How's Your Devotional Life?

So, last night, as I am driving and talking to the Lord, I say, "Lord, I wish I had a closer relationship with my kids. But they just won't cooperate."

Deafening, roaring silence from up above.I can almost see Him smile at me and can almost hear Him say in His still small voice, "Think about it, my child."

"Okay, Lord, I get the picture!"

Mary, did you know? Mary, Queen of Scots – Daughter of the King of Scotland. She knew Romanism. She knew treachery. She had her husband murdered and then married the assassin. She was beheaded for an attempted assassination of Elizabeth, Queen of England. She knew no peace. Mary, Bloody Mary, Queen of England – Daughter of Henry the VIII. She Romanized the nation of England, burning hundreds of believers at the stake. She knew no peace. Mary, Mother of Jesus – Mother of the King of Kings. She knew the One Whom she would call her Saviour (Luke 1:47) On earth peace, goodwill to men!

Mary, Did You Know? Mary, Queen of Scots – Daughter of the King of Scotland. She knew Romanism. She knew treachery. She had her husband murdered and then married the assassin. She was beheaded for an attempted assassination of Elizabeth, Queen of England. She knew no peace. Mary, Bloody Mary, Queen of England – Daughter of Henry the VIII. She Romanized the nation of England, burning hundreds of believers at the stake. She knew no peace. Mary, Mother of Jesus – Mother of the King of Kings. She knew the One Whom she would call her Saviour (Luke 1:47) On earth peace, goodwill to men!

To whom do I owe thanks for their great sacrifice?

Jesus

Pilgrims

Founding Fathers

Martyrs

Immigrants

Parents and Grandparents

Military

Police

Firefighters

Mark of the Beast or of the Best?

Tribulation is Coming

Sadly, we have all been so conditioned, so lulled to sleep by a sense of security that we are completely complacent. People do not have the intestinal fortitude nor the spiritual strength to withstand the rigors of tribulation. 

There will be a great separation of the possessors from the professors. We need a real, heaven sent, Holy Ghost revival, or we (many of us) are sunk. Ah, but those who find the Lord their Rock and Refuge will stand in His strength. I trust I am prepared, but I know that I must dig deeper in His Word, hold tighter to His promises, depend greater on His Spirit and work harder in His vineyard. 

I fear for those I know who are asleep. To them, church is ho-hum, character is at a low ebb, their lives are filled with idolatry and they crave the love and approval of the world. Yes, pandemonium is coming. Prepare your hearts. Lean on Him for understanding, strength, grace and mercy. All else will crumble like a dried potsherd under the weight of a heavy stone.

Weeping

Judges 2:5  And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

The Israelites received a dire warning from the Lord that, because of their disobedience, troublesome days were ahead.

1. Joshua was dead. They lacked a great leader.

2. They failed to drive out the wicked inhabitants from the Land.

3. They failed to destroy their pagan altars.

From now on, they would be troubled by the Canaanites and their idolatry would be a constant plague to them. So now, they call this place of reckoning Bochim, a place of weeping.

I think of the believer who refuses to do as the Lord commands concerning evil influences in his life. Rather than reject the devilish, he embraces it. Old habits die hard, they say. Sure, especially when they are not excluded.

And, as sure as winter follows autumn, troubles ensue the one who keeps one foot in the world while claiming to follow the Lord.

Give your idols up! Drive out the evil from your land of inheritance. Put yourself in a place of blessing from the Lord. In that place, you will find joy and weeping will vanish.

Kneel at the cross,
Give your idols up,
Look unto realms above;
Turn not away
To life's sparkling cup;
Trust only in His love.

Kneel at the cross,
Leave ev'ry care
Kneel at the cross,
Jesus will meet you there.

No God Like Ours!

Micah 7:18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20  Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

What kind of God is this that saves, secures and sets us apart for His own?

