This morning we are are going to be looking at the account of Stephen, which is found in Acts 6:8 through 8:4. You remember what happened, Stephen started preaching the word of God, and as usual when the Word is preached, with power, lives were changed. So the Jewish leaders became worried about losing their power. If you remember, those leaders were not worried about the work of God, they were more interested in the power and status they had as religious leaders. How often do we see this in our churches these days? So after it became evident to them that they were not going to be able to quiet him, by just arguing with him, because not only could he answer their arguments with a knowledge they did not have, but they were unable to rebut his statements. They decided to pay some people to lie against Stephen, and say he was trying to overthrow the Jewish establishment. He was arrested, and brought before the council of elders and high priest.
When he was allowed to defend himself, he began to tell the history of the Jewish people starting with Abram. He told how, every great prophet of Israel was not believed, and how the Jewish leaders tried to find a way to quiet that prophet, until his words were proven true. He then turned his attention to Jesus, and the present council of leaders in ch. 7:51 "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears", Oh my, not only did he just call them ignorant, but said their heart and ears were "uncircumcised". That is like saying that their heart was not even Jewish. Continuing "ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did; so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted: and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers" He said, all the leaders before you, are responsible for persecuting, and killing the true man of God, and now you have actually killed God Himself. As you can imagine, this did not sit well with them.
Now to the lesson, in ch. 7:58 "And cast him out of the city, and stoned him..." How often as a nation do we turn against the man of God? Look however, at verse 60 "And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep".
When someone does something wrong to us, what is our response? Do we find a way to get back at them, get even with them? Or do we pray that God will work in their heart and life, and change their outlook?
Now in ch. 8 starting with verse 1b "And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea, and Samaria, except the apostles,...As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word."
We in America have it way too easy. There needs to be persecution against us. Maybe then we would stop playing Christian, and actually be one. Then again, Christianity in America just might cease to exist, except for just a few. I am including myself in this, I pray I would have the faith to stand for Christ, but who knows how I would react with a gun to my head, or my wife or kids head. What about you, how would you react?
Do we support missions, or is our tithe enough for us? Supporting missionaries is commanded in the Bible. I have been in so many "churches" lately that did not give one penny to missions. They collected the "tithe" for their church, but they did not believe in sending any money to others. While we are at it, any church that does not support Jewish missions, needs to reread their Bible. Gentile missionaries going to the Jewish people is Biblical. The Jews are God's chosen people, we received the gift of God through the Jewish nation, we should be giving that gift back to them.
ABBA Father, I come to you humbled knowing I am a sinner, unworthy of your love, yet you loved me anyway. Loved me enough to send your Son to pay sins price of death for me. Oh God, I pray that you will use me, make my life an example to show others your love, mercy and grace. I lift up the church in America, Oh LORD God, send a revival to America, convict hearts make us right with You. LORD Jesus, give us a burden not only for missions, but especially Jewish missions. Father, send your Holy Spirit to me daily, fill me with your Word as I prepare and write the devotions, give me the words You would have me to say. Correct me when I am wrong, as I don't want to say anything here that is not right. I lift up those reading Your Word here, open their hearts and minds, let Your truth sink in. Let it make a difference in their life. Father, lead me in the things you would have me do, You know the burdens you have placed on my heart, help me to work in those areas. Show me when it is something I came up with, and when it is Your will for my life. I bring these petitions to Your throne, in the holy, just, wonderful, merciful, gracious name of the only begotten Son Jesus Christ, AMEN.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A Change of Plans
"Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, O house of Israel cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel". Jer. 18:3-6. It should be humbling to know that we are but clay in the hands of the almighty God. But, I know so many people who see it as a challenge to prove they are stronger than God. Is. 45-9 says, "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, what makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?" "Woe", is a dangerous word. When you see the word woe, that means you had better sit up and take notice. It's kind of like when you call your child by all three names.
This same lesson is continued in Romans, just proving that nothing has changed over the years. Rm 9:20-21 "Nay but, O man who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"
This lesson started out as one showing our need to obey God, but after praying over, and studying these verses, I realized just how much God was talking directly to me. "Why hast thou made me thus?", do you know how many times over the last few years, I have asked God this very question? I accepted several years ago, that He was not going to heal my thorn in the flesh. And even though I know He has a plan, and a reason for me suffering this way, I still often wonder why, and wish that things were different. So once again He is reminding me, that I am not supposed to know His thoughts or reasons, I am to trust Him unconditionally. Without reserve, or knowledge.
