Overcoming Fear
2 Timothy 1:7
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
One of the greatest hindrances to the work of the LORD is fear. Fear will keep us from stepping out by faith because we are afraid what might happen if God doesn't come through. Fear will keep many Christians from soul winning because they are afraid of what people may say or do to them. Fear will keep many from doing the will of God for their lives because they are afraid they may fail in this endeavor that God has for them to do.
As Paul taught Timothy about the ministry, he instructed him that any spirit of fear that Timothy may have that is keeping him from doing God's work or commands is not given to him by God. This would mean that if the spirit of fear is not given by God, then the spirit of fear must come either from the Devil or from us. Now the truth is, the spirit of fear usually is caused by our lack of faith in God. The majority of the time the spirit of fear is not caused by the Devil, but by our imagination that tells us what will happen if we fail. As we see the spirit of fear does not come from God. We are taught what helps us to overcome this spirit of fear when it does come our way.
The first thing that helps us to overcome the spirit of fear is the power of God. When a person has the power of God upon their life, they will know that God can help them do whatever He has commanded them to do. All throughout the Bible we see people did extraordinary things through the power of God. It was only in the absence of God's power and the presence of the spirit of fear that even ordinary things could not be done. In Gideon's life, it was the spirit of fear that kept him from doing God's will. But when the power of God came upon him, he did the extraordinary in conquering the Midianite army with 300 men.
The next thing that helps us to overcome the spirit of fear is love. In 1 John 4:18 the Bible says that "...perfect love casteth out fear:..." You know, when you have a love for people, your love for people will overcome any fear that would keep you from helping those whom you love. A parent, because they love their child, will do extraordinary things that they would never do when their child is in danger. Why is this? Because their love for their child causes them to try and get their child out of harms way, even if whatever it takes to get them out of danger is something they were previously afraid of. When you love people you will find that love will drive any fear away.
The last thing we notice that drives out the spirit of fear is a "...sound mind." This sound mind is a mind that has proper discernment in making decisions. When you make wise decisions, you will not have fear in whatever you are doing. It is usually when you make decisions that you have no clue about that causes you to fear. When you know what you are doing, then you have no fear because you know what the outcome will be. You can only get this sound mind through the reading of the Word of God and getting the wisdom of God on your mind when making decisions.
Whatever the fear is that is keeping you from serving God, remember that the power of God, a love for people and proper decisions will drive that spirit of fear away. Don't let fear stop you from doing what God wants you to do. Overcome your spirit of fear by getting God's power, loving people and reading the Word of God.
9/30 Moderation
Philippians 4
“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” (v. 5)
To use a naval term, let us be "even keeled" or steadfast in all endeavors. This is a restraint of passions and indulgences of appetites; it is to control rage, and extinguish anger. Moderation is the "middle of the road", so to speak, and not drastic swings to the right or left. It is no extreme or excess in any direction or practice. When we allow others to anger us, we are not practicing moderation. If we are not angry all the time, we should not get angry any time! This is a very hard thing to practice, but the Word never changes, only circumstances change. When we react to circumstances, we are no longer acting on the Word of God. So, why should we do this? Because "the Lord is at hand."
The Lord demands an evenness in our person, a moderation of temper and appetites. Overindulgence most always leads to trouble in some respect, as well as extreme swings in attitudes and moods. If I find myself in adverse circumstances, and perhaps someone strikes me, am I still to remain moderate in temper? Let me ask, in answer to that, does the Bible change with each situation? No. It still says, every time we read it, “Let your moderation be known unto all men…” My point is, we too often allow the circumstances in life to dictate our actions, and ignore, at times, the Word and principles of God. We then become a child of circumstance, and at the whim of every evil that comes along. A great man once said that “if you anger a man, you have conquered him already”, or something to that effect, and I see that it is a true statement.
Let’s endeavor to be of moderate temper, at least, and that alone will be quite an improvement for most of us; and, along the way, let us also be moderate in our actions, and appetites, and we will have accomplished a great deal toward godliness.
“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” (v. 5)
To use a naval term, let us be "even keeled" or steadfast in all endeavors. This is a restraint of passions and indulgences of appetites; it is to control rage, and extinguish anger. Moderation is the "middle of the road", so to speak, and not drastic swings to the right or left. It is no extreme or excess in any direction or practice. When we allow others to anger us, we are not practicing moderation. If we are not angry all the time, we should not get angry any time! This is a very hard thing to practice, but the Word never changes, only circumstances change. When we react to circumstances, we are no longer acting on the Word of God. So, why should we do this? Because "the Lord is at hand."
The Lord demands an evenness in our person, a moderation of temper and appetites. Overindulgence most always leads to trouble in some respect, as well as extreme swings in attitudes and moods. If I find myself in adverse circumstances, and perhaps someone strikes me, am I still to remain moderate in temper? Let me ask, in answer to that, does the Bible change with each situation? No. It still says, every time we read it, “Let your moderation be known unto all men…” My point is, we too often allow the circumstances in life to dictate our actions, and ignore, at times, the Word and principles of God. We then become a child of circumstance, and at the whim of every evil that comes along. A great man once said that “if you anger a man, you have conquered him already”, or something to that effect, and I see that it is a true statement.
Let’s endeavor to be of moderate temper, at least, and that alone will be quite an improvement for most of us; and, along the way, let us also be moderate in our actions, and appetites, and we will have accomplished a great deal toward godliness.
9/30 Spurgeon's Devotions
“Sing forth the honour of his name, make his praise glorious.”
- Psa_66:2
It is not left to our own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God’s most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise God from day to day. It is true we have no authoritative rubric for daily praise; we have no commandment prescribing certain hours of song and thanksgiving: but the law written upon the heart teaches us that it is right to praise God; and the unwritten mandate comes to us with as much force as if it had been recorded on the tables of stone, or handed to us from the top of thundering Sinai. Yes, it is the Christian’s duty to praise God. It is not only a pleasurable exercise, but it is the absolute obligation of his life. Think not ye who are always mourning, that ye are guiltless in this respect, or imagine that ye can discharge your duty to your God without songs of praise. You are bound by the bonds of his love to bless his name so long as you live, and his praise should continually be in your mouth, for you are blessed, in order that you may bless him; “this people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise”; and if you do not praise God, you are not bringing forth the fruit which he, as the Divine Husbandman, has a right to expect at your hands. Let not your harp then hang upon the willows, but take it down, and strive, with a grateful heart, to bring forth its loudest music. Arise and chant his praise. With every morning’s dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let every setting sun be followed with your song. Girdle the earth with your praises; surround it with an atmosphere of melody, and God himself will hearken from heaven and accept your music.
“E’en so I love thee, and will love,
And in thy praise will sing,
Because thou art my loving God,
And my redeeming King.”
- Psa_66:2
It is not left to our own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God’s most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise God from day to day. It is true we have no authoritative rubric for daily praise; we have no commandment prescribing certain hours of song and thanksgiving: but the law written upon the heart teaches us that it is right to praise God; and the unwritten mandate comes to us with as much force as if it had been recorded on the tables of stone, or handed to us from the top of thundering Sinai. Yes, it is the Christian’s duty to praise God. It is not only a pleasurable exercise, but it is the absolute obligation of his life. Think not ye who are always mourning, that ye are guiltless in this respect, or imagine that ye can discharge your duty to your God without songs of praise. You are bound by the bonds of his love to bless his name so long as you live, and his praise should continually be in your mouth, for you are blessed, in order that you may bless him; “this people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise”; and if you do not praise God, you are not bringing forth the fruit which he, as the Divine Husbandman, has a right to expect at your hands. Let not your harp then hang upon the willows, but take it down, and strive, with a grateful heart, to bring forth its loudest music. Arise and chant his praise. With every morning’s dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let every setting sun be followed with your song. Girdle the earth with your praises; surround it with an atmosphere of melody, and God himself will hearken from heaven and accept your music.
“E’en so I love thee, and will love,
And in thy praise will sing,
Because thou art my loving God,
And my redeeming King.”
9/29 Two Requirements For God’s Blessings
Isaiah 56:2
“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.”
To be blessed by God, I would imagine, is the desire of every person. A person knows that if they are blessed of God then certainly life will be a joy to live. But what does it mean to be blessed and how can we get blessed by God?
The word "blessed" means "to be happy." In other words, when God says "Blessed is the man," God is saying "Happy is the man." The man who does what God tells us to do in this verse will be a happy person who is in favor with God. So how can you become a blessed man? God says in this verse there are two ways you can be blessed.
First of all, God says the person that "keepeth the sabbath from polluting it..." The Sabbath was a very important day for the Jew. It was a day that was to be set aside for the LORD as this was His day. God did not want any work to be done on this day. God wanted His people to spend this day thinking of Him. Today the Sabbath has been replaced with Sunday. We do not observe the ordinances of the Sabbath because they were done away with at Calvary. But we do celebrate the resurrection of Jesus every Sunday. We call this the LORD's Day. I am still the old fashioned type of person who believes God will bless those that keep Sunday as a day to go to church. Our society has taken Sundays and polluted our Sundays with entertainment. If we want God to bless us then I believe we should still make Sundays a day to go to church. Don't be the type of person who looks for reasons to stay out of church, look for reasons to be in church.
Secondly, God says He will bless the person that keeps their "hand from doing any evil." In other words, God's blessings are upon the person who does everything they can to try not to hurt people. I know you think that there are not many people like this, but the truth is many of us do things that hurt people every day. For instance, when you try to get revenge with someone, you are trying to do evil to someone. Let me even get a little more personal, when you try to cut someone off on the road that cut you off, you are doing evil to someone. When a spouse throws something up from the past in an argument, they are being evil. When brothers and sisters tattle on each other to get them into trouble, they are trying to hurt each other. When people gossip about someone, they are trying to hurt an individual. Evil is doing anything that would hurt someone. If you want God to bless you then avoid anything that would be evil or hurtful to someone.
In this verse we find a simple formula for how we can receive the blessings of God. To put it simply, to be blessed of God we should make sure that we have a right relationship with God and also have a right relationship with man. When you do this, your life will be blessed.
“Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.”
To be blessed by God, I would imagine, is the desire of every person. A person knows that if they are blessed of God then certainly life will be a joy to live. But what does it mean to be blessed and how can we get blessed by God?
The word "blessed" means "to be happy." In other words, when God says "Blessed is the man," God is saying "Happy is the man." The man who does what God tells us to do in this verse will be a happy person who is in favor with God. So how can you become a blessed man? God says in this verse there are two ways you can be blessed.
First of all, God says the person that "keepeth the sabbath from polluting it..." The Sabbath was a very important day for the Jew. It was a day that was to be set aside for the LORD as this was His day. God did not want any work to be done on this day. God wanted His people to spend this day thinking of Him. Today the Sabbath has been replaced with Sunday. We do not observe the ordinances of the Sabbath because they were done away with at Calvary. But we do celebrate the resurrection of Jesus every Sunday. We call this the LORD's Day. I am still the old fashioned type of person who believes God will bless those that keep Sunday as a day to go to church. Our society has taken Sundays and polluted our Sundays with entertainment. If we want God to bless us then I believe we should still make Sundays a day to go to church. Don't be the type of person who looks for reasons to stay out of church, look for reasons to be in church.
Secondly, God says He will bless the person that keeps their "hand from doing any evil." In other words, God's blessings are upon the person who does everything they can to try not to hurt people. I know you think that there are not many people like this, but the truth is many of us do things that hurt people every day. For instance, when you try to get revenge with someone, you are trying to do evil to someone. Let me even get a little more personal, when you try to cut someone off on the road that cut you off, you are doing evil to someone. When a spouse throws something up from the past in an argument, they are being evil. When brothers and sisters tattle on each other to get them into trouble, they are trying to hurt each other. When people gossip about someone, they are trying to hurt an individual. Evil is doing anything that would hurt someone. If you want God to bless you then avoid anything that would be evil or hurtful to someone.
In this verse we find a simple formula for how we can receive the blessings of God. To put it simply, to be blessed of God we should make sure that we have a right relationship with God and also have a right relationship with man. When you do this, your life will be blessed.
9/29 Micah 6
“Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (v. 7)
Micah asks a rhetorical question here, but the irony of it is that this is exactly what many people do! What I mean is, they sacrifice their children to the world because of their own desire to sin. All over the world man enjoys his sin, to excess many times, and the children are the ones’ that suffer in the long run. The decision we make on how we will live our life does affect others in a major way. It is as if the fruit of their bodies is exchanged for the sin of their soul. Anyone who brings his children up without Christ, sacrifices them on the altar of this world especially when they ignore their own souls’ need. How can a man care for his children when he does not care for his own soul? I see three major ways that this is done among unbelievers as well as Christians that are too busy with this world to tend to the important things of God and family. The first is by materialism: We have far too many “toys” to take time to teach our children it seems. Things, gadgets, technology is too important to us to let go of so that we can get to know our children. The second is by society: This world will teach them secular humanism, but what do we do to combat their teaching? They will learn all about evolution, but how much do they know about the things of God? The world will preach “self” and the power of overcoming problems by their own means, but when will they learn to look to the Lord for their help? Then, the third thing is by every day living: Life teaches; but it teaches the way of man; the way of self will; of “if it feels good, do it”; the way of philosophy and worldly wisdom. Yes, life itself teaches, but we ought to loathe what it teaches. Our Children will learn much from their school, from friends, from relatives, and from nearly every association they have in life, and we will live to regret that we did not take time to teach them properly.
