Jesus came to both men and women that they might receive salvation. The Father God selected a person of each sex to announce the coming of the Messiah. Like the nation of Israel that had long awaited the arrival of Jesus, these two people had waited a very long time. Inspired by the Lord, Isaiah in 742 B.C. revealed unique signs about the way the Messiah would come to His people and to the world. Anna had Isaiah’s words and a personal divine revelation that her Lord was to appear. The spirit of prophecy had left Israel more than 300 years before then, but immediately before Jesus’ birth, it was revived. There are only three verses about this remarkable woman, but the verses are Spirit-filled.
"And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser(Asher): she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;.
"And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
"And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." (Luke 2:36-38)
Anna (whose name meant “gracious”) was a prophetess, a woman divinely inspired to speak God’s revelations. God, Who does not leave Himself without a witness, poured His Spirit on her. She was of the tribe of Asher, one of the northern tribes of Israel carried away as captives, but some of the tribe of Asher were not captured. Eventually much of the remnant of Asher had reunited with Judah and worshiped in Jerusalem.
She became a widow seven years after she married and had been serving the Lord at the temple for 84 years. If she had married at the age of 12, she would have been at least 103! Some scholars interpret the passage to mean she was 84. It was the practice at the temple to worship God continuously with fasting and prayer. (Psalm 134) She often took the night shift...amazing for 84 or 103 plus!
It was a glorious moment! While Simeon was proclaiming the Baby to be his Savior, Anna appeared from the background and thanked God for letting her see the Messiah. The old prophetess knew that the little baby was the One she had long awaited. She announced His arrival to the people who regularly flocked to the temple to pray for the deliverance of Jerusalem. Anna, Simeon, and a faithful core of believers were ready for the coming of the Lord!
What a beautiful woman Anna was! In her seasoned maturity, she had not grown weary of worshiping her beloved Lord. Her reverence brought her pleasure. Years and years passed while she observed the light of God’s glory moving closer in splendid brilliance. Then one day her great faith was rewarded by the vision of the Messiah, the joy of her desires. She responded by praising, rejoicing, and witnessing.
Anna realized that God loved her!
Quoted from Do You Know How God Loves You? The price of this book has been reduced on Amazon.com from $26.99 to $14.97.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Holding the Christ Child
“For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.” (Luke 2:30)
Forty days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple in Jerusalem for her purification and the Baby’s dedication. Like every other firstborn Jewish boy, He was dedicated to the Lord. They offered a sacrifice of either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
In Jerusalem, there was an old man named Simeon who carefully observed the laws of God and waited for their completion in the Person of the Messiah. The Holy Spirit guided him to the temple at the moment when Mary and Joseph arrived to present Jesus to the Father. His arrival at that moment was not a coincidence, and he did not simply happen to walk over to the right baby.
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. (Luke 2:25-27)
Seeing Mary and Joseph there with Jesus, he immediately recognized his Lord, a tiny Baby. He took the Anointed One into his arms and blessed the Lord.
Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.” (28-32)
Simeon recognized Jesus, the Person, as Salvation, and he thanked God. We know he was ready to die then, but we don’t know how much longer he lived.
Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul, and he shared some profound prophecy. He explained that Jesus was “a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.” The order of words indicates that the Gentiles would first accept the Messiah. Later the Jews will trust Him when He returns as their King. Simeon predicted a reversal of the original order – a new revelation.
Later, Jesus would say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the only way. Some pagan beliefs suggest that it is enough to follow the teachings of Jesus as one of many ways to work out our own salvation. There are no “almost” Christians. What is important is that people believe in Jesus as their Savior. Believing in His teachings is not enough.
Non-Biblical traditions maintain that Simeon was the son of the famous Pharisee Hillel, who was known as a great teacher among the Jews. Also Simeon is believed to be the father of Gamaliel, the famous Jewish lawyer who taught the Apostle Paul. Although this information is fascinating, it does not matter who Simeon’s father and son were. What is important is that he recognized the Baby he held in his arms as the Son of God.
Quoted from Do You Know How God Loves You? The price of this book has been reduced on Amazon.com from $26.99 to $14.97.
Forty days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple in Jerusalem for her purification and the Baby’s dedication. Like every other firstborn Jewish boy, He was dedicated to the Lord. They offered a sacrifice of either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
In Jerusalem, there was an old man named Simeon who carefully observed the laws of God and waited for their completion in the Person of the Messiah. The Holy Spirit guided him to the temple at the moment when Mary and Joseph arrived to present Jesus to the Father. His arrival at that moment was not a coincidence, and he did not simply happen to walk over to the right baby.
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. (Luke 2:25-27)
Seeing Mary and Joseph there with Jesus, he immediately recognized his Lord, a tiny Baby. He took the Anointed One into his arms and blessed the Lord.
Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.” (28-32)
Simeon recognized Jesus, the Person, as Salvation, and he thanked God. We know he was ready to die then, but we don’t know how much longer he lived.
Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul, and he shared some profound prophecy. He explained that Jesus was “a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.” The order of words indicates that the Gentiles would first accept the Messiah. Later the Jews will trust Him when He returns as their King. Simeon predicted a reversal of the original order – a new revelation.
Later, Jesus would say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the only way. Some pagan beliefs suggest that it is enough to follow the teachings of Jesus as one of many ways to work out our own salvation. There are no “almost” Christians. What is important is that people believe in Jesus as their Savior. Believing in His teachings is not enough.
Non-Biblical traditions maintain that Simeon was the son of the famous Pharisee Hillel, who was known as a great teacher among the Jews. Also Simeon is believed to be the father of Gamaliel, the famous Jewish lawyer who taught the Apostle Paul. Although this information is fascinating, it does not matter who Simeon’s father and son were. What is important is that he recognized the Baby he held in his arms as the Son of God.
Quoted from Do You Know How God Loves You? The price of this book has been reduced on Amazon.com from $26.99 to $14.97.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The Most Unlikely Witnesses
Nowhere in the Bible is there a verse containing the birthday of Jesus. In the fourth century, the Western church (Roman Catholic) began celebrating Christmas on December 25. The Eastern church (Eastern Orthodox) celebrates it on January 6. The Biblical detail of shepherds watching their flocks fails to support either date because shepherds did not keep their flocks in the fields at night during the winter.
No one – not even church historians – can misconstrue the most important point of Christmas: Love descended to us. Angels sang to the shepherds in the fields about God’s divine love...glorious, sacred, holy...incarnate in a newborn baby filled with promise. Love is a gift, the endowment of the sovereign God. Love is the grace of God with its resultant grateful adoration of Him with an outflow of goodwill to all people.
On a quiet dark night the angels in their shining presence told the shepherds to go see the Savior. How strange that God would select them as witnesses! We enjoy the comparison of a shepherd to our God, and we love to contemplate the little shepherd boy David, who was anointed to be King of Israel by Samuel following God’s leading. Also we understand that a good shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep and that a sheep will follow only his master’s voice. The analogies that God uses are rich; most shepherds, however, were outcasts because they were unreliable. They were so accustomed to stealing and lying that they were not allowed to give testimony in courts of law. And here they are witnessing the arrival of the Messiah in a cattle stall.
From our God’s viewpoint, probability is not a law He follows. The amazing news for you is that He loved you enough to send Jesus to save you. All you have to do is believe the incredible story that the perfect God Man came and paid the blood sacrifice for your sin, arose from the dead, and went back to His Father to prepare a place for you. All you have to do is believe in repentance, but if believing seems impossible, ask Him to help your unbelief.
Having accepted the Lord’s salvation and received your commission to work for the Lord, you may not feel worthy, capable, interested, or motivated. God will take care of that. The God who sent a band of angels to sing a glorious announcement to a pack of shepherds lying on the ground under the stars...to send the shepherds to behold the most important Person who had ever been born...to tell them to spread the news of the Savior of the world...does not make mistakes. When He commissions you to do His bidding, realize that He in His infinite wisdom has not made His first mistake. He knows what He is doing and expects you to trust Him. Like the shepherds that night, run to be near Him.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (Luke 2:17-18)
Quoted from Do You Know How God Loves You? The price of this book has been reduced on Amazon.com from $26.99 to $14.97.
No one – not even church historians – can misconstrue the most important point of Christmas: Love descended to us. Angels sang to the shepherds in the fields about God’s divine love...glorious, sacred, holy...incarnate in a newborn baby filled with promise. Love is a gift, the endowment of the sovereign God. Love is the grace of God with its resultant grateful adoration of Him with an outflow of goodwill to all people.
On a quiet dark night the angels in their shining presence told the shepherds to go see the Savior. How strange that God would select them as witnesses! We enjoy the comparison of a shepherd to our God, and we love to contemplate the little shepherd boy David, who was anointed to be King of Israel by Samuel following God’s leading. Also we understand that a good shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep and that a sheep will follow only his master’s voice. The analogies that God uses are rich; most shepherds, however, were outcasts because they were unreliable. They were so accustomed to stealing and lying that they were not allowed to give testimony in courts of law. And here they are witnessing the arrival of the Messiah in a cattle stall.
From our God’s viewpoint, probability is not a law He follows. The amazing news for you is that He loved you enough to send Jesus to save you. All you have to do is believe the incredible story that the perfect God Man came and paid the blood sacrifice for your sin, arose from the dead, and went back to His Father to prepare a place for you. All you have to do is believe in repentance, but if believing seems impossible, ask Him to help your unbelief.
Having accepted the Lord’s salvation and received your commission to work for the Lord, you may not feel worthy, capable, interested, or motivated. God will take care of that. The God who sent a band of angels to sing a glorious announcement to a pack of shepherds lying on the ground under the stars...to send the shepherds to behold the most important Person who had ever been born...to tell them to spread the news of the Savior of the world...does not make mistakes. When He commissions you to do His bidding, realize that He in His infinite wisdom has not made His first mistake. He knows what He is doing and expects you to trust Him. Like the shepherds that night, run to be near Him.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. (Luke 2:17-18)
Quoted from Do You Know How God Loves You? The price of this book has been reduced on Amazon.com from $26.99 to $14.97.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
June 30, “Will I Ever See Angels?”
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8)
“Will I ever see angels?” Has this question crossed your mind? The answer is another question: do you believe God?
If you have accepted Him as your Savior, you say, “Of course I do, and I know I will see God in heaven. There will be angels there. But will I see angels here on earth?”
Most of us do not see angels on a day-to-day basis. This lack of viewing celestial creatures is not evidence of a lack of worthiness or holiness. Don’t trouble yourself about it.
"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." (Colossians 2:18-19)
We must not allow people to convince us we should worship angels. We must not pay attention to people who become puffed up over their tales of the angels they have seen.
Whether or not you see angels, you are being helped by them on a daily basis. There comes a time when every Christian will be lifted into the arms of one or more angels and carried from the natural world into the spiritual world. Remember the story of Lazarus, the beggar, who was carried to Abraham’s bosom by the angels. (Luke 16)
We will go on the journey that begins with the discarding of these old bodies composed of carbon elements. At some time in the not-too-distant future, we will stop breathing, and our hearts will stop beating. The spiritual world is no more than a heartbeat away from our limited existence here on earth. None of us know exactly where heaven is, but we can be sure that we will be carried in a fine style by angels to the presence of God!
As the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody explained, our clay bodies will die: but our spiritual bodies will never die. He had the experience of drifting into heaven and coming back to earth. He told his family about seeing loved ones who had gone before. Also the Texas minister and author Don Piper has written some inspiring accounts of his death,journey to heaven, and return to earth. And we have the glorious information found in the word of God.
In conclusion the answer to the question, “Will I see angels here on earth?” is that if you have given your heart to the Lord Jesus, the angels will come to take you home at the point of death. If you don’t see angels before then, you will see them at the time of your departure.
What is much more wonderful is that you will see God!
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
“Will I ever see angels?” Has this question crossed your mind? The answer is another question: do you believe God?
If you have accepted Him as your Savior, you say, “Of course I do, and I know I will see God in heaven. There will be angels there. But will I see angels here on earth?”
Most of us do not see angels on a day-to-day basis. This lack of viewing celestial creatures is not evidence of a lack of worthiness or holiness. Don’t trouble yourself about it.
"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." (Colossians 2:18-19)
We must not allow people to convince us we should worship angels. We must not pay attention to people who become puffed up over their tales of the angels they have seen.
Whether or not you see angels, you are being helped by them on a daily basis. There comes a time when every Christian will be lifted into the arms of one or more angels and carried from the natural world into the spiritual world. Remember the story of Lazarus, the beggar, who was carried to Abraham’s bosom by the angels. (Luke 16)
We will go on the journey that begins with the discarding of these old bodies composed of carbon elements. At some time in the not-too-distant future, we will stop breathing, and our hearts will stop beating. The spiritual world is no more than a heartbeat away from our limited existence here on earth. None of us know exactly where heaven is, but we can be sure that we will be carried in a fine style by angels to the presence of God!
As the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody explained, our clay bodies will die: but our spiritual bodies will never die. He had the experience of drifting into heaven and coming back to earth. He told his family about seeing loved ones who had gone before. Also the Texas minister and author Don Piper has written some inspiring accounts of his death,journey to heaven, and return to earth. And we have the glorious information found in the word of God.