He told Paul in 2 Chr. 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness". Paul went on to say, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me". I haven't quite got to the point were I can honestly say, I will glory in my infirmities, even though I pray daily that I can. I make this statement quite often, but I can't honestly say that it is true in my heart.
I do take comfort in knowing that Paul, much like myself had to be reminded of this truth. In 2 Chr. 3:5 Paul made the statement, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God". Even though he knew this, he had to be reminded of it. This does not make it ok, for me to not trust, I still sin when I don't trust. But, knowing that Paul had the same need to understand, and have relief, is enough to give me hope that I too can trust the way I am supposed to.
As I said, my whole devotion changed this morning as I was typing it up, so let me now give you the rest of the original.
Is 64:8-9 "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold see we beseech thee, we are all they people."
Is 65:2-3 "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon alters of brick"
65:17-18 "For Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy".
65:23-25 "They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble, for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock; and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD".
My original thought was to show how that He is constantly working on us, changing us, and will continue until the day that He makes a new heaven and a new earth, and we are all made perfect. However He had a different idea, and of course you know who won, because He knows more than I do.
This same lesson is continued in Romans, just proving that nothing has changed over the years. Rm 9:20-21 "Nay but, O man who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"
This lesson started out as one showing our need to obey God, but after praying over, and studying these verses, I realized just how much God was talking directly to me. "Why hast thou made me thus?", do you know how many times over the last few years, I have asked God this very question? I accepted several years ago, that He was not going to heal my thorn in the flesh. And even though I know He has a plan, and a reason for me suffering this way, I still often wonder why, and wish that things were different. So once again He is reminding me, that I am not supposed to know His thoughts or reasons, I am to trust Him unconditionally. Without reserve, or knowledge.
He told Paul in 2 Chr. 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness". Paul went on to say, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me". I haven't quite got to the point were I can honestly say, I will glory in my infirmities, even though I pray daily that I can. I make this statement quite often, but I can't honestly say that it is true in my heart.
I do take comfort in knowing that Paul, much like myself had to be reminded of this truth. In 2 Chr. 3:5 Paul made the statement, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God". Even though he knew this, he had to be reminded of it. This does not make it ok, for me to not trust, I still sin when I don't trust. But, knowing that Paul had the same need to understand, and have relief, is enough to give me hope that I too can trust the way I am supposed to.
As I said, my whole devotion changed this morning as I was typing it up, so let me now give you the rest of the original.
Is 64:8-9 "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold see we beseech thee, we are all they people."
Is 65:2-3 "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon alters of brick"
65:17-18 "For Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy".
65:23-25 "They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble, for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock; and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD".
My original thought was to show how that He is constantly working on us, changing us, and will continue until the day that He makes a new heaven and a new earth, and we are all made perfect. However He had a different idea, and of course you know who won, because He knows more than I do.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Nation
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD" Ps 33:12a. America is NO LONGER a nation whose God is the LORD.
I can prove this is true for one reason, and one reason only. Forget all the obvious reasons, drugs, alcohol, homosexuality, worship of money and so forth. All of these are a symptom of the real reason. Not even the fact that Christians have turned their back on God is the reason that we have left God.
"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed". Gen. 12:2-3. We have turned our back on Israel. In this passage, God is talking to Abram, before his name was changed to Abraham. He then became father of Isaac, whose name was changed to Israel, then gave birth to the nation.
In Mat. 25:31-45 we see where Jesus was discussing the last days before His return, and He says, that when He returns that He shall gather all nations before Him. Then He shall separate those nations with the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. The sheep are invited into heaven, because they feed, clothed, and ministered to Jesus when He was sick, and in prison. They ask, when did we do this to you, He answers when you did it to my brethren the Jews. The goats are told to depart into everlasting punishment because they did not do these things to the Jews.
But it's not too late for us, Jer 18:8 "If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them". 2 Chr 7:14-15 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is make in this place". Isn't it good to know that not only is He willing to forgive us, but that we don't have to get His attention first, He is actually listening, and watching so that He knows when we pray.
How did we get in this place to start with? It is the people that we have elected to lead our country. This is not a political statement, this problem has been going on for years. Even before the current administration, or the one before. This is not about any one person or party, it's about a school of thought that has been going around for decades that says that Israel does not have a right to inhabit their own country, and does not have a right to defend their country. I am not saying that everything that Israel has done over the last few years is right, but Israel is God's chosen people. We need to stand behind them no matter what. That does not mean that we can't let them know that we think they are doing wrong, after all that is what Christian friends are for, but we should never oppose them, for any reason. Unless we want to suffer God's wrath.
