A Daily Devotional – The Truth – The Eternal Word (33)

A Daily Devotional – The Truth – The Eternal Word

Comment: Some time ago, around 30 AD, or 2012 years ago; give or take a year or two, the man Pilate was questioning the KING of kings. Breaking in to that final trial, just before Messiah’s death the Savior speaks to Pilate these final words. “You say rightly that I am a king, for this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate’s response to Jesus, “What is truth?” To see the context of this final trial of Jesus, see the gospel of John 18:28-38.

Devotional: If you are a student of scripture then you know that God is Truth. He God, has revealed Himself in time and history in different ways. Notice what the writer of Hebrews says in his opening statement of Hebrews 1:1-3 – God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Now notice in John 14:1-6 – "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”.

The joy of forgiveness is written in Truth on the faces of the children of God. The spirit of the saved in Christ is not filled with the guile of unbelief, as they willingly walk in the WAY, the TURTH and the LIFE. If you read Psalms and I hope you do, you will notice immediately that the redeemed, rejoice in the KING of kings. Notice Psalm 33. God is Sovereign over Creation and History, and in THIS Truth we praise the LORD. Psalm 33 describes many of God’s attributes. In this, the LORD of lords is revealed and exalted in Truth. Behold the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him and to fear the LORD is to know the Truth.

Do not be the pilot of your life, open your eyes to the Truth.

A Daily Devotional – The Victory of Faith – The Eternal Word (32)

A Daily Devotional – The Victory of Faith – The Eternal Word

Comment: Solomon wrote Proverbs throughout his life, others gathered these together to make the book of Proverbs. So around 1000 BC, Solomon wrote “A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, and does not consider that poverty will come upon him, Proverbs 28:22.” The wisdom of this statement is large since the man who chases after riches is already in poverty, otherwise why would he chase after riches? We attach riches to silver and gold, when the truth is, poverty encamps on every avenue of life. A person who fails to trust the wisdom of God is in poverty to Truth, a person who willingly fails to study in human life is considered ignorant and needy.

Devotional: In our present time in history, we are no different than those in the days of Solomon. Children rob parents and neighbors, they willingly destroy places of business, they kill and are being killed, and they are friends with harlots, they willingly waste national resources in all areas of life. This is not the way of prosperity, need I say anymore?

Proverbs, mostly written by Solomon provide the man or woman of God with “skill in living life”, that is living life in accordance with God’s design for human life. If a man or woman is not satisfied with what they see with their eyes then the only thing they have to look forward to is “hell and destruction”, Proverbs 27:20 states clearly that, Sheol and Abaddon are never full. If we are not willing to look at the Living Word of God for skill in living, we are doomed to poverty.

For me, the deepest poverty I can imagine is to go into eternity without any skill in living a full life as designed by the Word of God. Therefore we should trust the words of the apostles and prophets who clearly reveal God’s Will for man and woman. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life”. John 3:16

A Daily Devotional – The Victory of Grace – The Eternal Word (31)

A Daily Devotional – The Victory of Grace – The Eternal Word

Comment: Sometimes we make an ‘issue’ out of ‘nonsense’’ truth is; I think that most of us are good at making a mole hill, a mountain, when the obstacle standing in our path is nothing more than a blemish on our human identity! The apostle Paul understood this well, we understand why he had a “thorn in the flesh” but we do not understand what the thorn was. For us to seek to know and speak of what we may guess would be conjecture. Also, if I were to seek to know what your thorn in the flesh is, I might just be revealing mine. All of us have a “thorn in the flesh” but sadly we do not allow the LORD Jesus and His strength to BE MADE PERFECT in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

Devotional: While we may have a thorn in the flesh, it is most likely not realized as being of a spiritual nature or revelation. I think this is an error in that if we belong to God as His child, why would we not consider that the grace of God would be excluded is some areas of life, but included in others. Should we be so naïve to believe that only apostles and clergy have thorns in the flesh and others do not?

Should we be human and practical in some areas of life and yet be spiritual and practical in other areas. Or more easily understood; are there times when we should apply ‘human wisdom’ and times when to apply ‘spiritual wisdom’ to life? We fall into various trials daily, most are repetitious by the default condition of our human nature, yet ALL of these trials, when tested by the grace of God will produce in your personal faith (if you are willing) patience (endurance), James 1:2-8.

If we lack wisdom, or if we fail to use the wisdom of God, should we not ‘ask God’? Sadly most of us will not ask Him and as a result, doubt and fear toss us back and forth like two people playing catch, this double mindedness does not glorify God, nor will it reveal to us that God’s grace is sufficient victory over any trial. The trials in our life are not different events, these are repetitious or reoccurring thorns. The problem; we know how to satisfy the thorns humanly, but we do not know how to solve them spiritually.

There is much evidence in the Word of God that all of God’s children are buffeted by thorns, “trials”, see Hebrews 12:1-2, like the saints before us, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run the race of faith with endurance. Why? Because the grace of Jesus Christ is made perfect through our weakness. Jesus was not ignorant of God’s Plan that He should endure the cross. The cross was His thorn in the flesh from His birth and for the joy that set before Him, He endured.