In conclusion the answer to the question, “Will I see angels here on earth?” is that if you have given your heart to the Lord Jesus, the angels will come to take you home at the point of death. If you don’t see angels before then, you will see them at the time of your departure.
What is much more wonderful is that you will see God!
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
June 29, Standing and Gazing
When Jesus ascended into heaven, people stood around and gawked. If we'd been there, we would have behaved the same way!
--And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)
We suppose those two men in white apparel were angels who explained to the audience of onlookers what was going on.
Jesus moved back to heaven to sit by His Father’s throne in the hub of the universe. He is like a King on a hill, where He surveys the combat on the earth beneath Him and in the air invisible to us. He can send hosts of angels, or He can conscript hosts of men and women to help with His causes. When He ascended into heaven, where He has all power, he left the disciples...and the rest of us…here to get busy with the work he left to be done. He will come back the same way he left. In the meantime, He told us, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” (Acts 1:8)
To read more thoughts about this subject, go to June 29, "Standing and Gazing" in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
Whether our loved ones can see us or even bother to look at us from heaven is a debated issue. What we do know is that Jesus is watching us! He went to heaven and sat down by the heavenly Father, but when Stephen was stoned Jesus stood in honor of this most noteworthy martyr! (Acts 7:56)
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
--And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)
We suppose those two men in white apparel were angels who explained to the audience of onlookers what was going on.
Jesus moved back to heaven to sit by His Father’s throne in the hub of the universe. He is like a King on a hill, where He surveys the combat on the earth beneath Him and in the air invisible to us. He can send hosts of angels, or He can conscript hosts of men and women to help with His causes. When He ascended into heaven, where He has all power, he left the disciples...and the rest of us…here to get busy with the work he left to be done. He will come back the same way he left. In the meantime, He told us, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” (Acts 1:8)
To read more thoughts about this subject, go to June 29, "Standing and Gazing" in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
Whether our loved ones can see us or even bother to look at us from heaven is a debated issue. What we do know is that Jesus is watching us! He went to heaven and sat down by the heavenly Father, but when Stephen was stoned Jesus stood in honor of this most noteworthy martyr! (Acts 7:56)
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Monday, June 28, 2010
June 28, Whom He May Devour
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8)
The devil knows us well. We are transparent to him just as we are to the heavenly angels.
He was one of them until he spoke his famous five statements of egomania:
1. I will ascend into heaven.
2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.
3. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
5. I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14: 13-14)
Then he became the ugly old devil. Most Christians believe there is a devil. He is running around looking for our weak spots – our Achilles’ heels – so he can attack us. Even though he may cause us some temporary pain by trying to pull us away from the Father’s love, he cannot succeed if we have given our hearts to God. It is amazing that he continues to try. He tried to tempt Jesus the same way!
What do you believe about him? Do you believe he is a fallen angel? Do you realize that he really was the most beautiful of all the angels and that he chose to rebel against God?
One more question as an aside: do you really believe that good angels exist and that they do God’s bidding? Angels are like the frosting on a cake. Some of us don’t really believe our cake should be anything but plain. Somehow we don’t think we deserve helpers that make our lives easier. We seem to want to have everything as difficult as possible so we can be as self-sufficient as possible. We don’t want to give God the credit for making our lives work. This mindset is one more way of failing to give God the glory. It is one more way the devil lies to us by denying God’s grace...God’s love.
And yet another question: do you believe that Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross to pay for our sins, became our sin, arose, and went to heaven where He sits on the right hand of His Father? I have to ask: do you realize that the Holy Spirit came to live in your heart when you accepted Jesus as your Savior? You know that you can ask your heavenly Father in the name of Jesus for whatever you need, and He’ll give it to you if you ask within His will, don’t you? He really will send His angels to protect you and keep you from falling. Trusting God is honoring God – giving Him the Glory.
The battle between the good and the evil angels is being fought over you because you are the apple of God’s eye and Satan, the fallen angel, hates you.
--And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)
In summary, the ultimate question: Do you know how God loves you? He gave His only Son so you would not perish. Why can we not accept the simplicity of God’s love?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
The devil knows us well. We are transparent to him just as we are to the heavenly angels.
He was one of them until he spoke his famous five statements of egomania:
1. I will ascend into heaven.
2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.
3. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
5. I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14: 13-14)
Then he became the ugly old devil. Most Christians believe there is a devil. He is running around looking for our weak spots – our Achilles’ heels – so he can attack us. Even though he may cause us some temporary pain by trying to pull us away from the Father’s love, he cannot succeed if we have given our hearts to God. It is amazing that he continues to try. He tried to tempt Jesus the same way!
What do you believe about him? Do you believe he is a fallen angel? Do you realize that he really was the most beautiful of all the angels and that he chose to rebel against God?
One more question as an aside: do you really believe that good angels exist and that they do God’s bidding? Angels are like the frosting on a cake. Some of us don’t really believe our cake should be anything but plain. Somehow we don’t think we deserve helpers that make our lives easier. We seem to want to have everything as difficult as possible so we can be as self-sufficient as possible. We don’t want to give God the credit for making our lives work. This mindset is one more way of failing to give God the glory. It is one more way the devil lies to us by denying God’s grace...God’s love.
And yet another question: do you believe that Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross to pay for our sins, became our sin, arose, and went to heaven where He sits on the right hand of His Father? I have to ask: do you realize that the Holy Spirit came to live in your heart when you accepted Jesus as your Savior? You know that you can ask your heavenly Father in the name of Jesus for whatever you need, and He’ll give it to you if you ask within His will, don’t you? He really will send His angels to protect you and keep you from falling. Trusting God is honoring God – giving Him the Glory.
The battle between the good and the evil angels is being fought over you because you are the apple of God’s eye and Satan, the fallen angel, hates you.
--And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)
In summary, the ultimate question: Do you know how God loves you? He gave His only Son so you would not perish. Why can we not accept the simplicity of God’s love?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Sunday, June 27, 2010
June 27, Angels Don’t Waste Time!
“And of the angels He saith, ‘Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.’ ” (Hebrews 1:7)
Angels' messages are straightforward with a military crispness.
Angels wait around until they are given their flying orders; and when they are commanded to move, they proceed at a rate faster than sound or light. We know that some of them fly, but not all of them have wings. More often they simply appear where they need to be.
Most of the time they are invisible, but they often take on the form of human beings. They can be visible to one person or animal and at the same time be invisible to another person nearby. As soon as they finish an assignment, they vanish.
When they speak, they often speak quickly. They come to people with direct commands from God, and they don’t waste time. When the angel appeared to help Peter escape from jail, he hit Peter on the side and ordered,"Arise up quickly" (Acts 12:7)
When an angel appeared to issue Joseph a warning about Herod’s decree to kill the male children in order to destroy Jesus, the new King, he demanded, "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt." (Matthew 2:13)
For more on this subject go to June 27 in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
God's good angels have no interest in connecting emotionally with us, but our heavenly Father is interested in everything we want to tell Him. We need to keep our communication lines open with our Abba.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Angels' messages are straightforward with a military crispness.
Angels wait around until they are given their flying orders; and when they are commanded to move, they proceed at a rate faster than sound or light. We know that some of them fly, but not all of them have wings. More often they simply appear where they need to be.
Most of the time they are invisible, but they often take on the form of human beings. They can be visible to one person or animal and at the same time be invisible to another person nearby. As soon as they finish an assignment, they vanish.
When they speak, they often speak quickly. They come to people with direct commands from God, and they don’t waste time. When the angel appeared to help Peter escape from jail, he hit Peter on the side and ordered,"Arise up quickly" (Acts 12:7)
When an angel appeared to issue Joseph a warning about Herod’s decree to kill the male children in order to destroy Jesus, the new King, he demanded, "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt." (Matthew 2:13)
For more on this subject go to June 27 in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
God's good angels have no interest in connecting emotionally with us, but our heavenly Father is interested in everything we want to tell Him. We need to keep our communication lines open with our Abba.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Saturday, June 26, 2010
June 26, Heavenly Spectators
Here is evidence that the angels receive constant communication about us through God. Jesus told a story:
--What woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, “Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.”
There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:8-10)
The angels of heaven are watching all of us, they know our spiritual conditions, they love us with pure unselfish love, and they want us to receive salvation. When a lost person accepts Christ, they celebrate.
Angels are watching over us in other areas also. When we struggle through our problems, the angels are watching on the sidelines. They step in to help us when God directs them to. As patient creatures, they realize something we need to keep in mind: whatever God send us in our lives is done on His time schedule.
--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. (Roman 8:28)
For more evidence about the way the angels watch over us, read the June 26 devotional in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU? Also go to Luke 14:4-7.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
--What woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, “Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.”
There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:8-10)
The angels of heaven are watching all of us, they know our spiritual conditions, they love us with pure unselfish love, and they want us to receive salvation. When a lost person accepts Christ, they celebrate.
Angels are watching over us in other areas also. When we struggle through our problems, the angels are watching on the sidelines. They step in to help us when God directs them to. As patient creatures, they realize something we need to keep in mind: whatever God send us in our lives is done on His time schedule.
--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. (Roman 8:28)
For more evidence about the way the angels watch over us, read the June 26 devotional in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU? Also go to Luke 14:4-7.
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Friday, June 25, 2010
June 25, Daniel, Ezekiel, and John
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.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Daniel, a handsome, intelligent young nobleman, grew up in Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and took him to Babylon. Instead of embracing the religion of his new country, he became closer to Jehovah than ever. To him, his Lord was more than a ceremonial deity. Living his life far from his homeland and the temple of God, he exhibited a genuine faith in God. (Daniel 1)
Ezekiel, a priest and prophet, also lived in Jerusalem then. Babylonians took him with a group to an area by a river. The people in his camp were musicians, and the captors wanted them to provide entertainment, but these broken-hearted songbirds could not sing. By the rivers of Babylon, they sat down and hung their harps in the willows. When they thought of Zion, they wept. (Psalm 137) But Ezekiel turned his eyes toward his Lord.
John, in a later age, was one of the twelve given to Christ by the Father. He had been close to Jesus. After the Lord ascended, their relationship changed. No longer walking the countryside with Jesus, he saw the Lord in a new way. Refusing to worship a wicked ruler and insisting on preaching the gospel, he was banished to Patmos, a remote island, where he turned his eyes toward his Lord.
What do these three men have in common? First, they were exiles that drew closer to the Lord. Also each received a message with a divine inspiration to write. Angels assisted the Lord in giving these men revelations of the unseen world of the kingdom of God. These three men recorded much of what we call the apocalypse, which means “the lifting of the veil” with an emphasis on the end times.
All books of the Bible show us God’s truths, which are beyond the understanding of ungodly men. Daniel, Ezekiel, and John were used especially to show the way that God works in the world we cannot see. Angels, the servants of His bidding, are all around us and are engaged in continuous activity important to the kingdom of God.
For more information, read June 25 in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Daniel, a handsome, intelligent young nobleman, grew up in Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and took him to Babylon. Instead of embracing the religion of his new country, he became closer to Jehovah than ever. To him, his Lord was more than a ceremonial deity. Living his life far from his homeland and the temple of God, he exhibited a genuine faith in God. (Daniel 1)
Ezekiel, a priest and prophet, also lived in Jerusalem then. Babylonians took him with a group to an area by a river. The people in his camp were musicians, and the captors wanted them to provide entertainment, but these broken-hearted songbirds could not sing. By the rivers of Babylon, they sat down and hung their harps in the willows. When they thought of Zion, they wept. (Psalm 137) But Ezekiel turned his eyes toward his Lord.
John, in a later age, was one of the twelve given to Christ by the Father. He had been close to Jesus. After the Lord ascended, their relationship changed. No longer walking the countryside with Jesus, he saw the Lord in a new way. Refusing to worship a wicked ruler and insisting on preaching the gospel, he was banished to Patmos, a remote island, where he turned his eyes toward his Lord.
What do these three men have in common? First, they were exiles that drew closer to the Lord. Also each received a message with a divine inspiration to write. Angels assisted the Lord in giving these men revelations of the unseen world of the kingdom of God. These three men recorded much of what we call the apocalypse, which means “the lifting of the veil” with an emphasis on the end times.
All books of the Bible show us God’s truths, which are beyond the understanding of ungodly men. Daniel, Ezekiel, and John were used especially to show the way that God works in the world we cannot see. Angels, the servants of His bidding, are all around us and are engaged in continuous activity important to the kingdom of God.
For more information, read June 25 in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Thursday, June 24, 2010
June 24, Worms
“For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.” (Isaiah 2:12)
Peter finally made his way into the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where a prayer meeting was in progress. They were praying for his release while he stood at the door trying to get inside and they wouldn’t believe he was there. (Acts 12)
After an angel had loosened Peter from the chains that bound him to two soldiers and led him through the heavily guarded gates, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. He told them to be quiet while he told them how the Lord had taken him out of prison. When he finished talking, he slipped away to a secret place.
The soldiers were upset. Herod commanded they be put to death. Because of what happened to Herod, there is some question as to whether they were executed. Historians say that Herod was looking forward to giving Peter’s head on a charger to the Jews.
