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2/11 An Attitude of Gratitude

2012-02-11T08:08:00.001-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:AnAttitude of Gratitude
Date:Saturday February 11, 2012Today'sChapters:Numbers11-13

Hello My Friend,

Faith is talking yourselfinto believing that God can do something He says He is going to do,quite often, people do not receive the things they ask God forbecause deep down they do not have faith that He can really do whatHe says. I always look at how God answers prayers like a trafficlight, red means no, I am not giving you that. Yellow means, slow, bepatient and wait, and green means, go, you can have it now. There isa reason why God says no, slow, and go, much of is about faith, butalso gratitude plays a big part in how God answers prayers.
“Nowfaith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of thingsnot seen. Forby it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understandthat the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things whichare seen were not made of things which do appear...Butwithout faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh toGod must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them thatdiligently seek him...They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, weretempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskinsand goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and inmountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, havingobtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: Godhaving provided some better thing for us, that they without us shouldnot be made perfect.”- Hebrews 11:1-3,6,37-40.

God loves to provide for Hispeople, it thrills Him to give us what we need, but start complainingthat what He gives is not good enough and, how does the saying go,“You better be careful what you wish for.” The problem with theJews was that they had, and still have, the assumption that sincethey are God's chosen He will not destroy them, no matter what theydo. While God did choose the Jewish nation to represent as His peoplethat did not mean God would not cast them in hell for their sins. Asthey were heading toward the promised land they began complainingthat God was not giving them enough to eat.
“Andthe mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and thechildren of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us fleshto eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; thecucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and thegarlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all,beside this manna, before our eyes...And Moses said unto the LORD,Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I notfound favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all thispeople upon me?..And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S handwaxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to passunto thee or not...And there went forth a wind from the LORD, andbrought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as itwere a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey onthe other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits highupon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, andall that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails:he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them allabroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh wasyet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD waskindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a verygreat plague.”- Numbers 11:4-6,14,23,31-33.

Although God graciously allowsus to complain to Him when there is cause, He is justly provoked ifwe keep complaining when there is no cause for it and especially whenwe have been surrounded with His provisions. The plague they weregiven was the result of their lust and greed, there was not even amention of thanks either.

Thosewho do not know Jesus Christ personally as their Savior truly have nohealthy appetite for the Bread of life, the things of Christ, andwill desire things pleasing to the flesh over things pleasing to God.“For, brethren, ye have beencalled unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to theflesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled inone word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Butif ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumedone of another. ThisI say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust ofthe flesh.”-Galatians 5:13-16.

Now, Aaron and Miriam were probably themost influential people in the camp, Aaron, a prophet, and the headof the service of God, Miriam, a prophetess, and first rank among thewomen of Israel. Both were discontent and began complaining aboutMoses. God heard the complaining and called them all out of thetabernacle to confront them.
“Andthe LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam,Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And theythree came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud,and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam:and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there bea prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in avision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is notso, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth tomouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitudeof the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid tospeak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindledagainst them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off thetabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: andAaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.”-Numbers 12:4-8.

Moses had the spirit of prophecy in a waythat set him far above all prophets, he was able to talk with God ina free, friendly, and familiar manner, as one friend speaks toanother, without any fear or dread. To have such a relationship withGod would be astounding, but the greatest Christian on earth cannotcompare to Jesus Christ, who removes our darkest sins. While Godnever leaves nor forsakes those who are saved, the removal of Hispresence is eminent by those who question Him and have no desire tolive in His will until they repent. “Andthe times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all menevery where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the whichhe will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hathordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that hehath raised him from the dead.”-Acts 17:30,31.

God promises to always take care of andprotect His faithful servants, but fear can often get the best of us,which keeps us from letting God give us with what He really wants togive us. The time had come for the Jews to see the promised land,Moses sent twelve men, one from each tribe, to scope it out, only twoout of the twelve were ready to fight for their land, the othersdiscouraged the entire congregation by telling them that they weretoo weak. “And theyreturned from searching of the land after forty days. And they wentand came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of thechildren of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; andbrought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, andshewed them the fruit of the land...And Caleb stilled the peoplebefore Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for weare well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said,We be not able to go up against the people; for they are strongerthan we.”- Numbers 13:25,26,30,31.

We have no one, but ourselves toblame for not being grateful and thankful to God for what He has andis willing to give us, we just need to make a little effortsometimes. Remember, faith without works is dead. You can believe inChrist all you want, but unless you admit you are a sinner and ask Heto save you, you will not be saved. God loves us and will do anythingfor us, but unless we apply an attitude of gratitude once in a whileHe will hold back some of the blessings. “Letthe word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching andadmonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Andwhatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LordJesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”-Colossians 3:16,17.
Today'sPsalm: 100:4 - “Enter into hisgates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankfulunto him, and bless his name.”

Today'sProverb: 20:4 - “Thesluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he begin harvest, and have nothing.”

Today'sPrayer:God, I feel such deep gratitude when I consider how patient You arewith my frequent shortcomings. You do not toss me aside and move onto a more deserving person, but You continue to come alongside me andYour Word continues to renew my hope day by day. When I am tempted togive up the fight, You never let me go and keep encouraging me to domy best. Let me not use the circumstances in my life to find a reasonto complain, but use it as a reason to improve my relationship withYou and to fully trust in You evey area of my life. In Jesus' name.Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/11 A Plain Path

2012-02-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

II Chronicles 6:1

"Then said Solomon, The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness."

from Bro. Jonathan Ritchey

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2/10 Spurgeon Today

2012-02-10T13:58:00.000-06:00

“I know how to abound.”
Philippians 4:12
There are many who know “how to be abased” who have not learned “how to abound.” When they are set upon the top of a pinnacle their heads grow dizzy, and they are ready to fall. The Christian far oftener disgraces his profession in prosperity than in adversity. It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the refining pot of prosperity. Oh, what leanness of soul and neglect of spiritual things have been brought on through the very mercies and bounties of God! Yet this is not a matter of necessity, for the apostle tells us that he knew how to abound. When he had much he knew how to use it. Abundant grace enabled him to bear abundant prosperity. When he had a full sail he was loaded with much ballast, and so floated safely. It needs more than human skill to carry the brimming cup of mortal joy with a steady hand, yet Paul had learned that skill, for he declares, “In all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry.” It is a divine lesson to know how to be full, for the Israelites were full once, but while the flesh was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them. Many have asked for mercies that they might satisfy their own hearts’ lust. Fulness of bread has often made fulness of blood, and that has brought on wantonness of spirit. When we have much of God’s providential mercies, it often happens that we have but little of God’s grace, and little gratitude for the bounties we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven. Rest assured it is harder to know how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry—so desperate is the tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of God. Take care that you ask in your prayers that God would teach you “how to be full.”
“Let not the gifts thy love bestows
Estrange our hearts from thee.”

2/10 Our Faithful Guide

2012-02-10T05:40:00.001-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:OurFaithful Guide
Date:Friday February 10, 2012Today'sChapters:Numbers8-10

Hello My Friend,

Christians, have something inthem that no person outside of the Kingdom of God, Satan, or even theangels do not have, we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us. He isour guide, our teacher, and our knowledge of Christ and everythingGod. “Whosoeverbelieveth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one thatloveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him...Forwhatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is thevictory that overcometh the world, even our faith...He that believethon the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth notGod hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record thatGod gave of his Son. Andthis is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and thislife is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hathnot the Son of God hath not life.”-1 John 5:1,4,10-12. What exactly is a Christian? A Christian is areal disciple of Christ, one who believes in the truth of the Gospel,and studies to follow the example of Jesus Christ, hence the wordChrist-ian.

Now, everysaved born again child of God has the Spirit of God in them, once youaccept Christ as your Savior you are saved, it is God's grace thatsaves us not our being a Christian. However, that does not mean thateveryone who is saved is a Christian, to be a Christian one mustfollow the example of Christ, or at least keep moving toward thatexample. To do that, one needs to allow that amazing gift in them toguide them. We are no different today then we were before Christcame, the people still needed to be saved, they still needed theSpirit of God to guide them, and they still needed to follow byexample, the difference between us and them, God dwelt in aTabernacle. “Forwe know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal inthe heavens.”- 2 Corinthians 5:1.

As we learned earlier, God chose theLevites as the tribe that would serve Him in the Tabernacle, now thetime has come to make it official. It was time to concentrate all theLevites and separate them from the rest of the tribes. “Takethe Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them...AndAaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of thechildren of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks:and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for aburnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, andoffer them for an offering unto the LORD. Thus shalt thou separatethe Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shallbe mine.”- Numbers 8:6,11-14.

Why were they separated? To keep themfrom getting mixed up in the world and corrupting themselves. Did youever wonder why there is so many false religion and even versions ofthe Bible out there? It is Christians who corrupted themselves bymixing the world in with Christ. To justify their behavior, whichthey know is sin, they remove Scripture from God's Word and createdtheir own religion based on what they took out or in some cases addedto their version of God's Word. “Becausethat, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither werethankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolishheart was darkened. Professingthemselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory ofthe uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, andto birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”-Romans 1:21-23.

Next, God commanded that all of Israel andeveryone among them who were clean, observe the Passover, “Letthe children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointedseason.In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep itin his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, andaccording to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.

AndMoses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep thepassover. And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of thefirst month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all thatthe LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel...But the manthat is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep thepassover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people:because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointedseason, that man shall bear his sin. And if a stranger shall sojournamong you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to theordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, soshall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, andfor him that was born in the land.”- Numbers 9:2-5,13,14.

Just as God freed the Jews out ofEgypt, Christ frees us from hell when we receive Him as our Savior,we should never loose sight of what He did for us on the cross and toobserve it quite often. Of all the observances of Christ there is torecognize, Resurrection Day is by far the greatest, after all, therewill come a day when we will all resurrect, thanks to Jesus Christthose who believe in Him and receive Him get a new glorified body andeternal life those who do not receive Him bare their own sin andreceive eternal death. “Marvelnot at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in thegraves shall hear his voice, Andshall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection oflife; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection ofdamnation.”-John 5:28,29.

Ithad been over two years that the Jews were set free and embarked ontheir journey to the promised land. They had been given all theinstructions and commands, now, it was time to move the camp andreach the promised land. “AndMoses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' fatherin law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, Iwill give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: forthe LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, Iwill not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest howwe are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us insteadof eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, thatwhat goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do untothee. And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days'journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them inthe three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. Andthe cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of thecamp.”- Numbers 10:29-34.

Those who through Christ, are bound forthe heavenly Canaan should invite and encourage their friends to goalong with them. The Holy Spirit was their guide the entire journey,when He walked they walked, when He stood, they stood. When we allowthe Holy Spirit to guide us He will steer us in the right directionall the time, we may perhaps get off course sometimes, but thanks toHis GPS He will get us back on the right path when we simply stop andask Him for directions. “Howbeitwhen he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into alltruth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shallhear, thatshall he speak: and he will shewyou things to come...At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I saynot unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:For the Father himself lovethyou, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out fromGod.”- John 16:13,26,27.
Today'sPsalm: 32:8 - “I will instructthee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide theewith mine eye.”

Today'sProverb:1:23 - “Turnyou at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I willmake known my words unto you.”Today'sPrayer:God, it is truly amazing that You love us so much that you arewilling to live inside of us to guide us and keep us from thatdangers of the world. Although we can get off course from time totime it is comforting to know that You will not leave us lost in thewilderness, but guide us to safety when we simply ask for direction.Lord, lead me and guide me, open my eyes, ears, and heart to listenfor You at all times, help me to know the path I am on and whether orit is the right one. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/10 Fundamental Thoughts

2012-02-10T04:00:00.000-06:00

Has He Restored Your Soul?

Psalms 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness forhis name's sake.

AsChristians, all that we are is: “for his name's sake.” Jesus died on that cruel old tree to acceptALL of our sins, (so that through His Blood, He could atone for us.) He became our “Passover Lamb.”

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, thatwhosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God sent His Son, (His Only Begotten Son,) to die forus so we can have “everlasting life.” In His death on the Cross, Jesus made available a means of restorationfor us. Through His Blood, we are ableto choose God. I received The HolySpirit (by one decision, accepting Jesus as my Saviour.)

I hadbeen bound for hell, (the “wrath of God.”)

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he thatbelieveth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

“But BrotherJohn, you just don’t know what I have done.” This is true, but Saul (Paul) said that he was the Chiefest of Sinners,and God selected him to speak for Jesus. All of Jesus’ followers had “faith” in God andHis Son Jesus The Christ. It was never“what they were.” It was always “whatyou can be.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: itis the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.

If we go back and study we find many were the “worstof the worst,” (but God accepted them,) because one day they realized theirsoul was depleted, and needed restoring. Someone told them The Gospel (or they might have read a tract,) theymade a choice, and chose Jesus.

(Theyreceived a new life, a new home, and an everlasting, forevermore eternity.) God tells us (through Paul) in The Book ofRomans that once we have made “The Choice,” we need to tell others that we haveaccepted Jesus The Christ as our Saviour.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shaltbelieve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt besaved.

We made this decision based on belief. In this verse, God asks us to “believein thine heart” that He (God) did “raise…him[Jesus] fromthe dead.” In our “belief,” God willsave us eternally.

“Reader,accept Jesus today. Allow theconviction of God’s Holy Spirit to draw you nearer to God.”

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:and I will raise him up at the last day.

Be “draw[n]” today. Accept Him. Now is The Appointed Time.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

fundamentalthoughts-preacher.blogspot.com FundamentalThoughts

2/9 Spurgeon Today

2012-02-09T13:52:00.000-06:00

“And David enquired of the Lord.”
2 Samuel 5:23
When David made this enquiry he had just fought the Philistines, and gained a signal victory. The Philistines came up in great hosts, but, by the help of God, David had easily put them to flight. Note, however, that when they came a second time, David did not go up to fight them without enquiring of the Lord. Once he had been victorious, and he might have said, as many have in other cases, “I shall be victorious again; I may rest quite sure that if I have conquered once I shall triumph yet again. Wherefore should I tarry to seek at the Lord’s hands?” Not so, David. He had gained one battle by the strength of the Lord; he would not venture upon another until he had ensured the same. He enquired, “Shall I go up against them?” He waited until God’s sign was given. Learn from David to take no step without God. Christian, if thou wouldst know the path of duty, take God for thy compass; if thou wouldst steer thy ship through the dark billows, put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty. Many a rock might be escaped, if we would let our Father take the helm; many a shoal or quicksand we might well avoid, if we would leave to his sovereign will to choose and to command. The Puritan said, “As sure as ever a Christian carves for himself, he'll cut his own fingers;” this is a great truth. Said another old divine, “He that goes before the cloud of God’s providence goes on a fool’s errand;” and so he does. We must mark God’s providence leading us; and if providence tarries, tarry till providence comes. He who goes before providence, will be very glad to run back again. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go,” is God’s promise to his people. Let us, then, take all our perplexities to him, and say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Leave not thy chamber this morning without enquiring of the Lord.

