Daily Devotion

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

When we were growing up we always got warnings…stay together, be home before the sun sets and don’t talk to strangers. Sometimes we heeded the warning and sometimes we didn’t. However, when others got in trouble, we appreciated the warnings our parents had given us.

But in our text for today, Peter is warning us of the devil’s schemes. First of all, he tells us to be sober. The word sober means to be seriously clear-headed and in control of yourself. The word vigilant means to be alert, awake and watchful. His reason for telling us to be clear-headed, disciplined, alert, awake and watchful is because the devil is our adversary. An adversary is an enemy and a rival. The devil is our enemy and his intentions are to destroy your life. No matter how thoughtful and beautiful his plans look, his purpose is to devour or consume your life spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Next Peter tells us the devil is walking about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. A lion is a ferocious animal that lives in the wilderness seeking food to eat. He roars and makes loud sounds when he catches his prey. The devil is the same way he is looking for ways to make you stumble, fall and laugh loudly about it. This is why we are warned to be sober, vigilant so he cannot sneak upon us. Satan stalks this world like a lion and knows that if we get overconfident and forget that he is watching us, we fall right into his hands.

We must put our trust and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 6:10-13, Paul reminds us, “to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.” The whole armor of God provides complete protection from all kinds of evil and temptation. The devil’s wiles are his superhuman craftiness capable of destroying our lives. But keeping on the whole armor of God, using it with prayer helps us to stand against the devil. When we resist the devil he will flee from us as we draw near to God in prayer. Heed the warning, stay alert, watchful and pray. <jah>

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Sometimes when going over the Scriptures again and again, the Holy Spirit gives us a better understanding of what we have read. Paul in our text today is begging us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been called. In other words, we are to live a life that is worthy of our calling and to remember that we have been called by God to do service for Him. Walking worthy means there should be balanced in our lives—how we act should match or balance what we believe. We should live for His glory in every area of our lives.

Not only have we been called to walk worthy but we are told how to walk. We must walk “with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love.” Since we are members of the body of Christ we must walk with lowliness (in a humble manner or humble spirit); with meekness (enduring injury with patience and without resentment); and long-suffering (with long patience and endurance of offense); forbearing (being merciful and forgiving); one another in love. When we do all these virtues in love, they will enhance our walk with the Lord. We should be completely humble in our daily walk and not lifted up in pride, We should be gentle or meek. Moses was know as the meekest of all men (Numbers 12:3). Christ was meek and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). Yes, they got angry but they were gentle. We should also show evidence of patience. Patience is the spirit that never gives up; it endures to the very end. Attitudes of lowliness (humility), meekness (gentleness) and longsuffering (patience) brings unity among Christians. Keeping the unity of the Spirit, done in love will resolve un-forgiveness, attitudes and issues in our lives and in the church.

Since we have been called of God to do service for Him we are to promote and preserve peace and unity among ourselves and in the church. Walking worthy of the Lord, we are exhorted to unity in the bond of peace. We should allow the Holy Spirit of God to seal us so we won’t break the bond. Love for each other which the Spirit causes originates and sustains oneness among us. This bond will hold us together like cement when we are submissive to the ways and the will of God and work diligently and hard to maintain that unity. <jah>

Luke 24:1-12
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”
And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

"Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (I Timothy 4:13)

When I was young, I liked reading, but I did not want to participate before the class because I stumbled at the words. I did not like to read books or stories without pictures and I hated math questions with no figures. So I really did not care what my reading scores looked like. Then one day the teacher told the class that if we did not learn to read we would be missing the most enjoyable time of our lives. We would be considered uneducated, ignorant and illiterate and we would have to depend on other to tell us what to do. She encouraged us to start going to the library, get a card and check out books to do extra reading. Well, it paid off... our class scored 100% in reading.

I thought about this when I was reading the Bible the other day and Paul told Timothy to "give attendance to reading, exhortation and doctrine." If you will notice, he said reading first... You cannot exhort or encourage others and teach then in the ways of righteousness if you cannot read. The best time to learn to read is when you're young. Timothy was a young preacher and Paul encouraged him to read the Word. Christian leaders are expected to be a role model for others to follow. The authority of a Christian also depends on his spirit, his personality and his nature. Whatever a Christian leader does, it should be done with excellence in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I would like to encourage our young people to stop trying to grow up so fast and learn to read; reading is an important part of your life...Learn to read God's word so you can understand His word and to know what is going on in your life. Paul also encouraged Timothy as a Christian leader to be an example by what he says; by what he does; by demonstrating true love; by having the right spirit and the right attitude; by obeying God's word and having faith in Him and by maintaining a life of integrity.

When you read and get a clear understanding of God's word, you will be able to encourage others to do what is right and teach them in the ways of righteousness. Yes, young people can teach others by being a living example and obeying God's word. God loves young people and He wants you to be saved. A young person can be led by the Lord to do what is right and win others for Him.

Remember if you are not reading up to your grade level and know that you need help... ask you teacher or counselor at the school. You won't regret it. <jah>

“Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.” (Psalm 37:1-2).

The things that are happening in this world today sometimes make us as Christians fret and complain. The word fret means to vex; to agitate; to cause to suffer emotional strain; to worry or to be upset. The word complain means to express discontent; to nag, criticize or find fault. So the Lord is telling us that as children of God, we should not fret or complain. We are not to envy the prosperity of the wicked…it is only for a short time. It does not make sense for us to fret or complain because God blesses whomsoever He wills.

We should not be envious of others and their prosperity because our text tells us they will wither like grass. Christians are to trust in the Lord who answers our prayers. We should delight ourselves in the Lord; expecting all of our blessings and happiness from Him. The Lord will give us the desires of our heart based on the condition that we delight ourselves in Him. The one who delights in Him will have righteous desires. We should never indulge in a desire that we can’t pray about. We are to roll all of our ways upon the Lord, trust Him and let Him work it out. While He is working things out for our good, we are to rest in Him; stop fretting and complaining and let Him have His way with us.

We must learn to wait on the Lord—and while waiting expect something from Him by trusting Him to do His will in your life. We should not fret or be anxious about how the Lord allows evil doers to triumph. He knows exactly what He is doing. Our focus should be on Him because our text tells us, that evil doers will soon be cut down as grass and wither as green herb. To wither means to dry up and become sapless, to fade and become weak, to waste away, and to lose vitality. The righteous should not envy nor fret when the wicked succeed. Fretting and envy will only lead to danger, danger to anger, anger to sin and soon we will waste away.

Learn to live a positive life and keep focus on the Lord. He has not lost control of this universe and knows the condition of each one of us. You should not fret or complain when you are a child of God because He supplies all your needs. Allow the Lord to manage your life and lead you in the paths He desires and you will be blessed. <jah>

Together with believers all over the world, we gather today to glorify Your Name. You are the Creator of heaven and earth. There is no one like you, holy and righteous, in all Your ways. We submit to your authority as the King of the universe. We pray with one voice to enthrone You in our hearts, and to honor You before the world.

Thank You for loving the world so greatly. You gave Your only Son Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins so that we could be reconciled to You. We are grateful to call You Father and to be called Your children. Nothing can separate us from Your love.

Thank You Father, for adopting us into Your family because of Jesus Christ our Savior.

You alone are worthy to open the scrolls of history, for You were slain and have redeemed us to the Father by Your blood. We confess that You are Head of the Church and Lord of all heaven and earth. May people from every tribe and language become Your followers so that Your blessing brings transformation among all peoples. Let your kingdom be established in every nation of the world so that governments will rule with righteousness and justice. And may Your name be great, from the rising of the sun to its setting.

