A Devotional Thought From Luke’s Gospel

Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.      Luke 15:1, 2

                One of the great criticisms of Jesus was this one: This man receiveth sinners.

                The religious legalists could not get their heads around the fact that God did not feel the way about sinners that they did. They looked down on others who did not meticulously keep the laws set forth by the scribes as well as they, the legalists, did. They looked down on those who did not dress as well as they, the legalists, did every day. These were ordinary people who, if they were judged by ordinary civic standards, would come out being considered, for the most part, decent human beings. But they were not up to the “really religious” standards of those who saw themselves as the righteous ones, so the “righteous ones” considered them the low down dirt of the earth. Of course, some of them were: Roman tax collectors and collaborators, others, perhaps, liars, cheats, harlots, whatever, AND/SO  even you, dear readers, think they deserved to not be received by Jesus, or at least his church, yet he received them. Aaaaghh!

                Think back to the manger. Around Jesus was a mother who was self-proclaimed as one who needed a savior; an earthly father who had to be convinced that the sordid thought he had about his bride was wrong; shepherds who certainly were sinners of some sort at least by Pharisaical standards; wise men, or kings, if the tradition is true, who very likely were throughout their life time involved in the academic, or political, or occultic intrigue that would surround their occupations. In other words, the savior in the manger had sinners all around him even then!

                The Pharisees missed the glory of Jesus, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Sinners! BTW, they, the Pharisees, and us, we’re sinners. Thank God Jesus receives us!

A Devotional Thought From Luke’s Gospel

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.     Luke 11:31

                Speaking of himself in comparison with arguably the greatest king of ancient Israel, at least regarding wealth and extension of the kingdom, and reputation in the world, Jesus says, a greater than Solomon is here.

                The Magi inquired where is he that is born King of the Jews, and to have made the life interrupting, life changing, journey that they made makes it obvious they thought this King of the Jews they sought was someone special, probably greater than any King the Jews had ever had before, which would include both Solomon, and the present ruler Herod, the Great.

                                A beloved Christmas Carol focuses our thoughts of Christmas on this part of the story with the phrase, “Born is the King of Israel.”

                Solomon’s wisdom was sought by other kingdoms in the world, rulers who came from the utmost parts of the earth; Jesus is greater than Solomon. His wisdom is greater, and he offers salvation, and a daily relationship to God. The national leaders of the countries of this world today should be seeking out Jesus because he can make marvelous changes in their understanding about how to make their nations prosper and be at peace (in addition to individual salvation). If they do not seek him and his ways they will continue on the tragic paths they often follow to their nation’s hurt and the world’s.

                And, if individuals are not wise enough to seek him and the greater wisdom and salvation he offers they will eventually fall into eternal condemnation.

A Devotional Thought From Luke

And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered everyone at all things which Jesus did, …     Luke 9:43

                So what happened was, the crowd of people around Jesus were amazed at the power of God when Jesus cast out the demon afflicting one man’s son, and they wondered, they thought about what this and other miracles Jesus did could mean. They thought about, and hopefully thought it through, and came to an accurate realization of what his work said about him. They pondered, as it were, these things in their hearts.

                At this season of the year, Christmas time, such an idea takes us back to Bethlehem in Judea where shepherds who saw the realization of the angel message that they would find a baby in a manger who is literally the Savior, Messiah, and Lord of the people of God, proclaimed it throughout the town, and we are told those who heard that reporting wondered ( I wonder if this announcement could really be true, and if it is, I wonder what this all means for me, my people and nation, the world.) At the same time the young mother of that newborn, who had already heard many amazing things about the child she was given to bear, listened to the shepherds’ story and saw them shouting it into town, and she pondered it  in her heart (How does this fit in with what I already know? Will I ever understand my baby?).

                Decades after they wondered at Bethlehem they were still wondering about this Jesus who had come from the Father.  If the Christmas message declared by churches worldwide can get people to wonder about Jesus, and ponder his identity and purpose in coming to earth, lives around the globe, and the world system itself, can change, and, in many ways, be made new.

                Go tell it in the churches and in their ministries everywhere that Jesus the savior and king is born.

A Devotional Thought From The Gospel Of Luke

When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?     Luke 7:20

                One of the most poignant questions of all time was when John, the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, the identifier of the Lamb of God, the last great prophet of Old Testament times, becomes so depressed as he sits in prison awaiting an unsure fate that he sends to Jesus…  Now remember John had declared with great faith and supreme confidence that not only had the long-awaited Messiah come, but that Messiah is Jesus. He had pledged his allegiance to Jesus with the great statement, He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). This was a monumental ministry and pronouncement, but now oppressed by the evils of the day, punished for his stand against evil in favor of righteousness… awaiting an unsure fate he sends to Jesus with the poignant question, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

                Perhaps, this is not the first time such a question is asked about Jesus. God’s people throughout the ages had expected a powerful Deliverer, not a baby; a Warrior-King, not a helpless baby; a watchful Shepherd, not a baby who needed watching himself.  Is the baby the Savior, or do we look for another? Is the baby the Christ, or do we look for another? Is the baby the Lord, or do we look for another?

                Look no further than the manger to find a Deliverer who will go to the cross for you. Look no further than the manger for the Warrior-King who will victoriously set up his kingdom. Look no further than the manger for the Lord who rules heaven and earth. The Bible scriptures make it plain: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: … His name shall be called … The Mighty God …The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, … (John 1:45).

                Look not for another. The Baby is the one who should come! Jesus is Christmas! Let your celebration of Him be happy, holy, joy filled!

A Devotional Thought From Mark’s Gospel

And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.     Mark 2:19

                Why is Christmas such a joyous occasion? Why does society at large make a happy holiday out of the recognition of His birth, even though it does not value the theological and moral significance? Why do even the most seriously religious among us (church attenders, Bible readers, the God intoxicated, witnesses) make the observance of Christmas into high happy days?

