March 20, 2023
 Daily Reading – Deuteronomy 2-3 / Mark 15:24-47

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Deuteronomy 3:21-22 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you. .

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

    People go to great lengths to try and know the future. If any pastor wants to have a full house at the church, just preach on the book of the Revelation of John. People are fascinated with the future. Some will even go to sinful Psychics or read that hocus-pocus nonsense they call a horoscope to gain some idea of what is ahead. I have a much better way of predicting the future.

 

    For the first three chapters of Deuteronomy God used Moses to retell the story of the journey the Children of Israel made over the last forty years. Most of the people Moses was talking to did not remember all of the journey. Only Caleb, Joshua, and Moses had been around for the entire time, and God has told Moses he is about to die. Why would God have Moses take so much time to recall all that had happened during this Journey? Simple, if you see what God has done in the past, you will know how God will react in the future. In Malachi 3:6 it says; “For I am the LORD, I change not;…” This is repeated again in the New Testament in Hebrews 13:8 when it says; “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” In today’s verses God told Moses to tell Joshua to remember the journey they had come through. He told him to remember that he had seen what God had done in fighting for them in the past. Know that this same God will take care of their future. If we are to know our future, we must simply remember our journey with God. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    Instead of trying to foretell the future, why not just let God, who controls the future, have full control of our lives. Proverbs 29:25 says; “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.“

 

Doesn’t that sound a lot more secure?

 

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Deuteronomy 1:39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

    One of the hardest things I have been called upon to do as a Pastor is to stand beside grieving parents after the passing of a newborn child. I was called to the hospital one morning, and as I walked down onto the maternity floor, I could hear the sobs of a heartbroken mother. Her baby of only a few days, stopped breathing during the night. The doctors had done all they could, the faces of the nursing staff depicted their remorse. As I stepped into the room, the father broke down in tears, he grabbed me and looked at me and said, “WHY Preacher? Why did God take my baby?” There is never an answer to that question. After a while of weeping together, things started to calm a bit and the mom said, “Pastor, My baby is in heaven, right?” My answer was then and still is today, “Yes, I believe God keeps children safe until they are old enough to know good from evil, right from wrong.” 

 

     Most Pastors you talk to believe this. 2 Samuel 12:23 is where we often turn when David says after the death of his child “… I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” Meaning the child was in heaven and someday they would be re-united. However, in Deuteronomy 1:39 I believe we can hear the heart of God toward infant children as it says; “…and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.”    

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    I like what Jesus said in Luke 18:19 “…Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.” I am in no way trying to re-write scripture, but I think it would be accurate to say, that before there is good, there was God.
 

Don’t you just love how God loves children?

 

 THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

    No matter what the situation believers may find themselves in, you will always find, God Is There. We saw that in:

 

  ● Blessed Gathering
  ● Before I Go…
  ● Battle For Good
  ● Bargaining For Gilead
  ● Boundaries Are Given
  ● Before There Was Good

    God is always there. That does not mean we will never face any trials. It simply means we never face one alone.

 

     Enjoy today with your church and hear what God has prepared in the heart of His man for you this week.

   See you tomorrow.  

 

 SUNDAYS:

    Today we suggest you read and study whatever the Lord has laid on your Pastors heart. Whatever scripture he uses for today’s messages were given to him by God for your specific needs.

 

March 20, 2023	Deuteronomy 2-3	Mark 15:24-47
March 21, 2023	Deuteronomy 4-5	Mark 16
March 22, 2023	Deuteronomy 6-8	Luke 1:1-38
March 23, 2023	Deuteronomy 9-11	Luke 1:39-56
March 24, 2023	Deuteronomy 12-14	Luke 1:57-80
March 25, 2023	Deuteronomy 15-17	Luke 2:1-24
March 26, 2023	No Passages Assigned

God Is There

 March 17, 2023
 Daily Reading – Numbers 34-35 / Mark 14:43-72

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Numbers 34:2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) 

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

    We all live with boundaries. They are all around us. Some are physical boundaries. Our homes or apartments have walls and doors which make up the boundaries of our living space. These boundaries give us a sense of security and ownership. Our personal belongings are kept inside the boundaries of our home. Once we move inside the home, more boundaries are created. Bedrooms are private areas that are off limits to guests coming in our home. These are boundaries we all welcome and enjoy. As a little boy, my parents said I could go outside to play, but not to leave the yard. There was no fence, but I knew where the edge of the property was and where NOT TO GO. This was for my safety. Boundaries help us know what is ours, and where we should feel safe and protected.