We need to elect Godly leaders, that are willing to stand up and support Israel, even if it's not the politically correct thing to do. This is not going to happen without a lot of prayer.
I know this is not a popular subject, but it needs to be said. God did not call us to be popular, but to speak His word. God has given me a burden on my heart for Israel, one which will not allow me to remain silent.
Rev. 2:21-23 "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works".
I can prove this is true for one reason, and one reason only. Forget all the obvious reasons, drugs, alcohol, homosexuality, worship of money and so forth. All of these are a symptom of the real reason. Not even the fact that Christians have turned their back on God is the reason that we have left God.
"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed". Gen. 12:2-3. We have turned our back on Israel. In this passage, God is talking to Abram, before his name was changed to Abraham. He then became father of Isaac, whose name was changed to Israel, then gave birth to the nation.
In Mat. 25:31-45 we see where Jesus was discussing the last days before His return, and He says, that when He returns that He shall gather all nations before Him. Then He shall separate those nations with the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. The sheep are invited into heaven, because they feed, clothed, and ministered to Jesus when He was sick, and in prison. They ask, when did we do this to you, He answers when you did it to my brethren the Jews. The goats are told to depart into everlasting punishment because they did not do these things to the Jews.
But it's not too late for us, Jer 18:8 "If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them". 2 Chr 7:14-15 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is make in this place". Isn't it good to know that not only is He willing to forgive us, but that we don't have to get His attention first, He is actually listening, and watching so that He knows when we pray.
How did we get in this place to start with? It is the people that we have elected to lead our country. This is not a political statement, this problem has been going on for years. Even before the current administration, or the one before. This is not about any one person or party, it's about a school of thought that has been going around for decades that says that Israel does not have a right to inhabit their own country, and does not have a right to defend their country. I am not saying that everything that Israel has done over the last few years is right, but Israel is God's chosen people. We need to stand behind them no matter what. That does not mean that we can't let them know that we think they are doing wrong, after all that is what Christian friends are for, but we should never oppose them, for any reason. Unless we want to suffer God's wrath.
We need to elect Godly leaders, that are willing to stand up and support Israel, even if it's not the politically correct thing to do. This is not going to happen without a lot of prayer.
I know this is not a popular subject, but it needs to be said. God did not call us to be popular, but to speak His word. God has given me a burden on my heart for Israel, one which will not allow me to remain silent.
Rev. 2:21-23 "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works".
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sunday go to Church Meeting
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" Matt. 18:20. "they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were all sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:1b-3a. "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:31
Anytime we walk into church, God is there with us. So why aren't we always filled with the Holy Spirit, and why don't we leave speaking the word of God boldly. Because we limit God. We don't gather in His name, we gather in the name of, programs, dinners, cantatas, and other good but unessential reasons. More importantly, we are not all with one accord. We all have different reasons for being there, we all have other things on our mind, and we are all more worried about what time the service is over, so we can go home and eat, than receiving the word of God. I said receiving, not hearing the word of God. PS. 78:41 "Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy one of Israel". 2 Tim. 3:1-2, tells us that in the end times, (which we are living in), that men will have a "form of godliness (small g), but deny the power thereof". On Sunday we are "SuperChristian", then Monday through Saturday we live like the devil.
In 2 Kings 13 starting in verse 14, Elisha tells king Joash to take a bow and a quiver of arrows and shoot and smite the ground. So Joash not understanding Elisha's reason, shoots three times. Elisha was furious, "you should have shot 5 or 6 times, if you had you would have utterly destroyed the Syrians in battle, but now you will only defeat them three times. We don't understand, the word of God sometimes, so instead of praying and studying and seeking guidance from others, we just half-way follow, (Or Believe) it.
Most precious LORD God, you alone are Holy, True, and Just. There is no one else that can compare with your Goodness, Kindness or Faithfulness. You are the Most High, Most Merciful, Most Grace-ful Living God. I come before you this morning, on bended knee, humbled by the love you had for me. Thank You LORD Jesus, for enduring the cross, to make a way for me to be forgiven of my sins. Thank you for continuing to work in my life, to make me what YOU want me to be.
O God, my heavenly Father, I long for the day that I am able to enter into my eternal home, and be in your presence for eternity. O God, on that day I pray that I am able to hear you say "well done thou good and faithful servant". ABBA Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit will work in my life, convicting me, leading me, correcting my path when I stray, and providing comfort when I fall.
