June 2025 Devotions

Dear Reader,

These devotional thoughts were presented six years ago.  They are comments on random passages of Scripture that will bless and challenge us again.  God’s Word is fresh everyday, and my prayer is that His Word will continue to “freshen” our walk with Him.

Preacher Steve

June 1:  Scripture Reading:  Nehemiah 9

“So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.”

Many can remember in the 70’s when “Watergate” was in all the news.  It literally spelled disaster for Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States of America, resulting in him resigning from his office prematurely in 1974.  He was the only President of our nation ever to do so.  Those who can remember that can probably also remember preachers preaching on the great revival at the “water gate.”  Of course, that was not the same as Nixon’s “Watergate.”  This was the water gate in the wall of the city of Jerusalem, the gate which led from the Temple to the brook Kidron.  It was here that Ezra read the Word of God in the hearing of the people, and the result was a great turning to God in repentance. 

In this great revival of repentance, certain men who are named in this chapter began rehearsing many of the mighty works God had wrought among His people, Israel.  Among those mentioned, there is reference to God’s dealings with Pharaoh of Egypt.  When the Lord was dealing with Pharaoh, who had treated the Children of Israel bitterly, He repeatedly hardened the wicked king’s heart, so that He might continue to  manifest His glory through that earthly ruler.  He said to Pharaoh, “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16)  In the Abrahamic Covenant, Genesis 12:1-3, God had promised blessings on those that blessed Israel, and curses on those that cursed Israel.  Pharaoh had cursed Israel with cruel bondage, and had thus reaped to himself the negative part of the covenant God had made with Israel through Abraham.

In His dealings with Pharaoh, the Lord God had sent a message to all around the world of His faithfulness to His promises, His faithfulness to Israel and His faithfulness to His Word.  What can we take away from these truths?  Just as God has been faithful to His promises made to Israel, all the promises we have received through Christ are sure.  Just as He was, and is faithful to Israel, He has ever been, and will ever be, faithful to His Church.  And, of course, all of His Word testifies to His faithfulness to His Word, the Word of God.  This is so important to us in this day of wickedness and confusion.  There is not much certain in our day.  Everything changes, and is changing, but our Lord never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore.  Praise God for that security, child of God!

June 2:  Scripture Reading: Song of Solomon 5

“What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women?”

There have been many that have claimed to be the promised Messiah, to be saviors of mankind.  In the fifth century, a would be Messiah on the Island of Crete, calling himself Moses, persuaded a group of Jews to follow him back to the promised land.  He convinced them that a path would open up for them across the sea just as it had when the Children of Israel came out of Egypt.  On a given day, they followed him out to a high point above the sea and cast themselves in, where many drowned in the water below, or were killed on the rocks in their fall.  After that, “Moses” disappeared.  In the 1700’s, there was a man named Jacob Joseph Frank, who claimed to be the reincarnation of King David.  He did create a following known as “Frankism” that at one time claimed to have 500 thousand followers, a system that encouraged immorality and indecency.  Obviously, these were not “Messiahs” after all.

The question is asked in the Song of Solomon, “What is thy beloved more than another beloved?”  That is a fair question.  It’s one that might easily be asked of us, “What makes Jesus so special”  “There are many religious leaders that claim to have the answers to life’s questions.  Why should we listen to, or follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth?”

There have been many so called “religious” leaders, but there has only been one Jesus.  There has only been One whose birth, life and death were so minutely detailed in prophecy.  Throughout the Old Testament, there are specific and detailed prophesies given that were so designed to identify Him beyond question when He came.  There has only been One whose teachings were so filled with wisdom, love and grace.  His ministry while on earth was filled with power, healing, signs and wonders.  And, of course, there has only been One Who suffered and died for the sins of the world, and then proved beyond question that all of His claims were true by conquering death in glorious resurrection.  

What makes Jesus so special?  He is the Son of God, God Incarnate, the Savior of the world.  There are many religious leaders, but there is only One Who can grant forgiveness and pardon, and eternal life to all who will trust in Him.  Have you trusted in Him today?  “Whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

June 3:  Scripture Reading: Job 3

Job 19:25  For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth....

All have read of the trials and the patience of Job.  There are times Job’s words are depressing, almost hopeless as he answers his friends.  He called them “miserable comforters” because of the counsel they gave him in his suffering.  They were his friends, but they were not helpful.  

Of a truth, Job didn’t understand the things he was having to endure.  Throughout the book, he questioned his very existence, the sufferings he was experiencing and even God’s workings in his life.  Through all the suffering and the questions that it raised, Job maintained his integrity and his faith in God.  In 19:25, he expressed that faith when in essence he said, “There are many things I do not know, but I do know that my Redeemer lives, and at the latter day He will stand upon the earth.”  In the next verse, Job proclaimed that he would personally witness that in the very flesh he was suffering in.  Job believed in the Lord, and he believed in the glorious resurrection of all believers.  

What a blessed hope we have that have placed faith in Christ!  Is everything in our lives beautiful and painless?  No!  Will there be days of suffering and hurt?  Yes!  We are not exempt from the maladies that face all of the human family just because we have been born again.  In fact, our troubles may be more because of our faith in Christ.  We have an adversary that hates Him and His own.  Jesus said that the world would hate us because it hated Him.  However, unlike others in the world who know not the Lord, we have His hope, His comfort, His direction and His Blessed Holy Spirit.    

Because of sin and its effect on humanity, every son and daughter of Adam can expect to be called upon to endure times of suffering and difficulty.  All will endure times of sickness, and of course, all are facing death.  Beloved, our faith in Christ does not exempt us from the maladies facing all, but it does fill our hearts with hope.  Like Job, in our darkest days, we can look ahead at the reality that our Lord has promised us; a reality that will be free from anything hurtful or sorrowful.  What a blessed hope we have in Christ!  When your circumstances are less than desirable, like Job proclaim through faith, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth....”

June 4:  Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4

Eph 4:17  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Eph 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Eph 4:19  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

While listening to the news today, I was struck by the lack of reasoning and logic I was hearing being expressed by some people.  One was a state representative in Pennsylvania who was harassing an elderly Christian lady that was praying outside an abortion clinic.  The lady wasn’t causing problems, just praying, and this state representative was screaming at her and videoing himself as he accosted her.  When he put his video online, this representative was treated like some hero.  In many other scenarios, he would have been shamed for his treatment of this elderly lady, but because it was centered around the controversial subject of abortion, this rudeness was not only tolerated, but was treated as some heroic act.  