                The one and only answer is because the Lord has come. The true God came. The Son of God is among us, and He described Himself as a bridegroom. When the bridegroom is around you never hear people say: "We don't need all these decorations;" "Having all this food is a waste;" or, "There’s too much dancing going on around here;" or, "Laughter is unseemly;" or… or… or…

                The very presence of the bridegroom brings joy, and changes the attitudes, whatever they may be, of his guests. The presence of the bridegroom speaks of abundant celebration. It is one of the best times that the wedding couple ever have in their whole lives, and their families and friends enjoy it with them.

                The Baby ( a.k.a. a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord ) is the bridegroom. So Christians should get happy and out do the world celebration by our Christmas joy. Christmas is one of the great portions of our message of good news. Let us, as it were, run with this message, as the amazed and exuberant shepherds ran through Bethlehem being town crier’s of God’s arrival.

                May your Christmas be merrier and merrier, brighter and brighter, and truer and truer.

A Devotional Thought From Matthew’s Gospel

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.     Matthew 22:29

                The American celebration of Christmas has a variety of expressions: ornamental decorated trees both outdoors and inside; a song about a boy and his drum; dreams of snowy Christmases; a feast of seven fishes; even an imaginary mythical Christmas personage, among them. All good fun.

                Now, personally, I like those things, but I know the real story of Christmas so I realize that these fun things are extraneous accretions to an accurate celebration of the actual event that is Christmas, and they are used by some to obscure the historical record of what happened in Bethlehem. If the non-Christian world, society at large, has its way people who don’t know the real story will think Christmas is a fantasy fun time full of festive foods, and freaky, friendly, flying, forest creatures. The message, to those who don’t know the story, in all of this is a message that Jesus gave to some of his ancient opponents on another subject: Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures.

                If a person knows what God’s word teaches about the event we call Christmas, he/she/they will know the following realities of the meaning of Christmas:

                At Christ’s birth the prophecies of God given in the Bible were being fulfilled;

                The unusual star over Bethlehem brought people to the promised Messiah’s birthplace;

                The baby in the manger is the savior of the world;

                The baby is the Son of God given by God to the world because God loves us;

                The Son of God came to save His people, and all people, from their sins;

                As many as receive Him as savior become the children of God.

                The non-Bible believing world likes to think of elves, colored lights, and the joy of gift giving to family and friends (all good things) and call their form of Christmas magical. The Church, all the Christians of the world, would use the word miracle. We would say if you have to make a choice between the two choose miracle, because that’s what real Christmas is all about. If you’ve got the theology right then you can rightly divide the true from the cultural and enjoy both.

 If there were no lights, or trees, or children sharing their wish list with a red suited guy, or lots of fish, or holiday songs, or special homemade candies, or a national holiday, there would still be Christmas because God’s coming into the world, the miracle, is true now and forever. To sum Christmas up in one word, it is Emmanuel. Emmanuel means God with us.

A Devotional Thought From Matthew

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.     Matthew 5:16

                Christmas lights are a joy to us all. The red, yellow, green, blue, white, and whatever color lights brightened the darkness of the world in the midst of winter cold. I really enjoy the Christmas lights. Red, and yellow, green, and white, they make this season bright, festive, and beautiful. Each single bulb, string of lights, or old-fashioned candle, contributes to the light that overcomes the darkness of the chilling night.

                Our society with its political correctness can wink and call it winter holiday, community decoration, or party time, but we all know those twinkling lights are a signal that the Lord has come, and because of him, Jesus (God incarnate), there is a good news light in this world.

                That’s the application of this word from Jesus to his followers here in the Sermon on the Mount that I want to make. Let your light (testimony, actions, worship, behavior) so shine, be a bright light in the darkness of this sinful world, in other words be a symbol of Christmas.  Be a little light, red, yellow, black and white, for God, be a sunbeam for Jesus, be a Christmas decoration.  Always let the whole world know the Lord has come, and salvation and joy are offered to all who will receive him.

                When the world winks and says “Happy Holidays,” wink back and say “Thank you for that Christmas greeting.”

A Devotional Thought From Matthew

…Where is he that is born King of the Jews?...      Matthew 2:2

                We were at the church this morning, my wife and I, helping to decorate for Christmas. It was one of those nice times of fellowship that puts us in the mood for Christmas celebration. Later when I read my devotions for the day it included the story of Christmas from the Magi’s point of view. They asked this question: Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

                Herod did not know who it was specifically, although he correctly surmised it was Messiah. He did not know exactly where the birth was to take place, although he remembered that the scriptures gave that information. And, as the wise men discovered through their journey, and then their interaction with Herod, and their arrival in Bethlehem, the King of the Jews was the Messiah who is Jesus.

                This incident with beautiful pinpoint accuracy summarizes the central truth of the incarnation revealed in Christmas.

                That phrase, the King of the Jews, comes up again at the end of the gospel story also. Unable to bring himself to free a clearly innocent Jesus, Pontius Pilate puts a public sign on the cross, it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin (John 19:30), and it stated JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS (John 19:29).

                From the beginning of the story to the end Jesus is the King of the Jews:

                The baby in the womb was King of the Jews.

                The baby in the manger was King of the Jews.

                The boy in the temple was King of the Jews.

                The preacher on the road was King of the Jews.

                The teacher of the disciples was King of the Jews.

                The crucified savior is King of the Jews.

                The risen Lord is King of the Jews.

                The coming King is the King of the Jews.

                The Creator and King of the Universe is the King of the Jews.

                The promised One sent for all peoples is the King of the Jews.

Merry Christmas! Celebrate the King! Joy to the world the Lord is come!