Dear God, I pray that as we go to church today, that you will, convict us of our sins, so we may confess them, because you are faithful to forgive us, so that our heart might be right with you before we enter your house. I pray you will empty our hearts and minds, of all outside distractions, remove all fear and disbelief. Then fill us with your word, give us the message you know that we need today. LORD, lead us to repentance, give us comfort, fill us with boldness, give us strength to do what you want us to. Give us a desire to be in, and do your will.
Most gracious LORD, I pray that you will continue to work in my life, continue to lead me, to convict me, to comfort me, to strengthen me, and give me boldness to speak your word in both love and truth. Show me what it is you want me to do, you know I can be oblivious sometimes, so make it clear and obvious. Speak to me in that still small voice, I love to hear.
Thank you for always meeting my needs, even those times that you test my faith by waiting to the very last minute, especially those times, because it does increase my faith.
LORD God, I lift up to you those reading this, Father you know who they are, I lift them up to you, I pray the same things for them, that I prayed for myself. Be with them as they go to church, Help them to worship you the way you deserve to be worshiped.
I pray for this blog, Lord bless this work, increase it. Lord make sure that I only speak the truth. Help the reader to understand your message. Give me the message that you want me to bring every day. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
I bring these petitions, in the most holy, most loving, most gracious, most faithful name of Jesus Christ the son of the only God.
Anytime we walk into church, God is there with us. So why aren't we always filled with the Holy Spirit, and why don't we leave speaking the word of God boldly. Because we limit God. We don't gather in His name, we gather in the name of, programs, dinners, cantatas, and other good but unessential reasons. More importantly, we are not all with one accord. We all have different reasons for being there, we all have other things on our mind, and we are all more worried about what time the service is over, so we can go home and eat, than receiving the word of God. I said receiving, not hearing the word of God. PS. 78:41 "Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy one of Israel". 2 Tim. 3:1-2, tells us that in the end times, (which we are living in), that men will have a "form of godliness (small g), but deny the power thereof". On Sunday we are "SuperChristian", then Monday through Saturday we live like the devil.
In 2 Kings 13 starting in verse 14, Elisha tells king Joash to take a bow and a quiver of arrows and shoot and smite the ground. So Joash not understanding Elisha's reason, shoots three times. Elisha was furious, "you should have shot 5 or 6 times, if you had you would have utterly destroyed the Syrians in battle, but now you will only defeat them three times. We don't understand, the word of God sometimes, so instead of praying and studying and seeking guidance from others, we just half-way follow, (Or Believe) it.
Most precious LORD God, you alone are Holy, True, and Just. There is no one else that can compare with your Goodness, Kindness or Faithfulness. You are the Most High, Most Merciful, Most Grace-ful Living God. I come before you this morning, on bended knee, humbled by the love you had for me. Thank You LORD Jesus, for enduring the cross, to make a way for me to be forgiven of my sins. Thank you for continuing to work in my life, to make me what YOU want me to be.
O God, my heavenly Father, I long for the day that I am able to enter into my eternal home, and be in your presence for eternity. O God, on that day I pray that I am able to hear you say "well done thou good and faithful servant". ABBA Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit will work in my life, convicting me, leading me, correcting my path when I stray, and providing comfort when I fall.
Dear God, I pray that as we go to church today, that you will, convict us of our sins, so we may confess them, because you are faithful to forgive us, so that our heart might be right with you before we enter your house. I pray you will empty our hearts and minds, of all outside distractions, remove all fear and disbelief. Then fill us with your word, give us the message you know that we need today. LORD, lead us to repentance, give us comfort, fill us with boldness, give us strength to do what you want us to. Give us a desire to be in, and do your will.
Most gracious LORD, I pray that you will continue to work in my life, continue to lead me, to convict me, to comfort me, to strengthen me, and give me boldness to speak your word in both love and truth. Show me what it is you want me to do, you know I can be oblivious sometimes, so make it clear and obvious. Speak to me in that still small voice, I love to hear.
Thank you for always meeting my needs, even those times that you test my faith by waiting to the very last minute, especially those times, because it does increase my faith.
LORD God, I lift up to you those reading this, Father you know who they are, I lift them up to you, I pray the same things for them, that I prayed for myself. Be with them as they go to church, Help them to worship you the way you deserve to be worshiped.
