April 24, 2023
  Daily Reading – Ruth 3-1 Samuel 1 / Luke 16:1-17

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        The Mona Lisa is considered to be one of the most valuable paintings in the world. According to Wikipedia it is one of the most visited, most written about, and most sung about pieces of art ever. It has been said the artist, Leonardo da Vinci, had lingered over it for four years before adding touches here and there, and he died saying it was not complete. Much has been said about this painting from the placement of the hands, said to depict that she was a virtuous and faithful wife, to her smile which has had people talking for centuries. The mystique of the Mona Lisa is in the eye of the beholder..

 

         A good testimony is very much like the details of a piece of art like the Mona Lisa. Boaz said to Ruth in Ruth 3:11, “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.” What a statement buried in the middle of this book. Everyone in town, he said, knows that you are a virtuous woman. A lady of high moral standards. That kind of recognition does not happen overnight. It occurs after people have watched every movement, every action, and critiqued every detail of your life. They have listened to every word, how it is said, and to whom. In short, it means you have a good testimony among the people who know you best. People work years to obtain this testimony, which is all too easy to ruin.. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

         God intends for you to be His Mona Lisa. However, He allows you to apply the brush strokes forming the picture of your life. We cannot erase the past, but we can paint a beautiful future for others to see and admire.

 

What do people see, looking at the artwork of your life?

 

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Ruth 2:12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

 

       The book of Ruth is a wonderful book with several applications to believers today. We see a picture of someone from a life of sin, such as the idol worshiping Moabites, not only welcomed into God’s family, but becoming a part of the lineage of Christ on earth. When we put our faith in Christ, we too are adopted into the family of God and become the bride of Christ. We see Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, realizing the blessings of God for a child of God, are not found in the world, pictured by living in Moab. It is when she comes home, God once again begins to bless her. While living in the world, she lost her husband, her sons, a daughter-in law, and her dignity. For the believer who wanders into the world, they too will find there are no blessings for them there. It is only when returning home, God will once again begin to bless their life. We also see He rewards loyalty.

 

        Ruth is loyal to the end. She is loyal to her marriage, even though she was free to marry again by the death of her husband, she decides to risk being single to be faithful to her mother-in-law. She is loyal to Naomi. She loved and respected her, and her beliefs. She is loyal to Naomi’s God. She says in Ruth 1:16, thy God shall be my God. She is loyal to the hard work of gleaning to provide for the two of them. In Ruth 2:12, Boaz says the rewards for your loyalty are found under the wings of your Lord. The Lord rewards loyalty even today.

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

 

    The devil and the world try to tempt you to wander. They entice you with glitz and glamour. However, for the child of God, they always leave you empty. Psalm 118:8 says, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” 
 

To whom will you pledge your loyalty?

 

 THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

 

    In each of the devotions over this past week we should ask the question “WHO IS LORD?” It would have settled the issues of:

● Who Will Lead
● Who Owns The Land
● Who Will Learn
● Who Is Leading And Lost
● Who Remembers Lot
● Who Rewards Loyalty

    It will also take care of the issues we face today if we will ask and correctly answer the question, “WHO IS LORD?”

 

     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.

 

April 24, 2023	Ruth 3-1 Samuel 1	Luke 16:1-17
April 25, 2023	1 Samuel 2-4	Luke 16:18-31
April 26, 2023	1 Samuel 5-8	Luke 17
April 27, 2023	1 Samuel 9-11	Luke 18:1-30
April 28, 2023	1 Samuel 12-13	Luke 18:31-43
April 29, 2023	1 Samuel 14-15	Luke 19:1-27
April 30, 2023	No Passages Assigned

Who Is Lord

  April 21, 2023
  Daily Reading – Judges 19-20 / Luke 14

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Judges 19:22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

      Let me see if I have this right. In Judges 19 a man takes a group of travelers into his house. The sinful sodomites of the day begin beating at the door wanting to “know him.” The owner of the house, according to the custom of the day, tries everything he can to divert them from his guest. Even to the point of foolishly offering his daughter. The sinful men refuse and want the male guest instead. The city and authorities have apparently accepted this sinfulness and even defend them in Judges 20. God then allows the city to be destroyed with only a few people left alive. Have not I heard this somewhere before?

