My Shepherd … by Michael Garner
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – SSIsaiah 40:31
Read the “0305 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
To break down this first verse of Psalm 23, we look at the Lord being OUR shepherd! As Christians, we must be ecstatic that the Lord is our shepherd and that He made a way for Him to be our shepherd. He came here as a baby just like you and I. Lived a sinless life. Helping others on this planet. But He came for one reason and one reason only: to die for us. It was nothing we could do to pay for our sins, but by His blood being shed. When we think about this, we think about our own sins. We think about how we fail Him everyday. No matter how hard we try, we are never going to be perfect. It is our sinful nature. This flesh only wants wicked and carnal things in life. The sins we commit everyday is the reason He came and died on the cross. We were on His mind when He was up on the cross. He loved us so much that He would die for us! But it doesn’t end there. He has risen! He rose of the third day and is alive in heaven! the shepherd was slain and rose up again! How powerful! He left here to go prepare a place for us in Heaven, wait for the day we unite with Him. The great thing about it all is the the gift of salvation is that He made it free! He made it so simple and easy! What a God! We don’t deserve it! We don’t deserve to have a shepherd like we do. A shepherd that would do anything for his sheep, knowing that they would fail his countless times. All we must do to inherit eternal life it to ask Him. He will then give it to us. He’s just such a great God! The second part of this verse reads …I shall not want. When we trust Jesus Christ as our Savior, we will need nothing else in this life! This world is full of broken heart and emptiness, saying they have the answer to all your problems when in reality they don’t. They themselves have problems and can’t even get them fixed. They will never get fixed unless they have Jesus Christ as their shepherd in their life. They have no guidance. The try to go day by day living life with no direction, leader, or purpose. This a sad reality we live in, but it is what we see in the world on a daily basis. When we have Jesus Christ as the shepherd leading us through life, what more would we need? He blesses us everyday! He gave us His Word, telling us how to go about life. He gave us prayer and the opportunity to come into His presence. He allows us to walk with Him daily. He hears us when we cry. He is the answer to everything. What more could you need? Anytime we need Him, He is there!
Maybe today you need to remember what the shepherd provides. Maybe someone you know needs to know the shepherd. Maybe you need to realize all you need in life is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the greatest thing to ever happen to us! We need to remember this when going through life and its struggles. We must also show others who don’t know Christ as the shepherd the greatness of God and His blessings that come with it.
Posted in Devotions by Michael Garner with 4 comments.
The Easy Things … by Alexia Morales
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 6 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 1 – 4; Proverbs 3; Psalms 11 – 15)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – SSPsalm 119:105
Read the “0303 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Remember Who Butters Your Bread,” and “Let’s Get Back to the Bible.”
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
“Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (Deuteronomy 6:12)
“And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgements, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:” (Deuteronomy 6:20 – 21)
I once heard one of my teachers say “The Christian life isn’t hard, life is hard.” She then explained what she meant. She was saying, here on Earth we have problems. They’re hard, they hurt, and they’re not pleasant to go through. But at the end of the day, the struggles don’t affect how good God is, and how good He is to us. Oftentimes, we lose sight of his sweet and tender mercies, and the new blessings he has in each day. We forget who He is to us. I don’t know about you, but when I get my eyes off of my problems, being a Chrsitain is easy. It’s easy to fellowship with the Lord, because He’s my best friend, He always wants to listen, and He always cares. It’s easy to look back and testify that He’s a great God, because I’ve seen him work in the most hopeless situations.
In this passage, Moses is telling the children of Israel to do some pretty easy things, in comparison to what God has already done for them, and is going to do. They were slaves in Egypt under Pharaoh, and God heard their cry. He led them out of Egypt, and promised a land “that flowed with milk and honey”, which was Canaan. God wanted to bless his children, and Moses reminded them of some things they should do upon enjoying this Promised Land. In application to our life today, these same instructions seem pretty easy, but it’s the simple things that we often completely overlook. Don’t get overwhelmed each morning with all of life, remember there are some sweet and simple purposes in each day. Stay faithful to them, and God will do the rest.
