The Devotional - 144 - The Grave of the not so brave!

Thought of the Day – 144 – The Grave of the not so brave!

 

There once was a people from St. Helen; noted felons these were; speeches smooth and promising, yet ways that were deceptive and cruel. Everyone has a tombstone (either over them or waiting to be) it is the evidence of DEATH. Then the epitaph; the evidence of those who sported with evil and lost. Proverbs 10:25a

 

Comments and Challenges

Lawyers, clergy and other professional people are leading the United States of America and some of us would say “Your in good hands with these statesmen from all states”. Why is it then that a system of government which has worked so well the past seems to have given up for the future? WHO has the power to SHUT down a governing body that for over two hundred years has protected the homeland, provided freedom and the independence to pursue one’s individual dreams?

 

Mark 7:7-13

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a government project of man, if it were it would have been “shut down” long before you and I were born. The gospel of the Grace of God is still just as powerful as it was nearly seven thousand years ago when Adam and Eve trashed their Garden with sin. The gospel is VICTORY over sin and death and not an arm of human government that FAILS:

 

And He called the twelve to Him, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts – but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.

 

Mark 6:7-13 – Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

 

Governments and nations fail because these refuse to accept gospel of God as the Authority over the conduct of local and national governing ministries. God is literally replaced with programs that fail and promises that have no meaning, simply put; ungodly men and women control FAILURE.

 

Those who seek to right some of the wrong, fail because of the obstructive nature of those who are controlled by “unclean spirits”. These direct failure because they have taken corrupted bribes, resources and provisions that reap corruptive results.

 

The need of a nation such as this is to repent is critical or face the doom of death and the epitaph of the coming Great White Throne Judgment; (Revelation 20:11-15) our beloved nation will suffer a greater condemnation than that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The devotional -143 - Jeremiah's Encouragement

Thought of the Day – 143 – Jeremiah’s Encouragement in the midst of Lamenting

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. These are new every morning Great is His faithfulness, The LORD is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I will HOPE in Him! The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should HOPE and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:22-26

 

Comments and Challenges

Giving up, giving in or giving over; which do YOU prefer? Fear will cause you and me to do one of those three things when life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is threatened. Today the majority of people I know have given up to the liberal and socialistic ways that our nation is trending. Like it is OKAY to destroy the Foundational Truth of the Holy Bible and it is OKAY for our Constitution to be destroyed and OKAY to justify Evil as Good. Then when adding those who give in to those who give up the mounting crisis is painstakingly clear that our little domain of freedom and happiness is on the precipice of disaster, or out on the limb of a rotting tree.

Mark 6:1-6

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying “where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” And they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

The Church of Jesus Christ in the United States today is lukewarm. As a nation of “so called Christians” we have given up to the unbelieving national and political corruption of unprincipled men and women and many others have given in by incorporating these evil mandates of a world view by conforming to the world, rather than seeking to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In other words the church has reversed the Call of God found in Romans 12:1-2. The church today is no longer a sacrificial body of believers willing to proclaim or prove that, which is the good and acceptable WILL of God.

Instead many churches (not all) have barred the door of the church, oh don’t get me wrong; they will gladly let you in, pat you on the back, take your offerings and make you feel well while they become rich. The door however is barred and locked to Jesus; even though He knocks He is seldom let in. You see I believe like many that this nation (The United State of America; is a Christian nation) yet we are very much like the nation seen through the eyes of a young man named Mark.

Jesus was rejected in Nazareth; as these citizens seen Jesus in that He was nothing more than a carpenter, who had brothers and sisters (by the way, HE DID) but these men and women were His half-brothers and sisters who had the same mother. Now as simple as it gets at least for me, is that as a nation we have allowed the half-truth of religion; like… (Mary the mother of God) which is a false teaching that today places Mary the mother of Jesus in the church and Jesus the Son of God outside.

Of course this “false teaching” is just a small beginning since in today’s corrupted theology it is okay to be an atheist or agnostic in that if you are God will still accept you into heaven. “Bosh Humbug” or “nonsense this is fraud” Also it is okay now to be a man, married to another man, or a woman married to another woman and it is okay to kill infant children in the womb; This also is nonsense and fraud.