On the other hand, v. 8 gives us a three-fold remedy for their training: to do justly (how can they know to do justly until they learn true justice in the Word of God?); this is for the parents to apply, then for them to teach. To love mercy (again, there is no way we can love mercy without realizing the mercy of God in our lives), and again it must be in us, as examples then taught to our children; and to “walk humbly with thy God” (which puts aside self will, and our desires, and seeks after those of the Lord.) Walking humbly with our God begins when we accept Christ’s atonement for our sin. It is humbling to admit that we are sinners…but there is a walk after this that also must be steeped in humility. It is that walk, that humble service that is referred to here in Micah.
Micah asks a rhetorical question here, but the irony of it is that this is exactly what many people do! What I mean is, they sacrifice their children to the world because of their own desire to sin. All over the world man enjoys his sin, to excess many times, and the children are the ones’ that suffer in the long run. The decision we make on how we will live our life does affect others in a major way. It is as if the fruit of their bodies is exchanged for the sin of their soul. Anyone who brings his children up without Christ, sacrifices them on the altar of this world especially when they ignore their own souls’ need. How can a man care for his children when he does not care for his own soul? I see three major ways that this is done among unbelievers as well as Christians that are too busy with this world to tend to the important things of God and family. The first is by materialism: We have far too many “toys” to take time to teach our children it seems. Things, gadgets, technology is too important to us to let go of so that we can get to know our children. The second is by society: This world will teach them secular humanism, but what do we do to combat their teaching? They will learn all about evolution, but how much do they know about the things of God? The world will preach “self” and the power of overcoming problems by their own means, but when will they learn to look to the Lord for their help? Then, the third thing is by every day living: Life teaches; but it teaches the way of man; the way of self will; of “if it feels good, do it”; the way of philosophy and worldly wisdom. Yes, life itself teaches, but we ought to loathe what it teaches. Our Children will learn much from their school, from friends, from relatives, and from nearly every association they have in life, and we will live to regret that we did not take time to teach them properly.
On the other hand, v. 8 gives us a three-fold remedy for their training: to do justly (how can they know to do justly until they learn true justice in the Word of God?); this is for the parents to apply, then for them to teach. To love mercy (again, there is no way we can love mercy without realizing the mercy of God in our lives), and again it must be in us, as examples then taught to our children; and to “walk humbly with thy God” (which puts aside self will, and our desires, and seeks after those of the Lord.) Walking humbly with our God begins when we accept Christ’s atonement for our sin. It is humbling to admit that we are sinners…but there is a walk after this that also must be steeped in humility. It is that walk, that humble service that is referred to here in Micah.
9/29 Spurgeon Today
“I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go.”
- Son_3:4
Does Christ receive us when we come to him, notwithstanding all our past sinfulness? Does he never chide us for having tried all other refuges first? And is there none on earth like him? Is he the best of all the good, the fairest of all the fair? Oh, then let us praise him! Daughters of Jerusalem, extol him with timbrel and harp! Down with your idols, up with the Lord Jesus. Now let the standards of pomp and pride be trampled under foot, but let the cross of Jesus, which the world frowns and scoffs at, be lifted on high. O for a throne of ivory for our King Solomon! Let him be set on high for ever, and let my soul sit at his footstool, and kiss his feet, and wash them with my tears. Oh, how precious is Christ! How can it be that I have thought so little of him? How is it I can go abroad for joy or comfort when he is so full, so rich, so satisfying. Fellow believer, make a covenant with thine heart that thou wilt never depart from him, and ask thy Lord to ratify it. Bid him set thee as a signet upon his finger, and as a bracelet upon his arm. Ask him to bind thee about him, as the bride decketh herself with ornaments, and as the bridegroom putteth on his jewels. I would live in Christ’s heart; in the clefts of that rock my soul would eternally abide. The sparrow hath made a house, and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God; and so too would I make my nest, my home, in thee, and never from thee may the soul of thy turtle dove go forth again, but may I nestle close to thee, O Jesus, my true and only rest.
“When my precious Lord I find,
All my ardent passions glow;
Him with cords of love I bind,
Hold and will not let him go.”
- Son_3:4
Does Christ receive us when we come to him, notwithstanding all our past sinfulness? Does he never chide us for having tried all other refuges first? And is there none on earth like him? Is he the best of all the good, the fairest of all the fair? Oh, then let us praise him! Daughters of Jerusalem, extol him with timbrel and harp! Down with your idols, up with the Lord Jesus. Now let the standards of pomp and pride be trampled under foot, but let the cross of Jesus, which the world frowns and scoffs at, be lifted on high. O for a throne of ivory for our King Solomon! Let him be set on high for ever, and let my soul sit at his footstool, and kiss his feet, and wash them with my tears. Oh, how precious is Christ! How can it be that I have thought so little of him? How is it I can go abroad for joy or comfort when he is so full, so rich, so satisfying. Fellow believer, make a covenant with thine heart that thou wilt never depart from him, and ask thy Lord to ratify it. Bid him set thee as a signet upon his finger, and as a bracelet upon his arm. Ask him to bind thee about him, as the bride decketh herself with ornaments, and as the bridegroom putteth on his jewels. I would live in Christ’s heart; in the clefts of that rock my soul would eternally abide. The sparrow hath made a house, and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God; and so too would I make my nest, my home, in thee, and never from thee may the soul of thy turtle dove go forth again, but may I nestle close to thee, O Jesus, my true and only rest.
“When my precious Lord I find,
All my ardent passions glow;
Him with cords of love I bind,
Hold and will not let him go.”
Be Careful of Fear
Job 3
“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (v. 25)
Fear is often thought of as the opposite of faith. Job feared one thing in his life, and had it on his mind often, until it finally came to pass. Be careful what you fear for. There is a specific promise in the Bible concerning all our fears, there are multitudes of promises for our safety; our comfort; our protection; our provision; our health; our victory; our deliverance; concerning death, and many more things which we often fear or fear being without. When we fear, we ignore God’s promises. That is unbelief. Job knew these promises too, and lived in them, and trusted them, but the one thing he feared was that he would lose all that the Lord had blessed him with. That is the very thing that Satan used to try to destroy him—that which he feared most. What have we to fear that the Lord hasn’t already taken care of by promise? Don’t allow unbelief and fear to leave a weakness in your armor; be assured that if you do, Satan will find it. He cannot destroy our souls, or take us to his hell, but he can make going to Heaven seem like a rough road for us. This is the real danger of fear.
Some 62 times in the New Testament, our Lord tells us to “fear not.” He does not like fear, but would rather see faith in us. There are 269 “fear not’s” in the Old Testament. It looks as if Jesus would not want us to fear! Be aware that Satan can use fear for an inroad to your emotions. Much destruction has resulted from fear. In Revelation 21:8, we see that the fearful are among the citizens of hell! It is much more profitable for us to have faith than to embrace fear, yet opposites must exist. If there were no evil, we would not know right; if there were no bad, we could not define “good”. Opposites reveal opposites. The contrast is the greatest proof of anything useful. Along the same lines, if there were no hell, we would not appreciate, or even need, Heaven. Even so, fear creates a greater need for faith.
“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (v. 25)
Fear is often thought of as the opposite of faith. Job feared one thing in his life, and had it on his mind often, until it finally came to pass. Be careful what you fear for. There is a specific promise in the Bible concerning all our fears, there are multitudes of promises for our safety; our comfort; our protection; our provision; our health; our victory; our deliverance; concerning death, and many more things which we often fear or fear being without. When we fear, we ignore God’s promises. That is unbelief. Job knew these promises too, and lived in them, and trusted them, but the one thing he feared was that he would lose all that the Lord had blessed him with. That is the very thing that Satan used to try to destroy him—that which he feared most. What have we to fear that the Lord hasn’t already taken care of by promise? Don’t allow unbelief and fear to leave a weakness in your armor; be assured that if you do, Satan will find it. He cannot destroy our souls, or take us to his hell, but he can make going to Heaven seem like a rough road for us. This is the real danger of fear.
Some 62 times in the New Testament, our Lord tells us to “fear not.” He does not like fear, but would rather see faith in us. There are 269 “fear not’s” in the Old Testament. It looks as if Jesus would not want us to fear! Be aware that Satan can use fear for an inroad to your emotions. Much destruction has resulted from fear. In Revelation 21:8, we see that the fearful are among the citizens of hell! It is much more profitable for us to have faith than to embrace fear, yet opposites must exist. If there were no evil, we would not know right; if there were no bad, we could not define “good”. Opposites reveal opposites. The contrast is the greatest proof of anything useful. Along the same lines, if there were no hell, we would not appreciate, or even need, Heaven. Even so, fear creates a greater need for faith.
9/28 Leadership’s Classic Mistake
Leadership’s Classic Mistake
1 King 12:13-15
“And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”
In this story Rehoboam made one of the biggest mistakes that leadership can ever make. This mistake is thinking that their place of position is for the people to serve them. This is not the purpose of leadership. Leadership is in place to serve the people and to meet the needs of the people.
When leadership starts thinking that people are to serve them then leadership will begin to fall. Any great leader who lives on in history as a great leader is a person who used their position to help people.
Herein lies the difference between a dictator and a leader. A dictator will use his position to meet his needs and expects people to serve him because of his position. By the way, a dictator shows his poor ability to lead for he cannot get anyone to follow him as he tries to lead without force or fear of force. A leader uses his position to serve the needs of the people he serves. Being a leader is much harder than being a dictator in the fact that by being a leader the followers have a choice to follow, and yet, the leader is still capable to get them to follow him without force or fear of force. Rehoboam never learned this principle, and apparently neither did the young men who counseled him. Each leader needs to learn this great principle of the purpose of their position.
I am talking to the parents who are leaders in your home. Your purpose of being a parent is not to use your children to serve you. The purpose of you being their leader is to teach them what the right way in life is. Yes, as the leader in the home they will be required to do duties. These duties are not to be done so that you won't have to do them, but they are being done to teach them how to become a better person in society. This is the case with any level of leadership. All leadership positions are there for the sole purpose to serve those they lead.
Any leader who must use fear to get their followers to continue to follow them is a poor leader. If you want people to follow you, then convince them that you are not out to get them to serve you, but convince them that you are out to meet their needs and you will be pleasantly surprised how much they will follow you.
I ask every leader who reads this, what are your leadership skills like? Do people follow you because you serve them or do they follow you because of fear of what you will do to them if they don't follow you? Let every leader realize the purpose of them filling their position is to serve those they lead. When you fulfill that purpose then those you lead will want to follow you for they know you have their best interest at stake.
1 King 12:13-15
“And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”
In this story Rehoboam made one of the biggest mistakes that leadership can ever make. This mistake is thinking that their place of position is for the people to serve them. This is not the purpose of leadership. Leadership is in place to serve the people and to meet the needs of the people.
When leadership starts thinking that people are to serve them then leadership will begin to fall. Any great leader who lives on in history as a great leader is a person who used their position to help people.
Herein lies the difference between a dictator and a leader. A dictator will use his position to meet his needs and expects people to serve him because of his position. By the way, a dictator shows his poor ability to lead for he cannot get anyone to follow him as he tries to lead without force or fear of force. A leader uses his position to serve the needs of the people he serves. Being a leader is much harder than being a dictator in the fact that by being a leader the followers have a choice to follow, and yet, the leader is still capable to get them to follow him without force or fear of force. Rehoboam never learned this principle, and apparently neither did the young men who counseled him. Each leader needs to learn this great principle of the purpose of their position.
I am talking to the parents who are leaders in your home. Your purpose of being a parent is not to use your children to serve you. The purpose of you being their leader is to teach them what the right way in life is. Yes, as the leader in the home they will be required to do duties. These duties are not to be done so that you won't have to do them, but they are being done to teach them how to become a better person in society. This is the case with any level of leadership. All leadership positions are there for the sole purpose to serve those they lead.
Any leader who must use fear to get their followers to continue to follow them is a poor leader. If you want people to follow you, then convince them that you are not out to get them to serve you, but convince them that you are out to meet their needs and you will be pleasantly surprised how much they will follow you.
I ask every leader who reads this, what are your leadership skills like? Do people follow you because you serve them or do they follow you because of fear of what you will do to them if they don't follow you? Let every leader realize the purpose of them filling their position is to serve those they lead. When you fulfill that purpose then those you lead will want to follow you for they know you have their best interest at stake.
9/28 Spurgeon
“The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.”
