Morning Devotional December 30, 2017

2 Timothy 3:10-12

“10But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

In Paul's second letter to the young preacher Timothy, Paul reminds Timothy of what, he, Paul has stood for and preached in the ministry. Paul also reminds Timothy of how he was made to suffer for what he preached.

As Paul was training Timothy for the ministry and particularly for the position of pastor in one of the Lord's churches, Paul reminds Timothy that if he will stand for the truth and preach the truth he will suffer persecutions but the Lord will deliver him.

For those of us who have been called of our Lord to preach and/or teach God's Word it is not always sunshine and roses. Even for those who it seems on the outside looking in to be prosperous. Whether in health, wealth, and all things physical. If they have been preaching the truth of God's Word. If they have been standing in the faith and fighting the good fight. There are persecutions. We don't always see the depression or the internal turmoil a man goes through when he cares so greatly for the people the Lord has given him charge over. We don't always see the strain these persecutions can put on his marriage and his family and friends. Yet he trudges on because he knows his duty to the Lord and to the Lord's people.

As the man of God preaches and teaches service after service. To see the people in open rebellion against the very Word of God that he has spent so much time in preparing to bring to them. To sit back and watch as those very souls he has preached go out into the world with never a care for what he has warned of.

O what a wretched lot we are!!! To go out in open rebellion against what the man of God has taught and warned. What a disgrace we can be to the Lord's church. His Bride!!! What a disgrace to our Heavenly Father!!! At times it is as though we care not for the love of our Lord and Savior. O how we can grieve the Holy Spirit with our sinful ways!!!

O child of God, don't be the a part of the persecution of your pastor or teacher. Listen to the message our Lord has given him. Heed the warnings he brings from God's Word. Pray for him. Pray God will guide him and use him to preach the truth and to shun fables.

Preachers/teachers, stand for the truth. Put away the doctrines that tickle the ears of the hearers and feed their worldly lust. Preach the whole council of God. Be instant in season and out of season. Preach the truth in love and when the persecution comes stand firm and seek the Lord for comfort and guidance and strength.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional December 26, 2017

Psalm 42:11

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

O child of God, are you feeling cast down and cast out? Does it seem that others are against you and/or will have nothing to do with you? Are there problems at home or on the job that are a great burden? Does it seem no one cares and everything you do seems wrong?

The answer to these questions and more can be in ourselves. Are we following the Lord? Are we praying without ceasing? Are we studying His Word? Are we seeking Him in all things?

We may say “Yes, yes, I am doing these things. But no one seems to listen. No one seems to care. Even my friends and family seem to be against me.” But where is our hope? Who are we truly looking to? Is our hope in men or in God? Are we looking to men or are we looking to God?

Are we searching for what is below or for what is above? Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

As the Psalmist wrote in our text verse; “hope thou in God:”. Praise Him who is our only true hope. Praise Him who is our Great Comforter. Seek His face in time of trouble and tribulation. Remember God tests His children with trials. To strengthen our faith in Him and to teach us to follow Him and Him only.

O child of God, when all seems lost and when we think we have no place to turn. Look up for your redemption draweth nigh!!!

Psalm 121:2 “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional December 17, 2017

Joshua 24:14-15

“Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

In Joshua's day we read of there being a presence of the gods that were worshiped before the flood. We read of where the people were worshiping the gods of Egypt and the gods of the people who possessed the Promised Land before God turned it over to Israel. God had given them bounty and prospered them. He protected them through their journey in the Wilderness. He had permitted them to conquer the giants in the land He gave them. All God asked of them was for them to serve Him. Yet, they still clung to false gods. False gods that could do know thing for them. False gods that demanded wickedness from them. False gods that taught false doctrine and lies. While God taught truth and righteousness.

We see so many of God's people today following after false gods. Whether it be the idols we make of our possessions or of our favorite activities to our own ideas on how to worship God Himself. God made it very clear in His Word what He expects from His people. Over and over again, He tells us to follow Him. We are told that if we love Him we will follow His commandments. But do we? Do we love our Lord and Savior as much as we claim? Do we love Him enough to drop everything we are doing and follow Him?

Can we truly say like Joshua “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional December 16, 2017

Job 40:1-2

“Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.”

O what right do we have to question our Heavenly Father? How can we even think we can give Him instruction of any sort? God, the Creator of all things. God, the Lord and Savior of His elect people!!!

O what a sinful lot we are for thinking our ways are better than His. So sinful are His people it took the death, burial, and resurrection of His own Son to save us from our sins. It took God the Father offering His Son Jesus on the alter of sacrifice to atone for the sins that had us dead to Him.

God turned His back on His own Son as He suffered for the sins of a bunch of ungrateful wretches as us. O what love!!! O what compassion!!! O what a Savior!!!

O the love that our Lord and Savior bestowed upon His chosen people. Even knowing what a sorry lot we are He still loved us.

O child of God, where do you stand today? Are you following our Lord in all things? Are you seeking His will for you and your family? Follow Him!!! Stay in constant communion with our Heavenly Father. Seek His guidance then follow when He says follow.

Remember the love of God. Even in our deepest trials He is there. Even when we are down and out and everything and everyone seems against us, He is there. Loving us with an undying love. He is our only hope in this life filled with sin and disappointment. He is our Heavenly Father!!! He is our Lord and Savior!!! He is our Great Comforter!!!

Do we really think we know better than He?

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional December 10, 2017

Matthew 4:17

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mark 1:14-15

“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

In these verses we see the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry. John the Baptist has been put in prison. So now it is the time for Jesus to step up and into the lime light. From this time on Jesus will be the most popular speaker in all Israel until the day of His own death.

