Month: November 2022

“There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” John‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬. This is the question Andrew asked Jesus when the five thousand hungry men sat before them. All he could think of was how incredibly insufficient this was to meet all of the needs before them. But we know, that Jesus blessed and multiplied that meager amount to fully satisfy a great number. But today, as we labor in a desperately needy world, do we ever think as Andrew did? Do we think of the vast numbers of unsaved souls and the broken lives around us and wonder, “What does the little that I’m doing matter? What are my feeble efforts accomplishing?” But let us remember, that when we are laboring and praying and doing all that we do for God’s glory, He is still able to multiply our efforts by His divine power! Many years ago God inspired the songwriter with these words, ‘Does the place you’re called to labor, seem too small and little known? It is great if God is in it, And He’ll not forget His own. 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 go in Jesus’ name’. Let us not despise the day of small things. Our God is still the Great Multiplier.

“So we Thy people and sheep of Thy pasture will give Thee thanks for ever: We will shew forth Thy praise to all generations.” Psalm‬ ‭79‬:‭13‬ ‭KJV‬‬. We have just come through the Thanksgiving Day holidays. During this time we have been reminded in different ways that we should be thankful. But let us not forget, that as God’s children we should ALWAYS BE THANKFUL To God! The psalmist says here, “We will give Thee thanks forever…”. Certainly we have much to be thankful for now. But when we think of Who our God is and what He has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ, we will realize that everyday is a day to give thanks, no matter what our outward circumstances may be. And not only everyday in this world, but all throughout eternity we will be thanking and praising God for His Unspeakable Gift. Too many times we fail to give thanks because we become consumed by the cares of this world. Our focus becomes too much upon things below, rather than rejoicing in the glory of things above. We look at this mortal body which is getting weaker and fail to think that soon this mortal will be changed to immortality! May God help us to ‘Think on these good things’ as Paul reminds us in Phillipians 4:8. And as we do, we will give thanks to our God forever.

Devo for Monday:
“Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, He smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?” Psalm‬ ‭78‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The psalmist is reflecting on Old Testament Israel and their struggle with doubt and unbelief. Even though God had done so many mighty miracles in delivering them from Egyptian captivity, yet they forgot so quickly. He had performed mighty acts to defeat their enemies and provide their needs, yet they still would not believe God. But let us ask ourselves today, “Do we believe that God can provide all we need in those spiritual wilderness experiences we go through?” Most of the time our struggle is not about material things, but spiritual. We face trials and dark valleys that sometimes cause us to wonder, “Will God provide what I need here? Can God furnish a table for me in this dry and barren place I’m going through?” Well the good news is, we know that God can! And HE WILL provide for all those who keep their faith and trust in Him. Let us be those trusting children who know our God can and He will provide all that we need.

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Do we truly know that ‘the goodness of God leads to repentance’? Too often we read these words and think that unbelievers should see God’s goodness as we do. When our heart is opened to God’s Spirit we see His goodness all around us. We see God’s goodness in creation. We see it in the many blessings He bestows on our lives. We experience His goodness in fellowship with God’s family. And most of all, we see God’s goodness in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us! But sinners are spiritually blind and do not recognize His goodness in these ways as we do. It is for this reason that God calls us to be ‘Lights in the midst of darkness’. Jesus said we are to “let our light shine before men so they can see our good works and glorify our Heavenly Father”These words should be powerful motivation for us, to live our lives so that God’s goodness is seen in us. When we speak others should hear of God’s goodness in the gracious words we speak. Even when we go through the trials and troubles of life, we should reflect the goodness of God in our spirit and attitude. All that we do should be a reflection of God’s goodness.

“And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.” Numbers‬ ‭16‬:‭48‬ ‭This was written of Aaron, who was the first high priest of Israel, when they had sinned against God. Many times they had murmured and complained and God had shown mercy. But now the wrath of God against sin was revealed. In going among the people to make atonement, Aaron was representing what Jesus Christ would do for all men. Most people have little idea how Jesus bore in His body the wrath of God against sin. Sin is the greatest plague that has ever come upon mankind and it is worthy of death. Sin is a deliberate choice against God and what is right. Our sin deserved punishment. So how we should thank and praise God for Jesus our Great High Priest! He came and stood between the Holy Law and a world dead in sin. Even more, He willingly hung upon a cruel cross, between Heaven and earth, so that He could bear the punishment our sins deserved. Jesus suffered, bled and died for our sins. He made His soul an offering for our sins. Surely we should join with the songwriter and lift our praise to Jesus, singing, “O what a Saviour, O Hallelujah!. He gave His life’s blood, for even me.”

“Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬ ‭KJV‬‬. What a tremendous promise this is that God gave His people in a time when all hope seemed lost. They were thinking that their future was bleak because heathen leaders were enslaving them and keeping them from their homeland. But God reminds them of the greatest thing anyone could ever know, which was, that He is their God! How different things would be today if we fully grasped this truth. If we know that the God of Heaven, the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all things, is our God, what can we possibly fear? Because when He is our God He will be with us. When He is our God He will strengthen us, help us and hold us up with His strong hand. But the question we should ask ourselves is, “Is He truly my God?” A lot of people claim religion but He is not their God. Their god is whatever or whoever is most important to them. Their god is what they devote themselves to and make first in their lives. But the true and living God is only our God when we choose Him as Lord and Master of our lives.

“Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Every child of God knows that we need to pray. And we pray for many things. We ask God to help us, to help others and to help our fallen world. But do we realize the importance of always praying ‘with thanksgiving’? We know that prayer is coming before God’s throne of grace. But Psalm 100:4 tells us, “Enter into His gates WITH THANKSGIVING”! Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, to remind us “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God…”. So on this day when our nation celebrates Thanksgiving Day, let us be reminded that we should always have a spirit of thanksgiving! As God’s children,
every day is a day to give thanks unto God. Our every prayer should be joined with thanksgiving. How much more effective our prayer lives would be if we always came before God with thanksgiving. How much greater our witness would be if we lived with an attitude of thanksgiving. May we open our eyes to see that we have so much to thank Him for.

“But it is good for me to draw near unto God…” Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭28 KJV‬. Every wise person seeks the things that are good for them. We try to eat healthy food because it is good for us. We make efforts to exercise and keep physically fit because it is good for us. Many people go to extreme measures to do what they believe is good for them. But as children of God, do we realize, that nothing is so good for us as to draw near to God? Nothing we could ever do or obtain will be as good for us as taking time with our Lord to draw near to Him. Many people see spiritual life from a wrong perspective. They imagine that the Christian life is only for God’s glory and then we get to go to Heaven. But may God help us to understand, that drawing near to God in personal relationship is the best thing we can ever do in this world! So take time in God’s Word because it is good for you. Take time to seek God in prayer because it is good for you. Become active in God’s family because it’s good for you. As we do these things, we will discover that the goodness of God’s love is the greatest thing anyone can ever experience.

“My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart…” Psalm 73:26 KJV. There are times in our lives when we ‘lose heart’ about certain people and situations. In these times our spiritual heart ceases to hope and believe that things can change and we can see a better day. We lose all sense of expectation and our faith grows dim. The psalmist says of these times, “My heart faileth”. And how sad that would be if that were the end of our story and we went on living with no hope and no expectation. But then, as God’s children, we discover that there is Someone greater than us, Who loves us and is able to keep our hearts! Thank God, He will be the strength of our heart! Let us understand that our hope should never be founded upon outward circumstances and how people act and respond. Our hope as children of God is in Jesus Christ and what He is able to do. Whenever we focus on people and circumstances we will lose heart. But when we keep our eyes on Jesus and our minds on what He is able to do, we will discover that He is the strength of our heart.

“I will go in the strength of the Lord…” Psalm 71:16 KJV. We all know that our lives are filled with much going. We go through good times and bad. At times, we go through troubles and trials. And Jesus told us that we are to go as His witnesses to a world that needs Him. So we should be going to help others and bring glory to God. We should go to take the message of Jesus to a needy world. Every day we should go and live a Christlike life that brings glory to God. But in whose strength do we go? We all have the choice to go in our own human strength, leaning on the arm of flesh. And well we know the results of that. But when we humble ourselves under God’s hand, we have this great privilege, to go in the strength of the Lord! This is what makes the difference between a life of failure and sin, and a life of victory and peace. When we go in the energy of our flesh we will always come short of what God calls us to do. But when we go in the strength of the Lord we will be able to rise above the pitfalls and overcome every foe. Let us remember, that “His strength is made perfect in our weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9) When we confess our desperate need of His power and begin to lean on Him, then we will go in His divine strength.