- Psa_33:13
Perhaps no figure of speech represents God in a more gracious light than when he is spoken of as stooping from his throne, and coming down from heaven to attend to the wants and to behold the woes of mankind. We love him, who, when Sodom and Gomorrah were full of iniquity, would not destroy those cities until he had made a personal visitation of them. We cannot help pouring out our heart in affection for our Lord who inclines his ear from the highest glory, and puts it to the lip of the dying sinner, whose failing heart longs after reconciliation. How can we but love him when we know that he numbers the very hairs of our heads, marks our path, and orders our ways? Specially is this great truth brought near to our heart, when we recollect how attentive he is, not merely to the temporal interests of his creatures, but to their spiritual concerns. Though leagues of distance lie between the finite creature and the infinite Creator, yet there are links uniting both. When a tear is wept by thee, think not that God doth not behold; for, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” Thy sigh is able to move the heart of Jehovah; thy whisper can incline his ear unto thee; thy prayer can stay his hand; thy faith can move his arm. Think not that God sits on high taking no account of thee. Remember that however poor and needy thou art, yet the Lord thinketh upon thee. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him.
Oh! then repeat the truth that never tires;
No God is like the God my soul desires;
He at whose voice heaven trembles, even he,
Great as he is, knows how to stoop to me.
- Psa_33:13
Perhaps no figure of speech represents God in a more gracious light than when he is spoken of as stooping from his throne, and coming down from heaven to attend to the wants and to behold the woes of mankind. We love him, who, when Sodom and Gomorrah were full of iniquity, would not destroy those cities until he had made a personal visitation of them. We cannot help pouring out our heart in affection for our Lord who inclines his ear from the highest glory, and puts it to the lip of the dying sinner, whose failing heart longs after reconciliation. How can we but love him when we know that he numbers the very hairs of our heads, marks our path, and orders our ways? Specially is this great truth brought near to our heart, when we recollect how attentive he is, not merely to the temporal interests of his creatures, but to their spiritual concerns. Though leagues of distance lie between the finite creature and the infinite Creator, yet there are links uniting both. When a tear is wept by thee, think not that God doth not behold; for, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” Thy sigh is able to move the heart of Jehovah; thy whisper can incline his ear unto thee; thy prayer can stay his hand; thy faith can move his arm. Think not that God sits on high taking no account of thee. Remember that however poor and needy thou art, yet the Lord thinketh upon thee. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him.
Oh! then repeat the truth that never tires;
No God is like the God my soul desires;
He at whose voice heaven trembles, even he,
Great as he is, knows how to stoop to me.
9/27 Consider
Consider
Ecclesiastes 7:14
“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.”
I have made the statement many times, "Life is a series of mountains and valleys." If you lived for any length of time, you no doubt understand that life has its ups and downs. At times life will be great and then at times life will become hard. But, life is a series of mountains and valleys. In this verse we are told what to do in the mountains and valleys of life.
God tells us in the "day of prosperity be joyful." When the days come when everything is going well, you had better enjoy those days to their fullest. In other words, what God wants you to learn is that when times are good, enjoy the goodness that you have. For instance, while your health is good, use your health to its fullest and enjoy having good health. When finances are plenteous, be joyful over the fact that you have finances to take care of your needs. What God wants you to do is to stop griping over what you don't have and enjoy what you do have. Too many people in the good times complain about what they don't have and don't enjoy what God has given to them. You had better enjoy what you have because the day of adversity is going to come, and when it comes, you will wish you had the day of prosperity back. So while you have the day of prosperity, enjoy it.
Then we are told to “consider” in the day of adversity. The word "consider" means "to ponder; to study; to meditate on; to view with careful examination." In other words when adversity comes in life, instead of looking at the adversity, God wants you to consider your life. Let me give you a few things you can consider when adversity comes your way.
First of all, consider how good God has been to you. Instead of complaining about the adversity, you ought to look at life and remember how good God has been to you to give you what you have.
Secondly, consider that in your life you have probably had more good than bad. In most cases, God has blessed us far more than He has sent hard times our way. What happens to most when adversity comes, the adversity seems to overtake our minds and seems to be bigger than all the good that we have had in the past. This is why you must stop and consider your whole life, and realize you have had more good in life than bad.
Thirdly, consider that you don't have it as bad as others. Somebody somewhere has it worse than you. You ought to consider that you don't have it as bad as others do.
Fourthly, consider what God is trying to teach you in times of adversity. Let me remind you that God sends adversity to help you grow and to show you things that you need to correct in your life. Now take the time to consider what God wants you to correct and correct it. Consider where God wants you to grow and be sure to grow in that area.
Lastly, consider that you are going to a place someday where there will be no adversity. Just remember that Heaven is not that far away. One day soon we all will be in that place called Heaven and all adversity will be gone forever. Let’s let the day of adversity become a day of joy by considering these areas.
Ecclesiastes 7:14
“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.”
I have made the statement many times, "Life is a series of mountains and valleys." If you lived for any length of time, you no doubt understand that life has its ups and downs. At times life will be great and then at times life will become hard. But, life is a series of mountains and valleys. In this verse we are told what to do in the mountains and valleys of life.
God tells us in the "day of prosperity be joyful." When the days come when everything is going well, you had better enjoy those days to their fullest. In other words, what God wants you to learn is that when times are good, enjoy the goodness that you have. For instance, while your health is good, use your health to its fullest and enjoy having good health. When finances are plenteous, be joyful over the fact that you have finances to take care of your needs. What God wants you to do is to stop griping over what you don't have and enjoy what you do have. Too many people in the good times complain about what they don't have and don't enjoy what God has given to them. You had better enjoy what you have because the day of adversity is going to come, and when it comes, you will wish you had the day of prosperity back. So while you have the day of prosperity, enjoy it.
Then we are told to “consider” in the day of adversity. The word "consider" means "to ponder; to study; to meditate on; to view with careful examination." In other words when adversity comes in life, instead of looking at the adversity, God wants you to consider your life. Let me give you a few things you can consider when adversity comes your way.
First of all, consider how good God has been to you. Instead of complaining about the adversity, you ought to look at life and remember how good God has been to you to give you what you have.
Secondly, consider that in your life you have probably had more good than bad. In most cases, God has blessed us far more than He has sent hard times our way. What happens to most when adversity comes, the adversity seems to overtake our minds and seems to be bigger than all the good that we have had in the past. This is why you must stop and consider your whole life, and realize you have had more good in life than bad.
Thirdly, consider that you don't have it as bad as others. Somebody somewhere has it worse than you. You ought to consider that you don't have it as bad as others do.
Fourthly, consider what God is trying to teach you in times of adversity. Let me remind you that God sends adversity to help you grow and to show you things that you need to correct in your life. Now take the time to consider what God wants you to correct and correct it. Consider where God wants you to grow and be sure to grow in that area.
Lastly, consider that you are going to a place someday where there will be no adversity. Just remember that Heaven is not that far away. One day soon we all will be in that place called Heaven and all adversity will be gone forever. Let’s let the day of adversity become a day of joy by considering these areas.
9/27 Spurgeon's Devotions
“Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord!”
- Deu_33:29
He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an utter stranger to it. It were strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God. Suppose you that God will give all the happiness to his enemies, and reserve all the mourning for his own family? Shall his foes have mirth and joy, and shall his home-born children inherit sorrow and wretchedness? Shall the sinner, who has no part in Christ, call himself rich in happiness, and shall we go mourning as if we were penniless beggars? No, we will rejoice in the Lord always, and glory in our inheritance, for we “have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” The rod of chastisement must rest upon us in our measure, but it worketh for us the comfortable fruits of righteousness; and therefore by the aid of the divine Comforter, we, the “people saved of the Lord,” will joy in the God of our salvation. We are married unto Christ; and shall our great Bridegroom permit his spouse to linger in constant grief? Our hearts are knit unto him: we are his members, and though for awhile we may suffer as our Head once suffered, yet we are even now blessed with heavenly blessings in him. We have the earnest of our inheritance in the comforts of the Spirit, which are neither few nor small. Inheritors of joy for ever, we have foretastes of our portion. There are streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sunrising. Our riches are beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other side the river; gleams of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and urge us onward. Truly is it said of us, “Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?”
- Deu_33:29
He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an utter stranger to it. It were strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God. Suppose you that God will give all the happiness to his enemies, and reserve all the mourning for his own family? Shall his foes have mirth and joy, and shall his home-born children inherit sorrow and wretchedness? Shall the sinner, who has no part in Christ, call himself rich in happiness, and shall we go mourning as if we were penniless beggars? No, we will rejoice in the Lord always, and glory in our inheritance, for we “have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” The rod of chastisement must rest upon us in our measure, but it worketh for us the comfortable fruits of righteousness; and therefore by the aid of the divine Comforter, we, the “people saved of the Lord,” will joy in the God of our salvation. We are married unto Christ; and shall our great Bridegroom permit his spouse to linger in constant grief? Our hearts are knit unto him: we are his members, and though for awhile we may suffer as our Head once suffered, yet we are even now blessed with heavenly blessings in him. We have the earnest of our inheritance in the comforts of the Spirit, which are neither few nor small. Inheritors of joy for ever, we have foretastes of our portion. There are streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sunrising. Our riches are beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other side the river; gleams of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and urge us onward. Truly is it said of us, “Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?”
9/26 The Wickedness Of False Reports
Exodus 23:1
“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.”
It is important that before we ever say something about someone that we verify that it is true. God commands in this verse that we are not to raise a false report about anyone. In fact, God says that if we raise a false report about someone, we are no different than a wicked person who is a false witness in a trial case. A false witness in a trial case tries to put someone in jail because they hate them and this is how bad God feels that it is for us to raise a false report against another person.
How careful we must be in saying things about other people. If we do not know something is true, it would be best that we never pass it along to anyone else. This is why we should never go off of hearsay about a person. When you go off of hearsay about a person you have no idea whether the report is true or not. You are only going off of another person's word.
Before you say something about anyone, verify the information firsthand so that you will not be guilty of spreading a false report. I would rather never say anything about a person than to spread something and find out later that I was wrong. Like my mother used to say to me, "If you have nothing good to say about a person, then don't say anything at all." This would be a good rule of thumb to use when it comes to giving a report on a person.
If a person comes for advice about another person, if you don't know that person, then don't give any advice concerning that person. Protect your name by only giving what you know as a true report because you have verified it personally. I guess we could use the rule of thumb that reporters are supposed to use when giving a report about someone; only give a report on someone when you can verify the information by two credible witnesses. Unless you have two credible witnesses I would advise you to keep your mouth shut. It can be mighty embarrassing to have to cover a report that was false. Not only is this embarrassing, it is wicked. Let’s be careful about spreading false reports.
“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.”
It is important that before we ever say something about someone that we verify that it is true. God commands in this verse that we are not to raise a false report about anyone. In fact, God says that if we raise a false report about someone, we are no different than a wicked person who is a false witness in a trial case. A false witness in a trial case tries to put someone in jail because they hate them and this is how bad God feels that it is for us to raise a false report against another person.
How careful we must be in saying things about other people. If we do not know something is true, it would be best that we never pass it along to anyone else. This is why we should never go off of hearsay about a person. When you go off of hearsay about a person you have no idea whether the report is true or not. You are only going off of another person's word.
Before you say something about anyone, verify the information firsthand so that you will not be guilty of spreading a false report. I would rather never say anything about a person than to spread something and find out later that I was wrong. Like my mother used to say to me, "If you have nothing good to say about a person, then don't say anything at all." This would be a good rule of thumb to use when it comes to giving a report on a person.
If a person comes for advice about another person, if you don't know that person, then don't give any advice concerning that person. Protect your name by only giving what you know as a true report because you have verified it personally. I guess we could use the rule of thumb that reporters are supposed to use when giving a report about someone; only give a report on someone when you can verify the information by two credible witnesses. Unless you have two credible witnesses I would advise you to keep your mouth shut. It can be mighty embarrassing to have to cover a report that was false. Not only is this embarrassing, it is wicked. Let’s be careful about spreading false reports.
9/26 Spurgeon Today
“The myrtle trees that were in the bottom.”
- Zec_1:8
The vision in this chapter describes the condition of Israel in Zechariah’s day; but being interpreted in its aspect towards us, it describes the Church of God as we find it now in the world. The Church is compared to a myrtle grove flourishing in a valley. It is hidden, unobserved, secreted; courting no honour and attracting no observation from the careless gazer. The Church, like her head, has a glory, but it is concealed from carnal eyes, for the time of her breaking forth in all her splendour is not yet come. The idea of tranquil security is also suggested to us: for the myrtle grove in the valley is still and calm, while the storm sweeps over the mountain summits. Tempests spend their force upon the craggy peaks of the Alps, but down yonder where flows the stream which maketh glad the city of our God, the myrtles flourish by the still waters, all unshaken by the impetuous wind. How great is the inward tranquility of God’s Church! Even when opposed and persecuted, she has a peace which the world gives not, and which, therefore, it cannot take away: the peace of God which passeth all understanding keeps the hearts and minds of God’s people. Does not the metaphor forcibly picture the peaceful, perpetual growth of the saints? The myrtle sheds not her leaves, she is always green; and the Church in her worst time still hath a blessed verdure of grace about her; nay, she has sometimes exhibited most verdure when her winter has been sharpest. She has prospered most when her adversities have been most severe. Hence the text hints at victory. The myrtle is the emblem of peace, and a significant token of triumph. The brows of conquerors were bound with myrtle and with laurel; and is not the Church ever victorious? Is not every Christian more than a conqueror through him that loved him? Living in peace, do not the saints fall asleep in the arms of victory?
