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.
Handle with Care … by the Real Travis Clark
Today’s Passage – Numbers 3 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 4 – 6; Proverbs 15; Psalms 76 – 80
Read the “0215 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – First John Three:One
“According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Numbers 4:49)
The book of Numbers is a book that many people would skim over and I understand why. This book has a lot of names and family trees, it has a lot of rules that we don’t have to abide by anymore because of Jesus. In a great part of the book of Numbers, but specifically in chapter four it even gives the manual if you would on what each person should be doing. We know that the Bible has something for us in every page, but if we’re honest with ourselves we probably think sometimes “what does this have to do with me?” In Numbers 4:1-15 we see God giving the instructions to Moses so he can relay them to the Kohathites. God Does this also in this chapter for the Gershonites (21-28) and the Merarites (29-49) So why thousands of years later is it important for us to read about this? Well number one the service that they are doing is preparing the tabernacle for the journey. I’m sure Pastor Erickson has talked about this in previous devotions so I won’t touch on the importance of it because I would assume most of us know the importance of it. So that is a big thing and God wants us to see how serious it is to deal with the things of God. God gets so specific of the covering even down to what kind of skin it should be. (Verse 6) If God is this concerned about the tabernacle that he made sure it was preserved in His book, don’t you think God wants us to prepare our temple the proper way? The reason why our way of worship and living for God is different, is because of the Trinity. Jesus died for our sins so we can go to heaven, and also we now have an intercessor so we can go directly to the Throne Room in Heaven!
Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Then we have the Holy Spirit living inside us: our temple. I hear this phrase all the time “I won’t say that in church.” Well if your saved you have the Holy Spirit inside you, so you shouldn’t “say that” period. We have this portion of instructions to show us how important it is to take care of the things of God. So if you are saved you need to take the same kind of care and precautions that God wanted the people to do in the book of numbers. Paul explains this perfectly to the people in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 “[15] Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. [16] What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. [17] But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. [18] Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. [19] What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? [20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Another thing I noticed is God didn’t give this job to one person; He didn’t even just give this job to the most important person, or people. God wanted multiple people involved. That means in the Church God doesn’t just want Pastor to do it all or one of the people on Staff to do it all. He wants multiple people to handle the things of God. On a personal level he also doesn’t just want you to walk alone.
Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
God wants us to have accountability so if we are not handling the things of God the right way we will have people in place to guide us in the right direction.
If there is one thing that we can take away from Numbers 4 and apply it to our lives it’s this: Handle with care.
Posted in Devotions by Travis Clark with 3 comments.
Our Only Hope – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 26 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – John 19 – 21; Proverbs 13; Psalms 66 – 70)
Read the “0213 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.” (Leviticus 26:36-39)
“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God…” (Psalm 146:5)
Good morning. It’s kind of hard not to say something when the country you love is being decimated by godless socialists. Is it time to pine away? No. But it depends on who you are trusting in: yourself or God. Things may be out of your control, however, Jesus said…
“…but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26)
The banner hung in the post office of Pittsburg, Kansas for almost 15 years. It was hung in place by the employees just after September 11, 2001. It has hung in the post office until late January. The banner simply read, “God Bless America.”
It seems that one of the residents contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation and forced the banner to come down… after it hung there 15 years. Word of this mis-justice spread like wild fire, and found it’s way to a local business: Jake’s Fireworks. And he chose not to sit and pine away, but had 1200 yard signs and 300 banners printed that said “God Bless America,” and gave them away for free. They were all gone in 45 minutes! If he had printed more, I’m sure they would be hanging on display at somebody’s business or home.
Elijah the prophet was on the run after destroying the prophets of Baal. He was being pursued by the evil queen – Jezebel. He hid himself in a cave, and the Lord spoke to him…
“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” (1Kings 19:11-18)
There are probably much more people who will take up their cross and having done all to stand for only true and living God than the socialists would have you believe. The time is not to pine, the time is to stand. And if the socialists don’t want to hear it, let them “change the channel.”
Peace! (GOD BLESS AMERICA)
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
This Time in History … by Melissa Clayton
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 24 – 25 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – John 17 – 18; Proverbs 12; Psalms 61 – 65)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 47 and verse 1
Read the “0212 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this morning’s reading – “The Mind of the Lord,” and “Rest for the Land.”
This particular time in history referenced in Leviticus seems like a very stressful time to be alive. Maybe the rest of you are strict rule followers, but If I lived in this day in age, I believe I would be always looking over my shoulder, not because I was trying to be disobedient to the law, but because there were just so many laws to follow. Laws about sacrifice, about holy days; laws about finance and even laws about how and when to harvest your crops. Could you ever follow so many rules? You better try because if you don’t you could be stoned.
The whole passage to me seemed overwhelming and even morbid until I recognized that doing away with an overwhelming number of laws would take an overwhelming amount of grace. Grace that only the Lord Jesus could provide. Being saved from big sin takes grace from a big God. We really are spoiled to live in this “grace” age. We don’t have to fear being stoned for our sins, and we don’t have to rely on a priest to have access to God.