The nearer we come to the return of Jesus Christ, we are going to witness more and more examples of the intense animosity many of the unsaved have toward the Lord, His Word and His people.  We will see more examples of souls walking “in the vanity of their mind.”  The word “vanity” simply means, “devoid of truth.”  It speaks of one who is morally depraved.  These “depraved minds” have their “understanding darkened.”  This does not mean that they are illiterate or unlearned, but that the darkness of unbelief and sin has dulled their understanding.    There is a spiritual “ignorance” that clouds their thinking, and the “blindness of their heart,” effects their feelings, their capacity of being touched and moved, rendering them “past feeling.”  How could someone watch an elderly lady being viciously attacked and so harassed, especially by an elected official that should be a representative of all the people, without being enraged by his actions.   Beloved, thank God that He has delivered you from such mental and moral depravity, and that He has given you soundness of mind and heart.  Let’s pray that such sin-blinded souls might turn to Christ for His glorious salvation.  Amen!

June 5:  Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4

Eph  4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

One of the greatest blessings of the believer’s salvation is the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.  He indwells the believer after conversion, never to leave and never to forsake.  He comforts, directs, convicts, strengthens, enlightens, and gives assurance of salvation.  It would be impossible to live in victory as a follower of Jesus Christ without the Blessed Dove of Heaven.

In Ephesians 4:30, we are commanded not to grieve the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Notice the ways in which we can do so.  The first thing we are told is that “bitterness” is a grief to the Spirit.  The word speaks of an attitude in our hearts that is acrid, harsh, spiteful, and just generally nasty.  Bitterness can be caused by hurt that we have experienced, or by disappointment.  We can become bitter when we perceive that we have been wronged, or slighted.  It can also be caused by a disagreeable attitude, one that is forever critical.  Bitterness grieves the Holy Spirit.  

Wrath and anger grieve Him.  Are you always angry, upset about something?  Does it take much to fire you up in anger, and when you are filled with wrath and anger, does it make you feel good?  No!  It robs you of peace and joy.  The result of wrath and anger can be clamour, or crying out, saying things that ought not to be said.  This can also lead to evil speaking and malice, the desire to hurt or get even, to strike back or out in anger with the desire to inflict hurt.  

Can you see how that such attitudes and actions in a believer grieves the Holy Spirit?  Through the Lord we can overcome these natural tendencies.  And, when all is said and done, gaining the victory over these works of the flesh makes our lives more blessed, joyful and peaceful.  Let’s pray for His strength and guidance that we might not grieve Him, but please Him in all we do.  Amen!

June 6:  Scripture Reading: Psalms 15

Psa 15:1  A Psalm of David. LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?  

In the Epistle of 1 John, John encourages believers to “abide” in the Lord and in the things of the Lord.  In fact, the Greek word that was translated “abide” in his writing is found some 23 times; 23 times in 105 verses.  If repetition is a key to learning, it would seem that the Lord is trying to teach us an important lesson in our lives.  

That Greek word, “meno” means to remain, to stay, to dwell.  It carries the ideal of remaining steadfast, staying in a certain place and in a certain mindset.  What the Lord is stressing for believers is that they remain steadfast in the exercise of the their faith, remaining faithful in their walk with Him and in their reliance upon His strength and wisdom for life.  His will for us is that we stay in His Word, in His Church and in His service.  Oh, how important this is for us if we are to succeed as followers of Christ!  Inconsistency in the believer’s life is the enemy of victory and success, and a robber of the peace and joy that our Lord intended for us.  

How can we do that, how can we “abide?”  Part of it has to do with discipline in our lives.  Everyone knows about discipline.  Have you ever been on a diet?  If you have, you know what discipline is.  Apply that same kind of logic to your spiritual life.  The believer should ever be diligent in church attendance, in Bible reading and in prayer.  There must be a disciplined approach to every spiritual duty.  If it is not approached from that prospective, there will never be a consistent walk with Christ that leads to spiritual maturity.  

Lynn and I had a dog named Sam that we taught to sit and stay.  We did that in case there would be a time that he could be in danger of being hit by a car are something similar.  By “staying” Sam would remain in a given location until told to go, or to come.  I was working up above the house one day and a car came out the driveway.  I gave the command and Sam sat and stayed right where he was until the car passed.  Continuing on with my work for sometime, I looked down and he was still there waiting for me to tell him he could get up.  O, that we were so diligent in obeying our Master, and remaining faithful to those things He requires of us.  “Abide,” believer, in the things of God for His glory.

June 7:  Scripture Reading: Genesis 12

“...and there he builded an altar unto the Lord....”

God gave Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan, the land of Promise.  When He appeared to the patriarch while still in Ur, He gave Abraham what we call the “Abrahamic Covenant.”  It had to do with the land, with God’s blessings upon Abraham and Israel, and God’s protection of His covenant people.  From Ur, Abraham traveled to Canaan, and dwelt in that land for the rest of his life as a sojourner.  What I mean by that is that he never purchased land, except that he purchased as a burying place for his dead.  He never built a home, never settled permanently in one place.  His nomadic nature is seen in the phrase we often read about Abraham, when it is said that he pitched his tent.  In our verse today, however, we read that Abraham “builded and altar unto the Lord.”  He “pitched his tent,” but he “builded an altar unto the Lord.”  

That simple fact implies that Abraham majored on what was really important in his life.  Home is important, but is not at all when compared to our relationship with the Lord.  Abraham had the right mindset, he put the greatest emphasis in his life on the Lord and his walk with Him.  Everything else would be after that.  In Chapter 18, verse 19, we read, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”  What a great compliment from the Lord!  

Abraham was not a perfect man, but he did love the Lord and walk with Him.  Part of that walk was the consistent exercise of his faith.  His building of altars throughout his life were indicative of his deep love for God, his belief in His promises and perhaps even to leave lasting testimony for his descendants after him.  There were no mighty cities attributed to him, no great edifices of any kind.  There were altars, however, scattered throughout the region; places that he had built for the worship of the One he loved and served.

Have you been building any altars lately?  O, not literally, but how about symbolically?  Have you been placing the right emphasis in your life, or have you been emphasizing things that aren’t going to last.  Let’s build those things in our lives that draw us closer to the Lord, things that leave a testimony for those after us of true dedication to God.  Let’s major on the things that really count!

June 8:  Scripture Reading: Philippians 3

“...God shall reveal even this unto you.”

In Philippians 3:15, Paul encouraged the spiritually mature Philippian believers to be “minded,” or to give mental consideration toward the challenge he had given them in the previous verse.  In verse 14, he had said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  He challenged them to have that same mindset.  The follower of Christ has received a “high calling,” a calling to be a true Christian, a living example of the redemptive work of Christ.  “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (spiritually mature) be thus minded (have this same mindset): and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.”  In other words, as we are seeking in our lives to please our Lord, He will guide us.  He will direct us in every area of our lives that we might achieve that “high calling” we have received as His followers.  

