A COMFORT TO ME!

 

Sunday, November 16, 2025

 

A COMFORT TO ME!

 

Col 4:11

11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.

 

          The word comfort as used here is not the same word as is used when Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit. Here the Greek word as well as the English word is paregoric! I suppose you must be of a certain vintage to remember your mother giving you a dose of paregoric. I remember it as a cloudy clear liquid that she mixed with water and had me drink it. It settled the stomach and, I suppose, settled the child. You can’t buy it anymore without a prescription because it is a narcotic. My childhood survived many such things that are now considered dangerous.

 

Jesus Justus was a Jewish believer who served with Paul, but we know nothing about him. The name Jesus (Joshua) was a popular Jewish name, and it was not unusual for Jewish people to have a Roman name as well (Justus). He represents all those faithful believers who serve God but receive little recognition. These were Paul’s paregoric! They eased his pain and settled him down. Oh! How very important are these unsung faithful ones!

 

You may not realize it, but your acts of kindness and cooperation may ease someone’s pain and settle their nerves. You also may be totally unaware that you are the source of someone’s comfort. God bless you for your steadfast faithfulness for it is a great comfort to me and to others.

 

Dear Jesus, thank you for the many unheralded servants that provide soothing and comfort. May I learn to be one of them. AMEN

 

WHAT’S KEEPING HIM?

 

Saturday, November 15, 2025

 

WHAT’S KEEPING HIM?

 

2 Peter 3:3-4

3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

 

          If we are honest, we have all had those days when we have secretly asked ourselves if Jesus is ever going to return. We don’t see or understand the signals that should alert us that something is brewing besides the coffee! All the warning signs are here and yet He waits.

 

          The world, our friends, our enemies, our churches, and ourselves are in a terrible mess. Why won’t he come back and fix this?

 

          Well, God doesn’t mark time like we do, and He is infinitely more patient. He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and so he waits for us to come to our senses and repent. Some will but too many simply won’t.

 

Heb 10:36-37

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

 

Dear Lord, you have told us that your coming will be on a day very similar to this day. Let me be prepared and help me to prepare others. AMEN

 

HAVING DONE ALL – STAND!

 

Friday, November 14, 2025

 

HAVING DONE ALL – STAND!

 

Eph 6:12-13

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

          Today you may find yourself wrestling! It is important to know who the real enemy is. It is also important to understand that God’s agenda is more important than your own agenda. If our cause is just, our human enemies may be under the influence of the Devil and even they may not know this. Be careful but tender in the way you treat them for the tide may change and you don’t want to make the rift in your relationship permanent.

 

          You should also be aware that spiritual wickedness is very subtle and that you, yourself may be under Satan’s influence. If it is possible with your adversary then it is certainly possible for you as well. Satan’s cackling laughter can be heard over the din of friend fighting friend. Oh, how he loves that.

 

          All the armor needed to win is available through the Spirit. The girdle of truth – is your view of the situation correct? The breastplate of doping the right thing and the helmet of Salvation which covers our mind are all needed. Don’t leave anything out.

 

          Having done all, simply stand! Thoroughly investigate your own position then stand. The word “stand” is the Greek histemi which means “to abide or to stanch.” The word stanch refers to restricting the flow of blood. Having done all -- stop the bloodletting.

 

Dear Lord, help me to find, assemble, and put on the whole armor of God available to me. Help me to scrutinize my own position and make sure it agrees with you. Then let me stand. AMEN

 

PRESSING ON!

 

Thursday, November 13, 2025

 

PRESSING ON!

 

Phil 3:13-14

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

 

          The little word “press” can be found in our Authorized version only nine times. Only twice in the Old Testament where the Hebrew refers to the wine press. There are three Greek words used in the New Testament which are translated “press.” Five times it is the Greek ochlos which basically means a riot of people or a crowd. It is helpful to remember the word sounds like “Oh! Close!” Once more, in Luke chapter 8 the word means to squeeze in from every side.

