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THEME
- Men of Faith
Please click on the current date # above
to read the devotional for the day!
It is our desire to make
these devotionals readily available to anyone who can
use them. We pray that as you daily read and meditate
on God's Word, you will be able to use these to help
you spiritually grow in your daily walk with the Lord
These devotionals are
written by the following men:
- DW - Senior Pastor,
Dan Wilkenson
- RJS - Retired Pastor,
Dr. Bob Shifflett
- DM - Associate Pastor,
Dave Most
May God richly bless
you this day!
Thursday, May 1st
Real Bible Faith Defined
Hebrews 11:1, 2
It is important that
a definition is clearly understood and the following
example will help. Hebrews 11:27, By faith he
(Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of
the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Moses forsook Egypt 40 years before he met God
at the burning bush. That was faith!
Hebrews 11:1 Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen.The
English word "faith" is made up of two Greek
words, hupoand stasis. Hupo
means "under" and stasis means "to
stand" thus, that which stands under a foundation.
It speaks of the ground on which one builds a hope.
Moulton and Milligan report its use as a legal term.
They say that it stands for the whole body of documents
bearing on the ownership of a persons property deposited
in archives, and forming the evidence of ownership.
They suggest the following translation,
Faith is the title-deed of things hoped for. (Vocabulary
of the Greek New Testament)
The Holy Spirit energizes
the act of faith that the believer exercises; it is
the title deed which God puts into his hand guaranteeing
to him the possession of the faith for which he trusted
Christ. In other words, we are guaranteed the possession
of eternal life both now and forever. Vincent translates,
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,"
in these words, It is the firm grasp of faith on
unseen fact.
The word "evidence"
could be translated, "a proof, by which a thing
is proved or tested." Thayer says, that
by which invisible things are proved and we are convinced
of their reality. His second definition of the wordconvinced
is conviction. The above paragraphs were excerpted
from HEBREWS in the New Testament by Kenneth
Wuest.
Finally, in Hebrews 11:2
we have a momentous statement, through faith we understand
the worlds were formed. Heb. 11:6, But without
faith it is impossible to please God; for he that cometh
to God must believe that He is! Rabbi Simlai
in the third century noted that Moses gave us 365 prohibitions
and 248 positive commands. David in Psalm 15 reduced
them to eleven: Isaiah in 33:14, 15 made them six: Micah
6:8 binds them into three: and Habakkuk reduces them
all to one, namely, The just shall live by faith. RJS
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Friday,
May 2nd
Abel's Righteousness
Genesis 4:1-5
Cain and Abel were the
sons of Adam and Eve. We do not have a detailed description
about the economy of worship at this time, however,
we read in Hebrews 12:24 about Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh
better things than that of Abel. In other words,
Abel's sacrifice involved blood and the sprinkling of
blood.
According to this picture,
the sinner is unable to pay the just penalty of sin.
The sinner stands helpless and condemned. The wages
of sin is death. Though physical death is in view, spiritual
death is included. Therefore, the only hope is that
another pays the penalty for him. It is the humble recognition
of guilt, and the inability to satisfy the demands of
divine justice.
In the account of Cain
and Abel, there is no real discussion of their lives.
There is only this reference to their occupations and
their worship. Outwardly, their lives may have been
very similar. The life of Cain may have even appeared
better than that of Abel, but God is pleased with Abel's
sacrifice and He is not pleased with Cain's sacrifice.
The focus of Cain's sacrifice is self and pride. He
calls attention to himself and his works. Abel on the
other hand calls attention to his inability and need.
Both of these involve
faith in God. Yet, Abel's faith rests wholly in the
mercy and grace of God. When God does not accept Cain's
sacrifice, he is offended. His heart fills with envy
and hate. If he did not see his need before, he ought
to have seen it in his reaction to his rejection by
God. Yet, rather than respond in faith and humility,
he responds in hate and murder.
From the beginning, God
makes it clear that salvation is a matter of faith and
righteousness. We need to trust first in what God tells
us about our sinful condition. It is only after we understand
the nature of our need, that our hearts will be open
to trust what God tells us about meeting the demands
of His justice. Here Abel trusts God to provide a perfect
sacrifice through the image of the sacrifice of an animal.
With this faith, God is pleased. Abel's righteousness
is demonstrated in his heart and worship. DW
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Saturday,
May 3rd
Enoch: Faith's First Translation
Heb. 11:5, Gen. 5:21-24, Jude 14
Hebrews 11:5 By
faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death;
and was not found, because God had translated him: for
before his translation he had this testimony, that he
pleased God. Walking with God and pleasing God!
This man, Enoch, is a marvelous example of the relationship
that God desires in those who are His true children.
Let us take a closer look.
Genesis 5:21-24, And
Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah
three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and
five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God:
and he was not; for God took him. Say, do you walk with God
like Enoch? This man obviously loved God with all his
heart and desired above all else to serve and obey God
in his life. It would be a wonderful thing if our names
could be mentioned in God's Word just like Enoch's.
In fact, there is a record being kept of our lives!
As true believers we will stand before God on judgment
day and give an account of our lives to our Creator.
As true believers, this judgment will only be for reward
as our Savior, Jesus Christ, has already paid the sin
debt. The real question is this: Are we living and walking
in such a way as to receive the prize, to receive the
rewards that God wants to give to His children!? If so, then we can count on
the book and records being kept of our lives showing
up as Enoch's did. What a beautiful testimony of a man
that desired to give to God everything in his life.
Enoch walked with God. Hopefully, God could insert our
name in place of Enoch's depending on how we choose
to daily live for Him.
Jude 14 And Enoch
also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.
Evaluation time! Are you one of these ten thousands
of His saints!? If not, why not make sure today!
Dear Heavenly Father,
how exciting it is to see what You did in Enoch's life.
We desire to walk with You just as Enoch did. Forgive
us of our sin and lead us in Your truth, Your Word is
truth. Help us to be obedient children and to walk faithfully,
fully trusting our Savior Jesus! Amen. DM
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Sunday,
May 4th
Noah's Faith in Action is
Family Preservation
Gen. 6:8 through 9:29, 2 Peter 2:5, Heb. 11:7
The human race had been
on the earth for 1650 years according to Usher's chronology
of the Bible. In 1650 years it had never rained. In
Genesis 6:1-7, we have the narration of the wickedness
of the race and in verses 8 and 9 we see one man who
is walking with God, Noah. In verse 14, God speaks to
Noah and commands him to build an ark. I can see Noah
mulling this over in his mind. "Why build a big
boat on high and dry land. There's never been a flood,
I don't even know what rain is; people will think I'm
out of my mind."
A man once said to me,
theres not one word about Noah being a preacher in
the Bible. I opened my Bible to 2 Peter 2:5 and
read these words, And spared not the old world,
but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.
Noah was a building-preacher. He preached repentance
of sin and salvation. He had a large congregation that
gathered daily to see the progress of the crazy boat
builder and his sons. Every time scoffers gathered Noah
laid down his hammer and preached salvation to those
who were already spiritually dead and very soon to physically
die.
What they didn't know
was that when the last nail was driven, the last pair
of animals entered the ark along with Noah and his family,
God would shut the door and the rain would begin to
fall. The deluge of rain lasted forty days and the fountains
of the deep opened up and the whole earth was covered
to the tops of the mountains with water. There are some
that believe it was only a local flood. Read Gen.
