A Devotional Thought From The Christmas Story In Luke 2

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.     Luke 2:10

Which shall be to all people!

Christmas is for all people. Many have heard little or nothing about it, and many are made uncomfortable just hearing the word, and many simply do not want it - any other religion’s holiday is okay, but if it’s about Jesus Christ they wish it suppressed, mocked, or so changed and trivialized that it becomes acceptable to an intolerant society.

Why do those who don’t believe react so strongly to a cheery “Merry Christmas,” or a carol being piped in over the intercom at the courthouse, or a nativity scene in the park? Why don’t they just say, “Oh, the Christmas season is a fun time for all of us, even those who don’t believe in it. It helps the economy wonderfully, in fact, without it the economy sometimes teeters on the brink of recession and would probably fall, but Christmas saves the day and makes things better. Christmas keeps the Christians busy, satisfied and politically docile and peaceful, after all they claim the baby is the Prince of Peace. So let’s just enjoy it, and forget about it after it’s over.”

Why don’t they say that? After all, if they don’t believe in or accept the meaning of Christmas what difference does it make to them? Ignore it, grin and bear it, increase business because of it, or pity it as you see fit, but why don’t they leave it alone for the rest of us. It seems logical that any freethinking person who believes in freedom of individuals to celebrate as they choose would express their belief in freedom for all by letting Christmas bless those who wish to enjoy it. So why do they target such an innocuous celebration that is generally helpful, and pleasing to everyone? Could the secret be that somehow in their heart they know that this religion’s story is true, and they want to suppress it? Perhaps they realize that if people learn that the baby of Christmas is a Savior who is Christ the Lord they will go to him in large numbers, and in faith.

Some of the best recognizers of God’s truth in the New Testament where those who refused to receive Jesus as Lord, in fact, His enemies. They recognized that Jesus was claiming to be God’s Son come into the world at Bethlehem, purposed to go to the cross at Jerusalem, but they refused to receive Him.  They, at one point in His ministry, wanted to stone him, and when He asked why they said, “…because that thou, being a man, maketh thyself God” (John 10:33). He was claiming to be God in the flesh, they refused to believe it, and certainly didn’t want society at large to acknowledge His claim by celebrating His birth. They didn’t want society acknowledging His birth, or baptism, or teaching, or miracles or death and resurrection. Neither does modern society.

Why? The great missionary, E. Stanley Jones, has written “The redemptive God is so desperately needed in our world that Jesus is inevitable. We cannot do without him. Can the lungs do without air, the eye without light, the heart without love, life without life? No more can we do without Christ.” (CHRIST AT THE ROUND TABLE, p.277, ©1928). Is the fight against Christmas the world’s acknowledgment of what Jones has written?

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Devotional Thought From Luke

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David;)     Luke 2:4

Bethlehem.

     With all the swirling soap opera like situations going on in Israel at that moment in history: hopes of a great love; rumors of terrible betrayal; broken hearts; Roman legislation affecting the entire nation; this name stands out-Bethlehem.

     I wonder if Joseph made the connection. He was told the baby would save His people from their sins, so obviously this little one was special, surely anointed by God if He were to be the means of salvation for the Jewish people. Sounds like Messiah, right?

     As Joseph made preparations, as he walked with Mary, as he perspired under the burdens of the supplies they carried, as he became anxious for the trip to be at an end, did it finally dawn on him that the tax demanded by the Romans, with its excessive requirement to travel to one’s tribal/ancestral homeland no matter how inconvenient and difficult, was taking him and the pregnant Mary to the exact place where prophecy said Messiah would be born?

     Wow, this is a hard road, but it leads to God’s anointed one. The trip to Bethlehem, the trip to Christmas, the trip to find the one who is wrapped in swaddling clothes, is worth it for Joseph, for me, and for you, now and forever.

An excerpt from Joseph and Christmas a sermon by Rev. Lewis Kisenwether ©2004

The Christmas story is a salvation story

(Matthew 1: 21) “…he shall save his people from their sins.”

This is God’s breaking news story

For millennia sin had been wrecking lives;

            Murders were happening – sometimes Cain was killing his bro;

            Marriages were failing – committed spouses stopped loving one another, and were throwing over their commitments;

            People were fighting in large numbers about religion, or boundaries, or gold;

            Children were being, neglected, abused, or sold;

            Hearts were hardened against God;

And human life was being disrupted and endangered by these sins and many others.

And God has His angel shout through Joseph’s dream “God is making a way.

The way is the baby.

He will save His people from the sin that doth so easily beset and destroy them.”

When you look in the face of this baby… Joseph, you will see the person who can make people right with God.

A Devotional Thought From Revelation

For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.     Revelation 22:15

I just completed a year and a half long devotional reading of the Bible (KJV). In the very last chapter we find this verse announcing God’s screening program for the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city. The city of our God is, of course, heaven, and according to God’s eternal plan there are those who cannot be allowed to enter and they are listed in this verse. They are left outside the walls because such people would defile the holiness of heaven. The list starts with “dogs.” In ancient days dogs were not usually the sweet, fuzzy, loving pets of our day. Mostly, ancient peoples would see dogs who were feral, raiding garbage heaps, terrorizing people, returning to their vomit, and “dog” became a term used for people who were savage, unclean even disgusting (cf. William Barclay, the Revelation of John).

Also, according to Barclay, a “dog” was the nickname for male prostitutes in heathen temples, and represented immoral people. Then in addition, to people represented by this word, “dogs,” John lists sorcerers, those who cooperate in occult religion; whoremongers, those who use or sell sexual services of women, debauching them, and being unfaithful to purity and morality for themselves and others; murderers, those who assault  the image of God in mankind by unlawfully taking the lives of people who should live long lives joyfully to God’s glory; and idolaters, those who worship false gods and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image (Romans 1:23) of corruptible man, birds, creeping things, dollar bills and euros, automobiles, smart phones or anything other than the true God. And, as well, those who love and make a lie; they’re the ones who tell our present society that what God says in His word isn’t true. They say sin is O.K. they say there are no consequences to actions. They say if God has spoken against sin then God is wrong. They say, don’t worry be sinful.

These people are outside the walls spiritually today, and will be literally in that future. But what if there are those among them who don’t want to live in such a way that they will be on the outs with God?

Some years ago I had a DVT blood clot. My physician of nearly 40 years walked in the hospital room and learning of the diagnosis said, “We can fix that!” If a person sees himself/herself in this list in Revelation God can fix that. Jesus died to fix our sins, to wash them away, to make us new, and fit us to be in the heavenly city forever. Trust Him as Savior and your destiny will be changed.

A Devotional Thought From 1 John

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.     1 John 4:9

          How can anyone know that God loves him or her? How do we answer when someone asks us that question? “There are all sorts of religious in the world,” they might say. “They all have their rules and regulations. They all offer whatever ‘salvation’ they envision. If there really is a God, the One true God, then how is it possible for me to know He loves me? Is there any evidence? Is there any proof? Is there any assurance that God, the Infinite Person, loves me, one of the finite creatures of the universe?”