Such are the changes applied by many church going people because their leaders have agreed with the world. These have rejected the Builder of the City that the remnant, those of us who have given over to Jesus through faith and sanctification are looking to the future. These are the one’s whom God calls the FAITHFUL; Hebrews 11:1-16.

We are not willing to give up or give in to the world view, we are however willing to give over every weight and sin which easily ensnares us, faithfully running the race with endurance. Looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of FAITH, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the suffering of the Cross, who despised the shame, but who is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. He is the faithful High Priest who is the LORD. Need I say more?

The Devotional - 142 - Reflections

Thought of the Day – 142 – Reflections

A young man sits in a prison cell for robbery; his first crime of thieving began at the age of five. Like it was yesterday he remembers it well; that nickel he took from his father’s nightstand. Disobedience to Commands like; Thy shall not steal and honor thy father and mother are the first steps of a deceitful mind. Romans 1:18-32.

 

Comments and Challenges

Several men who read these devotionals are qualified submarine sailors, retired mostly; but some are on active duty. It is a real blessing for me to compare our submerged experiences with practical applications of God’s marvelous grace. For the submariner there is no greater command then to hear the Captain order the Diving Officer to; “Take her down!” These men represent a standard of excellence of life under the waters of the world that most peoples never see or experience, yet this is not why I like to write about them; or even remember them.

 These men are friends and they are men of God, we have worshiped and prayed together to The God; the One True God. Imagine this: The tested depth of the submarine is far below a depth of five hundred feet; in tense moments the silence is eerie except for the buzz of fear that is racing through your heart. In the Nineteen Eighties a submarine from another country fired a torpedo at our sub while we were transiting the North Atlantic. We evaded the torpedo, but only by the grace of God.

In the aftermath as brothers in Christ we banded together and pray and this Psalm came to mind. “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side; let Israel say – if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us, Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath was kindled against us. Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul; then the swollen waters would have gone over our soul.” Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD who made the heaven and earth; Psalm 124.

Mark 5:21-43

There is little joy in illness but there is much pain and much suffering; now I do not have to tell you this not doubt you know it as I do – firsthand experience. Also to lose someone you love before (what we consider the TIME) goes beyond words. How do you talk? What can be said? Silence in the midst of the storm and more silence after the moment of healing. When is the right time to speak?

The issue of a blood disease of any kind was one of those unmentionables in those days of the Ministry of Jesus and today it is no different, most blood diseases are dangerously contagious and critical to one’s longevity of life. So Mark records what he knows that under the cover of a crowded moment this middle aged woman has a plan; it is a good plan but she has failed to fully comprehend whose garment she is touching. Also there is Jairus whose daughter is near death.

There is a Psalm that fits this section of Mark’s gospel very well. I will look with you at the first five verses, but please… take the extra moments and read the whole Psalm written by King David - Psalm 103.

“Bless the LORD O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles’.

The Devotional - 141 - A Door Keeper

The devotional – 141 – A Door Keeper

At the Throne of God is absolute Wisdom, at the Right Hand of the Throne of God is applied Wisdom and in the courtyard of the Temple of God is Spiritual Guidance and Understanding; Psalm 84:1-12. What a serious thought in this Psalm… A door keeper!

 

Comments and Challenges

The world we live in is cruel and abusive and we do not normally experience the full extent of this evil dimension. What I am about to tell you is real, I tell you because the Peace of God which surpasses all of our understanding in these moments is there to help. Philippians 4:6-7. On one of the submarines I was on the Chief of the Boat claimed to be a Buddhist. Both he and I were Chief Petty Officers and on most ships along with the other chiefs we are a close group of middle managers who are devoted to the ship, the crew and each other.

Once in Scotland while we were boarding a jet to come home, he had set it up to have me stripped searched for drugs by the Scotland Airport Security. You see I was the ship’s protestant Lay Leader; I held Sunday Services and weekly Bible Studies while the ship was at sea. The Chief of the Boat did not like Jesus so this was his way to persecute Him and ridicule me in the public eye of the crew and the airport authority.

A strip search is just what it means; you are required to strip off all of your clothing and stand before a group of men while they inspect you. While being inspected (no detail here) another opened my duffle bag and found my Bible and some notes on the top of the clothing. The Chief of the Boat was standing only a few feet from this incident and said; “anyone with a Bible is always up to no good”.

