DEVOTIONS

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?

 

 

Final Exam

AUGUST 1, 2023
Daily Reading – Job 35-38 / Acts 25

GOD’S WORD:

Job 38:2-3 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        The words from the lips of any instructor that most every student dread, “There will be a test on this material.” NO, not a test! OK, so now we know there is a test, what kind of test will it be? Multiples choice, where at least I may have a chance of guessing the right answer? Will it be fill-in-the-blank, so that maybe the sentence will help me to remember? NO, this is the worst kind of test ever. It is an essay test, where a question is asked, and you are required to write an essay on the topic. Then it is up to the person grading that test to decide if they like the story you wrote or not. YUK!!!! Ok, let’s make it even more interesting. There will be a series of several questions on the same topic and the examiner is expecting one answer from all who take this test. The essay is expected to be only one sentence long. It is the final exam, and you need it to pass. 

 

        Job has listened to his earthly friends, who have not been a lot of help at all. Finally, at the end of the book, the one everyone has been talking about speaks up. God tells Job, “Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” Get ready for a test. Then God proceeds to ask Job a series of questions like, did you make the earth, do you feed the wild animals, can you control the weather, or do you control the oceans, seas, and rivers. All these have one right answer. “No Sir.” 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        God was not trying to stump Job into giving a wrong answer. He simply was making known the obvious truth. There is only one God. Furthermore, this God, created and maintains all of life. Who then are we to question His decisions? 

 

How would you answer this Final Exam?

 

 

  July 31, 2023
  Daily Reading – Job 32-34 / Acts 24

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Job 34:14-15 If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Who has a crystal ball to look into, and see the future? The answer, NO ONE. None of us can predict the future with any degree of accuracy. If you are not sure if that statement is true, watch any local weather report. Although they do a very good job of giving us a scientific estimate using the most up-to-date meteorological equipment, statistics prove they are wrong 40% of the time. When looking at the financial market, we pay people to watch the trends and give us their best guess. However, that is not always accurate from one week to the next. Then if you delve into politics, well that outcome is up in the air daily. One thing we will all have to agree on is that our future is hard to foresee. That is with a couple of exceptions.

 

        There are two future things we can be sure of. Elihu alludes to one of these facts. Job 34:14-15 says, “If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.” Our life is given to us by God. If God ever decides to quit sustaining life, calling the spirit and breath of man back to himself, well, it is all over. God provides our lives. Everyone will one day face this day of death. Also, everyone will face judgement after that day. For the redeemed, it will be a time of reward. For the lost, it will be the eternal judgement of their sin. This is the future of all man. Guaranteed, 100% accurate. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        Heb. 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Christ has nailed the sins of man to the cross, if we will just believe on Him. Those future appointments do not have to be bad ones.

 

Which judgement will you face on that day?

 

 

 July 29 & 30, 2023
 July 29 – Daily Reading – Job 30-31 / Acts 23
 July 30 – NO READING

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Job 31:24-25 & 28 If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;… This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        How the devil loves to entice us as believers, to become once again entangled by the sinfulness of this world. He knows all our weaknesses from before our salvation and dangles them before us like a piece of candy in front of a little child. When we accepted Christ as our Saviour, He forgave us of all our sin. The devil knows that since that day, he can no longer own us. However, if he might cause us once again to become entangled by sin, he can tarnish our testimony and cause us agony. Remember, it is not only a testimony of our life, but also, a testimony of the life of Christ in us.

 

        In today’s reading of Job 31, Job reviews all the things in his life he thinks may be considered sinful. He looks at his life of charity and hospitality toward others, asking himself, “is there anything I have not done that I should have?” NO! He looks at how he has treated others around him. Has he looked down on someone who was his manservant or maidservant? Recalling in Job 31:15 “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?” He probes into his own morality and his treatment of women. Rehearsing how he has not lusted after them, nor been deceived by these fleeting immoral ways. He looks at his worship, and maintains that he has not worshiped gold, or wealth, or position. In Job’s review of his life he declares, I have not been entangled again by sin. He was not saying he was sinless, just not sinful. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        It is good for us to examine our lives. In Ps. 26:2 David said, “Examine me, O Lord…” Paul said before communion, 1 Cor. 11:28 “But let a man examine himself…” We should examine our lives with scripture, so we are not entangled by sin.

 

Have you done a self-examination

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

        In all of life’s ups and downs, as believers it is good to know our lives are Enriched By God. We saw this in Job’s life this week as we examined:

   ● Exacting God’s Mercy
   ● Encouraged By Silence
   ● Expectations Of God
   ● Entranced By The Music
   ● Enlightened By Wisdom
   ● Entangled By Sin n

      Knowing that God is always there with us and for us, allows us to live a fuller life Enriched By God.

      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.

July 31, 2023	Job 32-34	Acts 24
August 1, 2023	Job 35-38	Acts 25
August 2, 2023	Job 39-42	Acts 26
August 3, 2023	Psa. 1-5	Acts 27:1-20
August 4, 2023	Psa. 6-10	Acts 27:21-44
August 5, 2023	Psa. 11-17	Acts 28:1-16
August 6, 2023	No Passages Assigned

Enriched By God