# 27 2016 Dev. Ps. 32:11 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 32:11

“Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!”

Psalm 32 is a liturgical Ps. that falls into the category of Penitential Psalms (Ps. 6; 32; 38; 51; 130; 143). The structure is concentric (2,3,2,3,1). Starting with the first two verses David is speaking to an audience and sounding much like a call to worship.

The next 3 verses speak to God and is the theological heart of this Psalm. It is about the results of a stubborn refusal to acknowledge one’s sins.  Both Peter and Judas acknowledged their sin but only one repented. There is Christian repentance and there is worldly repentance. David here does not hide his sin, “I will confess… to the Lord”, he goes straight to the Creator the only one who has the power to forgive and does forgive in Christ Jesus.

The next 2 Verses (6,7) describes the blessings in verses 1,2, but it begins with prayer, “everyone who is godly”. Does God listen to us? (Jas. 5:16). David addresses the audience again but in verse 7 he addresses God, yet he is still talking about the blessings of true repentance.

In the next section vs. 8,9,10 David is speaking for God. Here God is also speaking to us! It is a promise to guide and to protect. God also tells us to leave our stubborn ways giving the horse and the mule as the example of stubborn.  God ends this section with a comparison of the life of the wicked and the life of those who trust in Him highlighting His unfailing love. That love is what David experiences and is the love we should experience as followers of Jesus.

Therefore, we are given the command to rejoice v.11! “Rejoice in the Lord you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”. That should be a given and is based on all that goes before in this Psalm.  For followers of Jesus, righteousness is kind of automatic isn’t it? No it is not! During Jesus’ time on earth the religious leaders pretended to be righteous but Jesus exposed their unrighteousness and they did all they could to be rid of Him. They succeeded but they did God’s work for Him.

Today we have no problem to consider ourselves righteous but often we lack the joy. We cannot just read verse 11, the whole Psalm applies here. We have attended and conducted worship serves in Africa and there is much joyful singing and dancing in the church.  Many come out of a pagan culture and at one time pagan practices, now they are set free and rejoice in the Lord! We thank God! We need to again understand as David did that we all are sinners and have no right to look down at those overwhelmed with life.

Our righteousness and the uprightness of our hearts is directly related to our confessions, our repentance and our trust in Christ. Our relationship with Christ underpins our compassion for those struggling to find their way, that is the way of Jesus. We are His body and His light to all around us. Rejoice! Dance and sing! God is glorified!

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# 26 2016 Dev. I Cor. 16:13,14 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

I Corinthians 16:13,14

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.                                           Do everything in love.”

Corinth was one of the main cities of Greece, a port city with many temples and a city known for its unbridled sexual practices. The church in this environment was influenced by the culture around it. The church, struggling under these difficult problems had requested Paul to help them address these issues. Paul addresses a series of problems and questions: divisions in the church, immorality within the church, lawsuits in pagan courts, marriage, Christian freedom, spiritual gifts, Christian love, the resurrection of the body, and the collection of gifts.

Chapter 16 is the last page of this letter and reflects what was discussed but also includes personal requests and greetings. The central verses are 13,14 which points back to all the issues Paul has discussed in this letter. Further, Paul gives them and us the way forward under the pressure of a pagan culture. This advice is presently relevant for followers of Jesus. There are many Christians and churches in our country but true followers of Jesus need to come to grips with the fact that we live in a pagan culture when compared with Biblical principles.

The two verses we look at this week begins with: “Be on your guard”. That is the first thing we must do, question every change that is promoted by Christian leaders. Do we understand the culture pressures on our way of life? What is our responsibility when the government legalizes and pushes pagan practices on followers of Jesus? Is our Christian freedom and freedom of speech at risk?

Secondly, Paul says: “Stand firm in your faith”. Faith is a gift but it also comes from and is built up by hearing God’s Word. How much time are we spending hearing God’s Word but also spending time with the Scripture, pondering the issues of our day in the light of it?