With this thought in the inspector’s mind; he turned the duffle bag upside down and all the contents spilled out. Everyone laughed; I was there, but it was as if I were a spectator; I felt peace and I felt protected so I just stood and watched as it all played out. When it was over; I put on my clothes, repacked my duffle bag and boarded the plane for home. Before it was time (90 days) to board another plane and return to the ship for another submarine patrol; the Chief of the Boat fell ill and he was replaced. To God is the glory!

Mark 5:1-20

I can say to us this morning that I have the authority to reference events of sixty plus years ago and with that authority I can say. I have not seen in those days of sixty, fifty or even forty years ago the demonic activity that I we see occurring daily in these last thirty years. Now this thought alone can take up so much time and space than one could transcribe for another sixty years and not thoroughly cover the subject. Demonic oppression and possession are controlling the hearts and minds of many people these days and it is simply sticking one’s head in the sand to claim mental illness as the problem.

Twenty six people murdered by a wild eyed young man. Twelve killed on a heavily guarded military base by someone who legally gained access. Both of these men were classified in their recent medical evaluations as mentally disturbed. My list of this could be larger, but it sickens me to pen anymore on the subject.

I wonder! If these men and others like them had, had the chance to meet up with the LORD Jesus and that if Jesus would have had the opportunity to say to them, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” would these events have happened? Jesus is not spoken of in our Country these days and along with His absence is the absence of the knowledge of spiritual deception. Also I am not talking about exorcism, but I am talking about this nation’s backside facing the Creator. God is not blessing our BACKSIDE, but He is allowing it to be skinned alive by Satan and his demons.

Today the focus of human good is not on the prevailing spiritual evil that equips men and women to commit sins of horrific proportion, but on the tools in their hands. Which is another way of saying; “take these dangerous tools away from all of us because we are all possessed with this demonic ability”. Go ahead call it HOGWASH if you so desire, but even the two thousand hogs understood the violence of one demon in a position of control. It was not good for the hogs, nor is it good for you and I to think that mankind has the ability or power to control evil. It was not a good thing and these animals who had sense enough to know that the easiest way out was to drown in the water.

You do notice the rest of this section in Mark is dedicated to the restoration of the man in the tombs. He was restored and according to the Word of the LORD became a great evangelist, preaching the “Good News” to the ten cities around his home town of Gadara. The people of the United States of America need a Spiritual revival; until then there will continue to be maniacs for the devil, as a member of the remnant; we the people of God in this country must speak up.

The Devotional - 140 - Substance Abuse

Daily Devotional – A Look at the Book #140

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

Not all; but many professional and educated men and women make crime a way of life. They condemn the unborn to death and enact laws that prevent the elderly their final years of life. These same people will throw you in jail if you beat your dog. Is this a problem? Ecclesiastes 10:1-2

MORE THOUGHTS

Once the local ambulance was called to the scene of a party where two young girls had wandered into the street and one was sitting in the street while the other was laying down with her face resting on the pavement. Both were acting as though they were under the influence of some substance; but as an EMT you cannot be sure unless they tell you or someone else affirms it. I asked the one girl who was lying on the pavement to sit up and she told me that she did not want too because the pavement on her cheek was nice and warm and that she was cold. We got blankets for her and she was happy to have them and sat up. I asked her if she had been drinking and she told me that she had, that her and her friend were invited to a party and that both were being given drinks by the host. The girls were under age, well below eighteen years of age. Legally we could not take them to the hospital unless we had parental consent. So you guessed it, we obtained their parents telephone numbers with the help of the State Police who also arrested the host of the party who was a middle-aged man. Why do I tell you this since you may already be cognizant of this downward spiral of the American way of life? I tell you because it is not a condition of disease, or some other epidemic of life. It is a spiritual condition of a nation that falls from faith in God. It is the socialistic system of a nation whose god is their belly (emotional idols) that infuse evil over good. Yet this system would be the first to say that it has religion and I would say, yes I do not deny this but this religion is described in. Psalm 115:1-8

Mark 4:1-41

Sometime it would be nice to study the parables that Jesus used to explain the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven to the saints of God. Mark 4:11-12 – And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that; Seeing they may see and not perceive. And hearing they may hear and not understand. Lest they should turn and their sins be forgiven them.”