2/09 Free Will Offering

2012-02-09T05:40:00.001-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:FreeWill Offering
Date:Thursday February 09, 2012Today'sChapters:Numbers7

Hello My Friend,

We will all stand before Christone day and one of two things will happen, Jesus will say, “Welldone,thougoodand faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, Iwill make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thylord.”- Matthew 25:21, and you will join Him in His Kingdom. Or He willsay, “Departfrom me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil andhis angels:”- Matthew 25:41b, and you will be cast into the lake of fire. “AndI saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books wereopened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: andthe dead were judged out of those things which were written in thebooks, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead whichwere in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were inthem: and they were judged every man according to their works. Anddeath and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the seconddeath. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life wascast into the lake of fire.”- Revelation 20:12-15.

As Christians we truly have no idea howblessed we are, I do not think we fully understand how merciful Godis until we get into a situation where we are dependent solely onGod. Every day that goes by I feel wretched and unworthy to even bein His presence let alone to know that I am still forgiven and haveescaped hell through my faith in Christ alone. Let me tell you, thecloser you get to Jesus the more wretched you feel and trulyunderstand what He did to save you. The best thing any of us can doto thank God for what He did is to offer ourselves to Him. “Ibeseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that yepresent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may provewhat is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”- Romans 12:1,2.
TheTabernacle was all set up, the people were told what they needed todo, the time had finally come for the Jews to be able to show God howdedicated they were to Him by giving the offerings God explained.After Moses sanctified the Tabernacle prince of each of the twelvetribes stood before the tent with their offerings and every day fortwelve days the same offering was offered. “Andit came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up thetabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all theinstruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, andhad anointed them, and sanctified them; That the princes of Israel,heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of thetribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: And theybrought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, andtwelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox:and they brought them before the tabernacle. And the LORD spake untoMoses, saying, Take it of them, that they may be to do the service ofthe tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto theLevites, to every man according to his service.”- Numbers 7:1-5.

One by one, each prince brought theirofferings to be presented before God, cheerfully and of their ownfree will. God loves a cheerful giver, He delights in seeing Hispeople acknowledging Him, seeking forgiveness, and giving thanks toHim for all He has done for them. “Butthis I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; andhe which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every manaccording as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; notgrudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And Godis able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always havingall sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”- 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.

Now, God knows that we are not goingto be cheerful all the time, and that we are even going to be alittle slothful from time to time, He accepts that, in fact, He willeven tell us when we are overdoing things and need to rest. Yet, evenwhen we are not cheerful we can give ourselves completely to Him, infact, God will bless us even more for pressing forward through thetrying times in our lives. “Beloved,think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuchas ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his gloryshall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye bereproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit ofglory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spokenof, but on your part he is glorified.”- 1 Peter 4:12-14.

After the princes presented theirofferings, Moses presented them to God on their behalf. “Thiswas the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, bythe princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silverbowls, twelve spoons of gold: Each charger of silver weighing anhundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vesselsweighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel ofthe sanctuary: The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense,weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: allthe gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels. All theoxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve,the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and thekids of the goats for sin offering twelve. And all the oxen for thesacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, therams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty.This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed.”- Numbers 7:84-88.

Moses was the mediator, the middleman,the one who presented the offerings before God, in a sense he waslike a lawyer defending his client. He stood before God, the judge,presented his case, all the evidence, and pleaded before his clientslife to be spared. If the judge saw that the offering was sincere Hepardoned that man or woman for the sake of the one pleading for theirlives. Today, Jesus is our mediator, He presents our case before Godand pleads with Him for us, all we have to do to be spared is ask Himto save us. “Forthis is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who willhave all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of thetruth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to betestified in due time.”- 1 Timothy 2:3-6.

God knows our hearts and whether or notwe are wholeheartedly devoted to Him or really have no interest inHim. Count it a blessing that even if you are not wholeheartedlydevoted to Him Jesus wholeheartedly devoted Himself to you by givingHis life for you. You only have to go before Him once and you arepardoned forever. Even if you never do anything ever again for Himyou are saved, but just imagine the blessings you will receive notonly here on earth, but up in heaven when you get there simply bygiving some of your time to Him. Jesus said, “Hethat is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, lethim be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteousstill: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, Icome quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man accordingas his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and theend, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do hiscommandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and mayenter in through the gates into the city.”- Revelation 22:11-14.
Today'sPsalm:32:5 - “Iacknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. Isaid, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thouforgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”

Today'sProverb: 23:26 - “Myson, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

Today'sPrayer:God,I offer myself freely to You. May my actions not be based on man’schanging words or the standards of my brothers and sisters, for Iknow we are frail and subject to faulty thinking. I want thestandards of Your unchanging, living Word to be an anchor for my souljudging the thoughts and attitudes of my heart so that I will keepmoving forward in my Savior Jesus Christ. Help me to be watchful forthose who are veering off course so that I can encourage them in thefaith and be prayerful for their wandering souls. In Jesus' name.Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/8 Spurgeon Today

2012-02-08T13:51:00.000-06:00

“He shall save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21
Many persons, if they are asked what they understand by salvation, will reply, “Being saved from hell and taken to heaven.” This is one result of salvation, but it is not one tithe of what is contained in that boon. It is true our Lord Jesus Christ does redeem all his people from the wrath to come; he saves them from the fearful condemnation which their sins had brought upon them; but his triumph is far more complete than this. He saves his people “from their sins.” Oh! sweet deliverance from our worst foes. Where Christ works a saving work, he casts Satan from his throne, and will not let him be master any longer. No man is a true Christian if sin reigns in his mortal body. Sin will be in us—it will never be utterly expelled till the spirit enters glory; but it will never have dominion. There will be a striving for dominion—a lusting against the new law and the new spirit which God has implanted—but sin will never get the upper hand so as to be absolute monarch of our nature. Christ will be Master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. The Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail, and the dragon shall be cast out. Professor! is sin subdued in you? If your life is unholy your heart is unchanged, and if your heart is unchanged you are an unsaved person. If the Saviour has not sanctified you, renewed you, given you a hatred of sin and a love of holiness, he has done nothing in you of a saving character. The grace which does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves his people, not in their sins, but from them. “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” If not saved from sin, how shall we hope to be counted among his people. Lord, save me now from all evil, and enable me to honour my Saviour.

2/08 Compensated Plus A Salary

2012-02-08T06:08:00.001-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:CompensatedPlus A Salary
Date:Wednesday February 08, 2012Today'sChapters:Numbers5-6

Hello My Friend,

A lot of people, includingmany Christians, are unaware that many of the things they do, whichseem normal, are in fact, sin. Sinis any wrong doing in ones life that God sees as immoral, wicked,corrupted, or abominable. Now, whether we have committed sin recentlyor years ago, we have all sinned and that constitutes us as beingsinners. There is a payment owed for sin, even the one we do notthink to be sin, the payment owed is death. “Forthe wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal lifethrough Jesus Christ our Lord.”- Romans 6:23. We cannot earn enough wages to pay for sin, therefore,Jesus came to compensate for us.
“Asit is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Thereis none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.They are all gone out of the way, they are together becomeunprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one...Thereforeby the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in hissight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now therighteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessedby the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which isby faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: forthere is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of theglory of God;”- Romans 3:10-12,20-23.
BeforeJesus came people also owed a payment for sin also,however, in placeof their life, God accepted animal sacrifices. Along with a sin ortrespass, thanksgiving, and peace payment to God, the sinner had topay compensation to the one they caused sin upon, if they sinnedagainst themselves they had to give the payment to the priest. “Speakunto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sinthat men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that personbe guilty; Then they shall confess their sin which they have done:and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, andadd unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whomhe hath trespassed. But if the man have no kinsman to recompense thetrespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the LORD, even tothe priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonementshall be made for him.”- Numbers 5:6-8.

Today, those who are trusting only in JesusChrist to save them do not owe that payment, Jesus made the paymentfor you. However, any sin not accounted for after you are saved willcause some affliction until you seek forgiveness. Got sin in yourlife that you have forgotten? Still wrestling with something thathappened years ago? You are forgiven, but perhaps there is no peacebecause you will not let it go. Remember, God forgives all, He wantsyou to forgive all as well. He will tell you when you need to repentof something from the past, He will tell you when you need to forgiveothers, and He will even tell you when you need to ask others toforgive you, even from years past. In order for us to move on andgrow as a Christian we need to seek forgiveness, be forgiving,sometimes compensate for the pain we caused others. “Judgenot, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not becondemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”- Luke 6:37.

God gave specific commands to those who wereNazarites, a Nazarite was a person who vowed to separate themselvescompletely from the worldly things, giving total commitment to God.Now, this does not mean that the person would be sin free, but itwould mean that they would live their lives centered on God and dotheir best to avoid any temptations that would cause them to sin.

“Andthe LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speakunto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man orwoman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, toseparate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself fromwine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegarof strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eatmoist grapes, or dried...All the days of his separation he is holyunto the LORD.”- Numbers 6:1-3,8.

When we vow a vow to God, He expects usto keep it, if we do not follow through we are going to face somedifficulties until we do what we said. “Benot deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, thatshall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of theflesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of theSpirit reap life everlasting.”- Galatians 6:7,8. Yet, God knows our flesh and that we are going tomess up from time to time, He also knows our heart and whether or notwe truly want Him in our lives or not. He will bless us tremendouslywhen we do all we can to live our lives for Him, but is alsoforgiving when we seek forgiveness.“Ifwe confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”- 1 John 1:9.

God promised the Jews that He would bless themfor their obedience. “Andthe LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto hissons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel,saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD makehis face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift uphis countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put myname upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”- Numbers 6:22-27.

God puts His name upon all who put theirfaith and trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus not only compensated for oursins, He gives us a salary as well. The word salary is defined asmoney paid for work being done, or something obtained or received,it's a gift. That salary is eternal (forever) life with God in HisKingdom. A person who gets paid a salary gets compensated one amountno matter how many hours worked. He can work 1 hour or 100,regardless he gets paid the same amount. “AndJesus answered and said, VerilyI say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, orsisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for mysake, and the gospel's,Buthe shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, andbrethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, withpersecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.Butmanythatarefirstshall be last; and the last first.”-Mark 10:29-31.

So, whether we compensated years ago or fiveminutes ago, the same salary applies to all, eternal life. It doesnot matter if you were born into the godly life, left then came back,or just got saved today you will receive the same salary, eternallife through Jesus Christ. “Forthe wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal lifethrough Jesus Christ our Lord.”- Romans 6:23. Praise God!
Today'sPsalm:76:11 - “Vow,and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bringpresents unto him that ought to be feared.”

Today'sProverb: 13:21 - ”Evilpursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.”

Today'sPrayer:God, mayI never consider my good works or righteous acts to be a cover up forthe hidden sin I harbor in my heart or try to use them as payment formy sins. May my attitude be, God be merciful to me a sinner! If Iexalt myself it will eventually lead to my downfall, but when Ihumble myself I will be exalted by You as I fulfill the vow You madewhen I completely trusted in Your Son to pay the debt I owed. Now,give me the power to fulfill the vow I made when I promised to loveYou with all my heart, mind, and soul. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/8 Fundamental Thoughts

2012-02-08T04:00:00.000-06:00

Do We Know Him?

1John 2:3-6 And hereby we do know that weknow him, if we keep his commandments. (4) He that saith, I know him,and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (5) But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:hereby know we that we are in him. (6) He that saith he abideth inhim ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Theseverses are extremely hard for Christians. As we look over our lives (since Salvation,) most Christians find wehave miserably fallen short of God’s Will.

Romans3:23 For all have sinned, and come shortof the glory of God;

(God knows we will fall short.) If you have read yourBible and heard a few sermons, you also know you will fall short. However, you are the only one (outside ofGod) who knows your heart. The problemwith many Christians is that we use this (falling short) as an excuse for NOTkeeping “his commandments.”

Thisexcuse makes each of us “a liar.” God tells us “thetruth is not in him.” So when wemake excuses, (what have we become and what are we?)

Ourverses tell us if we do not have “the truth” we do NOThave Salvation. Our sins (which werepaid for in full) are still with us, and we are still Hell bound.

Iknow, I can hear it now, “Brother John, aren’t you being a bit legalistic?” The problem is I do read my Bible, and (withinthe context of this writing,) what else could God mean? The Bible is God’s Word, not mine. What God says is what we need to heed. If we liberalize the context, it would be “theintent of a man’s heart” to obey God. (Wemust strive to obey.)

1Samuel15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings andsacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better thansacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

We as Christians are not free to do just as weplease. (We are free to do what wedesire within God’s Word.) (When youaccepted Jesus as your Saviour, your “want to’s” should have changed. All Christians have some old “want to’s.” I don’t “want to” do what I used to do, andhave to battle to control the old “want to’s.” Satan knows this and wants us back.) He can’t have our souls, (as God placed TheHoly Spirit within us,) but he can ruin our testimonies.

1Peter5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because youradversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he maydevour:

(We must be vigilant in our “Christian walk.” There are many who as a “roaringlion”will try to push us off our path with Christ. We are “perfect[ing]” our Salvation as we walk throughlife, and it will be made perfect when God calls us Home.) Until that time, we are to walk as close aswe can to Jesus’ walk.

Reader,the question is: “Do you know Jesus TheChrist” as your Lord and Saviour?” Doyou claim Jesus, but aren’t “walking the walk” that glorifies Him? Haveyou come to the realization that you are a “liar” and “thetruth is not in” you? If your father is the devil, do you realize thatyour soul is heading directly to hell?”

John8:44 Ye are of your father thedevil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from thebeginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenhe speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father ofit.

If we are walking with the devil, we cannot also walkwith Jesus. (We cannot walk with bothTruth and un-truth.) We must choose.

John3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him,Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Choose, and accept Jesus. Call on His name in belief. AcceptHim today.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

fundamentalthoughts-preacher.blogspot.com FundamentalThoughts

2/07 His Footsteps

2012-02-07T05:51:00.003-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:HisFootsteps
Date:Tuesday February 07, 2012Today'sChapters:Numbers3-4

Hello My Friend,

Part of serving God is servingHim in whatever duties He appoints us. Regardless of who we are, Godchooses us to serve Him in some way, some He uses to serve Him intheir jobs, some their homes, even some when passing by somestranger. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth in the flesh as aservant, He lowered Himself to a mere servant even though He couldhave done anything He wanted to do. Why? To show us that we are allservants and are to follow His example. “Soafter he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and wasset down again, he said unto them,Knowye whatIhave done to you?Yecall me Master and Lord: and ye say well; forsoIam.IfI then,yourLordand Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash oneanother's feet.ForI have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.Verily,verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord;neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.Ifye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”- John 13:12-17.

While God always uses anyone willing to serveHim out of the church, He appoints specific people to work for Him inthe Church. People that He actually employes, meaning, He providesfor them Himself through others outside the church for fulfilling theduties of the church. God set the Levites apart from the rest of thetribes to work for Him in the church, the sons of Aaron were to carryon the priestly duties, but the rest of the Levites were givenspecific duties for setting up, taking down, and even carrying theparts of the tabernacle. “Thesealso are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORDspake with Moses in mount Sinai...And I, behold, I have taken theLevites from among the children of Israel instead of all thefirstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel:therefore the Levites shall be mine; Becauseall the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all thefirstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstbornin Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.”- Numbers 3:1,12,13.

God appointed the Levites to serve in thechurch, because He adopted them as His own in the place of all thefirst-born of Egypt. When He slew the first-born of Egypt, Hesanctified to Himself all the first-born of Israel, of man and beast,for His own possession. However, He decided to sanctify all theLevites instead of the first-born of all the tribes instead. While wemay choose to serve God in our own free will God has already chosenus, adopted us into His family. “Accordingas he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, thatwe should be holy and without blame before him in love: Havingpredestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ tohimself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”-Ephesians 1:4,5.