 

    In today’s passage, God shares with Israel just where the boundaries of this promised land are. He explains not only the outer edge of what is to be the Nation of Israel, but also how to divide it up once they move in. All the boundaries were set up by God so they could know what He had given them, and they could feel safe and protected inside these boundaries. God said these boundaries are special. This was not just Israel’s home, but also God’s home. In Numbers 35:34 He says; “Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.” 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    God has given us as believers boundaries to live within. These boundaries are not prisons we live in, but rather are meant to let us know we are safe and protected. You see, our bodies are not just what we live in, God has moved in there as well.

 

Are we keeping His place undefiled?

 

 

 March 16, 2023
 Daily Reading – Numbers 32-33 / Mark 14:17-42

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Numbers 32:5 Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

 
    When was the last time you thought you had found a bargain, and it turned out to be a burden? Some of you may have looked at a car and seen all the pretty shiny exterior, looked inside at the fancy radio and seats, and thought, I must have this car. Only to find out later, all the glamour of the outside, did not make up for the tons of cash you had to pour into the mechanics just to keep the thing running. The old phrase, “All that Glitters is not Gold” comes to mind about then.

 

    The families of Reuben and Gad had seen the land just outside of the land God had promised the Children of Israel. It was the land of Gilead which was fertile ground and was good for their cattle. So they devised a plan to make this their inheritance and not go over into the promised land to live. They began bargaining for this land by saying they would help the other families fight for the promised land, but they would come back to Gilead to live after the land was secured. And so they did. Just outside of the will of God. However, in the long run, this turned out to be a horrible choice. You see, the people who stayed there, known latter as the Gadarenes, stayed away from God’s will. They became infatuated with the worldly goods. So much so that when Jesus was in their land it says in Luke 8:37 “Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear:…” 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

     
    Sadly, today many live as the Gadarenes. They go to church occasionally but live just outside the will of God. Half in the world, half for Christ. In Matthew 6:24 it says, “No man can serve two masters:…” Trying to do so is bargaining for trouble.

 

Who is it that you choose to serve?

 

 

 March 15, 2023
 Daily Reading – Numbers 30-31 / Mark 14:1-16

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Numbers 31:3 And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

    Growing up I remember times when my dad and mom would not let me play with certain kids. They would say things like, “that kid is up to no good and I do not want you to be caught up in his problems.” I did not understand it then. To me that was mean. They were just children to play with. However, my parents saw something else that I did not see. Later, when I grew up and had children of my own, I remember having the same talk with my children about some of the kids they wanted to play with. I am sorry to say that as a parent I very seldom was wrong. I am sorry because the children I did not want my child hanging around with, often grew up to be involved in many other serious issues throughout their life.

 

    The Midianites had been A problem for the children of Israel many times in the past. Their worship of idols and rejection of God was bad enough. However, then they enticed many from the tribes of Israel to join them. Seducing them into also rebelling against God. God told Moses as a final act before you die, I want to rid the children of Israel from this terrible influence. They are no good for Israel. Moses however sees this as getting rid of them for God because they were no good for God. How wonderful it is that both Moses and God had the same idea. God was protecting Israel and their good name, and Moses was protecting God and His good name. Both saw this as a battle for good.

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    When God says in 2 Cor. 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;…” He is not being mean; He is being a loving Father who sees past what we can see.

 

Isn’t it great to see how much He cares?