7:20-22 and see if they are right.
Every living soul perished,
except eight men and women who believed God and were
safely in the ark. What a beautiful picture for us.
Jesus promised salvation to all that believe in His
atoning blood shed on the Cross, but most of the worlds
scoffers reject the plan of salvation that was offered
2000 years ago. We, too, have the responsibility to
continue preaching that message day by day, because
judgment is coming as sure as it did in Noahs day. 2 Peter 3:10-12 promises another
great judgment upon the earth, read it! RJS
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Monday, May 5th
Abraham's Faith
Hebrews 11:8-11
All of the three major
world religions point to Abraham and Abrahams God as
the father of their faith. This is true of Islam, Judaism
and Christianity. This in itself is a great witness
of the truth of the Bible. All three accept Jesus Christ
as a great prophet.
Sadly, it seems that
shortly after the flood, most people did not follow
the path of faith and righteousness. Abraham did not
follow the path of his fathers. He responded in faith
and obedience to God. I believe that God comes to every
person sometime in life in a meaningful way. Sadly,
most rebel and will not respond. Most people profess
that if God made things clear to them, they would respond.
Perhaps this is true. We read of a day when every knee
will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory of God.
What people need to realize
is that some, like Abraham, respond and find great blessings,
without understanding everything. We read in our text
for today that Abraham obeyed; and he went out,
not knowing whither he went! He was confident
of God's goodness and direction. He only needed to know
that God wanted him to leave the place where he was.
God puts all those who
would follow Him to the test, and all that believe obey
and find blessing. Fallen humanity on the other hand,
wants to put God to the test. Before setting aside their
pride and self-interest, they want to be secure in blessing.
Yet, we need to appreciate that the perfection and blessing
God has for us cannot be found in a world where people
do right for reward. It can only be found in a world
where people love truth and righteousness.
Abraham was this kind
of man. He had his failures, but he followed the path
of faith and obedience. He came to know God and the
blessings of God in a troubled world. It would be interesting
to look at all the families that were contemporary with
Abraham to see if any found the blessings Abraham did.
I doubt it. The nation of Israel with all
of its problems, was a light in the darkness of this
world, but let us not forget that it all began with Abraham and his faith and obedience to
God. DW
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Tuesday,
May 6th
Sarah: Life Giving Faith
Heb. 11:11-12, Gen. 17:15, 18:9, 21:1,
Rom. 4:19
Hebrews 11:11-12,
Through faith also Sara herself received strength
to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when
she was past age, because she judged him faithful who
had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one,
and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the
sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea
shore innumerable. The promises of God are something
to behold! God promised Abraham and Sarah a child that
would become the Nation of Israel and He gave them this
child and this nation, in His time, in His place, and
for His purpose. We also see another wonderful example
from Sarah. She believed God. She had a "Life Giving
Faith." She fully trusted that God would do exactly
what He said He would do. This is such an important
lesson for us. Have we personally believed what God
said He would do to save us through His Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, repenting of sin and trusting Him as our
Savior? Have we placed our lives into His hands with
a "Life Giving Faith?" There are many folks
who have different kinds of faith, but we really need
to understand that there is only One Life Giving Faith!
This is the example. God Promised, Sarah Believed!
Romans 4:19 And
being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body
now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither
yet the deadness of Sara's womb: There is much
that we can learn from these precious verses. This gives
us another example of our physical weakness in that
we are physically unable to obtain salvation. We are
spiritually unable to obtain salvation by ourselves.
Through Life Giving Faith in Jesus Christ alone, we
repent of our own sin and trust Him for our salvation!
Until we are spiritually enabled by the Holy Spirit
and then decide to take this step, we are spiritually
dead with no hope. But thanks be to God for His wonderful plan that none should perish
but that all should come to repentance. Have you repented
of your sin and trusted Christ to save you with the
"Life Giving Faith" that Sarah had!?
Dear Lord and Savior,
we bow before You this day and say Thank You for the
example of Sarah. Thank You for the opportunity of this
Life Giving Faith that comes only through Jesus Christ.
Help us to make the right choice and then faithfully
live for You. In Jesus Name, Amen. DM
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Wednesday,
May 7th
Recapping of Faithful from
Adam to Abraham
Heb. 11:4-7 and 13-16, Romans 8:24
In this devotional, we
will discuss the first 2 of 8 Dispensations (Innocence
and Conscience) which cover approximately 2100 years.
There are 20 generations recorded in Genesis covering
this time period. Three men are highlighted; Abel, Enoch
(translated and did not see death), and Noah. These
men were all men of great faith, recognizing this world
was not their home, and looking for a better country,
that is, heaven. Hebrews 11:13 and 16 These all
died in faith, not having received the promises, but
having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them,
and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on the earth! 16 But now they desire
a better country, that is, an
heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
These were men of great faith. They had neither the
Ten Commandments, nor other written restrictions. They
lived by faith! Lest we take away from the other writers
regarding these men, we suffice to say they were heroes
of the faith.
Adam and Eve lived in
the dispensation of Innocence and this writer does not
think that was for very long. We believe that Satan
set out to destroy Adam's innocence in order to gain
supremacy over the human race and the world. Satan is
the god of this world. Defeated, yet active and will
be so until He is cast into the Lake of Fire.
Enoch and Noah lived
in the dispensation of Conscience. When all around them
men were living in debauchery and licentiousness, Enoch
was walking with God. What a great testimony for Enoch
who had nothing but faith!
Probably no other generation
was more sinful than Noah's was. Here was a man who
listened to the voice of God in spite of taunting sinners
and persecution from every side. These giants of the
faith lived according to Romans 8:24. Look it
up! Could our faith stand the opposition and persecution
these men faced? I hope we never have to find out! Faith
and Doubt, doubt sees the obstacles. Faith sees the
way! Doubt sees the darkest night. Faith sees the day!
Doubt dreads to take a step. Faith soars on high! Doubt
questions, "Who believes?" Faith answers!
"I!" RJS
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Thursday,
May 8th
Perfected Faith
Hebrews 11:17-19
Hebrews 11:17-19
When it comes to faith, many promise a quick and easy
road, but this is not the path of faith we find revealed
in the Bible. God is working to fit us for Heaven. He
is working to purge us from all evil, and this is not
a quick and easy task. We read in the Bible that it
is with great difficulty that Gods people are saved.
A look at the life of
Abraham reveals this. God promised Abraham, a son that
would be the source of great blessing. After many years,
the day came when Isaac was born. Then the day came
when God tried this faith. God asked Abraham to offer
Isaac as a sacrifice. In some ways, this is very troubling,
yet God thoroughly tries us and our ways. We are foolish
to try Him or sit in judgment on His ways. He is perfect,
good and just. He gives us sufficient reason to trust
Him fully, but He never gives us all the answers we
desire. In this case, Abraham is confident that Issac
will live. He tells his servants that he and the child
will return (Genesis 22:5). According to the
account, Abraham expected God to raise Issac from the dead. This is not what happened. God
stayed Abrahams hand and provided a sacrifice. Abraham
knew what God asked of him. He did not delay. He trusted
and he obeyed.
