# 11 2016 Devotional Pr. 16:9. 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.

Pr. 16:9

“In his heart a man plans his course,                                                                                                          but the Lord determines his steps”

Proverbs are a series of short concise statements about God’s will for man kind and the results of human behavior both good and bad. The English word, proverbs, does not convey the meaning of the Hebrew word which includes: byword, discourse, parable, parables, proverb, proverbs, taunt, taunt-song (Strong’s Concordance 4912). The bottom line according to the purpose and theme of the book, Pr.1:7 is: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline”.

The verse we are looking at is part of a lager section that revolves around the plans, the motivations and actions of men but God is in control. Is that what this proverb is about, God’s sovereignty? Yes, I believe this to be a problem with many contemporary interpretations of God’s Word. God is understood as reactive to man’s actions and to the events in today’s world. That is a popular and comfortable position as opposed to God having complete sovereignty in the universe. It is further complicated with man’s free will.

 How do we come to grips with the horrendous events we see in the world today? Do we blame God, His sovereignty? Or do we blame man, free will? Neither, Satan is responsible for all the misery in this world, all wars and diseases. However, our choices have ramifications and we are held responsible for the choices we make. Our choices are made in the context of God’s allowable will, God does not exercise his complete sovereignty in every situation in our lives or in this world. How God’s will and our free will work together is more of a mystery than it is understood by us His creatures. See Ro. 9:14, Paul asks if God is unjust? God’s answer: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion”. (See also, Questions)

 How then shall we understand Pr. 16: 9? (1) Our plans must be made in the context of God’s will. (2) God’s Word must direct our plans. (3) God allows all things and events according to His eternal will, for His glory and for the advance of His Kingdom including the church. Praise be to God!

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# 10 2016 Devotional I Co. 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 Cor. 16:13 -14

³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

¹⁴ Do everything in love.

The first section of Chapter 16 is about the collection taken up for the Jerusalem believers. They may have become poor due to a famine or perhaps due to the persecution they were under. Be that as it may, this collection seems to be the beginning of regular collections on Sunday for the work of the Lord and is the basis for our collections today.

The chapter also is preparation for Paul’s upcoming visit to Corinth. He wants to spend time with them and Paul recommends Timothy and Apollos to them. Paul writes I Cor. to address several areas of difficulty in this church particularly moral laxness and it appears that Paul had written them about it previously. Many commentators have suggested that Paul wrote the Corinthians three, if not four times and that I and II Cor. is a combination of those letters.

 That may be why the verses we are looking at today seems to be out of place and seems to be inserted into a section concerning Stephanas’ household and their dedication. But that does not take away from the importance of these two verses.

Paul tells us to have five spiritual characteristics: (1) “be on your guard”. He is referring to the moral laxness of this city. As we see today how easy it is for the followers of Jesus to be influenced by the culture around them. (2) “Stand firm in the faith” appears to be a command. Stand on the Word of God as the unchanging standard for your life and faith. (3) “Be courageous” be unafraid, valiant, be convinced of your stand for Jesus. (4) “Be strong” not afraid of ridicule or persecution, unwavering. (5) “Do everything in love”. Love is the bottom line, love those who think differently than you, proclaim your faith in love, love your enemy and love yourself. Love is the most difficult of the five characteristics the Spirit wants us to display: it means practicing patience, kindness, forgiveness, humility, joy, gentleness, self control and living in peace “Love wins”. Jesus teach us your love!

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# 09 2016 Devotional Ps. 46:10 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. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 46:10

“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth”.

Psalm 46 is a song celebrating the security of Jerusalem and the reign of the “Great King” over all the earth. The song could be liturgical but was sung with the participation of the people, probably accompanied by maidens with tambourines (according to alamoth). This Psalm was the inspiration to Martin Luther’s: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

The song has three stanzas of 3 verses each. The first stanza is about absolute trust in God. The disruption of the natural order of things will not affect our trust because “God is our refuge and ever present help”.

The second stanza taps into creation, “there is a river whose stream makes glad the city of God” It is an apocalyptic vision connecting this song to Rev. 22 ‘The river of Life”,ending with the refrain; “The Lord almighty is with us” This comforts us as well.

The third stanza draws us to God’s mighty acts to end war and bring peace but ends with God speaking in verse 10.

“Be still”, God says or it is enough! Be still O man, enough already, don’t you know that I am God? “I am God; I will be exalted among the nations.” We are pointed to Philippians 2:9-11, every person, “every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father”.