When the angel rescued Peter, Herod was embarrassed. To save face, he moved his headquarters from Judea to Caesarea. He tried to detract from his defeat by celebrating a festival in honor of Caesar. On the second day of the festival, he dressed in his royal robe and made an oration. The people shouted,
--It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. (Acts 12:22)
(That cheer reminds me of the attitude people today assume about rock-and-roll stars, actors, and talk show hosts. Some celebrities have started considering themselves to be gods and designed their own religions.)
When the people cried out that Herod was a god, he basked in the joy of the hot air of flattery. While he sat there all puffed with pride on his throne, God sent an angel to strike him down. Indulging in the kind of glory that a man should never receive, he looked up, according to the historian Josephus, and saw an owl perched over his head. He had a violent pain in his abdomen.
--And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. (23)
He died at the age of fifty-three after being king for seven years.
An angel of justice punished proud King Herod on the spot in front of his subjects he was trying to impress. It is not unusual for God to punish unbelieving evildoers on this earth.
We do not have the insight to know when God is doing so; and when we speak on His behalf about the disasters that befall people, we become self-righteous proud people. Judging is not one of our jobs.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Peter finally made his way into the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where a prayer meeting was in progress. They were praying for his release while he stood at the door trying to get inside and they wouldn’t believe he was there. (Acts 12)
After an angel had loosened Peter from the chains that bound him to two soldiers and led him through the heavily guarded gates, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. He told them to be quiet while he told them how the Lord had taken him out of prison. When he finished talking, he slipped away to a secret place.
The soldiers were upset. Herod commanded they be put to death. Because of what happened to Herod, there is some question as to whether they were executed. Historians say that Herod was looking forward to giving Peter’s head on a charger to the Jews.
When the angel rescued Peter, Herod was embarrassed. To save face, he moved his headquarters from Judea to Caesarea. He tried to detract from his defeat by celebrating a festival in honor of Caesar. On the second day of the festival, he dressed in his royal robe and made an oration. The people shouted,
--It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. (Acts 12:22)
(That cheer reminds me of the attitude people today assume about rock-and-roll stars, actors, and talk show hosts. Some celebrities have started considering themselves to be gods and designed their own religions.)
When the people cried out that Herod was a god, he basked in the joy of the hot air of flattery. While he sat there all puffed with pride on his throne, God sent an angel to strike him down. Indulging in the kind of glory that a man should never receive, he looked up, according to the historian Josephus, and saw an owl perched over his head. He had a violent pain in his abdomen.
--And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. (23)
He died at the age of fifty-three after being king for seven years.
An angel of justice punished proud King Herod on the spot in front of his subjects he was trying to impress. It is not unusual for God to punish unbelieving evildoers on this earth.
We do not have the insight to know when God is doing so; and when we speak on His behalf about the disasters that befall people, we become self-righteous proud people. Judging is not one of our jobs.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
June 23, “Open the Door, Rhoda!”
“Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.” (Acts 12:18)
King Herod decided he needed to vex the members of the early church. (Acts 12) For the sport of tormenting Christ’s followers, he killed John’s brother James with a sword. During Passover week there were many Jews in town. Herod was enjoying more and more popularity. Therefore he arrested Peter and assigned four quarternions, (four-men squads) of soldiers to guard him until Passover was finished. Then he planned to kill Peter. Surely sixteen soldiers would keep anyone from stealing this prize prisoner.
God had work for Peter to do. Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep. (John 21), but at this point, the man was merely beginning his ministry.
Moreover, the church, seeking the permissive will of God, prayed without ceasing for him. Jesus, during His earthly ministry, had invested His time and efforts teaching this immature man Peter, and now the impetuous fisherman had grown up. He was an Apostle,especially gifted by the Holy Spirit, mature in his knowledge, and bold with his message. at a preacher he had become! Then, came the night before his scheduled execution. Sleeping soundly in jail, he lay chained between two soldiers. Sentries stood at the door.
Peter awakened to a bright light in his face with an angel gently hitting him on his side and telling him to get up quickly. The chains fell off his hands. The angel told him to throw his outer garment on, tighten his belt, and fasten his sandals. As the angel led him through the gates and down a street, Peter thought he was dreaming. Then the angel left him.
He came to himself and said,"Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod." (11)
Getting his bearings, he went to the house of Mary, John Mark’s mother, where a large number of people were meeting there to pray. When he arrived, he knocked on the gate-door, and a girl named Rhoda answered. He spoke to her, and she recognized his voice.Instead of letting him in, she became excited and happy, slammed the door in his face,and ran to tell the others. They didn’t believe her.
“You’re crazy,” they said, but she insisted. “It’s his angel,” they argued. Eventually they let him inside. As a result of Peter’s escape,
--The word of God grew and multiplied. (24)
Have you noticed some of the times in your life when God’s angels provided you and your loved ones supernatural protection? What purpose does God have? Ask Him.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
King Herod decided he needed to vex the members of the early church. (Acts 12) For the sport of tormenting Christ’s followers, he killed John’s brother James with a sword. During Passover week there were many Jews in town. Herod was enjoying more and more popularity. Therefore he arrested Peter and assigned four quarternions, (four-men squads) of soldiers to guard him until Passover was finished. Then he planned to kill Peter. Surely sixteen soldiers would keep anyone from stealing this prize prisoner.
God had work for Peter to do. Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep. (John 21), but at this point, the man was merely beginning his ministry.
Moreover, the church, seeking the permissive will of God, prayed without ceasing for him. Jesus, during His earthly ministry, had invested His time and efforts teaching this immature man Peter, and now the impetuous fisherman had grown up. He was an Apostle,especially gifted by the Holy Spirit, mature in his knowledge, and bold with his message. at a preacher he had become! Then, came the night before his scheduled execution. Sleeping soundly in jail, he lay chained between two soldiers. Sentries stood at the door.
Peter awakened to a bright light in his face with an angel gently hitting him on his side and telling him to get up quickly. The chains fell off his hands. The angel told him to throw his outer garment on, tighten his belt, and fasten his sandals. As the angel led him through the gates and down a street, Peter thought he was dreaming. Then the angel left him.
He came to himself and said,"Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod." (11)
Getting his bearings, he went to the house of Mary, John Mark’s mother, where a large number of people were meeting there to pray. When he arrived, he knocked on the gate-door, and a girl named Rhoda answered. He spoke to her, and she recognized his voice.Instead of letting him in, she became excited and happy, slammed the door in his face,and ran to tell the others. They didn’t believe her.
“You’re crazy,” they said, but she insisted. “It’s his angel,” they argued. Eventually they let him inside. As a result of Peter’s escape,
--The word of God grew and multiplied. (24)
Have you noticed some of the times in your life when God’s angels provided you and your loved ones supernatural protection? What purpose does God have? Ask Him.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
June 22, The Battle of All Battles
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:16)
Since the Middle Ages, Bible scholars have ranked angels into nine categories. We are aware of archangels, seraphim, and cherubim. Other categories are based on this verse in Colossians:
--For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)
We need to realize two historical facts about this verse. There have been debates over the interpretation of the verse in Colossians and whether there are fewer types. (Some say that seraphim and cherubim are two names for the same.) Also, the Colossians were caught up in a heresy of placing too much emphasis on angels and saying that people had to communicate through them to reach Christ. What matters is that there are a vast number of angels, an amount that God only knows and that they are a potent source of varied servants, warriors, protectors, and messengers subject to no one but God.
In the world we seldom see, there is a violent war going on, and it will end in a visible battle at a place called Armageddon, a flat-top hill (Har means hill, and the place is known as Megiddo.) about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. This is not symbolism! More than 200 battles have been fought there throughout history. In World War I there was a battle between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire there. Britain won. My favorite battle in history is the one in which the prophetess-judge Deborah (an Israelite wife and mother) and the general Barak led the Israelites to victory over their enemies. (Judges 4-5) Actually the Lord sent bad weather and angels to fight it for them!
Armageddon is a real place with a real battlefield where the outcome of the whole world will be determined in God’s own time. The wicked leaders of the world under the leadership of the anti-Christ will assemble there with their armies,and the angels of the Lord will defeat the evil forces for all times.
If we believe God and have trusted Him to be our Savior, we have no reason to be anxious;for we can look to the blessed hope of the last promise and the last prayer of the Bible:
--He Which testifieth these things saith, “Surely I come quickly Amen.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
--The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)
The Messiah has told us He will return soon. He’s on His way. When the time is right, His army of angels will defeat the demons in a real physical battle at Armageddon. Once we are on the Lord’s side, we don’t need to be afraid, even though we know the battle of all battles is coming. We can join with John and all the other people He has set apart to say,“Let it be, Lord. Come, blessed Jesus!” While we are waiting for Him, He is reminding us that He loves us. Let’s enjoy His love and share it with other people, as He has instructed us to do.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Since the Middle Ages, Bible scholars have ranked angels into nine categories. We are aware of archangels, seraphim, and cherubim. Other categories are based on this verse in Colossians:
--For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)
We need to realize two historical facts about this verse. There have been debates over the interpretation of the verse in Colossians and whether there are fewer types. (Some say that seraphim and cherubim are two names for the same.) Also, the Colossians were caught up in a heresy of placing too much emphasis on angels and saying that people had to communicate through them to reach Christ. What matters is that there are a vast number of angels, an amount that God only knows and that they are a potent source of varied servants, warriors, protectors, and messengers subject to no one but God.
In the world we seldom see, there is a violent war going on, and it will end in a visible battle at a place called Armageddon, a flat-top hill (Har means hill, and the place is known as Megiddo.) about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. This is not symbolism! More than 200 battles have been fought there throughout history. In World War I there was a battle between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire there. Britain won. My favorite battle in history is the one in which the prophetess-judge Deborah (an Israelite wife and mother) and the general Barak led the Israelites to victory over their enemies. (Judges 4-5) Actually the Lord sent bad weather and angels to fight it for them!
Armageddon is a real place with a real battlefield where the outcome of the whole world will be determined in God’s own time. The wicked leaders of the world under the leadership of the anti-Christ will assemble there with their armies,and the angels of the Lord will defeat the evil forces for all times.
If we believe God and have trusted Him to be our Savior, we have no reason to be anxious;for we can look to the blessed hope of the last promise and the last prayer of the Bible:
--He Which testifieth these things saith, “Surely I come quickly Amen.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
--The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)
The Messiah has told us He will return soon. He’s on His way. When the time is right, His army of angels will defeat the demons in a real physical battle at Armageddon. Once we are on the Lord’s side, we don’t need to be afraid, even though we know the battle of all battles is coming. We can join with John and all the other people He has set apart to say,“Let it be, Lord. Come, blessed Jesus!” While we are waiting for Him, He is reminding us that He loves us. Let’s enjoy His love and share it with other people, as He has instructed us to do.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Monday, June 21, 2010
June 21, Passing Through the Door
“Then said Jesus unto them again, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.’” (John 10:7)
God’s cherubim are the watchers and the holy ones who guard the door. The cherubim are mighty warriors with both wings and arms. They are described as having wheels within wheels. It is not clear whether the wheels are part of their anatomy or part of vehicles.
They have eyes looking all different directions, and they carry fire around with them.These ferocious fighters surround God and constantly do His bidding. (Ezekiel 9 and 10)
God does not need the cherubim to do His bidding, any more than He needs any of us;yet He chooses to use the members of His creation in His special ways to help with His work. God never sleeps and does not need to eat. He does not need angels or people to take care of Him. He assigned cherubs to guard the gate to the garden of Eden, which is located in an unknown place; they surround God on His throne, where they shut out any who would attack His glory and holiness; and they guarded the entrance to the tabernacle and temple Holy of Holies, where only the high priest could enter at appointed times to mediate with a blood offering to cover the sins of the people. This was a single day of the year.
In the blessed time after the coming of the Messiah, now that we have accepted the salvation bought for us with the precious shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, no one stops us from entering God’s throne room, the Holy of Holies.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus told a parable recorded in the Gospel of John. He said,"I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." (John 10:9)
Those who understood the work of the cherubim should have easily understood the analogy of Jesus as the door of a sheepfold, but since many of them were blinded to the obvious, they simply didn’t get it.
Finally when He paid the price by dying on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Those who went looking for God would no longer find Him there behind that ripped curtain. That ripped curtain is an important reminder of the way God loves you! The Apostle Peter reassures us with these words:
--But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9)
Peter is talking to us, the believers in Christ! You and I are especially selected by God, Who loves us, to be His extraordinary people. He has appointed us to function as priests, with the right to enter His holy presence. He has instructed His cherubim to let us pass through the door, and He is sending us to tell others about His wonderful works demonstrating the way He loves all of us. He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, and He has changed us from nonentities into significant somebodies, not because He needs us, but because He loves us!
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
God’s cherubim are the watchers and the holy ones who guard the door. The cherubim are mighty warriors with both wings and arms. They are described as having wheels within wheels. It is not clear whether the wheels are part of their anatomy or part of vehicles.