- The Great Commandment is to love the Lord with all you’ve got, (verses 4 and 5) if we don’t have that down, everything is wrong. But, if this area is where it should be, we will be seeking to do things that please the Lord, because we are constantly in communion and communication with Him. This is one of our purposes each day, to have fellowship with the Lord. He’s our best friend, and he wants to hear from us, and not just once a day. Be sure to show up.
- “Beware lest thou forget”.. The children of Israel are cautioned not to forget where they came from when they enter that blessed Promised Land. I know where I’ve come from. I didn’t grow up in church. I got saved when I was 17, and past mistakes and hurt have brought quite some baggage. But, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. God has worked miracles in my life, He’s pulled me from some dark and low places, and I’ve seen his hand in it all. Don’t forget. Don’t grow discontent. That is the main tool the devil uses. Bring every thought into captivity, and line it up with God’s word. If it’s not pure or Holy, TRASH IT. Fix your mind on the things of God, and don’t forget His goodness.
- Lastly, Moses challenges them to tell their children. To tell the younger generation of all the Lord has done. Where they’ve come from, and why they do what they do. Tell everyone where you’ve come from, and how the Lord changed your life. Be a witness, to the younger generation, and to all people.
Don’t forget these “easy” things, for they are some of the most important things.
“And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.” (Deuteronomy 6:25)
Posted in Devotions by Alexia Parker with 5 comments.
Bearing Fruit When Your Spirit is Broken … by Dawson Parker
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 9 – 12; Proverbs 1; Psalms 1 – 5)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0301 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. … When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.” (Matthew 14:9-10, 13)
Read all of Matthew 14:1-21
We are going to be looking into the life of Jesus and how even in a time of brokenness in his life, he was still able to greatly be used of God. Before we look at how God used Jesus, we are going to look at what made Jesus broken. We see that John the Baptist said something Herod didn’t like, and Herod put him in prison and some things eventually led to Herod beheading John the Baptist. The disciples found about the death of him and went and told Jesus. The Bible says in verse 13, “When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by a ship into a desert place apart:”. In my opinion, I think Jesus was very upset and went to be alone to pray to God.
- John the Baptist was Family of Jesus – (Luke 1-2)
- mothers were cousins
- similar age
- both births prophesied by angels
- John the Baptist was a Friend of Jesus –
- they respected each other – Matthew 11:11 – “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.”
- they shared spiritual moments together (baptism) – Matthew 3:13-17
- John the Baptist was the Forerunner of Jesus –
- Mark 1:2-4 – “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the remission of sins.”
I say all of that so we can realize the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus. When Jesus found out this this man who meant much to him was put to death, he was upset! What he did next is what is so important. He got alone with God and that is what we need to do when we get bad news. Often times, running to God is the last resort but we should run to the one who has all of the answers and we should do it immediately. What is interesting is the fact that even though Jesus was broken and wanted time with God, there was still people who had a need. Verse 14 says, “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion towards them, and he healed their sick.” Next, we see the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand but let’s not forget that this event is taking place while Jesus was still broken. No doubt, this is a picture for us that God can greatly use us when we are broken but only if we run to God and get power from him. II Corinthians 12:9-10 – “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasures in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distress for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
So, in conclusion, let’s look at the 3 key points of this lesson so we can apply them in our lives –
- When we get bad news, we need to run to God!
- There are still people with needs even when we are broken.
- God can greatly use us when we are broken.
Posted in Devotions by Dawson Parker with 4 comments.
Marching Orders – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage –Numbers 32 – 33 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4; Proverbs 27; Psalms 136 – 140)
Read the “0227 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance:98 every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.” (Numbers 33:50-56)
Good morning. The Lord gave marching orders to Israel for when they entered the land of Canaan. They were to drive out the inhabitants, destroy their pictures, their molten images, and pull down their high places. If Israel did not drive out the inhabitants, then those people would be pricks in their eyes, thorns in their sides, and would vex them. And, to top it all off, God would do to Israel as He planned to do to them. And we know what happened. Israel started worshiping false gods of the land, and did wicked things in the site of the Lord; things much worse than the inhabitants. God kept His promise and scattered Israel. Israel would not become a nation again till 1948.