          We Christians love a question like that. Of course, the One and Only God of the universe loves even sinful you. The evidence is Jesus. God sent His only begotten Son into the world. In fact, we Christians will, with great joy, thankfulness, and sentimentality, celebrate that coming as we rejoice in Christmas in a few weeks. Around the world we will be saying look into the cradle in the stable because God so loved the world He sent His Son, Jesus, for us, and you can see Him there with the eyes of faith: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). If you’ve ever heard of Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem Who died at Calvary, that hearing of His name is proof that God loves you, and all the people of the world.

Something I’m Thankful For

 I’m grateful to have a relationship with God like the one described in Psalm 25:7b (Moffatt).

In KJV: “according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.”

Moffatt: “and in remembering my sins be kind to me.”

Because of my faith in Christ, I am in that kind of fellowship. I can ask for that kind of blessing.

He has done that for me.

What David wrote about in Psalm 103:4 God has done for me. David said of the LORD: “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction….”

My sins would have destroyed my life far more than once – but God was kind to me.

Happy Thanksgiving!   

A Devotional Thought From 1 Peter

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.     1 Peter 2:24

The message we need to constantly keep proclaiming from our pulpits, and in our personal witness day by day, is restated in this verse by Peter. He says, Jesus, when He died on the cross carried our sin. My sins, and I have many, were heaped on Jesus. I don’t know how God was able to do that, but He did. Your sins were placed on Jesus also. And, somehow, He carried our sins in His body, and was crucified for them. That means we were made free of them, or in Peter’s statement here, we died to sin. Sin can no longer make us do anything, and because Jesus did that for us on the cross we are now expected to live differently, righteously. And we can do so, live differently, because of His stripes. The wounds he received from the Roman scourging, which, I think, symbolize the full meaning of His death on the cross.

The message of the church and Christian faith is centered in Jesus and what He did on the cross. “In the cross of Christ I glory towering o’er the wrecks of time.”* The church must glory in the cross. The individual must glory in the cross. One day the world will glory in the cross and the Savior, and then what a wonderful world it will be.

*John Bowring from the hymn

The 2 sides to Halloween

Positive – little kids ( Princesses, Football players, Ninja Turtles, lady bugs, Disney characters, Superman, sometimes their chaperoning parents also in costume ) going from door to door asking for a treat. We usually gave Butterfingers and/or other individually wrapped goodies at the parsonage. There is something really special about hearing squeaky little voices saying “Trick or Treat”, and watching the amazed reaction when you let them pick a piece or two of candy from the treat bowl. It’s like, “Wow, somebody I don’t even know is giving me the greatest thing in the world” (Think about that as an illustration of God giving His Son).

Community interest, friendship and Christian kindness are the order of the day.

Then there’s the negative - some foolish people toy with occult costumes and scary ideas, and say and do wicked things, from our Christian stand point may even sometimes do unspeakable things. They make Halloween scary and evil. Actually, you don’t have to wait for Halloween to be scared these days, just turn on the t.v. Every other show is about werewolves, zombies, ghosts or vampires.

This is where even the negative side of Halloween can be used by God for promoting His purpose the good news of the gospel, Because the church opens the Bible and declares these things are not real. They don’t exist. There is a power that overcomes physical death and spiritually deathly things. It is stated in Paul’s clear definition of the gospel in Romans 1:1-4;

…the gospel of God, (which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Christ’s resurrection conquers death, and all the scary things that circulate around in this world. We believers in the resurrected savior are raised spiritually when we are born again and will be raised physically from the dead when Jesus comes again. And when being born again truly happens we are delivered from any service to sin or the devil, because the resurrected believers are made like the Lord Jesus Christ.There should be no fear of the Halloween stories, the false or the true, for Christians because the resurrected Son of God has all power and we are kept by Him. And, yet, because they are less influenced by the Bible than they are by t.v., movies, and the culture around us sometimes some Christians, even solid Bible believing Christians, are moved to superstitiously or spiritually fear such things. An ancient prayer asks, "From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties, And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!" That’s the spirit! We can still pray that prayer. We know the Lord can and will deliver us, His people. We can experience the positive side of Halloween, and be victorious over the negative side, making it a cultural celebration of both fun and faith.

A Devotional Thought From 1 Timothy

Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:     1 Timothy 1:5

When I first read commandment I thought of the Old Testament law. After consulting with commentaries, the Greek text, and the Greek lexicon (basically a dictionary of koine Greek [the Greek of the New Testament writers]), and rereading the text I agreed with both Harry A. Ironside and William Barclay that Paul was referring to the commandment that he had just given to Timothy (1:3) that he charge some of the teachers, those who were teaching false doctrine to stop it.

Then Paul says the purpose of that command was to engender love, Christian love which is the identification behavior of true Christians. Paul wants sincere love coming out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and an unfaked faith. I liken it to (if you are living in love) wearing your Christian heart, Christian conscience, and Christian faith on your sleeve.

So a command that orders preachers to teach true doctrine is designed to bring forth true Christian love, which comes only out of true Christian doctrine. The true Christian doctrine, of course, is what God has given in the Bible. And, as Paul says in another place we are supposed to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), indicating that when we share with others that what they are teaching, or believing, or spreading, is false doctrine and should not be taught, it is an act of love intended to engender Christian love between the two people involved, and in the church as a whole. Naturally, there are differences of opinion and interpretation with regard to the teaching of Scripture, but the foundational truths are indisputable, and while Christians may differ upon a style of worship or a style of baptism or some interpretation, the major foundational truths of Christian faith are stated with absolute clarity in the word of God. For example: the Bible being the inspired word of God; the virgin birth of Jesus; His vicarious death upon the cross of Calvary where our sins were carried in His own body: the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead conquering death forever; the forgiveness of sins and salvation of the soul; the promised second coming of Jesus. That’s what teachers of the word of God should be preaching, not, as Paul says in verse four, fables and endless genealogies which minister questions (1 Timothy 1:4). Not only the six doctrines I have listed here are to be preached, there is so much in the word of God, but preachers today should be preaching the Bible in its fullness because that’s where the doctrine is. That’s where we discover God’s truth. That’s where we discover the doctrines that should be coming forth from our pulpits and our churches. And when we preach God’s truth that preaching will produce and promote real Christian love, even in those areas where we might have family (we Christians of every make and model who trust in Jesus Christ as personal savior and Lord  really are one family in Him) family disagreements regarding interpretation.

A Letter From One Believer To His Christian Friend: A Devotional Thought From Paul’s Letter To Philemon

Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my heart in the Lord.     Philemon 20

Paul’s use of brother bespeaks the faith family relationship of all Christians. Those who trust in Jesus as Savior are all incorporated into God’s family, and we, literally, renew the actual family relationship of humans descended from the same physical line, in addition to being new creatures from the same spiritual line. We are in Christ! As such those to whom we minister and with whom we fellowship in church worship, and other Christian relationships, become people in whom we delight, people who fill our lives with joy, people we love so much they can be described as Paul does the Christians of Thessalonica when he says “For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:20). He loves them so much that when they express their faith in their daily lives they bring him glory and joy and his soul sings and soars because of them. He loves all those who love the Lord in the same way, like Philemon. And he writes to Philemon to live in such a way, particularly in the context of this letter he is writing to Philemon, that Paul will have joy because of Philemon’s good deeds. Refresh my heart, he says.