- Zec_1:8
The vision in this chapter describes the condition of Israel in Zechariah’s day; but being interpreted in its aspect towards us, it describes the Church of God as we find it now in the world. The Church is compared to a myrtle grove flourishing in a valley. It is hidden, unobserved, secreted; courting no honour and attracting no observation from the careless gazer. The Church, like her head, has a glory, but it is concealed from carnal eyes, for the time of her breaking forth in all her splendour is not yet come. The idea of tranquil security is also suggested to us: for the myrtle grove in the valley is still and calm, while the storm sweeps over the mountain summits. Tempests spend their force upon the craggy peaks of the Alps, but down yonder where flows the stream which maketh glad the city of our God, the myrtles flourish by the still waters, all unshaken by the impetuous wind. How great is the inward tranquility of God’s Church! Even when opposed and persecuted, she has a peace which the world gives not, and which, therefore, it cannot take away: the peace of God which passeth all understanding keeps the hearts and minds of God’s people. Does not the metaphor forcibly picture the peaceful, perpetual growth of the saints? The myrtle sheds not her leaves, she is always green; and the Church in her worst time still hath a blessed verdure of grace about her; nay, she has sometimes exhibited most verdure when her winter has been sharpest. She has prospered most when her adversities have been most severe. Hence the text hints at victory. The myrtle is the emblem of peace, and a significant token of triumph. The brows of conquerors were bound with myrtle and with laurel; and is not the Church ever victorious? Is not every Christian more than a conqueror through him that loved him? Living in peace, do not the saints fall asleep in the arms of victory?
9/25 The "He and It" Syndrome
Romans 8
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (v. 26)
Much has been said about this verse, and I doubt if I could add anything to you who have been saved for awhile and have heard many sermons and lessons on this same verse. For that reason, I will key on one word in the verse, and a different approach from the “norm”.
Many opponents of the King James Bible like to point out the word “itself” here, as it refers to the Spirit of God. They say that the Holy Spirit is a Person, and not an “it” and that the translators got it wrong (or else the Lord did when He inspired it!), but I wish to explain this rare usage of the pronoun when referring to the Holy Spirit of God. I call it the “He” and “it” syndrome.
The Holy Spirit is a power as well as a person. Usually, when a writer refers to the power of the Spirit, he uses the terms “Holy Ghost”, and when referring to the Person, he uses the words “Holy Spirit.” Check it out for yourself, and see if it is not so. Now, as we refer to a power as a “thing” or an object, it is correct to say “it”, we do this all the time when we ask about a newly born baby and say “how much did “it” weigh?” No one is offended that we call their baby an “it”, but until we know the gender, and even afterward, we often use the word correctly, because it refers to the word “baby” and not “he” or “she”. The word “it” then, in our verse, refers to the power of the Spirit, and not merely the Person ("He") (although they are one and the same); the Power is an “it”! When we speak of the work of the Holy Spirit, we can properly use the word “it” in describing it. The Kings men translated it right, and they knew exactly what the Lord had given them to say. This is merely one of the darts of Satan to undermine the Word of God, which is magnified even above the name of the Lord, (Psa. 138:2), and attempt to confuse the children of God. Some of you are not going to like my next statement, but I believe that the devil cannot deceive the true children of God in this matter, I think the Lord reveals Truth to His own. What could be more sacred than the Word of God? What could be more important than Jesus, the Living Word?
We see that Peter also made the same “mistake” if it were truly a mis-translation, (which it is not), in 1 Peter 1:11, where we read:
“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” “When IT testified…” did you see that? Peter called the Spirit of Christ an "It”! Amazing that both these instances were translated wrong when so many others were translated correctly, isn’t it? Apparently the same group of men translated both books, or else the same God dictated both of them! Stick with the tried and true Word, the King James Bible, and you can’t go wrong.
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (v. 26)
Much has been said about this verse, and I doubt if I could add anything to you who have been saved for awhile and have heard many sermons and lessons on this same verse. For that reason, I will key on one word in the verse, and a different approach from the “norm”.
Many opponents of the King James Bible like to point out the word “itself” here, as it refers to the Spirit of God. They say that the Holy Spirit is a Person, and not an “it” and that the translators got it wrong (or else the Lord did when He inspired it!), but I wish to explain this rare usage of the pronoun when referring to the Holy Spirit of God. I call it the “He” and “it” syndrome.
The Holy Spirit is a power as well as a person. Usually, when a writer refers to the power of the Spirit, he uses the terms “Holy Ghost”, and when referring to the Person, he uses the words “Holy Spirit.” Check it out for yourself, and see if it is not so. Now, as we refer to a power as a “thing” or an object, it is correct to say “it”, we do this all the time when we ask about a newly born baby and say “how much did “it” weigh?” No one is offended that we call their baby an “it”, but until we know the gender, and even afterward, we often use the word correctly, because it refers to the word “baby” and not “he” or “she”. The word “it” then, in our verse, refers to the power of the Spirit, and not merely the Person ("He") (although they are one and the same); the Power is an “it”! When we speak of the work of the Holy Spirit, we can properly use the word “it” in describing it. The Kings men translated it right, and they knew exactly what the Lord had given them to say. This is merely one of the darts of Satan to undermine the Word of God, which is magnified even above the name of the Lord, (Psa. 138:2), and attempt to confuse the children of God. Some of you are not going to like my next statement, but I believe that the devil cannot deceive the true children of God in this matter, I think the Lord reveals Truth to His own. What could be more sacred than the Word of God? What could be more important than Jesus, the Living Word?
We see that Peter also made the same “mistake” if it were truly a mis-translation, (which it is not), in 1 Peter 1:11, where we read:
“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” “When IT testified…” did you see that? Peter called the Spirit of Christ an "It”! Amazing that both these instances were translated wrong when so many others were translated correctly, isn’t it? Apparently the same group of men translated both books, or else the same God dictated both of them! Stick with the tried and true Word, the King James Bible, and you can’t go wrong.
9/25 At The Set Time
Genesis 21:1-2
“And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.”
God is always on schedule. We notice that the Bible states that Sarah conceived at the set time. No, it was not the timing of Abraham and Sarah but it was the timing of God. Abraham and Sarah thought they should have had a child many years prior. Abraham and Sarah thought God just wasn’t going to come through for them in this area of their life. But God is always on time and will come through at the set time.
We must realize that God's timing is never the same as man's timing. God does not work off of man’s calendar of schedule. Though we may live in a day when we expect everything to happen right now, God does not work that way and God knows what the best timing for our lives is. We must realize that at the set time God can and will come through as He has promised.
What is it today that you are wondering if God is ever going to come through for you on? Have you been praying for something for several years and it seems as if God is never going to answer that prayer? Let me just remind you that whatever the issue is in your life that you need for God to come through, at the set time He will come through. It may seem that if God doesn’t come through right now that you are facing complete destruction, but rest assured that God knows your situation and God knows what the best timing is. Because of this, at the set time, He will come through.
Now don't be impatient on God and try to work things out as Abraham and Sarah did. When you do this you will always hurt yourself as well as others. Abraham and Sarah, because of their impatience, have caused heartache for many generations that followed them and even to this day. When we become impatient with God and try to work things out ourselves, we always cause hurt to ourselves and even to many that we influence. Learn to wait on God realizing that at the set time He will come through.
“And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.”
God is always on schedule. We notice that the Bible states that Sarah conceived at the set time. No, it was not the timing of Abraham and Sarah but it was the timing of God. Abraham and Sarah thought they should have had a child many years prior. Abraham and Sarah thought God just wasn’t going to come through for them in this area of their life. But God is always on time and will come through at the set time.
We must realize that God's timing is never the same as man's timing. God does not work off of man’s calendar of schedule. Though we may live in a day when we expect everything to happen right now, God does not work that way and God knows what the best timing for our lives is. We must realize that at the set time God can and will come through as He has promised.
What is it today that you are wondering if God is ever going to come through for you on? Have you been praying for something for several years and it seems as if God is never going to answer that prayer? Let me just remind you that whatever the issue is in your life that you need for God to come through, at the set time He will come through. It may seem that if God doesn’t come through right now that you are facing complete destruction, but rest assured that God knows your situation and God knows what the best timing is. Because of this, at the set time, He will come through.
Now don't be impatient on God and try to work things out as Abraham and Sarah did. When you do this you will always hurt yourself as well as others. Abraham and Sarah, because of their impatience, have caused heartache for many generations that followed them and even to this day. When we become impatient with God and try to work things out ourselves, we always cause hurt to ourselves and even to many that we influence. Learn to wait on God realizing that at the set time He will come through.
9/25 Spurgeon's Devotion
“Just, and the justifier of him which believeth.”
- Rom_3:26
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Conscience accuses no longer. Judgment now decides for the sinner instead of against him. Memory looks back upon past sins, with deep sorrow for the sin, but yet with no dread of any penalty to come; for Christ has paid the debt of his people to the last jot and tittle, and received the divine receipt; and unless God can be so unjust as to demand double payment for one debt, no soul for whom Jesus died as a substitute can ever be cast into hell. It seems to be one of the very principles of our enlightened nature to believe that God is just; we feel that it must be so, and this gives us our terror at first; but is it not marvellous that this very same belief that God is just, becomes afterwards the pillar of our confidence and peace! If God be just, I, a sinner, alone and without a substitute, must be punished; but Jesus stands in my stead and is punished for me; and now, if God be just, I, a sinner, standing in Christ, can never be punished. God must change his nature before one soul, for whom Jesus was a substitute, can ever by any possibility suffer the lash of the law. Therefore, Jesus having taken the place of the believer-having rendered a full equivalent to divine wrath for all that his people ought to have suffered as the result of sin, the believer can shout with glorious triumph, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” Not God, for he hath justified; not Christ, for he hath died, “yea rather hath risen again.” My hope lives not because I am not a sinner, but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died; my trust is not that I am holy, but that being unholy, he is my righteousness. My faith rests not upon what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, in what he has done, and in what he is now doing for me. On the lion of justice the fair maid of hope rides like a queen.
- Rom_3:26
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Conscience accuses no longer. Judgment now decides for the sinner instead of against him. Memory looks back upon past sins, with deep sorrow for the sin, but yet with no dread of any penalty to come; for Christ has paid the debt of his people to the last jot and tittle, and received the divine receipt; and unless God can be so unjust as to demand double payment for one debt, no soul for whom Jesus died as a substitute can ever be cast into hell. It seems to be one of the very principles of our enlightened nature to believe that God is just; we feel that it must be so, and this gives us our terror at first; but is it not marvellous that this very same belief that God is just, becomes afterwards the pillar of our confidence and peace! If God be just, I, a sinner, alone and without a substitute, must be punished; but Jesus stands in my stead and is punished for me; and now, if God be just, I, a sinner, standing in Christ, can never be punished. God must change his nature before one soul, for whom Jesus was a substitute, can ever by any possibility suffer the lash of the law. Therefore, Jesus having taken the place of the believer-having rendered a full equivalent to divine wrath for all that his people ought to have suffered as the result of sin, the believer can shout with glorious triumph, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” Not God, for he hath justified; not Christ, for he hath died, “yea rather hath risen again.” My hope lives not because I am not a sinner, but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died; my trust is not that I am holy, but that being unholy, he is my righteousness. My faith rests not upon what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, in what he has done, and in what he is now doing for me. On the lion of justice the fair maid of hope rides like a queen.
9/24 Believe the Promise!
Hosea 4
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (v. 6)
I thank God that He gave the New Testament church a special promise; that he would never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13: 5 c), which is an indirect quote from Joshua 1: 5. Our God is “there” for us all the time. The first part of this is still true today, (of course) we are destroyed for lack of knowledge. We do not hear enough “truth” and when we do, we do no believe it easily. We need to be convinced. God’s Word is truth, from the beginning to the end; it is true all the way through, word by word in the King James Bible, so that that Book is all we need of truth. Yet, God’s people die because of a lack of faith in it. Sure, we all die anyway, but there are several promises in the Bible for longevity and God cannot lie or trick us by deceit, if only we would believe His Word, the people of God would not, and could not be destroyed. To have the Lord reject us would lead to very dire consequences, and we would be “of all men, most miserable”.
As the Lord withdrew Himself from Israel at times, He has promised never to do so with us. Heb. 13 :5, the latter part, tells us so, and we can believe it, and rest assured that it is so. What a joy to know that He will never leave us for a moment, nor forsake us altogether; we can walk in the assurance of His eternal presence.