So, are we so subpar with our Christian walk? I pray today that the Lord would continually remind me of His mercy and grace, and that I would take advantage of the absolute privilege that it is to walk with Him in the gift of His salvation.
Posted in Devotions by Melissa Clayton with 4 comments.
How Will You Walk? … by Claudia Vara
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Proverbs 9; Psalms 46 – 50)
Read the “0209 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage – “There Is a Fountain,” “Abomination,” and “The Blood”
“Rejoice in the LORD always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)
Have you ever taken a walk only to realize that you’ve spent the whole time staring at the ground underneath your feet? Often, I catch myself doing this exact thing. I seem to always have my eyes focused down instead of in front or above me! Why do we do this?
We stare at the ground, focusing on all the ruts and holes and rocks and roots instead of the trees and sky and clouds above. We focus on all the things that might cause problems, that might hurt us, and that are negative parts of our walk, when all around us there is so much beauty and joy and positivity to see–if only we would just look up and see it!
The whole purpose of my walk is not to stare down at the ground, but to enjoy the beauty and nature around me. I miss my purpose when all I focus on are my ruts and rocks and holes and roots. I miss the joy of the moment when all I see is the difficulties. I miss the opportunity to look up.
Of course, we must keep in mind the rock and ruts to some extent lest we trip, but are you loving with your eyes glued to the ground? Entrust God with your ruts and rocks; He can take care of you. Even though your path may have its difficulties, you can still rejoice in your surroundings by placing your reliance on God.
“For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name” (Psalm 33:21).
Life is difficult–there is no way to get around it–but we can choose joy even in the most trying of circumstances. Goldy joy isn’t based on our circumstances; it’s based on our Savior. Even in the most challenging times there are so many blessings all around us to see. However, you must choose to see them, for a joyful spirit is never an accident–it is intentional. Take some time today just to thank God and dwell in the simple things that He blesses us with daily.
God both commands and enables us to be joyful. In His Presence is perfect contentment and satisfaction.
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11).
Each time I go for a walk, I have the opportunity to either focus up or down. I can choose the negative or the positive. There will always be ruts and rocks and holes and roots, but there will also always be trees and sky and clouds and beauty. We have to decide what we will choose to focus on. It’s a choice you must actively make, because naturally we look down. Decide to look up to your Father instead of down at your problems. How will you walk today? Don’t miss the real purpose of your journey!
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24).
“My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.” (Psalm 71:23).
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Phillippians 4:8).
Posted in Devotions by Claudia Vara with 4 comments.
I Am the Lord Thy God
Today’s Passage – Leviticus 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 – John 9 – 10; Proverbs 8; Psalms 41 – 45
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31
Read a previous post from this passage – “Leprosy in the House“
“I am the LORD your God” Leviticus 19-21
There is a common phrase we see throughout these commandments that God is giving to Moses and that is “I am the LORD your God”. After almost every rule/law that God delivers He ends it with “I am the LORD your God”, why is this? The logical part of me wants to say, because we are humanwe have to be reminded of the why and who we are doing things for. Remember these are the same Israelites that murmur and complain throughout the wilderness, after God rescued them from a ruthless captor, mostly about food and water. What are some ways we can not be like them?
When times are tough remember, “I am the LORD your God”
There have been times in our lives when we did not know where to turn or which direction to go, and honestly those timesoccurred when we tried taking things into our own hands and doing things our own way, but God oft times works in different ways. Even in the though times we need to remember “I am the LORD your God” because He will not let anything happen to us outside His will. Think of the disciples in Mark 4:37 afraid of the storm, even with the Master on the ship with them, even after He had said “Let us pass over unto the other side” a mere two verses prior. Oh how easy it is for us to forget that as Christians we are in Gods hands.
When things don’t make sense remember, “I am the LORD your God”
In this new COVID, political society it seems that nothing makes sense, what is right is now called wrong, and what is wrong is now called right. There was a time when police men and women were thanked for their service, and now their service is being taken away. There was a time when being proud to be an American was the norm and now it is viewed as extremism, and there was a time when being a Christian was viewed as a good thing even by non-believers, and now it is border line terrorism. Believe it or not Jesus didn’t have that easy either, and if we think about it have times really changed? We crucified the only true innocent person on this earth, we mocked and ridiculed Him His whole earthly ministry, and even true believers denied even being associated with Him in His time of need. Things haven’t made a lot of sense for a while now but He is always and will always be on the throne, remember “I am the Lord your God.”
When it’s all going good remember, “I am the LORD your God”
Most importantly, everyday we wake up to see the beauty of His creation, every morning when we have the privilege of seeing the husband or wife He has blessed us with or the kids He has entrusted us with, remember “I am the Lord your God” and thank Him.Probably the best human example of this I can think of would be Job. Most of us in his situation would be out of the game, we would quit on God. Job truly remembered who God is, and no matter what satan was allowed to do to him, he would not curse God. May we always remember who God truly is.
Posted in Devotions by Wesley Clayton with 3 comments.