Those who God chooses to serve in His churchare appointed certain duties and no matter how obscure the duty is itis equally important to God. Whether you are chosen to be a pastor, apastor's wife, a teacher, a cook, or a janitor, no job goes unnoticedwith God and as long as we do it willingly He is happy. “Letevery man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thoucalled being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be madefree, use it rather. Forhe that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord'sfreeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ'sservant.”-1 Corinthians 7:20-22.

Sometimesit can feel like a burden when you serve in the Church, you areworking for God, you have more responsibility and not only is yourreputation on the line, so is God's, you do something out of thechurch that is questionable and it disgraces God and you. Guess what?It's supposed to be a burden, the word burden means, thatwhichiscarried,a heavy load to carry. God gave the burden, of the Tabernacle and allthe duties of it to the Levites, anyone over the age of thirty wasappointed to work in the Tabernacle. The Levites were the smallesttribe of all the congregation, yet they were appointed the mosthonorable task of all. “Allthose that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and thechief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the houseof their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fiftyyears old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, andthe service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, Eventhose that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and fivehundred and fourscore. According to the commandment of the LORD theywere numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to hisservice, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him,as the LORD commanded Moses.”- Numbers 4:46-49.

If God has you working in the Church,count is a blessing, He chose you, He knows this is a burden that youcan handle. How? If Christ is with you, you can do anything. Godknows what you can bare and has chosen you out of thousands of peopleto be the example for others to follow in the footsteps of Christ.“Accordingto the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to mytrust. AndI thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that hecounted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;..Thisis a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that ChristJesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first JesusChrist might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to themwhich should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”- 1 Timothy 1:11,12,15,16.
AsChristians, we are all appointed to carry the burden of reaching thelost, those who do not know Jesus Christ personally as their Savior.Ministering the Gospel to the lost is the most noblest task that Godgives us and the most rewarding as well. He will bless youtremendously for it, even if only one out of twenty receive Him. Youdo not have to do it alone, Jesus is with you. “AndJesus came and spake unto them, saying,Allpower is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, andteach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all thingswhatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, evenunto the end of the world. Amen.”- Matthew 28:18-20.
Today'sPsalm:33:15 - “Hefashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.”

Today'sProverb: 16:3 -”Committhy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

Today'sPrayer:God, Yesterday, today, and forever You are the faithful, changelessOne. Your works in the past are a testimony to Your majesty, power,and provision for our lives today. Your presence today steadies ourwalk with You as You lead us in the paths of righteousness while weserve You in the field You have called us. Our future blessings areawaiting as we faithfully serve You as Jesus served. We look to Youfor everything we need for life and godliness as we follow in thefootsteps of Your Son. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/6 With Christ in the School of Prayer

2012-02-06T22:43:00.000-06:00

What sin destroyed, grace has restored. What the first Adam lost, the second has won back. In Christ man regains his original position, and the Church, abiding in Christ, inherits the promise: ‘Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’ Such a promise does by no means, in the first place, refer to the grace or blessing we need for ourselves. It has reference to our position as the fruit-bearing branches of the Heavenly Vine, who, like Him, only live for the work and glory of the Father. It is for those who abide in Him, who have forsaken self to take up their abode in Him with His life of obedience and self-sacrifice, who have lost their life and found it in Him, who are now entirely given up to the interests of the Father and His kingdom. These are they who understand how their new creation has brought them back to their original destiny, has restored God’s image and likeness, and with it the power to have dominion. Such have indeed the power, each in their own circle, to obtain and dispense the powers of heaven here on earth. With holy boldness they may make known what they will: they live as priests in God’s presence; as kings the powers of the world to come begin to be at their disposal. They enter upon the fulfilment of the promise: ‘Ask whatsoever ye will, it shall be done unto you.’

Church of the living God! thy calling is higher and holier than thou knowest. Through thy members, as kings, and priests unto God, would God rule the world; their prayers bestow and withhold the blessing of heaven. In His elect who are not just content to be themselves saved, but yield themselves wholly, that through them, even as through the Son, the Father may fulfil all His glorious counsel, in these His elect, who cry day and night unto Him, God would prove how wonderful man’s original destiny was. As the image-bearer of God on earth, the earth was indeed given into his hand. When he fell, all fell with him: the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together. But now he is redeemed; the restoration of the original dignity has begun. It is in very deed God’s purpose that the fulfilment of His eternal purpose, and the coming of His kingdom, should depend on those of His people who, abiding in Christ, are ready to take up their position in Him their Head, the great Priest-King, and in their prayers are bold enough to say what they will that their God should do. As image-bearer and representative of God on earth, redeemed man has by his prayers to determine the history of this earth. Man was created, and has now again been redeemed, to pray, and by his prayer to have dominion. ‘LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY.’

2/6 Fundamental Thoughts

2012-02-06T11:46:00.000-06:00

Ye Shall Know Them

Matthew7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shallknow them.

As Christians, we are to be seen, butnot as worldly people. God tells us thatwe are to show others the “fruits” of our labor (for Him,) but not to call attention to “our works” as aprideful person. Others ought to be ableto see “our works” by watching us as we serve God.

Many will ask the question, “What isit that God would have me to do?” (Saulasked that same question as he lay in the dust talking to Jesus.)

Acts9:6 And he trembling and astonishedsaid, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? ...

Saulrealized that Jesus was The Christ indeed, (as he lay in that dust talking withThe Messiah Himself.)

When we finally realized that Jesus isour Saviour, (we probably weren’t lying in the middle of a dusty road,) but we mayhave been “at the end of our rope.” (Wewere so relieved to know we were Heaven bound, saved from our sins, and no longer bound for hell.)

But for many Christians, justknowing that they “are saved” is the “end of the road.” Whether they becomeCEO’s (Christmas and Easter Only,) or attend Church on a regular basis, manyfeel nothing more is expected of them. (Godexpects more from us who claim His Son.)

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, [Christian] bythe mercies of God, that ye [you] present your [you] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptableunto God, which is your [you] reasonable service. 2 Andbe not conformed to this world: but be ye [you] transformed by the renewing of your [you] mind, that ye [you] may prove what is that good, andacceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Noticethat this verse references “any and ALL Christians.” (This verse isn’t just for your Pastor orthose who “work” at the Church.) If youhave called on God’s Name, this verse is for YOU.

God (via The Holy Spirit) calls allto serve. Our problem is that only a few“answer.” We read in The Book of Isaiah:

Isaiah6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord,saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here amI; send me.

Noticethat Isaiah accepted without exception. (Hedidn’t put limits on what he would do, or where he would go.) At Church we sing, “I Surrender All.” The lyricsstate: “I [will] surrender all”to God. (Many Christians sing with theirhearts, “I Surrender Some.”) God wants our hearts. He doesn’t want “just some of it.”

Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with allthy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:this is the first commandment.

Christian,have you asked God, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” If you have, have you answered God bysaying, “Here am I; send me?” If you haven’t,and if you aren’t reading your Bible, not attending Church, nor praying, “Howdo you know you are a Christian?” “Whereare your “fruits” of labor for Him?”

God tells us:

Romans10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess withthy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raisedhim from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth untorighteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Weas individuals must decide to accept Jesus as our Saviour. (It must be “a personal heart felt”consideration.) Once we have resolvedwithin our heart to say “yes,” we must accept Jesus “in belief.” Our next step is to “confesswith thy mouth the Lord Jesus,” and God will save us. (If there is what some might call a “catch,”)it is that our “belief” and “accepting Jesus” must be “withthe heart,” meaning sincerely.

“Salvation” is a serious, personaldecision. It must never be taken lightly.

“Reader, what are you going todo? Accept Him today, for tomorrow nevercomes.”

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

fundamentalthoughts-preacher.blogspot.com FundamentalThoughts

2/06 Follow The Captain

2012-02-06T05:26:00.004-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:FollowThe Captain
Date:Monday February 06, 2012Today'sChapters:Numbers1-2

Hello My Friend,

Because we believe in Jesusand live our lives for Him we are going to face a lot of criticismand rejection, but we are soldiers for Christ in His army, we are Hisvery own elect, and the amazing thing is that He is right there withus. He is our Captain, He is very pleased that we have not gone AWOLon Him, like any good soldier we are going to face some difficultiesfor serving Him, but as long as we keep fighting we will see somelives saved in the battle. “Thoutherefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.Andthe things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the samecommit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.Thoutherefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No manthat warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; thathe may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier...Wherein Isuffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of Godis not bound. ThereforeI endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtainthe salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”- 2 Timothy 2:1-4,9,10.
TheBook of Numbers is the forth book of the Old Testament/Bible andcontains thirty-six chapters. The author of the book is Moses and itwas originally written to the Jews. The timeline for these eventstook place approximately between 1490-1451BC. The purpose of thebook was to record the forty years that the Jews were wandering inthe wilderness as a result of their disbelief/disobedience of God.What we are to learn from the book is that God is not pleased withanything less than a total commitment to Him. “Ifa man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul witha bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to allthat proceedeth out of his mouth.”- Numbers 30:2.

It had been two years since God brought theJews out of bondage to Egypt, God ordered the first census among thepeople, every male 20 years and older was numbered according to theirtribe and automatically drafted into the army, except for the tribeof the Levi.

“Takeye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, aftertheir families, by the house of their fathers, with the number oftheir names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old andupward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou andAaron shall number them by their armies...Sowere all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by thehouse of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all thatwere able to go forth to war in Israel; Even all they that werenumbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and fivehundred and fifty. But the Levites after the tribe of their fatherswere not numbered among them. For the LORD had spoken unto Moses,saying, Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither takethe sum of them among the children of Israel: But thou shalt appointthe Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all thevessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shallbear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shallminister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.”- Numbers 1:2,3,45-50.

The reason the tribe of Levi was notnumbered is because they would not be serving God as a layman, but inHis ministry. While God appoints an elect to serve Him in theministry, the majority of people will be laymen, soldiers in His armyto serve Him outside of the ministry. Why? There is only so manypeople that can be reached in a church, laymen serve God in theoccupations, studies, and even their hobbies by being a testimony forChrist. The most important job God has given us is to tell the Gospelto everyone we meet, if they do not want to hear it, that's okay,your tried and that is all God asks, but a good solider for Christ,follows their Captain by preaching the Gospel, just as He did. “AndJesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon calledPeter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for theywere fishers. And he saith unto them,Followme, and I will make you fishers of men.Andthey straightway left their nets, and followed him... AndJesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, andpreaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner ofsickness and all manner of disease among the people.”- Matthew 4:18-20,23.
Afterthe tribes were numbered they were given specific areas within thecamp to dwell according to the number of people in the tribe. Thetribes were to encamp about the Tabernacle, which was to be in thecenter of them. It was a token of God's gracious presence among them,yet, they were to pitch their tents at a distance from thetabernacle. “Andthe LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Everyman of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, withthe ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle ofthe congregation shall they pitch... Then the tabernacle of thecongregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in themidst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, everyman in his place by their standards...And the children of Israel didaccording to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched bytheir standards, and so they set forward, every one after theirfamilies, according to the house of their fathers.”- Numbers 2:1,2,17,34.
Godis a God of order and not confusion, therefore, the camp of Hisfollowers should be compact, in order, training to be ready forbattle, and close to the Captain and able to reach Him at a momentsnotice. Soldiers for Christ are not grouped up in one bunch, they arespread abroad and scattered all over the world, teachingthe Gospel to all who will listen. Why? Remember our beginningScripture? “ThereforeI endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtainthe salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”- II Timothy 2:10. We keep going, where ever our Captain leads us tofind more willing souls, and more recruits for His army.

So,how do we follow our Captain? Jesus explains, “Thereforesaid he unto them,Theharvest trulyisgreat,but the labourersarefew:pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forthlabourers into his harvest.Goyour ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.Carryneither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.Andinto whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peacebetothis house...And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them,The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.Butinto whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your waysout into the streets of the same, and say,Eventhe very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe offagainst you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom ofGod is come nigh unto you.”-Luke 10:2-5,9-11.

Healing the sick is preaching the Gospel tothe lost, some will accept it and be healed, some will reject it anddie. “Theythat are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick:I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”- Mark 2:17. There is nothing we can do if they reject Christ, butpray that God will soften their hardened hearts. It is God that saveswe are merely the messengers of the Gospel, if they reject theGospel, they are rejecting God, not us. There will be many, includingfamily and friends, that will reject Christ, but we must keep going,we must follow our Captain and never stop believing that every soulcan be saved if they believe. “TheLord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men countslackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that anyshould perish, but that all should come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:9.
Today'sPsalm:18:39 - “Forthou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subduedunder me those that rose up against me.”

Today'sProverb: 21:31 - “Thehorse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of theLORD.”

Today'sPrayer:God, We want to march on as good soldiers for Christ, as our Captaingives the orders to go out and tell the Gospel let us not be weary inthe fight for victory over Satan and death to every soul lost. Giveus Your power and might to be bold, to march on even when we arerejected, and to keep going no matter how difficult it gets. InJesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/5 With Christ in the School of Prayer

2012-02-05T22:38:00.008-06:00

‘Whose is this image?’
Prayer in Harmony with the Destiny of Man.

‘He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’

‘Whose is this image?’ It was by this question that Jesus foiled His enemies, when they thought to take Him, and settled the matter of duty in regard to the tribute. The question and the principle it involves are of universal application. Nowhere more truly than in man himself. The image he bears decides his destiny. Bearing God’s image, he belongs to God: prayer to God is what he was created for. Prayer is part of the wondrous likeness he bears to His Divine original; of the deep mystery of the fellowship of love in which the Three-One has His blessedness, prayer is the earthly image and likeness. The more we meditate on what prayer is, and the wonderful power with God which it has, the more we feel constrained to ask who and what man is, that such a place in God’s counsels should have been allotted to him. Sin has so degraded him, that from what he is now we can form no conception of what he was meant to be. We must turn back to God’s own record of man’s creation to discover there what God’s purpose was, and what the capacities with which man was endowed for the fulfilment of that purpose.
Man’s destiny appears clearly from God’s language at creation. It was to fill, to subdue, to have dominion over the earth and all in it. All the three expressions show us that man was meant, as God’s representative, to hold rule here on earth. As God’s viceroy he was to fill God’s place: himself subject to God, he was to keep all else in subjection to Him. It was the will of God that all that was to be done on earth should be done through him: the history of the earth was to be entirely in his hands.

In accordance with such a destiny was the position he was to occupy, and the power at his disposal. When an earthly sovereign sends a viceroy to a distant province, it is understood that he advises as to the policy to be adopted, and that that advice is acted on: that he is at liberty to apply for troops and the other means needed for carrying out the policy or maintaining the dignity of the empire. If his policy be not approved of, he is recalled to make way for some one who better understands his sovereign’s desires’ as long as he is trusted, his advice is carried out. As God’s representative man was to have ruled; all was to have been done under his will and rule; on his advice and at his request heaven was to have bestowed its blessing on earth. His prayer was to have been the wonderful, though simple and most natural channel, in which the intercourse between the King in heaven and His faithful servant man, as lord of this world, was to have been maintained. The destinies of the world were given into the power of the wishes, the will, the prayer of man.