They have eyes looking all different directions, and they carry fire around with them.These ferocious fighters surround God and constantly do His bidding. (Ezekiel 9 and 10)
God does not need the cherubim to do His bidding, any more than He needs any of us;yet He chooses to use the members of His creation in His special ways to help with His work. God never sleeps and does not need to eat. He does not need angels or people to take care of Him. He assigned cherubs to guard the gate to the garden of Eden, which is located in an unknown place; they surround God on His throne, where they shut out any who would attack His glory and holiness; and they guarded the entrance to the tabernacle and temple Holy of Holies, where only the high priest could enter at appointed times to mediate with a blood offering to cover the sins of the people. This was a single day of the year.
In the blessed time after the coming of the Messiah, now that we have accepted the salvation bought for us with the precious shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, no one stops us from entering God’s throne room, the Holy of Holies.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus told a parable recorded in the Gospel of John. He said,"I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." (John 10:9)
Those who understood the work of the cherubim should have easily understood the analogy of Jesus as the door of a sheepfold, but since many of them were blinded to the obvious, they simply didn’t get it.
Finally when He paid the price by dying on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Those who went looking for God would no longer find Him there behind that ripped curtain. That ripped curtain is an important reminder of the way God loves you! The Apostle Peter reassures us with these words:
--But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9)
Peter is talking to us, the believers in Christ! You and I are especially selected by God, Who loves us, to be His extraordinary people. He has appointed us to function as priests, with the right to enter His holy presence. He has instructed His cherubim to let us pass through the door, and He is sending us to tell others about His wonderful works demonstrating the way He loves all of us. He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, and He has changed us from nonentities into significant somebodies, not because He needs us, but because He loves us!
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
June 20, Cherubim
Cherub -- a cute little chubby angel like the ones in fine old oil paintings and scarf collars? Wrong! Are cherubim reincarnate human babies? No! What are they then? They are fiercely powerful beings that guard the glory of God and protect us from danger. When we study the Bible, we must redo our idea of what cherubs look like.
When God turned Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eve, he placed cherubim to guard the gate. (Genesis 3:24) These protectors were not the popular wide-eyed rosy-cheeked soft creatures of mythology.
In the scripture we encounter our Lord, who has infinite supernatural power surrounded by warrior cherubs guarding His glory.
See the devotional on June 20 in Do You Know How God Love You?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
When God turned Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eve, he placed cherubim to guard the gate. (Genesis 3:24) These protectors were not the popular wide-eyed rosy-cheeked soft creatures of mythology.
In the scripture we encounter our Lord, who has infinite supernatural power surrounded by warrior cherubs guarding His glory.
See the devotional on June 20 in Do You Know How God Love You?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Saturday, June 19, 2010
A Few Thoughts about the Glory of God
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:3)
The angels classified as seraphim know that the glory of God is all over the earth. God created the entire world that way. We are required to worship God and nothing else -- not the creation, not the angels; but when we look at the earth we cannot miss the glory that He created. Reflections of God's glory are in the day lilies in the backyard, the dainty little humming birds, the moon rising. "The whole earth is full of His glory."
Here's a simple analogy. I made a luscious chocolate cake, but I am not the cake. It's difficult to see why so many intelligent human beings are confused by the obvious.
When we turn our lives over to Christ, we become the dwelling place of the glory of God!The Holy Spirit within us is like God's shekinah glory within the holy temple.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own. (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Give unto the LORD the glory due Him.
Read more in the June 19th page in Do You Know How God Loves You?
The angels classified as seraphim know that the glory of God is all over the earth. God created the entire world that way. We are required to worship God and nothing else -- not the creation, not the angels; but when we look at the earth we cannot miss the glory that He created. Reflections of God's glory are in the day lilies in the backyard, the dainty little humming birds, the moon rising. "The whole earth is full of His glory."
Here's a simple analogy. I made a luscious chocolate cake, but I am not the cake. It's difficult to see why so many intelligent human beings are confused by the obvious.
When we turn our lives over to Christ, we become the dwelling place of the glory of God!The Holy Spirit within us is like God's shekinah glory within the holy temple.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own. (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Give unto the LORD the glory due Him.
Read more in the June 19th page in Do You Know How God Loves You?
Friday, June 18, 2010
June 18, What can angels not do? What can you not do?
(To read more about this subject, go to Do You Know How God Loves you? June 18.)
When Lucifer sinned and fell from heaven, he took one third of the angels with him. The remaining angels are free from sin. The ones who did not fall remain sinless. When one of us repents, the angels have a big celebration. (Luke 15:10) They long for us to be reborn.
What can angels not do? They cannot give their testimony because they don't have one. They cannot say they were lost but now found. They cannot testify to what they have not experienced.
They cannot say,“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) When the Lord appeared to Isaiah in the temple and said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8), He did not have plans to send angels because He did not create them for that task.
It is our job to say, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,” (Romans 10:9)
Now what can you not do?
You cannot cause people to be saved! All you can do is share the message. You cannot soften hard hearts. The Holy Spirit has that job!
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
When Lucifer sinned and fell from heaven, he took one third of the angels with him. The remaining angels are free from sin. The ones who did not fall remain sinless. When one of us repents, the angels have a big celebration. (Luke 15:10) They long for us to be reborn.
What can angels not do? They cannot give their testimony because they don't have one. They cannot say they were lost but now found. They cannot testify to what they have not experienced.
They cannot say,“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) When the Lord appeared to Isaiah in the temple and said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8), He did not have plans to send angels because He did not create them for that task.
It is our job to say, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,” (Romans 10:9)
Now what can you not do?
You cannot cause people to be saved! All you can do is share the message. You cannot soften hard hearts. The Holy Spirit has that job!
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
June 17, Sweet Incense
Like candles? And incense? We don't know all the details about God. We'll have to wait until we go live with Him to discover more. One thing we do know is that He loves incense.
When Isaiah encountered the Lord God Jehovah in the temple, the seraphim (high ranking angels) were busy burning incense. the entire temple was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6)
There's a magnificent scene in heaven that John the Apostle share in Revelation 8:3-4. John went on a tour through heaven. He discovered that the angels were mixing incense with the prayers of the people who believe in Him. Imagine that!
Picture our heavenly Father loving us – lavishing affection on us! He has angels mixing our prayers with the incense! He treasures our prayers. I think that Jesus and the Holy Spirit must be sorting through our prayers to sweeten them by changing them from our raw selfish requests to something noble and perfect for the Father. The angels mixing them with incense are stirring the pot like kitchen helpers.
The Lord of the universe sits on His throne and waits to hear from us! In this age of easy access to God’s throne room, how sinfully prideful are we when we offer Him irreverent, slovenly prayers?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
When Isaiah encountered the Lord God Jehovah in the temple, the seraphim (high ranking angels) were busy burning incense. the entire temple was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6)
There's a magnificent scene in heaven that John the Apostle share in Revelation 8:3-4. John went on a tour through heaven. He discovered that the angels were mixing incense with the prayers of the people who believe in Him. Imagine that!
Picture our heavenly Father loving us – lavishing affection on us! He has angels mixing our prayers with the incense! He treasures our prayers. I think that Jesus and the Holy Spirit must be sorting through our prayers to sweeten them by changing them from our raw selfish requests to something noble and perfect for the Father. The angels mixing them with incense are stirring the pot like kitchen helpers.
The Lord of the universe sits on His throne and waits to hear from us! In this age of easy access to God’s throne room, how sinfully prideful are we when we offer Him irreverent, slovenly prayers?
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
June 16, Send Me!
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’Then said I, ‘Here am I; send me.’ ” (Isaiah 6:8)
The seraphim have the responsibility of hovering over the throne of God. We know that God does not need them, and He does not need any of us. He does not need the universe. No matter what He creates or if He allowed all His creation to disappear, He would still be God. And yet the seraphim have the vocation of guarding God’s holiness.
We have our jobs too. After the seraph placed a coal on Isaiah’s tongue, God asked a rhetorical question. Any question He asks is rhetorical. Since He already knows the answer, He asks to help us get our hearts right. He is running a volunteer army, not a draft board.He knows our answer to every question before we ask; yet in His perfect wisdom, He does not make us feel coerced. After Isaiah was cleansed of unrighteousness, God asked,“Whom shall I send?” Then He went on to ask, “Who will go for us?” (I believe that the word “us” referred to the triune nature of God.)
For the first time in his life, Isaiah was learning what he was supposed to do . . . what his mission in life . . . his purpose . . . his reason to be was. “Here am I: send me!” Can’t you just imagine that he shouted those words with reverent enthusiasm? It was not a tentative response. He was a transformed man. His unclean tongue became a spirit-filled, heavensent flame.
At Christmastime we love to listen to Handel’s Messiah. Most of the words in that magnificent cantata are quoted directly from Isaiah’s book, which foretold the events of the coming of the Messiah to the earth. Also he prophesied much about the end times. Few men have been more inspired by the Holy Spirit than Isaiah was.
The mission God gave him on the day of the vision was a strange one. He was to go and tell people about the Lord, but God let him know that most of them would not believe. (6:9) His job was to tell, whereas the Holy Spirit’s role is to convict. God told Isaiah to go to the children of Israel. He told us to go into all the world and to preach the gospel to all
nations.
--And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Like the seraphim and like Isaiah, we need to have an attitude toward God that says “Only Thou art holy” and “Here am I.” After we have given our hearts to Him, He will commission us to do what He has planned for us in His own way and His own time. Meanwhile, we must pray with bold fervor, “Send me!”
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The seraphim have the responsibility of hovering over the throne of God. We know that God does not need them, and He does not need any of us. He does not need the universe. No matter what He creates or if He allowed all His creation to disappear, He would still be God. And yet the seraphim have the vocation of guarding God’s holiness.
We have our jobs too. After the seraph placed a coal on Isaiah’s tongue, God asked a rhetorical question. Any question He asks is rhetorical. Since He already knows the answer, He asks to help us get our hearts right. He is running a volunteer army, not a draft board.He knows our answer to every question before we ask; yet in His perfect wisdom, He does not make us feel coerced. After Isaiah was cleansed of unrighteousness, God asked,“Whom shall I send?” Then He went on to ask, “Who will go for us?” (I believe that the word “us” referred to the triune nature of God.)
For the first time in his life, Isaiah was learning what he was supposed to do . . . what his mission in life . . . his purpose . . . his reason to be was. “Here am I: send me!” Can’t you just imagine that he shouted those words with reverent enthusiasm? It was not a tentative response. He was a transformed man. His unclean tongue became a spirit-filled, heavensent flame.
At Christmastime we love to listen to Handel’s Messiah. Most of the words in that magnificent cantata are quoted directly from Isaiah’s book, which foretold the events of the coming of the Messiah to the earth. Also he prophesied much about the end times. Few men have been more inspired by the Holy Spirit than Isaiah was.
The mission God gave him on the day of the vision was a strange one. He was to go and tell people about the Lord, but God let him know that most of them would not believe. (6:9) His job was to tell, whereas the Holy Spirit’s role is to convict. God told Isaiah to go to the children of Israel. He told us to go into all the world and to preach the gospel to all
nations.
--And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Like the seraphim and like Isaiah, we need to have an attitude toward God that says “Only Thou art holy” and “Here am I.” After we have given our hearts to Him, He will commission us to do what He has planned for us in His own way and His own time. Meanwhile, we must pray with bold fervor, “Send me!”
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
June 15, Purification by Fire
Feeling sad because King Uzziah had died, Isaiah, who had been trying to be a righteous man in his own way, went into the temple (not the Holy of Holies) and was astonished to see the Lord on a high throne. The six-winged seraphim were above the throne. (Isaiah 6)
In the eyes of his contemporaries, Isaiah had lived a righteous life. It appears that he had followed the codes of behavior outlined for him as a man in Israel. Having followed the appropriate customs, practiced the established rituals, and walked in the path of his own righteousness, shouldn’t he have found himself worthy? But in the presence of the glory of God, he suddenly knew otherwise.
Realizing his own unworthiness before the Lord, Isaiah said, “Woe is me!” He cried out that he was a man of unclean lips living in a people of unclean lips and that his eyes had seen the King Jehovah. He was in agony under the bright light of God’s glory. When he saw God as completely powerful and completely holy, he saw himself as he truly was . . . a sinner. The habits of his speech represented the vileness of his heart. Even though he knew he had not been a bad man in human terms, he realized how flawed he was when he compared himself to his perfect God.
--Then said I, "Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."
--Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth and said, “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:5-6)
A reference to baptism by fire is made in a comment by John the Baptist, who said that he baptized with water but that Jesus baptized with fire and with the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16) The closer we move to the Lord, the more we see His perfection, and the more we realize that the only righteousness we can claim is the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
With Isaiah, we find ourselves expanding our sense of reality. The triune God is real, heaven is real, and the cleansing power of salvation is real. God the Father is so holy that He cannot tolerate the sight of our sins. When He looks at us, He sees His perfect Son. Like the seraphim, we need to cry out, “Holy, holy, holy!”
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In the eyes of his contemporaries, Isaiah had lived a righteous life. It appears that he had followed the codes of behavior outlined for him as a man in Israel. Having followed the appropriate customs, practiced the established rituals, and walked in the path of his own righteousness, shouldn’t he have found himself worthy? But in the presence of the glory of God, he suddenly knew otherwise.