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.     1 Timothy 2:1,2

Suggested prayers for the USA President-elect as he becomes  one “ in authority” as President of this nation:

Pray that he will seek God’s righteousness for the nation.

Pray that he will have clarity of vision concerning what is good for all Americans.

Pray that he will be strong on moral issues.

Pray that he will work to ensure constitutional American freedom of religion.

Pray that he will be able to galvanize citizens to make America  unified, cooperative, and forward-looking.

However you pray do not fail to pray for God’s blessing upon those “in authority.” Then do your part in helping our nation by seeking to live a quiet, peaceable life in godliness and honesty.

Praying For The President Elect

Let Christians here in America, and the world over, hold Donald Trump in prayer. Ask God to give him the experience of Psalm 84:12: O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Ask God to move upon Mr. Trump’s heart so that he will come to true biblical faith, and have faith that spills over and blesses us all.

A Devotional Thought From Amos

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:         Amos 1:3

                In the first two chapters of his prophecy Amos expresses the punishment that will be meted out to Damascus, Gaza, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, and Israel. In each case he cites, “for three transgressions and for four.” Each of the nations to be punished where receiving their “just desserts,” and among those nations you will note were Israel and Judah, the very people of God in the Old Testament.

                Three or four sinful behaviors and actions were bringing down the wrath of God upon them as a nation state and a people. Their transgressions brought severe judgment.

                Ought not modern day nations to be aware that what they sow might be what they reap? I think so! Or, is it possible that modern day nations have so progressed that behaviors worthy of punishment are no longer to be found among them? I don’t think so!

                Let’s let the USA, the most developed and among the most “freethinking” nations in the world be an example. Can three or four societal issues that are worthy of God’s punishment be found in this society? Yes, simply yes! Here are some.

1.       Political, and even religious, leaders, diminishing biblical faith and endorsing everything but orthodox biblical truth.

2.       Political and religious leaders devaluing  the sanctity of human life to the point of more than a half million abortions committed each year.

3.       Political leaders endorsing the relaxing of laws against the illegal use of drugs, especially marijuana, so that we do not know how many drivers on America’s many highways and side roads are operating automobiles and other vehicles under the influence endangering the lives of all those who are on the road with them.

4.       Political and religious leaders virtually approving various forms of immorality and breakdown of the nuclear family.

Yes, such national sin attitudes will bring some kind of judgment. Even if God does not specifically intervene but just allows nature to take its course, these sinful behaviors are some that take a nation, any nation, down into the depths of destruction.

A Devotional Thought From Daniel

Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the kings meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.  Daniel 1:12, 13

            It’s a sort of strange scenario to those of us in the 21^st century. Four Jewish captives of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians were being groomed to be leaders in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. The King wanted them well taken care of, so that  they would be able to reach their potential and be useful to him. So Nebuchadnezzar instructed that all the young prisoners, from whatever country they were taken, should eat the very same diet Nebuchadnezzar himself would eat. Roast beef, roast lamb, roast pork, fish, sweet cakes, breads, candy, fruit, vegetables, red wine, white wine, hard liquor,  freshwater, and whatever exotic treats came before the King. Sounds like a good menu.

But Daniel, and by extension Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, apparently had a spiritual objection to eating those foods and requested what might be called a religious exemption from eating them. They wanted nothing but vegetables (pulse) and water.

Now Melzar, the palace representative in charge of those boys, was fearful that they would not be as healthy as the other conscripts from foreign nations who were eating the full royal diet. He was afraid for his own life if the special students were to get weak and sickly from just having water and vegetables. Eastern potentate Neb was not above executing those who had failed him in big or small issues.

Daniel said, just try it out for ten days, at the end of that time compare our health to those eating the full diet, and you decide if we can continue. Test it out. See if our plan works.

Of course, it did. The four Jewish captive believers  honored God by their adherence to kosher law.

Let me leap to the gospel message of the New Testament. Here’s the plan: trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you will be forgiven and saved from the wrath against your sins. You will receive the presence of the Holy Spirit of God in your life. You will be given a new outlook on living, and relationships, and you will possess eternal life from the moment you believe.

In response to God’s biblical plan some may react like Melzar, or Nicodemus, How can these thngs be? (John 3:9). Daniel’s answer was, try it out and see. Jesus answer could be what He said in John 7:16, 17: My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.

Test it! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31).You will experience its truth personally in your life.

A Devotional Thought From Jeremiah

Moab is destroyed: her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.     Jeremiah 48:4

                On the very day I read this verse in my devotions, TV news reported and showed video of a five-year-old Syrian girl being rescued from the rubble of an airstrike in a city in Syria. She is just one of those rescued amidst the destruction of the Syrian Civil War. The children, whether anyone can hear them or not, set up a cry in the tragedy of war. “Abba, daddy, papa, I’m over here. I’m buried in the stones. I can’t get out. Come and get me. Save me. Hold me. Keep me safe.” There’s weeping and wailing, and crying and praying. On another report on the news that day you could actually hear wailing in the background of a cell phone video, it may have been disconsolate children.

                This news story in a way hearkens back to the judgment of Moab. The Chaldean military of Nebuchadnezzar swooped in crushing the country, breaking it down, destroying the bridges and killing people, making a desolation. They did this without the missile firepower of modern warfare being used in Syria today. It was hand-to-hand, person-to-person, intentional arson, face-to-face stabbing, spearing, trampling, and through it all the wailing cry of children whose parents were dead or enslaved, children who had been burned in the fire, and buried alive in the rubble.        

                Wherever there is war with its merciless destruction, raping, pillaging, enslavement, the children set up a cry. But the killers kill without sympathy, the blood of the embattled and executed stains the earth, the bodies litter the ground, and the children weep, and wail, and cry for themselves, their land, and the world. Moab is destroyed. Wherever the hellishness of war explodes the children cry.