We acknowledge that we have sinned and that our world is gripped by the power of sin. Our hearts are grieved by injustice, hatred and violence. We are shamed by oppression, racism and bloodshed in our land. We mourn all loss of life in murder, war and terrorism. Our homes are broken and our churches are divided by rebellion and pride. Our lives are polluted by selfishness, greed, idolatry and sexual sin. We have grieved Your heart and brought shame to Your name. Have mercy on us as we repent with all our hearts.

Apart from You, we can do nothing. Transform Your Church into the image of Jesus Christ. Release Your power to bring healing to the sick, freedom

to the oppressed and comfort to those who mourn. Pour Your love into our hearts and fill us with compassion to answer the call of the homeless, the hungry and to enfold orphans, widows and the elderly in Your care. Give us wisdom and insight for the complex problems we face today. Help us to use the resources of the earth for the well-being of all.

Because You were dead, but are now risen, and the Father has given You a name above all names, You will defeat all powers of evil. Tear down strongholds and ideologies that resist the knowledge of God. Remove the veil of darkness that covers the peoples. Restrain the evil that promotes violence and death. Bring deliverance from demonic oppression. Break the hold of slavery, tyranny and disease. Fill us with courage to preach Your word fearlessly, and to intercede for the lost faithfully.

Come and finish Your work in our cities, our peoples and our nations. We lift our voices in unison with believers from Africa and Asia, from the Middle East and Europe, from North and South America, and from Australia and the Pacific Islands—together we cry:

As Your deeds increase throughout the earth, and as Your blessings abound to all the nations, they will seek You, asking, “Who is this King of glory?” Together we will answer:

Come fill the earth with Your glory as the waters cover the sea. The Spirit and the Bride say:

What if God would not take the time to bless us today because we would not take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What If God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we did not follow Him today?

What if we never saw another stalk of corn because we grumble when God sent the rain?

What if God did not walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if the doors of the church were closed because we failed to open our hearts to God?

What if God stopped living and caring for us because we fail to love and care for others?

What if God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him yesterday?

What if God met our needs the way we give to the house of the Lord and give to help others?

What if God abused us physically, mentally and emotionally the way we abuse others?

What if God sowed seeds of discord among us the way we do our brothers and sisters?

"If everybody loved Jesus, what a wonderful world this would be. If everybody was like Jesus, what a wonderful world this would be."

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12).

We are living in a time when everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes and men are lovers of their own selves. Gangs, guns, drugs, alcohol and all of the other works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21 are rampant today. But our text tells us that the salvation that God brings has appeared to all men teaching us things we should deny (today) in this present world.

First we are told to deny ungodliness-Ungodliness is anything that is contrary to God and opposed to His true worship. In order to deny yourself of anything, you must live a very disciplined and self-contorled life. We are to deny worldly lusts-World lust are desires affections and appetites that govern our lives so much so that we feel we can live without God. Gluttony, drunkenness, lasciviousness, anger malice and revenge along with an excessive love for riches, power and fame are all worldly lusts.

We are told to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts so we can live soberly. righteously and godly in this present world. To live soberly is to have every temper, appetite and desire under the control of the Holy Spirit of God. Living a sober life allows us to always be alert, able to guard against Satan's attacks and respond to Jesus Christ. To live righteously is to live blamelessly; to use self-restraint and treat others the way we want to be treated-injuring no person in his body, mind, reputation of property. And to live godly-having reverence for God; putting Him first in every thing. It's having a real powerful and vital union with God. Being godly is acknowledging Him as God and worshiping Him in spirit and in truth and we are to do these things (today) in this present world.

It is our duty to God, our neighbor and to ourselves to live right in this present world. We are to live soberly in respect to our selves, righteously in respect to our neighbor and godly in respect to God. We need to surrender our lives to God so we can life soberly, righteously and godly. In Him we live, move and have our being and when we are totally surrendered to Him, we live under the control of the Holy Spirit.

There are many who need to see the light of Jesus Christ in us so that we can draw men and women to our Savior. It is important that we live disciplined lives and exercise righteousness in this present world. <jah>

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son. That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, But have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

A few years ago I purchased an item of food already prepared in the frozen food section of the grocery store. After preparing the dish according to the directions on the package, I fixed my plate; ask my blessing over it and began to eat. It smelled good and tasted good but to my surprise it was too salty. I did not want to waste it so I gave the food away. Then I went to my computer and wrote the company a letter. Later that month. The company wrote me back and thanked me for sharing my experience with them; they also sent me a coupon for a free dish of the same kind with no expiration date. I did not have to rush to use it; the coupon was good whenever I was ready to use it.

This week I thought of the two men who were on the cross on each side of Jesus. One of the men scoffed at Him and said, “If you are the Christ save yourself and us. But the other rebuked him saying, do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man had done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say unto you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:39-43). Jesus extended the life line to the man who was ready to be pulled out of the depth of the sea. John 14:6 tells us that Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life: no man come to the father, but by me." This man looked to Jesus by faith and received everlasting life that day.

Just imagine with me for a moment that God has given to each one of us a coupon of faith, without an expiration date. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” This verse confirms that the coupon of faith can be used at any time. All we have to do “is to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, believe in your heart that God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead and you will be saved” ((Romans 10:9). God is waiting on us to cash in our coupon of faith but we must accept Jesus as Savior and Lord in order to have everlasting life. Everlasting life means forever, eternal, lasting for ages because His Kingdom is everlasting (Psalm 145:13) and so is His salvation (Isaiah 45:17; Hebrews 5:9).

This coupon of faith lasts from generation to generation. “The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Anybody, no matter what race, color or creed can be saved as did the thief on the cross. No matter what you have done, God is able, faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all sin and unrighteousness. Today is a good day to use your coupon of faith--use it-give your life to the Lord. <jah>

“Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).

It is so important that we teach children about the Lord. The first teaching they should received about the Lord should be in their homes by their parents. Mary must have learned about the Lord from her parents early in life in order for her to respond to the call of the Lord. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary of Nazareth she was no more than the age of 15. This announcement that she would soon bear the Son of the Highest must have been startling to her and the end of her life as a normal teenager.

The angel came to Mary and said, “Hail, thou that are highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28). I know that Mary had questions in her mind about what was about to happen to her and asked, “How can these things be seeing that I do not know a man?” And he said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you...that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The angel followed up by telling her about her cousin Elizabeth who had been barren all of her married life now being pregnant with a son and is in her sixth month. He follows up with a bold statement…“For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

Then Mary stated, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Here is Mary’s total commitment to God. It may have flashed across Mary’s mind of the gossip, slanderous remarks and the humiliating thought of a divorce from Joseph she would have to face, but she was willing to risk it. And Mary’s commitment to God should be an encouragement to us, young as well as old. God has chosen us to do a specific job but we feel that we won’t be able to enjoy life His way. No matter what was happening—she trusted God. Whatever God has for you to do…do it and trust Him because nothing is impossible with God. <jah>

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him; I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1).

When God talked with Abram, it was in person and not in a vision (Genesis 17:22); God identified Himself as the Almighty God (El Shaddai). Then told him to walk before Me and be thou perfect. God wanted a new relationship with Abram and He meant for him to walk blameless and in total complete surrender to Him. God made His will known to Abram…and changed his name to Abraham (Genesis 17:5). God will make His will known to us today when we surrender completely to Him.

