Resist Boasting in Wickedness! (Psalm 52)

In whom shall we boast? What power do we have to control and even influence our lives that has not been allowed us by our heavenly Father.

If I am wise or strong, did this not come from Yahweh as He made me? Should I not trust in Him for all things? Let us be planted in the house of God forever, trusting in His loving kindness and not boasting in ourselves.

We certainly should not be boasting about wickedness in which we go against the ways of God!

Psalm 52

Futility of Boastful Wickedness.

For the choir director. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

     1Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

      2Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit.

      3You love evil more than good,
Falsehood more than speaking what is right.

Selah.

      4You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.

      5But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent,
And uproot you from the land of the living.

Selah.

      6The righteous will see and fear,
And will laugh at him, saying,

      7“Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches
And was strong in his evil desire.”

      8But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

      9I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

Praise to our loving Father who created all things, including each of us! How wonderful that He loves us. I will trust in Him rather than boast of my own works. There is nothing I can do that He did not first grant me the ability to do.  I will seek Him as my refuge. All honor and glory to Him!

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Do Not Ignore God to Do What Seems Right to You

Do what the LORD says. Do not try to take matters into your own hands. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, mind, and soul. Lean not on your own understanding and be not wise in your own eyes. Obey what God says.

After all the accurate prophecy that God shared through Jeremiah leading up to the Babylonian victory over the Israelites, they still would not listen to Jeremiah about what God told them to do.

They insisted on deciding based on what made sense to them and doing right in their own eyes to try to take control of the situation.

After reading Jeremiah 43, I am sure we can see where this approach will not work out well for them.

Jeremiah 43

In Egypt Jeremiah Warns of Judgment

      1But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God—that is, all these words— 2Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there’; 3but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon.” 4So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. 5But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven away, in order to reside in the land of Judah— 6the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah— 7and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the LORD) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.

      8Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9“Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of the Jews; 10and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and get Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne right over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them. 11“He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those who are meant for death will be given over to death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword. 12“And I shall set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will depart from there safely. 13“He will also shatter the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.”’”

Spend time in prayer and reflection. Are there areas in your life where you are not fully listening to and surrendering to God’s direction? Are you going your own way because it makes sense to you?

Ask God to help you make changes to fully rely on Him and do as He leads.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ


Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Choose Your Friends Carefully but Choose to Develop Friendships

Even those who are very close to the Father in their personal walk in life, benefit richly from having a few close, trusted companions sharing in the work of Christ together. Paul found joy and encouragement in fellow servants of Christ such as Timothy and Epaphroditus.

Philippians 2:19-30

Timothy and Epaphroditus

     19But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. 23Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. 25But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; 26because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.

Let us work together as a body of Christ, not as separate individuals. That said, also note that Paul was very discriminating. He did not simply partner with anyone verbalizing support for Christ.

21For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

Paul was discerning in whom He chose and we should be also. Who we associate with will influence our walk with the Father… either to strengthen it or to weaken it. Choose your friends wisely. Let their faith and obedience to Christ be foremost in that decision.

It is also a good reminder to choose to be a good friend, as Timothy and Epaphroditus were for Paul… especially when Paul was experiencing difficulty.

Spend time praying and reflecting on the friends in your life. Do you have close Christian friends to help you and encourage you? Are you living out life as a good friend to others? Ask God to lead you in what changes you should make.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Do All Things Without Grumbling or Complaining

Once we choose to serve and follow Yeshua, let us do so without grumbling and complaining. Let us follow Him with rejoicing, even through tough circumstances. In this way, we will glorify Him all the more and set ourselves apart from the world.

Philippians 2:14-18

      14Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. 17But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

Take time for personal prayer and reflection. Ask God to show you any areas where you are grumbling and complaining instead of finding joy. I have certainly experienced this (and still do, at times)!

