HE DOESN’T GROW WEARY!

 

Friday, April 24, 2026

 

HE DOESN’T GROW WEARY!

 

Isa 40:28

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

 

The office worker trudges home in a rumpled suit and dragging a stuffed briefcase. He wonders if anyone can even comprehend how wearying it is to spend a day in endless and futile negotiations with obstinate people. The construction worker returns home scorched by the sun and beaten by the blows that he himself has delivered. Covered by grime and emptied of energy he reflects on how little was accomplished.

 

The Hebrew word for “weary” is yaw-gah and means “to gasp” or to become exhausted. The everlasting God does not yaw-gah! He does not grow weary. He is the battery back-up in our every power failure.

 

The disciples found themselves ministering, listening, counseling, and healing. They listened to unresolved human conflict and then gave advice. They healed and felt the pain of others. Virtue went out of them! Each human problem, though none were theirs, drained them. They worked through lunch!

 

Mark 6:31-32

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.

32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

 

The desert place was not a place in the desert because they reached it by ship! No, the desert place was a place without people! It was a place without demands and duties although the duties remained and the demands cried out. They withdrew for renewal.

 

Our “quiet time” is that desert place whether it is in the morning before others rise or at night after others have retired; it is a place where we get alone with the everlasting God. Every believer needs this time to reflect, to worship and acknowledge God and to be refreshed. What a tremendous resource we have in the everlasting God.

 

Dear Lord, many of us begin this day still weary from yesterday’s labor. Renew our strength. Some have worked until their physical strength is nearly gone. Renew their strength. Some have cared for others until their spirits are numb. Let them mount up with wings. Let them run and not be weary. We trust in Thee, everlasting God. AMEN

 

THE ANATOMY OF COURAGE!

 

Thursday, April 23, 2026

 

THE ANATOMY OF COURAGE!

 

Judg 6:11-12

11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

 

          The root of courage is fear, but courage is only activated when fear is mixed with desperation. Such was the mixture on the floor of the winepress of Joash. One might have heard Gideon mumbling angrily to himself while the Angel of the Lord sat by and listened. Complaints and angry grumbling surely are the companions of courage.

 

          The ferocity of deadly resolve springs from deep desperation. It prompts acts of passion and intensity. It is the explosive breath of one who has held his breath too long. It is the timid child exploding in the face of the bully while other timid children cheer on. When the bully cannot be placated by surrender then the only course of action is action. A bitter fight to the death ensues and it favors the angry timid soul rather than the sporting bully. One is engaged in sport while the other has already contemplated death. This is the stuff of courage.

 

          When evil discards his cloak of hypocrisy and dares the timid to restrain his wicked agenda, the peaceful must decide how long he will endure naked abuse before he explodes in wild retaliation. Such was the case at the founding of our nation. “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them …” So, the colonists chose to throw off the bands of tyranny.

 

          Gideon thought himself to be anything but courageous, but he was angry, and he was frustrated. He had a keen grasp of right and wrong, and he was ready to throw off the bands of tyranny.

 

1 Kings 18:21

21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

 

Lord, Satan is a bully and has engaged us in sport. Let us find the resolve needed to fight him. AMEN

 

GENTLE PRESSURE

 

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

 

GENTLE PRESSURE

 

Jer 18:4

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

 

          The Lord told Jeremiah to go down and observe the potter and his work. He watched as the raw clay was scooped up and pounded into a moldable consistency. The lump was slapped upon the center of the wheel, and he began to spin it with his foot while his wet hands smoothed out a usable shape. The Lord then explained that making a lovely and useful vessel sometimes required some pounding and finally some gentle pressure.

 

          A few years ago, a graduate gave a single rose to my wife to indicate that she had been impacted by my wife’s gentle pressure upon her life. My wife was surprised but I wasn’t. No, I did not know about the rose beforehand, but I was not surprised. Gentle pressure is not always appreciated while being applied but it transforms.

 

          Do you feel the Potter’s gentle pressure upon your life today? Maybe it is more like pounding! Either way, God is trying to make something beautiful and useful of you. Even “mess ups” are not a total loss in the masterful hands of the potter. He simply starts over and makes it into another vessel. Yield to His gentle pressure and wait for the transformation. It’s going to be wonderful!