Realizing his own unworthiness before the Lord, Isaiah said, “Woe is me!” He cried out that he was a man of unclean lips living in a people of unclean lips and that his eyes had seen the King Jehovah. He was in agony under the bright light of God’s glory. When he saw God as completely powerful and completely holy, he saw himself as he truly was . . . a sinner. The habits of his speech represented the vileness of his heart. Even though he knew he had not been a bad man in human terms, he realized how flawed he was when he compared himself to his perfect God.
--Then said I, "Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."
--Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth and said, “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:5-6)
A reference to baptism by fire is made in a comment by John the Baptist, who said that he baptized with water but that Jesus baptized with fire and with the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16) The closer we move to the Lord, the more we see His perfection, and the more we realize that the only righteousness we can claim is the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
With Isaiah, we find ourselves expanding our sense of reality. The triune God is real, heaven is real, and the cleansing power of salvation is real. God the Father is so holy that He cannot tolerate the sight of our sins. When He looks at us, He sees His perfect Son. Like the seraphim, we need to cry out, “Holy, holy, holy!”
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Monday, June 14, 2010
June 14, Seraphim, Isaiah, and You!
What about you? How much does God love you? What special mission does He have for you?
A man who recognized he was a mere sinner stood in the presence of the Lord God Almighty in the temple. The glory of God filled the place. There were angels called seraphim there. He described them in detail. Read about it in Isaiah 6. The man Isaiah had no reason to lie. Read his story and believe it. Isaiah discovered how much God loved him and how much God would ask him to do.
Studying angels, we find them amazing! Although they are impressive, they never point to themselves. They point us to the Lord. When we catch a glimpse of God, we realize that we are inadequate in our natural state to approach Him. But we must! He has revealed Himself to us, and He will some day bring us into the presence of His glory. Ironically while we feel so deficient because of our vile, sinful nature, we have an urgency to ask Him to change us and use us. We cannot escape our potential for service.
He tells us that we are created in His image for His purpose. Only through the aacrifice of the Son can we find the peace of God’s presence.
To learn more about what happened to Isaiah, go to the June 13 devotional in Do You Know How God Loves You?
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A man who recognized he was a mere sinner stood in the presence of the Lord God Almighty in the temple. The glory of God filled the place. There were angels called seraphim there. He described them in detail. Read about it in Isaiah 6. The man Isaiah had no reason to lie. Read his story and believe it. Isaiah discovered how much God loved him and how much God would ask him to do.
Studying angels, we find them amazing! Although they are impressive, they never point to themselves. They point us to the Lord. When we catch a glimpse of God, we realize that we are inadequate in our natural state to approach Him. But we must! He has revealed Himself to us, and He will some day bring us into the presence of His glory. Ironically while we feel so deficient because of our vile, sinful nature, we have an urgency to ask Him to change us and use us. We cannot escape our potential for service.
He tells us that we are created in His image for His purpose. Only through the aacrifice of the Son can we find the peace of God’s presence.
To learn more about what happened to Isaiah, go to the June 13 devotional in Do You Know How God Loves You?
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Sunday, June 13, 2010
June 13, God’s Hero
“And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, ‘I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.’ ” (Luke 1:18-19)
Zacharias, a priest, was married to Elisabeth, a woman faithful to him and to God. They had no children. When Zacharias stepped inside the Holy of Holies to perform his priestly duties, an angel appeared before him and told him he would have a son, whose name would be John. This was the John who was to become known as the Baptist. The son was to be a special man with the task of making the final preparations for the Messiah.
Gabriel was that angel. He is not an archangel like Michael. His name Gabriel means “God’s hero” or “God is great,” and as God’s special messenger, he lived up to his name. He always delivered powerful news from God. In the Old Testament, he appeared to Daniel and explained about the end times. In the New Testament, not long after he appeared to Zacharias, he appeared to Mary.
If he appeared other times, he did not identify himself. Like Michael, Gabriel is in a category all by himself. We do not know that he plays the trumpet. Scripture does not substantiate the stories about Gabriel and his trumpet. As much as I would love to say that Gabriel is a trumpet player, I cannot find any evidence to support the idea. Neither can the theologians whose works I have read. All we know is that Gabriel is a unique angel with his own unique missions.
You are also unique! You are significant in God’s plan. Seek His guidance to know what it is He has designed you to do better than anyone else can do it. God loves you that much!The thought is a sweet nectar to the soul. The process of God’s creation and the way it continues to play out through the ages leads us to contemplate His glory. In His majesty,He has made us.
"Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture." (Psalm 100:3)
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Zacharias, a priest, was married to Elisabeth, a woman faithful to him and to God. They had no children. When Zacharias stepped inside the Holy of Holies to perform his priestly duties, an angel appeared before him and told him he would have a son, whose name would be John. This was the John who was to become known as the Baptist. The son was to be a special man with the task of making the final preparations for the Messiah.
Gabriel was that angel. He is not an archangel like Michael. His name Gabriel means “God’s hero” or “God is great,” and as God’s special messenger, he lived up to his name. He always delivered powerful news from God. In the Old Testament, he appeared to Daniel and explained about the end times. In the New Testament, not long after he appeared to Zacharias, he appeared to Mary.
If he appeared other times, he did not identify himself. Like Michael, Gabriel is in a category all by himself. We do not know that he plays the trumpet. Scripture does not substantiate the stories about Gabriel and his trumpet. As much as I would love to say that Gabriel is a trumpet player, I cannot find any evidence to support the idea. Neither can the theologians whose works I have read. All we know is that Gabriel is a unique angel with his own unique missions.
You are also unique! You are significant in God’s plan. Seek His guidance to know what it is He has designed you to do better than anyone else can do it. God loves you that much!The thought is a sweet nectar to the soul. The process of God’s creation and the way it continues to play out through the ages leads us to contemplate His glory. In His majesty,He has made us.
"Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture." (Psalm 100:3)
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Saturday, June 12, 2010
June 12, All must worship.
Whom do you worship and why?
At sundown in the pleasant June weather, I sat with a family member in the amphitheater at Carlsbad Caverns to see the bat flight. As the sun set over the New Mexico landscape, we sat with 200 other people to watch the splendid show of unique creatures flying out into the night to search for food. We spoke in hushed tones so we would not disturb the bats.
The bats are like us in a few respects. They are mammals that care for their young, they have five digits, and they are self-sufficient. They are, however, quite different from us. The bats we saw use echolocation to tell them where they are going. If the baby bats at Carlsbad fall to the bottom of the cave, the mothers do not bother to pick them up. In another part of the world, one type of bat adopts the baby bats that fall.
How amazing that God created so many types of creatures that can adjust to varied environments! Why are we human beings, who possess limited knowledge of the universe, incredulous that God could create invisible beings? God’s creation is marvelous with infinite variation. The more we see and know of the creation, the more we should want to glorify the Creator!
“For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)
To worship anything or anyone that God has created is an assault on our Lord who loves us. Worship the Creator! "Worship God." (Revelation 22:9)
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
At sundown in the pleasant June weather, I sat with a family member in the amphitheater at Carlsbad Caverns to see the bat flight. As the sun set over the New Mexico landscape, we sat with 200 other people to watch the splendid show of unique creatures flying out into the night to search for food. We spoke in hushed tones so we would not disturb the bats.
The bats are like us in a few respects. They are mammals that care for their young, they have five digits, and they are self-sufficient. They are, however, quite different from us. The bats we saw use echolocation to tell them where they are going. If the baby bats at Carlsbad fall to the bottom of the cave, the mothers do not bother to pick them up. In another part of the world, one type of bat adopts the baby bats that fall.
How amazing that God created so many types of creatures that can adjust to varied environments! Why are we human beings, who possess limited knowledge of the universe, incredulous that God could create invisible beings? God’s creation is marvelous with infinite variation. The more we see and know of the creation, the more we should want to glorify the Creator!
“For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)
To worship anything or anyone that God has created is an assault on our Lord who loves us. Worship the Creator! "Worship God." (Revelation 22:9)
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Friday, June 11, 2010
June 11, Don’t Worship Angels!
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.” (Colossians 2:18-19)
Don’t let anyone defraud you by acting as an umpire. In other words, don’t put up with people who expect you to bow and scrape to them and their false teachings. Don’t let people put you down. Don’t worship angels. Don’t pay attention to people who go around telling wild tales that they have made up. They get all puffed up in their vanity.
Christ is the head of the body, the church, and He is the One who puts us together in one piece. We can grow strong only with the nourishment that God provides. The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon explains:
In Paul’s day there were some who took off the attention of the Christian from the worship of God to the worship of angels. “Angels,” said they, “these are holy beings; they keep watch over you; you should speak of them with great respect”; and then when they grew bolder, they said, “You should ask their protection”; and then after a little while they said, “You should worship them; you should make them intermediate intercessors”; and so, step by step, they went on and established an old heresy which lasted for many years in the Christian church, and which is not dead even now, and thus the worship of angels crept in.
The stories I share with you about angels are intended simply to help make us aware of the spiritual warfare and protection that surrounds us. Through the ages, many Christians have allowed these verses and the heretical practices of other Christians to frighten them away from learning about angels. There is nothing wrong with exploring what the Bible has to say about the subject.
Our passion and our joy revolve around Jesus Christ, who was crucified to pay for our sins. (I Corinthians 2:2) We are not to contact angels unless they contact us. We are not to pray to them. While we can rejoice over the protection they give, we are never permitted to worship them. We are God’s children. They are His servants, nothing more. They are created beings who serve God’s purpose. When the Apostle John was receiving his vision in Revelation, he made a mistake and bowed to the brilliant and radiant angel, who quickly corrected him.And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, “See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10)
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Don’t let anyone defraud you by acting as an umpire. In other words, don’t put up with people who expect you to bow and scrape to them and their false teachings. Don’t let people put you down. Don’t worship angels. Don’t pay attention to people who go around telling wild tales that they have made up. They get all puffed up in their vanity.
Christ is the head of the body, the church, and He is the One who puts us together in one piece. We can grow strong only with the nourishment that God provides. The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon explains:
In Paul’s day there were some who took off the attention of the Christian from the worship of God to the worship of angels. “Angels,” said they, “these are holy beings; they keep watch over you; you should speak of them with great respect”; and then when they grew bolder, they said, “You should ask their protection”; and then after a little while they said, “You should worship them; you should make them intermediate intercessors”; and so, step by step, they went on and established an old heresy which lasted for many years in the Christian church, and which is not dead even now, and thus the worship of angels crept in.
The stories I share with you about angels are intended simply to help make us aware of the spiritual warfare and protection that surrounds us. Through the ages, many Christians have allowed these verses and the heretical practices of other Christians to frighten them away from learning about angels. There is nothing wrong with exploring what the Bible has to say about the subject.
Our passion and our joy revolve around Jesus Christ, who was crucified to pay for our sins. (I Corinthians 2:2) We are not to contact angels unless they contact us. We are not to pray to them. While we can rejoice over the protection they give, we are never permitted to worship them. We are God’s children. They are His servants, nothing more. They are created beings who serve God’s purpose. When the Apostle John was receiving his vision in Revelation, he made a mistake and bowed to the brilliant and radiant angel, who quickly corrected him.And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, “See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10)
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Thursday, June 10, 2010
June 10, Who's watching you?
The Good and Evil Watchers
Do you ever have the feeling that you are being watched? You are. The eyes of the universe are upon you. Jacob’s ladder is a vivid picture of the multitude of angels all around. Daniel had a dream in which he saw “watchers and holy ones.” (Daniel 4: 13-18)
“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:10-12)
The vilest of the evil ones, Satan, is preoccupied with our thoughts. He sifts through our behavior to find our weaknesses. The Apostle Peter warned us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5:8)
The angels of heaven rejoice when we repent. They are more ready than a 9-1-1 operator for God’s call to assist us.
There is a constant battle on our behalf between them and the evil demons of the air. The good ultimately will win. What a joy it is to know that we are guarded! What a sobering thought to think that we are observed in our meanest actions!How we suddenly find ourselves struggling to break our swearing habits! How dull the lewd entertainments become! We don’t want to offend the heavenly watchers and the holy ones. We don’t want to give the evil watchers a toehold on our beings.
As amazing as this realization may be, it pales by comparison to the recognition that the God of all the Universe is seeing us. We need to pray that God, the Spirit dwelling in us, will make our emotions, our actions, and our thoughts things of value to honor Him.
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Do you ever have the feeling that you are being watched? You are. The eyes of the universe are upon you. Jacob’s ladder is a vivid picture of the multitude of angels all around. Daniel had a dream in which he saw “watchers and holy ones.” (Daniel 4: 13-18)
“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:10-12)
The vilest of the evil ones, Satan, is preoccupied with our thoughts. He sifts through our behavior to find our weaknesses. The Apostle Peter warned us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5:8)
The angels of heaven rejoice when we repent. They are more ready than a 9-1-1 operator for God’s call to assist us.
There is a constant battle on our behalf between them and the evil demons of the air. The good ultimately will win. What a joy it is to know that we are guarded! What a sobering thought to think that we are observed in our meanest actions!How we suddenly find ourselves struggling to break our swearing habits! How dull the lewd entertainments become! We don’t want to offend the heavenly watchers and the holy ones. We don’t want to give the evil watchers a toehold on our beings.