I pray for this blog, Lord bless this work, increase it. Lord make sure that I only speak the truth. Help the reader to understand your message. Give me the message that you want me to bring every day. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
I bring these petitions, in the most holy, most loving, most gracious, most faithful name of Jesus Christ the son of the only God.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
He was Faithful
Good Morning, let's start in 1 Kg 16:33b "and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him". This poor fella, that is not a position I would want to hold. This is a long chain of events, I want to cover. I am only going to land on a few key verses, and just fly over the rest of the events, if that is OK.
Now that we have seen the kind of person Ahab was, let's look in ch 17:1, and see what the consequences were, "And Elijah...said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word". Not only was Ahab punished for his wickedness, but everyone under him had to suffer also. And when we sin, without repentance, our families also suffer. God told Ahab that there would be no dew or rain until he repented, are you facing a drought?
A few things to mention here, first there was the widow who fed Elijiah. She only had enough food for one meal for her, and her son. However, because she obeyed God, and took care of the preacher, she had an endless supply of food, until the rain came. Not only do I want you to see that she was blessed because of her obedience, but more importantly (because most people forget it), she took care of God's business first, and then had faith He would take care of her, since there was not enough left to take care of herself. Then we see that her son became sick, and died, however "the prayer of a righteous man availeth much", and God allowed Elijah to bring him back to life.
The next big event is when Elijah challenged Ahab, and the priest of Baal to a dual of sorts. Each built an alter, placed a sacrifice on it, and prayed for their God to send fire to consume the sacrifice. After they had prayed, and preformed self-mutilation rituals for hours with no success, Elijah who had confidence that Baal was not real, and confidence the Jehovah is real, started making fun of the priest. Being a child of God should be a joy. Finally after a whole day of failure by the priest of Baal, it was Elijah's turn. But, then he raised the stakes, he soaked his sacrifice with water. He prayed one prayer, asking for God's blessing, and for God to prove Himself as the one and only true God. Guess what, fire came down from heaven, and not only consumed the sacrifice, but consumed the water, and utterly destroyed the entire alter, even the stones were consumed.
On seeing this in ch. 18:39, the people, and king Ahab repented of their sin. The priest that had led the people astray, were taken to the river (v40), and they were slain. In verse 41, God returns His blessing on Israel, when Elijah tells Ahab, "Get thee up, eat and drink: for there is a sound of abundance of rain." There wasn't just going to be rain, but an abundance. The blessing of God are always abundant, there is never a small blessing, never almost enough, or just enough, He always goes over and above what we can think, or imagine.
But, anytime we have a major victory in God's work, Satan is going to send trouble our way. Like a lot of other people, especially me, when the trouble came, in chapter 19, Elijah lost his faith. I don't understand how we can see God work in a miraculous way, and immediately lose our faith, but it happens. In verse 4 we see Elijah's response to the trouble, "O LORD, take away my life". Once again we see a great man of God, asking God to kill him, because he felt sorry for himself, because of the retaliation of Satan. I have been there, and I have experienced the same thing Elijah did, to a point anyway. In verses 5-7 we see where God sent an angel to minister to him. Hebrews 13:2 says, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares". I just wonder how many times God has sent an angel to minister to me, and I did not even know it. I'm sure you remember about a month ago I did a devotion about a friend of mine, who I believe was ministered to by an angel. It still happens folks. We are just too blind to see it. I am not saying worship angels, the way some people do. I am saying look at your life, so you can see those times that God has taken care of you.
God still had one more blessing for Elijah, after sending him to Mount Horeb (the mount of God). And listening to Elijah's pity party continue. God first got Elijah's attention with a wind strong enough to rip open the rocks, and then an earthquake, and a fire. There have been times it took that much for God to get my attention. Then we see the love of God in verse 12 "a still small voice". How I love to hear that voice, how sweet it is, how comforting it is. Then God gave Elijah another job to do. The thing is he had to face his fear, and he had to face what had gotten him depressed in order to do the job. In verse 19a, we see what Elijah did, and this is what I wanted to point out today. I have said all this other to say this, (v19a) "So he departed..."
Even though he was in despair, even though he was depressed, even though he was afraid, he had a job to do. God had commanded him to do something. Elijah, despite his emotional state, was faithful, and he did what God had asked him to do. He was able to hear God say "well done thou good and faithful servant", like Paul he was able to say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith", he also said "I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me". I also know there have been times in my life, I was not able to say those things. I continued my pity party instead of doing what God wanted. But, "He is faithful and just to forgive", and He gave me a second chance, (and a third, and a fourth...).