In Israel, God withdrew Himself from them for the purpose of judgment; He removed His blessings from them. They were disobedient to His Word, and He had to turn from them, just as they had from Him, but, thank God today for Jesus, He is the King of grace unto us. Grace allows God to remain with us, for Jesus’ sake, and continue to abide in us, in spite of our foolishness. He does not condone our sin, nor accept it in any way, but He allows us to continue in Him, and He in us. He no longer needs to judge us, that has been taken care of at Calvary, but now He is there to comfort; to guide; to bless us in a multitude of ways, for Jesus’ sake, and only for Jesus’ sake. It is not because of us, but because of Jesus that He does so; we would do well to remember that. Take comfort in the fact the our Lord will never, ever leave us, no, not for a second, but mostly, thank God that he will never abandon us altogether and leave us to perish in the pits of hell forever. I shudder to think of what life might be like if He ever decided to leave us, and turn His back on our sin and grief. Thank God mightily for the King of grace, Jesus Christ, by whom is the promise given unto us.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (v. 6)
I thank God that He gave the New Testament church a special promise; that he would never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13: 5 c), which is an indirect quote from Joshua 1: 5. Our God is “there” for us all the time. The first part of this is still true today, (of course) we are destroyed for lack of knowledge. We do not hear enough “truth” and when we do, we do no believe it easily. We need to be convinced. God’s Word is truth, from the beginning to the end; it is true all the way through, word by word in the King James Bible, so that that Book is all we need of truth. Yet, God’s people die because of a lack of faith in it. Sure, we all die anyway, but there are several promises in the Bible for longevity and God cannot lie or trick us by deceit, if only we would believe His Word, the people of God would not, and could not be destroyed. To have the Lord reject us would lead to very dire consequences, and we would be “of all men, most miserable”.
As the Lord withdrew Himself from Israel at times, He has promised never to do so with us. Heb. 13 :5, the latter part, tells us so, and we can believe it, and rest assured that it is so. What a joy to know that He will never leave us for a moment, nor forsake us altogether; we can walk in the assurance of His eternal presence.
In Israel, God withdrew Himself from them for the purpose of judgment; He removed His blessings from them. They were disobedient to His Word, and He had to turn from them, just as they had from Him, but, thank God today for Jesus, He is the King of grace unto us. Grace allows God to remain with us, for Jesus’ sake, and continue to abide in us, in spite of our foolishness. He does not condone our sin, nor accept it in any way, but He allows us to continue in Him, and He in us. He no longer needs to judge us, that has been taken care of at Calvary, but now He is there to comfort; to guide; to bless us in a multitude of ways, for Jesus’ sake, and only for Jesus’ sake. It is not because of us, but because of Jesus that He does so; we would do well to remember that. Take comfort in the fact the our Lord will never, ever leave us, no, not for a second, but mostly, thank God that he will never abandon us altogether and leave us to perish in the pits of hell forever. I shudder to think of what life might be like if He ever decided to leave us, and turn His back on our sin and grief. Thank God mightily for the King of grace, Jesus Christ, by whom is the promise given unto us.
9/24 No Justification For Wrong
Deuteronomy 1:26-27
“Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.”
What a wicked statement the people of God made in this verse, all to justify rebelling against the commandment of the LORD. The justification of their rebellion against God was that God brought them into the wilderness because He hated them. Now think of how foolish and ludicrous this statement is. God chose them out of all the countries of the earth to be His people, and He hated them? God stood up against Pharaoh in the land of Egypt to deliver them from him, and He hated them? God gave them manna from Heaven every day for food to eat, and He hated them? God gave them shelter from the heat and the cold, and He hated them? God spoke to them audibly from Heaven like He had spoken to no other country or people before or since, and He hated them? On and on we could go to explain what God did for Israel because He loved them and because they were His chosen people. Now for them to say that God hated them so they could justify rebelling against His commandments was nothing more than a poor excuse.
Yet, over and over again Christians constantly come up with poor excuses of why they do wrong. We can all, if we really wanted to, come up with poor excuses of why we want to rebel against God's commandments. We could all justify why we do wrong, but our justification is never a good excuse.
We must be careful that we do not justify our rebellion against God by placing the blame on God and what He supposedly has not done for us. Always remember, there is no justifiable reason to do wrong, especially blaming God.
Instead of blaming God for why we do wrong, why not stand up to our wrong and accept our responsibility. If we will do this, then God will be more willing to help us. As long as we try to justify our wrong, we are only stirring the wrath of God against us. Don't be a person who tries to justify your wrong with foolish excuses. Be a person who faces the wrong that you have done and get it right so that you can move on and have God’s blessings again.
“Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.”
What a wicked statement the people of God made in this verse, all to justify rebelling against the commandment of the LORD. The justification of their rebellion against God was that God brought them into the wilderness because He hated them. Now think of how foolish and ludicrous this statement is. God chose them out of all the countries of the earth to be His people, and He hated them? God stood up against Pharaoh in the land of Egypt to deliver them from him, and He hated them? God gave them manna from Heaven every day for food to eat, and He hated them? God gave them shelter from the heat and the cold, and He hated them? God spoke to them audibly from Heaven like He had spoken to no other country or people before or since, and He hated them? On and on we could go to explain what God did for Israel because He loved them and because they were His chosen people. Now for them to say that God hated them so they could justify rebelling against His commandments was nothing more than a poor excuse.
Yet, over and over again Christians constantly come up with poor excuses of why they do wrong. We can all, if we really wanted to, come up with poor excuses of why we want to rebel against God's commandments. We could all justify why we do wrong, but our justification is never a good excuse.
We must be careful that we do not justify our rebellion against God by placing the blame on God and what He supposedly has not done for us. Always remember, there is no justifiable reason to do wrong, especially blaming God.
Instead of blaming God for why we do wrong, why not stand up to our wrong and accept our responsibility. If we will do this, then God will be more willing to help us. As long as we try to justify our wrong, we are only stirring the wrath of God against us. Don't be a person who tries to justify your wrong with foolish excuses. Be a person who faces the wrong that you have done and get it right so that you can move on and have God’s blessings again.
9/24 ***Spurgeon Today****
“For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.”
- Ezr_8:22
A convoy on many accounts would have been desirable for the pilgrim band, but a holy shame-facedness would not allow Ezra to seek one. He feared lest the heathen king should think his professions of faith in God to be mere hypocrisy, or imagine that the God of Israel was not able to preserve his own worshippers. He could not bring his mind to lean on an arm of flesh in a matter so evidently of the Lord, and therefore the caravan set out with no visible protection, guarded by him who is the sword and shield of his people. It is to be feared that few believers feel this holy jealousy for God; even those who in a measure walk by faith, occasionally mar the lustre of their life by craving aid from man. It is a most blessed thing to have no props and no buttresses, but to stand upright on the Rock of Ages, upheld by the Lord alone. Would any believers seek state endowments for their Church, if they remembered that the Lord is dishonoured by their asking Caesar’s aid? as if the Lord could not supply the needs of his own cause! Should we run so hastily to friends and relations for assistance, if we remembered that the Lord is magnified by our implicit reliance upon his solitary arm? My soul, wait thou only upon God. “But,” says one, “are not means to be used?” Assuredly they are; but our fault seldom lies in their neglect: far more frequently it springs out of foolishly believing in them instead of believing in God. Few run too far in neglecting the creature’s arm; but very many sin greatly in making too much of it. Learn, dear reader, to glorify the Lord by leaving means untried, if by using them thou wouldst dishonour the name of the Lord.
- Ezr_8:22
A convoy on many accounts would have been desirable for the pilgrim band, but a holy shame-facedness would not allow Ezra to seek one. He feared lest the heathen king should think his professions of faith in God to be mere hypocrisy, or imagine that the God of Israel was not able to preserve his own worshippers. He could not bring his mind to lean on an arm of flesh in a matter so evidently of the Lord, and therefore the caravan set out with no visible protection, guarded by him who is the sword and shield of his people. It is to be feared that few believers feel this holy jealousy for God; even those who in a measure walk by faith, occasionally mar the lustre of their life by craving aid from man. It is a most blessed thing to have no props and no buttresses, but to stand upright on the Rock of Ages, upheld by the Lord alone. Would any believers seek state endowments for their Church, if they remembered that the Lord is dishonoured by their asking Caesar’s aid? as if the Lord could not supply the needs of his own cause! Should we run so hastily to friends and relations for assistance, if we remembered that the Lord is magnified by our implicit reliance upon his solitary arm? My soul, wait thou only upon God. “But,” says one, “are not means to be used?” Assuredly they are; but our fault seldom lies in their neglect: far more frequently it springs out of foolishly believing in them instead of believing in God. Few run too far in neglecting the creature’s arm; but very many sin greatly in making too much of it. Learn, dear reader, to glorify the Lord by leaving means untried, if by using them thou wouldst dishonour the name of the Lord.
9/23 Fundamental Thoughts
“Let The LORD Be Glorified”
(Isaiah 66:4-5) I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. 5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
In the verses above Isaiah 66:4-5 , a lot is stated. The first thing I want define “evil.”
(Isaiah 3:9) The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom
We find that Isaiah shows sin and evil as being synonymous, in other words “they mean the same thing.”
We as Christians need to “Hear the word of the LORD…” If we actually heard God speak, we would tremble. We have cast our “fear of the LORD” away to the point we don’t even look back to see if He is watching. We don’t care. We have driven ourselves so far from God that it will be a miracle if we can ever find our way back. In our text, God is talking about His chosen people, believers.
This devotional is to believers. We as believers have allowed the world and our government to control our lives. We never concern ourselves with God, but we will sure consider Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and all the other elected officials.
Our problem is, I believe, we have forgotten how to Glorify God. Maybe some never knew how, but for most who call themselves Christians, we have forgotten because there was never a reason to continue.
Our scripture tells us “…Let the LORD be Glorified…” The “Let” tells us we must do something for the LORD to be Glorified.
(Romans 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We as individual Christians must be transformed back to what we were before. We are the only one who can change our mind. God will help, but we must have that willing mind. This is the only way we can ever approach and enter into the “…will of God.”
Consider doing the best you can. Consider calling on God, and ask Him to help you back to the center of His love, to the center of His will. Now that you have considered, now just do it.
Ading to Faith
2 Peter 1
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (v. 15-17)
These seven attributes of the Christian life are as stepping stones into the portals of grace. As we “add” to each element, we rise higher, as if climbing a ladder, and we find another height of maturity. We begin with faith, that is already a “given”; it is the beginning of our life as a Christian. Then there are seven additions, the first being virtue. Virtue is defined as a “moral excellence” or the power of righteousness seen in holy living. This is to be added to our existing faith. Then, along with virtue, and at some point along the way, we are to add again. The Christian life seems to be a life of addition and subtraction, but here we are more concerned with addition for the time being. So then, let us not be lacking in knowledge; this must be added to virtue, and of course in the progression of faith. This speaks of “knowledge of the Holy” for how can we seek that which we do not know about? We must get close to God, and attempt to know Him, through His Word. These are the patterns of growth, if you will receive it. But what is knowledge without temperance? We can have a knowledge of God, and a faith in God, but without the restraints of temperance, all is vain and useless. Temperance is moderation; it is doing right habitually, and being steadfast in our Christian walk. We need this lest we become captive to diverse temptations and lusts; temperance is the lack of indulgence and excess. To temperance we must add patience, to keep it in perspective. This is perseverance in spite of obstacles and attitudes. It is very similar to temperance, but with an extra boost to it. Patience is waiting on God, and not rushing ahead on our own, but it is also suffering quietly whatever befalls us. With all these we must attain to godliness, which is purity in all forms; it is purity in body, in soul, and in spirit, as well as mentally and socially. Godliness may be the epitome of Christian graces, and essential to the testimony and influence we might have with others. Then we will find brotherly kindness. Let us leave off all bickering and contention, and seek to be at peace with our brethren. Only true godliness will allow us to find this peace. And, finally, to brotherly kindness, charity, which is at the very top of the ladder in Christian graces. Charity is love in action; it is the epitome of the excellence of love, and is most simply put, “others minded”. Charity is giving, the greatest test of true love. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” this is charity in its fullest. Peter goes on to say that if these things be in us, and abound, we will not be unfruitful (v. 8), and we will “never fall” (v. 10). Perhaps these are the “stepping stones of faith” and comparable to a stairway into Heaven.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (v. 15-17)
These seven attributes of the Christian life are as stepping stones into the portals of grace. As we “add” to each element, we rise higher, as if climbing a ladder, and we find another height of maturity. We begin with faith, that is already a “given”; it is the beginning of our life as a Christian. Then there are seven additions, the first being virtue. Virtue is defined as a “moral excellence” or the power of righteousness seen in holy living. This is to be added to our existing faith. Then, along with virtue, and at some point along the way, we are to add again. The Christian life seems to be a life of addition and subtraction, but here we are more concerned with addition for the time being. So then, let us not be lacking in knowledge; this must be added to virtue, and of course in the progression of faith. This speaks of “knowledge of the Holy” for how can we seek that which we do not know about? We must get close to God, and attempt to know Him, through His Word. These are the patterns of growth, if you will receive it. But what is knowledge without temperance? We can have a knowledge of God, and a faith in God, but without the restraints of temperance, all is vain and useless. Temperance is moderation; it is doing right habitually, and being steadfast in our Christian walk. We need this lest we become captive to diverse temptations and lusts; temperance is the lack of indulgence and excess. To temperance we must add patience, to keep it in perspective. This is perseverance in spite of obstacles and attitudes. It is very similar to temperance, but with an extra boost to it. Patience is waiting on God, and not rushing ahead on our own, but it is also suffering quietly whatever befalls us. With all these we must attain to godliness, which is purity in all forms; it is purity in body, in soul, and in spirit, as well as mentally and socially. Godliness may be the epitome of Christian graces, and essential to the testimony and influence we might have with others. Then we will find brotherly kindness. Let us leave off all bickering and contention, and seek to be at peace with our brethren. Only true godliness will allow us to find this peace. And, finally, to brotherly kindness, charity, which is at the very top of the ladder in Christian graces. Charity is love in action; it is the epitome of the excellence of love, and is most simply put, “others minded”. Charity is giving, the greatest test of true love. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” this is charity in its fullest. Peter goes on to say that if these things be in us, and abound, we will not be unfruitful (v. 8), and we will “never fall” (v. 10). Perhaps these are the “stepping stones of faith” and comparable to a stairway into Heaven.
