The Devotional - 110 Whose comng to Dinner

Thought for the Day – 110 – Any one care to go dining

 

Proverbs 9:1-18 – Of course some of you may be wondering who my friend is? Well wonder no further… she is my wife! If Proverbs 8 explains the Excellency of the Wisdom of God it is only fitting that Proverbs 9 should explain the way this Wisdom is applied in daily life. Go ahead read the chapter and we will do some application in the comments and challenges section.

 

Comments and challenges

For those false religions chapter 9 of Proverbs is either very chilling or the leaders have simply cut this chapter out of their bibles; that is of course if these religions use a Bible. Now there is a purpose of referring to their bible with a small “b” and my Bible with a Capital one. My Holy Bible says that God has completed His work, note that the house of Wisdom is complete. That there are seven pillars that support God’s house of Wisdom.

Should you want to know what those seven pillars are, you need only to travel to Isaiah’s Book and read Isaiah 11:1-2 as Isaiah makes a comment about the Second Coming of Messiah who is the LORD Jesus Christ; of course you will need to read to verse 5 to be the full context. In this chapter Jesus the Messiah strikes the earth with Righteousness and Judgment. Jesus uses the seven pillars of Wisdom to accomplish this task which are the Seven Attributes of the Spirit of God.

And remember Jesus’s First Coming is as the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the world, He accomplishes this task with the Holy Spirit too; in forgiveness, in faith and in love so these seven attributes of the Spirit of God is like the double edged sword found in Hebrews 4:11-13. This reminds me here too in Proverbs 9:8-9 that we are to utilize this same Wisdom of mercy on the lost to bring them to Jesus so they might be saved.

In God’s house of wisdom the writer explains in terms we can understand. The house of Wisdom is fully supplied with plenty of food and wine, the table is set and the food is always fresh since the maidens are present to keep fresh supplies available for those of God’s family to partake whenever they choose to do so. So the question I have is; are you willing daily to dine on the Freshly Prepared Wisdom of God?

It matters not of what intellect you may be at, I know this first hand. When I first was saved I could barely read with less than a ninth grade education. God through the Wisdom of His Word changed all of that and to Him I sing praise every day! I was simple, but He heard my cry; oh the thought of this overwhelms my emotions. Don’t be ignorantly ignorant of what God is willing to do for YOU! I know He will do more than you could ever ask or even think.

So come, eat of His bread and drink of His wine, please note that the meatier wisdom is there also. His Word is prepared for YOU, He had you in mind when He formed the earth, and He had you in mind when He had His maidens set out the table. And did you notice that the table is filled with foods that give nourishment to a hungry soul. Again, the plea from God is to forsake foolishness and live and He sort of pats us on the back sends us on our way in Proverbs 9:6 and says; “and GO in the way of understanding”.

Also we are not to use this Wisdom of God for selfish ambitions of the flesh; notice leave the scoffers and the wicked alone; let the LORD handle them, by the LORD’s intervention these folks may become wise and then you will have opportunity. But until then don’t bring shame to yourself by seeking to correct or openly reprove them. How many times do we hear from the Word of the Living God this call: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom” now I do not know about you; but I see God the Father in this verse and Jesus too. Verse 10 if you are not sure where I am.

The LORD God and His Holy One through His Spirit provide all of the Wisdom and Understanding that His Children will ever need to protect us and multiply our days and years. Of course with much Wisdom there is a warning, do not be selfishly wise and become a scoffer. What might that look like? Well the remaining verses are a picture of the world. It is not so much the woman that is in focus, but what the men of the world do to promote their ungodly ways. Don’t scoff at the world, what good is that?

 

Just as there is nothing new under the sun as Solomon puts it in Ecclesiastes; in other words, you cannot add to the good and evil of the world it is a closed system. Also, you cannot add or take away any of the Wisdom and Understanding of the Living Word of God; this too is a closed system since Jesus Christ Himself shut the door on Revelation, in Revelation 22:18-19. Enjoy God today. Control plus click: http://www.bibletools.com/

The Devotional - 108 - Do you Know God

Thought for the Day – 108 – Do you KNOW God

 

Proverbs 8:1-36 – My friend and I were talking this morning about the fall of mankind and the progressive ignorance toward God since that day. Proverbs 8 explains the conversation my friend and I had. Verse 12 – I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion. Verse 23 – The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way! Does the wisdom God possess you? Or is it the world that grip’s your day?