Part of the reality of Christian faith and relationship is that our life actions bless and refresh, or dishearten, our Christian family and friends. What we do is impacting not only our own individual lives, but those who are connected to us through our mutual faith in Christ. So the challenge is: live so that the pastor, the church, and other Christians will be refreshed, so that you will be a joy to them, and a glory to God.

A Devotional Thought From Galatians

O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?     Galatians 3:1

          To Paul the apparent retrenchment of the Galatian Christians from the cross, and Jesus Christ crucified on the behalf of sinners, was tantamount to being bewitched: hypnotized, entranced, pulled down, deceived, befogged, befuddled, confused, tricked instead of treated, put into a spell if such a thing could happen.
          Who has done this to you? Why would you stop trusting yourself to the crucified One for salvation, forgiveness, and a right relationship with God to, instead, go back to go back to trying to earn your own salvation by keeping the Old Testament law, a law that humanity has never been able to keep perfectly? And, since they were not capable of keeping it perfectly they were turning from freely given salvation to the impossibility of earning salvation. It was a bad deal, a dumb deal. Why would anyone willingly be so bewitched? What’s the matter with you Galatian Christians, or anyone who would turn away from the crucified savior?

A Devotional Thought From 1 Corinthians

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness: but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.     1 Corinthians 1:18

                Public speaking and preaching have been, as long as people have been populating this planet, among the most popular forms of teaching, proclaiming a message, and entertainment. They still are. For millennia preachers have been respected and appreciated, at least some of the times depending on the message. Here Paul recognizes that the message of the cross is a message that makes people of the world call it foolishness. They consider the gospel of the cross as foolishness, anti-intellectual, juvenile, even stupid. And, of course, that same sentiment carries over to the Savior of the cross, Jesus.

                Separated from the biblical message of sin and salvation by His death on the cross, Jesus is greatly respected outside the church. People love His kindness. They love His compassion. They love His generosity. They love His “non-judgmental love.” But the moment the other side of the coin comes up, that He came to put an end to sin, and the power it had over us, by dying on the cross in our place, that part of Jesus is the message of the cross, and it is foolishness to them. Note what Paul says: it is foolishness to those who perish, those who are non-believers, those who are on the road of sin heading for eternal destruction. Personally, I think some of those poor souls consider it foolishness because they do not think of themselves as sinners. They don’t want to see themselves in negative terms. They don’t want to admit they have need for salvation. They don’t want to believe that God would have to make special provision for them through the death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary to be saved, or redeemed or whatever the proper word is. They prefer to get themselves to heaven, or into God’s presence in eternity, or into the blessings of bliss forever by themselves; by showing their good deeds and proving to the eternal One that they deserve heaven. Why do you need a savior from sin when you are not a sinner, or at the bottom line your good deeds outweigh your bad? You can’t possibly believe people who don’t receive the message of the cross are really going to be separated from God forever, they might say.

                The gospel means good news, but it is not good news unless you realize and admit you need good news. So until they admit their need and fly to the Savior, the preaching of the cross remains to them foolishness. More’s the pity because salvation is available if they will take Jesus and His cross seriously and believe. If they do they will experience what Paul concludes this verse with: unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

                So we must keep on preaching this power of God no matter what it appears to be to those that perish.

A Devotional Thought From 1 Corinthians

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s:                                 1 Corinthians 1:1,2

Who the heck is Sosthenes? Actually (metaphorically) we are: We Christians; We who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior. While we know little of the man himself we know that his life was tied up with Paul’s in the service of the gospel. He was a believer. He was called, as we all are, to be saints. We are summoned or invited to be a part of God’s family. We are invited into faith. Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden. Come and serve me. That is the calling that Paul received and he was not only called to salvation and service, but called to the position of being an apostle. Just so all of us who have trusted in Christ have been called. We are called to be Christians, called to serve the Lord, called to be saints (This word is a synonym for Christians. The word for saints in the New Testament Greek is agioi which literally means the holy ones, or the ones made holy by God.) We, each of us who belong to Jesus have this calling on his/her life in the same way that Sosthenes and Paul did. We have differing ministries, but we are all called to the service of Christ. The ministry of the unknown “Sosthenes” in our churches today is just as much a calling, and just as important a ministry to God as that of the pastor, or teacher, or missionary. Every Christian believer is called to be for God in this life. All of us should value one another for that reason, love one another for that reason, and work together for that reason. The  work of Christian ministry is all about our Lord who can call people to Him, build a fellowship of love, and use that fellowship as salt to preserve the world from evil, and He does some of that work through us using the least to the greatest.

A Devotional Thought From Romans

But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.     Romans 16:26

          A simple and clear thought manifests itself in this verse. The Scriptures (the Bible), in part given through the prophets, made plain the truth of the Gospel, the good news that God had sent a Savior. His name is Jesus Christ, and this truth is made known through those very Scriptures so that all nations will know the truth and obey it.

          In modern society people will often say something like: “Well, that’s your religion, I have my own.” “How can you say your holy book is better than the so-called holy books of other world religions?” “Do you really believe that a book written over a thousand years ago by many different authors in many different circumstances can be true, and must be accepted today?”” Why are you so exclusive when it comes to truth? Can’t there be one truth for you and another for others?”

          The response to all of these thoughts and questions is that the one and only living God has given the Bible for all the nations to follow. Ignore it at your own risk. As an individual, ignore it at your own risk. As a family, ignore it at your own risk. As a nation, ignore it at your own risk. As a body of nations, ignore it at your own risk.

A Devotional Thought From Romans

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.     Romans 11:5,6

          In this chapter Paul is discussing the fact that though the people who were called God’s people had as a body, in large part, refused the gospel revealed in Messiah Jesus, that there was a remnant, a piece of the whole, which had seen Christ by faith, had found Him credible, and had trusted in Him as personal Savior and received salvation. How was it possible that that group, that remnant, that representation of the people who had followed the law of works had actually found forgiveness and new life and salvation by Christ?

          Paul answers that question in a word, grace (11:6). They had received God’s grace by receiving Jesus Christ into their hearts. Grace is a favor, undeserved, which God disposes. He gives it away and offers it to anyone who will love His Son.

          One does not receive spiritual salvation grace because he doesn’t lie, or is not unfaithful to his obligations, or never has a wicked thought, or is perfectly sinless, or follows a strict law of separation from anything that he thinks might be improper. If salvation were offered to that person, it would be payback, it would be earnings, it would be tit for tat, it would not be grace. So if a person is doing everything she does in life to get saved and get to heaven, and is depending on her works to get her there, she does not have the grace of salvation. Grace is the key, and without it being given to you, you cannot unlock the door of the kingdom of heaven.