I. A God Who pardons iniquity - Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity

II. A God Who passes by transgressions - and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?

III. A God Who pauses in His anger - he retaineth not his anger for ever

IV. A God Who pleases to show mercy and compassion - because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us;

V. A God Who pitches our sins into the depths of the sea - he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

VI. A God Who performs truth - Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob

Can your gods of cash, career, carousing and celebration bless you like the God of Heaven desires?

The Day of the Lord - Light or Darkness

Amos 5:18  Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. 19  As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20  Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Many nominal Christians are spouting off about the coming of the Lord as if His coming will be the answer to all of their problems. But what we all need to realize is that, for those not truly born again, the day of the Lord portends judgment unlike any this world has ever seen. For believers, the coming of the Lord is followed by the judgment seat of Christ, in which we will stand before the Lord and give account for all of our works to determine which is wood, hay and stubble or gold, silver and precious stones.

Slothful, disobedient Christians will find little joy in this day of judgment because it is a time of reward for faithfulness. A Christian walk contrary to God's express will for a life will result in a less than joyful accounting on that day.

The prophet gave a sort of, out of the frying pan, into the fire scenario for those hoping for a better day but not investing in that future now.

He likened present disobedience and future disposition to a man being delivered from the mouth of a lion into the waiting claws of a bear or finding refuge from the elements in a house, only to have a serpent emerge from a hole in the wall to strike him.

Many feel they are now in darkness, but there is light awaiting when the Lord comes. But the reality of it all is that there is a day of reckoning coming. It offers darkness to the faux believer and a serious accounting for the true believer.

It will benefit us all to get right with God and serve Him wholeheartedly so that the day of the Lord will mean a truly better day.

Fist Bumps, Hand Shakes, Salutes and Hugs!

Acts 20:1  And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.

Acts 20:37  And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, 38  Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.

Churches! Filled with all kinds of people, gabby talkers, hesitating hermits, emotional huggers, fist-bumping jocks.

Have you ever tried to throw a bro hug on a dude and he is not in the least bit interested in sharing tender moments of close fellowship? AWKWARD!

Here is Paul, the guy with the weak physical constitution and rock hard spirit. Not a real softy, by any means. He wraps the believers in his arms and plants a holy kiss on the cheeks of the brethren. I am sure many of them would have settled for a holy Aloha, but they got a full-bodied embrace.

Thing is, he knew that his life was in constant peril and that seeing any of these folks again on this side of glory was unlikely. So he made his farewells memorable.

Gets me to thinking, as I am about to head out of town on a ministry excursion, how many good words were left unsaid? How many hugs were relegated to a hand shake, fist bump or salute?

I may never get to wrap my little girl in my arms again. (Lord knows that when I dropped her off at middle school this morning, the last thing she wanted was a public display of affection from her old man!) That little peck with the wife was pretty lame if it ends up being the last one due to unforeseen circumstances.

So, if you think an appropriate hug is the thing to do, take Paul's example and show people what they mean to you.

Barnabas - A Favorite of Mine!

Acts 11:22  Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. 23  Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. 24  For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. 25  Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:

I love Barnabas! You know, the believers changed his name, don't you? His given name was Joses. But this special servant of God was so big-hearted, such a wonderful encouragement to others, that they started calling him Barnabas, Son of Consolation.

That is huge!!!

This was a man who was full of the Holy Ghost, and it was evident! There was no guessing about if there was any fruit when it came to this brother.

He also was a man who could recognize the grace of God when he witnessed it. When he made it to Antioch, the church where the apostles held membership, he saw the evidence of God's great grace and was thrilled about it.

He stands out as an exhorter also. When he met with the Christians, called such first at Antioch, he began to encourage them in their work and faith. He spurred them to cling to God.

He was a good man, and full of faith. This godly man was like a magnet. During his ministry in Antioch, numerous souls were saved.

He was the epitome of what an evangelist was supposed to be: soul-winning, church-planting and saint-encouraging.

Any God loving soul would love this good and godly man. We should all strive to be more like him.

May God give us more brothers and sisters after the similitude of Barnabas!