With sin all this underwent a terrible change—man’s fall brought all creation under the curse. With redemption the beginning was seen of a glorious restoration. No sooner had God begun in Abraham to form for Himself a people from whom kings, yea the Great King, should come forth, than we see what power the prayer of God’s faithful servant has to decide the destinies of those who come into contact with him. In Abraham we see how prayer is not only, or even chiefly, the means of obtaining blessing for ourselves, but is the exercise of his royal prerogative to influence the destinies of men, and the will of God which rules them. We do not once find Abraham praying for himself. His prayer for Sodom and Lot, for Abimelech, for Ishmael, prove what power a man, who is God’s friend, has to make the history of those around him.
This had been man’s destiny from the first. Scripture not only tells us this, but also teaches us how it was that God could entrust man with such a high calling. It was because He had created him in His own image and likeness. The external rule was not committed to him without the inner fitness: the bearing God’s image in having dominion, in being lord of all, had its root in the inner likeness, in his nature. There was an inner agreement and harmony between God and man, and incipient Godlikeness, which gave man a real fitness for being the mediator between God and His world, for he was to be prophet, priest, and king, to interpret God’s will, to represent nature’s needs, to receive and dispense God’s bounty. It was in bearing God’s image that he could bear God’s rule; he was indeed so like God, so capable of entering into God’s purposes, and carrying out His plans, that God could trust him with the wonderful privilege of asking and obtaining what the world might need. And although sin has for a time frustrated God’s plans, prayer still remains what it would have been if man had never fallen: the proof of man’s Godlikeness, the vehicle of his intercourse with the Infinite Unseen One, the power that is allowed to hold the hand that holds the destinies of the universe. Prayer is not merely the cry of the suppliant for mercy; it is the highest forth-putting of his will by man, knowing himself to be of Divine origin, created for and capable of being, in king-like liberty, the executor of the counsels of the Eternal.

2/05 Redeemed & Restored

2012-02-05T05:33:00.004-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:Redeemed& Restored
Date:Sunday February 04,2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus25-27

Hello My Friend,

Have you accepted JesusChrist as your Savior? Was there a time that you said in some form,“God, I admit I am a sinner, I believe that Your Son died to pay mysin debt, and that He arose from the dead to give me life too. I askYou to save me and from this moment on I am depending only on Him formy salvation. Amen.” If you said something like that than you are asinner saved by grace and child of the One And Only Living God. “Thatif thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shaltbelieve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thoushalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”-Romans 10:9,10. Praise God! Regardless of whether you said thatprayer today or forty years ago, you are a child of God. Have youmessed up since then? Sure you have, we all have, but you areredeemed and God has restored you, not only that You will receive aninheritance that no one can take from you.

God gave specificinstructions to the Jews on how they were to behave when they gotinto the promised land. But knowing the flesh He came up the withyear of jubile. Theyear of jubile would be a time of restoration, ayearlongperiodto be observed by the Jews once every fifty years,duringwhichJewish slaves were to be set free, alienatedlandswereto be restored to their original owner or anheir,and all agriculturallabors wereto be suspendeduntil the next year. “Andye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughoutall the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubileunto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and yeshall return every man unto his family. A jubile shall that fiftiethyear be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which growethof itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat theincrease thereof out of the field...And in all the land of yourpossession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brotherbe waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if anyof his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which hisbrother sold.”- Leviticus 25:10-12,24,25..

The kinsman redeemer is anillustration of Jesus Christ who took on our nature in order to beour next of kin to redeem a piece of land for our inheritance in theKingdom of God, which we forfeited through sin. Jesus, who is ourRedeemer, restores us when we receive Him. “Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according tohis abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by theresurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritanceincorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved inheaven for you,”-1 Peter 1:3,4.

We should never disregard nor take forgranted the wonderful gift that God has given us, while obeying Godhas nothing to do with our salvation, it has everything to do withhonoring and respecting Him for giving His life for us. Keep in mind, Jesus died once on the cross, that means we only have to ask Himonce to save us. No matter what we have done or will do in the futurewe are still saved. Now, that does not mean that we will not face anychastisement for future sin, but it does mean that you are saved bygrace alone and that you will not lose your inheritance in theKingdom of God. “Forby grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: itis the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”- Ephesians 2:8,9.
Godpromises the Jews if they obey His commands, He will continue tobless them, but if they disregard them they can expect to face someconsequences, in fact, they will be seven times more severe. “Ifye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then Iwill give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield herincrease, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit...And ifye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, sothat ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break mycovenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over youterror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume theeyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain,for your enemies shall eat it. AndI will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before yourenemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall fleewhen none pursueth you. And if ye will not yet for all this hearkenunto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.”- Leviticus 26:3,4,15-18.
Whenwe allow Christ to live through us it only gets better, however,those who choose to live the same life they lived before they gotsaved with no intention of repenting are going to face some serioustribulations. While God wants to see everyone trust in His Son fortheir salvation, He will not stand for a person receiving Him for thesake of remaining in their sinful life. Jesus said, “Iknow thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wertcold or hot.Sothen because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spuethee out of my mouth.Becausethou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need ofnothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, andpoor, and blind, and naked:Icounsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest berich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, andthattheshame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes witheyesalve, that thou mayest see.Asmany as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, andrepent.Behold,I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and openthe door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he withme.”- Revelation 3:15-20.

God foretold to the severe punishmentthe Jews would receive if they did not walk in His statutes andcommands.“Andif ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I willbring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. Iwill also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of yourchildren, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; andyour high ways shall be desolate. And if ye will not be reformed byme by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I alsowalk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for yoursins.”- Leviticus 26:21-24.

Once in a while I will get someonequoting Bible verses like these to me, claiming that God is cruel andwill strike you down if you do not do exactly what He says. That isjust absurd. All the events that took place happened because they didthe very things He warned them not to do. God does not give uscommands so we cannot live He gives so we can live. The things thatthese people did to get God that angry were things that would angerus. And let me tell you, God is more forgiving than we are, I didsome pretty cruel things to people out of anger before I repented ofthe life I lived in the world. People reap what they sow, andunfortunately innocent people get tangled up in the reaping, but Godwill get the vengeance upon anyone who hurts His child. “Dearlybeloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: forit is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give himdrink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Benot overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”-Romans 12:19-21.
Today'sPsalm:49:16 - “ButGod will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shallreceive me. Selah.”

Today'sProverb: 23:11 - “Fortheir redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.”

Today'sPrayer:God, it is because of the great love of Your Son, Jesus, and Hiswillingness to take on our sins to redeem us that we can receive Yourinheritance. It is truly amazing, the love You have for me andeveryone, when I was lost, broken, and without hope, You took me in,You accepted me, and You made me one of Yours. Lord, I want to begrateful and honor You as Your child, lead me and guide me tounderstand and obey Your statutes and commands. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/4 Spurgeon Today

2012-02-04T13:48:00.000-06:00

“The love of the Lord.”
Hosea 3:1
Believer, look back through all thine experience, and think of the way whereby the Lord thy God has led thee in the wilderness, and how he hath fed and clothed thee every day—how he hath borne with thine ill manners—how he hath put up with all thy murmurings, and all thy longings after the flesh-pots of Egypt—how he has opened the rock to supply thee, and fed thee with manna that came down from heaven. Think of how his grace has been sufficient for thee in all thy troubles—how his blood has been a pardon to thee in all thy sins—how his rod and his staff have comforted thee. When thou hast thus looked back upon the love of the Lord, then let faith survey his love in the future, for remember that Christ’s covenant and blood have something more in them than the past. He who has loved thee and pardoned thee, shall never cease to love and pardon. He is Alpha, and he shall be Omega also: he is first, and he shall be last. Therefore, bethink thee, when thou shalt pass through the valley of the shadow of death, thou needest fear no evil, for he is with thee. When thou shalt stand in the cold floods of Jordan, thou needest not fear, for death cannot separate thee from his love; and when thou shalt come into the mysteries of eternity thou needest not tremble, “For I am persuaded, that neither death; nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Now, soul, is not thy love refreshed? Does not this make thee love Jesus? Doth not a flight through illimitable plains of the ether of love inflame thy heart and compel thee to delight thyself in the Lord thy God? Surely as we meditate on “the love of the Lord,” our hearts burn within us, and we long to love him more.

2/04 Holy Things

2012-02-04T06:11:00.001-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:HolyThings
Date:Saturday February 04, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus22-24

Hello My Friend,

Every person that hasreceived Christ as their Savior has one person dwelling in them thatenables them to live the life that God wants them to live. Thatperson is the Holy Spirit, and believe it or not the talents you havewere given to you to serve God in some way, like I said before, allGod wants is someone to be ready and willing to serve Him in theprofession that He has given them. The key to being ready andreceiving the gifts rewarded for serving Him is letting the HolySpirit do His work in you. “Thereis one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope ofyour calling; OneLord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is aboveall, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us isgiven grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ...Andhe gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, forthe work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge ofthe Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the statureof the fulness of Christ:”- Ephesians 4:4-7,11-13.

God chose the tribe of Levi to bethose who would serve Him in the ministry, that did not mean that Hewould not use any other tribe to serve Him, but that they would bethe ones who would work in the actual church. God gave Aaron specificinstructions on how he and generations after him would serve Him inthe church. “Speakunto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from theholy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not myholy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among yourgenerations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children ofIsrael hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, thatsoul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD...They shalltherefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and dietherefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them. Thereshall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest,or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. But if thepriest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he thatis born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.”- Leviticus 22:2,3,9-11.

The holy things offered to thepriests and their family members was the meat offerings given asprovision for the work they had done for God in the church. No priestor member or his family who had become unclean was allowed to touchor eat of the sacrifices unless they were cleansed from their sins,no stranger was allowed to eat of them either unless their soul wasbought and they became part of the family. This is an illustration ofJesus, while we can serve God, unless we receive Jesus He does notaccept the offer, Jesus purchased our souls when He died on thecross, and the only way to partake of the sacrifice is to receive Himas your Savior. “What?know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which isin you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? Forye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, andin your spirit, which are God's.”- 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.

God instructs the Jews on holypeople, holy things, and holy places, now He instructs them of holydays. “Andthe LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel,and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shallproclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six daysshall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, anholy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath ofthe LORD in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the LORD,even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.”- Leviticus 23:2-4.

Though the yearly feasts were made moreremarkable by general attendance at the tabernacle, these must not beobserved more than the sabbath. On that day they must withdraw fromall business of the world. It is a sabbath day of rest, representinga spiritual rest from sin, and rest in God. God's sabbaths are to beobserved in every private house, by every family apart, as well as byfamilies together, and in holy assemblies. This does not mean that weshould all take Saturday's or Sunday's off, but we should have oneday a week where we devote it only to God. “Orhave ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priestsin the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?ButI say unto you, That in this place isonegreaterthan the temple.Butif ye had known whatthismeaneth,I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned theguiltless.Forthe Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.”-Matthew 12:5-8.

The word blaspheme is defined as tospeakevilof,to swear, slander,or abuse,especially toward God or in reference to Him. We all go throughthings in life or see things happening and wonder at times why Godallows them to happen. That is natural and God expects and acceptsour questions, even when we get angry or upset. God can handle anger,what He can not handle is speaking evil of, slandering, or abusingHis name. “Andthe LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bringforth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heardhim lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stonehim. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying,Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemeththe name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all thecongregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as hethat is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD,shall be put to death.”- Leviticus 24:13-16.

Today,we are lucky that this law is no longer in effect, but the same ruleapplies to the blasphemer, to the one who curses God, he shall bearhis sin, that is, bare the punishment for cursing God. Out of all thesins we can commit nothing is more dangerous the Holy Spirit. “VerilyI say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, andblasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:Buthe that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath neverforgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:”- Mark 3:28,29.

We have the great Spirit of God dwelling inus, it is our gift to Him for trusting only in His Son to save us.That means that we have something holy in us, which no one can takefrom us. He is our guide, our teacher, our conscience, our only wayto understanding the Bible and how God wants us to use the talents Hehas given us for His glory. When we truly respect God in reference toHis law there is nothing that He will not do for us. “Butas it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither haveentered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared forthem that love him. ButGod hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spiritsearcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”-1 Corinthians 2:9,10.
Today'sPsalm:37:4 - “Delightthyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thineheart.”

Today'sProverb: 20:25 - “Itis a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and aftervows to make enquiry.”

Today'sPrayer:God, Yourarm is not too short to save, nor Your ear too dull to hear ourprayers. Our iniquities have separated us from You. Today, I repentof those things that have distanced me from my holy God, Lord, revealanything that I need to part with to be in complete harmony with You.Help my faith to be renewed and help me resolve to follow Your will.May I be found faithful as I call out to You, for I know You hear mebecause Your Son is a part of me. In Jesus' name. Amen,
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/3 SpurgeonToday

2012-02-03T13:46:00.000-06:00

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors.”
Romans 8:12
As God’s creatures, we are all debtors to him: to obey him with all our body, and soul, and strength. Having broken his commandments, as we all have, we are debtors to his justice, and we owe to him a vast amount which we are not able to pay. But of the Christian it can be said that he does not owe God’s justice anything, for Christ has paid the debt his people owed; for this reason the believer owes the more to love. I am a debtor to God’s grace and forgiving mercy; but I am no debtor to his justice, for he will never accuse me of a debt already paid. Christ said, “It is finished!” and by that he meant, that whatever his people owed was wiped away forever from the book of remembrance. Christ, to the uttermost, has satisfied divine justice; the account is settled; the handwriting is nailed to the cross; the receipt is given, and we are debtors to God’s justice no longer. But then, because we are not debtors to our Lord in that sense, we become ten times more debtors to God than we should have been otherwise. Christian, pause and ponder for a moment. What a debtor thou art to divine sovereignty! How much thou owest to his disinterested love, for he gave his own Son that he might die for thee. Consider how much you owe to his forgiving grace, that after ten thousand affronts he loves you as infinitely as ever. Consider what you owe to his power; how he has raised you from your death in sin; how he has preserved your spiritual life; how he has kept you from falling; and how, though a thousand enemies have beset your path, you have been able to hold on your way. Consider what you owe to his immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times, he has not changed once. Thou art as deep in debt as thou canst be to every attribute of God. To God thou owest thyself, and all thou hast—yield thyself as a living sacrifice, it is but thy reasonable service.

2/03 I Am The Lord Your God

2012-02-03T05:51:00.002-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:IAm The Lord Your God
Date:Friday February 03, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus19-21

Hello My Friend,
Manypeople know of Jesus or even believe that He died to save people, butvery few will believe in His death, burial, resurrection, and that Healone is the Only One who will save them from hell. However, it isonly when we believe that Jesus Christ is the one who can save us andreceive Him as our personal Savior can we be saved. Any alteration tothis simple rule is among the unbelieving who will not be one ofGod's children and will be cast into the lake of fire no matter howgood you try to be.
“Andhe said unto me, Itis done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will giveunto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.Hethat overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, andhe shall be my son.Butthe fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, andwhoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall havetheir part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: whichis the second death.Andthere shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neitherwhatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which arewritten in the Lamb's book of life.”-Revelation 21:6-8,27.