Micah 6:8 tells us, “He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” God requires that we walk humbly with Him. Ephesians 5:15-16 states “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” We are to be careful how we live and walk before others and use every opportunity to do good in these evil days. As we walk God requires that we reflect His character in our lives.

God wants us to be righteous, blameless, honest and upright as we walk in this evil world. God is good and always does what is right and He expects the same from us. He wants us to be honest with each other and treat others the same way we want to be treated. We should not be caught up in sinful worship of power, prestige, positions or possessions. In other words, we should not think highly of ourselves that we are better than anyone else. God will judge us—remember He knows our thoughts and our hearts.

God wants us to be truthful, dependable, stable and reliable. Some Christians have a bad habit of not being truthful. We speak things to always make us look good. God can’t depend on that; when we live the truth, we will speak the truth. We are to be truthful at all times; stable in walking in the truth and trustworthy (keeping our word). God wants us to walk like Him. We can depend on God all of the time because He's faithful to His Word, reliable and we can trust in Him.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

For the past few weeks, we have been learning in our Bible Study on Tuesday evening about “Understanding the Purpose of the Church.” The purpose of the church is: “to glorify God by making responsible reproducing Christians and establishing responsible reproducing churches.” And then the pastor told us, “We must be responsible reproducing disciples who share the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

As I though seriously about this, it reminded me of what Jesus was talking about when He said in our text that He wanted us to bring forth much fruit. He is the Vine and God the Father is the one who prunes and disciplines us so we can reproduce fruit. When we have been pruned as branches and abide in Him we will bring forth much fruit because without Him we can do nothing. When we obey Him and have total continued dependence on Him we will become effective and responsible in reproducing other disciples.

The story is told of an old farmer who had a strawberry farm. He was on his knees pulling out weeds when he noticed there were runners on the berry plants. From each original or mother plant a number of slender shoots like arms reached out in all directions. They were thin, green stalks creeping along the ground and after reaching out about six inches, the end developed roots and they penetrated in the ground and began to grow upward being nourished by the mother plant to help bear more berries. Then the new plant began putting out runners and after growth of about six inches, it penetrated into the ground and started a new plant. The berry plants were multiplying…bringing forth more fruit. This is what God wants us to do—become effective responsible reproducing Christians. He wants us to be productive—reaching in all directions bearing fruit for Him.

We must be totally dependent on Jesus in order to be fruitful…He said in our text, “for without Me, you can do nothing.” Failure to depend on Christ brings loss of spiritual life and we don’t bear fruit. We are not pruned. We are to be fruit bearing Christians reaching out to make responsible reproducing Christians. Bearing much fruit glories the Father and shows we are His disciples.

Colossians 1:18 tells us, “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Christ is the supreme authority over the church and we belong to Him. Our purpose is to glorify God, be surrendered, submitted, a follower of Jesus Christ, obey His Word and be productive. <jah>

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him and His righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them” (Psalm 103:17-18).

A covenant is a solemn and binding agreement; a pledge, a contract—a written promise under seal between two or more persons. God made a covenant with His people and throughout ages, He has remained faithful and true to His commitment made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 7:9 tells us, “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” God extends the results of our being faithful to Him to a thousand generations.

We need God’s mercy every day because His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear Him. This means His mercy is endless, ceaseless and it never ends. This means He forgives us, understands us, is lenient towards us and has compassion on us when we deserve to be sorely and severely punished. His righteousness is extended to children’s children when we keep His covenant and when we remember to keep His commandments and do them. The Lord is a God of justice and He will repay all who rebel against Him.

When we walk in the ways of the Lord we receive His mercy and truth. Psalm 25:10 tells us, “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” When we are obedient to the Lord we receive the blessings of His covenant. God still requires us today to fear Him, walk in all His ways and to love Him and keep His commandments. Sometimes it seems so difficult to do what God wants us to do. But when we are filled with His Holy Spirit, we can rely on Him to help us and show us the right thing to do. After all He made a covenant with us that He would be faithful to all those who love Him and keep His commandments.

In Jesus Christ, God has called every one of us to Himself to become His people through the blood of Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, no matter how many generations of people come along, the covenant of the Lord is with those who fear Him, love Him and keep His commandments. The blessings only come to us because we are obedient to Him. <jah>

“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12 NKJV).

In the first few verses of Saint John, we read, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” Here we are given the divine deity of Jesus Christ. He is the Word, He is eternal, divine, He is life and light and He pre-existed with God and all things were made by Him. In our text, we read that “He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him; but as many as received Him, He gave the right to become children of God even to those who believe on His name.”

When we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord we must as Romans 10:9 tells us, “… confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.” When we confess and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, God adopts us as His own children. When a child is legally adopted, he gets all the same rights and privileges of one who is naturally born in the family. To adopt means to voluntarily take by choice a child (of other parents) as your own. This is what God did for us when He adopted us. 2 Corinthians 6:18 tells us, “…He will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” This is proof that when we receive His Son, Jesus, we are adopted by the Father.

Romans 8:14-16, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God…but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption…The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” God fills us with His Holy Spirit when we are His children and His Spirit comforts, directs and guides us into all truth. Receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord is the best thing that could have ever happened to us because He takes care of all of our needs.

Being adopted as sons and daughters makes us joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Romans 8:17 tells us, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…” We are joint heirs because we are united with Christ and we will share the wonders of eternal life with Him. The Lord adopted us by choice…we did not choose Him, He chose us and ordained us that we should go and bring forth fruit for His glory; that is, testify to others and win them for the Lord. I’m glad I have been adopted by God and I am His child. <jah>

“Yearning For God”

“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (Psalm 63:1).

We can all admit that we sometimes yearn for something that we feel must be taken care of immediately. The woman who craves food will eat regularly with her family and spend the rest of the night raiding the refrigerator. A smoker, wants a cigarette as soon as they wake up, after they eat and before the go to sleep at night. A chronic alcoholic would rather drink than face the problems in their lives; and none of the things they are doing is helping the yearning in their lives.

The Psalmist said in our text that He sought the Lord early in the morning; thirsting and longing for Him as in a dry and thirsty land without water. To be thirsty for God means your soul is thirsty. It’s like you have been without water for several days and that nothing can satisfy that thirst. When you thirst after God, no matter how you try to fill that void, nothing by the Lord will quench or relieve the desire you have.

When you thirst for God, it is like a dryness within your soul; a deficiency in moisture; a strong desire for Him. The only way to quench that desire for God is to repent of your sins. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once you have repented, ask God to take complete control of your heart and it will be like having that strong desire for water fulfilled.

Matthew 5:6 states, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” A hunger is a craving or urgent need for food. When you don’t eat, you are lacking special nutrients in the body. If you continue without food and water you will soon die. This is what happens to us spiritually when we push God aside for other things. We starve spiritually—we hunger and thirst for righteousness but fill that void with material things. The word says when we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we will be filled with righteousness. Seeking the Lord early in the morning, reading His Word, and praying is what helps us to be spiritually strong. This helps us to grow spiritually…knowing God and drawing close to Him helps us to hunger and thirst for Him in a way that will make us spiritually strong and healthy. Now is the time to seek the Lord! <jah>

Growing up in a neighborhood with large families can sometimes be very challenging. The

children in the neighborhood walked to school together, played together and most of them attended Sunday School. Most families were close and stood up for each other when there was trouble. And when necessary the whole neighborhood stood together and watched out for other families.

