Daily Devotion – Moments That Matter

Great Reward 

AUGUST 7, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 18-21 / Acts 28:17-31

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        What does every State Lottery prove? What does the Publishers Clearing House, with their promise of wonderful jackpots verify? What is the one thing that all the Casino’s popping up all over the world attests to? It is that people want a GREAT REWARD. It also proves sadly, that people do not want to work for, or earn such a reward. The Bible tells us exactly where we can find the really GREAT REWARD. It is by reading, believing, and following the words of God.

 

        In Psalm 19 David lays out in great detail the benefits a person receives by trusting God’s Word. He refers to it with many accurate terms. He calls it the law, the testimony, the statutes, the commandment, the fear, and the judgments of the LORD. Each term holding a special meaning. There are many laws of the Lord. The laws handed down to Moses are the most thought of. However, there is also the laws of nature given by God, and the law of Grace extended through His Son Jesus. Testimonies tell of truths. Statues are often seen as appointments given to man by God. Commandments are orders given by a trusted leader. Fear speaks of respect or worship, and judgments are pronouncements of justice. David says these things are perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, and righteous altogether. What will these words do? They convert the soul, make us wise, bring joy to our heart, give us guidance in life and last forever. Sounds like a really Great Reward to me. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Instead of looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, why not get real treasure from the pages of your Bible. David said in Psa. 19:10 it is, “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:” 

 

Why gamble when you have a sure thing?

 

 

Following What’s Wrong

 August 5 & 6, 2023
 August 5 – Daily Reading – Psa. 11-17 / Acts 28:1-16
 August 6 – NO READING

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 16:4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Is Football wrong? Is NASCAR sinful? Is owning a boat a sign of someone who is morally bankrupt? The answer is NO! (WOW, I imagine right now some of you are glad to hear that.) However, when they become what we worship over the one true God, then yes. You see, items, material goods, hobbies, sports, etc. are not in themselves sinful. None of these things can make us sin. Yet, any of these things, or anything, can be used by Satan to distract our attention away from God. David in today’s Psalm said, “Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god:” Oh how often I have witnessed this to be true. What started out as a simple pass time or hobby, became an obsession, and it has taken people away from church, family, and even God.

 

        Several years ago a young youth pastor at the church I attended shared a message entitled “The God Shelf.” The main concept was that everyone has a shelf in their life on which they keep what they worship most. The rule was, there could only be one thing on that shelf at a time. Whatever held that prominent position was then your god. If your car became your obsession, then you had to remove God from His place on that shelf and put your car there. It could be a job, hobbies, sports, or anything at all. However, you were only allowed one thing on that God shelf. All too often we end up following after what is wrong. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        In Col. 1:18 Paul wrote of God, “…that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Is God preeminent, first place in your life? Does the worship of God, or the worship of something else have your attention, and consume your thoughts and time?

 

What is on your God shelf?

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

        Everything in the Christian life revolves around one word, one inner peace and security, and that is FAITH. It is that faith in God that sees us through situations like we saw this week in:

  ● Future Of All Man
  ● Final Exam
  ● Forgetting Nothing
  ● Fearful, Or Foolish
  ● Falling In Your Own Trap
  ● Following What’s Wrong

      That’s why Gal 3:11 is so true when it says, “the just shall live by FAITH.”

       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.

August 7, 2023	Psa. 18-21	Acts 28:17-31
August 8, 2023	Psa. 22-26	Rom. 1
August 9, 2023	Psa. 27-32	Rom. 2
August 10, 2023	Psa. 33-36	Rom. 3
August 11, 2023	Psa. 37-41	Rom. 4
August 12, 2023	Psa. 42-47	Rom. 5
August 13, 2023	No Passages Assigned

FAITH

 

Falling In Your Own Trap

AUGUST 4, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 6-10 / Acts 27:21-44

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 9:15-16 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        The saying goes, “If you give a man enough rope, he will hang himself with it.” It has proven time and again to be true. Law Enforcement knows this to be true and proves it with lengthy interrogations. I know some have told lies to get people to confess. But if you just let someone talk long enough, they will most often get around to incriminating themselves. Lawyers practice this principle when they have a witness on the stand. They keep asking questions until someone slips up and tells them what they need to know. Politicians often are their own worst enemy. They look good getting ready for the debates, that is until they open their mouth and say something really dumb. What they had sat out to do to the others, someone turned it around and has done it to them. People often fall into their own traps.