Approaching the Throne of Grace
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
(Psa. 100:1,2)
As we approach the throne of God in prayer, will we smugly leave our requests at His feet? We are actually ushered unto the throne room of God, and stand before the God of gods, and yet we often come to Him with a broken heart. Does He hear from us when things are going well; when we can sing and rejoice in His presence? Can we “come before His presence with singing” and make a “joyful noise” unto Him? He is sad when we are sad, and rejoices when we rejoice. Why? Because He loves us more than we have ever been loved before, and He feels our infirmities. What a wonderful thing to be so greatly loved by One so great! Blessed be the name of the Lord, forever and ever more, amen.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
(Psa. 100:1,2)
As we approach the throne of God in prayer, will we smugly leave our requests at His feet? We are actually ushered unto the throne room of God, and stand before the God of gods, and yet we often come to Him with a broken heart. Does He hear from us when things are going well; when we can sing and rejoice in His presence? Can we “come before His presence with singing” and make a “joyful noise” unto Him? He is sad when we are sad, and rejoices when we rejoice. Why? Because He loves us more than we have ever been loved before, and He feels our infirmities. What a wonderful thing to be so greatly loved by One so great! Blessed be the name of the Lord, forever and ever more, amen.
The "He " and "It" syndrome
Romans 8
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (v. 26)
Much has been said about this verse, and I doubt if I could add anything to you who have been saved for awhile and have heard many sermons and lessons on this same verse. For that reason, I will key on one word in the verse, and a different approach from the “norm”.
Many opponents of the King James Bible like to point out the word “itself” here, as it refers to the Spirit of God. They say that the Holy Spirit is a Person, and not an “it” and that the translators got it wrong (or else the Lord did when He inspired it!), but I wish to explain this rare usage of the pronoun when referring to the Holy Spirit of God. I call it the “He” and “it” syndrome.
The Holy Spirit is a power as well as a person. Usually, when a writer refers to the power of the Spirit, he uses the terms “Holy Ghost”, and when referring to the Person, he uses the words “Holy Spirit.” Check it out for yourself, and see if it is not so. Now, as we refer to a power as a “thing” or a noun, it is correct to say “it”, we do this all the time when we ask about a newly born baby and say “how much did “it” weigh?” No one is offended that we call their baby an “it”, but until we know the gender, and often afterward, we use the word correctly, because it refers to the word “baby” and not “he” or “she”. The word “it” then, in our verse, refers to the power of the Spirit, and not merely the Person (although they are one and the same); the Power is an “it”! When we speak of the work of the Holy Spirit, we can properly use the word “it” in describing it. The Kings men translated it right, and they knew exactly what the Lord had given them to say. This is merely one of the darts of Satan to undermine the Word of God, which is magnified even above the name of the Lord, (Psa. 138:2), and attempt to confuse the children of God. Some of you are not going to like my next statement, but I believe that the devil cannot deceive the true children of God in this matter, I think the Lord reveals Truth to His own. What could be more sacred than the Word of God? What could be more important than Jesus, the Living Word?
We see that Peter also made the same “mistake” if it were truly a mis-translation, (which it is not), in 1 Peter 1:11, where we read:
“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” “When IT testified…” did you see that? Peter called the Spirit of Christ an “It”! Amazing that both these instances were translated wrong when so many others were translated correctly, isn’t it? Apparently the same group of men translated both books, or else the same God dictated both of them! Stick with the tried and true Word, the King James Bible, and you can’t go wrong.
“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (v. 26)
Much has been said about this verse, and I doubt if I could add anything to you who have been saved for awhile and have heard many sermons and lessons on this same verse. For that reason, I will key on one word in the verse, and a different approach from the “norm”.
Many opponents of the King James Bible like to point out the word “itself” here, as it refers to the Spirit of God. They say that the Holy Spirit is a Person, and not an “it” and that the translators got it wrong (or else the Lord did when He inspired it!), but I wish to explain this rare usage of the pronoun when referring to the Holy Spirit of God. I call it the “He” and “it” syndrome.
The Holy Spirit is a power as well as a person. Usually, when a writer refers to the power of the Spirit, he uses the terms “Holy Ghost”, and when referring to the Person, he uses the words “Holy Spirit.” Check it out for yourself, and see if it is not so. Now, as we refer to a power as a “thing” or a noun, it is correct to say “it”, we do this all the time when we ask about a newly born baby and say “how much did “it” weigh?” No one is offended that we call their baby an “it”, but until we know the gender, and often afterward, we use the word correctly, because it refers to the word “baby” and not “he” or “she”. The word “it” then, in our verse, refers to the power of the Spirit, and not merely the Person (although they are one and the same); the Power is an “it”! When we speak of the work of the Holy Spirit, we can properly use the word “it” in describing it. The Kings men translated it right, and they knew exactly what the Lord had given them to say. This is merely one of the darts of Satan to undermine the Word of God, which is magnified even above the name of the Lord, (Psa. 138:2), and attempt to confuse the children of God. Some of you are not going to like my next statement, but I believe that the devil cannot deceive the true children of God in this matter, I think the Lord reveals Truth to His own. What could be more sacred than the Word of God? What could be more important than Jesus, the Living Word?
We see that Peter also made the same “mistake” if it were truly a mis-translation, (which it is not), in 1 Peter 1:11, where we read:
“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” “When IT testified…” did you see that? Peter called the Spirit of Christ an “It”! Amazing that both these instances were translated wrong when so many others were translated correctly, isn’t it? Apparently the same group of men translated both books, or else the same God dictated both of them! Stick with the tried and true Word, the King James Bible, and you can’t go wrong.
9/23 Spurgeon
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe.”
- Mar_9:23
A certain man had a demoniac son, who was afflicted with a dumb spirit. The father, having seen the futility of the endeavours of the disciples to heal his child, had little or no faith in Christ, and therefore, when he was bidden to bring his son to him, he said to Jesus, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” Now there was an “if” in the question, but the poor trembling father had put the “if” in the wrong place: Jesus Christ, therefore, without commanding him to retract the “if,” kindly puts it in its legitimate position. “Nay, verily,” he seemed to say, “there should be no ‘if’ about my power, nor concerning my willingness, the ‘if’ lies somewhere else.” “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” The man’s trust was strengthened, he offered a humble prayer for an increase of faith, and instantly Jesus spoke the word, and the devil was cast out, with an injunction never to return. There is a lesson here which we need to learn. We, like this man, often see that there is an “if” somewhere, but we are perpetually blundering by putting it in the wrong place. “If” Jesus can help me-”if” he can give me grace to overcome temptation-”if” he can give me pardon-”if” he can make me successful? Nay, “if” you can believe, he both can and will. You have misplaced your “if.” If you can confidently trust, even as all things are possible to Christ, so shall all things be possible to you. Faith standeth in God’s power, and is robed in God’s majesty; it weareth the royal apparel, and rideth on the King’s horse, for it is the grace which the King delighteth to honour. Girding itself with the glorious might of the all-working Spirit, it becomes, in the omnipotence of God, mighty to do, to dare, and to suffer. All things, without limit, are possible to him that believeth. My soul, canst thou believe thy Lord to-night?
- Mar_9:23
A certain man had a demoniac son, who was afflicted with a dumb spirit. The father, having seen the futility of the endeavours of the disciples to heal his child, had little or no faith in Christ, and therefore, when he was bidden to bring his son to him, he said to Jesus, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” Now there was an “if” in the question, but the poor trembling father had put the “if” in the wrong place: Jesus Christ, therefore, without commanding him to retract the “if,” kindly puts it in its legitimate position. “Nay, verily,” he seemed to say, “there should be no ‘if’ about my power, nor concerning my willingness, the ‘if’ lies somewhere else.” “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” The man’s trust was strengthened, he offered a humble prayer for an increase of faith, and instantly Jesus spoke the word, and the devil was cast out, with an injunction never to return. There is a lesson here which we need to learn. We, like this man, often see that there is an “if” somewhere, but we are perpetually blundering by putting it in the wrong place. “If” Jesus can help me-”if” he can give me grace to overcome temptation-”if” he can give me pardon-”if” he can make me successful? Nay, “if” you can believe, he both can and will. You have misplaced your “if.” If you can confidently trust, even as all things are possible to Christ, so shall all things be possible to you. Faith standeth in God’s power, and is robed in God’s majesty; it weareth the royal apparel, and rideth on the King’s horse, for it is the grace which the King delighteth to honour. Girding itself with the glorious might of the all-working Spirit, it becomes, in the omnipotence of God, mighty to do, to dare, and to suffer. All things, without limit, are possible to him that believeth. My soul, canst thou believe thy Lord to-night?
9/22 Strings
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. (Heb. 11:15)
“Truly” it is so, if they had a “mind full” of the country from which they left, there would be a constant pull alluring them back, as strings tied to their feet, tugging constantly at them to bring them back to the old ways. We see an example of this when the Israelites wondered aimlessly in the wilderness, and desired to return to the “leeks” of Egypt. They did not consider what they had been delivered from, but had their minds, and hearts set on the prosperity of Egypt. We need a departure from the “old man” of our flesh, but also a mental departure from the old ways of life. We need to let go of the old life, and begin a new walk in the new Life.
Consider Lot’s wife, in Genesis 19:26, she looked back, her heart was still there. Physically, she had left, but she had no desire to find that city “whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10), a city of foundation. It is sad to see the look on some faces during testimony time, and the teary eyed stare of those who, in the veil of testifying, re-live the past life, and seem to say with their heart, “Those were the good old days.” These are invisible strings that need to be cut, snipped with the scissors of grace, and left in the mire of the past. These strings will become cords, and then cables, and soon we will find ourselves, as Lot did, living in Sodom, and abandoning those good things the Lord has provided for us.
Loose the strings of bondage, my friend, though they be mental strings now, they will become physical forces later on. We need to renew our minds daily in the Word of God.
Are you holding on to something precious to you from the old life, and the old ways? Let it go! Give it to Jesus on the altar of His grace, and seek the purging of your mind as mentioned in Romans 12: 2. It may be a home, that reminds you of the so-called “good times” of a past life, or the music you listen to;
Memories linger, they have a way of popping up unexpectedly, but we need to consider them to be dangerous, they have strings attached. Memories will destroy our lives, and testimonies, if we are not aware, and careful to “cut the strings” of the past. You can do it, remember Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” and this will definitely strengthen you to walk a closer walk with the Lord.
“Truly” it is so, if they had a “mind full” of the country from which they left, there would be a constant pull alluring them back, as strings tied to their feet, tugging constantly at them to bring them back to the old ways. We see an example of this when the Israelites wondered aimlessly in the wilderness, and desired to return to the “leeks” of Egypt. They did not consider what they had been delivered from, but had their minds, and hearts set on the prosperity of Egypt. We need a departure from the “old man” of our flesh, but also a mental departure from the old ways of life. We need to let go of the old life, and begin a new walk in the new Life.
Consider Lot’s wife, in Genesis 19:26, she looked back, her heart was still there. Physically, she had left, but she had no desire to find that city “whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10), a city of foundation. It is sad to see the look on some faces during testimony time, and the teary eyed stare of those who, in the veil of testifying, re-live the past life, and seem to say with their heart, “Those were the good old days.” These are invisible strings that need to be cut, snipped with the scissors of grace, and left in the mire of the past. These strings will become cords, and then cables, and soon we will find ourselves, as Lot did, living in Sodom, and abandoning those good things the Lord has provided for us.
Loose the strings of bondage, my friend, though they be mental strings now, they will become physical forces later on. We need to renew our minds daily in the Word of God.