Believer, our Lord will reveal His will to us.  He will direct us, correct our errors and lead us in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.  Our duty is to be sensitive to His leadings, to the revelations that He gives as He directs our lives, and then to be obedient to what He has revealed to us.  What a blessed thought; that God is so concerned for us individually that He will reveal His will to us, and give us direction where needed.  

In what ways does the Lord “reveal” His will?  He does so through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  As Jesus told His disciples, “He will guide you into all truth....” (John 16:13)  The Spirit of God will take His Word and give personal direction, correct any wrong attitude or actions we might have and show us, or reveal to us, His will.  This will comes at times when we are doing our personal devotions, reading the Word of God and meditating on what we are reading.  He will take that which we are reading, and make personal application to us.  In this way, He is revealing His will.  At other times, He will speak to us through a message preached from a man of God, or through a spiritual song.  It’s as though the Lord is saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)  

The Lord has a perfect will for your life.  He is concerned for you and for what is best for you.  He has infinite wisdom, and is capable of seeing all things past, present and future.  What a blessing that He is so concerned for you that He will give you personal direction!  Let’s be sensitive to Him as He leads us!

June 9:  Scripture Reading: Revelation 22

“And they shall see His face....”

Today we walk by faith, and not by sight.  I have been saved for a long time, but I have never seen the Lord.  O, I have seen His handiwork.  I have seen the workings of His unseen hand, but I have never looked upon Him.  There is coming a day, however, when faith will be blessed with sight, and we will see all those things that we have read about in Scripture.  We will see the pure river of the water of life.  Our eyes will behold the tree of life, with its healing leaves.  Yes, we will behold all of those things that our Lord is preparing for us, but the greatest blessing will be looking upon Him; “And they shall see his face....”

When I was about 15, I wrote a song about seeing the Lord when we get to heaven.  I remember the first time I was going to sing it in church, I stood before the congregation with guitar in hand, the words on the podium in front of me, but I forgot the tune.  As I look back upon it now, I realize that it wasn’t a very well written song, but the message was right.  We read of many wonderful things that are going to make heaven such a wonderful place.  One of the blessed things about heaven will be the fact that there will be no more sickness, pain or dying.  There will be no more debilitating diseases to make life unbearable.  But the truly wonderful thing about heaven is the fact that we will be able to see the One that loved us and gave Himself for us.  We shall see His face!

No one living can be sure what He looks like.  I feel certain that some of the depictions we see of Jesus today are not even close.  Of this we can be sure, when we see Him, we will be looking in the kindest, most loving face we will have ever seen.  That face will speak acceptance, forgiveness and pardon.  It will welcome us home to the place that He has prepared.  

Much can be known from the expression on a face.  It can speak anger, or frustration, or disappointment.  The look on a face can announce excitement, joy or anticipation.  When we look upon His face, His look will not speak to us a negative thought, but will fill our hearts with assurance and joy.  Writing to the Church of Corinth, Paul said, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)  When we look upon His face, we will be behold the very glory of God.  What a blessed thought!

June 10:  Scripture Reading: Luke 5

“...nevertheless, at thy word....”

This should ever be the motto of the child of God, “nevertheless, at thy word....”  When God created humanity, He made us with a brain capable of thought; an organ that was designed to question, to figure things out and to analyze.  When the Lord commanded Peter to launch out into the deep and to cast his net into the water, Peter’s brain told him that he had already tried that, all night, in fact.  Being a seasoned fisherman in those waters, he knew when efforts were fruitless it was best to pack things up and plan for another day.  He was tired, and the Man sitting in his boat was a carpenter, not a fisherman.  The night had been long, Peter and the fishermen with him were ready to head home for some rest.  After Jesus finished His message, He had one last request of Peter, “launch out into the deep and let down your net.”  It really wasn’t a request, but a command.  Peter disagreed at first, “Master, we have toiled all night, and have taken nothing.”  Then he added this all important qualifier, “...nevertheless, at thy word....”  The result was an amazing catch of fish, perhaps the greatest single catch that Peter and his crew had ever caught.  And, it came because Peter submitted to the command of Christ.

Admittedly, some of His commands seem difficult, even unreasonable.  Whether it be something that He has given us in His Word, or something that He has personally dealt with us about through the Holy Spirit, our initial reaction might me, “Master, this really won’t work,” or “Master, I am just not able to do that.”  Some of His commands just might not make sense to our little finite minds as we weigh the rhyme and reason of what He is requiring of us.  But, we do have limitations; our vision is not as His, and our wisdom certainly does not begin to compare with that of the Ancient of Days.  Peter had no way of knowing that there was a huge school of fish heading his way as he listened to Jesus speaking from his boat.  He had no way of knowing that his life was about to radically change from that day forward.  But Jesus did!  Jesus knew the fish were headed that way when he first stepped foot in Peter’s boat, and He knew that this fisherman would soon become a great fisher of men that would spend the rest of his life in the service of his Master.  So, when Jesus gave the order, Peter’s best answer was, “Nevertheless, at thy word....”  This must ever be our response to His commands.

June 11:  Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1

“...when he had by himself purged our sins....”

Sin is a dirty thing.  It defiles.  It mars everything it touches.  When it has run its course, when it has finished with its defilement, what is left is a dirty, putrid mess.  Across this planet, where the light of the gospel is not shining, or where it has been extinguished, the filth of sin is obvious.  A society may appear clean outwardly, but if sin reigns supreme, spiritual filth abounds.  

When a person is saved by placing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, a cleansing takes place.  As Paul mentioned in Hebrews, there is a “purging” of the soul of the believer.  The word means “to make clean.”  In Mark’s Gospel, a leper came to Jesus, falling down before Him and said, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”  Leprosy was considered an ultimate defilement, making one unclean in the strongest sense of the word.  The leper was too defiled to intermingle with others, even those within his own family.  He was considered ceremonially unclean, making it impossible for him to go to the Temple.  He couldn’t even allow himself to get close to others, but had to cry out, “Unclean, Unclean” if anyone approached him.  When Jesus saw the man, He was moved with compassion, doing the unthinkable; He reached out and touched the defiled.  As He touched him, He spoke gently to the hurting soul, “I will; be thou clean.”  Immediately, the man was cleansed of his leprosy.  

That incident is a vivid picture of what Jesus does for every soul that bows before Him in faith.  Regardless of the depth of their sin, or the filth that sin has caused in their lives, the sinner is cleansed from all the defilement of sin through faith in the Lord Jesus.  John said, “...the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.”  What a blessed truth!

When a lamb is being prepared for show, it is thoroughly bathed, usually with dishwashing detergent.  Before washing, the lamb’s wool, which is somewhat tacky with lanolin, is an off-white, dingy color.  Using dishwashing detergent cuts the lanolin oil from the wool, and what is left is a sparkling white coat.  Isaiah wrote, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)  That’s what Jesus does for sinner, He cleanses them from all sin.  Amen!    