God chose Israel to be the nation thatHe would represent as His children, but that did not mean that everyJew would be one of His children. They had to live by the law and ifthey did anything that God considered to be an abomination they werecut off from the family. But God did not just limit Himself to theJews, any person, regardless of their race that wanted God in theirlives was able to receive Him, they just had to follow the same law.“Speakunto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say untothem, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. Ye shallfear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I amthe LORD your God. Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselvesmolten gods: I am the LORD your God. And if ye offer a sacrifice ofpeace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your ownwill...And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall notvex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you asone born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye werestrangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God...Thereforeshall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them:I am the LORD.”- Leviticus 19:2-5,33,34,37.

The same punishment that wereceive regarding sin is the same punishment they received as well,the second death, anyone who rejected God, regardless of their race,would be sent to hell and later on will be cast into the lake of firewhen Jesus returns. Goddid and still saves those who want Him in their lives, a sacrifice isstill required, but this time it is not the blood of animals thatsaves us, but the blood of Jesus Christ, He became the onlyacceptable, perfect sacrifice to redeem a soul from hell. “Tothem who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory andhonour and immortality, eternal life: Butunto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obeyunrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, uponevery soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of theGentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that workethgood, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: Forthere is no respect of persons with God.”- Romans 2:7-11.

God has distinguished His children from allothers by a holy covenant, and while being or not being obedient toHim is what saves us, He expects His children to be holy, because Heis your God, and He is holy. “Sanctifyyourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. Andye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I amthe LORD which sanctify you. For every one that curseth his father orhis mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father orhis mother; his blood shall be upon him. And the man that committethadultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adulterywith his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shallsurely be put to death...If a man also lie with mankind, as he liethwith a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shallsurely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them...And ye shallbe holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you fromother people, that ye should be mine.”- Leviticus 20:7-10,13,26.

While God uses certain people toserve Him in the ministry, He accepts all, no matter what infirmitieswe have, after all He made us. God instructs Aaron on who would serveHim in the ministry. Priests laboring under any personal defect werenot allowed to officiate in the public service, they might beemployed in some duties about the sanctuary, but could not performany sacred office, meaning receive the sacrifices. “Speakunto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generationsthat hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of hisGod. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall notapproach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or anything superfluous, Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Orcrookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or bescurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; No man that hath ablemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer theofferings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall notcome nigh to offer the bread of his God. He shall eat the bread ofhis God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. Only he shall not goin unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath ablemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD dosanctify them.”- Leviticus 21:17-23.

The reason why a priest with aninfirmity was not allowed to receive and offer the offerings of thepeople to God was because their physical appearance would have causeda distraction to what the people would really be there for. This didnot mean that God pushed the person away from serving Him, He justgave them other jobs to do. It is the same way today, there arehundreds of women heading up churches today, this is considered as aninfirmity and one in which God does not agree with. While we can allbe teachers we are not all to be ministers, “ButI suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man,but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adamwas not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in thetransgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, ifthey continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”- 1 Timothy 2:12-15.
Peopleask me all the time, why is it important to learn these laws whenthey do not apply to us today? The entire Bible, Old and NewTestaments, represents one person, that is Jesus Christ and the themeof the entire book is the Blood. All of the laws before He came toearth were a foreshadow of Him and while we are no longer bound tothe law itself, it is important that we understand what God detests,and that they are things that we should detest. We need to be verygrateful that we are no longer bound to the law, otherwise we wouldlearn very quick how to fear God. The truth is we all need to fearGod, and I do not mean to be afraid of Him, I mean to respect Him, tohonor Him, and to be holy, for He is the Lord Your God. How hard isit for us to live the way God wants us to live? To have some moralsabout how we live our lives? If we truly want to understand God andlive the way He wants us to live it is important to learn all of HisWord. “Allscripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable fordoctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction inrighteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughlyfurnished unto all good works.”-2 Timothy 3:16,17.
Today'sPsalm:34:11 - “Come,ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

Today'sProverb: 14:26 - “Inthe fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shallhave a place of refuge.”

Today'sPrayer:God, I will never understand just how simple it is to be one of Yourchildren, but I believe that Your perfect Son died for me to save mefrom that horrible second death and I am trusting only in Him to saveme. However, I do want to show You how much I love You and howgrateful I am to be redeemed and the only way I can show thatgratitude is to be holy as You are holy. Lord, keep me in Your Word,help me to understand the importance of learning all of it andapplying those concepts to my life today. In Jesus' name. Amen
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/3 Fundamental Thoughts

2012-02-03T04:00:00.000-06:00

I Was Blind, Now I See

Habakkuk 3:15-19 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through theheap of great waters. (16) When I heard, my belly trembled; my lipsquivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled inmyself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto thepeople, he will invade them with his troops. (17) Although the fig tree shallnot blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour ofthe olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall becut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: (18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of mysalvation. (19) The LORD God is my strength, and hewill make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk uponmine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

This lastChapter in Habakkuk is a Psalm, (a prayer in song.) (Habakkuk is prophesying the destruction ofJudah. Some historians believe that Danieland other Sons of Israel were already in captivity. Habakkuk saw what was coming and his “belly trembled.” He was sawbleakness, and was dismayed at Israel’s future, his future. He saw the calamity, Israel’s future.)

Habakkuksaw what we, as Christians ought to see happening here in The UnitedStates. It isn’t general freedoms we arelosing, (but we are, and at an alarming rate.) We as Christians are losing our freedom tochoose our God, and that should terrify us.

Our society and our government is paralleling TheNation of Judah. (I fear as a Citizenand as a Christian, we as a Nation are at a point of captivity.)

Habakkukrealized that God had a plan and he “rejoice[d] in the LORD.” We must alsocome to the realization that God is still in control. (As Controller, God will change what He willchange. We are at The Mercy of God, justlike Judah. We must turn our hearts backto God, walk as He expects us to walk, and like Lott’s wife, don’t look back.)

LikeHabakkuk we must remember that The “LORD God ismy strength.” In thatknowledge, we must gird our loins and start working for The Lord, (doing the“work” He has given.)

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, andpray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear fromheaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Our task as Christians is to do The Will of TheLord. What is God’s Will? Glorify Him in ALL we do. We Glorify Him by calling on His “name,” by “humble[ing]”ourselves, by our “pray[ing]” to Him, and always “seek [ing]” Him. (Weglorify Him by turning from our “wicked ways.”) “Change” will not come from The President, norfrom our Government. It must come from ourChurches. In order to “heal [our] land,” we mustbe the Christians we claim to be.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that yepresent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which isyour reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be yetransformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is thatgood, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Some pushaside 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a statement for Israel. I do agree. But Paul tells us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice.” (Paul incorporates 2 Chronicles 7:14 toinclude The Christian Church.)

Ourstrength (as an individual Christian, as a Church body, and as a Nation) is “God.”

“Reader,what are you going to do? Are you goingto Glorify God, or “figure” that somebody else will do it for you? The sad part is if you don’t do your part,nobody will. What is coming should makeour “belly tremble…,” and our hearts beat faster. There should be a fear of “what’s next,” and “whenis the next shoe gonna drop?”

God’sWrath may be on its way. It may be asevere chastisement, or it may be The “Rapture.”

2/2 Spurgeon Today

2012-02-02T13:44:00.000-06:00

“Without the shedding of blood is no remission.”
Hebrews 9:22
This is the voice of unalterable truth. In none of the Jewish ceremonies were sins, even typically, removed without blood-shedding. In no case, by no means can sin be pardoned without atonement. It is clear, then, that there is no hope for me out of Christ; for there is no other blood-shedding which is worth a thought as an atonement for sin. Am I, then, believing in him? Is the blood of his atonement truly applied to my soul? All men are on a level as to their need of him. If we be never so moral, generous, amiable, or patriotic, the rule will not be altered to make an exception for us. Sin will yield to nothing less potent than the blood of him whom God hath set forth as a propitiation. What a blessing that there is the one way of pardon! Why should we seek another?
Persons of merely formal religion cannot understand how we can rejoice that all our sins are forgiven us for Christ’s sake. Their works, and prayers, and ceremonies, give them very poor comfort; and well may they be uneasy, for they are neglecting the one great salvation, and endeavouring to get remission without blood. My soul, sit down, and behold the justice of God as bound to punish sin; see that punishment all executed upon thy Lord Jesus, and fall down in humble joy, and kiss the dear feet of him whose blood has made atonement for thee. It is in vain when conscience is aroused to fly to feelings and evidences for comfort: this is a habit which we learned in the Egypt of our legal bondage. The only restorative for a guilty conscience is a sight of Jesus suffering on the cross. “The blood is the life thereof,” says the Levitical law, and let us rest assured that it is the life of faith and joy and every other holy grace.
“Oh! how sweet to view the flowing
Of my Saviour’s precious blood;
With divine assurance knowing
He has made my peace with God.”

2/02 The Day of Atonement

2012-02-02T05:15:00.000-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:TheDay of Atonement
Date:Thursday February 02, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus16-18

Hello My Friend,

God gave the things of theworld to be desired and possessed as He intended, to be used by Hisgrace and glory. God wants us to have things, but believer's mustlearn not to desire or possess things that introduce sin. Theworld draws the heart from God and the more the love of the worldprevails, the more the love of God fails. Three are three things inthe world that destroy our relationship with God, 1, the lust of theflesh, which is the appetite of indulging in sensual pleasures. 2,the lust of the eyes, which is the appetite of seeking something thatbelongs to others. And 3, the pride of life, which is the appetite ofone's own power and glory.
“Lovenot the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any manlove the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Forall that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of theeyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of theworld. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he thatdoeth the will of God abideth for ever...And now, little children,abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, andnot be ashamed before him at his coming. Ifye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doethrighteousness is born of him.”- 1 John 15-17,28,29.
TheDay of Atonement was the one day of the year that the high priestcould make an atonement for the entire congregation for their sins ofthe past year. In addition to the normal sin, trespass, and peaceofferings were two goats, one for God and one to be the scapegoat. Ascapegoat one that takes the blame and punishment for others.“Thusshall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sinoffering, and a ram for a burnt offering...And Aaron shall offer hisbullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make anatonement for himself, and for his house. Andhe shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at thedoor of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lotsupon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for thescapegoat. AndAaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offerhim for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be thescapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make anatonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into thewilderness.”-Leviticus 16:3,6-10.

Since it was for the entirecongregation Aaron, the high priest, in a sense, took on all theirsins. Aaron had to put his hands on the scapegoat, placing all thesins of the people on that goat, he said a prayer and let the goattake off into the wilderness, taking all the sins with it. Thisentire ceremony represents Jesus Christ, first,He is our high priest, He took on every sin known to man. Second, Hebecame the sin sacrifice, and third He became the scapegoat, whichtakes away all the sins of those who believe in Him, making anatonement for their sins. Jesus took the blame for all of us and diedfor all of our sins, only those who believe in Him will receive theatonement for their sins. “Forif, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death ofhis Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord JesusChrist, by whom we have now received the atonement.”-Romans 5:10,11.

Did you ever see a person hooked up to aheart monitor? There is a line that goes across the screen, you hearbleeps when the heart beats. The bleeps are a persons lifeline, thething that keeps the heart beating is the blood, without bloodpumping into it you would hear flatline instead of a lifeline. Bloodis so important to God that He gave strict commands on how to handleblood.

“Forthe life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to youupon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is theblood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said untothe children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shallany stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever manthere be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojournamong you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may beeaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it withdust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for thelife thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shalleat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is theblood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.”-Leviticus 17:11-14.

There is nothing more powerful thanblood to bring life to a person, I am anemic and there are times whenI get so drained that nothing cures me, but eating a good steak. Therich blood in that meat brings me back to life, if you have Jesus inyou, you have His blood pumping through you, He is your lifeline, Hebrings life to you. Jesus said, “Exceptye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have nolife in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hatheternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my fleshis meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth myflesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As theliving Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he thateateth me, even he shall live by me.”- John 6:53-57. This is spiritually speaking, when we receive Christwe spiritually eat the sin sacrifice, drink of the blood that He shedfor us, which then His rich blood gives us life.

While allsin wrecks our relationship with God, some are just plain disgustingto Him, the most disgusting are of the flesh. Fleshly lusts waragainst the soul and will certainly be the ruin of it, God commandedIsrael to abstain from all lusts of the flesh.

“Afterthe doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do:and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you,shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shalldo my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am theLORD your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments:which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. None of youshall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover theirnakedness: I am the LORD...Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally withthy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her. And thou shalt notlet any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shaltthou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not liewith mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shaltthou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shallany woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.”- Leviticus 18:3-6,20-23.

We think that what we see goingaround the world is something new, it is not new to God. There is notone thing in this life that God has not seen already over thecenturies, this includes every immoral act of the flesh such asfornication, adultery, incest, bestiality, homosexuality, and evenbringing immorality into the marriage bed. We are children of God,that means that we are to start acting like it and not do the thingsthat we see or have done while we were in the world. Yes, we may havedone some things while in the world that we were ignorant to, butthat does not give us an excuse to do them now. A saved soul hasmuch more to affliction to deal with than one who never knew Christ.Why? To get them to repent, to turn away from living in sin. “Forgodly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of:but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”- 2 Corinthians 7:10.
Today'sPsalm:116:17 - “Iwill offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call uponthe name of the LORD.”

Today'sProverb: 21:3 - “Todo justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD thansacrifice.”

Today'sPrayer:God, thankYou for Your indwelling Spirit that replaces my sinful nature withthat of a spiritual nature. As I walk in Your ways year after year, Iam aware of sins that wreck my relationship with You. Help me toremove all the sin that keeps me from receiving the desires andpossessions You have for me for my faithfulness to You. In Jesus'name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/2 A Plain Path

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 6:8

"Also I heard the voice of the LORD, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."

from Forrest Ritchey

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2/1 Spurgeon Today

2012-02-01T13:43:00.000-06:00

“They shall sing in the ways of the Lord.”
Psalm 138:5
The time when Christians begin to sing in the ways of the Lord is when they first lose their burden at the foot of the Cross. Not even the songs of the angels seem so sweet as the first song of rapture which gushes from the inmost soul of the forgiven child of God. You know how John Bunyan describes it. He says when poor Pilgrim lost his burden at the Cross, he gave three great leaps, and went on his way singing—
“Blest Cross! blest Sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!”
Believer, do you recollect the day when your fetters fell off? Do you remember the place when Jesus met you, and said, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love; I have blotted out as a cloud thy transgressions, and as a thick cloud thy sins; they shall not be mentioned against thee any more forever.” Oh! what a sweet season is that when Jesus takes away the pain of sin. When the Lord first pardoned my sin, I was so joyous that I could scarce refrain from dancing. I thought on my road home from the house where I had been set at liberty, that I must tell the stones in the street the story of my deliverance. So full was my soul of joy, that I wanted to tell every snow-flake that was falling from heaven of the wondrous love of Jesus, who had blotted out the sins of one of the chief of rebels. But it is not only at the commencement of the Christian life that believers have reason for song; as long as they live they discover cause to sing in the ways of the Lord, and their experience of his constant lovingkindness leads them to say, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” See to it, brother, that thou magnifiest the Lord this day.
“Long as we tread this desert land,
New mercies shall new songs demand.”