Thirdly, we are told “be courageous”. Courage is in short supply among Christians this day and age, our youth are afraid to stand up for Biblical principles, afraid to commit to a life time of service in ministry or missions. Weak faith and lack of courage go together and is addressed by again filling our minds and hearts with the Word of God.

Fourth, we are told to “by strong”. Our strength comes from the Spirit of Christ (Php. 4:13)! The Spirit of Christ lives in the hearts of all followers of Jesus and He can be encouraged or He can be resisted as He works in us.  He mostly speaks to us in whispers but many followers of Jesus are not listening.

Fifth, “Do everything in love”. Love is the bottom line as Paul shows us throughout I Cor. We all must practice this principle as the decline in Biblical Christianity is addressed. On the other hand, we must not use love as the only standard for accepting the radical cultural issues followers of Jesus are facing today. Also, love demands that we do point out that the Biblical principles are being watered down and in some cases set aside in the name of political correctness and peace.  We must continue to pray for God’s wisdom!

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# 25 2016 Dev. Pr.3:3 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Proverbs 3:3

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.”

The purpose of Proverbs is clearly laid out in the prologue (Pr. 1:2-7) summarized here: “for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding, insight; doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence, knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning… The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools^[c] despise wisdom and instruction.” Generally speaking, in our time Proverbs is a world and life view that glorifies God, resulting in a long, peaceful and satisfied life that shines the light of Jesus Christ to all those around us.

Ch. 3 is labeled in the NIV as: “Further Benefits of Wisdom” and is part of a larger section consisting of Ch. 1-4. This section is about all the benefits of practicing wisdom. This is always an important section for all of us but particularly so for Father’s Day. The emphasis is on parental guidance: “Listen my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching” (ch.1:8).

The verse for this week is in the context of a father’s instruction: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,² for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity” (Ch.3:1,2). Verse 3 the father (and mother) encourages his/her son (and daughter) to practice love and faithfulness. Wear it like a necklace; a diamond studded necklace dazzling, of great value and obvious to everyone you meet. Daily practice impresses love and faithfulness on our hearts; practice turns into a good habit.

Before love and faithfulness moves down into our hearts it resides in our minds as God’s wisdom found only in the Word of God. From our minds, by the power of the Holy Spirit love and faithfulness moves into our hearts. From our hearts it becomes a life style because then by God’s grace we are empowered to live love and faithfulness. Praise the Lord!

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# 24 2016 Dev. I Cor. 14:1 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

I Corinthians 14:1

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.”

This introductory verse to Ch.14 points back to Ch.13 as the basis for unity in the church and points forward to a comparison of speaking in tongues and prophesying by church members. Ch.14 is a long and diverse discussion of the pros and cons of speaking in tongues and prophesying and the need for order in church services. Paul tells us this chapter is a command and he expects spiritual discerning church members to “acknowledge what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command” (v.37).

This chapter also includes the principle of married women to defer to their husbands instead of speaking in church assembles, ignored today by 99% of churches. The discussion of authority in the church is beyond the scope of this devotional.

This chapter also includes the call for “good order in worship”. This is about exercising our spiritual gifts in an orderly way to allow individuals to speak and to be able to hear and discern the working of the Holy Spirit among us. Is that how we worship today?

The main principle in chapter 14 is spiritual gifts and how they are used. Verse 1 summarizes that principle and drawing on ch.13 puts Paul’s discussion on the foundation of love, the Love of Jesus Christ. Further, we are commanded to “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit.” The fruit (gifts) of the Spirit is included here Gal 5:22-23. Also, Paul proclaims that “God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues”, (Ch.12:28) but the greater gifts are faith, hope, and love (Ch. 13:13).

These three Ch. 12,13,14 are very much connected one to an other and are part of the discussion of unity in the church.  Obviously the diversity of the gifts, the perceived importance of each gift and the personalities of those blessed with Spiritual gifts is the root of disunity in the church in Paul’s time.  So what do we take away from this verse and the context in which we find Paul’s discussion/command?

1^st. Love: spiritual gifts are practiced in the Love for God, love for each other, love for one’s self and love for those who do not know Jesus. You will recognize this first statement as the definition of “Christian Charity”.