June 12:  Scripture Reading: Psalms 139

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made....”

Aren’t computers amazing?  My first one was a used one I purchased to see if I could learn how to use it for study.  When something was entered into the computer, it almost sounded like tiny horses running inside the tower.  You could hear them running away inside, like they were bringing me the information I had requested, and in a minute it would turn up on the grainy screen.  When it finally came I would say, “Wow, that was fast!”  Computers today are incredible, but your brain can do something that the best computers cannot.  Your brain is constantly making new brain cells, and “pruning” old cells that aren’t being used.  I wish my aging laptop could do that!

In the time that it takes you to read one of the sentences in this devotion, your body will have lost and replaced 50,000 cells.  Your heart will beat approximately 100,000 times today, probably over 2.5 billion times in your life.  

Your stomach, which produces acid strong enough to dissolve zinc alloy, does not dissolve itself.  It replaces its lining every three days, and that lining is coated with a thick mucus that prevents the acid from eating itself.  Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

The list of amazing things about the human body goes on and on.  Some are of the opinion that these marvels just happened through an evolutionary process.  That is a ridiculous theory, one that has been devised with an effort to bypass the responsibility of dealing with the Creator.  The Psalmist said it right when he wrote, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

I am typing these thoughts on an iPad.   I don’t have a clue how this thing works.  My mind thinks the words, my fingers type out the letters, and the iPad tells me if I have misspelled or mistyped, and even corrects me automatically. (Which sometimes causes more problems that it is worth, especially when spelling 1611 King James words.)  

Man has truly accomplished some amazing things.  Wouldn’t it be ridiculous of me to claim that my iPad came into being without the assistance of some creative mind, some engineer or designer?  If I made such a claim you would think me out of my mind.  And, yet, some look at the marvels of the human form and attribute it to billions of years of random choice and selection.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that by Almighty God, the Creator.  Let’s praise Him today for His wisdom and power.  

June 13: Scripture Reading: Exodus 33

“...shew me thy glory....”

       Moses could have asked for many things; comfort, fame or fortune.  He certainly could have asked for some relief from the stress he most surely was experiencing.  He asked to see the glory of God; “shew me thy glory.”

       That really should ever be the heart felt request of every child of God, for God to shew us His glory.  We should ever cry out, “Father, let me glimpse Your glory today.  Allow me to see You glorified in all that I do.  Be glorified in my work today.  Let the unsaved see Your glory through my testimony, through my demonstrating before all the beauty of Your grace in a saved sinner.  Be glorified in Your church.  Let the unsaved be eternally influenced by that glory.”

       This was not a selfish request on Moses’ part.  God is pleased when we long to draw closer to Him, when we are desirous to see Him manifest in our lives, in our homes and in our church.  Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)  This manifesting of Himself to His own is a reward for faithfully obeying and serving Him, a reward that should be sought by every child of God.

In what ways will God show us His glory?  One way that He does is through communing with our hearts through the Person of the Holy Spirit.  As we are reading His Word, His Spirit speaks to us, revealing and explaining truth.  He also manifests His glory to us in blessing our prayer time, our time of communion with Him as we sense His presence.  Another way that we can experience God’s glory is when He manifests Himself in our church services and in the ministries we are involved with.  

O, how we ought to long for these manifestations of the glory of our God.  We should like Moses be praying, “...shew me thy glory.”  Incidentally, God granted Moses’ request, revealing His glory to the man of God, and in doing so it radically changed him.  So it does for us.  When God manifests Himself to us it changes us, it encourages and challenges, and it motivates us to a closer and more obedient walk with our Lord.  Let this be our prayer throughout this day, and all days to come, “O Savior, show my Your wonder glory.  Manifest Yourself in my life, and I will praise Your Holy Name forevermore.”

June 14: Scripture Reading: 1 John 4

“...God is Love.”

Our God is many things.  He is the Almighty Creator we read of in the early chapters of Genesis, Who simply spoke the Word and the universe came into existence.  He is the All-knowing One, the Ancient of Days Whose wisdom is beyond our comprehension.  He is the ever present One, Who is not limited by time, environment or any other of those limitations that we mortals are governed by.  He is God, and beside Him there is none other.  While it is true that the human vocabulary is insufficient in describing the many glories of our God, the one word that perhaps describes Him best is the one used by John when he wrote, “God is love.”  

“God is love.”  Why did God create?  Why did He create mankind, giving us the ability to know Him, to commune with Him and to experience Him?  Why did Jesus condescend to this earth, robing Himself in flesh?  Why did He go to Calvary to pay the sin debt for all?  Why did He send the Holy Spirit to deal with our hearts, drawing us to Himself?  Why did He give us His Word that describes for us the beauty of His Person, and the glories of His plan of eternal redemption?  Why?  Because “God is love.”

Because we know that “God is love,” we can have confidence that everything He is doing in our lives, or allowing to take place in our lives, is under His control.  We may not always understand Him or His workings in our lives, but we can understand the He loves us.  How much does He love us?  Enough to give Himself for us, and to us.  That’s how much God loves us!

Beloved, we should take great consolation in the fact that He loves us so, and we should ever be sharing that fact with all around us.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  God loves sinners, and so should we.  Our witness for Him will never be successful until it is motivated by His love and displayed in all we do and say.  If we are to walk like and talk like  brief, His love ought to be vividly demonstrated in us.  Let’s pray that it be so.  Amen!

June 15: Scripture Reading: Mark 3

“...whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”

  There are many things to consider when it comes to the will of God.  It was His will that you be saved, for He would have all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  It is His will that the saved live holy and pure lives, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour....”  It is His will that His own be witnesses for Him, telling others how they can be saved.  God wills for the saved to be faithful to His house, faithful in their attendance, their support and in their service.

According to our text, those nearest to Him are those who are concerned with the “will of God,” both knowing it and doing it.  What a challenge this is to us!  There are general things to consider that are the same for all the saved.  However, there are more specific things for each believer individually.  It is not His will that all be preachers or missionaries, but it is His will that all the saved, and that all the saved be holy.  Are you seeking His will?

  Paul encouraged the believers of Ephesus to have wisdom, understanding the the will of God.  This will require time spent in His Word, and time spent before His throne.  His will is not always easily determined, but is always worth the search, and the effort put forth in performing it.

  As you seek His face today, seek His will, and seek His wisdom and power as you endeavor to be in the will of God for your life.  Pray for your Church; that it will ever be filled with the understanding of His will, and the drive to see it fulfilled among His own.  Let’s seek to be His nearest and dearest kinsmen!

June 16: Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5

“...absent from the body...present with the Lord.”