2/01 Cleansed And Cured

2012-02-01T06:55:00.004-06:00

KingJames Daily Bible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:CleansedAnd Cured
Date:Wednesday February 01, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus14-15

Hello My Friend,

To be clean means to removeall foreign matter from, to befree from dirt or impurities, to be purified. If you have ever beenreally dirty and sweaty than you know how good it feels to get into ahot shower and feel all the grime wash away. No matter how clean weget the outside of our bodies soap and water does not clean theinside, so even though one can be clean on the outside they can stillfeel quite grimy and dirty on the inside. That is where Jesus comesin, only Jesus can clean the inside, remove all the dirt, and purifythe mind, spirit, and soul. How can Jesus cleanse us? Besides Hisprecious blood to cleanse the soul, He removes the guilt and shamethat plagues the mind, and awakens the dead spirit inside, but theonly way He can cleanse us is by confessing our sins to Him.

“Thatwhich we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also mayhave fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father,and with his Son Jesus Christ. Andthese things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This thenis the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, thatGod is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that wehave fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do notthe truth: Butif we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowshipone with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth usfrom all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithfuland just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him aliar, and his word is not in us.”- 1 John 1:3-10.

We have been reading a lot about leprosy thelast couple of days, like I said earlier, leprosy is a deadlydisease, it's caught by those who have not kept themselves clean.It's highly contagious and can be passed onto others, who keepthemselves clean. I remember once when I was in high school havingcontracted ring worm, not sure if it was one of my brothers that gotnear someone of if it was me, all I know is that everyone in thehouse contracted it and we had to suffer with this disease for acouple of weeks, we could not go outside nor near anyone or they toowould get infected. Them nasty worms were dug their way inside ourskin, we needed to put this cream all over our bodies to get rid ofthem. What an illustration of sin, we are exposed to it from theoutside, once it gets in, it digs it's way into our skin, the onlyway to remove it is to apply Christ to it, it takes some time to getrid of it, but as long as you keep applying Christ to it it goesaway.
Theword leprosy struck terror in the heart of a Jew for two reasons.First, the person who had leprosy became an outcast from society. Hewas forced to leave his home, family, friends, and the place ofworship. When anyone went near him, the leper had to cry out,Unclean, Unclean, and people had to avoid him. Now, regardless of howmany sacrifices brought to the priests the only way a person couldhave been cured from the disease was by God Himself. If God cured theperson of the disease they were able to take the steps needed to befully cleansed.
“Andthe LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leperin the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: Andthe priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look,and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Thenshall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed twobirds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: Andthe priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in anearthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shalltake it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, andshall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that waskilled over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him that isto be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce himclean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.”- Leviticus 14:1-7.

The steps taken for a Jew to be cleansedare representative of Christ, the two birds represent, Christ dyingfor our sins and rising again to cleanse us, freeing us from oursins. The cedar wood represents the freedom given by Jesus to removeall the corruption that sin had brought upon our lives. Scarletrepresents the persons stained blood and the blood of Christ thatremoved those stains. Hyssop represents the fragrant smell given offas we are cleansed from our sins, deemed holy, and reconciled withGod. “ButGod commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yetsinners, Christ died for us. Muchmore then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved fromwrath through him. Forif, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death ofhis Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”- Romans 5:8-10.

Besidesleprosy, there were other issues that a person had to be cleansedfrom that could spread illness and disease. Men and women havingcleansing issues had to be separated from population until theirissues were dissolved. “Andif any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall washall his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. And everygarment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall bewashed with water, and be unclean until the even. The woman also withwhom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathethemselves in water, and be unclean until the even. And if a womanhave an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be putapart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean untilthe even.”-Leviticus 15:16-19.

God even addresses how a woman was to beseparated from the people when she was menstruating. Do you know howmany diseases can be spread simply by touching someones infected bodyfluids? It was for that reason why God enforced these rules. Today,these rules are not enforced, but the same concept still applies,keep yourself clean, if you are not clean, separate yourself fromthose who are clean until you are, if it is incurable do not spreadit to others for your own selfish lusts and pray to God for amiracle.
Maybeyou have gotten caught up in something that you think God can neverforgive you for. God forgives all who come to Him and He will cleanseyou too. Your cure, is Jesus Christ. We can praise God for one dropof that precious blood of His, it is the only blood that is pure andcomesinto the soul for a good cleansing “by water and blood”. “Whois he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus isthe Son of God? Thisis he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by wateronly, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bearethwitness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bearrecord in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and thesethree are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, theSpirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree inone...He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son ofGod hath not life.”- 1 John 5:5-8,12.
Today'sPsalm:51:7 - “Purgeme with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiterthan snow.”

Today'sProverb: 30:12 -“Thereis a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is notwashed from their filthiness.”

Today'sPrayer:God, It is indescribable the love You have for me, to offer Yourperfect Son to take the blame for my sins. He gave His life to saveme, to cleanse me from all the filth of sin that encrusted my bodyfor years. Thank You Jesus, for such a sacrifice, while nothing I docan ever repay You for what You have done for me, I can do my best tolive a clean life as I apply of You are to all of me. In Jesus' name.Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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2/1 A Plain Path

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-06:00

Matthew 7:26-27

"And every one that hearth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

from Forrest Ritchey

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2/1 Fundamental Thoughts

2012-02-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

Jesus Christ The Righteous

1John 2:1-2 My little children, thesethings write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have anadvocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but alsofor the sins of the whole world.

Thoseof us who know and understand the concept of existing sinfulness know that tosin is an abomination towards God. (Withinthe idea of this being an abomination, we become an enemy of God. Those of us who walk in the world (flesh) areenemies of God.)

Romans8:6-8 For to be carnally minded isdeath; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is notsubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 Sothen they that are in the flesh cannot please God

We as Christians must know that to walk in sin canshed doubt on our salvation. (I know,here I go judging again. If those whoare always “quoting” (out of context) verses concerning judging would read andstudy the scriptures, they would know that I must not judge you with adifferent standard than I judge myself.) God wants Christians to be able to discern (judge.) When we see a brother in sin we should attemptto sway him away from that sin.

Ezekiel33:6 But if the watchman [Any Christian] see the sword come, and blownot the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take anyperson from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity[sin]; buthis blood will I require at the watchman's [Christian’s] hand.

If a Christian fails (in his resolve to discern,) andwalks away with no admonition, (and if that person dies in his sins,) his bloodis on that Christian’s hands.

Jesusdied on the cross for you and I. He diedfor our sins. He is The Mighty “watchman,” and Hehas warned. Because of that admonition, thosewho have accepted Him are free from The Wrath of God.

John3:36 He that believeth on the Son hatheverlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but thewrath of God abideth on him.

Our God in Heaven, and His Son Jesus are both Righteousand Holy. (How can we ever expect to bein their presence?) They are both withoutsin. They never sinned, and never willallow sin within Their realm.

Regardlessof your personal opinion, your sin (you are a sinful person) is what keeps youfrom God and His Son.

Romans3:23 For all have sinned, and come shortof the glory of God;

In Romans,Paul also shows us “the path” to that Righteousness we need.

Romans10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thymouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised himfrom the dead, thou shalt be saved.

When Jesus died on that “Old Rugged Cross,” He diedfor our sins so we can be free, (free to live in the presence of God The Fathereternally.

Ifyou believe that God raised Jesus from the grave, and are a “watchman” willing toconfess that belief to others, God will save you from your sins and thateternal burning in Hell.

“Reader,why are you waiting? Have you acceptedJesus? Are you an active “watchman?” Do you fear that “hisblood”(the sinner’s blood) will be accounted to you?”

Believe. Ask Jesus Today.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

1/31 Strength for Today

2012-01-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

he "Why's" Do Have Answers
Acts 16:33-34

Trying to understand why God allows us to go through certain things can be very frustrating, but we must realize that God does have a purpose for all of life’s situations. There are no “uh-oh’s” with God. Everything that God sends our way has a purpose, and that is why we must make the most of every situation.

Paul and Silas had one of those hard to understand situations in their lives. After preaching to the people of Philippi and seeing many people saved, one man who had an agenda against them brought them to the magistrates and falsely accused them. This false accusation caused them to be beaten and thrown into prison. Though they could not understand why they had to go through this, they made the most of their situation and kept a good attitude. However, in the middle of the night while they sang praises to God, an earthquake opened the doors of their prison. Instead of walking out, they stayed in the prison only to find that the prison keeper almost killed himself had they not intervened. Because of their intervention, they were able to lead this man and his family to Christ.

Why did Paul and Silas have to endure the beating and imprisonment? God allowed them to go through this because He knew they had the opportunity to lead a man and his family to Christ. If Paul and Silas would have griped and complained about their situation, they would not have had the opportunity to lead this prison keeper to Christ. Instead of complaining about a bad situation, they made the most of their situation which resulted in someone being saved.

Christian, I do not pretend to be God, and neither should any other man of God. However, I do know that there is an answer to your “Why.” You may be facing some adverse circumstances at the present, but God has a reason for why He allows you to face it. All too often we are so busy complaining about our present situations that we miss the very reason why God sent us through it. There are a couple of things you must do to understand the “Why.”

First, realize that everything God sends in your life is not about you. The truth is that many times God sends us through situations for the sake of others. The sickness that you face may be so that you can help someone go through the exact same sickness. The heartbreak you face may be so that you can lead someone to Christ. If we keep an inward approach to life’s situations and not an outward approach, then we will never see why God allows us to go through these things. Sure, God may be sending you through your life’s situation for your sake, but most likely it is for someone else’s sake.

Second, make the most with whatever you are facing. Like the old cliche, make lemonade from your lemons. Find a way to allow good to come through your situation. Don’t wait for good to come through it, make it good yourself. Learn from it so you can help others go through the same situation you face. Help others around you who watch you endure your situation by keeping a good attitude. Don’t let your life’s situation be a wasted time of your life.

Yes, whatever you may be facing at the moment may be hard to take, but God has a reason for you to go through it. Claim God’s promises that He guides the paths of our lives, and rest in the assurance this His presence is with you as you go through it. Ask God to help you make the most out of your situation.

1/31 Daily in the Word

2012-01-31T21:25:00.002-06:00

The Power of God
Colossians 1:16

The Tournament of Roses is a New Year's parade of floats each year in Pasadena, California. Many colorful floats are built by companies to entertain guests and promote their business. But one year, the entire parade was held up as one of the floats ran out of gas in the middle of the event. Ironically, the float was built by the Standard Oil Company. A company known for powering vehicles had their own vehicle run out of power.

When you think about the power of God, you can become overwhelmed at just how great our God is. He formed the world from nothing, orders everything that happens, and takes notice of even the smallest of changes in the world. And that doesn't even begin to describe how powerful God is.

In the grand scheme of the world, we are but minute beings on the face of earth, yet God shows that He cares about every detail of our lives. God cares if you're facing a trial. He cares if you're going through a tough time. He cares if you need wisdom to make a life-changing decision. God cares about you.

Never take for granted the fact that God is interested in every aspect of your life. God has the power to change the world, and He engages that power on your behalf if you will but ask Him for help.

No one in this world loves you as much as God does and no one can help you like God can. He's promised to help. All you must do is seek His power.

Take some time today to seek God's help in your life. He has the power to help in your difficult situation, and He delights to help you.

1/31 To Make A Difference

2012-01-31T05:23:00.004-06:00

DailyBible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:ToMake A Difference
Date:Tuesday January 31, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus11-13Previewof Today's Message:
AllScripture quoted from the King James Version.

HelloMy Friend,

Those who believe in Jesus Christ and have acceptedHim as their personal Savior are children of the one and onlyAlmighty, Living God. That means we have the Spirit of God dwellinginside of us, that means God dwells inside of us. Naturally, since weare children of God that means we are to act like children of God,meaning just as He is holy, we are to be holy. In other words, we areto separate ourselves from the world, to be make a difference and beclean.

“Beye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowshiphath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hathlight with darkness? Andwhat concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he thatbelieveth with an infidel? Andwhat agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are thetemple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, andwalk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith theLord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, Andwill be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,saith the Lord Almighty.”- 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

God gave the Jews specificinstructions on what food they were allowed to eat or even touch.Every creature of God's is good and made for a purpose, all the waydown to fly, but God did not want His people to consume or touchcertain animals that would defile their bodies and make them unclean,which means foul, dirty, or filthy.
“Andthe LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak untothe children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shalleat among all the beasts that are on the earth...ForI am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, andye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselveswith any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For Iam the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be yourGod: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law ofthe beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that movethin the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: Tomake a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between thebeast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.”-Leviticus 11:1,2,44-47.

The reason the Jews were to followthis law was to make a difference, to set them apart from the rest ofthe world. Many of these animals were objects of superstition andidolatry to the heathen, which was all an abomination to God. Thelaws, however, were probably primarily for sanitary reasons andnecessary to the good of the people. We are no longer subject to thislaw, but the same concept still applies, do not consume or touchanything that would make a body unclean, today, some of these thingswould be alcohol, drugs, pornography, adultery, and fornication.“What?know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? fortwo, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto theLord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth iswithout the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth againsthis own body. What?know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which isin you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye arebought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in yourspirit, which are God's.”- 1 Corinthians 6:16-20.

From uncleanness contracted by thetouching or eating certain animals, God now comes to the uncleannesswhich arises from ourselves. Every person born, except Jesus, is borninto sin from the second they are conceived, notnecessarily by conception, but simply through our human nature, itseems unfair that the second we are brought into this world we areconsidered sinners, but that curse got passed down to us through Adamand Eve. When a woman had a child she was considered unclean and hadto go through a purification process.

“Speakunto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed,and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; accordingto the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three andthirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into thesanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if shebear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in herseparation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifyingthreescore and six days.”- Leviticus 2-5.

The purifying of her blood refers to thecomplete purification of a woman's body after she gives birth, whichtook about forty days if she gave birth to a male and eighty for afemale. It is called the blood of her purifying because of theexpulsion of unclean blood, which is referred to as menstruation. Thereason a woman had to wait twice as long was to keep the femalepopulation from getting larger than the male. Today, there is onlyone way to be purified and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ.“Butif we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowshipone with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth usfrom all sin.”- 1 John 1:7.

God did not just single out women, men too wereto keep their bodies pure as well, if they weren't they would becomeleprous. “Whena man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or brightspot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy;then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of hissons the priests: And the priest shall look on the plague in the skinof the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, andthe plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is aplague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronouncehim unclean...And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shallbe rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon hisupper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.”- Leviticus 13:2,3,45.

Leprosy is a chronic infectiousdisease that affects and controls the entire body, it starts out as asmall white spot then slowly eats through a persons muscle, causingthe nervous system to shut down as well as hair loss and even theloss of limbs. If a person had leprosy he had to avoid everyone thatwas clean and yell out unclean by anyone he passed. Sin is likeleprosy, it starts out small and slowly takes control of the person,and it is infectious, it causes others to sin and or be exposed tothe sin. Could you imagine getting a disease that spreads your entirebody because you exposed yourself to sin and having to separateyourself from everyone and yell out unclean if someone came near you?Talk about separation?

Therefore, as children of theAlmighty, Living God we are to still separate ourselves from theworld, we are to make a difference, be the people God wants us to be.Show the world that it is a great thing to be a child of the AlmightyLiving God. “Whereforegird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for thegrace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of JesusChrist; Asobedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the formerlusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, sobe ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Beye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who withoutrespect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass thetime of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that yewere not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, fromyour vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; Butwith the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish andwithout spot:”-1 Peter 1:13-19.
Today'sPsalm:119:9 - “Wherewithalshall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto accordingto thy word.”