A Devotional Thought From Jeremiah

But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.     Jeremiah 20:11

                Jeremiah, the preacher, was under assault by the society around him. His message was unpopular, he was “struck” which means hit with 40 lashes, put in wooden stocks like those displayed in Williamsburg, VA and other colonial American towns, it would be fair to say people were out to get him, and as a matter of fact this continued for some time following this passage. All because he preached an unpopular message, and to be fair it was a message that was given to him by God.

                You might think that open minded people would say, “Well, it's just his opinion. Ignore him and leave him alone.” They didn’t. You might think they would say, “He just one of those foolish preachers who think God’s word is for everybody.” They didn’t. You might think they would simply mock him, and keep him at arm’s length. They didn’t.

                They wanted him to be afflicted because his preaching stood in judgment of their lifestyle. Even today Bible preachers in some societies find themselves in such circumstances, and in freer countries the time may come when preachers in the free countries experience the same persecution. Even as the storm clouds of invasion by the most powerful nation on earth in Jeremiah’s day appeared on the foreign policy horizon the people refused to heed Jeremiah’s sad prediction. They simply would not believe it. So they pounded Jeremiah with their wrath.

                No preacher likes to be in that position. No preacher likes to suffer because his ministry is unpopular. Jeremiah no more than others.

                But Jeremiah realized that God was with him, as a mighty defender. It was, after all, God’s message he was proclaiming. He was aware that though he was being persecuted, it was his persecutors who would stumble trying to hurt him and stifle the message, and would not defeat or prevail against the prophet, and that the outcome would be their shame, their failure to prosper, and their confusion. Brave faith for a preacher under persecution.

                Modern preachers of the Bible need such faith. If we preach what the Bible says, let’s face it, many in free societies will reject it, and hate it, because it goes against their sinful desires. They will probably hate it to the point of some sort of persecution of the preacher, and the church, and the individual believer. But our hope and realization is that God is with us because our Bible message is His message. In the end it is the persecutors who will fail and fall. Jeremiah’s confidence is still the preacher’s confidence today.

A Devotional Thought From Jeremiah

They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:     Jeremiah 5:12

                The prophet Jeremiah gave some hard to swallow news to the people of Israel, the northern kingdom, and to Judah, the southern kingdom. And, at some point they rejected it. 

                 This is the word of the Lord, the prophet thundered. Pay attention. God has spoken, and it is not good news to the nation, and people who do not repent and change their wicked ways. The marching feet of invaders will thump like thunder. The crops and herds of the land will be baked and roasted to feed the enemy soldiers. Their swords will strike down many amidst the terrorized screams of a defeated people. The people of Israel and Judah, even though they are my people, will be crying, Woe unto us! for we are spoiled (4:13).

                Here is their response to this hard message. That’s not God speaking. We can’t believe he would do that. We won’t be invaded. We won’t be butchered. We won’t starve. That’s just your idea Jeremiah, and we don’t believe you.

                Dear modern-day reader, do you know what happened to Israel and Judah in those days? Do you think it could happen to your country today? Do you think there is a way for a nation today to get out from under such judgment? Food for thought!

A Devotional Thought From Isaiah

The grass withereth, the flower  fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.     Isaiah 40:8

Things grow, blossom, and die: grass withers, the petals fall from flowers and they fade. The grass and flowers are symbols of all life in this world. The greatest warriors, thinkers, scientists, etc. grow into their potential and eventually die. The wicked thousand year Reich of the Nazis was gone in 12 years. The pyramids recall the once powerful Egyptian dynasties, but they are gone. Babe Ruth, Muhammed Ali, Peter Sellers, and an unending list of former greats have come and gone. The theory of evolution keeps making pronouncements and scientific discovery continues to toss those same pronouncements on the ash heap of scholarship and inquiry.  Nothing is permanent except the word of God which will stand forever. Eternal truth is found in God’s word. His word is revealed in the Bible.

If you want to know what will last; what will be important and true when all other false words wither and fade you will find that in the Bible. How to reform a life, family, a nation, the world: it’s in the Bible. What God said was true when He first revealed it, and it will always be true. It will stand forever.

A Devotional Thought From Isaiah

Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.     Isaiah 32:1

When Messiah returns to earth He will rule as king in Israel and the world. He will rule in righteousness, and the world will know such glory and blessings as it has not known since the days before Adam’s fall. Because of righteousness,the King’s righteousness.  With righteousness permeating the life of humanity, we are told in verses 17 and 18 of this chapter: And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

That is a glorious prophecy of the future, yet, there is a message here for today. If people of the nations throughout the world would commit themselves (as best they can) to righteousness as God sees it, and has defined it in His word, the Bible, some of the same benefits could be and would be seen in the present age revolutionizing the lives of millions on earth today.

Where there is no barbarous war people could live in secure cities, and towns, and villages. Where there is no butchering terrorism people could let down their guard, and just enjoy safety. Where there is no international drug trafficking or human trafficking the ills of crime would begin to disappear. Where there is no street violence communities would begin to rebound  financially. Where there is no inordinate price gouging on food and medicine starvation and illness disappears. When there is no government corruption nations can truly help their people. When there is a sharing of peaceful technology the desert will blossom like the rose.

The ultimate expression of righteousness in this world will come when Messiah, King Jesus, returns and reigns righteously as predicted in the devotional verse for today Isaiah 32:1. Harry A. Ironside wrote in his commentary on Isaiah (©1952, Loizeaux Brothers): “There will be protection from every ill when Messiah takes over the reins of government.” And Christ’s return will rescue this world.

But until then, if nations and neighbors, faiths and friends, corporations and communities, and all connections of people, however they are connected in this world, would strive for righteousness, this world would experience a preview of universal peace and safety, and quietness and assurance.