Our text today states that"God is our refuge, strength and help." That's a threefold blessing...In other words, God is our place of safety, our shelter, our protection, our power, our muscles, our might, our aid, our strong hand and is a great assistance to us; what a mighty God; He is more than enough!

And this means now...right now. He is our impenetrable defense; His defense is impassable, thick and cannot be seen through. God is our sure defense and we must trust Him completely; none of us can do without His help.

No matter what we do or where we go in life we need God's help. Sometimes we think we can make it on our own, but when we acknowledge the Lord, things always turn out better. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Trusting God means you have made a conscious decision to depend on Him. When we lean on a post or on a tree, we look for it to support us, and we should look to the Lord for support the same way, by leaning on Him. When we trust Him and acknowledge Him we are learning to get to know Him better. And what I love about the Lord is that He is more than willing to help us and to take care of us. He keeps His promises and He never disappoints us. So what is He to you...God is my refuge, my strength and my help and I love Him more each day what about you! <jah>

“And David was greatly distressed… but David encouraged himself in the Lord His God” (1 Samuel 30:6).

“Look how far God has brought us.” We have much for which to be thankful. Eighty three years of hearing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ—people being saved, encouraged, healed, delivered, and set free. Years of worshiping, fellowshipping with each other, singing God’s praises, praying and trusting in the Lord; marrying, blessing our children and having home-going celebrations…We do praise the Lord.

There were some discouraging times trying to build a church during the depression years and there were times when our parents and grandparents were greatly distressed, but they did as David—they encouraged themselves in the Lord. They looked how far God had brought them and remembered His promise to “… never leave us nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5). And God still keeps His promises!

Our text tells us that David was greatly distressed because their wives and children had been taken captive; the city burned and everything had been taken away from them. David remembered how the Lord had taken care of him. He knew the Lord was his Shepherd. David did not forget what the Lord had done for him in the past. So he sought the Lord and the Lord told him, “…without fail, you will recover all” (1 Samuel 30:8). David’s trust was in the Lord his God.

Psalm 56:3-4 tells us, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. In God I will praise His word in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” No matter what is happening in the life of your family, the church family or on your job…trust in the Lord. Don’t forget what He has done for you. Praise and thank Him for the storms He’s brought you through; don’t be fearful nor afraid. We serve the Almighty God and He is able to keep us.

As we celebrate this 83rd Anniversary let us not forget how the Lord has taken care of us. Let us be thankful for our parents who brought us to church with them. It was important to them that we worship as a family and we should do no less for our families. They brought the whole family to church; every service. Since this is the year of “New Beginnings” it’s not too late to begin making changes…Let’s make every effort to be faithful in coming to church and invite others to come with us. Let’s not forget the blessings we have received. <jah>

“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7).

Many of us have experienced waiting on that special call from someone…or a job interview, a luncheon date, etc. Sometimes we get real excited while we are waiting for that call. However, many of us ignore the called that God has placed on our lives. Our text tells us, “For God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” We all can admit to living filthy dirty lives because we were born in sin—doing what pleased only us. God don’t want us to live impure lives He wants us to live better lives by responding to His call of holiness.

The reason for God’s calling us to be holy is because He is holy. Leviticus 11:44, we read, “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy; for I am holy...” God can call you, appoint you, insist and strongly urge you to be holy, but we must consecrate or set ourselves aside for His use, God will not force Himself on us. We must make a personal commitment to surrender totally to Him. 1 Peter 1:15-16 tells us, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

There are three reasons why we should respond to the holy call: (1) Because God is holy; (2) Because the Lord looks at our hearts and knows if we are sincere and (3) Because we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. It is God’s will that we be holy and it should not be avoided. God’s character and His call for us to be like Him make holiness an obligation. Living a clean holy life on this earth for the rest of our lives is what God desires of us. We should make up our minds individually to accept the call to live a holy life.

An intense pursuit of holiness should be the number 1 priority of every Christian, because it is a spiritual mindset. You cannot become holy just thinking about it every once in a while, but your must pursue it will all your heart; chase after it daily. We should have a burning desire in our hearts to be holy just as He is holy. Serious study, reading and meditating on the Word compounded with sincere prayer is the primary way to pursue spiritual growth and maturity. This helps us to pursue holiness and seeking God’s holiness is a daily action.

His call for us to be holy is not just for Sunday only, but for all 365 days of the year every year; twenty-four hours a day, every second and minute…taking one day at a time. Let’s respond to His call to be holy.<jah>

“Then spoke Jesus to them again, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Most of us can remember the son, “Walk With Me Lord….while I’m on this pilgrim journey, I want Jesus to walk with me.” It should be the desire of all Christians to walk with the Lord during this New Year. Our text tells us that Jesus said, “I am the light of the world and he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” This is the second great “I AM” of Jesus and since Jesus is the light, we should have no problem following Him.

Jesus is more than willing for us to walk with Him during our entire life time. He told us to “Take up our cross and follow Him” because “He is the way, the truth and the light.” But we need to love Him and be obedient to His commandments. As we walk with the Lord, we will experience the joy of true fellowship with Him because we will not be walking in darkness. The Lord knows what road we need to take as we walk through this year. The road is long and we don’t know the way. The Lord knows where every pot hole, pit fall, stumbling block and ditch along our paths and since He is the light we have no need to be afraid of the darkness.

Walking with the Lord also requires us to study and meditate on His Word. We are blessed when we meditate and study His Word (Psalm 1:2) because we get to know Him better. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, Study to show thyself approved unto God…” When we walk with the Lord and know His word, we can witness effectively to others and lead them to the Lord. This should encourage them to walk in close fellowship with the Lord.

Knowing the Lord will also help us build a closer relationship with Him through prayer. Our prayer life is the way we can express ourselves to the Lord. Praying also keeps us in direct communion with Him. When we don’t have fellowship and communion with Him our joy dies. Life is a joyous experience when we have an unbroken spirit of prayer with the Lord. James 4:8 tells us, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you…”While walking with the Lord this year, we can have a full fellowship with Him as we submit to Him daily. Our walk with the Lord can be a glorious experience but you must let Him do the leading.<jah>

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not” (Jude 1:5).

On Monday night at midnight, the year 2007 will be history…the end. Whatever we have not done that we wanted to do in 2007, we will not be able to do. There is no need to complain because as the songwriter said: “I may not have done, all that I wanted to do but Lord it’s been a mighty good day (year).”

Some of us have different opinions about what happened this year; but we must remember that the Lord has brought us through and we should be thankful. Whatever we went through the Lord kept His promise to us. God’s promise is given in Genesis 28:15, “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee.” And we are reminded in Hebrews 13:5 that He said “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” If you feel like you want to complain about what you went through this year, remember…God was with you.

Our text tells us how the Lord saved the people out of the land of Egypt and when they disobeyed Him, He destroyed them because they did not believe that He could take them into the land of Canaan. We must remember what the Lord has done for us. He is willing and able to carry us through every test and trial and to keep us from falling. We need to thank the Lord for the good, the bad and the ugly. We also need to remember these three verses recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. It tells us to, “Rejoice evermore; Pray without ceasing; In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” These verses will keep you built up and spiritually nourished. Even in the hard times, life can be a joyous experience because you remembered to rejoice, pray and give thanks. If you are still alive, you were blessed in 2007.

