Devotion Thoughts - 24/05/2011

2 Samuel 4:1-12, 2Samuel 5:1-25

David ... became powerful, for the LORD God of hosts was with him (v.10) ... and realised that the LORD had established him king over Israel and exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake (v.12). David asked the LORD, "Shall I go up to the Philistines? will You deliver them into my hand? And the LORD said to David, Go up: for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand" (v.19). David did as the LORD had commanded him; and defeated the Philistines (v.25). (My paraphrase).

Here's a clear outline of what spiritual progression should be in the life of a Believer.
v.10: On becoming a born again Believer you are aware that you are in God's powerful hands.
v.12: You realise that your life now has purpose: to bring blessing to others through service for God .
v.19: No reliance on self; only total reliance on God for direction in life. (Remember Peter? He was self-confident until he denied Jesus. We all have to learn this. John 13:37,38).
v.25: Obedience to God's will for your life as revealed in His Word and through wise guidance will bring about victorious living.

2 Samuel 6:1-23

David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of musical instruments made of fir wood, on harps, psalteries, timbrels, cornets, and cymbals (v.5)

David danced before the LORD with all his might (v.14)

Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death (v.23).

If we keep in mind that one day all the trials of life will be over and we will be rejoicing in the presence of God forever, we will find it easier to rejoice right now. Praise Him in every way that you can, particularly with music. Follow the advice given in Psalm 150 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore; v.17 Pray without ceasing; v.18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

John 13:31-38

A new commandment I give you, Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another (v.34), for if you have love one for another all men shall know that you are my disciples (v.35). {My paraphrase}.

The command is simple enough to understand, but a huge ask when it comes to putting into practice. (Surely it is not only me that has discovered this?) If we get it right, people will take notice and will be born again without a word said! Actions do speak louder than words; let us not just talk the talk, but walk the walk! If you are struggling with this one don't give up wanting to get it right; keep going, while letting the Holy Spirit guide you into complete submission to God's will in every aspect of your life. There is no other way to get this right, and you will probably still be busy with it when Christ returns!

John 14:1-14

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father except by me" (v.6).

Again, the statement is simple enough for a child to understand, but those who want to find 'easier' ways to God have problems with it. Jesus preached very simply and in words easily understood, yet professors have problems with what He has said. Don't violate the clear meaning which is that you will never live in the presence of God if you try to get there by any way other than Jesus. Hoping to reach God via ancestors, good works, religious practices, singing spiritual songs, and even doing miracles, will not work.

Psalm 119:17-32

Open my eyes [understanding] that I may discover wondrous things in Your law (v.18).

We must approach God in an attitude of adoration and worship before we make any requests. In the words of Psa 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer". Once we have God's attention expect Him to hear us!

Proverbs 15:31-32

The ear that hears the reproof of life abides among the wise (v. 31).

He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding (v. 32).

One day there will be the Judgment, and judgment on us will depend upon if we have wanted to enjoy God's favour or not. That, in turn, hinges on the degree to which we take care of our spiritual life. It is true that we need God's guidance in life, but there is one matter that is in our hands and not God's, and that is what we do with our lives. If we want total blessing from God we must be totally yielded to Him, a decision only we can make.

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Devotion Thoughts - 18/05/2011

1 Samuel 22:1-23

David went to Mizpeh of Moab and asked the king of Moab, "Please allow my father and mother to live with you until I know what God will do for me..." (v.22:3)

Here is the secret of David's success: whatever he had to do he first asked God for guidance. This is apparent throughout the record of his life. God appreciates it when we defer to Him, and willingly responds to our humble requests for His help.

1 Sam 23:1-29

Saul was on this side of the mountain, David and his men on the other side. David made haste to get away, for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men and were about to capture them (v.23:26). But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines have invaded the land!" (v.23:27). (My paraphrase).

We don't always notice when God is busy in our lives, but He is - all the time! Saul was about to capture David, but God had already set in motion the Philistine invasion which prompted the message that caused Saul to return home. It might appear that the messenger arrived 'at the last minute', but God has everything well timed.

When it seems that God is not going to rescue us we must not fall into despair, for God says: 'It will happen that before they [His people] finish praying I will respond' (Isaiah 65:24).

If you are busy doing what you know God wants you to do, then believe that His answer is on the way. He never neglects obedient servants!

John 10:1-21

'I came that they might have life, abundant life!' (v.10). (My paraphrase).

If we focus only on the financial or the physical, we might not agree that we have 'abundant' life. There is not doubt that, compared with many wealthy non-believers, believers generally do not have much by way of material good. But that is not the reason we became believers. We are believers because we accept that Jesus died to take away our sins, cleansing us so that we are eligible to live in God's heaven.

