Read: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 5:1-23; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29
Infertility in our day is devastating enough but it was even worse in those days. A woman’s whole worth was in her offspring…mainly a son. Hannah did the only thing she knew to do and that was pray. There were no fertility doctors or medical breakthroughs. She needed a miracle and God gave her one. She got pregnant and had Samuel. She kept her promise and gave him to the Lord which had to be the hardest thing she had ever done. She only got to see him once a year and she was giving him to a man who had raised two sons who had turned out totally wicked. Eli’s son’s, Hophni and Phinehas were bad to the bone. They were priests who ate the meat that people brought to the Lord and tomorrow we will read how they also had sex with women who sat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Hannah did not give her son, Samuel to Eli as much as she gave him to the Lord. God watched over Samuel and he did not turn out like Eli’s other sons. Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord and loved the Lord and learned to hear his voice.
In John, Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed. That sounds like a silly question, but some people like their illness and own it. The man’s answer was an excuse of why he couldn’t be healed. Jesus cut to the chase and told him to stand up and take up his mat and walk. It was the Sabbath, so this broke the law of the Pharisees about the Sabbath, giving them one more reason to hate him. The man didn’t even know that it was Jesus who healed him until he met up with Jesus later. Jesus told him to stop sinning or something worse would happen to him.
Jesus healed many people because of the compassion in his heart toward hurting people. They had the choice to follow him or not. But Jesus warned them if they didn’t follow him and went back to their sins, they would also lose their healing. The same is true today. People can be healed of cancer, but if they keep doing the things that brought the cancer in the first place, it will return. We have a commandment to walk in truth. Once we know truth, we are held accountable for it.
Lord, help us to walk in your truth and not get slack or give up.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Sat.’s Devo - Redemption
Read: Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Procervs 14:26-27
The story of Ruth is a story of redemption. Ruth was a Moabite who was redeemed by Boaz, her kinsman redeemer who was a type of Jesus. The story has more meaning when you realize that Boaz was the son of Rahab the harlot in the story of the Hebrew spies that spied out the promised land in Joshua 2. She was the one who hid them and saved her whole family. She was an outcast who Salmon married and made her part of the family of Israel. Boaz had a heart for Ruth because her story was much like his mother’s.
Another interesting tip about Ruth is found in Ruth 4:12. When Boaz purchased Ruth, the elders proclaimed a blessing on them. They said, “…let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah.” Tamar’s story was the same as Ruth’s. Her husband had died and she needed a kinsman redeemer. She had to take what was hers, but she got her redeemer in Judah. Tamar, Rahab and Ruth are all three mentioned in the lineage of Mary in Matthew 1. They were the only women mentioned by name; Bathsheba was alluded to. We all need a kinsman redeemer to rescue us and make our seed righteous. We find him only in Jesus.
In John, Jesus came back to Galilee. Now the people were anxious to see him because they had seen the miracles he did in Jerusalem. God gives us a glimpse of the millennial reign in the story of the royal officer and his son. This man’s son was dying and he heard Jesus was in town so he found him and begged him to come to his house. Jesus made the statement, “unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe. Then he told the man that his son will live. The man did believe and went home. On the way he was met with one of his soldiers who told him his boy was alive. When he asked him when he got better, the man told him at the seventh hour. The seventh hour is another term for the millennium. In the millennium, all sickness will be healed. The man realized it was the exact hour Jesus told him his son would live.
All you have to do is read the first statement of our Psalm for today and realize that God is in total control of disasters and famines and storms, etc. People have such a hard time realizing the bigger picture about God. God uses everything he created to speak to his people. He uses good and bad things to get our attention. It is all for redemption. As soon as he brings disaster, he also brings the hope of restoration. God called a famine on Israel at the same time that he sent Joseph before them to be the answer out of the famine.
Lord, thank your for being our kinsman redeemer.
The story of Ruth is a story of redemption. Ruth was a Moabite who was redeemed by Boaz, her kinsman redeemer who was a type of Jesus. The story has more meaning when you realize that Boaz was the son of Rahab the harlot in the story of the Hebrew spies that spied out the promised land in Joshua 2. She was the one who hid them and saved her whole family. She was an outcast who Salmon married and made her part of the family of Israel. Boaz had a heart for Ruth because her story was much like his mother’s.
Another interesting tip about Ruth is found in Ruth 4:12. When Boaz purchased Ruth, the elders proclaimed a blessing on them. They said, “…let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah.” Tamar’s story was the same as Ruth’s. Her husband had died and she needed a kinsman redeemer. She had to take what was hers, but she got her redeemer in Judah. Tamar, Rahab and Ruth are all three mentioned in the lineage of Mary in Matthew 1. They were the only women mentioned by name; Bathsheba was alluded to. We all need a kinsman redeemer to rescue us and make our seed righteous. We find him only in Jesus.
In John, Jesus came back to Galilee. Now the people were anxious to see him because they had seen the miracles he did in Jerusalem. God gives us a glimpse of the millennial reign in the story of the royal officer and his son. This man’s son was dying and he heard Jesus was in town so he found him and begged him to come to his house. Jesus made the statement, “unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe. Then he told the man that his son will live. The man did believe and went home. On the way he was met with one of his soldiers who told him his boy was alive. When he asked him when he got better, the man told him at the seventh hour. The seventh hour is another term for the millennium. In the millennium, all sickness will be healed. The man realized it was the exact hour Jesus told him his son would live.
All you have to do is read the first statement of our Psalm for today and realize that God is in total control of disasters and famines and storms, etc. People have such a hard time realizing the bigger picture about God. God uses everything he created to speak to his people. He uses good and bad things to get our attention. It is all for redemption. As soon as he brings disaster, he also brings the hope of restoration. God called a famine on Israel at the same time that he sent Joseph before them to be the answer out of the famine.
Lord, thank your for being our kinsman redeemer.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Fri.’s Devo - 5-5-17 - Looking for a Bride
Read: Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 14:25
Today we have three stories of brides. The first one tells the story of the brides of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was under the hand of judgment by the other tribes because of how they had rebelled. Since all the tribes had vowed not to let their women marry Benjamites they had a problem. There were 600 who needed brides to keep the tribe alive. They came up with some creative ways to find them brides. They did it their way.
The next story was of Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite who only knew of God and his ways through Naomi, her mother-in-law. Ruth’s husband died in Ruth’s land and Naomi found out the famine was over in Israel and wanted to go home. Ruth was determined to go with her and live with her people and worship the god Naomi worshipped. Little did Ruth know, God had a husband waiting for her.
The last story was the woman at the well. She had had 7 husbands and the man she was living with wasn’t her husband. The true husband, Jesus, sat with her and spoke of living water. She asked him about the Messiah and Jesus told her that he was it. She was one of the only people Jesus spoke his true identity to. She immediately went and found others to come meet Jesus.
The first story was about the Israelites who had the truth yet they kept rejecting it for their own ideas. The second story was about a Moabite who saw truth and wanted more. The third story was about a Samaritan woman who was also thirsty for truth. Jesus then told his disciples that the harvest was ripe. Sometimes the field looks different from what you would want or assume.
Lord, open our eyes to the harvest around us and help us not to judge who you choose to save. Jesus is looking for a bride that is looking for him.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Thurs.’s Devo - Life Without God
Read: Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24
I think this is my least favorite story to read. I can’t comprehend it. I think you can sum in all up in the first sentence of Judges 19:1. “In those days Israel had no king.” God was suppose to be their king but they had rejected him so they were left to figure out life on their own. So we have this unbelievable story of unfaithfulness, disrespect for human life…especially women, lack of self-control, perversity, and barbaric behavior, just to name a few. This is how man figures out life with out God. The number of Israelites who were killed because of this is over 50,000. Staggering! And this was a civil war. Only 600 Benjamites escaped. Almost a whole tribe was wiped out because of this one act. Actually, it was because of a whole mind set that had crept in because they had not let God be their ruler.
In John, John’s disciples complained to John that many of his disciples were going to follow Jesus. John explained that he was not the Messiah, he was like the friend of the bridegroom. He was excited just to hear Jesus’ voice. Jesus was the fulfillment of John’s message. He was the proof that John was hearing God’s voice. He said that because Jesus had appeared on the scene his life was now complete. Little did he know he was speaking prophetically. John didn’t live much longer. He had finished his destiny.
Lord, may we find our purpose and be excited when others complete their destiny. Our desire is to hear the voice of God and lead others to the Messiah.
I think this is my least favorite story to read. I can’t comprehend it. I think you can sum in all up in the first sentence of Judges 19:1. “In those days Israel had no king.” God was suppose to be their king but they had rejected him so they were left to figure out life on their own. So we have this unbelievable story of unfaithfulness, disrespect for human life…especially women, lack of self-control, perversity, and barbaric behavior, just to name a few. This is how man figures out life with out God. The number of Israelites who were killed because of this is over 50,000. Staggering! And this was a civil war. Only 600 Benjamites escaped. Almost a whole tribe was wiped out because of this one act. Actually, it was because of a whole mind set that had crept in because they had not let God be their ruler.
In John, John’s disciples complained to John that many of his disciples were going to follow Jesus. John explained that he was not the Messiah, he was like the friend of the bridegroom. He was excited just to hear Jesus’ voice. Jesus was the fulfillment of John’s message. He was the proof that John was hearing God’s voice. He said that because Jesus had appeared on the scene his life was now complete. Little did he know he was speaking prophetically. John didn’t live much longer. He had finished his destiny.
Lord, may we find our purpose and be excited when others complete their destiny. Our desire is to hear the voice of God and lead others to the Messiah.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Wed.’s Devo - Reaping and Sowing
Read: Judges 17:1-18:31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 14:20-21
Micah is a story of reaping what you sow. Micah stole his mothers silver and the Danites stole his ephod, priest and household gods. Micah repented and gave the silver back to his mother but he still reaped his sin. This is something we tend to want to forget. What we do matters. We will have to pay for what we have done even when we repent. God forgives us and we have peace with him but the cycle we started by sinning has to complete its cycle.
Another lesson from this story is that there is no replacement for God’s way. Micah tried to make his priest and idols his god. Everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. Even the priests didn’t know the law of God. Only doing life God’s was will reap reward.
In John, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. He had questions for Jesus. He understood that Jesus was from God and Jesus understood that he was genuinely interested so he gave him another clue. He told him that he must be born again. This called for more questions. Jesus told him that unless he was born of water and the Spirit he could not enter the kingdom of God. When Nicodemus didn’t get that, Jesus told him that if he couldn’t understand earthly things, how would he be able to understand spiritual things. Then Jesus gave him the gospel. God didn’t sent his son to condemn the world but to save it. Whoever lives in the light will be able to see the truth. Jesus left Nicodemus with plenty of food for thought.
Lord, help us to walk in your truth.
Micah is a story of reaping what you sow. Micah stole his mothers silver and the Danites stole his ephod, priest and household gods. Micah repented and gave the silver back to his mother but he still reaped his sin. This is something we tend to want to forget. What we do matters. We will have to pay for what we have done even when we repent. God forgives us and we have peace with him but the cycle we started by sinning has to complete its cycle.
Another lesson from this story is that there is no replacement for God’s way. Micah tried to make his priest and idols his god. Everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. Even the priests didn’t know the law of God. Only doing life God’s was will reap reward.
In John, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. He had questions for Jesus. He understood that Jesus was from God and Jesus understood that he was genuinely interested so he gave him another clue. He told him that he must be born again. This called for more questions. Jesus told him that unless he was born of water and the Spirit he could not enter the kingdom of God. When Nicodemus didn’t get that, Jesus told him that if he couldn’t understand earthly things, how would he be able to understand spiritual things. Then Jesus gave him the gospel. God didn’t sent his son to condemn the world but to save it. Whoever lives in the light will be able to see the truth. Jesus left Nicodemus with plenty of food for thought.