 

Comments and challenges

I have said this time and again but I have to say it again. Proverbs 8 is one of my favorites. The best way to put this is to say that if heaven were merely a cloud, then I hope it is packed with Proverbs 8:1-36; in other words I could roll around heaven all day with the wisdom and prudence of this chapter. Simply, I cannot say enough about it, so here is the challenge – read it for yourself and let God the Holy Spirit speak truth into your soul.

The truth is that most of us need TRUTH, did you read what is written here; most of us need TRUTH! If you watch the news media any day of the week, then you are being fed a morning breakfast of LIES, a lunch of DECEPTION and a dinner plate of the ungodly TRANSGRESSIONS of mankind. No wonder there are so many people around that live daily on mind altering drugs that keep them subdued and in a state of induced calmness.

Yes you say but this is for me a way of life that works. One or two pills a day and I am good for the day’s activities and good for a nighttime of sleep so what’s the big deal? In fact; don’t tell me the truth since I am so used to the lie and the truth is; that TRUTH, the truth you are talking about is scarier than the lie I live with. Now see what you have done… I need another pill!

Well now, I do not apologize for causing you to swallow another pill just as you so willingly swallow another LIE, believe another DECEPTIVE comment or watch another MURDEROUS TRANSGRESSION in today’s media. You can STOP IT; yes I said STOP IT. I mean why force feed your mind with thoughts of a declining world society? But of course if you are an active part of this society, then you are not force feeding yourself, you are simply looking to see if you made the news today. Still, whatever the case you can STOP IT!

Go ahead now and use a bit of mindful innovation and say; HOW do I do that? This is how. First of all; do not ignore God, open your mind to the possibility that He is calling you. In fact; John the Baptizer did this very same thing in John 1:29-34, notice he says in verse 33; “I did not know Him” who might that be? It is Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; verses 29 and 34.

What might the sin of the world be? Very good question, have you ever asked God to reveal to you just what it is that Jesus willingly came to earth for? He willingly came to earth to die in your place (Romans 5:8) because world does not know God the Creator of the heavens and the earth.  Like John the Baptizer; before knowing who Jesus is and the reason of His first coming into the world, we were ignorantly ignorant (a double negative) to emphasize the depth of Satan’s deceptive power over the world.

First we are born into a world that is ignorant of God and then we grow up in the ignorance and traditions of world, patterning our lives in ignorance, notice – John 1:1-13, these are simple verses of scripture but these are packed with the truth about our lack of knowledge of Proverbs 8. See John 7:28-29.

So we should see now that the hour has come, we have no excuse to dwell in the darkness of deception, STOP IT; stop consuming the nonsense of world and digesting the pills of a declining society to calm our human spirit. We can understand the Words that Jesus spoke to His Father just hours before He was crucified for the SIN of the world that is (ignorantly, ignoring) God. John 17:1-5, this has Proverbs 8:1-36 all over it. Today if you hear God’s voice, then please do not continue one more moment in the rebellion of a world that ignores HIM.

The Devotional - 107 - Freedom

Thought for the Day – 106 – More Freedom concerns

 

Proverbs 7:1-5 – Buddies, ever have one? We can be very tight with friends, they are close to us and we share things with them that we do not share with others. Sometimes they are a husband or wife; a brother or sister or a near relative. This is what God desires for us all; to know Him as a friend and His commands and laws as a loving Father. Psalm 19:1-14 is a perfect expression of God’s relational friendship with those who are not ignorant of Him.

 

Comments and challenges

Lifestyles in other parts of the world and that would be outside of the United States of America are different. For example; when I visited Spain, from noon until 2pm the streets in any town was deserted, all of the local people were at siesta. The stores were closed; transportation services ceased and even though it was day time it was very much like midnight.