A Devotional Thought From Isaiah

Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!     Isaiah 5:20

It should come as no surprise that there are people in our world who call evil good. They say as it were: Oh, killing infants in the womb is a good thing. No baby would want to be born into a family that doesn’t want her. She’d rather be dead than live that way; or, cheating on your wife to have sex with another woman can be good for a marriage; or, enforcing the law against rioters and looters is discriminating so let them burn and pillage as much as they want.

Any observant watcher of the news knows these statements are no exaggerations. And, the same people who say these evils are good, look at preachers of righteousness who call evil evil, and say, it is the judgmental spirit of the religious people that is evil not the actions of the sinners. That’s not an exaggeration either.

God says of these people who reverse reality Woe unto them. Such rejection of truth does not bring blessings. It brings death, destruction, sorrow, broken marriages, dysfunctional family, broken hearts, societal hostility, and the breakdown of civilization. The woe to the purveyors of these falsehoods becomes the woe of the whole world. This is specially true when it is the leaders of a land who would change the rules, and call evil good and good evil. Here’s what Isaiah says about that scenario: For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed (9:16).

Evil is evil. Do not be mislead. Reject the false values of a sin sick society. Live according to goodness as God defines it, and seek goodness for your nation. If enough people follow God’s word nations can be restrained, reformed, revived, and rescued from destruction.

A Devotional Thought From Isaiah

The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves.     Isaiah 3:9

The people of God in those days knew better. They had the word of God written in the Torah, and declared by the prophets. They had the believer’s behavior set before them as it should have been lived out, but they chose to ignore it. You could see their rebellion in their faces. Instead of being embarrassed by their sins they declared (announced, heralded, publicized) their sin openly like the people of the wicked and infamous city Sodom had done. It was a defiant proclamation that they would do what they chose to do, even though the sinful behavior was condemned by the word of God.

And, Isaiah says, Woe unto their soul! Woe may mean judgment, grief, regret, misfortune, distress, and Isaiah says that woe will come from the evil they have earned for themselves by their sins.

By their sinning and flaunting it, they have rewarded themselves. They have earned evil unto themselves. Choosing sin means choosing sin's consequences too. This is a basic general observation that if made by anyone could save his/her life from the effects of sin. Choose God’s way and be blessed. Choose sin in revolt against God’s way and you set yourself up for bad outcomes in your personal life.

A Devotional Thought From Isaiah

Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.     Isaiah 5:13, 24

The punishment for God’s ancient people was captivity. The invading armies of the Assyrian horde would conquer and carry away the population of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Babylon would do the same to Judah. Many would die in the invasion, many would be enslaved, and many would be deported to the lands that had defeated them.

After that, when anyone looked at the land of Israel, or viewed the situation of the poor captives, it would give the appearance of having been burned over by fire. Fire that burned up the chaff and stubble and undergrowth of the land. The land and the lives would be blossomless, no flowers, no beauty, and the roots of the trees and plants would look as though they were rotted out. It would be a desolation.

This is a sad and terrible thing. Why? Why would God punish His people in such a dreadful way? There is an answer in this passage. Here it is: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Modern nations take note. The people of God, His beloved people, were punished for despising the word of God. Societies anywhere who despise the word of God found in the Bible may be playing a dangerous game of “Russian roulette.”

A Devotional Thought From Isaiah

As for my people, children are their oppressors,…     Isaiah 3:12

                This phrase caught my attention when reading my devotions recently. The biblical prophets are often called upon to declare strange and terrible things in store for the ancient people of God who turned their backs on his commandments and ways. Historically the prophecies have come true and the brutality predicted could be described with gory imagination that might not even reach the high level of cruelty, pain, and destruction that actually happened when enemies were allowed to invade and conquer the land.

                This phrase used in the context of that ancient destruction drew my thinking to modern times and the appropriateness of its application to today. Nations in Africa have for many years, if not decades, seen the terrible oppression and destruction committed by “child soldiers.” Imagine 10 and 12 year old boys, even younger, carrying A K 47s or some sort of sub machine gun, and at the command of their leader leveling those weapons against their own people and killing with the squeeze of a trigger and no conscience about it at all. In western countries we hear tales of child criminals used by gangs for robberies and killings, because presumably the law treats these childish shooters with lighter penalties than adults. In other countries where violence is a way of life we hear news reports of children wearing homicide/suicide bomb vests and wreaking savagery up their own countrymen.

                None of us growing up would have ever have thought “modern” societies would stoop to this level of horror. Even theologians who understand the inherent sin nature of human beings are shocked to think that anyone could sink so low. How could the Bible predict such unimaginable stuff? It doesn’t make sense, but again and again, over and over, we see things predicted for the ancient times mirrored in modern days. Trust the Bible to give you the truth about the world, about life, about God’s saving message.

A Devotional Thought From Proverbs

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn.     Proverbs 29:2

The people of any nation want to be happy. They want their kids to be able to go to school without being propositioned to take drugs, or tempted to view pornography, or shot by marauding thugs. They want markets to provide good food sold honestly, and doctors to be well trained and effective in maintaining good health, and many other things. They want to rejoice in all good things, and what the Bible makes clear here and in other passages is that such a comfortable life style for all the population comes closest to fruition when the politicians and government leaders are righteous. They do the right thing. So any people, any nation, who wants peaceful , good lives should put righteous leaders into place.

            On the contrary when the wicked are in power the nation mourns. They mourn the poverty and crime of the inner cities, the drug problems in the suburbs and small towns, as well as, the inner cities. They mourn the failure of government for all their people. And they mourn many other problems as well.  And while some leaders are clearly and outspokenly wicked, many are wicked unwittingly. Unwitting because they parrot suggested ideas and principles they know do not explain or legitimately solve the problems their nations experience so the mourning continues.

            For the people to rejoice in any country they need to seek and employ righteous leaders, and follow righteous ways.

