# 10 2019. Dev. I Th.2:3-4. “Approved by God!”  Read all of Ch. 2.The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “For the appeal we make (The Gospel) does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. ⁴ On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.”

 Paul had been in Thessalonica for only a short time (see Act 17 :1-9). He wrote to encourage them and to continue explaining the message of the Gospel of Christ. There was opposition from the Jews living there and they stirred up the people against Paul and the new converts. Paul also teaches us today about ministry and about outreach. The first and perhaps the most important aspect of ministry is that as heralds of the Gospel Paul and his fellow workers were approved by God. It is God who calls, equips and empowers ambassadors of the Gospel with the Holy Spirit. Today, those who follow Jesus are called, equipped and empowered.  

 Second, they connected with the people they reached out to: “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Promotion of the the gospel is most affective in the context of relationships.

 Third, hard work: “we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone”. Church planting and evangelism takes a maximum effort of those involved.

 Fourth, we must be good examples: “You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.”

 Fifth, we must be filed with compassion for those turning to Christ: “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, ¹² encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls  you into his kingdom and glory.”

 Sixth, thank God daily for the people He brings to you: “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”

 Seventh, depend on the Holy Spirit, be still for a time daily and listen to his voice; He is at work in you who follow Jesus and in the people God wants you to direct to Jesus.

 Called by God, love for the lost, hard work, be a good example, be compassionate, be thankful and be dependent on the Holy Spirit. Admittedly, evangelism is a difficult task but the blessings and the satisfaction if only one convert is worth every effort we put forth. believe me, I speak from experience and I thank God daily, praise be to God!  

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 # 9 2019. Dev. Psalm 57:12-13. God Sends Forth! Read all of Ps. 57 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Ps. 57:3 “He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me—God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.”

This Psalm is much like the Psalm 56: divided into two sections, each ending in a refrain. David asks for God’s mercy, confirms God as his refuge; “I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings”. He confirms Gods salvation; “He (God) sends from heaven and saves me”. David uses the metaphor of living among lions to describe his situation. Even so he ends this half of the prayer by glorifying God: “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

 The second half of the prayer is reversed; he begins with all what his enemies are trying to do in order to catch and kill him. Again he confirms God’s love and faithfulness; “My heart, O God is steadfast”. Again he is determined to praise God, to sing songs of praise as witness to God’s love for him: “for great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

 The situation that David is praying about is found in I Sa. 24:1-3. Saul is pursuing David in order to kill him, not that he is an enemy, no, he was a beloved friend, but because God had anointed David to be the next king. David is innocent and given the opportunity, he refused to kill Saul.

 David’s situation was a spiritual and a political attack on him. Today we live in an oppressive environment; people are rejected for who they are, rejected for lofty positions and for lowly positions, rejected for being Christian, or for being conservative, or, for being republican. We identify with David and take his prayer to heart. God is our refuge, Jesus’ love and faithfulness for those who follow Him “reaches to the skies”.  

 “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

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# 8 2019. Dev. I Th.1:2-3. Faith, Love, Hope!  Read all of Ch. 1. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Thessalonians 1:2-3 “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. ³ We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 Paul wrote to the Thessalonica church around 51 AD while on his second missionary Journey. He fled from there after a short visit because of persecution, see Acts 17:1-9. Paul wrote the early believers to give them encouragement under persecution and to give then further instructions some of it eschatological, doctrine of last things, Christ’s return.

 Paul begins with greetings in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “Grace and peace to you.” After his greeting he moves to a prayer of thanksgiving. Paul goes on: “We know that God has chosen you” by the power of the Holy Spirit and with “deep conviction for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” At this time this church was “a model to all the believers” in the surrounding area. “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.”

 O, if only that was true about churches today, what a blessing we would be in the world. Isn’t this why the Church exists; to be the body of Christ and the message of Jesus in the world today? The Thessalonica church is praised because they practiced the three values of following Jesus; faith, love and hope.

Look at Paul’s prayer: “your work produced faith”. We all must have that “deep conviction” that God sent Jesus (Jn. 3:16-18) to you personally; to save you, to save us, to save the world. Amen?

Paul goes on: “Your labor prompted by love”. We must have a deep love for one another, tolerant of leaders and members in the church, knowing the Holy Spirit is working and that Jesus is the head of the the church. Jesus’ prayer: “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

“Then the world will know that you (God) sent me (Jesus).” The goal is for the church to be the body of Christ; the physical presence of Jesus in the world. That means that every believer must love the unbeliever more than themselves! That is a command and is the mind of Christ, Philippians 2:3-4.

 Paul goes on: “and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”We live in the world and we are chosen to promote Jesus and his message in the world but we are not of this world. Our hope in Jesus is that we will not experience the second death (Hell, separation from God), be bodily resurrected when Christ returns and that we will live with Jesus and each other in the New Heaven and the New Earth forever more. Practice faith, love and hope!