Are you holding on to something precious to you from the old life, and the old ways? Let it go! Give it to Jesus on the altar of His grace, and seek the purging of your mind as mentioned in Romans 12: 2. It may be a home, that reminds you of the so-called “good times” of a past life, or the music you listen to;
Memories linger, they have a way of popping up unexpectedly, but we need to consider them to be dangerous, they have strings attached. Memories will destroy our lives, and testimonies, if we are not aware, and careful to “cut the strings” of the past. You can do it, remember Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” and this will definitely strengthen you to walk a closer walk with the Lord.
9/22 Satan Always Has Counterfeits
Satan Always Has Counterfeits
Psalm 115:2-3
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
A counterfeit will never give you what the original can give. This is why it is a counterfeit. The word “counterfeit” means it is an imitation or a forgery of the original. In other words, a counterfeit only tries to imitate what the original truly is, but it is worthless simply because it is a counterfeit.
We see in this Psalm that the heathen ask the question, “Where is now their God?” to God’s people. It is interesting that the answer is immediately given that “our God is in the heavens.” In other words, our God is not limited to one place as are the idols of the heathen. This verse is actually teaching us the Omni-presence of God and how that God can and is everywhere all the time. As we continue in this Psalm, we see the heathen’s idols have the shape of God, but they don’t respond. Notice, it says these idols have a mouth, but the mouth will not speak. They have ears, but those ears do not hear. They have hands and feet, but they cannot walk or handle things. They even made their idols to have a throat, but the idols could not speak.
Herein lies the problem with the counterfeits of Satan, they may promise a lot, but they cannot produce what they promise, because they are only counterfeits. Praise the Lord, we serve a God who can respond, and speak, and hear, and walk and handle us. We don’t serve a dead God, we serve a living God!
We must learn something about Satan; he is a great counterfeiter. Whatever God has for us, Satan will make a counterfeit for us as well. The only difference is that the counterfeit cannot produce what it says it will. For instance, God gave us a church, but Satan also has churches out there. This is why we must be careful to get into a church that preaches and lives what the Bible says. God gave us a family, but Satan has also offered us his counterfeit for a family as we see today with the sodomite households. These families just will not work for they are against God’s methods. God has music for us to listen to, but Satan has also produced counterfeit music through the Christian rock and the music of the world. God gave us a Bible in the King James Bible 1611, but Satan has also offered us his counterfeits through all the other versions that have been produced. No matter what God offers us, Satan will always have a counterfeit.
Everyday we all must be sure that we don’t accept the counterfeits of Satan. I ask you, is there some counterfeit that Satan has offered to you that you have accepted and are trying to use? Let me just be frank with you, it will never give you what it promises. Oh, at the beginning it may seem to satisfy, but once you put the counterfeit to the test, it will always fail. Only accept what God offers to you and never accept the counterfeits of Satan.
Psalm 115:2-3
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”
A counterfeit will never give you what the original can give. This is why it is a counterfeit. The word “counterfeit” means it is an imitation or a forgery of the original. In other words, a counterfeit only tries to imitate what the original truly is, but it is worthless simply because it is a counterfeit.
We see in this Psalm that the heathen ask the question, “Where is now their God?” to God’s people. It is interesting that the answer is immediately given that “our God is in the heavens.” In other words, our God is not limited to one place as are the idols of the heathen. This verse is actually teaching us the Omni-presence of God and how that God can and is everywhere all the time. As we continue in this Psalm, we see the heathen’s idols have the shape of God, but they don’t respond. Notice, it says these idols have a mouth, but the mouth will not speak. They have ears, but those ears do not hear. They have hands and feet, but they cannot walk or handle things. They even made their idols to have a throat, but the idols could not speak.
Herein lies the problem with the counterfeits of Satan, they may promise a lot, but they cannot produce what they promise, because they are only counterfeits. Praise the Lord, we serve a God who can respond, and speak, and hear, and walk and handle us. We don’t serve a dead God, we serve a living God!
We must learn something about Satan; he is a great counterfeiter. Whatever God has for us, Satan will make a counterfeit for us as well. The only difference is that the counterfeit cannot produce what it says it will. For instance, God gave us a church, but Satan also has churches out there. This is why we must be careful to get into a church that preaches and lives what the Bible says. God gave us a family, but Satan has also offered us his counterfeit for a family as we see today with the sodomite households. These families just will not work for they are against God’s methods. God has music for us to listen to, but Satan has also produced counterfeit music through the Christian rock and the music of the world. God gave us a Bible in the King James Bible 1611, but Satan has also offered us his counterfeits through all the other versions that have been produced. No matter what God offers us, Satan will always have a counterfeit.
Everyday we all must be sure that we don’t accept the counterfeits of Satan. I ask you, is there some counterfeit that Satan has offered to you that you have accepted and are trying to use? Let me just be frank with you, it will never give you what it promises. Oh, at the beginning it may seem to satisfy, but once you put the counterfeit to the test, it will always fail. Only accept what God offers to you and never accept the counterfeits of Satan.
9/22 Spurgeon's Devotion for Today
“When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”
- Psa_61:2
Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace, our God is the harbour of weather-beaten sails, the hospice of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is he, his mercy higher than our sins, his love higher than our thoughts. It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed upon an exceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock he is since he changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which overwhelm us roll far beneath at his feet; he is not disturbed by them, but rules them at his will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Alas! such is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by thy Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith, lead us into thy rest. The wind blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand; thou, thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we are upon thee-we need thee to bring us to thee. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is thy gift, and thine alone. This night be pleased to deal well with thy servants.
- Psa_61:2
Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace, our God is the harbour of weather-beaten sails, the hospice of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is he, his mercy higher than our sins, his love higher than our thoughts. It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed upon an exceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock he is since he changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which overwhelm us roll far beneath at his feet; he is not disturbed by them, but rules them at his will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Alas! such is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by thy Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith, lead us into thy rest. The wind blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand; thou, thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we are upon thee-we need thee to bring us to thee. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is thy gift, and thine alone. This night be pleased to deal well with thy servants.
9/21 The Message Of Rebellion
Number 27:12-14
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
One of the reasons why rebellion against God is so bad is because of the message it preaches to the heathen. When a Christian rebels against God they are challenging the Deity and power of God. Notice in verse twenty-four what God said Moses' rebellion did; it failed to sanctify God in the eyes of the people. Not only was this rebellion of Moses a sin in itself because he directly disobeyed God, but it also hurt God in the eyes of the people. His rebellion against God no doubt caused people to continue to disobey God in certain areas of their lives.
Rebellion always hurts other people. We do not know, and will probably never know, who our rebellion is affecting. But we can rest assured when we rebel against God, we are not just hurting ourselves, we are also hurting others and we are hurting the cause of Christ. People watch us, and when they see us directly disobey God we are telling them that it is ok to make our own decisions, even if these decisions go against what God tells us to do. Every Christian needs to be careful to obey everything that God tells them to do. We need to be careful that we do not lead someone astray because of our rebellion.
Rebellion has nothing to do with someone being a maverick. Rebellion has nothing to do with us "being our own man." Rebellion has nothing to do with us standing up for our own rights. Rebellion is all about us getting our own way. Rebellion hurts us, God and those whom we influence. No matter what the cause of our rebellion, it is never justified.
Even though Moses was angry with the people, his rebellion was not justified. Moses' rebellion was wrong because he disobeyed God. Instead of being a people who rebel against God, let us be a people who are sensitive to the voice of God and who do what He asks us to do so that we will help, and not hurt His cause.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
One of the reasons why rebellion against God is so bad is because of the message it preaches to the heathen. When a Christian rebels against God they are challenging the Deity and power of God. Notice in verse twenty-four what God said Moses' rebellion did; it failed to sanctify God in the eyes of the people. Not only was this rebellion of Moses a sin in itself because he directly disobeyed God, but it also hurt God in the eyes of the people. His rebellion against God no doubt caused people to continue to disobey God in certain areas of their lives.
Rebellion always hurts other people. We do not know, and will probably never know, who our rebellion is affecting. But we can rest assured when we rebel against God, we are not just hurting ourselves, we are also hurting others and we are hurting the cause of Christ. People watch us, and when they see us directly disobey God we are telling them that it is ok to make our own decisions, even if these decisions go against what God tells us to do. Every Christian needs to be careful to obey everything that God tells them to do. We need to be careful that we do not lead someone astray because of our rebellion.
Rebellion has nothing to do with someone being a maverick. Rebellion has nothing to do with us "being our own man." Rebellion has nothing to do with us standing up for our own rights. Rebellion is all about us getting our own way. Rebellion hurts us, God and those whom we influence. No matter what the cause of our rebellion, it is never justified.
Even though Moses was angry with the people, his rebellion was not justified. Moses' rebellion was wrong because he disobeyed God. Instead of being a people who rebel against God, let us be a people who are sensitive to the voice of God and who do what He asks us to do so that we will help, and not hurt His cause.
9/21 Spurgeon's Devotions
“I will rejoice over them to do them good.”
- Jer_32:41
How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in his saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God’s people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us. We do not read anywhere that God delighteth in the cloud-capped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that he delighteth in the habitable parts of the earth, and that his delights are with the sons of men. We do not find it written that even angels give his soul delight; nor doth he say, concerning cherubim and seraphim, “Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee”; but he does say all that to poor fallen creatures like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by his grace. In what strong language he expresses his delight in his people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, “He will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” As he looked upon the world he had made, he said, “It is very good”; but when he beheld those who are the purchase of Jesus’ blood, his own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine exclamations of joy. Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvellous declaration of his love, and sing, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation?”
- Jer_32:41
How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in his saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God’s people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us. We do not read anywhere that God delighteth in the cloud-capped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that he delighteth in the habitable parts of the earth, and that his delights are with the sons of men. We do not find it written that even angels give his soul delight; nor doth he say, concerning cherubim and seraphim, “Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee”; but he does say all that to poor fallen creatures like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by his grace. In what strong language he expresses his delight in his people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, “He will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” As he looked upon the world he had made, he said, “It is very good”; but when he beheld those who are the purchase of Jesus’ blood, his own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine exclamations of joy. Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvellous declaration of his love, and sing, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation?”
9/20 Proverbs 20:1-30
Proverbs 20:1-30
Proverbs 20:3 "It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling."
"Every fool will be meddling." It sounds like some southern axiom muttered from the corner of a grandma's mouth, as she sits in her porch rocker! You can almost hear the southern drawl.
How true that when we unwisely get in the middle of a fight between two people, we often end up with the black eye and the busted lip. Not only should we not strive with others, but we need to stay out of other's troubles. There is a time to help...and a time to let them work it out on their own. We can be a peacemaker without getting directly involved, and sometimes that is the wisest way.
Proverbs 20:3 "It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling."
"Every fool will be meddling." It sounds like some southern axiom muttered from the corner of a grandma's mouth, as she sits in her porch rocker! You can almost hear the southern drawl.
How true that when we unwisely get in the middle of a fight between two people, we often end up with the black eye and the busted lip. Not only should we not strive with others, but we need to stay out of other's troubles. There is a time to help...and a time to let them work it out on their own. We can be a peacemaker without getting directly involved, and sometimes that is the wisest way.
9/20 I Can Do All Things...
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
The key word in this verse is “which”. I see this as the second most mis-quoted verse in the Bible. How many times have you heard someone quote this verse and say, “Christ who strengtheneth me”? This one word makes a world of difference in this verse. The word “who” refers to a person, who is Christ. This is saying, in effect, that I can do anything through Christ, but too often I discover that I cannot do absolutely anything. Mis-quoting this verse in this way, hurts one’s faith, especially a new Christian, when he finds that he cannot do everything he attempts to do, or any great feat for that matter (such as working miracles). On the other hand, when we put the proper word, “which” in this verse, it refers to an object or a principle, such as a doctrine. The verse then focuses on “all things” that strengthen. The true application of this verse is “I can do all those things that strengthen me through Christ.” I do not attempt to correct the text, for it needs no correction, but I hope to correct our focus on this verse. Folks, we can do all that makes us stronger in Him, by His grace. He wants us to be stronger. All that is good for us, and is right (which is the same thing), we can do through Him.
This is a little off the text, but I must use the illustration to clarify my point:
It is important to realize that every word is important when it is God’s Word. One word can change the focus, and the entire meaning of a verse or passage. No two words mean exactly the same thing, otherwise, we would not need so many words in the English language. An example is in Jn. 1:12, where the word “power” is translated “right” or “privilege” or authority” or several other words, especially in inferior versions of the Bible. Now, though these words may be correct in a sense, they all lose the force of the word “power” which is the correct rendering. If Christ gives me the right to become a son of God, it is as if I must do it, with His blessing! If He gives me the power, I know I can do it, because He “strengthens me” in that area. Not so with “authority” or “privilege” or even the “right.” We, as Christians, need to be careful about changing the Word of God, especially when we are “quoting” scriptures. Accuracy is imperative, for another’s faith may hang on your words.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
The key word in this verse is “which”. I see this as the second most mis-quoted verse in the Bible. How many times have you heard someone quote this verse and say, “Christ who strengtheneth me”? This one word makes a world of difference in this verse. The word “who” refers to a person, who is Christ. This is saying, in effect, that I can do anything through Christ, but too often I discover that I cannot do absolutely anything. Mis-quoting this verse in this way, hurts one’s faith, especially a new Christian, when he finds that he cannot do everything he attempts to do, or any great feat for that matter (such as working miracles). On the other hand, when we put the proper word, “which” in this verse, it refers to an object or a principle, such as a doctrine. The verse then focuses on “all things” that strengthen. The true application of this verse is “I can do all those things that strengthen me through Christ.” I do not attempt to correct the text, for it needs no correction, but I hope to correct our focus on this verse. Folks, we can do all that makes us stronger in Him, by His grace. He wants us to be stronger. All that is good for us, and is right (which is the same thing), we can do through Him.