A Devotional Thought From Proverbs

But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.     Proverbs 6:32

In the moral laxity, many would use stronger words in describing it, of the Western democracies sexual sin has virtually been enshrined as a virtual virtue, rather than as sin. All sorts of sins are overlooked or even approved by a society that has decided personal desires are more important than right living. I call it right living because God’s word teaches us that some things are just plain wrong. And, when people commit such sins they may not realize it but they have gone a long way to destroying their own souls.

Sinning with impunity hardens one’s heart, and makes it easier to fall into sin the next time you are tempted. Calling sin good instead of bad deceives one’s mind and causes those who say they have no sin to call God a liar, because God says they have sinned. He says All have sinned. Calling sin something other than sin, and saying it is really good not bad, may make some people think they don’t need a savior from sin, so they might never come to God by faith in Jesus and ask Him to forgive their sins and save their souls. So the original sin they committed whether adultery or some other, literally destroys their soul sending them into eternity unsaved.

A Devotional Thought From Proverbs

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.     Proverbs 4:14

In this verse Solomon gives a basic, rock-bottom, foundational principle that will make anyone’s life better. Don’t go down the primrose path that the wicked follow, do not be like evil people. Anybody who stays away from where evil people go (and especially what they do) has a significantly higher possibility of leading a safe, less troubled, no jail time life than those who follow and do what the wicked  do.

This should be obvious to anyone who looks around and observes life. Some of the best rules for having a good life are simple and straightforward. Many years ago I read about a piece of graffiti that was well known at the time. It said “Evil spelled backwards is live.” Reverse your direction if you have entered into the way of the wicked. Stay away from evil pathways and live a good life. You will not have to regret it from a prison cell, an early grave, the divorce court, or from a vomit filled gutter after long nights of drinking and drugs, etc., etc., etc.

A Devotional Thought From Proverbs

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it, cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.     Proverbs 3:25, 26

Solomon is speaking in these instructions to his son, presumably Rehoboam, who when he became ruler split the kingdom because he did not have or use the wisdom Solomon is attempting to share with him in this book of the Bible.

When events happen suddenly that would put fear in your heart do not be afraid, do not let the fear control you. Don’t be afraid of the destruction enemies would seek to inflict on you. (Let me interject at this point in my paraphrase of Solomon’s words, that these things “fear and desolation” are not good things. We would think normally anyone would be cast down when they occur, but Solomon’s answer to them is uplifting.) Don’t be afraid because the Lord shall be your confidence. By faith you can throw all your cares on Him, and God will keep you from being overrun and taken. He is able to deliver you. If you depend upon this truth and have the confidence that it is true truth you can sleep at night, work in positive expectation of protection, and realize that in the end by God’s hand all will be well.

This idea can be applied to nations as well as individuals. If a nation wants to live fearlessly and be able to sleep in peace without fear of destruction it’s confidence in the Lord is paramount. A nation that is motivated by faith in, and, obedience to, the wisdom and instructions of the God of the Bible is more likely to be protected from the wolf packs of war and terror than those nations that do not give God’s word, the Bible, any credence.

The people, and nation, who have confidence in the LORD share the same principles, moral values, laws, sensitivities, work ethic, speech ethic, love of country, and stand together and stand guard for one another.

A nation like that is strong, and as long as they continue like that will remain strong. A country strong like that does not need to fear desolation from inside or without. Their confidence is in God. They follow His guidance, and live without fear.

Of course, when the people of a nation turns its back on that biblical wisdom and rejects the ways of God like other countries they never know what will happen next.

A Devotional Thought From The Psalms

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.     Psalm 138:7

David’s personal relationship to his God is his confidence for life. David is a king. He has riches, supplies, an army, and the loyal support of his people at his command, yet he knows that he could still fall into difficulty. His country could be attacked from outside, he could be betrayed by rebellion from the inside, personal trouble could fall upon him, illness or other forms of harm could come into his life. He is after all just a man, a politician in the midst of the issues of a nation, the leader of a family with all its attendant needs, and he cannot know what may transpire in the future. But despite the shadows that might hang over his pathway he goes forward in life confidently praising God (138:1), worshiping God (138:2), remembering God’s blessings (138:3), and according to this verse of Scripture (138:7) expecting God to continue to be his support in the midst of trouble if it comes, defending him against enemies if they come, lifting him up and saving him out of whatever mess he is in.

The confidence we have in God comes from relationship. When a person fully trusts God by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ into his/her life as Savior and Lord a personal relationship with God becomes ours, and like all before us who have known Him we can be confident as well. Paul expressed it this way, I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me (Phillipians  4:19). God did it for David, He does it for us. Live with confidence and honor the Lord.

A Devotional Though From The Psalms

What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.     Psalm 89:48

The poet of this song touches here on something none of us like to really think about - our own death. Who is the person who can stop this tragedy? Who can say “Not me! I will not die,” and then keep his word. After putting this question, the psalmist adds the word Selah, probably a musical chord or interlude which is intended to tell the reader, or singer, or pray-er of this Psalm to stop and think about what was just said.

Who can stop his own death? You? Are you exercising to get your BMI down? Are you changing your diet and eating only dark green veggies? Are you sleeping eight hours every night? Are you thinking beautiful thoughts 24 hours a day? Are you resolving in your mind not to die? Will any of these things keep you from dying? That’s a rhetorical question.

It is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment. Death can be defeated in you, but only by Jesus who met death and walked out of the grave alive. Do you want to beat death? Be in Christ by faith, and because he lives you too shall live.

A Devotional Thought From Psalms

These things hast thou done and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.     Psalm 50:21

In the verses (16-19) immediately before this text God is speaking to the wicked (people who claim to be religious, or righteous, or good, but do bad) and He lists some of their sins. They hate instruction, and show it plainly by casting the word of God behind their backs, out of their lives. They have OK’ed thieving in some ways, and ihave made their society a safe harbor for adultery and sexual sin. You can’t trust what they say because they have yielded their speech to saying evil, and deceitful things. They do not even have brotherly love for their own brothers.

