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"And you, my child, will be called prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins." Luke 1:76-77 (NIV)

When Zechariah wrote that his son’s name was John, the neighbors. He, being Spirit filled, prophesied about what the Lord was going to do through John.

John’s calling meant he would be a prophet of God and go before the Lord and prepare the way for Him. He would impart knowledge of God’s salvation through redemption and…  ( Click for more )

“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but waitfor the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” Acts 1:4 (KJV)

“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” Galatians 5:5 (KJV)

I recently read a devotional booklet that dealt with how we look at success. The writer compared a sermonette of J. Hudson Taylor with various scriptures. In one section the author spoke on waiting.

“Things may not happen for us when we think they should,…  ( Click for more )

I lift up my eyes to you,

To you whose throne is in

Heaven.

The psalmist looks to God who rules over heaven. We must do the same.

As the eyes of slaves look to the

Hand of their master,

As the eyes of a maid look to the

Hand of her mistress,

So our eyes look to the LORD, our

God,

Til he shows us his mercy.

The writer tells us we must look to God for instruction and guidance until He answers our pleas.

Have mercy on us, O LORD, have

Mercy on us,

For we have endured much

Contempt.

He begs God for His mercy.…  ( Click for more )

Blessed is he

Whose transgressions are forgiven,

Whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man

Whose sin the LORD does not count

Against him

And in whom there is no deceit.

When we confess our sins, God forgives us. Because He forgives our sins, He blesses us He does not hold those sins against us.

When I kept silent,

My bones wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

For day and night

Your hand was heavy upon me;

My strength was sapped

As in the days of summer.--Selah

When we choose not to confess and seek God’s…  ( Click for more )

Psalm 28

To you I call, O LORD my Rock:

Do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you remain silent,

I will be like those who have gone

down to the pit.

David calls out to the LORD. He desires that God hear him. He fears that if God remains silent, he will be forsaken like those who have gone to the grave. At times, we who follow Jesus must call out to Him. Sometimes, it is for a circumstance we face. Other times we must call…  ( Click for more )

Psalm 118:1-9

Verses 1-4

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

His love endures forever.

Let Israel say:

“His love endures forever.”

Let the house of Aaron say:

“His love endures forever.”

Let those who fear the LORD say”

“His love endures forever.”

God commands us to…  ( Click for more )

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hid their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.” Isaiah 53:3-5 (NIV)

When we reflect upon the last week of our Lord’s earthly life, we read of His trials and obedience before His Father.…  ( Click for more )

Our Attitudes

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

How we act and react to the people and events that enter our lives should reflect Jesus. We have to shed ourselves of ‘us’ and take on His way of dealing with events, even if tend to upset us.

Jesus showed compassion on the crowds who met Him as he traveled. He tenderly healed the woman who was ill for twelve years. Christ took pity on the 5,000 men and their families and fed them.

Once,I…  ( Click for more )

I lift my eyes to the hills—

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

The Maker of heaven and earth.

The Psalmist asks and answers a basic question of humanity. He realizes his help comes from the creator, not the creation.

He will not let your foot slip—

He who watches over you will not

Slumber;

The LORD will not let us fall into sin. He does not sleep lightly.

indeed, he who watches over Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Psalmist intensifies his thought of…  ( Click for more )

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 (ESV)

An angel speaks these words to Zechariah. He relates that they were from the LORD given to Zerubbabel who had rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem.

The LORD told Zerubbabel that the work would be done by His Spirit-not any physical strength or human power.

One thing I hear as I watch the television news programs is that no one really knows the answer to the questions that we have about the Coronavirus…  ( Click for more )

Not from Conceit

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,

but in humility consider others better than yourself.”

Philippians 2:3 (NIV)

Paul told the Philippian believers to forget self and remember they were not number one. He tells them to put others and their needs before the needs they had. This flies in the face of the “me” generation. Also, Paul’s guidance would cause people to deal with the mindset of recent years that ‘it’s all about me.’

Over 25 years ago, I started worshipping…  ( Click for more )

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

In my recent reading, I learned that God’s voice was present before the written Word of God.

In the book of Genesis, we see several instances of God saying the words and the world came into being.

Moses heard God’s voice when he chose to investigate the bush that burned but was not consumed.…  ( Click for more )

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD,

“He is my Refuge and my fortress, My God in who I trust.”