Make an effort to focus on what is good and trust in God for the rest. Ask Him to help you. Sometimes it is also helpful to ask someone(s) you trust and know well to help bring to your attention when you are grumbling in a way that can challenge you to turn your attitude around toward rejoicing.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Should a Follower of Christ Celebrate Halloween?

Far too often we just go along with whatever “everyone else” is doing when the holidays are concerned. We can always rationalize why many of the common “holidays” such as Halloween “are harmless” or even “an opportunity to participate so as to lead others to Christ”. However, never in scripture does God encourage us to in any way imitate the pagan celebrations of others as a way of “getting along with” or “blending in with” or even witnessing to non-believers. We are instead called to be set apart from pagan traditions and worship of false gods in every way. We are to do things only in God’s way. Being different is an important part of being a light to draw people to Christ. If those who follow Christ blend in with everyone else, why should any non-believers accept Christ and change their lives.

The following article is a good summary of Halloween, so I choose not to write my own. I recommend you pray for God to give you an open mind and test celebration of Halloween, not against what your church does or your family has done for generations, but against the word of God.

A few easy questions to ask yourself…  “Does celebrating this holiday honor God and point others to Him? Could it actually confuse others as to what Christ calls us to do and how He calls us to act? If I ignore traditions of men for a moment and test the holiday (and how it is celebrated) against scripture, is there any way I would ever reasonably conclude I should celebrate this based on the Bible itself?” Perhaps one final question, “If I am not sure it is good and honoring to God, should I skip it or celebrate it anyway?”

ChristianAnswers.net – Should Christians participate in Halloween?

The October 31st holiday that we today know as Halloween has strong roots in paganism and is closely connected with worship of the Enemy of this world, Satan. It is a holiday that generally glorifies the dark things of this world, rather than the light of Jesus Christ, The Truth.

Have you noticed how costumes and masks are getting generally more bloody, gory, and depraved each year? Unfortunately, the gruesome and grotesque and the occult are increasingly glorified in American society, not only on Halloween, but throughout the year in frequent horror movies and television programs.

My family does not celebrate it or participate in it. We do not believe that our children are “missing out,” and neither do they. Other days are used for costumes and parties. Happily, all of our children have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We have found that Halloween provides an excellent time to remind our children that, as Christians, we are different, and not of this world (Heb. 11:13-16; 1 Pet. 2:11).

What about church “Harvest Festivals” held on October 31? Although we understand the rational and good intentions behind them, we don’t think they are the best approach. Our family tends to agree with the author of an article called “Are ‘Harvest Parties’ for Christians?” (written by a self-avowed former witch and now active Christian). Harvest parties on October 31 tend to assume that “our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won’t be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something. And indeed they are, if we allow them to spend Halloween in celebration.” There are better things to do on Halloween than partying.

Also, we need to teach our children that “the fight isn’t against occultists, non-Christians, Christians who feel differently than we about Halloween, or institutions that promote Halloween, but” “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV).

Click the following link to read the full article: ChristianAnswers.net – Should Christians participate in Halloween?

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please lead Your people away from worldly celebrations that draw them in and lead them to embrace Your celebrations and Your ways. Help us to be set apart from the world, not blend in. Help give courage to those who struggle to break away due to family and emotional attachments to worldly holidays and celebrations. Help us to choose You first! Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes is a very interesting book in which Solomon reflects on his life and on what is significant and worth pursuing. As we read, we do well to keep in mind his final conclusion, stated in chapter 12. Understanding his conclusion helps us keep the other chapters of the book in the right context.

Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14

  13The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

With this conclusion in mind, then we can continue to read through each chapter and reflect on his wisdom and how it still applies in our lives today.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-10

A Time for Everything

     1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—

      2A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

      3A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.

      4A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.

      5A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

      6A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.

      7A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.

      8A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

      9What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 10I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Create In Me A Clean Heart, O’ God (Psalm 51)

We are all sinners in need of grace and forgiveness. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord and repent and He will make us clean again.

Psalm 51

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

     1Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.

3For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.

4Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.

5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.

6Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

7Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

9Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.

13Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.

14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

15O Lord, open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.

16For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

18By Your favor do good to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

As you read this Psalm, it is not difficult to directly relate to what David is expressing before God. Don’t just read and study it, but also pray it for yourself and others. We are all in need of forgiveness. God has made a way in Yeshua that we can receive it!

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Regard Others as More Important than Yourself, in Humility and Love

Yeshua set a powerful example of humility and love for others. Let us follow in His example. Read and reflect on the words in Phil 2.

Philippians 2:1-11

Be Like Christ

     1Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As you read and reflect on this scripture, ask yourself the following. How do you measure up? What changes do you need to make?


Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Finding Strength in Faith: A Message of Hope for Every Believer

In Jeremiah 42, the remnant of the people who remained in Judah after the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem seek guidance from the prophet Jeremiah. They ask him to pray to God and provide them with guidance on whether they should stay in Judah or go to Egypt to escape further Babylonian oppression.

There are several key themes which apply in our  lives even today:

Seeking God’s Guidance: The people in Jeremiah 42 come to Jeremiah seeking guidance and direction from God. They recognize the importance of seeking divine wisdom in making significant life decisions. In our lives, we should also seek God’s guidance through prayer and reflection when facing important choices or challenges.

Obedience to God’s Will: In their request, the people commit to following whatever God instructs them through Jeremiah. This theme emphasizes the importance of obedience to God’s will, even when His guidance may not align with our preferences. It reminds us to be willing to submit to God’s plan and trust in His wisdom.

Fear vs. Faith: The people in Jeremiah 42 were motivated by fear of the Babylonians, which led them to consider fleeing to Egypt. The chapter highlights the tension between fear and faith. It encourages us to examine our motivations and consider whether our decisions are driven by fear or a deep trust in God.

Consequences of Choices: The chapter also serves as a reminder of the potential consequences of our choices. The people’s decision to go to Egypt, despite God’s warning through Jeremiah, resulted in calamity. This underscores the importance of making decisions with a full understanding of the potential consequences.

God’s Sovereignty: Ultimately, Jeremiah 42 reinforces the theme of God’s sovereignty. God’s guidance through Jeremiah is a reminder that His plans and purposes prevail over human decisions. This encourages us to acknowledge God’s authority and trust in His providence.

In our lives today, we can apply these themes by seeking God’s guidance through prayer, committing to obey His will, examining the role of fear in our decisions, understanding the consequences of our choices, and recognizing God’s sovereignty in our lives. Jeremiah 42 offers valuable insights into decision-making and the importance of aligning our choices with God’s purposes.

Jeremiah  42

Warning against Going to Egypt

      1Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached 2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us, 3that the LORD your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.” 4Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the LORD your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the LORD will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.” 5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us. 6“Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God.”

      7Now at the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. 8Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great, 9and said to them, “Thus says the LORD the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. 11‘Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12‘I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil. 13‘But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the LORD your God, 14saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there”; 15then in that case listen to the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there, 16then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. 17“So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.”’”

      18For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.” 19The LORD has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you. 20For you have only deceived yourselves; for it is you who sent me to the LORD your God, saying, “Pray for us to the LORD our God; and whatever the LORD our God says, tell us so, and we will do it.” 21So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the LORD your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tell you. 22Therefore you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, in the place where you wish to go to reside.

Take time to reflect on the key themes above. Perhaps reread them now that you have read the scripture itself. Ask God to help and guide you in major decisions in your life and then obey, even if it is not what you want.

I am experiencing that in my life today and for the last year. God led me to leave my job of 26 years and called me to ministry to help heal and restore broken marriages. It was not a path I would have chosen and it has had challenges along the way. For me, His calling is a bit like His call for the Israelites in Jeremiah 42 to stay in Israel and not flee to Egypt. It goes against my reason, and brings my fear into tension with my faith.

I choose faith. What will you choose in your life?

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ


Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.