The Devotional -045 - Whose Angry?

A Thought for the Day – 044 – An overview

Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”? The only ones who can know if they are without sin are those who have by faith believed God. Those who are walking in His Righteousness; Proverbs 20:5-11 and Romans 13:14.

Comments and challenges

Over the weekend I can usually come up with lots of thoughts to write about. Then comes Monday and do you think I can remember any of them. No, not one! Then I say, why didn’t I write it down? Even a short note on the subject would help charge the memory. What memory? I did write it down and now I do not know where the note is or even what I wrote it on.

What is our normal view of anger? Come on put your thinking cap on! Is anger a little boil over something but keeping the mouth shut. Maybe you pray and explain to God, “LORD help me, I am about to burst a bubble, shut that person up for me” or how about this one… here comes the car behind you and he or she speedily shifted to the slow speed lane to scurry around you; your mind flares in anger I’ll hurry and button up the space ahead so they can’t get in front of me.

This my friend is not anger, it is more like the uncontrolled tantrum of the child in you; anger is uncontrolled RAGE and hopefully you avoid it. Notice Exodus 32:15-20. Moses has just been with the LORD God on Mount Sinai, the LORD God had just fellowshipped with Moses over the giving of the LAW. Moses had watched as God wrote on the tablets of stone. The stones were loaded with the Words of God on both sides of two stones.

The scripture says that Moses when he saw the golden calf that the Israelites made that the anger of Moses became very hot (God explained to Moses what to expect on his return to camp; Exodus 32:1-14, at the request of Moses; God relented, but Moses burned in anger as he descended the mountain) and the work of God he casts out of his hands and the stones broke to pieces. We can be under the power of the Holy Spirit in one breath and under the power of emotional rage the next. It is that quick.

We should be aware that this first decent by Moses into the camp of Israelites, did not bring the glory of God into the camp as it did the second time, read Exodus 35:29-33. The setting of the first presentation of the LAW is that Moses and the Israelites failed. First with Moses who came from the meeting with God in a countenance of anticipated anger who no doubt was processing in his mind what he do if he found the people unprepared for his return. (Have you ever thought similar thoughts as you approached home)?

For me these passages speak volumes about absolute spirituality. We can and do seek time with the LORD and yet in the recesses of our mind we are anticipating the (known facts) that returning home will have with our little corner of world. When we come away from the LORD’s presence and He has spoken all of His Words, we return to our so called “real world” and immediately see that our anticipated thoughts are worse than expected. Anger and then Rage takes over and the Words of the LORD are broken.

Then we go back to the LORD and He says… “Well Jesse; another fine mess you got yourself into, here let’s do this again only this time clear your mind of those secret thoughts so when you leave my presence your countenance will be that of the fruit of My Spirit. Psalm 19:1-14 (especially verses 12-14) and Galatians 5:16-26 (especially verses 22-26).

Our countenance often ends the story, before the story has time to be told.

For scripture references please CTRL+ click on the following website: http://www.biblos.com

The Devotional - 044- Going to the Dogs

A Thought for the Day – 044

What is better is it better to beat up someone for doing you or someone else wrong? The natural reaction is yes, let me at them! Consider this… the one you are beating on may be a fool and you will have wasted your time. You might be better off to instruct the fool and make him or her understand; this would be the better reproof and you may gain a friend. Proverbs 17:10

Comments and challenges

Our dog Sally is a Greyhound, even though her hair is black! In all of my years I thought that these dogs look like a very large rodent and dumb. We have had Sally for nearly five years and she is anything but dumb, she is no doubt one of the smartest hound dogs I have ever met, so I will take a moment or two to brag on her; since she is not capable of bragging on herself; although if she could talk she might very well do that.

We have another dog whose is a male and his name is Hunter, he is a Corgi, he is overweight and slower than frozen molasses. He normally wanders no more than five to ten feet from the steps, but Sally on the other hand goes right to the edge of the backyard which is about 100 feet away. For her age she would be about fifty years old in human age and she is still lighting fast running and when I call them in the first one up the stairs is Sally. By the time Hunter gets his legs going Sally is half way to the finish line.

Now the above does not make her smart, but what does is the process she goes through to get to go out. If I am standing she sticks her nose in the cup of one of my hands and pushes it toward the door and if I am sitting she sticks her nose in my armpit and seeks to push me out of the chair. If ignore all of this she goes to Hunter and they both sort of prance around and make noise. And if I ignore this, Sally will run to Louise and tell on me.

Did you know that the only breed of dog found in the Bible is a Greyhound? Notice if you will that Agur the son of Jakeh explains in Proverbs 30:29-31 that there are three that are majestic in step and that the fourth has potential. In an animal it is part of their instinct as even the lion who is the mighty one and who will not retreat from an attack.