Surely, he will save you from the Fowler’s snare

And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers,

And under his wings you will find Refuge. Psalm 91:1-4 (NIV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

The Psalmist speaks of those who live their lives as close to God as they can. He speaks of those who dwell in the shelter of God. One…  ( Click for more )

Sing to the LORD a new song.

Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD. Praise his name,

Proclaim his salvation, day after day.

Psalm 96:1 (NIV)

After having our church closed for three months due to COVID, we have met for worship three Sundays. One of the restrictions we had to abide by was that we could not sing as a congregation. This was tough for a few people to accept. Those who were able to contain themselves for the sake of meeting together really felt constrained. This next Sunday, July 5,2020, we will be able to sing. This brought a…  ( Click for more )

So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

This is God’s message to His people through Isaiah.

Do not fear

This message is recorded in God’s word 365 times. This tells me God wants us to understand it.

I am with you

God stands beside each of us, His children, whatever we face in our lives.

do not be dismayed

We must not be saddened by the events of the world or by tragedies of a personal nature. …  ( Click for more )

Praise the LORD, O my soul and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Psalm 103:2-5 (NIV)

David penned these words of praise. With these words, He reminds us of the wonderful gifts the LORD bestows on us, His children.

forgives all your sins

God, our Father covers our sin with His grace, mercy, and love. All we must do is ask.

heals all…  ( Click for more )

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, taught, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” How does that work out in 2020?

We wonder about where we stand with God as we try to adhere to the COVID-19 restrictions placed on our lives. We see people going full force with ‘getting back to normal’. In some instances, we see social distancing taking a back seat to going to the ice cream parlor or to get a snow cone. All those who protest in the city streets who seem to…  ( Click for more )

But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. Psalm 66:19-20 (ESV)

But truly God has listened

Have we ever had times when we KNEW God listened to our prayers? Didn’t we feel thankful for His acting on our requests?

he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Have we realized that God pays attention to even the smallest prayer request we present to Him? No need we have is too small for God to act upon or too small to bother Him…  ( Click for more )

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 (NIV)

Be joyful

Joyful means what it says-full of joy. Some would say that to be joyful means just that and nothing more. When we believe in Christ, we invite Him into our hearts, we give Him all our grievances and our sadness.

In hope-

In the New Testament, hope means the expectation of good. Presently, the world needs to have hope to survive the Coronavirus pandemic. Our hope is in Christ. He will guide us through this…  ( Click for more )

This, then, is how you should pray

Matthew 6:9 (NIV)

When we are asked to pray about a request for a friend and that request causes us great concern. How do we pray? Do we pray as that person asks?

Several years ago, I was asked to pray for a family who had lost their son because of domestic violence. A friend knew this family. The perpetrator was caught and faced trial. During the trial, another friend asked me to pray for the perpetrator, the wife of the deceased man. My second friend was acquainted with some of the wife’s family through where she worked.…  ( Click for more )

This is a repeat of an older post, with an additional thought or two.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)

Due to some concerns and anxieties that some of my friends and I have experienced, I found myself fretting over some issues I could not completely put out of my mind. I remembered this scripture and studied it again. Please bear with me as I explain what it means to me.

Humble yourselves--when we…  ( Click for more )

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:1 (NIV)

What does Jesus mean when He says this?

I know a woman and two of her sisters who are poor by the standards of society, but I have heard of this Christian woman going out of her way to help others who had less. I also witnessed this same Christian woman console one of her sisters at a memorial service for one of their brothers.

I read of a Christian speaker and author tell of preparing to speak at a writer’s conference as he recovered…  ( Click for more )

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. Psalm

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:1-2(NIV)

David tells us here that God is his protector, his guide, his source of food.

A shepherd keeps his flock safe from danger.

He gently guides them from one area to another. He leads his charges to areas that have food and water enough for them. The sheep in the flock learn to trust their shepherd. They rely on him for all their needs.

God fills these same roles for us. He protects us from danger. He guides…  ( Click for more )

As a part of my Lenten devotions in 2019, I studied Psalm 51. I have gained some insights into this chapter. Below are the thoughts that came to me. This post covers verses 1 through 6.

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

David pleads with God for mercy- God’s love that he and we don’t deserve. He asks this not because he believes he deserves it but because of God’s great love for His children.

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

David asks, even begs, God to remove his sins…  ( Click for more )