2^nd. “Eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit”. Paul says be excited about the Spiritual gifts of God, find them in yourself, develop them, practice them, don’t be afraid to use them.  Use them or lose them, there is no room for being lukewarm! 

3^rd. Tongues is one of the lesser gifts. It teaches us that all gifts are from the same Spirit so there is not an order of importance, all that we do in Jesus’ Name is important in terms of eternity but there is a difference in impact of each gift. That is what Paul is saying here, prophecy has a greater impact when compared to speaking in tongues that many thought was the most important gift, a position some people still hold today.

4^th. We also learn that today we need the gift of prophecy, we again need to hear the voice of God that is being minimized in our approach to the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. Let us pray for God to give the Spiritual gifts to make clear the truth of God and to reject the half truths that have deceived some of us.  

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# 23 2016 Dev. Ps.25:4-5 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 25:4-5

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.”

The Psalter is a book of prayer and praise consisting of 150 psalms divided into five books. They were and are used as a liturgical resource in temple and synagogue worship and used extensively in churches today. Psalm 25 is part of a larger section, Ps. 25-33 highlighting prayer and praise. The Psalm is an acrostic poem that represents a prayer of David.

We know very little of the back story of David’s prayer. We don’t know the time of writing nor what precipitated this prayer but is was a time of loss and strong opposition to David and to Israel as well. The prayer is personal and intimate switching back and forth from the first person to the second person and ends with a plea for the whole nation of Israel.

The verses we have for this week are particularly intimate and are balanced with verses six and seven. Verse 4-5 are a plea for God’s instruction: “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.” We live in a world where we are bombarded with every conceivable alternate way of living that are apposed to the way of the Lord. Christians and churches are not recognizing these alternatives as unscriptural. The whole issue of gender conflict in people that is front and center right now is an example of what followers of Jesus are faced with. God’s ways are clear in Scripture but now it appears that everything is open to interpretation. Therefore, the second part of this verse (prayer) is essential: “teach me your paths.” Teach us Lord how to walk in today’s world!

David doubles down on this request in verse 5: “Guide me in your truth and teach me.” We tend to think we can do this: walking and living in todays world on our own, we can’t! Lord send us your Spirit to revive us, to guide us, to teach us again as in the past. “Open the eyes of our hearts Lord” so that we see.  Remove the scales of self will, of arrogance, of today’s culture pressure and our misguided desire to fit into it, from our spiritual eyes in our hearts. “For you are God my (our) Savior,” … When does our arrogance and our current cultural interpretation of Scripture become a matter of salvation? Is our hope in God all day long?

David balances his request for instruction with praising God’s mercy, asking God not to remember his sins but to remember his loving kindness to him and acknowledges that “God is good (v. 6-7). May we all pray this prayer David prays in v. 4-7  in these troubling times. “My hope is in you all day long”, O God!

 

 

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# 22 2016 Dev Rom. 13:4-5The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Romans 13:4-5

“4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.”

These two verses are part of a larger section labeled “Submission to Governing Authorities” Ch. 13. Paul is speaking to the church in Rome about the Roman government in control of the city and controlling most of the known world at that time. This is a hard saying to accept but we should not take it out of context. The government was unjust, anti Christian, adhering to multiple God’s and Caesar was considered divine.

The context is verse 1 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” God holds leaders accountable to do good and to do justice. There was a lot of good done by the ruling authorities, such as the “rule of law” at that time but Paul opposed the ruling authorities when he and Silas were treated unjustly. Christians opposed the ruling authorities when told to burn incense in order to proclaim Caesar as the “God”. Many people died for their faith and Paul was executed as well.

What about today? We have a secular government that guarantees religious freedom but also allows things that Christians oppose because they are against God’s law. Followers of Jesus know what they are. Right now the political gridlock of the US leadership has rendered the Government ineffective in dealing with problems that should be dealt with. The political outlook for the future is particularly unnerving with what are three difficult choices for a new President.  What are followers of Jesus to do? We do what God’s Word tells us to do.

