Word For the Day

  We often cry out to the Lord for mercy in times of trouble. This is a good thing we do. David writes, In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears (Psalms 18:6). What a great resource and blessing it is to have a God who hears our cries. No matter the foe, God is stronger! He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me (Psalms 18:17). David knew his way of escape went through the door of prayer. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? "If y...

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Corinthians 8:4-9). The purpose of offering meat to an idol was to remove evil spirits from the food. It was thought that evil spirits would attach themselves to the mea...

If you had to walk between two mountain peaks on a narrow swinging bridge, you would be advised not to look down. However, everyone looks at least once, right? When you take that quick peek over the edge, the view can be dizzying and disturbing. So, you steady yourself, focus on the other side and venture out--not looking down. If you watch the news these days, it is like looking over the edge of that cliff. It can be disturbing. Evil is called good and good is called evil. So, two things are really important. You should keep looking for the new heavens and new earth, and keep yourself unspotted from the world. Peter wrote, But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). Oh, what a thought. Someday righteousness will dwell and sin will be abolished. Try not to get caught up in today’s politics and worry about what could happen. Trust our great and loving God Who will set all things right in due time. However, u...

  The foundation for a clear conscience is repentance from dead works. The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith in Christ’s atonement is the solution for a guilty conscience. Dead works will never satisfy because they don’t address the underlying cause of guilt, which is unrighteousness. The tabernacle reminded the old testament saints of their sinfulness and need for a Savior. The writer of Hebrews makes this very clear. For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:1-4). Since the Law could not do what was needed, i.e. c...

  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this He *said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples *said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. "But if anyone walks in the nigh...

  The conscience is important and is a great help for every believer. However, you must understand that your conscience is malleable. It is not a safe guide because it can be fashioned by outside influences. Therefore, the Word of God is the only safe guide for you. All men have a conscience. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them (Romans 1:18-19). For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them (Romans 2:14-15). Let us thank God that He has done this; for without any awareness of law, evil would undo any semblance of society. The unbeliever’s cons...

  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:11-14). One characteristic of a good walk is hopefulness. Keeping the goal of seeing Jesus as your focus pushes out distractions. God’s grace saves us and instructs us to live sensibly. With Christ as our example, we learn to deny ungodliness and worldly desires because we hope to stand without shame at the judgement seat of Christ and hear the words, well done good and faithful servant . . . enter into the joy of your master (Matthew 25:23)  Paul wrote, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil...

  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6:7-10). Doing good has its rewards. Sowing to the Spirit has the reward of eternal life. Don’t misunderstand, this is not a call to work for your salvation. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Instead, this is a call to live a spirit-energized life.  Those who sow to the flesh will reap another reward from the flesh. That is corruption. According to Robertson’s Word Pictures, the word corruption, in this passage, refers to the physical...

  Do you find it tedious to wait in line, to wait for an appointment, or to wait, period? The reason we struggle with waiting most of the time is the reward doesn’t seem worth the time spent. You know you want a cup of coffee, but the line is around the corner so you just say forget it. David expresses his willingness to wait for the Lord in the following passage. He trusts in God's providence and lovingkindness. When faced with adversity, he asks God to lead him through the trials that chase after him and those that lay before him. A Psalm of David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed. Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day (Psalms 25:1-5). For the believer there is mor...