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Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

 

 # 7 2019. Dev. Psalm 56:12-13. The Light of Life! Read all of Ps. 56 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Ps 56:12-13 “I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. ¹³ For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

 The title of this Psalm indicates that David was seized at Gath, but it appears he escaped, you can read about the events in I Sam. 21. The issue here is that Saul was out to kill David in an attempt to save his kingdom that was slipping away from him. The people at Gath betrayed David to Saul. Even so David escaped from their grasp and from Saul’s grasp.

 David appeals to God; “be merciful to me, my God. My adversaries pursue me all day long.” The Psalm is divided into two halves with a refrain; “In God I trust; I will not be afraid”, central in both halves. David describes a very real physical danger but when he speaks about God’s care he turns to the spiritual reality of his life.

 That is where we are in our time. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with dark spiritual forces of this world (Eph.6:12). Do those of us who follow Jesus realize what we are up against and if so do we recognize the subtle attacks of Satan? Along with David we ask for mercy, we trust God and do not fear and we continue to pray for His grace and protection. We have the same results as David; we are delivered from spiritual death. We are able to walk in Jesus’ ways so “that I (we) may walk before God in the light of life”, or “in the land of the living”(NIV notes), meaning life evermore with Christ, not by power but with humble and simple faith. We praise you Lord Jesus!

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# 6 2018. Dev. Col.4:2,3. Devotion!  Read all of Ch. 4. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Colossians 4:2,3 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ,”

 Colosse, a city in present day Turkey that Paul had not visited, there was a church started by converts who met Paul in Ephesus, Epaphras most likely planted this church. The Colossians were not Greeks or Romans but Europeans, Celts, who had migrated south. Paul wrote the Colossians to refute the growing heresy that came to be known as Gnosticism, privileged knowledge known by only a few people.  Paul emphasized the superiority of Jesus as the Creator, the Head of the church, who upholds all things, reconciles all things to God, is above all things in heaven and earth and is the first resurrected from the dead.  

 Paul gives us great insight into Christ as the complete image of God in bodily form. Christ is beyond our human comprehension except for the power of the Holy Spirit who promotes Him in our hearts. It is no wonder that those who do not really know Jesus personally have lifestyles and ways of thinking that conflicts with all that is good about creation and God’s desire to reconcile every back to Himself. The latest example of which is allowing at birth abortions and murdering the child if still alive.  

 That is why Paul’s further instructions are so very important for us as well. “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Pray “that God will open a door” for the message of the gospel. Pray that we may “proclaim it clearly, as I (we) should.” This was our prayer as a missionary family, I asked others to pray that prayer for us as well and I still pray that today. I will pray this prayer for you as well.

 Paul goes on; “be wise in the way you act toward outsiders” (those who do not follow Jesus) “make the most of every opportunity”. Speak with grace, pleasant, “seasoned with salt”. Paul here gives us a lesson in evangelism. If those of us who follow Jesus would do as Paul suggests our churches would be growing, we would be happier and the world would be a better place. Our jobs give us a living but our work is to live for Jesus, promote the Gospel and do good things in Jesus’ name. May God bless us as we do our work today, amen and amen!

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# 5 2019. Dev. Psalm 55:16,17. Trust! Read all of Ps. 55. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Ps 55:16-17 “As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and he hears my voice.”

 Ps. 55 is much like Ps. 54. David prays for God’s intervention into his life and into the lives of those opposing David. They not only oppose David, they oppose God!

The structure of this Ps. is similar but more detailed. Vs.1-3 is the introduction. Vs. 4-14 are 12 lines describing David’s anguish, his desire for peace, the confusion caused by evil in the city and his pain at being betrayed by a friend, a close companion. 15 is considered to be the center of the Ps. A call for a living death as the result of evil.

Vs.16-19 begin the next 12 lines where David praises God for His care for him. Vs. 20-21 describes the deception of his companion turned against.

Vs. 22-23  is a comparison of those who trust God and those who reject God. “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you,.. But you God will bring down the wicked…” The last line along with the intro. brackets this prayer.

 Distress, love lost, deception, rejection and violence happens to all of us at one time or another in our lives as well. Therefore, we need to look to what is spiritually central in this prayer, for our benefit in our time, in our situations and for our healing. Vs. 16-17 “As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and he hears my voice. Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous be shaken. But as for me, I trust you (Jesus)”.

 This is the center and the bottom line for those who pray to God (Jesus): We call to God at all times, we cast our cares on Him, He saves, He hears our voice, He sustains us, we will not be shaken and we will not experience a living death but eternal life. Praise be to God!

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# 4 2018. Dev. Col.3:23. With all your Heart!  Read verses 18-25. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”,

 Paul ends his letter with instructions to households, further instructions and greetings from coworkers. This passage is one that is least understood and is the mostly abused.  “Wives submit, husbands love, children obey and slaves obey your masters” This passage is directed to families following Jesus. To husbands and wives; they are to find completeness in each other, love one another, both submit to Christ and submit to one another.