Today'sProverb: 16:2 - “Allthe ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheththe spirits.”

Today'sPrayer:God, Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to walk on this earth andshow us the way to You. It is only through Him that we haveforgiveness and hope of eternal life when we confess that we aresinners and ask Him to cleanse us. Now, as one of Your children, showme how You want me to live, teach me to be obedient to Your commands,keep me from exposing myself to sin, and help me to remain separatedfrom the uncleanness of the world and to make a difference as you dayby day cleanse me from all that defiles my mind, body, and spirit. InJesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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1/30 Fundamental Thoughts

2012-01-30T15:57:00.002-06:00

I Chose God

22 of 22 from Psalm 119

Psalms 119:169-176 TAU. Let my cry come near before thee, OLORD: give me understanding according to thy word. (170) Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thyword. (171) My lips shall utter praise, when thou hasttaught me thy statutes. (172) My tongue shall speak of thy word: for allthy commandments are righteousness. (173) Let thine hand help me; forI have chosen thy precepts. (174) I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; andthy law is my delight. (175) Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee;and let thy judgments help me. (176) I have gone astray like alost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.

As westudy the last segment in Psalm 119, the phrase that comes to my mind is, “Ihave chosen thy precepts.” King Davidhad “chosen” God’s law (precepts,) astatement of Faith by choosing God. King David, as a secular man, was a failure. However, spiritually he was God’s Man.

Youand I, as we walk in this life, may find that “within the world” we arefailures. The “world” knows about ourspiritual life, but has no knowledge about “our relationship with God.”

InSunday School, we recently sang a song entitled, “This Little Light of Mine.” Oneverse suggests we might hide “our light” under a bushel, another that the windmight blow it out, and another that the devil “might” attempt to blow it out.

AsChristians, we are a peculiar people. Weare to let “This Little Light of Mine”shine for “all” the world to see. We maybe the only Bible non-Christians will ever read.

Sowhat version of the Bible are you portraying? Are you, “It Has Been A Long Time Since I Read It,” “Actually I HaveOnly Read Parts,” or “I Have Never Read It, But When I Go To Church I ListenReal Good.” “What kind of light are youportraying? If you have not read yourBible, and if you are not attending Church, how do you KNOW you are aChristian?”

As a peculiarpeople our “light” must be God’s Light, His Truth, His Righteousness, and aboveall, His Holiness.

KingDavid, in all his failures, chose God. The“world” saw his failures, but they also saw that he was a Man of God. King David’s “This Little Light of Mine” might have flickered a time or two; butwhen he realized his failure, he always fell to his knees in repentance. He realized that to get closer to God:

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse yourhands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.

Repentance is a means of “purify [ing]” and“Cleanse [ing]” our hearts and our hands. King David couldn’t wash himself clean. It allhad to be done “with the heart,” in repentance, with a sincere heart before God.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, havingour hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with purewater.

“Christian, is your light faltering? Are you running out of fuel? Is your “LittleLight” as bright as it should be? Haveyou “Chosen God?”

“Reader,today is the day to accept Jesus and light your “Little Light” for Jesus.” Doit today. Choose God.”

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

1/30 Spurgeon Today

2012-01-30T13:35:00.000-06:00

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance.”
Ephesians 1:11
When Jesus gave himself for us, he gave us all the rights and privileges which went with himself; so that now, although as eternal God, he has essential rights to which no creature may venture to pretend, yet as Jesus, the Mediator, the federal head of the covenant of grace, he has no heritage apart from us. All the glorious consequences of his obedience unto death are the joint riches of all who are in him, and on whose behalf he accomplished the divine will. See, he enters into glory, but not for himself alone, for it is written, “Whither the Forerunner is for us entered.” Heb. 6:20. Does he stand in the presence of God?—“He appears in the presence of God for us.” Heb. 9:24. Consider this, believer. You have no right to heaven in yourself: your right lies in Christ. If you are pardoned, it is through his blood; if you are justified, it is through his righteousness; if you are sanctified, it is because he is made of God unto you sanctification; if you shall be kept from falling, it will be because you are preserved in Christ Jesus; and if you are perfected at the last, it will be because you are complete in him. Thus Jesus is magnified—for all is in him and by him; thus the inheritance is made certain to us—for it is obtained in him; thus each blessing is the sweeter, and even heaven itself the brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved “in whom” we have obtained all. Where is the man who shall estimate our divine portion? Weigh the riches of Christ in scales, and his treasure in balances, and then think to count the treasures which belong to the saints. Reach the bottom of Christ’s sea of joy, and then hope to understand the bliss which God hath prepared for them that love him. Overleap the boundaries of Christ’s possessions, and then dream of a limit to the fair inheritance of the elect. “All things are yours, for ye are Christ’s and Christ is God's.”

1/30 On God's Terms

2012-01-30T09:28:00.001-06:00

DailyBible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:OnGod's Terms
Date:Monday January 30, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus8-10Previewof Today's Message:
AllScripture quoted from the King James Version.

HelloMy Friend,

Have you ever stopped to think about how powerfulthings are that you cannot see? For instance, the wind, you cannotsee it coming, but when it does, you can sure feel it, it can bepleasant or quite dangerous. The air, you cannot see it, but it iswhat we breathe, without it we would die. How about electricity? Itis perhaps one of the most dangerous elements that we cannot see,it's all around us, touch it and it can kill you. Now, imagine howpowerful God is, we cannot see Him, but He, in fact, made all thesethings. Talk about power! God's power is awesome and He uses it onevery one of us, and depending on our walk with Him that can be apleasant or quite dangerous experience. If you have chosen to serveGod, it would be wise to do that on His terms, not yours.

“Whereforeseeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud ofwitnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth soeasily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is setbefore us, Lookingunto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy thatwas set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is setdown at the right hand of the throne of God...And this word, Yet oncemore, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as ofthings that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken mayremain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, letus have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence andgodly fear: Forour God is a consuming fire.”- Hebrews 12:1,2,27-29.

While God will use any willing heart to serve Him, regardlessof their past, He expects that willing heart to serve Himunconditionally. Aaron built a golden god for the Jews to worship,but God still used him in His service. He would become the first highpriest of God and his sons would be priests. In order for them toeven be able to serve God they had to be consecrated. God gave Mosesinstructions on how to consecrate Aaron and his sons.

“Andthe LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him,and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sinoffering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; And gatherthou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle ofthe congregation...And ye shall not go out of the door of thetabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of yourconsecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you. Ashe hath done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make anatonement for you. Therefore shall ye abide at the door of thetabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep thecharge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. So Aaronand his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand ofMoses.”-Leviticus 8:1-3,33-36.

The word consecration means the actdevoting and dedicating a person for the service and worship of God.Consecration does not make a person holy, but it declares them to bedevoted to God in serving Him on His terms. The priestsdid not consecrate themselves, Moses was the appointed instrument ofGod to do this work, he was their mediator to God. Without Moses handin presenting them to God, any work that they would have done inservice to God would have been worthless because God onlyacknowledges the works of those who are consecrated. Today, ourMediator is Jesus Christ, He presents the believer to God forconsecration, if we do not know Christ than any service to God wouldbe worthless. “Notevery one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into thekingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which isin heaven.Manywill say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thyname? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done manywonderful works?Andthen will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, yethat work iniquity.”- Matthew 7:21-23.

Now, after the seven days of consecration,they still were not able to do their duties just yet, first, they hadto be redeemed, forgiven of their sins. Remember, to stand before Godwe must be holy, consecration did not make them holy, just preparedtheir hearts to stand before Him, now, it was time for the first sinsacrifices to be offered. “AndMoses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye shoulddo: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you...And Aaronlifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came downfrom offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peaceofferings. AndMoses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, andcame out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appearedunto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD,and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: whichwhen all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.”-Leviticus 9:6,22-24.

The glory of the Lord, the fire thatcame down from heaven and devoured the sacrifices, was so powerfulthat the people fell on their knees in fear. There is no greater wayto redeem someone than fear, many of us get saved and have no desireto serve God until we see the glory of the Lord. It us truly the fearof God that gets us serving Him unconditionally. “Ofhow much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted theblood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him thathath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith theLord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. Itis a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”-Hebrews 10:29-31.

So, once you are saved, have Jesus on yourside, and choose God over sin, you are capable of serving Him andseeing the blessings from it. However, altar this plan once and itwill be fatal. This proved to be true for two of Aaron's sons. “AndNadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer,and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strangefire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went outfire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, Iwill be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all thepeople I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.”- Leviticus 10:1-3.

The strange fire offered to God was notholy, it came from outside of the tabernacle, therefore, it wastainted, corrupted and since God is holy we must present ourselvesholy before Him, not with corrupted offerings, but pure, undefiledofferings. If you want God in your life and want to serve Him, do itHis way, do not alter any part of His plan. Today, offering strangefire to God would be altering the Gospel. To be saved, one must admitthey are a sinner, believe and understand that Jesus (who is sinless,died, was buried, and resurrected three days later), is the Only Onewho can save them, and the only way they can be redeemed is to acceptHim in their lives. “Thatif thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shaltbelieve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thoushalt be saved. Forwith the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouthconfession is made unto salvation.”- Romans 10:9,10.

Alteringthe Gospel would be saying, that you must be baptized too, or that ifyou sin again you have to do it all over again. We are saved bygrace, not by our works, salvation is simply trusting in Jesus aloneto save you, nothing else. Everything else, from baptism to servingGod is done in obedience and reverence to Him, not to remain saved.“Notby works of righteousness which we have done, but according to hismercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing ofthe Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christour Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be madeheirs according to the hope of eternal life.”-Titus 3:5-7.
Today'sPsalm:2:11 - “Servethe LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

Today'sProverb: 1:7 - “Thefear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despisewisdom and instruction.”

Today'sPrayer:God,it has been written that he who stands for nothing will fall foranything. Most within our generation stand for very little that haseternal value though we have been given thorough instruction fromYour Word to guide our lives, teach us right from wrong, and how toprepare for eternity. We are convinced of these teachings by the HolySpirit, by men and women of deep faith, and by our own definingexperiences in life. God help me to stand unashamedly and fearlesslybefore You, ready to serve You unconditionally, with Jesus by myside. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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1/29 Spurgeon Today

2012-01-29T12:21:00.000-06:00

“The things which are not seen.”

2 Corinthians 4:18

In our Christian pilgrimage it is well, for the most part, to be looking forward. Forward lies the crown, and onward is the goal. Whether it be for hope, for joy, for consolation, or for the inspiring of our love, the future must, after all, be the grand object of the eye of faith. Looking into the future we see sin cast out, the body of sin and death destroyed, the soul made perfect, and fit to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light. Looking further yet, the believer’s enlightened eye can see death’s river passed, the gloomy stream forded, and the hills of light attained on which standeth the celestial city; he seeth himself enter within the pearly gates, hailed as more than conqueror, crowned by the hand of Christ, embraced in the arms of Jesus, glorified with him, and made to sit together with him on his throne, even as he has overcome and has sat down with the Father on his throne. The thought of this future may well relieve the darkness of the past and the gloom of the present. The joys of heaven will surely compensate for the sorrows of earth. Hush, hush, my doubts! death is but a narrow stream, and thou shalt soon have forded it. Time, how short—eternity, how long! Death, how brief—immortality, how endless! Methinks I even now eat of Eshcol’s clusters, and sip of the well which is within the gate. The road is so, so short! I shall soon be there.

“When the world my heart is rending

With its heaviest storm of care,

My glad thoughts to heaven ascending,

Find a refuge from despair.

Faith’s bright vision shall sustain me

Till life’s pilgrimage is past;

Fears may vex and troubles pain me,

I shall reach my home at last.”

1/29 Reconciled

2012-01-29T05:24:00.001-06:00

DailyBible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:Reconciled
Date:Sunday January 29, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus5-7Previewof Today's Message:We are all sinners saved by grace. So, when we mess up, what happens?We make it right with God, we reconcile our relationship with Himthrough confession. AllScripture quoted from the King James Version.

HelloMy Friend,

The word ignorant is defined as lackinginknowledge,training, or awareness. Being ignorant or lacking in knowledge meansthat we are capable of learning. I use to say, “Sometimes notknowing is better off than knowing.”, but usually I found out thatknowing would have kept me getting caught up in a mess. I do not knowhow many people I have talked to whenasked, “If you were to die today, do you that you would be inheaven?” respond with, “When I die, I die, that's it.” No, thatis not it. The flesh dies, but there is also soul inside every personand if that soul does not know Jesus Christ than that soul will endup in a lake of fire much more horrific than the thought of being inhell. “Hethat overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, andhe shall be my son.Butthe fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, andwhoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall havetheir part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: whichis the second death.”-Revelation 21:7,8.

Yesterday we talked about sin, meat, andpeace offerings, today we are going to talk about trespass offerings.Trespass offerings were offerings given for specific sins, somethingthat they knowingly knew they did. Now,if a person knowingly sinned, meaning they were not ignorant to whatthey were doing, they would be subject to some major affliction untilthey admitted their sin before God. “Andif a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness,whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then heshall bear his iniquity. Orif a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of anunclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase ofunclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shallbe unclean, and guilty. Or if he touch the uncleanness of man,whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled withal, andit be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty.Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to dogood, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, andit be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty inone of these. And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one ofthese things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in thatthing:”- Leviticus 5:1-5.

Confession of sin is the only way we cannot only get right with God, but ourselves and others as well. If weare knowingly living in sin everyone else around us is affected.Until we come clean it only gets worse, just like any parent, thepunishment is less severe when we admit what we did. “Ifwe confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”- 1 John 1:9.

Now God gives the instruction of the trespassoffering, “Ifa soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto hisneighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship,or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;Orhave found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and swearethfalsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: Thenit shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shallrestore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hathdeceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or thelost thing which he found,..And he shall bring his trespass offeringunto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thyestimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: And the priestshall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall beforgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassingtherein.”- Leviticus 6:2-4,6,7.
Thetrespasses here mentioned, still are trespasses against the law ofChrist, which insists as much upon justice and truth, as the law ofnature, or the law of Moses. Trespass against our neighbor istrespass against God, because it is an offense to our Savior who hasredeemed us commanded that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.“Anew commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I haveloved you, that ye also love one another. Bythis shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love oneto another.”- John 13:34,35.
Thereis no difference between sin committed unknowingly or knowingly, itis all sin to God and cause for redemption. It is wise to go beforeGod and ask Him to reveal any hidden sin, “Searchme, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: Andsee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the wayeverlasting.”- Psalm 139:23,24. However, ifa person gets saved and continues to live in sin with the attitudethat “No matter what I do I am saved so, I am going to do itanyway.” he will suffer more and more until he repents, turns awayfrom the sin. “TheLord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men countslackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that anyshould perish, but that all should come to repentance.”- 2 Peter 3:9.

Even those who live for God sin, we are notperfect nor will we be, that means we have to seek forgiveness too.God instructs Moses on how the priests were to give their offeringsto God. “Likewisethis is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy. In theplace where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespassoffering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about uponthe altar...And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for anoffering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a trespass offering. Everymale among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in theholy place: it is most holy. Asthe sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one lawfor them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.”- Leviticus 7:1,2,5-7.

