Word For the Day

  Redeemed by the Son “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him” (Ephesians 1:7-10) A Loving Sacrifice It is a wonder beyond understanding that God became incarnate, and that He died to save sinners. What a sacrifice! When you think of sacrifice, you often measure it by the cost. It is no great sacrifice to hold a door for an elderly person.“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Therefore, “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during th...

Scripture “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6) Devotional Commentary Dearly beloved, let us not resist this glorious truth. If you are a Christian, it is because the Father elected you before the foundation of the world. Many struggle with this truth because it seems contrary to what we experienced. We heard the Gospel, became convicted over our sin, repented, and cried out to God for mercy with the understanding that Jesus paid our sin-debt by HIs death on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead, and then ascended into heaven. This was a willf...

  Scripture “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. "Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. "Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.” (Luke 6:22-26) Devotional Thought The Lord tells us that we are in good company when we are reproached for the Son of man’s sake. That’s because with whom you run says something about who you are. The old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together,” is true. God told Israel not to marry foreign wives because He knew it would corrupt them (Ex 34:12-16). We can conclude from these warning...

  Come You Who Are Heavy Laden Scripture “Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV) Devotion What glorious words these are, “I will give you rest.” To whom does the Lord speak these words? It is to the benefit of those who labor under the taskmaster of sin. These words are to encourage those who are heavy laden with the knowledge of their own depravity. Without Christ, the flames of hell reach out from beyond the grave, calling, pulling one closer to the pit with each passing day; but take courage, my friend, for all is not lost. If you feel the weight of sin upon your poor soul, God may have gifted you with quickening grace. The first step toward heaven is made upon one’s knees. Jesus told a parable to illustrate this very point. "Two men went up to th...

  Scripture And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." (Mark 4:21-25) Devotional Thought We are accountable for what we hear. You don’t put a lamp under a basket; you put it on a lampstand so it can illuminate the room. Likewise, when we hear the truth of God’s Word, we should seek to understand it and share its truths with others.  If we do that and measure it correctly, more will be given to us, benefiting ourselves and others. For ...

  Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit “The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul," and 'He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons." And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. "If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! "But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"— because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." (Mark 3:22-30) ...

  Things That Pollute Your Offerings Giving Under Compulsion or Guilt “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) Giving To Be Seen “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4) Giving Deceitfully “But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold ...

  Polluted Offerings The Natural Order  “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?'” (Malachi 1:6) It is natural for a son to honor his father and a servant his master. Yet the people would not even honor God. Instead, they treat God’s name as something common. Routine and complacency may foster this kind of disrespect. As Christians, we should never treat God as common. He is holy, and His holiness demands our respect. God requires and deserves our best. However, the people were offering their worst. Defiled Food “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised.' "But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and...

  “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city. They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good” (Psalms 107:1-9). Reading the Psalm above made me think about Paul’s conversion; in turn, one might think about his own conversion. Paul was on his way to Damascus when God arrested him, overwhelming him and causing hi...

  Are You Longing for Revival? “Because of this our heart is faint; Because of these [things] our eyes grow dim; Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, with foxes walking about on it. You, O LORD, remain forever; your throne from generation to generation. Why do you forget us forever, [And] forsake us for so long a time? Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old, Unless You have utterly rejected us, [And] are very angry with us!” (La 5:17-22 NKJV) The people of God had come to a very low point in their history. Their nation was plagued with sin, and their temple was desolate, with wild animals using it as their own. While we no longer worship in the temple, we could make a similar cry for many of our churches that are overrun with sin and lay impotent. The writer falls back to a staple for comfort by acknowledging the Lord’s eternal nature. He knew that God had not lost control. The Father knows what is happening to you at all times; His ey...

  "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." (2 Corinthians 3:5). "We should always look upon ourselves as God's servants, placed in God's world, to do His work... not with a design to grow rich and great, but to glorify God, and to do all the good we possibly can. Never expect any satisfaction or happiness from the world. If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world. Do not think you shall be more happy if you live to such or such a state of life, if you live to be yourself, to be settled in the world, or if you should gain an estate in it: but look upon it that you shall then be happy, when you can be constantly employed for God, and not for yourself: and desire to live in this world, only to do and suffer what God allots to you... Once more; Never think that you can live to God by your own power or strength; but always look to and rely on Him for assist...

  Faith Is What Counts Scripture “And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented." Jesus *said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place the...

  Aim To Please Scripture “So [we are] always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Co 5:6-10 NKJV) Devotion The believer, having the guarantee of the Spirit, is always confident because he no longer fears death. However, there is a judgment to be faced, and it should be the aim of every believer to live circumspectly. Hopefully, our desire to please Christ comes more from our love for Him and not our fear of Him. If His commandments are a burden to us, something is amiss. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His c...