In Ukraine away from the city of Kiev and in the small hamlets or towns there were very few stores to purchase things, maybe one or two stores to a town and these did not get a lot of business; just enough to survive. All of the villagers waited for what could resemble a traveling super store.

This would be a caravan of many different vehicles and trucks filled with clothing, house wares, cleaning products, butcher shops, bakery shops, produce, can goods and all of the merchandise like appliances, hardware and tools. These caravans showed up once a week and would stay through the day and overnight. The town was buzzing with people from sun up through the night to sun up again buying needed things.

It was also a time of much chatter, the chatter of purchases and bargaining, the chatter of family and friends seeing each other at least once a week. The chatter was so loud, there would be little sleeping, so it was better if you just would get up and join the commotion. Being there for two weeks was a very nice experience, so I guess this is added for free. If you get the chance to visit a foreign country and experience the culture… do so; you will enjoy the moment.

What I am seeking to say here is that what we do and citizens of the United States of America is NORMAL to us, what people do in other parts of the world is NORMAL to them. Cross culturing is not NORMAL for any nation under the sun. in fact; cross culturing is a condition that crumbles the identity of any nation, we need only to look at our own history to see this and just as other FREEDOM loving countries too; AUSTRALIA for example. Freedom is not FREE.

Freedom is not a hand out from the government, freedom is earned by hard working PEOPLE. Freedom is not being able to express your sin in public and expect it to be accepted by everyone as NORMAL; freedom knows that there are SOLID LAWS that prevent SIN as one might prevent a SICKNESS epidemic. Freedom is not IGNORANCE of God, FREEDOM KNOWS GOD and God KNOWS those who are HIS. John 10:25-30

What else can be said? As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for God, for the Living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my continual food day and night, while they continually say; where is you God? These words are the beginning of Psalm 42 and the Psalms ends like this; why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted (upset) within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help (salvation) of my countenance and my God.

You might want to read the whole Psalm; I do recommend that you do! The soul within all of us longs for God; if your soul does not talk with God, in fact; if you soul is ignorant of God’s love, comfort and peace then you are like the rest of the world. Scared and miserable, sad and lonely, sinful and critical, the writer of Psalm 42 is not king David, but are the sons of Korah. These men understood the results associated with ignoring God and after contemplating His Character wrote about their souls need for resting in Christ.

Thought for the Day - 105 - Humilty

Thought for the Day – 104 – Humility

 

Proverbs 6:1-35 – There is a progressive path of life that many seem to follow and it goes like this. Listening to dangerous promises; 6:1-5. The trend of being lazy or having a welfare mentality; 6:6-11. The wicked or immoral conduct of society; 6:12-19. All of this sounds to me like a decadent or failing NATION.

 

Comments and challenges

I sometimes forget that I am not to be critical over problems that are not solvable by secular solutions; I think you know the problems as well as I do so there will be no dressing down or itemizing. It is easy to forget to humble ourselves before Almighty God and seek His Wisdom. (PRAYER) Humility will cure worldliness, just notice what the apostle James has to say about a humble spirit before our God.

James 4:6 – I will look at the first five verses in a moment but verse six says: “But He gives more grace; therefore He says referring (I believe to Solomon in Proverbs 3:34 that God scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble). This is something we as believers in Jesus can faithfully do and the question is; are we doing this?

Are we submitting to God? Are we resisting the devil? Is God drawing near and is the devil fleeing? Often we plead these verses of scripture to resist our personal temptations and sin, “okay” nothing wrong with that; we should seek the nearness of God at all times, but now for the purpose of this little message back by the apostle, we should take a look at James 4:1. Where do wars and fights come from among you?

Do these not come from our desires for pleasure that war in our members and explode through our mouth? Is not our desire in life tainted by a government flavored media that leads us to gripe about the nonsense of social and political ruin? (Should we not be praying instead?)

We have become a pleasure seeking society and we seek more pleasure by murder, by coveting and by refusing to ask God rightly in matters that are worthy for Him to respond too. Our ways are not His ways; neither are our thoughts, His thoughts, ever heard that statement before. Isaiah 55:8-9 puts the words of the LORD correctly in focus.