I believe that the 'abundant life' applies to life on earth and then in heaven. The cause of problems on earth is about our perceptions of what life should be made up of. If we believe that 'abundance' is about material wealth and we are poor, then we will believe that we do not have 'abundance'.

But if we think of wealth in terms of the spiritual, then having God in our lives will be more important to us than anything else in the world; we will believe we have abundant life when Almighty God lives in our hearts. Then the closer we walk with God the more we see ourselves as enjoying abundant life.

Psalm115:1-18

They that make [idols] are like them; so is every one that trusts in them (v.8).
You who fear the LORD, trust the LORD: he is their help and shield (v.11).

The psalmist gives a description of the man-made idols: they don't speak, see, hear, smell, or feel, nor are they mobile. In short, they are totally useless, unable to help in any situation. That is in stark contrast to the Lord, Who helps and protects those who trust in Him.

Who makes idols these days? Other than Islam, most non-Christian religions make what God described as 'graven images' and bow down to them (Exodus 20:4,5). However, not all idols are visible images. Some idols take the form of wrongful desires (Colossians 3:5), or attitudes such as rebellion against God, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge His right to be honoured as the Creator. Because they have rejected God and His word, He is going to reject them at the Judgment (1Samuel 15:23).

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Devotion Thoughts - 14/05/2011

As from today I am going to write 'believers', that is, those who are born again through faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, as 'Believers'. Too many who claim to be Christians are not born again; in spite of 'serving' God they are going to be rejected by Him at the Judgment (Matthew 7:21-23). Believers believe that the whole Bible is the Word of God, designed to help us to honour Almighty God in thought, in word and in deed when we believe what His word says and do what He wants.

1 Samuel 15:1-35
... but Saul ... (v.9).
... to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (v.22.) ... rebellion is as bad as witchcraft, and stubbornness is like idolatry and idols ... Because you rejected the word of GOD, He has rejected you from being king (v.23).
The warning to Saul about obedience being better than sacrifice (or religious activities) is also appropriate for Believers. We are to obey God's word to the letter and not decide for ourselves what He should have told us to do, ending up by only partially obeying Him.

1 Samuel 16:1-23
Jehovah said to Samuel, 'Don't look at his face ... or height, or size ... because I have rejected him: for ... man looks on the outward appearance, but I look on the heart'. (v.7)
God is never fooled by appearances and a glib tongue. Many will only find this out when they are rejected at His Judgment throne. Seeing as we can't ever fool God, it makes good sense to be honest with Him at all times. In my younger days I would get upset when God did not answer my prayers the way I wanted, and shouted at Him (but always apologised afterwards). I have since learned to accept His will, so now I don't shout. You could say I related to God much like I related to my earthly dad; saying how I felt, but never losing my respect for Him, which He could see in my heart.
Try being natural with God yourself; He understands very well!

John 8:1-20
But when they continued asking Him he ... said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her (v.7)
It is a good idea to judge ourselves before passing judgment on others. If we can see that we are no better than others in God's eyes (and we aren't!) then we must surely want a compassionate judgment to be passed on us. And it will happen if we put into practice these words of Jesus:

'For with what judgment you judge [others], you shall be judged; how you measure others shall be used as a measure against you' (Matthew 7:2).

Psalm 110:1-7
I will make Your enemies Your footstool. (v.1)
YHWH? To 'my Lord'? Of course! The Father and Son of the Holy Trinity!
Just as God the Father looked after His Son , so He will look after us, but we must approach Him via Jesus' name. The name of Jesus is powerful with the Father! This, to the point where, in Jesus' name, we will be enabled to rule over all that comes against us (v.2).
Think on this: like any other father who wants to see his child succeed, God is longing to help us cope with the challenges of life!

Proverbs 15:8-10
The underlying message of the Bible is: those who honour God will be honoured by Him; those who dishonour Him are losers. Sometimes (v.10) it takes some serious testing and correction to get one who has strayed from God to return to Him.

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Devotion Thoughts - 12/05/2011

1 Samuel 12:1-25
And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. 1Sa 12:4
How wonderful it was for Samuel to look back over the years and to know that there was not one person who could dispute his honesty. Any person alive today can be proud of such a record ... but it is not enough to get anyone into heaven! We are saved through faith, not by the works we have done for God (Ephesians 2:5,8,9). There is not a man who can say to God: 'You owe me, for I have done many good things in Your name'. God has decreed that it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved.