So as this year comes to an end….remember the credits: It is the Lord that loves me, cares about me, keeps me, blesses me with health and strength, provides raiment, food, shelter and clothing for me and protects me going and coming from dangers every day…everywhere I go because He is God and is over everything and keeps His promises to me…Give Him all the praise, honor and glory…THE END. <jah>

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Every year we celebrate December 25th as the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Although no one knows what day He was born; we celebrate by giving parties, giving gifts, singing special music—Christmas Carols-Handel’s Messiah, the Hallelujah Chorus and other songs. However, this is very special season for Christians.

Prediction before birth—Isaiah 9:6, the prophet Isaiah said, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” God’s answer to the world is a child…His very own Son. He will be unlike the human kings that had lived previously because He is the Mighty God and will bring peace to this world.

He was born a Savior—Luke 2:11 our text tells us that a Savior was being born who is Christ the Lord. A Savior is one who saves or delivers. Jesus is the one who delivers us from the sins of this life and in whom salvation is obtained. God delivered the Israelites from oppression and is the Redeemer of all people. We celebrate because God saw that we needed someone to deliver us and saved us from our sins.

He is a Living Savior and gives life—John 10:10, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He gives us the abundant life because He cares about us. He blesses those who live for Him.

He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—John 1:29. He is the Christ whose sacrificial death removed the sins of the world. He is the resurrection and the life and by rising from the dead He returned to life forever. Now He sits at the right hand of the throne of God making intercession for us. He is the King of Kings, the Chief Ruler, the Lord of Lords and if we are going to celebrate…celebrate His whole life from birth to resurrection. For He is Lord! <jah>

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

This Psalm begins with the very encouraging statement that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We also have other places in the Bible that tells us that God is our refuge, our fortress, a place of safety and the strength of our lives. Psalm 91:2 tells us, “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in Him will I trust.” I believe the main purpose of these statements is for us to learn to obey and trust in the Lord.

Now, let’s look at the words in the text. A refuge is a place of protection or shelter from danger or hardship. A shelter is described as a safe haven, a place to take cover. A fortress is a fortified place, a large permanent stronghold. Since God is all of that to us, we should have no problem obeying His commandments and trusting Him to help us. God is more than enough; He knows all things, is everywhere at the same time and knows the end from the beginning. We serve an awesome God who loves to take care of His children. Psalm 56:3 states, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” To be able to trust in the Lord at all times is the privilege and right of every believer. When we are afraid or in a place of circumstance that seems to block us in and offer no way of escape, we can confidently call out to the Lord for help.

Trusting in the Lord means to completely rely, depend and count on Him for help. It means we have complete confidence in Him because He is reliable and we know for sure that God will hear us. Psalm 62:7-8, “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times; he people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.” When you trust in the Lord you must trust in Him alone. You cannot trust in the Lord and rely on your own strength at the same time. When God is your rock, you have both feet on the rock because He will not let you slip or fall…His foundation is sure. You may be afraid, but trust Him; He is gracious, slow to anger and abundant in mercy. He is always available to help us He is a present help.

When you are in trouble, don’t be afraid to call on the Lord, and let Him know exactly how you feel. Psalm 145:18, tells us, “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” We can come close to God and know Him better when we call upon Him. Since Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, when we call on Him, we call by faith in the name of Jesus. We also must realize that there are great benefits in being a Christian. We are protected and kept by the power of the Almighty God. When the enemy is on our track and we feel afraid and alone, call on the lord and He will hear us. He is our refuge, our fortress, our deliver, a safe haven…He is our place of refuge. <jah>

“My father told me, Take my words to heart. Follow my instructions and you will live” (Proverbs 4:4).

There are many children in this world who don’t know anything about being obedient to their parents, especially their fathers. David gave good strong instructions to Solomon about the Lord because he had in his heart to build a house for the Lord. But the Lord did not want David to build the house because he was a man of war. However, the Lord told him that his son Solomon would sit on the throne after him and he would build the house.

David’s advice to Solomon, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it” (1 Chronicles 28:9-10).

If the young people today would take the advice of their fathers, especially Christian fathers, and follow their instructions, they will live. The book of Proverbs has many instructions for the young people today but no one wants to listen. Proverbs 3:1-2 tells us, “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace shall they add to thee.” When young people honor their parents and obey them, God will bless you with a long life (Exodus 20:12). And when you become adults, you won’t find it hard to obey the commandments of the Lord. Just as your parents correct you, the Lord will chasten you and correct you because He loves you (Proverbs 3:11-12). When a young person surrenders to the Lord a soul is saved plus a life. Whatever you do, please learn to obey your father and take his advice. Do it today! <jah>

“…Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:7).

While I was hospitalized a few weeks ago, every time they drew blood from my vein, they blotted it and covered it with a band aid. After returning home I noticed that the band aids left imprints of where the tape had stuck to my arms and wrist. It took some time to get rid of the imprints of the tape and soap and water did not help. Later I was told that there is a certain solution that will cleanse the imprints of the tape from my arms. It reminded me of what sin will do to your body and life.

Sin will destroy your life, your mind, spirit and body. A lot of people think that they are not having fun unless they are sinning and destroying others lives. When we sin, we offend God who loves us and sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins. Sin has devastating consequences and we need to be aware of them. Sin is no laughing matter. All unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17). When you are trapped in sin you cannot live the holy lifestyle that God intended for us to live. Sin will leave discolorations of the skin, bruises, scars and stains and nothing, absolutely nothing, can cleanse sin but the blood of Jesus. Jesus’ blood contains all the cleansing solution that is needed. 1 John 1:7 tells us, “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” His blood cleanses us and keeps us clean from all sin.

We need to learn to repent of our sins…confess them to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we confess, God will forgive because He promised to do it and He always keeps His promises. We must understand that God forgives and cleanse all sin…

Sin cannot be covered up…What is done in secret will become public; what is done in the dark will come to light. We cannot hide our sins from God. He is sovereign, the absolute God and there is none like Him. He is omnipotent; all powerful and unstoppable and He knows everything. So when we confess our sins, we must be serious about it and surrender everything to Him. Our text states, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” We should not be sad but joyous knowing that our iniquities are forgiven and our sins covered…washed away, cleansed…not even a spot is left because of Jesus’ blood. Our sins have been cast in the sea of forgetfulness because God made it all possible. We should rejoice because our sins are forgiven. <jah>

“But without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).....“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Many of us have made attendance at church a habit…believe me, it is a good habit. But when we come to church out of habit and not to worship the true and living God, we are missing something. Making it a habit sometimes we fail to honor God, appreciate His goodness or grow in His word. When we come to the House of the Lord, we should come expecting something… to hear a word from Him.

Many of us attend church Sunday after Sunday and never grow or become mature in the Lord. Out of our habit to come to church, we do not listen (or hear) the Word of God. We simply go through the motions of worshiping on Sunday…we see our friends, spectate, demonstrate and never apply the Word of God to our own hearts. We don’t open or meditate in the Word during the course of the week and we are not growing…we are stunted!

Our faith will grow when we begin to “hear” the Word of God. Our desire should be like the Psalmist who said in Psalm 119:11, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Faith is a great and important part of the believer’s life. As the Word is preached it should trigger our faith to trust in the true and living God. 2 Timothy 3:15 says, “…that the Holy Scriptures makes us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” In other words, the hearing of the Word gives us faith to believe and decide that we need to repent of our sins and be saved. So when we come to church…let us HEAR what the Lord is saying to us and apply it to our lives. <jah>

When a man and wife become parents, there lifestyle change. Their attention and care goes directly to that baby to meet its needs. When that baby cries, they will stop whatever they are doing to see what has happened and they take care of it. They want that baby to be happy, comfortable and know it is loved and that they care.

