, “No man cares for my soul!”
The priest asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Levite asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The relative asks: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God answers, “Yes!”
But along comes a Samaritan (an outcast from the Jewish viewpoint) and “he saw him and had compassion on him!” The Samaritan said, “I’ve never met you but God knows all about you and that is good enough for me. I’ll have to change my plans but God brought me your way for a reason! My reputation will suffer, because we Samaritans and you Jews don’t get along, but your need is more important than my reputation.”
The Samaritan, who was good in heart, then lifted the man from his misery and cared for his soul. “Which one was a neighbor to the man in need?” The lawyer said, “The one who had mercy on him.”
As you move through this week, you will likely meet someone who has been wounded by life and left in a ditch. It won’t hurt to get your hands a little dirty. It won’t hurt to get involved. And who knows what God will do with such a simple effort?
Mar 9-10, 2024 – A number of years ago at the Dallas, Texas fair everyone’s attention was drawn to the first place hog. This hog was the prettiest hog you have ever seen. It was wearing its first place ribbon and did not have a speck of dirt on it. Its hooves had been manicured, its hair looked like it had just come from a beauty parlor. It was the prettiest hog anyone had ever seen.
The hog’s owner was superbly dressed. It was obvious he knew how to take care of hogs…and himself!
But someone then noticed it was the owner’s twelve-year-old son who was in charge of the hog. This boy was so skinny that you could count his ribs. His face looked like a corpse. His clothes were ragged and torn. He was smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and drinking himself to sleep every night.
The owner of the much loved hog was also the father of the totally unloved son!
The worst abandonment of all takes place every day that we live. David spoke about such abandonment in Psalm 142, “I looked for help on my right hand but there was no man who would help me or even know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.”
All of us are surrounded by people with needs. Some needs are physical (sickness), material (financial), psychological (mental) but the greatest need is the spiritual (the soul) because it is eternal. You and I are part of God’s answer to meeting these needs.
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is an emphatic, “YES!” from the throne of God. We too often think we are self-made, “I succeeded, why can’t you?” and our heart is hardened toward those with greater needs than our own. This writer has actually seen people that needed help, got the help, grew up to no longer need help then become hardened against those who need help. Such an attitude should not be, but it happens more than we think.
First, let the Holy Spirit soften your heart toward the needs of others. What happens when you are Spirit-filled? The “fruit of the Sprit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.” Love is mentioned first because the Spirit softens your heart toward others! Who better practiced this teaching than Jesus? “But when Jesus saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.” His heart was touched by the needs of others. When we are like Jesus, we cannot help but be touched by the needs of others.
Second, let the Bible remind you of your responsibility to others. James doesn’t define true religion in how many times we have attended church, but ”pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble.” The story of the Good Samaritan should also spur us to do more than we do.
Third, realize every person is a potential opportunity. Jesus met the Samaritan woman while she was getting water from the well, Zaccheus while Zaccheus was sitting in a tree, the thief while both of them were dying, and the blind man outside the temple when He just “happened” to pass by. Jesus made a difference in those lives, because He seized the opportunity.
God help us to open our eyes and seize the many opportunities that surround us!
Mar 8 2024 – I asked, “William, what is your way of salvation?”
William replied, “I have done everything I know to do. I have asked Jesus to save me from my sins PLUS I am trying to live right. In addition, I have been baptized, I am a member of several churches, I try to respect all religions. I try to be a good son and friend.” He then said, “I’ve covered all the bases.”
Bottom line: William was not satisfied with Jesus and Jesus alone. His faith was spread over multiple avenues in hope that one or all of them would secure his salvation.
Perhaps you’re not yet satisfied with Jesus and Jesus alone. It is easy, though, to establish why Jesus is enough. For example, Who is the savior? Jesus. Who is the keeper of our soul? Jesus. Who is building our home in heaven? Jesus. Who is coming again to get us? Jesus. What does this tell us? It tells us that salvation begins with Jesus, continues with Jesus, and it also ends with Jesus. Salvation is totally the work of Jesus!
Spurgeon teaches, “It is not thy hold on Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee; it is Christ. It is not even thy faith in Christ, though that be the instrument; it is Christ’s blood and merit.”
KEY: You are either resting in Jesus or you are trying to earn your own salvation.