 

          However, the word in our text this morning is the Greek word dioko and it means “to pursue or to chase after to obtain.” That is my focus, and I recommend it to you as well.

 

          Spiritually, there are hindrances and distractions which must be discarded in order to press ahead. Let us first identify them in our lives. We must see them for what they are and cast them aside.

 

          Warren Wiersbe offers this comment: “Self-evaluation can be a dangerous thing, because we can err in two directions: (1) making ourselves better than we are, or (2) making ourselves worse than we really are. Paul had no illusions about himself; he still had to keep "pressing forward" in order to "lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold" of him. A divine dissatisfaction is essential for spiritual progress.”

 

Dear Lord, let me not linger too long with the distractions along the way. Let me run with patience the race set before me. AMEN

 

QUALITIES OF STRONG DISCIPLES!

 

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

 

QUALITIES OF STRONG DISCIPLES!

 

Luke 6:12-13

12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.

 

          From those Jesus “called” he also “chose” twelve whom he named apostles. What did he see in the twelve that he did not see in the others? Let me suggest a few things.

 

1.       THEY WERE FAITHFUL!

 

1 Cor 4:2

2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

 

Here the word “faithful” means “trustworthy!” We assign important tasks to the faithful.

 

2.       THEY WERE AVAILABLE!

 

Availability might best be described by its antonym. The very best tool is the one nearby. Shoes were never designed to be hammers but many a heel has driven a nail because it was available.

 

3.       THEY WERE TEACHABLE!

 

Prov 1:7-9

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

 

Those who despise instruction will never do well. Are you faithful, available, and teachable? God wants to use you today.

 

Dear Lord, please find in me today the qualities you require that I might be usable and useful to you. AMEN

 

WHY NOVEMBER 11?

 

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

 

WHY NOVEMBER 11?

 

Matt 24:6

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

          It was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month in 1918 when the world celebrated as a treaty was signed ending what was to be "the war to end all wars" - World War I.

          One year later, on what came to be known as Armistice Day, Americans came together to remember and honor the sacrifices of the men and women who served during the war. Soldiers who survived the war marched in parades and were honored by speeches and ceremonies recognizing their contribution to peace throughout the world.

          Congress declared Armistice Day a national holiday in 1938. Three years later, on December 7^th, 1941, Americans realized World War I would not be the last war. After the Second World War, which was even bloodier than the first, Armistice Day continued to be observed. In 1954, Congress changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day to include veterans of all United States wars.

          On Calvary’s Hill Jesus gave His life that we might live. His sacrifice ended the war between man and God. Believers are destined for a place where there will be no more war.

Rev 21:4 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.

Dear Lord, today we enjoy many great freedoms because of the sacrifice of others. We remember your sacrifice and the peace we enjoy with the Heavenly Father. AMEN

 

TREASURES OF THE SNOW

 

Monday, November 10, 2025

 

TREASURES OF THE SNOW

 

Job 38:22

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, 

 

“Elihu had now said all he intended. Possibly interrupted by the storm which had been gathering during his speech. Out of the storm-cloud, from which already issued thunders and lightnings, the Almighty was now to speak.” [Preacher’s Homiletic Commentary]

 

Job had, in his pain and frustration, demanded a face-to-face with God Almighty. The result was a “be careful what you wish for” response out of a stormy whirlwind. After identifying Himself majestically, God addresses Job’s challenging and presumptuous language. Job 38:2. — “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” Who are you to question My authority, wisdom, and procedures?

 

“Every snowflake has six sides, forming a hexagonal shape. Even fractured snowflakes were once a part of a six-sided hexagon. Flakes consistently form with six sides due to the way vapor freezes.” [Smithsonian Magazine] Snowflakes symbolize uniqueness, beauty, transience, and purity, reflecting the intricate and delicate nature of life. To view the order and intricacy of God’s nature and refuse to acknowledge God’s authority is foolish and unwise.