1 Samuel 13:1-22
But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD has sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be captain over his people, because you have not kept that which the LORD commanded you. 1Sa 13:14
If there is one thing God wants of us it is obedience to His commands. Saul was told to wait for Samuel to offer the sacrifice. But when Samuel did not come when Saul expected him Saul went ahead with the sacrifice, something he was not authorised by God to do, in spite of being the king; it cost him his kingdom.
When you are required to wait on God then wait! Thinking that you have no time to wait for God to act is foolish, arrogant, and a slight upon Him, implying that He has lost control of the situation.

John 7:1-29
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (7:24).
There is not a man alive, no matter how much training and study he has done, who can look at another man and know exactly what is going on in his heart and mind. Whatever assessment he comes up with will be superficial, and subject to change as more information about the subject person is discovered. Only God knows everything about a man, and He knows everything about every man, woman and child who has ever lived.
How can we judge with righteous judgment? By comparing a man's behaviour with what God has commanded in His word.

Psalm 108:1-13
Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. Psalm 108:13.
There is something of an exultant mood expressed in this psalm, and it must have to do with the writers confidence in God's ability to help should trouble come. Believers who constantly seek after God through prayer, meditation and the reading of His word know that He is a great, big, wonderful God!

Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
As translated in the Good News Bible: Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit.
If we are wise we will speak kindly at all times; and bite our tongue when we are about to say nasty things to others.

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Devotion Thoughts - 09/05/2011

1 Samuel 5:1-12
YHWH is the only god! There is only one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are God, co-equal in power and glory.
Everything and everyone in the world will one day bow before Him in adoration and worship. Very soon now every knee - including those of atheists, godless evolutionists, so-called Christians, and non-Christians - will bow before Jesus Christ, their tongues confessing that He is LORD!

1 Samuel 6:1-21
Amazingly, the Philistines did not realise that YHWH was the only God, and continued to worship their own 'gods' even after the display of God's power. As for the Bethshemites, although they were Israelites who had rejoiced at the return of the precious Ark, they were punished for daring to dishonour God by treating His Ark as a common thing. God, and the things of God, must always be treated with honour and respect.

1 Samuel 7:1-17
God's command: 'There shall be no other gods before Me' (Exodus 20:3) is so important that it is number one on the list. Just as soon as we surrender to Him every other attraction ('gods') - including beloved family members and friends, and desires prompted by covetousness such as envy, and all fleshly appetites - and humbly bow before Him, making Him Number One in our lives, that is how quickly He will help and restore us (Matthew 6:33).

John 6:1-21
Jesus was always ready for a challenge by which He could honour His Father (giving thanks in v.11). Too many believers see their challenges as being impossible to handle. If God dwells within us, and nothing is impossible for Him, what is holding us back from stretching our faith? Perhaps a good way to start - if you don't already do it - is to tithe on your income. I believe that if we give willingly, with a good heart, we will be blessed more than we should expect (Luke 6:38). But don't tithe to get; tithe in obedience, to honour God. It works for me!

Psalm106:13-31
This psalm continues recounting the events in the life of the nation, Israel. Given that God had proved Himself to them again and again, their continued sinning does not make sense Sometimes even believers, who have experienced God's power in their lives, doubt His love for them when things don't go the way they want.
Make a point of accepting that God is in control in your life; trust Him, and relax. You only create 'problems' for yourself when you disagree with Him about how you think matters should happen to be in your life.

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Devotion Thoughts - 01/05/2011

Judges 13:1-25, Judges 14:1-20


We are warned to not judge, and here are some good reasons why:

1. Manoah misread the situation, thinking the angel was God and he was going to die. Sound, common sense advice from his unnamed wife (13:23) put him right. Don't ignore believers quietly serving in the background! They might have more to contribute than you think!


2. There are many believers, servants of God (especially amongst women) faithfully serving, whose names are known only to God. They, too, will be rewarded by Him, perhaps even more so than those with huge ministries.


3. Some servants are being used by God even when it seems not to be the case. Samson's parents did not realise that God was using his self-centred choices to achieve His sovereign purposes (14:4). We must never assume that we know how 'spiritual' other believers are; God is using them after all!

John 1:29-51


There was no doubt in John the Baptist's mind that Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world (v.29).


All who accept Him as such and believe that He carried away their sins upon Himself at Calvary will also know in their hearts that they are born again (1 John 5:10). Those who argue against the need to be born again disagree because they do not have the witness in their hearts.

Psalm 102:1-28


Even though the writer seems to be having problems he continues to praise Almighty God. When we have problems it should not stop us from acknowledging Who God is: the everlasting, Almighty God Who can do as He pleases. Thankfully He loves us, and will pick us up when we need it (v.17)!

Proverbs 14:15-16


The saying, 'Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely', has some truth in it. When those in power do corrupt things and get away with it, they tend to become even more corrupt in their ways. Fortunately, the converse is also true: the more we surrender to God the more He blesses us, causing us to want to surrender even more to Him, receiving even more blessings; and so on...!