We should realize that God does the same thing for us but on a larger scale. He invites us to seek Him first in all we do and He will direct our paths. Whether we believe it or not, God really cares all about us. Psalm 115:12-13 tells us, “The Lord hath been mindful of us; He will bless us… He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.” The Lord is well able to bless us and keep us when we are surrendered to Him. Our text tells us, to “cast all our care upon Him; for He cares for you.” If the Lord promises to take care of us we have nothing to worry about.

No matter what happens to us on this earth during our lifetime, God knows all about it. We should make no mistake about it, the Devil’s intention is to steal, kill and destroy. He makes things so attractive to us and always has us listening and showing us what others have and how well they are doing, but his real intention is to destroy us, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically because we belong to the Lord.

God’s care for us is beyond measure. We are told in Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” We should place ourselves, our time and our all entirely in the hands of the Lord because He cares for us. We must acknowledge that we are dust…human…frail, and we can’t make it on our own; the Lord will uphold us with His righteous right hand. He has ways of caring for us that we cannot understand or figure out.

So when things get tough for you, and you get discourage and want to quit, remember that the Lord promised us in Hebrews 13:5-6, “I will never leave you nor forsake you…The Lord is my helper; I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” We should be motivated by the fact that the Lord is with us at all times and is well able to do “exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20). God can meet our needs, bless us and protect us from all evil, danger and harm during our lifetime (Psalm 121:7-8) because He cares about us. <jah>

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12).

Sometimes, we receive letters in the mail especially from insurance companies stating that a certain amount is due and we have a fifteen day grace period to pay or the policy will be cancelled. And we try to do our best in order to get that amount paid. They show no favor, what they want is their money.

But I thank God for His grace. Divine grace refers to the sovereign favor of God for mankind—especially in regard to salvation. Our text tells us “… God’s grace that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” Grace then is God’s choice and favor to make the path of salvation available for us. Ephesians 2:8 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” We are saved from sin by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. We did not work for it, plan it and we certainly did not deserve it; but it was God’s favor shown and we can’t boast about it.

Grace is a plan that God has by which men can be saved. Grace is an attitude of God towards mankind that He provides as a benefit, without consideration of merit. In other words, we did not merit God’s grace but when we receive it, it teaches us that we should “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.” We should give up, reject, abandon and forsake our worldly desires and be totally surrendered to the Lord. God wants us to live a holy righteous life that is pleasing to Him. If you are consecrated to God both in heart and life, you will live godly in this present world because God’s grace is sufficient to carry you through.

We need to understand that God’s divine grace will save us, but it won’t force us. We must be willing to surrender totally to the Lord or we can fall from grace. Grace teaches us, calls us and can be preached by God’s power. He not only saved us but He also called us to a life of holiness. We have nothing to fear because it was God’s divine grace that was assured in Christ before the beginning of time and has been revealed now in Christ Jesus. Since we don’t know the day nor the hour of His return, we should repent…His grace is still available to the sinners. <jah>

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and His righteousness unto children’s children” (Psalm 103:17).

The story is told of the man who had set fire to a house during the night that he thought was abandoned and killed three people who had just moved in and had not removed the plywood from the windows. After the fire was out the police discovered the three bodies, which included a nine month old baby. They had died from smoke inhalation. The man was so sorry for what had happened; he confessed immediately and was taken to jail. In court, he pleaded guilty and threw himself at the mercy of the court. The judge told him, “Sir, I had plans to sentence you to the chair, but because you confessed immediately and ask for mercy, I sentence you to fifty years in prison.”

Now let’s think for a moment about the mercy of God. It was God’s mercy that moved Him to provide salvation for us. None of us earns or deserves the mercy of God. Mercy is given to us because it is something that God desires to do in spite of our failures. Romans 5:8 tell us, “But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In other words we were guilty, unjust, unrighteous and unclean; but God extended His mercy for us while we were still sinners. It is true that all of mankind is in desperate need of the mercy of God.

So what is mercy? Mercy is compassion, forgiveness, pity, understanding, leniency or clemency toward those who don’t deserve it. God has shown us His great mercy because we have already received mercy from Him through the cross of Jesus Christ. The Lord did not wait for us to clean up our act; He died for us when we were still His enemies. Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love where with He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace we are saved.”) God’s mercy and great love for us delivered us from His “wrath.”

Our text tells us that “the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.” God our Creator is eternal and He is from everlasting to everlasting, His mercy will endure to every generation. His mercy is boundless. Psalm 103:11 states, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.” We must understand that “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). God’s mercy and forgiveness is always available for us when we recognize our sin and guilt and turn to Him in sincere repentance. It’s time to “seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). God’s mercy is always extended to us but we must confess our sins and turn to the Lord. <jah>

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Do you remember when your children were just learning to walk, they would follow you closely all over the house. And many times, you would almost stumble over them because they were so close. The Lord wants us as His dear children to follow Him closely, walk and live in love and act just like Him. After all, He is our heavenly Father. But there are many people who profess to be Christians but are not walking in the ways of the Lord. When you are a true child of God, your life will portray and reflect Jesus living in you at all times.

We are told in our text to “walk in love as Christ also has loved us and gave Himself for us.” In other words, we are to show love, the same love for the Lord and for all those we come in contact with every day. Our whole lives must be a reflection of Christ’s love. We say we love the Lord but we don’t show it to our brothers and sisters. We must allow the Holy Spirit to change us to be imitators of Christ. Every Christian in this world should walk in love and treat others as they want to be treated.

Our problem is that we don’t want to repent of our sins, forgive others or obey the Lord. Following the Lord means to walk step by step behind him in His footprints. Following the Lord means we are focused on Him and not on the surrounding circumstances. Following the Lord means we are obeying Him and keeping His commandments every day.

1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us “Therefore…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We honor God when our conduct is motivated by love and a desire to live so that the unbelievers will be drawn to Jesus Christ. When we live in love, it strengthens the body of believers and glorifies God. <jah>

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

A search light is an instrument designed for projecting a beam of light. This light is used in search of things, people or objects of importance. God’s search light is His eyes. Psalm 34:15 tells us, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are open unto their cry.” God sees and knows everything and He knows our hearts. He watches us because we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus and He is concerned about if we are living up to His standards.

God searches our hearts and minds. 1 Chronicles 28:9, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off for ever.” Serving the Lord with a perfect heart is a heart without fault or defect satisfying all of the requirements made by God. A willing mind is a mind that is ready to act or respond to God. It is voluntary to the will of God. God knows and searches ALL hearts; we cannot hide any secrets from God.

When God searches our hearts He sees every spot; even if it is the size of a pin hole. God want our hearts perfect toward Him and for us to serve Him with a willing mind. When God’s searchlight is on, He sees the bitterness, jealousy, hatred, the unforgiveness, and the seeds of discord, pride and wicked imaginations in our hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?” God is the one who searches and sees what is in our hearts. Since we can’t hide ourselves or our thoughts from God, we must be determine and allow God to search our hearts. The CEV version of our text reads like this, “Look deep into my heart God and find out everything I’m thinking. Don’t let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the way that time has proven true.” When we have the mind of God we won’t have trouble with our thinking.