As amazing as this realization may be, it pales by comparison to the recognition that the God of all the Universe is seeing us. We need to pray that God, the Spirit dwelling in us, will make our emotions, our actions, and our thoughts things of value to honor Him.
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010
June 9, Long Distance
Here's another incredible story about angelic activity. The point is that our Father God cares about all the details of the lives of His children.
“Bless the LORD, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.” (Psalm 102:20)
Paul Elliott shared some stories about angels. Here is one of them:
My grandfather, grandmother, and Great Aunt Hennie were going to a place in Alabama. They were due at 6:00 for supper. There was a terrible thunderstorm. There was a bridge where they had to cross the river, but the bridge was washed out. So they had to make a detour, and the result was that they arrived at 10:00 that night. “Oh, we’re glad to have you. We’ve got the supper warm, and we’ve been waiting for you.”
“Well, weren’t you concerned about us?”
“No, we got your phone call telling us that the bridge was washed out and you’d be in
around 10:00.”
“What phone call?” My grandmother said.
They said, “The one you made about 6:00.”
And my grandfather said, “We didn’t make a phone call.”
“Oh, yes you did. We heard your voice. You said the bridge had been washed out. We’ll
have to go up the river to another place to cross it. We’ll be in about 10:00.’ ” This was intensely puzzling because they had not been at any place where they could make a phone call.
They were thankful the people had waited supper, and it was nice and warm. The next day they were all very interested. It was so intriguing that they called the phone company to inquire about long distance phone calls coming in. The phone company told the people there had been no long distance phone calls received on that date. The conclusion was that an angel had intervened to reassure the family that everything was all right.
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“Bless the LORD, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.” (Psalm 102:20)
Paul Elliott shared some stories about angels. Here is one of them:
My grandfather, grandmother, and Great Aunt Hennie were going to a place in Alabama. They were due at 6:00 for supper. There was a terrible thunderstorm. There was a bridge where they had to cross the river, but the bridge was washed out. So they had to make a detour, and the result was that they arrived at 10:00 that night. “Oh, we’re glad to have you. We’ve got the supper warm, and we’ve been waiting for you.”
“Well, weren’t you concerned about us?”
“No, we got your phone call telling us that the bridge was washed out and you’d be in
around 10:00.”
“What phone call?” My grandmother said.
They said, “The one you made about 6:00.”
And my grandfather said, “We didn’t make a phone call.”
“Oh, yes you did. We heard your voice. You said the bridge had been washed out. We’ll
have to go up the river to another place to cross it. We’ll be in about 10:00.’ ” This was intensely puzzling because they had not been at any place where they could make a phone call.
They were thankful the people had waited supper, and it was nice and warm. The next day they were all very interested. It was so intriguing that they called the phone company to inquire about long distance phone calls coming in. The phone company told the people there had been no long distance phone calls received on that date. The conclusion was that an angel had intervened to reassure the family that everything was all right.
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Tuesday, June 8, 2010
June 8, Angels Unawares
Have you had experiences that you could not explain in human terms? Could there have been angels present?
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)
Paul Elliott told me about his grandfather, Rev. Dr. William Marion Elliott, Sr., who on at least two occasions in Colorado City, Texas, awakened in the middle of the night and said to his grandmother, “I have the feeling someone downtown needs me.” He went to the intersection to which he felt called and witnessed to the drunks he found in the gutters there.
Paul said:
My dad was westbound in Eastland, Texas, which is west of Fort Worth. There was only one traffic signal light in town. He pulled up and stopped. The signal light was red and he stopped. When his engine died, he jumped out to push it through the intersection. Since there was angle parking, he started to push. All at once it was easy to push. There was another man pushing and smiling at him. He hopped into the driver’s side to angle it into the parking place.
Then he hopped out to thank the man. There was not another soul on the street. The man had not had time to go into one of the buildings on the other side of the street. There were no other cars anywhere around. It was his opinion that the man was an angel. From the time he had hopped into his seat, parked, and gotten out to thank the man, there was no way the mysterious person could have entered any building across the street or walked in any direction to have disappeared.
(This is one of the stories in the June 8 devotional of DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?)
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“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)
Paul Elliott told me about his grandfather, Rev. Dr. William Marion Elliott, Sr., who on at least two occasions in Colorado City, Texas, awakened in the middle of the night and said to his grandmother, “I have the feeling someone downtown needs me.” He went to the intersection to which he felt called and witnessed to the drunks he found in the gutters there.
Paul said:
My dad was westbound in Eastland, Texas, which is west of Fort Worth. There was only one traffic signal light in town. He pulled up and stopped. The signal light was red and he stopped. When his engine died, he jumped out to push it through the intersection. Since there was angle parking, he started to push. All at once it was easy to push. There was another man pushing and smiling at him. He hopped into the driver’s side to angle it into the parking place.
Then he hopped out to thank the man. There was not another soul on the street. The man had not had time to go into one of the buildings on the other side of the street. There were no other cars anywhere around. It was his opinion that the man was an angel. From the time he had hopped into his seat, parked, and gotten out to thank the man, there was no way the mysterious person could have entered any building across the street or walked in any direction to have disappeared.
(This is one of the stories in the June 8 devotional of DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?)
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Monday, June 7, 2010
June 7, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.” (Luke 16:22)
Have you ever been present when someone died?
I am a nurse. Many times I have cared for people who were near death. I have witnessed death. Through the years I became comfortable being at the bedside of a dying person. We struggle to do all we can to make people live as long as possible. If there are do-not-resuscitate directives on the chart, we do all within our power to provide comfort and also to provide treatment for the person with the hopes of helping heal whatever illness the person has. When the person leaves his body behind, the body is suddenly empty. No one is there. It is a great irony though that I have felt as though the room of a dead person was inhabited with people I could not see!
What I know from personal experience is that an angel carries the spirit leaving the body. What I know from the Highest Authority is that an angel (or some angels) come to carry the person away. (Luke 16:22) I've heard a description of an angel from a dying man's lips. My friend Paul Elliott, a retired physician, had a similar experience. These stories are included on this day in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
The following story about the presence of an angel is one I've shared before:
My husband, Robert Cheatham, (Bobby) spent five years unable to move his body from his chest down. He suffered from a variant of a strange and rare neurological disease, called Guillain Barré Syndrome. With the passage of time, he became fatigued from years of pain in his legs and discouraged from failing to regain his ability to move. In 2001, he experienced a respiratory arrest, and on the morning of September 11, he received a filter to trap blood clots that were collecting in his lungs. From that time on, he wanted to go home to be with his father, who had died the previous year. As the days passed, he became detached. At night during his sleep, he talked about going home to heaven.
I’ll not forget the night Bobby died. He was lying in the hospital, and he was not to be resuscitated. It was about 4:00 a.m. Knowing that his time was short, I had tried to stay awake that night, but I did not succeed. Shortly after 4:00, I was awakened as I realized a wind was whirling in the room near the window, but the window was closed and locked that January night. I felt and heard the wind, which had brought me out of deep sleep. There was a rustling noise. I believe I heard the sound of wings!
For the first time in years, I realized that Bobby was not in pain. His handsome face was at peace. There was no labored breathing because...he was not breathing. I kissed his cheek, which was not yet cold, and I realized he was no longer there. I did not, however, feel alone in the room. There was a sense of serenity and comfort.
There is no way I could ever doubt that God sends His angels to watch over us.
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Have you ever been present when someone died?
I am a nurse. Many times I have cared for people who were near death. I have witnessed death. Through the years I became comfortable being at the bedside of a dying person. We struggle to do all we can to make people live as long as possible. If there are do-not-resuscitate directives on the chart, we do all within our power to provide comfort and also to provide treatment for the person with the hopes of helping heal whatever illness the person has. When the person leaves his body behind, the body is suddenly empty. No one is there. It is a great irony though that I have felt as though the room of a dead person was inhabited with people I could not see!
What I know from personal experience is that an angel carries the spirit leaving the body. What I know from the Highest Authority is that an angel (or some angels) come to carry the person away. (Luke 16:22) I've heard a description of an angel from a dying man's lips. My friend Paul Elliott, a retired physician, had a similar experience. These stories are included on this day in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
The following story about the presence of an angel is one I've shared before:
My husband, Robert Cheatham, (Bobby) spent five years unable to move his body from his chest down. He suffered from a variant of a strange and rare neurological disease, called Guillain Barré Syndrome. With the passage of time, he became fatigued from years of pain in his legs and discouraged from failing to regain his ability to move. In 2001, he experienced a respiratory arrest, and on the morning of September 11, he received a filter to trap blood clots that were collecting in his lungs. From that time on, he wanted to go home to be with his father, who had died the previous year. As the days passed, he became detached. At night during his sleep, he talked about going home to heaven.
I’ll not forget the night Bobby died. He was lying in the hospital, and he was not to be resuscitated. It was about 4:00 a.m. Knowing that his time was short, I had tried to stay awake that night, but I did not succeed. Shortly after 4:00, I was awakened as I realized a wind was whirling in the room near the window, but the window was closed and locked that January night. I felt and heard the wind, which had brought me out of deep sleep. There was a rustling noise. I believe I heard the sound of wings!
For the first time in years, I realized that Bobby was not in pain. His handsome face was at peace. There was no labored breathing because...he was not breathing. I kissed his cheek, which was not yet cold, and I realized he was no longer there. I did not, however, feel alone in the room. There was a sense of serenity and comfort.
There is no way I could ever doubt that God sends His angels to watch over us.
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Sunday, June 6, 2010
6, Balaam’s Donkey, III
“ ‘As I live,’ saith the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ ” (Romans 14:11)
The prophet Balaam was instructed by Jehovah to stay away from King Balak and to do nothing harmful to the Israelites, but Balaam disobeyed. With God’s reluctant permission, Balaam went to see King Balak. Here is the story quoted from Numbers 22:
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him; and the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, “What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?”
And Balaam said unto the ass, “Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.”
And the ass said unto Balaam, “Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee?”
And he said, “Nay.”
And the angel of the LORD said unto him, “Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me.”
------
The angel became visible to Balaam, who because of the evil and greed in his heart asked the angel to let him continue his journey. The angel allowed Balaam to continue and told him not to say anything to the king that would hurt the Israelites, but remember what Balaam did: he told the king how to conquer Israel not with swords but with beautiful idolatrous women.
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The prophet Balaam was instructed by Jehovah to stay away from King Balak and to do nothing harmful to the Israelites, but Balaam disobeyed. With God’s reluctant permission, Balaam went to see King Balak. Here is the story quoted from Numbers 22:
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him; and the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, “What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?”
And Balaam said unto the ass, “Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.”
And the ass said unto Balaam, “Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee?”
And he said, “Nay.”
And the angel of the LORD said unto him, “Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me.”
------
The angel became visible to Balaam, who because of the evil and greed in his heart asked the angel to let him continue his journey. The angel allowed Balaam to continue and told him not to say anything to the king that would hurt the Israelites, but remember what Balaam did: he told the king how to conquer Israel not with swords but with beautiful idolatrous women.
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Saturday, June 5, 2010
June 5, Balaam’s Donkey, II
“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture’ saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:1)
When pastors of the flock of God’s chosen destroy and scatter the sheep, they can be guaranteed to face the wrath of God. Balaam, who was a prophet of the Lord, was commanded to help God’s chosen, but he shirked his job.
In my youth, people found the story of Balaam’s donkey amazing. As a child, I listened wide-eyed when my mother read it to me. Many preachers have avoided the subject of the talking donkey because it is written on one more page of the Holy Bible that we must believe...one more miracle that we must accept at face value. I have heard ministers say they were glad they did not have to believe the word of God in order to do their jobs. I wonder whether they are doing their work the way Balaam did.
As people have become more aware of the supernatural, they are not really surprised by this story. The sad fact is that people are believing pagan lore instead of the supernatural power of God.
Jesus rebuked the church of Pergamus in the book of Revelation. In Pergamus there was a huge altar to the idol of Zeus, the Greek god of thunder. Some people in the church were mixing their worship of Jesus Christ with the worship of Zeus. (Their pagan worship involved fornicating before the idols. To us in what we consider a more sophisticated era, this practice seems incredible; yet it is not unlike the use of pornography in our culture today.)
This idolatry was similar to that going on in Canaan when the Israelites took the Promised Land. Balaam, used by Satan, was influential in leading the people to worship the crude idols of the Moabites and to forsake God.
It is amazing to think that people could ever be so foolish as to worship idols, and it is astonishing that people were worshiping idols not long ago in history. Actually, idol worship has never stopped, and it is thriving in our churches today as pastors lead congregations into the idolatry of the mystical religions . “Innocent”practices not openly associated with idolatry have deep roots in worshiping statues that cannot think or speak.
I have digressed! Back to the story. King Balak said that he had noticed that if Balaam blessed something it was blessed and if he cursed something it was cursed. The kings said, “Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land”. (Numbers 22:6)
King Balak sent representatives with “the rewards of divination” in their hands to entice Balaam into arranging with God to curse the children of Israel. The greedy prophet bargained with God and found himself in serious trouble. Tomorrow we’ll finish the story.
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When pastors of the flock of God’s chosen destroy and scatter the sheep, they can be guaranteed to face the wrath of God. Balaam, who was a prophet of the Lord, was commanded to help God’s chosen, but he shirked his job.