We need to do as the apostle says, scripture is not vain, but humanity is; the Spirit who dwells in BELIEVERS yearns with jealousy because we seek to answer our national and political problems with the power of the secular TONGUE, the secular DOLLAR and the secular DUMBING DOWN that is produced by a liberal media. Yes, the Holy Spirit of God is jealous. He sits on the sidelines waiting for us to stop the COMPLAINT of our sinful mouth and to start the CLEANSING of our heart.

We need to draw near to God, to cleanse our hands, to purify our hearts and to STOP being double minded. What? I am not double minded, oh but dear brother or sister you are. If and I do speak kindly to God about my personal issues, but speak aggressively to my neighbor, friend or brother in Christ about our nation’s political antics or other national problems I PRESENT A DOUBLEMINDED character to the Holy Spirit of God.

If God the Holy Spirit were your friend (as He should be) would your friend be happy or sad that you did not confer with Him first over the matters at hand? Yes double mindedness in our walk is not a work of FAITH, but it is a work that James reveals as DEAD and unstable, and why should anyone with an unstable character think that they should receive anything from the Hand of God. James 2:26; but the fuller picture is the whole epistle.

http://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/

Hebrews 9:27-28 - and as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many to those who eagerly wait for  Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
jess.abel01@aol.com

The Devotional - 104 - Golf Balls

Thought for the Day – 104 – Golf Balls?

 

Proverbs 5:1-23 – All pathways of life without the knowledge of God are a choice of ignorance; all ignorance leads to a system of dead end streets. There is only one Creator, His name is Jesus; His path is justice, peace and love. It is the path of a shining Light that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. Proverbs 4:10-19; the way of the ignorant is wickedness and darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

 

Comments and challenges

The faith of young people in their parents is a most precious attribute, it is fragile but it is durable as well. I reckon this faith to be much like a golf ball. Hold a fresh new golf ball just above your head and drop it on a solid flat surface, it will bounce back to the height of just under your chin. After knocking it around the golf course for eighteen holes, it should still bounce from that flat surface to just under your chin. The abuse of hitting the ball and sending it sometimes out of sight means little to your faithful golf ball.

Toss the ball in your bag and forget about it for a year; you know the season is over and next season you open a brand new package of balls that came to you at Christmas and as you come to the water hole you rummage around in your bag for a water ball you find the one you used last year. A little beat up now; but it looks okay for this shot over the water. You hit it and you hear the results; splash! You missed your landing zone by a yard are two. Six months of ignoring your ball of last year causes it to lose ten yards of distance. Leave it alone for two years and you lose twenty yards.

I wonder if we get the picture I am seeking to paint. You can relationally knock a child around for many years and his or her faith will be as solid as a rock. Ignore that child for a year, two years or ten to fifteen as we do today and the faith in that child in you the parent will fail. Faith is the only tool that leads to obedience, or to be blunt: with no faith, no obedience will not be found. In chapter 6 of Ephesians the apostle Paul speaks to children and says; “obey your parents in the LORD for this is right” if mom and dad are not present within the household and God is not present too, what or who is there for them to obey?

The golf ball is not much good without a golf club to make it go the distance needed and you may be saying. (Great now I can treat my child like a mean disciplinarian!) ABSOLUTELY NOT; back to the golf ball; if you are ignorant of the knowledge of how to play golf and if you have not trained yourself in hitting the ball correctly you will wrongly abuse ball and cause you to lose it. So to it is with children if you are ignorant of God who gave that child to you.

Notice Psalm 127:1 – Unless the LORD builds the house; they labor in VAIN who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Go ahead and READ this psalm and while at it; WEEP since our heritage is lost in the WILDERNESS because we have been IGNORANT of God over the last sixty to seventy years in our HOMES, in our TOWNS, in our CITIES and in our NATION. SHAME on US of the U.S. of A.

We need to fall down on our FACE and seek MERCY and FORGIVENESS and maybe God will deliver us from our crumbling and pitiful national estate. Our political leaders today are the abused children raised by unprincipled fathers and mothers over the past decades as mentioned above. Therefore we should not expect them to perform in conservative lawmaking creating good national economy, good national morality and good national prosperity.