What is Jesus doing today regarding our salvation? First, Today’s Verse indicates that Jesus is now saving our souls to the uttermost. How much farther can you go than the uttermost parts of this world? How much farther can you go into sin than the uttermost? Jesus intercedes for you no matter how deep into sin you may go!
In spite of every sin you may commit—Peter denied our Lord, Samson committed adultery, Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit and what, dear reader, have you done? More than we care to admit. Yet God saves to the uttermost because His salvation is the only kind of salvation that saves! Otherwise, we would lose our salvation multiple times a week or perhaps a day.
Let’s look at a second verse. Hebrews 10:12 states, “After He offered one sacrifice for sins forever, He sat down at the right hand of God.” Interesting term: Jesus is now sitting down. Why is Jesus sitting down? Is it because He is tired or lazy? We read the answer two verses later, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Jesus is so satisfied with our salvation that He is now sitting down.
The devil whispers to Jesus, “Tom did it again!” But Jesus answers, “Yes, but I did it once and for all!”
The devil demands, “Tom needs more payment for this new sin! Go back to the cross and die again!” Jesus responds, “My one payment is payment enough.”
Jesus is so satisfied that He can sit down. There is nothing even Jesus can add to our salvation!
“Yes, the old account was settled long ago! And the record’s clear today For He washed my sins away, And the old account was settled long ago!”
Guess what? The old account is still settled TODAY!
Mar 7, 2024 – Can you add anything to your salvation—to what Jesus accomplished on the cross? Today’s Verse says, “The Son of man came not to be ministered to but rather to minister and to give His life a ransom for many” i.e. Jesus came to set you free by paying your ransom.
What do we see when we look at the cross? First, we see that we have sinned. We owe a debt to the holiness of God. God’s holiness demands judgment and punishment. “God’s judgment is without mercy. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The only price which can set us free is the blood of Jesus! So He offers Himself to God as a ransom—the price necessary to set us free.
Think of it like this. You get a bill through the mail. You go to the store to pay the bill. The bill says you owe $48.12. You give them $48.12 in cash. They split the bill in two—part of the bill goes in their drawer with the money. They take a stamp and apply it to the other part of the bill. What does that stamp say? PAID IN PART? No. Why not? Because the bill has been paid in full.
Question: After you get that stamp on the bill, do you lay awake at night worrying about paying that bill? Why not? It is because you have the assurance that your bill has been paid in full.
What happens when you come to Calvary for salvation? God stamps, “It is finished, paid in full” on your sin debt!
“My sin, o the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”
Jesus paid the penalty for your sin to such an extent that you cannot lift a single finger to add to your salvation. If you said to God, “I need to add something to the plan of salvation. Maybe I need to add keeping the golden rule. Maybe I need to add tithing, praying, church membership, living a good life.”
Do you know what God would do? God would become angry at our ignorance and ask, “How dare you think that you can you add anything to the perfect sacrifice of my Son?”
The truth is we cannot buy ourselves out of our own sinful poverty. No! All we can do is commit ourselves into the hands of our redeemer. So trust Him—trust that He is telling you the truth.
Mar 6, 2024 – Fanny Crosby lifts us to the throne of God with this song: “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine! [What exactly is assurance? Confidence!] Blessed CONFIDENCE, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine, Heir of salvation, Purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, Washed in His blood.”
Four words: heir, purchase, born, and washed…none of them are what we can do for ourselves, but they describe what God does when He saves our souls from the wrath to come.
A teenager walked up to a preacher and asked, “What must I do to get saved?”
The preacher shocked him by saying, “I’m sorry, son, but you’re too late.”
The teenager became frantic. He said, “You don’t understand. I don’t want to go to hell. What must I do to get saved?”
The pastor said, “Son, it’s too late for you to do anything to get saved, because Jesus did it all two thousand years ago. All you must now do is believe in the finished work of the cross, and you will be saved. It is not doing that saves you but rather it is believing in Jesus that saves you.”
This writer cannot do anything to save my soul. Nor can this writer do anything to keep me saved. Earlier today I added this line to my next book: “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God the Father’s validation that His Son’s sacrifice on the cross of Calvary satisfies God’s wrath against our sin.” You can write this down as an absolute fact: Our only hope of salvation rests solely upon Jesus Christ! Thank God, He did it all and because He did it all I have a blessed, confident assurance that it is well with my soul.
