Devotion Thoughts - 21/07/2011

2 Chronicles 4:1-27. 2 Chronicles 5:1-14. 2 Chronicles 6:1-11

It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD … with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments… "For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever," … The house of the LORD was filled with a cloud so that the priests could not stand to minister … for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. (5:13-14,ESV).

There are certain words in this passage that I find are the key to the proper worship of God. The words are:

1. Duty. The worship of God is not a chore, or something we do haphazardly; it is a duty. God is worthy of all glory and honour, for He is the Almighty God Who made heaven and earth and all in it, including man; so it is our duty to worship Him.
2. Unison. An alternative word could well be 'harmony'. We are to be united in our praise and worship of God. That we don't all have the same style of worship or even doctrines does not make any difference if we are all born again Believers. And as we, as different denominations of the Church, unite in our praise, God will be glorified.
3. Praise and Thanksgiving. That we have trials in this world is a given. That we are to be thankful to God and praise Him is because of Who He is, and not because of what He does for us. That said, we will emerge from this life having had more blessings than otherwise, because of God's great love for us.

When Believers from different denominations can unite in worship of God, playing our music instruments and singing to His glory, He will fill us all with a sense of His glory.

Come, Believers! Let us unite in our Praises to God!

Romans 7:1-13

As far as the Law is concerned, you also have died because you are part of the body of Christ; and now you belong to Him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God. (v.4,GNB).

Without Jesus controlling and using us, we can do nothing worthwhile in service for God. With Jesus indwelling us, every Believer must live as one having no rights, so that Jesus controls us completely. It is a Master / slave relationship in which we are fruitful only if we obey Jesus, the all-knowing Master, without hesitation. Always bear in mind that one day we will stand before Him and render an account of our lives. We will never feel ashamed if we have lived our lives for God!

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Devotion Thoughts - 17/07/2011

1 Chronicles 24:1-31

David distributed ... according to their offices in their service (24:3).

The ordering of the worship was strictly set out according to the availability and ability of those chosen for the ministry. The ministry is not something just anyone could do. Jeroboam, first king of the northern kingdom (Israel), and not God, appointed 'priests' with no ministerial credibility in God's eyes; the result was that idol worship was the norm in Israel (1 Kings 12:31).

Unfortunately, there are many today for whom service in the church is a career and not a calling, and are leading many astray. 'Ministers', without the Holy Spirit indwelling them to guide and teach them the true meaning of God's word, tend to teach what is contrary to the Bible. That is why John warns us to beware of evil spirits (1 John 4:1); they lead astray Bible 'teachers' who are not born again. Believers, having the Holy Spirit in their hearts, know the truth which has set them free (John 8:32).

1 Chronicles 25:1-31

The sons of Asaph ... prophesied ... (25.2) ... the sons of Jeduthun ... prophesied with a harp ... [and] gave thanks and to praise the LORD.... (25:3) ... with music and song and ... with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God ... (25:6).

Many and varied were the ministries, with music providing a very important ministry that enhanced the worship of God. It's going to be quite something to hear the angel Gabriel tootin' his horn (trumpet)!

1 Chronicles 26:1-11

Concerning the divisions of the porters ... (26:1)... they were mighty men of valour....(26:6) ... strong men (26:7) ... able men for strength for the service (26:8).

Those chosen to serve God as porters had to be good men 'of valour' who had the strength for the moving of the equipment used in worship. That they are named shows that this was not merely a task for lesser men; it was important work! In fact, all work for God is important! We must rejoice in whatever service we can render for our loving God!

Romans 4:1-12

You cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in Him (v.5,CEV).

Some religions teach that you must be busy doing things for God so that He will accept you into His kingdom. Clearly, this is not what the Bible teaches, as in 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us (Titus 3:5). If we were able to 'earn' credits with service for God, we would have Him in our debt, and could use that against Him. But He owes us nothing, and we can never expect to hold anything over God. Besides, who decides what service is acceptable to God? Us or God?
Just serve Him as a matter of course, and leave our rewards to Him.

Psalm 13:1-6

I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me (v.6).

In spite of the troubles that He is enduring, the psalmist ends his complaints with words of praise and an acknowledgment that, when all is said and done, The Lord has blessed him. Let us also count our many blessings and thank God for all He has done for us and all that He means to us.

Proverbs 19:15

Laziness brings on sleep, and an appetite for rest brings on hunger (v.15,ERV).

Paul must have had the following verse in mind when he wrote: '... this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat' (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The lesson is clear enough: God does not approve of idleness. Do as Jesus did Who said: 'I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work' (John 9:4).

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Devotion Thoughts - 16/07/2011

1 Chronicles 22:1-19 1 Chronicles 23:1-32

[The Levites were appointed] to praise and glorify the LORD every morning and every evening (23:30,GNB).

The worship of God must be a very disciplined matter. Almighty God must be first in all our thoughts and be consulted about all matters relating to our lives. Don't ever rush into each day with the thought that you have to 'get on with things'. Before ever we commence any daily activity, we must 'acknowledge Him in all our ways' (Proverbs 3:6) at the beginning of each day, then He will gladly 'direct our paths' through the day so that each day is well and efficiently used and brings us the most benefit. Do this, trust God, and you will be amazed at how much more you achieve in life, and be full of praise for God at the end of each day!