We have all dealt with death our entire lives.  One of Lynn’s early memories is going to a funeral service with her Grandmother Bessie.  I also have an early memory of attending a wake in my grandfather’s house.  People do not have wakes like they used to.  There is a church in Cherokee where I used to preach revivals every year.  Several years ago, there was a death in the community, and the Indians still observe wakes.  We had a wake on Wednesday night of the revival, and the church was filled with people.  They remained after the service through the night.  Different cultures deal with death in various ways, observing customs that have been practiced by their people for generations.  How should followers of Jesus Christ view death?

Regardless of one’s faith, when death strikes in a family it is painful.  Paul acknowledged that believers “sorrow,” but “not as others which have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)  A dear brother in our church passed away recently and I observed this phenomenon of Christians dealing with the grief of death.  Was there sorrow?  Of course!  Was there grief?  Without question!  But there was also rejoicing.  I’m sure that would seem strange to those who have no faith, but this family knew where their husband, their father, grandfather - where their loved one had gone.   They knew that when he had ceased being present with them, the he was immediately present with the Lord.  He was ushered into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, never again to suffer the debilitating pain he had endured for some time.  

Paul compared our bodies to tabernacles, or tents.  These are only temporary dwellings, just like a tent is a temporary dwelling.  Some day our tents will be all worn out, and they will be folded up and placed in a grave.  When this happens to a believer, the instant that life is ended here, that believer is present with the Lord.  Jesus said, “I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:3)  If the Lord doesn’t come and rapture His Church out before our race is ended, we will experience the promise of going to be where He is.  That’s how we should view death as believers, it is just a change of location.  It is a leaving of this world, with its sorrows and pain, and going to be with the Lord Jesus, where no such things exist.  Death is sorrowful, but joyful for the believer.

June 17: Scripture Reading: Colossians 2

“That their hearts might be...knit together in love....”

That is an interesting thought.  Knitting is accomplished by interlocking loops of wool or other yarn, using knitting needles or on a machine.  In Colossians, we read of the interlocking of the hearts of followers of Christ, and that being accomplished by love.  Unity among believers has ever been the will of God, both in the Old and the New Testaments.  The Psalmist David wrote, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. (Psalms 133:1)  

While I’m typing these thoughts, I am sitting on my front porch watching our sheep.  They are all laid together in the sunshine against our barn.  If one of them were to get up and start out through the pasture, they all would follow.  They stay close together for the most part.  Now, they will butt each other, and act ill toward one another at times, but they stick close together.  That’s just their nature.

There was a reason why the Lord compared His people to sheep.  We are so dependent upon our Shepherd to lead us, and to feed us.  He is the Good, the Great and the Chief Shepherd of the sheep, and He cares for us at all times.  Like the sheep in our pasture, we have a tendency to butt one another at times, and that is displeasing to our Shepherd.  It is His will that our “hearts be knit together,” that there be unity among the flock.  We do so need each other.

I was watching the sheep the other day, and one of the ewes was trying to find a place to lay down.  She got a bit close to one of the others, and there ended up being a humorous confrontation.  There was some butting, pushing and shoving.  As I observed this sight, I thought that we of the Lord’s flock are like that at times.  Our close proximity sometimes stirs up little head butting confrontations.  These must be overcome, and they can be through love.  If we love each other the way we are told to in Scriptures, even when there are disagreements, these can be overcome and unity in God’s flock can continue.

We are in a hostile world.  Jesus warned us that the world would hate us as it hated Him.  O, how we need each other.  With that in mind, let’s seek to fulfill the Lord’s will for us in working toward unity and love in His flock.  Quit the head butting and love one another as commanded by our Lord.  Amen!

June 18: Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We are in such a hurry, aren’t we?  It seems that we are all the time.  We find ourselves constantly looking at our watches, thinking of the demands of the day and wondering if we are going to have the time to get all done that we’ve planned.  Scores of books have been written on the management of time.  We read that all successful people have developed this much needed skill of mastering time.  Well, I’m rambling and I know you need to hurry up and finish this reading, so I will continue on.

Our hurried lifestyle spills over into our relationship with the Lord.  We even get impatient with Him.  Our relationship with the Savior is not like a microwave meal that can be ready in 60 seconds.  We can’t multitask our fellowship with Him while balancing our checkbooks at the same time.  In our modern, technologically advanced day, we are so accustomed to quick fixes, lightning fast computers, automated banking and the web bringing the world to our fingertips, that we expect the Lord to cooperate with our impatience.  Quick food, heat and serve, just add water - these are just a few indicators of our day and the life that we are accustomed to, but these are not phrases found in the Bible.  They are certainly not prescriptions of how we are to approach God, or what we are to expect from Him.  I, too, am far too hurried most of the time, and I must remind myself that the Master of the Universe, the God that has all wisdom and power, is not working on my supposed time schedule.  He never gets in a hurry, never worries about what is around the next curve and never gets behind in His schedule.  A day with Him is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. (2 Peter 3:8)  The challenge for me is to learn to “wait upon the Lord.”  

I need to learn to wait upon His directions, His instructions for what is next.  It is essential that I wait upon His answers to my prayers, wait upon His comforts that I am constantly needing and wait upon Him to work out the particulars of every situation that I am confronted with in His service.  I must learn to wait upon Him in times of fellowship, giving Him time to speak to my heart.  This is definitely a need in my busy life, how about you?

June 19: Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 7

“...the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

Israel was special to God.  He had chosen them to present to the world His Word, and to provide for the world the Christ, the Savior.  Because He had so blessed them, it was His desire that they be a special people, a special nation unto Himself that would reflect His goodness and grace that He had bestowed upon them.  That is the reason in His law that there were certain restrictions concerning the practices of the heathen nations around them.   He wanted them to be recognized in the world as being different; not strange or weird, but separated from the sinfulness of the world unto Him.  

Christ’s Church is special.  His Church is His Bride, His body on the earth.  It was for His Church that He died on Calvary, “that He might sanctify and cleanse it (Ephesians 5:26)....”  Peter said, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light...” (1 Peter 2:9)  Just as God wanted Israel to be the special people that He had made them in the earth, He wants His Church to be the special people that they truly are in Him.  He wants each of us that make up His Church to be special for Him.

Lynn and I took a few days off recently and went camping.  Down below our campsite, there were some people camping that had old trucks they were obviously showing in an antique car show in town.  Wow, they were neat!  Of course, I like old trucks anyway, but these were really nice.  They were super clean  and super shined.  I’m not sure if these fellows had restored these trucks themselves, or if they had bought them already restored, but they were in mint condition.  It was obvious that these guys loved their trucks and were very proud of them.  They were special to them, perhaps a great investment, and they kept them looking special.

The Lord invested much in us as His Church; His own shed blood on Calvary.  From things written in Scripture, it is obvious that He is proud of His Bride, and loves her very much.  His Church is the most special thing to Him on earth, and He always wants her to be special for Him.  Let’s keep ourselves clean and presentable to the world, that they might see His great workmanship in us!

