UNMASKED EVIL!

 

Monday, September 30, 2024

 

UNMASKED EVIL!

 

Psalm 73

 

          Typical of Hebrew writing, the conclusion is presented first. “Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. Ps 73:1 No matter how much evil rages around us the pure and good nature of God is unchanged.

 

          But as for me! Evil, when it is cloaked produces suspicion and caution. The hairs stand up attentive to warn us that what we are seeing is deceit. Body heat concentrates in our core. The ears tune in to lies and the eyes dilate to catch every nuance. This is evil. We know it but it is wearing fine clothing and presenting itself with manners.

 

          Unmasked evil is shocking! All our suspicions are verified, and cordiality turns vicious. Evil bears its teeth and its breath is foul. We are afraid. We are angry and we are discouraged. How could such open evil parade in our streets? How could evil sit openly in our halls of government and in our pews singing our hymns? It can no longer hide so it abandons pretense. “Our steps have well nigh slipped” because evil has provided a slippery slope for us.

 

          Evil prospers for a time! “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Ps 73:12 Evil rewards itself with stolen treasures. The good and the meek have been mugged and lay bleeding in the streets. They have been spoiled. We are incensed and seek revenge, but evil is too strong for us. We need a champion.

 

          Evil has an end! “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;  Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Ps 73:16-17 In the sanctuary evil has only one of two choices. It may continue to destruction or it may receive forgiveness through repentance. But it is in the sanctuary that evil comes to an end.

 

Dear Lord, in your sanctuary put an end to evil. In your sanctuary put an end to discouragement. In your sanctuary let my lips sing your praise. AMEN

 

THIS MAN RECEIVES SINNERS

 

Sunday, September 29, 2024

 

THIS MAN RECEIVES SINNERS

 

Luke 15:2-5

2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

 

          It appears everywhere that Jesus prefers the common rather than the elite, those “basket of deplorables” rather than those who think themselves better. He is attracted to humility rather than hubris.  This man receives sinners! The Pharisees could bestow no greater compliment, though unintended. Jesus’ parable was against them. He was not seeking them because they did not consider themselves lost. As a result, they remained in the wilderness.

 

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Yonder on Calvary's mount out-poured–

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Refrain:

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin!

 

          There is a couplet at the end of one of Spurgeon’s daily devotionals. It speaks eloquently of God’s grace.

 

Come needy, come guilty, come loathsome and bare;

You can't come too filthy -- come just as you are.

 

Gal 3:22

22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

 

Dear Lord, only when we acknowledge our unworthiness can we receive your grace. Thank you, Lord. AMEN

 

ALL IN THE NAME OF RELIGION

 

Saturday, September 28, 2024

 

ALL IN THE NAME OF RELIGION

 

Scripture reading: John 15:20 thru 16:11

 

John 16:2-3

2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

          Much, if not all, of the conflict in our world is not political but spiritual. If you want a foundation for this opinion you may want to remember that the first murder was within a single family, and it was done because of an argument as to which was the correct way to please God. Even after God stepped in to explain Himself, Cain continued in his error. I doubt that banishment cured his bias.

 

          Jesus clearly pointed out that religious error is due to a faulty understanding of God. In John 16:3 He said, “And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.” In other words, “He who has received grace will extend grace.”

 

Eph 4:31-32

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

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

 

Dear Lord, let me remember the grace that has been shown to me and let me extend that grace to others. AMEN

 

THE CYCLE OF LIFE

 

Friday, September 27, 2024

 

THE CYCLE OF LIFE

 

In childhood our flesh is ignored, and we hardly give our bodies much thought. Our days are spent running and playing and catching lightning bugs and pollywogs. We ford streams and climb trees; our skin is burned by the sun and scraped by the rocks. The pains of the body are quickly removed by a mother’s kiss. God is a mystery!

 

In youth our flesh demands attention. Great sweeping change takes place and almost violent emotions emerge. All is drama! The eyes swell with new sights and the skin tingles with new sensations. Desire is awakened and demands to be fed. Lightening bugs chase us, but we pay no attention. Our bodies are strong yet out of balance and clumsy. God is postponed for another time!

 

In adulthood our bodies serve us well as vehicles for all our ventures. Hard work is done, and sweet sleep is enjoyed. The body settles down and so do we. Families are built and memories are stored to be enjoyed later. Business and busyness fill our days. In making a living we often forget to live. God stands waiting!

 

In older age our bodies are an inconvenience. The spirit awakens to a waiting God, hopefully. Children are our greatest joy, and we sympathize with the struggle of youth, close our eyes and shake our heads at them. They will survive if they are careful. Pain can no longer be kissed away and becomes a familiar companion but not a friend. Sleep is sporadic, fitful and unfulfilling. Friends depart and loneliness arrives, but memory nearly bursts in its vibrancy. Wisdom is abundant but no one seeks it. God is a Friend!

 

Gal 5:16-17  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Dear Father, be my Lord in all the changes of my life. AMEN

 

THE COMFORT OF HIS PRESENCE!

