Month: May 2022

“I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness.” John‬ ‭12:46‬ ‭KJV‬‬. One of the glorious things Christ does in the life of a true believer is, that He delivers us from the darkness of sin. Everyday we see around us the tragic consequences of sin. It is dark and very troubling. The moral and spiritual darkness in the hearts and minds of sinful people is tragic and destructive.. And yet, Jesus Christ has come to deliver us from that awful darkness! What a sad thing that most of modern religion promotes ‘another gospel’ that leaves people still abiding in darkness. Most think they have no possibility of truly being delivered. But thank God, Jesus declares that the truth will set us free, and that He has the power to liberate our souls and move us from the kingdom of darkness into His kingdom of light. If we are abiding in darkness today, it is because that is what we choose. In John 3:19, Jesus said “men loved darkness, because their deeds are evil”. By God’s grace, let us be those true believers who choose the Light of Christ and walk in His Light.

“Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy Keeper: The LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.” Psalm‬ ‭121:4-5‬ ‭KJV‬‬. What a great blessing it is to know that the Lord is our Keeper. So many times when we face the many challenges and battles of life we try in vain to keep ourselves. We put up all the resistance we can. We try to stand against the forces of evil that war against our souls. We try to resolve and determine not to be overcome. But in the end we always discover how weak we are. And we are humbly reminded that only the Lord can keep us. But what a difference it makes when we begin each day confessing to God, “Lord, only You can keep me today. Only You have the power to keep me clean and pure. Only You can defeat the enemies that come against me. So Father, I am trusting you today to do what I cannot do. To keep my soul abiding in You for Your glory. You are my Keeper“. Let us walk humbly and in peace because the Lord is our Keeper.

“Let Thine hand help me; for I have chosen Thy precepts.”Psalm‬ ‭119:173‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In our spiritual life we need help for many things. And when we realize that we need help, we look in many directions. But how much different things would be if we learned to look first to God for the help we need. Instead of looking to the ‘arm of flesh’, might we learn to look to the strong hand of our Heavenly Father. The psalmist David had realized that human help was insufficient and unreliable. Time after time, people fail to help in the way we need. Perhaps he thought of Israel’s history, when they had looked to other nations for help instead of looking to God. At different times in his own life, David had looked for help from men. But now, he is sure, that he can “lift His eyes into the hills from whence cometh my help” (Psalm 121:1). As we fight this good fight of faith, we have a continual need for Divine help. We should learn to daily humble ourselves and cry out to God for help. And when we look to the mighty hand of God for our help, we will never be disappointed, because He will never fail. Thank God, He is always our ‘very present help in time of need’.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Romans‬ ‭11:33‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As Paul is inspired by the Holy Spirit to write this chapter 11 of Romans, he realizes that there are many things God has done and that God allows, that are a mystery to the human mind. And of course, there are many things in each of our lives and in the world we live in, that we do not have the answers for. But what a comfort it is to be able to rest all of our uncertainties with our Heavenly Father Who has perfect wisdom and knowledge! What a blessing it is that even when we do not understand God’s ways, we can always trust His heart of love. Long ago God told the prophet Isaiah, that “My ways and My thoughts are high above yours”. It should not amaze us when we do not have all the answers to the mysteries of life. We are finite creatures and He is the Infinite God! We are limited in understanding and wisdom and He possesses complete and perfect understanding and wisdom. So rather than be discouraged by what we don’t understand, let us be thankful, that the God Who loves us knows all about it and has promised ‘to work all things for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.’

“Great are Thy tender mercies, O LORD: Quicken me according to Thy judgments.” Psalm‬ ‭119:156‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The mercies of God to us are far greater than our minds can comprehend. Every day we should praise and thank God for His tender mercy to us. Far too often, we begin to imagine that we deserve good things. Our tendency is, to think that we are entitled to all of the blessings that God freely and mercifully bestows on us. And when our pride becomes lifted up like this, we are surprised or offended when our life is confronted by difficulties and suffering. But how different it is, when we understand that every good thing in our life is part of God’s great mercy to us! Every good and perfect gift we enjoy comes from the merciful hand of our gracious Lord, not because we are worthy but because He is good. May God help us to have a deeper appreciation for His ‘undeserved favor’ towards us. We should always be thankful that God does not give us what we deserve. But instead, He deals with us every day in His great grace and mercy.

“Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” Exodus‬ ‭19:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬. These words God spoke to physical Israel long ago are still true for every believer, who is now a part of spiritual Israel. It is a marvelous thing to consider, that as unworthy as we are, we can be a treasure in God’s eyes. This reminds us of the high value God places upon obedient love. Jesus told us, “If you love Me you will keep My commands”. When we truly love God, we will desire and strive to obey Him. This modern careless attitude, so prevalent in churches today, that ‘sin doesn’t matter and obedience is of little importance’, is completely foreign to the Word of God. Today, most people are told that it is only about God’s grace to us. But Paul made clear in Titus 2:12, God’s grace “teaches us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”. And we walk in obedience like this, because we love the One Who has been so gracious to us! May God help us to obey Him because we love Him. This is what our Heavenly Father treasures.

“If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” Exodus‬ ‭18:23‬ ‭KJV‬‬. When Moses’ father in law gave him these words of Godly counsel, he was expressing a spiritual principle which is true in every life. And that is, we need others. We need to seek their cooperation and share the burdens of our life with them. Sometimes, we like to think that we can get everything done by ourselves. But in His infinite wisdom and love, God has placed us in His family. God created us to be dependent, first upon Him, but also upon others. That means we should recognize we have brothers and sisters in Christ who love God and share a concern for one another and for the work He has given us. Recognizing this will help us to endure the many challenges we face. Sometimes it is not enough to simply think, “I will trust God to help me”. We must also be obedient to His Word and trust that He has placed others around us who can help share the load.

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“And a Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” Isaiah‬ ‭32:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬. This is a beautiful prophecy of the God Man, Jesus Christ. In these words we find a brief description of mankind’s problems and the solution God has provided in Jesus. Because life is filled with many storms and tempests, we need a refuge, a hiding place. Almost every day, for the children of God, the enemy tries to bring against us some kind of storm of persecution or adversity. But thank God, in Jesus we have a Blessed Refuge for our soul! He is our Hiding Place from the tempest. Then, we live in a sinful world that is spiritually dry and barren in so many ways. But what a relief it is that we can come daily, to drink afresh of Christ Who has the living water our thirsty souls need. Finally, we face the weariness of life, with all of it’s stress and strain. But again, in Jesus we find rest for our weary souls. He is that Blessed Rock in a weary land. How blessed we are that in Jesus Christ, we can find all that we need. Paul reminds us in Phillipians 4:19, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”.

“And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, Who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, Who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods…”Exodus‬ ‭18:10-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬. For Moses’ father in law Jethro, the evidence of God’s greatness lay in the fact that He had delivered them from the hand of the enemy. Certainly he knew of the many ‘gods’ that Egypt worshipped. And up to that time, they were the pre-imminent world power. But God proved His greatness in delivering them from the cruel power of Egypt and their false gods. Today, we each have the opportunity as God’s redeemed children, to show to the unbelieving world the greatness of our God. If they can see that God has delivered us from the bondage of sin then God’s greatness is being proclaimed from our lives. If they see that we are not bound by worldly pleasures they will know that in our God, we have found something greater. Much of modern religion talks about God’s greatness but they do not demonstrate it in the lives they live. By God’s grace, let us be those holy people who have been delivered and now live our lives that prove the greatness of our God.

“Unless Thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.”Psalm‬ ‭119:92‬ ‭KJV‬‬. One of the great things God’s Word does for us is to fortify us in the face of the many challenges we deal with. Life brings with it many stresses and strains. Trials and affliction come upon all. And we
should understand. that satan tries to use them to work against our soul. At times, situations may seem so difficult that we wonder how we can make it. But what a difference it makes when our soul delights in the Word of God! That is something the devil can not touch nor take away from us. Verse 89 says, “God’s Word is forever settled in Heaven!” Thank God, our soul can delight in the unshakable and infallible Word of our Lord. But how important it is that we love the Word and continually hide it in our hearts. Trials and affliction may rob us of many things on a material or physical level. But they cannot take away the delight we find in the precious Word of God. Let us ask God to help us cultivate a greater love and appreciation for His Word, so we truly can delight ourselves in it.