The point is that after
many years of faithfulness and failure, God seems to
dash all of Abrahams hopes
and dreams as He calls on him to trust and obey. Abraham
passes the test. He believes God. He follows the same
path that he chose as he left his home and family. He
does not understand everything. He follows the path
of faith. It is this character of faith more than anything
else that God blesses.
The blessings are not
quick and easy. The path is not quick and easy. Yet,
the blessings are profound. The path demands the deepest
faith and commitment to God. It is the narrow gate and
the narrow way that leads to life everlasting. It is
the path that few find and few follow. The path of sin
is ever quick and easy, but it leads to destruction.
The path of faith on the other hand is slow and hard,
but the blessings are eternal. Which path are you on
today? DW
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Friday,
May 9th
Isaac: Revelation Faith
Heb. 11:20, Gen. 27:1-40, 49:10
Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning
things to come. Isaac is a prime example of a person who believes in the promises
of God, but who needs to repent before he can receive
them. Isaac is also a person who believes in the things
to come in spite of sin. Isaac believed that God would
fulfill His promises through his sons, Esau and Jacob.
Unfortunately, Isaac and Rebekah
had their favorite sons. Isaac was determined to bring
the greater blessing of God to Esau, even though God
had told him that Jacob was to receive this blessing
in Gen. 25:23. Isaac was not willing to obey
God. He did not want to obey God because he preferred
Esau. Isaac planned to ignore God and bless Esau. Rebekah
heard of these plans and she planned to deceive Isaac,
her husband, as he was blind and unable to see and pass
the blessing along to Jacob. What a tangled web of sin
and deception, and yet, Gods plan and Gods purposes
will not be thwarted. Isaac mistakenly blessed Jacob
and after finding out the deception, decided he had
better do Gods will. Genesis 27:33 And Isaac trembled
very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it
me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest,
and have blessed him? yea,
and he shall be blessed.
The point here is this:
Isaacs faith was firm about the future in spite of
the sin. At first, Isaac was unwilling to follow God
and do what God had said. His son, Jacob, went out to
secure Gods blessing by deception. Jacob was unwilling
to wait upon God. In the end, Isaac repented and he
believed God and he did Gods will. He knew that Gods
will had to be done. Say, where
do you stand today? Are you truly living for the Lord
or are you trying to do things your own way? God will
accomplish His purpose, plan and will, whether we decide
to obey or not. The best choice is to obey so that we
can also receive the blessings as people of Revelation
Faith!
Gracious and Merciful
God, how we fail You so much. How we often turn everyone
to his own way. But thanks be to God who laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Help
us, O God to walk obediently in our short life here
on this earth, fulfilling Your plan in our lives for
Your Glory. DM
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Saturday,
May 10th
Jacob, a Man of Prophetic
Faith
Heb. 11:21, Gen. 48:1-22. 49:1-28 (esp. 49:10)
Even before Jacob was
born there was enmity between Jacob and his brother,
Esau. Genesis 25:23 And the LORD said unto her,
Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels;
and the one people shall be stronger than the other
people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
What a pronouncement God gave to Rebekah!
This prophecy from the Lord is to this day, being fulfilled
as the battle rages between the PLO and Israel.
Wise parents don't take
sides and create division in the family, Isaac loved
Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob.
This divisiveness trained the boys to be jealous toward
each other. Rebekahs desire
to gain Esaus birth right for Jacob was both cunning and conniving,
but successful. After deceiving Isaac, Jacob had to
flee to his Uncle Laban in
Haran, but on the way he stopped
at Bethel and made a vow to God. There
he built an altar and worshipped the God of Abraham.
In spite of Jacobs deceit, he knew that he could only be successful
and have safety by putting his faith in Jehovah God.
I don't know whether he confessed his sin that night
or not, but he must have, because God blessed Jacob
and years later he confessed his sin to Esau.
Jacob was deceived and
Laban cheated him, but in it all, God brought him
back to the Promised Land. Twelve sons are named several
times, but Reuben, Judah, Joseph and Benjamin is
in the spotlight through out the rest of the Book of
Genesis. Reuben was the brother who saved Joseph from
death, Gen. 37:21. Judah became the protector of
Benjamin on their second trip to Egypt to buy food for their families
and sheep. Joseph was the favorite son. Israel made the same mistake his
father did in that he loved one above the others. The
adage, "like father like son" was true
in that day and is still true today. Benjamin was Rachels
youngest son and brother of Joseph.
Joseph, a man of unwavering
faith refused to succumb to the temptations of Potiphars
wife. He was 17 when sold into slavery and spent 13
years in prison. At 30 he made the transition from prisoner
to prime minister and became a savior to his family.
RJS
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Friday,
May 11th
Joseph - A Pure Faith
Hebrews 6:4-9
A look at the life of
Joseph will show that he looked ahead. In his death,
he looked ahead to Gods people leaving Egypt. In his life, he did not
give way to the strongest of human passions, but lived
with eternity in mind. His own brothers were convinced
that when their father died, he would seek vengeance.
He did not. He left the wrongs for God to judge. He
believed that God allowed all the evil that came into
his life for a good purpose. Faith and righteousness
go together. Sadly, due to the imperfections of faith,
many of Gods servants gave way to the very worst of
passions, but not Joseph. His faith produced a profound
purity in his life.
If our faith is pure,
our lives will be pure as well. Behind every imperfection
in the life, is an imperfection in the faith. We need
to understand that our choices in life are directly
related to the values that we hold. In addition, the
values we hold are directly related to the things that
we believe. In Josephs life, he had confidence that God had a good
purpose, even when it came to the evil things that happened
to him. He understood the truth we find in Romans
8:28. In this text, we read, all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose.
Then, Joseph understood
that God took a very personal interest in the choices
he made in life. We read in Genesis 39:9, where
he was tempted by the wife of his master. He was able
to look beyond his master, beyond social concerns and
perhaps even legal concerns. When tempted, he tells
his masters wife,how then can I do this
great wickedness, and sin against God? This
demonstrates the purity of his faith. Joseph understood
the truth we find in Proverbs 5:21. Here we read,
the ways of man are before
the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth
all his goings. With this in mind, Joseph found
it unthinkable to give way to such corruption. When
we think of Joseph, we need to remember the purity of
his faith. What does our life say about our faith? DW
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Monday,
May 12th
Amram and Jochebed:
Fearless Faith
Heb. 11:23, Ex. 2:2, 6:20
Hebrews 11:23 By
faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months
of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child;
and they were not afraid of the kings commandment.
Wow, what a godly example
of Fearless Faith parenting, even amongst the dire circumstances
and edicts of a corrupt king. Moses' parents had a Fearless
Faith in God and obeyed Him. They loved their son Moses,
and they also loved God. Exodus 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his fathers sister
to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years
of the life of Amram were
an hundred and thirty and seven years. As godly and obedient parents, it was their love for God and
their son that made them do what they did to preserve
their son and use him to fulfill Gods promise of an
eternal seed and eternal land for His people. Exodus
2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and
when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid
him three months.