Romans 3:9-31

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one... (v.10).
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (v.23).

There is not one person who can claim to be righteous unless their sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ. The only people who will dwell in heaven are those who have confessed that they are sinners, asked God for forgiveness, and relied on the blood of Jesus sacrificed on Calvary to take all their sins away. Only then are they cleansed from sin so that God can indwell them (Revelation :14). But once God indwells us we do not 'come short' of having God's glory in our lives! The fulness of God will be in us, enabling us to live powerful God-honouring lives!

Psalm 12:1-8

The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted (v.8).

When corrupt individuals are praised then more and more sinners will be encouraged to parade their sinful lifestyles for all the world to see. By God's grace, true Believers have His power within them so that they do not practise sinful behaviour.

Proverbs 19:13-14

Stupid children can bring their parents to ruin. A nagging wife is like water going drip-drip-drip (v.13,GNB).

You may inherit all you own from your parents, but a sensible wife is a gift from the LORD (v.14,CEV).

A sensible wife is a great blessing for what she brings to the union helps when there are no worthwhile material blessings. Never fail to give thanks to God if you have a sensible wife! God's favour is on you!

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Devotion Thoughts - 19/05/2011

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Afterward David felt bad about cutting off Saul's skirt (v.5). David said to his men, The LORD forbid that I should wrong my master, the LORD'S anointed, by reaching out against him, seeing as he is the Lord's anointed (v.6).

David had great respect for the Lord, which is why his conscience made him feel bad about what he afterwards saw as an attack on Saul. David acknowledged that Saul was one of God's anointed, even if he was trying to kill David. Because he respected Saul's anointing, God made sure that David was blessed as the anointed king of Israel. Believers should show the same kind of respect to one another, even those they disagree with, for believers are the anointed of God! The respect we show to others will be shown to us in turn.

1 Samuel 25:1-44

'The name of the man was Nabal ... churlish, and evil in what he did' (v.3).

When someone is wealthy, the world regards he or she as someone who has a worthwhile message to listen to, even though possession of wealth does not always go hand in hand with intelligence, common sense and good character. Although wealthy, Nabal (whose name means 'fool') had no common sense and this showed in his response to David's men. Maybe it was the idea of parting with some of his wealth that caused him to make a wrong decision.

Believers, guided by the Bible, know that the only worthwhile message for the world to hear is the gospel of salvation for all who will believe in Jesus. Jesus' words will not pass away, but heaven and earth will pass away, along with the worthless words of mankind.

John 10:22-42

I give to them eternal life; they shall never perish, nor shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, Who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one (vv.28-30).

When we place our trust in Jesus we are placing our trust in Almighty God, for Jesus and our Father are one. There is a lot going for us, believers!

I do not believe in the doctrine of 'Once saved, always saved', which some think Jesus is saying when He declares, 'They shall never perish'. Know that, although no man can pluck us out of God's hands, we can personally choose to walk away from God, or become apostate, or, as Paul put it, 'be shipwrecked' in our faith. Praise God that as long as we place our trust in Him to take care of us there is no danger of shipwreck.

Psalm 116:1-19

'Because God has listened to my prayer I will worship Him as long as I live' (v.2).

The psalmist has not had it easy to judge from his words, but that has not stopped him from praising the Lord and serving him with all his heart.

The writer has in mind service while still alive on earth; believers know that serving the Lord will never end. Our born again state is about 'everlasting life', which means that just as soon as our earthly days for worshiping the Lord are over we continue praising Him along with the multitude that have gone before. Hallelujah! Believers are indeed blessed!

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Devotion Thoughts - 08/04/2011

Deut 32:28-52


Any nation where the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not consulted and worshipped is a 'nation void of counsel' with 'no understanding'. They do not realise that God is using them to teach His chosen people a lesson, and will punish them when their usefulness is ended. God's objective is to get His people, the Israelites, right with Himself again.


The song ended, Moses advises the people to remember the words of it. That done, God tells him to prepare to die.


On spiritual matters, God is doing for individual believers what He has been doing for nation Israel; He has the power to build us up (v.39), and to use us for His glory. By letting Him have His way with me I ensure that I will also enter the 'Promised Land' that awaits every believer.


Psalm 78:56-64


After they had entered Canaan and conquered the inhabitants, the Israelites set up the tent at Shiloh as instructed. There the nation worshipped God to begin with. Gradually, however they again started worshipping idols. It was going to take some serious lessons before they learned to worship God only. It was only after returning from captivity in Babylon that they began to worship God as He wanted.


As for the nation of Israel, so for the individual believer. We sometimes have to go through serious trials before we learn that it makes better sense to surrender our lives completely to God. It is so much less hassle to surrender to Him without trying to also enjoy a worldly life.


Proverbs 12:24


Christians should always be prepared to do a decent day's work to earn their daily bread. That's what of us Jesus wants to see when He returns. Let us not disappoint Him - or ourselves!

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