When will someone come into the United States and be pricks in our eyes, thorns in our sides, and vex us? Many Christians today are being side-tracked into focusing on everything in the world except for Jesus and His Word…
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Corinthians 5:17)
The old man shows it’s ugly face regularly in today’s society. What happened to the new creature? We should not be walking after the flesh, but after the Spirit. We’ve turned into zombies, the walking dead: the old man has come back to life. And those zombies are dragging around the old baggage that should have been cast by the wayside a long time ago. We have our marching orders…
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:11-14)
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
God Always Keeps His Promises … by Dawn Schnepp
Today’s Passage – Numbers 30 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Romans 13 – 16; Proverbs 26; Psalms 131 – 135)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0226 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. (Numbers 30:2)
Reading Numbers 30 and 31 reminded me of two things to be grateful for – God’s promises and His grace. A vow is defined as a solemn promise, oath or pledge. How many times have I made a promise to the Lord or my loved ones and friends, only to break that promise? I’m grateful that the Lord always keeps His vows to us and that He never changes. He gives us a fresh start every day and no matter how many times we fail Him, we have His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He promises us peace when we keep our minds on Him and that He will always supply our needs. I’m thankful that my behavior and actions do not determine my eternal standing, because of His promise of salvation by faith alone. He promises blessings for walking according to His Word – there is freedom in obedience.
The world isn’t looking for you or me – they are looking for Jesus. With His help, may we be the light for them and give them a glimpse of the best life there is – the abundant Christian life. With His help, may we keep our promises, show mercy when we want to show anger, and exude the joy of a personal relationship with Him.
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22 – 23)
Posted in Devotions by Dawn Schnepp with 4 comments.
Take a Stand … by Brian Schnepp
Today’s Passage – Numbers 25 – 26 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Romans 5 – 8; Proverbs 24; Psalms 121 – 125)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Proverbs Twenty-Seven and Verse Fifteen
Read the “0224 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
The word zealous means fervent, fiery, passionate, devout, committed or dedicated. Do you think the Lord could describe us as zealous for Him? Are we committed and dedicated to Him the way Phinehas was? Phinehas didn’t hesitate, but immediately stood up to execute judgment.
Are we willing to take a stand for Jesus in this sin plagued world we are living in today? If we are, then we should do all we can at every opportunity to share the Gospel (Scripture Assembly Project – March 6th).
Are we fervently praying for our country and revival? (Special Prayer Meeting – February 26th)
Are we passionate about seeing souls saved? (Soul Winning Blitz – March 13th)
I’m thankful for all of these opportunities to be zealous in the work of the Lord while our family is here visiting Jersey Shore. If ever there was a \me to take a stand, now is the day! As Pastor Clark says, “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Let’s pass on our zeal for the Lord to the generations to come.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high his royal banner, It must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory His army shall he lead, Till every foe is vanquished, And Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Stand in his strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own. Put on the gospel armor, Each piece put on with prayer; Where duty calls or danger, Be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, The strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, The next the victor’s song. To those who vanquish evil A crown of life shall be; They with the King of Glory Shall reign eternally.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Misrepresented God … by Sherry Lingelbach
Today’s Passage – Numbers 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 25 – 28; Proverbs 22; Psalms 106 – 110)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Proverbs Twenty-Seven and verse Fifteen.
And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and SPEAK ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. Numbers 20:6-8
Have you ever misrepresented God? Moses struck the rock twice after God told him to simply speak to the rock.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod, he smote the rock twice. Numbers 20:10-11
It doesn’t seem like a big deal does it? After all, the people came complaining to Moses and Aaron once again. Were they never satisfied? Seems like every time Moses turns around they had another problem. Their whining and murmuring and false accusations seemed to really get to Moses this time. Moses striking a rock seemed like a mild response compared to their offenses. Yet, this singular act caused both Moses and his brother Aaron to be denied access to the promised land.
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Numbers 20:12
Moses murdered a man and hid his body in the sand and then fled to Midian, Exodus 2:12. Aaron crafted a golden calf, built an altar and, led the children of Israel into idol worship as they waited for Moses to come down from the mountain, where he was meeting with God face to face, Exodus 32. Neither of these offenses caused the brothers to be kept from being allowed into the long-anticipated entrance to the land flowing with milk and honey.