This is truly Fearless
Faith on Jochebeds part. Biblically, we too, are to obey the
laws of the land, unless the laws differ with the laws
of God. For Moses' parents, the law of the land required
that all male newborn children were to be killed at
birth. Failure to obey meant certain death. But notice
that Moses' parents were not afraid, because they believed
God and trusted Him completely. They loved God and His
promises and they obeyed through their belief in God
and His promises. Therefore they were willing to stake
their lives on God and the promised seed and land. This
is Fearless Faith that only comes from God.
This example can apply
to those who have truly repented of sin and have placed
their faith in Jesus Christ to save them. There have
been other men and women of Fearless Faith, who were
willing to place their lives on the line in obedient
service to their Lord. This life is too short not to
figure out that the eternal benefits are by far, the
best. Let us be encouraged to be great Christians of
Fearless Faith!
Dear Heavenly Father,
how we rejoice in Your righteousness. Guide us through
Your Holy Word and help us to use the Fearless Faith,
given to those who obediently follow Your commands.
Amen. DM
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Tuesday,
May 13th
Sacrificing, Suffering and
Enduring Faith of Moses
Heb. 11:24-27, Ex. 2:11-20,Acts 7:20-24
Moses was born into the
tribe of Levi at a time when the Jewish people were
in slavery in Egypt. Moses' mother knew from
his birth that this baby boy was to be used of God in
some way in the future, therefore, she disobeyed the edict of Pharaoh.
She placed him in the River of death, the Nile River and the crocodiles were
worshipped in the polytheism of Egypt. An Egyptian Princess found
the baby Moses and his sister, Miriam, offered to find
a nurse for the baby. The Hebrew mothers nursed their
children until they were five years old. Moses mother
had an opportunity to instill the faith of his fathers
into the young child. Moses knew all about the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob before he went into the palace.
This brings to mind Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child
in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will
not depart from it. Moses' Mother trained him
in all things about Jehovah God.
According to Acts 7,
Moses was well educated in the schools of Egypt. As a prince in the Egyptian
ruling house, he had access to every part of the kingdom
and at the age of forty, he was infuriated by the treatment
of his fellow Hebrews. Though he was raised in the palace,
he knew he was a Hebrew and set out in the flesh, to
liberate them. We often think we can do the work of
God in the flesh rather than in the Spirit and when
we do we get into trouble as Moses did. We must remember
that Moses was of like passions as we are. We cannot
put him on a pedestal.
Moses like the other
heros of the faith was only
human as we are and as weak and frail as we are. The
only difference between them and todays
believers is that they accepted their calling and trusted
God to complete His work through them. The person
who is willing to be submissive to the Holy Spirit and
obey the Word of God today, can still be a hero of the
faith. God is still looking for men and women who are
Spirit controlled and willing to do Gods bidding, not
counting the cost nor afraid of what others will think;
volunteers in the army of God, not afraid of the enemy,
but willing to tread on his territory and seeking the
lost. Willing to be a living, outgoing witness of what
God can do through a dedicated Christian. Are you that
person? RJS
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Wednesday,
Moses 14th
Moses - A Meek Faith
Hebrews 11:28-29
Moses was an unusual
man. It seems that his mother was successful in bringing
him to faith at an early age. This faith left him with
a strong sense of right and wrong. It enabled him to
overcome his teachers as the Egyptians gave him the
best education possible. In the Bible, Egypt is a type of the world.
In other words, he received a worldly education. We
are warned in Colossians 2:8, Beware lest any
man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after
the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ. There is a certain pride
in knowledge. We read in 1 Corinthians 8:1 Knowledge
puffeth up. We could
translate this knowledge makes arrogant. It was Moses
faith that resulted in the meekness that enabled him
to overcome this temptation.
We read in Numbers
12:3, the man Moses was very meek, above all the
men which were upon the face of the earth. Worldly
wisdom would tell us that meekness is a poor leadership
characteristic. The fact that Moses was one of the greatest
leaders that this world has ever known contradicts this
popular thinking. Moses' meekness enabled him to overcome
the pleasures of sin. Sin ever seeks for self. Moses
clearly had a heart for others and justice.
He could not seek for
self while the Hebrews were in cruel bondage. He chooses
to share in the suffering rather than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin. His concern for the plight of his people made
him a great intercessor before God. As Moses is called,
we see him concerned about his ability to speak. His
meekness makes it difficult for him to speak,
however, once he has something on his heart, speaking
is not a problem. When his heart is full, he moves the
people and he moves God very effectively. In the book
of Hebrews, we see him described as the mediator of
a covenant. He speaks to the people for God and he speaks
to God for the people. A person who is full of self
finds it difficult to see things from another perspective.
In spite of his education, opportunity and position,
Moses maintains his position as the shepherd of Gods
people and the servant of God. Without faith, self will
be the center of our universe. DW
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Thursday,
May 15th
Joshua and Israel: Protecting Faith
Heb. 11:30, Joshua 5:13-6:27
Hebrews 11:30 By
faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were
compassed about seven days.
The Protecting Faith
that we see here from Joshua and from Israel is also a Conquering Faith.
This is a Faith that only God can give to obtain the
victory in the battles that Christians face against
seemingly insurmountable forces of evil and wickedness.
This example is of Joshua leading the people of Israel against Jericho. The city was a fortress
that was completely surrounded by a wall and manned
by trained and strong people. Just think of it for a
moment. How would you consider taking such a city? It
would be humanly impossible, right? Of course the answer
is yes, it was humanly impossible, but we have Gods
written Word for us today that says, "All things
are possible with God!" This is what Joshua and
the people of Israel did. They obeyed God and
He was then willing to give them the victory over their
enemies. God issued His command. This is where it gets
even more interesting.
God told the people to
follow 7 priests, who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant,
one time around each day, in total silence, for six
days. This was tough. Try to get your local church to
follow the pastors in silence for six days in a row!
Then on the last day they were to march around the city
7 times and after the last time around, the priests
were to blow their trumpets and the people were to shout
as loudly as they could. Yes, this 7th day may have
been a little easier to obey than the previous 6 days.
God said that if the people did this; if they believed
in His instructions and His promise, the walls of Jericho would fall down. That is
exactly what happened, too. The people obeyed God and
witnessed God miraculously at work. Christians! Take
Heed! These promises are for us today, as well. The
biblical instructions may seem unreasonable and foolish
to the world, but God desires obedience from His children.
He will give a protecting and a conquering faith to
those who will love and follow Him. Are you prepared
to follow God today!?
Mighty God of Creation,
please forgive us when we fail. Help us to be willing
to follow the perfect protecting and conquering plan
that You have in store for those who will obey Your
commands. Amen. DM
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Thursday,
May 16th
Rahab by faith Avoided Jericho's Destruction
Heb. 11:31, Joshua 2:12-20, 6:25, James 2:25, Matthew 1:5
Matthew 1:5 And
Salmon begat Booz of Rachab (Rahab); and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat
Jesse. Rahab and Ruth
are mentioned in the above verse as being Gentile ancestors
of Jesus. What an honor to be chosen in the lineage
of our Saviour! Joshua sent
two spies into Jericho to ascertain the strength
of the enemy and determine the best approach to destroying
the fortified city. At this point, Joshua did not know
that God had a different plan for Jericho's destruction. The second
chapter of Joshua gives us the history of the spies
entrance into the city, their protection in Rahabs
house and their promise to save and protect all her
family who were in the house at the time of the conquest.