          Grace is received by anyone who believes in Christ as Savior. It doesn’t depend on what one has done (it will have dramatic changing effect upon the deeds of one who receives grace so that his/her deeds will change from evil to good) but grace is freely bestowed on the cheater, the liar, the angry, the greedy, you name the sin, and that person is then cleansed of his sin and sent on his way rejoicing, and on his way the grace changes his behavior.

          Salvation is by grace not works. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost: Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).

A Devotional Thought From Acts

God… hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:   Acts 17:24,26,27

All people that on earth do dwell are “blood brothers,” are closely related, an actual family. When reading this verse and concept before Dr. Charles R. Drew invented blood transfusion that verse was understood spiritually, symbolic of humanity’s humanity held in common. Today we interpret it as both literal scientific truth and religious truth. If you need a blood transfusion and the donor has your type, or a compatible type , he/she can give you a pint no matter his race or color. And, that blood could save your life.

So the people of the world have a common physiology, and, the apostle Paul goes on to say, they also have a common call on their lives; That they should seek the Lord (Acts 17:27). So pick any race of mankind and that race, and all others, are expected to seek the Lord. Racial characteristics and religious preferences are no barrier to following the One and only true God’s will for you, which is to seek and find Him. You seek God when you follow Jesus; you find God when you believe in Jesus. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5); the greatest inclusivity the world has ever known is God’s invitation to all men, women, and children, everywhere, to seek and find Him. When asked about being saved Paul summed it up in Acts 16:31: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

A Devotional Thought From Acts

While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the Temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.     Acts 25:8

          Paul, having been taken into custody by the Romans because of the complaints of the religious leaders of Jerusalem, now stands before Festus the governor. In response to complaints made against him, he says, “I have not broken the law. I have not broken the religious law of my people, and I have not broken Caesar’s law, the law of the Romans. Those who are making complaints against me, and want me punished, cannot prove anything. They just complain in an effort to silence my message and get me out of their hair.”

          There are two things of deep significance in how Paul defends himself and his actions. The first is that he definitely states that his faith in Jesus, the Messiah of God, is not in disagreement with the ancient law of his people. It’s a clear statement of the Jewish roots of biblical Christianity: For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground; (Isaiah 53:2). We learn in other places that Paul specifically says that Jesus is the fulfillment of what the prophets have been telling God’s people for centuries. At the time Paul was preaching, just like today, it would require a change in their thinking to recognize that God had fulfilled exactly what He said He was going to do. But even if Paul’s accusers decided to reject Jesus it did not change the reality that Jesus was the Son of God in human flesh Who is the Promised One of ancient Israel, and savior of the entire world. It is to Jesus that all the messianic prophecies of Old Testament scripture lead, and His resurrection from the dead proves that He is the One.

          Secondly, Paul indicates that in his preaching of the resurrected Jesus as savior, and the One to Whom people of all sorts and conditions should give their hearts in faith, was not a crime against Roman governmental law. We who live in the freedom of western civilization recognize that today, and our societies should do everything possible to accommodate the religious values of people of faith, all faiths. At the same time people of all faiths must realize that God’s word declares (written by the very same Paul, I might add) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers (Romans 13:1). The government that is governing rightly must not say to its religious citizens change your faith or go to jail, it must find an alternative that will keep freedom of religion viable, especially in dealing with Christians who, because of the teaching of the word of God, are predisposed to be good citizens, even under Nero. And, of course, Christians must find a way with God’s help to maintain their biblical faith in a country that is continually turning from the values put forward in the Bible.

The Meaning Of The Gospel Of Christ

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses… Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.     Acts 13:38,39,46

Preaching the gospel to people who had never heard it before, the apostle Paul, declares that Jesus is the Savior, and that He is the One who brings humanity forgiveness of sins. He is the One who justifies human beings and makes them right with God. The religious law of Moses or any other religious law in the entire world cannot justify any individual in God’s sight because if taken at face value laws show that each human being is a sinner in need of forgiveness. You cannot get forgiveness through those religious laws. Through Jesus and Jesus alone there is true forgiveness for your sins, and by that a right relationship with the living God.

As is always the case some who heard that message reacted with unbelief. Luke (Acts 13:45) says that some were filled with envy, and spake against those things… contradicting and blaspheming. They refused to accept this straightforward message of salvation even though Paul had linked it with all that had gone before in the Old Testament. They refused to believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior. At that point Paul makes this amazing statement: seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life… (Acts 13:46). They decided that the gospel was not for them. They decided that! They had another way, true as far as it went, but they refused to follow it to its logical conclusion that God had kept His promise given in the Old Testament and actually sent the Savior. It is this Jesus through whom forgiveness of sins was being preached.

In essence, they had said we will not have this Man to be our Savior. We will not cast ourselves upon the gospel being declared by God in the modern world. We do not feel this is for us. We will take another way. Thus they cut themselves off from eternal life. This is true, as well, of all those in today’s world, the 21^st century, who will not believe that true forgiveness by God comes only through Jesus Christ. Don’t blame the gospel or the Christian church. We declare that all people can be forgiven, that all people are welcomed by God, that Jesus died for the sins of every man woman and child, but if they refuse Him they have made their own determination of what their relationship with Him will be. They judged themselves as unworthy of eternal life in the One in Whom they will not believe.

A Devotional Thought From The Acts Of The Apostles

And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.     Acts 8:39

     The story is strange enough. An Ethiopian man in a chariot in the desert, who is reading a passage from Jewish religious scriptures, runs across a bystander on the side of the road who virtually appeared out of nowhere. As his chariot rolls by he is reading aloud and the stranger by the road calls out (in our modern vernacular) “Do you get it?” “How can I? I don’t have a teacher.” Implying that understanding biblical prophets is very hard without any biblical background.

     So Philip climbs up into the chariot and takes the opportunity to answer the man’s question; “Is the writer speaking of himself or of some other man?” Philip knows Isaiah is writing of Jesus. So he explains it to the traveler, who believes right there and then in Jesus and receives Him into his heart. To give the new believer the opportunity to confess this newfound faith, Philip baptizes him by immersion in a desert oasis.

     When they come up out of the water the Holy Spirit of God works a miracle, and Philip disappears, and the new Christian never sees him again. You would think that this might make him nervous. Did all this really happen? Does it really matter? Did I do something wrong and the preacher gave up on me? Will my friends believe this story? But instead he went on his way rejoicing. His salvation in Christ was real! Even though Philip’s disappearance was unexpected, and probably a little disconcerting, the Ethiopian just continued to rejoice in his salvation, and went home a new creation, a new Ethiopian, a new government official, and a new person, with a new life in Christ. His baptism and ours is a symbol of resurrection in Christ, and no matter what happens in our lives we can go on rejoicing.