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Devotion Thoughts - 24/04/2011

Judges 2:10-23


Because the new generation of Isaelites chose to ignore the Law of God they not only lost out spiritually, they were also politically oppressed.


Having a Bible in our homes does not mean that we are right with God; we must read and obey the commands of God in it. We may not realise it, but by choosing to 'read' the Bible in a way that is not correct but suits us, we make an idol of our 'liberation' from the restraints of the Bible that God put in place to correct, warn and guide us.


Although I know I am not 'under law but under grace', I will never advocate the abandonment of the law, for it is essential to having a well-ordered society. In this I follow, as fully as I can, the example of Jesus who fulfilled every requirement of the law. I know that He did it for me so that I don't have to hassle when I (often) fail to keep some aspect of the law. Hallelujah!


Some question why God allows trouble to come to His people. In this chapter we see that every time the Israelites hit spiritual rock bottom the judges appointed by God would point them to the way out, confession of sin against God, whereupon God forgave them and helped them defeat their neighbours.


In a similar way, when we sin, God allows troubles to come upon us so that we are made aware of our disobedience. While we don't sin, He is our protective shield. When we sin we, in effect, say we don't need God's protection. Once the protection is removed Satan, who is always waiting to attack us, is able to do so. So it is not God Who sends trouble our way; we lay ourselves open to trouble!

Judges 3:1-31


Our faith will be tested or 'proved' by God. I believe, from what I read in many scriptures, that the greater the trial we are able to endure the greater will be our eternal reward. God has His servants who are ready to trust Him for power against their enemies. One was the judge, Othniel. While he was alive there was peace in the land, for Othniel led the way in worship of God. But as soon as he died the people again sinned against the Lord. This shows that too many lean on strong men for spiritual guidance. We should always lean on the Lord, rather than other men, even the most sincere believer (Psalm 118:9).

Luke 22:14-34


Jesus concedes that men consider the one 'waited on' as greater than the one who waits on him. But Jesus says He is one who serves.


Jesus tells Simon Peter that He has offered a special prayer for him. Why so? My guess is that Peter was too arrogant; he needed to 'fall'. Once restored, he will be able to share his experiences with the rest of the disciples, so strengthening their faith. In the Christian faith, experience is important; it is a great teacher.

Psalm 92:1-15


As always, we succeed by letting God live through us (v.10).

Psalm 93:1-5


God controls all nature, and can use it to our benefit.

Proverbs 14:1-2


It is very difficult for me to imagine that there are those who actually despise God, but if the Bible says it is so, then it is so. Is it a case of being arrogant, thinking you are stronger than God? Or that He can't do anything to you becauseyou don't believe in Him?

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Devotion Thoughts - 15/04/2011

Joshua 11:1-23


It's amazing! Although Jabin heard how God had helped Israel to conquer their enemies, he still tried to get together allies to help him fight against Israel. In spite of the blessings God gives to believers, others who see the blessings - family, friends, acquaintances - sometimes still choose to resist Him.


The only enemies of Israel who survived were the Gibeonites (v.19). So here we see three kinds of people: those who resist God completely (like Jabin and allies); those who believe He is God but still prefer their way of life (like the Gibeonites); and believers who face life by trusting in the strength of the Lord (like Joshua and the Israelites)!


Joshua 12:1-24


The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16) states that the rich man 'opened his eyes in Hades and saw Lazarus with Abraham enjoying heaven'. Sadly, the kings who fought against Israel will be amongst those in 'torment'.


Jesus taught that 'few' will be on the highway to heaven (Matthew 7:14). Those unwilling to confess their sins and be cleansed will not be allowed to carry unconfessed sin into heaven, so will spend eternity in Hades.


Luke 17:11-37


We must always remember to thank God for answers to prayers.


The Kingdom of God is where God the King is. He indwells believers, so His Kingdom is within us!


It is up to us to allow God to fully reign from within us, as is His right. As believers filled with God we don't have to run around looking for signs and wonders; right where we are we're in fellowship with God! What's more, with God indwelling us, we don't have to worry about being taken by surprise at His return. He will prepare us for it!


Psalm 84:1-12


The psalmist wrote: 'O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in You!' (v.12). Having committed his life into God's care he is enabled to write about a life enjoyed in God's presence; a life that even makes otherwise bad situations feel good (v.6)!


Proverbs 13:5-6


Those who tend towards sinfulness will ultimately be undone by it; but those who habitually choose the way of righteousness will automatically do what is right under trial, ensuring God's pleasure at their blameless behaviour. In preparation for the Judgment, the practice of righteous living is to be recommended!

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