When the archeologists
were excavating old Jericho, they found a section of
the wall still standing, and noted there had been a
house constructed on the wall at that point that had
not been destroyed with the rest of the city walls.
Rahab
testified to the history of the wandering Hebrews conquest
of their enemies and was seeking protection for herself
and family. They knew that Jehovah had been leading
and protecting the Jews for forty years and defeated
all their enemies and provided for their every need.
By faith she hid the spies and told the searchers that
they had escaped into the mountains behind, or west
of the city. Having been there, I know the rugged mountains
and caves that were hiding places if the spies had gone
to them. However, they were hidden under the straw on
the roof on Rahabs house.
Because of Rahabs
faith, hospitality and kindness to the spies, she was
guaranteed survival. Joshua 2:20-21 And if thou
utter this our business, then
we will be guiltless of thine
oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said,
According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them
away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line
in the window. Finally, we often refer to the
scarlet cord of redemption found in the Old Testament
as a badge of faith and protection. RJS
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Saturday,
May 17th
Gideon - A Weak Faith
Judges 6:36-40
Gideon is an example
of a man whose performance exceeded his heart. This
ought to be a great encouragement to all of us. God
encouraged his doubts and calmed his fears enabling
him to do great things for God and Israel. When God calls him, he
is trying to hide wheat from the Midianites.
He is concerned and frustrated about the needs in Israel. He has not given way to
the idolatry. He has doubts about the people. He has
doubts about himself. He trusts God, but doubts Gods
willingness to help and bless the people.
I like the way the angel
of God addresses Gideon. He says, (Judges 6:12)
the LORD is with thee, thou mighty man
of valour. We see Gideons doubts as he answers the angel. Gideon
asks, (Judges 6:13)
if the LORD be with us, why then is all this
befallen us? In other words, his doubts
and fears are the result of painful experience. After
the encouragement of two unusual signs, he agrees to
follow Gods direction. It is a great tribute to Gideons
character and leadership to see how many people are
willing to follow him into battle. It is interesting
to note that where Gideon still doubts, God knows that
the people will not recognize the hand of God in their
deliverance for they are too many. After reducing Gideons force to just 300 men, God assures Gideon
that He will bring a great victory through the 300.
Gideon follows the path
of obedience, but his heart is still full of doubts
and fears. When the time for battle comes, God tells
Gideon, (Judges 7:9-11)
Arise, get thee down unto the host; for
I have delivered it into thine
hand. 10But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah
thy servant down to the host: 11And thou shalt
hear what they say; and afterward shall thine
hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then
went he down with Phurah
his servant. Here, God patiently strengthens
Gideons hand to enable him
to do what is necessary to successfully engage the battle.
It is not necessary to have great faith, but it is necessary
to have faith. Thank God, He is able and willing to
patiently strengthen our faith and calm our fears. If
we fail it is a matter of unbelief and not weak faith.
DW
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Sunday,
May 18th
Barak: Faith's Triumph
Heb. 11:32, Judges 4-5
Hebrews 11:32 And what shall I more say? for
the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon,
and of Barak, and of Samson,
and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Strong and courageous
leadership is something that Barak
was not. There had been peace in the land of Israel for about 80 years, but
because of the great wickedness of the people, God had
allowed the people to be sold into the hand of the king
of Canaan, Jabin.
King Jabin was a harsh king
and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because
he had 900 chariots of iron and had harshly oppressed
them for twenty years.
Debra, an unusual woman
of wisdom and influence, a prophetess, was judging Israel at that time and she called
for Barak and told him what
God had commanded. To take 10,000 men and go out into
battle against Jabin and his 900 chariots of iron and against massive
and strong army. Barak was
afraid and said, "I"ll
go if you will go with me." She agreed to go and
it was then that Barak surrendered
to the call of God in his life. But because of his falter
and lack of courage in not leading the way, God allowed
another woman to kill the commander of Jabins
army, Sisera.
Barak
was already a soldier and he faced a formidable foe.
With the help of Debra, Barak
believed God and he attacked with only 10,000 men. Sounds
like Gideon with only 300 men. We read that God went
before Barak and that day
delivered that army of Jabin
and commander Sisera into his hand. The Lord routed them. We can
learn some important lessons here. When God gives us
a job to do, we better do it and do it right away. We
can tap into that mighty Faith of Triumph if we will
only choose to follow and obey God without question
and with much courage. As He did for Barak
who had this Triumphal Faith, God will also lead us
to accomplish what He desires in our lives! Then, just
as Barak and Debra sang, a
glad song will come from our hearts in joyful praise
unto God Almighty who is able to deliver us from all
our foes.
Heavenly Father, we are
humbled today from Your mighty hand at work in our hearts.
Forgive us for lack of courage and obedience. Help us
to live our lives with Your Courageous, Faith of Triumph.
Amen. DM
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Monday,
May 19th
Samson's Faith led to His
Great Strength
Hebrews 11: 32 and Judges 13:1; 16:31
Samson is an oxymoron
to this writer. He was chosen of God to be a Judge over
Israel, that is, a leader and military
strategist. The Angel of the Lord informed Samson's
mother that he was to be a Nazarite
from birth. That means he was never to cut or shave
his head or beard. He was not to drink wine or strong
drink and never to touch a dead body.
There is something very
interesting in Judges 13:18 that needs
to be enlarged upon for your understanding. And the
angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest
thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? The
word "secret" should be translated "Wonderful."
It is the same Hebrew word found in Gen. 32:29 and
Isa. 9:6. In theology
we call this a "theophany"
(a visible appearance of God or Christ to a man). Returning
to Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given: and the government shall be upon
his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.So we see that God revealed himself
to Manoah, Samson's father.
Samson loved women and
war. In his fleshly desires, he chose heathen woman.
He was breaking the law of God, for all Israelites were
commanded to marry within their tribe at that time.
Samson's fleshly foray with the ungodly led to his final
defeat. We don't know whether the parents failed in
their teaching of this young man or if the undisciplined
life he followed was his own rebellion; either way it
was a disaster.
The Philistines were
determined to learn the source of his great strength.
They used Delilah to find the answer. Samson was foolish
in that he gave hints. (If captured by the enemy in
today's military, they are to give only their birth
date, rank and serial number). Any other information
will lead the enemy to use subterfuge to get more information.
Delilah revealed Samson's secret and he found himself
shorn and weak. The story ends in victory, though blinded,
yet in prison his hair and beard grew and his strength
returned. They called for Samson to make fun of him
and the lad led him to the central pillars of the feast
hall and in his death he killed more Philistines than
he had killed in life. RJS
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Tuesday,
May 20th
Ruth - An Unshakable
Faith
Ruth 4:13-17
Ruth is an unusual woman.
We read that she leaves her family and her people in
order to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi, her
husband, and her sons left Israel during a famine in order
to try to get by. In a foreign land, Naomi's husband
and sons die. Without a doubt, this experience is very
hard. Naomi does not want to be a burden to her daughters-in-law
and encourages them to return to their families. Ruth
refuses. She says, (Ruth 1:16,17) whither
thou goest, I will go; and
where thou lodgest, I will
lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my
God: 17Where thou diest, will
I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to
me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and
me. She has come to know God by faith, and has
no desire to return to her people and their ungodly
ways.