Modern Western societies seem to have fallen into just such a pattern of life. Morality is a no-no. Sins from the minor to the major are tolerated and indulged because the wicked in our society want to be able to do them without any kind of spiritual restraint on their behavior, although the large majority of these wicked folk would say they are “spiritual” in one way or another. How could they think their so-called “spirituality” justifies their sinful lifestyle? Verse 21 answers that question.

You did this wickedness, and because I did not speak out against you and take action, says God, you thought that I was like you are. You thought the holy God was okay with sin. What a foolish idea! I will reprove thee. I will set things right. And, if you continue to forget me I will punish you. If that judgment was declared for God’s own chosen people in the Old Testament shouldn’t people today take it into consideration for their own lives? And their own lands?

A Devotional Thought From Psalms

O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.     Psalm 34:3

Many years ago before we were married this verse became important to my wife and myself. It was sort of an unofficial statement of what we wanted our married lives to be. Both of us were, and are, committed to sincere and honest faith and trust in Jesus, and we wanted to do the two things mentioned here by David. We wanted to magnify the LORD and exalt His name.

We wanted to expand His role in our lives and make what others see of Him in us bigger and bigger, and we wanted to exalt, raise high His glory. We wanted our marriage to be an example of two people who love one another living together to God’s glory.

Let me tell you, that is the way to be married! Loving God first, and loving your spouse and family as God wants you to is the best way to live. It holds everything in place, and makes everything better. No doubt you’ve heard the humorous assessment of marriage attributed to the Amish: “Kissin’ wears out, cookin’ don’t.” Well, when the husband and wife magnify and exalt God’s name together nothing wears out. The romance, joy, happiness, love, interest, comfort, and overwhelming blessings of marriage just keep getting better and better.

Be faithful to God, be faithful to your spouse, be faithful to your family, then you’ll have the best of life no matter the circumstances of your life.

Father’s Day 2016

God is the Father we are all trying to emulate.

He is the Father we are all trying to show to our children.

He is the Father we ourselves love and want to be like.

So that brings us to a question about God’s fatherhood.

What kind of Father is God so we can model our behavior on His? (Not just human fathers, but all Christians)

1.     1. God is love – He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 Jn 4:8)

God’s life, God’s essence, God’s relationship with his creatures, with humankind, with his family the church, is all love.

               He gives sun, rain, food to the just and unjust – He is even handed, and loves even those not His children. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45

               You want to be like God? Live a life characterized by love.

2.    2. God is faithful – Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it (1 Th 5:24).

No matter who we are. No matter how many times we fail, or fall into sin, God does not give up on His children.

I will be there for you because you belong to me.

Be there for your children, family, and others.

3.     3, God responds to prayer and is generous

Do you remember Jesus’ parable?

⁷ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

⁸ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

⁹ Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

¹⁰ Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

¹¹ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Fatherof lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).

Little boys often say: I want to be like my dad. Christian fathers want to be like their heavenly Father. All Christians should want that.

A Devotional Thought From The Book Of Esther

And the king said, What honor and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.     Esther 6:3

Mordecai, the uncle of Esther, Queen of Persia, was probably a low level executive in the administration of Ahasuerus, as he is called in the Bible, known to secular history as Xerxes. Modecai “sat in the king’s gate.” On one occasion he became aware that two of the door men in the king’s palace were plotting against the king. Bigthan and Teresh were their names, and their plan was to terminate Ahasuerus’s reign “with prejudice.” Mordecai discovered the plot, and sent word to the Queen who informed the king. The king judiciously had the matter investigated, and when the truth was discovered he had Bigthan and Teresh hung, when we hear that term we think hung by the neck until dead, but in Persia in those days it meant hung by being impaled on a giant stake with a spear point at the top. A full police report was then included in the official court documents (chronicles) of King Ahasuerus.

Mordecai may have been disappointed. There was no “Citizen Hero” ceremony in the court, no cash reward, not even a participation ribbon. All that happened was the report of Mordecai’s patriotism went into the Congressional record.

Well, if you know the story of the book of Esther you know  it was all good, that God was in control, and since the King’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, God was getting ready to turn it whithersoever he will.

On the very night that Haman, the would be “Hitler of the Old Testament,” had decided to execute Mordecai and the Jewish people, across town at the palace Ahasuerus could not  get to sleep. God would not let him although the king didn’t know it. So to pass the time and get himself good and drowsy the king called for the most boring thing he could think of, the chronicles of the administration, to be read to him. Normally that would put anybody to sleep, but not tonight. Tonight the historian just happened, I think by God’s direction, to read how Mordecai saved the king’s life, and the king asked, “What did we do to reward Mordecai?” The historian replied, “Nothing, nada, niente, niets, zero, zilch, zippo” (So to speak).

This little incident and that answer, saved Mordecai’s life, and eventually the lives of all the Jewish people of Persia. If you want to know the details pick up the story at Esther 2:21 and read through the end of chapter 9.

But here’s a lesson for modern-day believer/citizens. Do what is right as a citizen of the nation realizing the nation is called to obey and honor God’s righteousness. Even when you disagree with the king’s direction of the country, honor him. Follow God’s directions for life even if the nation is turning away from them. Work, save, take care of your family, vote, protest peacefully, obey the law, be a good neighbor, love your enemies, seek peace, pray for the nation, be a part of the quiet majority who want a great, honorable, righteous, way of life to be the essence of your country.

            Having done this, like Mordecai, wait and see what God will do, what blessings He will bring, and pray that the nation’s king will not be able to sleep.