A Devotional Thought From John’s Gospel

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?     John 6:9

          But what are they among so many? In the hands of Jesus the little was much. To the disciples it was amazing to think Jesus could do such a thing, turn so little into so much. It must have been incredible to those who filled their hands and mouths with the crusty, chewy bread and dried fish. “I’m really hungry. How many pieces can I have?” may have been the question of many in that crowd. The disciple passing the basket of miracle food said, as much as you want. And the hungry fellow grabbed a fistful of fish and several chunks of bread. What about everybody else? All 5000 and more had as much as they wanted, and even so there were 12 baskets of leftover bread. What are those five loaves and two fish among more than 5000? So few among so many. It depends on Jesus.

          In a society quickly descending into a moral abyss with so many against the gospel and its moral dimension, Christians preaching traditional Christianity are the few among the many. At least, so the court decisions of recent years seem to indicate. The hopeful application of this record of the feeding of the 5000 is that though the preachers of righteousness seem to be so few among so many, Jesus can work miracles through us. Keep on keeping on. His word shall not return void. We gotta believe! It all depends on Jesus.

O Lord, let our testimony and ministries be the loaves and fish You use to feed our nation and the world the Bread of Life today. In Jesus’ name we ask, Amen.

A Testimony From John, The Baptist, And Dr. K, The Baptist

He must increase, but I must decrease.     John 3:30

John, the Baptist, describes Jesus as the bridegroom at a wedding, and himself as the bridegroom’s true friend. The true friend wants happiness for the bridegroom. He wants the groom to get all the attention. He stands back and smiles, laughs, and rejoices as everyone pats his friend on the back, hugs him, shakes his hand, and expresses that they couldn’t be happier to know him and rejoice with him. The groom’s friend does all he can do to be a joy and a blessing to the groom without seeking his own personal glory. If you are human that’s a hard thing to do. John tells us exactly what his heart feels in this verse: He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease. In all that I’ve done, in all I am doing, and what I do in the future I want to lift Him up for all to see and glorify, and I want to fade into the background.

John's view of his life and ministry is my view of mine. As a preacher and pastor it is Jesus I have preached. He is the Savior, not a church, not the preacher, not a denomination, not even the Bible. My desire in ministry and life, though like all sinners I have failed at times, has been and always shall be to point to Jesus and say Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

I preached, except for vacation time, nearly every Sunday for 44 years pastoring churches, and Jesus was the focus of my preaching. He still is and always will be in any ministry in the days ahead. Ever since I heard it I have recognized the truth of Puritan preacher Richard Baxter’s great statement: “I preach as never sure to preach again, a dying man to dying men.” As I get closer and closer to the great denouement of earthly life, I realize how true it is for me in a very personal way. But Jesus will always increase. When Baxter died there were others who lifted up Jesus to increase Him in the eyes of men. When I retired from full-time ministry there was another who took to that pulpit to proclaim Him and increase Him in the eyes of that congregation, and when I die there will be still others to raise Him up in the vision of the world. He must increase. Jesus must increase. My Savior must increase. He is Lord of all!

A Devotional Thought From Luke's Gospel

And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 13:2-5

Terrorism, natural disasters, and accidents have always been a part of life in this world since the fall of man. Jesus notes two that happened during His time of ministry on earth. As some sort of punishment for some crime or slight, or disagreement the procurator of Palestine had a number of Jewish worshipers executed, and in the town of Siloam a building fell, perhaps from neglect or poor building materials, or some other cause. Eighteen died there. And, Jesus asks His hearers if they think those who died in these incidents were sinners more than they were themselves. Then He answers His own question, No.

They are sinners just like those who died. They are no better, and Jesus cryptically adds, if you all do not repent you will likewise perish. I’m wondering whether all of these deaths were people without faith in the living God. Except for those caught away in the rapture when Jesus comes for the church, every human being will die, and if they die without faith in the true God, Jesus Christ, they will likewise perish, savagely, tragically, needlessly like the unsaved of biblical days.

Repentance is a word our free swinging, do what you like, don’t let anybody judge you culture does not like to hear. But if people do not repent of their sins and trust in Jesus, who died for their sins, they shall someday likewise perish. The gospel says it this way For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

A Devotional Thought From The Gospel Of Mark

But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?     Mark 14:61

This question asked by the high priest on behalf of all the chief priests, elders, and scribes who had assembled to put Jesus on trial in the high priest's palace, is very interesting if you think about it. Are you the Messiah…? The people of God had been looking for this special person for thousands of years. He would be sent by God to deliver Israel from their sins, and many thought from their earthly oppressors. So are you the One? When John, the Baptist, was asked the same question he replied, No. It’s not me, but it is someone so great I am not worthy to tie His shoes. Later John pointed at Jesus and said there He is. That’s the One. He is the Lamb of God. So the high priest is asking Jesus to admit that He is making this “outrageous” (as they saw it) claim. But the question goes on to equate the Messiah with the Son of the Blessed. Are you God’s son. From this question we know it was clear to even His enemies that the evidence supported the claim that Jesus was letting people believe He is the Son of God. He was. In fact in the next verse he says “I am.” He continues his answer saying, and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62).

Did you get that? Jesus says, I am the Son of the Blessed (The Lord our Lord is one Lord, and I and the Father are one). Yes, if you believe He is sent from God then truly living God’s will is living by the word (revelation) God has given. In that revelation, the Bible, Jesus says: Believe in the Son; love one another; be sanctified by the truth of the Bible. It’s a recipe for renewed life, and a renewed nation, and a renewed world.

 A Devotional Thought From Mark's Gospel

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?     Mark 11:31

Jesus’ question about John, the Baptist, was: Was John’s ministry from God or of men? The Pharisees, right on, self-righteous, religious clergy, were able to dissect it and realize the implications. They knew if they admitted that John ministered for God, they would be asked why didn’t you believe him. They even said it to themselves: He (Jesus) will say why didn’t you believe him?

They would have had to change their thought about themselves, and their self-righteous sinful behavior. They would have had to give God the glory, and treat people with the inate respect creation in the image of God demanded. They would’ve had to lovingly obey the 10 Commandments. Why didn’t they believe John? Because they thought their own form of righteousness was satisfactory.

So how does that relate to people today? Well, the question would be: Is Jesus from God or of men. Amazingly, in our broken society limping downhill morally many people consider themselves “spiritual” in one way or another. So, they all have a personal view of Jesus. Some think Him a teacher or moralist. Once, in old times, He was thought to be John, the Baptist, risen from the dead. Some think He is the son of God in some special way. Some think Him the only true Savior. Some consider Him a prophet. Some think of Him as spiritual presence. So religious America has all these views in which Jesus is something special, someone in touch with God as no one else ever has been. So why don’t they believe Him. We do, they say. But if they did believe He was from God their behavior toward Him and His word would change, and our land would change. The country would experience Christian revival or at least moral revival. For example: Marriage would be the relationship in which pure love, chaste sexuality, would be expressed, and it would be promoted as the only way for lovers to make the complete commitment sexual union requires. Self-control and patience would come back into vogue. Racism would wither away. Robberies and murders would cease. The nation’s leaders would seek peace and pursue it. It would all be good. So if you have a faith in Jesus as the One in touch with God why don’t you believe Him? Or like the religious leaders of Christ’s days on earth do you think your personally designed choices of what is “good” are satisfactory?