The pace of the Greyhound, the charge of the male goat, the lion who is strong and the king whose troops support him, these are important attributes found in God’s creation. I have seen Sally in combat too, she does not back down and I would like to think that she is as fierce as the lion (I hope I never find out of course), but now what about the king, he is the only one who is capable (intelligent) enough to compromise his place of leadership.

What about the troops who are considered by that king as second rate, what about the inventory of growing children that are insufficient to fill in the ranks because of abortion and because we educate our young families to produce less than two children per family? What about a national heritage that is caving like the borders of the country? What about a nation that promotes sexual lifestyles that are an ABOMINATION to God who created the MAJESTIC PACE.

The king has had training in majesty, the king has had troops, the king has had leadership, the king has had a great nation and the king has spent all of this in selfish tyranny, therefore when he struts, he struts alone since he has wasted all the resources of a great nation. THIS MUST BE ANOTHER ONE OF MY PIPE DREAMS, (although I don’t smoke the pipe) I don’t know of any nation suffering like this; DO YOU? I think I will go back to my DOGS and enjoy their attics!

For scripture references please CTRL+ click on the following website: http://www.biblos.com

The Devotional - 043 - Fear

A Thought for the Day – 043 – Fear

The way of the heart is to plan ahead when circumstances develop in your circle of influence. If we chose not to pray the outcome is still in the hands of the LORD God. Notice Proverbs 16:1 and 16:33. Why not heed Proverbs 16:3-4 and establish your thoughts in the sound advice of the LORD and be blessed. In other words, don’t follow the path of the wicked that are doomed to experience evil.

Comments and challenges

Here is a dumb question; do you have fears? The only reason I ask is to draw your attention to fear, but not to the obstacles or circumstances that may happen and send you into a depressive state of mind… don’t do that and yet I know that some of us will peel off and the flood of “what ifs” will begin rushing toward you over some recent or potential circumstance that seems to plague your mind.

Proverbs 16 is one of those portions of scripture to help us through the fears of life that seem to take the punch out of living. Car accidents will come, home invasions can happen and illnesses threaten our physical life. These are not our everyday experiences; these are mainly once in a lifetime events that seem to hang out in the recesses of our mind. We should prepare and protect as possible, but we should not be full of fear.

What if something does happen? Suppose your child falls down the stairs and puts the child in the hospital; what if you turn to the noise you hear coming from the kitchen and see a person who has intruded your home or your doctor’s visit reveals bad news? The results of these and many other events in life are life changers. Do we stop what we are doing and fall into an emotional rage of fear or revenge, or do we stop and PRAY to our Father in Heaven?

If you have read the Bible or if you are student of the Living Word of God you know that the Bible does not paint the rosy picture of a pleasant or prosperous life; in fact the Bible teaches just the opposite and warns of storms, poverty, war, loss and suffering. One look at the life of Jesus Christ simply proves that if these events happened to the Son of God, these will certainly happen to God’s children. We live in an evil world, it is full of evil and sinners, one solid look in the mirror should prove that.

We need not to focus on the fear of what if, but when life does throw us to the ground and fear comes, do not let the fear stop at the emotional part of your heart, let the fear reach your soul where FAITH is seated in the presence of Almighty God. Fear is no match against faith. WE NEED TO BEGIN PRAYING. Proverbs 16:3 is a simple statement from King Solomon. “Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established”.

Solomon’s view of the fears of life is like that of a huge object like stone or heavy weight. That is the best picture of FEAR that I can imagine, don’t try to hold back your present fear with an emotional blast from your heart, you will not be able to stop the heavy weight from crushing you. The word commit in Hebrew that Solomon uses can be translated “roll” giving the thought of rolling your fears to the LORD in prayer.

The work of rebounding from events in life is to continue to roll the events to the LORD of your soul and to allow God to weigh the spirits that are troubling your moment in time. Your thoughts will be established and the outcome will be blessed of God. Also, seek to remember that the event is past tense and there will be an outcome either from an emotional revolt or an answer from God. His decision whether we pray or react emotionally will still be provided. Proverbs 16:1 – 33 prove this thought and promise blessing.

For scripture references please CTRL+ click on the following website: http://www.biblos.com

The Devotional -042- A quick overview

A Thought for the Day – 042 – An overview

The eyes of a person reveal much; joy, peace and goodness are in the eye of the “up right”. What is “up right” when referring to the behavioral pattern of a person? Look into the eyes of one who has no peace, no joy and no goodness and you will see that this eye is bent to peer through darkness, the one who sees unrest, has only moments of selfish pleasure and one who willingly avoids goodness. Proverbs 15:10-19

Comments and challenges

Just a quick note this morning: God is not willing that any man, woman or child should perish (that is to be separated from Him in eternity). For Him it is not His will that we should be without His love in time (that is; while we are alive in this body). He has set limits on life, (yours is temporal, His is eternal) He does not have a slack hand in the matters of life (human) and LIFE (eternal) He knows the limits of both (Psalm 90).