As Ruth comes to Israel, the people notice her godly
character and life. She attends not only to her own
needs, but also to the needs of her mother-in-law. There
is no indication that in spite of
the hardships and doubtful future, that she will do
anything other than follow the path of faith
and righteousness. Her godly character opens the hearts
of her people to take care of her needs. Naomi senses
the opportunity and helps Ruth to provide for their
needs.
Think of it. Ruth was
not raised in a godly culture. The example provided
for Ruth by Naomi's family was not all that good, however,
she came to know God and she casts her lot with her
mother-in-law. We read of her testimony in Ruth 3:11.
Here we read, all the
city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous
woman. What was it that made such a difference
in her life? I think it is clear that she came to put
her trust in God. She was a woman of faith. When we
consider her experience in life, we might think that
she would not believe. Yet, faith is not a matter of
experience, but the heart. We read about this in Hebrews
11:27. In this text, we read about one who,
endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
In other words, faithfulness flows from our relationship
with God and not our experience of blessing. DW
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Wednesday,
May 21st
Elijah: The Faithful Prophet
1 Kings 17-18
1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said,
How long halt ye between two
opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow
him. And the people answered him not a word.
Elijah was a mighty man
of God and a faithful prophet whom God used to deliver
the Nation of Israel from the false prophets of Baal
and from the evil ruler Ahab and his even more evil
wife, Jezebel. She had slain many of the true prophets
of the Lord.
Elijah met with Ahab,
according to God's leading and they ended up having
a stand off. Ahab sent for the children of Israel and he gathered the 450
false prophets of Baal and 400 false prophets of Asherah
together. Then Elijah called out to the people and spoke
an amazing truth, "How long will you falter between
two opinions?" He called them to repentance and
to follow the only true and living God, Jehovah. But
an interesting thing happened. "The people answered
him not a word." They were afraid of popular opinion,
and they were afraid of Jezebel. Does this sound like
many folks today? They will agree with whomever they
are with for the sake of "Unity." But sadly
they do not stand for God and His Word. They are unstable
in all their ways, like the waves of the sea tossed
to and fro.
Elijah then showed the
people, Ahab and Jezebel, who the Lord really is. As
Elijah prayed, God answered and the fire of the Lord
burned up the sacrifice including the wood, the stones,
the dust, and the water. Then the people cried out and
said, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!"
It is not recorded whether or not their hearts were
turned that day, but God certainly got their attention.
Say, does God have your attention, and even more importantly,
does He have your heart? Can it be said of you, "How
long will you falter between two opinions?" May
we decide today to turn from our sin and follow and
obey the Lord of Hosts, just as Elijah the Faithful
prophet showed the people.
Dear Jehovah God, the
King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, You alone are the
God of Creation. Forgive us of our complacency. Help
us, O Lord to serve You alone and not to have any other.
Amen. DM
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Thursday,
May 22nd
Elijah's Faith and the Chariot
of Fire
1 Kings 17:1 through 2 Kings 2:1-12
Elijah means "My
God is Jehovah" and for all purposes, Elijah only
shirked his responsibility one time. That lapse of faith
helps us to under-stand that this man was not superhuman,
but just like us. James 5:17 Elias was a man subject
to like passions as we are,
and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and
it rained not on the earth by the space of three years
and six months. You may ask when was that lapse
of faith? When Elijah flees
from Jezebel as recorded in 1 Kings 19:1-18.
I am going to paraphrase
this passage and delete things to shorten the message
from Jezebel and Elijah's trek into the desert. King
Ahab went home and told Queen Jezebel that the prophets
of Baal were slain by Elijah. She sent a note to Elijah
and told him that by tomorrow night, he too, would he
dead. Elijah fled to the Sinai desert and sat down under
a juniper tree. He prayed that God would take his life.
As he slept, an angel came to him two times and told
him to arise and eat and drink what was prepared by
the angel, because he was going to be gone 40 days.
In a vision, Elijah experienced a windstorm, an earthquake,
and a fire, but the Lord was not in them, rather He
was in a still small voice and gave Elijah instructions
to return to Israel. There were still seven
thousand faithful men in Israel, who had not bowed the knee
to Baal and you are not alone.
James tells us in
5:17-18 what a man of prayer Elijah really was, Elias was
a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed
earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not
on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the
earth brought forth her fruit. Today, sad to say, it
seems that God's children have lost their confidence
in the power of prayer and the power of His Word. Let's
get on our knees and send knee-mail to the Throne of
Grace and see what a nation on their knees will see
what God can do.
Elijah knew that his
ministry was about to end and he took Elisha,
his successor, across the River Jordan in preparation
for Elijah's trip into outer space, all the way to heaven.
Elijah was the second space traveler to go into outer
space, far beyond all the galaxies the visible heavens
can boast. If Christ returns for His church in our life
time, we'll take the same trip. RJS
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Friday,
May 23rd
Elisha - An Ambitious Faith
II Kings 2:13-15
Elisha
had an unusual opportunity. He had the opportunity to
learn from one of Israel's greatest prophets. Elijah
was an unusual prophet. Elijah's ministry was during
a time of great apostasy. It is hard to imagine a time
more difficult than that of the rule of Ahab and Jezebel.
Yet, during this difficult time, Elijah stood valiantly
for the truth. As the nation gathered on Mt. Carmel, the truth was upheld in
a public and powerful way.
Many would have felt
content just to learn from Elijah, but not Elisha.
In II Kings 2:19, we read where Elijah says to
Elisha, Ask what I shall
do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of
thy spirit be upon me. In other words, he wants
to be better and more effective than Elijah. He doesn't
want to just follow in Elijah's footsteps, he wants
to surpass him. It is interesting to note that Elisha
has twice the number of miracles attributed to him as
Elijah.
God often blesses us
according to our faith. If we believe Him for much,
we receive much. If we believe Him for little, we receive
little. Sadly, many come not seeking much. Elisha is not like this. He desires great blessing.
We see the same principle in our Lord's ministry. As
Jesus, Himself, comes to his own country we read, (Matthew
13:58) he did
not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
When it comes to Elisha's
life, his blessing was not limited by a lack of vision
and faith. He sought and found unusual blessing. Elijah,
himself, says in response to Elisha's
request, (II Kings 2:10) Thou hast asked a hard thing! It is sad, but a great many
people seek great and hard things when it comes to things
of this world, but few seek great and hard things when
it comes to faith. There are not many examples in the
Bible, where people sought some spiritual blessing and
did not find it, so long as they sought in faith. When
we think about this, we ought to ask ourselves every
day, what is possible? What am I willing to trust God
to accomplish in my life? If we did this, we might not
lack because of a failure to seek. DW
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Saturday,
May 24th
Ezra: Building the Second Temple and Reading the Book
Ezra 7
Faithful Ezra, who was
a 16th generation grandson of Aaron, Moses' brother,
was a faithful scribe and was skilled in the Law of
Moses, the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Old
Testament. In fact, tradition has it that he had the
law memorized and could write it from memory. The scriptures
record for us a very special statement about Ezra in
Ezra 7:6 the hand of the Lord his God upon him.
