Morning Devotional May 30, 2017

 

Genesis 1:28

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

In this verse we see God's first blessings and commandments to the first husband and wife. Notice the blessing and the commandments come together. Another words the blessings are the commandments and the commandments are the blessings.

Also notice the blessings and the commandments are not to just one or the other. The blessings and the commandments are for both husband and wife. God addresses all this to “them”. If we will read this in it's context we also see this all happens in the sixth day of creation before the fall of man.

So, as husbands and wives our first duty is to have children. Now, I realize and God knows there are those who are barren and can't have children and there are those who marry past the age of child baring for whatever reason. But those circumstances do not excuse from our duty to love and cherish our spouse. That husband is to still love His wife as Christ loves the church and that wife is to still be in subjection to her husband. That husband is still the head of their home and that wife is to still give honor to her husband.

As children of God and as husband and wife we have duties to God and to each other and if we have children, to them also. Now after the fall in the Garden of Eden, God removed man of his duties there and gave him other duties. But God never took away the duties a husband and wife have to each other. Men, we are to love our wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Wife you are to “submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” Those things have not changed from Genesis chapter 1 until now. And will not change until we leave this life.

Are there exceptions? Yes. There can be a breaking of the covenant between a husband and wife. God gives provision for this in His Word. We will not discuss this in this series but possibly at a later time when the Lord permits.

So, above all things for a husband and wife, love the Lord thy God above all. That love for God must be and can be seen in our marriages by how we are blessed by God and by how we follow His commandments on marriage and by following these commandments He will continue to bless us.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 28, 2017

Genesis 2:24

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Here is another verse concerning the first marriage and as well as all other marriages afterwards. While living in the home of our parents we are under their authority. But the moment we marry, that all changes. We are no longer under our parents. We now belong to our spouse. Now, we are told to honor our father and mother. But once we marry we are to no longer to be under their authority. We have a home of our own to be concerned with. As husbands we have a wife to love, cherish, and yes, even lead. As the wife she is commanded to come under the authority of her husband. Not another man. Not even her father. But only her husband.

But back to the verse above. The man is to cleave to his wife. No one else. And especially his parents. Once the marriage has been consummated they are one flesh. They are to think, act and be one. Men, our wives are to be our best friend and we are to have a desire to spend every waking moment with her and wanting to please her in every way possible. Ladies, you are to be the same with your husband. As husband and wife we have mutual duties to each other and our home. But not just that, we also have mutual duties to the Lord to be these things to each other. To follow His Word in all things concerning marriage. Men are to love their wife as Christ loves His bride the church. Wives are to be in subjection to their own husband as the church is to Christ. This is above all in a marriage. To follow the example of Christ and His church.

O how many marital problem could be avoided if we would just follow the Lord's example as the husband and the churches example as the wife?

As we go through this study I hope you will see that marriage is talked about as much or maybe more than any topic in God's Word. Like I stated in the last devotional, marriage is the most important institution God has created. Important not to just us as His children but very much important to our Lord and Savior. So important to Him that He commands us to use Himself as the example to follow for our own marriages.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 27, 2017

Genesis 2:18

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”



This verse is the beginning of God's plan for marriage. God is plain here. “It is not good that the man should be alone.” God's intent was that man have a help meet. A wife.
Lord willing, in the next few devotionals we will discuss what the Word of God has to say about marriage. This will not be an indeepth study. I will save that for another time.
God said “I will make him an help meet for him.” Who made the help meet? Praise God, He did!!! Notice in the next few verses that God brings every animal he created before Adam for Adam to choose as a help meet. Also notice Adam could not find a help meet from all the animals. Adam saw that even the animals had male and female but there was no female Adam. Adam could not pick a help meet for himself. It took God to make and to bring the woman unto the man. O how our society has this so wrong today. Our mate is to be sent to us by the Lord. Going out and “hunting” for a spouse leads to destruction. Internet dating sites are ungodly. Even those that claim to be “Christian” sites. Hanging out at the mall is not the place to find a spouse. Go to the bar? Really?
When it comes time, God will bring our spouse to us. There will be no doubt that they are the one God has for us. But nowhere in God's Word did He tell us to go looking amongst the world to find a spouse. Matter of fact He instructs us not too.
The thing to remember as we go through this study is that marriage is a holy institution. Marriage is so important to our Lord that it was the first organization He instituted. Even before the nation of Israel. Before the Temple. And even before the Church. We also see that marriage is so important to our Lord that He has plans to marry Himself. And if we will notice in His Word, even the Bride of Christ(His Church) is called and given to the Bride-Groom(the Son) by God the Father. We will discuss this more later.
As Adam was given Eve for a help meet by God so are we given our wives by God. Any deviation from this is unbiblical. Any time we go out on our own to find a mate without God's guidance and blessings we will meet with certain destruction and disappointment.
As with everything we do in life, we must seek the Lord in these things. And more importantly in these things, fore marriage is the most important institution to our Lord and it must be to us as well.
I pray we all learn some valuable lessons from this study. Pray for me as I seek God's guidance in teaching and writing on this matter.