And have you noticed; that is if we read the Holy Bible? In Romans 13:1-14 the apostle Paul does not suggest that we submit to government authority, he under the power of God the Holy Spirit commands that we submit. In addition in verses 8 through 10 he adds that we are to love one another; we are not to commit adultery, murder, stealing, lying or coveting sins, these sins are the result of being ignorant of God.

So this command goes beyond the believing in God community. It is a command to you and I who believe in Christ and live in the community of abused children. We are not to mingle within the realm of their sin; we are to put on the LORD Jesus Christ and make no provision to live for the gratification of the flesh and we are to point them to the target. And in using the right CLUB, aim them to the CROSS. That club Romans 13:11-14, praise God if you are already doing this and shame on you if you are NOT!                                 http://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/

The Devotional - 102 - Kingdoms, Con't

A Thought for the Day – 102 – Kingdoms, Con't 

 

Proverbs 2:1-22 – One of the growing concerns I have about religion is the number of people who follow false teachers. We should ALL be careful; after all the choice of one’s heart is a free will effort to be deceived or not to be deceived. Therefore the person who receives the Word and treasures God’s Commands will understand what the will of the LORD’s is. James 1:21-27

 

Comments and challenges

So yesterday we talked about the three kingdoms that mankind can experience in his or her lifetime and it is interesting to me as I gear up some thoughts this morning concerning those kingdoms. If one is a believer in Jesus Christ, they will experience all three kingdoms. One the kingdom of heaven at hand, or more plainly the true church of Jesus Christ on earth; two: the Kingdom of God in eternity and three the kingdom of darkness. Now for me and I hope for you that is very exciting. Also there was enough scripture yesterday to back that up; but here is more, so comfort your self with this. Revelation 11:15-19 and Revelation 20:11-15.

However, the kingdom belonging to Satan, the one and only kingdom that is defined as the power of darkness will be the one kingdom that has nowhere but everlasting darkness to go. These will experience greater deception and greater darkness; those who trust in self, religion or dead works that satisfy the flesh. This kingdom will be tossed as it were into “outer darkness” because they did not repent of their deeds. Deed is another word that God uses for works or the efforts of humans who do not believe the gospel of God. John 3:16; Acts 16:30-31 and Romans 10:9-10. Or the opposite; Revelation 16:10-11 additional darkness in time and Jude 1:13.

I don’t know about you but this is very exciting, I just cannot help myself; this is like being a little tyke looking up at the kitchen table and seeing the candy bowl within reach and then, as my fingers grab the bowl and I look inside I see my favorite peanut butter cups all unwrapped and ready to be tossed into my mouth. Then to boot I hear my dad say; “Son have as much as you want” as this will be sweet and rewarding to your taste. Revelation 1:1-3 and yet there is a warning from scripture too. Note: Revelation 10:8-11 since there are many peoples, nations, tongues and kingdoms still waiting to hear the good news. Hmmm? This is after the rapture of the church.

Additionally and primarily I have been focused on the eternal aspects of God in that God does not live in ‘time’ He lives in eternity. Eternity is a real place where time does not exist. God will make toast out of unbelieving people who do not believe that He; God Created the heavens and the earth by the Word (Jesus) John 1:1-4 for mankind to live in time; for Him this is completed action on His part before He created the heavens and the earth. Isaiah 46:8-13.

We like to measure everything simply because we live a space or compartment of energy that is limited to time, you know like that toaster you may watch every morning. You drop in the bread or a muffin, that’s energy and you push down the lever to start the toasting process; that’s energy, the electricity does its job while you tap your fingers on the counter, that too is energy and the process continues until the toast or muffin is eaten and eliminated as waste. All mankind does is energy related and in time all gone; get the picture?

All of this and everything mankind does takes “time” but for God it is already “done”. Why else would the apostle Peter make this wonderful statement about this Promise of God? 1 Peter 3:1-9, It is God alone who is patiently waiting for all to be saved, for Him time means nothing and the apostle Peter plainly says that if God were attempting to measure time in eternity it would be something like less than two days ago that Jesus offered Himself to God the Father as the LAMB of God to take away the SIN of the world.