The apostle John makes a parallel to Marks comment in John 12:37-41 as do the other gospel writers and all are agreeing with the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah who originally records these words in Isaiah 6:1-13. For me this opens the door to the confirming TRUTH of the Holy Bible and the parables. “No one buys a lamp and sticks in under a bushel, how backward is that? Yet there are people who do not pay attention to what they hear and do not share what they have, thus what they hear and what they have will be taken away.

This is only one example of “responsibility” that saints have when it comes to the kingdom of Heaven which is at hand, and the kingdom of God which is future, but all of the parables teach this; “reward and responsibility” for all of the living saints. Now there is a difference in the two kingdoms; yet the kingdoms are expected to respond to God’s will all the time. “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Here as the LORD trains His disciples to pray, both kingdoms are established as doing the Will of the Father all of the time.

More tomorrow.

 

 

The Devotional - 138 - Circumspect!

Thought for the Day – 138 – Circumspect!

Proverbs 23:1-3 – When is the last time you blew through a circumspect light? “Say what?” “Say that again so I can understand it will ya! Many dangerous intersections have circumspect lights; we commonly call these lights “caution lights”. Just know that the ruler (the one with the right away) goes first. Of course if you disregard his right to go first you take your own life; as the matter of responding “circumspectly” can get much more dangerous and deceptive.

  

Comments and challenges

Three out of four is always a good score but when there are four out of four our comment these days is to say that it is a “slam dunk”. Truthfully I do not like the term; I do not think it has anything to do with my age as I do not like the term “breakfast slam” either! At one of the more popular breakfast diner chains around town the menu reads “slam this or that” I do wish these folks would change their menu! Eggs over easy seems to be abused in some way when you add the word slam in the description.

I was comparing the gospels (I cheated a little) in the back of one of the Bibles I have there is this chart that highlights the subjects of the gospels. For example the beginning ministry of Jesus Christ began with His baptism and the ministry of John the Baptizer (all four gospels record this event). Also in just looking very briefly at the chart which dates the history of the gospel record from B.C. 7 through A.D. 30. Again, if I had not had interest at looking at the gospel of Mark some weeks back I might have never have thought to look this chart over.

There is one other even in the Life and Ministry of Christ that all four gospel writers have something to say about and that is the Death and Resurrection of our LORD. We are not there yet in the gospel of Mark but when we do I am sure we will take a look at the most Blest event of the History of God meeting with man on a hill just outside of Jerusalem and looking over this chart makes me want to jump in as the thoughts of Calvary, the cross, the crowd and the crown all have purposeful and personal meaning.

Personal meaning for those of us who believe in Jesus; we see His suffering in the gospels the Light of Victory. The writers do as well as all four gospel writers record the suffering, the death and the resurrection of the LORD Jesus; and like them as well as you and I, our emotions fly off the chart because Jesus Lives, He is risen! And this is where the parable of the sower which is mentioned by three of the four writers of the gospels takes root in the lives of the saints of God.

We have read, studied and have been instructed thoroughly in this parable so I won’t do that, but I do want to pick up on what Mark says as he agrees with the other two writers, Matthew and Luke. Mark 4:9 – and He (Jesus) said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Now physically we may be hearing impaired, many of us are, but this should not have any effect on our spirit which is the control center of our soul. Our physical being fails to understand God, but our soul knows God and has the Spiritual ears to hear Him speak. (But of course… you must be Born from above; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

When God the Holy Spirit and our soul comes together we have the power to understand the sown seed of the Living Word of God, that power is called in scripture “faith” or peace with God and even abiding in Christ and His Word. When we fail to do this we are not on the path but on the wayside, or we are traveling on the stony ground of the wilderness where the sun scorches the seed and we are not productive but hardened. We cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit of God since our ears are not tuned in. Stay tuned… there is more to come.

P.S. Thanks for praying the wall is removed!

The Devotional -137 - Intermission

Thought for the Day – 137 – Intermission

Proverbs 20:9 – Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”? Matthew Henry wrote: “It ought to be the business of every day, to prepare for one’s last day.” Knowing the Truth and rejecting what is false and claiming what is righteous cannot be accomplish by human merit. To prepare for your last day, you must first be BORN of God. 1 John 5:18-21 and John 3:17-18.