June 20: Scripture Reading: Matthew 7

“...it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”

In the 12th century, a tower was built in the city of Pisa as a bell tower for the cathedral of the city.  During the construction of the tower, it began leaning because of the softness of the ground on one side.  The tower, which is around 183 feet tall and weighing approximately 14,500 metric tons, still stands today.  By 1990, the tower was leaning at an angle of 5.5 degrees.  Work was done on the tower that reduced that to 3.87 degrees.  The foundation of the building was insufficient to support its great weight, especially due to the unstable subsoil beneath it.  It simply was not “founded upon a rock.”

What are you building your life upon?  Some build their lives upon things, upon wealth.  That is more unstable that the subsoil beneath the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  I saw on the news this week that the stock market plunged over 300 points in one day.  That means that multiplied millions of dollars just vanished.  Some people build their worlds on false hopes.  Others on fleeting pleasures.  None of these things provide a firm foundation for a life, and like the tower of Pisa, lives built on such weak subsoil will eventually lean and fall.  

“On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”  These words to the familiar hymn should ever be our motto, our song of both praise and determination.  Lives built on Christ will stand in the most difficult of situations and trials.  I read this week about a couple that have been married 82 years, both over 100 years of age.  Can you imagine all that they have been through in those 8 decades of marriage.  When asked how they made it, the answer was their faith in Christ.  They attributed their faith in Jesus and obedience to His Word as one of the factors that had enabled them to live together as husband and wife for so many years.  When asked if they thought this would help them to live longer, the dear lady said, “I hope so.”  

A life built on Christ and His Word is not guaranteed to last over 100 years, but it is guaranteed to stand when all others around it are crumbling under the pressures created by a sinful world.  Those grounded on the Rock are guaranteed to have peace and joy, stability and strength and the blessed hope of an eternity with the Lord Jesus.  The wise man built his house upon the Rock.  What are you building your house, your life upon?  Build it on Jesus!

June 21: Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 7

“...the treasures of the house of the Lord.”

Several years ago, Jacob preached out of the Book of Haggai on the reconstructed Temple during the days of Zerubbabel.  He pointed out how that there were still those there that could remember the glory and splendor of Solomon’s Temple, and how disappointed they were when they compared the two.  The Temple that Solomon built was a magnificent structure.  In our passage today, we read that Solomon brought into the Temple all of the things which David had dedicated for God’s house; silver and gold, and vessels that had been prepared.  These were “put among the treasures of the house of the Lord.”  It would probably be difficult to calculate the exact wealth represented in that Temple; overlaid with pure gold within, built of massive, intricately hewn stone, incredible carvings, all designed to bring glory to God and to facilitate His worship among the Children of Israel.  

There are some incredible edifices in the world today that are dedicated to the worship of the Lord Jesus.  We heard recently of the fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral in France, with an estimation of over one billion dollars to repair the structure.  Christian edifices around the world are filled with great treasures worth many billions of dollars, but I really don’t think that this is what Jesus had in mind when He spoke of building His Church.  Great edifices are impressive, but the real treasures of the House of God are redeemed sinners that have been washed in the Blood of the Redeemer and made His children through faith in His death, burial and resurrection.  A local church doesn’t have to have a majestic building with impressive works to be filled with treasures.  The treasures are the dear silver haired saints that have served God faithfully for years, or those precious children that have seen the need of a relationship with God through Christ; whose childlike faith have brought them eternal life, pardon and peace.  

If God would allow us to do so, I wouldn’t mind having a great, new facility here at Good News, standing upon this hill for all driving by to see how good God has been to us.  But really, our church is already filled with some of the greatest treasures.  As I am writing these words, some of the faces of those precious treasures are passing through my mind. I would rather have these treasures in the House of God than all of Solomon’s silver and gold.  Amen! 

June 22: Hababbuk 1

“...I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.”

Hababbuk was pouring out his complaint to God for the apparent silence of the Lord concerning the sin, spoiling and violence throughout the land.  The Lord’s answer to Hababbuk was simple; He was raising up the Chaldeans to be His instruments of judgment.  The sin that was grieving Hababbuk had grieved God also, and it would not go unpunished.  The Lord said, “I will work a work in your days....”

We should never interpret that apparent silence of the Lord as inactivity on His part, or that He does not see or care about what ever situation it is that perplexes us.  Just as He told Hababbuk, “I will work a work in your days,” He is surely working in our days to accomplish His great plan.  Iniquity, vileness and immorality has not gone unnoticed by our Lord, and it will not go unpunished.  His timing is always perfect, and His “work” is always just what is needed.

When I read these words of Hababbuk, I am reminded of what Peter said when he prophesied that “there shall come in the last days scoffers...saying, Where is the promise of his coming....”  You and I have lived to see those “last days” of which he spoke.  There are those today that scoff the teaching of the Second Coming of Christ, even among professed believers, but especially among the unsaved.  When I hear such things, it angers me and I marvel that the Lord is not dealing with such disrespectful unbelief harshly, but then I remember Peter’s other words concerning this; “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  He is going to do a work, perhaps in our very time or day, that will truly be an unbelievable, amazing work.  He’s going to come and take His waiting bride, the Church, out of this world.  When He does, then there will be a payday for the incredible wickedness we see around us every day.  

This will truly be an “unbelievable work,” but it is a work that we strongly believe in as followers of Jesus Christ.  Our Lord is in the business of accomplishing the unbelievable, just like He did when He reached down in mercy and saved your eternal soul.  Just keep believing in the unbelievable!  Amen!

June 23: Scripture Reading: Malachi 3

“...and the Lord, whom ye seek...even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in...behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.”

This message of Malachi was sent to Israel, and is speaking of a future day for God’s chosen people.  We believe in the Second Coming of Christ, though many scoff at that great promise and hope. (2 Peter 3:4) He is coming!  So many of the signs and indicators that the Lord mentioned in His Word concerning this great event have unfolded before our eyes over the past decades.  We must watch and wait, and busy ourselves in His service.  An old song we’ve sung many times says, “The Lord is coming.  Oh, hallelujah!  The Lord is coming.  It won’t be long.  The Lord is coming in the clouds of glory.  Lift your eyes, it won’t be long.”