I have to take my hand out of the candy dish for now, but there is more candy so go ahead; help your-self to your favorite Psalm, Proverbs, Epistle or Book. God is patiently waiting in eternity to talk to you. He does not want to talk to you about “time” you already know enough about that subject and the darkness that prevails in time. He wants to talk to you about eternity and His love for you, don’t be shy, come boldly to Him and He will draw near to you!

The Devotional - 102 - Kingdoms

A Thought for the Day – 102 – Kingdoms

 

Proverbs 31:1-9 – Growing up I always thought an enigma was something to avoid even baffling or perplexing. I was not far wrong. An enigma should be avoided if the words are not seasoned with salt. The words of a saint of God should produce Truth and Light. So let your enigma shine among mankind (use salt), that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

 

Comments and challenges

Since spending most of my active life in the United States of America’s Navy I understand that there are two types of SALT. One such salt is the enigma of “sailors” all over the world and the other is the SALT of the saints of God all over the world. As such; these two languages are “worlds” apart. In this thought most of us do not look at eternity as another world where things happen and many people of various religions do not express any belief in heaven, eternity or life after death.

I do not plan to go into the various beliefs of any people groups although I could, but I plan to reveal through the Holy Spirit that there is a place called ETERNITY by humankind and called the Kingdom of God, by God Himself. There is also another realm of existence called the kingdom of heaven and in these two kingdoms I will use the time to write about these realms as I seek to stabilize our thoughts today and tomorrow depending on the space of time and content.

The Kingdom of God is real; let me show you from scripture in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. First the Old in Isaiah 6:1; Isaiah says that he saw the LORD sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. This is just the first verse in the chapter but the whole chapter reveals the realm of the Kingdom of God; even explaining in detail the things that go on in that Kingdom.

Now looking into the New Testament; Jesus makes a statement in Matthew 19 that provides His focus is on Israel and He speaks of The Kingdom of God and the twelve thrones for the elders Israel to sit on judging the twelve tribes of Israel: note Matthew 19:28. When Israel rejected their Messiah (Matthew 23:37-39) JESUS; not Mohammad, Buda, a spirit being or some other non-existing or dead person of the past; but JESUS who is alive in His Glorified body this very moment allows the apostle John to see that there are twelve MORE thrones; twelve for each of the Elders of the tribes of Israel and twelve for the kingdom of heaven, the CHURCH.

In the regeneration, or after the church age, we need to see from the Book of Revelation that there are now twenty-four thrones in the Kingdom of God, Revelation 4:4, now I do not want to get bogged down in a lot of detail which is very easy for me to do, I have already deleted a lot of worthy material here with scripture backup, but I need to move on. If you wish to dig deeper in this, just shoot me an email.

So basically I am saying that from God’s view, which is to be the “believers” view there is a place that God identifies as His abode and He calls it the KINGDOM OF GOD. There is also an entity that Jesus identifies as the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN which He says is at hand, nearby or present. In the gospels Jesus is the kingdom of heaven. After His crucifixion, resurrection and the Glorified Body ascension of Jesus Christ to the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven at hand remains as the universal church of Jesus Christ that He established just before He departed. Note: Acts 1:4-8.

Now is closing today; there is another kingdom at hand, one that has been around since the beginning of time that God calls the kingdom of darkness, or the power of darkness. It is the kingdom of “SIN and DEATH” it is controlled by Satan, it is a religious kingdom devoted to darkness, or the enigma of darkness. Ephesians 1:21 and 6:12, this power is obvious to the saints of God, it is also viewed by the saints of God as counterfeit, in other words this power resembles the light but it is a LIE or Satan’s largest deception. 2 Corinthians 11:5-15.

We will be digging deeper into these worlds, especially the Kingdom of God, if you are saved and I hope you are then it is this Kingdom where you and I will abide when we die or when the translation of the saints of God takes place, 1 Corinthians 15:52, this is when the kingdom of heaven is removed from earth and goes to the kingdom of God; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. So what happens to the kingdom of world or Satan, it is made even darker. See Jude 1:13 and Revelation 16:10-11