Marie’s daily verse: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

DAILY DEVOTION, November 22, 2022

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and You cannot look on wickedness (Habakkuk 1:13).

God is holy. He is pure goodness. God will never be guilty of evil. The prophet says God is so holy and pure that He cannot bear to look at evil or wickedness. This verse ought to raise a red flag of warning to us. Our sins may seem small to us, but to God, they are so awful that we cannot be living in sin and have a relationship with a holy God.

What does He see when He looks at me? Am I spotless, free from all wickedness? No, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Is there no hope for me? Yes, there is hope. We are forgiven when we place our trust in Jesus and repent of our sins. Forgiveness means we can have fellowship with a holy God. We are accepted by God when we live a life of continual faith and repentance. God cannot even look at us when we cling to some favorite sin without repentance. It comes down to this. What do you want most? To adhere to some sin or to have a relationship with God?

Father, I want to live in harmony with You. I will refuse to hold on to anything that separates me from You, so help me, God. I accept Your forgiveness by accepting Your Son who died for me. When sin rears its ugly head in my life, help me to see the danger I am in until I repent and renounce that which offends You. In Jesus, name, Amen.

Marie’s daily verse: Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. PSALM 112:5.

DAILY DEVOTION, November 20, 2022

Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” He answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:37).

In context, the Ethiopian eunuch is reading the Bible in his chariot but does not understand what he is reading. Philip is led by the Holy Spirit to this man to help him understand. The eunuch is reading from Isaiah 53 about a lamb led to the slaughter. The eunuch is puzzled by the words of Isaiah. Was Isaiah speaking about himself or another?

Philip used that Scripture to preach Jesus to him. Jesus was the lamb of God led to the slaughter. Philip instructed him that all who believe in Jesus are forgiven of their sins and receive the gift of eternal life. As Philip proclaimed Jesus to the Ethiopian, faith was born. He wanted to be a disciple of Jesus. He was instructed that baptism was the first step. The Ethiopian confessed his faith in Jesus in Acts 8:37 and was subsequently baptized.

In order for anyone to come to true faith they must understand the Scriptures and how they direct us to Jesus, possibly needing help from another.  When faith is born, baptism follows. Baptism is closely connected with faith elsewhere in the New Testament. Every true believer accepts baptism unless they are incorrectly taught.

Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus to redeem us. Thank you that I have come to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Amen.

The Lord is my strength and my defense;     he has become my salvation.He is my God, and I will praise him,     my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” EXODUS 15:2

DAILY DEVOTION, November 19, 2022

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? (Psalm 8:3-4).

The Psalmist gazes upon our universe and marvels at its wonders. God is the Master artist. The universe He created is full of beauty and marvels. We gaze into the heavens and we see the handiwork of God. How can anyone contemplate this universe and assume it all happened by chance? The Psalmist saw the handiwork of God.

Then he turns to mankind. We are created in the image of God. Our lives are intended to conform to the divine will. But there is rebellion against God. Sin entered the picture and all too often we want to do things our way instead of God’s way. Why should almighty God, the creator of this vast universe, concern Himself with sinful humanity? God has every right to be done with us. Why would He finally choose to visit us in the person of His Son? Why would He redeem us through the suffering and death of His Son? The Psalmist wonders. The only answer is that God loves us. John 3:16 is the answer. “God so loved . . .”

Father, I am astonished by Your love. Thank You for being mindful of me and sending Your Son to redeem me. While You are a God with unimaginable power, You are also a God of unimaginable love. Blessed be the name of the Lord! In the holy name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

Marie’s daily verse: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. JAMES 1:2-3

DAILY DEVOTION, November 18, 2022

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26).

This beautiful Old Testament prayer is good to memorize and pray it over others. When we pray this prayer for another, we are asking God to bless them, to be close to them, to be gracious to them, and to give them peace. So many of our public prayers center on healing and that is okay. This is more of a prayer for the healing of the soul. If I pray this prayer for my wife, it would go something like this. The Lord bless you, Marie. May the Lord always keep you from harm. Marie, I want you to feel close to God, that His very face is shining upon you. I want God to be gracious to you, Marie. I pray that His peace will fill your soul.

Wouldn’t you love to have such a prayer prayed over you? Why not pray it over others and maybe others will pray it over you. Yes, continue to pray for the sick but we are learning in our Wednesday Bible study that our greatest needs are spiritual. When we pray for the body, we are praying for something that will eventually die. When we pray for the soul, we pray for that which will live forever.

Father, I am concerned when others are sick, but help me realize that our greatest needs are spiritual. Help me to remember this biblical prayer when I pray for others. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Marie’s daily verse: But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 SAMUEL 16:7

DAILY DEVOTION, November 16, 2022

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us (2 Timothy 1:13-14).

Paul’s concern in this verse is to promote sound teaching. He realizes he is an inspired apostle, called by the resurrected Jesus to proclaim the Gospel. He instructs Timothy (and us) to make sure he is preaching and believing what Paul taught. The 12 original apostles were taught by Jesus during His earthly ministry. Paul was taught by the risen Lord, but the message was the same. It matters not whether we read the four Gospels or the writings of Paul. In both cases, we are reading the inspired words given to the church by Jesus.

Like Timothy, we have been entrusted with the inspired record contained in the Bible. We need to guard it with care. Those who tamper with the Word of God, embracing some ideas and rejecting others, end up confused. When they are pastors of a church, they end up confusing the parishioners.  Tom and I are committed to preaching and teaching nothing but the Bible. We are not infallible interpreters, but you can be confident that we are trying to be faithful to the deposit entrusted to us. If you want to have a clear understanding of God, salvation, and all the other truths of the Christian faith, READ THE BOOK and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Father, thank You for giving to us the Sacred Scriptures, which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, Amen.