Indefensible!

When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times?     Matthew 16:2,3

               It is hard for me to believe that the leaders of our country cannot discern the signs of the times. For decades they have poured hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into the deathly coffers of the Planned Parenthood organization. Currently $528 million per year, despite the pleas and cries of millions of Americans who oppose crushing the heads of infants, and ripping them from their mothers’ wombs, only to learn now that the organization’s trade policies include “harvesting”the cells and body parts of the same exterminated children. Nothing personal, of course, just business. And when they are caught haggling over the prices of these body parts some of our national leaders, instead of puking and then rebuking Planned Parenthood, attack the people who allowed us to hear the literal words spoken by Planned Parenthood operatives. These are the actual words spoken by the PP doctors, they said it, there is no doubt. Perhaps, like those shouting “Death to America,” Planned Parenthood doesn’t really mean what they say. I find it hard to believe our Congressmen and Senators cannot see how red and lowring the sky is this morning. What Planned Parenthood does is indefensible, and by continuing financial support our leaders show what they think of babies near term anticipating their upcoming birth, they show what they think of millions upon millions of American taxpayers who plead not to have their taxes given to this horrific business, and they show what they think of our nation itself refusing to see the consequences for our country’s future.

                The profiteering re: abortion in this nation is a sign of the times, indicating that the moral storm is not merely coming, it is already here, and the consequences for a nation without the moral base God has established are enormous. Repent America!

God’s Description Of The Blessed City In Zechariah's Prophecy

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women, dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.     Zechariah 8:4,5

After His punishment of His ancient people because of their religious adultery and other sins, God says He is back with them, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. When that happens, He says Jerusalem will be a city of truth (Zechariah 8:3). I’m sure that includes religious truth as God declares it, and moral truth as God defines it. Then God describes what His presence, His truth, and His morality do for a city. It is very picturesque. He says that old men and women, even those so old they must use staffs or canes to hold themselves up with and to walk, will be on the streets and boys and girls will be playing in the streets. Now think of it: the two most vulnerable parts of the population, those who cannot protect themselves from bullies and criminals will be seen everywhere in the city. They won’t be afraid to be outside, as they are in many places in our world. They will not be sleeping in bath tubs to protect them from stray bullets. They will not have the fear of kidnap, rape, mugging, or assault. This wonderful experience will happen because God has reached people with His goodness and truth and changed their lives and outlook. There will be no more criminals in the city they will have refocused their lives or being law abiding. There will be no immoral ones in the city, they will have refocused their lives on what God directs is proper living. With the refocusing of lives by God’s power the city will be safe. It will be a happy city, a bright and beautiful city, a city of peace, the city of God. There is a lesson here for us.

A Devotional Thought From Zephaniah

This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.     Zephaniah 2:15

     There was a time when David’s city, the capital city of God’s people, felt like this: I am the great city, strong, protected, prosperous, impregnable, eternal. She felt God would protect her no matter how carelessly her people dwelt. They mixed the false religion of others with their supposed acknowledgment of the God of Israel, they mixed evil deeds with their good deeds, and instead of being protected they became a city under judgment. And, a terrible judgment it was! The city was sacked, destroyed, its people taken away captive, it became a place where animals made their dens, and when travelers passed by they made gestures denigrating this place that was God’s city, mocking the city that was once great. And, note this, that city, judged and desolated was the dwelling of the people whom God calls “the apple of his eye” (Zechariah 2:8). Privilege and relationship require the responsibility of a life of faith and obedience.

     Is this not a warning to us moderns? A city, or nation, cannot remain great and live carelessly. A city cannot remain great if its leaders do not lead in righteousness seeking righteousness. A city cannot remain great if its people do not work and become a dependent class, or if they turn to crime. A city cannot remain great if it allows the younger generation to turn to drugs and ignore education. A city cannot remain great if it rejects the true God’s expectations. The city cannot be great if its people do not believe all lives matter. Privilege and relationship require the responsibility of a life of faith and obedience.

A Devotional Thought From Habakkuk

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.     Habakkuk 2:3

     Babylon was the 800 lb. gorilla in the room and Habakkuk’s prophecy compliments others in the Old Testament declaring that God’s people will be judged by this great nation. Habakkuk wondered how God could judge His people by a nation (Babylon) that was even worse as far as their sins were concerned, and God gives Habakkuk this word that Babylon’s comeuppance will come up one day. It will surely come, He says.

     The people of Babylon, if they learned of Habakkuk’s prophecy probably wouldn’t believe it. How could a nation that has been the big dog of the block for years, that had invincibility in every war and incursion they fought, who put fear in the hearts of the peoples of the world, how could it fall? How could it lose? How could it be defeated by God? Neither would any nation that the been conquered by Babylon believe it, it didn’t seem possible to human minds.

     At that point Habakkuk makes it clear: believe it or not the prophecy will come true; take it or leave it; deny what you don’t like it doesn’t matter, it will happen. Don’t let the days, weeks, months, and even years that it doesn’t happen fool you, the prophecy will come true. It is sure, it is God’s pronouncement, judgment for Babylon is on the way.

     This truth from Habakkuk reminds me of the prophecy of Christ’s coming again. Skeptics doubt it, nonbelievers nonbelieve it, and rejectors reject it, but as surely as Babylonia invaded Israel, and conquered Israel, and ruled over Israel, and deported Israel, and was finally defeated and dissolved herself, Jesus will come again.

     Those who don’t believe in Christ do not want to hear this, but one day the prophecy will be fulfilled. One day every knee shall bow to Jesus. Every person will admit He is Savior and God, and Lord. Every person will give Him glory. He will enforce righteousness. He will enforce truth, and no one will be able to say, “You think Jesus is God, and we think there’s another God, so let’s just agree to disagree,” because the truth will have been revealed so clearly, powerfully, and gloriously that no one in the world will be able to stand against it. Just as Habakkuk said of the Babylonian destruction; wait for it; because it will surely come, so I tell you about Jesus’ return; wait for it because it will surely come, it is certain. To be prepared for that day, whenever it may happen, put your personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He came for us and died for us, and He is coming again!

A Devotional Thought From Amos And Jonah

All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. Amos 9:10

          The self-proclaimed enemies of our nation are crying “Death to America!” Yet there are those among us who tell us they don’t mean it. There is no threat. The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. Eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow you will be able to eat, drink, and be merry, all over again. The only real danger to America are those who want us to observe the moral values which are America’s old fashioned, out of date, tradition; those who want religious thought and action to be allowed and tolerated in the public square; those who have heard the proverb in a different way: eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you will die. The prophet, Amos, would be with this latter faction. If  people deny punishment for decadence and sins is coming, if they ignore the danger, according to Amos they will be among those who die by the sword when the enemy comes.

