DEVOTIONS

  July 11, 2023
  Daily Reading – Ezra 8-10 / Acts 12

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Ezra 10:11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        Ezra came back to Jerusalem to find that those who had returned earlier had fallen into some of the same sinful practices that had led to their demise in the first place. The priest and Levites who were already there, had married idol worshiping wives. Many of them had begun families with these wives. This was something God had said they were not to do because it would confuse the faithfulness of the hearts of the men and lead them away from the one true God. Sadly, these men did not lead their wives and children to understand and worship their God, which would have been accepted by the Lord, and they could have become Israelites. Instead, Ezra 9:1 says; “…The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations,…” This is exactly what God warned them would happen. They would become the victim of confused faithfulness. The only way for God’s work on the temple to move forward, was to remove the problem from the people.

 

      God still desires our undivided faithfulness toward Himself alone today. He warns against marriage to unbelievers. Against partnering in business with the world. Against forming, lasting friendships with the lost. God does not hate the sinner; He loves the righteous. He is trying to protect us with love from the world’s confusion.  

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        2 Cor. 6:14 says; “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 

 

Does it sound like God has changed His mind about this?

 

 

  July 10, 2023
  Daily Reading – Ezra 4-7 / Acts 11

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Ezra 4:2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        I remember as a boy my dad saying things like, “those are not your friends son, they are moochers.” Another one was, “you have a bunch of fair-weather friends, they will not be there if you really need them.” He was not trying to be mean. He was being a loving father, warning his son about the realities of life. Today, I still find his words to ring true. Some people are not really friends. They are moochers and are just there as long as they can get something from you. Some people only want to be around when things are going great, but when the going gets rough, they are gone. These are counterfeit friends. Sadly, today I also see a lot of Counterfeit Christians.

 

        In Ezra 4:2 some of these fake friends show up. How do we know they are fake? First, these people were brought there by the King of Assyria to occupy the land when the children of Israel were carried away. They had been there for years, yet in all that time they had no interest in building a temple or altar to God. Next, we find them trying to slow down the work being done in verses 4-5. Finally, they sent a letter to the King of Persia asking to have the work stopped. They are a clear picture of the lost world today and the church. First, they infiltrate the church as Counterfeit Christians. Then they hinder any spiritual work with worldly ways. Finally, they attempt try to stop anyone else who is currently serving. Also known as wolves in sheep’s clothing. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        In Ezra 4:3 the people of Israel told them, we can do this without your help. The church today should also say, we can worship without the worlds help. God is not looking for a “New Form of Worship.” What He is seeking are, “Real Friends to Worship.”

 

Will you be God’s Real Friend?

 

 

 July 8 & 9, 2023
 July 8 – Daily Reading – Ezra 1-3 / Acts 10:23-48
 July 9 – NO READING

 

 GOD’S WORD:

Ezra 3:2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        I can tell you as someone who travels from home for ministry, it is sure good to lay my head on my pillow in my home again. Others treat me with wonderfully, with Christian love and kindness. Their hospitality is grand. Yet there is something wonderful about being home. My journeys are normally about two weeks or less. I call home and talk with my wife almost daily. I send pictures and receive them from her while I am gone. Yet, I still want to come home when I am done. There is also my home church family. I love to preach and sing at other churches. Yet, the people from my home church hold a very special place in my heart that others cannot fill.

 

        The children of Israel, both Northern Israel and Southern Judah, have been in exile for many years. No phone calls home, no pictures from the old homestead. Also, there is the fact that there is really nothing back home, to go home to. Many of the homes had been destroyed and the center of worship, their temple, was demolished. However, one day, God moved on the heart of a lost king, King Cyrus, to send many of them back home to rebuild a temple for the Lord. When they got back, before they began to construct this temple, they had a sacred desire to fulfill first. They knew it was important to build an altar first and seek God’s will in the building. Forsaking God is what caused their exile. They sure did not want to make that mistake again. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        We often have good ideas for ministries. Some of the ideas are really great. Yet the best laid plans without God and His blessing, is like putting the cart before the horse. Prayer is the key to all spiritual blessings.

 

What is the ratio of time spent in prayer and that spent in planning?

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

        We should be A Sacrifice Delivered to God with our lives. (Rom. 12:1) Yet man often fails as we’ve seen in:

 

● A Sad Departure
● A Spiritual Duty
● All Suddenly Done
● A Storeroom Dilemma
● A Serious Declaration
● A Sacred Desire

      Knowing the sinfulness of man, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be A Sacrifice Delivered once and for all, for all who will put their faith and trust in Him. Amen!

       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 10, 2023	Ezra 4-7	Acts 11
July 11, 2023	Ezra 8-10	Acts 12
July 12, 2023	Neh. 1-3	Acts 13:1-28
July 13, 2023	Neh. 4-6	Acts 13:29-52
July 14, 2023	Neh. 7-8	Acts 14
July 15, 2023	Neh. 9-10	Acts 15:1-27
July 16, 2023	No Passages Assigned

A Sacrifice Delivered

 

  July 7, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 34-36 / Acts 10:1-22

 

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Chronicles 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

 

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        I can tell you when time stands still. It is that moment when you are sitting in a room with family or someone you love and the doctor says, “I am sorry, we have done all we can, there is nothing more we can do.” It is as if for a few seconds, everything in the universe just stops. There is a moment of emptiness. Thoughts seem to escape you, dreams are put aside, the air for a moment is silent as words do not seem to come. Some have described that moment as if someone just knocked all the wind out of you. It is a serious declaration of what will be the end, without a miracle from God. A person’s only hope after that, is knowing Christ as Saviour, and His promise of eternal life after physical death. Without Christ, there’s no remedy..

 

        As I read the closing of 2 Chronicles 36, I read the words, “till there was no remedy.” This is it. God has been patient long enough. The people and nation of Israel have turned their back on God one too many times. If He does not bring about judgment, then His promises to them are meaningless. The promise of a wonderful land, protection from enemies, a land of plenty, joy, and peace, all came true while they were obedient and followed His Word. However, just as true was the promise of a price to pay for disobedience. So, for repeatedly rejecting God and His ways, they had come to a place where, “there was no remedy.” Their life, in this land, at this time, was done. 

 

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        I wonder how long God will let our land go before we face a real judgement. How long will He allow people to live in rebellion before we hear the serious declaration, there is no remedy. The eventual answer for Israel was turning back to God.

 

What will it take to get our attention?

 

 

  July 6, 2023
  Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 31-33 / Acts 9:20-43

 GOD’S WORD:

2 Chronicles 31:10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.

 GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

        People today have more stuff than they know what to do with. Instead of getting rid of anything, they pay out good money to rent a place to store stuff, to make room in their house for more stuff. Most people who move to a new home find that after a few years they have boxes of stuff stored in an attic or out in the garage that they never opened after the move. This is stuff they evidently did not need, and have not used, but just cannot find it in their heart to get rid of. People like their stuff. Wouldn’t it be great if we had to rent a place to store some of our stuff, just so we could have room in the house to store all our money? What a dilemma!

      We find in 2 Chronicles 31:10 it says, “…Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.” The Priest had so much given to the work of the Lord that 2 Chronicles 31:11 says, “Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them,” The king had them build rooms in the Lord’s house just to store all that the people had brought. It seemed the more they gave, the more the Lord blessed them. The more the Lord blessed them, the more they gave. Some storeroom dilemmas are good problems to have.

 GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

        This happens, not when we give to receive more from God, but if we do as it says in the last line of 2 Chronicles 31:21 “… to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.” When we seek God and not wealth, God blesses.

Is there room in your heart for Jesus?