Lord, help us to walk in your truth.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Tues.’s Devo - Pentecost
Read: Judges 15:1-16:31; John 2:1-25; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 14:17-19
God does things around the harvests and his feasts. It was the wheat harvest and Samson went to get his bride. She had been given to his best friend so Samson took 300 foxes and tied every two foxes together. Then he let the foxes free in their wheat fields and they burned their entire harvest. Then 3,000 Philistines came to the Israelite camp demanding they turn over Samson. Samson let his people tie him up in ropes and turn him over to the Philistines. They took Samson up on a rock where he killed 1,000 of them with the jawbone of an ass.
Here is the picture. The wheat harvest has to do with Pentecost. At the first pentecost at Sinai, God betrothed himself to Israel. At the second Pentecost, Jesus betrothed himself to the Church. At the first Pentecost, 3,000 were killed when they made a golden calf. At the second Pentecost, 3,000 were saved when Peter preached his first sermon. Pentecost is all about the harvest of God. There are two different harvests: one is God’s and the other is Satan’s. Samson set fire to the devil’s harvest and Peter set God’s people on fire. Samson’s gift to the enemy was death and God’s gift to the church was the Holy Spirit that brought new life.
Samson was brought to his knees by a woman who through deceit found the secret to his strength. We can use this same tool to bind the strong men in our lives. A strong man is a principality that manifests in a sin that so easily besets us and makes us fall. Once we find how it entered and how it got so strong in our lives, we can bind it and cast it out.
In John, it was the third day which means something that was dead is about to resurrect and change. Jesus put water in 6 clay pots which stood for man since man was created on the 6th day and we are called earthen vessels made from dust. Jesus turned their water into wine and made it the best wine ever. That is the resurrection power of Jesus in a person’s life. This was Jesus’ first miracle and his first Passover of his ministry. He was in Jerusalem for the Passover as the law required and cleansed the temple. When they asked him on what authority he did this, he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They didn’t have a clue what he was talking about until he actually rose from the dead.
Lord, make known your ways to us. Thank you for your forgiving grace.
God does things around the harvests and his feasts. It was the wheat harvest and Samson went to get his bride. She had been given to his best friend so Samson took 300 foxes and tied every two foxes together. Then he let the foxes free in their wheat fields and they burned their entire harvest. Then 3,000 Philistines came to the Israelite camp demanding they turn over Samson. Samson let his people tie him up in ropes and turn him over to the Philistines. They took Samson up on a rock where he killed 1,000 of them with the jawbone of an ass.
Here is the picture. The wheat harvest has to do with Pentecost. At the first pentecost at Sinai, God betrothed himself to Israel. At the second Pentecost, Jesus betrothed himself to the Church. At the first Pentecost, 3,000 were killed when they made a golden calf. At the second Pentecost, 3,000 were saved when Peter preached his first sermon. Pentecost is all about the harvest of God. There are two different harvests: one is God’s and the other is Satan’s. Samson set fire to the devil’s harvest and Peter set God’s people on fire. Samson’s gift to the enemy was death and God’s gift to the church was the Holy Spirit that brought new life.
Samson was brought to his knees by a woman who through deceit found the secret to his strength. We can use this same tool to bind the strong men in our lives. A strong man is a principality that manifests in a sin that so easily besets us and makes us fall. Once we find how it entered and how it got so strong in our lives, we can bind it and cast it out.
In John, it was the third day which means something that was dead is about to resurrect and change. Jesus put water in 6 clay pots which stood for man since man was created on the 6th day and we are called earthen vessels made from dust. Jesus turned their water into wine and made it the best wine ever. That is the resurrection power of Jesus in a person’s life. This was Jesus’ first miracle and his first Passover of his ministry. He was in Jerusalem for the Passover as the law required and cleansed the temple. When they asked him on what authority he did this, he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They didn’t have a clue what he was talking about until he actually rose from the dead.
Lord, make known your ways to us. Thank you for your forgiving grace.
Monday, May 1, 2017
Mon.’s Devo - Our Mission
Read: Judges 13:1-14:20; John 1:29-51; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 14:15-16
Israel had sinned and fell into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. God chose a man from Zorah to father the deliverer. Zorah means “she was smitten with leprosy”. Leprosy was a picture of sin since it is a disease of the flesh that slowly eats away your body till you die… just like sin. This was the state of Israel. The man God chose was Manoah which means “rest”. God was going to bring Israel rest. His wife was barren which was also the state of Israel. They had no hope. God came to her barren body and put a seed of hope there and the seed brought forth the deliverance for the whole nation.
The name of their son was Samson which means “little sun”. God is the big sun - Samson was just a small picture of him. A small light of hope.
Right away, Samson showed no godly desires, only the desire for foreign women which the law warned against. But, God was going to use Samson’s miss-placed passion for his purposes and for Israel. Samson had found a Philistine woman he wanted to marry. On the way to her house, he discovered his gift - his strength. From this event, he made up a riddle which was the custom of the Philistines to bring before his brides men. When the Philistines coerced Samson’s bride into finding out the answer to his riddle, Samson started his mission. He killed 30 Philistines to pay them back. His bride was given to his best man.
In John, Jesus entered the scene at the Jordan River. John the Baptist proclaimed his mission: “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Then he baptized Jesus and witnessed the Holy Spirit ascending on Jesus and remaining. Andrew and Peter were John’s disciples until John told them Jesus was the Messiah, then they followed Jesus. The next day, Jesus picked up Philip and Philip got Nathaniel and they all followed Jesus to Galilee.
Samson and Jesus both began their mission with an anointing from the Holy Spirit. But Samson’s mission was to bring judgment to the Philistines and deliverance to Israel. Jesus mission was to bring judgment to Israel and deliverance to the world.
Lord, help us to know our mission. Our number one mission is to love you and to love others like you have loved us.
Israel had sinned and fell into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. God chose a man from Zorah to father the deliverer. Zorah means “she was smitten with leprosy”. Leprosy was a picture of sin since it is a disease of the flesh that slowly eats away your body till you die… just like sin. This was the state of Israel. The man God chose was Manoah which means “rest”. God was going to bring Israel rest. His wife was barren which was also the state of Israel. They had no hope. God came to her barren body and put a seed of hope there and the seed brought forth the deliverance for the whole nation.
The name of their son was Samson which means “little sun”. God is the big sun - Samson was just a small picture of him. A small light of hope.
Right away, Samson showed no godly desires, only the desire for foreign women which the law warned against. But, God was going to use Samson’s miss-placed passion for his purposes and for Israel. Samson had found a Philistine woman he wanted to marry. On the way to her house, he discovered his gift - his strength. From this event, he made up a riddle which was the custom of the Philistines to bring before his brides men. When the Philistines coerced Samson’s bride into finding out the answer to his riddle, Samson started his mission. He killed 30 Philistines to pay them back. His bride was given to his best man.
In John, Jesus entered the scene at the Jordan River. John the Baptist proclaimed his mission: “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Then he baptized Jesus and witnessed the Holy Spirit ascending on Jesus and remaining. Andrew and Peter were John’s disciples until John told them Jesus was the Messiah, then they followed Jesus. The next day, Jesus picked up Philip and Philip got Nathaniel and they all followed Jesus to Galilee.
Samson and Jesus both began their mission with an anointing from the Holy Spirit. But Samson’s mission was to bring judgment to the Philistines and deliverance to Israel. Jesus mission was to bring judgment to Israel and deliverance to the world.
Lord, help us to know our mission. Our number one mission is to love you and to love others like you have loved us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)