Although this prophecy is primarily to and for Israel, let’s look at some of the blessed truths found therein that are applicable to us today.  He is the One “whom we seek.”  We seek His guidance, His wisdom and His favor in our lives.  He is the One we seek to come for us and to take us home, just as He promised.  He is coming for His saved ones!  Are you saved?  He is the “Messenger of the Covenant,” the fulfillment of all the covenant promises.  He is the “Messenger” of the New Covenant, the One Who makes possible that blessed promise of salvation through His shed blood and glorious resurrection.  He is the One in Whom we “delight.”  The Hebrew word means to have pleasure, or to be well pleased.  Remember reading in the Scripture when the voice of the Father was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.”?  Well, so are we - well pleased in Him, that is.  He has never disappointed or failed us.  He is so kind and faithful, true to His Word and to His own.  And then, He is the One that “shall come.”  It’s not maybe, or possibly, or hopefully that He shall come.  He “shall come.”  There is not question about it.  Jesus Christ is coming.  He will come for His Church and take her with Him back to heaven.  Then, seven years later, He will return in power and great glory to set up His kingdom on this earth.  

The days are wicked, and the time has been long.  Many doubt His coming.  Many mock this promise and those whose hope is in this promise.  That changes nothing.  Many doubted the promises and His first coming, and even doubted Him when He did come.  That didn’t stop Him from coming, and it won’t stop His Second Coming.  Keep looking up to the One in Whom we delight!

June 24: Scripture Reading: John 7

“...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

Most of the Jews of Judah rejected the Lord Jesus.  They not only rejected Him, they opposed Him and sought to alienate others from Him and His message.  They argued with Him and with anyone who considered following Him.  Of course, that opposition only worsened with time, until that same group of religious Jews were responsible for bringing Him before Pilate.  While this was all of God’s sovereign plan of redemption, these Christ deniers were, and will be held accountable for their rejection and opposition.  During the time of some of this opposition, Jesus stood and spoke allowed the words noted above, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.”

When Jesus was dealing with the woman at the well in John 4, He spoke similar words.  He told her that if she drank from the well there in Samaria, she would thirst again.  That is a given, isn’t it.  Thirst is our body’s way of telling us that we need hydration.  However, Jesus was speaking of physical thirst.  He was telling this woman that she had spiritual thirsts in her life that nothing in the world would satisfy; nothing, that is, but Him.  He told her that if she drank of the water that He would give, speaking of the Holy Spirit and His regenerating work, she would never thirst again.  On that last day of the feast, He was making this offer to any who would listen, any who longed for something that the world was simply not providing.  

He makes this same offer today, and it is an offer that is given to all.  “If any man....”  I take that to mean if any man, woman, boy or girl is thirsty for something more, for freedom from sin and its condemnation, for a relationship with the Almighty God that created all things, for peace that passes understanding, that person can come to Christ in faith and He will satisfy that longing in their heart.  He is a gracious God and Savior, Who longs to have a relationship with all who will come to Him in faith.  If you haven’t done that, friend, you can so today!  He stands and offers to you that same offer He made long ago in Jerusalem; “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

June 25: Scripture Reading: Acts 12

“...but prayer was made without ceasing....”

This chapter records one of those great victories enjoyed by the early church that came as a result of their unceasing prayer.  Peter was to be executed as James had been.  When the church learned this, they fell on their knees praying, and God wrought for them a miraculous deliverance as a result of their prayer.

O, how we need to learn this lesson and practice this blessed and privileged duty of prayer!  This was one duty and privilege that Jesus continually taught and encouraged, and one that is the secret of the early church’s success.  The neglect of prayer is also the secret of her failures; the secret of our failures.  Our Lord was a man of prayer.  How many times do we read of our Lord stealing away to some quiet place so that He might spend some time communing with the Father?  If our Lord needed to pray during the days of His earthly ministry, how much more do we?  If He found success in prayer, will we not also?

James wrote, “...ye have not, because ye ask not.” (James 4:2)  Is there something lacking in your life personally?  Is there something lacking in your church?  Are there things you would like to see happening that simply are not?  Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that we are just not seriously asking our Father in heaven for those blessings that we know are lacking in our lives and in our church.  

This is a real challenge to me.  Of all the duties and privileges that I have been afforded as a child of God, that one that is most easily neglected, yet most desperately needed is prayer.  Real praying is not easy.  It can be quite difficult.  As we have noted before, even the Lord Jesus had to make time for prayer, and seemed to have more difficulty in His times of prayer than at others.  It was in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that His sweat became as great drops of blood.  This, of course, was due to the intense pressure being placed upon Him as He was becoming the sin sacrifice, but it also speaks of the toil He was experiencing in that difficult season of prayer.  Let’s be prayer warriors!  Let’s see what really seeking God regularly and intensely in prayer can do.  Make time to pray, and pray without season.  Walk with God today, and speak to Him along the way.  Be specific.  Be consistent.  Be persistent, and see what praying as we are encouraged to in the Bible can do.  Amen!

June 26: Scripture Reading: Psalms 13

“I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”

This short Psalm of David was obviously written at a time when he was experiencing great difficulty.  He felt as if the Lord had forgotten him, even though the Lord never forgets His own.  The trial he was going through was causing him to question God’s provisions, His promises and His protection.  Have you ever gone through such times?  

Every child of God has had the feelings that David was having when he wrote these words.  Doubts are increased, and so are fears.  The heavens seem like brass, and our prayers seem to bounce back off of those brass shields and fall back around us.  When these times come, as with David, it seems like the Lord has forgotten us.  It is during these seasons that we must remind ourselves of the promises God has made to us in His Word.  In Isaiah 49:15 we read, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?  yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”  We have seen mothers “forget” their children, and it’s shocking because it is so unnatural, so abnormal.  God assures us, however, that even though some might forget their own children, He will never forget His.  He followed that promise with these words, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands....”  He literally did that when He laid His hands down on the Cross to be nailed there in our stead.  Throughout all eternity, He will see those graven hands and be reminded of the great love wherewith He loved us, and loves us still.

So, how did David deal with this time of confusion and doubt?  He faced it in faith.  During that time when circumstances tried his faith, through faith he lifted his voice in song to his Lord.  He worshipped in song, “I will sing unto the Lord....”  How do we know God hasn’t forgotten us?  Through faith in His Word?  How do we know He hears us when we pray, even when it doesn’t seem that He does?  Through faith in His Word?  But, what about when it simply feels that these promises aren’t being made real in our lives?  We still accept them by faith!  Remember, we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)  

Are you feeling like David did in this Psalm?  Then, follow David’s example.  Lift up your eyes, and your voice, and sing praises unto the Lord in worship.  Accept by faith His goodness, walk in that faith, and praise the Lord!

June 27: Scripture Reading:  Joshua 1

“...for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

     It was an exciting time as Israel neared the entering into the land given to their father Abraham, but it was a fearful time, too.  They knew that they would be facing walled cities, and armies that were much better equipped than they were.  There would also be people in that land who were of great stature, “giants” that would make them feel like “grasshoppers” in comparison.  Of course, there was also the unknown.  They were entering a land and a time that they had never known.  There were uncertainties, and that in itself was a frightful thing.  In our text today, the Lord was assuring them of how they could face these unknowns in confidence.  If they would concentrate on the revealed Word of God, making it their guide for all the decisions and actions of their lives, their way would be prosperous.  The Lord would be with them, and that would guarantee their success.