 

Job seems to awaken from his frustrated Stuper and wisely declares: “Job 40:3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Job 40:4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Job 40:5 Once I have spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.”

 

Dear Lord, those simple things that I take for granted are majestic workings of Your Hands. Let me awake from my ignorance and acknowledge You. AMEN

 

TWO ATTITUDES TOWARD SIN

 

Sunday, November 9, 2025

 

TWO ATTITUDES TOWARD SIN

 

Prov 30:20

20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

 

Rom 7:22-25

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

 

          Paul gives a tormented explanation of the inner struggle of the two natures of the saved man. On the one hand, he is still a fallen creature and the old sinful nature wars for dominance. On the other hand, he now has a new nature given to him by the infusion of the Holy Spirit at the time of his conversion. These two natures, or attitudes, remain in conflict throughout life.

 

          Paul uses the Greek word talaiporos, which literally means “miserable,” to describe the wretchedness of his struggle. He delights to do what is right. He enjoys agreeing with God in principle and in daily practice, but he is constantly being challenged by the law of sin. One law seeks to liberate him and the other seeks his captivity.

 

          Many people use the device used by the adulterous woman in Proverbs 30:20. They sin and then simply claim that nothing wicked has been done. That is called denial and eventually it makes one’s conscience insensitive. “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim 4:2). In this case the sin remains but the sorrow because of it has departed.

 

          “Sin is self-centeredness!” Bill Temple puts it this way in his little book, Christianity in the Social Order, He says, "I am the center of the world I see. And where the horizon is depends on where I stand. Education may make my self-centeredness less disastrous by broadening my horizon of vision. It's like a man climbing a tower who sees further in terms of physical vision while remaining himself the center and the standard of reference. I am the center of the world I see." But God's order is that we love him with all our being and that we love our neighbor and put ourselves last. Sin is the reversal of that order.

 

          You are a sinner and so am I. How we “feel” about our sin reveals our relationship to God. Be very careful that you do not lose the sense of “wretchedness” that sin produces.

 

Dear Lord, every day I struggle with sin. I can never lessen my vigilance against it. It is troublesome. It grieves me. May I always agree with You regarding sin. Cleanse me. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. AMEN

 

EXPEDIENT!

 

Saturday, November 8, 2025

 

EXPEDIENT!

 

          The word “expedient” is found only seven times in our Authorized version and all four are in the New Testament. It is from the Greek sumphero which means “to collect or to bring together.” Strong explains that it means “to conduce” but that too needs clarification. To conduce means “to bring about a desirable result.” So, hopefully, we now know that the word expedient often means a troublesome process that brings about a desired result.

 

          John’s gospel uses the word “expedient” three times. Twice, in John 11:50 and again in 18:14, Caiaphas, the high priest, presented the need to kill Jesus so that the culture and politics of the time would settle down. Caiaphas said that it was “expedient that one should die for the people.” I doubt he knew just how right he was!

 

          John also quotes Jesus in John 16:7 who said that it was “expedient” for him to “go away” so that the Comforter could come. As much as the disciples desired to keep Jesus with them in the flesh, it would actually be better or expedient that he be replaced by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

          First Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 are almost identical and says: “all things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.” In these verses Paul says that just because something can be done it doesn’t mean it should be done. The believer may need to exercise personal discipline in order to bring about a more desirable result.

 

          In Second Corinthians 8:10 Paul recommended saving for a special offering for the poor so that when it was time to give it would be a larger amount but would have a lesser impact on the giver. He promoted planned and systematic giving as expedient. It brought about a desired result.

 

          In Second Corinthians 12:1 Paul was pressed for his credentials. While he had much to boast about, he said that boasting would not help him achieve the desired result of getting out the gospel. Boasting enhanced his personal image while preaching elevated Christ.

 

Dear Lord, today help me to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally disciplined so that I might accomplish a more desirable result. AMEN