In my youth, people found the story of Balaam’s donkey amazing. As a child, I listened wide-eyed when my mother read it to me. Many preachers have avoided the subject of the talking donkey because it is written on one more page of the Holy Bible that we must believe...one more miracle that we must accept at face value. I have heard ministers say they were glad they did not have to believe the word of God in order to do their jobs. I wonder whether they are doing their work the way Balaam did.
As people have become more aware of the supernatural, they are not really surprised by this story. The sad fact is that people are believing pagan lore instead of the supernatural power of God.
Jesus rebuked the church of Pergamus in the book of Revelation. In Pergamus there was a huge altar to the idol of Zeus, the Greek god of thunder. Some people in the church were mixing their worship of Jesus Christ with the worship of Zeus. (Their pagan worship involved fornicating before the idols. To us in what we consider a more sophisticated era, this practice seems incredible; yet it is not unlike the use of pornography in our culture today.)
This idolatry was similar to that going on in Canaan when the Israelites took the Promised Land. Balaam, used by Satan, was influential in leading the people to worship the crude idols of the Moabites and to forsake God.
It is amazing to think that people could ever be so foolish as to worship idols, and it is astonishing that people were worshiping idols not long ago in history. Actually, idol worship has never stopped, and it is thriving in our churches today as pastors lead congregations into the idolatry of the mystical religions . “Innocent”practices not openly associated with idolatry have deep roots in worshiping statues that cannot think or speak.
I have digressed! Back to the story. King Balak said that he had noticed that if Balaam blessed something it was blessed and if he cursed something it was cursed. The kings said, “Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land”. (Numbers 22:6)
King Balak sent representatives with “the rewards of divination” in their hands to entice Balaam into arranging with God to curse the children of Israel. The greedy prophet bargained with God and found himself in serious trouble. Tomorrow we’ll finish the story.
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Friday, June 4, 2010
June 4, Balaam’s Donkey, Part I
“But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” (Revelation 2:14)
In this verse in Revelation, Jesus rebukes the church at Pergamus for following after the doctrine of Balaam.
What is the doctrine of Balaam? It means placing a stumbling block before the people of the church by engaging in practices that keep them from coming to God. These practices centered on including idol worship in their church, thus denying the sovereignty of Christ. Rather than following the pure word as it had been presented, they allowed evil to enter their church.
The history of Balaam is found in Numbers 22. The children of Israel were close to entering the Promised Land, and they were approaching the area of Moab, which was under the control of King Balak (sometimes spelled Balac.) The hoards of Israelites frightened Balak.
---And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, “Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field.”
---And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.” (Numbers 22:3-5)
Balaam was a prophet who communicated with God. Although God clearly told Balaam what he was to do and say, Balaam allowed his greed to turn him away from God while pretending to be a faithful follower of God. He was a man who enjoyed a privileged religious position without giving his heart to the Lord. The leaders of the church at Pergamus, mentioned in Revelation, were like Balaam, and so are many pastors in permissive churches today!
Balak bought Balaam off by giving him mounds of money, by showering him with prestige, and by treating him like royalty. Instead of blessing Israel as God commanded, he went to visit King Balak and show him how to corrupt the hearts of the Israelites. The prophet told the king to send beautiful girls to intermarry with the men of Israel so they would worship false gods.
That’s a summary of what the wicked prophet did. First he bargained with Balak’s men to pay him a good price. Then he bargained with God Himself, who warned him not to do the evil thing that he did anyway. We leave Balaam mounted on his donkey on the way to see King Balak. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the disaster that occurred on the trip. This event is one of the most amazing in the entire Bible.
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In this verse in Revelation, Jesus rebukes the church at Pergamus for following after the doctrine of Balaam.
What is the doctrine of Balaam? It means placing a stumbling block before the people of the church by engaging in practices that keep them from coming to God. These practices centered on including idol worship in their church, thus denying the sovereignty of Christ. Rather than following the pure word as it had been presented, they allowed evil to enter their church.
The history of Balaam is found in Numbers 22. The children of Israel were close to entering the Promised Land, and they were approaching the area of Moab, which was under the control of King Balak (sometimes spelled Balac.) The hoards of Israelites frightened Balak.
---And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, “Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field.”
---And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.” (Numbers 22:3-5)
Balaam was a prophet who communicated with God. Although God clearly told Balaam what he was to do and say, Balaam allowed his greed to turn him away from God while pretending to be a faithful follower of God. He was a man who enjoyed a privileged religious position without giving his heart to the Lord. The leaders of the church at Pergamus, mentioned in Revelation, were like Balaam, and so are many pastors in permissive churches today!
Balak bought Balaam off by giving him mounds of money, by showering him with prestige, and by treating him like royalty. Instead of blessing Israel as God commanded, he went to visit King Balak and show him how to corrupt the hearts of the Israelites. The prophet told the king to send beautiful girls to intermarry with the men of Israel so they would worship false gods.
That’s a summary of what the wicked prophet did. First he bargained with Balak’s men to pay him a good price. Then he bargained with God Himself, who warned him not to do the evil thing that he did anyway. We leave Balaam mounted on his donkey on the way to see King Balak. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the disaster that occurred on the trip. This event is one of the most amazing in the entire Bible.
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Thursday, June 3, 2010
June 3, Chariots of Fire
"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (II Kings 6:16)
What happened at Dotham to the young man, who was a servant of Elisha, reveals the power and love of God in a dynamic way. This incident serves as a potent reminder of the might of the God we serve.
In 893 B.C. Samaria, the northern nation of the kingdom that had been Israel, was at war with Syria. Since things were not going well for Syria, the Syrian King Ben-hadad thought that there was an Israelite spy in his camp. The truth he discovered was that Elisha, who was obviously blessed by God with information, was directing the war from Israel’s side. Elisha was a prophet, who was given the power of the Holy Spirit in order to woo back Israel from the evil they had fallen into. Through the supernatural events allowed in his ministry, Elisha was giving the king of Israel a last chance before the captivity. God sent Elisha to do the work, and He supplied the mighty prophet with a host of angels. When the king of Syria realized that Elisha had special knowledge that made Samaritan spies in his camp unnecessary, he sent Syrian spies to look for the man of God. "See where he is,that I may send and seize him," Ben-hadad said.
The spies did their job. They found Elisha in Dotham. So Ben-hadad sent horses, chariots,and a very big army. They arrived at Dotham under the cover of the night, and they encompassed the city.
The next morning Elisha’s servant awakened early and went outside. He saw a huge army with horses and chariots surrounding Dotham. "Alas, my master! How shall we do?" the servant said. Just imagine the servant standing there ringing his hands in despair.
Notice what Elisha said. This is a powerful verse! Memorize it. Elisha answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (II Kings 6:16)
In our time believers are a minority. We need to think like Elisha. One man with God is a majority against any number of evildoers!
Elisha prayed for his servant: "'LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.' And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."(II Kings 6:17)
I pray that God will open our eyes the way He opened those of Elisha’s servant so we can see the supernatural protection that we, as His chosen children, have. Whatever struggles He allows to touch us are trials to make us stronger. When He is ready for us, He will send,the angels to take us to the eternally safe place by His throne.
What happened at Dotham to the young man, who was a servant of Elisha, reveals the power and love of God in a dynamic way. This incident serves as a potent reminder of the might of the God we serve.
In 893 B.C. Samaria, the northern nation of the kingdom that had been Israel, was at war with Syria. Since things were not going well for Syria, the Syrian King Ben-hadad thought that there was an Israelite spy in his camp. The truth he discovered was that Elisha, who was obviously blessed by God with information, was directing the war from Israel’s side. Elisha was a prophet, who was given the power of the Holy Spirit in order to woo back Israel from the evil they had fallen into. Through the supernatural events allowed in his ministry, Elisha was giving the king of Israel a last chance before the captivity. God sent Elisha to do the work, and He supplied the mighty prophet with a host of angels. When the king of Syria realized that Elisha had special knowledge that made Samaritan spies in his camp unnecessary, he sent Syrian spies to look for the man of God. "See where he is,that I may send and seize him," Ben-hadad said.
The spies did their job. They found Elisha in Dotham. So Ben-hadad sent horses, chariots,and a very big army. They arrived at Dotham under the cover of the night, and they encompassed the city.
The next morning Elisha’s servant awakened early and went outside. He saw a huge army with horses and chariots surrounding Dotham. "Alas, my master! How shall we do?" the servant said. Just imagine the servant standing there ringing his hands in despair.
Notice what Elisha said. This is a powerful verse! Memorize it. Elisha answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (II Kings 6:16)
In our time believers are a minority. We need to think like Elisha. One man with God is a majority against any number of evildoers!
Elisha prayed for his servant: "'LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.' And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."(II Kings 6:17)
I pray that God will open our eyes the way He opened those of Elisha’s servant so we can see the supernatural protection that we, as His chosen children, have. Whatever struggles He allows to touch us are trials to make us stronger. When He is ready for us, He will send,the angels to take us to the eternally safe place by His throne.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
June 2, The Existence of Angels
“And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, ‘See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets,and of them which keep the sayings of this book:worship God.’” (Revelation 22:8-9)
Since angels are impressive creatures that we rarely see, they evoke strong feelings in human beings. We know their appearance can cause fear, because throughout the Bible angels tell people, “Fear not.” Because they are beautiful and powerful, people make the mistake of worshiping them. John records such a mistake in Revelation. The angel responded by explaining that he was a fellow servant and reminded him to worship God only instead of himself.
In the era of New Age thinking, people are looking for something awesome to worship other than the true God. One aspect of New Age philosophy is the religion of pantheism – the idea that god is in everything. Our role is to worship the Creator, not the created. Angels are created beings, just as we are. Because of man’s frailty, it is good that we do not see angels more often than we do.
Angels are:
--Created beings
--Spirit beings
--Personal beings
--Innumerable beings
--Glorious beings
--Servant beings
Angels are not:
--God
--Children of God
We human beings are children instead of servants. In heaven we will judge the fallen angels and direct the angels in their work. They are beings of light, and they remind us of divine reality. For everything visible, there is something invisible corresponding to it. We have angels watching over us at all times.
Angels are functional beings with jobs to do. They worship God in spirit and in truth. There are angels who praise God all the time. (Revelation 4) When we worship, we join the angels. They execute God’s will as they minister to the saints (meaning the believers in Christ). Having power over nature, they protect us.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
Thoughts Based on a Sermon by Dr. Wilton Wall
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Since angels are impressive creatures that we rarely see, they evoke strong feelings in human beings. We know their appearance can cause fear, because throughout the Bible angels tell people, “Fear not.” Because they are beautiful and powerful, people make the mistake of worshiping them. John records such a mistake in Revelation. The angel responded by explaining that he was a fellow servant and reminded him to worship God only instead of himself.
In the era of New Age thinking, people are looking for something awesome to worship other than the true God. One aspect of New Age philosophy is the religion of pantheism – the idea that god is in everything. Our role is to worship the Creator, not the created. Angels are created beings, just as we are. Because of man’s frailty, it is good that we do not see angels more often than we do.
Angels are:
--Created beings
--Spirit beings
--Personal beings
--Innumerable beings
--Glorious beings
--Servant beings
Angels are not:
--God
--Children of God
We human beings are children instead of servants. In heaven we will judge the fallen angels and direct the angels in their work. They are beings of light, and they remind us of divine reality. For everything visible, there is something invisible corresponding to it. We have angels watching over us at all times.
Angels are functional beings with jobs to do. They worship God in spirit and in truth. There are angels who praise God all the time. (Revelation 4) When we worship, we join the angels. They execute God’s will as they minister to the saints (meaning the believers in Christ). Having power over nature, they protect us.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
Thoughts Based on a Sermon by Dr. Wilton Wall
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
June 1, Angels in the Bus Station
“For it is written, ‘He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’ ” (Luke 4:10-11)
Although I’ve flown several times alone,I was an unseasoned traveler until I was a very mature woman. When I was 59 years old, I had never flown in a commercial plane, and it became necessary for me to travel across the country alone. No matter how I planned my trip, I realized that I would have to change planes or buses in Atlanta, Georgia. Having experience riding buses, I decided to take a bus and change in Atlanta at 1:30 a.m. Surely the bus station would not be crowded that time of the night.
Wrong!
The station was as chaotic as a can of earthworms going fishing at a farm pond. Everybody was wiggling to get ahead in line. Little boys, who should have been at home in bed, were offering to carry luggage. Unsavory characters were moving too close. I finally found my line to catch the bus to Louisiana. I stood there with my suitcase, which must have weighed (with the tools I was carrying after selling my car) at least sixty pounds – I didn’t appreciate suitcase wheels and light packing until that night. I dared not set my suitcase down, even on the floor beside me. An official cut the line in front of me. “The rest of you will have to wait another hour. Your bus was too full.”
A loud young white man, smelling like sour beer, staggered toward me. Cursing, laughing,and moving too close, he said, “I’m catching the bus back to Louisiana.” He intimidated me.
I was praying, “Lord, I’m scared and tired. Please help me. In Jesus’ name.” Seeing the line lengthen behind me as other people were clamoring to catch the bus toward
Louisiana and Dallas, I dared not go sit in the waiting area.