          Moral behavior, the traditional American work ethic, and a vibrant life of faith will keep our nation on the alert and prepared for any violent efforts against us. This is true for any Western nation. Tragically some of these nations have traded the moral high ground for a spirit of license which leaves them vulnerable. The solution to this vulnerability is found in of all places, ancient Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire at the height of her power. Decadent and wicked Nineveh was ripe for the judgment of God. A prophet, Jonah, was sent to announce Nineveh’s destruction and something amazing happened. And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them: and he did it not (Jonah 3:10).

          The people of Nineveh saw that they had to make a choice between sin or righteousness; between sin or their country; between sin or their loved ones; because all were in danger because of their sin. Does it not follow that any country dispensing with moral truth and biblical faith is in the same position as Nineveh. Especially when their sins are as a stench before God. These two prophets show two sides of the coin: on one side sin brings death/on the other side repentance leads to life.

          Here’s how the apostle Paul lists the sins of the last days (2 Timothy 3:2-5a), sins that preachers and prophets, and any wise ethicist, should call the nation to repent of for her own good: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:

          Remember sin brings death, repentance leads to life. I read a quote years ago, supposedly from the graffiti in a major city, that said: “Evil spelled backwards is live.”

A Devotional Thought From Amos

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:     Amos 8:11

When one thinks of famine and thirst he/she recognizes the terror, agony, and death that such a condition brings. Without food and water life is impossible, and people will be reduced to skeletons grasping at life, literally waiting to die. In this passage God is announcing not a famine of food and water, but of the word of God. In Israel, a nation called into existence by God, maintained by the word of God, there shall be a scarcity of the word of God. The word of God was paramount in their birth as a people, in building the structure of their society, in their revivals of faith and goodness, in their hope for the future.

Imagine, no preachers shall be proclaiming God’s word to the multitudes, no Bible classes will be held in the houses of worship, no personal witnessing of the word or coffee klatch conversations about God's word will take place. The logical extension of this thought is, that instead people will be living with concerns about everything but God’s word, and that will bring about a society that grasps at life through material things, the occult, false religions, etc. because they do not have God’s true word in the Scriptures being set before them. Will it matter? The answer is that Where there is no vision (no revelation of God’s word) the people perish (Proverbs 29:18).

There is a famine, of sorts, in America re: the word of God. It’s not a total blackout, however. There are still many churches preaching God’s word as it is revealed in the Bible though society at large is not giving it much of a hearing while it goes after materialism, false religions, the occult, sexual license, and personal gratification no matter how it affects the nation. There are still t.v. preachers although the society has attached to them the somewhat pejorative title  “televangelists,” and regard them often as objects of ridicule, perhaps, not always undeserved. There are still personal witnesses who, many times, bear the ostracism faced by people who are bold enough to bring Jesus into the conversation. But for many who do not bow to the living God through His Son Jesus there is a virtual famine of the word of God. How long does the saltiness of word filled Christians’ present in our land preserve our nation before America loses what saltiness she has left?

What America needs is a revival of interest in reading, hearing, preaching and teaching, and sharing the Bible, God’s word, in the midst of her entire population.  In ancient days after a period of biblical famine a copy of the word of God (the book of the law) was found in the temple in Jerusalem, read before the king whose heart was moved, and he started a revival that set the nation on an upward path (2 Kings 22 & 23). America needs that! The word of God recognized and followed could restore her to her former place as a blest nation blessing the world.

A Devotional Thought From Hosea

I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.        

Hosea 7:12

The prophet, speaking for God, addresses His ancient people who have fallen into religious and moral sin, not unlike many modern western nations, and declares that God says He has given them His law, a law that would cleanse their lives and save their nation and would restore the individual’s relationship with God, and these sinful people have looked at it quizzically and suggested it was off the wall crazy, a strange thing. What? Men and women should not have sexual intimacy unless they are married; once married make it work for a lifetime; faithfully worship and raise the children to love the God of the Bible; keep your family from being dysfunctional; be honest and hardworking; don’t let murder enter your mind, heart, or actions; do not steal or betray your country; don’t lie about others; don’t always try to assert your superiority by hurting others; press your government by every legal means to do good, as God defines good, for the nation; encourage others to follow God’s word also.

Give those rules to people in our societies today, where do what you want to do without restraint is the standard of many, and they will count it as a strange set of rules. And, sadly for our national future, many have rejected them. Following the word of God is the way out and up!

A Devotional Thought From Daniel

And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing:     Daniel 5:15

The wise men of Babylon were called upon by Belshazzar on the fateful night that he saw God’s handwriting on the wall of his banquet hall in the palace. He had them examine the writing: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. They could read the words, but had no clue to its meaning for Belshazzar and his nation. They, like their blasphemous king himself, did not realize, and could not interpret the signs of destruction right in front of their eyes. That very night Belshazzar was killed and Babylon conquered.

Now here’s the thing, though God brought about this turn of events in response to Babylon’s national sins, there surely must have been signs of a national failing that were obvious to political and religious observers. There must’ve been members of the court who had the big picture, the country was not on the right track, but like the wise men could not get the meaning of MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN before it was written on the wall and interpreted by Daniel. The people of Babylon could not see how dangerous the situation was. Babylon was going to Gehenna in a golf cart.

Probably many thought Babylon was too big to fail, certainly too big to fall. What a dangerous belief for any nation to entertain. The nation that can’t interpret the signs of moral laxity, lack of spiritual vision, religious dissatisfaction, legal corruption, violence in the street, whatever, whose so-called “wise” can see them but not interpret them is in deep trouble. How can that country reverse course and save herself? Other than by honoring the God of the Bible?

A Church Chooses To Forgive: “Mother Emanuel” AME Church

There are times when a church’s testimony of the gospel is so clear it cannot be missed. “Mother Emanuel” AME Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, USA has reached that high place. She lost nine of her children, but unlike Rachel weeping for her children because they were not, “Mother Emanuel” weeps, but not as those who have no hope because she knows that all who trust in Christ live with Him forever no matter how tragically they died.

With tears on her faces and a catch in her voices, “Mother Emanuel’s” people speak forgiveness. It is as though, similar to what her savior, Jesus, did on the cross to redeem humanity from sin, this local church fellowship realizes the death of her loved ones could redeem America from the hating which has so often been the cause of death and destruction.

She believes that men and women and children of all races should be safe in their own land to worship in peace. She believes that men and women of all races should eschew evil, criminal, terroristic behavior to make their country a safe place for all, and she holds up her lost loved ones as a symbol of the evil that men do when not rightly related to the living God. Do you know what the sins of humanity do? Look at the cross of Christ for your answer. Do you know what the sins of modern men who reject the transforming power of the gospel of the cross do? Look at the massacre at “Mother Emanuel’s” Bible study.

And yet, the people of that church, in the spirit of grace amidst their sorrow, say “We forgive!” How glorious a response, and how honoring to God.

So, dear brothers and sisters of “Mother Emanuel” AME Church, do not let haters overcome your testimony; do not let politicians hijack your testimony; do not let the populace ignore your testimony. Stand strong in that testimony of forgiveness repeating again and again the Christian refrain: the love of Christ constrains me.