We also face uncertainties, sometimes more than others.  There are always unknowns that loom ahead, and it can be scary; just as scary as it was for the Children of Israel facing the land of promise.  Like the song says, “I don’t about tomorrow....”  None do know about tomorrow, except, of course, the One we serve.  He knows about all of our uncertain tomorrows, and He knows how best to face them.  That’s one reason it is so important that we know His Word and walk according to its principles.  This is our greatest responsibility that know Jesus Christ as Savior.  

The Lord was saying to Israel, “Don’t be concerned about what your facing in Canaan.  Just concentrate on serving Me, on knowing and obeying My Word.  If you do that, You will be guaranteed success.  I’ll handle all the walled cities, and iron chariots.  I’ll fight for you, and you can hold your peace.”  Beloved, that same message of assurance and challenge is given to us today.  I don’t have to know about tomorrow; about its challenges and disappointments.  I just have to walk with Jesus, and if I do that, He will lead me in the way that I should go.  Now, that is easier said than done, but it can be done!  The Lord will direct us, inform us, protect us and finish in us that great work that He began.  Let’s just trust and serve Him, and leave the rest to the One Who so cares for us.  Amen!

June 28: Scripture Reading: Romans 1

“I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.  So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.”

Years ago, when debts went unpaid, people were employed to go around and collect on those debts.  They were called “dunners.”  This is a word you don’t hear very often today.  Today, uncollected debts are turned over to collection agencies, and their agents make threatening calls to try to coax the delinquent into paying what they owe.  Many years ago there was a thing called “debtor’s prison,” and the delinquent were incarcerated until the debt was satisfied.  These prisons were locked workhouses; not a very pleasant place or situation to find yourself in.  I do imagine that helped encourage timely payments on debts owed.

We who have been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are indebted.  There was on our account a sin debt that we could not pay, but the Lord Jesus payed all of our debt when He died for us on the Cross.  Now, we are indebted to Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us.  How could we ever repay such a debt to our Lord?  We could never!  The Apostle Paul considered this debt to Christ as only payable by transferring that debt over to the unsaved.  He saw himself as indebted to the unsaved through the debt He owed to Christ.  Because of that debt, Paul declared, “I am ready to preach the gospel....”

How are you on paying your debts?  Your house payment?  Your car payment?  Your light bill?  I feel sure that most who are reading these words take great care in insuring that all your debts are paid in a timely fashion.  This is not only good for your credit score, but also for your testimony as a Christian.  Christians should be exemplary in all of their financial dealings, and the paying of one’s debts is surely an area that deserves the believer’s attention.  

What about your debt to Calvary?  You will never be able to repay the Lord for His grace in your life, but you can transfer that debt over to the lost about you.  Like Paul, we should see ourselves indebted to our neighbors, our co-workers, the folks we come in contact with daily.  We can’t pay the Lord back for all He has done for us, but we can tell others about what He has done for them, and about what He has to offer them through faith.  It’s time we started paying up!  It’s time we paid our debt!  Pay up today, tell someone about Christ.  Amen!

June 29: Scripture Reading: Judges 6

“Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

Here is found one of the compound names for the Lord using the name, Jehovah.  The word, “Shalom,” means peace.  Israel at this time was not experiencing peace.  In fact, they were being tormented by their enemy, the Midianites.  So great was their oppression, they were dwelling in caves and dens.  Their food supplies were being stolen by the Midianites, and they were incapable of defeating them.  The reason for this is clear; the Israelites were living in disobedience to God’s will.  Many were worshipping Baal.  Such idolatry was strongly forbidden in God’s Word, and they were suffering the consequences of their disobedience.  

Once they began to repent of their sins and to call upon the Lord, He called Gideon to defeat their enemy.  After viewing the miraculous consuming of the meal that Gideon had prepared and presented, the man of God built an altar and called it “Jehovahshalom,” meaning “The Lord is our Peace.”  This was an act of faith, for Gideon believed that the Lord would deliver them from the Midianites, and that He would restore peace to the Children of Israel.  They would find that only the Lord could give them peace from those about them that would do them wrong.

So it is with us today.  We Christians may not be attacked by the Midianites, but inner peace will be allusive to us if we live in disobedience to God’s Word and His will for our lives.  Look at Paul’s writings in Philippians 4, verses 6 through 9.  Notice the words, “Let your requests be made known unto God,” “think on these things,” and the little word, “do.”  These are all keys Paul gives us to insure that the “peace of God,” is with us and is “keeping us.”  Most in our world today do not enjoy peace within.  There is inner conflict, inner turmoil and inner confusion among the masses.  For the child of God there is the promise of peace.  Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  

There are numerous things going on in the world that will rob us of our inner peace, but if we will walk in obedience to God’s Word, and in dependence upon Him, we can experience peace that keeps our minds and hearts through Christ.

June 30: Scripture Reading: Daniel 1

“But Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself....”

How many children’s stories have been written about this “purpose” that Daniel had as a very young man?  How many challenges have been issued to young people to “Dare to be a Daniel?”  This, by the way, is not a children’s story, even though it can be used as a real challenge to young Christians.  This is an actual event that happened many years ago.  Israel was defeated and many were deported back to Babylon.  Among those deported were Daniel and his three friends.  They found themselves in a strange land, surrounded by foreigners speaking a foreign language, and many of their companions just fit right into to Nebuchadnezzar’s plans.  Not Daniel and his three friends.  They determined that there not going to be defiled by eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, they were not going to allow themselves to be defiled by King Nebuchadnezzar.

There are multitudes of ways that modern day followers of Jesus Christ can be defiled in this world; and this can happen so subtly that it almost goes unnoticed.  It is only when believers make a conscience decision not to allow themselves to be defiled that they can remain pure for their Lord.  We can be defiled by what we see, what we hear or what we become involved with, and the adversary is ever diligent to provide those defiling enticements.  

Our day is not any more difficult than was Daniel’s.  In fact, Daniel’s time and circumstances were much more difficult than anything that we have faced today.  Although he was a very young man, perhaps in his early teens, Daniel determined to stay pure for God, and he did!  In fact, Daniel lived through the entire 70 years captivity, and he remained undefiled for that entire time.  We can do this, also!  Paul said that he could do all things through the Lord Jesus that gave him strength, and so can we!  We do not have to become sad statistics of defeated Christians, but can be more than conquerors through Him that loved us and gave Himself for us.  

Let’s challenge ourselves with this challenge we have presented to young people for years; Dare to be a Daniel.  Don’t allow the world to corrupt, deceive, defile or to defeat you.  Victory can be ours!  Daniel did it, and so can we!  Amen!