Suddenly a tiny black woman stood in front of me and rebuked the evil in him. A tall
well-built young black man appeared on my left side, and a giant-sized young black man appeared at my right. As they flanked me, they were conversing about playing football with details that comforted me. The man on my right had played at my alma mater in Mississippi and at a community college near my hometown. The one on my left had played football at a Louisiana university not far from where I live. This coincidental information passing over me in their conversation made me relax. One of them told the boisterous,drunken aggressor, “Stand straight, be quiet, and hold this lady’s suitcase for her.”
“Yes sir,” was the answer.
I believe that God told the angel in charge of me to find those three courageous and
concerned people to keep me safe that night.
Have you ever gone through struggles that seemed physically or emotionally impossible
and then wondered how you did it? Wonder no more. Your success was not the result of
your unaided efforts. You are not alone. You had help from the One Who loves you. Your Father in heaven is watching over every move you make and sending His host of helpers one at a time to take care of whatever you need.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Although I’ve flown several times alone,I was an unseasoned traveler until I was a very mature woman. When I was 59 years old, I had never flown in a commercial plane, and it became necessary for me to travel across the country alone. No matter how I planned my trip, I realized that I would have to change planes or buses in Atlanta, Georgia. Having experience riding buses, I decided to take a bus and change in Atlanta at 1:30 a.m. Surely the bus station would not be crowded that time of the night.
Wrong!
The station was as chaotic as a can of earthworms going fishing at a farm pond. Everybody was wiggling to get ahead in line. Little boys, who should have been at home in bed, were offering to carry luggage. Unsavory characters were moving too close. I finally found my line to catch the bus to Louisiana. I stood there with my suitcase, which must have weighed (with the tools I was carrying after selling my car) at least sixty pounds – I didn’t appreciate suitcase wheels and light packing until that night. I dared not set my suitcase down, even on the floor beside me. An official cut the line in front of me. “The rest of you will have to wait another hour. Your bus was too full.”
A loud young white man, smelling like sour beer, staggered toward me. Cursing, laughing,and moving too close, he said, “I’m catching the bus back to Louisiana.” He intimidated me.
I was praying, “Lord, I’m scared and tired. Please help me. In Jesus’ name.” Seeing the line lengthen behind me as other people were clamoring to catch the bus toward
Louisiana and Dallas, I dared not go sit in the waiting area.
Suddenly a tiny black woman stood in front of me and rebuked the evil in him. A tall
well-built young black man appeared on my left side, and a giant-sized young black man appeared at my right. As they flanked me, they were conversing about playing football with details that comforted me. The man on my right had played at my alma mater in Mississippi and at a community college near my hometown. The one on my left had played football at a Louisiana university not far from where I live. This coincidental information passing over me in their conversation made me relax. One of them told the boisterous,drunken aggressor, “Stand straight, be quiet, and hold this lady’s suitcase for her.”
“Yes sir,” was the answer.
I believe that God told the angel in charge of me to find those three courageous and
concerned people to keep me safe that night.
Have you ever gone through struggles that seemed physically or emotionally impossible
and then wondered how you did it? Wonder no more. Your success was not the result of
your unaided efforts. You are not alone. You had help from the One Who loves you. Your Father in heaven is watching over every move you make and sending His host of helpers one at a time to take care of whatever you need.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Angels Watching Over Us
“For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:11-12)
Do you know that God created you in His image? Once you are adopted into His family,you will always be His child. He is working out every situation for His glory and your blessing. Nothing can keep you from His love. Are you aware that the devil tries to destroy you any way he can? The God of grace has sent His powerful angels to
watch every step you take.
Angels are created beings, who have specific jobs. Although they cannot preach the message of God’s salvation, they can assist the believers. Although they are incredibly beautiful, they never want attention called to them. When we carefully study angels,we are forced to look away from them as we see God more clearly than ever before; also, we get a painfully focused look at ourselves in the brilliant light.
Angels are servants who glorify God and do His bidding. With God’s permission and direction, they watch over human beings and deliver messages. Instead of being soft, fat,and doll-like, they are fierce warriors. They are already engaged in an intense war with Satan, who is assisted by fallen angels.Much of what we see, read, and think about angels is erroneous. In countless ways, we trivialize them.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Do you know that God created you in His image? Once you are adopted into His family,you will always be His child. He is working out every situation for His glory and your blessing. Nothing can keep you from His love. Are you aware that the devil tries to destroy you any way he can? The God of grace has sent His powerful angels to
watch every step you take.
Angels are created beings, who have specific jobs. Although they cannot preach the message of God’s salvation, they can assist the believers. Although they are incredibly beautiful, they never want attention called to them. When we carefully study angels,we are forced to look away from them as we see God more clearly than ever before; also, we get a painfully focused look at ourselves in the brilliant light.
Angels are servants who glorify God and do His bidding. With God’s permission and direction, they watch over human beings and deliver messages. Instead of being soft, fat,and doll-like, they are fierce warriors. They are already engaged in an intense war with Satan, who is assisted by fallen angels.Much of what we see, read, and think about angels is erroneous. In countless ways, we trivialize them.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Since you are already a leader of somebody, do you need to be a great leader?
Every effective human being is a leader at one point or another in life. I have heard that Nehemiah was one of the greatest leaders ever. I became interested in how he began. What did he do first?
A Prayer of Nehemiah, The Birth of Leadership is a look at his starting point. I'm sharing this with you as a Kindle book on Amazon.com.
Since you are already a leader of somebody, do you need to be a great leader?
Assuming a role of leadership can be challenging. We face all kinds of problems when we step out to lead. The struggles a leader faces are human problems that have not changed over the centuries of history.
Nehemiah, a cupbearer for a Persian king more than 400 years before Christ was born, led a company of his people from Babylon to Jerusalem, where he restored the walls and civil authority. Where his country once existed, he found ruins. His challenge was for him a great one.
This man Nehemiah has been studied and admired through the centuries as an example of a great leader. In his writing he admitted his human frailties and told how he coped.
A Prayer of Nehemiah is an informal conversation about the first prayer Nehemiah wrote in his book. His starting point is surprising but effective.
If you are ready to develop your leadership skills, read this little book. It is not necessary to buy a Kindle to read Kindle books. Simply download the software onto your computer.
A Prayer of Nehemiah, The Birth of Leadership is a look at his starting point. I'm sharing this with you as a Kindle book on Amazon.com.
Since you are already a leader of somebody, do you need to be a great leader?
Assuming a role of leadership can be challenging. We face all kinds of problems when we step out to lead. The struggles a leader faces are human problems that have not changed over the centuries of history.
Nehemiah, a cupbearer for a Persian king more than 400 years before Christ was born, led a company of his people from Babylon to Jerusalem, where he restored the walls and civil authority. Where his country once existed, he found ruins. His challenge was for him a great one.
This man Nehemiah has been studied and admired through the centuries as an example of a great leader. In his writing he admitted his human frailties and told how he coped.
A Prayer of Nehemiah is an informal conversation about the first prayer Nehemiah wrote in his book. His starting point is surprising but effective.
If you are ready to develop your leadership skills, read this little book. It is not necessary to buy a Kindle to read Kindle books. Simply download the software onto your computer.
...the uttermost part of the earth...(Acts 1:8)
Do You Know How God Loves You?: Successful Daily Living
" is a book of 366 daily devotional readings.
I wrote this book as a Christmas gift for my daughter, who asked me to select her a daily devotional book. What began as a private project has become one way to carry out the Great Commission. I thank God that any people are following it. The reactions have been both encouraging and humbling.
When people tell me they are reading the book I'm moved to tears. People are reading it in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. What a blessing it is to be able to follow Christ's command to go throughout the world and tell people about him!
My dear friend Karlosheldon Cifuentes of Temuco, Chile, reads it each day. He said:
Do you know How God loves you? has been such a great book for me to understand How much God loves me. Every night, when I lay on my bed to read a new devotional, God teaches me something new and shows me also amazing things about him. The most important thing is that everything I have read from this book contains a biblical foundation. That makes it complete interesting. In fact, Do you know how God loves You? has shown me amazingly how to grow in God. It helps every Christian to get closer to God. The book contains material that helps everyone to know more about our almighty God. I really enjoy reading this book, because I can feel God teaching me new stuffs about him.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
" is a book of 366 daily devotional readings. I wrote this book as a Christmas gift for my daughter, who asked me to select her a daily devotional book. What began as a private project has become one way to carry out the Great Commission. I thank God that any people are following it. The reactions have been both encouraging and humbling.
When people tell me they are reading the book I'm moved to tears. People are reading it in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. What a blessing it is to be able to follow Christ's command to go throughout the world and tell people about him!
My dear friend Karlosheldon Cifuentes of Temuco, Chile, reads it each day. He said:
Do you know How God loves you? has been such a great book for me to understand How much God loves me. Every night, when I lay on my bed to read a new devotional, God teaches me something new and shows me also amazing things about him. The most important thing is that everything I have read from this book contains a biblical foundation. That makes it complete interesting. In fact, Do you know how God loves You? has shown me amazingly how to grow in God. It helps every Christian to get closer to God. The book contains material that helps everyone to know more about our almighty God. I really enjoy reading this book, because I can feel God teaching me new stuffs about him.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
An Everyday Miracle
Exhausted from facing the daily obstacles in my life, unique but not nearly so difficult as others I have faced or that other people face, I went to bed in a tearful frame of mind last night. The barren land of chronic pain, boring chores, and thwarted dreams lay before me.
As I have done many times, I picked up my Bible with an attitude my heavenly Father may not appreciate. Nevertheless, He loves me, one of his weak children. Let me explain. I prayed last night, as I do when I'm struggling, "Lord, this Bible is Your word. I'm going to open it at random and let You show me what I need." This careless approach may be something my Lord finds offensive; yet He speaks to me through all my human flaws.
Last night was no exception. The Lord spoke to me through His word. To my surprise I opened the Bible to the first chapter of Nehemiah, a book not easy to find in the Old Testament. Nehemiah, who as an exile had become the king's cup bearer in a distant country, received a message that the survivors who had returned from exile to Jerusalem were in trouble. They suffered disgrace and danger because the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates had been burned.
When Nehemiah heard how his people suffered, he sat down and wept. After allowing himself to stop and acknowledge the sadness within him, he moved on to the solution that never fails. He prayed. First he expressed his feelings of love and honor for Jehovah, the true God.
Nehemiah prayed, "I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments:" (Nehemiah 1:5)
Then he asked God to open His ears and eyes to the suffering of Nehemiah and the Jewish people. He confessed his sins and accepted responsibility for the sins of all his broken nation. He recalled God's promises and expressed delight in the Lord.
Finally he made his specific request. He prayed for the Lord, his God with great power and strong hands to attend to his specific needs. Nehemiah asked for prosperity and mercy. (To read the entire prayer, refer to Nehemiah, chapter 1)
Never would I reduce the one true God of the universe to a grandfather dispensing wealth simply because we remember to pray to Him. Instead I am stating simply that my Father reminded me He will supply my needs and help me succeed in life's challenges. This He will do for His glory and my security. The broken fences and torn down gates of my life He will help me restore. He provides the miracle of another day to serve Him until He calls me to His house to enjoy His presence forever.
Today I see the joys of opportunity, the challenges of life. I ask, "How, Lord, have You planned to lead me in your service today?"
As I have done many times, I picked up my Bible with an attitude my heavenly Father may not appreciate. Nevertheless, He loves me, one of his weak children. Let me explain. I prayed last night, as I do when I'm struggling, "Lord, this Bible is Your word. I'm going to open it at random and let You show me what I need." This careless approach may be something my Lord finds offensive; yet He speaks to me through all my human flaws.
Last night was no exception. The Lord spoke to me through His word. To my surprise I opened the Bible to the first chapter of Nehemiah, a book not easy to find in the Old Testament. Nehemiah, who as an exile had become the king's cup bearer in a distant country, received a message that the survivors who had returned from exile to Jerusalem were in trouble. They suffered disgrace and danger because the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates had been burned.
When Nehemiah heard how his people suffered, he sat down and wept. After allowing himself to stop and acknowledge the sadness within him, he moved on to the solution that never fails. He prayed. First he expressed his feelings of love and honor for Jehovah, the true God.
Nehemiah prayed, "I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments:" (Nehemiah 1:5)
Then he asked God to open His ears and eyes to the suffering of Nehemiah and the Jewish people. He confessed his sins and accepted responsibility for the sins of all his broken nation. He recalled God's promises and expressed delight in the Lord.
Finally he made his specific request. He prayed for the Lord, his God with great power and strong hands to attend to his specific needs. Nehemiah asked for prosperity and mercy. (To read the entire prayer, refer to Nehemiah, chapter 1)
Never would I reduce the one true God of the universe to a grandfather dispensing wealth simply because we remember to pray to Him. Instead I am stating simply that my Father reminded me He will supply my needs and help me succeed in life's challenges. This He will do for His glory and my security. The broken fences and torn down gates of my life He will help me restore. He provides the miracle of another day to serve Him until He calls me to His house to enjoy His presence forever.
Today I see the joys of opportunity, the challenges of life. I ask, "How, Lord, have You planned to lead me in your service today?"
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