 

Thursday, September 26, 2024

 

THE COMFORT OF HIS PRESENCE!

 

Ps 35:22

O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.

 

Acts 17:25-28

…he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27 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:

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being…

 

The most difficult times for me are those times when God seems far away. Oh, I know with my mind that He is everywhere and that He is near, even in my heart, but there are times when I need Him so badly to be within reach. I need to sense His presence, and I need to hear his voice. Like a child who pillows his head on his mother’s breast I need to feel His breath on my cheek. Many are the times when my soul cries out to God, for the comfort of His presence.

 

Many are the songs that have been written and sung about our human longing for the divine. “Abide with me” is one and “Nearer my God to Thee” is another. These songs remind us of the great gulf that sin has now fixed between us and our God. Yet our very soul was made for the same fellowship with Him that Adam enjoyed in the cool of the evening.

 

Job deeply felt the absence of God although God was every moment observing his calamity. It may seem cruel to us, but God had set in motion a test for Job that would put Satan to open shame. Job was required to remain faithful to an seemingly absentee God. So, it seems often with us. We feel that we must walk the trail of tears alone, yet God is there and He will arrive just in time.

 

Ps 56:3

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

 

Dear Lord, I know with my head that Thou art there, but my spirit needs Thee now. Be not far from me. AMEN

 

NO MORE TEARS!

 

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

 

NO MORE TEARS!

 

Rev 21:4

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

          Perhaps you remember the old commercial for Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. It showed a mother shampooing baby’s hair with lather all over. The happy baby helped to reinforce the selling point of “No More Tears!”

 

          Heaven, the eternal state of the redeemed, will have no more tears! My first thought this morning was “But, this is how I worship!” In the presence of the Holy, some folks shout but I just cry.

 

          I weep for my unworthiness. I weep for my ignorance and stubbornness. I sob at His love and generosity toward me. I just cry. I can’t help myself.

 

          I can only conclude that, in Heaven, the former things will have passed away. My unworthiness will be replaced by guaranteed acceptance. My ignorance will be replaced by full knowledge of the Holy. My stubbornness will have been both subdued and surrendered. My tears will be wiped away by the very God Himself.

 

Ps 30:4-5

4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

 

O Lord, even now I can’t help but weep at the thought of it all. Take thy gentle hand and brush away my tears and replace them with joy. AMEN

 

DON’T BE DECEIVED!

 

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

 

DON’T BE DECEIVED!

 

Eph 5:5-8

5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

 

          Mesmerized by vain words, our culture has individually and collectively believed lies, often because the lies correspond to our desires. The packaging of sin is so slick and so alluring that the contents are consumed without much thought. Once consumed, it becomes part of us and no emetic can expel it. It is a poison that requires a serious antidote.

 

          The word “deceive” is found 27 times in our Bible and it is from the Greek apatao which means simply “to cheat; to delude.”  Like Eve looking at the forbidden tree, she momentarily forgot the warning from God and saw only that the fruit was beautiful to behold and that it was desirable to “make one wise.” She was the victim of a slick and slithering sales pitch. Once she bought the product it was too late.

 

          The only real defense is vigilance and caution. The only real action to be taken is to “be not therefore partakers with them.” If you are offered a little bit of sin – even to celebrate something good – refuse it. Then take a hard look at the one offering it. Avoid this and all such people.

 

          The word “sometimes,” in verse 8 does not mean occasionally and intermittently. It is from the Greek pote and it means “afore; or formerly.” As believers, we may have been something vile and dirty but that is not who we are anymore. We have come out of the darkness and are now children of light. We should walk on the Sonny side of the road.

 

Dear Lord, keep me spiritually awake and aware when temptations come. Give me courage and strength to resist. Keep me on the bright side. AMEN

 

DON’T QUIT!

 

Monday, September 23, 2024

A “classic”

 

DON’T QUIT!

 

2 Peter 3:17-18

17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

The Amplified New Testament warns: “do not allow the error of lawless and wicked persons to cause you to fall from your own present firm condition.” It is Satan’s sinister plan to wear out the saints and cause them to quit.

 

 Quitting is sometimes the result of long spiritual conflict. Elijah had battled the prophets of Baal alone, he thought, yet the Lord was always with him. He was weary. He had engaged in this conflict while fasting. His body needed energy and he felt used up.

 

1 Kings 19:2-4

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

 

Can you feel the weariness of the prophet? Can you hear it in his voice as he sighs out the words “it is enough?” Those three words “it-is-enough” is from only one small Hebrew word rab which means “too much.” Too much conflict, too much effort, too little results and too much disappointment are all wrapped up in that one little word. Ultimately the prophet simply sits down under a shady tree and asks to be removed from God’s labor pool. The answer is not to quit but to rest then return.

 

Quitting is sometimes the result of disappointment with God. Jonah was not feeling like a missionary. He had no love for the people of Nineveh. They were wicked, vile, and unclean. If God had determined to judge them then that was a good thing. They deserved it. Unlike himself, they deserved to be destroyed! Yet Jonah knew that God was merciful – and he was not happy about that!

