Daily Devotion, Feb. 9, 2021. Trouble

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all (Psalm 34:19).

On first reading, this verse strikes me as untrue. I know many (including myself) who have not been delivered from troubles. In the Bible, we learn that none of us are righteous, so perhaps the verse does not refer to us. There was one righteous man whose name was Jesus. Did God deliver Him? Yes! While He was humiliated and crucified, God raised Him from death and gave Him a name above every name (Philippians 2:9). He now reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. Yes, God delivered Him, the one righteous man.

What about us? When we are connected to Jesus by faith, His righteousness is credited to us (see Philippians 3:9). We are finally delivered from all our troubles even as Jesus was, via the resurrection. Whatever problems we face in this life, they will seem trivial when we enter into heaven. That is our grand and final deliverance from our trials and tribulations.

True, we face much pain and anguish in this life, and we often see no earthly deliverance. I think when we reach heaven, we will say, “Thank You, Lord, for delivering me from all my troubles.” 

Gracious God, I thank You that you are by my side when I face earthly trials. I thank You that whatever suffering I endure on earth, You have promised a final deliverance in heaven. That is more than good enough for me. I bless the name of Jesus and pray in His name, Amen. 

It looks like we will have some winter weather this week so please check to see if events are still scheduled.

Tuesday is our monthly board meeting at 6 PM.
Wednesday is Bible study at 3:30.
Next Sunday we will be looking at Enoch in the Book of Genesis.

Marie and I have had our second Corona virus vacination. I am looking forward to things returning to “normal” soon. I miss seeing many of you but I understand you have to protect yourself from the virus. Have a safe week.
Pastor Bowman

DAILY DEVOTION, February 8, 2021, God a strong tower

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

In this text God is likened to a strong tower. He is like a mighty fortress. When we enter into His presence by faith, we find safety. We know He will protect us.  It doesn’t mean that we will have no difficulties. Many of our problems continue faith, or no faith. The safety God provides is the assurance that He loves us, that our sins are forgiven, and heaven is our home. We become righteous by trusting in Him.  Under the New Covenant, that means trusting in Jesus.

As we live by faith, we find that God is indeed a strong tower, and we find safety in Him. Apart from faith, we live in a dangerous world where the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (to quote Shakespeare) are a daily reality. We all have a choice to make. Will we live by faith and find that God is a strong fortress? Will we look to Him for our eternal safety? Or will we live relying on human resources? Please make the right choice.

Father God, thank You for being our strong tower. Thank You that our ultimate safety is found in You.  Help me to live by faith, to run to You for Your help and sustaining grace. I believe you are trustworthy, and I trust in You. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, Feb 6, 2021, Prayer for the sick

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (James 5:15).

James says that if we call for the church elders and anoint the sick with oil, God will heal. There are many other places in Scripture where we are encouraged to pray. We all know that sometimes our prayers for the sick are not answered in the manner we hoped. Over the years, we have prayed for many of our sick who eventually died. Yes, we know that those who die in faith are in heaven, and they are assuredly healed there.

When we pray, we need to be aware of all the conditions God lays upon us. For example, prayer must always be according to the will of God (1 John 5:14). God will never act contrary to His will no matter how hard we pray. There must always be in our hearts, “thy will be done,” even if we do not always say those words. No matter how much faith you can muster, God will never act contrary to His will. Our problem is that we do not always know His will.

Jesus prayed that the Father might spare Him from crucifixion, an understandable prayer! God did not spare Jesus from the cross but used our Lord’s sacrifice as the means of bringing eternal life to us. Behind Jesus’ desire to avoid the cross was a more profound desire that God’s will be done. That same desire must be behind our prayers. Yes, pray on. Ask what you will. God wants to hear from you. But after you have expressed your desire, whisper the words, “Thy will be done.”

Thank You, Father, for encouraging us to cast all our cares upon You.  You have assured us that you care for us. When my prayers are not answered in the manner I prefer, help me to understand that You love me and You are always doing what is best for me even when I do not understand. If I pray a thousand prayers that do not go my way, I will continue to pray and trust You. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Daily Devotion, Feb. 5, 2021, The Second Coming

For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2, NLT).

The New Testament is abundantly clear. Jesus will return to planet earth. When He came the first time, He came clothed in humility. When He comes again, it will be with power. It will be the day of final judgment.

Over the years, many have tried to predict the day of Jesus’ coming. They have been 100% wrong! The early Christians knew that His appearance would be unexpected, like a thief in the night. Of course, Christians are always expecting that the Lord will return. It is the time of His return that is unknown to us. So, we are ever to be ready. Since we are not privy to the time of His coming, we are to be prepared at all times (Mark 13:35).

The metaphor of a thief in the night is helpful. Thieves do not announce the day or hour of their arrival. You have to anticipate that thieves might come at any time. When Marie and I found that a thief had taken the two wagon wheels at our driveway entrance, there was no advance announcement of the day and hour of their arrival. They came quietly in the night.

God’s word to us is not “predict.” Rather He says, “What I say to you I say unto all, WATCH!” (Mark 13:37).

Father, our world can be in such a mess that I find myself hoping Jesus will come soon. Make me content to know He is coming even though I don’t know when. May I be busy serving Him when He comes. In Jesus name, Amen.