The Devotional – 1421 – Diligence

The Devotional – 1421 – Diligence

Proverbs 12:27 – The slothful man roasts not that which he took in hunting; but the substance of the diligent man is precious.

 

 Comments and challenges

I what to tell you of an event that happened recently. It is not my event but one that belongs to a man whom I trust as a good Bible teacher and expositor of the Living Word of God. His name is Dr. David Jeremiah. He and his wife were invited to a church prayer breakfast in which Dr. Jeremiah was to speak after the breakfast. The church was located in a little town in Alabama.

 

Before the breakfast began while introductions were going on the pastor of the church said, “I would like to introduce you to someone who can hardly wait to see you”. At that point Dr. Jeremiah was introduced to “Big Red” he was your typical “redneck” with long bright red hair tied into a ponytail that reached to midway down his back.

 

Big Red began with a hand shake and a hug and his story unfolded. “Not long ago, I was tired of livin, I’ve done just about everything a man can do to himself and my life was empty. I no longer felt the need to live. So I knew of a road with a sharp curve and a big oak tree just as the curve took a hard left. I figured that if I could get my car up to eighty miles an hour she would not be able to negotiate the curve and I would slam into the tree and all would be over.

 

At good distance from the curve I stopped my car and tuned my radio to the music I like and turned up the volume so loud that my brain would not be able to think. As I did this my radio began to have static and the station I liked to listen to would not come in. I shook my fist and cursed at the radio and then slammed my fist hard as I could on the radio and the next words I heard were your words Pastor Jeremiah; you were saying that God is not willing and any should perish but have eternal life.

 

Today I believe that I am standing here telling you this because the LORD Jesus Christ through your voice got my attention. I bowed my head in prayer right then and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.

 

Why do some people seek relief from the circumstances and things of the world by committing suicide or other crimes against their soul? One quick answer is that Satan would have you believe that you are no better than an animal, but that is a lie… you are not an animal. For you to believe this, you would have to believe that you are a son or daughter of an animal and in your heart you know this is not true of your parents. Nor have you evolved from any form of intelligence that is inferior to these verses of scripture. Genesis 1:26-27.

 

Mankind has not drifted from this truth; he has been lead away from God by Satan, the one who destroys the peoples of every nation and people groups of the entire world – Isaiah 14:12-15. Satan does this by counterfeit; he takes what is a lie and makes it look real, look reasonable and look reliable. He accomplishes this by the five “I wills” of the verses of scripture we just read. “Imagine Satan at one point in eternity said to the angels of God; “I will be equal with God, then I will exalt my throne above God; I will be worshipped over God by the congregations of the world (you and me). I will control the angelic realm; Ephesians 6:25. To the congregation and the angelic realm I will be like the Most High.

 

Now you may be saying… How can this angel be so deceiving as to lead other angels from God and how can he lead the nations and people groups away from God too? I am glad you asked. Ezekiel 28:14-18. There are only three of these angels recorded and named in the entire Word of God and these are; Gabriel, Michael and Lucifer. Gabriel who is spoken of in Daniel 8 and 9 who gave Daniel the understanding of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream; and in Luke who records the conversation of Mary with the Angel Gabriel concerning the virgin birth of her Son Jesus in Luke 1:19-26.

 

Then we have Michael, who is recorded as helping Daniel in chapter 10 of the book of Daniel, also in Jude 1:9 and Revelation 12:7. First these three angels in eternity stood in the presence of God, one of them fell from heaven because of SIN that was Lucifer, who it may be interesting to you that he is only mentioned once in scripture; in our passage in Isaiah 14:12; after that he is referred to as Satan or the devil. Let’s take a look at one of my favorite passages about Satan. Luke 10:18. When sin was found in him, he was shot out of heaven like a bolt of lightning.

 

In Hebrew the word for Lucifer is “Hey-lale” meaning “The morning star” while the word for Satan is: Satan pronounce “saw-taun” meaning arch enemy of good or ADVERSARY! From the day we are pro-created in our mother’s womb and delivered into this kingdom we are subjects to the ADVERSARY, songs like “Hey-lale” are written to worship the adversary, he presents himself as “light” and in doing so he has caused mankind to fall to SIN and commit SIN (crimes) against God, himself and others, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.

 

 

So why would a man or woman commit a crime (SIN) against their own body, or the body of another and why would any person renounce God? Because they have embraced the enemy! Who would be foolish enough to hug or wrap their arms around an adversary? Those drunkards, those drug addicts, those pornographic producers and watchers, those abortionists and those who have had an abortion, those murderers, robbers, etc., etc., etc.!

 

2 Peter 3:9 – The LORD is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Go ahead now, be a “redneck” and confess with the mouth the LORD Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, be saved from this wicked and perverse generation. Again, do not be a slothful person, be diligent and show yourself approved to God.