If you decide in your heart to return to FAITH in God you will find that the promise of God’s return is not slack as some of us count days and hours, notice in 2 Peter 3:1-9 where the apostle Peter explains this “but beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the LORD one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day”

That is that if you are willing to believe God, you will no longer have a need to focus on the temporal and daily disappointments of life and the imminent return of Christ, this fear will no longer be yours. For the first time you be able to focus on the eternal Son of God who after dying for your sin and mine is now risen from the dead and seated at the right hand of God right this very moment.

He is coming again; not as the LAMB of God for another sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 6:1-8) but as a Mighty Conqueror in that future day in Time that God calls “The Day of the LORD” 2 Peter 3:10-13. So do not be weak minded over this, but be steadfast and unwavering in this truth, use the longsuffering of God as valuable time to rescue the perishing and grow in the daily grace given to you by God Himself, 2Peter 3:14-18.

  

For scripture references please CTRL+ click on the following website: http://www.biblos.com

The Devotional - 041 - Last Night

A Thought for the Day – 041 – Last Night

Ever notice the ease of doing evil? Evil seems to lurk at every moment in time, but evil is more devious than every moment. Evil is there at every split-second. In other words in less than a half of a second; evil can produce eternal consequences. Proverbs 14:11-14

Comments and challenges

Yesterday I wrote of being in Pennsylvania, but I did not explain why we were there. We were invited to New Tribes Missions and the Wayumi experience of what it can be like to go into a people group who do not know a language other than their own. As we experienced this, we also experienced the obstacles of cultural differences that are much like going through a brick wall that has no visible opening. The commitment of any missionary who is called of God to go is not a short term visit, but a calling that can last a minimum of eight years and more like twelve to sixteen.

There are a few take away points from this weekend adventure that I would like to share but I have one of those slow boiling minds that takes time to put together an experience so while these points will not come out today, they will eventually. Besides this I am currently burdened by the recent events in my children’s lives who lost their mom yesterday to a unexpected heart attack. From time to time you might offer a prayer to God for those who are mourning over her loss at this time.

Last evening I was at the Providence Rescue Mission where I go once a month to share with those people a gospel message. As with every opportunity with these folks I seek to instruct them in the knowledge of God and of how the gospel of the grace of God is what all of mankind needs, not just those who for this moment in time are homeless or in need of food. Knowing that my first (ex) wife was in critical condition heart failure, I was struggling to get out the message I had prepared, then my phone let me know of an incoming message, she had suffered another heart failure.

I paused for a moment and I saw the despair and heart response of that group of people as I explained the events that were going on in the lives of my children at the moment. These folks were like my children; hurting boys and girls; who are the remnant of broken families and those hurting from drugs, alcohol and abusive lifestyles of all the categories found on this planet, a planet darkened by evil and bathed in the personal sin produced in this darkness.

Once I acknowledged this to that group of people it was as if the LORD lifted His hold on me and I was able to speak with the power and authority that God provided through the Holy Spirit that death is FINAL and if it comes to anyone of us, it comes for the unbelieving VIOLENTLY. In fact; the death of the unbeliever is always violent since Satan who is the author of evil is also the author of death which is his gospel (Genesis 3:4-6). The result is found in John 10:10a “Jesus speaking says that the “thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”

Of course the true gospel is found in Genesis 3:15 the Words of God to Satan which is fulfilled in John 3:16 and explained by Jesus in; John 10:10b. Jesus speaking says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. The gospel of the grace of God is just that, it is the whole counsel of God from Genesis to Revelation. At the end of my time teaching, a couple of men in our group found out and prayed with me over my children, it was a comfort.

I hope everyone has a blessed day, God loves you and how does He love you? He gave His Son personally to YOU to take your sin on Himself, in order to bring you out of this fallen and violent way of death and to return you to Him, just as Jesus is raised from the dead, if you have personal faith in Jesus you too will be raised up and given abundant life. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.

The Devotional - #040 - The Deception

A Thought for the Day – 040

There is little doubt in the life of a person of faith; godly instruction prevents destruction and preserves life. It is the fruit of the mouth that provides prosperity for the soul but a violent tongue will scoff and reveal unfaithful results – Proverbs 13: 1-4 the disciplined tongue and the undisciplined tongue has nothing in common; but there is a problem; both tongues can be found in the same mouth.