Why was hitting the rock with the rod of Aaron so serious? Why was this so egregious to God? Could the answer be that Moses did not believe God concerning the deliverance of His people from themselves, and their sinfulness? He obviously did not follow all of God’s commands thereby diminishing God’s holiness. He misrepresented God. In a way, it was like Moses was striking at God. Moses was angry at the unthankful, grumbling people, but God was not.
The rod of Aaron was used to pass judgment on the Egyptians with the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, and lice. It was used to bring deliverance to the Israelites. The rod was utilized to perform miracles such as the opening of the Red Sea and for the defeat of Amalek. God used the rod to demonstrate His power.
Just a few chapters earlier God instructed Moses to strike the rock once for water. This was not done because of God’s anger but was a method that God ordered Moses to use. Moses, in his weakness, took what God used at one time and added in his sinfulness. Instead of following the instructions he had been given this time, Moses misled the people into thinking that God was angry. As God’s ambassador, he failed to represent the truth.
How we portray God matters also. Do we mislead people into thinking that they have to do more than God requires? Do we promote an idea about God that is not all together true? At times as a mom, I have to ask myself if I have added to the requirements of God by expecting my children to do, or not to do x,y, and z? Have I allowed them to think that God is displeased with them because they did not act in a way that I expected? I am challenged to evaluate how I communicate and exemplify the gospel to all people. It is important to be careful to not add or take away from God’s instructions. For Moses and Aaron, their display of aggravation towards God’s people cost them dearly. We must remember:
That the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Romans 2:4
God’s plans and ways are perfect. It may not seem that He is at work in a situation or in a person’s life, but because we can trust Him, we can say it is well. There is no need to fix our eyes on the temporary. He will move in any way He sees fit. He is relentless in His desire to see that all people come to repentance and will cultivate an environment necessary to bring us into the fullness of God. Let’s agree with God when He gives us instruction and be careful to obey Him to the best of our ability.
Sherry Lingelbach
Posted in Devotions by Joe Lingelbach with no comments yet.
What Have You Seen? – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Numbers 14 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 19 – 21; Proverbs 20; Psalms 101 – 105)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 119:105
Read the “0220 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” (Numbers 14:1-3)
Good morning. We open up in Numbers 14 with Israel having a pity party. They were crying and weeping. Why? Because they forgot God. Ooooo… there are giants in the land. How will we ever take the land? They are stronger than us: they’ll beat us up. What can we do? They will kill us all…
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are 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 stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:30-33)
Notice that there is not one mention of God going before them to fight the battles. The whole plan was that God would give them the promised land. All they had to do was believe God and go take the land. It was only a little while ago that they were slaves in Egypt. They saw all the plagues that God brought on Egypt. They saw the Lord as a pillar of fire separating and protecting them from the army of Pharaoh. With their backs to the Red Sea (the deepest point was 7,254 feet; at the place of the crossing was 1,000 feet), they watched as God, that night, parted the Red Sea. They saw this, and they walked across on dry land. They saw the Egyptian army try to follow them. They saw the walls of water collapse swallowing up Pharaoh’s army. They saw the dead bodies of the Egyptians washing up on the shore. They saw all this and didn’t believe that God could not take care of a few giants? Giants that He created?
What have you seen? You’ve seen the Word of God…
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh 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 cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
You’ve seen Him give you life and work in your life.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Corinthians 5:17)
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)
“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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
Have you seen Him conquer any giants in your life? If you look back on things that happened in your life, I’m sure you will see God’s handiwork and know that you did not go through anything alone: He was always there.
God told Israel to go in and take the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. They did not trust God to deliver them. They did not follow God’s command and wondered around in the wilderness for 40 years.
God tells us to go also…
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Just as David stood before a giant that was over nine feet tall, we nned to stand up to the giant that is attacking our nation. Pray for our leaders on both sides: they need to get saved and be empowered by the LORD to be able to do right: no more illegals, no more baby killing, no more gender bending, and I’m sure you know the rest.
“Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” (1Samuel 17:45)
Have you seen any giants?
