Kidgell Publishers

Monday, January 23, 2012

Bible Poetry: Proverbs 19:22, 23

Proverbs 19:22, 23

What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar (v.22,ESV).

I will not impress my Father
with my trophies won in sport;
for I know that He would rather
see what I through love have wrought!

The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm (v.23,ESV).

To fear the Lord will lead to life,
for fear shows our respect
for God's great power to still all strife
that might harm His elect!

Bible Poetry: Psalm 17:1-15

Psalm 17:1-15

I am innocent, LORD, and I will see your face! When I awake, all I want is to see you as you are. (v.15,CEV).

Those whose sins have been forgiven will see Jesus face to face. It will not be a dream! We will live with Him forever thanks to the cleansing away of our sins at Calvary.

I have tried, by my behaviour,
to obey God's holy Word;
taking Jesus as my Saviour
also means He is my Lord!
In my heart He dwells forever,
and one day I'll see His face;
and that day will come whenever
I have run my earthly race!

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:

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.
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.
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!

Bible Poetry: Proverbs 19:20, 21

Proverbs 19:20, 21

Pay attention to advice and accept correction, so you can live sensibly (v.20,CEV).

If you would live a life well spent,
accept advice that is well meant! *

We may make a lot of plans, but the LORD will do what he has decided (v.20,CEV).

Though we scheme and plan
and do all we can
to ensure we live our way,
God will always do
what He wanted to
to ensure that we don't stray!

Devotion Thoughts - 20/07/2011

2 Chronicles 1:1-17. 2 Chronicles 2:1-18. 2 Chronicles 3:1-17

The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods (2:5,ESV).
No one can ever build a temple large enough for God--even the heavens are too small a place for Him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him (2:6,CEV).

Solomon did not know that one day the God Who created the universe would take up His abode in the hearts of His saints. With God all things are possible! And what is more, it is there, in the hearts of His saints, that the saints can offer their sacrifices to God - surrendered hearts and lives that He can use for His glory!

Romans 6:1-23

You are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus (v.11,GNB).

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (v.23).

In spite of the guiding presence of God in our hearts, we all sin. The trick is to live exactly as verse 11 suggests: 'Think of yourself as dead to sin', constantly reminding yourself that you are dead to all temptations, at the same time making the deliberate choice to have fellowship with God, especially when temptations are fierce. With practice, each day sin becomes less tempting and fellowship with God more to be desired. This is the thought behind Psalm 16, particularly verse 8.

Psalm 16:1-11

I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved (v.8).

Making the deliberate choice to serve God at all times is the way to develop a solid spiritual lifestyle in which we are always in God's will.

Devotion Thoughts - 19/07/2011

1 Chronicles 28:1-21. 1 Chronicles 29:1-30

[God] said to [David], Solomon your son ... shall build my house ... for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. (28:6).

... know God ... and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind; for ... if you seek Him, you will find Him... (28:9, my editing).

The LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel (29:25)

Believers are God's children, and He enjoys having them around Him! Seize the opportunity to get to know Him better, and discover how much blessings He is able to bestow on Believers!

Romans 5:6-21

God's love toward us was such that, while we were still sinners, [He sent] Christ to die for us (v.8).
Now that we have been justified by [Christ's] blood we shall be saved from [God's] wrath through Him (v.9).

God's love has to be immeasurable given that He sent His own Son to die for filthy sinners who were in their spiritually filthy state. Those who have accepted the free gift of cleansing and salvation that Jesus affords, will avoid the punishment intended for sinners, and enjoy that great love of God!

Psalm 15:1-5

Only those who obey God in everything and always do what is right, whose words are true and sincere, [will live on His holy hill] (v.2,GNB).

When His Beloved Son, Jesus, bore the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, the Father, Who hates sin, had to look away. He still will not tolerate unforgiven, uncleansed sin where He dwells. That is why only those who are born again, whose every sin has been washed away in the blood of Jesus, will be allowed to join God in His heavenly and holy kingdom.

Proverbs 19:18, 19

Discipline your children while they are young enough to learn. If you don't, you are helping them destroy themselves (v.18,GNB).

God has spoken. Dr. Spock made a huge impact on parenting methods by suggesting that spanking a child would warp his character. His own son committed suicide, which we can assume was punishment for Spock for daring to contradict God. If we obey in all situations we can expect His help in those situations.

If someone has a hot temper, let him take the consequences. If you get him out of trouble once, you will have to do it again (v.19,GNB).

To be 'tolerant 'of a person who often loses their temper is to invite him / her to carry with their hotheaded behaviour. That does not work. We do well to do things God's way!

Devotion Thoughts - 18/07/2011

1 Chronicles 26:12-32. 1 Chronicles 27:1-34

Among ... the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men ... [vied to be doorkeepers who ministered] in the house of the LORD. (26:12).

There is honour in any service done for the Lord! The chief men vied with their people for the privilege of being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord when it was their tribe's turn to minister. David put it like this:

'For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness' (Psalm 84:10).

Sound advice to follow!

No amount of gain - socially, materially, etc - can ever be as blessed as the lowliest service done for the Lord.

If you are not presently involved in some form of service (usher, secretary, mowing the church lawns, etc) then consider taking on some form of service for the Lord.

Romans 4:13-25. Romans 5:1-5

'... being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ' (5:1).

What a relief when we know that we are right with the Almighty God Who holds the power of life and death over us! By His mercy He has made a way for us to be cleansed of sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. All it takes is for us to have faith in Jesus, trusting in Him alone for cleansing from sin. How will we know we are right with God? When we accept Jesus as our Saviour The Holy Spirit of God enters our hearts and brings with Him God's unmistakable peace.

Psalm 14:1-7

But [sinners] will be terrified, for God is [only] with those who obey him (v.7:GNB).

'Sinners' includes fools who do not believe in God. Because sinners do not have the presence of God in their lives they are not sure what to expect after death. Even those who don't believe in God feel uncertainty when death approaches. Only Believers will experience peace with God (Romans 5:1).