Devotional thought 11-27-2016

​”And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'”

Job 28:28 NASB

Too often in this world we have debates over what should be simple things. Leave it to us humans to complicate simplicity. But this passage in Job simplified for me a great truth: true wisdom is fearing God and fleeing from evil is understanding. 

You want to be wise? Listen and follow God. And that’s how simple life could be for us if we simply did that. So let’s be simple.

Devotional thought 11-1-2016

​Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Jn 8:12 NASB

Something in this passage really struck me and that is Jesus saying that he who follows Him.. And it makes you think somewhat if we are following Him. It’s a hard thing at times to follow because it means you have to give up control of how you get somewhere. You have to move when they move, turn when they turn and wait when they wait. 

Perhaps that’s why Christ wants us to follow Him. Because He is the Light it is impossible for us to be in darkness if we are following Him. And when everything around you is illuminated the path becomes clear and you can avoid the bumps in the road.

Devotional thought 5-26-2016

What does it “cost” to follow Christ? That was a question posed to me in my studies today. I don’t like the question because I don’t feel it really hits where it needs to. So let’s come at it this way….what are you willing to “pay” to follow Christ?

How much is too much for eternal life in your mind? We all want to live forever, no doubt, but how many of us when faced with what we would need to give, are willing to part with it?

I think this is why we fall so often in our walk. We haven’t really assessed what we are paying or what price we are willing to pay.

Devotional thought 11-11-2015

do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4 NASB

Being a Christian is really not that complicated. You just need to do the things that Christ did and believe that He is who He said He is. And the doing part is really summed up nicely in the verse today. Look out for the interest of others. Isn’t that what Christ did in dying and coming forth from the grave for our sins? I mean that is the ultimate in looking out for the interest of others. We are not called to die for each other but we are called to love one another. We are called to put others before ourselves and if we are truly followers of Christ it won’t be that difficult to do.

Devotional thought 11-5-2015

My eyes are continually toward the Lord , For He will pluck my feet out of the net.
Psalms 25:15 NASB

Traps. Traps are the absolute worst thing. You are walking along and then suddenly you are off course, caught up in a net or a hole and struggling to get out. What makes it worse is that you are always mad at yourself and ask how it was possible that you didn’t see the trap in the first place.

But if we keep our eyes on Jesus. And walk where He walks and follow where He leads we will be ok. Cause He goes before us and He springs the traps making them visible to you. However it only works if we follow the text and look unto Him.

Devotional thought 5-31-2015

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

There is so much fire in this text it is hard to contain my joy. First the Lord says something that should excite all of us. He calls Himself our Redeemer. It means that we had need of redeeming and that He was willing to step up and do what is necessary to restore our place. That He was unwilling to let us live beneath the status upon which He bestowed on us at the first.

Secondly, God Himself teaches us how to be successful. The problem with us is that we do not know what true success is. We don’t know what is “profit”. He doesn’t leave it to someone else to teach us how to profit, He shows us what ultimate profit is and that is the salvation of our souls. He leads us in the paths of righteousness.

Finally not only does He restore us and teach us how we should go, He says follow me. He leads us in His ways. God is in complete control and when we follow Him we are not lost. It is only when we want to go walkabout that we get ourselves into trouble. But if we would simply let God have His way we would see that where He is leading us is to a beautiful land. A land in which we won’t have to worry ever again.

Yeah this passage contains a lot of fire.