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
Being Known by God and Knowing Him … by Joe Lingelbach
Today’s Passage – Numbers 11 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 16 – 18; Proverbs 19; Psalms 96 – 100)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm Ninety-Two verses One to Four
Read the “0219 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” (Numbers 11:1)
The record of Numbers 11 is that the people complained and it displeased God. There were people among the multitude that would only seek for themselves. Their concern was for their comfort and their bellies. They did not seek for the heart of God, or be an encouragement for those who needed it, but rather complained. This attitude was met swiftly with God’s anger and judgment. Then the Isrealites complained and began “lusting”after meat, because God’s solution for their hunger was not enough for them. God gave to them according to their lust, until the “Meat was coming out of their nostrils”.
Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? (Numbers 11:19-20)
Too often it is easy to fix our eyes on our problems and not on the One who holds our future. We focus on the challenges that we have allowed to become huge and insurmountable in our hearts and minds. We are experts at taking very real problems and situations, and blowing them up even larger.
We need God‘s grace to remember Who we are dealing with.
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13)
He is the Lover of our souls. He is the One who can heal with a word or a touch of his hand. It is He, who fed the multitudes, not only with bread and fish, but with the words of eternal life. When we face the reality of giants, as they did in the land that was promised to them, we can choose to remember his words that tell us to believe him, or we can allow ourselves to be overrun by our own hearts, which can easily fail and lead us down unsafe paths. When we complain with our voices, it’s just a manifestation of what is already present within the abundance of our heart. Better and safer it is to be in his perfect will. Even with potential threats and possible calamities we are protected. It is better for us to trust Him then to be out of his will. We do not need to be striving to forge a way through, apart from him and his keeping grace. He is the living God! He can be trusted! He is faithful and true! He is the way the truth and the life. He said “Apart from me, ye can do nothing!” If we can see Him as He is, all else will be diminished.
What is spilling out when we are squeezed, bumped, or rubbed? As a man thinketh in his heart so is he. We need to relent and defer to His holy course, His Word. He knows our frame. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart. King David asked
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
At times we may be clever to avoid detection by others, but not so with our Lord, He knows and understands who we really are and what we are about. Looking at Nathaniel while he sat under a fig tree, Jesus said “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47). God’s work in us, the softening and the giving of understanding, chips away at our hard stony heart and allows us to view our own weakness and inadequacy and God’s perfect love and creates in us a thankful heart. We can say with David “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4). Yes, know and realize that He, the altogether lovely One, went to exceeding great lengths to rescue you and I to give us life! At our core as well as on our surface, we are no different from those that wandered in the desert. The place in which we wander may look different from theirs, but we still contain within us the propensity to whine and complain just as much, and to be discontent or even shake our fist at our Rescuer and Redeemer. Will we lean on our own understanding and the arm of the flesh? Or will we trust our loving merciful Savior? His grace is sufficient to come and deliver us from ourselves. Sometimes we have stinking thinking, but rest assured that he who began a good work in us will continue and his love never fails. He is relentless to come and show us the way. And gentleness and great meekness he gives correction and guidance as we acknowledge him he leads us.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Posted in Devotions by Joe Lingelbach with 3 comments.
Worthy to Mention … by Chaniece Clark
Today’s Passage – Numbers 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 10 – 12; Proverbs 17; Psalms 86 – 90)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 89:1
Read the “0217 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Numbers chapter 7 is a chapter filled with details, but a chapter that I in all honesty struggled to find what God would have me learn from.
Often, when reading certain books of the Old Testament, it is easy to skim past large portions of scripture because they seem to not be applicable to our lives as we live them now. I have been reading through the Bible this year, in chronological order, and am trying my best to puy attention to the details that God thought important enough to include in His Word.
That being said, why may this chapter be here for me to read? First, it makes me grateful that Jesus died on the cross so that we no longer have to participate in such detailed sacrifices in order to remain in God’s good graces. Jesus completed that for us on Calvary!
Also, God valued the princes’ offerings, so much so that He listed each piece in great detail.
That brings to mind the question, does God find my offering worthy of mention? Though not necessary for forgiveness of sins, are my offerings of self and service of any value to Him? Am I giving enough of: time, possession, me? May I take better note what God finds important enough to have etched into his everlasting Word.
Posted in Devotions by Chaniece Clark with 1 comment.