  

Comments and challenges

I have heard of writers hitting what they have titled a “stone wall” you know like wanting to continue but being mentally unable. Sort of like the jogger who needs to break through the first mile in order to feel the freedom to go further. Such is the case with me these days and it is a major concern. I have been writing since 2008 and in the flesh I feel that I have covered every subject under the sun; maybe true, maybe false only the LORD knows for sure.

So today instead of forcing myself to continue as I did on another day this week, I will take a break. In the meantime and over the weekend you might feel led to pray for the future of these devotionals. It seems to me lately that every few months I run into this “stone wall” and I feel a little undone.

Have a blessed weekend, this is impossible if God is not in it!

The Devotional - 136 - A Better Answer

Thought for the Day – 136 – A better Answer

Proverbs 18:10 – The Name that is above every name, is parallel to the “King of kings or the LORD of lords. As in the Name of the LORD is a strong tower, a secure haven of Faith and Truth and the Righteous will join Him on that day… a very near day in the future. Revelation 19:11-16

  

Comments and challenges

Mark 3:1; 4-5 – “And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand”… and He said to them, “is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. So when he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Religion deceives the hearts of people; believers and unbelievers alike who adopt religious systems of legalistic “do’s and don’ts anger God. Also any system of doing good deeds to gain access to heaven is spiritual deception and this grieves God. Religion is unfulfilling, unrewarding and unprincipled. It is unrewarding because religion does not meet the needs of knowing if one has done enough. It is unfulfilling because the soul has no communication with God who created it and finally religion is unprincipled because the men and women who lead these religious efforts are like the white washed tombstones spoken of by the LORD Jesus and recorded in Matthew 23:27-28.

And someone is saying out there; why should God get angry over what religion I belong to, don’t all religions lead to the God of the Bible? The answer to that question is found in many verses of scripture from the Holy Bible, but this Psalm will do. Psalm 96:1-13 – there is a need to look deeper into this Psalm then I did yesterday since a right relationship with God is fulfilling, note verses 1 – 2 “Oh sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, Bless His name, and proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day”.

Psalm 96:3-5 – “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples, for the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens, honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” Thus it is very rewarding to have this Truth resident in your soul and ready to share with others, 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

So here we have come to the final point of answering the question originally asked by my pastor. How does Hebrews 4:11-16 relate to the faith/rest principle of Hebrews 3 and 4? And my answer is that God has from the very beginning of time laid the foundation of Creation, Worship, Faith and Obedience. Being diligent and not deceived is mankind’s responsibility to observe those foundations. Failing to do this leads an unfulfilling religious or irreligious relationship with God leading to an unrewarding and disobedience. Disobedience leads to being unfaithful and unprincipled; sins that are against the neighbor resulting in further hardening of the heart (the mind and soul).

Do not think that the Epistle of Hebrews is not for the gentile, note Isaiah 49:1-2 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the inward parts of My mother He has made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.” That Name that is above all names is JESUS.

So we must all give an account, not to the earthly religions of the world, but to the great High Priest; the LORD Jesus Christ who has pasted through the heavens. As believers we must hold fast our confession of faith as He is able to help in our weaknesses, He was in all points tempted as we are yet He did not 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 4:16. According to this verse God makes it simpler for believers in that while we can be deceived and lose the pathway of grace we can find it again by going boldly to His Throne, receive His Mercy and help in our time of need.

The Devotional - 135 - The Answer (Draft)

Thought for the Day – 134 – The answer

Proverbs 18:10 – The Name that is above every name, is parallel to the “King of kings or the LORD of lords. As in the Name of the LORD is a strong tower, a secure haven of Faith and Truth and the Righteous will join Him on that day… a very near day in the future. Revelation 19:11-16

  

Comments and challenges

Mark 3:1,4-5 – “And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand”… and He said to them, “is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. So when he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Religion deceives the hearts of people. Believers and unbelievers who adopt a system of legalistic “do’s and don’ts anger God. And someone is saying out there; why should God get angry over what religion I belong to, don’t all religions lead to the God of the Bible. The answer to that question is found in many verses of scripture from the Holy Bible, but this Psalm will do. Psalm 96:1-13 (note verses 4 and 5). “For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens”

So here we have come to the final point of answering the question originally asked by my pastor. How does Hebrews 4:11-16 relate to the faith/rest principle of Hebrews 3 and 4? And my answer is that God has from the very beginning of time laid the foundation of Creation, Worship, Faith and Obedience. Being diligent and not deceived is mankind’s responsibility to observe those foundations. If he fails to do this it is disobedience.