There are times in our lives when wejust have to cry before God and say I am sorry, even if we have notdone anything wrong that we can think of. I have a habit of keepingthings that bother me all bottled up and when that happens I can feelestranged from God and everything else in my life too. When I get tothat point I just cry out to God. He needs to hear our love anddependance of Him, there is no better way to be reconciled with Godthan by crying out to Him. “Drawnigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, yesinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, andmourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and yourjoy to heaviness. Humbleyourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”-James 4:8-10.
Today'sPsalm:86:5 - “Forthou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercyunto all them that call upon thee.”

Today'sProverb: 28:13 - “Hethat covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth andforsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Today'sPrayer:God, Iknow that I am a sinner saved by grace because I am simply believingin and trusting Your Son, Jesus to save me from hell and the lake offire. Asa child of God I know there are sacrifices that You ask of me, mostespecially to follow You and obey You no matter the cost. I can’tdo this in my own strength, but I know I can do them in Christ's.Circumstances will test me, but I know I can overcome them with YourSon. I am determine to remain faithful to You so that my faith willgrow and my Christian walk will be strengthened. I will not beashamed, but rather glory in the amazing transformation You are inme. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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1/28 With Christ in the School of Prayer

2012-01-28T22:35:00.004-06:00

And if the thought come that this liberty and power of the Son to act upon the Father is at variance with the immutability of the Divine decrees, let us not forget that there is not with God as with man, a past by which He is irrevocably bound. God does not live in time with its past and future; the distinctions of time have no reference to Him who inhabits Eternity. And Eternity is an ever-present Now, in which the past is never past, and the future always present. To meet our human weakness, Scripture must speak of past decrees, and a coming future. In reality, the immutability of God’s counsel is ever still in perfect harmony with His liberty to do whatsoever He will. Not so were the prayers of the Son and His people taken up into the eternal decrees that their effect should only be an apparent one; but so, that the Father-heart holds itself open and free to listen to every prayer that rises through the Son, and that God does indeed allow Himself to be decided by prayer to do what He otherwise would not have done.
This perfect harmony and union of Divine Sovereignty and human liberty is to us an unfathomable mystery, because God as THE ETERNAL ONE transcends all our thoughts. But let it be our comfort and strength to be assured that in the eternal fellowship of the Father and the Son, the power of prayer has its origin and certainty, and that through our union with the Son, our prayer is taken up and can have its influence in the inner life of the Blessed Trinity. God’s decrees are no iron framework against which man’s liberty would vainly seek to struggle. No. God Himself is the Living Love, who in His Son as man has entered into the tenderest relation with all that is human, who through the Holy Spirit takes up all that is human into the Divine life of love, and keeps Himself free to give every human prayer its place in His government of the world.
It is in the daybreak light of such thoughts that the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity no longer is an abstract speculation, but the living manifestation of the way in which it were possible for man to be taken up into the fellowship of God, and his prayer to become a real factor in God’s rule of this earth. And we can, as in the distance, catch glimpses of the light that from the eternal world shines out on words such as these: ‘THROUGH HIM we have access BY ONE SPIRIT unto THE FATHER.’ ‘LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY.’

1/28 The Perfect Sacrifice

2012-01-28T05:45:00.001-06:00

DailyBible Study Devotional
MessageTitle:ThePerfect Sacrifice
Date:Saturday January 28, 2012Today'sChapters:Leviticus1-4Previewof Today's Message:Thelegal sacrifices under the law, were shadows of Christ’s atonement,but could never fully justified the sinner, it had to be a continuousoffering to God. Christ became the perfect sacrifice to make thatatonement permanent. AllScripture quoted from the King James Version.

HelloMy Friend,
Underthe Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ became theperfect atonement for the sinner, His sacrificial death justifiesthem once and for all. “Forthe law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the veryimage of the things, can never with those sacrifices which theyoffered year by year continually make the comers thereuntoperfect...But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sinsfor ever, sat down on the right hand of God;..For by one offering hehath perfected for ever them that are sanctified...Now whereremission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Havingtherefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the bloodof Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us,through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;.. Let us draw near witha true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkledfrom an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”-Hebrews 10:1,12,14,18-20,22.
TheBook of Leviticus is the third book of the Old Testament/Bible andcontains twenty-seven chapters, the timeline is approximately 1490B.C (This is a continuation of Exodus and Numbers). The author of thebook is Moses and it was written to the people of Israel. This bookwas a manual of worship for Israel, it was provided to give theminstructions on how a sinner could fellowship with God. The purposeof the book was to show Israel how to live as a holy nation infellowship with God and to prepare them to extend God's plan ofredemption to all nations. What we are to learn from the book is thatGod only redeems and fellowships with us if we go to Him willingly.“Ifhis offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a malewithout blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at thedoor of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.”- Leviticus 1:3.
WhileGod would love for everyone to offer themselves to Him, God does notand will not force Himself upon anyone, they must offer themselves toHim willingly if they want Him to be in their lives. Now, anoffering is a sacrifice,a donation, present, or gift, it is something given willingly with noforce or persuasion by others. So, when we offer ourselves to God wewillingly give ourselves to Him, but to give ourselves to Him comeswith a price, we must be righteous to stand before Him, to fellowshipwith Him. Since no one is righteous, except Jesus, God gave atemporary solution for people to be righteous before Him, sacrificialofferings. Today we will learn about sin, meat, and peace offerings.
Thesin offering was to be of animal flesh, it had to be a male under ayear old without one spot on it, the person had to offer the offeringwillingly as a payment for their sin. Once they brought the offeringthey had to place one hand on the head of the sacrifice and then killthe animal. Once the offering was killed the animal was handed overto a priest where he would cut it up, clean it, place it upon thealtar to be a burnt offering unto God.
“Speakunto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of youbring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of thecattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be aburnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: heshall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of thetabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. And he shall put hishand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be acceptedfor him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullockbefore the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring theblood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is bythe door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”- Leviticus 1:2-5.

The sin offering could have been in theform of any animal, this was to provide a way for every person, richor poor to fellowship with God. The sin offering was abolished whenChrist offered Himself without spotto God for the atonement of sin once and for all. The same ruleapplies in order to fellowship with God, one must willingly come toChrist. “Thatif thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shaltbelieve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thoushalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”-Romans 10:9,10.
Themeat offering was not the flesh of an animal it was actually bread,vegetables, baked or fried in olive oil and spices, this was the onlyoffering offered that was able to enter the tabernacle. “Andwhen any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shallbe of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincensethereon: And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and heshall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oilthereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burnthe memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, ofa sweet savour unto the LORD: And the remnant of the meat offeringshall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of theofferings of the LORD made by fire. And if thou bring an oblation ofa meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes offine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed withoil...Nomeat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made withleaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offeringof the LORD made by fire.”- Leviticus 2:1-4,11.

The meat offering was offered to God asa way to show thanks for God's atonement as well as what He blessedthem with throughout the year. Christ is the Bread of life, whooffered Himself as a sacrifice, meat offerings today would bepresenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, not a dead one, butliving sacrifice. Leavenis the emblem of pride and honey, sensual pleasure, which is why itwas not an acceptable offering. We are to offer our bodies to Godholy and acceptable. “Ibeseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that yepresent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may provewhat is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”-Romans 12:1,2.
Thepeace offering was to be animal flesh, it could be a male or female,but it had to be spotless. This was an offering given after the sinoffering and meat offering for one to be able to communicate andfellowship with God. “Andif his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it ofthe herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it withoutblemish before the LORD. And he shall lay his hand upon the head ofhis offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of thecongregation: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the bloodupon the altar round about. And he shall offer of the sacrifice ofthe peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fatthat covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by theflanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall hetake away.”- Leviticus 3:1-4.

The word oblation means to offer itwillingly, today, the same rules apply, we still need to seekforgiveness for our sins, we still need to offer ourselves as aliving sacrifice, and we still need to do both to be able tocommunicate and fellowship with God. The only difference is thatJesus paid the price for our sins permanently, that is if we call onHim to save us. Without Jesus we cannot receive atonement for oursins, we cannot be all we can be for Him, and we cannot have a goodrelationship with Him. “Byhim therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to Godcontinually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to hisname. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with suchsacrifices God is well pleased...Now the God of peace, that broughtagain from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Makeyou perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you thatwhich is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom beglory for ever and ever. Amen.”-Hebrews 13:15,16,20,21.
Godinstructs Moses on how the Jews were to present their offerings,there were actually five offerings that were to be made. The sinoffering, the peace offering, the burnt offering, the meat offering,and the trespass offering. Above all was the sin offering, it was theonly one to be given for the atonement of their sins, even if theyignorantly sinned, were not aware of the sin, they had to present asin offering. “Speakunto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin throughignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerningthings which ought not to be done, and shall do against any ofthem:..And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering,and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burntoffering. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offeringwith his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burntoffering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom ofthe altar: And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat ofthe lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; andthe priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offeringsmade by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonementfor his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.”- Leviticus 4:2,33-35.
Whileanyone can accept Christ, not everyone lives for Christ once theyaccept Him. Only when we live for Him can we truly understand what Hedid for us. Ignorancedoes not save a person from hell, we all have sinned, we all must paythe same price for sin. Ouronly hope is in the acceptance of Him who “became sin for us”.“Nowthen we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you byus: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For hehath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might bemade the righteousness of God in him.”- 2 Corinthians 5:20,21.
Today'sPsalm:101:2 - ”Iwill behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou comeunto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.”

Today'sProverb: 4:18 - “Butthe path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more andmore unto the perfect day.”

Today'sPrayer:God, Here I am again, Your work in progress. Though I committed mylife to you many years ago the finished work will not be revealeduntil I reach You on the upper side. In the midst of my struggles,failures, and doubts I remain confident that You will complete thework You began the day I surrendered my life to You. You accepted meas I was and You lovingly began reshaping my life to reflect Your ownnature. Not only are You continuing the good work You began, but Youare perfecting the situations that weaken my faith and my Christiantestimony. I thank You that You will fulfill Your purpose for me thisday as I commit all my ways to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoythe rest of your day/night. GodBless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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1/27 With Christ in the School of Prayer

2012-01-27T22:31:00.006-06:00

How can prayer influence Him, or He be moved by prayer to do what otherwise would not be done? Is not the promise of an answer to prayer simply a condescension to our weakness? Is what is said of the power—the much-availing power—of prayer anything more than an accommodation to our mode of thought, because the Deity never can be dependent on any action from without for its doings? And is not the blessing of prayer simply the influence it exercises upon ourselves?
In seeking an answer to such questions, we find the key in the very being of God, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. If God was only one Person, shut up within Himself, there could be no thought of nearness to Him or influence on Him. But in God there are three Persons. In God we have Father and Son, who have in the Holy Spirit their living bond of unity and fellowship. When eternal Love begat the Son, and the Father gave the Son as the Second Person a place next Himself as His Equal and His Counsellor, there was a way opened for prayer and its influence in the very inmost life of Deity itself. Just as on earth, so in heaven the whole relation between Father and Son is that of giving and taking. And if that taking is to be as voluntary and self-determined as the giving, there must be on the part of the Son an asking and receiving. In the holy fellowship of the Divine Persons, this asking of the Son was one of the great operations of the Thrice Blessed Life of God. Hence we have it in Psalm 2: ‘This day I have begotten Thee: ask of me and I will give Thee.’ The Father gave the Son the place and the power to act upon Him. The asking of the Son was no mere show or shadow, but one of those life-movements in which the love of the Father and the Son met and completed each other. The Father had determined that He should not be alone in His counsels: there was a Son on whose asking and accepting their fulfilment should depend. And so there was in the very Being and Life of God an asking of which prayer on earth was to be the reflection and the outflow. It was not without including this that Jesus said, “I knew that Thou always hearest me.’ Just as the Sonship of Jesus on earth may not be separated from His Sonship in heaven, even so with His prayer on earth, it is the continuation and the counterpart of His asking in heaven. The prayer of the man Christ Jesus is the link between the eternal asking of the only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father and the prayer of men upon earth. Prayer has its rise and its deepest source in the very Being of God. In the bosom of Deity nothing is ever done without prayer—the asking of the Son and the giving of the Father.

This may help us somewhat to understand how the prayer of man, coming through the Son, can have effect upon God. The decrees of God are not decisions made by Him without reference to the Son, or His petition, or the petition to be sent up through Him. By no means. The Lord Jesus is the first-begotten, the Head and Heir of all things: all things were created through Him and unto Him, and all things consist in Him. In the counsels of the Father, the Son, as Representative of all creation, had always a voice; in the decrees of the eternal purpose there was always room left for the liberty of the Son as Mediator and Intercessor, and so for the petitions of all who draw nigh to the Father in the Son.

1/27 Fundamental Thoughts

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

The Seven Deadly Sins

Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are anabomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands thatshed innocent blood, (18) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,feet that be swift in running to mischief, (19) A false witness thatspeaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

KingSolomon wasn’t pampering his listeners. He was laying out God’s concerns for His people. In my days of Pastoring (and since then) I haveseen too much of these abominations within our Churches.

To alarge percentage of Church people (and the secular world,) these sevenabominations are no longer God’s concern. (All we have to do is “forgive” others, spread the “love” of Jesus, and allthese abominations will vanish.)

As ayouth growing up in the world, I was taught to be proud and do things thatwould have made my Father proud of me. (MyFather died when I was very young.) Ilived with that well into my adult life.

Atsome point, I finally realized I should concern myself with my Mother. She was the one who worked with me. She was the one who prodded me into beingsomething other than a High School drop-out.

As achild, all of these “Seven Deadly Sins” were taught against with two exceptions. The first was the “proudlook.” I don’t believe this sin was everaddressed. I remember we were instructedto be proud. (I am not including the“pride” of the accomplishments of our children, but the “pride” of “Me, Myself,and I.)

Istop and consider all the resumes I have written, and applying “alying tongue” to those documents. (When I was asked to write a resume for my last Pastorate, it was verydifficult to NOT slip back into the “old mold” and “embellish” the facts more thanI should.) (That last resume was anhonest and truthful document.)

The secondof the “Seven Deadly Sins” was “wicked imaginations.” (As achild, I was never taught to imagine wicked things, yet I was taught that Ishould always broaden my imagination.)

If welooked at our “imaginations” as God does, “how ashamed would we be?” What does our “imaginations” tell God (and“the world?”) Most “imaginations” areprivate. However, I know some broadcasttheir attempts at casting dispersions on God.

Livingin the world, and as Christians, we must examine our hearts. All seven sins listed above have the samevalue. (God hates them all. One is nogreater than the other.) Consequently,if we are guilty of one, (it doesn’t matter which one,) we are guilty and willbe punished for that sin. Our walk andour talk as a Christian must not include any of these sins.

“Reader,what is our task that has been set before us? If you have never accepted Jesus The Christ as your Personal Saviour, beginhere. Call on His name and He willreceive you.”

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the nameof the Lord shall be saved.

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the nameof the LORD shall be delivered: ...

“It is your decision. Once you have called on His name, beg forforgiveness and seek God’s help in opening your heart to those sins you havecommitted. Then repent (change) and walkaway from your sins.”

“Christian,you must go before God in prayer. Askfor forgiveness, and repent of your sins.” (Repenting may be a daily task.)

Change,Repent, and Walk with God.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, havingour hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with purewater.

The decision is YOURS.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas