Watts Bar-Cumberland Ministries
© 2007-2010

2009 Periodic Devotionals
for the 2007 archived devotionals, click here
for the 2008 archived devotionals, click here

Christmas 2009 Devotional (12/24/09)

First of all, we at Watts Bar-Cumberland Ministries want to wish each and all of you a very Merry Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We thank Him for all his many blessings, and not only the gift of His birth, but the gift of His gospel, that is, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Are we sharing our Savior with our loved ones this time of year? The Apostle Paul spoke in Acts 20:

v.32 "And now brethren, I commend you  to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
v.33 "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
v.34 "Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
v.35 "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."

We will all get gifts from our loved ones, and some of you from co-workers, friends, etc. We need to strive to allow those folks the blessing of giving; and we need to strive to do giving of our own this holiday season. Hopefully, we have done our part throughout 2009, as well.

It is a joyous season for many, but stressful for some. Let us remember those who are having a hard time this year, and remind them not only of the promise of Romans 8:28, that all things work together for good to them that love God; but also the promise that there will come that time spoken of in I Corinthians 15 and Revelation 21 and 22 where our sorrow will end.

Finally, let us pray for our families and acquaintances, and do our part to show each and every one of them the love of Jesus Christ the Savior. Ephesians 2 says:

v.4 "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
v.5 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
v.6 "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
v.7 "That in ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

Let's be as kind and giving as we can be to our fellow man this Christmas season, and throughout the year. Even so, it does not compare to the love in that verse 7, how that we are given "exceeding riches of his grace."

Once again, we have almost made it through another year, and, sometimes we feel that the only reason we have made it through is because it's by the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed (Lamentations 3:22). We can be thankful, though, that God is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Let us take that thought with us throughout the rest of this blessed week, and use that as motivation to share our faith with our fellow travelers. We thank our God for sharing with us those so many gifts for which we fail to give thanks.

May God bless you is our prayer. -Scott

Silent Night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
'Round yon virgin mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Whom the Lord Loveth (12/10/09)

I'm again a little late with getting this posted, but, once again sickness has entered. Just as I was getting well, my 10-year-old daughter became sick, and has felt pretty rough this week. That being said, we're finally here to share with you the thoughts the Lord has for us this week.

This topic is not a pleasant one. It's not about our busyness, or our faith, our prayers, or God's goodness. This one is about God's punishment and correction in our lives. Hebrews 12 is the chapter that deals with this the most, although there are other places in scripture that do:

Hebrews 12:6 and 12:7 state this: "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" The Bible goes on to say, "Now no chastening for the moment seemeth joyous; but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which our exercised thereby."

The early part of this chapter speaks a great deal about the correction from our earthly Fathers, of which most of us have experienced at one time or another, and, quite frankly, in many of our cases not nearly as much as was warranted. How much more does the Heavenly Father have wisdom in his correction? Would that we would all live close to God, so that our chastening is infrequent. Have you been where the Lord has administered chastening? It is not a pleasant place, but a place from which we'll emerge a better person. 

On that note, let's expound a little further. We know that we all fail the Lord daily, and so do our friends and neighbors, and even our nation, but we must have the attitude of Habakkuk, when in his prayer besought the Lord, "...O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years; in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)" Would that we would prayer for God's mercy on our land and upon our neighbors and ourselves. We know that we live in a world where evil seducers are waxing worse and worse, according to the scriptures, and even in our own lives, at times we do realize that, as it was said in Lamentations, it is by the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed; his compassions fail not.

Thanks be unto God for remembering mercy, and that he does not consume us for our disobedience. However, if we want to live a godly life, and avoid his wrath, Jesus himself had this to say in the gospels:

Matthew 18:6 "But whoso shall offend these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
v. 7 "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
v. 8 "Wherefore if thy hand or foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
v. 9 "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."

It is our prayer tonight that we would all be found living close to God, and not need to be punished for our misdeeds. And, it is also our prayer that those living close to God would follow the instructions found in II Timothy 4, when it says to "reprove, rebuke, and exhort;" that we might carry the Word of God to our neighbors that most need to hear.

Thank you Lord for your guidance in all we do, and we ask your forgiveness as we often fail. In wrath, remember mercy. We are thankful for a God who is faithful and just to forgive us our trespasses. May God bless each and every one who reads this this week and beyond.

Scott

Take Me Life and Let It Be (12/01/09)

"Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of the Thy love."

This is the beginning stanza of a beautiful hymn by Frances Havergal in 1874. This writer desired to be close to her Lord, if the lyrics to the song are any indication. Not only do they mention living the consecrated life, but, how beautiful is it, that one would ask for their hands to be moved at the very impulse of God's love?

What does it mean to be consecrated? According to Dictionary.com, to consecrate means, "to make or declare sacred; [or to] set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity;" or "to devote or dedicate to some purpose." Are our lives dedicated to our God?

In churches where I have attended, at times a church member would "rededicate" themselves to the Lord. Sometimes we should all do that, if we are not where we should be. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says this:

"For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain (Galatians 2:19-21)."

Here, Paul is indicating that these Galatians needed to set aside their flesh and also their understandings of law aside, and live unto God. It is imperative that we as Christians do the same. Hebrews 12:1 states it this way: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us..." Are we running our race with weights on?

Let's lay aside our weights, and the sin and hindrances beside us. Let's ask the Lord for a new anointing of His Holy Spirit. I John 2:27 says this, "the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." Are we abiding in Him?

We need to have the zeal as this songwriter did, and a servant's heart. Not only that heart, but the excitement that seems to be in that song do a work for our Lord. Listen to what the Word says in Titus:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ;
"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:11-14)"

Let's seek God's face and consecrate ourselves to Him this month.

May God bless you is our prayer.

Scott

Spiritual Health (11/17/09) 

I have been fighting physical sickness for around two weeks now, and that has led me to this week's thought - spiritual health. My body is probably suffering from allergies and coughs, partly because that's the way I'm made but also partly because I probably don't take good enough care of it with exercise and proper nutrition. With that being said, let's ask the question to ourselves about our spirit?

Are we giving our spirit the proper nurture? Matthew 5:6 tells us Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Are we hungering, thristing for spiritual things? Are we getting fed from God's table by attending his house, fellowshipping with Him in prayer, and having fellowship with other believers?

Where are we in our spiritual walk? Are we "as newborn babes" mentioned in I Peter 2? We desire the sincere milk of the word, but are not quite ready for the meat? Our desire is that those of us that have been Christians for years desire to fed as adults, and feed accordingly.

Are we like those seeds mentioned in Mark 4? Some have fallen by the wayside, but others are withering because they have no root? That is to say, there is no root because we are not drinking from the fountain that is spiritual? John 4:14 states, "But whosever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

God has promised to nourish us, if we but ask. Revelation 21:6 tells us that He "will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." As we talked about recently, the Lord will give us wisdom if we ask. So, it is our desire that we ask the Lord to fill our hungering and thirsty souls with spiritual things.

We close with these lyrics:

"There came a thirsting woman
Who was drawing from a well
Her life was ruined and wasted
Her soul was bound for Hell
But then she met the master
Who told of her great sin
And if you'll drink this water
You'll never thirst again
There is a river
That flows from God above
There is a fountain
That's filled with His great love
Come to this water
There is a vast supply
There is a river
That never shall run dry."

Let's get spiritually healthy in the coming days. May God bless you is our earnest prayer.

Scott

If Any Lack Wisdom (11/04/09)

For much of 2009, we have shared what the Lord  has given us about prayer. Prayer is an area many of us neglect. We know we have need, and we know the Lord can and will supply all our needs, according to the scripture, but we fail to give our prayer life the priority that it deserves. That's all we'll say about prayer today, as we want to move on to something that we all need in our walk with God, and that is wisdom.

Many times we pray, but we still feel confused about doing right, and finding God's will. Such things ought not to be. God has told us plainly in the Book of James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be giveth him. (James 1:5)" God giveth liberally - that means he'll give you plenty. God upbraideth not - that means he won't withhold any from you, or hoard it all up for himself. God wants us to be wise in our Christian walk.

Wisdom is an important subject in the Bible. A casual search at www.biblegateway.com yields 222 verses throughout the Bible in which "wisdom" is mentioned. James 1:6 tells us to ask for it, "nothing wavering." That means we should ask in confidence, knowing of His provision for us. In Colossians 2, Paul speaks of wisdom as a treasure that is hidden in Christ. In Colossians 1, Paul prays that the Colossians might be filled with the "knowledge of His will in all knowledge and spiritual understanding."

In Old Testament, wisdom is brought forth through the people mentioned, most notably King Solomon. Most of the accounts of his wise acts are found in the book of 1 Kings, and I would encourage you to read them. You are also encourage to read the Book of Job, wherein Job mentions wisdom numerous times as he answers his friends. But the penultimate book in the Bible, wherein to seek wisdom is the Book of Proverbs, where the lessons are many.

Ultimately, to have wisdom, one must want wisdom. The reader is definitely encouraged to read the words of James in James 1. But where does wisdom begin? "..the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6)." Proverbs 1 tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.

We encourage you this week to seek God's face in areas of your life where you are struggling, and we will strive to do the same. And we leave with this verse:

Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

May you find your wisdom and happiness this week. May God richly bless you is our prayer.

Scott

Help Thou Mine Unbelief (10/26/09)

Last week we talked about the disciples' and our lack of power with God, and how that kind of power only comes by prayer and fasting. This week our thought comes from one of the same passages, Mark 9. As we mentioned in last week's devotional, a parent had brought his possessed child to them for healing, but they were unable to meet his need. However, the Lord Jesus spoke, and the evil spirit left the child's body. This week we'll look at that parent's request, and what it could mean for us in today's church.

The scripture says this:

v. 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit:,
v. 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and they could not.
v. 19 He answereth him and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
v. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
v. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
v. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.
v. 23 Jesus saith unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
v. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

The question for us this week is: how is our belief? And how is our relationship with the Father? Prayer seems to be a running theme in my life and in these pages, and may God grant answered prayers to us all, but are we truly believing? Or are we half-heartedly asking for things in our lives, even when we know what God's will would be? Heaven forbid. Let us all pray to the Father to "help thou mine unbelief." For, just as we spoke last week, if we truly believed like we say we do, we would be praying much more, and seeking God's face, and turning from our wicked ways, so that we might see laborers in the harvest, and a fruitful harvest, and revival in our land.

The other lesson that should not be lost here is the child's father's desperation. Are we desperate enough to ask God to remove the stumblingblocks in our way? To heal our sick ones? To heal our finances, or our relationships? I daresay many of us have grown too cold, and are not ready to seek out the Master, and say "have compassion on us, and help us." We're too caught up in living for ourselves and living carnal lives much of the time.

So, this week, let us purpose again to seek God's face in our homes and our work. Let us agree one with another, for God says that if two shall agree as touching anything that they ask, it "shall be done for them of my Father which art in heaven (Matthew 18:19)."  God knows our every need, and the needs of a lost and dying world around us.

May God bless you this week is our prayer.

Scott

This Kind (10/21/09) 

I heard a good message from the book of Esther over the weekend, and that particular evangelist spoke of the great faith of Esther, when she told Mordecai in Esther 4, "if I perish, I perish," in regards to her going before the king and plead for the lives of the Jews that he had decreed killed.

How great is our faith? Although it was not part of the main message, the evangelist brought up the scripture from Mark 9 and Matthew 17. Both accounts tell of a man, possessed by demons. In Matthew we learn the child often fell into fire, and into the water. In Mark we learn that he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth. In both accounts we learn that the disciples had no power, but Jesus spoke and the child was immediately healed. When the disciples questioned Jesus, as to why they could not cast out the demon, Jesus replied, "this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."

Do we have that kind of power with God? Many of us long for it but do not have it. And the reason for it is twofold, but simple: "...ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (James 4:2,3);" and we have not because we are not willing to put forth the efforts to pray and fast, as the Lord told the disciples.

Are you praying and fasting? Are we willing to put our worldly business aside, and our lusts and our appetites for worldly things, in order that we might have the power with God? Are we willing to be faithful servants? Are our prayers getting through?

It's time that we, all of us, be more dedicated to God's service. It's time to set some those things aside that do easily beset us (Hebrews 12:1), and run the race set before us. God has a plan for us, and we are failing to claim his blessing or his power.

Let's lay hold on the power of God in our lives, and be ready for the great things He will do. To God Be the Glory!

Let's sing it, shout it, walk it, talk it
There's a Higher Power
Lay down your sould 'cause Jesus bought it
There's a Higher Power

May God bless you this week is our prayer.

Scott

It Pays To Pray (10/07/09)

This week I just want to ask a simple question: how is your prayer life? This writer could stand to substantially improve his own. Too often we let our busyness make us barren, or when we have disappointments in our lives, we tend to become frustrated, perhaps bitter, and our prayer life becomes a casualty of the circumstances.

Such should not be. In I Peter 3:12 we are told that "...the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers..." Does that sound like we should neglect our prayer lives? Obviously it doesn't. But far too often we let that happen.

And, it's sad to say that many of us let our prayer lives slide, even though if we look back for any length of time at all we can name prayer after prayer after prayer that has been answered - whether it be a healing, whether it be financial, or whether it be for salvation or spiritual needs of our loved ones. Do we have that faith of Philippians 4, that whether abased or bountiful, knowing the Lord will provide?

God challenges us to pray. James 4 states: "...ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." This is both a challenge to pray, and a challenge to have a right spirit while praying. It goes hand-in-hand with Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." What are we desiring? And in what or in whom are we delighting? Is it the Lord? Far too often in my life it is busyness or cares of this world.

So, with that being said, let's have the attitude of Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known unto God." Careful for nothing. That means pray about it. Anything that's troubling you. Pray. Anything you believe you need. Pray. When you forget to thank Him. Pray. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

We leave with these lyrics, sang a few years back by Gold City:

When you don't feel like praying - pray.
And when you think you just can't get through - pray.
When it's hardest to pray
Sweet victory awaits
When you don't feel like praying - pray.

May God bless you is our humble and earnest prayer this week.

Scott

Train Them (09/29/09)

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."  My question for you today, and for myself, as a parent is this: How are we training them?

It is very much not my desire to be the parenting police or parenting critic, but rather to encourage, admonish you, and to study for myself, that we may all might be the best Christian parents that we can be, that our children might come to know the Lord, and have eternal life.

In Luke 18 and in Mark 10 the Lord himself was upset that the disciples did not want to allow the children to come to him: "And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little hcild, he shall not enter therein (Mark 10:13-15)."

If you have children, especially really young children, then you are well aware of how tender their hearts can be. They don't want to comprehend that there are evil people in the world, and when that realization comes, it is heartbreaking to them. They hurt for hurting people. They make friends without any of the prejudices that we adults can sometimes have.  And they fully trust us as parents, until they become old enough to start developing an independent spirit.  And that is what God expects of us as His children: a full, trusting heart, and a desire to please Him.

But, as we try to raise our children in a world that is becoming more and more ungodly by the day, let us have all seriousness and vigilance about the things of God. Let us do more talking to them and with them about the things of God. Watch our children's friends, and look over their shoulder at what they may be learning during their days at school.

But most of all, let us not become stumblingblocks as parents. Mark 9:42 puts it this way: "And whosoever shall offend one of these little oens that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."  How serious a responsibility that we have as parents, and as the church. Peter warns us "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whome he may devour... (I Peter 5:8)."

I am thankful that one of my children has professed that she knows the Lord Jesus as her savior, and I pray that the Lord keeps an hedge about the younger one until he does. And I ask that you pray for us as parents that we be more like Christ in our lives.  We close with this song by Heirline that always challenges my heart:

Daddy would you come outside and play with me a while?
We'll ride bikes or throw the ball, he says with a great big smile.
Standing in the shadow of his daddy that he loves so much
He's watching everything that he does.
And he's my shadow, he walks everywhere I go
He does everything I do
He says Dad I wanna be just like you
So if I fail to shine the light of God's love within me
I wonder what kind of shadow will he be?

May God bless you is our earnest prayer this week.

Scott

'Tis So Sweet (09/21/09)

"'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word." This is, of course, the beginning couplet of a very familiar hymn. Many of us sing it from time to time at our churches, maybe even in our homes, but are we trusting Jesus? Are we savoring the sweetness of being able to trust Him? That is what we will discuss this week.

King David had a great trust for the Lord. He said this in II Samuel 22, verses 2, 3: "And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence." David also mentions this word, "trust," dozens of times in the Psalms.

King David was involved in warfare - physical warfare. Most of us are not involved in that kind of warfare in modern times, but we are most certainly involved in a spiritual war. I'm sure that many, if not all the readers, can testify to the fact, that the more you have striven to live and work for the Lord Jesus Christ, the more certainly and more intensely you have been buffeted. But thank God, he's that Master of the Sea that we have discussed in these pages.

But there's another kind of trust. King Solomon wrote in Proverbs, "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. (Proverbs 3:5,6)" Do we find ourselves leaning on God's wisdom? Do we trust him? Or do we try far too often to do things our own way?

Whatever we may be facing in our lives, we need to give it God in prayer, and trust that He will work things for our good. We are all guilty of failing in this area at times, aren't we? Romans 8:28 tells us "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." And Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God.."

We, as Christians, too often, assign limitations to an all-powerful God. We limit him in our circumstances. Too often, even though we have prayed and asked him to do a work, we become impatient in ourselves and try to rush God along, and at times we make our circumstance worse by so doing. But even more troubling, we do something that a missionary I recently heard speak said, and we neglect to witness to sinners, because we assume that God cannot reach, or the sinner will not receive. How sad that we would limit an omnipotent, omnipresent God in such a manner.

So, as we move forth this week, purpose to trust in the Lord. Whether that be in our circumstances, our relationships, or our witness, let us all trust in Him to work. When we think there is no one else to trust, God is there. Proverbs 18:24 tells us "A man that hath friends must she himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Of course, that friend is a Holy and righteous God. Trust in him this week.

We close with this recent song by the Kingsmen:

"I'm giving You everything
All my hopes and dreams
It's gonna take courage to surrender
The things I cannot change
But I'm giving you the battle
Lord, I lay my weapons down
And I've never really trusted You
Like I'm gonna do right now."

Let's trust our Lord like never before. May God richly bless you this week.

Scott

Job (09/14/09)

How often have you heard that someone has "the patience of Job?" I daresay, it's at least an occasional occurrence. However, how many of us really understand what that means? And how does our own patience relate?

If you look at Job chapter 1, you will find that the man Job had 10 children and great wealth. And, he was given a great compliment by the Lord, in verse 8: "And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, taht there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" And from there, Job was attacked many times. Satan's immediate response to the Lord was this: (verses 9,10) "The Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an heddge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land."

From that day forward, the Lord allowed Job to be put through numerous trials. Throughout the book of Job, his friends criticize him, and wonder, and even directly ask Job what he had done, what sin he had committed to deserve to have lost all that he had. At one point, even his spouse had this to say:

Job 2:9 "Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die."

Job 2:10 "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, shall we not receive evil? in all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Sinned not with his lips. That is advice we all should take. How often do we fail in that area when tribulations come our way? Rather than griping, bickering, complaining, and even cursing, we should have the attitude that Job had at the end of chapter 1:

v. 20 "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
v. 21 "And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
v. 22 "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."

But, in these days we let it be difficult to maintain that attitude. Even those of us who have heard, read, committed scriptures to our heart, we forget to claim these verses from James 1

v. 2 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
v. 3 "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
v. 4 "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

So, in days to come, let's strive to be more patient as we go through whatever trials may come our way. Claim the promise of verse 4, "that ye may be perfect and entire." The Lord is trying to complete us as Christians. Be cautious of praying for patience, though, as it is the trials of your faith that bring that about.

We close with this standard from my childhood:

"Job was a man who was tempted in every way
The devil took his family
He lay sick night and day
His wife she came a-saying
Curse God; you've had enough
He said you talk like the foolish woman
I've got my mind made up."

Let's keep our foot on the rock and our mind made up, even in times of heavy trials. The Lord is still supplying, still on His throne. Blessed be the name of the LORD.

May God bless you this week is our prayer.

Scott

Forsaken (09/07/09)

"I've been discouraged by my family, forsaken by some friends, but I've never been disappointed in Him." Your writer wonders if you have ever felt like the first part of this couplet from an old Rex Nelon Singers tune. I certainly have. But another line in that song says "every promise in God's word is true." What an experience the songwriter must have been having to have penned these words, and what a relationship with the Lord.

In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 13, the Lord issues this promise:

v. 5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he that said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

The Lord makes a similar promise to Joshua in Joshua Chapter 1. In I Kings 6 the Lord "will not forsake [His] people Israel." How much more so has the Lord loved us, and seen us through our many trials and tribulations?

But there are other mentions of forsaking in the Bible. In Psalm 37 we are told to "forsake wrath;" in Proverbs 1, "forsake not the law of thy mother;" Proverbs 4, "forsake not my law;" Proverbs 27, "Thy father's friend and thine own friend;" and in Isaiah 1, "the Lord." How often do we, with or without knowledge, forsake the law? Do we study to show ourselves approved, as mentioned in II Timothy? How about our friends? Do we love them in a Christian manner, and "restore such an one" as in Galatians 6:1? Most of all do we forsake the Lord? Do we give Him place, importance, time in our lives? Your writer often fails in these areas, but is thankful for a God rich in mercies.

So, let us strive to not forsake the things that the Lord tells us are worth prioritizing. It is for our blessing to study and pray. Sometimes I still get the feelings of discouragement as mentioned at the beginning of tonight's devotional, but God knows how to provide. A recent song by Greater Vision explains it like this:

"God will pass by at the right time
God will pass so lift up your eyes
O weary child let your light shine
Your rescue is almost in sight
You have a promise that God will pass by
No Greater promise than God will pass by"

Let's pray that He passes by our house daily, this week. May God bless you this week is our humble prayer.

Scott
 

The fruit of the righteous (09/01/09)

Proverbs 11:30 says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." Are we striving to win souls to Jesus Christ?

The Lord has laid this thought on my heart this week, after hearing a message Sunday night on backsliding. The preacher that night talked about a number of things that a backslider's heart would cause a person to do, or neglect to do, and one of those things was soul winning. Tonight, I have done far too little in this area. But, the Lord has been merciful, and has seen fit to save me and most of my family. How sad that I have done so little in return.

Most of us, in all likelihood, need to be bearing more fruit for Jesus. Whether we are planting or watering, as in I Corinthians 3, we need to be working, so that God may give the increase. How many people do we contact on a regular basis that need Jesus Christ? If we are honest, that number could be pretty large. Yet are we being a faithful servant, telling the world about His love? Our neighbors, our friends, possibly even our families are without a relationship with Jesus Christ. And we should all be doing more, shouldn't we?

In Mark 16:15, the Lord commanded "...go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Are we doing that? Have we lost our zeal for the gospel of Jesus Christ? Let us pray that we would return to telling the world about Him, and telling folks about their need for a Savior. Let us abide in Him, such that we may bring forth more fruit, as told in John 15, and if we bear much fruit, then the Lord be glorified (John 15:8).

As you go forth this week, please have a prayerful attitude about soul winning. We close with this old hymn:

A soul winner for Jesus
A soul winner for Jesus
O let me be each day
A soul winner for Jesus
A soul winner for Jesus
He's done so much for me.

May God bless you is our prayer.

Scott
 

Love Thy Neighbour (08/25/09)

Again, apologies for the length of time between devotions. There continue to be circumstances getting in the way at times. However, please continue to pray intercessory prayers, as mentioned in the last devotional, as we strive to work for our Lord Jesus.

Tonight, we want to talk about love. In Luke 10, the Lord is challenged by a lawyer, as the Bible calls him, and Jesus offers this response:

v. 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
v. 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
v. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

When the man further pressed Jesus, Jesus goes on to tell what has become known commonly as the parable of the good Samaritan, by which, in verse 37, neighbour is defined as "He that shewed mercy."

Is it hard to love our neighbors? Perhaps sometimes. But, where I live, my neighbors have been my neighbors for a mighty long time, and there is a distinct familiarity, and, hopefully a camaraderie there. But, where it becomes harder for us as Christians, is the step that the Lord carries it further in the book of Matthew, Chapter 5:

v. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
v. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
v. 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust.

How hard is it for us, as modern day Christians, to obey the commands of this passage? I'll freely admit to you, friends, that it is hard for me. We should all make these things a matter of prayer, that we have favor with God and man, that we might be a witness to sinners we encounter on a daily basis. Far too often we are found out-of-fellowship with our Christian brethren. And God would not have it that way. We should make things right according to the procedures of Matthew 18, and in a prayerful and worshipful manner. In all things we should remember that it is by the Lord's mercies alone that we are not consumed.

Finally, I mention the forgiveness also mentioned in Matthew 18, where the Lord tells Peter to forgive a brother seventy times seven times. There's a gospel song out currently that references that passage prominently. We need to be forgiving, that we might be forgiven, as we often pray as a part of the "Lord's Prayer."

So, this week, let us strive to love our neighbors and our enemies, let us ask the Lord that we may be at peace with all our fellow man, and have fellowship with Christian folks, that we may join together and do mighty works for him.

God  bless you this week is our prayer.

Scott

Intercessory Prayers (08/10/09)

First, let me apologize for being so far between devotionals. I've been wrestling with several things over the past fortnight, including what the Lord would have me publish today. Much like the title of our lesson, I would sincerely appreciate your prayers for me. The Lord knows all the needs, and I thank you beforehand.

But on to the lesson, have you ever known a prayer warrior? There are some in my family whom I regard as such, as well as a handful of other people who have struck me as someone who could get hold of God when they needed to. But what does it mean to be an intercessor? According to www.dictionary.com, intercession is "to make entreaty in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God in behalf of another."

The first mention of the word "intercession" in the King James Version is in Isaiah 53:12 "Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." This, of course, is Isaiah's prophecy about Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice upon the cross at Calvary. There will never be a greater intercessor than the Lord himself.  In Luke 23, our Lord asked the heavenly Father, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do..."  This prayer was not only for the leaders in attendance on that day, but, for all the world, for whom He was giving His life.

So, while none of us can live the perfect life that our Lord Jesus lived, those that are spiritual should follow His example and intercede for those around you. Galatians 6:1 says, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." There's a whole other lesson on spirit of meekness, but, for this lesson, we'll just pass along that we need to prayerfully lift up those that are astray, as we are commanded in this verse.

James 5 also states, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and cause sins to be forgiven (v. 15), and in one of my favorite verses in the Bible, v. 16, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Again, we are commanded to pray for one another, and are told that it "availeth much," meaning it brings great value.

So, tonight, brothers and sisters, you are encouraged to pray for one another. Draw nigh to God, and let Him direct your prayers for your fellow-men who are most in need. Thank God for that friend, that family member without whom you know you would be astray, living a sinful life. And, not least of all, I ask that you intercede for me in the coming days.

A Tony Gore song, written by Larry Petree says this:

"I need your prayers
Please don't stop praying
I have a need, a heavy burden I can't bear
Don't stop interceding
Or how you're earnestly pleading
I know you care
If my sorrows you share
I need your prayers."

Thanks again for the prayers and interceding for me, my family, and this ministry work. As always, may God richly, truly bless you is our humble prayer.

Scott
 

Hedges (07/26/09)

The Lord has laid this subject on my heart today. As my kids have gotten older and started to understand the things of the church a little more, it has become a frequent occurrence that I ask the Lord to keep a hedge about our home and about their souls, until they come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. But this week the Lord has led me to investigate that prayer some. What does the scripture say?

The first instance I can find of a hedge being about someone is in Job 1:10. Satan asks the Lord, "Hast thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land."

Those of us familiar with the book know that little by little, the Lord allowed those hedges to be brought down, but Job's faith was largely unwavering. But do we want God to let our hedges down? Moreover, do we often do our own hedge-trimming and let worldly things into our abode?

If we ask the Lord for hedges, we need to keep them nourished and cared for. For it is when we fail to do so that we allow sin and worldliness to corrupt our homes, our ministry, our daily lives. We need to hone in on the strong signals from our Lord and Master, and filter out the noise of the world (as I saw in a recent devotional mailing). And to do that we must dedicate ourselves to God's word and to our prayer lives and to fellowship with godly people.

God has been so good to us. He has saved us from our sin when we were unworthy. I have loved ones already in heaven, and a spouse and daughter that have their reservations already made. But would that I would be a more complete husband, father, and particularly witness before them. I want the Lord to keep a hedge about my home, and I don't want to be the one trimming those hedges and letting the world's foolishness creep in.

I am so appreciative of God's power and his tender mercies, by the which we are not consumed. And I know that He will continue to bless a work that He has ordained. I ask your prayers for wisdom in well-doing. God has promised in James that if we ask of wisdom that He "giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not..." And it is that wisdom that I desire.

Thank God again for his goodness. And for hedges yet to be grown. Lord, please continue to keep the hedges about my household and your ministry work, I pray. And may you continue to richly bless my friends and readers, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Scott
 

Little Foxes (07/20/09)

"Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines  have tender grapes." Song of Solomon 2:15

Over the years I've heard this verse preached in such a way, as a warning for those of us who proclaim Christ, to always keep up our guard for things that creep into our lives and eat away at our faith, and our Christian walk. This advice is sound, but I had a hard time preparing this lesson from that particular verse. But the Lord has still given us a similar lesson this week.

One thing that is spoken of far more often than "little foxes" in scripture is "stumbling blocks." Biblegateway.com lists 12 instances of this word, beginning in Leviticus 19:14, "Thou shalt curse not the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord," to Revelation 2:14, "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication."

What are our stumblingblocks to watch for? We all know the temptations that come into our lives, and the areas where we are the weakest. But God has told us in I Corinthians 10, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Temptation is not a new phenomenon. Going back to Genesis 2 and 3, God had given Adam and Eve plenty of sustenance and dominion, such that they had no need to eat the forbidden fruit that brought a curse onto all of mankind. The way was there. Many other stories throughout the Bible tell of opportunities given, whereby men and women were given opportunities to turn. Noah preached for 120 years before the flood came. Jonah was given several opportunities before being swallowed by the great fish; and even after that experience, Jonah 4 gives no evidence that he was right with God, although he was obedient in preaching in Nineveh.

Again, what are our stumblingblocks? What is keeping us from fellowship with God? Whatever it is, we need to give that much prayer that God would deliver us from that sin, or sins, or whatever our hindrances may be. And, much more than that, we need much to pray that we will never be a stumbling block to others. The Bible says in Matthew 9 and Luke 17 that it would be better to have a millstone around the neck and cast into the sea, than to offend the little ones.

So, Christian brothers and sisters, let us continue to pray one for another. Let us lay aside the weights which doth easily beset us, and run the race with passion. Let's continue to worship together, and grow together, and do our level best to win the lost to Jesus Christ.

Thank God for what He is doing for us, and thank you for your support.

May God bless you is our humble prayer.

Scott

A GREAT CALM (07/13/09)

"When the storms of life are raging, stand by me." These are words from a classic hymn, in which the singer asks the Lord to be with Him through life's storms. Let us testify before you this evening, that although this writer may struggle with his faith during storms more than any of you dear readers, the Lord will be there to bring you through them all. Many of you may be going through a storm: financial, relationship, work, whatever your case may be. Let us remind you that God expects us to be faithful, just as we spoke last week about "things incredible" and "mustard seed" faith.

Lots of Christian music has dealt with storms. The most familiar Bible story about a storm comes in Mark 4, as Jesus and the disciples were sailing, and the Lord had taken rest:

v. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
v. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and said unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
v. 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
v. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
v. 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

How sad that these disciples, friends of Jesus, even, lacked faith? I daresay we do too. How often has God brought us through from trouble, whether financial, or sickness, or sorrow of any kind? And yet when that next storm beats upon us, our faith disappears once more.

Trials are going to come. We are told to expect so much, in James 1 and I Peter 4. Trials help us develop patience, even though we may not realize it at the time. One of my favorite songs by the McKameys is "God Will Make This Trial a Blessing," which is a lesson that all of us often fail to see.

But just like the Lord spoke to the winds in Mark 4, he can speak to our trials. We know that very familiar verse, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." It's misused at times, and it's quoted in some of the darkest circumstances, but when we think of the storm that we may be enduring even today, remember that this is for our good, and we will be stronger, particularly in our faith, if we but listen to the one that even the wind and sea obey.

We close with this Squire Parsons classic:

"Though the storms of life may rage
And the billows round you roll
He can calm life's troubled seas
As He did in days of old
As upon life's sea you sail
Trust in Him who never fails
I'm so glad He sails with me
He's the Master of the Sea..."

May God bless you and bring us all out of storms we may be passing through this week.

Scott

A THING INCREDIBLE (07/06/09)

The Lord is still leading me away from the devotional regarding storms, and that's okay. We certainly want to be found following his divine leadership. As I send out daily scriptures to a couple of hands full of friends from my day job, a verse jumped off the page today:

Acts 26:8 "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" These words were spoken by Paul, when he was on trial before King Agrippa. The apostle was showing such a great faith; he believed that God is big enough to raise the dead, and that those trying him should not act so surprised. Of course, we, in this year 2009, we stand in much awe of God raising Jesus from the dead. But Paul was right. Why should we? Our God is big enough.

And our Lord wants us to have faith, faith in his strength. Paul stated in his letter to the Philippians, Paul states "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." In the verses prior, he tells the church, that he knew "how to be abased, and how to abound," both to be full and to be hungry, and "to abound and suffer need." Either way, the writer said, Christ would strengthen him.

How does our faith compare? Mine fails to meet such a standard. But it should. Matthew 21 and Mark 11 tell us that if we have faith, and believe, and tell the mountain to be removed, then it shall be done. Oh the lesson that we could have regarding mountains, but the Lord is not leading us there this evening. Back to our faith for a second, the Lord also said, if ye had faith as a mustard seed, even the trees would obey (Luke 17).

So, dear friend, our Lord is capable of whatever He sees fit to do, and we are only asked to have faith.

But the resurrection of our Lord Jesus is a thing incredible to me, even this evening. Of all the things in the Bible, it is His resurrection to which I most dearly cling, for without that, everything we do would be in vain. Thank God for His loving mercies, for without them we would be consumed; Thank God for His saving grace, for without that, we would all perish. The Lord is so faithful unto us, and the Lord did an incredible thing on the cross. But more incredible than that, the Lord has saved us. As the song says, "I am so glad...God saves old sinners."

Let us contemplate this week what incredible things the Lord has done, but most of all let's think on the resurrection, and let's think about how he has saved our souls, and the souls of our friends and family members. And let us pray that He would continue to perform that incredible thing in our lives.

May God richly bless you this week.

Scott

SHOUT! (06/29/09)

Originally, we had thought the Lord was going to lead us toward a lesson this week regarding storms, but, as last week, closed, we have found ourselves on shouting ground, and feeling the Lord leading us more in that direction. For those that haven't heard, your writer's daughter was saved at Vacation Bible School last week, and it's a joyful time. The Lord has blessed us, in spite of ourselves. We can never praise him enough.

According to biblegateway.com, there are 53 instances of the word "shout" in the King James Version. Not all of them are positive, such as the very first occurrence in Exodus 32:17, "And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted , he said unto Moses, there is a noise of war in the camp." Turns out, the noise was not of war, but of a people worshipping idols in the camp, which drew Moses' anger, as Moses had just pled the case of this people before the Lord. In the end, some three thousand perished that day, according to the scripture.

Our shout tonight, however, is akin to those shouts found in the 32nd Psalm. We won't reprint the whole chapter, for sake of space, but verse 1 says "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Oh, that we might let that verse sink in this week. The Psalm closes in verse 10 and 11 like this: "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." We shout for joy this evening.

A handful of other shouts occur throughout the scripture. The men of war, led by Joshua, and the chief priests, marched around Jericho in Joshua chapter 6, and on the seventh day, after the seventh time around the city, they shouted, and the walls of that city fell. How powerful the hand of the Lord upon such a shout!

Many times in the scripture, David leads the children shouting into battle, and shouting while bearing the Ark of the Covenant. The children of Israel shouted when the foundation of the house was laid, found in the book of Ezra. The Old Testament is filled with a number of other shouts, as well, and many of them relate to shouts in battle. But there is one final shout, which we will discuss before closing.

I think you know which shout. This shout is in I Thessalonians 4:16 and 17, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  Thank God that one more of my family has made her reservation for this day. Would that all my friends and family would be going to heaven, and it is my prayer that I can lead them to the Lord.

What a wonderful God we serve. May God bless each and all of you as you go through this week, and may you find shoutin' ground.

Scott

The Storehouse (06/22/09)

First of all, my apologies for not posting a devotional last week, it was a week of sickness around our household, and, we just really weren't up to the task early in the week. But we're feeling better now, and ready to pass along the lesson that we believe the Lord has for all of us.

Once again, this week, I'm being led to write about something that is an area for great improvement around our house, and that is in the area of giving. Not just giving to the church, but giving to worthy causes and blessing other people by doing so. The Bible states, "...God loveth a cheerful giver." This passage is found in I I Corinthians chapter 9, and, later, I suggest you read that chapter, as it talks much about not only giving, but of sowing seeds, and the results of bountiful sowing.

But let's get back to the storehouse for a moment. I've often heard tithing preached from the book of Malachi, chapter 3. I'm not going to challenge anyone to tithe, and I will let your giving be between you and God. However, I do like to claim that promise in verse 10, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." What a blessing to claim - a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive in our home, our church, our ministry.

What we do suggest to you, dear reader, this week, is that you do make an offering of something to the Lord. Make it a matter of prayer, and listen to what God wants from you individually. It has been said, and I apologize for not being able to find the original reference, that opening your hand to give also opens your hands to receive. So, give of yourself as God would have you do this week.

If you are struggling, the Lord is fully aware. If money is tight, leading financial counselors suggest that you give of your time to worthy causes. By this, they claim, you will open your heart, and become a giver by nature. I daresay they are correct in that.

But most of all, remember the beautiful passage in Luke 12, "Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?" Think about that for a minute. Even when we fail to sow, or to meet God's commands, he still offers blessings to us. What a wonderful God we serve.

We urge you this week to revisit your giving to the Lord, and do as he would have you do. And we'll do our best to do the same. We'll close with an old standard by the Hemphills:

Consider the lilies -- they don't toil or spin
But there's not a kind with more splendor than them
Consider the sparrows, they don't plant nor sow
But they're fed by the master who watches them grow...

May God bless you is our prayer this week.

Scott

Perfect Heart (06/08/09)

In II Chronicles 19 there goes out a charge from King Jehoshaphat to the Judges of Israel. The king "set judges....city by city," and he set before them a task and charged them to be no respecter of persons, not to take gifts, and to do all in the fear of the Lord. But the verse that has stood out to me over the last few days is this:

19:9 "And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart."

And he then went on to warn them of the wrath of God, should they do their tasks in corruption.

Our thought for this week, though, is, "are we doing our work for God with a perfect heart?" I daresay many of us are not. I know that I fail on a daily, probably hourly basis, to do the will of the Lord, and to purpose in my heart to be about The Lord's work that He has set for me. For just as we are warned in Matthew 26:41, "...the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And that is where we, I, often find ourselves.

But how do we become perfect? We have to study God's word, and be sensitive in our prayer lives. There are many references to perfection in the scripture. Many of those can be found in Paul's epistles in the New Testament, and in the Book of Hebrews, and we should all strive to find God's perfect will for our lives. That is an area where I want to be found always seeking, and being found in the center of God's will.

Obviously, we know that this flesh will never be made perfect, as we are cursed with a curse, and we know from the Book of Romans that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," but we also know that God is a giving God, and he has particularly told us about wisdom, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).  For this reason, we should often bow before our God and ask for this wisdom in our lives.

Moreover, we should love our fellow man. Far too often we want to communicate the Lord's will for their lives, but too often we forget to do so in a loving, compassionate, and Godly way. That, my friends, is failing to have a perfect heart, and I, many times, am guilty above all of that flaw. And that is just the result of failing to be sensitive to a Holy Spirit that will guide us if we let him.

So, as we close this week's devotional, let us take a look within ourselves, and as we go forward in our daily walk, let us recommit to having a Perfect Heart for Jesus Christ. It is a difficult thing at times to put our vain selves aside, and be sensitive, but it is what God would have us do. A lost and dying world is in need of our witness, and they will only receive what they are given in the right spirit. So, as we go forward this week, let us pray for one another that we might do the Lord's work in a fashion with which he would be pleased.

May God bless your is our earnest prayer.

Scott

That Sounds Like Home to Me (06/03/09)

That old song made famous by the Happy Goodmans has been on my mind the last several days, subsequent to the passing of a family friend last week. Actually, not only that song, but a number of songs, and the topic of "heaven" has been on my heart. And I think that's what we should write about in this week's devotional.

Heaven has physical characteristics to admire:

John 14:2 "In my father's house are many mansions..."

Revelation 21:11,12: "Having the glory of God: and her light was like stone most precious, even a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high..."

Revelation 21:16 "And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal."

Chapter 21 of The Revelation goes on to mention all the gates and precious stones that will be there. We won't copy for sake of space, but suggest that everyone read this precious chapter at some point this week, for although this chapter spends many verses on the physical things there, it also is the chapter of "no more." What spiritual significance, and how glorious the things that we will leave behind on this troublesome earth.

Revelation 21:22-23 "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."

vs. 25 "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there."
vs. 27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

But the verse that I claim as my own, is at the beginning of this wonderful chapter:

Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

What a wonderful time to have spent just thinking of heaven. But let us not forget, as we look at its beauty, and as we realize the troubles that we will leave behind, here on this earth, that we give praise and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ, without whom this destination could not be reached. It was by Him and Him alone that we are saved.

So, while there will be many beauties to behold, in that Holy city, above all, I believe we will be found at the feet of Jesus, worshipping, and praising Him for the wonderful grace and mercy through it all. I close with lyrics to my favorite song:

If you should reach that city
Before my time has come
And perhaps you'd like to greet me
When my race down here is run
Oh, just wait for I'll soon be coming
Across life's mystic sea
So I'll tell you now, my brother
Just where to wait for me
Don't wait 'neath the gates of pearl
Don't wait on the street of gold
Don't wait by the walls of jasper
Or among the many sights untold
For I've been longing and I've been waiting
For the precious holy one to see
And there I'll be through the countless ages
Look for me at Jesus' feet.

May God richly bless you is our prayer.

Scott
 

Looking Ahead (Part II) (5/25/09)

Last week, we did a small study of how current events teach us to look up, for our redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21). This week, we will look at what awaits us, as we pass from this life into the other.

For those who to be called away, it starts in I Corinthian 15, which is a personal favorite:

15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of  an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?

How sweet to know that from this point forward there will be no more death, for we, the church, have been given victory through Jesus Christ!

But what else lies ahead?

Hebrews 9:27, 28 say "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment: So Christ was offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

While this verse is primarily giving honor to Jesus for paying the sin sacrifice, and taking our place, it should be noted that we will all face judgment once we leave this world. How grave a thought. We all want to hear those words promised in Matthew 25, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant...enter thou into the joy of thy lord."  But, as for this writer, sometimes we have to admit that we are failing to do ALL that we can do to further the kingdom of Jesus Christ the Lord. Thank God that his mercies are everlasting, and it's by them that we are not consumed!

And, finally, no matter your stance toward Jesus Christ, there is a fate that awaits us ALL, foretold in Romans 14:

v. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow unto me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one shall give account of himself to God.

Let us bow before him while we are still here on earth that the Lord may be glorified through our lives, and such that sinners might come to know him. The days are short before us, and the world is dying rapidly. May God have mercy on us for our lack of witness, and have mercy on those we are failing to reach.

I believe that is what the Lord would have me present to you this Memorial Day evening. We'll close with this chorus:

"He is Lord
He is Lord
He is risen from the dead and He is Lord
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord."

May God richly bless and touch you this evening.

Scott

Looking Ahead (5/19/09)

There has been a lot of tragedy over the last several months, some as a result of malice, some as a result of accidents and the like. And this week has brought yet another tragedy, this time just a few dozen miles to our west, where a young man was killed in a crowded auditorium in Nashville.

But this is not to be a sad devotional. This is to do as we are told in the gospel of Luke. This writer most certainly believes that we are in this period:

Luke 21:10 "Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony."

That paints a dark picture. But it's where we are now. But, don't fret. We'll come back to Luke 21 in a minute. But let's stay in the present. What else does the Bible say?

II Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live goldy in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."

Sound like the days in which we are living?

Let's go back to Luke 21. After the Bible speaks of many more prophecies for which to look (which we won't list for lack of space), it gives us a very specific instruction:

28 "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

So, it isn't all bad. Look up, your redemption is drawing nigh. Lift up your head, weary pilgrim. The world is getting bad but the Lord is near. Let's keep our eyes on him this week.

We'll close there now for reasons of time and space, but we may continue this at a later date. Praise the Lord for His wonderful mercies.

Let's sing this chorus:

Look up ye weary pilgrim
Look up and smile
Know your redemption draweth nigh
Lift up your heart and your voices
With a song of praise
Our Lord is coming by and by.

May God bless you is our prayer.

Scott
 

5/11/09

No devotional this week. My apologies. I was unable to write one and couldn't get it worked out to have a guest writer.

Scott

I Should Have Led Them (05/04/09)

Last Saturday night, I went and saw my friends Heirline at their homecoming singing. Of course, it was a good time. But, like many concerts, there was one song that has stood out for me, and has stayed with me, and will be this week's devotional thought. The song, performed by Heirline, was called, "I Should Have Led Him To The Lord." The song is about, well, about missing the opportunity to lead a friend to the Lord, and the singer looking back at what he should have done. Tonight, we'll look at that as it relates to scripture.

First of all, if you have read these devotionals for any length of time, you know that witness is something in which we certainly believe, although it something we far too often fail to do. But, most importantly, it something that we have been commanded to do. Mark 16:15 says to go into all the world, and preach the gospel. II Timothy 2:14 says Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine.

But, what else is said? Two chapters of Ezekiel deal with the very subject. First, we look at Ezekiel 3:

v18: When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
v19: Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Chapter 33, verse 8: When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

What a sad thought to stand in judgment, having failed to warn a sinful world of their condition, and to fail to introduce them to Jesus Christ, the world's savior. What are we really doing for Christ? In a time when sorrow is around us, are we missing opportunities to win others to Jesus? I daresay that it is so. We, as Christians, must do a better job of standing for Jesus, telling the world of amazing grace and the sacrifice made for us by our Lord Jesus Christ. That is our first calling as Christian people.

So, with that being said, let us pray for one another. Let us call to God and ask for the wisdom that he said he would give liberally. Let us be still and listen to the things he would have us do this summer. And let us be found so doing.

May God bless you is our prayer this evening.

Scott

Hate (04/28/09)

I know that you are thinking that this is a bizarre topic for a weekly devotional. It really isn't a topic that I would seek out but, nonetheless, it is what the Lord has given me this week.
Surprisingly, this word is found a lot in the scriptures. A keyword search at Biblegateway.com yields 179 occurrences in the King James Version. Tonight we'll discuss a few things.
Obviously, this devotional is not a justification of hatred. God forbid. The scriptures, particularly in the book of I John, are very clear about that:

I John 2:9-11 "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."

I John 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer..."

I John 4:20 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar..."

Let us strive to love one another, as we love the Lord.

One scripture I feel must be touched on is Luke 14:26, in which the Lord says to the following multitudes, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

This was a harsh test from the Lord to those people. Obviously, we have been taught from an early age, to honor our fathers and mothers, according to the "Ten Commandments" in Exodus. But the Lord wants our all, even if our parents, family, friends, aren't with us. Those same commandments say to have "no other gods before me." So, let's take this verse and ponder it this week.

Finally, there is one final scripture that we will touch on. In Proverbs 6:16-19, the writer says this:

"These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren."

How are our hearts tonight? Have we done, or are we currently doing something that the Bible says the Lord himself hates? God forbid that it be so. But, if it is, let us all, repent and be found in the Lord's will. Your writer has found himself in that situation at times. Please pray that we would keep ourselves within the boundaries of God's will, always.

So, we close this devotional by encouraging the reader to seek God's face in his or her Christian walk. Let's love our brothers and sisters; let us live godly lives. Our prayers are with you and we trust you will do the same for us. May God richly bless.

Scott

Controversy (4/20/09)

Every so often, a politician, athlete, or other celebrity of some sort will make a statement, and it will be called "controversy" by a reporter or someone of that nature. That occasionally even happens to Pastors and other people of faith from time to time, when a stand is taken  on a particular issue. That fulfills the dictionary definition of the word, so to speak.  But tonight, we want to give thought to how God has used the term in the scriptures.

If one does a keyword search at Biblegateway.com, he will find the following:

-Five times in Deuteronomy, the law is laid down that, if two men have a controversy, or issue one with the other, they are to bring it before the judges.
-In II Samuel 15, Absalom appoints himself judge, when men bring matters before him.

But tonight we want to focus on the next several occurrences of the word. In all the entries, the Lord himself has a controversy with a people. In Isaiah 34 it is Zion; in Jeremiah 25 the Lord has controversy with the nations; in Ezekiel 44 the Levites; in Hosea 4 the inhabitants of the land; in Hosea 12 with Judah; and in Micah 6, his people.

But our question is a simple one this evening. Does the Lord have a controversy with YOU? What a sad state in which we sometimes find ourselves. Your writer tonight is hoping that he is not at issue with the Holy God. Obviously, we all have sinned, according to the scripture, and because of that sin we were once separated. But, praise the Lord, that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And he has shown us mercy. It is by His mercies that we are not consumed.

But, are we living for Him? Are we drawing nigh to him, that he might draw nigh unto us? Are we being still and listening to what the Lord has in store for us, in His perfect will? I daresay we are not. But, now is our opportunity to change that. Let us, as scripture encourages us, lay aside every weight...that doth so easily beset us. Let us prayerfully, joyfully, engage in activity that would glorify the Lamb of God. Let us be sensitive to His perfect will. For He will bless what He has ordained.

Thanks be unto God for His love, mercy, and grace this evening. The final appearance of the word controversy is in I Timothy 3, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." Thank God for his resurrection.

Again, we ask that you consider these words, and talk to the Lord. Repent if you are so led, and end any controversy between you and God. There is no better time than now. We close with this old song:

O do not let the word depart
And close thine eyes against the light
O sinner harden not your heart
Be saved, O tonight

O why not tonight?
O why not tonight?
Wilt thou be saved?
Then why not tonight?

May the Lord bless you is our earnest, humble prayer.

Scott

Study to Be Quiet (4/14/09)

In the 1st letter to the Thessalonians, Paul advises them, "But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia: but we beseech, you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." (I Thess. 4:9-12

As I was reading that the other day, the phrase "study to be quiet" stood out. Being quiet has sometimes been an area of trouble for this writer, for certain. It's part of my personality to have an opinion about everything, I guess, so, being quiet, and going about business has not always been my strong suit. But it is a commandment here.

And, while we're parked on this phrase, do any of us really have "quiet time?" Do we get in our prayer closet and pray, about the things that trouble us, or about those around us? Do we spend time talking to the Lord about our family members and friends who need him most? Are we in the word?

Timothy was told in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workmen that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. How are we able to rightly divide the word of truth, and to "reprove, rebuke, and exhort," as we are told, without the quiet times with the Lord? It's an area in which many of us come up short, I daresay.

But, the truth is, we know what the commandment is. We have been taught to put the Lord first in our lives, and we know that this comes through the study of His word. So, we need to put other things aside for a time and find ourselves therein.

That's what our goals should be. Let's strive this spring to get into the word, and rightly divide it. May God richly bless each of you is my prayer.

Scott

THE Resurrection (04/07/09)

In the book of Isaiah, Chapter 53, "..for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form no comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed..." (vs. 2-5).

This is one of the prophecies of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Another account is found in Psalm 22. How thankful we should be for the Lord's sacrifice for us, who, as Paul accounts in Romans, "O wretched man that I am!" In earlier verses of Romans 7, Paul tells us about the warring within the body between the fleshly mind and the spirit, verse 19: "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

And our Lord knew of our wicked state, and yet he came to become a sacrifice and die for us anyway. But not only that, he came and ministered upon the earth for a period of years, only to have the mob cry to give them Barabbas and crucify him. That is the Savior that we serve.

But, the best part is that the story ends not at the cross, but at the tomb, where on the third day, "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it...And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matthew 28:2,4-6).

Hallelujah for the risen savior! It is because he arose that sin and death are defeated. It is because he died and arose that we can be forgiven our sin. And, as Bill and Gloria wrote, it is because he lives that we can face tomorrow...

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know he holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because he lives!

May God richly bless you and Happy Easter.

Scott
 

Resurrections (3/31/09)

As Easter Sunday gets near, let us talk about resurrection. We'll talk more about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior in a few days, but for now let's look at other kinds of resurrection, as we find in the scriptures.

In Ezekiel 37, we see the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones. In verse 3, the LORD asked the prophet if bones could live again, to which Ezekiel replied, "...O Lord God, thou knowest." How great was his faith? After the Lord commanded him to prophesy to the dry bones that they should live, they became live persons again (vs. 7-10). Of course, this resurrection scene is a prophecy of a coming back together of the house of Israel, according to verses 11-14.

In I Corinthians 15, the mystery of the resurrection of the saints is told. "Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (vs. 51,52); and in I Thessalonians 4, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of  God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (vs. 16,17).

These are just a couple of examples of God's resurrection power. We could mention stories in the old testament of miracles performed by the prophets, or tell of the raising of Jairus daughter or Lazarus in the New Testament.  But beyond these miracles, performed with the power of the Lord, how can the power of resurrection help you?

Obviously, your body is living if you are reading this. But is there a part of you that is dead? Dying? How is your heart? Is your spirit broken? We all have our days, don't we? But we need to have that mustard-seed faith the Bible tells us about. If we are serving a God that is capable or raising the dead, how simple is it for him to heal a wounded soul? We all have our difficulties, be they financial, family, health, or just sometimes just not feeling right. But we serve the God of all comfort, and a God that is all powerful. We need to keep that in our minds.

So, as we close, let's remember to keep drawing nigh unto him as we are instructed in the Book of James. The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us, and that alone is reason enough to be happy. Let's live in his resurrection power, and get ready for this Easter season.

May God bless each of  you is our prayer. We leave you with this McKameys hit:

"...Just before I lost the courage to go on another mile
Just in time the Lord sustained me and drew me thru the trial
Before the load became too much
I heard the voice and felt the touch of the one who said 'Be of good cheer'
The Lord drew near"

Scott

Tomorrows (03/23/09)

Hopefully we will be back on a pretty regular schedule starting with this devotional.

Do you spend a lot of your time worrying about tomorrow? I certainly do. Whether it is simple things, like kids' practices, or simpler still, what am I going to pack for lunch, I spend far too much time looking ahead. My daughter may be the world's worst worry-wart, but my son, not so much. He's all about the here and now.

Of course, neither of them have to plan for bill paying or anything of the mundane sort that we adults do. But while we're talking about tomorrows, let's talk about the spiritual side of things.

Proverbs 27:1 tells us "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." But we do it often. Plan and plan and plan. Yet far too often in our planning we forget to do our duties in the here and now. Don't get me wrong; we are charged with being good stewards of the things with which the Lord has blessed us, but we have many more charges. First and foremost, we are called to preach and to teach. II Timothy 4:2 tells us to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine," and Mark 16:15 to "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Are we preaching or teaching the word to the world around us? Do we have the love for our fellow man that we should? This is certainly an area where your writer falls well short.

But we must press on and we must find ourselves doing the Lord's work. Our time is short. Ephesians 5:15-17 offers this:

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Time is short for this world. The reader is encouraged to read Luke 21, and all the things that lead up to verse 28: "When these things come to pass, then look up, and lift your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." I believe that redemption is very near, according to the scripture. Therefore, in the short time that we have left we should be doing much more for our God, and for a dying people.

We have no guarantee of tomorrow, even if we seem to be youthful and healthy, full of life. We must draw near to our Holy and Righteous God and let him guide our paths, and let the Lord speak through us to those who need Him most.

We close with the words from this old Gaither hymn...

"Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand."

May God bless you is our earnest prayer.

Scott

What is your Aaron? (03/16/09)

Are you looking for Aaron? We look in Exodus Chapter 4, and see a Moses that was timid before the Lord, not believing that he could do the Lord's work, and basically begging the Lord to send him an helper:

v10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
v11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
v12 Now therefore go, and I will be thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
v13 And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of whom thou wilt send.
v14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
v15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

The Lord gave Aaron to Moses as an helper because of Moses' nervousness about being able to communicate to the people. This will require more study on my part, but I have been taught over the years that, even with Aaron the designated  spokesperson, Moses generally was the one that communicated the will of the LORD to the Israelites.

How does that apply to us in this day? First, we should be like Moses, in the sense that we should desire a perfection in doing the Lord's work. The word should always be undertaken with utmost respect and sincerity. On the other hand, we should be more faithful than the prophet. If we believe the Lord has called us to do a work for him, then we should step out in faith, and believe that He will bless His work, if we are being found in His will so doing.

Do we use things as excuses for not doing a work? I stand before you guilty. We all know that there are things to do that are right, such as praying, attending church, helping others, that we need not be slothful in doing. These are commandments, and do not require long prayers. However, there are ministry works that do. I know not what the Lord has in store for you, fellow servant. Only you can seek his face and ask, and be still and listen. And answer His call when it is known, even if there's no Aaron to be found.  The Lord may have you sing, preach, teach, or minister in any number of ways. But rest assured, God has a work for us all to do.

And don't let anything feel small. Remember the widow's mite, as we close with this old hymn:

"Little is much, when God is in it
Labor not for wealth or fame
There's a crown, and you can win it
If you'll go in Jesus' name"

Let's all be more dedicated and be wary of our lack of faith. May God bless you is our earnest prayer this week.

Scott

Behavior Modification (03/04/09)

First, my apologies for being so slow to get this devotional posted. There have been issues with sickness and such, and I've spent more time lately in the House of God than I had in a while, but, as much as any other reason, the reason this lesson has been slow in coming is that I have struggled and wrestled with it. But, I believe that God has a plan and hopefully someone will be helped.

We as Christians need to be cognizant of our behavior, at home, at work, in the church. In this modern age, sometimes that isn't a popular stance, and, I am guilty just like anyone else of failing, and I confess that to you today, with hopes that we all pray for one another, as we are commanded in James 5. My sins may not be your sins, and vice-versa, but none of us are sinless. And only through him can we be saved.

The question to be asked is are we getting too comfortable? God forbid. Let us always strive to be working for the Lord Jesus, and to be soul-winners and stewards for him, whatever that may entail. In the book of Titus we are told to "be zealous of good works" (Titus 2:10-15). That means that no matter how much we are doing, to continue to strive to do more. To do more for the lost; to do more for our brothers and sisters in Christ; and to do more in our communities.

Too often we flippantly dismiss the "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not" portions of the Bible. And sometimes, not all commandments were given to the New Testament Church. However, many, many of them were. Besides the teachings of Jesus himself, a good place to start is in the book of I Timothy, where Paul charges Timothy with a number of things. I caught the tail end of a weeks-long study at a church recently, and a verse from his text has stood out to me that fits hand-in-hand with this devotional:

1 Timothy 3:14,15 "These things I write unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."  May God teach us daily how to live in his house and in our house.

Again, I am reminded of my own weakness. I am still wrestling with these words even as I write. I feel but the least of all. I know in my heart that I could be living much closer to the Lord. Heaven forbid that I should be doing anything contrary to God's will in the lesson. I want to be ever-cautious to inspect my own life, as taught in Matthew 7:3-5, before ever admonishing others. That being said, I still believe that the Lord has told us to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine."

Would that we would all be as longsuffering as our Lord is with us. We are again reminded of Jeremiah's thought, "It is of the Lord's mercies, that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not" (Lamentations 3:22). And, if our brother (or I) am failing, I'm calling out to ye which are spiritual, to lift up our name in prayer in accordance with Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness: considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."

I believe that we can close this lesson. As we go forth in our Christian walk, let us strive to live for Jesus Christ, in our homes, our churches, our communities. Let us lift up one another in prayer. Bear one another's burdens. Be sensitive to the Lord's commandments and his daily speaking to both our wants and our needs. He has proven himself faithful to us. Now let us be faithful unto him as forward we go.

May God richly bless you is our prayer. And please pray for this ministry that God will use us. Please pray for me that I would be found living closer to the Lord Jesus day by day.

Scott
 

Just Thinkin' (02/15/09)

Several years ago The McKameys released a song with that title. And, even though it wasn't their most successful song, at least as far as magazine charts go, it was a song that reminded us to count our blessings.  This week, we're going to do just that.

The last several devotions from Watts Bar-Cumberland Ministries have dealt with hurting, with healing, with trials, and with faith, but this week, let's just think on our blessings and what the Lord has done for us.  Obviously, there are blessings that we'll choose not to share, and, even more obvious is the fact that there isn't enough bandwidth in the world to list ALL our blessings, but we will post several, and remember to praise the Lord for his providence and mercy.

First and foremost, we thank God for saving our soul in September of 1987. We know "that if we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9,10). And we did ask for his salvation and do believe that he was raised, according to the scriptural account recorded in the gospels.

Secondly, we realize, that in June of 1973, the Lord blessed a Rhea County, Tennessee couple with me, but, he also blessed me with a decidedly Christian family. I still have most of my family with me here on this earth, and they are often advising me spiritually. As recently as earlier this afternoon, I was admonished to stay in church and to live for the Lord Jesus. Day by day I see others who are not as blessed as I am to be surrounded by such love.