Disobedience leads to being unfaithful and sins against the neighbor this leads us further to hardening of the heart which alters the ability to worship God and reject Him as Creator.

Creation proves the existence of God as in Psalm 19:1-6 “The heavens declare the Glory of God and firmament shows His handiwork…” that is the Work of His Hands”. Psalm 19:7-14 “The Law of the LORD is perfect, comforting or restoring the soul…” For me Psalm 19 is the detailed expression of Hebrews 3 and 4 and a very real reward to those who rest by faith in this Truth. Psalm 147:15 – He sends out His

Do not think that the Epistle of Hebrews is not for the gentile, note Isaiah 49:1-2 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the inward parts of My mother He has made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.”

So we must all give an account, not to the earthly religions of the world, but to the great High Priest; the LORD Jesus Christ who has pasted through the heavens. As believers we must hold fast our confession of faith as He is able to help in our weaknesses, He was in all points tempted as we are yet He did not sin. When we are tempted to fail God in any way, but rejecting the Creation Story, by failing to worship God in Spirit and Truth, by lacking Faith to believe God or by outright disobedience we need to remember.

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 4:16. According to this verse God makes it simpler for believers in that while we can be deceived and lost the pathway of grace we can find it again by going boldly to His Throne, receive His Mercy and help.

The Devotional - 134 - More on Faith/Rest

Thought for the Day – 134 – Faith/Rest

Proverbs 17:12 – The wounds of a bear protecting her cubs are physical and life threatening, but the wounds of folly by the fool have eternal damnation. Protect yourself and your home from the fool, he or she purposes in their heart eternal harm for you. Proverbs 9:13-18

  

Comments and challenges

We ended yesterday with deception as being the sin that causes believers in Jesus Christ to fail in faith and fail in resting in God. Also remember that I started out by referencing the statement recorded by Mark in Mark 2:27-28. Worthy of repeating again but if you have the note from yesterday, it should not be hard to bring it up.

Jesus is LORD of the Sabbath, He is also LORD of the Faith/Rest Life and today we will focus on the sin of deception which simply is any sin that rejects the known will of God for the believer. I believe in the literal interpretation of the Holy Bible. The following is what the Bible says about Jesus Christ; it is what I believe and readily share.

“In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” John 1:1-4.

This statement by the apostle John is the primary reason I use terms like: “the Holy Bible or the Living Word of God or even that I love the Word of God.” The Holy Bible in association with the Holy Spirit of God breaths the Life of the Living God into genuine focus this life is none other than the Risen Jesus Christ. Thus when the writer of Hebrews says… Hebrews 4:11-13.

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest (faith/rest), lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience (the failure of the wilderness generation; Hebrews 3:16-19). For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account”.

… I then say that we have a very serious responsibility to be keenly aware of our daily sanctification. In Hebrews; not only in Hebrews 4:11-13 but in the entire 13 chapters we are faced with the superiority of Christ, over the angels, patriarchs and high priests of past generations. Therefore God expects better things concerning us, things that accompany salvation; like obedience or labors of love toward His Name, Hebrews 6:9-12.

“Today if you hear His voice do not harden your heart as in the day of rebellion” Hebrews 3:15, taken from Psalm 95:1-11 by the writer of Hebrews who is today speaking to you and me about loving God with all of our heart, mind and soul (the first section of the Law or the first commandment of Matthew 22:37-40. If we do not get this right, then we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us, 1 John 1:5-10.

The test of the faith/rest life is 1 John 2:3-11, note verse 9 “He who says he is in the light and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.” The second half of the Ten Commandments or the second commandment of Matthew 22:37-40.

So we live in very serious times where God is openly attacked by deception. Over the last sixty years secular humanism has methodically torn down His Law and sought to establish human rule. In the process the “believer in Christ” has fallen into this deception. Personal faith/rest is not seen in believers these days because our churches are failing to uphold the standard of: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:37-40.

Again, the sin of deception is knowing what the will of God is and refusing to do it.