We turn to the verses for the week in the context we find it. We have hard choices ahead but this is not the first time. Way back during war times people got drafted and joined up but we all/I had to make a decision. For me this verse spoke as it did for many others and we celebrate and honor those decisions on May 30^th. We ask God to guide us into the choices ahead. Praise Him!

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# 21 2016 Devotional Is.43:1bb The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Isaiah 43:1

 “But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine”.

 Isaiah’s career extended through the reigns of four kings in the Southern Kingdom of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah from around 740 to 686 B.C. Isaiah addressed the sins of the people: idol worship, the oppression and marginalization of the poor for personal gain and underhanded business practices that undermined God’s law. Isaiah clearly pointed out that superficial worship was the beginning of lawless social ethics. God also addresses the sins of the nations around Israel.

The character of Isaiah’s ministry blends fore-telling (seeing far into the future) with forth-telling (preaching the truth to a sinful people).  The book ranges in its visions from Isaiah’s own times through to the end of time when God creates “the new heavens and a new earth” (Is. 65:17).  Further, Isaiah fore-shadows the coming of the Messiah in the the prophecy to King Ahaz (Is.7: 13-14) and (9:1-8) that God would give him the sign the virgin’s baby, Immanuel (God with us) fulfilled in Matthew 1:18-24.

Ch. 43 is part of God’s grace proclaimed in Isaiah, ch.40-45. Broadly speaking the rest of the book is about God’s glory, His election, God’s forgiveness, His grace, and redemption, God’s salvation through His Servant (Jesus) which includes Israel and all nations and all people.  God’s proclamation reaches back into the Old Testament Church, covers followers of Jesus today and reaches into the future to the end of time (Rev.7:9).

 We move to the verse of the week. There is no doubt that the book of Isaiah is God speaking. There is no doubt that God created his people the same re-creation we as followers of Jesus experience. Also, there is no doubt that God chooses his people (Eph. 1:4-5). Verse one points back to the end of Ch. 42 where Israel is under punishment but in the next ch. God tells us not to be afraid:” Do not fear”. Fear is becoming an issue today, overseas  Missions are curtailed, there is danger, we must deal with real danger, but there is also perceived danger that Satan is using to stop the work of the church. The level of danger in our own country is real, multiple people are shot every day, we only have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do we really believe that God takes care of his own? Ask yourself? God goes on to tell us that He has redeemed us, He has called us by our names, this is personal. He dispels our fear with “you are mine”, “if God is for us who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31-39) Danger, real or perceived is in God’s hands and believing that sets us free, and if that freedom ends our earthly life it is with God’s knowing and with His Salvation.  Praise be to God!

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#20 2016 Devotional Eph. 3:20-21. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰ “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”.

These two verses are part of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, this is the second prayer, the first in Ch. 1:15-21. Both prayers point back to what Paul says before and they end the chapter. What Paul is talking about before this second prayer is “God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles”. Paul was jailed at the time he wrote this letter. What is God’s plan? Paul is revealing the mystery of God’s grace to not only Israel but to all people of the world. That always was God’s plan as he revealed to Abraham, that his offspring would be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Gal. 3:8). Through faith in Jesus we who follow Jesus are the children of Abraham. Now, according to Paul God works through the church of Jesus Christ to redeem the world. Verse 11 sums up God’s grace to all people: “according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence”. Every obstacle both real and imagined are removed! Praise be to God!

This is the heart of Paul’s prayer: “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,” (v. 17b-18). May we who follow Jesus understand the depth of God’s grace and pray this prayer whenever we think about those whom the Spirit is moving closer to Christ.

We move to the verses of the week. These verses make up the benediction: to proclaim God’s blessings and/or to pray for a blessing on the people this letter is written to. This benediction is not only a blessing proclaimed, it is an encouragement to them and to us.  “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”. Think about that statement! With the reality of a world broken pressing in on us daily we tend to forget that God is in control and can do what is impossible for us to do even more than we can imagine.  He does it in the power that is at work in us, His Holy Spirit to glorify the church in Christ because we are His Body in the world not only for today but forever and ever reaching back into eternity. What marvelous blessings we have!

