Morning Devotional January 31, 2017

Romans 3:19-31

“19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

O child of God I challenge you to study and meditate on these words this morning. Think on where we have been and where we are now as pertaining to spiritual things. O wicked we were. How deserving of hell we were. Yet, if not for the sacrificial blood of our Lord and Savior we would still be on that road that leads to eternal destruction!!! The law couldn't save us. Our own works couldn't save us. Only our Heavenly Father sending His Son as the sacrifice for our sins could save the souls of His chosen people.

Think also on who you are and whose you are this morning. We are children of God!!! The Creator of all things!!! We are His and He is ours!!! He so graciously chose us out of this world to be His children before the world began. O what a glorious thought to know He has loved us from before the beginning and it was His plan all along to save us out of our sin!!!

Dear unsaved sinner, is the Holy Spirit calling you today? Are you being convicted of your sins? Will He not leave you alone? Are you loosing sleep? Are you scared of the consequences of your sins and that you deserve hell and eternal torment for denying God? Believe on His name!!! Run to Him when He calls!!! Fall at His feet and beg for mercy!!!

O child of God, Praise Him from whom all blessings flow!!! Give praise to whom praise is due!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 30, 2017

Philippians 4:6-7

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 

The word “nothing” in the context that it is used here means to worry. So let's think on worry for a bit. O how we fall often into the sin of worry. But our Lord here warns us not to worry. Why does He warn us about worry? I will answer that with a question. Why should we worry?

In our busy, fast paced lives we live, we expect answers now. We have no patience. Our faith in God has become weak. Not of anything He has done. But because of our sin. We pray and expect an answer. And God says He will answer our prayers. But when we don't get the answer we expect or the answer doesn't come immediately we worry and fret. Yet our Heavenly Father tells us over and over in His Word to trust in Him.

Our worry comes from our fear of things not coming out the way we want or expect. Or just not knowing what is about to happen. Many times our worries are because we have not followed the Lord like we should and we worry what chastisement He will bring on us. Sometimes our worry is because we want answers now and don't want to wait on God's timing. And sometimes it is because we already know the Lord's answer but that answer was not what we wanted to hear.

If we would just follow the Lord and His commandments we would have no worries. Remember He told us He did not give us the spirit of fear? So if He did not give it to us there is only one other place it could come from. Satan comes subtly and many times as an angel of light. Putting thoughts of doubt and worry in our minds. Leading us astray from our Lord.

The answer for our worry? Resist the wiles of the devil. Pray without ceasing. Follow Christ and His commandments. Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 29, 2017

Psalm 8:9

“O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”

On this beautiful day that we are called to worship our Lord, we have so much to be thankful for. Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy. Praise Him for the life He has given us. Even when everything seems lost. Just the fact that we are still here is proof that He is not done with us. God has purpose to use us for His glory. To know this should be a great blessing to us. Yet we grumble and complain about the hardships of this life. We have nothing compared to what our Lord suffered for us. Would it do us harm to suffer a little for Him?

Praise the Lord with all that is in you!!! Praise Him for all those around you to see!!! Praise Him fore He is worthy above all others to be praised!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 28, 2017

Hebrews 13:15

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

O give thanks unto our Heavenly Father today!!! O child of God, pray without ceasing!!! Praise His name O ye children of the Most High God!!! By the fruit of our lips may those around us know who we are and whose we are!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 27, 2017

Psalm 120:1

“In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.”

O child of God, while you are down trodden and distressed and feeling all is lost, have you stopped, got on your knees and cried unto the Lord? O what a sorry lot we are. We have a Heavenly Father who will comfort us if we only ask. He will hear our prayers. He knows our every need and our every concern. Yet so many times we fail to do the simplest thing. Ask.

Pray without ceasing. Commune with our Lord whenever distressed. But we say “but we are praying, we are communing.” But are we listening? Has He given the answer already but because we are so wrapped up in self pity that we refused to hear. Or is it our own cries are so loud we did not hear?

Go before the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. Praise His name!!! Give God the glory for all. Count your blessings before the Lord. Give Him the praise for all!!! Bring your petitions before Him and wait and listen for His answer.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 26, 2017

Psalm 116:5

“Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.”