The devotional - 133 - Faith/Rest

Thought for the Day – 133 – Faith/Rest

Proverbs 16:17 – Our experience in life can parallel with travel, the path or the highway is well trodden, but no one ever seems to be on it with you. This is especially true for the upright, but do not fret you are not alone since the road is intense with traffic and it is the keeping of one’s own way that distracts from gossiping about the others.

  

Comments and challenges

Mark 2:27-28 – And he said to them. “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also LORD of the Sabbath.” In Genesis 2:3 Moses writes that God blessed the seventh day and set it apart from the other six days in that God worked the work of creation, but on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.

In Exodus 23:10-13 – Moses explains that the Law of the Sabbath extends beyond the day of rest but includes a seventh year Sabbath. Also in Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15 the first and second events of the giving of the Law we see that Old Testament saints were commanded to obey God by keeping the Sabbath. (One thought that comes to my mind, even for the first time is that the command to obey the Sabbath is sandwiched between man’s upward obedience to God and his horizontal responsibility to mankind).

This causes me to put the brakes on and think this through a bit before continuing and in doing so I see that these commandments of God are for “believers” not “unbelievers” in the first part of the Ten Commandments believers are mandated to worship God in the Spirit as the apostle John reveals in John 4:23-24 that the true worshippers of God will or must worship Him in the Spirit and not in the flesh, in a carved image, in the likeness of anything in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, in the water or under the earth.

God is a Spirit; in Deuteronomy 33:26-27 we see in the final blessing that Moses places on Israel and I just have to write out these verses, notice: There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, DESTROY!”

So we can see that God is awesomely revealed as worthy for believing people to worship that the first part of our failure in a believing response toward God is to return to idolatry; believing Israel did this often. And as the writer of Hebrews states in Hebrews 11:4-7 that from the dawn of history; men having believed, sought to please God on God’s terms and that in doing so God rewarded them, thus condemning the actions of the world, thus becoming heirs of righteousness according to FAITH. Not just a faith in any manmade object but faith in God who created all things.

Now all of the above is in response to a homework assignment by the pastor who is presently teaching through the book of Exodus with a side step in Hebrews 3 and 4 of entering into the faith/rest life that God has prepared for us saints! Now when I first thought of the assignment, I thought “a piece of cake” a few comments and I can get an “A plus” and now I see that my thinking was heading for a big fat “F minus”. Also the devotional at the present time is focused on Mark 2 and 3 allowing us to take a look at Jesus who is: LORD of the Sabbath.

With all of this said, we will be taking a tour in the scriptures concerning this homework assignment, I am so excited about this I can hardly wait to see what is in store. One: God commands us worship to Him in Spirit and Truth. Two: God requires a New Testament Faith/Rest revealed through the truth of an Old Testament Sabbath Rest and this requirement is for “believers only” since the unbelieving world around us cannot enter Faith/rest without the knowledge of God.

Three: God commands obedience of believers in two major commands that are the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments. Matthew 22:34-40. Breaking in at verse 37… “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets”.

To fail at the first commandment is to worship the creature instead of the Creator and to fail at the second commanded is to dishonor parents by lying, stealing, cheating, murdering and coveting. Now what is critical is that the power of faith/rest or Sabbath is like a standard; or a like an omniscient Eye. On the one hand God monitors our faith in Him and on the other He monitors our obedience to Him. He is the Head of the household of Creation; our parents are the head of the household of the living. Faith/Rest or Sabbath Rest is the pilot that keeps us off the shores of the sin of deception.

Deception while worshipping God alone in faith and deception by association with the unbelieving world; who observes all of what we do and any of what we do that is of the flesh in either direction is “Deceit” thus it is the Sin of unbelief discussed by the writer of Hebrews. It is sin which we do not talk enough about and the only one directly connected to the hardening of our hearts; are better worded in Hebrews 12:12-17. Now I know I have crammed a lot of thought into this but standby; there is more to come.

The devotional - 132 - Rope Yarn?

Thought for the Day – 131 – Rope Yarn

Proverbs 13:3 – Nose guard, eye guard and even a teeth guard; but the world around us does not use a guard for the tongue to keep from harming oneself or others. Many broken and despondent people suffer from a tongue with no guard; the tongue is a sinful poison out of control. James 3:8

  

Comments and challenges

Rope Yarn Sunday, is a U.S. Navy term meaning that there would be an intermission of work during the middle of the week, usually Wednesday. The last half of a Wednesday, say from midday until midnight and this time was used by sailors to repair tears the sails of the ship and working to the more personal items like mending holes in their clothing as the remainder of the day allowed.