 

Dear Lord, let me yield to your gentle pressure upon my life today. AMEN

 

MORE THAN ENOUGH!

 

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

 

MORE THAN ENOUGH!

 

Ps 121

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

 

Notice the upward focus! The eyes of the person of faith are elevated above the clamor and calamity. There is calm in the hills of help. There is consolation, comfort and cure! Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and full of praise and worship, think on these things. Our focus is important! How often do we magnify our problems and minimize our help? He is more than adequate for any situation.

 

Notice the source of our help! Lest we think the psalmist is seeking guidance from some zany guru on a hilltop, he explains in verse two that his help comes from the Lord. Lest we remain confused as to the identity of this “lord” he further identifies Him as the One who made heaven and earth. Oh, that Lord is more than sufficient for our problems. This Lord needs neither slumber nor rest. He is eternally vigilant on our behalf. He is our keeper. He is our shamar (shaw-mar'), our guard and protector.

 

Notice the details of His care! Even the Sun and Moon shall not “smite” us! By day the glory of the Almighty shaded and led Israel through the wilderness. By night the cloud became a pillar of fire to warm and to brighten the night sky. Jesus noted that even the very hairs of our head are numbered and known by the Lord. He pays attention to the minutiae of our lives.

 

Notice the extent of this care! Never flagging care is promised to the one who looks to the Lord. The psalmist also asked: “Where can I go from thy presence?” The answer is evident and sure. We can never run so far that the Lord is not there. No trouble is too big for our God, even for evermore.

 

Ps 121:8

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

 

Dear Lord, I thank you for being more than enough for my every need today. AMEN

 

WHERE IS YOUR HEART!

 

Monday, April 20, 2026

 

WHERE IS YOUR HEART!

 

Matt 6:19-21

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

          While preparing to speak at a ladies’ banquet, my wife used the above portion of Scripture as the foundation of a talk called “Treasures of the Heart.” The word treasure, in verse 13, is translated from two Greek words. The word ho which is a definite article like “this” or “that” and the word thesauros which means “a deposit.” Jesus argued that wherever you find your deposit you would also find your heart.

 

          The body of David Livingstone was buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried under a “mpundu’ tree in the Africa he loved. At the foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of this man who they loved and respected. If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be?

 

Dear Lord, you are my great treasure! Let my heart be buried at the foot of the cross. AMEN

 

ARE YOU GOING?

 

Sunday, April 19, 2026

 

ARE YOU GOING?

 

Acts 4:11-12

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

          If you walked up to a man on the street and asked him if he were going to heaven, he would very likely tell you yes. If you pressed him for a reason why he thought so, he would list all the good things that he had done and then tell you that he has done none of the atrocious things seen on the late-night news. He is faithful to his wife, grudgingly pays all his taxes, is a member of at least one service club in the community, and he goes to church occasionally. The problem in all of this is that there is no mention of Jesus – and Jesus is the Lord of the heaven to which he claims to be going.

 

          The New Testament is conspicuously free of any mention of denominations. We do not see Catholics, Methodists or any other denomination that claims a superiority of faith or methodology to all the others. We do see one Baptist, but I don’t think that qualifies. Allegiance to a particular clan or group and a close following of their practices is insufficient to purchase a ticket to heaven. Jesus is the Lord of heaven.

 

Rom 3:23-25

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

 

          The word “propitiation” in verse 25 is the Greek hilasterion which literally means “an atoning victim!” Practically, the word means that Jesus and His shed blood is the only thing that will satisfy the righteous requirement of God. So, we can cast aside our own self-made goodness along with our religiosity and community involvement because Jesus is the only propitiation for sins. The only One!

 

Yes I know!

Words & Music: Anna W. Waterman, 1920

 

Come, ye sinners, lost and hopeless,
Jesus’ blood can make you free;
For He saved the worst among you,
When He saved a wretch like me.

 

Refrain

And I know, yes, I know
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean,
And I know, yes, I know
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean.

 

Dear Lord, tearfully I thank you for being my atoning victim! AMEN

 

THE LORD WILL FINISH IT!

 

Saturday, April 18, 2026

 

THE LORD WILL FINISH IT!