Also it is recorded, Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law
of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
We need to understand
that Ezra was leading the 2nd of 3 waves of the people
of Israel back to Judah after being in captivity
for 70 years. Ezra's role as a scribe was critical to
reinstate the nation of Israel since the leaders had to
go back to the law and interpret it. This was a huge
task because many aspects of life had changed in the
1000 years since the law was first given. The first
temple of Solomon had been destroyed and so
the foundation for the second temple had been laid,
with the temple being rebuilt, even though it was a
lot smaller. The Babylonian King, Artaxerxes (the same king that Daniel served under),
gave Ezra a decree, upon Ezra's request, to go back
to Jerusalem and reinstate the godly
leadership as God led him.
The lessons for us today
are the same as what Ezra had determined to do in Ezra
7:10; to seek, to do, and to teach. The pattern of Ezra's
preparation is one that we should seek after. He studied
God's Word before he attempted to live a life of obedience,
and he studied and practiced God's Word in his own life
before he opened his mouth to teach it. Finally, the
success of Ezra's leadership did not come from his own
strength alone, rather it was
because the good hand of the Lord was upon him! Evaluation
time! Where do we stand today as leaders of our families
and leaders of God's people? Do we know God's Word as
we ought? Have we studied to show ourselves approved
unto God? Ezra did and God blessed and used him in a
mighty way!
Dear Lord God, Thank
You for the example of Faithful Ezra. Please forgive
us for not studying Your Word as we should. Help us
to follow the example of Ezra and live obediently for
You. Amen. DM
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Sunday,
May 25th
Nehemiah the Faithful Cup
Bearer
Nehemiah 2 and following
Nehemiah was of the tribe
of Judah. He may have been born in
Persia. The only reason we say
that is because he may have been a youth when he was
attached to the royal court where his appearance and
personal discipline led him to a very select position
as the cup bearer to King Artaxerxes,
the Persian ruler. This position gave him access to
all royal functions where liquids were served to the
King and Queen. His main job was to taste the liquid
in the cup in the presence of the king and if it had
no evil affects on Nehemiah, the king knew it was safe
for him to drink. We don't know how long he served in
this capacity, but one day his brother, Hanani,
returned from Jerusalem and told Nehemiah of the
conditions of their home city and the destruction of
the walls and the Temple. Nehemiah was appalled with
this report.
Nehemiah spent days and
nights in fasting and prayer, so much so that the king
noticed the haggard look on Nehemiah's face and questioned
him as to why? Nehemiah sent up a quickie prayer to
heaven and then revealed his heart to the King. The
king had compassion and told Nehemiah to prepare for
a journey to Jerusalem and assess the damage and
make the repairs. Nehemiah asked for letters to the
satraps, (governors) of the provinces between Susa and Jerusalem. These letters were given
and also many soldiers were given to Nehemiah so that
he might have a safe journey.
When our hero arrived,
he was in deep despair at the condition of the city
and went out at night and surveyed the walls and the
city, telling no one of his mission. When he had completed
the survey and determined the men and materials to rebuild
the walls, he then made known his intentions and in
little more than seven, short weeks, the walls were
repaired. There was much opposition both in the city
and the surrounding area, but this did not keep Nehemiah
from doing the job he had returned home to do. Nehemiah
had determination and allowed nothing to stop his mission.
This is the kind of determination needed in governmental
leaders in this day of vacillation and passing the buck.
We need leaders in the church and government who have
a divine mission and will let nothing turn them from
their conquest. Remember to pray for our President and
service people every day! RJS
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Monday,
May 26th
Esther - Courageous
Faith
Esther 4:13-17
History tells us that
the king that Esther married was a very unpredictable
and volatile character. It was not an easy thing for
her to put her neck on the line, but she did. Before
she went down an important and dangerous path, she wanted
God's people to fast and pray. From the historical record
of this king, her concerns for her safety were very
reasonable. Yet, she recognized her opportunity, and
the responsibility that went along with it. She purposed
in her heart to do right in spite of what might happen.
In Esther 4:16, we read her heart in the matter.
She said, if I perish, I perish.
It is clear from the
Biblical record, that God set the nation of Israel apart from all people on
this earth to be the special recipient of His love and
blessing. So, also the enemy has chosen Israel to be a special recipient
of hate. At this time, an organized government effort
was launched to exterminate the Jewish people. Adolf
Hitler went down a similar path. The day is coming when
the Antichrist will launch a similar effort. In each
case, God will deliver His people from the hand of the
enemy. Hitler's effort resulted in the physical rebirth
of the nation. Antichrist's effort will result in the
spiritual rebirth of the nation.
In other words, the enemy
has a very hateful and destructive purpose, but God
is able to take evil and bring something good out of
it. Esther's uncle asks a very thought provoking question
that is never directly answered in this book. Mordecai
says to Esther, (Esther 4:14) who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such
a time as this? In effect, he says God may have brought you into
the kings harem in order to
save His people, Israel. God uses this whole situation
to bring blessing to His people. Mordecai becomes one
of the kings key advisors and comes up with a creative plan
to save the Jews. According to the kings
decree which could not be changed, the enemies of the
Jews were given authority to kill them and take their
property on a certain day. Mordecai's plan is to allow
the Jews to defend themselves. This plan works very
well, but was made possible by Esther's courageous faith.
The path of faith is not easy. It demands courage. DW
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Tuesday,
May 27th
Mordecai: A Faithful Jew
in a Foreign Land
Esther 9, 10
Today we see God's providence
at work in a man who was among the fourth generation
of deported Jews. Mordecai's great grandfather Kish, had actually experienced
the Babylonian deportation to Babylon. Kish represents a Benjamite family name that could be traced back (1100
B.C.) to Saul's father in 1 Samuel 9:1. Mordecai
had brought up Hadassah as his own daughter, (Esther)
who was his uncle's daughter, as her father and mother
had died. Mordecai was a faithful man of God and stood
for truth and for righteousness.
First we see that he
is used of God to bring Esther to become Queen to King
Ahasuerus for the purpose
of preserving the nation of Israel. Then we see that Faithful
Mordecai discovers a plot against the king while he
was at the gate to the city. Thirdly, we see that an
evil and satanically controlled man, Haman,
who was conspiring to kill the Jewish nation. Through
Mordecai's Faithfulness and Queen Esther's courage,
the king discovers the evil intentions of Haman and he is hanged on the gallows that he had
personally built to hang the Jews on. The faithfulness
of Mordecai and his godly integrity stood up for God's
truth and ultimately he was recognized by the king as
a great man. He was given a place of honor and he became
2nd in the land under the king. His faithfulness to
God preserved the nation of Israel.
What lessons can we glean
from Faithful Mordecai? First, we need to be saved;
we need to know Christ as Savior. Secondly, we need
to be men and women who will serve obediently and faithfully,
ready to complete the tasks that God has for us. Thirdly,
we need to be people of integrity and stand for truth
and righteousness in the face of great tribulation even
at the cost of our lives. If we are willing to faithfully
serve the Lord in the same way as Mordecai, we will
be prepared to do whatever the Lord has in store for
us, witnessing of His great love and salvation, and
serving even to the preservation of His chosen people!
May God's Name be lifted on High!