O child of God, where would we be without the graciousness of our Lord? O how destitute and much more wicked would we be without His righteousness? O how glorious the mercy God bestows upon us!!!

O how we would be on our way to hell for eternity with out His grace, His righteousness, and His mercy!!! What a sobering thought this is!!!

We have so much to be thankful for. And yet we take it all for granted so much of the time. We are a sad lot!!! O how our Lord deserves much more from us than we are willing to give. He commands we give Him our all and we give Him so little.

Follow the Lord!!! Praise His name in song and in speech!!! Pray or commune with Him without ceasing!!! O love our God has for His people. A love unlike any we have ever known or ever will know.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 25, 2017

Psalm 28:7

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”

O the love of our Lord!!! O what grace and mercy He shows us!!! O how when we are troubled and/or persecuted He lifts us up above the battle and protects us from the the fiery darts of the enemy. He, alone, is our strength and our shield!!! O praise God for His salvation!!!

Rejoiceth O heart!!! Sing a song of praise to the one whose love for us is like no other!!! Praise the Lord from the time we awake till the time we can no longer stay awake. “Praise Him from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below.” Praise Him!!! Praise Him!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 24, 2017

Lamentations 3:24

“The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”

Is the Lord your portion this morning? Is your hope in Him? O lost soul, I pray, if you are one of His elect He will save you today!!!

What a miserable feeling to know you are lost. To know you have no one to turn to for matters of the soul. O praise God for His grace and mercy!!! O lost soul if you are being convicted today of your sins. If you are troubled at every turn. If there seems no way out and you have no hope. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!!!

O child of God, where is your portion today? How is your soul? Are you troubled by sin? Are you burdened with the things of this world? Follow the Lord. Follow His commandments. See the hope He has given us through His salvation. Pray without ceasing!!! Praise the Lord for all in your life!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 23, 2017

Psalm 40:8

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

As we start a new week, Let us remember who we are and whose we are. As children of God, we are children of the King!!! We are His and He is ours!!!

Let us start this week off by following Him with a song of praise for Him on our lips and a joy for Him in our hearts!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 22, 2017

Psalm 112:1

“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.”

Praise ye the Lord!!! O child of God do we delight in the commandments of our Lord? Do we delight or despair at the thought of following the commandments of our Lord? Do we have the fear of the Lord we should?

O child of God fear the Lord!!! And then we will find His commandments are not grievous. When we follow our Lord by His Word and His commandments O what peace and joy He brings us. O what love He shows us. O what grace and mery He bestows upon us.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 21, 2017

Isaiah 53:6

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

I am sure we have all read and heard preached this verse many times. But this morning let us look at something a little different in this verse from what we normally see.

Who is Isaiah talking to here? Notice he refers to “sheep” and he uses the words “we” and “us”. I believe it is plain that Isaiah is referring to God's elect here. Who else does the Lord reference as sheep in the scripture? And Isaiah is including himself in this. Not just others. But himself also.

We know by reading this verse in context that Isaiah is prophesying of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. We know from the context also that it was our sins that Christ bore on the cross.

O how wicked we are!!! To know our Heavenly Father loved us enough to send His Son to die for our sins. And to know that the Son loved us enough to willing shed His blood for us. To know all this and for us to still commit such horrible sins against our God and Savior!!! What a shame we are!!!

But God, in His grace and mercy still loves us. He still loves us as a father does his child. He loves us so much that He will never disown us for the horrible acts we commit against Him.

O child of God, as we walk our daily lives, let us not forget why we are here and what act of grace and mercy has kept us in the arms of our Heavenly Father. Our Lord and Savior gave His all for His people and for His bride. Is it to much to ask for us to give our all for Him?

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 20, 2017

1 Chronicles 16:29

“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

O how we all as God's children need to heed these words and constantly remember these words! Give God the glory due Him!!! O how many times a day, every day, do we not give Him the glory when we should. We should be giving Him all glory and praise for everything!!!

O child of God, we must worship our Lord constantly!!! Never ceasing with prayer with Him. Having Him constantly on our minds. In constant communion with our Heavenly Father. O what blessings we miss when not in this way!!!

Do all that you do to the glory of His name!!! Prove to the world whose child you are!!! Show the unsaved the joy and peace that comes from when we follow our Lord's commandments!!! Be a witness for our Lord in all that we do!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 18, 2017

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.”