There is no sorrow like your sorrow. Your loved ones murdered while they studied God’s Word and prayed, while they welcomed and expressed love to a stranger, while they felt safe in the house of God. But you have overcome.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death (Revelation 12:11).

A Devotional Thought From Daniel

…to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.     Daniel 4:17

It was a fantastic dream and interpretation. The mightiest King in the world dreamed he was a tree that was cut down leaving only a stump. That put in motion a most unusual historic event: Nebuchadnezzar’s being removed from his throne because his heart and mind became those of an animal. Instead of recognizing that the God of heaven had given him his great dominion and clout, Nebuchadnezzar claimed that he had done it all by his own strength and power. God decided to make an example of him. For about 3½ years, according to scholars, Nebuchadnezzar crawled on all fours and ate grass like an animal. His hair grew so long it looked like bird’s feathers on his head, and his finger nails grew into human claws. Needless to say, he could not rule and he was removed from the throne.

Amazingly, it was a temporary removal. Amazing because kings in those days had a palace guard to protect them, a food taster to make sure they weren’t poisoned, and probably slept with a dagger under the pillow for immediate self-defense if necessary. There was always someone looking to dispatch the monarch and take his place, or like a puppet master put their own man in his place. If a king became physically ill or too old he might be comfortably retired (if not killed) and, of course, the same would occur if an emperor lost his mind and began living like an animal. So when Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind, what you would have thought would happen was: sayonara, so long, goodbye, resize that crown for the new king, lock the old king up, cut his throat, bury him deep, hail to the new king. But that’s not what happened, not by a long shot. After more than three years of supernaturally imposed insanity, God gave Nebuchadnezzar his mind back, and Nebuchadrezzar was restored his crown, throne, and kingdom.

How did such an unlikely thing happen? God made it happen to show that he is the ruler of all the kingdoms of men in this world, and he sets upon the throne whoever He will. It’s a message to leaders in all the world. No matter how powerful and cruel, and invincible you may think you are God can remove you. So you kings, and presidents, and prime ministers, and such people of power if you wish to extend your rule be of service to the God of Heaven. Do what He demands of government which is be His servant to do good, and give Him glory not yourself!

A Devotional Thought From Ezekiel

But when the people of the land shall come before the LORD in the solemn feasts, he that entereth in by the way of the north gate to worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; and he that entereth by way of the south gate shall go forth by the way of the north gate: he shall not return by the way of the gate whereby he came in, but shall go forth over against it.     Ezekiel 46:9

This verse refers to the worship of God’s people in the rebuilt Temple. One application here is that the symbolism of going into the Temple by one gate and leaving by another is a picture of true worship in the sense that God expects us to go in a new direction when we are in a right relationship with Him. Worship should change us. For the Christian our theme for worship should be, in the words of James Rowe’s old hymn, “I Would Be Like Jesus.” Regular, faith filled, biblical worship will make us more and more like Him. Week by week, worship by worship, personal or corporate. Metanoia is the Greek word for repentance in the New Testament. It means turn around, change direction, go God’s way. It’s a word for unsaved and saved alike.

2 Devotional Thoughts from Ezekiel

And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and they’re doing: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.     Ezekiel 14:23

God had brought serious punishment to His people: death, destruction of cities, captivity and deportation. Though they had sinned, like most people when things go wrong their cry would be, “Why are you letting this happen to us, O Lord?” What God says in this verse is very comforting. I have not done this randomly. I have not done it without cause. What you have experienced is the result of your own choices, your own sins, your own disobedience, your own disfigured faith. His people deserved what they got, but there was more in God’s action than punishment. There was His purpose in restoring them to right fellowship with Himself, repairing their faith, making them His people again like they were in better days, giving them a new start.

Christians should apply this concept, that God has a purpose in what happens, to their own lives, and difficulties, and setbacks. They should not view them as punishments (although what Ezekiel refrerences here regarding God’s ancient people was a direct punishment), but situations that help reveal God’s purpose in our lives. His grace is sufficient for us!

And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.     Ezekiel 36:27

Having the Spirit of God in them was a new thought to God’s people of the Old Testament. But he tells them, one day He will put His Spirit “in” them, and through His Spirit will cause them to live, vibrantly, within  God’s rules. The ministry of the Spirit is dynamite that blasts away the sin, and hard headedness, of God’s people. By God’s grace, we New Testament Christians have God’s Spirit indwelling us from the moment of the new birth in Christ.

I believe that the ministry of the Spirit is so dynamic that if a new Christian was born again in true faith in Jesus, that even if he/she did not have the Guidebook, the Bible, that the Spirit would begin to make changes in lifestyle in that person by His impact on the heart and soul and mind. But the usual path of righteousness in Christian living is for the Holy Spirit of God  to take the word of God, which the Spirit Himself inspired, and teach and apply it in the lives of believers. Harry A. Ironside, the great preacher of the 20^th century wrote; “A word filled Christian is a Spirit filled Christian.”

The way of Christian growth is being regularly in God’s word through reading and hearing it preached in worship, believing, obeying, and living it. So read it, pray it, go to church and hear it preached, share it, and your Christian growth is assured. It will be consistent and strong. Trust the Spirit to cause you to be God’s person in the way God wants you to be His person.

3 Devotional Thoughts From Ezekiel

Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.     Ezekiel 9:9

What kind of ideas are in the minds of people who feel that they are free to sin terribly with no spiritual consequences? An underlying sinful mental attitude is expressed here in this verse. What were they thinking! They were thinking: “We can do what we want because God is not paying attention. He has forsaken the earth. He is very deistic; and He can’t even see what’s going on. Yes, we are told that once He did see what was going on, but that was then and this is now.” In today’s world the thought is very similar. If it were systematized and expressed aloud many might say: “We don’t believe God exists anymore, at least not in the way that the ancients believed it. If He sees what we’re doing He can’t do anything about it or won’t do anything about it anyway, so why not do what we want to do. Without God there are no consequences, so blood and perverseness can be our new normal.”

If you are in that crowd, let me respond with a bit of preaching, You’ll be sorry in the long run!

And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.     Ezekiel 11:5

I  know… every one of them. Does God know what no one else does about you? Can God discern the good and evil in your life? Can God literally evaluate your behavior because He knows the thoughts and intents of your heart (cf. Heb. 4:12)? Can you hide anything from God even though you keep it to yourself and never let it out of your mind? No! Do not harbor evil in your inward parts for God sees!

Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.     Ezekiel 12:27

This is also a very modern idea. It can't happen here. It won’t happen here, and if it does it will be a long time coming. It will be in a time far, far away - our land being conquered? - not much chance of that. Our land being occupied - not much chance of that. Beheading here, crucifixions here, starvation here, religious wars here? Maybe in 1000 years, but not now. The people of the world are too good for that. They are not sinners. That’s a very modern idea. Do not count on it! Pray that your country does not become a spiritual and physical desolation.