We live in a noisy culture where everyone is clamoring for attention, the right to life, women’s rights, sexual orientation rights, victim rights, and the rights of law breakers, there is no end to it. God says it is enough, be still! I am the ruler of the earth and my will is done, even if we do not understand at this point. The Psalm points us to faith, to trust, and moves us to meditate on what faith and trust mean for us who follow Jesus.

The Psalm ends with the refrain and gives us an answer:”The Lord Almighty is with us;The God of Jacob is our fortress. God with us means what it meant for the Patriarchs of old, those who curse us are cursed and those who bless us are blessed. If God is with us who can be against us? Praise be to God!

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# 08 2016 Devotional Matt. 5:16 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. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:16

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matt. 5 is part of the Sermon on the Mount Matt 5-7. Verse 16 comes right after the Beatitudes and is part of the section called:”Salt and Light”. The Beatitudes are a great introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, they are eight blessings proclaimed by Jesus with eight promises that begin on earth but end in heaven. They are short, concise statements that contain main Biblical themes that reflect not only the message of Jesus but also the way for following Him: the way of salvation and for peace on this earth.

The very first section after the Beatitudes sets us on the path. There are good reasons for God to call us to follow Jesus by the power of His Spirit. Salt is a staple some people would say an essential ingredient in our food. But salt only works if it flavors, when it does not accomplish that purpose it is useless. This metaphor is the negative side of this section and points to our reluctance or our refusal to perform the call of God on our lives.

The positive metaphor of this section is to light up a room. If one lights a lamp it is put up on a stand to give light to everyone. Verse 16 encourages us to be a light in this world. Let your works , let your way of life be a light to the world so that God is glorified. How do we do that today?

We need to look to Gal. 5:22. Life by the Spirit involves “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. This fruit of the Spirit as it is called stands in direct opposition to the way of the world. Our society calls followers of Jesus to compromise, put a little balance in our way of living. According to that position it is unloving, not enfolding, a one sided dialogue and a unbending position in a world that calls for flexibility and compromise. Not so! Jesus in this verse says, “let your light shine, the brighter the better, the longer the more effective. He is the Light of the world sent not to condemn but to save the world. Jesus followers are to be that light powered by a life in the Spirit. Jesus says: Shine on! Light up the dark places in this world!       I am with you!
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# 07 2016 Devotional Ps. 121: 1-2 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. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 121: 1-2

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?     2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121 -134 are a group of Psalms called accents. More than likely accents refers to the Psalms sung on the annual pilgrimage up to Jerusalem but it could also refer to the 12 steps up to the Temple and used as liturgical songs. There are four sections. The first, v. 1-2 is confirmation of God’s help. The second v. 3-4 confirms God’s constant care, God “neither slumbers nor sleeps” and He upholds us spiritually and physically. The third section v. 5-6 the Lord provides protection, comfort, peace, and tranquility (“shade at your right hand”), He controls the elements (sun and moon) for His people. The last section, v. 6-7 expands on God’s care (“keep from all harm”) in every situation, at all times.

Sections 2-4 really explains the introduction v. 1-2. It is in the first person, I look up to the hills of Zion; are those hills a help, a refuge, a place to seek God? No! I need to lift my eyes higher, I need to look to the creator of the hills and mountains, I need to look to God, the creator and the sustainer of the earth and the heavens.

Every sections begins with a personal help from God. 1. “He will not let your foot slip”. 2. “The Lord watches over you” 3.“The Lord will keep you from all harm”. Section 4 is the culmination of verse 1-2, a conclusion of the Psalmist’s pondering about who it is that helps the people of God. On a pilgrimage to Jerusalem there is much to think about, the road is long, the heat and dust oppressive, there are dangers on the way and as he comes in sight of the heights of Jerusalem he asks his question: from where is my help? He answers it in all three sections but God’s care is expanded in each one as we see in the beginning personal help statements. He ends with comfort and assurance: The Lord “will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your comings and goings both now and forevermore”! Praise be to God!

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# 06 2016 Devotional Colossians 3:23 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. 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.”

Colossians is a short letter from Paul addressing several heresies and by doing so he praises Jesus Christ as one who “was before all things and in Him all things hold together”. Further, Paul explains the redemption we have in Jesus’ blood reconciling us to God, “the gospel proclaimed to every creature under heaven”. Paul also emphasizes our freedom as followers of Jesus. Pauls warns them and us not be enslaved again to rules and regulations in a world from which Christ has saved us.