In similar ways although not exact; Sabbath is a day of intermission; six days of work and on the seventh day God graded a rest for His people. While the everyday Jew lived and worked he or she also sought to keep the law; that is to obey God. Since the Law exposes sin, it did not take long for the leaders to adopt religious practices to “keep holy the Sabbath day” and say that “no work” was the order of the day and with that they were satisfied that the whole of the Law of God was being carried out.

Now was there abuse in the rope yarn Sundays; yes, men were found sleeping, playing cards and telling sea stories. Did the Jew abuse the Sabbath? Notice, Ezekiel is speaking of the Exodus generation and Mark to the Jewish nation, please read Mark on your own.

Mark 2:22-28 and Ezekiel 20:11-20 “And I gave them My statutes and showed them my judgments, which, if a man does, he shall live by them. Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that the might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes, they despised My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall live by them; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths, then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness and consume them.

But I acted for My Name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. So I lifted My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands, because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

But I said to their children in the wilderness, do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments and do them; hallow my Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God. The Jew failed God by using His Sabbaths to play and idol their day away. Yes God rested on the seventh day and called it Holy, yet He still maintained the universe, He did not distract Himself with play and sleep time.

Are we are called to a Sabbath, yes we are called just as Israel was called to enter into the Rest of God. The work of God and man is completed in Jesus Christ the Son of God and Son of man. God looks for you and me to have faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ when we do we enter into God’s Rest and we stop working out our salvation and begin resting in our salvation. This work of faith and rest was completed when the foundations of the earth were set in place, so do you not see that it is futile to try to do some personal work or idolatrous penance to please God?

The Devotional - 131 - Fasting

Thought for the Day – 131 – Fasting

Proverbs 11:3 – Wickedness is like walking on eggshells, one can already hear the cracking but will do little to avoid the fall from grace. Yet the root of righteousness in the man of God is like an aged grapevine and he will not be moved.

  

Comments and challenges

Bill Bright was avid about fasting, it is said that he did several “40 day fasts” I am sure these were very meaningful for him and those who participated with him, but not everyone can just jump in and fast for forty days. Bill Bright himself encouraged people to work into long fasts and even explained that people of ill health or poor nutrition should not fast. Early on my wife and I did some fasting but not more than one day and usually from the evening meal until the next. We gave it up because it disrupted our metabolism.

Mark 2:18-22 – I believe that what the LORD Jesus is saying in these passages is that while Jesus is present in the lives of His disciples that they do not need to fast. He is with them and it would be foolish to fast in the presence of the One who meets all their present needs. It is not by any stretch of the imagination to say that the same principle is available to believers today. There is this command in Romans 13:14 But put on the LORD Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh; and this exhortation in 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the LORD is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the LORD is there is Liberty.

Yet I also know that in each of these sections of scripture there can be the need to fast. For example; in the Corinthians chapter it may be spiritually rewarding to fast and learn more about the New Covenant, we have the liberty to do that. Then in the Romans chapter we are commanded to obey the rule of our current government, this is not something we readily jump on board with therefore, fasting may help to keep us from fulfilling the lust associated with disobedience.

In Mark 2:21-22 Jesus shows that Old Testament teaching and New Testament teaching do not mix. (A side note) I truly wish that theologians took a stronger look at this verse. I read this as a pictorial statement that we are to keep separate the two covenants, yet daily on television and in some commentaries I see people of good intentions mixing the two.

(A statement from Dr. David Jeremiah’s morning devotionals - The entire Old Testament is a set of clues, or instructions, pointing toward a final destination: the arrival of Jesus Christ, Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world. The Old Testament was written over many hundreds of years by many different people, so piecing the clues together took discernment. But when Christ appeared, He made it plain: "I came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 5:17, paraphrase). Old Testament saints may have been at a disadvantage, but we shouldn't be. We have the promise and fulfillment in one book. Don't miss the meaning of the Old Testament!)

So while fasting in the Old Testament is a command, it is optional in the New Testament therefore let us look for the promise of HIS return and the fullness of the Holy Bible is the Truth and fulfillment of His First Coming, so He come again; but this time as King of kings and LORD of lords. Revelation 19:16