Let’s pray sincerely and ask the Lord to search us with His search light and when He does the searching, He won’t miss anything. He will tell us and show us what is wrong. “If we confess our sins, He if faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The Lord not only searches…but He cleanses too; allow Him to do it in your life. <jah>

August 5, 2007

“A Psalm of Praise”

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable”

(Psalm 145:3).

Every morning, I read several Psalms for inspiration and comfort and it’s amazing how some of the Psalms that David wrote encourages and lifts your spirit. Psalm 145 is entitled David’s Psalm of Praise. I can imagine that this Psalm was dear to his heart.

First he gave praise to the Lord—in verse two he vowed, “Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever.” This is a good habit that we need to embrace…to bless the Lord and praise His name every day; as long as we live.

Our text tells us that the “Lord is great and greatly to be praised—His greatness is unsearchable.” Generations shall praise the works of the Lord, declare His mighty acts, and speak of His wonderful works and sing of His righteousness. No man can search out the greatness of God. We cannot advise Him, we cannot think as He thinks and we don’t know His ways. God is an awesome God. He is a sovereign God and He is over everything—even our lives and He deserves our praise. Psalm 47:2 (NKJV) tells us, “For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.”

He is our God, our King, He is great, He is gracious, He is full of compassion, He is slow to anger, He is great in mercy, He is good to all, He is tender and merciful to all the creation, He is righteous in all His ways, He is holy in all His works and He is near to all who pray in truth. Psalm 145:13 tells us “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion endureth throughout all generations.” What a mighty God we serve!

The Lord upholds all that fall, raises up all that are bowed down and all eyes look to Him for life. He opens His hands and satisfied every living thing. He listens to our cries, our prayers and preserves all that love Him. There is nothing that we need that He can’t supply. He is a prop for those who need to lean on Him. When you rely on God, you are relying on the strongest power in the universe—nothing is too hard for Him.

Simple praise is not enough—we must live a life that is pleasing to Him so He can accept our praise. When we put Him first in everything there is nothing that He won’t do for us. This is why we should make His praise glorious and we should not cease to praise Him. Don’t blot God out of your memory for our God is a great God and nothing—no one can be compared to Him. <jah>

July 15, 2007

“Search The Scriptures”

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life…” (John 5:39).

Our theme verse today is words that Jesus uttered to the Jewish scholars. They searched the Scriptures thinking that in their diligent study they would find eternal life. The Scriptures led them directly to Jesus and He told them they were not willing to come to Him.

Sometimes we are the same way…we have sense enough to get bids on work to be done, compare prices and time; and we try to think what way is the best way. Then there are times that we did not reason very well and made the wrong decision. And if we are making a decision and others are included, we get a big attitude if they don’t agree with us.

Even when we are on special committees or trying to make decisions in a small group meeting, we fail to put God first…asking His blessings for directions as to what we should do. When it comes to matters of the church we think the decision that we make is what everyone should follow. Judges 17:6 remind us, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Our churches are falling apart because God’s people refuse to pray and ask His directions…Each one of us feel that we are experts in our own eyes. When we search the Scriptures we will find the answers. At times we are just like the Jewish scholars who searched the Scriptures but were not willing to come to Jesus. The verse in Proverbs 3:6 tells us, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.” When we acknowledge God, He will direct our paths and tell us just what should be done.

If God did not love us, He would not bother to try to direct us in the right paths. We should be totally dependant on God’s Word and authority when it comes to making decisions for His Church. The Holy Spirit is here to help us and lead us in right paths when we pray on one accord seeking the face of the Lord for the right decision. When we come together as a body of believers in Christ; the first thing we should do before we make a decision is pray, reason together and come to a unanimous decision. And even if it is a personal decision that we need to make for our lives, when we pray and seek God; ask Him for a spiritual understanding and He will lead us in the right path.

Reading and meditating on the Word of God is very good for spiritual growth. It’s good to hide the Word in your heart so you won’t sin against God. To meditate is to consider, ponder, think about and reflect on God’s Word. Searching the Scriptures is good for your life. <jah>

July 1st, 2007

“What Is Your Need?”

“And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it’, and immediately he will send it here” (Mark 11:3).

You can hardly have conversations with people today without hearing of their needs. No matter where you go or who you talk to someone is always worse off than you. In our text, we find that the Lord had need of a colt, one that no man had ever sat. He sent His disciples to get the colt and told them just what to say. As a result, He received what He needed. Jesus knew just what to do, where to send them, what to tell them to say and what the end results would be. He also knows the same thing about us. He knows how to meet our needs.

Our needs, problems and situations sometimes are innumerable and instead of talking to the One who knows and is able to do all things for us, we try to go it on our own. God knows how to meet our needs. Matthew 6:8 tells us, “…for your heavenly Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.” We as Christians have a Father who already knows our personal needs and He invites us to talk with Him about our concerns. But we fail to come to Him for our needs to be met.

We need to realize that Jesus purchased our salvation with His own precious blood and we belong to Him. He knows how to take care of us and meet our needs. Romans 8:32 tells us, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Nothing can keep us from receiving the benefits of God’s love and blessings if we are living for Him. We need to come to Him and ask for the things that we need.

God keeps His promises. Philippians 4:19 reminds us, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” God already knows and is able because He is more than enough. He knows just what we need. Trust Him to meet your need. <jah>

Sunday June 10th, 2007

“Time Alone With God”

“But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works” (Psalm 73:28).

In this fast pace world, it is difficult to take some personal time to spend with the Lord. In fact, most of us say, “I just don’t have the time to do it.” Those of us who have made an effort to carve out some time to pray and read God’s Word, have found it to be both refreshing, a blessing and it has helped us to grow spiritually. Spending time alone with the Lord will make a difference in your life—your relationships with others will improve and it will help you keep focused on the Lord.

Jesus found it necessary to spend extended time with God. Mark 1:35 tells us, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, HE went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayer.” Jesus found the time and a place to talk to His Father alone. If you can make an effort to put your personal matters aside and spend time with the Lord, you will be blessed beyond measure. I believe the time of day chosen by Jesus is the best time to pray and spend time in God’s Word. Think about it…the phone is not ringing, no radio or television noise, no outside noise nor children running rampant through the house. It’s quiet and you can stay focus on the Lord.

Why do we need time alone with God? We need time for a deeper more intensive fellowship with the Lord. When we come to church we have fellowship with others and the Lord. But early in the morning, He has your undivided attention and you have can go boldly into His presence. Our text tells us, “It is good to be near God.” Extended time alone with the Lord gives you time to reflect on your own personal life so that you will know if you are living up to His standard of holiness. We face major decisions and we don’t know which way to go…It is then that we need to soak ourselves in the Word of God and prayer asking for directions. It’s a time to draw close to God.

Spending time with the Lord will help you to seek His will for your life. It will help you to know the knowledge of His will and ask for spiritual wisdom and understanding. Time alone with God will prepare you for His service.

Ask God to prepare your heart for time to be with Him alone. He is ready, willing and able to meet your needs and to prepare you for your journey each day. Focus on God and go before Him with a thankful heart. Thank Him for His love, compassion, protection and power. God knows your needs and is more than willing to take care of you. Your relationship alone with the Lord will draw you closer to Him. <jah>

Sunday June 3rd, 2007

“Living As A Christian”

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit was sent to earth as a helper to those who has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. He is our helper, our teacher, instructor and guide. He keeps us, warns us and gives us strength in our weakness to overcome our temptations. If we are to live as Christians, we must have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives because the Holy Spirit will make us just like Christ. However He must have full control and we must be obedient to Him.