Notice what Jesus is preaching from the very beginning. Repentance. How often do we hear repentance preached today? Well, depending on who you are listening to and/or depending on what you want to listen to, probably not very much.

We see many a young preach come up and preach his first sermon and not many preach repentance first. Most try to impress by preaching something they think is a deep theological topic. As preachers I think most of us started this way. We tend to shy away from topics that would offend the Lord's people. But notice in these verses and in most of what our Lord preached while here on this earth, He preached to the lost. He preached to be saved you have to repent.

Does anything have to happen before repentance? Yes. Without regeneration there is no new birth and therefore there can be no repentance. Fore how can a man repent if he is not born again and have the desire to repent?

I encourage you all to think on these things. As ministers of God, are you preaching repentance? Are you preaching the commandments of Christ? Some will say “But the people will not hear those things.” or “I will most of my congregation if I preach those things.” Didn't Jesus loose people when He preached against sin? At one point they all left except the Apostles.

I encourage you all to think on these things. Seek the truth as you read God's Word. Pray without ceasing. Follow the commandments of our Lord and Savior.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional December 9, 2017

1 John 4:1-6

1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

6We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

We all have met people or have friends or family who claim to know Christ. Some of us may have even met those or know of those who claim to be ministers of Christ or have some other leadership role in a church. We know of whole churches who claim to be one a church of Jesus Christ. But where do they stand when we try the spirit or spirits they seem to follow? Are they following the Holy Spirit of God? Is there witness for the Christ of the Bible or the christ of their own lusts?

So many we see in the “Christian” world today claim the name of Christ but when compared to God's Word very little, if any, evidence is there of the truths of God's Word. In these verses like so many other places in God's Word, we see the Lord warning His people of false prophets. Those who seem to preach good but in reality preach false doctrine and the doctrines of devils.

Why is it that God gives so many warnings in His Word for false prophets? Why does God spend so much time and so much of His Holy Word on this topic? Even in the beginning days and years of the Lord's churches we read of these false preachers/teachers. So why would we think things would be any different today? Can we not see how much more wicked and evil the world has become. And not just the secular world. But also the so called “Christian” world.

With the advancements in technology in the past hundred years, we are now seeing an onslaught of false prophets. We are bombarded from every direction by those who have forsaken and distorted the truth of God's Word. And as sinful people we have fallen for so much of what our Lord declared to be false doctrine. In every aspect of our lives there are compromises we have made. There are times we feel ashamed or embarrassed to take a stand for that which our Lord has said over and over again is the truth.

O child of God, try the spirits. Walk in the light and the truth of our Lord and His commandments. Follow not after the temptations of false prophets. Flee the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life. Follow Christ not the world. Pray for our brothers and sisters who struggle with these things.

Pastors and teachers, forsake not the whole council of God!!! Preach the truth no matter the cost!!! Show God's people His love for them by always proclaiming the truth of His Word and refrain from fables and doctrines of devils. Be not ashamed to preach God's truths not how easy or difficult they seem to be.

In conclusion; pray without ceasing. Stay in constant communion with our Lord. If you love Him, follow His commandments. Be a witness for Christ and not for the world.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional December 3, 2017

Joshua 24:15

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

O child of God, who will you serve today? Are the lust of the world and the pride of life more important to you than being in the congregation of the Lord today? Sunday sports? Time with family and/or friends? Sleep? Yard work? What will keep you from serving our Lord and Savior today?

I know there are those who physically can't be with one of the Lord's churches today. But how many of us have no real excuse?

O worship the Lord on the day He has set aside for us to do so!

Praise ye the Lord!!!

Morning Devotional December 2, 2017

Acts 7:54

“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.”

Just before this verse we see that great man of God, Stephen, give an oral history of the people of Israel to those men who have been stirred up by the likes of Saul(Paul). These men were the hierarchy of the Jews in that day. They have accused Stephen of speaking blasphemy against God and His Word. They have stirred up the people and are demanding the priest in the court to prosecute Stephen unto death.

What was Stephen speaking that so had these people in an uproar? Stephen was preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ! With his preaching Stephen was telling the sins of the people and explaining that Christ was their only hope. Yet the people accused him of blasphemy.

With Stephen's oral history he has just given, they are cut to the heart because of the sins of their forefathers and even of themselves that he has pointed out. Stephen took them all the way back to Moses and the exodus from Egypt. As Jeremiah did in his day. They are reminded that their sins are nothing new. They are reminded that God has been long-suffering with His people. At anytime God had justification to destroy them all, but that was not His sovereign plan. God had chosen them to be His people and even though they continued to seek the lust of “Egypt” He still loved them.

All through history God has put men in place to prophesy and preach His Word. We see the Prophets of old. The Apostles. Even Christ Himself. Through out the Dark Ages. And in our day God still has men He uses to stand and preach the hard cold facts of His Word. Men that God uses to warn others of things to come. Men God uses to warn of the sins of God's people and churches. Men who, by God's grace, are not afraid to preach the whole council of God.

And just like in the days yore “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.”

O child of God, follow Christ!!! Listen to the ones whom our Lord sends to spread His message. Study what they write and say. Make sure who you are listening and reading are proclaiming the truth of God's Word. Before disagreeing with God's man, study what he has said. Search the scripture. Seek the face of the Lord in these matters. Be not hasty to condemn one on some tradition or thought. Give head to the Word of God on all matters. Then give God the glory when He opens your understanding to matters of contention!!!

Praise ye the Lord!!!