After pointing out the pitfalls of “empty philosophies” Paul seeks to put them and us on a solid footing with “rules for holy living”, chapter 3. Briefly we look at a summary; “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things”. We leave the past and “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator”. Here we see the culmination of what Paul is asking the Colossians and us to be: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people…” (see Col 3.12-17).

Paul is not satisfied with rules for holy living, he makes it practical and applicable with “rules for Christian households” There is direction for everyone; wives, husbands, children, fathers, for slaves and slave owners. That is where we find verse 23, as we begin with verse 22: slaves are told to obey “with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord”. How do we apply that verse today? We have bosses over us, they have expectations from us in exchange for a paycheck, Therefore, verse 23 applies to everything we do “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart”. That is the expectation Jesus has for us! Where ever He calls us, in every situation, through every challenge to our calling, “do it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men”! Paul is asking a lot of slaves, but then God is asking a lot of us. With these two sets of rules we are advised, we are encouraged, we are empowered in the Holy Spirit to put all of our hearts into God’s call on our lives. Praise be to God!
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# 05 2016 Devotional Psalm 8 : 3-4 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. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 8:3-4

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?[a]

This Psalm of David is about the majesty of God and the humility of man. A benediction frames the Psalm praising God’s name. It is set to the tune of gittith (wine press or Lyre): the meaning is uncertain but I suspect a lively tune. After the introduction, Ps. 1-2 Ps. 3-7 are appeals to God for protection from the short comings and wickedness of mankind. Ps. 8 soars in praise for God, for His majesty, and His grace to mankind.

V. 2 puts the enemies of God in their place. By means of the meekest and weakest of mankind God establishes a stronghold of righteousness! (see also Matt. 21:12-17) Jesus quotes this Psalm making it one of the Messianic Psalms of David. David had time to contemplate the heavens watching the sheep at night. There was no light pollution, the starry nights must have been overwhelming as it is for us on those rare occasions when the night sky is the only light we have. The language is descriptive; “the work of your fingers”, imagine God’s hands as He sets each star, each planet and each galaxy in their place and course. The majesty of it is overwhelming!

We ask the question along with David- who are we that you think of mankind? God created us to serve and to enjoy His fellowship but we rebelled and now are in constant rebellion. If you don’t believe that you are not being honest with yourself. We are endowed with great gifts that come with the image of God we bear. You have given us dominion Father, and we rule as co-regents with you on the earth, O God.

That is hard to get our head around but by God’s grace, by His love for us, and His plan for us laid down at the beginning of creation we get a glimpse of His great majesty, His great love and care for us in Christ Jesus. We are small in comparison with the fastness of God’s creation, Yet, we are great as the children of God. “O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
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# 04 2016 Devotional Luke 12:8 -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. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Luke 12:8-10

“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”

Chapter 12 consists mostly of a long discourse Jesus has with his disciples but there also was a large crowd present, so large “that they were trampling on each other”. Jesus begins this section, “Warnings and Encouragement”, with a warning about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, theirs and our own inner motivations will be made very public. Certainly, the religious leaders of the day feared the Romans oppressing them but they did not fear God. That is obvious by the way Jesus describes them and engages them. Jesus tells his disciples, the crowd and also us to fear the one who is able to kill the Spirit with hell. With that statement of Jesus our minds see Satan as that one, but no, Satan does not have that power. Verses 6 and 7 make it clear that it is God who determines our fate. God knows us inside and out, we need not be afraid because God deems us worthy in Christ, a great source of encouragement to us.

We move to verses 8-10. Jesus builds on his earlier statement but there is a twist, we have a role to play, responsibility, acknowledging that Jesus determines our worthiness. Amazingly, denying Jesus before men does not yet disqualify our worthiness before God even though Jesus will also deny us. Jesus gives the opportunity to repent, be forgiven and be reconciled to Him. Praise be to God! However, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin, verse 10.

In my work as a Pastor in U.S. churches no one has ever brought up the unforgivable sin, at least not to me, questioning whether or not that sin was committed. Does grieving, and or blaspheming the Holy Spirit go on? I suspect it does more than we may think. Here in Africa however it is brought up regularly by new converts probably because they come out of a Traditional African Religious context. The answer I give them is that if they are concerned about it that is a good indication the Spirit is still working in them and they would not have turned to Jesus if the Spirit had left them. Can non-believers grieve the Spirit? Yes, I think so. The Spirit’s work is to convict the world (people) of sin. Once the Spirit is grieved and leaves that person, he/she is not concerned about it, nor have any thought about God or following Jesus. Jesus indicates that there is no going back. Thanks be to God that there is grace, forgiveness, and peace for those who continue to believe.

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