This is a little off the text, but I must use the illustration to clarify my point:
It is important to realize that every word is important when it is God’s Word. One word can change the focus, and the entire meaning of a verse or passage. No two words mean exactly the same thing, otherwise, we would not need so many words in the English language. An example is in Jn. 1:12, where the word “power” is translated “right” or “privilege” or authority” or several other words, especially in inferior versions of the Bible. Now, though these words may be correct in a sense, they all lose the force of the word “power” which is the correct rendering. If Christ gives me the right to become a son of God, it is as if I must do it, with His blessing! If He gives me the power, I know I can do it, because He “strengthens me” in that area. Not so with “authority” or “privilege” or even the “right.” We, as Christians, need to be careful about changing the Word of God, especially when we are “quoting” scriptures. Accuracy is imperative, for another’s faith may hang on your words.
9/20 Jealousy Kills Teamwork
1 Samuel 18:8
“And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?”
Nothing will destroy teamwork more than jealousy. Inside this verse is the story of David and Saul after the slaughter of Goliath. What a great victory God had given to Israel through the hand of David. With Israel working together they were able to do great things. Now as they come home from the battle, the ladies of the city were singing the song, “…Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” I can only imagine King Saul as he hears the first part of the song, how his heart must have been lifted up in pride as he thought the ladies of the city were welcoming him back. But then came the remainder of the verse where they ascribed to David ten thousands. Immediately we see the ugly eye of jealousy creeping up in the heart of Saul when he heard David getting more praise than he. What a tragedy that Saul let this little song destroy his spirit toward a very loyal servant. What a tragedy that Saul was willing to let jealousy kill what teamwork had done for Israel.
Yet, the same thing happens on the job, in the church and in our society all the time. If we are not careful we can get more wrapped up in the accolades of people than realizing how much teamwork can accomplish.
When trying to accomplish something, we cannot get jealous of someone because they get more praise than us. We must realize that we are all on the same team and though one may get more praise than the other, without the team the victory would not have been won. It takes teamwork for great victories to be won. It takes teamwork for the giants of life to be defeated. It takes teamwork for great causes to flourish. Superstars do not win championships. Teamwork wins championships, but jealousy can destroy a championship team.
In our churches, we must be careful not to let the praise of others cause us to become jealous. If we let jealousy creep into our churches, then our churches will cease to accomplish great things. Pastors cannot become jealous of another pastor who gets recognition because his church is bigger. That will kill us! We all need to work together to accomplish great things for God. When someone receives praise we should be excited that God has blessed someone in that matter. When we get past the stage of worrying about who will get the recognition for the work being done, then great things can happen. I love the quote that says, “It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” When everyone is concerned with just doing the work of God and not about who is going to get the credit for doing the work, then it is amazing the unity and the work that will be accomplished.
Let us be careful to not let our jealousy over someone else’s recognition destroy the teamwork that we have going for us. Let us remember, in God’s work there is no place for jealousy, there is only place for teamwork. When jealousy starts creeping in great works cease because jealousy kills teamwork. Teamwork in the work of the Lord will accomplish great things.
“And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?”
Nothing will destroy teamwork more than jealousy. Inside this verse is the story of David and Saul after the slaughter of Goliath. What a great victory God had given to Israel through the hand of David. With Israel working together they were able to do great things. Now as they come home from the battle, the ladies of the city were singing the song, “…Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” I can only imagine King Saul as he hears the first part of the song, how his heart must have been lifted up in pride as he thought the ladies of the city were welcoming him back. But then came the remainder of the verse where they ascribed to David ten thousands. Immediately we see the ugly eye of jealousy creeping up in the heart of Saul when he heard David getting more praise than he. What a tragedy that Saul let this little song destroy his spirit toward a very loyal servant. What a tragedy that Saul was willing to let jealousy kill what teamwork had done for Israel.
Yet, the same thing happens on the job, in the church and in our society all the time. If we are not careful we can get more wrapped up in the accolades of people than realizing how much teamwork can accomplish.
When trying to accomplish something, we cannot get jealous of someone because they get more praise than us. We must realize that we are all on the same team and though one may get more praise than the other, without the team the victory would not have been won. It takes teamwork for great victories to be won. It takes teamwork for the giants of life to be defeated. It takes teamwork for great causes to flourish. Superstars do not win championships. Teamwork wins championships, but jealousy can destroy a championship team.
In our churches, we must be careful not to let the praise of others cause us to become jealous. If we let jealousy creep into our churches, then our churches will cease to accomplish great things. Pastors cannot become jealous of another pastor who gets recognition because his church is bigger. That will kill us! We all need to work together to accomplish great things for God. When someone receives praise we should be excited that God has blessed someone in that matter. When we get past the stage of worrying about who will get the recognition for the work being done, then great things can happen. I love the quote that says, “It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” When everyone is concerned with just doing the work of God and not about who is going to get the credit for doing the work, then it is amazing the unity and the work that will be accomplished.
Let us be careful to not let our jealousy over someone else’s recognition destroy the teamwork that we have going for us. Let us remember, in God’s work there is no place for jealousy, there is only place for teamwork. When jealousy starts creeping in great works cease because jealousy kills teamwork. Teamwork in the work of the Lord will accomplish great things.
9/20 Spurgeon Today
“The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.”
- Jdg_7:20
Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the pitcher and let the light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” This is precisely what all Christians must do. First, you must shine; break the pitcher which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and shine. Let your light shine before men; let your good works be such, that when men look upon you, they shall know that you have been with Jesus. Then there must be the sound, the blowing of the trumpet. There must be active exertions for the ingathering of sinners by proclaiming Christ crucified. Take the gospel to them; carry it to their door; put it in their way; do not suffer them to escape it; blow the trumpet right against their ears. Remember that the true war-cry of the Church is Gideon’s watchword, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” God must do it, it is his own work. But we are not to be idle; instrumentality is to be used-”The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” If we only cry, “The sword of the Lord!” we shall be guilty of an idle presumption; and if we shout, “The sword of Gideon!” alone, we shall manifest idolatrous reliance on an arm of flesh: we must blend the two in practical harmony, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” We can do nothing of ourselves, but we can do everything by the help of our God; let us, therefore, in his name determine to go out personally and serve with our flaming torch of holy example, and with our trumpet tones of earnest declaration and testimony, and God shall be with us, and Midian shall be put to confusion, and the Lord of hosts shall reign for ever and ever.
- Jdg_7:20
Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the pitcher and let the light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” This is precisely what all Christians must do. First, you must shine; break the pitcher which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and shine. Let your light shine before men; let your good works be such, that when men look upon you, they shall know that you have been with Jesus. Then there must be the sound, the blowing of the trumpet. There must be active exertions for the ingathering of sinners by proclaiming Christ crucified. Take the gospel to them; carry it to their door; put it in their way; do not suffer them to escape it; blow the trumpet right against their ears. Remember that the true war-cry of the Church is Gideon’s watchword, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” God must do it, it is his own work. But we are not to be idle; instrumentality is to be used-”The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” If we only cry, “The sword of the Lord!” we shall be guilty of an idle presumption; and if we shout, “The sword of Gideon!” alone, we shall manifest idolatrous reliance on an arm of flesh: we must blend the two in practical harmony, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” We can do nothing of ourselves, but we can do everything by the help of our God; let us, therefore, in his name determine to go out personally and serve with our flaming torch of holy example, and with our trumpet tones of earnest declaration and testimony, and God shall be with us, and Midian shall be put to confusion, and the Lord of hosts shall reign for ever and ever.
9/19 Today's Reading
Revelation 21:19-27
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 221 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Nahum 1
1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Nahum 2
1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
Nahum 3
1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not.
2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses.
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea.
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.
14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.
17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.
19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
Psalms 143
A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
7 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9 Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 221 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Nahum 1
1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Nahum 2
1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
Nahum 3
1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not.
2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses.
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea.
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.
14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.
17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.
19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
Psalms 143
A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
7 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9 Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
9/19 Daily in the Word
Moved with Compassion
Friday, September 18, 2009
by Dr. Paul Chappell
"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
Matthew 9:36-38
Having godly compassion means seeing the needs of people before seeing the differences in people.
Alexander Maclaren, Baptist minister in Scotland in the late 1800s, once said, "Kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it, do not hammer it." Maclaren makes the point that kindness and compassion has more of an influence on others than harsh treatment.
One of the greatest examples we have of compassion is seen in Christ. His compassion took Him from Heaven's perfect habitation to earth's sinful state. It drew Him to a people whom He loved but who hated Him, and it led Him to a death on an old rugged Cross. Compassion was the driving factor behind Jesus' earthly ministry, and the story in our verses today illustrates this truth.
"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." Christ saw the people before Him, not as followers or promoters of his popularity, but as lost souls, needing His help.
Imagine being in Christ's spot. Multitudes of people stood before Him, and, whether they knew it or not, they needed His healing, physically and spiritually. They had been lost in a tradition of religious knowledge and worship that He had come to end. Everyone in Israel needed His salvation.
Jesus was moved with compassion by seeing the needs of the people. Jesus' compassion wasn't simply a heartfelt emotion; He acted upon His compassion. He commanded the disciples, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
How do you view the people around you? Do you see them as friends, neighbors, perhaps people with problems? Or do you, like the Lord, see them as people needing help? Having godly compassion means seeing the needs of people before seeing the differences in people.
Some people are called to be missionaries and spread God's Word, but we all are instructed to pray for the lost souls of others. No one person can reach the entire world, but as God's people pray for His work to be done and are faithful in the work God has called them to do, God's message will be spread.
It's sometimes overwhelming to think of the millions of people you cannot reach with God's Word. Sometimes you might even want to drop everything and travel the world, telling others of Christ! While that is a worthy aspiration, He has called you to be faithful where you are and continue reaching out to those around you.
How far is your spiritual reach? Do you reach out to people around you through witnessing, to missionaries through praying, and to other countries through giving? God desires that you would have compassion on the lost of this world, and that compassion would move you enough to seek God's help in reaching them. Take time today to pray for God's work to be prosperous in other countries, and continue reaching out in your own mission field where you live. You can make a difference as you are faithful where you are right now.
Friday, September 18, 2009
by Dr. Paul Chappell
"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
Matthew 9:36-38
Having godly compassion means seeing the needs of people before seeing the differences in people.
Alexander Maclaren, Baptist minister in Scotland in the late 1800s, once said, "Kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it, do not hammer it." Maclaren makes the point that kindness and compassion has more of an influence on others than harsh treatment.
One of the greatest examples we have of compassion is seen in Christ. His compassion took Him from Heaven's perfect habitation to earth's sinful state. It drew Him to a people whom He loved but who hated Him, and it led Him to a death on an old rugged Cross. Compassion was the driving factor behind Jesus' earthly ministry, and the story in our verses today illustrates this truth.
"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." Christ saw the people before Him, not as followers or promoters of his popularity, but as lost souls, needing His help.
Imagine being in Christ's spot. Multitudes of people stood before Him, and, whether they knew it or not, they needed His healing, physically and spiritually. They had been lost in a tradition of religious knowledge and worship that He had come to end. Everyone in Israel needed His salvation.
Jesus was moved with compassion by seeing the needs of the people. Jesus' compassion wasn't simply a heartfelt emotion; He acted upon His compassion. He commanded the disciples, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
How do you view the people around you? Do you see them as friends, neighbors, perhaps people with problems? Or do you, like the Lord, see them as people needing help? Having godly compassion means seeing the needs of people before seeing the differences in people.
Some people are called to be missionaries and spread God's Word, but we all are instructed to pray for the lost souls of others. No one person can reach the entire world, but as God's people pray for His work to be done and are faithful in the work God has called them to do, God's message will be spread.
It's sometimes overwhelming to think of the millions of people you cannot reach with God's Word. Sometimes you might even want to drop everything and travel the world, telling others of Christ! While that is a worthy aspiration, He has called you to be faithful where you are and continue reaching out to those around you.
How far is your spiritual reach? Do you reach out to people around you through witnessing, to missionaries through praying, and to other countries through giving? God desires that you would have compassion on the lost of this world, and that compassion would move you enough to seek God's help in reaching them. Take time today to pray for God's work to be prosperous in other countries, and continue reaching out in your own mission field where you live. You can make a difference as you are faithful where you are right now.
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