Comments and challenges

My wife and I had a great weekend in Pennsylvania at a camp near an area called Jersey Shore which is located in the northern half of PA and almost in the middle of the state. I have always enjoyed trips to PA the state is filled with mountains, streams and rivers that are breathtaking and beautiful. Yet with all of this beauty it does not take long before one is reminded that this beauty is covered in the darkness of sin. Sin is generated by the presence of evil and evil is generated by Satan who is a clever liar and deceiver.

For example; if you do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; then you have fallen for the lie that Satan has covered Creation with. Satan once said to Jesus “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread” and Jesus responds: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”. Luke 4:1-4; it is simple really; if you do not believe that Satan exists, then you do not believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God. It is God’s every Word written personally by Him to you and me. God tells you and me that Satan does exist; now that is simply the truth.

Another example is that in the deception of Satan’s existence is the stolen authority that Satan has at the present time from the Creator. It is this counterfeit system of authority that produces such nonsense like evolution. This dumbing down of; in the Beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1 has caused many to claim that abortion is right and same sex partnerships are normal. It is not normal to worship SELF, what is normal is to worship GOD. Luke 4:5-8 and Romans 1:18-32.

The last example is like the other two and it is the deception of misdirected FAITH. Faith in religion and faith in material lifestyles are all false platforms for one’s personal faith to travel on. These platforms are like dead end streets. The false religions of faith in angels, material icons and ancestral religions are like dashing your head against a rock. This idolatry may have a form of godliness but it is one of the best disguises used by Satan. Luke 4:9:13 and 2 Corinthians 11:5-15.

Jesus had no need to believe that Satan existed; HE KNEW SATAN EXISTED. Notice again what Jesus explained to His disciples in Luke 10:18-20. So do not rejoice with the little bit of truth you have about the power of God you may have in this fallen world. Nor rejoice in the power you believe you have over the enemy by denying his existence. It is much more joyful to be aware that faith is not founded in these daily earthly challenges, but rather rejoice that your name is written in heaven in the Lamb’s Book of Life because you have Faith in the Word of God. By the way… if you do not believe all the Words of the Holy Bible, God will have no choice but to erase your name from the Lamb’s Book. Why is that? Because you have chosen to erased His Words from His Book. Exodus 32:32 or Psalm 69:28.

For scripture references please CTRL+ click on the following website: http://www.biblos.com

The devotional - #039

A Thought for the Day – 039

Hating sin and loving the sinner is not a cliché; if you know someone whose sins are in your face, it may be that this person has not seen from you the love that covers a multitude of sin – Proverbs 10:12 and 1 Peter 4:7-11.

Comments and challenges

I was reading an article out of a Naval History magazine about a skull that was found when a dredging operation in Hawaiian waters took place last year. An analysis of the skull revealed that it was that of a Japanese pilot from December 1941 where fifty five Japanese airmen of this nation lost their life in the attack on Pearl Harbor. This number slips into the realm of the obscure when the number of Americans is placed next to it; two thousand four hundred servicemen of the United States died that day too.

Imagine if you will, that was seventy two years ago and this span of time is a lifetime for all the children who were born to those men and women who died that day and yet for someone the identity of this one skull resting in the waters of the Hawaiian Isles for those years has brought closure to a family in Japan. These are mainly made up of grandchildren and great grandchildren. While this may seem insignificant to us today, it is however more important than we might expect.

Today the casualties of another war on the United States of America are still walking about and these men and women are completely ignorant of the plans of the enemy. Like Pearl Harbor, all of the warnings were ignored by the officials of our military and many of the officials of our political make up then knew what was about to happen. These ignored and promised peace. These folks knew the dangers but did nothing to prevent it.

Seventy five years from our current attack on our “Pearl Harbor” or “Constitution” of our Nation has not officially started ticking off, but I can safely say that America’s finest HOUR is about over. The enemy is becoming stronger by the second and this is not a warning to you the reader and I say that because you are not ignorant, otherwise you would not be reading these daily devotionals. But here is what you and I can do. Last Wednesday we listen to our Pastor speak of John 17 and the prayer of the LORD Jesus to His father and this was my take-away from that.

God has given to all of us this Nation and He has given us the authority to control the Nation. We the people on the other hand have given that authority up and it is TIME to repent or change the direction of the way we are going it is time that we reveal to God our ever increasing concern. In prayer to the Father we need TO give back to God what He has given to us. He alone is able to protect our Constitution, our children and our other precious resources. Why do I say that? Because you and I are the casualties of this war, we are losing the battle and there just may not be a future grandchild or great grandchild to have closure. Proverbs 1: 10-33.

For scripture references please CTRL+ click on the following website: http://www.biblos.com