A Devotional Thought From 2 Chronicles

Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:     2 Chronicles 28 :1

Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and 20 years old, and he reigned nine and 20 years in Jerusalem, And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.     2 Chronicles 29:1,2

These verses are a study of two Kings, both in the line of King David who is called their father according to custom although, as founder of the line, he would’ve been far back in the history of the Kings, and the great, great, great, great, grandfather or something. Both men reigned from the same throne as David in the capital city Jerusalem in Judah, but their reigns, their administrations, had very different outcomes and consequences, and any observer of Judah’s history could have predicted that just by comparing the verses above. One king, Hezekiah, was like David, the other, Ahaz, was not. One did evil in God’s sight, the other did that which was right. One was not buried  among the Kings, and the other when he slept with his fathers was buried in the chiefest of the sepulchers of the sons of David with great honor of his subjects.

He that honors God, God honors. He that does evil is not revered by the people. These simple principles are true today. Rulers who wish to leave a legacy in their nation, and for history to record and revere should do that which is right in the eyes of the living God, the God of the Bible. This has always been true of any king, queen, ruler, president, patriarch, or Prime Minister. It is so obvious and yet because of the sinful nature of their hearts some men and women or kings and queens, even when they know what they are planning to do is morally, spiritually, biblically wrong, will nonetheless simply go ahead and do wrong much to the harm of the people they are supposed to be serving. Given the sinful nature of man and the addiction of power can we expect any less among modern-day rulers? Only if they are willing to turn to God’s word and do what is right in His eyes!

A Devotional Thought From 2 Chronicles

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, there is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the King say so.     2 Chronicles 18:7

One of the sinful missteps of Jehoshaphat’s administration in Judah was to become good friends with the evil king of Israel, Ahab. Ahab talked Jehoshaphat into joining with him to make war against his enemy Syria at the battle of Ramothgilead. Jehoshaphat true to his faith despite having put his foot into this cow pie, asked Ahab if they couldn’t enquire of the LORD to see if this endeavor would be blessed. Ahab was only too glad to indulge his ally and called forth four hundred prophets, apparently those who were followers of false gods or, at least, not in touch with the true God of the Jewish people. They said, paraphrased, God says do it you will win.

Jehoshaphat was uneasy, apparently recognizing the sketchy connection of these prophets  with real Jewish faith, and he said to Ahab, Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD we can ask? Ahab’s response is  striking. There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil.

Ahab, the king and government of Israel, liked to be told that whatever he wanted to do was good, would work, and everything would be honky dory. That’s why when he got religious he called the false prophets. They told him what he wanted to hear. That’s why Micaiah was usually persona non grata, and was only called on when necessary. Micaiah told it like it is. His prophesies or sermons were based upon what God said, and often what God said, and therefore what Micaiah said, contradicted the administration’s policies. If you read on in this chapter you will find Micaiah paid a price for his faith candor, imposed on him by the king (Ahab) who rejected God’s truth.

In western  societies we have a similar thing today. The Bible preaching church stands in the place of Micaiah, and is rarely listened to regarding the cultural changes sought by a reckless unfaithful society. When the leader of our country, the administration, the special interest groups, or the courts decide to redefine what is appropriate and moral, and then accuse traditional morality of being wrong and bad and hurtful, they do not call the Bible preachers to ask them for the revelation of God’s truth from the Bible. They don’t want to hear that. It will not tell them what they want to hear. They can always find a “clergy person” who will support the liberal redefinition of what is right and wrong, and rather that openly and honestly state that they don’t believe the God of the Bible, they will say that the Micaiahlike Bible teachers just don’t understand it.

Then the poor parishoners (church attenders and members) who have been taught the Bible and have believed it, whether they be bakers, college students, bathroom attendants, or whoever gets caught up in the redefinition du jour, ends up getting clobbered by an unsympathetic legal system that has decided free speech is for those who tow the new cultural line. Let not the king say so.

Our nation and the nations of the world need Jehoshaphats not Ahabs!

A Devotional Thought From 2 Chronicles

And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.     2 Chronicles 17:3, 4

The King was the government in ancient days. To speak of Jehoshaphat was to speak of the kingdom of Judah (the southern kingdom).  As the chronicler of Israel’s history tells us about this particular King, we learn that he was a man of faith, and that this faith was expressed by his behaviors both in his personal life and in the way that he lead his nation. Jehoshaphat was a believer in the living God of Israel and he was the great example for all of his people of what it meant to walk in the ways of God.

One of the key things was that he should worship the LORD alone, and never seek after false gods, they were called Baalim, as too many kings and government officials had done before him. The chronicler makes a comparison between Jehoshaphat and his doings, and the doings of the northern kingdom of Israel. From its very inception under Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the northern kingdom had a history of setting aside the worship of the true God of Israel and following the false gods. The contrast between Jehoshaphat and the long line of kings following Jeroboam was that he, like many of the kings of Judah, followed the Lord faithfully, while they (the northern kings) more often than not followed the false gods. Because of Jehoshaphat’s faithful service to God and the things that he did for his nation while seeking to follow God, the scriptures tell us, And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were roundabout Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 17:10). 

Because of the faith and righteousness of the leader, and the righteousness and faith that he brought to his political administration, the nation was blessed with one of the greatest blessings any nation can have; the nations of their world did not make war against Judah. How blessed with peace our modern nations would be if all of today's governments were to follow Jehoshaphat’s example.

A Devotional Thought From Ruth

Ruth said “…thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”     Ruth 1:16

Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching at a nearby church and I told the story of Ruth’s testimony: How she came out of paganism, poverty, and a precarious future into the happy blessings of God. I summarized the Bible book that tells her story with these five statements.

Our God is the God of tough times.

Our God is the God of romance.

Our God is the God of new beginnings.

Our God is the God of the best blessings.

Our God is the God of salvation!