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 20, 2017

Isaiah 63:7

“I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.”



Do we do this? Do God's people mention His lovingkindnesses and His praises that He has bestowed upon us to those around us? Do we even do it in our private prayers to Him?
O what a loving God we serve!!! O how He alone deserves our every praise!!! We look at our land today and we see some of the most ungodly acts that man has ever devised. But God, is still showing mercy on His remnant here. His people are still blessed to live in the most free nation in the world at this time. And yet we are so wicked and vile that we think little of praising our Heavenly Father for this blessing. We have become preoccupied with the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. We have followed after the world and not the Lord!!! What a shame God's own people have become!!!
O child of God, step out of the darkness of this world and back into the light of our Lord and Savior. Forsake the life this old sinful world has to offer and follow the one and only true God. The One we call Father. The One we call Lord and Savior. The only One who shows us everlasting love.
Praise God for His lovingkindnesses!!! Praise Him because all praise and worship is due to Him alone!!!



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 19, 2017

1 Chronicles 29:11

“Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.”



O how we ought to pray a king David prayed!!! Do we give God the glory and honor He deserves when we pray? Do we spend enough time glorying in His grace and mercy He has bestowed upon us? Do we commune with Him like we should?
Our prayers are our personal time with our Heavenly Father. O how we ought take advantage of the time He has given us!!! Pray without ceasing!!! Praise His name continually!!! O what a joy to know the God of heaven and all creation has chosen us as His children and has forgiven our every sin against Him and brought us into His family!!! What more do we need in this life but to know we are a child of the King of kings!!! And yet even this is so much more than we deserve.



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 16, 2017

1 Chronicles 16

“1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.
2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
4 And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:
5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;
6 Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
8 Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
11 Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.
12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;
16 Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;
17 And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;
19 When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.
20 And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;
21 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
23 Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.
24 Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
28 Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
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.
30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.
32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.
33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.
34 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.
37 So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required:
38 And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:
39 And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon,
40 To offer burnt offerings unto the Lord upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel;
41 And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever;
42 And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.
43 And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.”



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 14, 2017

Proverbs 31:28

“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”



What an honor and a blessing it is to have/had a godly mother. Our Lord commanded us to honor our father and mother. And well we should. If our Lord has blessed us godly parents let's not forget to give Him the honor and glory for that. Without our Lord's grace and mercy we would not have had the parents we have.
So on this day that the world has set aside to honor mothers, put her in her proper place of honor and not in place of the worship of our Lord and Savior. This is still His day.



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 13, 2017

1 Chronicles 16:8

“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”



O what a glorious Lord we serve!!! O how He alone deserves our praise!!! As this verse states and so many other verses state, we are to give thanks to the Lord and pray to Him. Not just once or twice a day. Not just on Sunday. We are to give thanks and to pray without ceasing!!!
And what of His deeds? We are to proclaim His Gospel to everyone we meet. The people we are around daily should have no doubt who we are and whose we are. Do they? Do our family, friends, co-workers, etc. know this about us? Do they see the Lord in us? Do they see or hear His deeds from us?
Give thanks in all things. Pray without ceasing. Walk the walk and talk the talk of a child of God.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 11, 2017

1 Chronicles 16:11

“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.”



In everything we do, we must seek the Lord. Everything. Not just the good and not just the bad. But in everything we must seek the Lord!!! Pray without ceasing. Seek His face continually. Fore where would we be if we did not? Where are we now because we did not?
Why is it such a problem for us to follow this one simple command from our Lord? We know full well from experience that when we rely on self we fail and fall. Only by seeking the Lord and His strength and seeking His face continually will we have true peace in this life.



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 8, 2017

Jeremiah 22:5

“But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.”



In this part of the book of Jeremiah we see the Lord send a warning to the king of Judah. In this verse the Lord warns the king to listen to Him and to heed His words. Then the verses afterwards tell of the desolation the Lord promises if the king and the people do not hear what the Lord is telling them.
Although this was for the people in Judah in Jeremiah's day we can learn from this today. God warns us all through His Word to follow His commandments. God even tells what will happen if we don't. Yet with example after example given in the Old and New Testaments God's people today follow after the world just as His people have all through the ages. Why do we deny the very teachings and warnings our Heavenly Father has given us? Why do we fall so easily into the false doctrine of “self” worship? Will we ever learn?
O child of God, flee the lusts of this life. Run to Christ. Follow Him. Do His commandments. If you love Him do what He has commanded.



Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional May 6, 2017

Proverbs 18:22

“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.”



In Genesis God told Adam it was not good for man to be alone. So God made Adam a help meet in Eve. The first married couple.
All through God's Word we see examples of husbands and wives and how they are to treat one another and how our Lord instructs them to follow His example of Him and His bride the church.
It is obvious God intended for man to have a wife. But not just a wife. But as Proverbs 12:4 says, a “virtuous woman” and Proverbs 19:14 “a prudent wife”.
What a blessing from the Lord a virtuous and prudent wife can be!!!
But, as husbands let us not forget our obligation in this. Remember Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it;”



Praise ye the Lord!!!