O Gracious Savior, we
praise You and thank You for Your great Salvation. Thank
You for the example of Mordecai and how You used his
faithfulness. Father we desire to serve You faithfully,
too. Amen. DM
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Wednesday,
May 28th
Job the Defender of the Faith
and Defeat of Satan
Job 1 & 2 & 19:25-27
Job is one of the great
hero's of the faith as recorded all through the book.
It is certain that Job lived before the giving of the
Law, because are no references to Jewish rites, manners,
customs, religious ceremonies, priesthood, festivals,
feasts, Sabbaths, or anything commanded by Moses. There
is no question that the relationship Job had with God
was comparable to that of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Job was the priest in the family and offered sacrifices
for the family as recorded in Job 1:4-5And his
sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his
day; and sent and called for their three sisters to
eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the
days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent
and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning,
and offered burnt offerings according to the number
of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have
sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job
continually. If ever there was an example for
us to follow in our prayers for our family, it is here.
He brought his seven sons and three daughters before
the Lord daily.
The next picture is of
Satan telling God that God had a hedge about Job and
if it were removed, Job would curse God as other men
did. Faith was put to the test and WON! Believer's spiritual
integrity is put to the test many times each day. How
do we respond to it? Do we blow up at the slightest
offense, or do we pray for the one offending us. Are
there times when your children would rather be in church
than at home? Does the same thing apply to your spouse
or friends? Job did not lose his integrity when his
three friends accused him of being a great sinner. He
refused to acquiesce to his wife when his body was covered
from head to foot with boils. InJob 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine
integrity? curse God, and die.
Lastly, Job believed
in life after death; Job 19:26 And though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see
God. Not just spiritual life,
but physical life also. He may not have understood what
we know about the glorified body from the New Testament,
but he was convinced that he would see God in his body.
He believed in a resurrection from the grave even as
we do. RJS
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Thursday,
May 29th
David - A Heart of Faith
Psalm 51
David was a good man.
We read in God's Word that he was a man after the heart
of God. He was a passionate man. As he goes down to
the battle, he is troubled to hear Goliath speak against
God and against Israel. His heart is stirred to
act and he does. He loves God and he loves the people.
We see this throughout his life. Sadly, his passions
not only lead to great victories, but to great defeats.
We find him giving way
to pride and numbering the nation. Even worse, we find
him giving way to adultery and murder. Giving way to
unbridled passion is dangerous; however, love is not
void of feeling. Therefore, without the right kind of
passion, there can be no righteousness. Indeed, love
involves the deepest of feelings. With our limited understanding,
truth and love seem to be at odds. There is ever a tendency
to compromise truth because of love and compassion for
others. Likewise, there is a tendency to not feel love
and compassion for others as we uphold the truth. If
our understanding were perfect, we would know that there
is no love where the truth is compromised, and there
is no truth without the deepest compassion and love.
As David repents of his
sin, he says some very profound things. For example,
we read Psalm 51:6 thou desirest
truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou
shalt make me to know wisdom. David does not
see his failure as a foolish indiscretion. He sees it
as rooted to the very core of his being. Therefore,
he prays, (Psalm 51:10) Create in me a clean heart,
O God; and renew a right spirit
within me. His problem is his heart and spirit.
His heart and spirit are corrupt. What can he do? Some
people think giving God something will correct the problem.
It will not. We read in Psalm 51:17,where
he says, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart. In other words,
before the problem can be solved, he must feel the weight
of his own sin and evil. It is only then that he will
find real repentance. He needs to love God and others.
He needs to love the truth. If these feelings are right
in light of his sin, his heart and spirit will be broken.
Say, have you ever been broken over your own sin? This
is the first step to salvation. DW
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Friday,
May 30th
Daniel: Faith Unquestioned
Daniel 1
This record of Daniel
in 605 B.C. who's name means, "God is my Judge,"
is one that stands alone of a young man that loved the
Lord his God with all his heart and with all his soul
and with all his might. Here is a teen-ager who was
about 15 years old, who had been taken captive and taken
away from his family and friends and country, into Babylonian
culture for the task of assisting in dealing with the
imported Jews. Here we see a young man who purposed
to serve the Lord faithfully with his life and as we
read the whole account of Daniel, we find that he was
also a man of faithful daily prayer. He spent the rest
of his life in Babylon
(85 plus years) and he made the most of his exile, successfully
exalting God by his character and his service. He quickly
rose to the role of statesman by official royal appointment
and served as a confidante of kings, as well as, a prophet
of God in the two world empires of the Babylonians and
the Medo-Persians.
Can we place ourselves
into the shoes of this young man of God today? What
would we have done if we had been the one who was kidnapped
away from our family and country and taken to serve
in a foreign land under a pagan king? The answer is
pretty simple. We probably would not have been people
of Faith as this young man was. Would we have chosen
to serve God regardless of the circumstances? Again
the answer is pretty simple. We more than likely would
have failed here, too. Lastly, would we have been men
and women of prayer as Daniel was? This is the whole
key to Daniel's great life! He was a man of prayer.
He prayed faithfully day in and day out. He was even
cast into the den of lions because he prayed to God
Almighty and would not stop. He passionately remembered
his home, particularly the temple at Jerusalem,
almost 70 years later after having been taken from it.
Oh, that we could learn this most important lesson.
We need to be Christians who pray! 2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us the reason.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall
humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn
from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Dear Lord God, we are
truly humbled by this faithful man Daniel. Forgive us
of our sin of lack of prayer. Help us Dear Lord to be
faithful to pray without ceasing! We Love You! DM
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Saturday, May 31st
Jonah's Lapse of Faith and
Bitterness
The Book of Jonah 1- 4
Jonah was called of God
to go to Nineveh to preach repentance of
their sins or perish, but he bought a one-way ticket
to Tarshish. He went in the wrong direction. Jonah's
mind was changed by a series of events that none of
us would want to go through. God uses circumstances
to turn us around just as He did to Jonah. Most of those
reading this devotional can look back and see where
God used events or circumstances to turn them in the
right direction. There was a vicious storm; pagan sailors
praying to their pagan gods and all to no avail. Lots
were drawn and Jonah was the one with whom God was angry.
The sailors tried to avoid the sinking of the ship by
casting overboard the freight they were carrying. They
were trying to save themselves by works. Finally, in
desperation they cast Jonah into the sea, but God prepared
a great fish to ferry Jonah to the shore from whence
he set out, and Jonah hotfooted it to Nineveh.
He preached and they
responded from the beggar to the king. A great revival
was born in that wicked city and God spared them from
the destruction he had promised if they did not repent.
The mercies of God are from eternity past to eternity
future. Jonah should have learned his lesson, but when
they repented Jonah was again disobedient to the Lord's
calling and angry because God did not destroy Nineveh. Jonah should have been
rejoicing over sinners repenting and turning to God
(the angels do), but not Jonah.
Jonah watched the Lord
bless the city and he went out on a hill and sat down
and had a pity party. Jonah 4:2-3 And he prayed
unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not
this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore
I fled before unto Tarshish:
for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful,
slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest
thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech
thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die
than to live.
Something good came from
Jonah; he was in the fish 3 days and nights. This is
a picture of our Lord's time in the tomb and a sign
to the Jews and to us. All born again Christians, both
living and dead, shall be resurrected to eternal life.
Are you looking forward to that day? RJS
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