We must live so that others will see Jesus Christ in our daily walk. We are living in a time when we must live righteous, holy and blameless before our children, our neighbors, our co-workers and all that we come in contact with on a daily basis. We must be honest with ourselves and with others.

We should have a consistent prayer life. Prayer is a major part of the Christian life. We must stay in constant contact with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must learn to follow the pattern of Jesus who spent time alone in prayer talking with His Father. Colossians 4:2 tells us to “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” Continue means to carry on, to persist; to keep on praying. We should pray before we do anything. We are to be fervent in prayer, watchful, be on guard and pray for others…pray for the message of the gospel to be preached and for those who hear the gospel will respond. We must spread the gospel of Jesus Christ by witnessing to others and sharing our testimony of what the Lord has done for us…then be thankful to the Lord as we pray daily.

Since we are God’s own chosen vessels, we must put on His characteristics by living holy, having tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering and bearing with one another. Forgiveness is also a major part in the life of a Christian. We must forgive others, forget about it and love one another. God loved us and we must love one another. That’s the way we should live as a Christian and the Holy Spirit is available to help, we can do it. <jah>

May 27, 2007

“Obeying the Word”

“Now we exhort you brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

In today’s society we like using the excuse, ‘I don’t want to get involved!’ We complain about having too much to do, not being willing to help others, saying too many times, ‘I’m just tired. If we have completely surrendered our lives to the Lord, there is something we need to do…obey His word.

Our text gives us some instructions in practical holiness; namely, to warn unruly—an unruly person is one that is rowdy, disorderly and disobedient. To comfort the feebleminded—the person who is slow and deficient; to support the weak—the person who is drained, exhausted and exposed; and be patient (long-suffering) with all men because people are watching our conduct as Christians.

We are to treat each person in the church according to his needs. We are to correct the undisciplined and lazy. Encourage those who are feeble hold their hand and assure them that God cares. We are to strengthen those who are weak in the faith and encourage them to trust in the Lord. We are to be longsuffering with our brothers and sisters because longsuffering comes from the Spirit of God. We are not to render evil for evil, and we are to abstain from the very appearance of evil. We should do what is good for ourselves and others. The Christian life is a joyful life when it is nurtured by an unbroken spirit of prayer and an attitude of thanksgiving.

When we disobey the Word of God, we quench the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that draws us to God and makes repentance, forgiveness and cleansing a reality in our lives. (1 Peter 1:22 tells us, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” When we obey the truth through the Spirit, God will purify our hearts and enable us to truly love one another. John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” When we obey the Word we will love one another and it will be easy to encourage and strengthen others. <jah>

May 20, 2007

“Faith”

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Faith is belief in or having a confident attitude towards God—it is being committed to His will for your life. In the Old Testament, those who trusted God showed their faith by believing God. It was a key element in their spiritual lives. Hebrews, chapter 11 describes those who lived by faith as the Heroes of Faith. Habakkuk 2:4 tells us, “…But the just shall live by his faith.” This verse is an important part of our spiritual heritage. We must believe in God and be positive and know for sure that He is God. It is being obedient to God by keeping all of His commandments as they did in the Old Testament.

Faith is a gift from God (1 Corinthians 12:9); and Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The Old Testament Heroes of Faith pleased God by faith, seeking Him and obedience. It is sad to say that many of us today are not seeking God because we don’t have faith to believe that He is who He say He is and we don’t want to obey Him. The Scripture tells us that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

In the New Testament, Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 tells us, “…As it is written, the just shall live by faith.” If the old patriots lived by faith, we must also live by faith. We must keep our hearts committed to Him and walk in ways of righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us, “We walk by faith and not by sight.” When we go to map quest to see where we are to walk… we are not pleasing God and we are not walking by faith. Since we see where we are going, we are walking by sight. Walking by faith means having blinders on.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him; and He shall direct your paths.” This is one of those verses that will help you walk close to the Lord by faith and every Christian should memorize it because it helps us learn God’s unchanging ways.

My definition for faith is: “Faith is NOT knowing what God is doing, but TRUSTING HIM to do what you ask.” Why? Because faith is believing and having confidence that God will do it. Remember Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Believe Him and trust Him today and He will do what He said He would do. Have dauntless faith in God and be classified as one the New Testament Heroes of Faith. <jah>

“SOMEBODY NEEDS TO PRAY”

“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30).

In the book of Ezekiel, we find that God was very angry with His people because of their sin against Him. Despite the fact that God had shone Himself strong in their behalf and had taken good care of them they showed injustice to each other and they were unfaithful to God. The wall of the city was broken down by a siege and God was looking for someone to stand in the gap and drive away the enemy so the city would not be captured. The Lord looked for a man but was unable to find anyone whose life was righteous or to intercede for them so the city would not be destroyed.

For the past three years, I have a seen over 1500 people who sincerely call upon the Lord daily…but our homes, schools and churches all lack sincere prayer. God is looking for someone who is willing to stand in the gap for our children, youth, young people, marriages, churches and schools to pray. The true Word of God is being preached all over this nation by men who have sincerely dedicated themselves to preach the truth, but we are not listening. God needs somebody to pray!

The truth is, we know the Word and we know what God is requiring of us, but we don’t want to take the time to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing!” Whether you believe it or not, prayer is God’s will for your life. Prayer is communication with God…its seeking His will for the day, for your life so that your path will be directed by Him.

We need to turn up the heat on our prayers and get involved, calling upon the name of the Lord for our children, youth, young people, marriages, churches and schools. We need to pray for our leaders, our pastors and all that are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Prayer should be a priority in our lives. Somebody needs to pray and pray sincerely!

God will answer if we pray. Isaiah 65:24 states, “It shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” And Jeremiah 32:26 tells us, “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” Then Jeremiah 33:3 tells us, “Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” These are promises that God will answer our prayers. We need to be on one accord in one place and allow the Holy Spirit to take over and pray through us while we stand in the gap so we won’t be destroyed. Think seriously about this…Somebody needs to pray!

April 29, 2007

“Jesus Is The Way”

“Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Saint John 14:6).

As Christians, sometimes we make big mistakes by following others or trying to make a good impression on them. We ask their advice and try to pattern our lifestyle after them and we always fail. We want others to recognize us and praise us for what we do whether it’s right or wrong. We need to be careful about the way we live—we should be living examples of the Lord.

Our text tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and if we want to go to heaven, Jesus is the way, the only way. We must seek the Lord daily—every day, every hour, every minute and every second in order to live holy and righteous and watch our tongues to make sure our words are seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6). Following Jesus is the kind of lifestyle that attracts sinners to Jesus Christ.

Some cars are equipped with a (GPS) global positioning system. It has twenty-four satellites that circle the globe. You can locate yourself anywhere on earth and when you punch in your destination your GPS will give you the directions you need to get where you are going. The Christian is also equipped; we have a (SPS) spiritual positioning system. This system works on four satellites: Scripture—which is the word of God, Prayer, the Holy Spirit and the facts of your circumstances—where you are. This system will let you know where you are at all times, give you the directions you need, direct you in the way you should go; and teach you how to live. Our SPS (Jesus) must be consulted every second, every minute, and every hour of every day. He knows the way and will lead you personally through the storms and circumstances in your life. He is the Almighty, and all power in heaven and earth is in His hands.

Following the Lord will keep you going in the right direction. He is dependable, trustworthy and knows the way. He knows how to work all things for your good. He is always there (Hebrews 13:5) and He loves and cares about you. Follow Him! <>