 

Jonah 4:2-4

2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

 

God may decide to love those that we have chosen to hate. He may choose to bless those whom we would curse! Worse than that, He may choose to use us to bless them. Disappointment forms and grows because we do not understand God’s purposes. We begin to think that our reasoning is better than His and we are tempted to quit.

 

Revival is a return to work abandoned. Jesus recommended refreshment for his own disciples. The ministry had become demanding and draining but He never told them to quit – only to pause!

 

Mark 6:31

31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

 

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit-

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

 

Dear Lord, revive me and let me return to my work with energy and confidence. AMEN

 

WELCOME AUTUMN

 

Sunday, September 22, 2024

 

WELCOME AUTUMN

 

Gen 8:21-22

21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

 

Ps 74:16-17

16 The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

 

          Today is the first day of Autumn. The sun has reached its zenith and will now begin its travel toward winter. The days will grow shorter, and the nights will grow longer. Temperatures will cool. Trees will respond with vibrant color and harvest time will begin. We welcome it and acknowledge that the seasons are not political but spiritual. God controls these things and has been doing so for centuries.

 

          God has decreed that the earth responds to a certain rhythm. It is the cycle of life and farmers know it better than most. The animals respond to this rhythm and we are wiser by observing them.

 

Mark 13:26-29

26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

 

Dear Lord, we see signals of changing seasons. We see that your return is near. Help us to be aware and prepare. AMEN

 

HE KNOWS MY NAME!

 

Saturday, September 21, 2024

 

HE KNOWS MY NAME!

 

Ps 147:4

4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

 

Ex 33:12-17

12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

 

John 10:1-3

10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

 

          The witness of Scripture is clear! He knows your name! He knows both who you are and where you are. He knows what you are going through right now and he even knows what you are thinking. God knows your emotional makeup. He knows what makes you tick because he installed the ticker!

 

          The sheep in Psalm 23 are not afraid in the valley of the shadow of death because they know the Shepherd and He knows them. They have followed Him to green pastures and beside still waters. They have benefitted from the ministry of the Good Shepherd. They have learned to trust His leading because they have become familiar with His heart! Take courage today, little lamb, because the Shepherd knows you by name.

 

Dear Lord, some little lamb needs you desperately today. You know which ones because you know their names. Give that little lamb just what you know they need.  AMEN

 

CAN THESE BONES LIVE?

 

Friday, September 20, 2024

 

CAN THESE BONES LIVE?

 

Ezek 37:1-3

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley, which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

 

          Warren Wiersbe explains: “At the beginning of Ezekiel's ministry, the Spirit transported him to sit among the discouraged exiles by the canal (3:14 ff). Later, the Spirit took him in visions to Jerusalem (8:3 ff), to the temple gate and then back to Babylon (11:1,24). Now the Spirit brought him in a vision to a valley filled with many bleached bones, scattered on the ground, the skeletons of corpses long ago decomposed and devoured by carrion-eating birds and animals. These people were slain (37:9), and they may have been soldiers in the Jewish army (v. 10).”

 

          The obvious point is that God is the God of impossible situations! These were not sick bodies but dead ones. The need was not revival but resurrection. God made man from the dust of the ground, and He had little more to deal with in this case! Ezekiel was powerless except for his prophetic contribution. He could only speak to them! “O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Ezekiel 37:4”

 

          Israel said, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: Ezekiel 37:11” Perhaps you feel the same way about your own situation. You see no way out of your predicament. There is no cure for your disease and no hope for your cause. But know that God still sits comfortably on his throne, and He rules. He can cause dry bones to live!

 

Ps 42:11

11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

Dear God of hopeless causes, look upon the dryness of my situation and restore life. Let me yet praise you. AMEN

 

WHY JESUS RESORTED TO HIGH MOUNTAINS!

 

Thursday, September 19, 2024

 

WHY JESUS RESORTED TO HIGH MOUNTAINS!

 

Matt 14:22-23

22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

 

          The phrase “mountain apart” can be found three times in the New Testament. Once after Jesus and the disciples had finished feeding and dealing with a multitude. He sent them across the lake, and he climbed the mountain. The other two times the phrase refers to the mount of transfiguration where Jesus revealed to them His glory.

 

          Interestingly, the word “apart” is the Greek idios which literally means private! If you will excuse the cuteness, idios could mean adios! Sometimes you just have to get away! It has nothing to do with a loss of love for those who are needy. It has everything to do with a loss of energy.

 

          It is also very encouraging to note that it was atop a mountain “apart” that Jesus was transfigured. He changed forms. He appeared as spirit talking with other spirits. His whole person shined like the day. Peter was so amazed that he did not know what to say – so he said it. I have heard similar responses myself. Impractical and unreasonable!

 

          Jesus recommended the same therapy for his disciples who helped Him conduct his ministry. “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place [a place without people], and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”  Mark 6:31

 

Dear Lord, every now and then I feel the need to withdraw temporarily so that I might see your glory and refresh my spirit. Refresh me today so that I may refresh others. AMEN