 

Ps 138:8

8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:

 

Comfortingly, the Hebrew word translated “perfect” here is the word gamar (gaw-mar') and means “to end.” The idea is that God will bring all that concerns us to a successful completion. The New Testament confirms this thought in the following verse.

 

Phil 1:6

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

 

The Greek word for “will perform” is epiteleo (ep-ee-tel-eh'-o) and means to fulfill further (or completely), i.e. execute; by implication, to terminate, to bring to a full and satisfying end.

 

God will keep working on me until He is satisfied with the finished product. He will keep on working despite my ignorance until wisdom begins to develop in me. He will keep on working despite my weakness until His strength is made perfect. He will keep on working in spite of my stubbornness until I am humbled because He is a firm but loving heavenly Father. He will bring me to maturity.

 

God will keep on fine tuning His purpose for me. He will bring into my life those who can influence me for good even if the circumstances of these encounters seem bad at the time. He will shut down some of my pet projects because they do not fit His purposes for me. He will lead me through hard paths because they end in the accomplishment of His greater purpose. He will allow pain and restrain pleasure so that I may become mature.

 

Rom 8:28-31

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

 

Dear Lord, thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for seeing value in me that I cannot see in myself. Thank you for changing my good plans for your better plans. AMEN

 

DO YOU REALLY WANT IT?

 

Friday, April 17, 2026

 

DO YOU REALLY WANT IT?

 

James 1:5-8

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

 

Jas 1:5 

If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. 

 

                We need wisdom to deal with some folks who drive us crazy! They do things they should not do and then tell us that we didn’t see what we clearly saw. Sometimes we believe the lie against our own senses. Psychologically, there is a word for it, and we need wisdom to combat it.

 

                James says that, if we ask for wisdom, God will give it to us – generously. But there is a catch. You have to ask without doubting. This is not referring to doubt regarding receiving the wisdom but doubting as to whether we really want it. We doubt whether we really want to know. This is self-doubt.

 

                Double-minded is from the Greek dipsuchos and it means “two-spirited; vacillating in opinion or purpose.” You can’t have two opposing opinions on the same matter, or you will tear yourself apart. Paralysis is the result.

 

                Begin with the attitude that you really WANT God’s wisdom on a matter and that you firmly intend to ACT on the wisdom God gives you even if God disagrees with you. The request for wisdom is set in the context of trials so don’t expect a calm to sweep over you before wisdom appears. Wisdom will sometimes appear within a storm.

 

Isa 30:20 

Though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of oppression, yet your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will [constantly] see your Teacher. 

Isa 30:21 

Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. 

 

Lord, even during a storm, let me hear Thy voice of wisdom. AMEN

 

THE GIFT OF FELLOWSHIP!

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026

 

THE GIFT OF FELLOWSHIP!

 

Mal 3:13-16

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord . Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord  of hosts?

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16 Then they that feared the Lord  spake often one to another: and the Lord  hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord , and that thought upon his name.

 

          Malachi chapter three is about more than money! There have been so many references to verse 10 that it is easy to think that this chapter is all about tithing but it is actually a mirror of our current times. Worship had deteriorated into a series of forms and rituals while the hearts of many were asking if it was vain to serve God. Most saw no benefit in it but a few remained faithful.

 

          Merriam-Webster says that “fellowship” is “the condition of friendly relationship existing among persons; a group with similar interests.’ There are three characteristics given to those who were faithful.

 

          They feared the Lord! The word “fear” suggests a reverence that adjusts one’s morality. It is respect that causes one to change or to be different. It is respect with honor. It caused them to depart from evil and to keep God’s ordinances.

 

          They spoke often to one another! They mutually encouraged one another. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said: “Communion is strength; solitude is weakness. Alone, the fine old beech yields to the blast and lies prone on the meadow. In the forest, supporting each other, the trees laugh at the hurricane. The sheep of Jesus flock together. The social element is the genius of Christianity.”

 

          They thought on His name!  They meditated on the person of God. Much of our thinking is about ourselves; our needs and our comfort but these thought on the various aspects of God. God was in their heart. God listened in! When we are casually having fellowship with other believers God hears and records it.

 

Ps 119:63

63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for the sweet fellowship of other believers. AMEN