Word For the Day

  Glory Scripture “ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable [are] His judgments and His ways past finding out! "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" "Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" For of Him and through Him and to Him [are] all things, to whom [be] glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36 NKJV) Commentary Paul has laid out an amazing defense of the Gospel in chapters 1-11 of Romans and is about to shift gears to make application, but first, he has to stop and glory in his wonderful Lord. “Oh, the depths of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God!” Take time in your life to ponder the majesty of God. After all, it is through meditation that one is planted by the streams of water (Ps. 1:1-3). You will not be as prone to sin if you bathe in the Glory of God. Think about what happened when Jesus revealed a little of His glory to people—They ...

  The Mystery of the Gospel Bible Passage “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.” (Ephesians 3:1-7, KJV) What Is a Mystery Simply put, a mystery as it is used here is something that was hidden in the past but is now revealed. The mystery was that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs with the Jews. That was not a change in God’s ...

  "Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?" Lamentations 3:37-38 "My dear brother, let God make of you what He will, He will end all with consolation, and shall make glory out of your sufferings; and would ye wish better work? This water was in your way to Heaven, and written in your Lord's book; ye behooved to cross it: and, therefore, kiss His wise and unerring providence. Let not the censures of men, who see but the outside of things (and scarce well that) abate your courage and rejoicing in the Lord; howbeit, your faith seeth but the black side of providence, yet it hath a better side, and God shall let you see it. Learn to believe Christ better than His strokes; Himself and His promises, better than His glooms... "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God," Romans 8:28 ... hence I infer, that losses, disappointments, ill tongues, l...

  A Broken Down Wall (Eph. 2:14-22) “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spiri...

  Brought Near by the Blood of Christ Scripture “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:11-13) Having No Hope To have no hope is to have no faith. But you say, “I have faith.” You certainly have put your trust in something. But will that trust save you? Paul is talking about Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Christ’s died to save sinners. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Therefore, without faith in Christ, you have no h...

  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...

  The Fallen State Scripture “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) Dead in Trespasses and Sins God quickened those who were dead in trespasses and sins. He had to, because to be spiritually dead is to be under complete control of the flesh. It means being incapable of doing anything good (Romans 3:12). Jesus said it means to be a slave of sin: “… Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). A dead man can do nothing. Not to be morbid, but if you have ever looked into a coffin, the absolute stillness of the deceased is striking to the point of being disturbing. I...

  Praying for the Saints Scripture Model “For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subj...

  Sealed by the Spirit Scripture “Also, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-14) Devotional Thought Oh, what a blessed thought and a real reminder that we have a known salvation. The Holy Spirit is our comforter. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spiri...

  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...