Next, the Lord blessed me with a wife, May 1997, a daughter, September 1999, and a son, in May of  2002.  All of us have had our health problems, particularly my son, but the Lord has brought us through. My son, other than fighting with some allergy and asthma symptoms, is a pretty healthy little boy who likes to rough-house with other little boys.  My daughter has always been pretty healthy. My wife and I have our health for the most part, other than the things that come with not being as young as we used to and stuff we could control, by just living a healthier lifestyle.

Those are some personal things with which I am truly blessed.  The Lord has kept us through both difficult and not-so-difficult financial times. A verse I have claimed is Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread." Right now we are blessed to be working full-time and the bills are being paid on time. It hasn't always been that way, but, even in the tough times, we have always had a roof over our head and I don't remember missing a meal. God has truly, richly blessed.

Finally, there are other spiritual things that I dare not neglect to mention. My God has shown Himself to be a very merciful God. The Psalmist said, "The Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations" (Psalm 100:5).  Jeremiah puts it this way in Lamentations 3:22, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." We should all be thankful that our Lord is longsuffering toward us. I know that I fail on a daily, probably hourly, basis, but, in accordance with I John 1:9, "...he is faithful and just to forgive our sins..."  Praise be unto the Lord.

We'll stop there for time's sake. The reader is encouraged to enumerate his own blessings. We trust It will uplift even the most discouraged spirit. We close with this hymn:

"Count your blessings, name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."

May God continue to richly bless is our prayer.

Scott
 

The Master of the Sea (02/10/09)

Mark 4:37-39 "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
"And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."

That is the story of Jesus miracle of calming the winds and the waves, as he and his disciples were on a journey and a storm arose. When the storm came, the disciples were filled with fear. Jesus went on to ask them why they had so little faith, and, even though they were closest to Jesus of anyone, they still spoke among themselves, asking what manner of man this was, that the wind and sea obeyed him.

Are we in that same frame of mind? I daresay that oftentimes we are. Your writer has been experiencing storms this year, with health and other problems, and we have shown our lack of faith at times. But we know in our heart that prayer works. We've seen it too many times. We know that God works all things for our good (Romans 8:28), and we know that the Lord is going to bless our lives and this ministry if we stay faithful to him.

We know that trials will come. That's simply a day-to-day part of living in this body on this earth. But we have the hope of a new heaven and new earth where old things are passed away. In the meantime, we are called to do the Lord's work -- to win and to cultivate new Christians.

So, dear friend, if you are facing storms in your life, turn to the Master. Even the wind and seas obey him. He feeds the sparrows and makes the lilies splendid (Matthew 6; Luke 12). Let's each increase our faith to that mustard seed mentioned in Matthew 17 and Luke 17, and believe that God is going to be there with us throughout whatever trial we may have to face. The psalmist David said "...yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, norhis seed begging bread." Remember that in your daily walk with Christ, and remember the power of prayer.

We close with this Squire Parsons hymn:

"Though the storms of life my rage
And the billows 'round you roll
He can calm life's troubled seas
As he did in days of old
As upon life's see you sail
Trust in him who never fails
He's the one who sails with me
He's the Master of the sea..."

Let the Lord reach down and calm the storm in your lives. May God bless you is my earnest prayer.

Scott

Hurt (02/04/09)

My daughter and my son were horseplaying the other day, and she managed to drop him onto a furniture corner, resulting in a pretty good cut on his side. Even though it looks pretty nasty, he's a tough little guy and he'll be fine.

But, at the time, he wanted attention from his mother and me. And, even though the Lord had given me this thought before it happened, it relates. How many of us are hurting right now? Some of us have a troubled spirit. Many of us are having work-related stress. Some are sick in our bodies. But we know that the Lord can take the hurt away or at least give us comfort.

John 16:7 tells us, of course, "...It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." Of course, the Lord was speaking of the Comforter coming following his death on the cross, but we need that Comforter.

For those of us struggling, a friend and I were discussing these verses earlier this week:

Proverbs 3:5,6: "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."

This is especially true during trials. It's one of your writer's worst failures to not trust the Lord in times of trouble. By nature I worry about everything, and that's compounded when things aren't going particularly well. But, the truth of the matter is, I am commanded to trust in the Lord.

As situations go, we are allowed great freedom in asking the Lord for wisdom. James 1:5 says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." So, when troubles come, ask the Lord for His wisdom in well-doing.

We return one more time to Philippians 4, "Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Our Lord is able to take the hurt away. He may not, as Paul found out in II Corinthians 12, but remember what the Lord told Paul in verse 9: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..."

We close with this hymn from Mosie Lister:

"O His grace is sufficient for me
And His love is abundant and free
And what joy fill my soul
Just to know, just to know
That His grace is sufficient for me."

May God bless you and heal your hurts is our earnest prayer.

Scott

Healing (01/26/09)

Lately your writer has been a little under the weather physically and emotionally as well, but with that came the thought that we will be bringing this week.  And that is the power of our God to heal the body and the spirit alike.

As it comes to our spirits, that often get discouraged, for reasons large and small, we should remember the words that were told to Joshua, in Joshua 1:9.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

Or the words that Paul, in the New Testament, gave to the Philippians:

"Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6,7)

Our God has called on us to let our requests be made known. In Hebrews 4, we are told that our priest had like passions as us, and was tempted, so we should boldly come before the throne of grace. Our God is full of grace, and is able to meet our every need, whether it be physical or whether it be spiritual.

He has promised to heal the sick, based on fervent prayer. A scripture that comes to me often is James 5:

15:13 "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
v. 14 "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
v. 15 "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
v. 16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

We know that we will have trials as long as we are on this earth and in this earthen vessel. But we have peace in knowing that our God can heal our minds and our bodies. And we know that, if we know Jesus Christ as our Savior, that there is a land of "no more" that we will gain when our time here is passed. Another scripture to view is in Revelation 21:

21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

What a reason to rejoice. We close with this Gaither hymn...

"There'll be no sorrow there; no more burdens to bear
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there
And forever I will be with the one who died for me
What a day, glorious day, that will be...
What a day that will be -- when my Jesus I shall see
And I look upon His face -- the one who saved me by His grace
When He takes me by the hand, and leads me through the promised land
What a day, glorious day, that will be...."

May God bless you and comfort you, is our earnest prayer.

Scott
 

The Old Rugged Cross Made The Difference (01/19/09)

...Sorry it's been so long...still fighting sickness and have had a houseguest for the last few weeks...

"'Twas a life filled with aimless desperation
Without hope walked the shell of a man
Then a hand with a nailprint stretched downward,
Just one touch, then a new life began"

These are the lyrics to the opening stanza of a Bill Gaither classic. How poignant those words. For the Lord Jesus Christ made the difference for all of us by dying on that Old Rugged Cross, becoming the sin sacrifice for all mankind.

By the Lord's grace, and by a strong influence from Christian friends and family, I managed to avoid a lot of earthly temptations as a young man, but, even as such, I still had need of a Savior. Regardless of the life we have led, or are leading, because of Adam's sin, we are all sinners from birth, as told in the following verses:

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.."

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..."

Through these verses we acknowledge our sinful condition. But, thanks be unto God for his sacrificial lamb:

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

And, what must we do?

Romans 10:9,10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe inthine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

So friends, if you have never developed a relationship with this our Savior, we urge you to do so today. Find a place to pray and ask Jesus into your life. There will still be hard times, but he'll give grace in times of trouble. And he'll give you the peace that passeth all understanding.

"Barren wall echoed harshness and anger
Little feet ran in terror to hide
Now those walls ring with love warmth and laughter
Since the giver of life moved inside...
And the old rugged cross made the difference
In a life bound for heartache and defeat
I will praise him forever and ever
For the cross made the difference for me."

Let the difference be made for you today. May God bless you is our prayer.

Scott
 

Martha (01/05/09)

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord dost thou care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Those verses from Luke 10 are the verses the Lord has laid on our hearts lately. I received a Christmas gift of the latest two Perrys CD's, and the one song that really stood out was one called "Mary for a While," that is directly from the verses above.

This thought is nothing new; any of us that have been in church for a length of time have heard it taught before.  Still, we find ourselves being Martha, in that, we are always troubled by being far too busy. Martha even goes so far as to ask the Lord himself to admonish her sister to help. Do we find ourselves in that situation? Do we need to be still, listening and watching for the Lord's command, or joining him in prayerful fellowship, but instead, we get wrapped up in too many earthly endeavors? Do we hinder others in so doing?

Obviously, it's something we all must address.  The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:33, "...seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  We need to stop trying to "add all these things" without putting the Lord first. God will provide.  David reflects in Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

I was challenged at church last night about my sacrifice and at a service last week about persistent prayers.  As the new year starts, let's all strive to live more righteously for the Lord Jesus, and to not allow our busy schedules to hinder our Christian walk with God. We need to be still and hear what the Spirit is saying to us, and be attentive, like Mary.

May God bless you is our prayer.

Scott
 

All Devotions written by Scott Boles unless otherwise noted.  Sharing is welcomed.
Copyright © 2009

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