When we gather with the Lord's people at our appointed time to worship Him do we gather to worship or do we gather to fellowship with others? We so many today we gather with the saints who are there for social reasons. To show off their new suit and tie or to tell about our latest shopping spree. And there are even some who only come to hear and tell the latest gossip.
But why are we truly gathered? We could have a social gathering any other day and any other place.
O child of God, when we come to worship we come to do just that. That is what our Heavenly Father expects of us. We are there to hear His Word preached and taught. We are there to sing His praises. We are there to praise Him and to hear Him praised!!!
What a shame we have made of the house of God!!! What a false witness we have become!!!
Pastors/teachers, what are you leading the people in? Are they being lead to worship or to socialize? Are the people being taught from God's Word or from a book written by a man or told bad jokes? We are called to preach and to teach Christ and His commandments!!! Give the people what God intended not what tickles their ears.



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 17, 2017

Jeremiah 32:17

 

“Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”

O why do we say we believe what this verse says but too often we prove differently? We act as though God is the creation and we are the creator. We expect Him to be at our beckoned call every time we have troubles. Mostly troubles we bring on ourselves by not following Him. And yet, though He may make us suffer through those troubles and trials, He does it out of love. He does it to teach us. To strengthen our faith in Him and to teach us patience to wait on Him. The out come may not be what we expected or wanted but it is for our good.

Child of God, I want to encourage you today. Remember whose you are and who you are. You are a child of God!!! You are His!!! It is He who made heaven and earth and all that is in them!!! There is nothing too hard for Him!!!

Praise the Lord!!! Follow His commandments!!! Study His Word!!! Pray without ceasing!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 8, 2017

Jonah 4:1-3

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”

O what a sad sort we are. We read of Jonah and his rebel against God and how he was angry because God took him to Nineveh instead of Tarshish. Jonah desired the easy way of Tarshish and did not want to deal with the great sins of the people of Nineveh.

How many times have we sought to go with the righteous and not with the unrighteous? As God's people we often times think we have a right to take what seems to be the easy path through life. Yet our Lord may have other ideas and a much different plan than we would have. O how we often forget who is in charge. O how we often forget our life is to be lived for the glory of God and not for ourselves.

Often times we are lead down a path by our Lord that we would not wish on our worst enemy. But God, in His grace and mercy guides us and leads us through some of the most difficult trials we can imagine. All the while teaching us lessons that will become more valuable than any earthly wealth. Lessons that will last a life time. Lessons that will take us through the fire and refine us to be honorable vessels for His service.

O how would should praise God for these trials!!! When God uses us to bless others or to spread His Word in places we would not have gone on our own, we must give Him the praise and the glory for it all!!! Even if those He has sent us to don't seem to listen or care. We must praise Him for it all!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 7, 2017

Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

As we experience our first snow fall of the season in Central Virginia this morning, I am reminded of this verse. Seeing the pure white of the landscape outside my earthly home and more white flakes falling, my thoughts have turned to the words of our Lord. O what a glorious thought!!! To know and to believe without a shadow of a doubt that because of the blood He shed on the tree, our own bloody sins will be turned white as snow!!!

O what love our Lord has bestowed upon us!!! O how undeserving we are of what He has done and has given us!!! Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy upon such a great sinner as me!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional January 1st, 2017

Psalm 98:1

“O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.”



With the passing of another year and the beginning of another let us not forget our Heavenly Father from whom all our blessings flow. Let us not forget His Son who willingly and lovingly came to earth, suffered and died for the sins of His people then rose victorious over hell and the grave so that His people would have eternal life. Let us not forget the Holy Spirit of God. The Great Comforter who has come as the representative of the Son of God, to indwell within us and to give us hope and peace and joy while we walk through this pilgrim land.
O what a God we serve!!! O what love He has bestowed upon us!!! If we could only understand the total depth of His love!!! Praise God for His never ending love for us!!!
As we enter this new year I encourage you all to follow Him. Follow Him in everything you do. Do all that you do to His honor and glory. Be a witness for Him in all that you do and say. Let there be no doubt with the those around you that you are a child of the King!!!



Praise ye the Lord!!!