“Heir of salvation.” God has bestowed upon me His own righteousness (see Today’s Verse), because I am one of those who believe.
“Purchase of God.” This believer does not belong to the devil or to myself. I belong to God. “Bought with a price!” “Redeemed [purchased] how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! His child and forever I am.”
“Born of His Spirit.” My date was January 14, 1965. What is your date? A new nature is planted in the heart of every person at the moment he or she believes. That nature has new desires, too. That’s why a believer ought to behave differently than an unbeliever.
“Washed in His blood.” Every sin covered, put away, as far from us as the east is from the west, buried in the deepest sea, never again to be brought against us. Why? It is because God the Father is satisfied with the payment for our sins that was made by Jesus on the cross.
What a difference it makes when the Lord comes in to stay! “BLESSED CONFIDENCE, JESUS IS INDEED MINE!”
Mar 5, 2024 – What kind of salvation do you enjoy? This question may seem strange, because there is only one salvation for all. However, some lack confidence in their salvation. As a result, they spend more time fretting than faithing. Perhaps this analogy will help.
As a boy growing up, our evening routine was very consistent. Dad arrived home from work each evening around 5:30. Mom usually had the food on the table by 5:45 and we would sit down to eat. Dad would eat then go to the living room to relax. Dad always went to the same place, because dad had a place which was very special to him.
I remember there were two things which belonged to dad and dad alone. The first thing which belonged to dad was dad’s chair. We couldn’t afford a Lazy Boy in those days, but dad always had a decent chair to sit in. Soft… warm…dad’s chair!
The second thing which belonged to dad was dad’s footstool. Dad would lean back in his chair, prop up his feet and relax. He would then read the newspaper, watch the television, or read a book.
As a boy I remember thinking that all was well with the world when dad propped up his feet! There was no more work to be done. No more effort was necessary. No more worrying or fretting! All was well with the world when dad propped up his feet.
“Jesus said, ‘It is finished’” and He then propped up His feet, too. There was no more work to be done for my salvation. No more effort was necessary to save my soul. No worrying or fretting, wringing of hands, pacing the floor, wiping sweat from the brow either. All was well with my soul when Jesus said, “It is finished” and propped up His feet.
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10). “For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). “Now where there is forgiveness of these sins and lawless acts, there is no longer an offering for sin…let us draw near with a true heart in FULL assurance of FAITH” (Hebrews 10:18-22).
Dragnet’s Joe Friday often said (he never smiled), “Just the facts, sir, just the facts.” In other words, don’t confuse me with what you think, but give me the facts. Here is one fact which you can take to the bank: “God the Father shall see the work of His soul [dying on the cross for the sins of the world] and He shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:10). Since God is satisfied, I can be satisfied, too.
It’s time to prop up my feet and enjoy the Lord’s salvation.
Mar 4, 2024 – Do you ever become fearful? Read on!
One night many years ago an ocean liner sank off the coast of England. Many people drowned; other people were crushed by the rocks on the shore. A sixteen-year-old boy, though, grabbed hold of a large rock; he clung to that rock throughout the entire night. Someone spotted him on the next morning, and this boy was wonderfully rescued.
The rescuers said, “You held all night to that rock. Were you scared? Did you shake and tremble as you held on to that rock?”
The boy said, “I shook and trembled all night long, but the amazing thing is that rock never shook nor trembled a single time.”
Let me ask three questions that deserve your attention.
First, was the boy safe on the rock? The answer is, “Yes!”
Second, was there any reason for him to shake and tremble all night long? No!
Last, did his trembling making any safer? No!
The thing which made this boy safe was the rock and not his trembling. His fear added nothing to his safety. Doubts, confusion, education, piggy bank, heritage, and home address had nothing to do with his safety. His safety depended solely upon the rock.
Too many Christians are like the old man who took his first plane ride. His family later asked, “Were you afraid?” He answered, “No. But I NEVER PUT MY FULL WEIGHT DOWN.”
Please understand: YOU CAN PUT YOUR FULL WEIGHT DOWN ON JESUS! He is your rock of deliverance, your rock of safety, your rock to bring you through ALL the storms of life. You can either stay awake all night worrying or you can put your trust in the rock and get a good night’s sleep. Which is better for you?