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# 19 2016 Dev. Prov. 31:10-11 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

^[b]”A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.”

In Ch. 1 Proverbs begins with a “Purpose and Theme which we read in the first 6 verses: 1. “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:² for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,^[a] knowledge and discretion to the young—⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise”. The writer of Proverbs lays out the purpose and theme that keeps us on track when reading proverbs.

Verse seven is an antithetical (directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible) statement that gives us the perspective and the basis for wisdom:  ^7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools^[c] despise wisdom and instruction.”

 The Psalmist continues with a prologue: an extensive antithetical introduction for the book beginning in Ch. 1:8 -19. Take note that the main body of the book begins with a father exhorting his son on the moral benefits of seeking wisdom. Ch. 31 ends the book with a mother exhorting her son, the king ending it with a very Christ like statement, verses (Prov. 31: 1-9).

 The Psalmist ends the book with an epilogue, a summary (v.19-31) praising the noble wife and mother. He gives women an awsome example of dedication as an equal partner in marriage.

 The verses for the week (10-11) come from the epilogue which is an amazing description of a woman that serves the Lord and is written as an acrostic: twenty-two verses, each beginning with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  A wise choice for a a son is to find a woman of noble character. Nothing is said about appearance or about erotic attraction. She is valuable, much more than possessions, more than gold and silver.

A husband is blessed by her, she supports him, he trusts her, he depends on her. Because of her he lacks nothing, his wealth is increased, his status is enhanced. Verses 30-31 sum up the epilogue: “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate”. Thank God for our mothers and wives, they deserve our praise and our support, we thank God for them.

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#18 2016 Devotional Eph. 2:10. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Ephesians 2:10

 ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Chapter 2 is about being “made alive in Christ”. It fallows on what we may call the foundation of the church both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Chapter one sets the justification of God’s grace alone: God, “who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (v 3b,4). The love of God in Christ Jesus is the foundation of the church (Ch. 1:5-7). Therefore, we build on the foundation of Jesus to be the church, His Body in the world today!

Chapter 2 also is about “made alive in Christ” as Jews and Gentiles. Today, Jew and Gentile is not an issue but the truth that God’s grace is extended to all people of the world is an issue in many denominations.  For followers of Jesus it is easy to look at that decedent amoral person at work or in the neighborhood as not redeemable. Humanly speaking that is a comfortable place but it flies in the face of the purpose of the church. Evangelism is not the only purpose of the church; we are to praise God with songs of worship, fellowship and love for fellow church members, draw closer to God by His Word and living for Christ in our personal family life. The comprehensive purpose of the church dictates that as followers of Jesus, all of life is worship (Ch.2: 19-22). The verse we pick for this week makes that very clear.

 “For we are God’s handiwork”, We have nothing to do with who we are. It is God’s grace and the power of the Spirit in us that gives us the faith to believe and thereby being who God makes us to be. Many of us want to shrink back from that truth; what about our short comings and down right sinfulness? The amazing thing is that God makes us who we are but He also allows us to make choices. We are not robots, we have a free will, Jesus wants us to choose for Him; in a mysterious way not humanly understood God’s choosing (Ch.1:4) works together with our choosing Him.

The verse goes on with: “created in Christ Jesus”. God’s creation was perfect, in peaceful harmony before the fall, now we are recreated in our spirit (heart) to bring us back to God in harmony and peace. Re creation is a process, on going, “I am making everything new!” (Rev. 21:5).

The verse continues with “to do good works”. As followers of Jesus what are good works? Good works are whatever we do in the name of Jesus, we do them out of gratitude not out of obligation or to work for our salvation. We cannot earn credit with God in this life, our faith in Jesus is our credit and is our guaranty of salvation. Yet, going back to our verse “which God prepared in advance for us to do,” that takes us back to God choosing us before creation. There is a much larger purpose, God wants to take all his people back to Himself. God has chosen us to be a part of that purpose.  We are blessed and God is glorified!

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