When faced with adversity, it is possible to continue to do what God asks us to do, if we are willing to allow Him to work in our lives.
Now that we have seen the kind of person Ahab was, let's look in ch 17:1, and see what the consequences were, "And Elijah...said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word". Not only was Ahab punished for his wickedness, but everyone under him had to suffer also. And when we sin, without repentance, our families also suffer. God told Ahab that there would be no dew or rain until he repented, are you facing a drought?
A few things to mention here, first there was the widow who fed Elijiah. She only had enough food for one meal for her, and her son. However, because she obeyed God, and took care of the preacher, she had an endless supply of food, until the rain came. Not only do I want you to see that she was blessed because of her obedience, but more importantly (because most people forget it), she took care of God's business first, and then had faith He would take care of her, since there was not enough left to take care of herself. Then we see that her son became sick, and died, however "the prayer of a righteous man availeth much", and God allowed Elijah to bring him back to life.
The next big event is when Elijah challenged Ahab, and the priest of Baal to a dual of sorts. Each built an alter, placed a sacrifice on it, and prayed for their God to send fire to consume the sacrifice. After they had prayed, and preformed self-mutilation rituals for hours with no success, Elijah who had confidence that Baal was not real, and confidence the Jehovah is real, started making fun of the priest. Being a child of God should be a joy. Finally after a whole day of failure by the priest of Baal, it was Elijah's turn. But, then he raised the stakes, he soaked his sacrifice with water. He prayed one prayer, asking for God's blessing, and for God to prove Himself as the one and only true God. Guess what, fire came down from heaven, and not only consumed the sacrifice, but consumed the water, and utterly destroyed the entire alter, even the stones were consumed.
On seeing this in ch. 18:39, the people, and king Ahab repented of their sin. The priest that had led the people astray, were taken to the river (v40), and they were slain. In verse 41, God returns His blessing on Israel, when Elijah tells Ahab, "Get thee up, eat and drink: for there is a sound of abundance of rain." There wasn't just going to be rain, but an abundance. The blessing of God are always abundant, there is never a small blessing, never almost enough, or just enough, He always goes over and above what we can think, or imagine.
But, anytime we have a major victory in God's work, Satan is going to send trouble our way. Like a lot of other people, especially me, when the trouble came, in chapter 19, Elijah lost his faith. I don't understand how we can see God work in a miraculous way, and immediately lose our faith, but it happens. In verse 4 we see Elijah's response to the trouble, "O LORD, take away my life". Once again we see a great man of God, asking God to kill him, because he felt sorry for himself, because of the retaliation of Satan. I have been there, and I have experienced the same thing Elijah did, to a point anyway. In verses 5-7 we see where God sent an angel to minister to him. Hebrews 13:2 says, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares". I just wonder how many times God has sent an angel to minister to me, and I did not even know it. I'm sure you remember about a month ago I did a devotion about a friend of mine, who I believe was ministered to by an angel. It still happens folks. We are just too blind to see it. I am not saying worship angels, the way some people do. I am saying look at your life, so you can see those times that God has taken care of you.
God still had one more blessing for Elijah, after sending him to Mount Horeb (the mount of God). And listening to Elijah's pity party continue. God first got Elijah's attention with a wind strong enough to rip open the rocks, and then an earthquake, and a fire. There have been times it took that much for God to get my attention. Then we see the love of God in verse 12 "a still small voice". How I love to hear that voice, how sweet it is, how comforting it is. Then God gave Elijah another job to do. The thing is he had to face his fear, and he had to face what had gotten him depressed in order to do the job. In verse 19a, we see what Elijah did, and this is what I wanted to point out today. I have said all this other to say this, (v19a) "So he departed..."
Even though he was in despair, even though he was depressed, even though he was afraid, he had a job to do. God had commanded him to do something. Elijah, despite his emotional state, was faithful, and he did what God had asked him to do. He was able to hear God say "well done thou good and faithful servant", like Paul he was able to say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith", he also said "I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me". I also know there have been times in my life, I was not able to say those things. I continued my pity party instead of doing what God wanted. But, "He is faithful and just to forgive", and He gave me a second chance, (and a third, and a fourth...).