 

      I seem to remember back in Genesis 19, in a city called Sodom something like this happened. In fact in Genesis 19:5 we hear almost the same thing as it says; “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” Lot, trying to protect his guest at all cost, also offers these men the same thing, his daughters. The sinful men refuse and keep beating at the door, even after God smites them with blindness. The government at the time had evidently accepted this practice as “ok” at the time. God then rains brimstone and fire on the city and destroys it with only a few managing to escape alive. I just wonder, how many times does this picture need to be painted by God before someone begins to understand? 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

      Sin will always be sin. No matter how society tries to dress it up and paint it as something else. God has painted a pretty clear picture. Under it He wrote this verse. Lev. 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” 

 

Do we get the picture?

 

 

  April 20, 2023
  Daily Reading – Judges 16-18 / Luke 13:18-35

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Judges 18:3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       I am a guy. Sounds simple enough, but it is just a disclaimer. Guys do not always follow directions very well. I know a few times before GPS systems were installed in cars, I kind of, sort of, got a little bit off track. OK! Do not tell anyone I said this, but I got lost. Even worse than that, I was not alone in the car. I not only got lost myself, but everyone in the car with me was lost, and did not even realize it. (Or at least they were kind enough not to say anything.)

 

       In today’s reading we find a Levite who was lost. How did he find himself lost? Well, He was not where he was supposed to be. In Joshua 21 we are told that the Levites were given cities to dwell in. Yet this Levite was not satisfied with what he had and decided to find something else. Levites were taken care of by God. However, this young man becomes Micah’s personal hired priest. Micah was an idol worshipper. This is contrary to everything this Levite knew to be right. Still, the money was good, the living conditions were comfortable, and so he moved in and makes himself at home among a religion he knows is wrong. In Judges 18:3 he is asked questions that should have made him think. What led you to this place? Why would you live in this? What do you have here? Truth was, God had not led him there, nor would God bless him there. He had no purpose in this place. He is leading and lost. Later we find he follows after fame with a larger group. Lost and confused. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

       Sadly, today many young believers are like this young Levite. Comfortable in the wrong place. Following a crowd and missing God’s blessings. Satan is a grand deceiver, leading people away from what is right. God is calling, “COME HOME!”

 

Is where you are, where you should be?

 

 

  April 19, 2023
  Daily Reading – Judges 12-15 / Luke 13:1-17

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Judges 13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       Some of you need to stop thinking so loud. I can almost hear your thoughts as you read, Judges 13:1 and it says once again, ”And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD;” You are asking yourself, will these Israelites ever learn? We have read the same statement, of the same people, doing the same thing, over, and over again. They do evil in the sight of the Lord, and then cry out to God. God sends a judge to help get them get out of the mess they find themselves in again, then the judge dies, and the children of Israel go right back to the same old nonsense that got them in trouble in the first place. Will they ever learn?

 

       Even as I write this and begin to think on this pattern of behavior, it becomes convicting to me in my life, as I am sure if your honest, it does you as well. The children of Israel are not so much different than we are. We sin, we pray, we cry out to God for forgiveness, God restores our fellowship, and in just a short time we find ourselves having to cry out to Him again. Sometimes for the same thing we had to ask for forgiveness for before, other times for something different. However, every time for doing something we know is offensive to God. It is so easy to read about the children of Israel and think, will they ever learn. I wonder if a real to life book was written about us, if someone a few hundred years from today would say, will they ever learn? 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

      How blessed are we that God’s mercy is everlasting. Psalm 103:17 says; “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;” 

 

Have you thanked God for His mercy lately?