 The reason so many marriages fail today, the institution of marriage as God ordained it is now disregarded in society. In our individualistic society, starter marriages are a reality, like a starter house, one moves on to bigger and better, one richer, to more status, and to one sexier, all foundations of sand for a good marriage. The husband is responsible to God for his wife and children (Eph. 5:20-28), but wives and children have responsibilities as well as we read it here. Husbands, wives and their children work together to love, to care, to encourage, and to please Jesus. I officiated at a wedding sometime ago and the couple chose the passage that includes; “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves (Php.2:3)”. That is the foundation for a happy marriage and life!

 In Paul’s time there were many slaves among those who followed Jesus. He addresses them as well. Today we apply this to all workers and to all leaders in business. Be sincere, diligent, and honest in the work we do. Our short comings do not condemn us and our good works won’t save us; only Jesus saves. But our actions have consequences, both good and bad. Therefore, in our families and in our work we look to our verse for today: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human (rewards) masters”. Praise God today!

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# 3 2019. Dev. Ps. 54: God Hear Me!  Read all of Ps. 54. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Psalm 54:4 “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”

 Ps 54 is a short prayer by David after he had been betrayed by the people among whom David was hiding from Saul. Prayers like this are the most common type of prayer turned into songs in the Psalter, often used liturgically in the the Temple. Further, this is one of a series of prayers when Saul was seeking to end David’s life. The structure is typical; the main body is framed by an introduction and conclusion, the center of the Psalm is verse 4, David acknowledging God’s care for him.

 Vs. 1,2 David begins with a request; “Save me, O God” David calls on His name, on God’s might and asks God to hear his prayer.

3 Ruthless and godless men are trying to kill David.

4 David confirms God’s care for him.

5 David asks for evil to be restrained and the perpetrators to reap the result of their actions.

Vs. 6,7 David ends his prayer with a promise to sacrifice and to praise God. He steps out in faith anticipating God’s salvation.

 This prayer is a meaningful prayer for David’s time and place. How does this prayer apply to our time? Although we are not in danger of losing our lives like David, our time and place is not much different than David’s. Modern times give us many good and beneficial things but there is a dark side to much of it, evil and unrighteousness is all around us leading society astray and our souls are in extreme jeopardy. People not in Christ do not understand the danger they are subjected to every day. Followers of Jesus should know better but often the reality of Satan and his intention to kill off our second life (our souls) is minimized, ignored, or denied. Therefore, David’s prayer is relevant for today. We are blest with God’s Word, like David we trust God for our salvation, we have the Holy Spirit promoting Christ in us and through us to the world and the Holy Spirit restrains sin. Praise be to God!

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# 2 2018. Dev. Col.3:12-14. Love Over All!  Read verses 1-17. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Colossians 3:12-14 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

 Paul ends chapter two with the freedom we have from religious practices and rules made by man that do not contribute to our salvation. In Christ our sins do not condemn us and our good works do not save us. But because we are in Christ and made alive by Him we are told to: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” We wait for Christ’s return when the salvation of our souls and bodies is complete and we “appear with him in glory.” This does not mean that we are now no earthly good, we live on earth temporarily, but the demands of the Gospel; proclaiming the Good News and living it is now even more urgent.

 Therefore, in vs. 5-10 Paul lists for us practices that are incompatible with being in Christ and with living for Him now. We “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Being alive in Christ means that there is no tribe, no country, no human condition or situation, and no man made rules that separate us from Christ, “Christ is all and is in all.”

 We turn to the the three verses, 12-14 which is the heart of the message of Jesus. Surround yourself and your life with; “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” always forgive and overflow with love. These are the practices of the new self, the new creation we are in Christ Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, (Gal.5:22,23) and has profound implication for how we live our lives on this earth.

 We end with what could be a New Year resolution: “¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Amen and Amen!

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# 1 2019. Dev. Ps. 53: The unrighteous!  Read all of Ps. 53. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw Gremar and I closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Psalm 53:1 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.”

 We start this New Year with hope but the reality of a broken world is always with us, Ps. 53 reminds us of that reality. This Psalm is the last prayer of this section of Psalms started at Ps.49. The Psalm is very much like Ps. 14. The title however is much different: “according to mahalath” the name of a tune but the Hebrew word means suffering or oppression. Further, it is also titled as a “maskil” meaning instruction or righteous understanding. The psalmist has suffered at the hands of godless men and he speaks out. Here the unrighteous are described in vivid terms: their actions, their lack of understanding, their refusal to seek God, and they do not know or do good works.

 We see and we hear about the unrighteous today, in the Middle East evil actions have risen to an unbelievable level destroying whole cities and decimating people groups. Evil is at work everywhere as well as here where we live. Let us call evil for what it is, and where evil comes from; unrighteous people are controlled by Satan.  We hear them say: “we love death but you love life”! They say that because they are confronted with life! The righteous have nothing to loose! How? As the Psalmist tells us: “There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous” and “the Lord is their refuge.” Ps 14: 5,6.

God in Christ is always with us in every situation and through every trial. Truly we have everything to gain and nothing to loose! Thank you Lord Jesus.

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