When faced with adversity, it is possible to continue to do what God asks us to do, if we are willing to allow Him to work in our lives.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Some (un)Related Thoughts
A few years ago, I heard a Bible lesson about this man that was facing a difficult situation. Now I don't remember everything about the story, but basically he was very troubled, and just did not know what to do. So he sat down with his Bible and started praying for God to show him something. As he was praying, the Bible started to slip off his lap, and he reached out and grabbed it, and as he pulled it back onto his lap, he happened to notice the verse his thumb was on, and it was exactly what he needed. So the next day, facing another decision, he sat down at the table, and prayed, then he stood the Bible up on it's spine, and just let it flop open, then closed his eyes and pointed to a verse. Again, it just happened to fit his situation, at least a little bit, so he based his decision on that verse. Luckily things worked out good. So a couple of weeks later, facing an extremely difficult situation, something about a job change, or a move or something, and not knowing what to do, he went through the same procedure again. This time however his finger landed on Mat. 8:32 "And he said unto them, Go, and when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and behold the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters". He shook his head, and read the verse again, how could this be related to his situation. Then again, the demons, did move from the man to the sheep, could this really be the right verse? So he tried it again, this time he landed on Lu. 10:37 "go and do likewise". So he got in his car and drove about 10 miles up the side of a mountain, to a lookout spot, and dove over the side of the cliff. Moral of the story is, you can't just half read the Scripture and expect to get the full message.
Now I said all of that to say that, that is not the way I get my devotions. However Wednesday afternoon as I was preparing to put yesterday's devotions together, my Bible slipped, and I landed on the passage in Is. 37, and immediately He said that is what I want you to use so I did. He does work in strange ways sometimes, because I really needed that lesson.
I also noticed something in chapter 38, The chapter starts out with king Hezekiah deathly ill. True to what we have seen of him so far, he went straight to God with his problem. I wish I could remember to do just that every time. In verse 5 God tells Hezekiah that He would add 15 years to his life. Then in verse 7 and 8, God tells Hezekiah that He is going to give him a sign of His promise. That sign being, that He would turn back the sun dial. Just in case there is any doubt, the sun moved backward 10 degrees. God turned back the clock on Hezekiah's life. If I could turn back the clock on my life, and retain the knowledge that I have now, I would not hesitate, I could save myself and so many others, an enormous amount of grief, and heartache. However God tells me in His Holy Word, that there is no need for me to do that because, those mistakes I made no longer exist. They have been removed from me as far as the east is from the west.
Just as Hezekiah's sickness was removed from him, and another life given to him, my sin has been removed from me, and I have a new life, in a new city, it just has not arrived yet. I can't promise you very much about the remainder of my earthly life, but I can promise you, I will not be throwing myself off any cliff anytime soon.
Now I said all of that to say that, that is not the way I get my devotions. However Wednesday afternoon as I was preparing to put yesterday's devotions together, my Bible slipped, and I landed on the passage in Is. 37, and immediately He said that is what I want you to use so I did. He does work in strange ways sometimes, because I really needed that lesson.
I also noticed something in chapter 38, The chapter starts out with king Hezekiah deathly ill. True to what we have seen of him so far, he went straight to God with his problem. I wish I could remember to do just that every time. In verse 5 God tells Hezekiah that He would add 15 years to his life. Then in verse 7 and 8, God tells Hezekiah that He is going to give him a sign of His promise. That sign being, that He would turn back the sun dial. Just in case there is any doubt, the sun moved backward 10 degrees. God turned back the clock on Hezekiah's life. If I could turn back the clock on my life, and retain the knowledge that I have now, I would not hesitate, I could save myself and so many others, an enormous amount of grief, and heartache. However God tells me in His Holy Word, that there is no need for me to do that because, those mistakes I made no longer exist. They have been removed from me as far as the east is from the west.
Just as Hezekiah's sickness was removed from him, and another life given to him, my sin has been removed from me, and I have a new life, in a new city, it just has not arrived yet. I can't promise you very much about the remainder of my earthly life, but I can promise you, I will not be throwing myself off any cliff anytime soon.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
They Tempted God
I'm still having trouble with my internet, where I live my options are dial-up, or satellite, and I think the clouds from the hurricane, are affecting my service.
If you start in chapter 36 of Isaiah you will see where Sennacherib king of Assyria, decided to invade all the surrounding countries, including Judah and Israel. After conquering Judah, he sent word to Hezekiah king of Israel, that there was no use praying to his god for deliverance, because the gods of the surrounding countries were unable to stop him. Of course there was a lot of taunting, and flaunting, and intimidation. How many times in our lives does Satan, attempt the same things with us?
