DEVOTIONS

Integrity Above All

AUGUST 21, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 78-79 / Rom. 12

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 78:72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        People often love authority, power, and the spotlight. They change when they are put in charge, and they think they are being watched. I remember working with a guy in a restaurant who disliked the manager, with good cause. He said, “If I am ever made manager I will never act like that guy.” Which was good, since the manager he was talking about was arrogant and egotistical. This guy thought the sun rose and set just for him. He treated people terribly and was rude to anyone he did not like. Needless to say, he did not last long in a customer driven business. Too many people complained. Oddly enough, the guy who said he would never be like him, was made manager, and immediately began to act just like him. What happened? He let the position go to his head, and his head could not handle it. As you might guess, he did not last long either.

        In Psalm 78:70 it says God chose a man to lead the people of Israel. He did not pick a man from the military for his commanding skills. He did not choose a CEO for His leadership skills. He did not pick someone of royalty who knew the ropes of running a kingdom. It says, “He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:” See, God did not need a commander, a leader, or a man of experience. God was already all of those things. He just needed a man of Integrity. Not someone with a big head, just a big heart for God. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        It has been said that someone’s character is who that person is when no one is watching. A person with integrity does not change their character no matter who is watching. David’s integrity is what drew God’s attention.

What is God focused on when He looks at you?

 

Heart Transplant

 August 19 & 20, 2023
 August 19 – Daily Reading – Psa. 73-77 / Rom. 11
 August 20 – NO READING

 GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 73:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Heart surgery has come so far in the last few decades. Dealing with heart problems is so common today that many people go into the doctor in the morning, have their procedure, and leave and go back to work that afternoon. With that said, can you guess when the first heart transplant was performed? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Services web site, it was December 3, 1967, at the Groote Schurur Hospital in Cape Town South Africa by Dr. Christiaan Barnard. However, God had been performing heart transplants long before then.

 

        In Psalm 73 we see such a heart transplant take place. This Psalm begins with a heart that is damaged by the poison of worldliness. In verse 3 we see by the x-ray of scripture, the heart condition of envy and lust. It says, “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Further complications are evident when this heart does not realize that there is a problem. In verse 5 the patient says, “They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.” Because of this, verse 6 says this heart it now damaged with pride and violent thoughts. This heart is beyond repair and must be replaced. That is when in verse 17 God stepped in, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” God performed a heart transplant that saved this man’s eternal life. His heart is now fixed by, and on God. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        The condition of man’s heart is beyond repair. Psalm 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” God, the great physician, can replace this heart.

Have you had heart surgery?

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

         When God steps into our life, life changes. If we allow Him to, He will bless us with a life that is Happy, Holy, Healthy. We saw this in:

  ● Heaven Can Be Bought
  ● Hiding In The Church
  ● Hear My Cry, O God;
  ● Heavens Harmony
  ● Hope When Life Is Tough
  ● Heart Transplant

        Happy, Holy, Healthy. Happy to know I am saved, Holy separated to Him, with a Healthy attitude on life.”

       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 21, 2023	Psa. 78-79	Rom. 12
August 22, 2023	Psa. 80-85	Rom. 13
August 23, 2023	Psa. 86-89	Rom. 14
August 24, 2023	Psa. 90-96	Rom. 15
August 25, 2023	Psa. 97-102	Rom. 16
August 26, 2023	Psa. 103-105	1 Co. 1
August 27, 2023	No Passages Assigned

Happy, Holy, Healthy

Hope When Life Is Tough

AUGUST 18, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 69-72 / Rom. 10

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        HOPE! Most of us have been through tough times in life. Times when it may seem that all hope is gone. Maybe it was the loss of a job during a particularly tough time in life. Now what? Possibly it was the passing of a friend or relative. Someone you relied on and cared for deeply. Now they are gone. Now what? If anything in life is sure, it is that very few things in life are sure. Things continuously change, and it does not always seem like, in the moment, they are changing for good. When life happens, and all seems lost, where do you find HOPE? 

        In Psalm 71:14 David says “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.“ The comment came right after he says in vs 10 that his enemies are talking bad about him. They are getting together to talk about how to do him in. They even are saying in vs 11 that because God has left him and forsaken him there is no one to help him. Needless to say, David seems a bit overwhelmed. Yet still he says, “I will hope continually.” To that he adds, I will praise God more and more. Where does he find such courage? How can he have such joy? He finds this in the security of God’s watch care in the past. Back in Psalm 71:5 he said, “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” David’s peace of heart does not rely on who God might be tomorrow, but in who God has always been in his past. He is still GOD! 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Our hope is built upon the God who gave us life. Our hope is in the Lord. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” When feeling alone, without hope, remember, God said He would never leave us.

Does knowing God give you HOPE?

Heavens Harmony

AUGUST 17, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 65-68 / Rom. 9

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 68:32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Singing has always been a big part of my life. I never remember a time I did not love singing. Even in Sunday School as a little boy, the teachers realized that I wanted to sing and encouraged me to do so. In High School I had three hours of singing every day. Men’s Choir, School Choir, and a select group of eight called Madrigal Ensemble, that practiced and sang all over representing the school. I sang in Michigan State’s Honor Choir for two years and received several awards at Soloist competitions while in School. My love for music, however, also led me into the world, playing a singing in the bars and nightclubs. I followed what most everyone else did in those places, drinking and doing drugs. It was a lifestyle that always wanted more. Bigger stages, more money, and a better high. Instead, it cost me almost everything. When I got saved, God put a new song in my heart. I now sing for an audience of one. One pastor who had me sing in his church told another preacher, “Frank does not care if there are ten people or a thousand, he just loves to sing.” I now lead our Church Choir and have the joy of preaching and singing praises to the Lord in ours, and many other churches.

        I must admit, I am still looking forward to singing in a bigger choir someday. A choir filled with heavens harmonies. Until then, I will just do as the Psalmist says, “Sing unto God, … O sing praises unto the Lord.”

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Someday you will sing with me in heaven’s choir if you are saved. You will not be able to help yourself. You will just have to sing. Might be a good idea to start practicing today. You do not need a stage or audience. God is your audience of one.

Is there a new song in your heart?

Hear My Cry, O God;

AUGUST 16, 2023
Daily Reading – Psa. 58-64 / Rom. 8

GOD’S WORD:

Psalm 61:1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Have you ever felt as though the clouds above your head were acting as a shield, preventing your prayers from reaching God’s throne of grace? Do you ever get the feeling that heaven is so far away that God just may not hear you? Could it possibly be that God is not listening to you? David begins many of his Psalms asking God to hear him. In this Psalm he says, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.” David finds himself in a time of sorrow. He is a King with great power and authority yet feels no inner strength within his soul. In the beginning of the next verse, he says, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee” It is as if David felt that God has left him all alone and he is crying out from a great distance, God, please come back. God, please hear me. God, I need you.

        There are times in every believer’s life when we feel as if we are all alone. Sometimes it is during an illness we cannot seem to overcome. It may be a time of sorrow over the loss of a friend or family member. It may simply be a lull in life that makes us feel as if God has left us. The very fact that you feel a need for the presence of God should be encouraging. Your cry to Him shows a love and desire for His closeness. By the end of this short Psalm, David remembers God’s presence in the past. God’s help when he needed it, and watch care over Him. His faith in God causes him to end this Psalm in joy and singing. 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Calling to remembrance God’s past love and care for us will increase our faith in His presence and promise. He said, He would never leave us. When God says never, He means NEVER! Call out to Him, cry out to Him, and know He listens..

Do you remember?
Is that singing that I hear?