Daily Word of God - Romans 10:16-18

Romans 10:16-18 New International Version (NIV)

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[a] 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”[b]

Footnotes:

1. Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
2. Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4

Daily Word of God - Colossians 4:5-6

Colossians 4:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Daily Word of God - 2 John 1:7-9

2 John 7-9 New International Version (NIV)

7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we[a] have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

Footnotes:

1. 2 John 1:8 Some manuscripts you

Mid-Week Message - He Cares

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever."  Revelation 21:4  (NLT)

Tears are a gift.  They allow us a way to release our emotions and share our overflow of feelings with others.  Most of us cry when we are sad, some of us cry out of anger or even exhaustion.  We even have times when we cry out of sheer joy.  Scientists say that "happy" tears are chemically different than the ones that fall out of sadness.  What an amazing Creator we serve!  

John 20:15-16 recounts a very tender moment.  Mary has gone to Jesus' tomb but when she does not find him there, she weeps because she thinks someone has taken his body away.  While she is crying, she hears a voice that says, "Dear woman, why are you crying?  Who are you looking for?"  She believes Him to be the gardener and asks Him where He has taken the body.  Then Jesus speaks her name and she recognizes Him.  I am not sure, but I would imagine that her tears became those of joy rather than of sorrow at that moment.

When infants are born, we long to hear their first wails.  It is reassurance of the life that is inside of them and that their lungs are working well.  Then we find ourselves kneeling by their cradles and praying that their sorrows and hardships in life will be few.  I remember well taking my tiny daughter to her well-checks and sobbing along with her as she received her vaccines.  The fact that my child was in pain, even for just a moment, broke my heart.  If we love our children that deeply, how must Almighty God, who is the very epitome and definition of love, feel when He witnesses His children weeping?  

My personal belief is that when Jesus spoke to Mary in the garden, His voice was compassionate and comforting.  It was a moment that showed His reaction to tears.  And I believe with all my heart that He reacts to each of us the same way when He sees us in pain or sorrow.  Just as he said to Mary, He says to us, "Why are you crying?"  He wishes us to know that He is beside us and is ready to take us into His holy arms to comfort us.  

Why do I believe that tears matter so much to Him?  Because the verse for today is very specific in mentioning what will be gone forever in Heaven.  It lists tears, death, sorrow, crying and pain.  If they were not important to Him, why would He call them out and reassure us that they would come to an end?  

Another verse that shows the importance of our tears is Psalm 56:8 which says, "You keep track of all my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book."  The Bible, our love letter from God Himself, makes sure we understand that He sees, hears and cares when we cry.  The Author of all that is, is touched when we weep.  How precious is that?  

We all go through moments that bring us to our knees, that make us feel as though there is no end to the amount of tears that will flow from our eyes.  In those moments though, our Savior is there beside us.  In the times when we feel most alone, we are far from it.  He cares and His compassion has no end.  We can each go forth in confidence that no tear is unseen and they are of the utmost importance to the One who created them in the first place.   

Why are you crying?  Listen for Him to call your name.  God bless.

Daily Word of God - Luke 10:22

Luke 10:22 New International Version (NIV)

22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Daily Word of God - Isaiah 12:1-2

Isaiah 12:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

Songs of Praise

12 In that day you will say:

“I will praise you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
    and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
    I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense[a];
    he has become my salvation.”

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 12:2 Or song

Daily Word of God - Colossians 4:2-4

Colossians 4:2-4 New International Version (NIV)

Further Instructions

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

Daily Word of God - Psalm 119:1-8

Psalm 119:1-8 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 119[a]

א Aleph

1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
    who walk according to the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
    and seek him with all their heart—
3 they do no wrong
    but follow his ways.
4 You have laid down precepts
    that are to be fully obeyed.
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
    in obeying your decrees!
6 Then I would not be put to shame
    when I consider all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart
    as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees;
    do not utterly forsake me.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 119:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet; moreover, the verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Daily Word of God - Micah 4:1-5

Micah 4:1-5 New International Version (NIV)

The Mountain of the Lord

4 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and peoples will stream to it.

2 Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.

Daily Word of God - Joshua 24:16-18

Joshua 24:16-18 New International Version (NIV)

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Simple, Sage Wisdom

As I get older, the two things I cannot stand in my life are complications and complexity. For me, those are the two things that get under my skin. When you think about it, everything that annoys us can be traced to these two things. The more things we have and money we make lead to complications, for example, in figuring out our taxes. Instead of “rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s”, we spend hours and hours trying to figure out our taxes. If we don’t figure them correctly, the Internal Revenue Service is there to help us and teach us a valuable lesson regarding our taxes. If we can afford to, we can hire someone to handle our taxes for us which requires us to earn more money to pay for those services which leads to more complications and complexity in our lives. As we continue to make more money and buy more and bigger things, we experience a lot more complications and complexity in our lives.

My father was a very simple man and lived his life in a very simple way. He believed in God the Father and that his salvation came through the blood of Christ Jesus. When I reflect upon his life, I realize that my life is nowhere near the example of my father. My life is cluttered and full of things that just complicate my life and add layers upon layers of complexity to it. My father grew up during the Great Depression and he knew the value of a day’s work and that every person has an opportunity to not only better himself or herself but also provide for the next generation. He believed that God was his provider. There were times in his life that he looked to God for wisdom and guidance. If I could say one thing about my father, he truly was a man after God’s own heart. 

The apostle Paul, like my father, was a man who provided those around him with God’s wisdom that was imparted to him. In many instances, that wisdom was very simple and direct. There was no complexity or complicated ideas. The wisdom that he provided was more than just a series of words. They were heart-felt and came directly from God. Those very words should resonate with the spirits of all believers.

In the sixteenth chapter of his first epistle to the believers in Corinth, Paul writes, “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”

If you think about his words, you can easily see that what he tells those there in the church of Corinth to do are simple things. Although they are simple in nature, they are the most profound actions any believer could do.

The first thing Paul tells them and us is that we must be on guard. When it comes to Satan, he truly is the accuser. He can easily seduce the sympathetic ear and heart into doing things that are contrary to God and His will. It is so very easy for us to become disobedient. He, like a roaring lion, is looking for souls to devour.
Peter, in chapter five of his first epistle, tells us the same thing, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

Paul tells us to stand firm in our faith. If we are on guard and alert, we can easily see the enemy advance towards us. How will you react? Will you stand firm and prepare for the devil’s onslaught and attack? 

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. If we are to stand on faith, we must prepare for spiritual warfare daily. It is not enough to say we are ready. We must be fully prepared. We have every weapon in God’s armory at our disposal. 

Paul writes in chapter six of Ephesians, “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.”

Notice that Paul mentions the same words. He tells us to “stand firm” and to “stand your ground”. If we remain faithful and true to God, we can easily, after every battle, stand firm in our faith. Any soldier will tell you the same thing. You do not go into battle without all of your equipment. If you take the field, you must be fully prepared and equipped to do battle. If you fail to put on just one piece, there is a weakness and the enemy will seek it out.

Paul gives us the same words that the Lord gives to Joshua. Joshua, who becomes the leader of the Israelites, is given some of the best words of encouragement that anyone who is asked to lead needs.

In the first chapter of Joshua, the Lord charges Joshua with the leadership of the Israelites by saying, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Notice how many times in just this short passage that God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” Like Joshua, we need to be reminded constantly that we have nothing to fear. We allow this sinful, fallen world to tear us down spiritually. We fail in standing firm in our faith when we are not on guard and alert. When the enemy senses that we are complacent or sleeping on watch, that is when he attacks. As long as we are alert and have on our full armor, we are ready and do not have to be afraid or discouraged. God is always with us no matter where we go or what we face. As long as we obey, we will prosper and succeed in all that we do. That is God’s promise to each of us.

Lastly, Paul gives us the most important words of wisdom. We are to do everything in love. Early in his letter, Paul tells us about the greatest of all gifts, love. 

In chapter 13 of what is often referred to as “The Love Passage”, Paul writes, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

Of all of the gifts that we have received from our Heavenly Father, the greatest is love. That love is summed up so eloquently in the Gospel of John. It is a very short passage in the third chapter. 

John writes, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

God showed us His love for the entire world and we are to do the same. We must act in love just as Jesus acted in love for us when he gave his life so that we could have salvation and no longer live under the burden and requirements of the law. The required payment and sacrifice for being disobedient was paid not only through the blood of Christ Jesus but also through his love for us.

As you reflect on this, remember the last command that Jesus gave his disciples. In chapter thirteen of John, Jesus tells them, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”

When we act in love, we show the world what true love really is. 

The words and wisdom written by Paul are very simple. They are not complicated or complex in nature. Do not add or take anything away from the message of faith, hope and love. If you remain grounded in this simple, sage wisdom, you can easily stand firm in His grace.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Daily Word of God - Deuteronomy 33:26-29

Deuteronomy 33:26-29 New International Version (NIV)

26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
    who rides across the heavens to help you
    and on the clouds in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,
    saying, ‘Destroy them!’
28 So Israel will live in safety;
    Jacob will dwell[a] secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
    where the heavens drop dew.
29 Blessed are you, Israel!
    Who is like you,
    a people saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and helper
    and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
    and you will tread on their heights.”

Footnotes:

1. Deuteronomy 33:28 Septuagint; Hebrew Jacob’s spring is