If you look at chapter 37:1 you will see Hezekiah's response, "And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD." (I just figured out how to use the highlighting effects) Hezekiah did exactly what he should have done, the first thing he did was go to God. In verses 5-7 God gives Hezekiah an answer through Isaiah, which was that Jerusalem is safe.
Then in verse 10 word is sent again to Hezekiah, "Let not thy God, in whom thout trustest, deceive thee, saying Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king Assyria". Verse 11 "Behold, thou has heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly: and thou be delivered?" There have been so many times in my life I was made fun of, because of my faith, even though at times it was discouraging, I would always just smile and say watch what happens. There have been too many times I have seen people make lite of God, and His power, and ability. You see, when someone does something like that, it makes God more determined to show His power, and I don't want to be on the wrong side of that argument.
So what did Hezekiah do when he received the latest message, v14 "and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD". OH man, now the Assyrians are in trouble, not only did Hezekiah tell God what they said, he carried the letter and showed it to God. If you keep reading, you will see Hezekiah's prayer, and Jehovah's answer through Isaiah. It all gets summed up in v33, "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it", v35 "For I will defend this city". So now we have went from, you will not be overthrown, to he won't even be able to attack. I can just hear God asking, "Does that idiot not know who he is dealing with?"
Now let's see what happened, look at verse 36 "Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and four-score and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." Seven thousand-eighty men woke up dead. They woke up dead. Now I don't know about you, but I don't want to tempt God. I do it every day, but it is not because I want to. I am human, I can not help but sin, however He is faithful and just to forgive, if I ask Him too. He knows our intent, He knows if we are doing something because we are evil, or if we are just "stupid". I know I am blunt sometimes, but I am talking to myself, and I know that I know better, but I do it anyway, what would you call it?
One day I will wake up dead, the difference is, I will be in heaven with my LORD and Savior. What a glorious day it will be. It will be a day of reward, not a day of judgment. These men sinned by tempting God, and they paid the price, I pray daily that God will convict me, when I tempt Him, so I can repent instead of facing judgment. I also pray, you do the same.
If you start in chapter 36 of Isaiah you will see where Sennacherib king of Assyria, decided to invade all the surrounding countries, including Judah and Israel. After conquering Judah, he sent word to Hezekiah king of Israel, that there was no use praying to his god for deliverance, because the gods of the surrounding countries were unable to stop him. Of course there was a lot of taunting, and flaunting, and intimidation. How many times in our lives does Satan, attempt the same things with us?
If you look at chapter 37:1 you will see Hezekiah's response, "And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD." (I just figured out how to use the highlighting effects) Hezekiah did exactly what he should have done, the first thing he did was go to God. In verses 5-7 God gives Hezekiah an answer through Isaiah, which was that Jerusalem is safe.
Then in verse 10 word is sent again to Hezekiah, "Let not thy God, in whom thout trustest, deceive thee, saying Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king Assyria". Verse 11 "Behold, thou has heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly: and thou be delivered?" There have been so many times in my life I was made fun of, because of my faith, even though at times it was discouraging, I would always just smile and say watch what happens. There have been too many times I have seen people make lite of God, and His power, and ability. You see, when someone does something like that, it makes God more determined to show His power, and I don't want to be on the wrong side of that argument.
So what did Hezekiah do when he received the latest message, v14 "and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD". OH man, now the Assyrians are in trouble, not only did Hezekiah tell God what they said, he carried the letter and showed it to God. If you keep reading, you will see Hezekiah's prayer, and Jehovah's answer through Isaiah. It all gets summed up in v33, "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, he shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it", v35 "For I will defend this city". So now we have went from, you will not be overthrown, to he won't even be able to attack. I can just hear God asking, "Does that idiot not know who he is dealing with?"
Now let's see what happened, look at verse 36 "Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and four-score and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." Seven thousand-eighty men woke up dead. They woke up dead. Now I don't know about you, but I don't want to tempt God. I do it every day, but it is not because I want to. I am human, I can not help but sin, however He is faithful and just to forgive, if I ask Him too. He knows our intent, He knows if we are doing something because we are evil, or if we are just "stupid". I know I am blunt sometimes, but I am talking to myself, and I know that I know better, but I do it anyway, what would you call it?
One day I will wake up dead, the difference is, I will be in heaven with my LORD and Savior. What a glorious day it will be. It will be a day of reward, not a day of judgment. These men sinned by tempting God, and they paid the price, I pray daily that God will convict me, when I tempt Him, so I can repent instead of facing judgment. I also pray, you do the same.
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