The Devotional – 1412 – A little stronger food

The Devotional – 1412 – A little stronger food

Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor (kindness) rather than silver of gold.

 

 Comments and challenges

Matthew 5:18 speaks bold about the integrity of the Living Word of God, many of us know a part of the verse by heart and for the surrounding context we hardly know anything at all. Of course this is to our shame in that if Jesus were present with you this moment in time you would be like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as Luke records; ‘And they said to one another’, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32 and the whole context of this conversation is also interesting to read.

Back to the Matthew passage: Matthew 5:13-20 - "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”.

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven”.

Individually and congregationally we as saints of God through the LAMB of God, have a responsibility to the words of Jesus Christ; these short conversations with the multitudes who were listening are for you and me as well. So I am wondering; “Should we not be listening to and absorbing His conversations also, or is merely reading the words and punching the timecard in the Word sufficient?” Many churches today fail to take to heart every jot and tittle of the Living Word of God. THIS IS TO OUR SHAME!

1 Corinthians 1:23-25 – but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For me as I understand what the apostle Paul is saying here, I see that if God has any foolishness or weakness; we as a people saved or unsaved would never KNOW IT! Why? Because of the context: the finite wisdom of mankind is not sufficient.

Now this alone is enough to keep mankind or the world of man to know the things of God, but there is another wisdom residing in Creation which is the wisdom that God ordained for His angels. Since some of these angels are fallen creatures they use this wisdom to corrupt the wisdom of God from our viewpoint and corrupt our wisdom within our viewpoint in other words (darkness to the Light) to know anything pertaining to life and godliness. Angelic wisdom is limited though because like man’s wisdom, angelic wisdom is not OMNISCINENT nor OMNIPRESENT.

The LORD JESUS CHRIST is the POWER and THE WISDOM of GOD. Note 1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message or literally the WORD of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. “For I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent”. The cross has a message or a WORD to the wisdoms of the world and those who trash the CROSS and that word is a picture of VICTORY to those who believe and DESTRUCTION to those who do not believe.

Once again I will be cutting short on completing this devotional, but I believe that it is important that we understand that the condition of the churches today, especially in the United States of America are much like the churches in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 3:1-6 (the dead church) and the church in verses 14-22 (the lukewarm church) of the same chapter. How serious is this? IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, the birth rate of children in families of its citizens has never been so low and you know as I do. This is a rejection of mankind to the wisdom and knowledge of God. A nation that has no young people will eventually be no nation at all… pardon me… not eventually; but in your lifetime.