DEVOTIONS

Peace

OCTOBER 12, 2023
Daily Reading – Isa. 25-28 / Phil. 2

GOD’S WORD:

Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        When does the feeling of fear overtake you? When are worries most likely to get to you? When is it that you become the most afraid? I am sure several of you had numerous answers to these questions. On the other hand, I would also imagine most of the answers given would fall into an area of insecurity or unbelief.

        Most people do not experience fear standing on the sidewalk of their local town in broad daylight. However, if you lived in Los Angeles, California and an earthquake began to shake the ground you were standing on, well then you might begin to get a little worried. Or imagine that the same sidewalk was in a less than desirable part of town, at night, with no streetlights, and a place unfamiliar to you. You might find yourself a bit frightened. What changed? Was it the sidewalk? No. It was the situations you found yourself in that were out of your control. 

        One of the nice things about trusting in God is that you can know, without a shadow of doubt, nothing is out of His control. He never takes a break from watching over you. If you will truly trust in Him, He will be with you throughout all your fears. In fact, if we truly trust in Him, He will replace most of our fears with peace. His words become a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:”
 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        In Proverbs 3:5-6 it says: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” That, my friend, is a well-lit path.

Will you let God calm your fears?

Prophecy In View

OCTOBER 11, 2023
Daily Reading – Isa. 20-24 / Phil. 1

 

GOD’S WORD:

Isaiah 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Some people today say, the Bible is an old book. The Bible is not relevant today. Everything that it says has nothing to do with modern day events. I remember working in a factory back in the 1990’s in Holland, Michigan. I was witnessing to a man there who said, can you show me even one prophecy in the bible that is coming true today. Being a young Christian, I said, let me go home and study that a bit and pray about it and I will give you and answer. That night a very rare thing happened. There was an earthquake so strong in Ohio that the tremors were felt all the way up in Holland, Mi. I went back to work the next day and asked him; do you know there are nations fighting against one another today? He said yes. I asked, do you know of the famines in northern Africa in the news? He said yes. I finally asked, did you feel the earthquake last night? He said yes, that was weird. I said, would you believe me if I told you Jesus predicted those things in the Bible? He said where? I pointed to Matt. 24:7 “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” He was speechless.

 

        Today’s verse in Isaiah 24:5 is prophecy we can view in the daily news. Earth’s inhabitants have defiled this planet. God’s laws, and His Word mean very little. What is not liked, is twisted or re-written. Prophecy is not just to come, it is now. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        In the same chapter of Matthew that spoke of the earthquake, in Matthew 24:44 it says; “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” 

 

Are you still waiting for a sign?

 

Perfectly Clear Now

OCTOBER 10, 2023
Daily Reading – Isa. 15-19 / Eph. 6

 

GOD’S WORD:

Isaiah 17:7-8 At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        It never ceases to amaze me, the number of people who have been raised in Christian families, they know of God’s love, His mercy, and His grace, and yet turn from Him and do their own thing. That is, until something terrible happens in their life. It may be a time in life when the doctor says they have cancer, or possibly their marriage begins to crumble and fall apart, or a natural disaster strikes their life of some sort. Suddenly, they remember the God of their youth. They remember and turn back to what they were taught, and what they know really matters, and what works. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” God’s Word proves to be true once again.

 

        In Isaiah’s Prophecy against Damascus, we find two verses, proven to be true in lives worldwide. Isaiah 17:7-8 says, “At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.” At that day of trial and turmoil man looks to God. When tragedy strikes in the life of a person, a home, or a once God fearing nation, things become perfectly clear. Money, fame, and power are never a match for the Love of God. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Never wait for life’s trials to turn to God. For some, tragedies are life changing. For others, life’s calamities may be life ending. In Proverbs 27:1 it says, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

 

What will you do, wait or worship?

 

Purposeful Thoughts

OCTOBER 9, 2023
Daily Reading – Isa. 11-14 / Eph. 5

 

GOD’S WORD:

Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Growing up, my younger sister and I would at times, (most of the time,) fuss and fight with each other. Looking back, I can see that most of our scraps were over nothing. However, they seemed monumentally important at the time. One defense I would use when telling our parents of yet another issue was, “she did that on purpose.” My implication was this was not an accident. She had thought about it, planned it out, and then had done what she planned to do. To be fair, that was not always true, but it was a really good argument at the time. “She did that on purpose!”

 

        In today’s passage God says, He is going to do something on purpose. It actually says, Isaiah 14:24 “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:” If you think about it, this says exactly what I accused my sister of. He had thought about it, planned it out, and then promised to carry out what He has planned to do. This does not mean that every thought that crosses God’s mind gets carried out. We read in Exodus where several times God vocalized a thought He had to Moses but chose not to carry them out. What this does promise however is this, If God has thought something through, and decided it will happen, it is a done deal. In Isaiah 14:27 it says, “For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it?” The answer is, No One!  

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        In Jeremiah 29:11 God says to Israel, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” You do know, God has purposeful thoughts about you too.

 

Do you know the Peacemaker?

 

 Obviously Jesus

 OCTOBER 7 & 8, 2023
 OCTOBER 7 – Daily Reading – Isa. 8-10 / Eph. 4
 OCTOBER 8 – NO READING

 GOD’S WORD:

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.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Occasionally prophecies are very in depth, and honestly, take a lot of research, or prior knowledge to figure out. However, with even the slightest knowledge of the bible anyone can see that Isaiah 9:6-7 are obviously about Jesus. Isaiah points out some very important details about the Lord. He says, “Unto us,” to the nation of Israel, “a son,” a male child is born, a requirement to be the coming Messiah. “The government shall be upon his shoulders.” This refers to His ability to rule as King, not only over Israel, but over the entire world. His names: “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,” can be given collectively to none other than He who comes, and is able, to free us as captives from this sin filled world. “Wonderful,” a somewhat accurate description. I once heard someone say we ought to reserve the word AWESOME for Christ. However, even Awesome does not fully declare how wonderful this Saviour is. “Counsellor,” for people stood and listened in awe of how He spoke with such authority. “The mighty God, The everlasting Father,” Seeing He is an equal part of the Godhead, and deity. He even said, He and His Father are one. “The Prince of Peace,” real peace. Not a peace treaty with man, but settling the debt of man with God, bringing eternal peace. He is of the house of David, and seated on a throne that has no end. Anyone can see this is obviously Jesus. AMEN! 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Shakespeare said, “A Rose by any other name would still smell as sweet” We could say, Jesus, by many names, is still my Saviour. Acts 4:12 “…there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 

 

What does ‘Jesus” mean to you?

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

        From the very beginning, God has desired that we understand and worship only One God. He continually shows His love for us, as we have seen in:

 

  ● Oath Of Love
  ● Open My Eyes
  ● Only Me
  ● O House Of Jacob
  ● Orchestrated Confusion
  ● Obviously Jesus

 

        As this One God has proved His love for us over and over again, doesn’t it just make sense that we would show this One God that same love in return

 

       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.

 

October 9, 2023	Isa. 11-14	Eph. 5
October 10, 2023	Isa. 15-19	Eph. 6
October 11, 2023	Isa. 20-24	Phil. 1
October 12, 2023	Isa. 25-28	Phil. 2
October 13, 2023	Isa. 29-31	Phil. 3
October 14, 2023	Isa. 32-36	Phil. 4
October 15, 2023	No Passages Assigned

 

One God