        David exclaims in this Psalm that the Lord is known by His judgments. That often, while allowing sinful man enough time to repent, they do not, and they continue until they actually hurt themselves. Adam and Eve wanted more out of life, bit of the forbidden fruit and lost their life. Judas was all about the money, until he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Then conviction overtook him, and he took his own life. I guess one of the best biblical examples would be Haman who built a gallows to hang Mordecai and ended up being hanged there himself. Sin is a trap. Play in it long enough, and it will get you. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        God does not set traps for people. He does not dig pits for us to fall into. In fact, He is constantly warning us of these snares of life. Yet, man himself sets so many sinful traps in life that he forgets where they are and falls headlong into his own trap.

Are you aware of sins snares?

Fearful, Or Foolish

AUGUST 3, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 1-5 / Acts 27:1-20

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 5:4-5 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Looking around the world today, in fact, in any day and age, we see sinfulness all around. David saw it and was grieved by it way back in his era. Your grandma and grandpa complained of the sinfulness during their time on earth. It may appear that sin is more rampant today than ever before, but any sin and all sin is an affront to God. Imagine if you will that I were to set a delicious plate of food before you that looked and smelled delicious. Then I said, “Eat up and enjoy. Oh, and just so you know, there is only one small dot of deadly poison in there somewhere, but not to worry, it is just one drop.” Would you eat that plate of food? Most reasonable people would be fearful of that one drop of poison and refuse it. Only a foolish person would just dive in, imagining that somehow it would not hurt them. 

 

        David, in Psalm 5 speaks of two groups of people. Those who fear God and reverence Him, and those who foolishly ignore Him. In verses 4 and 5 of this Psalm he says that God takes no pleasure in wickedness. That means even a dot of wickedness. He also says evil does not dwell near God. So then how is a Christain allowed entrance into heaven? We know even Christians sin sometimes. It is the difference of being fearful, or foolish. The foolish just do not care. The fearful accept that God sent His Son to die for our sin and fall daily at the mercy of God. The foolish will play in their sin. The fearful try to run from it. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        God does not hate people. God hates sin. It is when a person will not admit their sinfulness and willfully refuse God’s mercy and grace that they are considered foolish. The fearful, are simply sinners, who have been saved by God’s grace through His Son Jesus.

 

Which are you?

 

 

Forgetting Nothing

AUGUST 2, 2023
Daily Reading – Job 39-42 / Acts 26

GOD’S WORD:

Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Did God forget something? Our verse today, Job 42:10 says, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” When Job prayed for the forgiveness of his friends, (who had been somewhat miserable friends,) God released him from the oppression he was under. This does teach us about the need and the power of forgiving. However, it also says that God gave Job twice as much as he originally lost. Twice as many sheep, camels, oxen, and donkeys. Yet Job was only blessed with seven sons and three daughters. Granted that is a large family, but it is the same number of children he had to begin with. Job 1:2 says, “And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.” That is not double, it is the same. Did God forget something?

 

        Oh no my friend, God did not mess up here. You see God blessed Job with another ten children. However, in Job 19:25 Job said, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:” Job knew that in the resurrection which he spoke of, he would see those first ten children again. Even Job’s life was twice as long as Psalm 90:10 says a natural man’s days should be when it said. “The days of our years are threescore years and ten…” Oh no dear friend, God is forgetting nothing. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        You can trust in God’s Word when He says something. The blessings and promises in His Word all happen just as God says they will. That also means that when God speaks of judgement for the lost, well, that will happen like He said as well.

 

What promises are you anticipating?