  I remember attending a prayer meeting where some weighty matters were discussed. There was a heavy spirit upon the group as each person discussed their difficulties dealing with their emotions and uncertainty.  Then a remarkable thing happened. As we prayed through the issues, our sense of hopelessness turned to hopefulness, and our fears turned to joy. After we had finished praying, the room was full of laughter as we all enjoyed fellowship with one another in Christ.  We all had experienced a great blessing from the Lord. A fresh breeze of hope blew through the room and our joy returned. The greatest blessings often come in the darkest hour. I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to...

  “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.' "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. "It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. "Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:16-20) As a powerful, wealthy nation, you always risk forgetting who made you great. God gives the power to make wealth. To forget this truth is perilous. Therefore, beloved of God, stay humble, and “In everythi...

  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.” (Isaiah 43:2) When illness strikes, or calamity looms, despair can often set in. No one is prepared to hear a doctor say, "You have cancer." Yet in these challenging times, Isaiah's words offer encouragement. The verse above contains two precious promises. First, God promises to be with us during our trials. Nothing is more comforting than having the very real presence of God in your life. It is wonderful to have brothers and sisters visiting and praying with you, but at the end of the day, you are facing the unknown alone. Only God can give the comfort needed. The second promise is for protection. That doesn’t mean that God will keep us from all calamity. Clearly, we will suffer in this world for a plethora of reasons, both physical and mental. However, the promise is that the ...

  As much as we would like to live our lives to the glory of God, we often fail to trust Him. So remember that God is at work in us for His glory. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). Even when we sin, God does not abandon us or His purpose for us. Take Abram, for example. “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him” (Genesis 12:7). Even while knowing this promise, Abram, fearing the people, lied about Sarai, calling her his sister. He not only lied about Sarai, but also involved her in the deception. What was Abram thinking? His thoughts were not likely on the promise God made to him. How could God give the land to his descendants if his wife was tak...

  Acquiring Peace and Zeal for Perfection Commentary from Imitations of Christ WE SHOULD enjoy much peace if we did not concern ourselves with what others say and do, for these are no concern of ours. How can a man who meddles in affairs not his own, who seeks strange distractions, and who is little or seldom inwardly recollected, live long in peace? Blessed are the simple of heart, for they shall enjoy peace in abundance. Why were some of the saints so perfect and so given to contemplation? Because they tried to mortify entirely in themselves all earthly desires, and thus they were able to attach themselves to God with all their heart, and freely to concentrate their innermost thoughts. We are too occupied with our own whims and fancies, too taken up with passing things. Rarely do we completely conquer even one vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day by day; hence, we remain cold and indifferent. If we mortified our bodies perfectly and allo...

  This One Is From Several Years Ago A Better Understanding of the Lord’s Love Scripture “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things [are] naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we [must give] account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all [points] tempted as [we are, yet] without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:13-16 NKJV) Commentary I had to take my son to the dentist yesterday morning. He has braces, and there were a couple of baby teeth that needed to be extracted so the orthodontist could close the gap where these baby teeth would eventually fall out if not removed. I purposely didn’t tell him when his appointment was because I didn’t want him to worry about it ...

  “For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, "I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence." I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse. My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned; Then I spoke with my tongue: "LORD, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. "Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. "Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You. "Deliver me from all my transgressions; Make me not the reproach of the foolish. "I have become mute, I do not open my mouth, because it is You who hav...

  “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:54-60) Stephen, after recounting the Jews’ history, ends his message with this condemnation. “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in...

  “. . . My feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalms 73:2-3). Maybe you have thought, “Why do I have to live this way?” “Why do the lost prosper while God’s people suffer?” Don’t envy the wicked; they have their reward, and it is fleeting. Listen to the Psalmist and learn. “When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form. When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterwar...

  Leading God's people can be challenging, as they often express complaints when faced with difficulties. Leaders must maintain a loving attitude while addressing these objections. This matters because teachers face a stricter judgment (James 3:1). Moses was tested when God’s people complained about a lack of water (Numbers 20:2-9). God told him to speak to the rock, and it would give out water (Numbers 20:8). He let his frustration get the better of him. He did more than speak. “And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank” (Numbers 20:10-11). God’s people can be difficult at times, but as a leader, it is important to maintain decorum among the people. You are to be an example. Not doing so may levy a heavy toll. T...

  The Law of Faith “Where [is] boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or [is He] the God of the Jews only? [Is He] not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since [there is] one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:27-31 NKJV) Here Paul concludes that justification is by faith apart from the deeds of the law. This is crucial since God’s grace is for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. By faith, a person becomes a child of God, a child of promise. Later in this same book, Paul addresses the confusion the Jews had about God’s promises. They looked for an earthly kingdom, and missed the true kingdom of God. However, for now Paul concerns himself with the law.  Paul wanted us to know...